Word Count: 4534
Chapter Seven
I woke up, feeling like… it felt like a wave was crashing me against the reef. I looked at my hands taking a deep breath. I winced, each time that mystic force hit, rippling through my body pulling at Dahlei. I wasn't on the kitchen floor but the couch.
"Are… both of you awake?" Zatanna asked , walking up to me. I managed to nod. My head hurt… "Do you remember anything?"
"I was in the kitchen eating, talking with Doll."
"We found you on the floor. You hit your head pretty hard," Robin explained walking into the living room. No wonder my head hurts, probably fell on it. He was typing furiously at the hologram from his wrist. It showed empty news stations, "All the adults are gone."
"There's some serious magic going on here." Zatanna added. The supers looked at me for guidance.
Doll held up a hand, closing our eyes. She pushed her own mystic force out and quickly withdrew it. The magic effecting the world clawing at us like Klarion's talons, trying to tear her out. We curled hissing in pain a little. Still Doll got what she needed. Klarion's magic was potent in the spell that was made to divide…
"The Ambre Jeune Perdu…" Doll muttered softly. Gem of the lost children. She ran a hand through our hair, mostly smoothing them away from her horns that grew from our head. "My book, Gorgana… He- Klarion split the dimension. Adults and Children."
"Hold on," Zatanna sat down next to us. "You're book was enchanted to prevent something like this. No one can read it without your aura. And Gorgana?"
We groaned, realization suddenly hitting us. Replaying the fight. Him hijack our magic and us devouring his… Klarion devouring our magic in the kiss at the alley way. There were several things that could have happened. "A, while I was absorbing his energy, Klarion was absorbing mine. B, I have too much of his energy that my book thinks we're the same person. C, he's using the energy inside me to syphon mine."
"And who's Gorgana?" Robin asked, now crossing his arms.
"… Think Hydra. Serpent, many heads but she can consume people." Doll explained quickly and stiffly. She tried fighting it but a shiver ran down her spine, an image of thousands of heads trying to devour her. "We, me and Klarion, used this spell to divide Gorgana in two."
"Adults and children," Robin nodded. "Can you track him? Can you undo his spell?"
"I'm over 100, I'm hiding from my own spell. I- We can't use my magic."
"So advance spells like that are out…" Zatanna sighed.
"Not necessarily," Robin gently interrupted. He lead us back to the mission room, waving Zatanna to follow him. When I stayed seated Robin cleared his throat, "What are you waiting for? We'll need your help. And," He smirked, "You are kinda responsible. Your spell book and all."
"Oh wow, guilt tripping me." We laughed getting off the couch and walking to the holographic monitors.
"Here's Zatara locating the Injustice League last month," Robin tapped a few thinks and the footage played on the biggest monitor. Zatara stood in front of a globe, uttering the most basic incantations. Backward spells.
"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros," I repeated softly. I screamed, a course of energy ripping at me. I fell to my knees, trying to keep the black lightning on my skin. I took a deep breath, pressing my- our, Dahlei's horns against the floor. "Klarion, your so fucking dead."
"So… I have to do it," Zatanna whispered quietly. "I- I can't. I'm not on Zatara's level. I can't just say the words-"
"I know it's hard but I'm- we're here," Robin gently interrupted. We sneer. Good thing we were behind Zatanna. Robin gave me a playful glare and continued his pep talk. "We'll find your dad, Batman and everyone else. Stay whelm, it's what we do… And besides Leah will help."
"Oh yep!" I jumped in, trying hard to wipe my shit eating grin away when Zatanna turned to me.
"What is she doing here?!" Kid Flash yelled. He ran up to me, finger jabbing my chest, "She a Lord of Chaos! How do we know she isn't working with-" I interrupted him, pulling my scarf down and he immediately backed up. "Oh… wow."
"Yeah…" I frowned. I crossed my arms, glaring lightly at him. Kid Flash shuffled around, scratching the back of his head and finally muttered a weak apology. I smiled and relaxed, "You have every right to be suspicious. Just… Don't mix me and Doll up, yeah?"
"If I had my own body it'll be so much easier…" Doll muttered softly. "But it takes so much power to construct a physical form, especially on this dead plane and-"
"Ahem," Zatanna cleared her throat. She gave me and Doll an amused smile. "You're suppose to be helping me with the locator spell."
"Baby magic-"
"Rude!" I gasped quickly shoving Doll out of the pilot seat. I gave Zatanna an apologetic look but she looked to amused for it. I apologized anyway. "I'm sorry, she's been off since…" Since the wet dream. But of course I didn't say that with Kid Flash standing right next to me.
Instead I just waved to the small set of boxes. One of them had my enchanted phone. The spell was easy, focus on the mystic force, spell, person- object your trying to locate and say the magic words.
"Etacol-"
"Confidence," I interrupted, more on Doll's behalf. "Knowing is half of it. Confidence is the other half." Kinda. Well no, not at all. Magic was so much more complex but Zatanna's magic didn't have much risk involved. Baby Magic.
"Ugh," Zatanna huffed. She closed her eyes and took a moment to gather herself. "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!" One of the boxes glowed red. She gingerly opened it. With a large smile she picked up my enchanted phone.
"Nice!" I smiled. With a snap of my fingers all the boxes turned into a cloud of smoke. A pink magenta, not the chaos red, I noticed. So that's my mystic force? With a wave they reformed hiding my phone. "One more time."
"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!" Zatanna yelled excitedly. She held her breath for a few seconds, face slowly dropping when nothing happened.
"Hey!" Kid Flash scowled, holding out his arm. The compartment on his arm glowed red. He opened it, tossing my phone at me. I easily caught it, smirking at his annoyed face. "Congrats."
"I guess I'm ready," Zatanna said, wringing her hands together despite herself. We walked to the mission room, the hologlobe-thingy already up. The Team nodded at me, Superboy giving me a light glare. She casted the spell once more, a little less confidant than she was just a few seconds ago. "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!"
"Roanoke… Of course witch boy-"
"It works!" We all spun around, finding a little boy in a red hoody. With an odd mystic aura. Maybe an attraction, a beacon or something. He ran up to the Team, smiling at… me? "Your Discord!"
"Wha- Uh- Who-" Dahlei stuttered and took a step back, trying to speak the several thoughts that ran through her mind. Red images was summoned around us. Flashes of the Endless. Death, Destruction, Dream- Desire. Everyone. Very fond and happy memories of the family laughing together. Then suddenly Destruction was gone. My breath hitched but that feeling of guilt was a replaced by shock.
A very painful and physical shock as the Klarion's spell pulled at us again. We buckled, trying to contain the energy before it strike anyone. I tried to move away from the Team and the kid. Stumbling, knees buckling but instead a hand was on my shoulder to steady me.
I looked up, face to face with Death. She gave a kind and worried smile at me. Behind her was a very shocked Zatara. Batman was unreadable but Dream… That ass smiled at me after the shit he's pulled.
In a flash the adults were gone, replaced by the kids.
"No, don't." I gasped finally collapsing to my knees. I fought for a second, withdrawing my mystic power before looking at the kid. "My name is Deliah, Leah works too."
"Oh that's so much easier." The speedster muttered. I gave Kid Flash an exhausted look from my place on the floor.
"What was the Endless doing with Batman and Zatara?" Doll growled. She pushed us off the floor. Her eyes bore into the kid. He was surprised, most likely by Doll's voice, the mystic and animalistic growls. "Death. Dream. Why are they here?"
"Your friends," The kid glared hard, like he wasn't threatening a Lord of Chaos. "Wanted to check up on you and your soul searching." He put air quotes around the last two words.
The kid turned out to be Captain Marvel. He got his powers from an ancient wizard, Shazam. That'll explain that beacon feeling I got from him. Billy a 10-year-old while Captain Marvel was an adult.
Like me and Doll. Whenever Doll was active my body aged up. Unlike us he didn't have that excruciating pain so I didn't bring it up to the Team.
With Captain Marvel playing messenger the heroes were able to make a plan. Converge on Klarion, beat his ass. Then I- we, jump in and undo his spell without destabilizing it.
The plan fell apart quickly when Robin and Artemis was struck by someone's lightning. I ran forward, drawing up a pentagram to harmlessly absorb the lightning. Miss Martian quickly flew up and telepathically carted the no-powered heroes away.
"You!" Klarion scowled at me. He had the gall to wave me off, tattoos appearing on the back of his hands with a red glow, "Go corrupt another Lord, you Harlot." Oh… he was talked to me! Not Doll- Wait corrupt?
"Really? How can I corrupt a Lord of Chaos?" I muttered. My response was a raised a brow and a heated smirk from Klarion that caused my pound to heart- I mean heart to pound and my vision flashed red. Out of anger, Dahlei's anger. I repeated that several more times, trying to convince myself. The more active she was the stronger the pull to tear us apart.
"Argh!" We fell to a knee, flickering between the dimensions. "Chill Doll! He's trying to rile you up!"
"Please, we wouldn't have been together so long if I wasn't able to work her up."
"What-" Several images flashed. A very heated one stayed. Hot hands on my hips, bare skin pressed against my back and- Doll ripped the memory away. "Wow!" I gasped with wide eyes. Klarion only smirked. It took a second for his spell to analysis me but I screamed, feeling the pull again. Doll grumbled before balancing us out again. By the time the pain has passed I was thrown back by an explosive force.
At the very least I was able to flip backwards onto my feet. The smoke helped hide my stumble and I barely managed to dodge the next few attacks. I was a little satisfied at Klarion's frustrated yell.
"Stay! Still! You Harlot!" Klarion summoned a pentagram beneath my feet. I instantly recognize the equations for explosion and anchor. With a punch I focused some energy into the pentagram and overloaded it. "Argh!" The rebound had the Lord stumbling. His barrier flickered but he recovered in no time.
He was furious- murderous, eyes glowing and face contorting. Before that he was utterly shocked and maybe a little still, since he was just staring.
I wrote out a pentagram in my hand, the one that distorts his chaotic energy. I threw it at Klarion's shield. It sailed right through, making small holes that quickly closed. Klarion was forced to dodge or get sliced again.
"You want chaos?" Klarion glared at me, his blue hands working his own magic, fingers dancing through several signs.
Spelling. Oh fuck he's spelling. Doll told me, voice utterly panicked. He wasn't going full force, but the power that came off of him… He was taking me seriously. ME, not Doll the Lord of Chaos, servant of the Endless. But Deliah Moody, a mortal, a human.
He wrote another pentagram, this time under Aqualad and Miss Martian. A wall of fire erupted around them, "Then I'll give you chaos!" The rest of his skin was fading to blue.
The fight quickly went south for me.
At first I threw hails of pentagrams, hoping to destabilize Klarion's barrier so Kid Flash could run through. After about 5 minutes Klarion did the same with his explosive marbles, only I couldn't dodge that many and was caught in explosions after explosions. Kid Flash had to run in and save me.
If I couldn't do it from a distance then I had to get close. Kid Flash tried carrying me there but the witch boy just locked us down. Using that same explosive trap. I canceled it again but Klarion separated us with a wave of fire. I couldn't get any closer and he wasn't letting me escape.
Whenever I could get far enough his black claws dragged me in. I was able to escape several times before he realized the difference between me and Dahlei. She was like the average caster, stationary, calculating and distant.
I was new, physical, agile and use mystic brute force. So instead of tossing me and putting me in a cage like Miss Martian and Aqualad, once he had me in those black talons again he crushed me.
I screamed and struggled. He wasn't letting me breath…
Kid Flash ran into the Barrier again and again, trying to punch it, weaken it. It took a golden blast- an Order's mystic might, to weaken the barrier and Klarion's hold on me. With a yell the witch boy slammed me to the ground. He still didn't let go.
Instead he pulled me into his barrier- holding me above the conduit! I screamed, feeling the spell course through me instead of at me.
"What are you doing!?" Was that… Zatanna's voice?
"Finally making her useful! As a catalysis!"
And then I just… shut off. I could hear the screams, I was vaguely aware of the fight going on- Aqualad and Miss Martian recovering. Zatanna had put on the Helmet of Fate, they spoke as one.
I gasped. Dahlei's six sense of death bringing me back to reality for a moment. I stuggled looked around for that old man, Kent- his soul finally passed- Trying too pass, but there was only the Team and Klarion- Or… Four wizards and the Leaguers. This was the adult's dimension.
I fell, free from Klarion's spell. The ground felt far even when I landed on it. "Physical body sucks…" I felt my lips move but Doll was speaking. That explains it, she was piloting now. "Not for long," The former Lord corrected. "Just needed to get you away from Klarion."
Doll suddenly thrust the controls back to me. I looked around the field a little. What caught my eye was the thing Doll didn't want to look at. Two Endless at the very edge of the dead forest, Dream and Death.
I returned to the youngsters dimension. Groaning in pain, my body physically throbbed from the sudden surge of power from several mystic practitioners. It was really hard but I still managed to pick up the conduit causing Klarion's barrier to finally disappear.
"No! That's cheating!"
I ignored the bratty Lord and blindly threw the gem… I was going to but it didn't leave my hand. I closed my fist. It was empty but I still felt it's weight, the hum of power. I felt myself standing but I was still on my knees.
I… Mentally I could see myself on the ground? My hand reached out to me- I didn't have tattoos on my hands.
"These are runes. And you'll learn to ignore my senses," Doll said. Not from my lips. I looked up as the hand gently touched my shoulder. Doll stood before me, in her own body. She held the gem tightly and I felt the power pour into me but not me. "Don't. Leave the thinking to me."
"Oh… Um- Yeah." I stumbled over my words looking at her up and down. Long loose curls, corset suit, ram horns curling at the sides of her heads. She stood like Klarion, with that air of power, confidence, that intense gaze. The really hot suit. My heart was hammering, body shaking a little with each beat.
She wasn't possessing my body but I was still her anchor. We still had that physic connection. Doll smiled, head tilted and brow raised. Wicked thoughts flashed by and I could feel myself blush so painfully hot. She stopped smiling, my heart calming down as her seriousness reached out to me. I finally looked around and stopped gawking at her.
The two worlds didn't merge back peacefully. Another dimension bleed into ours. The deserted crossroad and dead trees becoming patches of a pilgrim's village. The dark sky became a cave. Sickly pale ghost- No just plan blue skinned people, like Klarion, walked around.
"Woah! What-" I quickly stood at Artemis voice. The archer stumbled on her feet, finally awake. She shivered as one of the blue pilgrims walked through her.
"Fuck," Doll knelt down, hand on the center of the pentagram. She concentrated on reworking- No adding on to it. The spell wasn't meant to be used like this, it was already unstable. It's a miracle it didn't rebound.
I took deep breaths, trying to compensate for Doll's still chest. She didn't need to breath, she didn't have a physical body. I tried to ignore her senses as I looked around.
The adult's world flickered in and out, trying hard to merge, to sink but Doll wasn't getting it quite right. And above- above us was a floating city ravaged by destruction. It was in ruins, crumbling.
"Oh look, Destruction's home." Klarion sneered walking up to us. I turned towards him but didn't back away. Instead I scowled and took a step forward. He matched it with a gleeful smile. "Need another lesson, Harlot?" His hands reached out to me, fingers just grazing the bruise.
My skin burned, my breath hitched. It wasn't because of pain.
"Klarion!" Doll yelled out. My stomach flared, rush heated through- heat rushed through me. I tried blaming it on Doll's anger but for God's sake I was blubbering my own thoughts. "You!" She sent me a hard look. "Don't flirt back, he's a Lord of Chaos!"
"I- I'm not!"
"Really?" Doll just stared at me with a tired look. She must have actually been tired because the world completely faltered for a second. With a groan she focused back on the pentagram.
"We're not doing anything." Klarion huffed, arms crossed. He still stood within arm's reach, even if he made a disgusting face as he watched his chaotic red fade into my magenta. "If you don't hurry we might-"
"Klarion for the love of- Just stabilize the power so I can work!" Doll glared at him. The actual Lord of Chaos huffed, tilting his nose up for a few minutes. Eventually he cave with a small grumbled. The pentagram flashed his bright red like a heartbeat. "And you! Stop fawning and help."
I walked to the center, roughly shouldering past Klarion when he refused to move. The Lord grunted, brushing his shoulder off like a filthy beggar grabbed at him. I gaped and glared, taking a step towards to grab him and-
"Leah! Fate of the world!"
"But he- Ugh!" I turned, stomping to the center and digging both hands deep into the pentagram. I poured everything I could into it. It helped as I imagined grabbing Klarion by his tie and- Kissing him?! I gasped and looked at Doll. That was her. She didn't meet my gaze, grumbling with a small blush.
"Concentrate."
"It'll be easier if you'd stop with the images- and dreams."
It only took a few seconds but I felt like minutes when Doll was running so much equations and calculations while I tried to write the correct ones out. I was exhausted as Doll finally turned the very core of the pentagram like a key. With everything correctly aligned and locked we both pulled out hands out of the spell.
Slowly two stray dimensions separated. But one women stopped looking directly at us. Her eyes narrowed but a moment and Klarion stuck out a tongue at… his sister? But before anything else could happen between them she completely disappeared along with the pentagram.
The two worlds that was originally one fitted back together. I stumbled to my feet while four old wizards collapse around me. I stopped when a very hot and familiar hand rested at the small of my back. I looked back, Klarion giving me a smirk with a raised brow. He was impressed. I smiled back. Then I was pulled away by my very protective spirit.
Doll grabbed Klarion by his tie and my heart pounded. Doll's memory of his lips so vivid against mine- the smell of chocolate and ash. She gave me a hard glare and pulled Klarion into a headbutt.
"Ow…" I winced, the pain ghosting to me as well. I deserved that…
"You idiot!" Doll turned her glare to Klarion, breath full of embers. "What if that failed!"
"I knew it wouldn't," Klarion looked away from her, from both of us with an angry face. I saw his fist clench tightly, turning blue for a moment.
"How-"
"I didn't do it the first time you asked!" Klarion looked back with a mix of emotions. Anger, relief, guilt… betrayal. I didn't know Klarion, but Doll knew him well. She read him so easily and I knew almost everything she did. That included whatever Klarion was talking about.
The tension slowly drained between them, mostly from Doll's hands. Klarion took the chance and pushed himself away, smoothing out his suit. Teekl hopped onto his shoulder and meowed a reminder. The two lords under stood the familiar but it took me awhile to process what she said.
"Besides," Klarion's eyes flickered to mine as if he knew I needed translating, "Dream asked me to find you."
Doll was already looking around for the Endless. I was already looking at Klarion but when I blinked Dream was already standing there like he was always there. Omnipresence. Doll whipped around to him.
"Dream."
"I forgot how you looked in the Chaos uniform," Dream gave a smile and a small playful whistle. Doll twitched her head to the side, arms quickly crossing, tail flicking- She had a tail. A really stubby, small fluffy one. It twitched again in anger as Dream continued to speak, "Destiny said someone was playing with the dimensions again. We hoped it would be you two."
"Oh you know, just another day for us Lords of Chaos." Klarion gave a grin and casual shrug. "It definitely wasn't Dr. Body Snatcher," Klarion scoffed waving to Dr. Fate and Death. I glanced and did a double take. The two were talking, but Dr. Fate was in Zatara's body now and Death did not look pleased.
"Or these bozos," Dahlei muttered, trying to ignore the other two personifications. Kent wasn't allowed to pass naturally so there was some issues which is why Death had to come. Doll tried to break that train of thought by flipping Wotan onto his back with her foot. "But really, what do you want Dream?"
"Just to say hi to a dear friend, check up on your soul searching."
"As long as Nada's in Hell, we're not friends." Doll crossed her arms and glared at Dream. The Endless didn't wince or shrink back. He met her glare with… he just stared back.
"Still?" Klarion crackled with a grin that was utterly chaotic, "It's been a millennia! Oh, not to mention he almost imprisoned you there too!"
"Thanks…" Doll and Dream drawled. Doll said it with a growl while Dream gave a guilty sigh. "I'm guessing I can't convince you to come back home?" The Endless asked.
Dahlei and Klarion looked at each other. They laughed, Doll a cold but gentle chuckle while Klarion was holding his stomach.
"Hate to break it to you- Pfft, who am I kidding I thrive off of this. But she," The witch bow grunted, giving Doll a disgusting look, "Isn't who we remember."
"And is that a bad thing?" Death appeared beside me. I gasped a little, from shock taking a few steps away from the kindest of the Endless. The woman of Death only gave me a warm smile, "Nice to meet you Deliah." Her eyes gave me a brief up and down. She said the next bit slowly, eyes lingering on the bruise on my neck. "You're looking a lot better."
"Thanks…" I muttered, fixing my scarf. It was a little burn because of Klarion. I'll have to buy a new one but it still did its job in hiding the Lord of Chaos left.
"Wow, running away without a word Doll Face? That's cold." Klarion chided, wagging a finger at her. I realized Doll immediately turned her back to Death and walked away. She stopped at his words but didn't turn around.
I stared up at him then at the other personifications. This was her family. Deep down, beneath the pain, embarrassment and guilt, Doll was happy to see them. She was one of them.
At this Klarion stood straighter. He didn't smile, his face was completely serious when he opened his mouth, "You're making progress."
Relief. The relief was so overwhelming it shuttered next breath. Doll turned around, shamelessly wiping her tears. She looked at the other personifications, her fellow immortals.
He gave another superior smirk, complete with his head tilting to the side and back a little.
"Wow and I thought we were having a moment." Doll short laugh rolling her eyes even as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. Still she took a step, this time to the side. Behind her was Zatanna, crying into her hands.
I gasped and rushed towards her. Behind me I could feel Doll give the her family a longing look. Her hand clutched around the Ambre Jeune Perdu. She turned around to follow me.
"What's a few more years?"
"Klarion…" Doll whispered breathlessly. We both turned to him. The Endless was gone but Klarion was staring at us, portal slowly engulfing him. I'm sorry. Doll had her mouth open to say it, she took a step towards him but the words died in her throat. The portal close and Klarion was gone.
I turned back around, running to Zatanna. I called out to her, the entire team a little startled. Still she looked up at me, rubbing at her eyes.
"Zatanna…" I repeated again a hand on her shoulder. She looked like me after Greta had died, devastated and depressed. I pulled her into a hug. After a few strained sobs she returned it.
A/N: I hate posting long chapters like this but I couldn't find a good place to break it up. This has gone through several rewrites and not as much checking so let me know if there a horrible typo. More references to the Endless and New 52 Klarion comics.
Zatanna's Spells: Locate epicenter of sorcery
