Millhouse

Constantine, Lucifer, and Morpheus arrived at the millhouse, being met by Alice and Batman, all of whom were annoyed.

"You could have created a portal." Alice pointed out.

"It drains my magic, love." Constantine replied, scratching his small stubble. "And I prefer a drive any day."

"You never explained what you're doing here." Batman pointed to the Sandman. "What are you?"

"I am one of the Endless." Dream explained. "One of seven ideas of humanity. I am the keeper of mankind's dreams… and their nightmares."

"How come you're here now then?" Alice asked. "How do you fit into this?"

"I have been imprisoned for over one hundred years." Morpheus continued. "I am here to reclaim my throne, but I must need three of my tokens of power: my helm, the dream pouch, and the dreamstone."

"Well, why didn't you mention the dreamstone before?" Lucifer grumbled. "John and I recently won it in a game of poker the other night."

"You have my dreamstone?" Morpheus asked, grabbing Constantine by the throat. "Where is it?" Just then, Nora entered the room, looking directly at Constantine.

"Ritchie's awake." Nora announced, and the group went to one of the bedrooms, where Simpson lay, staring at the image of the ring.

"Faust." Ritchie stated. A chill went down both Alice and Constantine's spines.

"That's not possible." Constantine told him. "Are you sure?" Ritchie nodded, a yes.

"But he's been dead for five years." Alice spoke. When Constantine gave her a quizzical look, she added, "I was there too, remember? I just didn't reveal myself until Aunt Nica was in danger."

"Not necessarily." Lucifer told them. "Before Morpheus and I left Hell, Cain warned us that Felix escaped Hell."

"And even so, wouldn't he still be alive anyway, if he never met my former adult self?" Nora asked.

"No." Constantine shook his head. "Chas killed him back in 2014. So either way, the damned timeline would've had him dead."

"What matters now is we need to find Faust." Batman announced. "Maybe he had access to the dreamstone, and is the reason citizens all over the planet are seeing demons."

"But we have the dreamstone." Lucifer pointed out.

"Then he could have used it from a long range." Batman replied. "And we'd better start looking for him."

"But how?" Nora asked. "Seeing as how Constantine has technically killed him twice, he'd have taken precautions to make sure he wouldn't be found with magic."

"Then maybe we go a different route." Alice suggested, turning to Morpheus. "If you are the keeper of dreams, can you locate someone based on their dreaming?"

"Yes…" The Sandman said. "But first, Constantine will hand over my dreamstone."

"Sorry mate." Constantine smirked. "Ain't gonna happen until you help us." Morpheus glared at the demonologist, before closing his eyes for a moment.

"I have found where Faust is." Dream murmured, creating a portal to the location. "Beware, it is heavily guarded."

"Thanks mate." Constantine smiled, taking out a cigarette. "Don't worry, you'll get your ruby soon enough. Just stay with Ritchie for now, and make sure he doesn't die on us." Constantine, Batman, Alice, Lucifer, and Nora then stepped through the portal, arriving just outside of Faust's lair.

"So, who wants to knock?" Constantine asked, stamping out the cigarette.

Inside the observatory, Felix Faust was meditating while reading from a spell book. After having help in escaping Hell, he was doing his best to hide himself from the world, and not be sent back. Feeling something was wrong, Faust looked up, seeing the ceiling begin to crumble.

"Who dares?" Felix shouted in a gravelly voice, as Lucifer Morningstar flew down with his angel wings. Just as Lucifer was about to strike the sorcerer, Faust pushed him back with telekinesis. "I will not stoop so low to fight demons, even if it is the Devil. Why don't you fight others of your filthy kind!" Faust created three portals, summoning massive demons with horns to fight Morningstar.

"We might be from Hell, but we are not the same!" Lucifer protested, flying around and punching the demons. "I'm a former angel!" While Faust watched the former lord of Hell duke it out with the demons, Nora and Alice kicked him away, grabbing his book. Unfortunately, Felix simply used his telekinesis to grab the book back and conjure electricity, sending the two flying backwards. While they were getting up, Constantine and Batman arrived, with Batman getting out his grapnel gun.

"Not everything can be solved with your peashooter." Constantine scolded, and began throwing fireballs at the dark mage. Batman joined in with explosive batarangs, and Alice pulled out her gun, shooting at Faust. The sorcerer blocked and ducked under every attack, and snapping his fingers, trapped Constantine in a cube of water.

"Try that fireball again, John." Felix taunted. "I'd love to see you cook yourself alive-" Batman shot the grapnel at Faust's spellbook and swung it into the cube, dissolving the spells. Knowing what was going to happen, John grabbed the rope, and as the cube broke apart, Batman fired another grapple at the ceiling, allowing Constantine to swing back to the ground.

"I take it back." Constantine said, coughing up water. "That thing is useful." On the other side of the observatory, Lucifer knocked two of the demons out with a single punch, before putting the last one in a choke hold and snapping its neck. Alice helped Nora get up, and they joined Constantine in fighting Faust, who was hiding behind cover and continuously throwing fireballs.

"We need someone to sneak up on him." Alice realized. "He can't fight us all on one front." Her prayers were answered, as Lucifer swooped in, grabbing Faust from behind and throwing him into a bookcase. Faust smirked, picking up what was apparently a unicorn's horn and throwing it with telekinesis, but it harmlessly bounced off Morningstar's body.

"Tsk tsk, you'll ruin my suit." Lucifer mocked, picking up Faust and twisting his arms behind his back to ensure he wouldn't be trouble.

"Why are you here?" Faust asked. "I haven't done anything to warrant this response!"

"Really?" Constantine asked, conjuring the image of the ring. "This isn't years?"

"I don't know." Faust replied, shrugging. "I have hundreds of rings."

"Then what about the artifact?" Batman asked. "Causing people to see demons and nightmares all around the world?"

"What artifact?" Felix asked, confused. "I didn't do anything!"

"Why were you trying to kill us?" Nora pressed. "I'm assuming that was you who created the tornado and raising the dead back at Star City PD."

"I swear, I don't know what you're talking about!" Faust insisted. Lucifer rolled his eyes, and turned Faust around.

"Then tell me, what is it you want?" Lucifer asked, looking deep in Felix's soul. "What is it you desire?"

"I want…" Faust began. "To be left alone." Lucifer looked at him, confused.

"What?" Constantine asked.

"Ever since a mysterious force liberated me from Hell, I've just wanted to be left alone." Faust continued. "I don't know who brought me back, but I swear, I haven't done anything to garner your attention!" Lucifer sighed, before letting Faust go.

"He's telling the truth." Lucifer revealed. "And those demons I fought were just our poker buddies in their more massive forms."

"Well, that brings us back to square one." Constantine groaned.

"Unfortunately, no." Batman said.

"What do you mean?" Nora asked, but Alice was starting to see things more clearly.

"Ritchie claimed Faust attacked him." Alice explained. "He sent us here."

"But Ritchie is dying." Constantine protested.

"Is he?" Batman asked. Constantine felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Oh, fuck!" Alice yelled.

Millhouse

The Sandman watched as Ritchie began sleeping, content that he did all he could to help. Morpheus was also confused, however, at the fact that it seemed Simpson's dreams were shrouded so that he could not see them. As Morpheus got up to leave, Ritchie opened one eye, getting out of bed and pulling the handle off his cane, revealing a piece of the dreamstone. Morpheus turned around, feeling its power, but it was too late, and Ritchie latched onto the small sliver.

"God damn, I think I almost actually killed myself back there." Ritchie smirked. "Just glad old Johnny boy came when he did." Morpheus attempted to punch Simpson, but using the power of the dreamstone, Ritchie caught the Endless' fist.

"Uh uh." Ritchie mocked. "You wouldn't beat up an old man, would you?" Ritchie threw Dream to the floor, before using the sliver of the stone to suck out all of Dream's power, rendering him almost mortal. "Now, you just lie down and wait. I can take it from here."