Chapter 28: Nabu, Lord of Order
Constantine was convinced he had gone blind from wearing the rusted Helmet of Fate as all he could see was murky darkness. Fortunately, the sight of a flame appearing from his lighter told him otherwise. As pathetic of a light source as it was, the tiny flickering flame provided enough illumination for Constantine to survey his surroundings. The Liverpuldian occult detective let out a long whistle as he found himself surrounded by never-ending darkness.
"Inviting." he quipped.
With the small flame from his lighter acting as his torch, Constantine trudged through the darkness; intent on finding the thing that made him to wear the helmet in the first place. After what seemed like ages, the Liverpuldian occult detective caught sight of a faint glow in the distance.
"Jonny boy, we've found him." Constantine said with excitement as he sprinted in the direction of the faint, glowing light.
The light grew brighter and brighter as the Liverpuldian occult detective neared its source. Soon, Constantine came across a figure lying on the ground. Although humanoid in appearance, the body of the mysterious figure radiated with such a bright light that it obscured any discernable features (if it had any to begin with). The light pulsated in sync with the mysterious figure's weak and laboured breathing.
"Hello, Nabu." Constantine said as he pocketed his lighter into his trench coat, "You look a right mess."
The glowing humanoid lifted his head towards the Liverpuldian occult detective.
"John Constantine." Nabu said with disdain as he weakly sat up, "As if I have not been insulted enough."
"Come on, mate," Constantine uttered, pretending to get offended by Nabu's statement, "Is that any way to say 'Hi' to a friend?"
Ignoring the Liverpuldian occult detective's comment, Nabu slowly staggered to his feet.
"Why have you come?" the Lord of Order asked, "And how did you know I was still here?"
"Thought I'd nick some of what's left of your powers to stop Klarion," Constantine said without reservation, "Not that there's much left from the look of things. Hope you don't mind."
"As for how I knew you were still in the helmet," the Liverpuldian occult detective continued in a smug tone, "It wasn't that hard. When I picked up that rusted headwear of yours, I felt a tingle in my fingers. Most people wouldn't even sense it but yours truly knows a thing or two about protection spells. Even one as pathetic as the one you casted."
Nabu scoffed at the Liverpuldian occult detective's self-satisfied reply.
"Your arrogance and impudence truly knows no bounds," the Lord of Order said with contempt, "Have you forgotten to whom you are speaking with? I will not tolerate such insolence here. Know that you are in my realm and that I have the power to…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Constantine interrupted with an annoyed tone, "You've got the power to do whatever you want to me because you're Nabu, Lord of Order and this is your sodding realm! Bla bla bla!"
"Look here, you pretentious twat!" the Liverpuldian occult detective spoke in an aggressive tone that surprised Nabu, "If it hasn't gone through that snobbish head of yours, most of your powers are currently in the hands of a young witch-boy who, as we speak, is using it to raze all of bloody London from the ground as a new Lord of Chaos."
"Now, here's how I see it," Constantine continued, "You've got two choices. Either stay here and wither away while Klarion continues causing more chaos or get off your high horse and come help me stop the bastard!"
Nabu remained silent as he contemplated on the Liverpuldian occult detective's words; his mind divided. As much as the Lord of Order despised Constantine, the Liverpuldian occult detective had a point. If he chose not to help, he would be trapped in the helmet and, in his current state, would surely fade from existence. Furthermore, as a Lord of Order, he could not allow a Lord of Chaos to run free as they would disrupt the Balance of the cosmos and possibly put an end to existence itself. Faced with these dire conditions and consequences, the choice was very clear.
"You truly are the Devil, John Constantine," Nabu said in a defeated tone.
"Oh, I've met the Devil," Constantine said with a smug grin, "And trust me, I'm worse. So, how are we going to do this?"
"In order for you to gain access to my powers," Nabu explained, "A deal must first be made between you and me."
"And considering how Faustian this deal is looking," the Lord of Order continued as he put his right hand forward, "I believe a handshake would be most appropriate."
Constantine proceeded to put his right hand forward in an attempt to shake Nabu's hand.
"Not yet." the Lord of Order said sternly, stopping the Liverpuldian occult detective in his tracks, "There is an order to this ritual that we must strictly follow."
Constantine withdrew his hand, letting out an irritated sigh and feeling slightly embarrassed for showing his own eagerness.
"I, Nabu, a Lord of Order," Nabu's voice boomed, "Bestow upon thee, John Constantine, my symbol, the Helmet of Fate, and the title of Doctor Fate, Champion of Order. May you keep Chaos at bay and restore Balance to the cosmos."
"Do you accept the title and the responsibility?" Nabu asked in his booming voice as he motioned his open right hand to Constantine.
"You already know my answer." the Liverpuldian occult detective answered impatiently as he grabbed Nabu's outstretched hand, "So can we speed this up?"
"Quite." Nabu said begrudgingly, "But know that this is a temporary arrangement and you will only remain as Champion until the newly birthed Lord of Chaos known as Klarion has been defeated and Balance is restored."
"Just get on with it, mate." Constantine said with annoyance.
"Very well." declared Nabu as the light radiating from his body began increasing in brightness, "It is done."
Constantine shielded his eyes as the Lord of Order's body gave out a sudden burst of bright light. As he lowered his hand, the Liverpuldian occult detective found himself back in the Hellfire Caves. Quickly placing both hands on his head, Constantine was relieved to find that he was still wearing the Helmet of Fate. As he looked down to inspect his body, however, he was surprised to find that he was still dressed in his normal attire.
"Uh…" the Liverpuldian occult detective uttered in confusion
"Something the matter, John Constantine?" Nabu's voice suddenly boomed.
"Bloody hell!" yelled a startled Constantine, "Where'd you bloody come from?!"
"Do not be so startled," the Lord of Order's voice boomed again, "As you have been bestowed the title of Doctor Fate, you and I now have a psychic connection to one another. This way, not only will I be able to help you defeat Klarion but also make sure that you complete your end of the deal."
"Great." Constantine said with annoyance, "Another voice in my head."
"As most of my magic and powerful spells are not available to me at this moment," Nabu continued to speak, ignoring the Liverpuldian occult detective's annoyed remark, "I can only offer you some rudimentary spells as well as enhance your own magical spells and abilities."
"That might explain the absence of the golden cloak and the blue spandex you were so fond of getting your hosts to wear." Constantine said sarcastically.
"We do not have time for your insolence, John Constantine!" Nabu's voice said sternly, "We must find Klarion and defeat him swiftly or else Balance will be lost and the cosmos in disarray."
"Alright, alright." Constantine said as he rubbed his hands in preparation, "No need to get your knickers in a twist."
Eyes closed and arms outstretched, Constantine concentrated on finding Klarion. Nabu's enhancement of his magical abilities made it easy for him to discover the location of the young Lord of Chaos.
"Found him," Constantine said with excitement as he opened his eyes, "Now, if only I can remember that teleportation spell…"
"There will be no need for that." Nabu's voice suddenly bellowed, "Merely concentrate on the location you wish to travel to."
Slightly confused by the Lord of Order's statement, Constantine nevertheless concentrated on Klarion's location. His hands began to glow with yellow energy as his body slowly levitated from the ground. Feeling the sudden absence of the ground, Constantine opened his eyes to find himself floating two feet in the air.
"Do not be distracted!" Nabu's voice bellowed sternly, "Concentrate on the task at hand!"
Constantine quickly returned to concentrating on Klarion's location. Slowly, his hands rose up from his sides until his arms were perpendicular to his body. Two yellow beams of light shot out from both his hands, forming a large yellow ankh in front of the Liverpuldian occult detective. Constantine watched as the large magical construct moved slowly towards him. The ankh appeared to absorb the Liverpuldian occult detective bit by bit as it travelled across his body. Soon, there was no trace of Constantine and all that was left was the large yellow ankh that hovered in the air momentarily before promptly vanishing.
