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Chapter 1: The Release

2007 A.D.

GOTHAM CITY
MAY 18, 20:18 EST

Batman stood on a high rooftop overlooking the crowded streets of Gotham City with the air of a restless eagle as he waited for any alert that criminals might have come out of hiding once more to give the citizens of Gotham another round of grievance. Nothing had come up yet, but the time never came that the Dark Knight wasn't aware that danger could be lurking in every alley.

Then as if on cue, the alert remote in his hand alerted Batman that a prisoner was on the loose from Stonegate Penitentiary. Checking the wrist computer on his glove, Batman gave an exasperated sigh when he saw that the escaped convict was a known fence and racketeer by the name of Marv "the Mole" Harberg, who had dealings with the Joker as well as mob boss Sal Maroni. It was bad enough that super-criminals were still running around Gotham, but petty criminals were a particularly strong source of grief for him.

He sprinted across the rooftops, leaping over alleys and somersaulting over chimneys and roof exits with astonishing dexterity. After fifteen minutes of searching, Batman caught sight of Marv the Mole, who was heading for the Gotham Museum of Art and History. He released his Bat-cable and pursued Marv at a faster rate.

While Batman followed from a distance, Marv the Mole knocked out the guards at the front door with a crowbar, then stole a set of keys from the first one he struck to sneak inside. He hadn't counted on the fact that Batman had crept in through a window on the second floor and was now crawling on the ceiling using magnets in his gloves and boots. He followed Marv with his eyes and then crept over the ceiling to find the lowlife crook heading for the second level and the British Isles wing of the museum.

Once back on the second floor, Batman dropped to the floor as silent as a ghost and swept through the chamber like a wind of fear. He saw Marv the Mole heading toward a case containing a handful of artifacts from Celtic Britain. The crook took his crowbar and smashed the glass, then began picking up as many items as he could in search of something that looked more valuable than the rest. Then he settled his eyes on a large golden disk on which was inscribed eight runes of a text long forgotten. Thinking that this disk was the most valuable item in the Celtic room, Marv took it and immediately tried to sneak out of the room when he ran into something solid. He took a look and found himself staring into Batman's eyes, and when he realized who had found him, he freaked out and jumped straight through the middle window.

Batman heard a thud from outside followed by a terrible crack, and he rushed to the shattered window where he saw Marv the Mole on his knees with a broken ankle and clutching his hand, which had been cut by a shard of glass and was bleeding. But he picked himself up and hurried away, and Batman pursued him from the rooftops and was almost on top of him when they both got a frightening surprise.

Batman used his binoculars to see a single drop of blood fall on the Celtic disk, and what happened next made him grimace and Marv nearly fainted. The disk began to glow a poison-green color and light whirled around it like a funnel cloud about to form, followed by a booming thunderclap and a roaring wind. A bout of evil laughter echoed from the disk, and then from out of a swirling mist came a hulking figure that made Batman's eyes widen. It appeared to be a man, but there was a lot Batman noticed that told him this stranger couldn't be human. He was as tall as a flagpole and had deathly pale skin, long dark hair streaked with gray and a thin beard, and glowing green eyes. He was clad in a night-black tunic and long pants, a fur-lined cape and boots, and armor with monstrous faces on the breastplate, pauldrons, gauntlets, and shin guards.

Batman crouched in the shadow of a roof exit to hide himself while he watched the nightmarish scene unfold. The mysterious giant looked around and spoke in a voice that rumbled like a thunderstorm magnified ten times.

"Who has called me from Eorcanheim*? Who has paid in blood to free me?"

Marv the Mole was whimpering so much he looked for all the world like a caged rat. He didn't want to answer at all, but he thought that if he didn't, the giant would likely step on him and he'd be crushed like an insect. So he called up to the towering figure, "Okay, I admit it! I let you out!"

"You?" the entity answered. "You are no more than a common beggar. How is it that you found the Mirror of the Moon?"

"Well, I only got it from that museum a while back," Marv answered in a tone that sounded like he was making an excuse.

"It is no concern of mine," the giant said dismissively. "Mordru of Eorcanheim gives you his thanks. Now you shall have your reward."

Marv's eyes brightened as he thought that this Mordru person was going to make him rich overnight, but Batman could tell from so many signs that Mordru was anything but friendly. Sure enough, he took a huge war-hammer and prepared to crush Marv into a grease spot. Luckily, the police were already on the way to the scene, so there was a chance that a terrible accident could be averted.

Batman released his Bat-grapple and swung into action, snatching Marv away before Mordru's hammer left a crater in the ground. The police arrived in a few moments and the first to greet the Dark Knight was Commissioner Gordon.

"Batman, what's going on here?" the Commissioner asked in surprise.

"Get this man back to Stonegate, Commissioner," Batman said quickly. "We may have a major situation building up."

Harvey Bullock spoke next and said, "What do ya mean a major situation? You help us catch one measly crook and we get told it's the crime of-" But Bullock stopped short when he noticed the crater in the street and then he got a look at Mordru and his jaw dropped in stunned surprise. "Whoa, Mama!"

Mordru lumbered toward the police and bellowed, "Fools! You have come between the greatest of all wizards and his prey! Now I will have your blood as compensation!"

He raised his hammer once more, but he missed again as the police escaped with Marv the Mole in custody. Batman moved out of the way and flung several batarangs at Mordru from behind. The explosions echoed throughout the vicinity, but the batarangs only seemed to make Mordru angry. He tried to crush Batman with his huge hammer a few more times, but each blow failed to land on its intended target. Then Mordru did something completely unexpected: he breathed fire at the protector of Gotham City. A split second later, a smoking crater surrounded by a swath of fire was all that remained, and Mordru laughed, "That nuisance is gone! Now to continue with my plans."

But unbeknownst to him, Batman was still alive and practically unharmed, for he had leapt into the sewers and taken the disk with him. He took a long-lasting flashlight from his utility belt and went through the dank tunnels, navigating his way back to the Batcave. The intersections and multiple pathways were no hindrance to Batman. He knew the secret paths of Gotham from one side of the city to the other. Eventually, he came to a wall sealed off by an electric gate. Fortunately, this was a security checkpoint, and only he, Robin, and Alfred knew the entrance code.

"WayneTech override A-2-7."

The gate was drawn up and Batman passed through to a blank wall. He tapped a combination of five bricks and the wall spun around to deposit him in a short tunnel lit with scances. It took a pass through a retinal scanning door, but Batman returned to his underground hideaway under Wayne Manor. He walked along the natural pathway to the central cavern where his personal laboratory was located. Alfred was there as usual, and he had wasted no time in preparing a small dinner for his master.

"I trust you will find fish and rice to your liking, sir?" the ever-prim butler said to Batman as he pulled back his cowl, revealing his face.

"Thank you, Alfred," said Bruce. He ate and then brought the Celtic disk over to the Batcomputer for analysis. Alfred noticed and asked, "Master Bruce, might I inquire to ask of the events of your business tonight?"

"There was a robbery at the Gotham Museum of Art and History," Bruce explained. "Marv the Mole got out of Stonegate Penitentiary tonight. He got hold of this."

Bruce gestured to the disk and then asked, "Are there any history books on Celtic Britain that contain knowledge of this disk?"

"I believe so, Master Bruce," replied Alfred. "I shall search in the library and return directly."

And Alfred departed for the manor library while Bruce stayed behind to analyze the disk. He ran several scans for any traces of residue or radiation on the gold. He found none, but the Batcomputer did get results which were remarkably surprising. There was energy emitting from the disk, and it hadn't been identified in any branch of the scientific community. Unlike most people, who would try to scientifically verify this unknown energy, Bruce knew exactly what he was dealing with: magic.

That's when he heard Alfred return and he asked, "Find anything of value?"

"I believe so, sir," Alfred replied as he placed a book of British artifacts on the computer desk. "According to this, the Mirror of the Moon has been a subject of Celtic studies well over eighty years. Ever since it was discovered in Suffolk in 1928, it has been studied by scientists and scholars alike, all of whom discovered that those who found the mirror died after translating the runes in the language they were originally written in."

"And I can tell you why," added Bruce. "This mirror is emitting mystic energy, and it appears to be harmful."

"My word!" cried Alfred, who looked quite gobsmacked. "You don't mean to say that this golden disk is a magical relic?"

"Exactly that, Alfred," Bruce confirmed as he pulled his cowl over his head and assumed his identity as Batman. "After Marv jumped through the museum window and tried to get away, a drop of his blood fell upon the disk. It released some sort of magical entity who would've killed him had I not interfered. The entity called himself Mordru, and I'm willing to bet that his arrival is only the beginning of this emergency. It's time to call in the League."

METROPOLIS
MAY 19, 21:13 EST

It had been a busy day in Metropolis for Superman. First he dealt with an emergency involving smuggled superweapons which had Lex Luthor's name written all over it despite Luthor claiming not to know that the weapons being smuggled out of the U.S. were from LexCorp, then another scoop on Bruce Wayne's project on homes for the homeless as Clark Kent. As night fell on Metropolis, it seemed that the good citizens of Metropolis would be able to rest easy as the smuggling emergency was the first spot of trouble in a month.

Returning to his tenth-floor apartment, Clark removed his uniform and began to settle in for the evening. However, he had his comlink in his ear in case he was needed at the Watchtower.

Clark got a surprise when he heard the voice of Batman buzzing in his left ear. Upon pressing the comlink, he heard, "Clark, this is Bruce."

"I'm here, Bruce. What's the situation?" he replied.

"We need all Justice Leaguers at the Watchtower in five minutes. We may have a worldwide emergency on our hands if we don't act swiftly."

"Understood. I'm on my way."

With that, Clark donned his uniform once more and took to the skies as Superman. Thinking quickly, he headed toward a dead end alley where one of the League's Zeta Tubes had been installed and patched in the coordinates to the Watchtower.

THE WATCHTOWER
MAY 20, 05:15 UTC

Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman were all on the observation deck of the Watchtower watching the morning dawn on the eastern side of the world when the computer reported: "Recognized: Superman, 0-1."*

The Zeta Tube brought Superman in and he joined his friends on deck. He said, "I got here as quickly as possible, Batman."

"Good," the Dark Knight replied. "Now we just need Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter and we can get to business."

No sooner had he spoken then the computer reported the arrival of the other two members of the Justice League.

"Recognized: Green Lantern, 0-5. Martian Manhunter, 0-7."

Once the Justice League was all present, Batman showed them the Mirror of the Moon and told his teammates about the situation he had encountered the day before.

"Now that we're all here, it's time to give you all the rundown," he said in his ever-serious tone. "I investigated a break-in at the Gotham Museum of Art and History and this artifact was stolen by a common thief who had escaped from Stonegate Penitentiary. At first, I thought this heist was either a cash grab for the Joker or Maroni, but it turns out Marv the Mole acted of his own accord. More importantly, when Marv's blood from his cut hand dripped on the disk, it released a magical entity into our world. I know it's magic because I tested it in the Batcave."

Everyone in the group was disturbed by this news to say the least, but Green Lantern was the first to shake his head in surprise. He said confusedly, "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. You're telling us that this golden disk-mirror-thing is some sort of magical doorway?"

"Not quite," Batman continued. "More like a key. And the entity that came from it may not be the only one."

"I'm afraid Batman's right," said Flash. "I noticed several civilians today who seemed to be having delusions about black dogs and ogres and flying green monsters. They didn't look like they were going crazy, just very scared."

"I'm afraid delusions have nothing to do with it," Martian Manhunter confided. "There's a psychic force behind those incursions. It's affecting people who have high susceptibility. I could sense it."

The Justice League shared worried expressions at that. If there was a magical entity on the loose and people were starting to experience mental disruptions due to external incursion, then the problems that would follow could quickly get out of hand. Wonder Woman said, "We must find someone who knows more about this sort of business than us. Perhaps it will give us an advantage in combating the threat."

Then Superman spoke next. "I know someone who can help us with this. He gave me something that'll help me find him if I require aid."

He led his teammates to the vault on the twenty-third floor, where he took a gilded chest of wood and drew out a golden key. Then Superman said, "Now let's fire up the Zeta Tubes. We're heading for Salem."

A/N: The scene of Mordru's appearance is inspired from the Warner Bros. Batman movie The Batman vs. Dracula, though the Mirror of the Moon is an original creation for this story. Also, Eorcanheim is a combination of Old English and Old Norse for "gem world", which refers to the realm of Mordru's origin in DC Comics before the Crisis series. As for the Zeta Tubes and the designations of the Justice League's members, I stuck with Young Justice 'cause I think it makes them sound more professional and organized.

I own nothing that is from the references. Hope you liked the first chapter.