Author's Notes:

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read this. This is my first story and I don't know if it is going to be good, but to be honest, I've wanted for a while to write something. This story will be my take on characters that I have read for quite a while. I'll be using stories and ideas from the comics, cartoons, the arrowverse, etc, and try to give it my own twist. There will be a few OC's, and they'll have important roles, but I'll try to keep it within the characters from the comics we all know and love. I hope you like it.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Now with that said, this story is without any commercial purpose and I'm not the owner of any characters besides my OCs. All the rest is owned by DC Comics.

On to the Story!

Update 10/02/2022: After quite some time, I'm back and fully committed to have this be a full story. Updated and corrected a few details.

Chapter 1: Prologue – A Magical Gathering

The city of London has always been considered to be a grand city, a city that has some of the greatest monuments of mankind and that's been a bastion of humanity for centuries. But like every big city, especially such an old one, it has its dark corners. In a barely lit street, we see an old man wearing an old fashioned suit walking with the aid of his cane in the street. Most of the houses and businesses of the street seemed either abandoned or run down, and the man certainly looks like he doesn't belong in a place like this. Nevertheless, the man continues to walk down the street until he stops in a very run down house. At first glance you wouldn't notice it, and most folks living or passing through didn't even seem to know it was there. At a closer glance it seems like an old pub, probably abandoned. At the top of the door, there is a small sign that says "The House of Secrets", a door that doesn't even have a knob. Nevertheless, the old man stops at the door and puts his hand in the place where a knob would normally be, and with that an odd symbol flashes on the door, and it swings open.

The man walks into the place to find a small room that clearly looks quite unusual for the looks of the place, because it has long bookshelves on one side, with books of all kinds just stacked, but in no style, order or even logic, as there seemed to be more books on the shelves as were actually possible to fit. The only well lit part of the place is a table in the middle of the room that looks way out of place with the rest of both the rooms and the neighborhood surrounding it.

One other unusual thing about the table is that it only holds one chair, occupied by a blonde man wearing a business suit that looks around his fifties. The blonde man looks up to the old man entering and a smile graces his face. –"Kent Nelson, it's been a long time"- he says while standing up from the table and giving the old man a friendly hug.

"Indeed it's been, old friend, and here I thought I would have been the first to arrive"

"Ah, yeah, you have always been good at arriving very early haven't you", the blonde man responds.

"Well, I guess that's something that old timers like me always have in them".

"Yeah, that does make sense, since you were already old back in the old days" The blonde man says with a teasing smile.

Kent chuckles, "Well, you know me, too stubborn to die." "How've you been, Alan?"

"Ah, you know, just living a good, old, regular life. Job's good, and it keeps me entertained, even if it is not as fun as the good old days." Alan responds with a small smile on his face.

"That's good, always value what you have, my friend."

Both friends move up to the table, where there are now two chairs instead of the just one there was a moment ago.

"So, not to say that it isn't good to see you, Kent, but do you know what this meeting is about?"

"Ah, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to be something big"

Alan frowns, and his face adopts a very serious stance, "I can only assume it has something to do with whatever it is that happened last week" he says "You know something about that?"

Kent sits down on the newly appeared chair, and putting his hand on his chin responds: "It's certainly possible that this is about that. The Tower went all haywire with whatever it was happening, but by the time that I tried to contact anyone it had passed. I have a feeling that considering how long it's been since we gathered, we will find out more about that."

"That would be correct, Kent Nelson" an ethereal voice says.

Both Kent and Alan look to the side of the room, to see a figure appear as if from the shadows themselves. This figure is wearing a suit with a long cloak, and a fedora hat. "This meeting was called to inform all of us of the changes that have occurred and to prepare ourselves" he says.

"Well the fact that you are here, Stranger, says it all. This is big." Alan responds.

"So it seems. It has been quite a while, Stranger; I'm surprised to see you here." Kent says.

The figure, only known as The Phantom Stranger, comes to the table and sits in another newly appearing chair, and looks towards the two men. "It can only be a surprise, Kent Nelson, if you are unprepared for what can happen, something that I believe someone like you never allows", he says in a blank tone.

Kent chuckles a little, and responds, "Perhaps not, but it's still not difficult to be surprised to see you, after all, you rarely attended these meetings, even in the old times."

"And if I had to guess, I can only presume you will not tell us more about whatever is happening, right? Even if you already know everything" Alan asks the Stranger.

"It is not up to me to reveal this, but a duty to whom called for this meeting" the Phantom Stranger responds.

"Typical."

"Ah, don't be too hard on the Stranger", said Kent with a small smile, "It's unfortunately not something that he has control over."

For a while longer, the three occupants of the room continue their talk until the door swings open once again, this time revealing two more people. The first, another old man, with a big frown on his features, wearing also a suit, but with a long trench coat, and a woman with long dark hair, wearing a flowing pink dress and a jewel diadem in her forehead.

"My dear Madame Xanadu, it's good to see you." Kent says as he rises to greet the woman.

"The pleasure is mine, Kent, it has certainly-"; "Oh just get on with it, you can greet and be all friendly after we are done here" the other man interrupts.

"Ah, Richard, always so sour." Kent responds.

"Whatever, unlike you, I don't have the time to wasting on these stupid meetings." The man, Richard Occult, responds with vehemence.

"It's not like you had to come, Occult. No one is forced to be here." Alan responds with a frown on his face, clearly not enjoying the tone that the other man was using.

"Now, now, don't bother with Richard, Alan. You know how he is." says Kent again, trying and failing to not convey at least a little of the complicated relationship they seem to have with the other man.

"It is not a matter of wanting to be here, Alan Scott. Richard Occult knows that this meeting may have important implications, which is why he is here." The Phantom Stranger responds.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the magnanimous Phantom Stranger? If you are here, then I was right to come. This meeting may not be as boring as I expected".

"If you are here, that means that what I saw in the cards has truly happened" Madame Xanadu says with a surprise in her expression.

"Indeed, Xanadu, it has"

"Wait, if you say we're still missing the one who called the meeting, that would certainly mean the Master is behind it" Alan says with an even sourer expression than the one he had when he saw Occult.

"Oh, great, another so-called all mighty and powerful. The Master, only someone that truly doesn't know squat about Magic would name himself like that" Richard responds with a very large frown on his face.

"Yes, yes, Richard, we know you don't like him at all, but even if he may not be very likeable at all, he is part of this group, and has a right to be heard" Kent says, trying to diffuse the bad vibes before it escalates.

But at that moment the door opens again, revealing this time a very young man, most certainly in his teens, wearing a dress shirt and trousers, with a blue cloak around his shoulders. He walks with apparent nerves, and his light brown eyes look at all the figures in the room with awe, shock, respect, and a few more emotions showing in his eyes.

"Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to come here?" Occult spats.

The young man stops before the table, and takes something out of his pocket, and puts it on the table. A gold pocket watch with a crest in the center.

"Ah, either the Master just went and got a heart, and decided to do the right thing and retire, or I can only presume he is dead?" Alan asks, a little shocked to see this teen with the watch.

"He is dead, and the world doesn't have to worry about his methods for keeping "Balance and the good of magic" anymore" the young man responds.

The rest of the group seems to take this news with different emotions. Alan looks at the teen with doubt in his eyes, as if trying to connect that sentence with the watch and his looks. Kent's eyes widened a small fraction, but then looked at the young man with calm and welcoming expression. The Phantom Stranger and Xanadu didn't even react, as if this was something that they knew already.

The last reaction was the most energetic. A loud laugh boomed across the room as Occult was clearly entertained: "Well, I'll be damned, the "Master of the Mystical" went and died leaving a brat behind his watch? Hahahaha, that really is gold. Seems that he really lost his mojo in his old age."

The Phantom Stranger just indicates the young man to another appearing chair: "Take a seat, young mage, and tell us the story behind you calling for this meeting."

"Don't listen to that old coot, young man. If you are here, that means that the watch knows you are meant to be here. So just take a breath, and tell us what happened." Kent tells the young man, with a reassuring smile.

The young man's eyes reflect his surprise at the ease of the response, but he takes a chair at the table.

"I thought there were supposed to be two more members?" he asks.

"Ah, kid, you have a lot to learn, most of these meetings are always empty, both because the Phantom or the other one almost never show up, and the other one is not a member anymore. Now stop taking your sweet time and tell us how the super powerful master got his arse handed to him by a brat " Occult responds with a ghost of his loud laugh still in his face.

"I see" the young man responds, still seemingly out of sorts talking with these people.

"And the other place that is currently occupied in this group will not be with us today, so let's begin" The Phantom Stranger says in a commanding tone.

"Very well, but before that, May I ask your name, young man?" Madame Xanadu says.

"Vice- Vincent, Vincent Michaels" The young man responds,

Madame Xanadu looks deeply at the young man's eyes, almost like she could see inside him, and blinks her eyes: "Very well, young Vincent, then we give you the room, please explain how you came into possessing that watch and summoned us here" she tells him.

Vincent pauses for a moment, his face with a myriad of emotions, and starts telling his story.

"I was what you could say, apprenticed to the Master, although I never had much of a choice in the matter. He took me from my home when I was 7 years old, and told me that I had a capacity for magic in scales of no one he had seen before and that he would train me to be his successor. At first I tried to escape, but he showed very quickly that I had no choice in the matter, and kept telling me that without his teaching, my powers would hurt my family and all I cared for." He pauses again, rising from his chair and walking around a little to regain his bearings.

"He was brutal to say the least, all in his quest of maintaining the rightful balance of magic in the world, but he never had limits to what he was willing to do, and he went too far…"

"What happened?" Alan asks in a concerned tone.

"Two weeks ago, we went looking for a disturbance that we saw in the Brashkan Charts, and we found a Demon that had been summoned by a crazy man that wanted revenge against his town for not appreciating him. The demon was not a big deal per se, but the problem was that his energy was tied to the town where it was summoned, and was getting more powerful by the moment. The Master said that there was no other choice, and decided to just destroy the town and everyone in it."

All around the table, the reactions to this were different; The Phantom Stranger didn't blink, while Madame Xanadu just had a sad expression on her face. Occult just got a bigger frown on his face; Kent was gripping his cane very hard, while Alan just got whiter with every word.

"I couldn't let him do that; thousands of people would have died, so I challenged him. I had no idea if I could beat him, but I just knew I had to try."

"And you actually beat the old bastard?" Occult says with a frown "I mean, screw that old coot, I never liked him. But as much as I hated him, he was powerful, it's why we never could kick him out of here, and I really doubt a brat like you could actually put him down."

Vincent here stops in his pacing, and his body almost seems to tremble as he closes his eyes and takes several short breaths. He turns around and looks towards the wall. "I had really no chance at all, I knew that" he says after a little while "but while experience and knowledge wins a battle most of the time, I was willing to go to almost any length to stop him. I wasn't going to let him just destroy a random town just because he didn't want to try something more difficult to take down the demon. So I gambled on one shot." he finishes by looking at the floor.

Around the table every member seemed to interpret his words a different way. Kent takes the initiative and stands up to the young man, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry" he says in a sad tone "Unfortunately very few of us can actually do much in this times, oldtimers we are and all. And I knew the Master was very strict with his ways, but I couldn't have imagined that he would go to this length to get a successor." "You are too young to have carried a burden like that."

Xanadu takes this as a cue and says "But if I may be a little tactless, you won and he died, you could have gone back to your family, forget about magic and mysticism. You never were given a choice, young Vincent."

Vincent turns around towards the table, a determined expression on his face. "Perhaps I never had a choice, but now I have one, and I know and have seen enough about magic to know that the world needs people like me to step up and do what they can to help those that can't defend themselves from it. And as much as I hate how the Master brought me into this, It's true that I have power, and I can use it."

"So I have taken this watch to be what The Master should have been, a Sentinel of Magic, and do my part to keep this world and its people safe from the powers that they don't know or can do anything about. So I ask all of you to allow me to be part of this, and to help me. I've read about the role this group has played in older times, and I believe that it is needed again, and can be even better." He finishes his passionate argument.

Again, the expressions on the table are very varied. Occult just looks at the young man with a sneer, while Xanadu looks with compassion, and Alan and Kent just smile at the passion shown. Finally, The Phantom Stranger says "Whether fortune, choice or destiny, you have been allowed to take the watch, and with it the role that comes with it. We shall see if you're what is needed in the events that come"

Everyone looks towards him. "What do you mean, Stranger, what's coming?" Alan asked.

The Stranger rose from his chair and everyone focused their attention on him. This being was ancient and powerful, and the fact that he came to this place spoke of the importance of what could happen. "The world as we know it is changing. Throughout the ages, the Sentinels of Magic have taken different roles, more active or more passive depending on the world around them. This iteration has faced different threats, and was successful in staying outside of the common eye and the attention and problems that came with it. But I have seen a world where not only magic but other forces come and try to destroy the balance of all reality. I have seen great champions that will rise to defend the universe as well as threats that will snuff the light out of it if we let them. "

"The new generation must take charge and protect this universe from the evils that want to bring ruin, death and destruction on it. And you, young one, may well be one of those." He finished.

"You must be kidding Stranger; you are saying that magic will be out in the open? People fear what they don't understand. I have seen it my fair share of times. Normal people know nothing and they don't care as long as it doesn't hurt them. They'll hunt everyone the same if they knew, not just evil ones."

"That may have been true in our time, Richard, but maybe this new time will bring something more. To be honest, if the Stranger says that new times are coming, and with it new threats, we need new voices. Our time is past, the only thing we can do is guide the new generation so that they can take the burden better than we did, in their own way." Kent responded with a gentle smile on his face.

"Bah, you have always been soft, Nelson, but mark my words, you'll regret this"

"What about the rest of you?" The Stranger asked.

"I always took my role as a hero as a big opportunity. After all, if I hadn't found the Lantern I would have never had the opportunity to help so many, meet such incredible friends as I did, and experience so many woderful things. It always weighed on me that none took up the call when I couldn't anymore. I always felt that we could have been so much more. So if the Stranger and Kent agree, I'm all for it. Welcome to the Sentinels, Vincent." Alan responded with a smile.

"I saw the events of your combat with the Master, and you clearly have the talent for it, and the heart. For I've seen that you will have a big part in events to come" Xanadu spoke with the voice of certainty of the future.

"Very well, then it is agreed, Vincent Michaels, welcome to the Sentinels of Magic" The Phantom concluded with a grand gesture.

Vincent's face showed shock and happiness. He smiled and said "Thanks for putting your faith in me, and even if I know that I still have a lot to learn and understand, I'll do my best to do my part in making this group better."

"Well, this calls for a celebration" Alan says with a couple of bottles that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I don't care for your celebration, Scott, the meeting ended, therefore, I'm gone." Occult said with a frown and stepped up and left the building.

"Typical, he can't seem to have a fun bone in his body" Alan says seeing him leaving.

"Don't worry, Alan, I'll have one of those." Kent says as he comes forward.

"I will have one too, Mr. Scott" Madame Xanadu said.

"Excellent," Alan smiles while filling three cups. "You want one, kid?" he says while looking towards Vincent.

Vincent seems surprised by the "Celebration", and looks at the people still at the table with a comical confused expression and just responds: "Technically, I'm not old enough to drink".

"Kid, you're a Sentinel of Magic now; that makes you old enough. Besides, it's just a couple." Alan says while giving him a cup with a reassuring smile.

This seems to convince the young man. "Okay". Vincent takes the cup and pauses for a second; "Wait, where is the Phantom Stranger?" suddenly realizing that he is nowhere to be found.

Kent chuckles at the question; "Kid, you'll learn that he just comes and goes as he pleases, it's better not to think too much about that."

The four remaining at the place drank for a while, all the while teasing and learning a little of their newest member, who seemed to not be able to hold his liquor too much, and ended up only drinking two cups not wanting to make himself look ridiculous in front of the other Sentinels.

A couple of hours later; Kent rose from the table: "Well, this has been fun, but these old bones need their rest. Kid, I can presume that you're staying at the so-called Nexus?"

Vincent responds "Yeah, I don't exactly have a home anymore, and the Nexus has more than enough space."

Kent looks to him with a reassuring expression; "Well then, you'll come with me then. I can show you the ropes about this business, and see where this new direction will take the Sentinels. Besides, there are at least a few more tricks that I'm sure that old goat didn't teach you."

Vincent seemed very surprised by this. "Why?"

Kent just puts a hand on his shoulder "Kid, You are what, 15?" Vincent just nodded. "We may have agreed to let you be a Sentinel of Magic, not that the watch hadn't chosen you already. And I clearly see what the old coot saw, you have a big amount of magical capacity and clearly know your stuff if you beat that old goat, even if it was by chance, but you are still a kid. And seeing that I have the time, and more than enough space, I want you to come with me so that I can teach you the right way of doing this."

Vincent clearly was not expecting this, as his eyes seemed to shine a little, but he just smiles and responds, "Well, if you'll have me, I'll be honored to learn from you, Mr. Nelson."

Kent just laughed and gave him a pat. "Just Kent, kid. After all, we are both Sentinels, no?"

"Yeah, Then, thank you very much, Kent."

"My door is always open too, Vincent, Kent here is a little boring at times, but you'll never find a better teacher at this than him." Alan says patting Vincent on the shoulder too. "Besides, if this is a new time coming, I really want to see where this thing takes us."

"Thanks, Alan."

"I shall depart as well, my friends. I hope to see you again soon. And I'll be keeping an eye in the cards for you, young Vincent." Xanadu says as she leaves the place.

"Of course. Don't be a stranger, Xanadu." Kent says while he waves at her.

"Well, kid, let's go. You seem to stumble a little and it's late" Kent says with a chuckle.

The trio leaves the room, and the door closes on its own, and if you asked anyone in the neighborhood they would tell you that nothing was even there.

"I'll be seeing you both soon." Alan says while giving Kent another hug and patting Vincent on the shoulder again, leaving in the opposite direction of the pair.

The pair started walking through the dark street, in a silence that seemed natural, and after a while, Vincent said: "Thank you again, Kent, this really means a lot to me."

Kent looked towards Vincent with a smile: "Don't worry kid, I can tell that you've had it rough, and with the path you have chosen, you'll have a lot more of the same. So the little that I can do to help, I'll do it happily."

Both seemed pleased with the silence after that, walking towards their destination.

And the adventures that would follow.

AN: And that's the first Chapter. I introduced one of my main OC's, but this story is not just about him. This is my take on the DC mythos. So I'll have a lot of characters popping along the story. I'll try to have different sagas as I go along. The first few will help establish the characters, and afterwards the adventures they'll have.

I hope you have enjoyed and tell me what you think.

See you soon!