Chapter three! I show to thee!
This will be the last original chapter for a bit before we hit the Initiation, and after this we'll get the first of eleven flashback chapters. Like I said before, there might be eleven flashback chapters (that could be changed). But the story will be split into three parts: Episode based, original chapters, and flashback chapters. And each flashback chapter will be in chronological order, i.e. the next chapter will be Eric's first year in this universe and the next flashback will be the year after that.
This chapter will open a little bit after the previous before skipping through the next year. Now to reply to some reviews!
Guest: Their relationship will be explained throughout the story, and there's gonna be a flashback chapter that focuses on their fallout.
BulletstormX: Thanks to your review I remembered that the Justice League vs Fatal Five film is in the DCAU. I'll most likely make a chapter for them; I know I'll have to rewatch the movie though. And then I have to find a good spot to insert it, but I'll find one. And I very quickly read the five issues for the BTAS: The Story Continues comic.
Omnisaurus: Thank you for the review, so much. Now I just hope you continue to enjoy the story and Eric's character. But yeah, the whole scanning thing. To be honest, I wasn't sure how the readers would react to it, but if it's something you guys would want, I'm willing to implement it. Thing is though, I'm not sure if he could scan Wonder Woman and Zatanna or Zatara, since WW's either clay given life or a demigod in this universe (I'm not sure), and Homo Magi are a subspecies of humans. Now I'll need names for the possible Martian and Kryptonian forms.
That's all from me up here, on with the story!
The Beginning
The next morning, Esmeralda and I sit at the table, eating breakfast as my sister excitedly talks about the spells she's learned. Her cat, Nova, eating next to her on the ground.
"So, what'd you and Zatanna talk about?" She asks out of nowhere.
I choke on my drink. I cough to regain my composure before looking at her. "What?"
"At the club," she clears up. "You and she talked. What about?"
"How do you know about that?" I ask.
Nova meows as he jumps on the table, his green, intelligent eyes peering into what feels like my soul. Honestly, I don't like that cat, his eyes seem too human-like sometimes as he pins you down with his gaze. Doesn't help that he's her familiar, meaning Esmeralda can see through his eyes. He's also stupid stealthy, the magic energy radiating off of him is so small it easily hides among the magic energy in the air.
"Now do you know?" She rhetorically asks as she strokes Nova's fur, the cat purring in delight.
"Esme," I say in a low, warning tone. "What did I say about using Nova to keep an eye on me?"
She sighs as Nova hops off the table, resuming to eat his food. "I know, I know. But look at the things you get caught up in! I'm worried when you go out."
I sigh deeply as I eat my breakfast a bit. "Okay, I get it. But I still don't like it, you could see something you shouldn't see, and I don't want you to be scarred."
She rolls her eyes and eats her bacon. "Please, I've played Mortal Kombat, nothing scars me."
I just give her a stern glare. "Esmeralda, just because you've seen it in video games doesn't mean you're ready for the real thing."
Memories of my time on another planet comes to mind.
Two years ago, I was on an alien planet, they had called me when they found one of Vilgax's destroyed drones amongst a burning village. A few weeks later, I had arrived at said location, the smell of the bodies still in the air. Three days later, Vilgax attacks, killing much of the people. It was a hard fight, but eventually we won, but the bodies didn't feel like a victory. Especially that body.
As I'm lost in my memories, Esmeralda puts her hand over mine. I look up to see a concerned look on her face. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," she takes back her hand and takes a deep breath. "I just—you've got a lot of dangerous enemies, and as long as I have an eye on you, I know that I can call in help."
I smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it," I grab our plates and clean them. As I rinse, I turn to her. "How's your physical training going?"
With a determined smirk, Esmeralda flips on the table, pushing off of it with her hands and landing on the island behind me. She lands on the edge of the island, almost falling over. She waves her arms around to keep her balance before backing up and stamping her foot down, a triumphant smile on her face.
"I think I'm doing good," she boasts.
I smirk and turn around. As she comes down, I lash out, trying to punch her legs out from under her. Esme backflips away, landing next to the fridge and running at me. She jumps up and tries to kick me, I raise my wet forearms up and block the kicks. She then lands and goes low, kicking my legs out from under me, I shoot my hand out and catch myself before rolling away. I get up and punch with a left hook, she blocks that, I then go for a right hook which she also blocks.
The two of us stay in position, trying to get the upper hand on the other. We then calm down and slowly back away from each other, smiles on our faces. "Okay, you're good," I admit. she lashes out, I expertly block it. "But you need to stop broadcasting your surprise attacks."
She frowns and grumbles as she walks towards the table, Nova hopping on her shoulders. She then stops and looks at the front door. "Someone's coming."
Sure enough, the doorbell rings.
As I dry my hands Esmeralda goes over and opens the door. She gasps in surprise. "Zatanna! Zatara!"
I peek around the wall to see Esmeralda holding the two in a tight hug, the both of them smiling as they return the hug. Esmeralda backs up and steps aside, opening the door wider. "Come in! Man, it's been forever since I've seen you guys! What's new?"
"Nothing much," Zatara replies as Esmeralda leads them to the couch.
"Don't listen to him, kid," Zatanna says. "He's just trying to not show how excited he is."
"Why?" Esmeralda asks with a head tilt.
"We got invited to the Justice League!" Zatanna answers. She then rubs Nova's chin, the cat purrs in delight again.
Esmeralda gasps dramatically. "Oh, that's so awesome! Did you know that-"
"Hey, guys!" I interrupt. "What're you doing here?"
The familiar awkward air returns. Thankfully, Esmeralda doesn't sense it.
"We came to update you on the Charms," Zatanna answers, completely professional.
Esmeralda looks between the three of us, confused. "Charms? What Charms?"
"Last week, the Forever Knights smuggled one of the Charms of Bezel out of Gotham. We think Hex has something to do with it since he's been missing for almost a year," I answer.
"And you didn't tell me because…" Esmeralda looks at me.
"Because I don't want you involved in this," I then turn to the father-daughter duo. "What'd you find out?"
"Sutats fo eht smraC fo lezeB" Zatara says.
From the table the six Charms are shown. Two are outlined red, three are outlined blue, and one is completely black.
"The Charms of Pyrokinesis and Electrokinesis are currently held by the Forever Knights. The Charms of Luck, Telekinesis, and Resurrection are currently safe. For now. And the Keystone of Bezel hasn't been seen in hundreds of years," Zatanna lists off.
"When was the Charm of Electrokinesis taken?" I ask.
"During the invasion," Zatara answers. "The Forever Knights used it as cover."
I tsk. "Damn, should've seen that one coming. Where are the other three?"
"Resurrection and Luck have been seen around Europe and South America respectively, their exact locations unknown. Telekinesis is actually in a museum here in Seattle," Zatara answers.
"Definitely need to keep an eye on that," I then point at the blacked out one. "What about the Keystone? What can it do? The others are pretty self-explanatory."
"The Keystone powers up the user by tenfold. If someone were to have the other Charms, then they are also powered up. In a way, it's the most dangerous of them all," Zatara explains.
"Right. I'll tell Dick, Kory, and Wally to keep an eye out for them. Maybe Dick can even get Bruce to spend some resources to find the Keystone and the other two," I reply.
The Charm of Telekinesis suddenly flashes red and blue. "What's happening?" Esmeralda asks.
The two of them get up. "The Charm's under duress. We must hurry!" Zatara announces.
I quickly activate my armor as the two magically change into their outfits. I turn around and point at my sister. "Don't. Leave."
She glares at me. "Come on, the four of us? Whoever's taking the Charm won't stand a chance."
"No."
"Esmeralda," Zatanna interrupts. "Listen to your brother. He's just…looking out for you," she says, her voice straining at the last part. I wince.
Esmeralda sighs deeply. "Fine. You'd better win."
"Count on it," Zatara says. "Tropelet su ot eht mrahC."
The three of us leave my home and arrive at the museum, people running away as large golems leave a section of the museum. There are eight massive, bipedal golems and one smaller one with wings, the Charm in that one's grasp. They're made out of dark gray stone with red lines around their body making designs. Thanks to their red designs it's obvious as to who their master is.
"Hex," I growl.
"Is he here?" Zatara asks.
"No, the only malicious magic I sense comes from them," I hum.
The smaller, winged golem takes to the sky, breaking through the skylight of the museum. "Triumph, deal with that one! Zatanna, get any civilians still here, gone. I'll deal with these fools."
I activate the Omnitrix, dialing through the aliens, their holograms appearing above my fingers. I then stop on Astrodactyl and slam the dial down, transforming into him. I jump into the air and extend my wings out, my natural jetpack activating in a powerful burst that pushes me upwards.
I quickly catch up to the winged golem. I then fire an energy whip, but the golem dips low, avoiding it. More skilled with flight than expected. I open my beak and fire another blast; it avoids this one as well. Okay, looks like it has either some sort of danger sense or eyes on the back of its head. I increase my speed and end up right above it for a moment. Sure enough, it has the same eye-like holes on the back of its head.
The same eye holes also shoot me with a blast of magic. I squawk in pain and careen backwards, falling down at a high speed. Just before I collide with a building, I regain control, shooting back up, getting back on the tail of the creature.
With the slot in my right forearm I fire energy bolts at it, as it dodges, I do the same with my left forearm. It barely avoids the second blast, the tip of its stone wing breaking apart. Oh, hell yeah.
I aim my forearms at the golem, energy building up in the slots. I open my beak, energy building up there as well. I then fire the three beams of energy, it dodges the first one, gets clipped on the right wing by the second one, and its left wing is destroyed by the third beam.
The golem falls down, hitting a building as it drops. Some of the stones connect with the golem, repairing its wings slightly, but the rest of the stones continue falling down, unsuspecting civilians under the path of the debris.
Dammit. I look to see the golem flying away, although its speed is greatly reduced due to its lopsided wings. Okay, if I'm fast enough I can grab the debris, move it away, and then get back on its trail.
I fly down at high speeds, quickly catching up with the debris. I reach out to grab one of the bigger stones as the civilians finally realize what's happening. Just as my fingers touch the first stone they stop midair, magenta energy surrounding them.
The stones then move away and are slowly placed down, avoiding any civilian. No time to wonder what just happened, there's a golem I gotta catch.
I aim upwards and with another burst of orange energy, my jetpack pushes me up into the sky. As I crest above the building, I see the shrinking form of the golem. I then fly forward, nearing the golem rapidly. I create another energy whip and spin it around, ready to wrap it around the golem's neck.
I toss the whip, and it looks like it's gonna hit its target.
But then, a portal opens in front of the golem, taking it to safety.
The portal closes, revealing a building right behind it.
I squawk in surprise just before I slam into the glass, with one eye open, I look inside to see people at work jump in surprise as a Humanoid Pterosaur slowly slides down the glass.
After a few moments of sliding I fall off the window, dropping from the sky. I shake my head to recover and fly to stop my fall. "Crap," I mutter.
With a shake of my head, I fly back to the museum, here I see Zatanna and Zatara talking to someone, I can't see who from my angle.
I land next to them and retract my wings. "A portal opened; the golem got away. *SQUAWK*."
Zatanna groans as she rubs her ear. "Never really liked this guy's voice," she mutters.
"Sorry. *SQUAWK*," I wince at that before transforming back to normal. "Who's your new…"
Standing in front of them, wearing black pants and boots with a magenta long-sleeved coat with a black line going down the middle and a V on the right side of her chest. Her coat is connected to a skirt over the sides of her legs. The forearms of her coat have black flowers along them, black fingerless gloves with magenta knuckles covering her hands.
Her eyes glow magenta and her hair color has changed to pure, snow white, the fringes of her hair are also magenta. She has special markings under her eyes, three lines connected to a C shaped marking. The ones on the inside going straight down, the ones in the middle going diagonally down, and the ones on the outside going out horizontally. Her skin tone changes to match our Dad's as well.
I pinch the bridge of my nose with a deep breath. "Goddammit, Esme," I whisper.
"Hey! That's not my name!" She jumps on the body of the destroyed golems, one eye closed as she poses, one of her arms extended towards us, her fingers in a V formation. "My name's Victorious! Nice to meet you!"
Even though I have a mask and goggles on I give her a deadpan stare. "How'd you know where I was when I was chasing the winged golem?"
To answer my question, I feel a cat moving between my legs, purring as it does. I look down to see a pale white cat rubbing along my legs before hopping up to rest on Victorious' shoulders.
He has pale white fur, the tips of the fur being magenta. His eyes glow magenta as well. The tip of his tail has a magenta flame flickering. Great, Nova's here too.
Civilians start to come back, standing around us and taking pictures. I turn to Zatara. "Can you get us out of here?"
"Let me clean up first," Zatanna says. "Naelc pu eht ssem."
Zatara nods. "Nruter ot s'cirE emoh."
The four of us arrive at my place, standing around the coffee table in the living room. Esmeralda looks at me as she transforms back to normal, the markings disappear, her hair returns to normal, her skin tone matches our Mom's, and her eyes stop glowing. Nova transforms into his familiar pitch-black self.
"Look I know exactly what you're gonna say," she begins. "Here's what I have to say. Bullshit."
The three of us look at her, Zatara with wide eyes, Zatanna with a raised brow, and me with a glare.
"You started when you were ten! And you didn't even have any training! I'm thirteen! I have training! I'm automatically better than you were when you started," Esmeralda begins.
"Sometimes training and age isn't all that. You're a child! I don't want to see you grow up too fast! I already did, I can't let that happen to you!" I argue.
She glares up at me. "I have to grow up at some point."
Zatanna stands between us. "Okay, this is getting pretty awkward," she glances at her father. "And I'm feeling some intense déjà vu right now. But can you do this later? We gotta talk about this whole Charm thing."
"Zatanna is correct. Eric, the portal that opened, was it Hex's?" Zatara asks.
I take a calming breath before turning to him. "No, the portal was blue, which worries me. That's a common color for spells."
Zatara strokes his chin. "Exactly," he takes a deep breath and takes off his hat, his clothes shifting to normal clothing. "We should go. I'll be sure to contact you should anything come up."
Zatanna's clothes change back to normal as she and her father head towards the door, she gives Esmeralda a gentle smile. "See you later, kid."
"Wait!" Esmeralda comes out.
The two stop, the three of us look at her. "Yes?" Zatara asks.
"W-we should go out and eat. Like old times," Esmeralda suggests, not noticing my wince or the look of guilt that flashes across their faces. "I mean, it's been two years since the four of us have been together. We should celebrate!"
"Esmeralda, I'm not so sure that's a-"
"Of course," Zatara interrupts. The three of us look at him. "It has been a while since we've spoken, hasn't it? What better time to catch up than now? Besides, I'm excited to hear how your skills have improved over the years, Esmeralda."
My sister smiles before looking up at me, her eyes sparkling.
I sigh deeply. I can't say no to her.
"Yeah, sure," I relent. Esmeralda cheers and hugs me tightly around the waist. She then goes upstairs, most likely to change into something nice. "Where are we gonna go?"
"I could go for some sushi, I haven't had some in a while. Know any good places?" Zatara asks.
"Yeah, there's this place called Wataru, has some amazing sushi," I answer.
Zatara smiles. "Wataru it is. Zatanna?"
She looks down, rubbing her arm. "Yeah, sure."
Then it hits me. Wataru was where we went on our last date.
My armor dissipates. "Uh, let me go…change. See you in a bit," I turn around and head upstairs.
Eric, you moron. Of all the places to choose it had to be Wataru!? If she didn't hate me already, Zatanna's totally gonna despise me now.
Esmeralda walks out of her room, wearing a red blouse and blue jeans. "Where are we going?"
"Wataru, it's a sushi place. Wait downstairs while I change," I answer.
She claps her hands. "Sushi! I love me some sushi!" She then runs downstairs, her voice mixes with our guests.
I enter my room, my armor disappears. I go into my closet and pull out some clothes, a black dress shirt, black jeans, and a brown aviator jacket. I change into the new clothes and head out to the living room. Here I find Zatanna wearing a nice, simple dress with a black shirt and white skirt. Zatara's wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt.
Esmeralda jumps off the couch and pulls Zatanna up by the wrists. "Alright! Let's go eat!" She drags Zatanna to the front door.
With a small smile, I follow after them, but Zatara's hand on my shoulder stops me. I turn around to see a serious look on his face. "…Yeah?" I ask.
He takes a deep breath before putting his other hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eyes. "Eric, I've been thinking over the past week about what happened, between us, I mean. You made a mistake, yes, but so did I, in not listening to you," he sighs deeply and looks down. "I failed you. When I should've told you to stop I didn't, and because of my lack of foresight, our relationship was strained. Your relationship with Zatanna, was strained. Can you forgive me?"
I-I definitely didn't expect this to happen today. But you know what? I'm not complaining. Though I do wince a little at his mention of Zatanna, he isn't the reason she hates me, that's my own fault.
I smirk and clap my hands on his shoulders, causing him to look up. "Of course, I forgive you. Hell, I forgave you about a week after you stopped training me."
Zatara smiles. "That's a weight off my shoulders," he then stands next to me, his arm still around my shoulder. "Too bad I couldn't forgive as fast as you."
I shrug my shoulders as I let Zatara exit first. I turn around and lock the door. "Water under the bridge. Now if only Zatanna could forgive me," I mutter.
"Ugh, finally!" Esmeralda shouts. "What were you two talking about? Girls? Cars? Workout routines?"
Zatara chuckles as the two of us walk to my car. I flick Esmeralda's forehead. "Shut up and get in the car."
She grumbles and sits in shotgun, Zatanna sitting behind me and Zatara sitting behind Esmeralda.
The drive takes some time, but Esmeralda and Zatara catch up the entire time, occasionally pulling me and Zatanna into the conversation.
But during the ride I noticed how silent she was. Every now and again I'd look in the rearview mirror, seeing Zatanna's gaze focused entirely on the outside, occasionally flickering to look at us. She also looks fidgety, like she'd rather be anywhere else.
I'll have to confront her about it, but later, 'cause right now I gotta rebuild my relationship with her father. The first step in improving myself.
After a few hours at Wataru things begin to slow down.
"I mean, my skills are still good, but they aren't the same," Esmeralda says. The four of us eating in a private booth, Zatara also whispered a spell that would disguise our conversation. "I think I'd do better if I had an actual teacher instead of my spell books, someone to correct my mistakes, you know?"
Zatara nods as he wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Absolutely. Magic is a dangerous skill to practice without the proper supervision, many things could go wrong. If you'd like I could begin training you again."
Esmeralda gasps, she looks like she's about to answer but then she turns to me. "Eric?"
"Why're you asking my opinion? You're gonna do it anyway," I reply with a shrug. I then notice Esmeralda's downcast face. I sigh deeply. "Fine, I know what it's like to have a good teacher. But you shouldn't ask me, you should ask Mom and Dad."
Her smile returns and she wraps me in a tight hug. "Thank you."
I pat her head. "No problem," I then turn to Zatara. "So, you're both in the Justice League now?"
Zatara nods. "Yes. A few days after the invasion, Batman visited Shadowcrest and personally invited us. I take it you were invited as well. You did fight with them."
I nod. "Yeah, I'm on the team also. You guys have any idea how big it's gonna be?"
Zatanna just shrugs as she pokes at her food with her chopsticks.
Zatara folds his hands in front of his face. "I hear it's going to be quite large. Members of the League have been seen interacting with heroes all over the world. This will be a massive roster of heroes."
"You think I can join?" Esmeralda asks.
"No," I shoot down. She just kicks me in the shin.
Zatara chuckles and shakes his head. "Sorry, child, but you'll have to wait five years before you're even considered."
I mentally laugh. Someone should've told that to Captain Marvel. Or would it be Shazam? I'll have to find that out later.
"Oh, man," she groans. "But what about Supergirl? She's seventeen and I bet she's gonna be on the League."
"If she's offered a spot it means she's gonna turn eighteen soon and she's more than ready," I reply. "Wait, how do you know she's seventeen?"
"Oh, we've hung out," she answers.
When would they have hung out? I mean, she's only started going out as Victorious today, right?
I slowly narrow my eyes and look at her. "How long have you been doing this Victorious thing?"
She suddenly becomes sheepish and quickly gets up. "Wow! Would you look at the time! We should be going home now. Zatara, Zatanna, it was great hanging out again, don't be strangers!" Esmeralda runs out of the restaurant, nearly running into someone as she leaves.
Zatara chuckles as the three of us get up, exiting the restaurant at a slower pace. "I must admit, I've missed Esmeralda's energy," he then looks at me. "Are you really okay with me teaching her again?"
"Yeah. Esmeralda's stubborn. Even if I say no, she's gonna sneak out and do it anyways, same with her joining this life we lead. Now I gotta keep an eye on her, make sure nothing happens," I reply.
We hear a phone ring. Turning to my left and Zatara's right, we see Zatanna pull out her phone. She nods and replies before her eyes widen. She ends the call and looks at her dad with an apologetic look. "I have to go, Nick needs my help with something," without waiting for a reply she kisses her dad's cheek and runs into a secluded alley, disappearing in a flash of magic.
Zatara sighs and mutters something in Italian before turning to me. "I don't like that Nick Necro boy she hangs out with, same with John Constantine. I fear they're leading my daughter astray."
On that, we agree.
"I know you and her aren't on the best of terms," Zatara says. Understatement of the century. "But keep an eye on her, please. For me."
I nod as the two of us walk to my car. "You agreed to keep an eye on Esme, I'd be wrong to not do the same."
"Thank you," Zatara says with a smile. He then frowns slightly and looks at the alley Zatanna went into. "I feel I should go home now. I will look into the locations of the Charms of Resurrection and Luck."
"Right, thanks. Have a great rest of your day," I reply.
"And you as well," Zatara says before going into the alley, teleporting away shortly after.
"They had something else to do?" Esmeralda asks as we get into my car.
I begin the drive home. "Yeah," I sigh as I take a right turn. "Look, Esme, about earlier-"
"I know," she says as I fall silent. "And I'm sorry for making you worry. But I had to do it. I have these powers, it'd be wrong of me to not use them to help people, you know?"
I look at the Omnitrix. "Yeah, I do."
"So, you see why I have to do this, right?" She continues.
"Yeah, I do."
"Sooo?"
I look at her from the corner of my eye as we wait at a stop light. With a sigh, I slam my head on the steering wheel. "Whenever we go out together you listen to everything I say. You're schoolwork comes first. If you have to go out alone, don't bite off more than you can chew. If I'm not available and Mom and Dad don't want you to go out, you listen to them. And if you go out alone, you tell me first, no exceptions."
Esmeralda hugs me tightly, almost causing me to crash into another car. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Mierda (Shit)! Esmeralda! Let go!" I shout as I barely straighten the car. The person I nearly crashed into flips me off, but I ignore them. When she lets go, I let out a calming breath. "I think my life just flashed before my eyes."
"You're just being overdramatic," she jokes as she sits back in her seat.
The rest of the car ride is her having fantasies of the two of us solving crimes and beating up bad guys. It's refreshing, honestly.
Doesn't stop me from being scared.
Later that night, I sit down on the couch, the pouches of my utility belt on the table, I work on my gear. While I'm sharpening one of my shurikens Esmeralda comes sliding down the stair bannister, groaning on the way down. "When are Mama and Papa coming home?"
I run my finger along the edge of a shuriken, satisfied to see a scratch on my finger. I put it back, inspecting another one. "They said they'd come back when flights reopen, so it might take some time."
She groans again as she stands at the edge of the couch. She then flips over me, placing her hands on my head to keep her steady as she flops on the couch. "I'm bored, brother. Entertain me."
I look at her before grabbing the remote, changing the input to my PS4. "Play a game."
She levitates two controllers towards us. "We will play a game."
Ah, what the hell.
I put the last shuriken into the pouch and put it in the pile of checked pouches. "What do you have in mind?"
She blinks in surprise. "I, uh, I didn't see me getting this far. I thought you'd brood and be all like "I don't play games." And then go into your room to check your gear."
I roll my eyes at her attempt to mimic my voice. I don't sound like that. Do I? Question for another time. I shrug my shoulders and lean back on the couch, turning on the PS4 with my controller. "It's good to take a break every now and again, really helps your mental health."
"I see, I see," Esmeralda nods. "I'll need to write this down."
"You're gonna write this down?"
"Of course I am! Any advice from the best superhero ever needs to be written down!" She says, slamming her fist into her palm, the controller dropping to the floor.
Best superhero…ever?
I look down at the controller in my hands, Esmeralda's words ringing around in my head. She's overexaggerating, I'm not the best, far from it. Batman, in his own way, inspires the people of Gotham, strikes fear into the hearts of criminals. Superman's, well, he's Superman. Then there's Wonder Woman, an inspiration to women and girls everywhere and a badass in her own right.
Me? I'm just a sad guy trying his best to forget his sorrows by beating the crap out of Knights, robots, bounty hunters, mutated animals, evil clones, psycho mages, alien warlords, etc. Nothing special about that.
"You really think that?" I whisper.
"I know that," she whispers back. "But you aren't the best just as Triumph, no, you're the best as my brother. When I want to talk to someone, you're there, when I want training, you're there. You're the best superhero ever," she then hugs me. "I love you, Eric."
I hug her back, a smile on my face. "I love you too, Esmeralda. Too bad I'm gonna kick your ass in Mortal Kombat."
Esmeralda scoffs and picks up her controller, her magic inserting the disk. "Yeah right."
The two of us play, occasionally messing with the other and playing dirty to get the upper hand. After a few matches my doorbell rings.
I get up and open the door to find my parents on the other end. "Mom, Dad!"
Mom's a taller than average Hispanic woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail in her early fifties, although she looks to be in her early forties, something she enjoys. Looking between her and Esmeralda, one could easily see the resemblance between the two, and we've seen some pictures of Mom when she was younger, she looked exactly like Esmeralda, my sister's blue eyes being the only difference. She's wearing blue jeans and a red button up shirt.
Dad's a tall man with Irish ancestry. He has red hair and striking blue eyes, my sister and I get the latter trait from him. He's also in his early fifties but still takes care of himself, what with him being in the marines years ago. He's wearing cargo shorts and a gray Triumph shirt, a giant, green Omnitrix crest on the chest. I look a lot like him, but my black hair and my skin tone (which leans more towards my Mom) differentiates us.
I let them inside where they hug me. Esmeralda jumps off the couch and runs forward, joining the hug. "Mama! Papa! You guys are back way earlier than we thought you would! Did they open flights already?"
Mom kisses the both of us on our cheeks. "That's the thing, an hour after we called your brother, we were offered a private plane ride back home."
Dad has a faraway look in his eyes. "I'll never fly coach again."
Esmeralda and I share a glance. "You know who offered this private flight?" I have an idea, but maybe they can confirm.
"Oh, yes. A representative from Wayne Enterprises. Said a friend of our son's was willing to offer us a ride back to our babies," Mom answers. "Is this friend from your…other life."
"Yeah, he is," I answer. I'll have to ask Bruce what he's doing next time I see him.
"But did the representative really call us babies?" Esmeralda asks with a pout.
Mom smiles and caresses our cheeks. "Nope. But that doesn't change anything, does it?"
"No," Esmeralda replies. "You guys want anything to eat? Eric can totally cook something for you."
I glare at her. "Why me?"
Dad yawns loudly, stopping any potential argument. "We're just tired is all, we'll eat tomorrow morning. Let's go prepare a room, Honey."
I activate the Omnitrix and transform into my Citrakayah form, Fasttrack.
In this form most of my body is black, but from my torso up to my head, my arms from my elbows down, and my legs from my knees down are blue. I have spike-like blades from my elbows and knees and black mask-like fins around my orange eyes. The blue fur on my chest goes down in a thunderbolt design and I have a triangular nose. The Omnitrix crest is on my chest.
"Don't worry, I can do it," I grab their luggage and put it in one of the guest rooms, this one next to Esmeralda's and across from my room. I then come back downstairs. "Done."
"Man, what I would give to have one of those," Dad whispers in awe. He hugs us one more time before heading upstairs. "Bed! I'm coming for you!"
Esmeralda gets her energy from him.
Mom shakes her head with a smile before kissing our cheeks. "Eric, you and I will cook breakfast, tomorrow, alright?"
I transform back to normal and nod. "Alright. Good night, Mom."
"Good night, Mama," Esmeralda adds.
"Good night, you two," Mom says before heading upstairs.
As me and Esmeralda stand in my living room, I turn to her. "You're telling them tomorrow."
"I know. But hey! Mama and Papa are here! This is awesome!" She shouts excitedly.
I shake my head and turn off the PS4 and TV. I then grab my pouches and follow Esme upstairs.
She is right, though. This is awesome.
One year later
Over the next year nothing much happened.
Mom, Dad, and Esmeralda stayed for another day before heading home, during their stay Esmeralda told Mom and Dad about her new life as Victorious. Both of them were worried, Mom more than Dad, but they accepted her choice. Dad would later pull me aside to make sure I kept an eye on her, something I was more than sure to promise.
And since then Triumph and Victorious have been going around Seattle, kicking ass and taking names. At first, she was a little hard to keep on track, what with her almost limitless energy and relatively rusty magic skills. But as she trained with Zatara her skills were back to where they were three years ago, and Victorious became far more efficient.
She's still like a Kineceleran freaking out on cocaine though.
Speaking of Zatara…
Whenever possible I'd keep an eye on Zatanna, sometimes running into her, Constantine, and Necro. Sometimes Necro would invite me to hang out, much to the chagrin of his two partners, and considering my promise to her father, I'd accept, allowing for me to keep a closer eye on the two.
During the time I'd keep a closer eye on Necro though, Constantine's a bastard with a heart of gold (I think. The most I know about him is from the Arrowverse and DCAMU. I really should've read more comics about guys like him), he just doesn't like me hanging out with them 'cause he knows nothing about me. Zatanna, well, it's obvious.
Back on point.
We've hung out all of five times throughout the year, and each time we do Necro looks more and more disheveled and his temper becomes shorter and shorter. I've also noticed a growing rift between himself and the other two. As he became angrier there was something about Necro I didn't like, something about his energy.
I'd report this to Zatara as he would tell me more about Esme's training.
On the Charms of Bezel front, Dick, Wally, Kory, Vic, Zatara, and I continued the hunt whenever we could, bringing Victor into it as well. Eventually we found the Charm of Luck, but due to its properties, the Forever Knight holding it was able to get away, disappearing through another blue portal.
I'd also get the occasional update about the Justice League from Wally, finding out that the annexes around the Watchtower II are now complete, the main base almost complete as well.
Dick would also occasionally talk about starting a new superhero team, this one meant to train younger heroes specifically, he and Kory being the leaders. Realizing that they're wanting to start this universe's version of the Teen Titans I ask if Esmeralda could join the team, something he and Kory agreed upon immediately.
And now I find myself fighting my first real villain, Dr. Animo.
He's a man in his early sixties and thanks to his experiments, he's still rather fit, with a lean, yet muscular build. But his true power comes from his enhanced mind. He wears brown pants and a green and black trench coat, a special harness over his chest. He has long white hair and thick sideburns, a headband similar to the harness on his head.
Like his original counterpart, Dr. Animo is obsessed with animals and experimented on them. When this was discovered he was shunned and kicked out of the scientific community, something that drove him insane and forced him to hide for five years, which is why his skin is pale.
Right now, he's attacking the local zoo, a giant, mutated gorilla as his steed. He laughs manically as civilians run away, doing their best to avoid the mutated lion and condor also under Animo's control.
"Plan?" Victorious asks.
"Take on the condor and the lion, the people can't leave until they're dealt with. I've got Animo," I strategize.
Victorious nods before taking flight, firing blasts of magical energy at the lion, avoiding its attacks thanks to her aerial maneuverability.
"Well, Triumph, it's just you and I, again!" Animo shouts. "Surely you must be tired, you and I have played this game for eleven years now. Why don't you let me leave and I can go terrorize another hero? Maybe Batman?"
I let out a laugh as I stealthily pull shurikens out of my utility belt. "Trust me, Animo, you don't wanna deal with Batman. He'd beat your sorry ass way worse than I could."
I then toss the shurikens at Dr. Animo's harness, 'cause if it's out of the fight, then the animals will return to normal. The gorilla raises its arm faster than I expect and blocks the shurikens, the three weapons sticking in its arm.
While its arm is still raised, I move forward in a manner hard to determine. I then jump up and go for a dropkick at the other side, again, the gorilla raises its arm, protecting Animo. With its other arm it then punches me away, my armor protecting me. Doesn't stop the air from leaving my lungs.
As I take deep breaths, I notice a large shadow slowly getting larger. Quickly rolling out of the way, I barely avoid the gorilla landing on where I just was, the force of the impact sending me skidding across the ground. I then plant my fingers down and slide a bit, once I stop, I slowly get up.
C'mon, there's gotta be a way to take that thing down.
I spare a glance out of the corner of my eye to see that Victorious has taken down the lion, although the condor's proving to be a little more troublesome for her. "Aim for where it'll be! Not where it is!" I advise.
The gorilla's fist slams into the side of my head. My head explodes in pain and my vision flashes white as I fly through the air, eventually colliding with the ground and tumbling a few feet. I lower the front of my mask and get up on my hands and knees, coughing up blood, my head ringing loudly.
Dr. Animo laughs loudly, grating on my eardrums. "How foolish of you to take your eyes off of our battle," the gorilla slowly approaches, standing over me. "Finally, after eleven years of hell, I, Dr. Aloysius Animo, shall kill Triumph!"
"Yeah…no," I slam down the Omnitrix, transforming into my Vaxasaurian form, Tyrantosaur.
I become a twelve-foot-tall humanoid dinosaur with brown outer scales and beige inner skin, I also have a long, powerful tail swishing in between the gorilla's feet. I have on black shorts with a white waistband, an orange and black sash across my chest from my right shoulder to left lower back. The Omnitrix crest in the center of the sash.
While they're still blinded, I use my tail to trip the gorilla, Dr. Animo being crushed by its weight. I slowly get up and grab the gorilla by the chest with my massive hand. As I slowly lift it up Animo further mutates the creature, making it bigger and stronger, strong enough to punch itself out of my grasp.
"Kill him!" Dr. Animo shouts.
The now fifteen-foot-tall gorilla claps its hands around my head, creating a shockwave that causes my ears to erupt in pain. Pressing the attack, the gorilla grabs me by the neck and waistband, lifting me over its head before tossing me to the ground, shattering the stonework. It then stomps on my chest, digging its foot in.
With some effort, I grab its foot with both hands and jerk it to the side, the gorilla loses balance and falls over. I then get up and increase my size, growing to twenty feet tall. The scales around my shoulders begin to spike up and the scales on my head do as well, a small ridge of spikes going down my back. My tail also grows some barely noticeable bone spikes at the tip. I then raise my fist and slam it into the gorilla's face, knocking it out instantly.
I get up and slowly turn around, glaring at an increasingly terrified Dr. Animo. "Go! Attack!" He shouts as he falls down and scoots back.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Victorious says. We look to see her standing in front of the knocked-out lion and condor. "Who were you talking to?"
"Evomer eht ssenrah dna dnabdaeh," she says. The harness and headband then fly off of Dr. Animo's head and fly over to her waiting hands.
I lean down close, my face right in front of his terrified form. Adding to the intimidation, I let out a breath of air from my nose, his hair and clothes ruffling. "You should surrender."
He nods vigorously as the police walk around me, one putting handcuffs around his outstretched wrists. Another cop looks up at me with a smile. "Thanks for that, Triumph," he turns to look at my sister. "You too…Victorious? Was it?"
She looks at him in surprise before smiling brightly, Luna (Nova's superhero name) jumps on her shoulder. "Yup. Name's Victorious!"
The cop nods before turning back to me as I shrink down to Tyrantosaur's natural size. "How's she know you?"
"She's my sister," I answer. I then turn to her. "Can you do anything about these animals?"
"Mrofsnart kcab ot lamron," she incants. Some magenta energy swirls around the three animals, once it dissipates, they're back to normal.
I nod and tap the Omnitrix dial, transforming into my Chronosapien form, Chronos.
In this form, I'm a silver and black rotund robot, who's shape reminds me of a top, honestly. My face is black with two orange circles as eyes and an orange line as my mouth. There is what looks like a wind-up device on the top of my head as well. There is a circular piece of glass on my chest that reveals the inside of this alien, orange gears seen working inside. The Omnitrix crest is on the center of the glass.
"Vell, time for me to clean up zis mess, ja?" I rhetorically ask in a German accent.
Using my chronal powers I'm able to repair the damage done to this section of the zoo thanks to our fight. After that's done, I notice some employees coming back, carefully returning the animals back to their habitats.
Victorious, the cops, and I follow them, I'd reverse time around the damage we'd run across. Once that's all done, Victorious and I turn to the cop from before. "Thanks for cleaning up, it'd cost taxpayers lots of money to repair this place."
Even in my robotic form I take some deep breaths, my hands resting on my knees as I'm bent over. "It's…no…problem," I wheeze out.
"Messing with time that much takes a lot out of him," my sister explains. The cop nods and excuses himself, leaving the two of us alone. "That was pretty awesome."
I transform back to normal and stand tall, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, it was. And now you see why I consider Dr. Animo a B-lister."
She laughs. "I don't get it though, you two have fought for eleven years and you always beat him. How does he get so confident each time you fight?"
"He always goes into hiding every time I beat him, but then he gets an insane confidence boost and comes back. Kinda jealous of that, not gonna lie," I reply as the two of us leave the zoo thanks to a mana platform.
We land on a nearby roof and sit on the edge, looking down at the people going about their everyday lives. "How's your training going?" I ask.
Esmeralda smiles as she conjures a bright mana ball in her hands. "It's going great! Zatara says I'll be able to learn some Advanced spells soon."
I smile and lightly punch her shoulder. "That's awesome!" My face then becomes serious. "But don't use those spells unless you have to, I know they take up a lot of energy. And for a mage, using too much is dangerous."
"Yeah, I know, but you don't need to worry," she replies. "Zatara's told me that my mana well's unparalleled. He's never seen anyone with as much energy as me. He says I could fire as many Basic spells as I want for at least three days straight."
"He says," I point out. "You don't know for sure, though. Just be careful, alright?"
Victorious smiles and rubs Luna's chin, the cat purring in delight. "Alright," she then looks at her phone. "I gotta go, Mama wants me to go with her to visit Aunt Johanna."
The two of us get up and I give her a fist bump. "See you later, kid. And be sure to tell Aunt Johanna I said hi."
"I will, bye," she replies. She then teleports away with Luna.
I stretch my arms upwards, wincing in pain as my side flares up. Damn, that gorilla packed a punch. My stomach then growls. Man, I could go for some food, but I don't wanna cook, so I'll have to find something to eat. Chinese? Burger place? So many options, so little time.
My phone then vibrates. Pulling it out I see I've gotten a message from Zatanna. Hm, maybe it's something about the Charms. I open it and read her message.
Zatanna: We need your help.
There're some coordinates following the message. Not questioning it, I input the coordinates into the Omnitrix.
Me: On my way.
I then scroll over and transform into my Ikathan form, Icarus.
In this form I look almost exactly like myself, except my skin's a pale white, one of my eyes becomes red-orange and the other becomes blue-orange, and my hair becomes blond. My clothes become tight black pants, the top being a tight, black long-sleeved shirt with a white shoulder cape outlined with orange hanging over my right shoulder, the cape has an orange Omnitrix design on it. The Omnitrix crest is on the left side of my white and orange belt.
Flapping my wings a little, I take flight, following the directions told to me by the Omnitrix. After nearly an hour of flight I near the location, flying low to avoid detection. Thanks to my advanced eyesight, I find Zatanna and Constantine hiding behind a dilapidated building, Zatanna keeping her eyes on a large, abandoned mansion in the distance.
As I land Constantine's eyes glow gold, magic circles floating in front of his outstretched hands. "Stay back, luv. Seems like some chicken-people are still here."
Zatanna eyes widen in recognition and she lowers Constantine's arms. "Babe, it's fine. It's just E-Triumph."
He looks between us with an arched brow. "You know the Triumph? The same bloke who's been a hero since he was a kid?"
"Had no idea I was that popular," I whisper. I then join the two, the three of us looking at the mansion. "What's up?"
"Some cultists have Nick held hostage in there," Zatanna explains. "We would push but…"
"We figured it'd be better to have help," Constantine finishes. "Which leads to my next point. How the hell does Zatanna have your number?"
"Doesn't matter," Zatanna interrupts. "Right now, we need to save Nick. Can you help?"
"First off, who's holding him captive? If I'm gonna get involved in this I have the right to know everything," I demand.
Zatanna looks annoyed. "We don't have time, Icarus. We need to go. Now."
"I'd perform a whole lot better if I knew what I was getting into," I counter.
"You can literally transform to suit any situation," she points out. "You'll be fine."
"Again, if I know what I'm gonna fight, I can find the right transformations for the job. You know, instead of wasting energy by choosing the wrong forms," I continue to argue.
"You were taught how to combat magic, doesn't matter what form you choose, you can still fight it," she argues.
I just fold my arms and stand my ground.
"God, do you have any idea how annoyingly stubborn you are?" Zatanna asks as she turns around to glare at me, her finger poking my chest. "I mean, for once can't you just listen and help me? Is that too much to ask?"
"It's too much to ask me to get involved in something without giving me all the details. I'm not moving until I know exactly what I'm getting into," I reply, just as firm as ever.
Zatanna grits her teeth in anger, her eyes flashing blue. "I am one second away from-"
"The Cult of the Cold Flame."
The two of us look at Constantine. "They have Nick captive. We want to rescue 'im."
"I'm sorry, who has Necro captive?" I ask, hoping I misheard.
"The Cult of the Cold Flame," Constantine repeats.
Oh, so I didn't. Crap.
"They're a group of sorcerers and sorceresses with the common goal of ultimate magic," Constantine continues. "The three of us have been looking for the Books of Magic for some time now, running into these bastards every now and again."
"And they somehow have Necro captive," I reply.
Constantine nods. "Zee and I got power, but they got numbers. And Nick as a hostage. They also know we're here, but they don't know about you. We can use that."
I walk past Zatanna to stand next to Constantine. With my enhanced eyes I see a flicker of movement in one of the upper windows. "How do they not know about me? Someone was just in that window up there."
"Because Zee put up a cloaking spell. They know we wouldn't leave without Nick, but the bloody bastards don't know where we are," Constantine explains. "So, will you help us?"
Obviously, yeah, but if this goes the way I think it will, then that means Necro's true colors are about to be shown. I look at the two, back at the building, then back at them. "Alright, here's the plan-"
"Whoa," Constantine interrupts. "We've got our own plan."
"Tell me the plan."
"Zatanna and I will set up trap spells on ourselves, so when they try to sacrifice us or whatever they'll be blown back. We take them out, save Nick, and then go have some drinks," Constantine says.
I look at Zatanna and then at Constantine. "That's a stupid plan."
She glares at me. "What do you have in mind then?"
"At first it started out well, but went downhill after the blow back part," I answer. "The trap spells are a great idea, do that. But the problem is that you have no idea how many of them there are. But I can find that out for you if you can wait here for me."
"How will you find out?" Constantine asks.
"I have this new form Silencio. With him I can stealth around silently, figure out how many of these cultists are in the building. I'll come back and relay it to you. After that we go with your plan, but I'll be in the shadows behind them, ready to attack," I answer.
"When did you unlock this guy?" Zatanna asks. Constantine looks between the two of us, confused.
"Last month, he's pretty great at stealth. Can't talk though," I back up behind the shack. "You sure they won't be able to see the flash of light?"
Zatanna scoffs. "Yeah, I'm sure. Just do what you have to do already."
With a sigh, I touch the Omnitrix dial, the flash of light forcing Zatanna and Constantine to shield their eyes as I transform into my Umbragian form, Silencio.
In this form my body becomes tall and lanky, my skin is primarily a dark indigo blue, my legs, arms, and back are black. I have four claws on each hand and two claws on the front of each foot and one behind. This form doesn't have a mouth, also, so my face is just my eyes and my nose. I wear a tight body suit with short sleeves and the bottom half ends just above my knees. The suit is mainly black with orange linings on the sleeves and shorts and a white belt. The Omnitrix crest on my chest.
With a nod, I shoot towards the shadow of a nearby tree, no sound coming from my leaving the area or stopping next to the tree. The Umbragians are a species known for their amazing skills in stealth, all thanks to their skin color and absolutely silent demeanor. They have a sort of silence field around them, meaning there is no sound within a close range of their bodies. For example: if I were to punch someone in the face as Silencio there'd be no sound, just the impact. It's honestly kind of funny to watch.
I refocus as I near the house, jumping between shadows. I then find an open window and jump into it, avoiding the eyesight of a Cult member as I jump into a dark corner, blending in with it.
I slink by and enter another room by crawling on the walls, my claws digging into the surface. As I enter the other room, I see a group of Cult members, five in total, standing around a map of the area.
The one at the head of the table slams his fist down in frustration. "They've been out there for nearly two hours! How have we not found them yet!"
"It's as Necro said, the girl is extremely skilled," one of the mages tries to explain. "It may take some time."
Hm, not exactly enough to prove he's a traitor, I'll have to wait for more evidence.
"We don't have time," the mage at the head of the table replies slowly. "Two of the Charms of Bezel are here right now, and if they're here for any longer I might just get…testy."
The mages around the table become jumpy, some sharing nervous glances.
This guy just said two of the Charms are here. I wonder which ones. The Keystone can't be here, something that's been lost for so long wouldn't be kept here if these guys had found it. So it's either two that have already been found or the one Charm we haven't found yet and another we have.
"We'll redouble our efforts, send more men outside," the first mage to recover says.
"More!? Send them all! The other heads and I will be in here, waiting to see if those two will come in whilst you morons search," the head mage shouts.
The four nod before running out of the room, bringing any mage they run across with them. The head mage then sighs deeply before getting out of the room as well, slowly walking out and heading towards a door across the hall. I keep within the shadows as I wallcrawl after him.
The two of us enter a room to find four more head mages standing in a circle around Necro. His face bloody and beaten, but unlike a prisoner he's sitting leisurely with them. Bingo.
Necro turns to the head mage who entered. "Have you found them?"
The head mage shakes his head, suddenly the fearful one. "N-no. I have all of our men out looking for them."
Necro nods before kneeling back in the pentagram, the head mages get in position. "Good, good, one little problem though," his glowing blue eyes flash towards me. "You seem to have brought in a stray."
A powerful burst of telekinetic energy slams into me, launching me through the roof of the mansion and flying through the air. I then slam into the ground among the Cult members. If I could groan in pain, I would.
One of the head mages appears from the hole and points at my prone form. "Kill the intruder!"
Golden blasts of energy slam into the two Cult members standing over me. I'm then picked up from the floor by Constantine. "The hell happened up there, mate?"
I transform back to normal as Zatanna stands in front of us, creating a magic bubble to protect us. "The Cultists didn't capture Necro, he's working with them," I answer.
They both look at me with wide eyes. "You're lying," Zatanna says in a low tone.
I wince as a powerful bolt of magic slams into the barrier. "Wish I was," I then dial through the Omnitrix and slam the dial down becoming a Talpaedan known as Armodrillo.
I become a ten-foot-tall armadillo-like alien. My biceps, thighs, and stomach are black, my feet, claws, jackhammers in my elbows, tail, and ears are gray while the rest of my body is yellow. My head is similar to a Greek Corinthian helmet, my ears sticking out of the top. The Omnitrix crest on my chest.
The jackhammers in my elbows begin to pump, and once they reach an optimal speed, I slam my fist into the ground. The ground below the Cultists in front of us breaks open, knocking some over and swallowing others. The hole isn't too deep, so they'll live.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Zatanna replies.
"Same here," Constantine agrees as he pulls something out of his pocket and fires a bolt of lightning at some Cultists.
Of course they won't. The jackhammers start up again. "You two go inside and see for yourselves. I'll keep these guys busy."
"If you're sure," Constantine mutters before he and Zatanna run towards the mansion, avoiding attacks from the Cult members.
I raise my fists up high and slam them down, the ground around me shattering in a large radius, again, trapping many of the Cultists in a now shattered terrain.
Crash course: the best way to beat a mage? Keep them on their toes. Magic needs a lot of focus, one slip up and you can say an entirely different spell. Skilled mages are able to react on the fly, but not all. Like these morons.
My elbow jackhammers continue to pulse as I slam the ground over and over, eventually knocking them out or trapping them. As things quiet down a bolt of magic leaves from the hole in the building. I turn around to see a fight going on.
I slam the Omnitrix crest and transform into Heatblast, my Pyronite form.
My body is composed mainly of magma, with bright yellow magma shown to flow underneath red rocks that also make up my body. My head is surrounded by a raging flame, and thanks to that flame it looks like I only have a face in two parts, the lower half separated from the top. My feet have an oval-like design, with two front toes. My shoulders also have two miniature volcanoes on them, and my forearms are massive. The Omnitrix crest is on my chest.
Using my limited terrakinesis, I create a platform for me to fly on, using it to fly up to the battle taking place between Zatanna, Constantine, and two of the head mages. The Cult members keeping the other two back. I also notice that another one has a knife to Necro's neck. Oh, that conniving bastard.
With my height, I create a fireball in one hand, hitting the mage keeping Zatanna pinned. Once he's down and out thanks to the sudden attack I drop down, landing right next to the other Cultist member. He looks at me and tries to attack, but Constantine forces him back, his head hitting the wall and the Cultist is knocked out.
The two get out of cover and stand next to me. "Looks like you were wrong," Zatanna mutters as we glare at the Cultists.
"Looks like you were tricked," I counter. "Come on, Necro, I know you're with these guys. Your attack's what knocked me out there. Just reveal your true colors so we can get this over with."
"W-what!?" Necro shouts. Man, if I didn't know any better, I'd definitely believe him. "Zee, Constantine! What's this psycho talking about! They have a knife on my neck!"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Zatanna says. "Just keep calm, we'll rescue you, baby. Then we can talk with Heatblast about whatever it is he's thinking."
Even though I don't have pupils I roll my eyes. "You can't be serious about this. How else do you think I got shot outside! I mean, isn't it weird that they held Necro captive for hours? Wouldn't they have killed him by now if they were gonna sacrifice him or whatever?"
Zatanna looks to be considering that. Good. I then look to see Constantine's in a similar state. At least their emotions aren't clouding their judgement.
"Besides," I point at the three Cultists watching. "What about these morons? Shouldn't they be making demands right now? You know, instead of watching this soap opera of ours," I light up fireballs in my hands and walk forward.
Zatanna gasps and Constantine curses, drawing my attention to them. I turn around to see new Cultists behind them, knives on their throats.
Crap.
The Cultist holding Necro hostage pulls his hair back, the knife digging into Necro's neck and drawing some blood. "Transform back to normal," he digs the knife in a little, drawing more blood. "Or your friends will die."
I growl as I realize Heatblast has no way to deal with the current situation. Slowly, I slap the Omnitrix crest, transforming back to normal in a flash of light.
"There, happy now-"
My eyes widen and I grit my teeth as an enchanted knife is stabbed into my side, slipping past a weak spot in my armor and breaking past my enhanced skin.
"NO!" Zatanna shouts as I fall down to a knee and then lay on the ground face first, my energy being sapped by the knife.
The Cultist who stabbed me walks past me, going to join his friends. The one holding Constantine hostage forces him down on his knees next to me, the knife staying around his neck.
Necro then smirks as he gets up, the Cultist holding him hostage lets him up before handing him the knife. Constantine's and Zatanna's eyes widen in surprise and fear, respectively. "N-Nick?" Zatanna whispers.
He steps out of the pentagram and looks at Zatanna with a small, disarming smile. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but listen to me, please."
They're both silent.
Necro smiles. "Thanks. Look, I know things with the Cult of the Cold Flame has been…dangerous lately, but we've made a deal. They have the Books of Magic; I have most of the Charms of Bezel-"
WHAT!?
"-As soon as we collect all of the Charms, they'll be willing to trade. We can finally become as powerful as we all dreamed to be," Necro turns to Zatanna, his hand held out to her. "Zatanna, you can see your mom again."
Crap. Crap! CRAP!
I slowly get my arm up under me and try to get up, but the energy absorbing properties of the knife and the growing pool of blood only to me falling down, bringing attention to myself.
"Please, come with me, I can help you," Necro pleads.
"D-d-don't," I stutter. "He's lying…"
"And what about me?" Constantine calls out. "What do I get outta this deal?"
Necro turns to him. "You want to be the best there is in your field of magic, right? Well, with the Books of Magic it can be done."
"You want us to be with you," Zatanna whispers. "Then why do your "friends" have blades on our throats? Why is Triumph on the floor bleeding out?"
"Thanks f-for n-n-noticing," I whisper. "Damn, I have a lot of blood."
"He was gonna hold you back, don't you see? He wants to do nothing but tear a wedge between us!" Necro shouts. "Zatanna, did you know your dad had Eric keep an eye on us?"
My heart skips a beat for two reasons. Zatanna's glare directed at me, and the fact that Necro knows my name. How the hell does he know? I never gave any hint as to who I am. Besides, when in public the Omnitrix disguises itself as a normal wristwatch. So what gave it away?
Zatanna looks back at him. "I'm not surprised. Eric suddenly hanging out with us, him not so subtly watching me, I knew Dad had something to do with it," I wince. Guess I'm not as subtle with her. "But there's one thing I wanna point out."
"What's that?" Necro asks with narrowed eyes.
"Eric was right about you working with the Cult of Cold Flame. When we came in, you pretended they held you captive, but you only reveled your true allegiance after we had knives to our throats and after Eric was stabbed," Zatanna's eyes glow blue, Constantine's glowing golden. "Big mistake."
Concussive energy explodes from the two, throwing the Cultists holding them captive around the room. Well, Zatanna's, the guy holding Constantine hostage kinda flies outta the hole in the roof.
Constantine quickly creates a barrier between us and Necro and his Cultist friends by throwing some salt on the ground. "I'll keep 'em busy! Zee, help Disco King here."
"Goddammit no…" I groan as Zatanna takes the knife out of my side.
"Laeh cirE," she says. Her hands glow blue and she puts them over the wound. I feel it stitch itself together, but I'm still tired. Once the wound closes, she helps me up. "How do you feel?"
"Tired. But I also wanna kick in Necro's face," I admit. "Back up, it's Swampfire time."
"Oh, yay," she weakly cheers.
Her arms stop supporting and I almost fall over. She quickly grabs me, but I wave her concern off. She then stands next to Constantine as I kneel, dialing through the Omnitrix. Eventually I find my Methanosian form.
After the transformation I become a seven-foot-tall plant-like being. My color is mainly bright green, while the area around my knees, the point above my elbows, my hands, my sides, and around my neck are black. My fingers are dark yellow at the base and then light yellow above the knuckles, claws separating the two sides. I have three large spikes on each arm, one on each shoulder and two on my biceps. These spikes are red on the outside and yellow on the inside. I have a large collar that is yellow on the inside surrounding my yellow, red, and orange flame-like face. The Omnitrix crest is on my stomach.
Constantine sniffs the air and gags. "Bloody hell, what is that stench?"
Zatanna gags as well as she hits a Cultist with some flying books. "I forgot how bad that guy smells."
"Sorry," I reply in a nasally voice.
With my energy returning, I get up just for some of the knives to stab into my chest, left shoulder, and right eye. "HA!" Necro shouts in victory.
I slowly grab the knives in my shoulder and eye and throw them back, getting two Cultists in the shoulders. "Ha," I mock. I then create two fireballs and lob them. The Cultist fire some water dousing the flames.
I then create some seeds and toss them towards the Cultists, all without them noticing. "Zatanna! House of Cards!"
Even though it has been a while, she immediately understands, a barrier is created under the three of us.
I then snap my fingers, the seeds below the Cultists and Necro suddenly growing at a rapid rate, sending them all flying away and causing the house to crumble around us. Zatanna quickly brings the barrier up, creating a bubble that floats us outside to safety. She keeps the barrier up as the mansion finally stops collapsing.
Everything falls silent as the three of us stand around, ready to fight. But we don't need to. "I sense magic," I announce, taking the last knife out of my chest.
"Well of course you do, mate. You're surrounded by mages," Constantine replies.
"No. I mean I sense magic being used that isn't any of yours," I clarify. "It's gone. So is Necro's signature."
"So, he ain't here anymore?" Constantine asks.
I shake my head as the bubble dissipates. "No," I turn around and control the nearby plant life, having it wrap tightly around the Cultist mages. "He isn't," once that's done, I transform back to normal.
The two of us turn to see Zatanna walk away, sitting down on a rock in the distance. "What happens now?" Constantine asks.
I sigh deeply as my gaze stays on Zatanna. "Now I tell Zatara what's happened. Now I inform the Justice League about Necro and the Cult of the Cold Flame working together," I take a deep breath. "Now I talk to Zatanna. Privately."
Constantine steps aside, I can feel his eyes on me as I walk to Zatanna. I stand next to her and lower my mask and remove my goggles as she stares at a river, hugging her knees to her chest. "Hey," I whisper.
"Not now, Eric," she whispers back.
"No, we're talking now, whether you like it or not," I affirm, stomping my foot down physically.
She looks over and glares at me. "You said the exact same thing last time. And you know what happened last time? You broke my heart. What are you gonna do now, break my soul?"
I grit my teeth. "I was…insensitive last time I said that, I admit. But it was for your own good. Why can't you see that?"
"Did you really come here to explain yourself?" Zatanna asks.
"No. No, I came here to make sure you were okay. I know what he said opened up some old wounds, so I wanna be here to make sure you're fine. Or as fine as you can be, at least," I take a deep breath. Moment of truth here. "You may hate me now, but I still love you. And I still worry about you," I walk over and carefully put my hand on her foot. "Talk to me if you want to, alright?"
Zatanna looks at my hand before looking forward, lost in thoughts. She eventually sighs and nods her head, her hand slowly coming to a rest atop mine, her thumb making circles on the back of my hand. "Alright," she whispers, so quiet even my enhanced ears can barely hear it, but I can see the faint smile on her face. She gets up and hops off the rock. "I'm gonna go with Constantine. See you later, Eric."
Before she takes another step, Zatanna turns around and quickly kisses my cheek before running over to Constantine.
Zatanna walks over to him. He wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her cheek before teleporting the two away.
I slowly bring my hand to my cheek, a small smile on my face.
"Yeah. See you later, Zatanna."
One week later
After our run in with the Cult of the Cold Flame I went over to Shadowcrest to update Zatara on what happened, and as expected, he flinched slightly at my mentioning of the Cult. But then he grits his teeth in anger once I reveal Necro's part in the whole matter.
"I should have seen it coming," he had muttered.
Zatara then excused himself, politely asking me to leave. I comply and fly home, using the time to reflect on the day.
Necro's a part of the Cult of the Cold Flame, they have the Books of Magic, and Necro has most of the Charms of Bezel. How do Hex and the Forever Knights play into this? Mages can easily frame each other, change their magic signature on the surface level and most people would be fooled by the change, but not me. Thanks to my magic sense I can tell who's magic is in action after sensing it once, and those golems at the museum? Hex's signature was all over them. And the Forever Knights, there's gotta be something for them in this deal, but what?
The blue portal for the winged golem! I knew there was something familiar about it! It had Necro's signature. I should have seen that one coming, dammit.
Once I arrived home, I was already tired from the day, so I had fallen asleep on the couch, nightmares plagued my mind though.
On the plus side, Zatanna and I have started talking again. The texts between started out a little awkward, as expected, but they became smoother as the days went by, it makes me happy that we're talking again.
The next few days were uneventful, the occasional robbery, thugs, a group of rookie Forever Knights to deal with. Nothing important really.
Now I'm walking downstairs, checking over my suit as I prepare for someone form the Justice League to come over and pick me up.
After some stretches my doorbell rings and looking through the peephole, I see Clark Kent on the other side. I open the door and step aside, allowing him inside. Once I close the door and turn around, I see him in his Superman suit. "You ready?" He asks.
I smirk and pump a fist. "Born ready."
Superman smiles and activates his earpiece. "Watchtower, this is Superman. Requesting teleportation with Triumph."
Almost immediately I feel my body get broken apart and put back together in an entirely new location, nothing like teleporting through use of magic.
Once my vision clears, I find myself on the Watchtower II, countless other superheroes standing around and getting to know each other. Superman pats my shoulder before flying up next to some of the other founding members.
I sneak past many other League members, occasionally greeting them as I walk towards a secluded corner. I then lean on the wall and look around, a smirk growing on my masked mouth.
This is it, Eric Mercer.
The beginning.
This chapter was supposed to be around 10,000 words, but it goes to show, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Thank you, Mike Tyson, for that sage-like quote. A lot happened in this chapter as well, Necro's true allegiance, the repairing of Eric's relationship with Zatara and Zatanna, and his joining of the Justice League. Like I said before, next chapter won't be Initiation, instead it'll be Eric's first year in this universe, then we'll hit Initiation. Oh, and what happened between Eric and Zatanna was hinted at in this chapter, maybe not so subtly, but it's there, if you try to find it, I'll answer with a yes/no response.
Well, that's all from me. If you have any questions or want to leave a constructive review you know where to leave 'em! Remember to stay awesome and see you next time you beautiful people!
