Following from the last story, Cherry, Lionel, Patch, and Thor looked at the letter that Atticus had left behind.

"Gone to Sombra..." Lionel crossed his arms. "I'm not sure if I like that guy."

"We gotta do something!" Patch cried out.

"Not much we can do," Cherry said softly and mysteriously. "Sombra might be rotten, but he's still family to Atticus."

"Cherry's right." Jessica said.

Lionel, Thor, and Patch frowned as they felt worried about Atticus.

"I'll make some hot chocolate." Jessica decided.

"Sure... Sounds good..." Cherry sighed as she dropped the letter as she walked inside with the others for a brief talk over what just happened.

Jessica soon began to make hot chocolate.

"Man, this sucks!" Lionel groaned. "Atticus just up and left us to be with Sombra."

"Well, I guess it's for the best," Thor sighed. "He lost Superman... I guess he decided to find whatever family he could have left before he would end up all alone in the world."

"Yeah, but knowing Atticus he wouldn't just want himself to live with Sombra." Patch said.

The group sighed as it felt like all they could do was let Atticus stay with Sombra.

"We're gonna need a second opinion," Cherry glared as she shook her fists. "Thor, call your uncle. There's no way he's gonna let Atticus get away with this."

"Well, this is Atticus's decision." Thor said.

"What?!" Cherry asked.

"We'll see what happens, but we shouldn't meddle in his life." Thor replied.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me with that!" Lionel complained. "I'm not even sure if we can trust this one called Sombra."

"Now, come on, guys; Sombra may be evil, but he is family." Jessica said as she finished making hot chocolate.

Cherry and Lionel both groaned while Patch quietly whimpered.

"We'll give Atticus some time to cool down," Jessica told them, acting like the adult as she gave them all cups with whipped cream and marshmallows. "He's been through a lot today with the loss of Superman and now Sombra wants him to stay with him. Who knows? Maybe he'll come back for the clue of where Mom and Dad are."

"Yeah." Patch smiled.

"How can you be okay with this?!" Cherry asked. "You're his doggone dog!"

"Yes, but he's my human, so I feel happy for him whatever he chooses." Patch replied.

Cherry face-palmed. "Ugh!"

They soon heard a knock at the front door. The group froze from that.

"Okay, you guys have your treats and I'll be right back," Jessica told them as she gave them their hot chocolate before she came to get the door. "Yes?" She soon saw Sombra in his human form. "Oh... Uh... Hello..."

"Hello there..." Sombra greeted warmly.

"Sure... Come on in..." Jessica said, a bit nervously.

Sombra soon walked in, looking rather innocent.

The remaining group sat down and drank their hot chocolate.

"Ah," Thor smiled. "That Jessica can make a hot chocolate."

"I'll say," Lionel beamed. "Makes me wish we had such treats back at my home. This is Heaven in a cup!"

"Yep, nothing could ruin this moment." Patch smiled.

Lionel rolled his eyes a bit with a scoff.

"What?" Patch asked. "What'd I say?"

"Exactly," Lionel replied. "You ask dumb questions like that and it's asking for something to happen. Don't you watch cartoons?"

"You sore about Sombra?" Thor asked.

"Well, if Atticus trusts him enough, I guess I'll give him a chance, but I'm gonna keep a close eye on him." Lionel decided as he crossed his arms before drinking more hot chocolate as he liked it a lot so far.

Jessica soon came back inside with Sombra coming behind her as he looked all around.

"Speak of the devil." Lionel said.

"Okay, what do you want, Sombra?" Cherry asked. "Why are you here, if I may know?"

"I'm here to take Jessica and Patch to Atticus so they may live with us and then tomorrow, I'll be starting him on his training in controlling his crystal powers." Sombra said.

"You're taking Jessica and Patch too?" Lionel asked before forcing a grin as his left eye twitched. "How very nice!"

"What about school?" Thor asked Sombra. "Atticus still has to go to school..."

"Yeah, the teachers and principal will start wondering why he's not coming to school." Lionel said.

"Oh, he'll still come to school," Sombra replied. "You think I would get him in trouble like that?"

The group shrugged from that.

"Anyway... I'll take these two off your hands and you don't worry about Atticus," Sombra then told them with a small smile. "You can trust me. Really!"

"Hmm... Well, okay." Lionel said.

Cherry still felt unsure, but she breathed a sharp sigh. "All right, Sombra... Whatever you say."

"Excellent," Sombra grinned. "I knew that you would see it my way."

"We'll pack up our things." Patch said.

"I'm so glad you understand." Sombra replied.

"Sure thing," Jessica said. "...I just thought we'd be staying here since Drell pulled me out of Witchright Hall to look after Atticus and his friends until we found our parents."

"Our house is closeby." Sombra replied.

"Well... All right..." Jessica replied as she went to pack with Patch.

"Guess I'll tell my parents and uncle about this." Thor remarked to himself.

And so, Jessica, Atticus, and Patch now lived with Sombra.

"You cannot be okay with this!" Cherry said to Drell.

"He's family." Drell shrugged about Sombra.

"Right," Cherry sighed. "You're right."

"Of course I am!" Drell smirked. "I'm always right."

Cherry rolled her eyes from that.

"Now, now, don't you worry about it," Drell told her. "I'm sure you can still help him, but as your friend, you should be happy for him. How about a smile? Go on..." he then said. "I know you can smile."

Cherry's teeth clenched a bit before her mouth moved awkwardly before she gave a horrific-looking smile that looked almost evil as she tried to look nice and happy for her friend.

"Eh, close enough." Drell said.

Cherry then shook her head a bit to go back to her default face.

"I'll see you later," Drell replied. "...I just wonder if Sombra knows that Atticus's parents are in-"

Cherry leaned over with a hopeful gasp.

"...Their hiding place!" Drell grinned with a chuckle which made her groan. "...I'm sorry, Cherry, but I'm not allowed to say where they are."

"I guess at least they're alive." Cherry shrugged.

"Yep, just be patient, even if it takes years." Drell said.

"Years?" Cherry asked exhaustedly. "I don't know if I can wait that long for his sake."

Drell patted her on the head which made her wince before he took Thor back home. Cherry soon went off to get herself back home as well.

Meanwhile, Atticus was sleeping in his new bed while Sombra was gone to get the rest of his family.

"Whoa." Patch smiled at how amazing the house looked on the inside.

Atticus yawned a bit as he soon rolled out of the bed and came to meet his pet and sister.

"Glad ya like it," Sombra grinned. "I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun here."

"Yeah, I love to run around and play," Patch smiled bashfully. "I am a dog after all."

"That's true." Jessica smiled.

"Hey, guys." Atticus smiled as he came over.

"Hey, Atticus, are you okay?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Atticus smiled. "Just making myself at home. It's so good to see you two."

"It's great to see you too!" Patch replied before he jumped up towards Atticus to lick his face and where he was successful as Atticus laughed from the licks.

"We really missed you." Jessica said.

"Yeah, sorry I left suddenly," Atticus replied as he held Patch. "I just thought it would be important for me if I went with Uncle Sombra."

"And now let's have something to eat before training." Sombra said.

"Oh, sure," Atticus smiled before looking at his family. "Uh, whatcha guys hungry for?" he then asked.

"Well, I wouldn't mind a salad." Jessica smiled bashfully.

"Alright," Sombra said before asking Atticus and Patch. "And for you two?"

"Steak!" Patch beamed.

"Yeah, steak sounds good," Atticus smiled. "I'm a growing boy after all."

"Very well then," Sombra smiled back. "You guys get comfortable and I'll see to dinner."

"Thanks, Uncle Sombra." Atticus smiled back.

"Of course," Sombra beamed. "It's always good to have a little family over in your home."

Atticus, Jessica, and Patch soon came to the living room of the house as they waited for their dinner. Sombra began to use his magic to make dinner.

"We're still very sorry about Clark/Superman." Jessica said to Atticus.

"I am too," Atticus bowed his head with a sigh. "He might not had been Dad, but he was the closest thing I had to a father for a long time."

"Well... I could probably tell you some things about Mom and Dad if you want since I was with Aunt Delilah when it was time for you to be born before I started going to school." Jessica smiled.

"That would help," Atticus smiled before smiling innocently. "And maybe even tell me where they might be?"

"Nice try." Jessica said.

"Eh, worth a shot." Atticus shrugged.

Jessica giggled a bit.

"Does Aunt Delilah have kids?" Atticus asked.

"Yes, she has a daughter named Sally who's a bit older than me," Jessica replied. "She goes by Thorn these days though."

"She must be a great person." Atticus smiled.

"I always wanted to make something of myself," Jessica said. "I've always been a dreamer. Wanting to explore and see the world on the outside... I like my magic, don't get me wrong, but I want to be more than just a Wiccan or a mermaid."

"Like what?" Patch asked.

"I dunno," Jessica replied. "All I really knew was the Magic Realm, I guess I wanted to see other realms like how Atticus somehow ended up in The Mortal Realm."

"Hmm... I guess I can understand that," Atticus said. "Sometimes I read fairy tales and wonder what it would be like to be in those stories."

"I guess you got your wonder from Mom." Jessica smiled.

Atticus beamed from that. "Was she a dreamer too?" he then asked.

"Oh, most of the time, yes," Jessica smiled. "Especially when she would go out into the water. She just loved to go swimming."

"Same with me," Atticus smiled. "Of course, after getting over my fear of water."

"You were afraid of water?" Jessica frowned.

Atticus shuddered a bit as that was an unpleasant experience for him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jessica said. "At least you got over it."

"Yeah." Atticus smiled.

"Dinner!" Sombra soon called.

Atticus, Jessica, and Patch smiled as they soon walked off to get their steak and salad as Sombra served them. "Mm..." They all smiled happily and hungrily.

"I hope you all enjoy," Sombra smiled back. "I made them as perfect as possible."

The three soon tucked into their dinner and they all beamed and smiled as they seemed to love it a lot so far before they gave thumb's ups at him as Patch tried to do the same, but just waved his paw.

"I'll take that as a yes." Sombra chuckled then.

After a little while, they were done eating.

"Oh, so delicious." Atticus smiled.

"Much better salad than my school's salads." Jessica giggled.

"Mmf... That was amazing." Patch added.

"Glad you all liked it so much." Sombra smiled as he cleared the table for them.

"So, when do we get started on my training." Atticus asked.

"I'll take you to the gym." Sombra smiled.

"You have a gym?" Atticus asked.

"Yes," Sombra nodded. "I had it built just for you."

"This place has everything," Atticus smiled. "Wait, did you also build a library?"

"Yes." Sombra nodded.

"Yep, I was right; this place has everything." Atticus smiled.

Sombra smiled back as this was going to work out just fine for all of them.

"Wahoo!" Patch smiled.

They soon came to the gym as Atticus did some warm-ups while waiting for Sombra.

"I'll watch you from here." Jessica smiled from her seat.

"Thanks, Sis." Atticus smiled back.

"All right, Atticus," Sombra began. "One thing you should know that your crystals come from certain emotions that you might be feeling. Such as anger or sadness."

"Yeah, I've learned that the hard way." Atticus said.

"Just be careful too," Sombra advised. "Those crystals could cut someone and maybe even hurt you too."

"Again, I learned that the hard way as those crystals had killed Darkseid." Atticus said.

"Yes," Sombra replied. "They might even be fatal to you."

"Let's just hope I don't hit myself by accident." Atticus nodded.

"Yes, let's hope so," Sombra nodded back. "Now, the crystal spikes are not the only part of your power, but also forming crystals into anything you can think of. And also crystal illusions."

"So, I could like make stuff out of crystals?" Atticus asked.

"Oh, yes," Sombra smiled. "Why don't you try making something with your power?"

"Hmm... Okay..." Atticus replied before he closed his eyes and deeply concentrated on his crystal power before he seemed to make a crystallized dog dish with Patch's name on it and once it glowed from completion, he opened his eyes with a smile.

"Wow! Thanks!" Patch beamed at the gift.

"Hmm... Small, but a good start." Sombra nodded.

"Heh..." Atticus smiled sheepishly before he tried to make something else. "Thought I'd give Patch a special gift."

"And I love it." Patch smiled back.

"Hmm... What to make?" Atticus wondered.

"Whatever you would like," Sombra smiled. "Like a crown."

"Hmm..." Atticus smiled back as he made just that.

Sombra waited a bit to see what would happen.

Atticus then smiled as he soon made a crown and wore it on his head with a small smirk. "I am now Prince Atticus! I hereby declare, free books for everybody!" he then announced with a laugh.

"As you wish." Jessica laughed.

Patch soon bowed as Jessica stood up and gave her little brother a curtsy.

"That wasn't so hard," Atticus smiled. "Uncle Sombra, do you do this often with your crystal powers?"

"You could say it comes easy, almost like you're a king," Sombra smiled back. "But of course, it took me years to control my crystal powers."

"Oh, I'm sure," Atticus replied. "I kinda like these powers. Jessica, can you do this too?"

"I'm afraid not," Jessica shook her head. "I guess you're special."

"You see, Atticus, you were the only one I made my heir and which means you're the only one that has crystal powers." Sombra said softly.

"Me? An heir?" Atticus smiled wistfully.

"It seemed like a good fit for you," Sombra replied. "Of course, not just as a special gift for show, but to also help you live your life as an individual."

"Okay, and as for my other powers?" Atticus asked.

"You can thank the gods of Mount Olympus and the wizard: SHAZAM." Sombra told him.

"Awesome!" Atticus beamed as he jumped with joy.

Sombra chuckled a bit as he looked happy for Atticus.

"This is so awesome!" Atticus smiled. "I should tell Cherry, Lionel, and Thor when I get the chance."

"And there's one more thing you should know: you can transform into a new superhero form," Sombra said. "All you have to do is shout SHAZAM's name and you'll instantly become your new hero self."

"Really?" Atticus asked.

Sombra nodded from that.

"Hmm..." Atticus smiled. "Maybe I should try it out pretty soon."

"Try it now! Try it now!" Patch beamed.

"You think so?" Atticus asked.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Patch nodded eagerly.

"Well... All right..." Atticus smiled. "Give me some room just in case."

Everybody soon moved out of the way as Atticus got himself ready.

"Ahem..." Atticus cleared his throat before he shouted the name. "SHAZAM!"

Thunder was soon heard before a lightning bolt struck Atticus. Jessica and Patch stepped back a bit.

"Excellent!" Sombra approved as he clapped for Atticus's growth and development.

Atticus soon looked like an adult version of himself as his hero form was like Captain Marvel's uniform, only the red part of the suit was now black and the lightning bolt insignia was yellow just like Captain Marvel's. But unlike Captain Marvel, Atticus didn't have a cape.

"Ooh, Atticus, you look handsome in that form," Jessica giggled. "I bet a lot of girls in school would love that form."

"I feel pretty cool too." Atticus replied.

"Very impressive." Sombra approved.

"Let's see how strong I am now," Atticus smiled. "But also, what is my superhero name?"

"In this form, you shall now be known as Black Adam." Sombra proclaimed like he was dubbing a knight.

"Black Adam," Patch repeated. "That's a mysterious name."

"And in this form, you are stronger than Captain Marvel, so basically just as strong you are as Atticus Fudo." Sombra told Atticus.

"Well, that's pretty interesting," Atticus beamed. "I think I love it more than being Superboy."

"I can tell, Black Adam." Sombra said.

"Time to test out my powers as Black Adam." Atticus replied.

"Of course," Sombra smiled. "Go out, son! Enjoy your life!"

Black Adam hugged him right away.

"Oof!" Sombra grunted slightly before smiling from the hug.

"I almost feel like a god this way too!" Black Adam beamed before he got on the floor and soon ran as fast as he could to see how fast he was which seemed to be super speedy, almost like The Flash, only much faster. As he passed by lamp posts, the light bulbs lit up brighter before busting from too much electricity. "This is awesome!" Black Adam laughed before he soon jumped up in the air and began to fly and where as he flew around, it seemed like this was his best day/night ever.

"He's almost like a god." Patch remarked.

"Yes, there's a very rich history behind that new form of his," Sombra nodded. "Even well into ancient times."

"Cool." Patch smiled.

"Hopefully Atticus comes back before it gets too late," Jessica said as she checked her wristwatch. "It's a school night."

Luckily, Black Adam came back in a flash.

"Oh, there you are," Jessica smiled. "Having fun?"

"Lots of fun!" Black Adam smiled back. "This is probably the most fun I've ever had."

"Glad I could make you happy." Sombra beamed at Atticus's happiness.

And so, from that day on, Atticus, Patch, and Jessica's lives with Sombra were normal and where Atticus did great at school and his training went well, along with some training with Patch.