Chapter 1

[Diana of Themyscira]

It wasn't often that she did regular patrols.

Diana wasn't Bruce, Clark or Oliver, after all, or even Hal or John. She had duties to attend to and she didn't have a "second" identity to keep up. She was an ambassador, a diplomat. She was a hero too, of course, and she loved to be one, but she didn't have a city, a territory, to protect.

Thus, she didn't often have to fly around and look for petty criminals.

She did though, from time to time, when she needed to clear her head or when she wanted to take a break. If nothing else, flying around was a very relaxing activity. Almost as good as punching some idiots, she'd say without feeling the least bit of shame. She was a warrior as much as she was a hero, after all.

So, there she was, flying over the city she was now visiting, with nothing in mind in particular, aimless but relaxed.

And then everything changed.

One second, everything was normal, the streets were lit and the stars were regretfully hidden behind the artificial lights. The windows of the houses and buildings shone outwards. Nearby, Diana could even hear the music of a party that she was sure wasn't permitted. Not that she cared overly much. It might be too much for a hero such as her to step in for that, even if she was sure the look on the participants' faces might be amusing.

The next second, however, everything was dark. Suddenly, there was very little to see. Scattered emergency and car lights were the most she could see. In a second, some more lights – flashlights and phones, she supposed – appeared here and there. The change gave Diana pause, but not much else. A power outage wasn't a reason to worry.

The lightning bolt that seemed to fly up to a cloudless sky, was more unusual.

So, she flew in that direction. From what she knew, there weren't supposed to be any people with powers in this city. New or sudden superpowered appearances weren't as rare as one might think, however. Maybe some battle had moved there out of nowhere. Maybe some mage had teleported there. Maybe… a number of things could have happened.

They really did live in interesting times, after all.

So, when Diana landed in front of a dilapidated house with a smoking hole with fire red spots here and there on the borders, she prepared herself for anything. She could hear cries from inside, which immediately made her move forward. She needed to be quick, but also careful. It wouldn't do to rush things and make them worse unknowingly.

The sound of electricity flying through the air, cackling and muffled by the walls, reached her ears, followed by a pained cry. There were shouts and screams and- 'Are those children?' Diana thought, tensing and narrowing her eyes.

She moved ever so slightly faster as she approached the door. However, before she could reach it and press her ear to the wall to try and assess the situation, someone opened the door in front of her. The man looked like a criminal. Some might call her harsh, maybe even worse things, for making a judgment call that quickly, but after so many years, one learned the signs. Ratty clothes, wild angry eyes, a gun in his hand, and a curse at the tip of his tongue.

Then he saw her.

Instantly, his gun was pointed at her, but she just raised an eyebrow. It took less than a second, but it felt like a long time before his eyes widened in realization. It was amusing, but it wasn't the time to be entertained. She could hear shouting inside. So, when the man went to shout, or scream, or whatever, she covered his mouth with her hand. Innocent or not, announcing her presence was a bad idea.

"You will remain silent," Diana said and she could see the way her words resonated in the man's mind. It wasn't a real power, but it might as well be one. Most criminals and people in general crumbled like a house of cards when a hero was present, even more so when they were serious. She could see it happening then and there. "You will stay here," she added, letting go, breaking the gun he held and walking inside the house.

Not ideal, but she had to prioritize and if there were children involved with a superpowered individual around-

"You move-" she heard barely a few steps through the door. "-and I blow her head off. I swear I will," a man hissed, followed by the incoherent, terrified babbling of a child. Peering through an open doorway, Diana took in the scene. There were children on the side of the room she could see, cowering behind an armchair that had seen much, much better days. One of them wasn't there, however.

There was a clearly older boy, shirtless, bruised, with a black eye and a split lip. The most concerning wounds were the cuts and marks on his chest though. And yet, he was still looking straight towards the part of the room that Diana couldn't see. Where the man that had spoken was, she guessed, by the sounds of previously mentioned "her".

Further to the side, she saw a body lying on the floor, smoking.

"You think that'll save you?" the older boy said, he sounded and looked like either a teen or a young adult to Diana, if she had to assume something. "Because it won't," he continued then, and there was a familiar cackle, with a flash of light, between the boy's fingers. 'The super,' Diana noted to herself, assessing the situation and trying to decide what to do.

There seemed to be a hostage situation and she knew those were fragile, volatile things at best.

"If you shoot her, I promise you, Mike, that I'll do my best to fry you like you deserve," the boy said, his eyes shining with blue light, blue lightning. Then, Diana saw him take a step forward and raise his hand, making her move around the corner as fast as she could and-

The gunshot thundered in the house before she could grab the hand that held it and take the firearm from him. Giving the adult — who didn't even look that different from the one she'd left outside — a look and then a punch that knocked him out, Diana turned towards the older boy. He was still standing there, a hole in his stomach and blood pouring out.

"Wonder… Woman?" he breathed out before he coughed blood and his legs gave out under him.

[}-o-{]

[Kent Nelson]

It still shone as brightly as that first day.

Kent reminisced as he stared at the golden armor piece that rested on top of the pillar at the center of the room. The stone wall of the deepest vault of the Tower remained as strong as it had always been. Dozens of meters of enchanted stone, surrounded by just as many ritual arrays and wards.

He stared at the helmet and he was sure the helmet stared back. Just past the stone bridge that hung over the abyss below, only the entrance and a central pillar that held the pedestal existed in this place. His eyes dropped down, more out of habit than curiosity. He had visited this room dozens of times during the past five decades, after all.

Even with his spell, he couldn't see the bottom. It was not only because of the depth, but because what lay below was not normal darkness, but the edges of his barrier. Even with all his decades of training, not even Kent himself could stare through the concealment veil that surrounded the place. A great defense measure, he would say. One that made him feel proud, if perhaps for only a second.

Not a single light existed inside it as both himself and the only object in said vault faced each other in complete darkness. Only a vision spell allowed him to see through the dark veil and into the cavernous room that had never since its creation been touched by the light of the sun. Or any other source for that matter.

And yet…

Kent's gaze rose once more. It floated lazily on top of the pedestal, glowing with an ethereal golden hue that kept even the darkness away. Yet, it reflected upon nothing. Only for itself and a path that led to a goal only the presence inside it could hope to understand.

Just like that first day.

The old wizard's wrinkled hands gripped his cane tightly. The picture inside his pocket watch burned him from its location in his jacket. The feeling of shame and conviction, both old companions whenever he visited this very vault, filled his heart.

"It has been long, my old friend. Two years since my last visit…" Kent said from his spot at the entrance.

The helmet didn't respond.

It never did.

"I would have visited sooner, but… No, that's a lie… I am sorry, my friend," Kent continued. "I was afraid and it took some time to gather my thoughts. It's perhaps not a long time for a Lord of Order like you, but a lot can change for a simple human like me," he jested.

His only answer was the cavernous echo of the dark room around him.

"...Red Tornado is back, you know? He joined the Justice League. That group of greenhorns I told you about last time, who would have thought?!" he laughed for a bit. "It was such a pleasant surprise, to see our old companion back in the field. He looked like not a single day had passed. Well, I guess it makes sense, since he is a robot. He certainly won't get any wrinkles."

'Like me,' he wanted to add but considered a bit crass and a mood downer.

A smile grew on Kent's face at the memory of Red Tornado and his reunion after so many years. He had never realized how much he needed to talk with the robot, with someone. For a moment, it brought him back to those times. Those golden years when everything was easier and he didn't feel like the world had left him, all of them, behind.

Perhaps it was a trick of his weathered mind, but he could have sworn the helmet shone just the slightest bit brighter at the mention of their companion. He would have checked, but he dared not approach it.

"...He joined the greenhorns, the Justice League. Not a week since he was turned back on, and he was ready to don the cape once again. I guess people like you and him are the kind to never rest, huh?" he asked, but he didn't need an answer for that. Nabu would never stop his quest after all. Red and he were heroes who could weather any era, ready to retake the mantle time and time again.

'Just like me,' he thought to himself as his grip on his cane tightened until it felt like it'd crack. He made sure his feet were still planted firmly on the ground next to the entrance. He didn't dare to approach the pedestal. He was too afraid for something like that.

Not of Nabu or what the Lord of Order would do to him after breaking their agreement, a promise they made so many decades ago that it seemed like multiple lifetimes. For all his long life and never-ending determination, he wouldn't call Nabu vindictive. There was no reason to fear the spirit any more than one would fear a disappointed parent.

What he feared was himself. He feared that if he were to take a single step forward, the conviction that he had struggled to maintain over the long decades would finally crack and shatter into dust. He feared that all the promises he made to himself and her would be washed away in a moment of temptation to don the helmet once more.

It was the reason he hadn't visited the vault in the past two years. He was afraid that if he were to see the helmet shining hue once more, he wouldn't be able to resist. Especially after seeing his friend back and ready to fight. The vision of both of them doing what was right together had kept him up for countless nights.

But…

"There's more to life than this, Kent," he remembered his spitfire telling him, passionate as ever.

"But, what about those who suffer when I am not there? What about all those that I could have saved had I reached them in time?" he had said at that time. "I just- can't stop what I am doing, Inza. Because if I do, the consequences are not mine to suffer."

"And what about you, Kent? Who is going to save you?" she had retorted and stared into his eyes, hidden inside the golden helmet. His friend and the power they wielded together had been a comforting presence that was always there. When he failed to answer, she continued, "...One day, we will grow old and weak. Our life will be worth it to the people we have made a connection with at that time. No matter how much you wish to do this forever, you can't, because we are just humans. Even Nabu can't change the fact that one day you will be gone, and crime and evil will still be there."

"So, there is no hope?" he had asked with some bitterness. "Am I supposed to just give up because... evil will still be there once I am gone?"

Even to that day, he remembered the smile she had given him at that time, the way her eyes shone full of life.

"Who said anything about giving up, idiot? You are talking as if you had to do this alone! All you have to do is ask for help!" Inza had told him, grabbing his hands in hers. "Even if the task is too big for one person, there will always be those who will be ready to take the mantle," his spitfire raised her chin in the direction of the picnic table way away in the distance. The rest of the Justice Society sat there and laughed at a story from Flash he couldn't quite hear. "In the future, there will be those who will rise to take our place, ready to take that torch and make it burn even brighter."

All of her was so entrancing at that moment, almost like a dream. Her hands removed themselves from his and rose to the side of his head, grasping the golden helmet, and slowly removing it from him.

"How would I know when it's time to pass that torch?"

"You just have to trust yourself. When that time comes you will know."

The silence of the Tower surrounded Kent as he stood firmly at the entrance.

"There's more to life than this," he said to the empty room and the silent helmet. "Goodbye, my old friend. I will try to visit more often," he said, turning and leaving, the silence almost chasing after him.

It was an old friend too, by that point.

Except, this time, the silence didn't last. Kent stopped walking, right before leaving through the doorway. He felt something disrupt the wards outside the tower and immediately stiffened, thinking the worst. Gripping his cane, he raised it, readying-

The sound of knocks on the door reached his ears through the magic of the Tower.

'What?'

[}-o-{]

[Diana of Themyscira]

She walked into the room in the hospital, away from the city she had been in. There hadn't been quite the required facilities to treat this particular patient there, after all. STAR Labs had even had to provide specific equipment on top of the already special ones present in the place. Most important of which was a more powerful generator.

"Good morning," she greeted, looking towards the boy that lay on the table, connected to several machines and an IV drip. She took note of the way he twitched and, more importantly, the way the lights and the equipment around seemed to flicker. "You seem to be doing well already," she commented when the boy looked up at her with blue eyes that almost seemed to shine, not unlike the way they had the night they met.

She was… not being entirely truthful, in all honesty. He was covered in bandages and plasters. She'd gotten a rundown on his wounds and it hadn't been a pretty sight, at all. However, he did look better. If not healthwise, then in care. His previously dirty, messy hair had been washed and cut short, for one, which was the change most noticeable. Now clean and with his wounds treated and covered, he looked like another person entirely.

"... How are they?" he asked, ignoring the greeting and the pleasantries. Diana didn't care overly much. He was obviously still a little out of it and what little emotion bled into his voice was only worry. If anything, she could respect his priorities.

A screen to his side seemed to turn off, but only Diana seemed to have noticed. It was on again before she could do much more than glance at it, however. 'No control,' she noted to herself, but she was hardly surprised.

"They are well too. I'll make sure they are taken care of as they should," she replied, referencing the other children that had been found that night. The children that he'd protected, that he'd been shot for. If anything, that was probably the least important thing he'd done for those kids, if the testimony some of those had given were any indication.

"That's good," he replied, sighing and deflating on his bed. "I guess I'm in trouble now?" he asked, like a person who already knew the answer to his own question. The lights overhead dimed for a long moment and the boy grimaced, this time very obviously noticing. He didn't comment, so he at least was aware that it was him causing those things to happen, Diana supposed. Regardless, focusing back on what they were talking about, she tilted her head, showing confusion. "I killed that man," he confessed, drawing a hum from her. "You know I did. The kids won't know to keep it quiet. I'm done for," he said, expression impassive and voice flat. The light outside the room seemed to flicker that time, if her ears weren't deceiving her.

Diana was a little impressed. He wasn't worried, or scared, or angry. Those were all emotions he could be feeling, that he should be feeling, some would say. There wasn't even resignation. It was just… acceptance of fact.

"You did kill him," she agreed with a nod, continuing to stand in front of his bed. "But circumstances matter. You did what you had to and you had just awakened to your power. Nobody can blame you for not having the control to avoid such events and nobody will."

"You sound sure of that," he replied, staring at her as if trying to gauge if she was being truthful or not. Diana wasn't insulted. It was common for children in situations such as his to doubt adults in general, especially authority figures.

Interestingly, that time, the lights seemed to shine brighter.

"That's because I am. I don't know if you are aware, but I have a bit of pull in the law system. Your case shouldn't land you in trouble in the first place, but I'll make sure to smooth things over," she reassured him with a soft smile. Because he was a hero, at heart. He'd sacrificed himself for the sake of others. He'd stood against evil to protect the helpless.

Diana would be damned if she just stood by.

Besides, there were other reasons why she couldn't just walk away from this as she had many other such cases. She could have, after all, just smoothed things over and left, her job done. No, there were things keeping her there yet. For one, he was a super now and there was a reason why supers were either heroes or villains. The world tended to push them in the direction of the latter if there was no one to guide them toward the former path.

Moreover, Diana couldn't ignore a sign such as the one she'd seen. Because, what else could she call it, finding a meta-human with electricity powers, with lightning powers, when she was the daughter of Zeus. The Moirai always acted in strange, unexpected ways and it was up to the rest of them to interpret their tapestry.

So, Diana would do just that, she decided.

"Why are you here, then?" the boy, or young man, asked, causing the equipment by his side to flicker on and off as he waited for an answer.

"Doing what a hero should do," Diana replied cryptically, drawing a confused blink from him as she walked around the bed. "I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Mr…" she trailed off then, extending her hand for a shake.

"Lynn," he answered, still looking unsure. "But if you are right, then you can just call me Jason," he added, hesitantly taking the offered limb.

'Strange, unexpected ways indeed,' Diana thought with a smile.

[}-o-{]

[Kent Nelson]

Magic oozed from him as he prepared himself for a fight. He might not be as strong as he was when he wore Nabu, but he was still an accomplished user of the arts all on his own. He didn't become one of the strongest mages in the world even without the helmet by just knowing the basics after all. Even in his withered state — prime long since turned to dust by time — he was fairly confident he could hold his own against almost any magic user strong enough to bypass his wards. Or at least, strong enough to hold on until help could arrive, he had already sent a standby signal to Red Tornado just in case.

It wouldn't do to not be cautious out of overconfidence. Multiple dangerous magical artifacts were sealed inside this tower, after all. Were they to be left unattended, or worse, fall in the hands of someone with less than savory intentions, it could lead to a catastrophe or ten.

Still, he had to wonder what sort of intruder was brazen enough to just… knock on his door out of nowhere. He would admit that for all the preparations and defenses he had put in place over the decades against trespassers, this one was definitely not a situation he had envisioned.

More knocking reached his ears.

If the goal of the intruder was to leave him more dumbfounded, then he would have to praise them thoroughly after beating them up. They had certainly achieved their objective. Who even waltzes undetected right through two dozen barriers and then just stops to knock on the front door? Twice!

A bead of sweat fell from his forehead. Perhaps it was a Lord of Chaos, they were particularly known for their unpredictable methods, more often than not indulging in the rarest of habits out of whim. It was in their nature as agents of chaos after all.

What worried him the most, however, was the fact that it was only the last ward, the one placed at the door who had warned him of the presence of the intruder. That would mean that this mage was either powerful enough to deactivate all other wards without raising a single alarm, or knowledgeable enough to find the one-in-a-million path through them that he installed as a failsafe in case someone took control of the barriers from him.

Either option implied that whoever was at his door could be quite a dangerous foe.

After one more set of stairs, he reached the living room of his tower. While he could have any space here connected anywhere — like a lava pit he was particularly fond of, for example — he thought that perhaps it would be better to be on the side of caution and try diplomacy first. As long as it wasn't a Lord of Chaos, that is.

He spared barely a glance at the room he spent most of his time in. A red decorated rug over dark oak wood planks covered the floor. The walls were littered with photos of his team, Inza, and himself. Bookshelves filled to the brim with some of the most coveted magic tomes the world of mysticism had to offer, lined themselves at the corner of the room. On the other side lay a small but precious wine collection, for when he felt in the mood for a relaxing reading with a glass of fine liquor.

With a flick of his hand, a tea set flew from the cupboard and started to prepare itself on top of the small coffee table next to the light brown leather sofas. The red brick fireplace lit itself and let out a pleasant crackling sound as it lit the room in an orange hue. Maybe, just maybe, being a good host would be all that he needed to keep things peaceful.

Kent approached the furthest wall then. The one with the door and two windows. A normal person would have tried the windows, but those didn't give sight to the other side of the wall. Instead, they just projected the illusion of a field of flowers. Merely decorative to set the ambiance according to his mood.

With a mental check over his preparations, he grabbed the round golden knob of the thick wooden door and steeled himself for a possible confrontation. Smoothly, he opened the deceptively old door at last, gaining a view of the world outside and his intruder. Only to find…

A kid?

In front of him, a full head shorter than him stood what could only be a preteen seemingly not older than thirteen. Silver, almost gray messy hair framed a face that had still not fully lost all its baby fat. Expressive green eyes stared at him with a distressed expression as the young kid bounced from foot to foot on his porch almost as if he was anxious about something.

What was even happening?

No. He first had to make sure this was not an enemy. Even if he was reluctant to face a child, that didn't mean that he wouldn't do so if needed. In a world like the one he knew, appearances could very easily be deceiving.

"Now, young one, what are you-?" he started, only to be interrupted by a squeaky yet definitely male voice that all teens that just started puberty had to suffer through.

"Yo! Old man? How are you doing?" the kid said.

If anything the question left him even more confused. He wasn't here to fight then? That was good, Kent supposed.

"I… am doing just fine, thank you for asking. Now, why are you here? And how did a kid like you manage to go through all my wards?" For that is what happened. Other than the necessary alarms he made sure to sever any connections to the inside of the Tower, lest someone managed to use those openings as a way in. No, the kid had managed to reach here by avoiding the wards. If his newly established full control over the outside security system was not failing, he even did it alone.

"Well," the kid said, dragging the word as he thought of a response. "I don't know about any… wards? or whatnot-"

What?

"But!" he exclaimed before his face pulled into a grimace and he started to hop in place. "Uhmm… This is a bit awkward, but can I use your toilet? I really need to go."

'What?'

[} Chapter End {]

Arc: What?

Adrian: I'll tell you what, it is the start of a new story, a Young Justice one this time!

Arc: This one has been on the shelf for a while now. Sadly, we couldn't post it before because the notifications for updates were broken. So we made the decision to hold on until that was fixed.

Adrian: Or, at least, hold onto the projects that we liked the most, since we wanted to give them the best chance. Because yes, we have favorites too. This is one of them, so… hopefully you guys will like it.

Random Arc Question: Let's start with a classic. If you had to pick only one, be it a hero, antihero, or villain from DC as your favorite character, which one would it be and why?

Personally, I really like the Joker. I know, very edgy of me, but some of his versions, particularly the movie ones from Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix always leave me just wanting to know more about him. Even in the comics and most of the time, no powers, he feels like a true threat to everyone.

Adrian: I like Green Arrow myself. What can I say? I was a great fan of the Arrow series… before it went to shit, which was really a shame. Back to the character, he's a regular dude (even if he's got the power of being rich) and I respect that. He also isn't quite as bullshit as Batman, so that's a plus. Because let's be real, Batman might as well have some kind of superpower going on.

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ

Adrian PS: We might have jinxed it because Email Notifications are down again, apparently…