Salem, Massachusetts

"So, Wally, when did you first realize your deep, honest affinity for sorcery?" Miss Martian asked, her curiosity genuine.

Wally smirked. "Well, I don't like to brag, but before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself."

Artemis scoffed. Samuel, meanwhile, analyzed Miss Martian's behavior. Maybe her naivety wasn't just personality—perhaps it stemmed from Martian culture. They mostly communicated telepathically, making it easier to detect deception. Lying probably wasn't as common for her.

The Bioship hovered over Salem, Massachusetts—a place infamous for its history of witch hunts. A fitting location for a hidden sorcerer's sanctum, Samuel figured.

"We've reached Tornado's coordinates, but…" Miss Martian hesitated.

"There's nothing here," Superboy finished.

"Take us down," Aqualad ordered.

The team disembarked, stepping onto an ordinary-looking street. No eerie castles. No glowing runes. Just an empty lot and a stray cat—a nasty-looking thing with tiger-like markings and piercing red eyes. Samuel met its gaze for a moment before it slipped away into the shadows, vanishing unnaturally fast.

Kid Flash and Miss Martian spread out to scout. No results. No signs of magic or hidden doors.

Samuel simply waited as Aqualad pulled out the key Red Tornado had given them. At this point, it was obvious. The key was magical. And if this tower really existed, it would only reveal itself on its own terms.

After some time of thinking, Aqualad declared, "A test of faith," he pulled out the golden key and inserted it into what seemed like empty air.

Then, as if reality itself folded to acknowledge the action, the Tower of Fate materialized before them. It was massive—looming, exotic, and radiating an atmosphere that felt both ancient and alien.

The team stepped inside. But as soon as they did, the entrance behind them vanished.

"Uh... where did the door go?" Kid Flash asked, looking around.

Samuel noticed it too. And he didn't like it. The entire place felt wrong—like the very structure of reality was shifting, slipping out of his control. Unsettling.

Then, a flickering, holographic projection appeared before them—Kent Nelson. Or at least, a magical facsimile of him. The old man stared at the group, eyes briefly settling on Samuel before speaking.

"Greetings. You have entered with a key, but the tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent."

Before Aqualad or Samuel could respond, Kid Flash smirked, shot a wink at Miss Martian, and stepped forward.

"We are true believers, here to find Dr. Fate."

A blatant lie.

Samuel immediately saw the subtle shift in the hologram's expression—disappointment. And then, without warning, the floor split open beneath them. A vast pit of molten lava stretched out below.

Everyone screamed. Samuel reacted instantly, activating Magnet Rise to hover mid-air. He reached out to grab someone—but too late.

Superboy, thanks to his Kryptonian durability, landed hard on the edge, his shoes instantly burning off. He snarled in pain but managed to stop himself from falling in completely, fingers digging into the ground.

Artemis shot out her grappling hook, catching Aqualad mid-fall and swinging them both to safety.

Miss Martian caught Kid Flash, but the intense heat was already draining her strength fast.

Samuel, still floating above, looked back at the hologram. His expression was as calm as ever, but his voice carried an unmistakable sharpness.

"A teenage boy lied to impress a girl. Is that an offense punishable by death?" His tone was cutting, direct. "If you understand what I'm saying, end this nonsense at once."

The hologram remained motionless.

"You must first state your identity, your purpose, and your intent."

Samuel exhaled through his nose, suppressing the rising irritation. "We are here on behalf of Red Tornado, to find and assist Kent Nelson and ensure the safety of the Helmet of Fate. And this," he gestured to the lava pit, "is how you treat your guests?"

The hologram of Kent Nelson smiled with satisfaction before flickering out of existence.

Immediately, the pit vanished, replaced once more by the wooden floor, as if the molten chasm had never been there.

Aqualad exhaled, placing a hand on the ground. "This platform... it should be red-hot, but it's cool to the touch."

Artemis, meanwhile, whirled on Kid Flash.

"Your little 'impress-M'gann-at-all-costs' game nearly got us all barbecued."

"When did this become my fault?" Wally shot back, arms raised in protest.

"When you lied to that whatever-it-was and called yourself a 'true believer'!"

Miss Martian looked at Wally, eyes wide with slight shock. "Wally, you don't believe?"

Kid Flash groaned, already exhausted by the conversation. "Fine. Fine. I lied about believing in magic. But magic itself is the real lie. A major load."

Aqualad's expression darkened slightly. "Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts created the skin-icons that power my water-bearers."

"Dude, ever hear of bioelectricity?" Wally scoffed. "Hey, in primitive cultures, fire was considered magic too. Today, it's all just a bunch of tricks."

Samuel, who had been quiet up until now, turned his gaze toward Wally, his expression unreadable. Too much talking. Too much distraction. They had barely begun investigating, and already Kid Flash was running his mouth.

Samuel didn't have time for this. He needed to understand how magic worked, gauge its true threat level—before it was time for him to leave. And more importantly, he needed to uncover Kent Nelson's intent and what had really happened to him.

Finally, Samuel spoke, his voice even but cutting.

"You say you're following science. But is what you're saying even science?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Tell me, West. What is science?"

Wally blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... Science is... y'know, the study of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and evidence-based conclusions."

Samuel remained still, his gaze unshifting. "Then tell me, where does your evidence against magic lie?"

Wally scoffed. "Oh, come on. Magic breaks every law of physics we know. It defies logic. It's just a cheat code people use when they don't understand how something actually works."

Samuel's expression didn't change. "And how do you explain what just happened? The floor vanished into a pit of molten rock, then reappeared in an instant. Where was the illusion? The mechanism? The trick?"

Wally folded his arms. "I don't know. But just because I don't have the answer now doesn't mean there isn't one. We just don't have the right tech or understanding yet."

"That's not science, West. That's faith." Samuel turned, scanning the towering halls around them. "Denying reality because it doesn't fit within your framework of understanding—that's the opposite of scientific thinking."

Wally opened his mouth to argue, then stopped.

Miss Martian tilted her head. "You think magic is real, Samuel?"

Samuel didn't look at her. "I think magic is a force. A system. A process. It exists. The problem is, we don't control it. We don't understand it. And that makes it dangerous."

He turned back to the group. "Whether you believe in it or not is irrelevant. It's here. And if you ignore it because it doesn't fit your view of the world, you won't last long."

Wally huffed but said nothing. Aqualad nodded in agreement, and Artemis just sighed.

Samuel had made his point. But it didn't matter. He wasn't here to debate. He was here to learn.

And if magic was real, then he would understand it. One way or another.

Superboy, who had been watching silently, finally spoke. "You're talking more than usual."

Samuel didn't acknowledge him. Instead, he knelt, pressing his hand against the floor where the lava had been moments before. The surface was solid, but there was something beneath it—something hidden. He could feel it.

Wally noticed. "Uh, not to ruin your whole 'mystical discovery' thing, but if you open that and there's still lava underneath, the backdraft alone could cook us alive."

Samuel ignored him and pulled at the floor. The section slid open effortlessly—

A gust of freezing wind blasted through the room.

Instead of fire and molten rock, an endless frozen wasteland stretched out before them. Snow swirled violently, carried by an unrelenting storm. The air was so cold it bit at their skin the second it touched them.

"It's snow!" Miss Martian exclaimed, eyes wide with delight.

Aqualad didn't hesitate—he leaped down first. Superboy followed, landing with a heavy thud in the deep snow. The rest of the team followed suit.

As Wally hesitated, Artemis smirked. "Do you ever get tired of being wrong?"

Wally crossed his arms. "Ever heard of string theory? We're in a pocket dimension." He jumped in after the others.

Samuel stood at the edge, staring into the frozen expanse. The transition was seamless—no portals, no technology, no discernible mechanics. Just reality bending at someone's whim. Was this teleportation? Or was this place truly separate from Earth? If so... what were the limits of magic?

He stepped forward, snow crunching beneath his boots.

The group moved carefully through the tundra until something unusual caught their attention—a single walking staff, half-buried in the snow.

Before anyone could process it, Kid Flash and Artemis grabbed it at the same time.

"I got it!"

The moment their hands touched, the staff glowed.

"Unh! I can't let go!"

Without warning, the staff shot into the sky—taking both of them with it.

The rest of the team watched in disbelief as their teammates were yeeted into the storm and vanished from sight.

Samuel exhaled through his nose, unimpressed. "Of course."