The Watchtower was a sanctuary and a planning ground, but after my meeting with Eon, I couldn't help but feel the discomfort that ensued. I had struggled before battled powerful enemies, saved Earth from certain annihilation but this was something else. The universe knew about me now. I wasn't merely another hero, another piece in a big game. I was something far greater, and I could sense the burden of that responsibility like a millstone around my neck.
I required allies. Powerful ones. Not only of the Justice League, but of other worlds ones who could grasp the deeper, mystical forces at work. Ones who could assist me in keeping control, ones who could provide direction as I made my way on this journey.
Zatanna and Raven. Both of them had drawn my attention a long time ago, but now their positions seemed even more crucial. If there were dangers beyond Earth's capabilities, mystical dangers, or beings from dimensions outside time and space, these two ladies would be crucial.
---
The first I encountered Zatanna was in the Tower's conference room. Her presence was unmistakable, sparking in the air about her as if the very air bowed to her whims. She was a force, no doubt of it, but beyond that, I could feel her mind, her knowledge of the arcane.
I opened the door to find her there, seated in the room at the table, her fingers drawn in a gesture of idle strokes along the marks inscribed in the wood. Her eyes jerked towards me, and I saw the suspicion in them, the wariness, but the curiosity too. She had heard of me, I knew. My abilities, my otherness as a connecter with the cosmic forces, had attracted even those within the mystic communities.
"You're the new cosmic anomaly, huh?" Zatanna replied with a sarcastic grin, reclining in her chair. "Thought you'd be taller."
I arched an eyebrow at her taunting tone, but there was a hint of edge beneath it. Zatanna wasn't unfamiliar with danger. She knew what she was doing. "I guess you've heard of me," I said, leaning against the doorframe.
"I've heard whispers," she said, her fingers halting their aimless tracing to lie still on the table. "Some say you're a blessing. Others? Not so much."
I stepped closer, my arms crossed. "And what do you think?"
"I think you're deadly," she said starkly, her eyes meeting mine. "But then again, we all are, aren't we?"
Her candor was a relief. She wasn't here to make nice. "I don't want to make trouble," I said, attempting to be serious. "But I need some assistance with certain things. things that are outside the purview of ordinary heroes."
Her gaze narrowed for a moment, then relaxed. "I suspected as much. What do you need?"
I told her in a few words about my experience with Eon, about the cosmic forces observing me, and how the burden of those forces would crush me if I didn't learn to deal with them. Zatanna sat in silence, her face unreadable, but her mind was obviously working. She wasn't the type to act on impulse, and I admired that.
"Okay," she replied after a hesitation. "I'll assist you. But keep this in mind: magic, real magic, isn't a hobby. If you wish to comprehend the worlds, the forces, the entities outside of our own, you must be prepared. There are repercussions."
"I'm prepared," I replied firmly. "But I'll need more than that."
Zatanna's mouth curled up into a smile. "Good that you know how to find you, then."
---
The second individual I looked for was Raven. Her legend went before her a demon lord's daughter, a half-breed who had mastered her dark magic with the power of her will. If anyone understood the duality of light and dark, good and evil, it would be Raven. I found her in the temple she spent so much time at, with shadows that appeared to move to follow her every step.
As I entered, the air seemed heavy with energy. Not her energy, though, but the ancient power she wielded without effort.
"You've come," Raven spoke within the dark chamber, yet she hadn't moved. I'd not even caught a glimpse of her presence until I'd stepped over the door.
"Raven," I whispered, my voice low. "I need your assistance. I sense the presence of entities far greater than our comprehension. Something cosmic is at work, and I'm attempting to make sense of it."
Her form was silhouetted by the flickering light of the candles that lined the room. Her eyes, glowing with that unnatural purple light, studied me. "You think you're ready for this?" she asked, her tone cold but not unkind.
I looked her in the eye without backing down. "I don't know if I'm prepared, but I'll learn. I need someone who knows about the dark forces those which cannot be defeated by mere brawn alone."
Raven moved forward, her cloak undulating around her like dark liquid. "I've sensed the disruption, as well. But magic is. unpredictable. It's not something you can hurl at issues and wish for an answer. Magic can turn about and bite you back, and it doesn't always play by the rules."
"I know," I replied. "That's why I require someone like you. Someone who can guide me through this. new reality."
Raven's eyes softened slightly, though she didn't smile. "Fine. I'll teach you. But understand this: the darker side of the universe is just as dangerous as the light. Tread carefully."
I nodded. "I will."
---
Zatanna and Raven. Two strong women, both knowing their own secrets of magic and the arcane. With them, I could start to unlock the secrets behind the cosmic forces and how they connected with my own abilities. It wasn't a matter of strength anymore it was a matter of understanding. Of control. And in their company, we would discover the equilibrium that was falling from my hands.
As I left Raven's temple, I felt the weight of the decisions ahead of me pressing down once more. The universe was vast, filled with dangers both known and unknown. And I wasn't just trying to protect this world anymore. I was trying to protect the fabric of reality itself.
But for the first time in a long while, I felt like I might not be alone in that battle.
---
**End of Chapter 20**