Chapter 106 - 106
3rd POV
"... Are we going to ignore the casual real identity bomb he threw at us?" Tim Drake, Aka Red Robin, asked the other people present, his voice a mix of worry and fear that he tries to hide behind bad jokes.
" No, that won't go unnoticed. We will have to add it to his profile. Anything you can find on him?" Batman, Aka Bruce Wayne, asked Oracle, Aka Barbara Gordon, their helper with wheels that controlled most of their movements through the city, and warned them of incidents and crimes being committed.
" No record of his existence in any of our databases. Our satellites recorded his existence for the first time once he appeared right above Gotham. If he truly is a god, then there are no mythologies that talk about a being like him, but I am not an expert, so I will ask Wonder Woman for any hints."
Batman would usually have stopped her; no other heroes were supposed to enter Gotham or deal with crime in the city. If there was a rule in Gotham City, was that what was of Gotham, remains there. But this time, with someone like him, Batman had a feeling he wouldn't be enough, not even remotely enough, and that scared him.
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.
Across Gotham City, where light seemed to swear away, for the first time since its creation, light approached it, the cold streets, the hollow buildings, the dark alleys, usually filled with a sense of dread that would have made even the strongest adults tremble, felt warm.
The warmth of a parent carassing a child, of someone teaching you how to swim, how to breathe for the very first time. Because that's what it was, for the very first time, the citizens of Gotham City felt like they were under no possible danger, because he was here.
His steps were controlled, his gaze remained steady, his body didn't move more than he wanted, and that was being noticed, because for those near him, they couldn't do anything but stare.
Finally, he took his last step, directly in the center of Gotham City, where he knew something was about to happen, something he would cause.
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1st POV
My voice came out at a normal volume; there was no scream, no anger could be heard, just the voice of a parent talking to their children, both the good and the bad ones.
" Citizens of Gotham, you do not know me, and you will more than likely never meet me, but if it is the case, then you can think of yourself as one of the people living in this city who have not been corrupted by the illnesses that have made this city what it is today. I am here today for a simple reason: to remove this illness. I won't leave scars, I won't cause damage, you might not even see any change, but I will be there, doing everything I can to stop this illness from spreading any further. Tonight, the first carrier of the illness, the one you call Joker, is dead. And he will only be the first."
I could feel it; even those who didn't believe in a better future for this city suddenly looked in my direction, even if they weren't close to me, even if they had suffered fates worse than death, because such was the power of hope.
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A sparkle of divinity has started to form inside your soul, your future path will determinate whetever this path will turn into revenge or hope.
Be careful
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I ignored the notification. I already knew that my future action could lead to two very distinct paths, one would bring forth the anger I had accumulated from seeing the horrors of this and all universes, and the other would let the spark of hope nesting in my heart burn into a blaze stronger than anything else.
Choices will have to be made, futures will have to be seen, and a path will have to be cut, but that was for later, for now.
My hand waved, all the people near me being suddenly covered in a layer of stone to protect them from the incoming shockwave as a red blur came dangerously close, and closer, and closer... something was wrong.
There, moving like a blur was a being, but the closer he got to me, the farther the distance seemed. What should have been only an inch had been pulled into an infinite distance where the closer he got, the longer the distance, but he was moving fast, faster than even I had expected, some kind of force pushing him far more than I had thought possible, but that was enough.
I touched his shoulder, and he suddenly stopped, his face showing concern as he looked up at me, and there, standing with a red and golden suit, is the hero known as The Flash.
" Wally, next time you try to punch someone, could you take into account the possible sonic boom you could cause, please?" My voice was neutral even though a smile was on my face.
Not that any actual shockwave came, any form of wind would never even dare to cause any damage near me, yes, magic broke the laws of physics, deal with it.
" Now, why do we not let the others arrive before you continue trying to stop me?"
He remained silent; he already knew that even if he tried to do anything, he had no way of actually stopping me. I was being nice, after all, and he knew it, actually, it would be more correct to say he felt it.
And here they came, several beings, all of different origins, power systems, races, and ages, some similar to me, others mimicking me.
But one stood among them; there had been only one other being that I seen similar to him, and that was Peter, but he... he was different.
He wasn't only pure, but there was a golden light mixed with it; it felt warm, inspiring, and hopeful. It even made a genuine smile appear on my face.
But this wasn't the moment to appreciate true heroes; this was the moment for a chat.
" Batman, you didn't have to bring the whole family to deal with good old me. We both know the only reason I made myself known and made that speech was to have a chat with you, with all of you."
Before Batman could answer me, someone else did, 3 people acted faster, one puked, another swore, and the last kneeled.
" Well... those surely are unexpected reactions to seeing my soul, am I that bad?"
" Bad? Mate... what the fuck are you? You have the soul of a god, the body of an elemental, the mind of a monstrosity, and you are just walking around here with a smile and talking like a father scolding their children." A rugged man wearing a trench coat and blond hair.
" Mhh... Constantine, we will have a chat later. Your soul reeks, but I can see a spark of goodness hidden under it, and regarding what I am... why do we not all ask the one kneeling?"
The man had a power similar to Yao's, but he felt... restrained, focused on a singular part of his body, his head. I could smell a cat behind it, another chat for later.
" I had heard myths of beings like you, more ancient than the universe, more fundamental than the Endless Ones, more Fundamental than the one that created everything."
... Ok, I wasn't expecting all that, I hadn't looked into the future because I wanted to be surprised too on how he'd describe me, but that?
... Fuck.
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Thanks for the support from everyone. The list is getting quite long, so sorry if I can't keep up with it.
AN: Did you know, Constantine is just a Magic Batman with no morals?
Go check out my Royal Road book if you have time, "Understanding is a form of power."
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