A barrier of energy pulsed out from Green Lantern's Ring, encapsulating us in a dome just before the light hit. The noise was deafening, the shockwave powerful enough to sweep us off our feet. The light and pressure persisted, seconds dragging into eternity, and soon, even Green Lantern, famous for his extraordinary will, began to buckle.
Muscles swelled, teeth clenched as a quiet scream ripped from his throat.
Miraculously, the barrier didn't break. If anything, it shone brighter as he funneled more power into it. It was breathtaking…and not the best use of my time.
Aqualad was dying. And he would've never been ambushed if he hadn't brought me along. The least I could do was patch him up, even if that meant staying bone dry for a few minutes.
Plus, healing Aqualad would help me in the conversations ahead.
I dreaded how it would go without him there to defend me. Sure, I might've healed Red Arrow and helped prevent an international incident, but I'd also killed a Sorcerer and brought on this tragedy by leaving the base.
The only question was whether I'd be spending my foreseeable future in a prison cell or Mount Justice. It was going to be a long, long time before I saw the sunshine again.
I needed to be ready to run.
…So why the hell was I wasting the last drop of my Curse Energy?
I sighed. I knew why. I'd been in a trance for a while now, blocking out the noise and most of the light. I almost didn't notice when it faded. The air hit me like a bat to the gut. It smelt of tar and iron, the heat pressing down like a physical thing.
My eyes flickered around, taking it all in. Some of the Leaguers had stayed out of the protective bubble–the more durable ones like Superman, Wanda Woman, and Captain Atom. Their costumes gave off smoke, burnt in several spots.
Superman drew in a deep breath and blew, unleashing a river of cold air and frost that quenched the surrounding fire and flipped the temperature. A sudden chill ran through me, and then some measure of relief. I counted every head. No one had died from the black hole collapse. Surprisingly.
I found my gaze lingering on Artemis. For all of the anger we had for each other. It would've gutted me if she were hurt, and I didn't have enough power to heal her.
I should make an effort to reach out to her, talk like we used to–if the League allows it.
"Is he stable?" Batman asked, cropping up beside me.
"He will wake when he's strong enough," I said, drawing myself up with a slight wince. I hadn't fully healed.
Batman's face looked tense with questions. We would have words, but not now. "What can you do for the rest of them?"
There were a few more injured people lying behind us. They hadn't been as lucky as I or Batman. Artemis was bleeding out of her ear, and Martian Woman swayed on her feet, fetched up against her uncle.
Oh yeah. I remember. Fire. That was their weakness. Something to keep in mind going forward.
Hal Jordan touched the ground with a ragged breath. Blood dripped from his nose, mouth, and ears. He needed help, too. And Wally West had gotten his ankle broken again.
I finally answered Batman's question. "Give me an hour or so. I should be back to half-tank."
"The police will arrive before then," he said, looking at his glove. "I'll rally the bat jet, and the Young Justice team will call their bio ships. We need to evacuate—"
From the corner of my eyes, I spotted Superman's head jerking to the side, and the Flash twisting, readying to take off. Similarly, other heroes were ramping up.
A lump settled in my throat. What the hell was going on?
"Domain Expansion: Throne of Flesh"
A hollow voice rang out, suffocating the world in a tide of Cursed Energy so thick it nearly brought me down to my knees.
A shockwave rang out, tossing me on my ass, and then I heard screams. It belonged to Superman and Flash. I scrambled back as the world changed around us.
The ground for several hundred feet was a patchwork of bloody flesh and intestines. A high throne sat at the center of the domain, made of the same writhing stuff, given firm shape by bones.
At the bottom of the fleshy steps, I saw her standing there, wearing the face and body of a bulky man with striking blonde hair, a towering physique, and a casual coat that hung loosely open. The body might be different, but the cursed energy signature was the same. It was thicker and more malignant than I remembered from the memories.
She was holding onto Superman's and Flash's shattered arms, and with a cruel twist, she wrenched them and dumped both men on the ground, the smile never leaving her face.
Artisan," I whispered, and her blue eyes locked on me.
"Tyler must've left you a hell of a book if you can recognize me in this body."
My teeth ground against each other, and my stomach dropped.
Wonder Woman drew her blade, and Captain Marvel called out to Superman, fist bunching, but Captain Marvel thankfully stopped him.
"Nobody else moves," I called out. "She's flooded the entire area with her spell and magic," I began, putting it into words they can understand. "That means she can break us with a thought."
Given everything I knew about barriers and technique expressions, domain expansions seemed fairly intuitive, if utterly terrifying.
The sheer potential of it seemed frightening.
Artisan nodded at me and spread her hands. "It's the pinnacle of Jujutsu Sorcery," she explained. "Some Sorcerers spend lifetimes practicing their techniques but never reach it, but those who are fortunate enough to reach the summit taste true power. Complete control over your created domain. Every attack I attempt WILL connect here, and it will destroy you, no matter how strong you are. Attack me if you dare, but understand that it might be the last thing you ever do."
There was a stretch of silence as we waited for somebody, anybody, to take the bait, not that I thought they would.
She'd just crushed Superman without breaking a sweat. What chance did any of us have?
"What do you want?" Black Canary finally asked.
Artisan smiled, looking my way.
"Why, my Godson, of course.
The dread drained me of color.
"No," Batman said firmly.
"He might be a bit of an asshole," Green Arrow added, "but he's our asshole."
Captain Marvel made a face. "I think I just made myself sick picturing that."
"Talented idiot is a more accurate description," Hal Jordan chipped in, still bloody and hurt, and Superman stood to tower over her.
"We've gone up against worse," he declared.
Artisan rubbed her chin. "Probably true, but none of them had you over the barrel like...this." She snapped her finger, and every leaguer doubled over, screaming. Not even the young team had been spared.
I nearly shat myself. I'd stayed with the League because I thought they could protect me. Looking down at them, hunched over like this, I realized I was going to have to save myself again, which was not all that surprising.
"I just gave your collective souls a love tap," Artisan said brightly. "If you don't want me to break them in two, give me what I want."
If the League had been worried before, they were terrified now. Several people were coughing and bleeding from the mouth.
"Why ask permission?" Batman asked in between lungs full of air. "You would've killed us already if you could get away with it. This is about your other partners, isn't it? Raz al Ghul. Luthor? Are you working with them?" Batman demanded, likely in a plot to make Artisan give away something, but the woman just laughed.
"I'm doing this because I understand Julius pretty well," she said. "He cares deeply, despite doing his very best to deny it. Otherwise, why would he fight an entire city to avenge the death of a friend?
Or risk life and limb to save others during a fight with a pyromaniac, or bust up multiple small-time criminal groups while he was in Texas. I know you think he's a little sociopath, but he probably respects you enough to save you," she grinned, then pointed to Artemis. "Her especially."
Artisan crossed her hands behind her back and walked over to me, slowly. I breathed out roughly as Gina's last words hit me again. "Everything that comes next is your fault."
Artisan stood a dozen paces away from me now, a small twinkle in her eyes. "What will it be, Julius. Swear your loyalty to me and save your friends, or fight for your freedom? I'm good with either."
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