In truth, the Guang Xian Cannon Liam had just fired was already a pale shadow of the real thing. If he transformed fully and unleashed a true Spacium Ray, the energy output would've hit half a million degrees easily. The cannon, though useful, maxed out at a fifth of that. A downgrade, but still more than enough to make an alley full of demon spawn nervous.
Wizard Shazam, however, stood frozen. His expression was composed, his back straight, the very image of dignity. But Liam noticed the old man's eyes linger too long on the crackling aftershock in the air. For all his centuries of wisdom, he was rattled.
He's wondering, Liam thought. When did mortals start throwing around light hotter than a star's skin?
The Wizard coughed and turned away quickly, shuffling toward the far end of the alley. He pressed his palms against the crumbling brick wall, muttering under his breath like someone retracing old steps. From a distance, it looked less like spellcraft and more like a drunk trying to remember where he parked.
Liam tilted his head. "Lose something?"
"Lose?" The Wizard snorted, puffing up his chest. "I am Shazam, the wise. I do not lose things. I simply… test them."
A pause. His voice dropped. "Though I have… misplaced a few things over the years."
Liam sighed, stepped past him, and placed his hand where his bracelet's coordinates pulsed faintly. A shimmering halo rippled out across the bricks, revealing the outline of a door hidden in plain sight.
"I guess you're looking for this?"
The Wizard blinked, caught entirely off guard. For a heartbeat his surprise showed—then he smothered it with another dry cough. "Cough, cough… of course. I knew it was here. I was merely… confirming the perimeter."
"Right," Liam said, deadpan. "Naturally."
The Wizard squared his shoulders, dignity snapping back like an old cloak. "This is the gate to the Eternal Rock—the throne of magic itself. Demons and corrupted spirits have seeped into it while my power waned, but they will not succeed."
Behind the pride in his voice was a quiet truth: this was less a declaration, more a prayer.
Liam's lips twitched. Behind that door is either destiny… or a lot of XP packs.
The Wizard pressed forward and stepped through. Liam followed, the sensation like falling into a void—yet his boots landed on unseen stone, solid beneath the endless swirl of nothing.
The Wizard turned sharply. "This is where I take over. You've done enough. Go back."
"Are you sure?" Liam asked, his tone light but his eyes sharp. "Because from where I was standing, you almost got folded by a bottom-tier bug."
The Wizard bristled. "I am not an ordinary mage. I am the Wizard. Nine thousand years, countless demons banished, horrors sealed away by these hands. I require no aid."
"Alright then," Liam said with a shrug. "I'll just tag along. Purely for educational purposes."
The Wizard huffed, chin high. "Suit yourself."
---
Minutes later, Liam leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, watching the most powerful Wizard in history sprinting in frantic circles around the voidscape. Two demon spirits—hulking, shrieking beasts—chased after him like rabid hounds. Spells flared from his hands, sigils crackled, fireballs roared… all of them harmless as fireworks against the creatures' hide.
"Pathetic curs!" the Wizard shouted, panting between words. "Wizard Shazam—needs—no—help!"
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. The old man's lungs were giving out before the monsters did.
With a resigned sigh, Liam blurred forward. Two swift punches—one, two. The demons were lifted clean off their feet, slammed into the wall hard enough to bury half their bodies in stone. They hung there twitching, like grotesque ornaments.
The Wizard collapsed onto the ground, wheezing. "Meddling… unnecessary meddling. Nothing beyond my control…"
Liam kept his face neutral, though amusement threatened to slip out. This old man will still be talking back on the cremation table.
"Of course," Liam said solemnly. "Wizard Shazam's name is legend. Clearly, you had it handled."
"Exactly," the Wizard said proudly, before his shoulders slumped. He tugged at his beard, struggling, and finally mumbled, "But… if you… hypothetically wanted to stay… I wouldn't object."
Liam smirked. "Hypothetically."
"Purely," the Wizard muttered.
---
Within the temple of the Eternal Rock, shadows writhed across cracked stone pillars. A bull-headed demon swaggered to the throne, its voice booming.
"Wizard Shazam is finished! This seat belongs to us now!"
"Step away," a deeper voice rumbled.
From the shadows, a tall figure cloaked in living darkness glared. "That throne is not for you. It belongs to a greater being. Sit there, and when he returns… he will tear the soul from your bones."
The bull-headed demon faltered, retreating from the seat as cold sweat rolled down its hide.
Then the temple gates shuddered—BOOM—blown wide open in a flood of golden lightning.
Wizard Shazam strode in, cloak torn but his back still straight, sparks dancing across his fingertips. His gaze locked onto the shadowed leader.
"Fettos," the Wizard spat. "I should have known."
The dark figure sneered. "Still breathing, Wizard? Barely. Your time is done."
The Wizard raised his chin. "I am Shazam, Guardian of the Rock, master of all—" He faltered mid-speech, then groaned, "Ugh. I can't keep this up. Boy—your turn."
The demons froze.
Liam stepped from behind him, silver light gathering along his arm. The entire hall flooded with radiance as he drew back his fist.
Fettos spun, eyes wide. The air itself bent beneath the coming strike, a meteor of silver fire crashing down.
His last thought was a single word, burning across his mind like a brand.
Danger.