The New Generation: Earth-53

Zatanna took in a deep breath, propping herself straighter up against the wall and watching as Neal went into combat against their foes. He... was winning. Easily, too. It was the candle, it had to be the candle, obviously. But... she didn't think it was going to be that effective. Considering there wasn't a lot she could do to help at the moment, she simply watched, waited. "Go get him, Neal..."

As Neal's shield continued to be forced with Stan's magic, Neal held his own ground as he tried to advise a plan. "Melkanash!" he shouted before suddenly seeming to become lighter in appearance. He dropped the shield and the magic went right through him. He started to walk forward, the lightning still doing nothing to harm or slow Neal down. This was not a spell that Zatanna had taught Neal or ever seen him do.

"Impossible.....it really is you," Stan said as he stopped casting the magical spell. "I thought that he had been wrong, but there is certainly no mistake about it," Stan said as he stared right at Neal. "You seemed so weak, but with Neron's help this is what you can achieve.....now it makes sense," Stan uttered to himself.

Neal became tangible once again and lifted up his hand, causing Stan to go flying up and smacking his face right in to the ceiling. Neal then quickly dropped him down before throwing Stan directly in to the shrine for Neron. The man crumbled and he just laid there.

By this time the Zealot suddenly stood up and used magic to support his broken knee. He cast another spell at Neal, only for it to be easily blocked. "Looks like your time is up," Neal finally said as he noticed something. The zealot glanced down to see that his candle flame was dying. He paniced, quickly turning to Neal and casting another spell at Neal. The candle powered Neal just seemed to take it, like the man's spells weren't as strong as they were before. "Time for you to leave," Neal said before casting another spell.

The zealot let out a painful scream before starting to burn up. Much like the last man, his body was turning in to a large amount of burning ash. He was dead, sent back to his master to spend an eternity in punishment for failing.

"Zatanna, are you okay?" Neal asked as he quickly moved towards his mentor. His eyes, despite their red nature, still showed the concern that he had for her. "Please tell me you're okay."

Zatanna watched with wide eyes throughout the entire ordeal. She was a very powerful magician herself, but what she was witnessing here... it was incredible. Even though it was mostly the candle's doing, Neal was displaying an unthinkable level of power, casting aside Stan like a toy. Stan, who also wielded a candle... and yet could not even come close to competing. As the other man burned away to ash, Zatanna slowly stood up, using the wall behind her for support. She stared at Neal, blinking a few times until she was finally able to walk towards him. "I'm... I'm fine, Neal, really. Just... I think it's time to put out the candle, we won. Everything's... okay."

Neal glanced down at the candle in his hand. It was still burning brightly, and his red eyes seemed to linger upon it for some time. "Yeah, I think you're right," he said before muttering a small spell. It took some effort but the candle finally went out by force. Apparently it was enchanted so that only the wielder of the candle could put it out once it was lit. Neal blinked and his eyes slowly turned back to their normal brown appearance.

From across the room, a small moan was heard as Stan started to come to. He had barely even moved, and he couldn't even push himself up off the ground.

Zatanna turned briefly towards Stan for the moment, then held out a hand and cast a spell to paralyze him for the time being. She really didn't need him waking up and trying something else. Then, she looked back to Neal and held her hands to his shoulders, carefully inspecting him. "Are you alright? You're not hurt?" Of course he wasn't hurt, he was fine. He'd just manhandled their final two opponents and probably saved their lives. "You... that was smart, Neal. Really... really smart, I mean." She paused a moment, smiling at him and then throwing her arms around him once again. This time, she didn't let go for quite some time. "Good job."

Neal was surprised at the way that Zatanna was treating him. It sounded like she was her usual self, but at the same time it seemed like she was off. Perhaps she was just tired or still in pain or something. "Yeah well, I just figured that if it could make them powerful it could do the same for me," Neal said before he held his own arms around Zatanna and held the hug for as long as she wanted. "I told you that I wasn't going to let you down. You could have saved your father but you protected me. I won't let anything happen to you, not when I have the strength to stop it."

"Heh, great minds..." Zatanna whispered, smiling to herself. They sounded like a broken record almost, with how much they kept saying they'd protect the other. It was a funny thing, the way they'd started out, just a normal student-mentor relationship... but now it was more than that. They were friends, close friends, the kind that would sacrifice themselves for the other if need be, do anything to keep the other safe. That kind of bond was rare with anyone, and Zatanna had never felt it before with anyone.

Breathing in deeply, Zatanna slowly pulled back, pausing suddenly when she looked back into Neal's eyes, only a few inches from his face. She didn't know why she stopped like that, but now that she had, she couldn't think of anything to say. "Neal..."

Yes, the bond that Neal and Zatanna had obtained was a lot stronger than any of them thought it would become. At first he thought that she would just be a teacher, but now it had grown in to something much more powerful. They were willing to face down a Demon from Hell in order to protect each other. The odds might be against them, but even after today they were still standing at the end of the day. Zatanna was someone that had understood Neal and done everything she could to help him, he was never going to betray that trust that she had put in to him.

Neal just stared back as he and Zatanna seemed to be looking in to each other's eyes. Things were quiet as they just stared at each other. As she spoke his name he wasn't quite sure what to say. "We're both okay right?" Neal finally asked as he kept his gaze fixed upon Zatanna. "I mean....no matter what happens we're gonna be okay right?"

"Wha... y-yeah," Zatanna said, blinking herself out of the trance she had slipped into. She paused a moment, glancing to the side and clearing her throat, then looked back to Neal. "We... we're going to be fine. I promise. No matter what."

Neal just smiled. "Good....that makes me happy," he said as his gaze stayed on Zatanna for a moment longer before he finally turned and looked over towards the stunned form of Stan. "So tell me, what exactly are we going to be doing with him?" he asked as the Neron follower seemed to be stunned. "I mean, maybe we should interrogate him or something. When I used the candle it sounded like he knew more than he was letting on about me. Maybe he knows what Neron's plans with me are."

"Yeah... happy," Zatanna said quietly. She briefly cleared her throat again, then finally pulled herself away, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of her head. She didn't know what the heck had just happened there, but she was going to try not to think about it. Turning back to Stan, she thought a moment at Neal's suggestion and then nodded. "I'd be willing to bet you're right." After quickly using a spell to unparalyze (but still bind) Stan, as well as wake him up, she knelt down on one knee in front of him and narrowed her eyes. "Kaeps eht hturt. Why does Neron want Neal?"

Stan was placed in a sitting position so that he could address them while he spoke. He felt the magic over taking him. While he could normally fight it, the fight had taken away too much of his energy. He was susceptible to their spells. As the magic started to take him over, he tried to clench his teeth shut and stop himself from speaking. Ultimately, it was completely futile though.

"I don't know his full plan. Only what he has told me," Stan said through gritted teeth. "Neron claims that he had plans, because one of Neal's ancestors offered up the soul of their great great grandson as payment for the power that Neron offered him. Because of the blood in Neal's veins he was able to come to Neron's power easily. He's only continued to grown stronger since meeting you and being trained by you," he said as he started right at Zatanna. "Neron says that you've only helped his plans come to pass, Neron wasn't expected to become so strong so fast."

"Ultimately, Neron wants Neal to become immensely powerul, but I have no idea why."

"Well, that explains it..." Zatanna muttered, uttering a long sigh. "I guess you can thank your great great grandparent for this mess, Neal. But that raises some more questions..." Namely, what was Neron's ultimate plan? Why did he want Neal so strong? Stan clearly didn't know... so then how would they find out? "Alright, let's think a minute... What do you know about Neron? Does he have a weakness? Is there a way to hide from him?"

Stan gave a smile as Zatanna asked her next few questions. "Neron is the strongest being in Hell, he is one of the chief leaders of it and commands several dozen loyal worshipers....so that number has been decreased," he added as he looked to the ash pile where the zealot had just been a few minutes ago. "Hiding from him is possible, a powerful enough cloaking shield would hide his eye....but the moment that Neal uses his magic again Neron will know where he is. Their connection is too strong."

"But he can't touch Neal on this plane, can he?" Zatanna said, tapping her finger against her knee. "That's why he sends his zealots out to do his dirty work, isn't it? If we were to weed them out and... stop them, then Neal would no longer be in any danger, correct?" At least, she certainly hoped that was the case. Last time she checked, Neron was bound to Hell, but the rules down there changed so much it made her head spin.

Stan shook his head. "There's a way that he can come to this plane, he has a plan to do it to but he didn't tell me what it was," Stan said as he kept trying to fight Zatanna's spell. It was no use though, he had to tell her everything. "He's working on something right now, some sort of an artifact that he claims will help him enter in to this realm," Stan said again. "I don't know anything more about his plan, he's keeping it close to his chest."

"You don't know anything else?" Zatanna asked, narrowing her eyes. He wasn't being entirely helpful right now. If anything, he was given them more questions than answers. "Not what this artifact is called, or who he's sending to get it, or anything?" There had to be something that could help them. If Neron was able to leave Hell... things would not end well.

Stan continued to shake his head. "I don't know anything else, I don't know who he is planning on sending to retrieve it. As far as I can tell he's still not sure where it is, or else he would have gotten it already," Stan admitted as he looked up at Zatanna. "I know nothing else."

Neal glanced over towards Zatanna with a concerned look. "So....what do we do now?" he asked as he looked at his mentor. It sounded like Neron wanted him to get more powerful, but what was the end game?

"For now... you stop using your magic," Zatanna muttered, giving it a moment's thought. "I'll hide you from Neron's gaze as best I can, but if you use his magic he'll find you again with ease. Until we can figure out what Neron is planning and how to stop him, we need to keep you hidden. I promise I won't rest until we've stopped him, though. I'll contact everyone I know in the magical world, someone must know something. We... we'll be okay, Neal."

Neal gave a nod as Zatanna told him to stop using his magic. As much as he liked his magic, he supposed that it was the only thing that they could do. If he used his magic than Neron would be able to figure out where he was immediately. "Okay, we will figure it out. We can take care of him together, we'll figure out how to stop him someday," Neal said before turning back to Zatanna. "Should we tell the League? They should know what's going on after all, right?"

"I'd like to tell the League..." Zatanna said quietly, scratching the back of her neck. "But to be honest, I'm not sure how much they could help. Magic isn't really any of their expertise... I'm the one they go to when they have problems with it. Aside from telling them what's happening... there isn't much else we can hope for from them. All my magical contacts are elsewhere, most out of the country, and some even in alternate dimensions."

"Still, if Neron coming after me would pose a threat to the League...they have a right to know," Neal said more to himself than to Zatanna. He couldn't help but be worried that something like this would stop the League from letting him come back. It might put the others at risk after all, and that was something that the League wouldn't want to have happen.

Neal wanted to go back and become part of the team more than anything, but could he do it knowing the danger that they would all be in? The moment that Neal used his magic to help Neron would know where he was.

"Right now, Neron coming after you only poses a threat to you," Zatanna explained, "as well as those associated with you. Being off the team... well, they're not associated with you right now. When the time comes that you're allowed to rejoin the team, then I'll consider telling them, but for right now it's best if we keep quiet. Anyway..." After speaking a backwards spell, she teleported the two of them away, reappearing at a very large and elaborate spa in the heart of Las Vegas.

"I think we could use a few hours of relaxation after that, don't you? This place is the best spa in the entire city." She paused a moment, then glanced back at him and added, "But, um... you may want to revert to your Nicole disguise. After what we just went through, I'm not letting you out of my sight, and I can't really do that if you're dragged into the men's wing."

"Alright, that makes sense," Neal admitted as he thought about the words that Zatanna gave to him. The League and the team wasn't in danger right now, Neron only had a problem with Zatanna and Neal. And for now they were still fully suspended off of the team. Neron wouldn't have any reason to touch them right now. Neal really hoped that she was right. They had just fought off some of Neron's best thugs, perhaps there was a way that they could survive against him?

As they teleported back to Vegas, Neal completely agreed that they should relax and just enjoy themselves. The candle holders had been stopped and now there wasn't a threat as far as they knew. As Zatanna suggested that Neal revert back to his Nicole disguise he originally opened his mouth to object, course it was only than that Neal realized where he would be able to go in disguise. Neal quickly cast the spell and even put the dress back on that Zatanna had placed on him earlier. "Yes, a night of relaxation sounds absolutely perfect."

---

"Oh god damn sons of bitches," Stan muttered to himself as he finally pushed himself back to his feet. He moved his body around and heard several cracks running throughout his body. He cast a quick spell and caused most of the pain that he was feeling to seep away. Once he had done that he soon moved over to the small statue in the corner of the room, quickly touching it with his hand and channeling his magic in to the stone.

The stone soon shook and began to glow a bright orange. Soon, the voice would be heard from it. "Has the message been delivered?" the voice of Neron uttered from his own dimension.

Stan nodded and soon bowed down in front of the statue. "Yes my master, they defeated us and Zatanna used her spells to demand the truth from me as you requested......but why did you want them to know? I don't understand what was accomplished tonight?"

"I didn't expect you to understand Stan, nor do I truly expect you to need to. However, the boy will continue to grow stronger now. Zatanna has become angered and motivated to make him strong. She's afraid of what we will do to him, seeing her father only further motivated her to make Neal strong enough to fight against us.......everything is going according to plan."

Stan gave a small nod and stood up. "And now that he has touched and used the candles, he knows the extent of power that he will have one day. You were correct, he is QUITE the powerful catalyst" he admitted as he crossed his arms.

"Indeed, the blood courses through him strongly as we expected. Now return back to me my priest, I have another assignment for you," Neron's voice said before fading away and the statue returned to normal.

Stan muttered another incantation before his clothes changed. Gone was the suit, and replacing it was the familiar leather material that Neal had based his own uniform off of. Along with that was the exact same mask, the one that had come to Neal in a dream. "Keep fighting kid, you're only binding yourself to Neron even more."

And with that Stan disappeared, returning to the realm of his master.

Zatanna gave him a quick once over, then began walking up to the counter. "Of course, you could just cast an illusion to make everyone think you're a woman, if you're still uncomfortable being one. Your call, really." Bringing her attention to the woman behind the counter, she said, "Two full treatments," then slapped down her credit card on the counter. Two minutes later, they were good to go.

"Right this way, please," the woman stated, bringing them down to the women's changing room. "Feel free to use any available locker to store your belongings. You can find robes on the wrack on the far well. When you're both ready, please head through that door ask for Mindy. She'll begin with your facials."

Once the woman was gone, Zatanna walked over to the nearest locker and began stripping out of her stage uniform. "Trust me, when we're done here, you'll feel like a whole new person."