Faerie, after the fire ...
It is hard to believe that, not long ago, Faerie was burning -- flames for as long as the eye can see or the mind can sense -- the scholars at the White School called it a "leveling," but it is not one that was meant to occur.
I need to keep it straight in my head that this aspect of Faerie is not the one I am familiar with, the one that has sheltered me many times on this hard road. But knowing what I know now, knowing what I've seen ... I know now that every aspect of reality is endangered, and now I know the name of that danger: Roger Hayden. The Psycho Pirate.
Funny how such a small villain, barely a concern for any of us for years, can suddenly propel himself to such proportions. Surely, he is but the manifestation of a greater threat, but still ...
Perhaps it would be best if I considered the last few days -- I left Earth's broken future after aiding keeping the United Nations building from falling at Superman's hands. Even if he is not the man I know, simply another aspect of him, I cannot imagine the pain that would drive him to such rage, and then to watch him disappear into the ether ...
The road brought me back to Faerie, or at least to an aspect of Faerie. Perhaps I should be concerned at how often the roads bring me back to this place, to its myriad reflections. I have eaten food here, after all, altough in a place I consider a haven. No matter, it's merely an idle thought in the face of more serious matters.
The aspect of the White School that was present in Faerie was not the one that should be there. another displacement, albeit one that seemed to cause little disturbance. I spoke my true name at the door and entered, bringing my concerns and thoughts to the learned faculty there. I also encountered the young Tim Hunter -- the Merlin and sometimes protege of John Constantine. He was not what I'd expected. Kent Nelson had met him when he was just a boy, finding his way on the paths of magic. Now he is a man, and nearing his time to claim his mantle.
No matter -- the wizards of the White School had all sensed a menace growing in the distance, one that transcends dimensional boundaries. Hayden? I'm not sure.
The flames appeared without source or warning, consuming all in sight with inextinguishable hunger. It was all of my will to hold them at bay, and both Faerie and the White School would have burned had John Constantine and Jay Garrick had not appeared with the unconscious Danette Reilley. Reilley, during World War II, had been known as the heroine Firebrand, an early metahuman with the ability to control and manipulate flame. I used her powers to draw all the mystic flames to her, binding them within her being.
This was not a kindness. The flames devoured her entire body before she was able to extinguish them. I do not know what happened next -- she appears to be alive somehow, somewhere. I fear what will happen when our paths next cross. I did not know I had such a Machiavellian streak in me, that I'd be so willing to sacrifice others for the greater good. Perhaps Constantine is more of an influence on me than I realized. It is something I must ponder.
Between us, we have many pieces of the puzzle, but no idea how they fit together -- Reilley; Hayden; a secret society with a self-consuming serpent as its symbol; the hero Black Lightning, evidently in danger.
This road is long and hard, but I feel I am coming to its end soon.
I wonder what I will find there.
I need to keep it straight in my head that this aspect of Faerie is not the one I am familiar with, the one that has sheltered me many times on this hard road. But knowing what I know now, knowing what I've seen ... I know now that every aspect of reality is endangered, and now I know the name of that danger: Roger Hayden. The Psycho Pirate.
Funny how such a small villain, barely a concern for any of us for years, can suddenly propel himself to such proportions. Surely, he is but the manifestation of a greater threat, but still ...
Perhaps it would be best if I considered the last few days -- I left Earth's broken future after aiding keeping the United Nations building from falling at Superman's hands. Even if he is not the man I know, simply another aspect of him, I cannot imagine the pain that would drive him to such rage, and then to watch him disappear into the ether ...
The road brought me back to Faerie, or at least to an aspect of Faerie. Perhaps I should be concerned at how often the roads bring me back to this place, to its myriad reflections. I have eaten food here, after all, altough in a place I consider a haven. No matter, it's merely an idle thought in the face of more serious matters.
The aspect of the White School that was present in Faerie was not the one that should be there. another displacement, albeit one that seemed to cause little disturbance. I spoke my true name at the door and entered, bringing my concerns and thoughts to the learned faculty there. I also encountered the young Tim Hunter -- the Merlin and sometimes protege of John Constantine. He was not what I'd expected. Kent Nelson had met him when he was just a boy, finding his way on the paths of magic. Now he is a man, and nearing his time to claim his mantle.
No matter -- the wizards of the White School had all sensed a menace growing in the distance, one that transcends dimensional boundaries. Hayden? I'm not sure.
The flames appeared without source or warning, consuming all in sight with inextinguishable hunger. It was all of my will to hold them at bay, and both Faerie and the White School would have burned had John Constantine and Jay Garrick had not appeared with the unconscious Danette Reilley. Reilley, during World War II, had been known as the heroine Firebrand, an early metahuman with the ability to control and manipulate flame. I used her powers to draw all the mystic flames to her, binding them within her being.
This was not a kindness. The flames devoured her entire body before she was able to extinguish them. I do not know what happened next -- she appears to be alive somehow, somewhere. I fear what will happen when our paths next cross. I did not know I had such a Machiavellian streak in me, that I'd be so willing to sacrifice others for the greater good. Perhaps Constantine is more of an influence on me than I realized. It is something I must ponder.
Between us, we have many pieces of the puzzle, but no idea how they fit together -- Reilley; Hayden; a secret society with a self-consuming serpent as its symbol; the hero Black Lightning, evidently in danger.
This road is long and hard, but I feel I am coming to its end soon.
I wonder what I will find there.