| Salem - August 19
Now for the other two hiding.
Joseph swooped down toward the derelict factory building and crashed through its roof in a burst of force and splinters. Inside, he found an elderly man tied to a chair and another figure standing beside him.
Tall and thin, with a black ponytail, sharp sideburns, and a goatee, the man wore a billowy poet shirt that exposed a hairy chest and a flashy gold necklace. His outfit was completed by black gloves, tight black trousers over briefs, and a belt with a gold buckle shaped like the letter A.
Abra Kadabra. Joseph recognized him instantly—one of the Flash's rogues. A so-called magician who used futuristic tech to fake spells.
Kadabra turned in shock just as Joseph burst in, firing a bolt of lightning from his wand. Joseph didn't flinch, absorbing the energy with a casual grimace. It barely tickled. He descended and knocked Kadabra out cold with a single punch.
Cutting through the ropes with a quick Nova beam, Joseph turned to the old man. "Kent Nelson, right? Red Tornado sent me—well, us. The rest of the Team should be inside the Tower of Fate."
Kent rose shakily, flexing his wrists. Joseph caught him with his anti-gravity field before he could fall.
"Thank you," Kent said, voice aged but firm. "Did you handle Klarion?"
"Yeah. Took care of his cat—he disappeared right after."
Kent nodded in approval, then studied Joseph with a curious expression.
"Say… you wouldn't happen to know a man named Wesley Dodds, would you?"
Joseph blinked. "Uh, no. Never heard of him. Why?"
"No reason. You just reminded me of an old friend."
**
Joseph carried both Kent and the unconscious Abra Kadabra back to the Tower. As Kent approached the doors, a golden ankh shimmered into existence, glowing with mystical energy.
"Neat," Joseph muttered, stepping in behind him.
The Tower's interior was surreal. Rooms shifted shape as they walked. Walls vanished, reforming into hallways, and doors led not just forward, but sideways, and even upside down. Eventually, they reached a chamber filled with staircases spiraling and looping in impossible directions.
'It looked like M. C. Escher's Relativity,' Joseph thought.
They spotted the rest of the Team on a nearby upside-down staircase, gathered around Kent's cane, which hovered in the air. Kent raised a hand and summoned it to him. The cane pulsed with yellow light—and in a flash, everyone was back outside the Tower.
"I'm Kent Nelson. Thank you for saving an old man like me."
Artemis crossed her arms. "Don't thank all of us. It seems like Joseph did all the work. We were too busy trying not to die from Wally trying to impress Megan by lying that he was a believer in magic."
"Hey!" Wally protested. "I apologized already! Besides, magic's still smoke and mirrors. Just look who Joseph brought! Abra's a fraud who uses tech to fake magic."
"Correct," Kent said, nodding. Wally grinned smugly.
"But Klarion the Witch Boy is no fake. He's a real Lord of Chaos—an eternal enemy to Lords of Order like Doctor Fate."
"Right. You're a Lord of Order," Wally said, unconvinced.
"Oh, I'm not Fate," Kent said softly. "Just an old coat he used to wear—until my wife, Inza, convinced me there was more to life than duty." He pulled out a gold pocket watch, gazing at the woman's image inside. "She was a real pistol."
'That explains the two magics I absorbed—Order and Chaos,' Joseph mused. 'I wonder what happens when these forces interact.'
Not that Joseph would mess with two unknown magics. Just getting clipped by Klarion's Chaos magic had caused him a lot of pain. He didn't want his body to explode from the forces clashing or something. He'd just leave it alone like he did with Wotan's magic and the Speed Force he absorbed before.
Kent cleared his throat. "In any case, Klarion's familiar is gone. Without Teekl, his anchor to this plane is severed. The Helmet is safe. Job well done."
"Total waste of time and not worth my favorite pair of boots," Superboy grumbled, heading toward the Bio-Ship. Joseph noticed his pants were singed, and he was barefoot. Did he dip his feet in a pool of lava or something?
"At least we got to see magic," M'gann offered cheerfully.
"You guys go ahead," Joseph said. "I'll drop off Kadabra with the authorities. I can catch up in no time."
"Very well. See you later," Kaldur said as the rest of the Team boarded the ship and headed back to Mount Justice.
Joseph floated up, carrying the unconscious Kadabra.
"Thank you again, kid," Kent called, lingering outside the Tower. "One last piece of advice—find yourself a spitfire. Someone who won't let you get away with anything."
Joseph smiled. "Thanks, old man. I think I already have."
He launched skyward, Kadabra in tow, heading toward the nearest police station.
Then his comm crackled to life.
It was Wonder Woman.
"Kori is critically injured."
Joseph's heart dropped.