|Lima, Peru
|December 24, 2009, 11:00 PM PET
|Downtown Lima, Building Abandoned
In the darkness of the abandoned building, the air vibrated with growing intensity. Sebastian, his eyes closed in concentration, stood with difficulty. His arms were outstretched, and a constant stream of crimson energy flowed from his palms, enveloping the three unconscious clones. Wonder Boy, Warhawk, and Cherub floated motionless, like luminous cocoons of Chaos Magic.
Sebastian felt the drain of energy with every passing second. The buildup was immense, a psychic beacon meant to draw Strange to him. But the exertion was draining him, more than he expected. Cold sweat beaded his forehead, and his muscles trembled. The sheer, immense, uncontrollable energy of Chaos was a difficult force to master, even for him.
This is too much , he thought, his mind screaming with fatigue. Doubt began to creep in. What if he was wrong? What if this concentration of Chaos magic affected them, harmed the clones? He didn't want them to wake up with nightmares or with their minds messed up. The line between a beacon and an attack was thin. He was on the edge.
"No... I can't go on..." Sebastian murmured, his voice barely a whisper. He was about to give up, to collapse, to let the energy disperse, when suddenly...
A golden glow burst into the gloom.
A complex, glowing magic circle appeared out of thin air on the ground, right beneath Sebastian's feet. It emitted an audible hum and a warm, enveloping light. Before Sebastian could react, the circle began to absorb the Chaos magic around him, sucking it in like a mystical black hole. At the same time, thin chains of golden energy, luminous and ethereal, erupted from the circle. They coiled around Sebastian's ankles, wrists, and torso, imprisoning him. His own Chaos Magic felt suppressed, as if a switch had been flicked off, and his levitation abilities failed. He hung, suspended upside down in the air by the golden chains, a makeshift prisoner.
The golden light from the circle faded as quickly as it had appeared, plunging the room into even deeper gloom. Then, from the ceiling, a figure floated down. He was a man with an imposing presence, dressed in a purple cloak, a cream-colored tunic, and teal trousers. His beard was dark, streaked with gray, and his eyes were piercing. It was Gregorio de la Vega, Strange, the same one Sebastian had been summoning.
Strange landed softly, his bare feet touching the dusty ground. His golden eyes scanned the scene. First, he noticed the three clones. The Chaos magic Sebastian had gathered around them was now sustained by Strange's own, keeping them floating gently, asleep and safe. A sigh of relief, almost imperceptible, escaped the sorcerer's lips.
Then Strange's gaze fell on Sebastian, hanging helplessly from the golden chains. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had expected an entity, perhaps a newly descended Chaos Lord, or a dark and twisted sorcerer, given the powerful fluctuations of Chaos magic he had felt. But what he found was a teenage boy, not much older than his own daughter Suri, with an expression of exhaustion and a hint of relief on his face.
"Such a potent concentration of Chaos Magic... and its source is... a child," Strange muttered to himself, surprise tinged with deep concern. "This is... unusual."
Sebastian, recovering somewhat from his shock and shortness of breath, struggled to speak. "I... I'm Sebastian Pierce. And... and thanks for coming. It worked."
Strange raised an eyebrow, his gaze searching. "It worked, you say. So it was you who summoned this very... disordered chaos signature? I know of no sorcerer on this plane with such power. And why this... display of power in the middle of my city?"
"It wasn't a demonstration," Sebastian replied, his voice still a little weak. "It was a... a beacon. A desperate attempt to get your attention. I need your help, Mr. Strange."
Strange approached Sebastian, his mystical aura radiating a calm that contrasted with the turbulence he'd felt. "Help for what? And these young people... who are they? Their energy signatures are... complex. I see traces of immense power, familiar, but also an unusual mix."
Sebastian took a deep breath, his mind working quickly to summarize the situation. "They're... clones. Cloned at Cadmus Labs. They're 'DNAngels,' they call them. The one on the right," Sebastian nodded to Wonder Boy, "is a clone of Wonder Woman. The Thanagarian-looking one," he referred to Warhawk, "is a clone of Hawkman and Hawkwoman. And the girl," his eyes flicked to Cherub, "is a speedster, a clone of the Flash."
Strange tensed. Cadmus. The shadowy organization. The Justice League had had run-ins with them, but cloning such powerful figures... that was a whole new level of audacity.
"I got them out of there," Sebastian continued. "I discovered their plans. Cadmus is creating them to be... weapons. To be controlled, to attack their own genetic donors. The League doesn't know the extent of what Cadmus is doing. And I couldn't allow it. I couldn't leave them there."
"And you... who are you, Sebastian Pierce, to have such power and to know all this?" Strange asked, his voice low and cautious. "The Chaos Magic you use is... Klarion's. The source of disorder. How did you obtain it? And why do you use it to unleash these... projects?"
"My origin... is complicated," Sebastian decided to keep his transmigration a secret, for now. It was too much. "But Chaos Magic... it flows through me. It's part of who I am, now. And I used it to free you because it's the right thing to do. Cadmus is a danger. And I... I didn't know where to turn. I don't trust the Justice League with this, not yet. Not without knowing what version of your world I'm in. You were the only one who came to mind. The only one who would understand the magic, the hidden dangers, and who wouldn't hand you over to Cadmus or the League without asking."
Sebastian looked at Strange, his eyes pleading. "I focused it to draw him in. To make him sense the disturbance. I need your help, Lord Strange. I need a safe place for them. I need your knowledge to understand what to do. And I need you to help me understand... this world."
Strange watched the young man hanging before him, the sheer desperation and honesty in his eyes, despite the audacity of his call and the dangerous power he wielded. The situation was, without a doubt, an anomaly of considerable proportions. The sorcerer exhaled slowly, his mind already working through the intricacies.
"Chaos magic, Justice League clones, Cadmus... and a child pleading for sanctuary," Strange murmured. "Looks like my Christmas night just got a lot more... interesting." With a wave of his hand, the golden energy chains loosened, freeing Sebastian, who fell to the ground with a gasp. "Very well, Sebastian Pierce. It seems we have much to discuss."
Sebastian rubbed his wrists, still feeling the tingle of the magical chains. He sat down on the dusty ground, staring at Strange, who had approached the clones, inspecting the energy around them.
"It's not just what I just told you about these three, Mr. Strange," Sebastian began, feeling the need to be completely honest with the only one who could help him. "It's... everything. I'm not of this world. Or at least, not of this moment. I've lived... many lives. Seven, to be exact. This is my seventh."
Strange turned, his look of surprise returning to his face. "Seven lives. That's... unusual. Explain."
Sebastian nodded, his voice falling into a calm tale, almost as if speaking from distant dreams. "My first life was that of Kaelen, a mystical warrior in an ancient kingdom. My powers were the control of light and shadow, allowing me to manipulate the surrounding energy to create illusions and bursts of power. I died defending my kingdom from a demonic invasion."
"Then I was Elara, a brilliant scientist in a dystopian future. My power was the manipulation of technology; I could interact with any machine, control it, repair it, or dismantle it with a simple touch. I died trying to sabotage the control system of a mega-corporation that oppressed the population."
"My third life was that of Hiroki, a psychic detective in cyberpunk Tokyo. I possessed telepathy and low-level telekinesis, allowing me to read minds and move small objects. I dedicated myself to solving crimes the police couldn't. I died unraveling a secret society conspiracy."
"The fourth life was that of Silas, a desert elementalist. He could control sand and earth, create sandstorms, or raise walls of rock. He was a nomad, seeking peace in a desolate world. I died protecting a bandit caravan. A large boulder crushed me."
"My fifth life was that of Lyra, a bard and healer with powers of musical empathy. I could use my music to heal wounds, soothe pain, or influence people's emotions. I traveled the lands, bringing comfort. I died in a plague, using my last strength to heal others."
"The sixth life was that of Jaxon, a spy with control over pheromones, which allowed me to influence people's behavior. I could make them trust me, feel fearful, or even euphoric. I died on an undercover mission, betrayed by my own superiors."
Sebastian paused, images of those lives flickering in his mind. "And then, this one. I woke up as Sebastian Pierce in Cadmus Labs, with this... Chaos Magic. And the last life I clearly remember before this one... was in a universe that was doomed."
Strange's eyes narrowed. "Damned. What kind of damnation?"
Sebastian began to recount, his voice laden with a solemnity that belied his age. "Earth was in ruins. A wasteland. An intergalactic tyrant named Darkseid had arrived. He was like nothing this world had ever seen. His preemptive strike decimated the heroes. Superman... stripped him of his powers. Batman was turned into his puppet. Cyborg was torn apart and used as a tool. The Justice League was destroyed—or turned."
Strange listened, his face grave. The mere description of such a calamity was chilling.
"Two years later," Sebastian continued, "Earth was a hellhole. Paradooms, horrible creatures, infested every corner. They were like monsters that Darkseid created with technology and magic, with the fury of Doomsday, the creature that killed Superman on that world, and the obedience of his soldiers, the Parademons. Here, on this world, no one knows who they are. But in that universe... they were terror."
"But hope didn't die entirely. A team... the last of the heroes and a few villains, like Harley Quinn, banded together. Superman, though mortal, Raven, Constantine... I saw Constantine again. His final plan was to return to Apokolips, Darkseid's planet, to free Batman and Cyborg. The battle was... the most brutal imaginable. Death. Sacrifice. But even in the midst of war, it was revealed that the weakness in that universe, the thing that allowed Darkseid to win, was caused by Flash's Flashpoint. A trip back in time to save his mother had weakened reality."
Sebastian stared at Strange with desperate intensity. "The universe was on the brink of collapse. There was no other option. Constantine, and the last heroes, decided to... reboot. The Flash had to travel back in time again, another Flashpoint, not to save one, but to erase that entire reality. So that a new timeline could be reborn."
Silence filled the warehouse, broken only by the soft hum of Strange's magic keeping the clones afloat. Strange processed the magnitude of what he had just heard: rebooted realities, intergalactic tyrants, heroes turned into puppets. It was a cosmic nightmare.
"Darkseid... is an intergalactic warlord, the ruler of Apokolips. His goal is to subjugate all will in the universe, using the Anti-Life Equation," Sebastian explained. "Doomsday is a creature of unstoppable destruction, designed to kill. He was what took out Superman in that reality. And the Parademons are his soldiers, violent, winged beings, created for his army. This world... hasn't faced any of that yet. They don't know what true despair is."
Strange nodded slowly, his face now a mask of deep concern. This wasn't a simple invocation of Chaos Magic. It was a cry for help from the edge of the abyss, from a being who had seen the end of everything. And the implication was clear: Sebastian's existence here, with his memories of an apocalypse and his strange powers, meant that the timeline of this world, the one of Young Justice, was not safe.
"I understand," Strange said, his voice deeper than ever. "Your story is... astonishing. And terrifying. It seems the universe has a strange way of preserving souls." He rubbed his beard, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Very well, Sebastian Pierce. It seems we have much, much to discuss. And much to prepare."
The dust suspended in the air danced in the few beams of light that filtered through the building's broken windows. Strange had knelt beside Sebastian, who remained seated on the floor, absorbing the magnitude of his story. The three clones continued to float in an induced sleep, the faint light of Strange's magic holding them in place.
"Sebastian," Strange began, his voice calm but firm, his golden eyes fixed on the young man. "What you've told us... is much. More than any soul should bear. But your intentions, despite the methods, seem genuine. And these 'DNAngels'... are not guilty of their creation." He paused, looking at the clones. "My decision is this: I will help them. I will take them to my Sacrarium, a secure place where we can study them without Cadmus or the Justice League immediately finding them. And you... will come as well."
As Strange explained, a faint spark of energy flickered around Wonder Boy. The influence of Sebastian's Chaos Magic had diminished, and the clone's powerful physique was beginning to shake off the lethargy of induced sleep. His eyes snapped open, a vivid blue filled with fury.
"You!" Wonder Boy snarled, his voice echoing with renewed rage as he saw Sebastian still on the ground and Strange standing over him, the magical chains on Sebastian's wrist now deactivated. The sight fooled him. He thought Strange was attacking Sebastian.
Almost simultaneously, Warhawk and Cherub also began to awaken. Cherub, with her speed, opened her eyes and took in the scene. Her first reaction was a flash of blue light that propelled her toward Strange. Warhawk, with a guttural growl, flexed his fledgling wings, his muscles tensing, ready for combat.
"He's attacking him!" Cherub exclaimed, his voice high and thick with indignation. He launched himself at Strange, a gust of wind forming around him.
Wonder Boy, no less swift, launched himself from his hovering position, a fist already on its way to Strange's face. "I told you, you wouldn't put us back to sleep! You're not going to hurt him!"
Strange, however, was unfazed. His golden eyes ignited with a brighter light. With a graceful yet precise movement of his hands, gestures that drew intricate patterns of light in the air, he released a blast from his Mystic Arts. It wasn't a blast, but a containment. Circles of glowing orange energy manifested around the three clones.
The bodies of Wonder Boy, Warhawk, and Cherub stopped dead in their tracks, frozen in midair, their faces contorted with fury, their fists clenched. The orange energy enveloped them, halting their movement, their strength, their speed, without harming them. It was an invisible but unbreakable prison.
Sebastian watched, stunned, at the ease with which Strange had stopped three beings with powers comparable to those of the Justice League. It was an astonishing display of control and power.
Strange turned to the clones, his voice resonating with an imperturbable calm that contrasted with the fury surrounding them. "Silence. I know you feel disoriented and, understandably, angry. But I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me, or from Sebastian."
Then he turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, explain the rest. And apologize for your... method."
Sebastian nodded, his voice still a little strained, but with the authority of someone who understands the situation. "They're right to be angry. I'm sorry. I didn't knock them out because I wanted to, but because I needed to focus Chaos Magic to get Lord Strange's attention. It was the only way he'd detect me and come help us. And I didn't want to risk them waking up and trying to escape before he arrived. It was for their safety."
Wonder Boy, still immobilized, grunted, but the gleam in his eyes, now a little more cautious, showed that he was listening. Cherub, with an exasperated expression, also seemed to lower his guard a little, although it remained tense.
"Lord Strange has agreed to help us," Sebastian continued. "He will take us to a safe place, away from Cadmus. A place where we will be safe and can better understand who we are and what to do next."
Strange, with another gesture of his hands, dispelled the clones' mystical bonds. They fell to the ground with a soft thud, their civilian clothes disheveled. They stood up slowly, still wary, but the aggression in their eyes had diminished. Strange's calm and Sebastian's explanation had had an effect.
"My Sacrarium is a sanctuary. A place of knowledge and mystical safety," Strange explained, his voice measured and didactic. "There you will be safe from the eyes of Cadmus and, for now, from the Justice League, until we can determine the best course of action. You are complex beings, and your situation requires a... precise approach."
Wonder Boy rubbed the back of his neck. "So... are you going to help us? Are you going to hide us?"
"I will protect you," Strange stated. "And I will help you understand your origins. But this won't be summer camp. You'll have to trust my rules and my guidance."
Warhawk growled. "As long as we're safe, and we're not weapons... I suppose that's a start."
Cherub looked at Sebastian, then at Strange. "Thank you. For all this. And for the explanation."
Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, the tension of hours finally easing from his shoulders. He looked at the three clones, now calmer.
Then Sebastian turned to Strange, a new determination shining in his eyes. He had seen Strange's power, the precision with which he wielded magic, a skill that stood in stark contrast to his own wild and uncontrollable Chaos Magic.
"Lord Strange," Sebastian said, his voice low and filled with a new conviction. "I want to learn."
Strange raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"I want to learn your Mystic Arts," Sebastian continued, his gaze fixed on the sorcerer. "My Chaos Magic is... powerful, but it's messy. Wild. You control magic with incredible precision. I need that. If I'm going to be in this world, and if I'm going to face what's coming... I need to master this. I want to learn to be like you."
Strange looked at him, a spark of interest glowing in his golden eyes. The proposal was bold, and the potential was immense, but also dangerous. Chaos Magic was a power that very few, even among mystics, dared to touch, let alone attempt to master. But Sebastian's desperation, his history, and his sheer, impending power... it was a unique opportunity.
"It is a long and dangerous road, Sebastian Pierce," Strange warned, his voice more serious. "Chaos Magic is not something that can be easily tamed. But... if you are willing to face the risks, and if you have the will for study and discipline..." A faint smile formed on his lips. "Then, perhaps, you have potential. And my Sacrarium has much to teach you."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
|Lima, Peru
|December 25, 2009, 06:00 PET
|The Sacrarium
The Christmas sun peeked timidly over the rooftops of Lima, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink. Inside the Sacrarium, an aura of calm and antiquity contrasted with the turbulence of the previous night. Gregorio de la Vega, known as Strange, strode through the halls, his purple cape gently billowing as he guided the four young people.
Sebastian, though still somewhat tired, walked with renewed determination. Beside him, Wonder Boy, Warhawk, and Cherub, now dressed in the loose-fitting robes Strange had provided, looked around with a mixture of wonder and wariness. Their eyes rested on the mystical tapestries, the discreet altars, and the shelves packed with ancient tomes that filled every corner of the sanctuary. Strange's magic had kept the clones asleep during the brief transport from the abandoned building.
"This is The Sacrarium," Strange said, his voice low, almost reverent. "My home, and a place where the magic of this world flows with a grace few understand. You will be safe here."
They arrived at a spacious dining room with stone walls and a large wooden table. The aroma of freshly brewed, slightly sweet coffee floated in the air. As Strange had suspected, Hugh Dawkins, the Tasmanian Devil, was sitting at the table, leisurely eating breakfast. Beside him, ten-year-old Suri, with straight, dark hair that reached her shoulders and curious eyes, was immersed in a picture book while eating toast. The girl, with her youthful appearance, stood out due to the remarkable height of her neck, and occasionally, small angelic wings could be seen behind her.
"Good morning, Hugh," Strange said, his voice warm, a side of him Sebastian hadn't seen until now.
Hugh looked up, his eyes softening at the sight of his husband. "Gregory, my love. You're back. Is everything all right?" Then his gaze fell on the four young men. His brow furrowed slightly, a mixture of curiosity and the alertness of a seasoned hero.
"Good morning, Father," said Suri, looking up from her book and surveying the newcomers with an inquisitive, but not fearful, look.
"Good morning, Suri," Strange replied, a small smile forming on his lips. "Yes, everything is fine. I had a... busy night. As I reported to you last night, I detected an immense accumulation of Chaos Magic in the center of the city."
Hugh nodded, his coffee cup in his hand. "I felt it. A considerable disturbance. Was it Klarion?"
"No," Strange replied, his voice returning to a deeper tone. "It was... different. Much more complex. The source of that magic is this young man," Strange pointed at Sebastian. "His name is Sebastian Pierce."
Sebastian took a small step forward, feeling a little uncomfortable under Hugh's watchful eye and Suri's curiosity. "A pleasure, Mr. Dawkins."
"And these three young men," Strange continued, gesturing to Wonder Boy, Warhawk, and Cherub, "are the reason Sebastian used her. They're... beings he rescued from a shadowy organization. They're seeking refuge and understanding." Strange decided, for the moment, to omit the complex history of Sebastian's past lives and the impending apocalypse. Too much information at once could be counterproductive, especially with Suri present. He would focus on the essentials: the boys needed help.
Hugh studied the three clones, his gaze sharp. He saw Wonder Boy's imposing stature, Warhawk's powerful build with his barely concealed wings, and Cherub, who appears to be a speedster. He felt the latent energy in them. "I understand. So, are you... new allies? Or refugees?"
"For now, refugees who need our protection and guidance," Strange replied, without breaking eye contact with Hugh. "And we need your help to understand their situation."
As Strange and Hugh spoke, Wonder Boy sent a thought to Sebastian through their mental connection. Sebastian... is it normal for two men to marry? The question was simple, tinged with the innocence of someone just born.
Sebastian sensed the question and answered mentally, trying to stay calm. Yes, Wonder Boy. In this world, and in many others, two men or two women can get married. It's normal. Love has no gender.
Then Cherub sent him another thought, his mind quick and curious. And how does Suri exist, if they're two men? His curiosity was purely logical, without malice.
Sebastian, already prepared for these kinds of existential questions, answered patiently. There are many ways to have children, Cherub. You can adopt, or use scientific methods like surrogacy, where another woman carries the baby. The important thing is that you're a family, and you love each other very much.
"Then, Strange turned to the four young men, adopting a more formal tone and introducing them to his family. "Sebastian, Wonder Boy, Warhawk, and Cherub... this is my husband, Hugh Dawkins, and our daughter, Suri de la Vega."
Hugh stood, his stature imposing. "Welcome to The Sacrarium. Any friend of my husband is welcome here. But the house has its rules. Discretion is paramount." His voice was deep, with a soft Australian accent, but his gaze was protective.
Suri, with a small, slightly shy smile, got down from her chair and approached. Her large, dark eyes, curious and filled with an unusual sparkle, looked at each of them. "Hello. Are you... heroes?" she asked, her voice sweet and clear. Her neck seemed a little longer than usual, giving her a somewhat slender appearance, and a small bump on her back suggested she had wings that weren't spread out.
Wonder Boy, somewhat self-conscious in the presence of a girl, cleared his throat. "We're... sort of. We're trying to be."
Warhawk simply nodded with a grunt, still unused to social interactions.
Cherub, however, with his more open nature, smiled at Suri. "Nice to meet you, Suri. Let's just say we're on a mission to find ourselves."
Sebastian looked at Suri, the ten-year-old girl who seemed so oblivious to the dangers of the world he'd known. It was a reminder of what he was fighting to protect. "Thank you for having us in your home, Mr. Dawkins, Suri."
Hugh nodded with a small smile. "Breakfast is almost ready."
Strange looked at his family and the young ones, a sense of relief and a heavy responsibility weighing on his chest. The Sacrarium, a bastion of mystical knowledge and a loving home, would now become a refuge for those the world did not yet understand. And Sebastian's true task—preparing this world for the threats to come—had only just begun.
TO BE CONTINUED