Chapter 73: Madame Xanadu

"Talking" 

'Thinking'

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Madame Xanadu's Divination House, London, England, June 13, 20:36, 2017

In a London neighborhood, a small establishment called 'Divination House' was located. The place was nothing special. A small store, where tarot cards, deck of cards, and a few other gypsy gadgets, were sold at a moderately cheap price. 

Nevertheless, the people of London were well acquainted with this place which, for generations, has remained untouched by the passage of time, and which has popularity for harboring numerous legends both good and bad. 

Some legends put the place as the meeting place of a satanic sect. Where children were sacrificed to worship the 'devil' in exchange for power, money and eternal youth. 

Other stories said that the place belonged to a witch survivor of the Salem massacre. That she has been in hiding for generations, acquiring power in order to regain her revenge against the mankind that took her home away from her. 

And others simply said that in the establishment was a portal to a mythical fairytale city where magical creatures such as dragons, fairies, and other fantastic creatures, lived.

This place had numerous legends both good and bad. But there was no denying that these legends made this place, which was actually a small and simple establishment, a success. 

Numerous appointments were made daily to see the 'fortune teller'. A beautiful woman who, officially for the authorities, was the great-granddaughter of the founder of this place and who came from a family of gypsies who made a living by giving people predictions of their future.

Madame Xanadu, or Neria Induet, as she was officially called in her official identification, was a simple citizen of London who lived from day to day making an honest living. She was even loved in the neighborhood for her kind nature, and her charity to the underprivileged. 

Bad stories from her local didn't matter a bit to her. On the contrary. For her, it was only publicity that allowed her to have a successful business. 

The said woman, wearing her traditional gypsy dress, her dark makeup that highlighted her dark skin, and her numerous gold rings, necklaces, and bracelets that highlighted her beauty, was working, as she did every day, giving 'divinations' to her respective clients. 

Today had been a busy day. And frankly, she was exhausted. Good thing this woman, a rather wealthy businesswoman who worked for a major appliance manufacturing company, was her latest client. 

There were numerous taboos and myths about the art of divination. But people could not deny that there was an appeal in knowing 'the future'. 

Your future in love. Your future in money. Your future in work. People were curious to learn it. And this woman had very good reviews about these divinations. No one could deny that Madame Xanadu was good at her job. 

At this time, she was doing traditional divination using tarot cards. Shuffling the cards, she turned them face down, and handed them to the client, who was sitting in front of her. 

"Pick three, miss. The first card will reveal your future regarding the subject of money. The second will be your future regarding the subject of work. And the last card you choose, will be your future regarding the subject of love. Any doubts?" said Madame Xanadu, as she brought the cards closer for the woman to take. The woman shook her head as a sign that she had no doubts. The explanation had been simple, but enough for her to understand it well. 

She quickly took the cards, and handed them back to Madame Xanadu. She did not, however, turn them over, but separated them from the rest of the deck and placed them right in front of the woman.

"These are your cards. These will reveal what fate has in store for you, miss. I just want to give you a warning. If something comes up that you don't expect, or don't want, don't be alarmed or worried. Many think that fate is absolute, but it is not. One thing that we, gypsies, learn is that fate can be changed by our own hand. We can be the masters of our next destiny. If you don't like something, just change it. Or, failing that, if a situation cannot be changed, then change yourself"

"Thank you, Miss Xanadu. Your words touch my heart. For that advice alone I promise to speak well of your place to all my Friends"

The woman thanked Madame Xanadu from the bottom of her heart. Her words tugged at her heartstrings and dispelled her fears. There was no denying that there was always fear when talking about knowing "the future" and that it would turn out to be something you didn't want or expect.

And Madame Xanadu, who had numerous years of experience, saw that this woman had this fear deep in her heart. So she spoke these words to reassure her, indicating that she need not be frightened by the outcome of these cards. 

The future was malleable. The future was determined by our own hand. And she was not just saying that, but from life experience. A rich and long life experience…

"Okay, let's get started" Xanadu turned over the cards. There she realized that the woman's fears were unfounded, as the results were quite promising. This woman's future looked good. At least that was what the cards indicated. 

"Great, miss. A very good result. The first card is 'Wheel of Fortune' and it is in the ascendant. Great monetary successes await you. The second is 'The Empress', this card indicates that, in your job, you will get a promotion or even start your own successful business. And the third card is 'The Lovers', this only indicates that soon there will be a crush for you. Love is on the rise. Congratulations. One of the best results I have predicted to date. Your destiny is very good" 

"That's great, Miss Xanadu. Actually, I've recently been approached to head the company's new subsidiary in Japan. I didn't know whether to accept it. But seeing this, perhaps it's best to accept it. It is quite certain that my fortune will be found there. The love I'm looking forward to, maybe I'll find it there"

"It's very likely. If you ask my opinion, I say go for it. There are no unfavorable reasons not to. Besides, the future favors the brave. A change of scenery is always good"

"I will do so, thank you very much. You know, I heard legends of this place and the evil 'witch' who worked as a fortune teller. But they are very wrong in that opinion. You are very good, and you are also very beautiful. You do not at all deserve such negative opinions of your establishment" 

Madame Xanadu just laughed at this sentence. "It's just that you haven't seen me angry, miss. When I get angry I do turn into a evil witch, hahaha. But negative opinions don't matter to me. They never did and they never will. Now, this would be it. For everything, it would be £80. Besides, it's already late, and it's a long trip for you from here to the main avenue, so it's best if you leave before it gets darker" 

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't even told him her name, and this fortune-telling woman had said with complete certainty where she lived. Indeed, her house was on the main avenue. All she could ask because of her surprise was.

"How...?" 

Xanadu laughed again at the woman's surprised expression. With a smile and winking her right eye, she said.

"I guessed"

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Xanadu was getting ready for bed. The establishment not only served as her workplace, but it was also her home. Small, but it had what it took to make it cozy. 

She had just finished dinner, and was currently making herself a soothing tea to sleep better. It wasn't necessary, because physically she was exhausted, but it would still make for more pleasant dreams. Something she frankly appreciated. 

She was about to pour her tea, when suddenly, as if by magic, a shadow materialized right on the wall. The shadow began to grow and change to a human appearance. 

Normally, anyone would run, scream, or freak out in fear at the sight of this, but Xanadu was not just anyone. She simply stopped what she was doing quietly, and, with a snap, magically materialized a staff. Apparently, the legends that a 'witch' lived there were not so unfounded.

The staff was special. Anyone with a little magical power could sense that this staff, which was made of oak wood, and which had some druidic symbols carved into the wood, exuded great power. This staff was not ordinary at all. 

In terms of power, if someone could measure it properly, they could even claim that this staff held almost as much power as Dr. Fate's own helmet. That was how powerful this magical artifact was.

When Xanadu picked up the staff, her entire attire, which consisted of a comfortable sleeping robe and slippers, changed. A battle suit, in medieval style, was transfigured on her body. This suit was special, as it was made of dragon skin. It was resistant to magic. In addition, a pair of silver daggers were attached to her waist.

At this moment, the nice and beautiful 'fortune teller' was gone. And a warrior woman, with a heroic and noble bearing had appeared, ready to fight whatever this threat was. Clearly, with this, it was revealed that Madame Xanadu was no ordinary person at all. 

Nevertheless, she did not attack, but waited for the shadow to materialize. And good thing she did, because when the shadow's features were revealed, which were of a man, there she realized that it would have been a very serious mistake if she had attacked him beforehand. 

The man, who was revealed, was someone who could only be described as handsome and gentlemanly. His features, which seemed to have been designed by the best architects, only denoted masculine beauty and great courage. 

He had long, platinum blond hair, tied in a ponytail. His thick, but well-groomed beard only denoted masculinity. His muscular and robust body conveyed strength and power. He was quite tall. He was over six feet tall. And his clothes, a linen shirt and jeans, only highlighted his good physique and divine bearing. 

This man was not a mere man. This man was a god. And not just any god, but one of the main gods of Arthurian, Celtic and Gaelic culture. That is, he was the god Lugh. God of the arts. And someone Ares had recruited.

When Xanadu saw this man and recognized him, she dropped her hostility and changed her demeanor to one of devotion. She quickly knelt down in worship and said. 

"My lord, forgive me. If I had known it was you, I would never have lifted a finger against you" 

"Arise, no crime has been committed. On the contrary, I am glad you were attentive to the threat and prepared to fight. You can tell that the passage of time has not affected your elite warrior training... Nimue"

That's right, as stated, Madame Xanadu was no mere fortune teller, nor was she the great-granddaughter of the one who started this establishment. Rather, she was the very owner who had started it all. 

Neria Induet was simply a false identity so as not to arouse the suspicions of the authorities. Since, anyone would look strange to a witch and millenary warrior who has endured since the time of King Arthur.

Nimue Induwu, as she was originally called, was none other than the wife of the late King Arthur of Camelot. Someone whose age was millennia old, and who had remained young due to a 'curse/gift' bestowed upon her not to die and not to age. 

One might call it a gift. But for her, it was a punishment. A punishment that lasted to the present date. For she could not be reunited with her loved ones in the afterlife. 

At first, she traveled the world. Seeking knowledge and power. Even searching for artifacts that the ancient Camelot had left behind. Like the staff she held in her hands, which belonged to Merlin himself. Or the knives at her waist, a gift from her husband Arthur for their wedding anniversary. 

However, as time went by, she isolated herself from the world and opted instead to open this establishment and live a simple life. That is, she became Madame Xanadu, a simple fortune teller. 

"My lord, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?" asked Nimue doubtfully. There she realized that she had been rude and had not even offered him a drink. "Forgive me, my lord. I haven't offered you a drink. You like a glass of water, or tea. I even think I still have some magically aged liquor, as Master Merlin used to do"

"Easy, Nimue. There is no need for that. Unfortunately, my visit is sporadic and, above all, it is secret. No one, and I mean NO ONE, must know that I am here"

"I understand, my lord" Nimue snapped her fingers and all the curtains closed. The lights went out, and only a couple of candles were left illuminating the room. The atmosphere became calm and quiet. "Ready, my lord. I have diminished the presence of the establishment. No one will know you are here" 

"Perfect, and I see your magic has improved. It used to be difficult for you to do all this. As a warrior, you were someone battle-hardened and fierce, but as a witch... let's just say you were pretty average" 

One would think that was an insult to Nimue, but it was the truth. 

Queen Nimue was someone known to have started out as a knight. To everyone's surprise, she quickly became an elite warrior, catching Arthur's attention. She quickly earned the place of commander-in-chief of his majesty's troops, and, in time, won the love of the king, crowning her his queen. 

Nimue was a skilled swordswoman, specializing in stealth and hand-to-hand combat. But in terms of magic... she was not powerful. She was pretty average. Nowhere near the level that Merlin's acolytes, namely Arthur, Morgana, Nabu and Mordru, had.

But of course, being Arthur's wife, and being friends with Nabu, Mordru and even Morgana, one learned various tricks. Besides, she had lived millennia. She had time to practice to exhaustion with her magic, making it quite powerful. It was still not on the level of Merlin and his acolytes. But he was no longer average. It could even be said that, in terms of power, she was more powerful than Zatara of the Justice League. 

"Many years of practice, my lord. And the staff helps quite a bit. It's Master Merlin's staff. I found it in some ruins in Glasgow, but if you want-" 

"Keep it. It serves you better at the moment. Besides, Merlin would have wanted it to stay in the family. Arthur was like his son. And what better than for his beloved staff to stay with his son's wife" Lugh sat down and motioned for Nimue to sit. She did so without hesitation. "But I do not come to speak of the past, nor of the memories that surface in our minds. I come for a serious matter" 

Nimue became serious and attentive for what Lugh was about to say. There was a seriousness in her beautiful face, because she respected this god too much.

Lugh was a revered god in Camelot. He had a very large cult of worship. He was a benevolent god to the people of Camelot. However, for Nimue, there was another reason why she respected this god too much. 

And that is that she was strongly related to him. More specifically with his wife, the goddess Vivian, better known as the lady of the lake. Who was the one who gave her the 'gift' of living forever. 

For her, it could be a punishment. But at the time, it was a gift. A gift where the goddess Vivian herself, gave her own life in exchange for Nimue to live.

In Arthur and Morgana's power struggle to see who would rule Camelot, Nimue had perished before the dark forces of the evil sorceress. Arthur, who emerged the victor, asked for a miracle so that his beloved would live. And the lady of the lake (Vivian) granted it. In exchange, Nimue would become the guardian of Camelot. The new lady of the lake. 

At this moment, it was not understood that her life would be forever. And that, although Camelot had vanished, the result of the passage of time, dividing into various territories such as Germany, England, Scotland, Albania and so on, the curse still continued for Nimue.

Lugh continued the conversation 

"I come to ask you for a favor. I need you to do something for me, which is difficult, but necessary. Believe it or not, I have been keeping an eye on your current life. Like you, I too have cut myself off from the world and lived the quiet life as a mere mortal. People who live too much get to a point where they just want quiet. And I understand that, at this moment, you are living that. What I am going to ask of you will break that tranquility. Simply put, you will become the focus of attention for today's society, specifically today's hero society" 

Lugh was telling her to leave her current life and return to the spotlight of the world. To reveal her true self. Her millennial origin. 

"I will do so my lord. Without hesitation... but in return, I want to ask something of you"

Lugh sighed as he knew what she was going to ask him. 

"Sigh. Let me guess. You want me to take away the gift of immortality my wife gave you" 

"That's right, my lord. I am tired of living this life, only seeing my loved ones in my dreams. Remembering the moments I lived with my husband, my son, my grandchildren... they are already in another life, but I... I am still here. Camelot is dead. Extinct by time. But I... I am still here. Why. Why my curse continues" 

"Sigh. Camelot is dead. Yes. But the world goes on. Many forget that my wife, Vivian, was the goddess of protection. And that, in saving you, she gave you that job. To protect. That your curse has not ended is a sign that the world still needs you, Nimue..... But, I understand that you are tired, so I agree. Do me this favor, and I will remove the curse" 

"Thank you, my lord. What is your request?" 

"I want you to go to the Justice League of Europe headquarters, and request a meeting with Wonder Woman. I'm sure you have enough experience to manage to obtain a walk-in meeting with this heroine"

"Very well. But what do you want me to say?" 

"There's a war coming. A war of gods and demons. And superheroes are the only ones with the ability to save the world. Unfortunately, I am on the side of the gods and will not be able to be of help to the humans" 

"My lord, but why. Have we humans done anything to offend you?"

"Not at all. But I cannot oppose them because the remaining group of gods are quite powerful. I alone cannot make a difference. Besides, they trust me. They don't know I'm a spy. And it's better that way. Ares, he has enveloped us with his words and his future promises. But I know the truth. He has something in his hands. Right now, it's best to pretend I'm with him to find out his real plan" 

"I see..." 

Nimue understood now. Lugh had not turned his back on humanity, but was being a spy to find out Ares' true plans. 

Lugh was in disbelief that Ares had no ulterior motives. Ares was a god with unparalleled greed. He knew he didn't care about the group of gods, only his own well-being. But he hadn't been able to figure out his plan. And that's why he had to send Nimue as a messenger to warn the superheroes so the group of gods wouldn't get suspicious.

"I am going to give you quite detailed information about events that will occur. However, I will put a barrier in your mind so that these events will be revealed in due time. I will also erase the memory that I came to warn you. And I will erase my mind so that I will believe that I never came to this place. All for safety" 

"I understand, my lord..." 

Lugh summoned his divine power and touched Nimue's forehead. A golden light began to cover Nimue's head, as her eyes glowed golden in power. However, because of the large amount of information, her head began to ache. 

"This... this is too much... this is too much. Agh, it's too much, agh, AGH, SHIT, AHHH" 

"Hang in there, Nimue. It's a lot, but you have to put up with it" 

Nimue began to grunt in pain from the severe headache all this information was giving her. Attack on Themyscira, revocation of the divine mandate of non-intervention, lair of the Obscurus, all the information from Trigon and his minions. All that Lugh knew, was transmitted to Nimue. 

Nimue felt like her head was about to explode, but just when the pain was already unbearable, it just stopped. 

"Whew, whew, that was..." 

"Well done, now I'll put the barriers in your mind. When the last barrier is erected, you will forget that I came here. Don't worry, I will keep my promise and when it's all over, I will take away your immortality. The fate of the world is in your hands Nimue..."

Saying that, Lugh touched Nimue's forehead again. After 3 seconds of golden glow on her head, she simply fainted. Lugh disappeared as if he had never been there....

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European Hall of Justice, London, England, June 14, 11:47, 2017

"You speak of the Obscurus, enemies of my beloved, as if you knew them. You introduce yourself to us as if we were your friends. You have three seconds to tell me who you are or I will cut off your head without hesitation" 

Nimue was unfazed by Diana's threat. She knew this woman would do nothing to her. Wonder Woman was a fierce warrior, but a righteous one. Despite the threats, she knew she would not act rashly. 

Actually, if they asked her, she didn't know why she was there. She had awakened quite disoriented, but in her head she had only one idea. To come to this place because they needed her help. 

She didn't know why. She didn't know how. But she had woken up with a lot of information. Information she didn't know. But that it was pressing to reveal since the fate of the world depended on it. 

And she knew that for everything to turn out well, this woman who threatened her with her sword had to trust her. Raising her hands, and with complete honesty, she said. 

"I have no bad intent in coming here. Believe me. I am even willing for you to wear the lasso of truth on me so that you know I am telling the truth" 

Diana didn't hesitate. She took the lasso and tied it to her arm. Glowing, he began to exert his power on her. 

"Tell me, who are you?"

"My name is Madame Xanadu, and I come to help..."

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AN:

My P@treon 

TioIroh99 (10 chapters ahead)

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