259 The Wizard #259

The Wizard inspected the area before sending two tendrils of energy toward Billy Batson and Mary Marvel, purging the corrupt energies from their bodies and healing them.

"Teth Adam..." The Wizard said as he turned to the former champion with a profound gaze. "I have long since wondered whether sealing you away was the right choice..." He added, his tone turning cold.

"Ever since your awakening, you've done nothing but show me the wisdom in that decision..." He added, shaking his head as Black Adam gritted his teeth in silence, trying to break free.

"You've destroyed and corrupted everything you touched... even your one chance at redemption..." The Wizard added as he turned to Isis, who could only cower in his presence.

"I've given you many chances, but no more," He said as he slammed his cane into the ground, causing three lightning bolts to hit Black Adam, Isis, and Mary Marvel, turning them back into their powerless forms.

"Yeah! You tell'em, gramps!" Billy Batson exclaimed, fist-pumping the air in his excitement as he watched the Wizard slam his cane again, turning the three into stone sculptures.

"And you, you little brat!" The Wizard said, turning to glare at Billy Batson, to which the latter immediately shrunk. "You've proven to be a poor judge of character and incapable of bearing responsibility," He added, his tone disappointed as he looked at his champion.

"I hate to do this, but you are no longer fit to carry the power of the gods..." The Wizard said, slamming his cane a third time, to which a lightning bolt descended on Billy Batson, taking away his powers.

Billy Batson looked disappointed at the loss of his powers, but he merely shook his head and sighed bitterly, saying nothing as he lowered his head in shame.

"As for you two young men," The Wizard said as he turned to the Flash and myself, leaning on his cane. "You are the only reason this debacle didn't end in disaster for everyone. You have my thanks," He added as he stopped exuding his energy, causing everyone to sigh in relief.

"Your hard work and sacrifice merit a reward. Speak, and if it's within my ability, I will grant it," The Wizard concluded, the cane disappearing as he shrunk back to regular human size.

"I'll take a rain check on that..." The Flash said, shaking his head. "I gotta take Billy back to his uncle and run some errands," He added as he vanished and appeared next to Billy Batson.

"Seya later," The Flash concluded as he put a hand on Billy Batson's shoulder, and the two vanished before anyone could say anything, leaving Gray and the Wizard alone.

"It just happens that the champion's position is currently vacant..." The Wizard said, giving Grayson a weird look as he approached the young man, giving him an appraising look.

"And I can't think of a more fitting young man or a more fitting reward..." He added as he stopped in front of Grayson, much to the latter's confusion as he raised an eyebrow and put on a puzzled expression.

"You're no pure soul; that much is certain..." The Wizard said, his lips stretching into an amused smile. "But the pureness of soul comes with a certain naivety and vulnerability to corruption..." He added, his smile vanishing as he turned to Black Adam's petrified body with a bitter expression.

"You've been to dark places but still found the light. You wish to do what is right, and that is all that matters," The Wizard explained as he turned back to Grayson. "So? Are you interested, young man?" He asked.

"I'm flattered, but no..." Grayson said with a shrug. "I like to do things my way..." He added, shaking his head, to which the Wizard merely nodded, showing no signs of surprise.

"I figured you'd say that..." The Wizard said with another nod. "So what will it be then, young man...?" He asked, trailing off as he waited for Grayson to ask for his reward.

"Well, if I had to choose another reward..."

...

Later

I sighed, holding on to my sore arm as I plopped down into my couch, feeling pain all over my body. "That was fucking exhausting..." I muttered, shaking my head.

'At least I'm one step closer to fixing my fuck up...' I mused, smiling as I retrieved a golden lump of metal from my inventory and gave it an appraising look.

I'd intended to ask Billy Batson to create some Marvelium for me, but with his powers gone, I could only ask the Wizard instead, even if it meant using up what I could only describe as a wish in a bottle.

The Wizard was the first hero and one of the most powerful entities in the uiverse. His strength rivaled even the gods, and there wasn't much he couldn't do, even if he took an advisor and a mentor role most of the time in the comics.

I could have asked him for anything, but I ended up asking for Marvelium or something similar. He was genuinely surprised by my request and asked me why I'd ask for such a thing, to which I explained Richard's situation without hesitation.

Eventually, he merely laughed it off and materialized a golden lump of metal into existence with a snap of his fingers. He said it was even better than Marvelium before teleporting me back to my hideout, where I appeared with all my injuries gone.

I was still exhausted, but I had no wounds, and the blood disappeared from my clothes like it was never there.

"Yeah... that's enough fighting for the next three months..." I muttered, bitterly smiling as I put the metal back into my inventory. I had no energy to think about work or even get off the couch, for that matter.

Ultimately, I could do nothing but sigh in relief as I leaned into the couch and closed my eyes, as my eyelids felt heavier and heavier with every second.

...

New York

Inside a cheap apartment

Crush had a blank expression as she stood inside the living room full of corpses as she casually picked up a beer can from the table and emptied it in one gulp.

"Nowhere to run now, you slimy bastard..." Crush muttered, squashing the can and throwing it away as she calmly walked toward the bedroom, kicking the door and stepping inside.

She found herself staring at the barrel of a shotgun, and the man holding the gun pulled the trigger without hesitation, his eyes widening as her head only jerked back, and she remained standing.

"If you wanted to piss me off, then congratulations..." Crush said as she slowly moved her head back in place, the shotgun pellets falling off her face as she stared the man down.

"I'm officially even more pissed than I was a second ago," She added, her tone growing cold, to which the man instantly panicked and tried to shoot again, but she was a step faster as she held the gun's barrel.

"And that's saying something," Crush added, her expression twisting into rage as she slowly exerted strength into her grip and twisted the shotgun's barrel before Ezekiel's widening eyes.

She didn't wait for Ezekiel to say anything as she slapped the gun away from his hand and kicked him in the abdomen, which sent him crashing into the wall behind him.

"Wait! Please!" Ezekiel begged, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Crush quickly closed the distance and began bashing his head against the wall with a vengeance.

He continued begging for his life, but Crush did not stop or respond as she continued to slam his head against the wall, even as he stopped kicking and screaming.

By the time Crush stopped, Ezekiel's was long dead. His no longer head had any recognizable features other than the bloody scalp in her hand that she unintentionally pried off while bashing it against the wall.

She said nothing as she threw the scalp away and left the room without sparing another glance at the dead Ezekiel. She headed for the apartment's fridge, where she took another beer.

Crush sighed, shaking her head as she looked at the beer and threw it away after a second of hesitation. Revenge did not give her the satisfaction she hoped it would bring, but she didn't regret her actions.

She felt confusion instead of remorse as she found herself at a loss for what to do with herself for the first time in a long time. Ever since her adoptive parents died in that fire, she only lived to avenge them.

However, now that she had accomplished her goals, she had no purpose. She was dismayed, and confused about what to do with her life.

Suddenly she heard a familiar voice and turned the televisio where she saw a young man speaking about his company. "Eh, why the fuck not..." She muttered as she headed for the apartment's exit.

...

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