Explanation of Intrusion

We entered the barn that had not been cleared of the debris resulting from Clark and Bug Boy's fight. "Don't mind the mess; we had a break-in less than an hour before yours, so you can understand my... reaction to your intrusion," I said as I led them to the well-decorated and furnished 'Fortress of Solitude.' "So what makes you think there are demons on my family's property?" I asked.

"We were tasked by our... teacher to investigate a Naga," Seeing my expression of realization, Zachary mistook it for a lack of knowledge and added, "Nagas are elemental beings, occasionally labeled as demons, with a strong affinity for water. They serve as guardians of aquatic environments and are good at safeguarding hidden treasures. Their dominion over natural forces extends to the potential to trigger calamities like floods and droughts. Their mastery extends to the realms of water, wind, and thunder, grants them versatile control over these elemental forces." Zachary sounded as if reading from a book.

"So in other words, if we don't find it, your farm is screwed," Zatanna helpfully explained.

I let out a chuckle. "What is it?" Zachary asked, but I didn't answer.

"I heard your little argument earlier. If these spirits that are 'sometimes' referred to as demons are mainly guardians, why attack them?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"The Naga don't reproduce often, and when they do, they stay in their domain in the enchanted underworld, called Naga-lok. But once the offspring has successfully crossed the age of a hundred, they are sent to the surface to either gain enough souls to fuel their growth or find something equally rich in magic to sustain themselves on. I just wanted to seal it back into the underworld, but this idiot decided he would use it for target practice," Zatanna explained, pointing at Zachary towards the end.

"So you're the one who hurt my Nagini?" I asked as I summoned my familiar, and she slithered her way up my arm and settled on my shoulder, hissing at Zachary. ["Thisss one isss resssponsssible for my woundsss."] Both Zatanna and Zachary tensed after they saw me summon Nagini.

"Why didn't you tell me that naming you Nagini would be kind of redundant?" I asked the magical serpent.

"Massster chossse a name for Nagini. Nagini couldn't asssk for a better gift," she replied. I smiled.

"Well, now that you have found the not-demon, what are you going to do? She is my familiar and gets more than enough sustenance from me, so she won't attack anyone, right?" I asked, even though I got the affirmative answer from Nagini.

"A naga as a familiar? Is that even possible?" Zachary asked with a bewildered look. Zatanna looked contemplative. "How have you been feeling since you bound it?" she asked.

"Her drain isn't a bother. The only time I felt a minimum pull at my reserves was when I first bound her after she'd been starved for I don't know how long," Zachary's eyes widened before he asked, "How long have you been practicing magic?" It didn't take a genius to figure out that my magic reserves were higher than the two would expect me to have.

"I've been able to feel and absorb magic since I was three or four, but I do not know how to use it," Zatanna quirked an eyebrow before asking, "What about the flying, speed, and the light show from before?"

To which I responded, "I didn't say I was only gifted with magic. Now, as much as I am enjoying this lovely interrogation, I do have to ask: What's your plan?"

Zatanna's expression looked complicated, but she eventually answered, "My dad, our teacher, would have a better answer, but he's in Gotham teaching some brat escapism and won't have time to see into this matter for at least three months." As she spoke, Zachary's face brightened, and looking at it, she looked confused. With a wide grin, he spoke, "So... Cousin, it would be very irresponsible of us to leave a fledgling mage here without helping him, right?" As he spoke and a grin overtook her own face, she responded. "And if Dad is the one who didn't answer our calls, it's not our fault if we stay here 'helping' Percy, with his magic until he comes to get us!" I could already tell that they were both troublemakers.

They both turned to me. "You do want to learn how to control these dangerous and powerful gifts, right?" they asked, and I played along. "I don't know. I mean, I didn't even know what I was doing when I bound Nagini. It would be dangerous if I continued doing things I didn't understand the meaning of," I feigned a worried expression, and they both burst out laughing.

"Okay, that settles it. We'll stay in town until Dad comes to get us, and in the meantime, we'll help you figure out the extent of your magical abilities," Zatanna said triumphantly, and Zachary nodded vigorously.

"Do you two have somewhere to sleep?" I asked, and the two looked reluctant.

"If not, there is no need to worry. Come along; I'm sure my parents will agree to put the two of you up," I said, getting up, and they followed.

On the way, I didn't forget to add, "My family doesn't know about magic, the familiar, or the light show from earlier. I hope the two of you will be discrete." We reached the door, and I opened it.

Convincing my parents to let Zatanna and Zachary Zatara stay with us wasn't too challenging. I spun a tale about our chance meeting in Metropolis, where they graciously showed me around, and now that their father had business in Gotham, I wanted to return the favor.

The next day at school, I stumbled upon Clark and Chloe engaged in a heated argument. "I hate when you shut me out, one minute you're here, and the next you're gone," Clark's face bore a complicated expression as Chloe continued, "You're not outgrowing me as a friend, are you?" It wasn't easy watching Chloe, one of Clark's most loyal supporters, repeatedly being pushed aside. A part of me resented Clark for using her this way, but the rational side of me understood that despite his complicated feelings for Lana, he still cared about Chloe's well-being. Her emotions, on the other hand, were an entirely different story.

Clark could be a bull in a china shop, often oblivious to how his words, actions, or lack thereof affected those around him. After witnessing his struggle with this situation, I silently vowed to intervene if he continued down this path.

During history class, I noticed a dove pecking at a nearby window. The bird, seemingly recognizing my attention, gestured for me to approach with a peculiar wing wave that almost seemed human.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Allen, but I need to leave class early today," I told our elderly teacher when the time for self-revision came.

"Why is that, Mr. Kent?" she inquired.

"My agent needs to speak with me," I fibbed, presenting a paper I had prepared specifically for these occasions. As long as my grades remained satisfactory, the teachers wouldn't hassle me. I exited the classroom and headed to the rear of the school, where Zatanna was waiting.

"What's up?" I asked, puzzled by her request to meet.

She studied me for a moment before bluntly stating, "You're not human."

I didn't see the need to deny it but kept silent.

"I just finished talking to my father, and he told me that no human, no matter how gifted, could contract with a hundred-year-old naga at such a young age," she continued.

I shrugged casually in response. "Did he mention what I am?" I inquired, feigning ignorance.

"He didn't specify, but he suspects you might be like me—a Homo Magi, a sub-race of naturally magic-wielding humans," she replied.

"But that doesn't explain your natural flight, speed, strength, laser eyes, energy cannon hands," she said looking vexed.

"And language assimilation," I added, holding back a grin at her baffled expression.

"You know all that I've told you but who says I told you all I know?" I teased, relishing her growing agitation.

"Well, are you going to explain?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

"I'll tell you later but for now I get the feeling that you are bored of this town already, so want to join me to watch something interesting?" I replied, savoring her curious look as she reluctantly nodded.

"Do you have a spell for stealth?" I inquired,  She eyed me quizzically before she showed a dazzling smile and began chanting "ytilibisivni." Her figure started to shimmer, blending into her surroundings. I tapped into my empathic abilities to vaguely discern her location. Her feelings mixed curiosity with excitement and a dash of mischief.

Despite her best efforts to remain silent, I could still hear her footsteps and breathing as she attempted to sneak up on me from behind. "What are you doing?" I asked as I caught what I assumed were both of her hands reaching toward me.

"You can see me!?" she exclaimed, startled.

"No, but I can hear you just fine," I replied letting go as I focused on my magic and attempted to replicate her chant while infusing it with my intent. "ytilibisivni." My magic responded to my command, creating an eerie sensation of seeing through my own hand.

After a brief moment, I chanted again, "ytilibisivni ees," and my vision returned to normal. I could now see Zatanna's bewildered face before she mimicked my chant.

"How did you copy my spell?" she asked, sounding dejected.

"It's just backward speech combined with intent and a willingness to use your magic as fuel for the incantation, isn't it? It wasn't too challenging to replicate," I explained. "So, can you fly, or do you need a lift?" I inquired.

She hesitated before responding, "I can fly, but it drains a lot of my energy. I'd prefer to conserve it," She spoke with confidence and I would have believed her if my empath abilities didn't detect deception in her words. 

Suppressing a chuckle, I lifted her up and, after ensuring the coast was clear, soared into the sky. Zatanna clung tightly to me as we ascended, heading toward the showdown between Clark and Bug Boy.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Zatanna questioned as we watched Clark struggle due to the meteor rocks scattered around. I had visited the steel mill previously, removing most of the meteor rocks to add to my collection. This collection had been steadily growing ever since I decided to limit the availability of meteor rocks in Smallville. I left some untouched to challenge Clark, forcing him to adapt during fights, as there was no way to entirely rid Smallville of the green stones.

"He's got this. Besides, if I keep swooping in to assist him whenever he's in trouble, he won't learn to stand on his own," I replied.

Zatanna nodded, her eyes remaining glued to the scene below. "So, what's this guy's story?" she inquired.

"He somehow gained bug-like powers. My brother and his friends discovered that he killed his mother and derived 'sustenance' from her cold corpse. Now, he wants to nonconsensually 'mate' with Lana, an insect through and through. Truly, he's the scum of the earth," I explained, much to Zatanna's horror.

After a moment, both Zatanna and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Who the hell starts spewing bug facts in the middle of a fight?" I said, and she snorted a laugh.

As the fight neared its end, Zatanna leaned in and whispered, "Why did you bring that?" while pointing at the spider silk cocooning Lana.

"I'll be damned if I let my brother fight and watch as someone else takes the credit," I replied with a grin. She stared at me for a moment, and I watched intently in case Clark needed assistance.

"You act nonchalant and unaffected, but you care about anything that could affect your brother," Zatanna observed. My attention shifted back to her, and I chuckled.

"It only took you a couple of hours to figure me out, huh? Clark and I might have different powers, ideals, and appearances, but what binds us is family. I believe you can understand that because I see it in you as well. This world needs Boyscout down there and I just want him to be ready when it does."

Zatanna asked, "What about you? Where do you fit into all of this?"

I chuckled. "Stick around, and you'll find out."

Bug Boy eventually met his end, transforming into a swarm of roaches, a sight that left Zatanna disgusted. "No matter how many timesss he metamorphosssesss, an insssect will alwaysss be an insssect," Nagini hissed from my shoulder.

Using telekinesis, I carefully placed Lana's cocooned form within Clark's reach. I, along with Nagini and Zatanna, watched from above as Lana woke up and tackled the first person she saw – Clark – with an exuberant hug. We watched as Clark turned red and flustered.

On our way back, Zatanna surprised me with a fierce hug. When she looked up at me with a pout, I couldn't help but ask, "What was that about?" I chuckled, gazing down at her.

"Why don't you get as easily flustered as your brother?" she queried.

I laughed. "You'll have to try harder than that to fluster me," I said teasingly. To my surprise, she did. Leaning in, she planted a plum-flavored kiss on my lips. Before she could pull away completely, I snaked my arm around her slim waist and deepened the kiss. I absorbed the information flooding my mind, savoring the beauty in my arms. When we finally broke apart, she got the courage to look up at me.

"Look who's flustered now," I teased with a grin. After a brief pause, I added, "Ego nesciebam te Latine locutum esse. (I didn't know you spoke Latin)."

She regarded me quizzically for a moment before realization dawned. "Language assimilation!?" she exclaimed, and I grinned.

"Got it in one," I replied.