Chapter 22

The trip back to Gotham wasn't as dramatic as Dio thought it would be.

In fact, they didn't even get close to the city center.

They went to the edge of it that was the farthest away, almost to the border. On their short trip, they didn't meet any heroes or villains except for Diana's conversation with Batman on her communicator.

When Batman asked her what she was doing on his territory, he spoke about it as if he were a wild animal.

In addition to that, everything went well. Since Diana knew Dio could keep up with her speed, she didn't hold back, and they both got there fast.

They landed on a small meadow, which was not common in Gotham. They were more often found in parks and streets.

Their destination was on top of a cliff, where there was a European-style four-story house with a small tower.

The house looked well-kept; the walls were white, and there was a long staircase that went from the doors across the field and back again.

A few large stone figures stood on either side of the stairs.

At the very top, near the door, there were a few smaller ones.

"Beautiful house,"

Dio unconsciously said it out loud.

"Can you see it?"

Diana asked as she stood to his left and looked surprised.

"Oh, and you can't?"

Dio asked and was also surprised.

Then Dio looked at the house again and felt something like interference in the air, which gradually disappeared.

"Now I see it,"

Diana said.

The two of them approached the staircase and climbed it slowly.

"This house is protected by several powerful spells, and it usually opens to me only when it decides I'm not a threat."

Diana explained her surprise.

The house may only be hidden from people who don't possess magical abilities, even though it should mostly be safe from magic attacks.

That's why Dio didn't understand how he could see the house when it was hidden.

They had already reached the front door of the house, so he didn't have much time to think seriously.

Diana took the initiative and knocked on the door.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

A beautiful woman arrived as soon as the door opened. She had straight black hair, ice-blue eyes, and full, red-lipsticked lips.

She was about the same height as Diana.

That dress she wore was really magical. She had a long black cloak and a corset with white lines that showed off her breasts, high boots covering most of her hips, and fishnet stockings covering the rest.

"Diana! Long time, no see!"

Zatanna exclaimed excitedly and rushed to Diana as she hugged her.

"We haven't seen each other for a while, it seems, since the battle with Circe."

Diana replied while also hugging her.

After a few seconds of hugging, they separated and looked at Dio.

"Dio, this is Zatanna Zatara. Her knowledge of magic has helped the Justice League solve various problems multiple times."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Zatanna."

Dio politely said.

"Pleasure to meet you, young Dio. Let's go inside the house so we can continue talking there over a cup of tea."

Zatanna responded and showed us inside her house.

Dio's curiosity grew a bit when Diana mentioned that one of her friends was interested in him.

Dio had some guesses but was thinking of a less famous magician. Now, he was face-to-face with one of the most powerful magicians in DC.

The house was even more amazing on the inside than it was on the outside. There was a red carpet on the floor in a huge hall where they were.

An old style of armor, guns, and other accessories were used to decorate the walls.

"Welcome to Shadowcrest, the Zatara's family home for many generations."

Zatanna told both of them.

The three of them approached a table with three chairs in the center of the hall and took their seats.

On the table, a teapot levitated and filled three cups in front of each of them.

Diana and Zatanna both leaned forward and picked up their tea cups, but Dio did not move.

"It seems you're excited for information."

Zatanna said to Dio.

"I wouldn't say I'm impatient, but I'm quite curious about why you're interested in me."

Dio replied.

"Intellect and curiosity are common traits among magicians. The key is to keep them in check; otherwise, it can lead to their demise."

Zatanna gave advice, and her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"That doesn't answer my question, Miss."

Dio refused to back down.

"Please call me Zatanna. I'm not that old."

Zatanna requested.

"That still doesn't answer my question, Zatanna."

Dio repeated.

"Hahahaha,"

Zatanna began laughing at my persistence.

"He's certainly met Batman,"

Diana sounded in and looked at Zatanna.

"He inherited Batman's habit of being suspicious, even after spending just a few days with him."

Diana added and shook her head.

Zatanna took another sip of her tea and didn't answer him, but Dio understood it was a test of patience.

So he watched her sip her tea until she finally responded.

"In answer to your question, I'm interested in you because someone close to me has asked me to do them a favor. I'm not at liberty to disclose their identity, but I can assure you that this person has no ill intentions."

'There are a lot of secrets out there. Let's hope they're all true, because the truth will finally come out. I could learn magic without stress because Zatanna was my teacher.'

"Thank you for agreeing to teach me, Zatanna."

Dio said politely this time and took a sip of the tea, which was pleasant even though he wasn't a big fan of the tea.

"Now that you've got to know each other, Zatanna, will you be able to teach him?"

Diana asked.

"Could you use your magic to assess me first? I already know you have eyes that see the truth, but I doubt that's all."

Zatanna said that and ignored Diana.

"Eyes that see the truth?"

Dio asked with curiosity. He hadn't studied this magic or heard of such a term.

"There are several ancient legends that speak of Hades being able to see the sins committed by the soul and its 'truth.' You can see my house even though it's protected by numerous defensive spells. There aren't magicians of my level who can't do that, so I thought you might have inherited these eyes from your father."

Zatanna explained calmly.

"So, the reason I can see spirits and ghosts may also be due to my eyes?"

Dio asked.

"Perhaps yes, or perhaps not. Magicians are naturally more sensitive to the spirit world, so it's not uncommon to encounter those who can see spirits. Those who can't do it naturally can see them with a simple spell."

Perhaps seeing ghosts wasn't that unusual, but he was sure that seeing their memories was a one-of-a-kind skill that his eyes gave him.

...

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