webnovel

Chapter 937 Deep in the misty rain (end)_1

Looking at Batman's face, Zatanna shook her head. Their youthful follies had faded into obscurity. Back then, they were both too young and naive. Everything had happened quite naturally.

At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne had not long been dead, and little Bruce was in a terrible state. To try and cheer him up, Alfred had invited a famous magician, one Mr. Zatara - Zatanna's father - to perform at the Wayne Manor.

Little Bruce was in no mood for a performance. He fled out the back door of the hall, and ran straight into Zatanna.

Still in shock from his parents' deaths, he unfolded his sorrows to Zatanna, who was enormously sympathetic. In this way, they formed a bond.

Before Bruce left to acquire his skills abroad, they were a couple. But then Zatanna disappeared without a word. Her father had gone missing, and she had to go in search of him. Not wanting to involve Bruce with the mystic world, she did not tell him the truth. They parted from that moment, never seeing each other again.

Upon reuniting now, they found each other much matured. The appearances they were familiar with had changed. Zatanna sighed. But, as someone once very close to Bruce, she could understand his expressions and actions.

She approached Batman and looked into his eyes, "You know where the curse is, don't you? Why won't you tell us?"

Batman opened his mouth, then looked at Constantine and asked, "Do you know the last time I heard the word 'curse,' who it was from?"

"Who?"

"Shiller."

Batman sighed. "You should have noticed that many Gotham citizens have gone mad. Shiller says it's a curse. He claims he can remove it using another, more potent curse."

"A more potent curse?" Zatanna's face turned cold. Similarly, Constantine grew serious. "It can't be that Shiller already got it... But how could he...?"

Constantine's thought didn't leap to the Spirit of Curse right away. He and Zatanna, as part of the mystic world, had an extensive knowledge of mystic studies. However, the Spirit of Curse was not a curse as per their understanding.

In the mystic world, the definition of a curse is very strict. Simply put, it is a sustained negative magic effect, carried by a medium. But moreover, it has to be magic.

The Spirit of Curse was essentially Constantine's twin brother, whom he'd killed in his mother's womb. Ever since, it has been dwelling within him. In the terms of the mystic world, this was considered a spirit rather than a curse.

Soul, spirit, curse - in the mystic world, they referred to entirely different things. The similar effect the Spirit of Curse had on people was not due to its ability to cast a curse, but instead, its unique nature.

Constantine was unfortunate for having such a unique soul. His twin brother dying but reviving under coincidental circumstances gave the Soul of Curse a very special property. It can be considered a medically incurable disease. Its lethality lies not in its destructive benefit, but in the doctors' incapability to cure it.

Shiller had no knowledge of mystic studies. Therefore, he didn't know the Spirit of Curse was not a curse. When he mentioned this 'curse' to Batman, who didn't have an accurate understanding of mystic studies either, Batman just naturally assumed it was indeed a curse.

Regardless, the Spirit of Curse was not considered a curse in the mystic world. Therefore, even though Constantine knew that Shiller had taken his brother's soul, he did not associate it with the concept of a curse.

"I think there's some likelihood." Constantine spoke solemnly, "Generally speaking, curses don't have a physical form, but there always is a medium. The magicians aim for the curse medium. Once they secure the medium, they can successfully wield the curse."

Batman froze again. He started flashing back to the moment when the tip of Shiller's umbrella made contact with his body and he felt a sensation like a living thing.

"Umbrella..." Batman murmured quietly.

Constantine leaned in with some confusion and asked, "What? What word did you just say?"

"I said 'umbrella'... The medium might be an umbrella." Batman repeated. Upon hearing this, Zatanna immediately said, "Who is this Shiller? Whoever they are, they mustn't be allowed to cause chaos with this curse. It's extremely dangerous!"

"Let's go. We need to find this Shiller. Make him hand over the medium, and we will take it away to be destroyed. We can't let such a dangerous curse harm the world!"

Constantine, who was originally on Zatanna's side, grew stiff upon hearing that the medium might be Shiller's umbrella. "Little Zha, sometimes the line between black and white, good and evil isn't so obvious. I believe violence isn't the only solution..."

"I understand your desire to eliminate the curse. But we need a thorough plan, or I won't allow you to wreak havoc in Gotham." Batman said as well.

次の章へ