The Last joke (1/2)

Witnessing your hard-earned happiness crumble to pieces is an excruciating experience. The very thing you meticulously crafted and perfected turns to ashes, and the promising start of something great now engulfed in flames.

Everything he did... came undone.

It didn't matter to Jasper if he could rebuild the place. It didn't matter if it was achievable once again.

Why?

Because he had lost everything once, and now he was seeing it all burn down again – right in front of his eyes.

"He shall pay."

It wasn't about petty revenge or teaching a lesson.

No, it was about making them suffer the consequences of reminding a man who had lost everything –the pain of it all once again.

Thus as he threw the spear, he didn't even consider the elemental composition, the construct, or even the size.

It came to him naturally, like an instinct.

His mind went numb as he formed the spear and hurled it towards where he believed the arsonist stood.

He could have killed the man right then and there – but it wouldn't have been satisfying enough.

Actions had consequences, and he was going to make it clear.

"Y-you are..."

The caped hero next to him trembled from the sheer cold aura that he subconsciously emitted.

"Run..." He said, uncaring of who it was or why they were so nosy.

No...

He knew it was Batgirl, and it was her duty as a hero to be there.

But did it matter to him?

Absolutely fucking not.

His mind was numb, unable to feel emotions or think of the scientific reasoning behind his enchantment like he usually needed before using his power.

Now…

It didn't matter.

The air allowed him to walk over it like a staircase. He wasn't changing the composition, but he was enchanting it.

How? 

Even he wasn't sure.

He wished for it, and it happened.

"T-Take me with you."

He merely looked at the girl, not caring about her words. He walked up, almost giving the illusion of flying.

"My father is stuck inside the fire!" She revealed, not concealing the fact that Gordon was her father.

At that moment, protecting her identity didn't matter; all she cared about was saving her father.

"I will try."

He did not bother explaining further and effortlessly flicked his hand, forming a protective orb of cold air around Batgirl.

"Actions... have consequences..."

That's all he murmured before vanishing into the depths of the fire, leaving a bewildered, frightened, and perhaps hopeful Barbara Gordon behind.

…

…

"W-What was that?" Joker muttered, running his finger around his grazed cheek, noticing blood dripping from it.

The burning building behind him had frozen entirely, creating an eerie, shimmering structure that preserved the fire's contours, which was now transformed into ice sculptures.

"How..." He couldn't explain the magical phenomenon, but he knew it wasn't in his favor.

"Puddin'!" Harley yelled, "Someone is coming towards us!"

Squinting his eyes, the clown saw a shadowy figure walking through the scorching flames, creating horrifying apparitions around him.

Joker's pupils dilated at the sight. With each step the figure took, the air turned chilly, turning the fire into a glass-like structure.

Ice structures.

"Harley!" He yelled, regaining his senses, "Attack it!"

Harley didn't question him and immediately grabbed the semi-auto from the ground, shooting towards the figure.

"Take that, you freak!" Joker yelled, followed by his maniacal laughter.

But his laughter didn't last as the bullets that flew towards the figure never reached him. The bullets turned into power before flying around the two villains.

"H-Huh?" Harley was baffled by the display but decided to continue shooting.

The bullets stopped inches away from the figure and turned to dust.

True horror struck Harley when the man finally opened his mouth.

"You truly... are a fool, Harley."

And as he said that, the dust started to gather around him, forming a long spear-like structure.

"You should have just stayed with Ivy."

At that moment, Harley realized who it was. The shadow transformed into a very familiar figure, making her heartbeat faster and her body tremble with fear.

"And now… you pay."

The spear shot towards her, giving her no chance to retaliate.

"Gahhhhh!"

She bellowed in pain as the spear not only stabbed her but went through her legs and started to mold around her. Bleeding profusely, she found herself shackled up like cattle ready for butchering.

"AHHHH!" She cried out in agony as the spear sent jolts of pain through her entire body. "I-It hurts!

The pain wasn't natural; it was amplified multiple times by enchantment, making it unbearable.

"M-Make it stop!" She pleaded, tears streaming down her face, "MAKE IT STOP!"

To be extra certain, the Enchanter swirled the flame around him and hurled it towards her –but instead of exploding into flames, it froze the entire place upon contact.

A fire so cold that it burnt.

"You demon!" Joker screamed, horrified by the sight of his sidekick wriggling in her own blood and almost freezing to death.

The Joker had an array of weapons lying around him, from guns to bombs. He was prepared for his destined battle with Batman, but he never expected to fight the Enchanter.

Picking up a Molotov, he threw it at the man, viewing him as nothing less than a demon who deserved to burn.

But alas, it was not a battle he could ever win.

"Why?" The man asked, his voice eerily calm amidst the chaos. "Why did you burn what I built?"

The Molotov exploded upon contact with the man, bringing Joker great joy for a moment.

"Take that, you demonic fuck!"

But the joy didn't last.

The flame turned into mist, leaving a chilling feeling in the air.

"To draw out the Batman?" He asked, his tone icy. "To make others suffer? To play another joke that isn't funny?"

"Stay b-back!" Joker yelled, walking back as he felt a shiver run down his spine, "Stay back you demon!"

"Demon?" The man tilted his head, confusion, amusement and anger both plaguing his mind. "Me? You are calling me a demon when you have killed countless for your meaningless jokes?"

"Stay back!" Joker yelled, pulling out a pistol and shooting immediately without warning.

The Joker's maniacal laughter faded, replaced by a growing sense of dread. He tried shooting again, but the bullets never reached the Enchanter. They turned to dust before they could even get close. 

After all, bullets never worked against beings with superpower.

"You are not a villain, Joker," the Enchanter continued, taking steps closer to the trembling clown. "You are a disease. Something that makes people cry and never laugh."

"S-Shut up!" Joker yelled, trying to back away. "I am the Joker! Everyone loves me!"

"They love to see you lose, Joker," the Enchanter retorted, unfazed by the words. "They just want to see you suffer."

"S-Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"No matter what you want to believe," the Enchanter's voice remained calm and resolute, "People don't like seeing Jokers and clowns being happy. They love seeing them in pain, misery, and suffering."

"Shut up!"

Joker kept walking back, almost stumbling on his way.

His leftover sanity started to crumble under the weight of the truth. He felt a mix of anger and despair building up inside him. The Enchanter's words hit him where it hurt the most, reminding him of his past and his losses.

"They just want you to make a fool out of yourself, Joker," he said, "so that they can laugh at your pain."

A man who had seen his dreams shattering did not mind ruining the one responsible, be it physically or mentally. 

And Jasper had lost it all, hence he didn't mind ruining Joker either.

"Batman doesn't care about you, Joker."

"Lies!" the psychopath refused to believe his words, "He and I are connected by fate! By destiny!"

"To him, you are no more important than the small-time burglar or the petty thief running down the streets," he continued, "You are just one of too many villains that he hasn't been able to take care of."

But this wasn't the worst thing that Joker had heard.

"Or should I call you, Jack?"

This was.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME!" Joker yelled, horror, pain and rage flickering through his eyes. "NO!" He screamed, "I AM NOT JACK! I AM JOKER! I AM THE JOKER! THE PRINCE OF CRIME!"

He stopped on his tracks, losing himself in his anger and exploding in curses.

"NEVER!" He bellowed, "NEVER USE THAT FUCKING NAME!"

Jasper walked closer to the raging Joker, uncaring of whatever weapon he might be hiding.

"I hit a nerve didn't I?" He asked, "It hurts when you are reminded of what you have lost. It hurts when you are reminded the pain of your past and it hurts to see everything that you built crumbling down, doesn't it?"

"Shut it!" Joker attempted to shoot again, but his gun had run out of bullets.

"S-Stop!" Gordon shouted, finally deciding to intervene "Don't kill him! You'll become a villain too!"

Jasper responded with a pained smile directed at the commissioner. "I've never been the hero, Commissioner Gordon. But I'm not a psychopath like him either... I'm just settling debts."

Realizing it was best for Jim to not get involved, he formed a sphere around Gordon to keep him safe from the flames and turned the air inside of it into a safe dose of chloroform which made the commissioner lose consciousness immediately.

"Debts that cannot be forgiven."

With those words, he placed a hand on Joker's shoulder, bewildering the Prince of Crime.

"You'll pay for what you've done, Joker."

Joker had never felt more terror from a calm smile before. The man standing before him seemed no less than a demon.

And maybe he was.

Unable to save himself, Joker felt his shoulder freezing, losing all sense of pain and feeling around it.

In an instant –It went numb, then shattered into a million pieces– falling to the ground.

"Gahhhhhhbb!"

His scream marked only the beginning of his torment.

"Enough!"

Today, not even Batman's boomerang could stop Jasper Hughes.

"As a member of the Justice League, I ask you to stop!"

And neither could Superman.

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[[A/N: Read 25+ chapters ahead on:

https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog ]]

MC is subconsciously using his powers, giving an example of how the power is supposed to be used.

How those things like barrier creation occurred will be explained later]]