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Chapter 128: Best Of Dreams II
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Xanadu, however, remained silent, just eyeing the book in his hand, speechless.
"..."
"..."
"Oh, good lord..." Constantine couldn't help but close his eyes in a bit of exasperation, 'Yup, that's definitely what I think it is. God, now he will actually know some of the most intricate spells and even more... But we're friends, right? So everything should be okay.'
He convinced himself while Ian continued his studies, patiently waiting for them to tell him what was up.
"I saw danger on the way, and the center of the danger is Gotham." Xanadu shook her head, a bit used to his antics by this point.
"Oh? Go on."
"Well, the thing is that I don't know much about what's going to happen. I just know it's dangerous, but Constantine figured something out." Xanadu pointed at the downcast figure in the corner.
"Huh? Ah, right? I don't know if it's exactly what you saw, but according to what I know, it should be that dangerous... Vampires are unleashed."
Constantine stroked his chin with a frown, seeming thoughtful, 'Is there a way I can use them to get back at him?'
That was a question he asked himself many times, but unfortunately, he needed a bit more information.
Many doubts need to be solved, such as Ian's current state. The book's pages were turning at such a fast rate they seem to be blurry, and even the speed at which he moves his body was unnatural.
"Why? They had been silent for a long time. What changed? And why would they be dangerous for us?" Zatanna wondered.
"Normally they wouldn't but something changed... The first Vampire has returned, Cain." Constantine became a bit more serious, knowing the danger ahead.
"Cain? Are we speaking of the first soul to take a life?" Xanadu frowned. In her thousands of years of wandering around the earth, she heard many stories and learned a lot, this was one of them.
"Yeah, I don't know exactly how he came to be like that, but it's likely a curse of some sorts though he may not consider it a curse... He was condemned for killing his brother."
"How dangerous is he?" Zatanna asked.
"I don't know his personal strength, but I know he's strong enough to take over the Queen of blood's vampiric army, meaning he's stronger than herm by far I assume... Yeah, now he has an army following his commands."
Constantine explained before eyeing Ian, "I know for a fact his target is Gotham though I'm not sure why. The vampires' traffic all leads there, but they left traces because they were going a bit wild."
"Targetting Gotham specifically?" Ian closed the book, looking thoughtful, 'Who was it? Is it them again? If so, I just need them to bounce around one more time and it'll be perfect.'
"Constantine. It'd be better if you continue to investigate their traces while we set up a trap for them in Gotham." Zatanna suggested and Xanadu agreed.
"Them assembling by themselves is good news. It would've been much more troublesome to stop them if they were chaotic."
"So what you're basically saying is that I should do most of the work?" Constantine raised his brows at that.
"Pretty much, why? Is that a problem? Last I remember, you liked to do all the work yourself without telling anyone anything but lies."
Despite all the difficulties of normal friendships Ian dragged Constantine with, Zatanna's detest for him didn't seem to change at all. Then again, what he did was quite extreme.
Such is the life of Constantine as he didn't say a word but just took a long smoke before leaving. He still wasn't sure to this point whether he should thank Ian or curse him.
What Ian did indirectly led to the death of his archenemy as well as a lot of demons leaving him alone.
Constantine of course took the chance and manipulated the odds to work in his favor, but still, Ian was confusing but also useful, in a way that can hurt him but for the greater good, everything is permitted.
Ian picked up his phone, feeling it vibrating, "Hmm, I'll be there right away."
He stood up, opening the book again, still reading through it as he spoke, "Xanadu, give me your hand."
Her eyes lit up as she asked, her hope apparent in her eyes. Nothing shows her emotions more than her desire to get her magic back, "Will it work?"
"It's a two-part plan. If the first doesn't work, then the second definitely will. How long it takes will depend on if you can handle it." Ian answered as he took her hand into his. The book of eternity still hovering before him, its pages turning on their own.
"I ca..." Her words stopped in their tracks as she closed her eyes, "It feels different than last time, so much more potent, and it's affecting my magic in some way... No, not just my magic but me in my entirety."
Zatanna on the side could only frown, "What's happening here?"
"Hmm? Treatment. Anyway, let's be on our way. Also, Zatanna, I can handle this on my own, so if you have something urgent, then you don't have to come with us." Ian shrugged, pulling Xanadu closer to him because his Death force was already affecting her.
"Wanna throw me away so fast huh? And how can you succeed without me? Of course I have to go. Latrop!" She created a portal directly to his property before going in first.
Ian found the team already waiting for him, namely Ivy, Selina, Harley, and Layla with the latter being the one who oversees the team when he's away.
The meeting was quite simple, basically just informing everyone of what's to come and instructing Layla on a few things. Xanadu was close to passing out by the end of it, so he let her go.
"Now I have a meeting to go to. You all discuss how to deal with the incoming 'Darkness'. I'll leave it to you."
Ian said as he stood up. Selina stood with him, tidying up his suits nicely for him before giving him a sweet kiss, "The meeting wouldn't happen to be a keyword for a robbery, would it?"
"Nah, it literally means what it says."
"So a robbery in a meeting?"
"Hahahaha," Ian pinched her cheek in amusement, making her pout at him though he leaned down and whispered something in her ear, making her giggle in anticipation.
He then walked out. The last thing he heard was the loud noise of Harley jumping around as she spoke, "I figured it out! We can defeat them all by breaking their heads!!"
"..."
Ian shook his head, making his way to a nice building discreetly. Soon, he found himself in a meeting room along with two other individuals.
"Well, you don't look so well. What happened?" Ian asked with compassion as he took a seat.
"You know what happened." Seated before him was none other than Talia Al Ghul, attired in a tight black suit that did nothing to hide the large scar on her neck.
"I wasn't there, so how can I know." Ian shrugged.
"I see you haven't changed." Talia could only let out a sigh, not seeming angry about what happened.
"Hugo strange. I expected to be having a meeting with you alone... This is bad business practice." Ian remarked eyeing the middle-aged man to the side.
Professor Hugo Strange, the person who wanted to meet Ian with a tempting offer. The man had a bald misshapen head, complete with bushy eyebrows, coke-bottle glasses, and a thick beard accenting his jaw.
His old age however didn't leave much impact on his body as he looked very fit, and he was very tall.
"Think of her as a gift... She came to me with an offer to meet you, and it was to your benefit, so why not make you happier?" The man seemed prepared as he spoke while observing Ian.
"I see, then speak and make me happy..." Ian listened and listened, and he was indeed happy. It was almost like God gave him what he wants before he asked for it.
Ian stood up, looking out of the window at the busy streets of Gotham, "I'm happy, and that's something I want... It's just that there is something you need to know. Let's talk about Hierarchy."