Wednesday 16th September, 14:50.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Slowly stirring, Esau let out a groan as he moved his heavy body despite the protest of his muscles and the pounding within his head. His gaze, blurry and adjusting took in the dim light of the flickering candles lining the old stone walls of the room casting jagged, dancing shadows across the dimly lit space. He cracked his neck, hands bracing against the old leather armchair he had been resting in, letting out a long frustrated sight as he sat upright.
Running a hand through his dishevelled hair, body aching though from no discernible physical injuries—though he rarely had those anymore on account of his accelerated healing factor—yet the exhaustion of his mind being pushed to its limits. It was like phantom pains running throughout his body, he rarely got physically exhausted, but his mind still could and that sent signals through his body reminiscent of physical exhaustion.
"You're awake," Jason Blood's deep, measured voice called out as he stepped into the room, holding a tray carrying a steaming cup of tea. "I was beginning to wonder if your stubbornness extended to staying unconscious as well."
Esau let out a little smirk, though it was small and tired.
Gratefully, he accepted the cup Jason offered, the warmth spreading through his fingers and throughout his body, almost soothing in the way it eased him. For a moment, neither man spoke just sitting in silence, enjoying the sound of the faint crackling fireplace to the side of them that acted as the main source of light within the room.
"Another loss in body and mind." Jason began, his tone solemn, noting the way Esau twitched, face twisting into one of annoyance. "But one that hopefully brings with it good tidings?"
The frustration on Esau's face grew more pronounced as he lowered the cup from his lips. "I wish it did," Esau said simply after a pause. "But I seem to be getting further and further away from the final piece I need."
"Sometimes that final piece is the most elusive," Jason replied. "But that does not mean it is impossible to find. Sometimes, all it takes is a little time."
"Time?" Esau muttered bitterly. "I don't have or want time."
"Why is that?" Jason pressed.
Esau glared at the man, though it faltered and he leaned back into his chair. "Because the world isn't exactly waiting to give me all the time in the world to find the final piece. And it's not like this will give me the power to stand at the top when I do find that piece."
Jason lowered his own cup, his gaze firm as it fixed on Esau. "And is that why you are so desperate? For power?"
"Yes!" Esau exclaimed, though quickly realised the meaning behind Jason's question. "No! I want the power to protect people around me. I thought I had gotten stronger after my training with Deathstroke. But all I found myself exposed to was a whole new world of beings with near godlike power. Even with the powers I have control of right now, I still can't say confidently that I could take on any member of the Justice League one-on-one and win. Let alone the top tier members."
Jason remained silent, allowing Esau the opportunity to speak his thoughts aloud.
"Not only that, but my powers alone pose a threat to the people around me," Esau admitted. "So long as I don't have control of them, complete control. I'm at risk of them hurting the people around me. The last time, I recklessly kept challenging my doppelgängers, thinking I was just fighting them, getting stronger and better. That after I would be able to make things better. But instead, while I was fighting inside my mind, my friends were fighting against me in reality. An out-of-control, berserk me with the powers of the doppelgängers I was trying to defeat. The more I pushed, the more danger I put my teammates in. They were out there fighting me, risking their lives and nearly dying because of it while I was just—"
Jason folded his arms, listening as Esau's voice cracked, the young man taking a deep breath to collect himself. "And that guilt led you here."
Esau nodded his head, shoulders slumping. "I can't let that happen again. That's why I agreed to train with you. I need to control this… this thing inside me before it hurts anyone else. And having Etrigan here to deal with my berserk self makes it less dangerous for everyone else."
Jason allowed a faint smile. "A wise decision, though not an easy one."
The decision to train with Jason Blood had been an easy one to make after learning the truth of what his reckless actions had done. After the battle in Bialya, he realised the magnitude of the threat he posed to his teammates. Each time he clashed with his doppelgängers in his mind, his berserk form mirrored those battles in the physical world, growing stronger as he unlocked more power. But those gains came at a cost—not just to him, but to those he cared about.
They had fought so hard to contain him, to save him from himself, and all the while he had been focused on his internal struggle, oblivious to the danger he was putting them in. It was something he had been unable to forgive himself for despite no one begrudging him for what had happened, not even Wally, which said something.
Bialya was what led Esau to begin training with Jason and while it was effective, it was equal parts gruelling. In the mindscape, Esau battled against his two-tailed doppelgänger, learning its patterns, its strengths, and its weaknesses. But in the physical world, the berserk Esau—fueled by his increasing power—faced an opponent it could not hope to match; Etrigan.
The demon's power dwarfed even Esau's two-tailed form, allowing him to subdue the berserk state with relative ease. Knowing that Etrigan could handle his physical form gave Esau the space he needed to focus entirely on his mental battle without worrying about harming anyone else.
He had taken to spending more and more time here, isolating himself in Jason Blood's home to train and push his limits freely. All the while trusting Kaldur and Barbara to take over his role of helping to guide the team through training with Black Canary. He still played his role as leader of the team on the field and took part in team drills, but the weeks he would spend constantly at Mount Justice, sparring with Kaldur and Connor had been reduced to a scant and rare few hours a week.
This then led him to a question that gnawed at him daily.
Was being part of the team still the right path for him?
Jason's voice broke through his thoughts. "You've been unusually quiet. Something on your mind?"
Esau hesitated before speaking. "I've been thinking… about the team. About whether I should even be with them right now."
Jason arched a brow. "And why is that?"
"I like being part of the team," Esau admitted. "I've built real friendships there—Barbara, Connor, Kaldur, Artemis, even M'gann and Dick. And… Wally, I guess. But my powers are still so unstable. Every time I split my focus between training and missions, I feel like I'm failing at both. Maybe it's time I stopped splitting my time and focused entirely on gaining control of my powers."
Jason considered this for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "It's a valid concern," he said finally. "Balancing personal growth with responsibility to others is a challenge most people face at some point in their lives. For someone with your abilities and the stakes involved, it's even more complicated."
Esau frowned, looking down at his hands. "So, what's your advice?"
Jason chuckled softly. "You give me too much credit if you think I have all the answers. But I will say this, your work ethic is admirable. Few people could handle the weight you're carrying. It's a lot. You've made mistakes, yes, but you're also learning from them."
Esau let out a humourless laugh. "Doesn't feel like I'm doing enough."
Jason shook his head, an amused smile on his lips. "You're doing more than you realize, Esau. But if you truly feel you need to focus solely on your powers, then it's a decision only you can make. Just remember, balance isn't about perfection. It's about growth."
Esau set his empty cup down, feeling a need to distract himself. "Let's talk about the doppelgänger," he said. "If I'm going to beat it—and by extension, control my powers—I need to know its weaknesses."
Jason nodded, pulling a chair closer to the fire and sitting across from Esau. "Tell me what you've observed."
"It's aggressive. Overwhelmingly so," Esau began, his brow furrowing as he recalled the battles. "It doesn't defend itself at all, relying completely on its speed, strength, and healing factor. It uses explosive bursts of strength, even at the cost of damaging its own body. And those clones…"
Jason raised an eyebrow. "The clones are the biggest hurdle. What have you noticed about them?"
"They're weaker and slower than the original. He's made a max of three, but they were all tailless. He's also made two and they've have a single tail. So I'm assuming that in order to create them it's dividing its power," Esau said, "but they're still dangerous because they work together so seamlessly. And when they fuse back, the original gets all of its power back instantly."
Jason leaned back, stroking his chin. "It seems to me that the clones are both a strength and a weakness. While they divide its power, they also create openings. You could potentially exploit that division, targeting one at a time before they can rejoin."
Esau nodded slowly. "I thought the same thing. But even so, they're fast. And they don't make mistakes. Whereas it normally uses its tail to cover for openings, you now have the clones as well. Sometimes the tails and the clones as well. Plus, they fight the exact same way as each other. I've got a hang of their fighting styles and if it was one-on-one I'm certain I could win. But fighting two guys at the same level as me, or three at a slightly lower level, it's almost impossible because of how they fight."
Jason offered a faint smile. "Then perhaps it's time to seek additional perspectives. Your teammates, Robin and Batgirl for example are excellent tacticians. Or you could consult more experienced heroes like Black Canary or Batman."
Esau tilted his head. "You think they could help?" He had thought that together he and Jason with all the information they had gathered, would be able to come up with an answer that the idea of asking anyone else hadn't really crossed his mind.
"They've faced challenges like this before," Jason said. "They may not have all the answers, but they can offer insights that you might not see on your own. Don't underestimate the value of collaboration, Esau. Even the strongest warriors need allies."