"What? What happened?"
June Moone looked around in confusion, her eyes darting from one unfamiliar sight to another.
"I… I'm not in the ancient ruins…" she murmured, her voice trembling.
"Miss Moone," Dane said gently, stepping forward. "Ruins—especially ancient ones—often hold things best left untouched."
Her gaze flickered to the tall, muscular man before her, and she instinctively recoiled slightly. "May I ask… who are you?"
Dane gave a reassuring smile. "I'm Shazam, a member of the Justice League. This is Zatanna." He gestured to his companion. "Do you remember what happened to you?"
June hesitated, confusion clouding her features. Dane's voice softened further. "Take your time. Think carefully. Your memories and hers… they might overlap."
As if compelled by the calm authority in his tone, June closed her eyes and concentrated. Moments later, her face contorted in horror, and she covered it with her hands.
"Oh my God," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I… I killed those people!"
"Calm down, June," Dane said, his voice steady as he infused his words with magic to soothe her fraying nerves.
"But it was me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "She's in my body—I can feel her!"
Zatanna watched closely, noticing something deeper in June's expression. "Her mind is being Possessed by the witch," she said grimly.
Dane nodded. "We need to stabilize her. I'll suppress the witch while you help ease her mind."
Zatanna hesitated. "No," she said firmly. "Your magic is too overwhelming—it could harm June as much as the witch. Let me handle the witch. I'll seal her."
"Are you sure?" Dane's concern was evident. "This is dangerous, Zatanna."
Zatanna met his gaze with quiet determination. "If it was purely physical, I'd stand no chance. But on a spiritual world, we are on the same page."
Dane hesitated before nodding, a small smile playing on his lips. "You're a hero through and through. Maybe I should recruit you to the Justice League full-time."
Zatanna scoffed, though a flicker of pride crossed her face. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm just returning a favor. Now, don't distract me—I need to focus."
Dane placed a hand on June's forehead, channeling his magic to ease her mind. Her breathing steadied, and she drifted into a calm sleep.
Zatanna stepped closer, her staff glowing faintly. "I'm going in. Keep her stable."
Dane's voice was calm but firm. "Remember, Zatanna, the power of magic comes from within."
She nodded, whispering a single incantation. Her eyes dimmed, and her body went limp. Dane caught her before she could collapse, gently resting her beside June.
While maintaining his focus on June's mind, Dane channeled a steady stream of gentle energy into Zatanna's body, ensuring her physical state remained strong enough to support her spiritual battle.
-----------------------
Inside June's Psychic
At that moment, Zatanna had delved deep into Joan's psychic world and confronted the witch, who stood there, unabashedly, in full view.
"How dare you confront a god alone?" the witch sneered.
Zatanna's response was sharp: "I've seen a male god, and he's out there right now."
Without warning, the witch lunged at her, a swirling cloud of black mist surrounding her. Zatanna swiftly flew upward to evade the attack.
In this realm, she didn't need magic to fly—it came naturally.
"You won't deal with me as easily as you do outside," Zatanna taunted, tapping her staff. Flames erupted from the air, spiraling into the shape of a dragon. It dove toward the witch with a ferocious roar.
The witch's black mist condensed, coiling into the form of a massive black snake that clashed with the dragon.
However, the flames of the dragon burned fiercely, charring away parts of the serpent's black mist.
In retaliation, the snake opened its gaping maw and unleashed a toxic cloud of green gas. Upon contact, the fire dragon's flames sputtered and vanished, leaving the creature tattered and weakened.
Zatanna's staff swung through the air, attempting to reignite the dragon. But the flames flickered weakly, rapidly shrinking before her eyes.
This wasn't a mismatch of magical power—this was a battle of wills, and in the psychic world, willpower was far more potent than magic.
If a Green Lantern had been here, the witch would have been defeated long ago.
Zatanna struggled to hold her ground, but the black snake's attack overwhelmed the dragon. It roared triumphantly, its voice booming through the air.
"How can a mere mortal defy a god? Your will is far too weak!" the witch's voice echoed.
The serpent's massive head descended with crushing force, its momentum terrifying.
In that moment, however, Zatanna felt an unexpected calm wash over her.
"Remember, the power of magic comes from within."
Her eyes opened wide with renewed determination. She raised her staff high above her head.
In an instant, a thunderbolt appeared in the sky. The bolt crackled, striking the giant snake.
The black snake recoiled from the thunder's strike, and after a moment, the witch within it was revealed.
"Impossible! This is divine power!" the witch cried out.
"No, it's your fear," Zatanna retorted, spinning her staff like a magician. A circle of light suddenly appeared, restraining the witch.
Under her command, the light morphed into a gleaming blue metal rope, a lock of eternal rock.
"In the future," Zatanna continued, her voice stern, "you will not be allowed to use her body or look through her memories without Joan Moone's permission."
"Otherwise, lightning of shazam will strike."
The witch's face twisted with panic. She glanced at the sky, and just as she did, a thunderbolt descended directly above her head.
With a scream, she fled in all directions, morphing into a cloud of black mist.
She hated Dane's lightning, but more than that, she feared it deeply.
Even without anyone actively maintaining it, her fear of Dane had become ingrained in her mind, forming an invisible cage.
This was more effective than real magic.
Zatanna smiled, she vanished.
-------------------
Back in the real world, Zatanna, slowly awakening.
She found herself in Dane's arms, but pretended to remain unconscious.
Dane, sensing her consciousness returning. With a thought, he transported them back to the Rock of Eternity, with both Joan and Zatanna in tow.
The Rock of Eternity now had rooms and bedrooms—after all, it was his domain. He laid Joan down in one of the rooms, noting that she was still unconscious.
Once he had settled Joan, he left, carrying Zatanna in his arms.
He brought her to his bedroom, where his heightened hearing soon detected the rapid beat of her heart.
A small smile tugged at his lips—if you're going to pretend, at least be consistent. He gently placed Zatanna on the bed and listened as her heartbeat quickened.
For some reason, Zatanna continued to feign sleep.
Amused, Dane pulled away, not crossing any boundaries, but instead leaned in close to whisper in her ear.
"You did well this time. Get some rest."
With that, he disappeared. Zatanna breathed a quiet sigh of relief, though a felt unfamiliar lingered of moment.
-------------------------
Dane first returned to the South American forest, assessing the damage before calling umbrella's logistics team to handle the aftermath.
Afterward, he made his way to the city where the circus had been, finding a highly-rated ice cream parlor nearby. He walked in and came out, holding an assortment of ice creams and cones in various flavors.
With a moment, he was back at the Justice League Building.
He walked into the training room, where Diana had finished her session and was now resting.
Diana immediately spotted him, and when she saw the ice cream cones in his hands, her eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face.
"All done?" she asked.
Dane nodded. "That's it."
Without hesitation, Diana snatched a cone from his hand and took a bite, her eyes narrowing in contentment.
Seeing her expression, Dane felt a sense of satisfaction. It had been worth it.
He, too, took a cone and shared the moment with Diana, both of them enjoying the ice cream like children.