Chapter 2:
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Namor turned his head to look and saw the eyes of the Seven Deadly Sins glowing faintly red; they were obviously speaking.
"Come on... Tell us your desires, we can help you make them come true..."
"Whether it's money..."
"Or beauty..."
"Or power..."
"Even immortality!"
"Whatever you ask for, we will answer. Accept us! Take the eye!"
"No one can restrict your desires..."
"Don't be shy, kid, just take the eye and tell me what you want, tell me what you want..."
Namor heard the seven voices trying to persuade him and could only wonder how the hell anyone could fall for their words when their voices were so sinister. It was such an obvious trick... They literally sounded like demons. Not that he had ever met a demon, but they were the typical voices of those extremely evil villains that try to kill you or do something bad to you.
But he could only assume that their voices had some power to incite, enchant, or convince people, because at first, for a moment, he felt something trying to invade his mind, but the sensation of invasion disappeared instantly, and he concluded it was thanks to the 'Gamer's Mind' ability, which prevented anyone from messing with his mind or trying to harm him mentally.
Yes, to him, it was almost like cheating to pass this test since whatever power these Seven Deadly Sins had to convince the old wizard's potential champions to take the eye had no effect on him. So, in reality, he had no motive or incentive to take that eye.
Namor watched with amusement as the orb, which seemed to contain the eye the Seven Deadly Sins wanted him to take, slowly opened, as if tempting him and allowing him to take the eye within.
He had to admit, the eye, a blue orb, looked tempting, but not tempting enough to take it, knowing that he would have the power of Shazam, much less knowing that even if he tried to take the eye, the old man would stop him, and he would end up with nothing.
So, Namor stopped looking at the eye and focused on the old wizard, who was watching him with great intrigue, as he couldn't believe someone could pass the test so easily. The boy didn't even seem truly tempted to take the eye; it was as if he wasn't interested from the beginning.
But for the old wizard, that only made him even more perfect to inherit his power and become the next champion.
"Only the purest of hearts can resist their temptations. But you... you didn't even blink at the temptation and remained steadfast without showing any desire to obtain such evil power for your own selfish desires. You have proven more than worthy to inherit my power..."
Namor couldn't help but feel embarrassed at what the old wizard said and was even a bit nervous, because it really hadn't been difficult. He felt a little guilty because he knew he had cheated with 'Gamer's Mind' helping him, and he thought about mentioning it to the old man, but there was more than one reason he decided to stay silent.
One reason was that he really wanted the power of Shazam, and the other was that it wouldn't be easy to explain the situation about his ability, especially since it prevented him from mentioning anything about Death and his past in a different world where magic was just a fantasy.
Of course, there were other ways to demonstrate to the old wizard that he had an ability like 'Gamer's Mind', such as asking him to try to read his mind or do something mental to him. With this, the old man would quickly realize that there was something strange about him, as he would not only be unable to read his mind but also unable to affect him mentally in any way. Whatever magic he used, 'Gamer's Mind' would prevent any negative effect on his mind.
But no, Namor said nothing and let the old wizard continue speaking.
"You are standing in the source of all magic," the old man said after finishing praising him, as he struck his staff against the ground again, showing Namor an even larger hologram around him. "The Rock of Eternity. Seven thrones of seven wizards."
"Woah..." was all Namor could say as he looked at the magical hologram around him.
"But long ago, we chose a champion..." the old man continued, now showing in the hologram a massive humanoid figure, with a perfect body and the Shazam lightning bolt, very similar to the first small hologram he had shown when Namor arrived. "And we chose recklessly."
The large holographic figure was then shown using his powers to attack different places and people.
"He used his power for revenge, releasing the Seven Deadly Sins into your world," the old man said, now showing the seven demons causing chaos among the human population, which was funny because it only showed scenes with surface dwellers and nothing with atlanteans.
And although Namor had lived a first life as a human, the old man didn't know that, and now he was, in fact, an atlantean. Few atlanteans cared much about the safety of surface dwellers, as they were, to them, merely polluters of the water where they lived, even killing marine life within it.
Anyway, the old wizard didn't seem to take this into consideration and continued speaking: "Millions of lives were lost. Entire civilizations erased from existence. That is why I vowed never to pass on my magic until I find one truly good person. Strong in spirit, pure in heart... And you, Namor, are the champion I've been waiting for all this time."
Yes, Namor again felt a bit embarrassed and guilty for not mentioning anything about his ability to avoid being affected by the Seven Deadly Sins. It was almost like cheating and deceiving the old man, but it wasn't really like that for him, since it was his ability, and not mentioning it didn't mean he lied; he simply chose not to say anything about it.
"Now," said the old man, striking his staff against the ground again, pulling Namor out of his thoughts, "Lay your hands on my staff so my powers may flow through you."
Without thinking twice, Namor touched the magical staff with one of his hands and simply waited.
"I open my heart to you, Namor. And in so doing, choose you as champion."
"My name is..." said the old man, now looking directly at Namor. "Shazam!"
Instantly, a great lightning bolt struck Namor, enveloping him in a blinding light, and the wizard's power began to flow through his body. It was as if his entire being was being reconfigured by a supernatural energy.
"Yes! Carry my name, and with it, you carry all my powers. The wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury." After the wizard Shazam said all this, the blue lightning bolt that had descended on Namor, illuminating everything around, finally disappeared, and where Namor had stood, now there was a completely different person...
When the bolt of light struck him, Namor was transformed into a powerful being. He felt the energy flowing through his veins, every muscle vibrating with strength, and when the light dissipated, Namor saw himself transformed.
He was no longer the slender 11-year-old atlantean boy. His body had undergone a massive growth in muscle, surpassing that of athletes and professional bodybuilders. His height had significantly increased, standing around 1.90 to 2.00 meters. And his appearance was that of a grown man, somewhere between 25 and 30 years old.
He looked at his hands and arms, noticing the strength and endurance he now possessed.
'Now I can see more, hear more..., all my senses allow me to feel so much more, So is this what it feels like to be empowered?' he wondered, feeling the magic and divine power flowing through his body. His senses became far superior to anything he could have ever imagined.
hen Namor looked back at the wizard Shazam in front of him, he was surprised to see him smiling with a strange bluish gleam in his eyes.
"I see... interesting, this must be your true identity," the wizard commented, making Namor gasp in surprise.
He was really grateful to have Gamer's Mind at that moment, or who knows how he might have reacted with how nervous he was from the thousands of questions and doubts running through his mind in milliseconds.
It was then that the wizard kindly created a sort of magical mirror that displayed the reflection of Namor's current form, transformed with the powers of Shazam.
Namor observed his reflection in the magical mirror closely, and what he saw reflected was an impressive and majestic figure. The image of a man completely different from Namor, not only because of the increase in his musculature but also due to his physical features such as skin color, hair, eyes, etc.
'Well... I didn't see that coming,' Namor thought, looking at himself with wide eyes in surprise. 'It's me... I mean my past self, before I became Namor, when I was still a regular 15-year-old human orphan.'
Yep, in front of him was his past self as Adam…
Well, not exactly, since naturally, there were some obvious differences in his appearance like age and physique.
In his past life as Adam, he was just a 15-year-old boy with short dark black hair, bronzed skin, and a slim body with little muscle development due to his youth.
'But without a doubt, it's my past self in an adult and clearly perfect physical version,' Namor told himself as he attentively looked at the reflection.
In the reflection was a physically perfect version, with massive musculature and an imposing stature of his past self as Adam. His facial features had become more angular and defined, with high cheekbones and a strong jawline that conveyed a sense of nobility and determination. His eyes shone with power, showing an intensity and firmness he had never had before. The expression on his face displayed confidence and maturity. His hair, black and voluminous, was short and perfectly styled, adding a touch of refinement to his appearance. His posture was upright and majestic, exuding undeniable authority and dignity.
The suit he wore was tight and heroic, in red and gold colors. The suit fit perfectly with his musculature, highlighting each of his defined muscles. In the center of his chest, a golden lightning bolt shone, a symbol of his power and heritage as Shazam. And over his shoulders flowed a white cape that fell elegantly alongside a white hood that completed his majestic and heroic appearance.
'Err… well… I always thought that when I transformed into Captain Marvel, I would simply become an adult version of my current self, I never imagined this could happen,' Namor thought. 'Seeing my past features again after a year is strange, especially because I'm seeing an adult and exaggeratedly perfect version of myself.'
Namor watched his reflection for a while, taking in the magnitude of his transformation, and then looked directly at the wizard Shazam.
"So… you knew?" was all Namor could say as he saw that his transformation as Shazam was a perfect adult form of his past self as Adam and not as Namor.
He wanted to say much more, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth, and he immediately knew it was because of the condition that Death had imposed on him, but he didn't understand how the wizard knew about his previous identity when it was supposed to be impossible…
"Yes and no…" said Shazam calmly. "Your situation is certainly intriguing, and the circumstances are even more so. But rest assured, I haven't delved into your mind, only your soul."
Namor really didn't know how that could put him at ease; the wizard was literally telling him that he had seen through his soul or something like that—it was crazy, amazing, but crazy.
Now he really wanted to know what the wizard had seen in his soul and why he let him take the test knowing that he wasn't the original Namor.
"As for your transformation… well, the truth is it was just a coincidence that your true identity was revealed. Magic acts in unique ways, and when my powers aligned with your soul, infusing it with magic, the form you took was directly reflected from it and not from your current physical body."
'Well, that explained some things… I think,' Namor thought, not fully understanding how magic, his soul, and everything the wizard was talking about worked. But at least now he could make some guesses as to why Gamer's Mind hadn't protected his past identity.
"In any case, now you have been transformed to your full potential. Use your new powers wisely," Shazam warned. "From now on, you must take on the responsibility that comes with being Shazam!"
"The Rock of Eternity is the sacred land of all magic, and you must not lose it. I leave it to you here."
"Remember, the fate of many depends on you…"
After speaking, the wizard's face suddenly shattered and dispersed like sand, turning into a pile of dust in the blink of an eye.
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Hi!
Well, this story has poor support, but I'll keep writing some more chapters to see if it gets more love.
Now I'm also writing a story about Shikamaru and Ashborn in Naruto's world. Whether that or this story gets more attention and love will depend on which one I update more often.
I wish you a good day and hope you enjoy reading.