Chapter 3:
Namor still had many questions to ask the old wizard, but he didn't get the chance to ask any of them because as soon as Shazam finished speaking, he literally turned to dust, leaving him completely alone, with no instructions and endless doubts.
"Ah, this…" Namor had a question mark over his head as he silently stared at the spot where the wizard had just been moments ago.
He stood in the middle of the Rock of Eternity, looking around with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment for several minutes.
"What the hell do I do now?" he asked himself, having no clue how most things here worked.
'Is it just me, or does this really make no sense?' Namor wondered, expecting to have some time to talk with the wizard and at least receive some sort of initial training from him… something like a tutorial, maybe.
But no, here he was with new and incredible powers, which he didn't know how to use… in the Rock of Eternity, wherever the hell that was in the whole damn universe, and the truth was, he had no idea where to even start.
If the wizard knew that he would turn to dust after giving him his powers, he could have waited a bit longer before doing that, at least to explain a few things…
Namor thought about simply wishing to return to Earth, as he remembered from the Shazam movie that if he wished to go back, the magic would somehow return him to where he was before entering the Rock of Eternity, or at least he hoped that was the case because if not, he had no idea how to get back to Earth… but in any case, the truth was he didn't want to leave yet. He still wanted to explore the place and test his new powers, and besides, he couldn't return transformed into Captain Marvel; he had to return to his normal form as Namor first…
Finally, Namor started walking through the Rock of Eternity, exploring its interior and observing the ancient architecture along with the magical symbols that obviously made no sense to him, covering the walls. He stopped for a few moments in front of a large statue of Shazam and then kept walking, hoping to find something interesting, but all he saw were a series of empty halls and chambers.
In one chamber, Namor discovered various magical artifacts, some creepy and others very interesting, although he decided not to touch any of them until he got more information about what they did.
While exploring, Namor also found a series of doors that seemed endless in number.
After spending several minutes exploring, hoping to find something, he finally found a huge room with countless books and some ancient artifacts. You could even see some of these books flying around the room…
It was pretty crazy, but Namor was already getting used to experiencing all kinds of things.
There were so many books that he really didn't know where to start. But soon, he found in the middle of the room a table with a sort of old quill pen, the kind used to write with ink in the past, along with several sheets of paper.
That's when he remembered that in the second Shazam movie there was something similar, although the truth was he hadn't paid much attention to the second movie, but he still vaguely remembered that if you asked it a question, it could help by giving you information.
"This… quill? Could you give me information about the Rock of Eternity, how it works, its history, its structure, and well… everything important I need to know about this place?"
To Namor's delight, the quill was indeed magical as it rose on its own and quickly began to write on the sheets of paper.
When it finished writing, he approached the sheets and read their contents, noticing that the quill had recommended several books, including:
"The History of the Rock of Eternity Vol- I to IV"
"Council of the Wizards"
"The Heart of the Universe"
"Trials of the Mortals"
"Gods and Goddesses Vol- I to VII"
"The Geometry of Patterns and Hidden Codes"
"Staff of the Gods Vol I and II"
"The Ancient Builders"
"Magical and Eternal Architecture"
"The Book of Paradoxes"
"Portals and Pathways Between Dimensions"
"Gates of the Realms Vol II"
"The Six Immortals"
"The Pantheon of Power"
"Map of Knowledge: Magical Library Vol I to III"
"Okay… this is way more than I expected," Namor murmured to himself, not knowing where to begin with all these books.
Even so, Namor quickly immersed himself in reading the books, absorbing all the knowledge he could. He spent hours studying various volumes, learning about the Rock of Eternity, the different chambers, magic, and his new powers.
He realized that the Rock of Eternity was a place full of all kinds of knowledge, especially about magic. And now he even discovered that it was very likely he could use magic as Namor. Apparently, as the wizard said, his soul had been infused with the power of Shazam to allow his transformation, and that made him able to sense magic both in his transformed state and in his normal form as Namor. His physical body as Namor was capable of projecting magic, so he was no longer defenseless in his normal atlantean form.
He was truly fortunate to have been chosen as the new champion of Shazam and to have all these benefits—not only could he use magic, but he had all the knowledge he needed at his full disposal.
As the hours passed, Namor felt increasingly confident and excited to learn more. He had never enjoyed reading and studying so much in his life; it was something new for him, but he couldn't help it, the current situation was incredible.
The only downside was that no matter how much he tried and struggled to understand the magical concepts and the secrets of the Rock of Eternity, there were too many things he didn't comprehend. It was like trying to drink from a fire hose.
As expected, he eventually felt overwhelmed by the amount of information. Luckily, 'Gamer's Mind' prevented him from getting a headache.
For now, Namor settled for what he had learned and decided he would continue reading another day. At least he already knew many things of utmost importance. He opened his palm, and the Staff of the Gods automatically flew into it.
Yes, he also discovered during his reading that this staff was indeed called the Staff of the Gods, and from what he had read, he could conclude that after the disappearance of the wizard Shazam, ownership of the staff was automatically transferred to him. The moment Namor obtained the staff, it was equivalent to obtaining ownership of the Rock of Eternity at the same time.
Oh, and the old wizard Shazam forgot to mention several basic but very important things…
"Like the fact that his damn magical staff was literally a unique key that would allow him to enter the Rock of Eternity," Namor complained internally after reading that without the staff, it was practically impossible to enter the Rock of Eternity. It was literally the only thing that allowed someone to enter.
This was a big difference from what little Namor knew from the Shazam movie, where the staff had no such function. Here, the staff was like a key to enter the Rock of Eternity. Even Namor, as the champion of Shazam, couldn't enter without it.
By simply saying "Enternus!", Namor could teleport into the Rock of Eternity from wherever he was whenever he wished, as long as he had the staff.
Many might not see a problem with this, as it only made the Rock of Eternity much safer, knowing that only the one with the key (the staff) could enter. But the problem was that when you didn't have the key, even Shazam himself couldn't get in, so the system was a mess.
If he hadn't read about this, he could have left the Rock of Eternity and returned to Earth without the damn magical staff, because obviously, you didn't need the damn staff to leave. If he had done that, he would never have been able to enter the Rock of Eternity again, no matter how many times he said "Enternus!".
The funniest part of all this is that probably before reading about it, he would have done exactly that…
Who in their right mind would think about walking around Earth with a large magical staff as if it were nothing? Everyone would suspect something strange.
But now he knew he had no other choice but to take the staff with him when leaving the Rock of Eternity.
Luckily, there seemed to be magical ways to make this Staff of the Gods change into a form that the user felt more comfortable with, but to do that, he first had to learn the spell that would allow such a transformation.
He was definitely fortunate to have been swept up in the excitement of reading everything he could about this place in the many books in the library. Otherwise, he would have already left the Rock of Eternity and never been able to return.
Well, saying he'd never be able to return is certainly an exaggeration, since naturally, he, as the champion of Shazam and owner of the staff, should have some other way to enter without the staff. After all, he was practically the master of the place.
But whatever that other way of entering was, he still didn't know it, nor was it in the books with basic knowledge. It probably involved magic—and not the simple kind, but the complex kind—and unfortunately, he still knew nothing about magic…
In the end, Namor could not simply wish to teleport into the Rock of Eternity in order to enter, unlike how he could leave. Since the original magic set up by the wizard Shazam didn't work that way, to enter the Rock, one had to have the staff and say "Enternus!"
So getting out was easy, but getting in was not…
And modifying the complex magical configuration created by the wizard Shazam wouldn't be easy at all. In fact, from what he had been reading, everything related to magic was a million times worse than math. After reading a bit about magic, he came to the conclusion that he would never again complain that math was hard.
To make matters worse, the supposed powers of Solomon, which should help him in his transformed state by giving him advice, knowledge, or allowing him to understand complex things, had no effect, probably due to 'Gamer's Mind'. At least, that was the only logical reason Namor could think of for why these powers weren't working as they supposedly should.
Another important discovery was that his transformation didn't give him the ability to shoot lightning bolts like Shazam in the movie, which was kind of frustrating too since the idea of being able to do that was pretty damn cool...
But considering that his strength, durability, and speed were probably pretty much on par with someone like Superman, he couldn't really complain too much since he was now so darn powerful.
Oh, and it seems that the white hood of his suit had its own unique magical properties, as wearing it would automatically generate shadows that prevented his facial features from being recognized. Not even Superman with his X-ray Vision would be able to see through these shadows, as they were magic.
….
Eager to test his new powers as Captain Marvel—yep, he decided to go by that name—he headed for one of the many huge and completely empty rooms he found along the way and decided to put his powers into practice to learn how to control them… and obviously get a firsthand look at the things he could do.
He began experimenting with the powers his transformed state had, trying to understand what he could do. He decided to start by lifting the large pedestals and statues that adorned the room. Carefully, he lifted a statue that would have been impossible for him even with his atlantean physique; in fact, it probably would have taken a whole group of atlanteans just to move it. Namor felt the energy flowing through his muscles like an electric current—powerful but controllable. However, lifting objects and measuring his strength wasn't the biggest challenge; the real challenge would be learning to fly.
With determination, Namor finally decided to learn how to fly. He moved to the center of the room, where the open space gave him enough room to practice. He took a deep breath and tried to focus, remembering what he had read in the magic library's books about the champion's powers.
First, he tried a simple jump. He bent his knees and pushed off the ground with force. To his surprise, he didn't immediately fall back down. He was hovering a few meters off the ground. The sensation was surreal—a mix of freedom and vertigo. But gravity soon did its job, and Namor clumsily fell to the ground, landing on his back.
He spent the next hour repeating the jump and adjusting his balance in the air. He soon realized that the key was in concentration and calmness. He couldn't let himself get carried away by his many thoughts and emotions—Gamer's Mind was a great help in this regard. Then, he visualized his body as a lightweight object, allowing the magic to support him. Each jump was a little more controlled than the last.
Once he could float without immediately falling, Namor tried to stay in the air for longer. He recalled the teachings from the books: he had to imagine a constant flow of energy pushing him upward. He closed his eyes and focused on that flow, feeling his body slowly rise.
He floated in the air for a few minutes before losing concentration and softly descending to the ground. Although exhausted, he felt euphoric about the progress. He had learned to maintain height, even if only for a short time.
The next step was learning to move horizontally. He decided to start with short movements. From a floating position, he leaned slightly forward and visualized the destination he wanted to reach. To his surprise, his body responded, and he moved a few meters before coming to an abrupt stop.
Namor repeated this exercise several times, each time increasing the distance. He learned to tilt and direct his energy in the desired direction, controlling the speed with small adjustments to his posture and concentration.
After a while, he felt confident enough to attempt longer, more coordinated flights. He practiced taking off, maintaining height, moving in different directions, and, most importantly, landing gracefully. The first attempts were disastrous, with several crash landings and painful falls—he even crashed into the wall several times… But at least that way, he also tested his durability.
Finally, after countless attempts, he managed to complete a full flight around the room and land softly in the same spot he took off from. The satisfaction he felt at that moment was immense. Little by little, he was learning to control his powers and use them effectively.
The experience of learning to fly was quite fun, and every time he soared into the air, he felt a deep connection to the magic that had transformed him.
Controlling his new powers was easier than he had expected, although he had read that it was normal for it to be that way since the transformation was designed to make the use of his powers something simple to master.
Namor knew he still had a lot to learn and perfect. But his training at the Rock of Eternity would continue another day because he now needed to return—at least 10 hours had passed since he arrived here, and if he didn't show up at the barracks soon, his sudden disappearance could raise suspicions…
"Shazam!" Namor said, and immediately a powerful lightning bolt struck him, turning his body back into his normal atlantean form.
'I hope I get back in time…' Namor thought as he grabbed the staff and then wished to return.
The magic of the Rock of Eternity automatically responded to Namor's request, and soon he was back where he had been before entering the Rock of Eternity.
Upon returning, Namor found himself in his room at the barracks, and without wasting time, he quickly checked the time.
"Phew... safe, I still have time," Namor murmured when he saw it was only 7:15 AM, and activities at the barracks didn't start until 8 AM.
Yesterday, he had finished training at 8 PM, and only a few minutes had passed when he entered his room to rest a bit before dinner. But in his excitement inside the Rock of Eternity, he didn't even think about eating or sleeping…
Although to his surprise, he wasn't sleepy at all but was definitely hungry…
Namor decided to think about it another time, and for now, he focused on hiding the staff in his room before heading out to get something to eat. He was starving.