Dazed, Kara returned to her seat on the train, and no one seemed to notice her absence during that time.
If it had been a normal person, it's very likely the experience she just had would have been dismissed as a hallucination or a dream after taking an unconscious nap.
But Kara clearly remembered what had happened, and she still held the magical book the necromancer Shazam had given her at the end of their encounter.
"Where did you get that?" Jennifer asked, while Dani, sitting next to her, also noticed the book in Kara's hands. The magical book seemed to be made of pure black cow or sheepskin, and its cover was adorned with gold thread, giving it a majestic appearance.
Kara snapped out of her thoughts, temporarily pushing aside what had happened at the Rock of Eternity. Smiling at her friends, she said casually, "I found it at home. Maybe it's a novel my dad wrote when he was in school and got sick."
Jennifer and Dani exchanged glances and chuckled but kept their eyes on the book, curious about its contents.
Taking advantage of the moment, Kara began flipping through the magical book. Thanks to her super learning ability, and her capacity to read ten lines at a glance without ever forgetting, she quickly finished the book.
The necromancer Shazam wasn't exaggerating: this book was indeed a basic manual for magic apprentices. It gave Kara a glimpse into the vast power of magic, but it turned out to be quite simple.
Kara gritted her teeth and smiled, though a vein throbbed on her forehead. She had humbly asked for an introductory magic book, and this is what the old necromancer gave her? A book for beginners. No wonder Shazam couldn't find a worthy successor.
Despite her frustration, Kara knew that Shazam was still useful. Especially when facing enemies with magical abilities, this knowledge could be her ace up her sleeve.
Still, the nature of magic in the DC universe was always strange and hard to explain. Take Shazam, for instance, whose power closely resembled Superman's: super strength, speed, endurance... But fundamentally, all of this derived from magic, borrowed from gods.
The acronym SHAZAM comes from the names of these gods: 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. Yet in battle, Shazam fights like Superman, throwing punches and kicks—where was the magic?
Kara pressed a hand to her forehead, exasperated. If she had known this would happen, she would have tried to inherit Shazam's legacy differently. Hugging an enemy and shouting "Shazam!" repeatedly to summon a destructive lightning bolt seemed more effective than mere hand-to-hand combat.
Of course, Marvel's universe had more impressive magical scenes, like Doctor Strange's battles or even the Scarlet Witch's. At least those involved notable magical effects like light waves or portals.
On the other hand, Wonder Woman, despite having divine blood as Zeus's daughter, also tended to rely on swords and shields, without fully tapping into her magical origin.
In short, Kara felt she didn't fully understand magic yet.
The book she had read wasn't helping much either. While it contained useful information about the magic of the four elements—wind, fire, water (or qi), and earth—and the basic control of spiritual power, it was just an introduction. Shazam hoped Kara would acquire magical resistance through this reading, but there was nothing impressive about summoning a small flame, creating a water ball, generate a breeze, or controlling a chunk of mud.
However, the chapter on controlling mental power caught her attention. Kara decided to try it out in secret, focusing her energy on a glass sitting on the table. The glass slowly rose into the air, as if she had lifted it with her own hand.
She didn't continue; she didn't want to be discovered.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she said, standing up. Holding the book, she headed to the restroom, though she didn't really need to go. Once alone, she summoned a small flame in her palm using the magic she had just learned.
She knew that, given her resistance, not even being fully engulfed in fire would harm her, let alone a flame she had created herself.
Holding the book in one hand, Kara intended to burn it to ashes. After all, it was a real magical book and dangerous; she didn't want anyone else to have it.
But to her surprise, the book didn't burn. Instead of turning to ash, it split into five books.
Kara's eyes widened in disbelief. How was this happening?
She quickly extinguished the flame and picked up one of the new books. Holding the other four under her arm, she began to flip through the one in her hand.
This book recorded information about mental power, but it was no longer as basic as the first. This was an advanced level. Mental power, when fully developed, could even pierce the barriers of time and space. One could foresee the future, observe the past, and even open portals to different dimensions.
The other four books were also advanced versions of the four elements, containing much more powerful techniques than what she had learned in the introduction.
Kara hadn't expected to find a continuation of her learning, but now she was thrilled. She eagerly began reading, knowing that the true power of magic was just beginning to reveal itself to her.