Zatanna was utterly stunned. She could never have imagined that her mother was still alive!
The emotions surging through her were a mix of shock and anger.
"Why did you tell me she was dead, Dad?!"
Zatanna furiously questioned her father on the poster.
She felt like her entire life had been a lie, built on years of deception by her father. Every moment of warmth she remembered now seemed false.
"Why for all these years..."
Her emotions spiraled out of control. She grabbed the poster and shouted, "Why did you lie to me?!"
With an angry yell, she ripped the poster off the wall.
"Thud."
Holding the torn poster in her hands, she collapsed onto the ground. Overwhelmed with sadness, she buried her head in her knees and began to sob uncontrollably.
"Creak!"
The door suddenly opened, and Peter stepped into the room.
As he entered, the sight that greeted him was Zatanna crying with her head down.
He glanced around the room but couldn't find anything unusual about the secret chamber, which left him a little disappointed.
"Are you okay, Zatanna?"
Peter crouched down and gently asked the sorrowful girl.
Zatanna raised her tear-streaked, red eyes and said, "I don't know. I feel like I don't even recognize my father anymore."
She confided, her voice filled with grievance, "This is the first time I've realized I've been living in a lie."
"Mm-hmm. Sometimes, the lies parents tell aren't always malicious, Zatanna," Peter said calmly.
Zatanna sniffled. "A lie is still a lie, isn't it?"
"Not necessarily. Lies evolve over time," Peter explained, shaking his head. "At first, it's simple stuff, like 'You were found in a dumpster,' 'I'll save your red envelope money for you,' or 'Watching TV too close will make you go blind.'"
He paused before continuing,
"Then, as we grow older and become better at spotting lies, parents' tricks get more sophisticated—things like 'I don't like it, you take it,' or 'I don't need it, don't buy it for me.'"
Hearing Peter's words, Zatanna slowly began to understand his point.
Her sadness eased slightly, and reason returned to her.
Perhaps her father had his reasons for hiding the truth. With that thought, Zatanna gradually calmed down.
"Alright, let's go," Peter said as he noticed her mood lighten and extended a hand to her.
Zatanna nodded and took his hand, letting him help her up.
Holding Peter's hand, she felt a sense of warmth and comfort.
When they opened the door, the scenery outside had completely changed.
The familiar surroundings vanished, replaced by a strange and bizarre layout.
The floors and carpets were suspended in the air, vases and sofas jutted out from the walls, and various staircases extended in all directions, leading to unknown areas.
Staring dumbfoundedly at the scene before her, Zatanna was at a loss.
"Is this still my home?"
"What's going on? Did Dad come back?"
Zatanna turned to Peter, hoping he could provide an answer.
But Peter was just as confused.
The rabbit in Zatanna's arms, seeing the transformation in the room, immediately leapt out of her grasp.
Standing upright, the rabbit muttered, "What a day full of surprises."
Zatanna hadn't yet noticed that the rabbit was speaking and continued muttering to herself, "What... what's happening to my house?"
"It seems the house has awakened," the rabbit said.
"Wait!"
Realizing something was wrong, Zatanna turned her shocked gaze to the rabbit.
"Burkes, you... you can talk?!"
Peter also shifted his attention to the rabbit.
A talking rabbit?!
Had they stepped into some kind of Wonderland?
"Since the house can awaken, why is it strange for a rabbit to talk?" Burkes twitched his ears. "I'm not just a rabbit; I'm a Púca spirit—a mage's trusted companion."
(Púca: An Irish faerie)
Zatanna stared at the rabbit in disbelief. "A Púca, disguised as Burkes? Are you serious?"
"Who knows? But I bet your dad found it amusing," Burkes quipped, making a dig at her father.
Peter, having already witnessed Kelly transform into a white wolf, quickly accepted what was happening.
He asked the rabbit, "Why has the house changed like this?"
"Because it's awakened," the rabbit explained. "The Awakening House is filled with ancient and dangerous secrets. It has always been guarded by its caretaker, whose job is to prevent those secrets from falling into the wrong hands."
The rabbit glanced at Zatanna and continued,
"To achieve that, your father disguised it and put it into a magical slumber."
"It dreamed it was an ordinary house, so it became one."
As Zatanna processed this information, she asked the rabbit, "So, my dad isn't what I thought, and this house isn't really mine?"
"Exactly," the rabbit replied. "A powerful artifact maintains a spell that keeps the house asleep and hidden. There's also a key that locks the magic securely."
Before the rabbit could finish, Zatanna interjected, "Let me guess—it's the golden key that was stolen, right?"
"Correct," the rabbit nodded.
"This feels like something out of a fairy tale," Zatanna muttered, swallowing nervously.
Peter, having listened to the rabbit's explanation, looked around the room and asked, "What's inside these rooms?"
"I don't know. It's called the Secret House for a reason," the rabbit replied, tilting its head. "Since it's a secret, it won't give itself away so easily, will it?"
Peter skeptically eyed the rabbit. "You don't know either?"
"Nope." The rabbit blinked innocently, putting on a cute face.
"Maybe we should go in and take a look. We might find my dad," Zatanna said eagerly, running toward the nearest door.
With a creak, Zatanna pushed the door open.
Inside, she saw a group of goblins cooking in a kitchen.
The muscular goblins stirred a bubbling pot, seemingly adding ingredients to it.
Shocked by the scene, Zatanna quickly backed out and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Leaning against the door, her arms outstretched, she gasped for air.
"What did you see?" Peter asked curiously.
"I don't know... I think it was... goblins?" Zatanna replied, disbelief evident in her voice. "I just walked into a goblin kitchen! In my house! And they were cooking! There are goblins in this world, and they can talk!"
She felt her understanding of reality being challenged.
"I warned you, this house isn't what you're used to anymore," the rabbit said irritably. "And in the magical world, this isn't even that uncommon. I even know a talking gorilla!"
"Goblins?"
Peter didn't enter the room but stroked his chin, deep in thought.
If Zatanna could stumble into a goblin kitchen, what other creatures or secrets might be lurking behind these doors?
Burkes had said the history of the Secret House dated back to the dawn of time.
Could other rooms contain mythical creatures, magical entities, or even remnants of human history?
It felt like every door was a mystery box waiting to be opened.
Peter was growing increasingly fascinated by the Secret House.
If he could gain control of it, he could even use it to teach unruly kids a lesson—lock them inside and let them experience the thrill of opening mystery doors.
Unaware of Peter's thoughts, Burkes twitched his ears and said, "I think we're trapped inside the Secret House."
Padraic Farm
As night fell and Peter hadn't returned, John and Star-Lord sat at the dining table, both feeling uneasy.
Frowning, John stared out into the dark night.
"Could something have happened to Dad?" John muttered to himself.
But he quickly shook his head. "No, no one could hurt Dad."
Even as he said it, John couldn't shake his growing unease. His mind wandered to "Lucifer," whom they had dealt with in the past.
If someone skilled in magic appeared, his dad might face trouble.
After all, neither his father nor himself could wield magic.
The more he thought about it, the stronger his anxiety became.
"I have to do something," John said, his determination firm.
Turning to Star-Lord, he said, "I'm going out. Stay here."
Seeing John preparing to leave, Star-Lord stood up and said, "But Dad told us to wait for him here."
Though he was also worried about Peter, he believed they should follow their father's instructions and stay put.
"Then you can stay here and wait like a fool. I'm not wasting any more time," John replied, taking a deep breath and quickly changing into his clothes and shoes.
"But do you even know where Dad went?"
"I don't, but I can fly and have super vision. I'll find him eventually."
Star-Lord, though tempted to stop him, reminded John, "Dad went to take Zatanna home. Maybe you could ask those gangsters who've been investigating her address."
"Do you know which gang they are?"
Star-Lord nodded. "I overheard Dad talking to Chandler about it."
"Wait... you eavesdropped on Dad's conversation?"
John glared at him with disapproval.
"It wasn't on purpose. Just like I overheard your conversation with Dad this morning—it wasn't on purpose," Star-Lord replied innocently.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Gradually, the sound of John's fists clenching tightly echoed in the air.
...
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