The actions of Steve's group would continue, just as Richard said. The existence of LexCorp would not change their resolve.
And in truth, their determination itself had already been calculated into the company's plan.
At the same time, Reid, still operating under the guise of Doctor Fate while increasing his role-playing progress, received news about the sorcerers who had surfaced because of the Hydra mission.
"So they finally decided to step in. I thought they were really going to ignore everything," he murmured.
Magic was a peculiar and wondrous force.
From his previous life's knowledge, Reid knew that the sorcerers lived in Kamar-Taj and that they maintained sanctums in three major cities across the world. Those sanctums formed the basis of a massive protective barrier that shielded Earth from extra-dimensional threats.
But in the past, he had no access to magic. Even with the Martian Manhunter's powers, he had no way of locating the sanctums.
That changed after he studied the magical book Doom had brought back and activated the Doctor Fate role card.
Now, the sanctums that had once been invisible to him could be seen. He could even sense Kamar-Taj's presence.
Yet he had not made contact.
It wasn't out of fear of the so-called Ancient One. Truthfully, with the system points he now had, someone on her level wasn't enough to intimidate him.
The real reason was that he had no conflict with her.
Whether in comics, movies, or this world, he could not think of a single reason why the Ancient One would oppose him. Neither did he care about the small help she might provide if they became allies.
After his talk with Superman, he already knew that the strongest, most reliable power he could draw on came from the souls in the system originating from the DC world, not from the natives of Marvel's universe.
But this time was different. It wasn't Reid who went searching. It was the sorcerers who stepped forward. And since that was the case, as the man who essentially held control over New York, he should meet them face to face.
* * *
Inside the New York sanctum, the two sorcerers who had helped Steve against Hydra now stood with their heads lowered like guilty children.
Before them sat a woman in robes, her face refined yet her bald head shining under the light. She sipped tea slowly, her manner calm.
"Sorcerer Supreme." One of them began, voice tight with apology. "We are truly sorry. We disobeyed your orders and acted in New York without permission. But we believe we weren't wrong. Those people were indeed using black magic."
It was true. Their decision to aid Steve had not come from a plan by the Ancient One, nor was it a test for Reid. It had been their own choice.
Since the day Oscorp was founded, the Ancient One had ordered all sorcerers stationed outside Kamar-Taj to stay focused on their sanctums. Their only duty was defense, ensuring the sanctum's magic remained intact. No matter what happened in the outside world, they were not to intervene.
That command had lasted for years. But in the end, these two had broken it, lured out by Hydra's use of black magic.
"I know it was black magic," Ancient One replied flatly. "And so would he. Out of caution, he might take longer to confirm it, but he would arrive at the same judgment."
Her words left the younger of the two bristling with dissatisfaction. "With all due respect, Sorcerer Supreme, who exactly are you holding back for? Is it LexCorp's Reid? Yes, he has extraordinary abilities, but in the end, he's still just a mortal. Can we really entrust matters of black magic to someone like him?"
They weren't angry at her insistence that they remain hidden from the public. What stung was that the responsibility they had always carried, the mission they were proud of, to resist extra-dimensional demons and black magic, was now being handed to someone who wasn't even a sorcerer.
The Ancient One didn't answer. Instead, a golden portal tore through the air. From it stepped Reid, clad in Doctor Fate's robes. He walked straight to the seat opposite her and sat down as if he owned the place.
"I couldn't help but overhear mention of black magic. It sounds like it might involve me. Why don't you tell me everything you know?"
"Who?!"
The sudden intrusion didn't startle the Ancient One. But it shocked the two sorcerers, who instantly summoned weapons out of magic, a sword and an axe, before lunging at Reid.
"So, where exactly did sorcerers pick up this trend of preferring close combat?" Reid shook his head. He didn't even move. Yet their attacks froze mid-swing.
On their wrists and ankles glowed magical restraints, pinning them in place.
Only then did they realize who stood before them. The very man they had dismissed as a mere mortal: Reid Pennyworth.
"After knowing of each other for so long, we finally meet." The Ancient One gave a small smile and waved her hand. An invisible ripple of magic passed through the air, dissolving Reid's bindings around her students.
"Mr. Pennyworth," she said softly, "this meeting wasn't by either of our designs. But since you're here, whatever it is you want to know, I can tell you."
"What do I want to know?" Reid let out a bitter smile. If he truly sought intel from the Ancient One, he wouldn't have waited until now to come knocking.
He was not the type of hero in comics who leisurely enjoyed life. In this world, he had no life to call his own. Every thought, word, and action served a singular purpose: to achieve his ultimate goal, completing the Joker card mission while keeping himself safe, and to subvert this world.
And there was still one more task ahead, strengthening himself to withstand the endless darkness that might lie in the future.
He was not the Martian Manhunter, who as John Jones could maintain international peace. He was not Superman, returning home to Lois and Jonathan, with loving parents waiting. He was not Batman, driven by vendetta or the burden of a family legacy.
Compared to heroes and villains, he was more like a god in these stories, observing the world quietly, yet capable of triggering cosmic-scale events when necessary.
He did not want to extract intelligence from the Ancient One. Every piece of knowledge she could offer might drastically alter the future and create enormous variables.
But now, the meeting had already happened. To let these concerns stop him from seizing the information before his eyes would not be prudence; it would be foolishness.
"What I want to know is simple," he said. "How much do you know about my origin?"
**
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