I was standing in Hope's lab, watching Hermione float inside the healing chamber.
I'd already contacted Hope.
Told her I'd secured nearly everyone on the list. Told her about Hermione's condition. Told her about the extra people I brought back.
She hadn't minded.
In fact, she'd already sent me background summaries on all of them.
Turns out, most of the new recruits had been villains at some point.
That didn't bother me.
I don't mind former villains, as long as they've genuinely turned over a new leaf. Everyone deserves a second chance.
Still, I wasn't naïve.
I'd be running them through a few tests. If they passed, they'd start at B-rank. If they failed? Straight to C or D until they proved they could be heroes.
Hope also filled me in on Chase. Apparently, his power has a drawback; he can run 50 times faster, but that also speeds up his aging.
So I reversed it.
Turned him back to his proper age.
The look on everyone's faces when I did it? Priceless. Even Eve looked stunned, and I'm pretty sure she can do the same to her own body.
Hope said she'd build a stabilizing device for him soon.
I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind me.
I didn't turn.
I didn't need to.
I'd recognize that life signature anywhere.
"Hi, Trini," I said calmly. "Thanks for answering my call."
"Of course," she replied, stepping beside me. "You've got a very… interesting group upstairs."
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
"I saw a man with a bat head, a hot demon woman, and what looked like a giant clay monster," she continued dryly.
She folded her arms, looking at the healing chamber.
"Now," she asked softly, "who is this?"
"This is Hermione Granger," I said quietly. "One of the most brilliant witches in her world."
Trini studied the healing chamber, her expression tightening."What happened to her? She looks like she's been through hell and back."
"In some ways, she has," I replied. "Her world was taken over by a dark wizard. And they don't exactly treat 'mudbloods' kindly."
Trini frowned. "Mudbloods?"
"Wizards born to non-magical parents," I explained. "Hermione's parents were normal. She wasn't. That alone made her a target. When the dark wizard took control, it got worse. Her friends died. Her parents died. She was imprisoned in a place that literally drains happiness from you."
Trini's jaw clenched."Jesus. That's horrible."
"Yeah," I said softly. "It is."
I looked back at the chamber.
"I need you to watch over her while I'm gone. I don't want her waking up alone in that thing and panicking."
Trini turned toward me. "You're leaving again? You just got back."
"I know," I admitted. "There's one more person on Hope's list. It would've been complicated and risky to bring everyone along. Easier to drop them off first."
"Is it dangerous?" she asked.
"Somewhat," I said honestly. "It's less work if I don't have to protect a group from him while I'm recruiting. I'll be back soon."
She held my gaze for a second.
"Alright. Just be careful."
"Always," I replied.
I grabbed the Multiverse Gun from my hip, activated it and vanished.
I appeared in a dense forest.
I holstered the Multiverse Gun and cast a locator spell. The signal flared almost immediately.
He was close.
I followed the path through the trees and, within a minute, came upon a small wooden cabin tucked deep in the woods. Smoke drifted faintly from the chimney.
I knocked twice.
No answer.
After a moment, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Mark was sitting in a chair by the fireplace.
No suit. No heroic posture. Just a man staring into flames.
He looked older than I expected. The left side of his face was scarred with burn marks, and an eyepatch covered his left eye.
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"If you're here to kill me," he said without looking away from the fire, "I'd advise you to turn around."
"I'm not here to hurt you," I replied calmly. "I just want to talk."
I stepped further in and took a seat across from him. His remaining eye never left the fire.
"What do you want?"
"First, introductions. My name's Kai. I'm from another multiverse, believe it or not."
"That's not hard to believe," Mark said flatly. "I used to fight someone who could travel the multiverse."
"Good. That saves us time," I said. "I want you to come to my world and join my hero team."
That got his attention. His eye shifted slightly toward me.
"You want me to join your hero team," he repeated. "And you know nothing about me."
"I know enough," I said.
I leaned forward slightly.
"Markus Sebastian Grayson. Viltrumite. Formerly known as Invincible. Your father, Omni-Man, revealed his allegiance to the Viltrum Empire. He tried to recruit you. You resisted. The two of you fought for a week."
His jaw tightened.
"In the aftermath, a lot of people died. You eventually killed your father. Earth didn't forgive you. Even though you saved them, you were still responsible for the destruction."
The fire crackled.
"So you left. Spent years dismantling the Viltrum Empire. Killed every last Viltrumite. And even after that… the universe still saw you as one of them."
Silence.
"With nowhere else to go, you came back to Earth in secret. Built this cabin. And you've been here for about fifty years."
He finally turned his head and looked at me fully.
Surprised.
"See?" I said softly. "I know enough."
He stared at me.
"And I still want you," I continued. "Because, honestly? You're the best version of Invincible out there. There are a lot of evil ones. A few good ones. But you? You've paid your price."
"And if I say no?" he asked.
"Then I leave," I said simply. "And you stay here. Wasting away."
I held his gaze.
"But I don't think you want that. I think you want to be a hero again. I think you want redemption."
The fire popped.
"I'm offering you that."
The cabin fell silent.
After a long moment, Mark sighed.
"…Whatever. I've got nothing else to do."
He stood.
"I'll join your hero team."
Relief flickered through me.
"Glad to hear it," I said.
Honestly? I thought this was going to turn violent the second I walked in. Guess I was worrying for nothing.
I activated the Multiverse Gun.
The cabin disappeared.
And Mark Grayson left his exile behind.
Billy Batson POV
I was running for my life.
Subway entrance straight ahead.
I'd finally pissed off the wrong group of bullies at school, and now five of them were chasing me. Normally, I could stand my ground, but five-on-one? Yeah, no thanks.
"I'm gonna beat you to a bloody pulp, Batson!" one of them shouted behind me.
"You gotta catch me first!" I shot back, pumping my legs harder.
I darted down the subway stairs two at a time. The train was already pulling in.
Perfect timing.
The doors were closing as I lunged forward, barely squeezing through before they shut. One of the bullies slammed into the glass, pounding on it as the train began to move.
I couldn't help it, I flipped them off as the train pulled away.
"See ya!"
I collapsed into a seat, breathing hard, heart pounding in my ears.
That's when I realized something.
The subway car was empty.
Completely empty.
The lights flickered once.
Then I noticed the windows.
They were frosting over.
Slowly.
The temperature dropped fast enough that I could see my own breath.
"…Okay," I muttered under my breath. "That's new."
I stood up slowly and looked around.
The train had stopped.
The doors slid open with a metallic hiss, and instead of a platform, there was a cave.
A massive cave.
"…Okay," I muttered. "Definitely not 3rd Street."
The train didn't look like it was going anywhere anytime soon, so I stepped out. As I walked deeper into the cave, I saw strange things, floating doors suspended in midair, glowing symbols carved into stone, ancient pillars humming with power.
Eventually, I reached a massive chamber.
Seven thrones stood in a circle.
Behind each throne was a towering statue holding a glowing orb.
Only one throne was occupied.
An old man sat there, pale, draped in ancient robes, a long white beard flowing down his chest. He leaned on a wooden staff etched with lightning symbols.
"Finally," he said, rising slowly. "You have arrived."
He walked toward me.
"I have waited a very long time for this, Billy Batson."
My stomach dropped."How do you know my name?"
"I know everything about you," he replied. "I have watched you for years. I wished to wait until you were older, truly, I did. But time is running out. I grow weaker. And he will awaken soon."
"He?" I said.
"I do not know if the strange mage who somehow has my powers can stand against him," the old man continued gravely. "So I must act now."
"…None of what you're saying makes sense," I said.
"Billy," he said, stepping closer, "I have chosen you to be my champion. You will become the new Keeper of the Rock of Eternity, the guardian of all magic."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, backing up. "I was supposed to get off at 3rd Street, and now I'm in some glowing cave with a really intense old guy talking about magic."
He slammed his staff onto the ground.
Light exploded around me, images forming in the air like living memories.
"I am the last of the Council of Wizards," he said. "Long ago, my siblings and I chose a champion to bring peace to a troubled land. He nearly succeeded. But in an act of love, he gave away his invulnerability to save his father."
The images shifted.
"While mortal, he was slain. His father, consumed by grief and rage, unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins upon the world. Millions perished."
I watched in stunned silence as monstrous shadows spread across kingdoms.
"It took all our strength to seal the Sins away," the Wizard continued. "When we attempted to reclaim our power from the false champion, he refused. He fought us."
The thrones behind him flickered.
"He slaughtered my brothers and sisters."
The other six thrones were empty.
"With my final strength, I imprisoned him… but the seal weakens. Soon, he will rise again."
The images faded.
"I am no longer strong enough to protect this realm alone," the Wizard said. "The Rock of Eternity must have a champion. The Sins must never be freed. The false champion must be stopped."
He stared directly at me.
"Billy Batson… you must take up this task."
"WHAT?!" I yelled. "I'm sixteen! How is a sixteen-year-old supposed to protect all magic and fight some superpowered psycho? Why don't you just call Superman or something?!"
"You have a pure heart," the Wizard said calmly. "You are strong-willed. You are kind. You are all I have left."
He extended the staff toward me.
"Touch my staff. Speak my name. Let my power flow into you."
"…That sounds gross," I said.
"My brothers and sisters are gone!" he roared. "Their thrones are empty. My life fades. The world must have a champion!"
He shoved the staff in front of me.
"Now. Speak my name."
"I don't even know your name!" I shot back. "We just met!"
"My name," he said, thunder rumbling through the cave, "is Shazam."
"…Wait, seriously?" I blinked.
"SAY IT."
"Okay, okay!" I grabbed the staff, took a deep breath, and shouted:
"SHAZAM!"
Lightning crashed down from the cavern ceiling.
It struck me.
Pain. Power. Heat.
My body stretched, grew, transformed. Strength flooded every nerve.
The Wizard's voice echoed around me.
"Carry my name, and with it my gifts! The wisdom of Solomon! The strength of Hercules! The stamina of Atlas! The power of Zeus! The courage of Achilles! The speed of Mercury!"
The lightning faded.
I stumbled forward, catching myself. I looked down at my hands.
They were bigger.
Stronger.
I flexed. Power hummed beneath my skin.
"What did you do to me?!" I demanded.
"You now stand at your full potential, Billy Batson," Shazam said softly. "Find your family. The thrones of my brothers and sisters await."
He placed the staff in my hand.
Then his body crumbled to dust.
I stared at the pile on the ground.
The glowing cave.
The empty thrones.
The power surges through me.
"…What the hell is happening?"