…Barbara stared at Thea as if she were a monster. I was just casually suggesting it, and you came up with a full plan in three minutes?
She looked at the sketch Thea had drawn. She didn't have Batman's deep mechanical-engineering skills, but she was still highly educated—just one glance was enough for her to completely surrender. Thea's design was fully workable.
The device wasn't hard to make. When Laurel finished another day of training and was preparing to go home, Thea handed her a necklace.
"See this blue module? Press it later and speak into it for five minutes. The chip will record your voice pattern, and afterward this device will only work for you. When you shout at full power, this audio amplifier will boost your voice more than tenfold and project it forward in a cone. Something like this."
Thea calmly explained the principle step by step.
"This is for me!? Does this mean I'm… officially a superhero!?" Laurel nearly jumped from excitement.
"Only if you finish your training. Otherwise—no matter what Barbara says—I won't let you go on missions."
Thea's words moved Laurel so much she hugged her tightly despite being covered in bruises.
"You're really good to her. Is it because she was your brother's girlfriend?"
Once Laurel went home, Barbara came looking for Thea, trying to understand their new teammate better.
"Maybe…" Thea didn't elaborate. Sometimes she envied girls like Barbara and Laurel—full of ideals and fire, picking a goal and charging straight ahead.
Thea was never that carefree. She worried too much, thought too much, ran at full capacity every day and still felt like she had countless unfinished plans.
Three days after building Laurel's equipment, her office was suddenly blocked—by a six-year-old.
"Miss Thea… this child…"
The assistant had only blinked and the kid had already slipped in. She ran after him, terrified—if she were fired, she had nowhere else to go. The Queen Group dominated Star City.
"It's fine. I know him."
Thea waved the assistant away, staring helplessly at Damian Wayne. "Did something happen to your mother?"
With more and more people using the secret base, Thea had moved Talia and Damian to a comfortable private residence to avoid disturbing her treatment. Talia had recovered over half of her combat strength, and several of her subordinates had arrived in Star City—their safety was not a concern.
Thea only went over occasionally to activate the Lazarus sigil. She hadn't seen this brat Damian in days.
"I want to hire you."
The kid's words were so unexpected Thea almost laughed. But seeing Damian's serious expression, she restrained her amusement. "What do you want to hire me for?"
"My grandfather spent his entire life searching for traces of magic. I don't want to be an ordinary person. I want you to teach me magic!"
Damian's voice was firm—his eyes clear, without a hint of hesitation.
Thea closed the office door and chose her words carefully.
"Listen, Damian Wayne. Is this your own decision? Not your grandfather's, not your parents'?"
The child nodded solemnly.
Maybe this brat can be useful…
They weren't related—Thea only valued potential, and Damian's value was far greater than even he realized.
But she still had principles. She wouldn't lie to a child. First she needed to see if he even had the affinity for magic. Without it, nothing else mattered.
"Stand still. Don't move. I'm going to check your magical affinity."
Thea summoned a sphere of light beside his face—no reaction. Light affinity: none.
She then summoned earth, fire, water, and wind. She didn't possess earth or water affinity herself, but she could simulate them with magic. Among the four primary elements, only earth showed a faint reaction—but not a strong one.
When she finally summoned the dark element, she felt an obvious pull.
Thea removed her glasses. "Kid, you're lucky. You have dark element affinity. Earth responds too, but considering your age, the earth connection will get weaker as you grow up. You're clearly past the threshold of a single attribute, but not enough for dual attributes. Let's call it… pretty good talent."
Damian let out a breath of relief. After five spheres with no reaction, he'd nearly lost hope. At least now he knew he wasn't completely worthless.
Thea silently watched his clenched fists. For a child, this talent was already decent. Neither Malcolm nor Tommy could sense even a flicker of mana.
With Batman and Ra's al Ghul as parents, his dark-element concentration was far higher than other elements. Given their personalities and lifestyle, this wasn't surprising.
"So tell me—what kind of payment can you offer? You don't think this is Hogwarts, do you? You can't just pay money and enroll."
Thea leaned back lazily, trying not to seem too eager.
"I'm willing to pay any price."
Damian's answer was firm—clearly something he had rehearsed countless times.
Ten minutes passed. Just as Damian began to wonder if Thea had fallen asleep, she slowly stood up.
"Young man seeking power—I don't want your money, and I don't want your soul or your life. My price is simple."
Thea stared directly into Damian's eyes.
"I want the Demon's Head's…"
Damian's face tightened as he waited for the rest.
"…I want the Demon's Head's sword."
"Ah—!"
Damian nearly collapsed. He thought she was about to demand Ra's al Ghul's life. All that suspense… and she only wanted a sword?
"Judging by your reaction, you've seen it. Good. Bring me that sword. I don't care how—steal it, snatch it, beg for it. Whatever works. Put that sword in my hand, and I'll teach you magic."
Thea dragged the dazed Damian out of her office.
"My terms are simple. Now go wherever you want."
She didn't look back.
The little adult-like Damian stepped out of Wayne Tower. At first he thought the mission would be easy. But once he recalled how his grandfather treated that sword—and compared that to Thea's request—only a fool wouldn't realize the sword was extraordinary. Someone like him could never obtain it alone.
In the end, Damian made up his mind: he would return home and discuss it with Talia.