WARNINGS

* dehumanization
* blatant racism/speciesism
* disregard of own safety to extreme levels/lack of self preservation to extremes
* gore
* body horror

november 6

Captain Marvel dove into the ground, spinning like a drill until he got right under the gem. With the sorcerer's distracted, he easily flew to a safe distance before throwing it towards Zatara. "Yam eht owt emoceb eno ecno erom! (May the two become one once more)" The Italian chanted, feeling a pull at the fabric of his being as two worlds joined back together.

As he suspected, the side of the adults was a mirror dimension, copied off of the one the children were left in. It wasn't all too surprising. Klarion was the main source behind it and his ego would never have allowed him to be in anything but the original.

What was surprising was the sheer level of destruction on the children's side. Barely anything of the surrounding forest survived without some form of damage. Other parts weren't spared any grace either as there was now a gaping hole the size of a building giving a clear view of the ocean in the distance.

"What happened here?" He muttered to himself, struggling to take in the sight of near total destruction. It didn't go lost on him how nervous Captain Marvel looked. How fidgety and small he made himself appear to be as he uttered the one damning name that swallowed the silence and froze it over.

"Phantom."

It seemed like he wasn't the only one as his colleagues looked around in fear, trying to locate their children. To make sure they were alright.

Kaldur looked well enough, given a few scratches and some twitches here and there. He was still sat on the dirt, propped up between broken branches as he tried to regain his bearings.

Wally looked surprisingly energetic for a boy who burns more calories breathing than an average marathon takes to run.

Artemis looked like she had seen better days. Half the forest adorned her hair but much like Kaldur, she only had a few scratches and a few bruises starting to pop up.

M'gann looked to be the best off out of everybody. Whether that was because she could fix her appearance with a thought or because she stayed safe was beyond him but also simply not his main concern.

Conner, surprisingly, didn't look too great. Shock still adorned his face as he clutched his hand close to him, stumbling around as if he was looking for somebody but having no internal compass to lead him to his destination. The little peaks of skin he could see showed reddened blotches. If the clone of Superman managed to be injured, that could only mean one thing when paired with this level of destruction.

Hurriedly he scanned his surroundings, trying to find the culprit and the incessant enabler. Finally he spotted the pair, leaning onto each other for support. Robin was standing on just one leg, the other barely touching the ground. Leaning onto Phantom for balance, the pair hovered just above the ground to cover for Robin's injury.

Phantom on the other hand, looked like his body could fall apart at any moment. One glove was missing, arm completely covered in a mix of red and green. Mud clung to any part that wasn't already coated. Neon green leaked out of his nose and mouth, hair rivaling Artemis' in collecting bits of the forest as souvenirs as the rest of his body adorned too much muck to tell any injuries hiding beneath. He looked weak, like a gust of wind could knock him over, yet still all too capable of destruction if he so pleased.

And Zatanna, his sweet darling daughter. The one he was promised would be protected, was hovering above, keeping watch over the 5 sorcerers at fault.

Klarion watched on with mild boredom as adult and child reunited. His favorite toy even found support on either side before that brute of a Bat reached them. How disgustingly nice that must feel.

And here he was, forced to crouch with the ugliest accessory in the history of the universe as his useless associates laid wallowing in pain. "Well, they sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh well." He sighed to himself, snapping his fingers to dissolve the ugly thing Dr. Fate put him in. Seriously, somebody tell this geezer solid gold and ankhs went out of fashion eons ago.

Calling out for his beloved familiar, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she came rushing out of what was left of the forest. Hot on her tail were that experiment's pet dog and the hellhound. Surprisingly enough, Teekl was the one adorning more cuts than the pair of perishables. Perhaps they weren't as useless as they appeared.

Shrinking down to a carriable size, Teekl jumped in the witch boy's arms. "It was fun playing with you, Double Trouble." Summoning his exit, he smiled at the group of wannabes before leaving. "See you later, armadillos. Unless I see you first." With a smirk he jumped into the portal to wreak havoc another day. Just as the portal closed, Wolf and Cujo slammed into the now vacant space, teeth dripping with drool as they caught their breaths.

As the mentors helped their kids and those whose mentors weren't present stand, Wally zoomed over to where Dr. Fate was erasing the spell left behind. "Aren't you gonna stop him?" He asked in disbelief. The first time Dr. Fate fought Klarion he understood, his body wasn't made for Nabu's biochemical override. But this time he had Zatanna to control. The girl was literally made of the same stuff the lord of order was, yet still, Klarion was let go.

"To what end." Dr. Fate scoffed, finishing up the dispellment as he humored his previous host. "Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."

Frustration blanketed the heroes. They risked so much, only for it to have been nearly for naught as very little stopped Klarion from simply doing it again. The simple fact that they were left up to the whims of literal chaos incarnate wasn't something all too great for morale.

Especially not at the cost at which it came.

"Fate!" Zatara stumbled forward, eyes pleading as he addressed one of the pillars of the sorcery institute. Adjusting his tone to something more appropriate, he begged. "Great Lord Nabu, release my daughter."

Dr. Fate hovered in silence, a mental battle fought and lost before he spoke. "No." Their double layered voice answered sternly. "Witness the rise of havoc in these hours." He gestured around, the destruction causing a few more awkward glances towards a certain young soul. "The world needs Dr. Fate. And the girl's natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her the perfect candidate."

Dread settled over the group as Fate loomed over them, cape swishing in the wind with overinflated importance. "You can't do that!" Artemis cried out, first to find her voice as the adults around them found themselves bound by diplomatic uncertainty. The only person with a right to speak out would be Captain Marvel, who was currently frozen in shock as he tried to process his potential friend being taken from him so soon.

"She has her own life to live." Robin bit out, not caring about niceties that he should adhere by. He'll gladly take whatever flak Alfred would throw his way for disrespecting people in high positions. Clearly not everybody deserved the respect the Englishman expected to be given. But something told him Alfie would be a lot less nice and a lot more trigger happy right about now.

Wally took it the hardest, having been in the position Zatanna was in before. "Kent would never allow-"

"Kent Nelson did object, strenuously." Dr. Fate interrupted, blank stare and raised eyebrow audible even if the golden helmet obscured its view. "So I released his spirit to the afterlife."

Phantom scoffed, resulting in an immediate wet cough and a few too little eyes on him. "No you didn't, you forced it upon him. I would know if you handed him over to me." Phantom bit out, clutching his side as he glared at the golden sorcerer. Or at least he thought it was at him as black spots littered his vision. But his objection went ignored.

Pointedly looking between Wally, Zatara and Captain Marvel, Dr. Fate's gaze burned into their souls. "I cannot?" Dr. Fate mocked incredulously, Zatanna's echoed voice cutting deep as the sorcerer spoke to the humans. "You dare speak such insolence, deny the need for my presence upon the mortal plane, when you harbor an abomination in your midst." Their combined voices boomed across the clearing, displeasure more than known.

Phantom glared up at him, earlier anger reigniting again. Ecto going into overdrive to prepare for the threat before him as his ring shone brightly. Frostbite warned him about high ranking magi but it was unnecessary to insult him with his own friend's voice. For an ass that looked down on ghosts so much he had to physically hover above him to assert his superiority, the prick was doing a bang up job at possession across the ages.

He wanted to say more, wanted to argue, but Zatara spoke before he could find the words to do so. "Take me instead."

"Zatara-"

The man didn't care for Batman's interruption as he continued his proposition. "My skills are already at their peak, my body physically stronger. Better able to withstand the strain of your power." He stood with his arms open, palms to the sky as he offered himself into Dr. Fate's servitude.

The sorcerer seemed to genuinely contemplate the offer as well. "All true," he hummed, Zatanna's voice darked to something predatory. "But if I remove the helmet, what guarantee have I that you would don it." The lie was right there, easy to say he would and then hide the stupid helmet somewhere so nobody would ever be possessed by it again.

But that wasn't what Zatara was planning, everybody knew that. Not when it was his only child on the line.

"Sir, please don't." Phantom pleased, bile slowly rising as he pushed down years of nightmares bubbling to the top. Behind his mask, green eyes widened so far the glue was stretching his skin. Wrinkles digging into soft tissue as his mask contorted in genuine worry for the man who hated him so. He tried to step forward, only held back by Robin shifting his weight to make them both stumble back. "There has to be another-"

"Stay out of this, demon! You had your chance to prove yourself worthy of trust and protect my daughter. Now I must fix your incompetency." Phantom visibly recoiled at the harsh words screamed at him. Just when it felt like they had a chance of being on at least neutral terms, it all crashed and burned right before his eyes. "May this be etched into the deepest part of your mind. Never forget the cost of your failure. If you even have a heart to care."

Phantom slowly landed on the ground, eyes cast downward as he felt just about every set of eyes on him. Mr. Zatara was right. He promised to bring them home, but failed.

Klarion was right too, even after all this time he still wasn't strong enough to protect those he cared for.

Taking a calming breath and fighting to regain his composure, he turned back towards the golden sorcerer, bewitching himself with a vow. "Great Lord Nabu. I, Giovanni John Mandracchia Zatara, give you my word. Ekat em daetsni. (take me instead)"

Finally satisfied with the promise, Dr. Fate floated down. Stilling for just a moment, he cautiously assessed the area for any threats or tricks. Finally removing the helmet, he released Zatanna from his hold. As Nabu's hold over her mind faded, Zatanna's eyes filled with recognition as she hugged her father close.

Reluctantly parting, Giovanni took in every detail of his precious daughter. Hoping, wishing, it would be enough to keep him going after he gave himself over. "Remember," he whispered warmly, struggling to keep his voice stable as he kissed her forehead. "I love you."

Taking a step backwards, he closed his eyes, refusing to look at anybody in particular. "Take care of my girl." Though he refused to acknowledge it, he knew in his heart that Batman would do what he could to care for his baby girl. Blocking out the cries from his darling, he kept his eyes shut as he donned the helmet and gave his body over to the lord of order.

"No, please! This was my fault! DAD!" Despite Zatanna's desperate cries, and Robin hobbling over with Phantom's help to hold her back, the transition was instant. Gone was the Italian warmth the man radiated, replaced with cold arrogance as dull emerald eyes scanned over the group.

Zatanna's knees gave out under her, dragging the boys down with her as she fell into the frosty dirt below. "Babbo (Dad)." She choked out, begging for a piece of her father to still be in there somewhere and answer her. Tell her it will be okay.

But it wouldn't be. And it was all her fault for putting on the stupid tin can in the first place.

Phantom felt something break in him. While he didn't appreciate the reminder, once again he had to admit Klarion was right. Zatanna reminded him too much of somebody else. Too akin to things he experienced himself as well. Refusing to relent to the bullying of an ego manic, he pushed against every screaming fiber of his body and stood back up.

"NO!" Phantom yelled out, voice cracking even with just two letters uttered as he summoned a pilar of ice for Robin and Zatanna to lean onto as he forced his legs to move forward. "No, you don't just get to do that!" He grit out, teeth bared as he pushed through the pain setting his entire body on fire. His throat begging him to shut up, to let it heal itself before speaking again, but he refused. Not even Cujo's support helped as he openly glared at anybody stupid enough to try and stop him.

"Phantom, enough." Aquaman warned in Batman's absence of discipline. But it was exactly that lack that allowed Phantom to push on. Robin tried to go after him, stop him from making a mistake, but the pain in his ankle worsened with every movement as something shifted inside his joint. Trying to stand as well, he was stopped by Phantom summoning another bench of ice for his brother to lean onto. But more importantly, block his way from interfering.

"You don't get to break apart a family because of some overinflated sense of self-importance." He spat out, pushing on just out of reach from Zatanna as the girl stared up at him with tear filled horror. "You are supposed to be a lord of order, not some lowlife gangster scum. We do not need your protection if the cost is another person's life." Maybe this was getting a bit too personal, but Phantom did not care. Not when nobody objected against his statements except for the golden bucket head himself.

"Do not mistake my inaction for kindness, nuhar-ken. (parasite)" The sorcerer spat, disgust and vitriol poisoning the usual phonetical calm of Atlantean as he continued to walk away. "Leave these to the Fate." He reached out to the tied up sorcerers, easily binding them in golden light.

Before he had a chance to depart with his prisoners, green tendrils shot out and surrounded his torso. Shocked by the sheer audacity, he managed to turn to face the offending cosmic mishap. Admit the horrified humans stood the lone miscreant with the audacity to try and bind a lord of order. "Do not cross the boundary of which your mere existence is already towing the line." He warned coldly, not in the mood to waste time on this pathetic display.

Phantom glared at him, green halo forming around his hair as wind picked up the icy locks. Sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with congealing blood as it ran down his face. "Then tie a noose and hang me with it because I couldn't give a single shit about your arbitrary lines." Pouring more energy than he should into his hold on Dr. Fate, Phantom forced himself afloat to alleviate the pain on his, well, everything. "You have no right to lay claim to his soul. His life not yours to command. Return him to us and I'll let you go." Where he found the confidence to make such demands, he had no idea. But he refused to let this be how another family gets destroyed if he has even the slightest shred of hope to fix it.

He could feel the anger rolling off Dr. Fate as calmly as wave breakers get watery hugs. "Watch yourself, abomination." Call him delusional, but he had a feeling that was more Zatara than Nabu for a hot second. But it's a delusion he'll cling to as it proved the man was still in there somewhere.

"You got stolen eyes, watch me yourself." The reply came automatic, much to his disadvantage as it seemed to be the last drop for the golden sorcerer. Bracing himself for an impact that never came, Phantom cautiously observed the struggling rat in his trap.

Adrenaline and power rushed through his veins as he straightened out, he couldn't help but mock the man. "You can't get out." Phantom grinned through bloodied teeth, not even fighting the weight that had fully set upon his head. He could feel the power pulsating under his skin, filling every wrinkle of his being as he finally chose to stop running. "Let Mr. Zatara go, and I'll think about letting you off with a warning." Cockiness and idiocy flowed together into a heaping pile of dumb fuckery as he took joy in watching the arrogant tin can struggle.

"Do not think this will hold me for long." Straining every muscle in his stolen body, Dr. Fate fought hard against the ectoplasmic constraints. "The spoils of your barbaric victory means nothing when Lord Dark awaits the opportune moment to return. And when he does, he will not bow. What feeble power you cling to will not save you when your time or reckoning arrives."

"Uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure he will since he holds no true power anymore." Phantom shook his head to try and get his bangs out of his face. If that movement just happened to put more casual emphasis on the green shining through, he was fully aware of it. "I don't need to kill anybody to put them in their place. But I'm pretty sure you're figuring that one out right about now." He taunted just that bit more to keep himself entertained as he felt his muscles beg for a break.

Robin watched on in shock as an honest to fuck flaming crown just spawned on his brother's head. A crown with history as a literal celestial being was trying to talk shit about it and the previous owner. His stomach weighed heavy at the implications of what it all meant. Just what the hell did his brother go through when they weren't talking. Any bits he learned he found more unbelievable than the last, to be left out like that. But it wouldn't be fair to judge since he himself was guilty of the same. He could only get so much Bat-training, disguised as new circus tricks, worked in there before he got overwhelmed by the hero life.

Being forced to witness the consequences of actions he regrets wasn't all to fun when put in situations where their genetic stubbornness caused Phantom to challenge a literal higher being.

But for all he knew at this point, Phantom could be one too.

He was certainly starting to think so after watching him fight earlier. All the things Klarion said. With that...thing that seemed stronger than Black Canary's cry, and the basic things he already knew about, he wasn't surprised how an alternate version could take on the League.

He could have done without the eldritch body horror though.

Helplessly the group watched on, knowing their own limits and chances against Dr. Fate. Not even their very own champion of magic was interfering as they watched Phantom hold the lord of order on a literal leash.

Observing the battle of wills, the two struggled against the other. One trying to break free as the other tried to restrain as much as possible. They knew that eventually, Phantom would lose. He couldn't keep Dr. Fate bound forever, especially not in his current state. And it looked like Phantom knew that too.

Like a scene from a sci-fi horror, they watched on as Phantom's entire being seemed to wobble, lose its solid edges. Almost as if they were watching him glitch in real life, he wavered in the moonlight.

And then the extra limbs started emerging, tearing itself apart from what seemed to be the main body. At times it was hard to tell what the main part even was given how mangled and deformed the appendaged looked. All too many of everything spawned and melted back into nothingness. Eyes in the wrong places or fingers growing from each other, it was there. And then it was not.

Green sticky goo still connecting the two forms before fusing themselves back together again. Like the cells were actively being ripped apart and stitched back together.

Only to try and force itself apart once more.

Screaming out in pain, they could see his jaw dislocate, cheeks giving way as tears tore through the muscle. Yet still he refused to give up. It wasn't a sight for the faint of heart, nor stomach for the matter. Not even Phantom's stomach as he hacked up a congealed blob of green sludge as his head tried to split itself apart before their eyes. For a brief moment, it looked like his head was cleaved in half as they looked at the grotesque disfigurement before the two halves closed up again. The second face that had tried to form lingering just a few haggard breaths too long before it snapped back into place.

Panting heavily, his entire being shook from exhaustion. The power binding Dr. Fate dimming for just a second, but it was a second he couldn't afford to give the sorcerer. Managing a leap forward, he tugged on his restraints. Watching the boy struggle brought a smile to his covered face.

"Give up while you can still attempt an escape, aŭ suferu la sekvojn ĝis vi petegos esti liberigita el via mizero, abomenindaĵo. (or suffer the consequences until you beg to be put out of your misery, you abomination)" Cujo shot up from his spot near Zatanna, leaping forward and growling at the sorcerer's audacity. A humorless laugh escaped his throat, finding amusement in the pup's reaction. "Are you so weak you need your mutt to come your defense?"

"Kiam mi diris redonu lin,(when I said give him back)" It seemed like whatever Phantom was trying to achieve ceased, his form stabilizing once more as his gaze never left the golden sorcerer. "Mi ne petis. (I wasn't asking)" Phantom's glow radiated a chill that sunk deep in everybody's bones. Loose grasp on his power balled into fists as he steadied himself once more. The ever-present green hue shifting teal as ice crept out around him.

The boy stilled completely, no longer shaking under the strain he was putting himself under. Like a typical old horror movie, a transparent and creepily legless Phantom ascended from his body. The soft embered glow of the crown atop his head freezing over into a serene crystalline on the newly appeared ghost. Hovering there for just a moment, eyes never leaving the shocked sorcerer before launching itself directly into the helmet. Dr. Fate's eyes filled with golden energy, obscuring their only view to the man beneath the helmet.

RECAP
* worlds fuse back together, adults surprised at the amount of destruction that Marvel claims was Phantom's fault
* kids look like they survived a storm but at least they survived, except zatanna who is posessed by dr.fate and just hovering there...menacingly
* Teekl rushing out of the forrest after klarion called for her, chased by Wolf and Cujo and looking worse for wear, much to klarion's surprise
* Klarion dips and wally yells at dr; fate for letting him go
* Dr. Fate doesn't care bc there is no stopping klarion in a true sense bc chaos shall always exist
* Zatara begs Nabu to let Zatanna go, Nabu refuses excactly bc chaos is on the rise (blames danny) and she is a good vessil for his power
* objections ensue, zatara yells at danny for trying to intervene him saving his daughter
* Zatara asks the adults to care for his daughter before putting on the helmet
* danny refuses to let that be the end of it, goes into conflict with nabu over the release of Zatara's soul, drawing paralells between his own past and not needing protection if it is at the cost of somebody's life (ref: tony zuco offering "protection" and murdering the grayson parents after being rejected)
* danny traps nabu with ecto, keeping him from running away but burning the last bits of his energy very fast
* danny finally gives in to the power of the royal artifacts and doesnt fight the crown from forming, using the extra power boost to keep nabu in place
* nabu cant excape the ecto bindings but knows danny won't last long
* danny learns how to clone himself, grotesquely
* clone danny zooms into the helmet, leaving his original body behind to keep dr fate tied down