After thinking for a moment, Kent shook his head again.
"Nabu cannot give us insight into him, and the Lasso of Truth cannot force his real identity from him. Without knowing who he truly is, we won't be able to handle his situation effectively. But we can't let him continue unchecked, exposing the supernatural world to ordinary people. We need more magical minds to analyze him in depth."
Kent's eyes met Diana's with purpose.
Diana pursed her lips, then nodded.
"If he were just another powerful threat, I wouldn't surrender him to anyone. Whether he kills me or I defeat him, that would be my lifelong pursuit," Diana said.
"But you've seen it, Kent. He's nothing but a rogue. There's no honor in fighting him. Just the thought of facing him again makes my head hurt."
She rubbed her forehead in frustration, still disturbed by memories of Axel's outrageous behavior during their encounter. Who charges a hero by swinging his crotch like that? The memory was ridiculous… and inappropriate.
Shaking off the thought, Diana continued, "So I agree. Let more mystical forces get involved in the Wraith situation. Unless we know his identity and weakness, based on what we've seen so far, we can't stop him. Just like Achilles and his heel, or Baldr and the mistletoe of his fate, even nearly perfect beings have vulnerabilities. We need to find them."
A sigh escaped her.
"If he didn't cause so much trouble, maybe we could coexist. There are gods living among humans, good and bad, but most abide by human customs and stay low‑profile. Axel has done so much in just three days that word of him has spread across Gotham and most of America. Give him another week and he could declare his own divine kingdom, with countless fanatics following him."
She paused, her mind racing.
"Oh, I remember something!" Diana spoke fast, eyes bright.
"When I interrogated one of Axel's henchmen under the Lasso of Truth, he said something interesting. He claimed Axel once spoke to God… and that God answered him."
Diana paused, watching Kent's face.
Instantly, Kent reached up and pulled on his golden helmet. In a flash, it covered his head, and his cyan‑gold suit and cloak appeared. He raised his hand, and like a flood of images pouring from everywhere, countless scenes involving Axel appeared around them like surveillance footage.
They paused on a clip from the Sky Rail platform near the Iceberg Lounge. Diana's eyes widened.
"You saw him that morning?"
"Yes," Diana said. "I had just arrived in Gotham. I wanted to see him with my own eyes. He said something about my eyes showing the marks of time. At first I thought he was reading my expression, but now… he must have recognized me."
She hesitated, then added, "Wait… was he flipping off the sky?"
Just as she spoke, brilliant lightning cracked across the vision.
Even though Kent was only observing the past, the lightning in the image struck with ferocious force. The bolt blasted through the vision and slammed into Doctor Fate's helmet in the present.
Crash.
The imagined screen shattered like glass, shards flying everywhere, nearly hitting Diana on the sofa.
Kent grunted, dispelling the vision immediately.
When the room calmed, he drew out his phone. Half a minute later, he showed Diana a clip from social media.
"It turns out modern society does have something gods don't — social networks. Look, Axel was bathed in sunlight shortly after the lightning struck."
Diana leaned in with surprise.
"What's most important is the lightning actually happened. A bolt from the past crossed time and injured us in the present. That proves God and Axel truly spoke. So maybe Axel's identity ties into the Bible. We need someone familiar with angels and demons."
Diana's eyes narrowed in thought, as if she had found a target.
Kent, too, seemed to have narrowed his focus, and they looked at each other.
"Right… Constantine."
"I'm thinking Giovanni Zatara!"
The room fell silent as they said it at the same time.
Kent rubbed his helmet in mild frustration, while Diana hugged her knees.
"Kent, we really have no synergy. I'm almost glad I didn't fight beside you in World War II, because I might have gotten in the way," Diana said with a wry smile.
"Well… it wouldn't've been that bad, but yeah, our chemistry is non‑existent," Kent admitted.
Then Kent continued.
"I don't know if you've heard of John Constantine. He's not what you'd call reliable, but among magical circles, he's infamous. He's one of only a few recorded to win tricks against the Lords of Hell."
He paused, weighing his words.
"Most people try to stay far away from him. But stories about Constantine and his exploits are legendary, even if Hell's reputation suffered for it."
Diana nodded with appreciation.
"So that's it. I've been bouncing between London and Themyscira for years. I haven't really kept up with the mystic world, but it sounds like there are successors rising. Giovanni Zatara… that name I do know. In my eyes, he's king of magic. If we can get him here, even if we can't completely stop Axel, we can at least send him to Hell as company."
Diana and Kent exchanged determined glances and nodded.
Kent spoke softly, "If I'm right, Constantine's destiny line is currently in London. I'll head there to find him. I thought you might already know him, since he frequently appears around London."
"Oh? London?" Diana's interest was obvious.
"If that's the case, I probably should've met him," she said, eyes bright with curiosity. "Giovanni's magic troupe performs at the Forgotten Bar in New York. I'll leave for there soon. It's been years since I last saw his show. This time I'll finally get to watch."
"Then it's decided," Kent said. "I go to London for John Constantine, and you go to New York for Giovanni Zatara. By the time we reunite, we'll give the Wraith a magical surprise."
Kent turned and walked toward the floor‑to‑ceiling hotel window.
When he reached the glass, he walked through it as if it weren't there. Instantly, he stepped into the night sky and waved to Diana.
Whoosh.
A faint golden streak trailed behind him as he vanished into the darkness.
Diana remained on the sofa, already searching for flights to New York.
===
Just finished a Presentation, and I low-keyinely think I flopped it 😭