Mount Justice

August 9th , 09:52 EDT

I had officially maintained Infinity for twenty-four hours. And I was proud to say that half of it was unconscious—subconscious, almost. Like breathing. While I wasn't actively "missioning," it had become second nature.

Earlier, while Megan and I were cooking, Batman's voice had been ringing in my head. Not literally, of course—I didn't have Megan's telepathic skills. But his reprimand from the last mission played on a loop. He'd looked at me like I'd crossed some moral Rubicon. All because I made sure Sportsmaster didn't get away again. Maybe breaking both his knees was a bit much, but I didn't regret it. The guy knew how to escape better than Houdini.

The smell of frying batter had brought me back to the present. Megan, ever the perfectionist in the kitchen, had been diligently flipping pancakes while giving me that look—the one that was more disappointed than angry. I had told her at the start of the cooking session why I couldn't join the team for three missions. Rather than change up the menu to reflect the serious conversation she promised we would have, she went right ahead with her plan to make American-style pancakes, all the while giving me a sad glower.

Now, as we sat down with our plates stacked high with pancakes and drowning in Canadian maple syrup, she finally started her lecture.

"I won't nag you, Sa-chan," Megan said, her tone soft but weighted with concern. She frowned as she drizzled more syrup onto her neatly arranged stack of three pancakes, her brow furrowing just enough to show how much she meant it. "But… I wish I could stop you, really."

I paused, mid-slice, the fluffy piece of pancake dangling off my fork. Megan's words hung in the air like a cloud that threatened rain. She was staring at her plate as if hoping the syrup would provide answers.

"I wish… me telling you to stop would be enough." She glanced up, her green eyes shimmering with something that made my chest tighten.

I frowned, setting my fork down with a faint clink. "Stop what? Being a hero?" I tried to keep my tone light, even though I already knew where this was going.

"Brutalizing villains," Megan said, her voice gentle but unyielding. "When you are so powerful that it almost never becomes a necessity. It's a problem. And it upsets me that you can't see why it's a problem."

I gave her a grin—insincere, but I hoped it would lighten the mood. "If you tell me to stop, then I'll stop." I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms as if I were completely at ease.

Megan's lips pressed into a thin line as she studied me. Her pancakes sat forgotten. "Are you telling the truth?"

I arched a brow, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the table. "Because you can't read my mind, you suddenly can't trust me?" My tone was teasing, but even I could hear the edge creeping in.

The truth, though? I didn't think I was being honest. Not entirely. It was easy to make promises when sitting at the breakfast table, with syrup and soft morning light making everything feel normal. But when I was in the thick of it—just me and some bastard who really needed to be put down a peg, like Sportsmaster—it was different. Those promises always seemed so far away.

"Dammit." I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yes, yes, I'll try, okay?"

Megan looked down at her plate again, poking at her pancakes with a fork. Her voice, when she spoke, was quieter now. "You're so powerful, Sa-chan." She glanced up, her eyes heavy with sadness. "You don't have to be so rough. You have so much more space to be creative and clever about this stuff, right? If only just to challenge yourself, and not take the easy way out, just try, okay?"

I sighed, slumping forward with my chin resting on my palm. "I'll try," I said again, this time softer. The syrup on my plate was pooling, drowning the pancakes. Kind of like this conversation was drowning me in guilt.

Why, oh why, had I chosen to give this girl so much power over me?

"When was the last time you slept?" Megan asked.

"A week ago?" I asked.

"Then you know what the rules are," she said, "Tonight, you sleep."

Aaaah! Get off my back, woman!

"Sure," I said with a shrug.

"Any plans for today?" Megan asked.

"Think I'll just stay in my room and meditate," I said. "Work on my Six Eyes Reversal."

"Careful not to hurt yourself," she said, "That technique is too powerful for a normal human brain."

"My brain isn't normal," I said with a chuckle, "It's been augmented by years and years of ultra-fast and ultra-precise information gathering and processing. I pretty much finished learning my school's entire high school syllabus in my first year." Mostly so I could piss around the next three years not having to worry about exams or something stupid like that.

"It started off normal," she said, "Therefore, it has limits. Even if you've pushed well past human limits. Nothing improves forever."

I will.

After I finished the pancakes, I washed the dishes and didn't spend any more time in Megan's quite-frankly overbearing company. Instead, I did as promised and warped to my bedroom to meditate for six hours straight.

Six Eyes Reversal.

Like always, information flowed in, too much, too sharp, too detailed. Impossibly detailed. As my brain started heating up, putting pressure on blood vessels, I applied positive energy everywhere I could. I used my Six Eyes to properly observe the problem areas of my brain that lit up like a Christmas tree and made sure to keep them well-fed with the Reverse Cursed Technique, healing every bit of damage.

This loop of energy usage would have been fully sustainable, at least for my health, if it wasn't for the fact that it was such an energy guzzler.

I could only keep this state up for three hours before falling critically low on cursed energy. But during this time, not only did I develop the usability of my overpowered Six Eyes—a tool that had been too great and too unwieldy for me to properly harness for a long time—I was developing the powers of my brain as well. Slowly, but surely.

And the more powerful my brain became, the easier it would be to continuously maintain Infinity. I calculated that I was about thirty percent towards my target of being able to use Infinity at all times without taking on a net loss in cursed energy. The goal was for my passive regeneration to eclipse the usage of Infinity.

After those three hours, I focused on meditation, keeping Infinity on as well while I replenished my energy until finally, it got up to half capacity once again.

I opened my eyes, and from my room, I looked at the Mission Room in order to see if anyone was hogging it. Instead, I saw Artemis, dressed in a regular outfit, walking around on her own.

Huh.

I grinned.

I teleported behind her, careful to stay sneaky while she looked around in idle curiosity.

Then when she turned to see me, she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Dammit!" she hissed, "You get off on scaring the crap out of people or what?"

"Aw," I leaned forward and looked at her over my sunglasses, "Were you scared?"

"No!" she groused, blushing and looking away, "Of you?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Not like I was trying to scare you," I chuckled, "If I wanted to make your heart race, I'd do a lot more than just show up out of nowhere."

She crossed her arms, glaring at me, but her cheeks betrayed a hint of pink. "Please. You? Make my heart race? Dream on."

I gave a low chuckle, stepping a little closer. "I can see your heart racing. I know I have that effect on people. I'll try to tone the charm down."

She scoffed, but I caught her stealing a quick glance at me before turning away. "You're just full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Full of confidence," I corrected, tilting my head to study her. "And maybe a little… intrigued. So, what brings you here all alone?"

She narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her composure. "Maybe I like a little peace and quiet away from the city. You wouldn't get it, Mr. Happy Harbor."

"Maybe I would," I said softly, letting my gaze linger on her a little too long. "Guess you'll have to stick around to find out."

She finally rolled her eyes, but I noticed the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "You're unbelievable," she muttered, shaking her head.

"And yet," I teased, "you haven't told me to leave."

She hesitated for a split second, then shrugged. "Maybe I like a little danger. Who knows?"

I chuckled, raising a brow. "Careful, Artemis. You keep saying things like that, and I might just think you like having me around."

She smirked, finally meeting my gaze with a challenge. "Like I said. Dream on."

"Should be a basketball court around here," I said, "I'd be down for a round if you're game. There's also a swimming pool if you're in the mood for that."

"Didn't bring my swimsuit," She said in mock disappointment.

"You could go skinny-dipping," I grinned, "Not like I'll tell anyone."

She tried to shove at me, but encountered my force field instead. I slid smoothly out of her way, making her almost fall over. I laughed. "That never gets old."

She quickly got her balance and glared at me. "Not funny."

000

"So, stories," I said, dribbling the ball in front of a guarding Artemis. She was tiny. "You wanna go first, or do you want me to tell you about where I came from?"

"You go first," she told me.

I told her an abridged story of my world. Cursed spirits, jujutsu sorcery, me being the strongest, the work I did for jujutsu high, and finally, how that work ended up nearly costing me my life.

I checked the ball and passed it to Artemis to start the round after she had scored a goal—her aim was damn-near perfect. She could score from anywhere without difficulty. I found myself having to push myself with the Six Eyes to get back possession, and I would 'accidentally' slip up a couple of times to give her the ball as well.

"That thing you said," Artemis said, "About having a bounty since you were a baby. That was real?"

"Yep," I grinned, "Crazy to think that a bunch of people would go out of their way to kill a baby as cute as me though, right?"

"I'm… sorry," she said, "I don't know what to say."

I snatched the ball from her in her moment of distraction, ran out the three-point line and jumped, turning one-eighty to get a shot in.

Artemis had leapt to try and block the shot, but only managed to graze her fingernail at it. Only time would tell if that was enough to deviate the ball.

It just barely was, in fact. "Nice," I said to her. "And it's no big deal anymore. Besides, it sort of helped me become the man I am today."

"Insufferably confident?" Artemis asked.

"Yep," I said with a bright grin, "Now to you. From what I've gathered, your dad is Sportsmaster. Your mom was probably a fighter of some kind. She seemed nice, so I won't make any assumptions about her. And your mom looked a lot like Cheshire under her mask, so I'm guessing she's your sister, too?" I chuckled, "Don't envy ya. Sounds like a situation."

She looked dour, "You said you wouldn't tell anyone, right?"

I snatched the ball up with Blue and balanced it on her head. She looked up at me in annoyance and let the ball fall. "Course I won't. I already told you, didn't I? Besides, this should teach you a good lesson not to try and lie to me—I see all," I said theatrically.

She rolled her eyes at that. "Anyway, yeah, that's the story. I got training from my parents. Was never in the League, but they would have tried to push me in at some point. My dad, at least. Not my mom. She… went to prison. Then she came out and retired." She dribbled the ball absently, "I didn't know my dad was going to come after me like that. Really, thanks for the save… Uh. I just realized, I don't think I got your name."

Someone must have mentioned it around her by now. Or not. Wow, these secret identity things are fun. "Satoru Gojo. You can call me Toru-chan if you want."

"Can I call you Gojo instead?" she asked. Did she understand Japanese, too, and was reacting to the chan suffix? Or did she just find my name hard?

"Your name has too many syllables, too," I replied, "Arty? Does that work."

"No. And it's not because of the syllables. I just like the mouthfeel of Gojo more."

"Okay, Arty," I chuckled. "Wait, did you say you like the mouthfeel of Gojo?" I laughed.

She immediately turned red. "Shut up! Don't—don't ever mention that again!"

"Sure, I'd hate to give you a bad mouthfeel!" I laughed. "Arty, you dog, you! I feel violated!"

"And don't call me Arty! You're not gonna listen to me, are you?" she groused, "Do you listen to anyone?"

"I do," I told her honestly. "And I'm kinda tired of people thinking I don't." I only listen to those I respect.

Ah. But telling her that would only imply that I didn't respect her. And didn't I?

She held her own against Captain Hook and DC's Spider-Man, so… yeah, I guess I could respect her.

"…You listen to Megan," she said, "You're close, aren't you?"

"Yep," I told her, running up for a dunk, "Alien solidarity and all that." I dunked and dangled on the rim by one hand. "Can't wait for Superboy to finally get the memo." I dropped from the rim.

"What's his deal anyway?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said, "He's a swell guy." I winced, "With super hearing. So…"

"Oh."

"It's not you, though," I ensured her, "It's pretty much everyone. This team is held together by duct tape and well wishes. And my charismatic smile."

"You really can't get enough of yourself, can you?" she asked.

"Let me put it this way," I said, "If you were me, would you be able to get enough of yourself?" I jogged up to the midcourt line, turned my back against the goal and did an overhead throw that struck the rim, spun around thrice before shooting upwards and falling perfectly through the hoop.

"I could do that, too," she said.

I chuckled, "Don't doubt it, Arrow Girl."

"No. No. I'm not letting that catch on. That's not my name."

"Your codename can't be Artemis," I said, "I mean, it's a good name. Pretty spot-on in terms of what you do. But you need a hero-name or guys like Sportsmaster will probably keep knocking on your door. Even worse, these guys won't be related to you."

She shuddered, "I think I'd rather have the Joker waiting in my room than Sportsmaster."

I chuckled, "You don't have to worry about him anymore. He's going away for a long time."

"You think so? Won't they just break him out again?"

"We had a pretty energetic fight," I said with a grin, "Guy slipped the leash and tried to fight me. Even if they get him out, he won't be active for another year at least. Maybe less—I don't know how humans in this world work. You and Robin shouldn't even be heroes. But I guess having no powers isn't that much of an obstacle in this world than it is in mine."

"Huh," she muttered.

Humans here were only marginally stronger, it seemed. Certainly to the point that a guy like Batman could probably go undefeated against an entire league of sports fighters. But not to the point that they could bridge a real gap in power, like Batman and Superman. They needed cop-outs for that, like Kryptonite.

"How bad is he hurt?" she asked. There was a tenderness in her voice that caused me to pause for a moment, wondering… had I screwed up?

"Broke his knees," I said, "Like I promised. He slipped free and made some annoying threats. Reminded me of the reason I'm here in the first-place. The lip-scar bastard that stabbed me in the skull and damn-near killed me." I sighed, "I guess I don't like when people counter my abilities."

"Makes you feel not-so-infinite, huh?" she asked. I looked at her grinning self and gave her a sardonic chuckle.

"Ha ha." I paused for a moment, "Are you mad?"

"At my dad," she said. "I'm… glad you were there, Gojo. Thanks. I owe you one."

"Nice," I grinned.

"Sometimes," she sighed, "I wish it was my dad who broke his back. And not my mom. But then I start to wonder… would he have mellowed down like mom did? And would mom have really retired from the work? Uh… she was a Shadow, too. In the past."

I frowned pensively, "Tricky questions. Guess that's the good part about the past. You can't change it. So you can spend less effort on pining for it and more effort doing something you can control, like living in the present."

She hummed. "You can't really fully escape the past, though."

"Then cut the loose ends," I shrugged, "I mean, ties in this case, not their lives," I grinned.

"Some ties, you just can't cut," she said with a long-suffering sigh. Then she raised an eyebrow at me, "What are you doing in this junior team anyway?" she asked, "You defeated Sportsmaster like it was nothing."

"I think I prefer the Teen Titans over the Justice League anyway," I rolled my eyes, "Having Batman as my full-time boss, while chatting with the likes of Superman, who has a cardboard do-gooder personality? Miss me with that ordeal. I'd much rather chill down here on Earth with a Martian babe and an Arrow Girl by my side," I grinned, shooting a three-pointer.

"Are you… dating Megan?"

"No," I said, "What gave you that impression? We're just friends. Good friends."

"Oh," she said, "Okay. So you're just flirty with every girl with a pulse?"

"If a zombie chick was hot enough, I'd even go as far as to flirt with her, pulse or no," I grinned, "It's Kid Flash you gotta watch out for, though. He's the real flirt. He falls in love with every girl he lays eyes on."

She snorted. "I don't think I'd have to worry about that much."

000

After I got my fill of Basketball, I showed Artemis around, ending the tour in the kitchen, where Megan was just getting ready to make some chocolate chip cookies.

"Hey, Artemis!" Megan waved at her cheerfully, "You're here!" Then she looked up at me, "And you and Sa-chan are getting along well, I see. I told you, you just had to give him a chance. He's really not a bad guy."

"I wouldn't go that far," I chuckled.

"His personality could use some tweaks," Artemis said.

"Then I'd be just another boring person. This way at least, you'll never forget me, no matter what."

Megan looked at me in concern, "Is that what you're afraid of? Being forgotten?"

I clicked my tongue at her, "I told you I don't like it when you do that." Ugh, sappiness. My only weakness.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Her concern melted into mirth as she grinned, "I know. But it is the only thing that gets past that infinitely dense brain of yours," she said, quickly trying to poke my chest. I could have dispelled Infinity in time, as her movements hadn't gotten past me, but… I kinda liked it when she got annoyed at me. It was stimulating, in a way. And she looked up at me in narrowed eyes. "What did I tell you about Infinity in the kitchen?"

I rolled my eyes, "There are many sharp objects in the kitchen. Not to mention fire. You can't blame me for being careful."

Artemis looked between us, slightly confused, as was usually the case when a new person tried to enter into an older friend dynamic. I decided to throw her a bone, even if it was mildly embarrassing, "Megan wants me to turn off my Infinity when I'm in the kitchen cooking with her," I said, "Infinity's the 'force field' around my body. It's a—"

"Convergence of an infinite series in space," Megan completed, her tone rote and bored, like she had heard this a million times before, "The closer you get to his body, the more you slow down, always getting closer, but never quite reaching. Like infinitely dividing a number, but never being able to reach zero."

Artemis blinked, "So it's a force field."

"It's not a force field," I explained patiently, "Because there is no force. Only distance. The only thing that reaches me is light. That's why I'm visible. Unless I filter even that out and become a void in space, like so," I said, absorbing all light and becoming a black shadow creature.

"Ah!" Artemis yelped, "Wow, that's… that's creepy."

I turned it off and grinned. "You get it now?"

"I get that I can't hit you with an arrow," Artemis said, "That's enough information for me. Guess I'll have to drown you if I want to kill you. Or hurl you in space. You still need air, right?"

"Yep," I said. "Well… for now," I chuckled. Soon, I could figure out a way to get my Reverse Cursed Technique to even heal my brain of hypoxia. I already knew that it could regenerate matter from nothing. Oxygen shouldn't be an issue in that regard. "I'd act sooner rather than later if I were you, Arty. I'm only getting stronger. Anyway, Megan, what recipe are we trying out this time?" I asked, stepping up to the counter where an open cookbook was spread out. Megan grinned, resting her forearm on my shoulder as we looked over the recipe together. I could smell the faint hint of flour and sugar already drifting through the kitchen, making my mouth water.

"We're making double chocolate chip cookies, bakery-style apparently," Megan said, leaning closer, her eyes sparkling. Artemis joined us from the other side, peeking over the book.

"Nice choice," Artemis said with a nod. "Can't go wrong with extra chocolate."

Megan gave a little laugh. "I just thought it'd be fun to try something really classic." She looked between us, her smile softening. "I always wanted a sister on Earth, and since Artemis and I are kind of like sisters now..."

Artemis grinned, elbowing her playfully. "I'm down for cookie bonding time."

The three of us tackled the recipe, mixing dough, adding chocolate chips by the handful, and sneaking spoonfuls of batter when Megan pretended not to notice. By the time we'd baked and tasted our cookies, we had a fresh batch ready to go—and an idea.

"Why don't we take these cookies on a little field trip?" I suggested with a wink.

"Good idea!" Megan exclaimed. "Let's hit the beach!"

"Different beach?" I suggested, "I'm thinking L.A."

"You're kidding," Artemis said, "Are we even allowed to do that?"

I shrugged, "They haven't made rules against it yet, so yeah."

We took a quick trip through the Zeta Tube to Los Angeles' Venice Beach. The sun was still out, casting a golden glow over the sand and surf. As we stepped onto the warm, sandy boardwalk, I stretched the arm not holding up the cookie lunchbox up, breathing in the salty sea air.

"This is the life," I sighed. "Sun, sand, and cookies. Kind of a random addition, the cookies, but eh, I won't complain." I stuffed my mouth with one cookie. The chocolate was still warm and melty—perfect.

Megan, in her white people form, giggled, biting into one. "And we get to be out here together, like normal people."

We wandered along the boardwalk, passing shops with brightly colored surfboards and locals roller-skating in swimsuits and shades. Musicians strummed guitars, and the smell of fried food wafted from nearby food trucks.

Megan looked around, wide-eyed. "Venice Beach is so different from Happy Harbor. So lively!"

"It's a big city," Artemis said, "But Happy Harbor's got its upsides. I think I'd like a beach day there—there probably won't be very many people there."

"Summer's not here forever," I said, "I'll take it up with our captain. Maybe this time, we can get Wally along. Then you and him can kiss and make up."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Kiss him? Yuck."

I grinned at her, "I'm liking that passion of yours. You'll probably get along real good someday. Calling it now."

She blushed and scowled, "Stop it, Gojo."

I chuckled, "Sure, sure," I passed her the cookie jar. She looked at it for a moment before taking the cookie, "All better?"

She grinned at me, cheeks full of cookie, "All better."

"Look at all the people!" Megan said urgently. I looked up and around the crowded beach where volleyball games, sandcastles, and picnics dotted the shore. "You've got to love the vibe. Everyone's just doing their thing."

"Sure," I said, "I give it a nine out of ten in beach-fun, of which I'm an expert."

"Are you?" Artemis asked, "You have a degree or something?"

"Better—I have a certificate," I grinned, "Or… had a certificate. Took a course in Okinawa on beach fun when I was eight. I passed with flying colors."

"You're joking," Artemis chuckled.

"I never joke about the beach," I said seriously.

We strolled down the beach, the sand cool under our feet as the tide rolled in beside us. Artemis glared at the sky, "Can I borrow your glasses, Gojo?"

I laughed and let her have them. They were too big for her, so she had to hold them in place. I turned to Megan, giving her a light shoulder-check as she spaced out, looking slightly concerned. She awoke immediately and smiled. "Hm?"

"Hm yourself," I said, "Whatcha thinking about?"

Artemis almost tripped over something and I had to balance her in time, "I don't know what I expected," she said dryly.

I chuckled and pulled the glasses away and faced Megan. She just shrugged, "I don't know. I just… I think Earth is beautiful. Just lost myself in it all. That's all."

"Ah," I said, "Can't wait for you to show me Mars one day."

"Not much to see," she frowned.

"That the reason you left?"

"Something like that," she nodded. Secrets! Interesting!

We passed a group of surfers carrying their boards back up from the waves, and I nudged Artemis with a playful grin. "Think we should try surfing next time?"

She raised an eyebrow. "If you think you can keep up."

"Oh, it's on," I laughed. "Beach trip and a surf lesson—deal?"

"Deal," she said, offering her hand. We shook on it.

"I'd love to join in!" Megan said, "Learning how to surf sounds really fun!"

"Sure!" I said, "And why don't we up the stakes a little? Whoever masters the skill last has to do something embarrassing, or something in service to the other two."

Megan frowned in contemplation, "Hmm, but what if I lose?"

"I'll go easy on ya," I grinned, giving her a playful headbutt.

"Ow!" She laughed, rubbing her forehead. Artemis scowled at my turned head. Did she not appreciate rough-housing, maybe? Oh well. I'd try to cut down on that.

"How about learning a boyband dance?" Artemis said, "And then performing the dance to the entire team?"

I laughed. That sounded hilarious. I might even lose on purpose just so I could go through this.

Megan giggled at that, "Sounds cool! We could totally do that!"

"Sure," I said, "Better bring your A-game! I don't ever lose."

As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, we all sat down on the sand, watching the sky shift through shades of pink and orange. Megan hugged her knees, looking content, and Artemis stretched out beside her, closing her eyes and relaxing in the warm breeze.

"This was a good idea," Megan said quietly. "I'm glad we came."

"Sure am," I grinned.

We found a taco stand and ate some authentic Mexican-American tacos—enough to fill me up at least, which was good. I couldn't spend the time on cooking when I only had so many hours of training left before my mandatory sleeping session.

Once we returned to the Zeta Tube, Arty took hers to Gotham while Megan and I went to Mount Justice. I stuck around in the mission room, training, until I saw Batman Zeta-ing in with Zatara of all people.

000

I gave the pair of heroes a grin and a wave. "Finally got on top of those magic lessons, did you?" I asked, then looked over to Zatara, "I'm happy to see you again, Zatara!"

"He's here to give you an overview over your magical vulnerabilities," Batman said, "If you don't mind the League knowing about them as well, then you are free to consult Zatara on the matter for this hour starting now."

Agh, a time crunch. What a drag. "Sure," I said, "Already got countered one time, and I'd love to learn how to avoid that again."

Zatara wasted no time stepping forward. "From what your report has indicated about the nature of this talisman—and I must say, great work in reconsntructing it from memory alone—what Sportsmaster used was a generalized charm to disrupt weak magical effects. I have my doubts that his javelins would have penetrated through your Infinity. Therefore, I've come with more powerful talismans to check these limits."

Zatara continued talking. And talking. And talking. He talked about magical effects that targeted the weave of a spell, its innards, instead of the outer shell itself. The magic of the magic. The technical explanations were painstaking, and annoyingly enough, reliant on a wide foundation of knowledge that I just didn't have.

But after fifteen minutes, the old man finally decided to call the theory quits and begin testing my defenses.

".ojoG sdrawot ylf, llaberiF"

Zatara waved his wand, and shot a fireball at me. It melted against my Infinity.

"Magical effects that travel a distance over time are nullified by the infinite convergent series of space protecting you," Zatara said. "I cannot sense a limit in power. Neither can I sense any degradation. Gojo, do you lose cursed energy when defending using Infinity?"

I shook my head, "Infinity spends cursed energy no matter what, but it doesn't fluctuate based on how it protects me. A meteor should be as harmless to it as a punch from a toddler."

Zatara turned towards Batman, "Can I take him outside of the cave for a moment?"

Batman gave a nod, "Remember to record your testing for later evaluation." He turned to me, "The footage will be stored in the League's most secure server—my own. No one will have access to it without your permission."

"But you, of course," I said with a grin. "But that's fine, because who could ever mistrust our paragon of virtue himself—the Dark Knight! Onwards to more testing, Zatara! We don't have much time!"

Zatara sighed and incanted, ".edistuo I dna ojoG tropeleT"

Just like that, we were outside. Standing on air, maybe fifty or so meters above the peak of Mount Justice.

"I will amp up the intensity of my spells!" Zatara shouted. "Do your best to defend!"

I didn't answer, narrowing my eyes instead. My focus tightened as I felt Infinity extend and wrap itself around me like an invisible shield. Whatever he was about to throw, I was ready.

The first spell came fast—"!evissaM llaberiF"—a massive fireball erupted from his outstretched hands, growing in size until it was a roaring inferno the size of a small house. The flames coiled and twisted like serpents as they hurtled toward me, the heat so intense that the air around it shimmered. But before it could touch me, the fireball froze mid-air, unable to breach Infinity's barrier. Its flames crackled and roared uselessly, the light casting sharp shadows over my face before it fizzled out harmlessly.

Zatara frowned, his eyes narrowing. He shifted tactics. This time, he conjured a tempest of jagged ice shards. "!odanroT ecI gnittuC!" he roared. The shards spun together into a swirling tornado of razor-sharp ice, their edges glinting like diamonds in the moonlight as they screamed through the air toward me. The storm stopped mere inches from my face, the shards grinding against Infinity's barrier like teeth against unyielding steel. I tilted my head slightly, inspecting the intricate patterns of frost on the shards before they, too, disintegrated into harmless vapor.

Zatara raised his arms higher, the air around him pulsing with magic. This time, the incantation sounded heavier, older. "!ekanS retaW tnaiG" A column of water spiraled into existence, impossibly dense and brimming with energy. It coalesced into the form of a massive serpent, glowing with bioluminescent streaks along its watery scales. The serpent lunged, faster and fiercer than the previous spells. I could feel its weight in the air as it collided with Infinity's edge, waves of water cascading outwards as it futilely tried to push through. The serpent writhed and crashed, but Infinity held firm.

Zatara lowered his arms and smiled grimly. "As I suspected," he muttered. "Any spell that travels a distance and only targets matter instead of the mystic will falter against you. But what about a spell that travels a distance and targets the mystical?"

He changed his stance, clasping his hands together and murmuring a spell under his breath. This time, I felt it—something different, something sharper. "!worrA gnitpursiD cigaM"

An arrow made of blue translucent magic shot towards me at a quick pace. I extended the bounds of my Infinity, making sure that once I was aware that it could punch through, I'd dodge it in time. The arrow ate through a few inches of Infinity before being encompassed inside it. It just hung there in the air, frozen and ineffectual, until I receded my Infinity and it disappeared into the ether.

"That almost worked," I frowned, "If my Infinity had been thinner, I could have gotten hurt." But it was impractical to keep Infinity as wide as I had to defend against the arrow, especially if I was meant to fight besides others.

Zatara twirled his wand again, "!worrA gnitpursiD cigaM regnortS nevE nA"

This one was larger, and it flew faster. And it dismantled almost every layer in Infinity before I had to twist out of the way, only allowing it to scratch my shirt. It phased straight through that, to my surprise. And it definitely should have touched skin, but it phased through that as well.

Right, this was a spell that targeted the mystical. My flesh should have been safe from such a strike.

Zatara nodded, thoughtfully. "Your magiform is… constant. Rigid. More orderly than I had initially expected. A very drastic departure from the usually chaotic and freeform powers of the arcane. Unfortunately, that does make your ability a lot easier to dismantle after a little experimentation. I suggest you no longer rely on Infinity against magic casters. Be very wary of what they can do to you."

I already was, hence my asking around for him! "Thank you, that's very helpful! But you know what would be more helpful? Teaching me magic! Or putting me in contact with Doctor Fate!"

"I have been unable to reach Doctor Fate, which is not unusual," Zatara said, "But I am sure that Kent has already been appraised of your situation somehow, and is probably working on something for you. As for myself—I am not done with testing. Brace yourself—I will apply a spell on you. 'ytinifnI' yaS"

"Infinity," I said. I blinked. Why did I just say 'Infinity'? "Was that your spell?" I asked, eyes wide, "Making me say something? How did you—I didn't even see it!"

"There was nothing to see," Zatara said, "Because I did not entreat you for this action, but something greater yet."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "So you can just tell me to drop dead at any time and I will."

Zatara shook his head with a scowl, "The rules around such spells are extremely complicated and nigh-on impossible." Why was he taking that attitude with me when he knew that I knew nothing? And he was complicit in making me so! What a dick! "I shall try something else. I will cast a curse on you that will seal both your hands for a short time. I shall unseal the hands afterwards."

What the hell? "Okay, bring it," I said.

He pulled out a medallion from his pocket and let it hang in the air, "Complete the condition of this curse, Gojo, by besmirching the Emperor Ashoka of Maurya."

I chortled, "Yeah, screw that guy, Emperor Ashoka, he totally sucks."

I looked down at my hands. They were just completely missing, turned into healed-over stumps. What the hell? My hands were just gone. But in a way that made them look amputated. I tried to heal them using Positive Energy, and found that there was this… wall of power that prevented the concept of my hands from coming into existence.

Like reality was asserting that I was always, and will always be, handless.

I checked this wall for give, and found some. But before I could test it out further, Zatara regrew my hands as he put the medallion back in his pocket.

"I could have healed that," I said.

"Interesting," Zatara said, "Let us move on. There is much work to be done."

As much as being prodded around for my greatest weaknesses did feel slightly undignified, I couldn't help but be grateful for this opportunity. Something about Sportsmaster having escaped had shaken me more than I had expected. And after hearing Batman's warnings, I… no longer thought that boundless confidence would take me very far.

Not when there was still a lot of preparation left for me, before I could confidently stand proud as a hero that just couldn't be beaten.

Zatara dodged my question about a mentorship, and left via Zeta Tube with Batman, leaving me to continue training on my own, this time with a greater perspective into what the lowlives of this world could bring to bear.

Despite my trepidation, I couldn't deny my excitement. I honestly couldn't wait for a real and proper fight.