DC: The Enchanter Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Cause of the Chaos

Ivy, Zatanna, and even the girl live streaming - each of them felt a shiver run down their spine.


They were not stupid.


They were not people that could be easily manipulated.


They were the ones experienced enough to know what Jasper was doing.


He was controlling the crowd.


He was manipulating them.


They shuddered at the display. It's absurd how one man could influence such a large audience in such a short amount of time.


"Go back Batman!"


They witnessed how the man turned Batman, the hero people adored, into a public enemy.


"Take him, Batman." Jasper said, "He is alive."


As they watched him say that, Jasper lowered himself and placed a hand over Green Arrow's chest, as if checking his heartbeat.


"His heartbeat is faint but it is still there."


To the onlookers, it appeared as though Jasper was checking Oliver's heartbeat.


However, Ivy and Zatanna, having been around Jasper and his enchantments long enough, knew it was something else.


They had enough experience to recognize that what he did wasn't a simple check of Oliver's heartbeat but the casting of an enchantment.


What kind of enchantment it was, they had no clue, but they were sure it was an enchantment.


"Now go," Jasper said, finally calming down and dispelling the aura he had been exuding. "The people are not too pleased. Leave, Batman, before they take more drastic actions."


It wasn't a warning.


That was a fact.


And Batman was acutely aware of it.


Without uttering a single word of complaint, the caped crusader took his fallen friend in his arms and made his way out of the place.


He left behind an elated crowd, a content Jasper, and a few girls standing in awe.


All of this in just a matter of hours.


…

…


"Damn it all!"


Aubrey James smashed the glass tabletop he was sitting beside, sending shards of glass scattering across the room and startling his secretary.


"One man, just one man that no one had even heard about before," he bit his lips, uncaring of the pain or the blood that trickled down. "How can one individual cause such a massive uproar!"


He angrily threw the files that were lying in front of him.


Not only had he failed to stop the livestream, but he also failed to use the event to his advantage.


He had been too focused on trying to prevent the broadcast, neglecting his role as the voice of the public. Now, he was no more than a frightened, unreliable politician whose pictures the public spat on.


"No!" He stood up, determined not to let things remain the same. "If I don't take action, 'they' will come after me!"


They had already given him a warning he had failed to heed.


Now, he had no choice but to rectify the situation.


"But what should I do?!!!"


He was tearing his hair out, the uncertainty eating away at his sanity.


"S-Sir…"


Aubrey paused and looked at his secretary, remembering that there was another person in the room with him.


"If I may…" the secretary said nervously, "I think there's something you can do."


This prompted Aubrey to rush toward him, saying, "Tell me! Anything! Anything works as long as 'they' don't come after me!"


His secretary was one of the few people who knew about the individuals Aubrey was referring to.


And, therefore, he was also aware of what a dire situation they were in. Because 'they' weren't just coming after Aubrey; they'd come after him too once they learned of the situation, which they most certainly had by now.


"I-I don't know how feasible this option is," the secretary said, "But I think... it should work."


"Anything!" He grabbed the secretary by the shoulders, "Anything at all!"


The secretary tried to calm down as he made his suggestion.


"W-Why don't we go along with the flow and comply with the demands of the public?" he proposed. "Maybe... maybe if we legally portray the heroes as villains, we might regain the public's trust?"


Legally.


That was the key term here.


Jasper had already accomplished the psychological aspect of it.


But if they could achieve it 'legally,' Aubrey had much to gain.


Especially the trust and support of the public.


"Yes..." Aubrey stepped back, considering, "Yes!"


He laughed, "That's it! That's exactly it!"


Aubrey found a way to salvage his image and retain his power, thus preventing 'them' from having to intervene.


As long as 'they' didn't have to intervene, Aubrey James knew he could live and prosper for much longer.


After all, he was well aware of the authority 'they' held, an authority capable of even challenging Batman.


…

…


The heroes were unaware of the impending catastrophe.


They suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Constantine, unable to leave even a scratch on him.


As for Batman, his ordeal was the harshest.


Unlike the others, he wasn't fortunate enough to be knocked out or kept in the dark about the events he had witnessed.


He had seen and experienced it all.


The disgrace, the humiliation, and the helplessness.


It had never been a physical battle from the start; it had all been a game of wits.


A mind game he had lost.


"How's Oliver now?" Superman's voice reached him as he leaned against a doorframe. Initially, he didn't respond, but after a while, he sighed.


"He's hanging in there," Batman replied. "Constantine said it was magic that affected his mind and body, and that's why he's still unconscious."


Superman frowned, "How did he come into contact with that magic?"


Batman shook his head, "I don't know. Neither Constantine nor Jasper revealed anything about the magic."


Superman's frown deepened, "Do you think Jasper Hughes had a hand in this?"


Surprisingly, Batman shook his head, "I don't."


This confused Superman, but he decided not to press the matter. He had heard of what had happened and seen the recorded footage. He knew that Batman had taken the worst of it, being the sole witness.


So, he was trying not to trigger any painful memories.


"You should rest," he suggested. "Or maybe take a walk. It might help."


Bruce looked at Superman, "Maybe I should."


This surprised Superman, as it was one of the rare occasions that Bruce agreed with him.


"Perhaps that's for the best."


After all, he needed to step outside. He needed to breathe.


…

…


In the eastern corner of the base, Oliver lay unconscious, oblivious to the events that had transpired.


Unaware of the boy sitting on the window frame, casually swinging his legs.


"Oh, you stupid child."


The irony in this scene would have amused a regular person.


A boy appearing a fraction of the age of the man. However, to those in the know, they wouldn't dare to laugh, for the boy was older than every one of their bloodlines.


"Oh, how you thought you were the hero of this story."


He jumped from the window and landed beside Oliver's bed.


"And look where that delusion has led you."


He shook his head.


"But I must admit, you put up a decent fight." His face twisted into a grin. "If I were one of those cliché arrogant villains, I might even consider healing you here."


He let out a chuckle.


"Too bad for you, I suppose."


Placing his hand on Oliver's chest, he continued, "Not to mention that Jasper Hughes has done a number on you. He's placed a curse on your heart that will slowly turn it into stone, giving you a slow and agonizing death."


He moved his hand away and shrugged.


"Sucks to be you, I guess."


With that, he jumped back onto the window and retrieved a phone from his pocket, an unusual sight for him.


"Thanks to you and those fools, I got what I wanted." His grin widened as he looked at an old message on his phone.


*We have arrived in Serenora, where are you, Boss?*


It was a message from the leader of the kidnappers who had met their demise during the clash.


The same kidnappers whose actions had set the entire chain of events in motion.


"Well, they died after doing their job. That's good enough."


The message served as undeniable proof, revealing that the person responsible for starting the fire, calling the kidnappers to Serenora, and initiating the fight between Jasper and Oliver was none other than Klarion the Witch Boy.


Why?


"Ah, chaos. How beautiful it is."


All for the sake of chaos.


As he savored the memory, he glanced at Oliver one last time.


"A painful death may not be interesting enough," Klarion mused. "Let's make it more entertaining."


With that, he placed his index finger on Oliver's forehead, and within seconds, a distinctive purple spiral mark appeared.


"Why endure a painful death when you can have a foolish one?"


To Klarion, nothing else mattered but chaos.


Why?


Because, to him, it was the ultimate form of entertainment.


And unbeknownst to others, this was merely the beginning of that chaos.

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[[A/N: Starting today till the end of the week, I will TRY for 2 chapters a day for this story. After this week, I will try to post 1 chapter of this and 1 chapter of HP (The programming one that I talked about ages ago.)