American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

296. A Gesture of Respect.

As Alex stood up, everyone sitting in a circle around him also stood up, appearing ready to follow along and see how Alex planned to save Dick.

Alex knew that most of these people were just here to watch, and he had no intention of letting so many people crowd into a single room. He quickly waved his hand. "Let Jason and Damian take me there. It's late, everyone should go rest."

"I've been tired for ages. I'm heading to bed first. Ashley, remember to wake me up in the morning," Pietro, as usual, was the fastest to react at the mention of rest.

Ashley coldly snorted without even glancing at Pietro as he left. She just crossed her arms, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Who knew when those two got so close? Alex merely smiled at the thought, then nodded slightly at Kara and Clark as a way of saying goodbye, before following Jason and Damian down a long hallway.

To call it a hallway might be inaccurate. The inside of the League of Assassins' fortress was mostly made up of winding passageways like this. Someone unfamiliar with the place could easily be killed by traps or end up trapped within the maze of corridors.

But with Damian and Jason leading the way, Alex didn't need to worry about any of that. Of course, even without them, Alex could have used his magic to navigate through safely.

As they passed by one of the rooms, Alex suddenly sensed something and couldn't help but stop. Seeing Alex halt, Jason and Damian also came to a stop. They followed his gaze, quickly realizing why Alex had paused.

Damian slowly opened the door, taking care not to disturb the person inside. Peering through the crack, Alex saw a girl lying inside, wearing a black cloak. She was thin and frail.

"That's Raven, real name Rachel Roth, one of the Titans," Damian explained, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression complicated as he looked at Rachel lying on the bed.

"So she's the daughter of Trigon," Alex mused. He had already recognized her, or more accurately, he had sensed the terrifyingly dark magic power emanating from her.

Extending his mental energy, Alex cautiously approached the strange aura surrounding Raven. As his energy slowly intertwined with hers, something unexpected happened. Even the slightest contact triggered an intense resistance.

In an instant, the dark magic retracted sharply, retreating into the diamond-shaped crystal on Raven's forehead, as though it had never been there at all. At the same time, after that magic vanished, the tense frown on Raven's face seemed to relax a little.

"Interesting..."

Alex narrowed his eyes. He knew that Trigon could perceive the outside world through Raven, so from the moment he approached, he was already exposed. There was no need for him to hide his presence. But what surprised him was that Trigon didn't make any hostile move. Instead, he showed Alex a gesture of respect, which piqued Alex's curiosity.

Beside Alex, both Damian and Jason were skilled detectives, highly observant of their surroundings.

They didn't miss the subtle moment when Raven's expression eased. Both were familiar with her history and struggles; nearly all the heroes knew the immense suffering Raven had endured for so long.

But what shocked them was that Alex hadn't done anything. With just a single glance, he had significantly eased her pain. This strange scene was something neither of them had ever witnessed before. Even the heroes of the Justice League had never been able to accomplish such a feat.

Now, both Damian and Jason felt much more confident in Alex's ability to save Dick. Their previously tense hearts began to relax.

"Let's go."

Feeling their gazes, Alex didn't offer any explanation. He simply turned slightly and closed the door behind him.

Since Alex didn't want to talk, Damian refrained from asking any further questions. Originally, he had wanted to ask Alex if he could help with Raven's "problem," but it didn't seem like the right time now. Saving Dick was the priority.

After walking for a while, the walls around them began to change.

If earlier they had been walking through normal corridors, now the setting looked more like the dim passageways of a prison. The doors to the rooms even had a prison-like design.

"We're here."

Stopping in front of a room, Damian pulled open the observation window on the door, allowing Alex to see Dick's current state.

Without hesitation, Alex moved closer to the window and peered inside. Sure enough, in the dim corner of the room, a man lay trembling, his face twisted in agony, tightly restrained. Honestly, if Alex hadn't already known that this was Dick, poisoned by the Lazarus Pit, he might have thought Dick was suffering from Joker's laughing gas.

Then again, there 'was' a connection between the Joker and the Lazarus Pit. As the embodiment of "chaos" in the universe, the Joker couldn't be viewed through a normal lens.

"So, what do you think? Can he be saved?" Jason asked anxiously when Alex remained silent for a while.

Hearing this, Alex shook his head slightly. "I can't say for sure yet. Open the door. I need to get closer."

Using his necromantic magic to detect the state of the soul, Alex did indeed sense something foreign attached to Dick's soul. But just that wasn't enough; he needed to examine the situation inside Dick's body more directly.

Damian opened the cell door, and Alex stepped inside. As Damian and Jason prepared to follow, Alex stopped them.

"Leave this to me. You two can watch from outside. It's better if no one else is in the room while I work."

"Why?" Jason asked, puzzled.

'Because I don't want to scare you,' Alex thought, a bit helpless, though he didn't say it aloud. He just gave a casual smile. "Magic, Jason. Magic is mysterious and strange. Having others around could disrupt me."

"Alright, then we're counting on you," Jason said seriously.

Damian also nodded solemnly. "If you can save Dick, I owe you my life."

With a slight smile, Alex didn't respond. He gave no promises and simply closed the cell door behind him. As he did, he used magic to seal the observation window and disable the room's surveillance.

At this moment, Alex's magic completely isolated the cell. No one could observe what was happening inside, nor could they force their way in—unless their power exceeded Alex's.

Turning around, Alex gazed at Dick, who was lost in madness, drooling and filled with murderous intent. Alex shook his head silently.

"Healing someone affected by magic... that should be Stephen Strange's job."

With a sigh, Alex raised both hands. Instantly, glowing green magical circuits spread from his arms to his palms, forming two intricate magic circles.

"Well, I guess I'll have to step in and fill the role."

.....

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297. The Delusions in the Dark.
298. The Dionesium.
299. The Way to Recover a Name.
300. The Great Devourer Approaches.
301. Rescuing Nightwing.