Life: 21. On Butterflies and Consequences (Patreon)

Chapter 21: On Butterflies and Consequences

Rigal Phenex
Gotham, NJ, USA

Serling, Zatanna, and I were crammed in one of the private rooms in the Gotham Academy library set aside for group projects. Zatanna attended this school so it was an easy place to meet after class and keeping normies out of our hair was easy enough with a simple ward matrix.

All around us were stacks of ancient tomes gathered from my own collection as well as the Zatara family library. They were the “magical essentials” of formalcraft, runes, and various rudimentary rituals that Zatanna grew up reading. Giovanni Zatara hadn’t been too pleased about loaning books to devils apparently, but conceded that it was better than letting Serling fumble around aimlessly, or with only me to influence her. 

We also had Serling’s laptop. It stood out like an anachronistic sore thumb. She had some kind of design simulation program open, with the laptop hooked up to a wall-mounted display screen. She used to use the program to simulate nanomachine designs, colony configurations, and the ways they interacted with their environment. Now, she had entire formalcraft circles drawn up as if this was an engineering problem.

That blew Zatanna’s mind when she first saw it. Her family was of the ancient magus type, and as much as she loved doomscrolling on her phone like any other teen, she’d subconsciously drawn a line between “Zatanna the teenage girl” and “Zatanna the mage.” Then again, most people were similar. The general consensus was that technology was a way for normies to compensate for their lack of magic, not a way to support the mystical arts.

In that sense, I considered my own society to be quite a bit ahead of the magical community in this world. Ajuka Beelzebub had been the chief pioneer of devilkind, but he wasn’t alone. Whether it be magical trains that ferried devils to and from the human world or the entire, modern cityscape of Lilith, the devils of my old world fully embraced the convenience of the modern world by copying many mundane innovations.

“Okay, so once again, why are we using kanji here but runes here?” Serling asked, pointing to two sections of the circle on her display screen. Thanks to Aunt Rias and Aunt Rossweisse, I knew those two systems better than most others.

“It’s because of the number of vertices in the primary formation. Eight is a significant protective number in onmyodo, so formations with eight vertices tend to use kanji to evoke the eight trigrams: stability, balance, and purity,” Zatanna said. “It’s also common in Taoism, in which it is called the ‘bagua.’”

“She’s right. See there?” I pointed at the point where the runes met kanji seals. “These runes are entirely self-contained. This part of the formation sits idle most of the time until activated by specific conditions. Forget about all these extraneous nodes and focus on the core structure of the formation.”

“No, I get that, but wouldn’t it have been simpler to use kanji for everything? Actually, can magic systems interact in the first place?” Serling asked.

“They can. Strictly speaking, all magical languages are a means by which humans manipulate mana. No singular language is better than the others.”

“So they all do different things?”

“They do. Runes are very structured and good for tight-knit formations with relatively straightforward effects. Longer rune chains are possible, but they get exponentially more difficult. Unless you’re Aunt Rossweisse, you’re better off making these little nodes of magical functions.”

“Compiled libraries. You’re describing compiled libraries.”

“Sure? I’m assuming that’s a programming thing. If that helps you understand, that’s good enough for me.”

“The main formation is the overarching program. The nodes only activate to fill in a definition or fulfill a short function. The two don’t interact that much, only as long as it takes for information to transfer. Most applications are built this way because different programming languages are good at different things.”

“Yes, that’s it. Now, what does this formation do?”

“Uh…” Serling stared blankly. “There is the kanji for fire… and that one is for ice… What’s that one that connects to the runes?”

“Rise. Grow. Build. Something to that effect.”

“Oh, so the opposite kanji should mean ‘to fall,’ right?”

“Good, good. Formations are nice because they follow a set pattern,” Zatanna chimed in. “And the central kanji?”

“It looks like it’s supposed to cover a large area. Hey, wait a minute… Am I… Am I looking at a magic HVAC system?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, you are. I mean, it’s a bit convoluted because the creator mashed multiple magical writing systems, but that’s really what it is.”

“You two made me spend two hours analyzing a glorified air conditioner.”

“It’s a straightforward system with a modern day analog. Rigal said you’d probably understand it quicker.”

Serling wore a complicated expression. “I mean, yes, but… this just reminds me of college, you know?”

“Weren’t you like fifteen when you were in college?”

“Exactly. Wasn’t fun.”

For several days now, this was the structure of our tutoring sessions. Either I or Zatanna presented a formation for Serling to study and she spent several hours dissecting it.

As a newly reincarnated devil, she had the gift of tongues, and only tongues. Aunt Asia and Aunt Xenovia had to spend a great deal of effort to learn kanji back when they first came to Japan and Serling was now in the same boat. Well, she didn’t have to, but I had a lot more books on Japanese magic systems than most others.

It really put my new Pawn’s impressive memory on display. She still struggled with grammar and syntax, but when it came to rote memorization, she was perfect. I doubted I’d need to teach her those two kanji again. She was picking apart new formations purely through pattern recognition by the fourth day.

“I’m kinda jealous,” Zatanna muttered. “You’re picking up foreign languages ridiculously quickly.”

“I’d say it’s because she’s a devil, but that’s not actually the case here,” I complimented my new Pawn. “Our gift lets us be understood by anyone as if in their native tongue. It doesn’t help us read any better.”

Serling blinked in surprise. “Wait, don’t you speak Japanese, Zatanna?”

“Eh, kinda, not really,” the younger girl shrugged. “I mostly know enough to recognize common patterns in seals and vocabulary words for mystical purposes. Your vocabulary is already as good as mine. My training revolves more around Latin, Norse, and the romance languages.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense.”

“Oh, this isn’t related, but here, Tweety.” Zatanna dug in her backpack and set a pair of aqua-blue hilts on the table. “Before I forget, take these.”

I picked one up. Of course I recognized them, I’d stolen one that looked remarkably similar. “Water-bearers?”

“Yes. Aqualad wants the one you stole back. His friends bought that for him and they’re sentimental.”

“Ah, right, Tula and Garth. Let me teleport back real quick.”

“Can you pick up some food for us, too? I haven’t eaten since school got out and we’ve been here for several hours now.”

“Alright, what do you want? Pizza?”

“No Italian food, please. I eat too much of that at home.”

“Is American pizza Italian?”

“Close enough. Uh… Pick something.”

I rolled my eyes goodnaturedly. Why was it that no one ever knew what they wanted to eat? “Microwaved dino-nuggies, got it.”

“Actually, that sounds good? I’m down for junk food.”

Serling thought about it and nodded. “I can’t get fat anymore, right? Yes, please.”

That started some friendly bickering over the perks of devil-dom so I left them to it. I’d completely forgotten that the pair he used was a gift from his friends, Tula and Garth. He probably felt awkward since I stole one of them.

X

Zatanna Zatara

“So… Rigal’s gone for a few minutes. How do you like being a devil?” I asked the older woman. 

The food sounded nice, but I wanted the chance to ask Serling about her race change without Rigal in the room. He’d be gone for several minutes while he microwaved the food, teleportation be damned.

Not that I didn’t trust him, but he had a way of making everything so… unserious. He joked and snarked at everything that it was a little hard to tell what he was really thinking sometimes.

I worried about Serling. She was a hidden gem; I’d never considered the intersection of magic and technology before I met her. Even so, no matter how well-adapted she seemed, giving up her humanity couldn’t have been an easy choice to make.

“It’s… an experience,” she said, looking up from her laptop. “I didn’t even believe in magic until a month ago. And now, I’m literally a creature out of myths and legends.”

“Yeah, you really did dive into the deep end. Any thoughts?”

“I’m not sure I can give you a right answer.”

“That’s because there isn’t one. I’m just interested to hear what you have to say about all this. You’ve been a devil for a month now. How’s the peerage life?”

“No, I mean that it’s a little hard to divorce the supernatural experience from living with two of Gotham’s supervillains. Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy are… surprisingly nice? And Rigal’s a big goofball most of the time so he doesn’t really feel like a ‘King.’ I don’t think most new devils would have my experience, you know?”

“That’s true. So you don’t regret it at all?”

“What’s there to regret? I don’t feel any different emotionally if that’s what you’re asking.”

“He hasn’t made you do anything you didn’t want to?”

“Sex. You can say ‘sex,’ you know. And no, we’re not sleeping together,” Serling huffed. Then, she got a teasing glimmer in her eyes. “Are you asking because you’re interested in him? He’d be thrilled to hear that.”

I felt the red seeping into my cheeks. “N-No, of course not! I was just concerned that he might be taking advantage of you. He’s still a devil, you know.”

“Hmm, I don’t think you really believe that.”

“W-Well, it doesn’t matter, anyway. Dad would kill me if I became a devil.”

“Would he? Rigal’s honestly been really nice. I told you about the Man-Bat situation, right? And he’s been helping funnel Ivy’s passions in a… less mass homicide-y way.”

“You did. And yeah, Rigal’s pretty cool, but dad’s a devout Catholic.”

Serling stared at me in disbelief. “Isn’t there a passage in the Bible about sorcerers? Several? I’m really curious. How does he square that circle?”

I found myself laughing along. It really was a little unbelievable. “Seriously, I went to a Catholic school before Gotham Academy. I think it’s partially because mom was very faithful, the good, loving kind, not the weirdly anal folks.”

“How does that work, though? Like, Rigal says that most of the gods I’ve read about are real.”

“In one form or another, yes. For example, dad taught me how to pay tribute to Hecate when I was eight.”

“See? That. That right there. Catholic. Hecate. Do you understand my confusion?” Serling deadpanned. “At this point, I’m not sure that we agree on what ‘Catholic’ means.”

“No, no, I guess it’s more that we’re culturally Catholic since we’re Italian. Believe me, we’re not blind to the contradictions. Has Rigal told you about the real history of Creation?”

“You mean how he calls the capital ‘D’ Devil ‘Uncle Lu–Mmph!” she yelped as I muffled her mouth.

“Yes, that. Please don’t say his name. Or any other significant mythical or divine figure for that matter. Names have power, Serling. And, well, you’re a devil now. He might not care if some random human says his name, but you’re not human anymore.”

“W-Will the Devil really pay us a visit just because I happen to be in Rigal’s peerage now?”

“Probably not, but would you like to risk it?”

“Nope, no thanks.”

“Smart. Anyway, dad would probably punish me less if I showed up with a tramp stamp tattooed on my butt than if I joined Rigal’s peerage. There’s definitely a lot of mistrust and suspicion of devils, or anything from the Underworld.”

“But you’re thinking about it? It’d be nice, having a girl join the family.”

“I… maybe… I’m not ruling it out.”

X

Rigal Phenex

After we finished up Serling’s tutoring session, she headed off to do a little more research of her own, this time of the purely technological variety. She was still working on unraveling the secrets of Abra Kadabra’s future tech.

At this point, it was both a matter of pride and a hobby for her. One day, she hoped to integrate this with magic. In an ironic sort of way, I supposed that would be fulfilling the dead man’s dearest wish.

She was still very much in the design phase, but I was hopeful. The goal was to have a dynamic nanite cloud that responded to her magic and could retrieve complex magic circles from an internal memory bank.

It would let her cast multiple spells simultaneously, decrease her casting time, and potentially even act as her physical shield and weapon. If she could include an advanced scanning suite and a limited AI that gauged threats, she could even have a discount Kankara Formula.

“Wanna walk me home, Tweety?” Zatanna asked as  she unraveled the ward around our room.

“You’re just about the last person in Gotham who needs an escort at night,” I drawled. Still, I matched her leisurely stroll, happy to accompany my future Bishop. “You want to talk about something?”

“I do. And no, not your peerage.”

“I figured. What can I do for you, Zee?”

“Did you hear about Red Tornado?”

“What about him? I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about androids, you know. Serling would be the better person to ask about that stuff.”

“I mean how he betrayed the Team,” she said bluntly. Her vibrant, blue eyes studied me intently, looking for any possible tell.

“Did he? That’s not like him at all.”

“Sportsmaster said there was a traitor on our team. Lately, so many of our enemies seem to know what we’re up to so we’ve all been pretty antsy.” She leaned towards me and poked my chest. “You know something, don’t you?”

“I know lots of things. I can guarantee that he’s wrong. No one on the Team is a traitor.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Many of you do have your secrets, though. Painful ones, the kind that gnaws at your many insecurities and will probably cause a few misunderstandings down the line. Wanna hear ‘em?”

Zatanna thought about it, but shook her head. “As much as I love gossip, no. No one on the team is secretly evil?”

“Not a one. You’re all good people. Angsty, broody, insecure people sometimes, but still, good people in the end. And yes, Tornado, too. He’s not a traitor. He would die for you if so called upon. That much, you can take with a Tweety guarantee.”

“Then that's good enough for me. They’re not your secrets to tell, so don’t.”

“That’s very mature of you, Zee.”

The two of us made random smalltalk as I walked her back to Shadowcrest. The house, through its usual, mystical shenanigans, had manifested itself on the outskirts of Gotham. Apparently, not even Shadowcrest wanted to get too close to the bad juju coming from Gotham’s underbelly.

This did get me thinking, though: There was zero reason to let Starro happen. The whole plot was that Red Arrow, Roy Harper, was the traitor. I hadn’t lied. He wasn’t part of the Team by his own, rebellious choice.

Except, he himself didn’t know he was a traitor because he was actually a clone created by the Light via Cadmus, not unlike Connor or Max. Roy was programmed to enter a trance-like state when he heard the codephrase “broken arrow.” In that state, he could be further programmed to act as a spy, all without his conscious awareness.

Ultimately, this would lead to the Light acquiring samples of Starro’s body, an alien lifeform capable of brainwashing the entire League, regardless of their innate defenses. Batman’s discipline, Superman’s alien physiology, Martian Manhunter’s experience with telepathy, Green Lantern’s willpower, none of them would be able to resist Starro. Hell, not even Doctor Fate, despite being a Lord of Order, was immune.

That… That was a scary thought. If there was one person who should be perfectly immune to all forms of mind control, it was Doctor Fate. I wasn’t delusional enough to think I’d fare any better; his vulnerability all but guaranteed my own.

But, but was that even worth worrying about at this point?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t. I’d recruited Serling partially so she could help develop the anti-Starro tech, but I was so early in the timeline that I didn’t need to let things get that far.

Immediate solution: I could just… kill definitely-not-Roy. It didn’t really matter how skilled he was for a human. At the end of the day, I was a devil lord and he most definitely wasn’t fireproof.

Hell, if I decided the clone’s innocence was too much for my conscience, I could kill Sportsmaster, Roy’s handler. It’d cut off the spy’s connection to the Light, giving the heroes room to breathe. That might piss off Artemis and Jade, but he was a colossal dick. I wasn’t sure that domestic abuse victims were reliable in their own cases, anyway.

At the same time, I could leak the identities of the Light to Batman. He probably already guessed at several, including Ra’s and Lex, but a bit of external confirmation could push him further along. He’d readily secure the Starro fragment, preventing the whole mess from taking place.

If I really wanted to upend the board, I had options. But that was only assuming that the Light’s plans had not changed. Obviously not. Its members were some of the most brilliant, influential people in the world. The idea that they wouldn’t react to Klarion’s absence was ridiculous. If push came to shove, they might even forge an alliance with the Reach or Apokalips before canon, and those guys were significantly less killable. 

Maybe I was being a pussy about it, but truthfully, I didn’t want escalation. The young heroes needed room to grow. So did my peerage. And, so did I. Flipping the board didn’t mean the game ended; it meant we got a bigger, messier board.

I dropped Zatanna off and teleported home. All the while, I couldn’t help but note that I’d already set the butterfly flapping. Now, I could do nothing but prepare for the coming hurricane.

X

I watched as Max put our reinforced, overengineered gym equipment through the wringer. It was hard not to; he kept grunting like a bullfrog from exertion so it was a little distracting.

He wore weighted bands around his wrists and calves. Rather than packets of iron sand, they contained kryptonite, carefully dosed to bring him closer to the realm of mortals. Even so, he was benching a solid eight tons, more or less the weight of a school bus. A weakened Rook was still a Rook, after all.

What he was doing wasn’t anything fancy, but I was proud of him anyway. Slowly but surely, he was adapting to kryptonite. My hypothesis was that if we suppressed the kryptonian half of him, he’d instinctively begin to rely more on his devil half. Given the wide range of physical prowess among our kind, I figured this would give him the opportunity to improve without using his alien birthright as a crutch.

He wasn’t the only one to improve. Serling had remade her Fog. Or, she’d begun to. Yesterday, she showed off what I thought was a vial of liquid mercury. Turned out, it was a cluster of nanites, each merely ten microns in diameter. Seeing the tiny, crab-like robots through a microscope really put into perspective how little I knew about Serling’s craft.

At the moment, she sat in a corner of our training hall. Her full colony swirled around her. They were so small that they looked collectively like splashing water rather than a swarm of insects. She was practicing controlling them with magical input in an attempt to get them to form magic circles in the air. She hadn’t managed to cast through them yet.

I hadn’t stayed idle, either. A part of my training looked similar to Max’s. In essence, I’d been forcing myself through exposure therapy of sorts by exposing myself to the solar divinity of the Amulet of Aten. I still couldn’t blend holy and demonic flames quite yet, but my control over other sources of heat had grown by leaps and bounds. I could feel myself pushing against the ceiling between high and ultimate-class each day.

I hadn’t been happy to learn that Firebrand’s grave was empty. Not terribly surprised, but not happy, either. I’d missed my opportunity to secure the android’s body early and the canon rails for the Yellowstone supervolcano incident were on track.

I… wasn’t sure I liked that. That was something I could have prevented, and failed to. No one stopped me; I was simply distracted. With research. Growing my powerbase in Gotham. Securing clients. Other peerage candidates. Personal training. Worrying about Lucifer or Klarion. There always seemed to be something more important to think about than the Reds, and by the time I turned back to them, the opportunity had passed.

I had to come to terms with the fact that I simply didn’t have the bandwidth to do everything. So, I decided to delegate. I told Batman about Starro and just what it could do, Roy Harper and his status as a clone. The identity of the Light. Their goal to establish a human-supremicist interstellar empire. Much of it wasn’t verifiable information, but I felt I had enough clout to at least warrant investigation.

From this point on, that whole mess wasn’t my business. Klarion’s absence made the Light’s actions somewhat unpredictable, anyway. There would be plenty of challenges with or without Roy. Whether it was the Light, the Reach, or some agent of Apokalips, this was not a world with a lack for antagonists or shadowy schemes.

Author’s Note

Not much to say. I decided I didn’t like Rigal having complete foreknowledge so blew up the season one plot. Or really, I’m just coming to terms with the fact that I already did when I had Rigal yeet Klarion off-dimension.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll introduce Titans villains. Or more Sandman content. Or have Starfire or Kara come to Earth. We’ll see.

Animal Fact: There is a type of recently discovered lizard known as the James Bond forest lizard. Don’t get your hopes up though, because this lizard doesn’t live up to the hype. It’s called that because it was discovered near Goldeneye, Jamaica, Ian Fleming’s estate on Oracabessa Bay. Fleming was the author who wrote the James Bond novels.

Both the Nintendo 64 game and this estate are named for Operation Goldeneye. The operation was a real WWII contingency plan that Fleming helped plan when he was part of the British Naval Intelligence. The goal of the operation was to monitor Spain in the event the Germans invaded the Iberian Peninsula.