That evening John was successful in capturing the hunger demon and Gary left as if compelled to stay away from magic and the supernatural as a whole. Through the connection I have to John I heard all of the angel Manny's ranting about him making possibly disastrous deals with beings he knows little to nothing about.
He told Manny to come see me for himself but the angel merely said it could start a war Heaven was ill prepared to fight if I was an evil entity or from some old forgotten religion, especially with the rising darkness on it's way.
Taking that as a non answer, John told him he'd see him around if he was still planning to drop hints on this rising darkness, otherwise he planned to fight it without him one way or the other. I ignored them both from then on as I integrated my father's essence from the acetate completely into my being, bringing my angelic gifts to the brink.
All I needed now was an angel to eat and I'd even have my old wings back. It's too bad I haven't found a werewolf or something to regain my hybrid form but beggars can't be choosers especially when such gifts keep falling into my lap. A month passed before John was able to find and be desperate enough to fix an old victorian zoetrope to induce psychic visions and build a psychic link from Zed to the map so that she was in tune with it.
I chilled around and on occasion I went to check on Barry Allen, the soon to be Flash who was now in Star Labs as a patient to be monitored. His heart kept speeding up so fast the machines couldn't keep up, leaving it to appear as if he kept going into cardiac arrest.
When Zed finally had her vision, I was actually excited to go along. She'd so far been avoiding me after my promise, not that I minded. She was my type even without the spark I'd usually feel so I could wait and New Orleans was a magical place to be.
When we arrived of the scene, it was just another empty alleyway. After John revealed the a bit of magic that allowed them to detect the presence of a malevolent spirit, he explained what the colors of his magical bracelet meant. Blue for spirit activity, green for nearby and red he so boldly claimed would mean we wouldn't still be there talking.
I rolled my eyes at his antics and told Zed. "He means a demonic poltergeist. A sort of amalgamation of evil spirits that sort of consumed each other and became something far darker. Nasty buggers but amusing to see, well, if you're immune to their deadly pranks and hauntings like I am."
I waved a hand in the air and summoned the spirit haunting this place. A model with a face mask appeared before me and asked. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
I smirked. "I think you need to talk to someone else little ghost. I can eat your soul fast than you can use the scissors."
She shivered before trying to stab me with them. They went in and I smirked as I grabbed her wrist and pulled it away, grabbing her by the throat in the process. She struggled and screamed as I lifted her off the groaned and snapped her neck, dispersing her essence and forcefully expelling it.
I turned to the others as my wound healed before their eyes. "She'll be back. What ties her here isn't yet broken. Voodoo magic, an interesting concept. I wonder if I eat the Loa who they would pray to then? Food for thought."
John looked at me weirdly but didn't comment while the other two were clearly a bit afraid. A human cop came over down the alley mentioning a Voodoo priest by the name of Papa Midnight. He seemed down on his luck so I told him as I put a spell on him. "Next time you want the truth out of someone, just shake their hands and ask for it. I've given you a gift of sorts, one handshake and a question and no one can lie to you. It should help with your job inspector, thanks for the tip."
We left him there stunned as we headed to see a man about a ghost. The moment we interrupted their party, I could sense others spying on us from the astral plane. I ignored them for now as I entered Papa Midnight's mind to learn all he did of magic and magical beings as well as items.
John got into a bit of a verbal sparing match with him while I finished and used the connection here to feel out those spying on us. I turned my gaze upwards now, seeing through the veil of the astral plane. I saw seven of them and behind them a mother far larger entity.
My stomach rumbles in anticipation while they sensed the danger and spoke through Papa Midnight who was busy calling John a hack with no faith. He stopped mid sentence while he bent halfway back before his eyes turned white and stood up straighter.
His gaze turned to me saying. "We see you godling and know what you're planning. In exchange for a non aggression pact, we are willing to allow your new follower to draw on our magic's."
I grunted. "That's nice and all, but It doesn't solve my hunger. You'll have to offer up something of far greater value or you'll be ejected like all the gods I've met before now."
The eyes turned black before a another spoke. "This reality doesn't hold many physical gods but others do. We are willing to offer up the locations of those realities."
I nodded. "Seems fair enough. Tell your puppet his strings are cut unless he starts helping to clean up his mess."
The black eyes being nodded before a scroll appeared in front of me. I took it with a smile and stored it away before the good ole voodoo priest fell on his ass. When he came to he stood up and stared at me in both fear and awe. I don't know nor care what they said to him but he turned to John next. "It seems I was wrong, ya did find some faith after all street wizard. Let me know what ya need ma 'elp for an I'll do what I can."
John turned back to me with the others and I shrugged. They had been frozen while I was talking with the big bad voodoo gods so they were a bit confused on the turn around.
I followed them around a bit and went back to the ghost in the alley where Chas was stationed to keep people from getting killed. I watched in amusement as he was killed a couple of times until he asked. "A little help?"
I chuckled. "Maybe stop answering her questions and start asking your own instead. Confuse the spirit and keep it at bay."
He tried it out and laughed as it worked. Seeing he'd be fine, I popped into check on John and Papa Midnight as they were robbing graves. Chuckling, I told them. "You'll need those that summoned the spirit's blessings to return them this way. Papa Midnight here only wielded the magic, it was them that summoned the spirits. Their emotions and grief was the fuel to which they powered the magic itself."
I flamed away and appeared next to a tree by some road side and saw Zed talking a spirit down and to passing on without the forced expulsion. When it worked, I flame traveled to the pyre they were building for the bodies and removed the poor kid from it telling them. "He's passed on without this. There's no need to destroy his corpse anymore. Zed talked him into leaving."
The old woman who was apparently related to the poor kid, took his body back with the help of some of Papa Midnight's people. They managed to successfully send the other two spirits back forcefully and John ended up signing a non aggression magical pact to his surprise. It was simple really, so long as they were to cross paths when dealing with this rising darkness, Papa Midnight and his people were to help John and if any valuable loot or artifacts happen to be in play, they'd go to whomever ended up with them, no fights or arguments.
It was mainly influenced by the fact that I was going back hungry now and eyeing the scroll they gave me with fervor. I still planned to tear it up a bit here, but I'd move on eventually and that's when I'd seek out these gods the Loa served up.
We headed back to the bunker after stopping by a buffet that I put out of business on the way back. Knowing what was to come, I skipped over to Alabama and ate the psychic there, or more specifically, his psychic residue and essence, laving him mortal and trapped in his own body which he was definitely not happy about.
When I got back, the map blood spot that pointed to Alabama before had flaked off as if I'd undone what would've happened. I smiled, amused at the implications of undoing whatever influence would have eventually powered the psychic before.
Three months of chasing down demons and ghosts filled the boredom before Zed finally got a vision of a snake in her art class. When she came back and mentioned it, John brought out his own research for the next case which was a newspaper and a video clip.
I chuckled when I saw it as it meant my time truly wasn't wasted here. John asked. "What is it you know?"
I smirked. "More than you could possibly imagine John, or haven't I showed you that while I was teaching you magic's all this time? Anyways, I'll be going on this one, it interests me greatly."
On the way there, Manny popped by John after I wandered off by flaming the rest of the way. He mentioned being careful on this one while I was looking around. When I watched the preacher heal someone, I smirked and wounded myself by ripping off my arm. I could heal it myself, and I did to an extent, but I wanted to see what all this angel feather could do with the blessing of a fallen angel.
I had nothing but a stump when I revealed myself after putting away my arm. I went towards the front of the line slowly and when the preacher put his hands on me, I could feel the tainted healing of the fallen angel's power and it's connection to hell.
It was a truly interesting feeling as minor demon entered me while my arm slowly grew back, painfully by the preacher's expression. A few more demons had the time to fall into the pit that was to be their graves while the preacher exhausted himself healing me.
Even the fallen angel felt what was happening and was powerless to stop it as I'd begun draining her powers a bit to form a connection with us. When my hand was back good as new, I thanked the preacher as he passed out from over exertion.
Chuckling, I caught him and passed him off to the rest of the congregation before I left happily praising whomever they were praying to. When I was outside, I heard the preacher's sister telling everyone that he'd become tired doing the lord's work and that he may be blessed by god and the angels, but in the end he was only a mortal conduit to their higher powers.
The congregation began camping outside for the next day while I went to see the lake while munching on the unfortunate hellspawn dumb enough to try possessing me. I burped and the lake of dead fish I was standing near boiled and turned red as if of blood.
Chuckling at the biblical reference playing out before me, I sat down and sent my consciousness inwards to see how Natasha, Jessica and my kids were. Harper, my son and Katrina, my daughter, were now dating some inhuman denizens they'd explored around and found. They were happy and that's all that mattered.
Natasha and Jessica were both waiting and preparing for when they too would join me outside but I seemed to be incapable of bringing living beings out now. I'd eventually been released enough to bring out materials and things like my symbiote body and soul swords which I'd used in hell, but for some reason it escaped me how I was supposed to bring them out.
Even the gateways I tried building were blocked. Fortunately the old ones weren't and as such, my charmed kids, nephews, nieces and grandchildren had been able to enter for now, but even my realm was still blocked and I had no real clue when it would unlock itself.
I understood something's clearly, like the fact that my body had incorporated my tales of demons and gods physique, but it was limited to the amount of magic, solar energy and many other types of energy I had in me by unclear amounts.
Perhaps I had to increase it more beyond the natural limits I myself had at the moment but that felt wrong somehow, like using incomplete laws to break through ranks.
While I waited for John and his group to show up, I sent my symbiote body to Blonsky's planet to consume Doomsday. For something like me, while inside my own galaxies, something like Doomsday was a hearty meal. There was no fighting as my symbiote form merely covered Doomsday and consumed it, cell by cell, faster than it could adapt or reform as it's blood and essence was adapted to strengthen my symbiote form to nearly unkillable levels.
Moments later I released the barrier on the space around Blonsky's planet and the poor yellow Hulk looked relieved. Blonsky shifted back and went for a drink and a lay on one of the more habitable inner planets.
I myself snapped back to my primary body as John and the rest arrived. He could sense me now and the easy tracking spells helped tremendously in his line of work. He asked. "So, what's with the plagues mate?"
I chuckled. "I saw an opportunity to see what was happening for myself and took it."
I turned to Zed. "You're gonna love this one."
Standing I turned to face the whole group. "It's an angel, more specifically, an angel feather. The idiot preacher got himself an angel feather and is using it to work miracles using it as a conduit to channel the angel's powers."
I waved a hand to the red lake full of dead fish. "This is the result of that power, the drawback if you will. Mortals weren't meant to use powers of the divine so directly and it's causing chaos, death and destruction in the form of what you'd call minor plagues."
Zed was shocked and while John didn't even blink. "If he's got himself an angel feather then that means there's a corporeal angel somewhere around here. It's only one of the drawbacks. If he uses to much he may even kill the angel in question."
I chuckled. "Well he hasn't yet. I injured myself and had him heal me to find out what it was and I managed to forge a connection with said angel. She's that way, around half a mile."
I pointed towards the woods and John asked. "How did you injure yourself?"
I shrugged. "I ripped off an arm and healed it into a stump to force him to heal it. He passed out from the effort afterwards and this lake turned red but the fish were already dead so I call it a win. The arm is considerably weaker though so I might destroy it and regrow my own. Why, do you want it?"
He stilled, stunned by my offer. I chuckled. "I can replace yours with it and give you a bit of a boost. You'd be able to pummel mid to lesser demons to sludge and so long as the princes don't land any direct blows, you could in theory duke it out with them. It'd also make your left hook far superior in a bar brawl but that could end with a lot of death in and of itself."
He thought it over for a bit and I ripped my new arm off right the. And there before replacing my old one and feeling it reattach itself. I raised it up, blood falling and incinerating before it could touch the ground.
He nodded. "Alright, just let me prepare first- ahhhh!"
I hadn't waited and ripped his left arm off at the socket. When I put the new one in place, it healed itself before he fell to the ground as I released him. The arm shorted a bit as it adjusted to his body but when his face turned beat red, I sighed. "Damn, do much divine energy for him."
I waved a hand as black chain like rune tattoos flowed along the arm and sealed away it's power. He'd have to practice and take his time adjusting to it as it was considered an artifact of sorts that was also apart of himself. I added exorcism spells and powerful limiters so that only he could use the arm or release it's full potential.
Smiling, I pulled out a bottle of whisky and slapped him mentally, waking him with a start. I incinerated his old arm right then and passed him the whisky saying. "You'll want this. Power hangovers are a bitch believe me. Now, some words of warning. You're human so you weren't able to adjust fully to the blood and power inside the arm smoothly. I had to seal all but the tiniest trickle with one hundred seals."
He looked at the one hundred chain link runes wrapped around his new arm and I sighed. "Each one with increase your mystical and physical power one fold and over time your body will adjust to it as you slowly become a demigod of sorts. Words of warning. Right now your body can't handle anything beyond ten runs links before you're doomed to die from it. That being said, if you run into anything that forces you to use that much power, you're probably already screwed and destined to die anyways."
He snorted. "That's real comforting."
I shrugged. "It is what it is. In the case that that does happen and I'm not answering your prayers, I suggest you go balls to the wall and unleash it all in a devastating blow. It should make you a temporary god and whatever landmass you're on will be destroyed in the process but I doubt whatever you're fighting will survive the blow either way. In fact, nothing but a god would possibly survive and most of those would be severely injured. When you die your body and soul will come to me anyways so there's little to actually fear."
He sighed. "Sounds dreary if you're ask me."
I snorted. "The seals will slowly become undone safely as your body adjusts to the power anyways so try not to be an idiot. Now, word to the wise, if you get possessed by anything, the arm will seal itself and all your magic away until such a time as the contract activated and expels the entity. Do not and I repeat, do not try to bargain the arm away as it will explode if it's detached and take out a small sized town from the blast."
He nodded and I helped him up. He suddenly asked. "Wait, how is it so powerful if you were saying it would only hold up to a demon prince before?"
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "I sort of forgot my bloodlines and the pure magic in my blood. Now I'm more surprised the angel isn't dead by now."
That got them remembering what they were here for. Zed led the way wanting to see the angel first as Chas and John shared worried looks. They were smart enough to know if I was interested in said angel, it meant it wasn't an ordinary one particularly if I was so powerful.
I myself ignored them as I followed them all to an old oak tree in a clearing. Leaves were rustling underneath it and I smirked as the weakened angel revealed itself after sitting up. I'd really done a number on her and she was glaring at me as if it was all my fault, it was, but she couldn't possibly know that!
John and the rest helped her to a nearby barn while he called to Manny who appeared rather bluntly. Chas and Zed couldn't see him but I could. I was relaxing against some bales of hay when he turned to me. I raised an eyebrow. "Sup feather ass."
He took a step towards me and I chuckled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you little goose, I'd eat you and the whole flock before the Shepard realized I was in his house. Then we'd battle it out turning this planet and half the universe into nothingness before I ate him as well."
He stilled before turning to John. "What is the meaning of this?"
John waved him over to the angel. "One of yours has found herself earthbound. A mortal stole a feather from her and is using it to do minor miracles. It seems to be weakening her. I need to know, can angel's die?"
I snorted, butting in. "Of course they can. They're as mortal as most immortal creatures. Under the right circumstances anything can be killed, even God."
Both angel's flinched at the admission that their God wasn't unkillable. Manny told him. "If this mortal is using her feather for miracles, it'll slowly kill her over time if the feather isn't returned. You need to retrieve the feather John."
I didn't comment and only sat down while Manny left and John asked. "Are you staying here?"
I nodded. "I'll make sure nothing and no one gets to the angel. You and your band of misfits go and retrieve the feather. Be careful though as it can prevent you from touching it if it's his will. You'll need to surprise him."
I ignored his thanks and even the spell he did while I sat and watched the fallen angel. When they finally left, I asked her. "I bet you didn't expect me to come huh?"
She sneered. "So you intend to kill me?"
I shook my head. "Hardly. No, I'm going to let them return your feather to you. If I wanted you dead love, I would've killed you when I made the connection before."
I released my angelic aura and her forehead bunches up as she frowned while looking both confused and reverent. She whispered. "The Morningstar!"
I chuckled and put it away while holding a finger to my lips. "Shush now, let me play my games and you'll find I'm quite generous."
She nodded slowly before asking. "How did-"
I frowned and she shut up before returning to her quiet contemplation. She was visibly weakening again by the time Zed returned with the feather. Chas and John were holding off a horde of possessed at the moment while John was trying to do a mass exorcism.
Zed have the fallen angel her feather and as it returned to it's place, her feathers and wings turned from white to black. Chuckling, I stood up and walked to Zed's side while she looked at the angel in confusion.
I told her. "Imogen here is a fallen angel. She was cast out of heaven for murdering a mortal."
Zed turned to me. "Why didn't you stop me if you knew?"
I chuckled. "For this."
I moved and slammed Imogen to the ground, shaking the earth as she tried to crawl away screeching. I took out my blades and cut the wings from her back, turning her mortal and human as I drained the celestial angel bits into her wings before removing them.
Imogen screamed and cried and begged for me to stop but I couldn't care less. I took her wing and crushed them with my telekinesis into bloody balls and ate them. When I finished, John and the rest had shown up and were watching me.
Even Manny was there watching wearily as I groaned and my own green wings sprouted from my back in a burst of blood and essence. When I stood up straighter, they caught fire and burned green. My green eyes ignited with a sparkling shimmer and I smiled, releasing my own aura that was close to my own father's angelic aura.
Manny spoke. "Impossible!"
I chuckled. "Nothing's impossible, not anymore. I am the son of the Morningstar, once ruler of hell, and a god of many names and faces. Now that my angelic side has been awakened, you feathery fucks can piss off. I want no part in your wars of good and evil. I'm no longer apart of your plots and designs."
I turned to the heavens and felt the Presence listening. Smiling I told him. "That includes you as well grandfather. Your balance of good and evil does not interest me. Keep your pets out of my way and we'll not come to blows."
I turned to John smiling sadly. "Have no fear John Constantine, I mean you and yours nor humanity as a whole any harm. In fact, I intend to save as many as I can along the way towards my own path. As well, my powers are not demonic or evil so you may continue to benefit so long as you wish to use them."
He was simply stunned while I touched Zed's cheek. "I'm sorry love, but we've run out of time for you and I. I guess it's best we never had that night after all."
She shivered as I showed her the pleasure I would've given her before withdrawing my hand. Smiling I turned back to John. "My father owes you a debt, yes, I'm related to that Lucifer and all versions of him. I'm the cosmic equivalent of his son, not some by blow part that a piece of him spat off. Consider that I owe you a debt as well, feel free to call it in at any time."
I tucked my wings away as I flamed away to the bunker and took the helmet of Nabu. It would be needed for the age of heroes for this world. Without the bunker's barriers keeping it in when I took it to Starling city, it warped away to find it's new chosen one.
I myself checked in on the Queens and found Thea had gone ahead with Malcom Merlyn and trained before coming back to Starling city sooner then I expected and two months ahead of schedule. I switched to my armor and cloak before speeding off to find her. It was night here and many crimes were happening so it was a bit hard to focus on one woman's heartbeat.
Seeing her back with the team wasn't what I expected though, especially since she had indeed killed Sara Lance as Malcom moved up his timetable. I sighed when I saw her and felt whatever embers of a spark before was gone. She'd changed and not for the better it seems.
Shaking my head, I watched as the League of assassin's declared war on Oliver and the city and threatened to kill fifty people every day after two days of Sarah's killer wasn't brought to them for justice. After the first day and a half, I watched as Oliver and them discovered Thea's predicament and Malcom Merlyn's ploy to force Oliver's hands.
When Oliver declares he'd challenge the demon, I sped inside like a burst of wind and smiled through my armored and cloaked veil. "I have a better plan Mr.Queen."
They all reacted but the moment Oliver stopped them, I chuckled. "It's time you repay that debt you owe me for saving your mother and sister from Slade."
Felicity Smoke, Oliver's version of watchtower, spoke up. "What is it you want from him?"
I sighed and lowered my hood as I told them. "I am Jake Kent, also known by a few as Green Phoenix. As for what I want, I'd like Oliver to make the introductions to Ra's Al Ghul. I'll take the blame for Sarah's murder and in return, I'll challenge the demon's head for leadership of the League. After I beat the head of the League, I'll be named the new Ra's Al Ghul and all blood debts to the old one will be forgiven. Even if they find out the truth later on, they'll do nothing as they will be bound to my will."
Oliver asked. "What makes you think you can win against Ra's? You may be fast and strong, but the sacred grounds negates all powers and abilities. It's a test of skill and worthiness."
I smirked. "I'm older than you could possibly fathom. I've mastered every martial art and combat style on the planet and my skills as you so eloquently put it, are good enough to slaughter the League and half the planet with just swords, of which my true talents lay."
I summed two vibranium swords and tossed him both. "Perhaps you'd like to test my validity before putting your sister's life in my hands."
John Diggle asked. "What, no weapons for yourself?"
I chuckled. "The last reality I was in, I was a marine. I trained with the navy seals, army rangers and spec ops. I've killed thousands of terrorists and many barehanded. If I want a sword, I'll take one from him."
Oliver raised an eyebrow and I smirked. "So how about it? I won't use any power or abilities beyond skills and basic human strength."
He tested the blades a bit commenting. "They're very light."
I nodded. "They're made from a rare metal that negates vibrations and weighs practically nothing. They're also extremely sharp and spelled so that they can even cut through my own flesh."
He looked me over before nodding and heading to the training area. He started out with a test swing I dodged and slugged him in the mouth. That brought on an onslaught of swings, stabs and slashes while I danced around him until he was a bit tired.
He made a sloppy stab and I grabbed his wrist before wrenching the sword out of his hand and elbowing him in the chest, knocking him back. I told him coldly. "Give up now or the pain that follows is on you."
He lunged and I deflected his blade as we danced a deadly tune. Each strike of my was fast and accurate as I made paper cut slices all over his arms and torso until he grunted and dropped the blade.
Smiling, I stopped and tossed him an ointment. "Rub that on the wounds and they'll heal in a matter of seconds."