“What the hell is that?” I asked as I looked into the rearview mirror. Raven was asleep in the back of the cab still, but I could have sworn her shadow moved. 

“What?” John asked, woken up from this nap. 

“She moved, it moved, her shadow,” I said, pulling over. 

“Oh that, you noticed that?” John asked, rubbing his eyes. “You must have more powers than I thought.”

“What do you mean?” I asked confused, my eyes continuously darting to look back at her to try to catch the shadow moving again. 

“Keep driving, it's fine.” He pointed at the road. I frowned but pulled back into traffic. We were getting close to Essex where his home was. 

My eyes still darting to the mirror to watch her shadow as he began to speak. “You remember how I said most of the supernatural in the world is ignored by people?” He asked. 

“Uh yeah, like an illusion but not,” I said.

“Right, well most that touch on the supernatural; psychics, magicians, and that ilk eventually awaken something called the Third Eye. It allows them to see what normal people ignore,” he admitted. 

“Third Eye…like Truesight?” I asked. Referencing the most recent skill I had gained. 

“I’ve heard it called that before,” John said. “But most in the underworld call it the Third Eye.”

“How long have you had it?” I asked, side eyeing him. As I did, I noticed Raven’s shadow move again, this time it had touched Tabi asleep on the girl’s chest. The cat didn’t seem to notice or care. The shadow slowly moving along the cat’s back, as if it was petting her. 

“As long as I can remember,” John said without humor. “Kind of hard for a five year old to not want to ride the bus because the scary lady with the melting face stares at you. Most are lucky enough to slowly awaken the skill. Did you have it already?”

“No idea,” I said. “Why is her shadow moving?” 

“I’m guessing it's a power of hers. Maybe her shadow acts as a guardian when she is sleeping. But I noticed it moving now and then when she got in the car. It’s not too rare to have a skill like that, or an artifact that does the same thing. After last night I am pretty sure she is a powerful magician, far more powerful than I originally thought. The damn Vampire King probably wanted to push her away because she was that hard to handle.” 

“Yeah, we should get her story,” I noted, but was also kind of excited to have Truesight. “What else should I expect to see with the Third Eye?”

“You’ll know it when you see it. Demons possessing people of course, angels, maybe imps or subliminal messages.”

“Like in advertising?” I asked. 

“No, more like warding. Outside the Necropolis there were a lot of wards to deter us from going toward the entrance, but I can typically negate those,” he said.

“Fuck, this religious shit is weird,” I said.

“And yet, you wonder why people flock to the church. People want protection from what goes bump in the night, whether they realize it or not,” he said. Letting out a sigh he lit another cigarette. He cracked his window, allowing an inrush of air inside, as he did, Raven woke up. 

“Roofy’s wore off,” I joked. John looked back, seeing her eyes blinking rapidly. 

“Hello there little birdie,” he said. “I think it might be time for you to talk.” I could hear an audible gulp come from the girl, but continued driving. I could already feel it was going to be a long day. 

—

“I um, started having the nightmares a few years ago,” Raven said. We were in Constantine’s apartment. Which was the penthouse suite of a very old building. He had half of the floor to himself. Having bought out several apartments, it was easy to notice where walls had been torn down to make one big apartment. Windows lining the exterior reminded me of another place I had been but couldn’t recall exactly where. 

“How old when they started?” John asked. We were in the kitchen. Raven at the wood table, John leaned against the countertop as I looked through cupboards. They hadn’t magically filled up with food in a day for some reason. His house or not, John didn’t seem to spend a lot of time there. 

“12 years old?” She asked. “So, four years now.”

I made a disgusted face with my back to her. Though she was eerily pale, I had seen her naked, now I felt like I needed a shower. That was way too young for my tastes, at least I hoped it was, and I needed to get the image out of my mind. 

“And how long have dark magic tendrils been choking the life of everything around you?” John asked. 

I could feel her Haki begin to plummet. Tabi began to purr loudly, moving closer to the girl. Raven smiled, picking Tabi up and putting her on her lap. I squinted at the cat, unsure why she hadn’t talked to anyone but me yet. 

“Since the beginning?” Raven asked with a shrug as more tears fell from her eyes. “It wasn’t so bad at first, but one night my mom-” She cut off, her full body sobbing as she recalled the pain. I could feel it radiating from her. A deep ache that had never healed. It took time, but she eventually got it out. 

“I was told later that my mom used to be involved with the occult. When she died, I was put in touch with someone, then someone else. A lot of people tried to help, but whatever protections they put up were broken eventually. It got so bad that some uncle of mine called in a lot of favors to get an audience with the Vampire King. He uh, eventually put me in this room where…well I don’t know how he stopped me from-”

“Probably a magic negation field or some other seal,” John said with a nod. “I bet he was siphoning off the dark magic to power his own devices, but you were putting off too much.” He nodded to himself. “So he thought to make you my problem.”

“I’m so sorry,” she cried. Her face twisted in an ugly cry as tears poured down her face. “I don’t know what to do, but you don’t have to-”

“Nonsense,” I said, sick of the self-hatred I felt from her. “That’s what this guy does. The great JC himself. He was built for this kind of shit. So just let him take care of it, alright?” I could feel John get annoyed with me. “Really, you’re going to say no to a scared girl? Are you a demon now too?” I asked, squirting my eyes at him. 

“Fuck,” John said, shaking his head. “The seal on your forehead will last for a few days. It should absorb everything, but I will have to keep reapplying it wider and wider.”

“She’s got plenty of room there,” I said with a nod, trying to see the positives. 

“Yeah,” John said. “Maybe I can find something to help you focus your power. Maybe train you how to use the magic. I’m guessing it's only gotten stronger since your time with the Vampire King started.”

“Did I…kill anyone last night?” She asked, genuine worry in her voice. 

“No,” I said.

“Thankfully,” John said. “Last thing we need are Crusaders after you.” I didn’t know what they were, but it sounded like supernatural hunters from the Catholic Church or something. “I’m guessing you were simply born unnaturally strong. You said your mom was in the occult. Do you know what order?” 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. 

“What about your dad?” John asked. I considered telling John about Trigon, but held off. I didn’t know how much of a secret that was. I knew Trigon was supposed to be some big bad world ender, but to be honest, besides the cartoon, I didn’t know much about the Teen Titans. 

“I have no idea who my father is,” Raven said. Her face placid as she looked from John to myself. “I hate to impose more, but do you really think you can help me?” 

I gave John my best puppy dog look. He shook his head in disgust. “I keep gathering strays,” he mumbled, but eventually he stopped fighting it. “Maybe,” John said with a nod. “For now I can keep your power held back. I have to handle my own dilemmas in the coming days, but I have to make calls and meet people.” He pushed off from the counter. “Besides, I have to help this idiot on top of it.” I gave him my best smile, showing my appreciation for the sweet words. “Make yourselves at home for now. I have research to do.” 

Already forgetting we were there, he walked out of the kitchen. Raven’s eyes became distant as she was stuck in her own thoughts. I left her to it and walked around. The penthouse was rather large and old. The wood floors squeaked with almost every step, and I could see random symbols drawn on the ceiling and walls.

Feeling pretty safe from any supernatural attacks, I busied myself in a large library I found. Pulling down books, I decided to fill more gaps in my knowledge. History on the Occult, Magic and You, and Fantasy Creatures of the Underworld, were a few of the titles I began to peruse. Most of it seemed like fairy tale stuff, but I honestly had no idea. I gained some memories of the creatures from my old life, mainly stuff I had watched on TV, but most of it made me feel like I didn’t want to mess with this Third Eye crap. 

“I uh…is there any food?” A small voice eventually asked. I turned to see Raven in the doorway of the study. Still in her dark robe she was the little girl again. Her cheeks red from tears I guessed she was tired of crying. 

“Not that I saw, should we order some?” I asked. I knew I could pull money from my Status Screen so I was no longer poor. With over a million in USD, I was actually pretty damn rich.

“I’d love that,” she said. It took a while but I found a phone book hidden in a couch. No TV or computer to be found, we called a local place. Once I did, I studied Raven awkwardly. Her pale skin blushed as she noticed the look. 

“Should we explore?” I asked. 

“I uh…I’m afraid to,” she admitted. 

“Me too,” I confessed with a smile. Waving my hand, I beckoned her to follow, and she did so. Tabi on her shoulder, the cat had taken to her well. 

“What was your name again?” She asked. “Sorry I’ve been-”

“Weston Walker,” I said, cutting her off. She had apologized about twenty times while we were ordering food, and I was getting a little tired of it. “I have lost most of my memories and am currently JC’s driver and bodyguard.” 

“And who is he exactly?” She asked. I opened a door I didn’t have the nerve to walk into before. Inside was a small bedroom. I walked back into the hall, opening more doors. 

“John Constantine, basically a psychic detective so…” Memories flooded in. “A British Yusuke Urameshi, or maybe Dresden Files. That’s Canadian, right?”

“Who?” Raven asked. 

“Doesn’t matter, either way. I am just here to get my memories back,” I said. “Other than that I-” I stopped talking. Inside the door I just opened was some kind of museum. All sorts of items were on display. Some surrounded by steel boxes, others in glass cases, and a few on pedestals. What really caught my eye was a child-sized imp sitting on one of the cages. 

It was about three feet tall, it’s skin a dark brown, long talons on it toes, it had two leathery wings on its back. Small horns protruding from its head. The imp was simply sitting on the metal cage, frozen like a gargoyle. 

“What the fuck!” Raven yelled. 

“You can see it too?” I asked. She had stepped back, but when I didn’t follow her she had stopped herself from running. 

“Is that a fucking demon!?” She yell/asked as she moved back to the door, making sure to keep me between her and the supernatural being. 

“I think it's an imp. I read about it in one of the books.” I eyed the floor, noticing seals painted on the perimeter. Nothing happened as I stepped over them. Approaching the imp cautiously, I noticed that its eyelids and mouth were stitched together. 

“Fuck, I was wrong. He’s more like the Warren’s,” I said. Referencing the husband and wife from the Conjuring movies, or was it Insidious? I couldn’t remember. Which was a common theme for me as of late. 

All around me were sealed away items. There was a voodoo doll in one cage, a raggedy Andy doll, shrunken heads, a gold plated dagger, all sorts of items scattered in the room. The imp didn’t appear to be moving, and underneath it in the iron cage was a flat disc with symbols scratched into it. 

“This is creepy as fuck,” Raven said. Holding onto my arm as I got within arm’s length of the imp. I could feel I shouldn’t venture any closer though. I could actually see Raven’s shadow begin to ripple as if it were trying to escape, but I didn’t point it out to her. Whatever she had been through, Raven must have also awoken her third eye, and I didn’t want to freak her out any more. 

“Come on,” I said, pulling her along. She nodded, but refused to let go of my arm until the door was shut. When I did she thought better of it as a loud bell sound rang around us. Jumping and yelping she grabbed back onto me. 

“I think its the food,” I said, reassuring her, but she refused to let go until we were at the intercom. She went with me down to the first floor but once we got some food she started to feel a little less scared. An actual smile on her face I passed out plates and she began to scoop food onto them. 

As I tried to find John to let him know food was there, I found another room. One far more important than the others. Once our plates were full I dragged Raven to the room, revealing a television. A large sectional couch set in front of it I turned the old TV on, my mood far better with food and television in front of me. 

“Think he has a VCR?” I asked. 

“I doubt it, maybe he does seances for entertainment,” she said. 

“Probably,” I said, surfing channels rather quickly. Suddenly I noticed something familiar on one of the TVs. Frowning, I turned a channel back until I saw it again. On the screen was a man in a black hoodie and pants. What caught my eye about him and the outfit though were the pink turned hearts littering the hoodie and pants. They looked a lot like the hearts I had seen sporadically in memories. 

Transfixed to the screen, the man in the hoodie was smiling and waving at the camera. As I studied him I focused on his eyes. Slowly as I was watching him I mumbled, “What the fuck?”  

The newscaster began to speak again as I stared wide eyed at the screen. “We still do not know who this hero is,” the woman on the screen says. “But our sources do say he goes by the name Batman.” Dozens of images of the man in black showed. Most from low-def footage as if taken from phone cameras or personal camcorders. Tabi had told me we had fought in a city and I had made a bunch of shadow clones with her chakra, but all the other details were left vague. I was rapidly putting together that they were of me. Clones of me were helping people out of rubble, picking up huge rocks, and helping all around some broken city. 

“What the absolute fuck,” I said, my mouth falling open wider and wider. “What did I do?” I eyed Raven, but she didn’t understand. My faces on the screens were well covered with the hood and mouth mask. At a loss for words she asked what was wrong as I stared at the screen for a long time. I didn’t have an answer. Unable to figure out the mystery that was me.