Change ☆DC Stargirl • Yolanda Montez (II)

Twenty-Four

FLASHBACK

Kent's POV:

I brush off the smear marks on the Helmet of Fate with the towel, watching as it shimmered under the lamplight.

I sense your worries, Mr. Nelson.

I scoff. "Still don't know the concept of boundaries, Nabu?" I sarcastically ask with an amused expression.

Well, it is difficult given that we are one. I have apologized already for not providing a solution for Rebecca McNider's demise but I do not understand the troubles circulating your thoughts currently. Is it about your teammates?

I simply shake my head, grabbing the amulet from the side to clean it with the rag next. "I'm worried if I have the strength to defeat Eclipso."

Do you doubt our abilities?

"No, I just...ever since the funeral, I never would want to put Kaitlyn's life at risk. Eclipso didn't hesitate to murder McNider's daughter." I emphasize. "I don't know how I'd continue without her."

A small pair of arms that I knew all too well wrap around my neck and I relax under her hold. "Honey, it's almost one in the morning." She whispers, pressing a quick kiss against my cheek before taking a seat on my lap. "Why are you up so late? Is it Nabu?"

"Should it be a surprise?" I chuckle, wrapping my arms around her waist. "I'm just reflecting on what happened today."

She slowly nods with a look of concern. "Do you have a plan?"

I reluctantly nod. "We need to find this Bruce Gordon gentleman."

"Bruce Gordon?"

"Sylvester talked to The Shade after we all left the funeral to see what we were dealing with. He called it a...spiritual parasite. An otherworldly creature." I whisper in discomfort. "Bruce Gordon found it and now it's possessed him. I mean, this thing can make you see it as anything it wants. It can make your nightmares come true."

"And he told you how to stop it?" Her brows furrow in confusion. "Why would The Shade help the JSA?"

"That's the part I don't understand but Sylvester saw the fear in his eyes when he told him that he had faced it before." I explain and look down to the floor. "Kait, this thing...it murdered men, women, children. He said the only way to stop it...is to kill the host."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Kill the host?"

I nod. "When the host dies, Eclipso will be forced back into the diamond. And as long as we don't touch it, as long as no one does, Eclipso will be powerless inside. We're supposed to vote tonight."

"Kent, but you never--"

"Kaitlyn, he murdered a ten-year-old little girl." I whisper, meeting her concerned expression. "We can't let this happen again. I can't put you at risk if he's out there. If we decide to have a child...I don't want to live through what McNider and his wife have to face now that their daughter is gone. I should've been able to do something to bring her back. I—"

She cups my cheek with a solemn look. "My love, that wasn't your fault."

"Then why does it feel like it?"

"I don't want you to make a decision that you know you'll regret in the future." She brushes her thumb across my cheekbone before pressing her head against mine with a sigh. "If you truly believe this is the way, all I can advise is that you follow your heart." She whispers. "Whether it be to follow the JSA code or what you truly believe in, just know that I'm always going to be there for you."