Heroic Cognizance | Shazam

Chapter 12

"Heracles, give me strength..." the raven muttered, chuckling at his own inside joke.

- - -

"Well...at least he has a family now," Superman said after a moment.

"Looks like he already did, Supes. Kid's just got parents now," Flash said, brow furrowed at the Kryptonian.

Billy, or rather Cap, interrupted whatever the man was going to say next, as he careened straight through him and slammed into the brick wall of a building. The group tensed as Captain Marvel shook off his disorientation, glancing up with a determined look on his face.

"Why do you guys always insist on throwing me around when I try to talk to you?" Marvel muttered, shaking debris off and rocketing back into the air. He stopped in front of the being that put them into this mess in the first place-- Klarion. 

"Who are you?" Cap asked, his stance in the air defensive as dark red energy swirled around the witch boy's hands.

"A lord of Chaos. I'm Klarion, hero, and you're gonna be toast," he said with a snarl, throwing a bolt of energy towards the demigod. Cap narrowly dodged it, the heat singeing the ends of his cape. The raven put his hands up placatingly, floating a few feet from the sorcerer.

"Wait wait wait! Constantine told me about you. Klarion the Witch Boy?" he said experimentally. Klarion's beady red eyes narrowed. Cap swallowed thickly.

"I'm sure John Constantine has sung my praises."

"Hold on, hold on- he actually said we were a lot alike, you and me."

"We're nothing alike, you idiot."

"Aren't we?" Cap tried, keeping his hands up. "Dude, I don't want to fight you if I don't have to. John said you were just a curious kid who was sick of having adults tell him what he could and couldn't do."

Klarion's eyes stayed narrowed, but the energy swirling around his hands faded slightly. "I get it. Dude, adults suck," he said, putting his hands on his hips. 

Klarion raised an eyebrow, giving him an unimpressed look. Cap glanced down at himself, looking back up at the kid and giving him a nervous laugh. "I can explain- why don't we touch down over there and talk? Kid to kid?"

The witch boy stayed quiet but followed Marvel as he flew towards the top of a skyscraper and touched down. He turned around, smirking up at him. 

"Might wanna take a step back," he said, glancing upwards and shouting shazam. Lightning flashed in the sky before coming down to strike the demigod, changing him back into 11-year-old Billy Batson.