âAre you sure about this, kid?â he asked, eyes fixed on the teenager standing before him. âOnce you step into this world, everyone in it will know you. Once you enter⌠thereâs no going back. No escape.â He wanted to make this clear. He wished someone had warned him the same way.
The boy met his gaze, determination blazing in his blue eyes. âI was born into this world without even knowing it,â he said, voice steady. âBut I refuse to be powerless in a world full of power.â
He studied him for a long moment, weighing the resolve in that young gaze. Finally, he nodded. âAlright. Come with me. Iâll teach you everything youâll need to know.â
The sky over Metropolis was wrong. Red lightning forked across bruised clouds as horned, winged demons poured from jagged rifts, the remnants of a cultâs apocalyptic ritual. Too many to fight. Even the Justice League struggled.
Superman slammed a massive demon through a collapsing skyscraperâbut two more took its place. Wonder Womanâs sword flashed with divine fury, yet the creatures pressed on. Green Lanternâs constructs shattered under waves of hellfire. Zatannaâs spells flickered, strained. Constantine, bloody and exhausted, lit another cigarette, muttering counter-charms under his breath.
âYeah,â he coughed, ducking as a screeching demon passed overhead, âthis is officially pear-shaped.â
Batmanâs voice cut through the chaos. âContainment is failing. We needââ
A ripple ran across the battlefield. Subtle at first, like a drop in pressure, then stronger. Every demon froze. Not hesitatedâfroze. Even the red lightning halted mid-fork, as if time itself had tripped. A new presence had entered.
ââŚOh,â Constantine murmured, blinking twice. The temperature dropped sharply. Thenâa boy appeared. Completely out of place. Black hair streaked with white, pale skin, glowing green eyes slicing through the hellish light. He wore a black-and-white jacket three sizes too big, hands in his pockets, lookingâbored. He scanned the destruction, the demons, the League.
âWow,â he said flatly. âYou guys really let this get out of hand, huh?â
Superman hovered, stunned. âWhoââ
A massive demon charged him. The boy didnât move. He tilted his head slightlyâand the demon imploded, collapsing inward as if it had forgotten how to exist. Silence. The boy exhaled. âOkay. Seriously? I leave for like⌠a few years, and you let Hell do a home invasion?â
Another wave surged. This time, he moved. Effortless, precise. Green energy flaredânot chaotic, not explosive, but absolute. He raised a hand, and the oncoming horde froze, suspended like insects in amber.
âThatâs⌠not any magic Iâve seen,â Zatanna whispered.
The boy flicked his fingers. The demons vanished. Not exploded, not burnedâjust gone. Like they had never existed. He rolled his shoulders. âBetter. Nowââ
He looked up at the sky. The rift. Something massive stirred. Something ancient. He squinted. âOh. Youâve gotta be kidding me. They sent that guy?â
Batman stepped forward. âIdentify yourself.â
The boy glanced at him. ââŚYouâre the Bat guy, right? Cool costume. A little dramatic, but I respect it.â
Before Batman could respond, the rift split wider. A colossal demon emerged, wings blotting out light, a voice like grinding continents echoing through the city. Heroes tensed. The boy groaned. âUgh. Fine. One second.â
He floated up, casual, like gravity was optional. âHey,â he called to the demon, âyeah, you. Big, ugly, breaking-the-fabric-of-reality guy.â The demon roared. The boy raised a glowing hand. âDoorâs closed.â Snap. The rift slammed shut, the demonâs roar cut mid-sound. Remaining creatures disintegrated instantly. It was over. He floated down, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeves. ââŚOkay. Now itâs over.â
Silence. The League stared. Batman stepped forward. âYouâre going to explainââ
âDanny?!â A blur of trench coat and messy blond hair slammed into him. Constantine grinned like a child seeing his hero. âBloody hell, itâs actually you!â
Danny blinked, smirked. âWow, Johnny. You look⌠terrible.â
Constantine laughed. âWell, saving the worldâll do that to you!â
Batmanâs eyes narrowed. âJohn. You know him.â
âKnow him?â Constantine barked a laugh. âBats, this is Danny.â
Danny lazily waved. âSup.â
Batman remained unimpressed. âThat tells me nothing.â
Constantine ran a hand through his hair. âRight. Of course. This is the guy who taught me everything I know.â
Zatannaâs jaw dropped. âJohn⌠what?â
Constantine nodded. âMet him as a teenager. Thought I was summoning something minorâended up summoning him.â
Danny snorted. âYou butchered that summoning circle. Still offended.â
âYou showed up anyway!â John shot back.
âCurious how someone could mess up that badly and not blow themselves up,â Danny shrugged, smirking.
Batmanâs voice was cold. âHe trained you?â
Constantine nodded. âMagic, demons, the whole ugly business. Kept me alive long enough to become the charming disaster you see today.â
Danny crossed his arms. âPartial responsibility. Mostly for the âaliveâ part.â
Superman studied him. âWhat exactly are you?â
Danny tilted his head. âStraight to the existential, huh?â Floating slightly, green energy humming, he said casually, âGhost King. Long story. Short version? I deal with stuff like this.â He jerked a thumb toward the vanished rift.
Zatanna whispered, âThat level of powerâŚâ
Batmanâs gaze sharpened. âIf youâre that powerful, why werenât you here sooner?â
Dannyâs expression flickered briefly, then sarcasm snapped back. âWow. No âthank you for saving realityâ? Tough crowd.â He shrugged. âIâve got my own world to deal with. Ghosts, invasions, evil versions of myself⌠you know, teenage stuff.â
Flash blinked. âNot usual teenage stuff.â
Danny grinned. âYouâd be surprised.â
Constantine clapped him on the shoulder. âThe point is, weâre lucky he showed up at all.â
Danny glanced at the battered heroes, then back at John. ââŚYou did good,â he said softer. âDidnât die. Iâm impressed.â
John smirked. âHigh praise coming from you.â
Batman stepped closer. âIf another invasion happensââ
Danny groaned. âOh my god, already planning a sequel?â He floated back, hands behind his head. âRelax, Batman. If itâs big enough, Iâll know.â He winked. âAnd I might even help again.â His form flickered translucent, green energy humming.
Constantine raised an eyebrow. âAlready leaving?â
Danny smirked. âHomework. Ghost homework, but still.â
âRight,â John chuckled. âWouldnât want you falling behind.â
Danny saluted. âTry not to summon anything you canât handle, yeah?â
Danny grinned. âSee you soon, John.â And he vanished.
Silence fell. Flash finally spoke: ââŚSo, you were trained by a sarcastic ghost teenager who can delete demons and close reality rifts like doors?â
Constantine lit a cigarette. âYeah. Thatâs him. On a good day.â
Batman looked to the sky. For once⌠he had more questions than answers.
A week later, the Watchtower hummed with quiet tension. The Justice League and Justice League Dark had gathered in the main observation deck, still recovering from the near-apocalyptic invasion.
Batman leaned against the console, arms crossed. âConstantine,â he said, voice calm but insistent, âwe need answers about Danny. Who is he? How did he gain that level of power?â
John Constantine exhaled a cloud of smoke, one hand lazily draped over the railing. âAnswers, answers. You want answers?â His grin was wry, tiredâbut gleeful. âAlright. I can give you some⌠but youâre not going to like all of them.â
Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow. âWeâll take what we can get.â
Before John could continue, a soft green glow flickered behind him. He froze mid-sentence.
âOh, come on,â Constantine muttered, spinning slightly, âheâs alreadyââ
Danny Fenton appeared behind him, arms crossed, hovering casually a few inches off the floor. Glowing green eyes swept the room. âYou rang?â His tone was dry, but there was a teasing edge. The room fell silent. Superman straightened. Batman tensed. Zatannaâs jaw dropped. Even Flash stopped pacing. Danny smirked. âRelax. I heard you had questions about me. Lucky for you⌠I like answering questions.â
John clapped a hand on Dannyâs shoulder. âHeâs a talker, apparently.â
Danny gave him a mock glare. âIâm a very patient talker. Especially for a week-old mess like this.â
Batman finally stepped forward. âExplain. Everything we sawâyour abilities, your training. Who you are.â
Danny floated a little higher, shrugging. âYouâll have to narrow that down. My life is⌠complicated. And apparently chaotic by default.â
Wonder Woman folded her arms. âThen start with the basics. How did you learn to control your power?â
Danny glanced at John, giving him a small nod. âHeâll vouch for me. Trained me when I was your ageâteenager John over here didnât know what he was getting into.â
John waved, smirking. âMinor understatement.â
Danny turned back to the League. âBottom line? Iâve been handling ghosts, demons, and things worse than youâve even imagined for years. I learned fast because, well⌠someone had to.â
Green Lanternâs construct hummed nervously. âAnd the rifts? You just⌠closed them?â
Danny shrugged lazily. âRifts? Doorways? Sure. If itâs messy, I tidy it up. I get bored otherwise.â
Batmanâs gaze narrowed. âYour power⌠is absolute. Why arenât you defending Earth full-time?â
Danny grinned, flashing a mischievous smile. âEarth is fun and all⌠but my worldâs got homework, chores, family, existential crises. Trust me, balancing ghost-dimension diplomacy and teenage life is harder than it looks.â
Superman exhaled slowly. âSo⌠youâre willing to cooperate? Work with us?â
Danny tilted his head. âDepends on the day. Today? Yeah, sure. I even brought John along as my⌠chaperone. Mostly because he begged.â He nudged John with his elbow.
John waved it off, trying not to smile. âI didnât beg.â
Danny floated closer to the edge of the observation deck. âActually, Iâve got an idea. You all want more insight? I can take you⌠a little tour.â
Flashâs eyes widened. âTour?â
Danny grinned. âYeah. John here wants to see my world, right? Might as well show you the place Iâve been keeping all those rifts tidy. Trust me, itâs a full-on, dimension-level field trip.â
Batman stepped forward, clearly skeptical. âYouâll answer questions, but we go with caution. No surprises.â
Danny snorted. âNo promises.â He flicked his wrist, and a faint shimmer began forming behind him. âReady, John?â
John smirked, his trench coat swishing. âLetâs do it. I get the first coffee when we arrive.â
Danny chuckled. âDeal. Buckle up, League. Youâre about to see why ghosts, demons, and teenage sarcasm make a really fun combination.â
With a flick of his hand, green energy spiraled outward. In an instant, the Watchtower dissolved around them and reformed into the shimmering, surreal expanse of Dannyâs home dimensionâfloating islands of glowing ectoplasm, haunted skies, and ghostly silhouettes moving in the distance. Danny hovered in the center, arms crossed, smirking. âWelcome to my world. Donât touch anything⌠or do. Iâm flexible.â
John stepped forward, grinning from ear to ear. âTold you theyâd love it.â
Danny rolled his eyes, but there was a smile tugging at his lips. âYeah, yeah. Letâs give them the grand tour.â
The League and Justice League Dark exchanged looks of equal parts awe and trepidation, realizing just how small their problems on Earth had been compared to the wild, unpredictable world Danny called home. And Danny? He floated above it all, still a teenager at heart even after a century, still sarcastic, still ready for anything.