Zatanna (New Age)/Issue 1

This is the first issue of Zatanna (New Age).

Transcript
The issue begins in a crowded theater as multiple people are waiting as suddenly a voice booms throughout the theater.


 * Announcer: Ladies, gentlemen and everything in between, tonight we proudly present: The Princess of Prestidigitation, the Sorceress Supreme, the Mistress of Magic: Zatanna Zatara!

The audience roars in applause as Zatanna suddenly appears out of thin air as she bows.


 * Zatanna: Thank you! I am assuming you all are ready to see some magic today?

The audience shouts multiple words which all boil down to yes.


 * Zatanna: Heh! I see! First off let's do some basic fun magic.

She grabs her hat.


 * Zatanna: You see this? A normal hat, yes? Well... everything is not as it seems.

She winks and then pulls a cat out of the hat as the audience roars in laughter.


 * Zatanna: I know most magicians pulls rabbits out of their hats, but I am not like most magicians.

She smiles and puts the cat and the hat down as she suddenly puts her hand behind her ear.


 * Zatanna: Hold on, something itches...

She then grabs a coin out of her ear.


 * Zatanna: Silly me! I left my lucky dime there!

Zatanna flips the coin and then whispers something as suddenly the coin transforms into a bunch of doves as the audience thunderously roars, shocked but amazed at the same time.


 * Random Audience Member: How did you do this?!
 * Zatanna: A magician never reveals her secrets.

It cuts to a manor as John Sargent, also known as Sargon the Sorcerer, is drinking some tea as suddenly he hears a noise.


 * Sargon: Who's there?!

He looks around and suddenly sees a man in a black and white suit sitting at his table.


 * ???: A friend. Or an enemy. Depends on how willing you are to give me what I want.
 * Sargon: And what do you want? Fame? Money? My life?
 * ???: No, no, none of that, I want your ruby.
 * Sargon: I am sorry, it is not for sale.
 * ???: I figured you were going to say that.

He grabs the tea that Sargon was drinking and pours it out on his face before smashing the cup against his head.


 * ???: I will just take it myself.

Sargon screams in pain and tries to cast a fireball as suddenly, the stranger casts a shield spell.


 * ???: Poor legendary Sargon the Sorcerer, thinking that I don't have magic.

He grabs one of the shards from the shattered glass and forces it into one of Sargon's eyes as he screams in pain before limping down dead, as the stranger grabs the Ruby of Life.


 * ???: Thank you Sargon. No worries, everything will make sense, but oh why would you care? You're a corpse.

The mysterious man drops a note saying the words "With best regards, Nick Necro" and then disappears with a smirk as Sargon lays down, dead. It cuts to a bar as Zatanna is drinking alongside her manager, Jeff Sloane.


 * Jeff: That was one heck of a show you performed tonight! I am curious, why mainly stick with parlor tricks when you can literally turn a hat into a dragon.
 * Zatanna: Most people fear the unknown Jeff. If I just started creating stuff out of thin air or changing things, it would cause fear more than wonder. So I just like to sprinkle in one magical thing, something that can be passed off as an elaborate parlor trick.
 * Jeff: Huh... at least people are eating it up. We definitely don't have to worry about scrapping by for scraps. Although, I do know these parlor tricks is not your true passion.
 * Zatanna: Cheers for that.

She grabs a beer and drinks it. Suddenly, someone walks in and sits next to Jeff and Zatanna, being detective Dale Colton.


 * Dale: Howdy Zee.
 * Jeff: Hold on Zatanna, who's this?
 * Zatanna: Jeff, meet Detective Dale Colton, he is a friend from my other job. I helped him from quite a few cases, helps that his dad is a demon.
 * Dale: You must be Zatanna's manager, George, right?
 * Jeff: Jeff...
 * Dale: Ah! I see! Sorry about that Jeff!
 * Zatanna: Are you here to just chat or is there something important?
 * Dale: There is something important but first, bartender get me a beer and give me something strong!

The bartender chuckles and hands Dale a beer.


 * Dale: Are you familiar with Sargon the Sorcerer?
 * Jeff: I am, he was one of the greats when it came to stage magic.
 * Zatanna: He's also an acquaintance of my father, helped him face some demons, some other magic stuff as well. Why do you ask?
 * Dale: He was found dead in his manor. With a shard of glass jarred straight into his eye.
 * Zatanna: Is there anything else?
 * Dale: Yes, a note saying "With best regards, Nick Necro." I figured you might know something that I don't.

Zatanna's eyes suddenly widen at the words Nick Necro.


 * Jeff: Zee?! Are you alright? It looks like you saw a ghost!
 * Zatanna: ...because I did... I knew Nicholas Nolan... and then he became a monster...
 * Dale: Go on...

While Zatanna is speaking it shows a flashback, first with a younger Zatanna as a younger Nicholas grabs her hand with a smile.


 * Zatanna: When I started out with this magic business, I found Nick, who was also a magic user like me, and he seemed nice.

It then shows Zatanna and Nick battling the Demon's Three and both of them studying in a library with various books on magical rituals.


 * Zatanna: He helped me protect others and stop magic threats and I helped him try to find the origin of magic. We ended up getting closer.

It then shows Zatanna and Nick kissing and making out in bed.


 * Zatanna: Way too close. And then one day...

It shows Zatanna noticing Nick holding a child hostage, doing some sort of ritual as Zatanna and Nick begin to duel, with the duel ending with Nick vanishing and Zatanna breaking down and crying.


 * Zatanna: His obsession with finding the source of magic ended up causing him to try and torture a child, one who was born with magic like me and him. That was the last straw. We fought, I ended up getting on top but since then Nick disappeared. I was broken after that, but luckily time heals.

Cuts back to the bar with Zatanna, Dale and Jeff.

It cuts to a museum as the Helmet of Chaos is resting as Nick Necro walks in humming, with the Ruby of Life now grafted into his chest, with the corpses of multiple security guards behind him.
 * Zatanna: If Nick Necro is back... that means more souls will be hurt.
 * Dale: I see. Do you have any idea where he might strike next?
 * Zatanna: Was there a ruby next to John Sargent's body?
 * Dale: No. There was not.
 * Zatanna: Then he must be gathering magic.
 * Jeff: Gathering magic? For what?
 * Zatanna: Nick has always wanted to discover the Origin of Magic. I am afraid... he might have found a way to access it. But spells like that probably needs more magical energy than a normal sorcerer can cast. I think I know where he is heading next.


 * Nick Necro: Well well, there it is. The Helmet of Chaos. The polar opposite of the Helmet of Fate.

He breaks the glass and is about to get the helmet when suddenly a lightning bolt hits him. He turns around and sees Zatanna facing him down.


 * Nick Necro: Oh Zee! It's such a pleasure to see you. That tickled.
 * Zatanna: Put the Helmet of Chaos down.
 * Nick Necro: No, I don't think I will.

He casts a spell and summons a bunch of snakes to attack her.


 * Zatanna: Nurt eseht ekans otni seinnep!

The snakes suddenly transform into pennies as Nick chuckles.


 * Nick Necro: You still got it. Good. Unfortunately your magic won't be strong enough to stop me.

He casts a time freeze spell as Zatanna, in the process of a spell suddenly freezes as he grabs the mask and puts it on. It then shows Nick Necro in a dark room with a strange shadowy being next to him.


 * ???: You are insane enough to wear this Helmet of Chaos and to sell your loyalty to us, the Lords of Chaos?
 * Nick Necro: Not necessarily selling my loyalty. Heck, I'd say at the end of this conversation, you'll be kneeling to me.
 * ???: You are a mortal! You can't force a god to kneel!
 * Nick Necro: Oh but I can.

He reveals the Ruby of Life grafted to his chest as he suddenly starts chanting as the Lord of Chaos starts screaming in pain.


 * ???: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
 * Nick Necro: Making my own destiny.

The Lord of Chaos then goes silent and kneels. As it cuts to outside the helmet as Nick Necro smirks and unfreezes time.


 * Zatanna: Mrasid mih!

The spell doesn't work due to Nick no longer having anything in his hands,


 * Nick Necro: Oh I am sorry Zee, looks like I have nothing on my hands now.
 * Zatanna: You're making a mistake!
 * Nick Necro: No, I am not. Soon I will understand. I will understand magic. I will finally understand what makes it tick. No more sleepy nights wondering, "Why?". You want to stop this tremendous occasion? I trusted you once Zee, then you betrayed me.
 * Zatanna: You were targeting a child!
 * Nick Necro: She was a steppingstone! Sacrifices need to be made for the greater good!
 * Zatanna: That is the thing, isn't it? This isn't for the greater good. It's to fuel your own selfish desires. You don't care about anyone but yourself and are willing to use anyone to get what you want.

Nick Necro, in a fit of rage, creates a giant fiery wall and blasts it at Zatanna.


 * Nick Necro: I have to go. Destiny awaits.

He disappears as the flaming wall inches closer and closer to Zatanna.


 * Zatanna: Dleilhs em morf siht erif!

A giant wall surrond Zatanna, blocking the fire wall that blasted towards Zatanna.

It cuts to Nick, who has transported into an abandoned manor as he smirks.
 * Zatanna: I have to find Nick. Before it's too late.


 * Nick Necro: It's time. It's time to see the birth of magic and the birth of everything.

He grabs a spell book and begins chanting in a dead language as the Ruby and the Helmet of Chaos begin to glow. He keeps chanting while the entire manor begins to tear apart at the seams, the walls bursting into bits and the floor starting to rise. Suddenly, Nick's entire body begins to glow as he suddenly warps, disappearing from the manor with the Helmet and Ruby still attached. There he sees nothingness. He then suddenly sees a massive hand crafting the universe from scratch. He moves his body and then sees each finger crafting a different thing. One crafting planets, one crafting life, one crafting nature itself, one crafting the darkness and the light and then he finally sees a finger crafting magic itself. He flies towards the finger creating magic when he suddenly hears a voice.


 * ???: You do not belong here onlooker.
 * Nick Necro: Wait! I must learn more!

Suddenly, he gets blasted all the way through time, seeing the world advance, seeing man fight man, although what truly interests him is the evolution of magic, seeing first the first immortals: Cain, Abel, Vandal Savage and the Immortal Man. Then seeing the Salem Witch trials, then multiple encounters with humans and a mysterious man in a black cloak. His thrust through time ends with Nick Necro waking up back in the destroyed manor with a crazed look on his face.


 * Nick Necro: I just saw the birth of the universe. I know what to do next.

He roars madly as the issue ends.