Chapter 292: Today's Two Patients Are a Bit Mad
These so-called researchers were always brimming with curiosity toward beings different from themselves.
Whether their intentions were noble or malicious, that same curiosity drove them all—it was their one shared trait.
The only comforting thought was that Dr. Sivana still didn't know Billy Batson's true identity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Billy "that man" when he came looking for him.
Clearly, Dr. Sivana's understanding of the situation was limited.
Still, Lorien knew that wouldn't last long. After spending a few days in Gotham, Sivana would piece together the truth soon enough. Of that, Lorien was certain.
But now wasn't the time to think about any of that. The monster was already charging at him, claws bared.
Lorien tilted his head slightly to the side, effortlessly dodging the strike.
However, this creature wasn't entirely inexperienced—it had fought before.
Its outstretched hand didn't pull back after missing. Instead, it twisted midair and lunged again toward Lorien.
Both the monster and Dr. Sivana seemed to think Lorien's earlier dodge had been pure luck.
But in reality...
How many coincidences could there really be in this world? Lorien simply hadn't taken the attack seriously at all. The creature couldn't even touch him, let alone harm him.
Once or twice might be coincidence—but when it happened repeatedly, it became clear it was skill, not chance.
Sivana's face turned grim. He had come to teach Lorien a lesson.
Now, not only had he failed to do so, but he was the one looking foolish.
Even if he didn't fully grasp how overmatched he was, the doctor was still smart enough to recognize the situation.
Realizing he had no chance, Sivana quickly retracted the monster and fled without another word.
His abrupt and almost graceful retreat caught Lorien off guard—it was, in its own way, impressive.
Lorien glanced around the now-disordered clinic and sighed softly.
"Today's patient was a little unhinged."
Murmuring the comment with faint amusement, he smiled and didn't dwell on it further.
He didn't take the encounter seriously. Billy Batson was still safe with the Justice League, and that was enough.
As for whatever trouble might come later...
Lorien was confident the League could handle it.
...
Elsewhere, Billy Batson's eyes widened as the wizard Shazam appeared before him.
"It's you!"
Billy's feelings were mixed—relief, confusion, maybe even a touch of frustration.
The Justice League members around him had been on edge at the sudden arrival of the wizard, but when they realized the two knew each other, they immediately stood down.
Still, one of them couldn't resist asking, "You really know this guy? You're sure he's not tricking you?"
"I'm sure," Billy said firmly. Then, turning to his teammates, he added, "I need to talk to him. Don't interrupt—and definitely don't eavesdrop."
He took Shazam by the arm and led him toward an empty conference room.
As they walked, Billy lowered his voice. "Finally. You showed up."
At first, his instinct was to ask the wizard to send him home, but he swallowed the words.
He had no plans to leave. In fact, he kind of liked this world—similar to his own, but different in ways that made it exciting.
Here, he felt like he belonged.
People in his old world had been kind to him too, but he'd always felt like an outsider. Now, people treated him like an adult—and it felt great.
"I'm not mad about you bringing me to this strange world," he said, "but why did you do it? And why are you looking for me now?"
He fired off one question after another.
Shazam listened quietly, waiting for him to finish. Only when Billy fell silent and looked at him questioningly did the wizard finally speak.
"It wasn't intentional," Shazam said. "Bringing you here was an accident. I didn't appear by your side right away because I needed to observe this world first—to understand what was happening."
Billy, though he looked like an adult, didn't fully grasp what the wizard meant.
Shazam knew that. He didn't expect a simple explanation to make the boy understand.
"This world," he continued, "is merging with other dimensions—other spaces and timelines. It's possible that one day, you might meet another version of yourself. That would be perfectly natural."
Billy didn't catch everything, but by now he understood the gist.
After all, the Justice League already had its share of strange occurrences. There were even two Clark Kents—one older, one younger.
When he first found that out, he'd been shocked. But in a world like this, strange things stopped being surprising after a while.
"Even if you doubt what I've told you," said Shazam, "there are things you must remember."
He had to take responsibility for this child, whether Billy was willing to listen or not.
"I get it," Billy said with a firm nod. "I'll remember."
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Shazam hadn't come just to say that.
Leaning forward a little, he asked, "Is that really all? There's nothing else you wanted to tell me?"
"The man who runs that psychology clinic downtown," Shazam said slowly, "what's your relationship with him?"
Normally, he could tell at a glance whether someone was ordinary or gifted. But when it came to that man, his powers failed him completely.
He couldn't see through him at all.
That fact—Shazam had to admit—troubled him.