THE SIXTEENTH DAY: WHEN MAGIC OPENS ITS EYES
1. SIXTEEN DAYS LEFT
Damian returned from the League of Assassins with sixteen days remaining.
Sixteen days before the System's suppression ended.
Sixteen days before every magical being on Earth would feel it.
He didn't tell the Bat-Family why he suddenly became meticulous.
But they noticed.
2. DAMIAN'S PREPARATIONS
Damian worked quietly.
No dramatic speeches.
No panic.
Only preparation.
Physical Measures
The Hextech Crystal remained sealed in its containment array inside his pocket dimension.
Gronckle Iron shielding reinforced the dimensional boundary.
Toothless was kept close—his presence oddly grounding, almost stabilizing the ambient energy.
Strategic Measures
Damian memorized every major magical faction:
Justice League Dark
Trigon's cult remnants
The Lords of Order and Chaos
Independent warlocks and artifact hunters
He ran probability simulations in his head, over and over.
Mental Measures
He trained his mind.
Meditation.
Breathing.
Fire control.
The System's mind protection remained active—but he didn't rely on it.
Because once magic noticed him…
It wouldn't care about defenses.
3. THE FINAL DAY
The countdown reached zero.
Damian felt it before the System spoke.
The air tightened.
Reality itself seemed to inhale.
SYSTEM NOTICE
MAGIC SUPPRESSION LIFTED
HEXTECH CRYSTAL — ACTIVE
WARNING: MAGICAL ENTITIES NOW AWARE
The Crystal did not explode.
It did not glow.
It simply existed.
And magic screamed.
4. THE WORLD FEELS IT
ZATANNA ZATARA
Zatanna dropped her spell mid-cast.
Her breath caught.
Zatanna (whispering):
"…That's not a spell."
The magical ley lines twisted—not violently, but unnaturally.
Magic wasn't being used.
It was being rewritten.
Zatanna:
"Something merged magic and logic…
That shouldn't be possible."
Her eyes widened.
"And it's on Earth."
JOHN CONSTANTINE
John was halfway through lighting a cigarette when it went out by itself.
He froze.
Constantine:
"…Oh bloody hell."
The wards around his apartment flickered—not failing, but hesitating.
Magic didn't recognize what had just awakened.
Constantine (grim):
"That's not demonic.
Not divine.
Not chaos."
He swallowed.
"That's something new."
And new things terrified magic.
DOCTOR FATE
The Helm of Nabu turned on its own.
Kent Nelson stiffened.
Nabu (booming, ancient):
"ORDER IS DISTURBED."
Fate rose into the air.
The Lords of Order felt resistance—not opposition, but independence.
Nabu:
"This power does not obey balance."
"It does not submit."
Kent's voice shook.
Kent:
"…Is it a god?"
Nabu:
"No."
"That is what makes it dangerous."
RAVEN
Raven screamed.
Not out loud—but inside.
Her demonic senses recoiled.
Raven (breathing hard):
"That… that thing doesn't resonate with Hell."
Her soul-self looked outward.
And felt something watching back.
Not evil.
Not good.
Independent.
Raven:
"It's not trying to dominate magic…"
She shuddered.
"…It's existing beside it."
For the first time since Trigon—
Raven felt afraid of something that wasn't darkness.
5. DAMIAN — AT THE CENTER
Back in Gotham, Damian stood perfectly still.
He felt the attention.
From sorcerers.
From gods.
From entities older than names.
Toothless growled softly.
Damian exhaled.
Damian (calm, resolute):
"So… this is the part where the world starts asking questions."
The Hextech Crystal pulsed once.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
Like a heartbeat.
And magic finally realized something horrifying:
This power wasn't asking permission.