Shadow of the Beautiful World

Billy Batson was running.

do your best.

The child ran panting.

But this time no one was chasing him.

What was chasing him was something even more indescribable...time.

He jumped onto the subway, breathing heavily while raising his wrist.

On his wrist, there is an inexpensive watch, which was a birthday present given to him by his other six brothers and sisters last night.

Today is his birthday.

It has been a month since he moved into his new home.

This time he was surprisingly well-behaved, he didn't run away from the foster home again, and got along well with the new family members.

Of course, apart from the fact that the atmosphere of this foster home is really warm and makes 15-year-old Billy feel at ease, there is another very important reason.

Very very important reason.

There are still 4 minutes...

Billy looked at the jumping pointer, and he looked up at the ever-changing runes above the subway car.

Beside him, the figures of the passengers sitting in the subway dissipated like smoke, and a layer of frost covered the glass of the carriage, which was a very strange scene.

But Billy didn't care.

The kid stared at the watch on his wrist.

He can't be late anymore.

His wizard is a very learned, but also very strict person.

If he was late again, he would definitely suffer.

boom

It was as if the subway entering another world had crashed into a rock as usual, and the doors opened before Billy's eyes.

The kid grabbed his messenger bag and rushed out, running along the mountain path.

Finally, in the last 15 seconds, he rushed into the temple of the Rock of Eternity.

He picked up the bracelet that was wrapped around his wrist and lifted it into the air as he stuttered out some complicated incantations.

Just like a rookie who is new to magic.

The magic power that filled the entire Rock of Eternity was mobilized.

The invisible wind whistled and wound around the red cross in Billy's hand, and as the Horcrux was filled with magic power, dark shadows gathered in front of Billy's eyes.

swish

The shadow opened like a curtain, and the expressionless Merlin hovered in front of Billy like a ghost.

He looked at the child standing upright in front of him, and said:

You're late...5 seconds.

I'm sorry, Master.

Billy bowed his head and said:

I...uh, forget it last night, I won't do it next time.

You say that every time.

There was no emotion in Merlin's tone, like a ruthless reprimand machine.

He landed on the ground in a very light posture, with his hands behind his back, and said to Billy in front of him:

You want to be a qualified spellcaster, you want to better use the divine power in your body, and you don't want to disappoint old Shazam...

But unfortunately, in this real world, only thinking is not enough, you have to put it into action.

You have talent, potential, and good luck, but luck won't save you every time, you have to be stricter with yourself!

I'm sorry, Master.

Billy gritted his teeth and said:

I have a watch and I won't be late again tomorrow.

Don't make promises, especially if you can't keep them.

Merlin glanced at the lowered child, who shook his head.

He said:

Get your drawing pens, we're learning Sleeping Charms today... Also, happy birthday, Billy.

Um?

Batson raised his head abruptly, he looked at Merlin, a fleeting smile flashed across the latter's face, and he said coldly:

What are you waiting for! You only have 3 hours to learn this magic! Hurry up!

Merlin's voice was like a whip, whipping Billy.

Let the child quickly take out the drawing pen and drawing board from the bag.

In front of his eyes, Merlin, who appeared in the present world relying on the magic power of the Rock of Eternity, waved his fingers, and a relatively uncomplicated mana model was outlined.

A new day of teaching has begun.

3 hours a day, one spell per day, one fighting training per day.

This is Billy Batson's new life.

The mysterious knowledge made him linger, and the new world that appeared in front of his eyes made the child even more excited.

His life is changing.

With a new family member, she accidentally obtained a tyrannical divine power, and also gained a mysterious magic teacher.

His life is getting better, and maybe it will get better in the future.

On the other side, the subway that Billy Batson was riding finally arrived at the station.

After the door opened, the passengers who sat at the terminal got off one after another.

Among the crowd, a tall lady in a long windbreaker and peaked cap strolled out.

She put her hands in her pockets, and in the crowd, she looked back at the empty subway, a trace of doubt and loss flashed in her blue eyes.

Lost again.

Icarus shook her head, and she walked towards the exit of the subway station.

For the past few days, she has been following Billy Batson, trying to follow the child and find Merlin's hidden location.

But every time she fails.

Be it taxi, bus or subway.

The child would always disappear quietly at a time when Icarus didn't even notice.

Even if Icarus used the high-speed camera in his eyes to shoot the whole process, he still couldn't catch the trace of Batson's disappearance.

Apparently, some kind of mysterious force is affecting him and those around him.

Even an omnic would be affected by that power.

Merlin...

Icarus walked out of the subway station, she glanced at the street in front of her, she reached out to stop a taxi, she said:

You guy, you hide really deep...

But, as long as you're safe.

———————————

Stupefy! (Sleeping Curse!)

Two hours later, in the sanctuary of the Rock of Eternity, Billy's fingers were waving.

He injected the magic power in his body into the mana model built by his fingertips, and after shaking it once, a slender light burst out from his fingertips.

The light shot out along the direction Billy was looking at, and precisely hit the glass fish tank placed on the edge of the temple.

A quirky, caterpillar-eyed bug trapped there is hit by the light.

It shook its head in doubt, then crawled a few steps, and lay down on the rock.

it fell asleep.

yeah!

Seeing this scene, Batson cheered in surprise and jumped up from the spot like a real child.

Mentor, I succeeded! Did you see it?

Billy called back to Merlin, who folded his hands on his stomach like a statue.

He nodded expressionlessly.

But Merlin was indeed a little surprised in his heart.

Before, he had only heard about how powerful and gifted some wizards were in the gossip of the wizards, but he had never seen them before.

Perhaps Zatanna was one of those geniuses.

But Zatana is practicing occult magic, which relies more on talent, and hard work is useless.

And now, Merlin saw it.

Billy Batson, the 15-year-old kid, was a real genius.

The natural magic-rich physique makes it easy for him to sense the flow of magic power, and the divine power passed down to him by the old Shazam helps him better correct the frequency of magic power release.

Solomon's wisdom allowed Billy Batson to memorize complex mana models in a very short period of time.

And Zeus's divine power allowed him to release magic many times in a row before he felt tired.

Billy learned magic more than ten times faster than Merlin once learned spells.

Not to mention, besides magic, this kid also has another more powerful means of combat, which is his bottom card.

Yes, Not Bad.

Merlin commented:

However, when the magic is shot, there are still obvious fluctuations in the magic power. Because of the lack of concentration, the effect of the Sleeping Curse needs to be delayed for a few seconds to take effect. The accuracy is good, and finally...

The casting posture is not elegant enough, just like a big old man.

Please, mentor.

Billy sat on the ground, rubbing his forehead to give his brain a rest, he complained:

I accept all the things you said earlier, but the last one... the casting posture, what the hell! No matter how elegant the posture is, it's useless in battle, right?

Snapped

Merlin curled up his fingers and slammed Batson's head hard, causing the child to scream.

It's hard to be jolted by the ghost's cold magic.

People are social creatures, Billy, there are no fewer spellcasters in this world than you think, and you always have to come into contact with them.

With his hands behind his back, Merlin said seriously:

The world of wizards is also very complicated. People who can become wizards are really smart guys. They don't trust others easily. They will pretend, especially those dark wizards.

But no matter how they disguise themselves, there is one thing they can't change anyway...the posture when casting a spell.

Each wizard has his own unique spellcasting posture, which is a habit developed through long-term practice.

If you're sharp enough, you can tell the caster's alignment from the gestures, stance, and tone of voice of the spellcasters.

Merlin looked at the thoughtful Billy, and he emphasized his tone:

It is difficult for a rude caster to integrate into a new group. I want you to pay attention to the gestures of casting spells, and it is also out of consideration for your future.

Orthodox wizards attach great importance to this kind of sectarianism. They are very rigid. An elegant spellcasting posture can make you easier to be accepted by them...Huh? What are you doing?

Batson, who was writing and drawing in his notebook with a pen, raised his head and said to his mentor:

Write it down, you always tell me these things, details, I'm afraid I will forget.

You have the wisdom of Solomon!

Merlin said dissatisfied:

That is the enlightenment of the wisdom of the ancient great wizard. As long as you want, you can record all the details of your life! Billy, you must make good use of your ability.

All right.

Billy shrugged and put the notebook back in his bag.

He thought for a while and said to Merlin:

Teacher, otherwise, I won't go to school anymore... I come here every day, and I have more time to practice magic. Anyway, I don't like school. Those knowledge are useless to me...

Snapped

The expressionless Merlin tapped Billy's head again with his fingers, and the child let out another cry of pain.

You have to go to school, and that's not just a perfect disguise for who you really are.

Merlin said in a deep voice:

That knowledge is also necessary.

Learning medieval languages ​​will allow you to better understand the wisdom of ancient wizards, and knowledge of calculus will allow you to construct a magic model more accurately, and knowledge of biology will help you get a better introduction to pharmacy.

Not to mention the more complex and incomprehensible arcane magic that I will teach you in the future...It requires strong logical thinking to understand, that is the knowledge of advanced mathematics.

Billy, you gotta understand...

Merlin said earnestly:

All knowledge is interlinked. As a magic apprentice, you must respect all knowledge, and you must study hard.

Um.

Batson nodded.

This period of contact made him trust Merlin.

This kind of trust stems from the kind of unreserved professor. Although Merlin is very strict, Billy can clearly feel his growth.

Come.

Merlin took a few steps back, he hooked his fingers towards Billy, and said:

The magic is over, it's time for the next practice.

Oh, I love this! Really.

Billy Batson also rubbed his fists and stood up. The kid's face was full of enthusiasm.

He said to Merlin:

You promised me that as long as I beat you, you would teach me to use magic to find my real mother. You won't break your promise, will you?

You have to beat me first.

Merlin's fingers were clenched, and the black magic power gathered into an abnormal long sword in his hand.

He raised the blade, stuck it to his forehead, and pointed the blade at Batson.

A smile formed on the corner of his mouth, and he said:

How long did you last yesterday? If I remember correctly... 47 seconds?

Not today.

Billy hid his left hand behind his back and said to Merlin:

I feel like I'm in good shape today, maybe I'll be...stupefy! (Sleeping Curse!)

Before Billy finished speaking, he pulled out his finger, and a pulsating light stabbed at Merlin, who blocked it with the long sword in his hand.

Good boy!

Merlin says:

It's good to learn and use it flexibly. But if you want to sneak attack, you have to hide better.

swish

A black light converged into a sharp blade, stabbing down from behind Billy.

shazam!

Just before the sharp blade was attached to his body, Billy Batson shouted.

During the roar of the thunder, Superman Shazam in the red and yellow battle suit stood up in the dissipating storm of magic power.

He reached out and flicked, shattering Merlin's magic blade.

He moved his shoulders and fists, and he looked at Merlin, who was outlined in the shadows with a gloomy cold wind.

His magical mentor is a ghost, a learned man.

Whether in terms of magic, knowledge or combat skills, he has enough experience to pass on to the newborn Shazam.

Billy Batson knew he couldn't win.

He needs constant practice to be able to last longer under the attack of his mentor.

But one day, he will win!

Billy clenched his fists, and fine yellow lightning bolts danced on his fingers, and he said:

Teacher, I'm going up.

Merlin, hovering in the shadows, was leaning on a long sword. He hooked his fingers at Batson, and he said:

It's your birthday, and I'm going to play it lightly, Billy.

30 seconds! Get rid of you...

Come...challenge me!

PS:

This update ends here~there will be more on the 21st~look forward to it, brothers.