After rejecting his sister's "don't want to go to school" proposal, Eric turned around and picked up the cup on the table.
The cup contained slightly bitter coffee, his preferred brand.
In his leisure time, he would often pick up the coffee to savor it.
The bitter taste of the coffee stimulated his taste buds, making him feel his real existence in this world.
He had come to like this taste ever since something happened to Jonathan and Lana.
"There's one more thing."
After taking a sip of coffee, Eric asked her, "Why is the magic book I kept on my bookshelf gone? And the book sealing the Fairytale Queen is also gone."
Eric said, casting a suspicious glance at her, "Don't tell me, you took those two books!"
"It wasn't me!"
As soon as Rachel heard Eric mention this, she immediately waved her hands nervously.
She indicated that she knew nothing about it.
"Is that so?!"
Eric's suspicious gaze swept over his sister, then he turned around and put down the coffee cup.
"Then let's just say you had nothing to do with this!"
He said something that puzzled Rachel.
"What does it mean to 'have nothing to do with this'?"
Rachel tilted her head, unsure whether her brother believed her or not.
"The magic you are currently learning, besides the magic of Trigon from another dimension inherited through your bloodline, is the magic you learned from Zatanna. Regardless, Rachel, you must understand one truth: the price of magic is expensive and heavy. No matter what kind of magic you practice, you must know its origin and the harm it might cause you."
Eric's expression suddenly turned serious.
"I...I understand!"
Looking at her brother's face, Rachel also became a little nervous.
"Any reward in this world comes with a price, and the price of magic is even greater. Zatanna must have told you these things."
Eric's gaze penetrated the wall and entered Rachel's room.
Deep within Rachel's room drawer lay his two lost magic books.
Although he knew his sister had taken his books, he wasn't prepared to expose her.
He knew Rachel's accomplishments and talent in magic had always been extraordinary.
No matter how evil or manipulative this Black Magic was, it would have little effect on Rachel.
"Brother?"
Rachel suddenly asked Eric cautiously, "Your magic is very powerful too, isn't it?!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because Zatanna said that many magicians' magic is ineffective against you! Some people say you're a 'Magician's Bane'! Although I don't quite believe it, everyone says so, and Master Zatanna gets angry whenever she talks about you!"
Little Rachel's eyes showed a look of adoration.
"I don't use magic! But I've been 'cursed'!"
Eric said, turning to pull a piece of paper from the drawer.
On the wondrous paper, vast and misty stars were in motion.
The vivid images made the wondrous paper seem like a movie screen.
This was a magical item Eric had obtained by chance.
It circulated in the magic black market, and Eric, with a slight trick, made it his own property.
The magical paper could display any scene the user wished to project from their mind.
As Eric spoke, he fantasized the scene he wanted to display onto the magical item.
"When magic first appeared, it was gentle, primal, and full of potential. Magic surrounded the nascent Multiverse. It created a form for itself, a woman, the first life in the universe. And eventually, the magic surrounding the Multiverse formed what is now the Realm of the Gods, also known as the Fourth Dimension."
As Eric spoke, the paper in his hand transformed, and a giant woman appeared in the vast starry sky.
The woman had a crescent moon symbol above her head and was bathed in light.
Lying in the starry sky, the woman spread her arms, feeling the wonders of nature.
"This woman, we call her The Trinity Goddess!"
"The Trinity Goddess sensed an existence like herself in the Dark Multiverse. Out of fear, The Trinity Goddess created a barrier to separate our current universe from the Dark Multiverse, preventing our universe from being tainted by darkness.
The Trinity Goddess began to visit the center of the Multiverse, which is Earth, observing the growth of humanity.
She bestowed magic upon humans, allowing them to grow into gods.
This means that all gods on Earth originate from The Trinity Goddess.
All pantheons incorporated The Trinity Goddess into their respective systems, and she did not prevent it.
The main gods of various pantheons pursued The Trinity Goddess, wanting her to join their respective pantheons.
Ultimately, the Goddess accepted the pursuit of Hades, the Lord of the Underworld in the Greek Pantheon, agreeing to marry Hades and join the Greek Pantheon.
From then on, The Trinity Goddess became the Goddess of Magic in the Greek Pantheon.
However, a group of people discovered that The Trinity Goddess was far stronger than the gods they worshipped, so they began to crave this endless magical power.
These people set up a magic circle to imprison The Trinity Goddess. The imprisoned Goddess prayed to the Greek gods and her fiancé Hades, hoping they would come to save her.
But the result was that Hades betrayed The Trinity Goddess.
He married Persephone, the daughter of the Goddess Demeter.
Hades told The Trinity Goddess that the Greek gods had decided they no longer welcomed The Trinity Goddess."
As Eric narrated, the scene on the magical paper changed.
In a cave where moonlight could not reach, The Trinity Goddess was trapped, secretly shedding tears.
The Greek gods who had obtained magic from her imprisoned her and then betrayed her.
"So what happened next? What happened after that?"
Rachel was engrossed, leaning into Eric's arms, and continued to ask Eric.
She was somewhat infatuated with her brother's arms and embrace.
Although she was very interested in the story, it was mainly because her brother was telling it that she was interested.
If someone else were telling it, her interest would decrease by more than one magnitude.
"The rest of the story?"
Eric pondered for a moment, then continued:
"Later, The Trinity Goddess let out a scream of despair.
She felt a power from the darkness, and her heart was filled with hatred.
So, in her anger, she broke through the barrier separating the dark universe, introduced Black Magic into the Multiverse, and bestowed it upon the magicians who had imprisoned her.
These magicians later became the Lords of Order in the DC Universe.
At the same time, The Trinity Goddess evolved into the purely evil Hecate; she only wanted every existence to feel pain.
The Trinity Goddess came to Olympus. Facing The Trinity Goddess, the gods of Olympus trembled, begging The Trinity Goddess for mercy.
The Trinity Goddess warned them that if they betrayed her again, she would strip them of their divine power and destroy them.
She could no longer trust anyone. She divided her power into five parts, hiding them respectively within five chosen maidens.
If anyone betrayed her, she would bring an indelible Witching Hour to the entire world."
Rachel stared blankly at the paper in Eric's hand, which displayed the progression of the entire story.
After Eric finished narrating, she curiously asked Eric:
"Who are those five maidens?"
Eric was silent for a moment, then said, "Manitou Dawn, Witchfire, Black Orchid, Circe—"
"And Wonder Woman!"
"Ah?! Diana?"
Hearing Eric mention Wonder Woman, Rachel's mouth widened in surprise.
She hadn't expected her familiar Diana to be chosen to be a "Witching Hour Maiden."
Seeing her often wielding a great sword and shield, launching "barbarian-style" attacks at enemies, she had thought Wonder Woman was a pure female warrior.
Or a type of barbarian race.
Anyway, she would never have associated her with magic.
"This is the origin of modern magic. The magic you learned from Zatanna also comes from here."
As for the other dark creation that The Trinity Goddess isolated.
He is the counterpart of Hecate in the Dark Multiverse, meaning the embodiment and source of magic in the Dark Multiverse.
He is an anomaly, residing in the Dark Multiverse.
The otherworld corresponding to the Realm of the Gods is the source of all dark, evil, terrifying, and twisted magic in the Multiverse.
When The Trinity Goddess was imprisoned by the Lords of Order, she introduced these magics into the universe we now inhabit."
After Eric finished telling Rachel about the origin of modern magic, he said to her, "The magic inherited in your bloodline is the magic of the extradimensional Trigon. How to find balance in this, you should be able to make your own judgment. The magical world is complex and uncontrollable. I hope, Rachel, you become an excellent magician! You control magic, and are not controlled by magic, or even by the master of magic!"
After speaking, he looked at his watch; it was already half past ten at night.
"It's getting late, hurry back and rest!"
Eric urged Rachel to go back to her room to rest.
"Then..."
Rachel didn't want to leave, stammering as she asked Eric, "What's the relationship between Brother and The Trinity Goddess? Why would she curse you? Did you make her angry?"
"We had a fight once, so we got to know each other."
"Is that so?"
Rachel lowered her head and thought for a while.
After a moment, she looked up and ambushed Eric's face with a kiss.
"Thank you, Brother!"
Rachel thanked Eric, her face flushed.
"Brother, even though you know I'm a girl who lies, you know the horror of magic, and you know I like magic, you're still willing to support me. I'm really happy! I know how terrifying magic can be, but I think, if magic is used to protect family, then terrifying magic will become not-so-terrifying magic, right?!"
Rachel spoke her true feelings to Eric.
"I promise Brother, I will definitely become a great magician in the future, surpassing Master Zatanna, surpassing The Trinity Goddess."
"Brother's curse, I will lift it!"
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