She had just finished dealing with that mess and hadn't even had time for a sip of water when Shado pulled her over to check on Yao Fei and Jason. Having soaked in the waters of the Pit, the two had recovered from their vegetative states, but their minds were in extreme chaos. Barbara and Shado could only tie them up and wait for Thea, the "expert," to take a look.
Thea gave them a rough examination, then wanted the scheming Raven to take a look as well.
"I don't know any of this complicated nonsense! My magic is innate; I was born with it." Raven pretended to glance at them twice, then shook her head to indicate she didn't understand.
So envious! Born with powerful magic. Thea increasingly felt this was a world where everyone had cheat codes. There really weren't many left like her, who painstakingly studied the application of spells.
The demon princess indicated that blasting enemies to ash was no problem—she had ample practical experience—but she lacked theoretical knowledge. Thea could only draw her own conclusions.
"Their souls were damaged before. Now, with the supplement of the Pit's waters, their souls have been made whole. However, this is a supplement, not a repair. The original soul and the newly supplemented soul will engage in fierce confrontation. They'll be confused for a while. When their own souls devour the foreign soul, they should wake up."
Thea recounted her judgment to the group, not caring whether they understood or not. With a tap of her finger on each, she knocked the two of them out. Outsiders couldn't help with soul fusion; they could only rely on themselves.
Just as she finished with those two, Talia arrived with a group of people dragging the demonized Ra's al Ghul, wanting her to see if the old man could still be saved.
The formerly tall and thin elder now had eyes that were completely crimson, his throat emitting raspy, beast-like sounds. It took four or five people pulling on iron chains to barely control him.
An outstanding figure of his generation, reduced to this—what a waste. Thea sighed. She used her mental power to sense the old man's soul, then circulated her magic through his entire body.
"Can he be saved?" The Bat and Talia asked simultaneously.
However, their thoughts were different. Batman respected this mentor who had taught him his skills; although the two had been hostile many times, they had never used lethal force. Talia's feelings for her biological father were far more complex: resentment, jealousy, fear, and a little father-daughter affection... but mostly, she wanted the old man to die quickly so she could conveniently take over the League of Assassins.
Facing their complicated gazes, Thea roughly considered the methods she knew and gently shook her head. "He's different from Yao Fei and Jason. His demonic corruption runs too deep; this physical condition cannot be eliminated."
"However, it can be suppressed." As Thea spoke, she drew several mysterious symbols on Ra's al Ghul's forehead and arms. The originally beast-like Ra's instantly calmed down and fell into a deep sleep.
Thea looked at Batman. "My spell can keep him calm. If you want him to recover his sanity, you'll need more suppression methods. You can ask A.R.G.U.S. for some of their anti-magic metal to make two bracelets for him to wear. He'll regain consciousness, but he can never use the Pit again. Optimistically estimated, he's got about ten years left."
Batman listened and pondered for a long time, then nodded. Leaving Ra's to die—he couldn't do that. But anyone could figure out with their toes that getting something from A.R.G.U.S. wouldn't be easy. Anti-magic metal was their primary weapon against superpowered individuals. Knowing Amanda Waller as he did, Batman wouldn't get it without paying a steep price. And as a hero of justice, he couldn't exactly steal or rob it. The Bat began calculating his bargaining chips, figuring out how to obtain the item.
Seeing that everyone was sorted out, Thea finally caught her breath. She turned to find the scheming Raven staring at her.
"Are there many people like you in this world?" Raven asked out of the blue. Thea knew she definitely wasn't asking about appearance, but whether there were many who knew magic.
"There shouldn't be many," Thea admitted. Except for those few immortals, who in modern society could master magic without some kind of cheat ability? The field had broad prospects, but before reaching a certain level, mages really weren't as useful as a submachine gun.
The scheming girl looked a bit embarrassed, her small face twisting in hesitation. "Can you teach me? I learn things very quickly..."
So I'm taking on another apprentice now? Thea had considered absorbing the scheming Raven's magic, but she was different from Shazam. This was magic inherited from Trigon, naturally carrying a potent evil aura. Without a blood relation, one simply couldn't control it.
Thea sized Raven up. The little girl looked at her nervously. "Say, how old are you?"
"Nine." Raven wore an "I'm totally an adult" expression.
Thea nearly burst out laughing. This little girl—scheming, prickly, and excellent at sarcastic commentary... thinking about it, she was quite similar to Thea's own personality. And the key difference from Billy Batson? She was a pretty girl. So looks really could determine fate.
"Alright, you can stay with me for a while." Thea didn't make a definitive promise, but she had essentially agreed. Raven was different from Damian; she possessed massive magical power, she just feared the dark energy within and didn't dare use it.
In the original timeline, she'd bottled it up with no one to guide her, completely wasting what could've been an incredibly powerful mage. Thea's heart ached just thinking about it. There were techniques involved; with just a little guidance, Raven's strength would skyrocket without any side effects.
Though caster-types were rare in modern society, there were still a few around. Magic application had shifted from crude, explosive styles to refined, minimalist approaches. Modern magic was perfectly suited for someone like Raven—massive mana reserves but poor control.
Several onlookers watched from a distance as Batman and Talia whispered constantly. Finally, he sighed helplessly and slowly walked toward the group. Talia turned her head and returned to the League's formation.
Sigh, in the end Talia gave up both the man and the son, choosing power instead. Thea sighed. She had no right to comment on Talia's choice; she just felt the woman was truly ruthless. Or perhaps, having lived in the League of Assassins' environment for so many years, the organization's status outweighed everything in her heart.
"Let's go." Batman's voice was as steady as always. Proficient in psychology as he was, perhaps he'd already seen through Talia's ambition.
Thea had no objections. This trip to Nanda Parbat—busy chaos for half the day. Besides figuring out the Dead King's Staff's function, she'd only adopted a little girl. She herself had gained nothing.
Opening one portal directly to Gotham's outskirts and another to Star City, the group waved goodbye.
Thea led the scheming Raven, along with Shado and Yao Fei, through the portal back to Star City.
"Your teleportation technique isn't bad, but your total mana is a bit lacking," the girl said somewhat haughtily. As she finished, she opened a dark-colored portal herself, raising her eyebrows at Thea to show off.