Whispers Dark Plots Descending Desires

Descending from the Darkness

Present moment

The big question, which he began to ponder, was...

Why would he continue to help Constantine?

So, either he starts getting involved in this or now, amidst all the confusion, when he learns of his alliance with Faust.

There were two desperate men there, who took desperate measures.

So, how many times have they both tried to cheat death?

He found more than 10 of these accounts through some of his contacts.

While both sold their souls, they also cheated the demons, this happened more than once, and neither in the previous instances, nor this time, did either of them want to pay for their agreements, nor be taken to hell, even in the face of agreements they made and now refuse to honor.

All of this gets tiring; there comes a point when everything has to end.

Like him, he saw that not only was he being sought by Constantine, but Zatanna and other magicians were also in the midst of it all, and that he was in the Watch Tower when it all happened.

Observing the conversation, I knew there was more to it than just a series of businesses that didn't want to pay.

Tsuki saw that there was no solution, but he took one of the relics that both Faust and Constantine had brought, of course, without realizing it, and without the magician noticing or knowing.

Rejecting the lies, he retrieved one of the artifacts they had both brought, swiped it, and left, abandoning them to deal with their own problems.

When Tsuki left his tower, leaving them there so he could have a conversation, he then went to his cave, where he came into contact with the demons.

It was not difficult, apparently, for anyone, whether powerful or not, to use and summon them.

That's what Tsuki did; curiously, he thought about how easy it would be to bring them into his presence.

Once again, he saw that the trickster wizard was involved in schemes, lies, and deceiving demons in exchange for immortality.

None of them were saints, they didn't seem like they would accept the blame, they stole from the so-called demons, they didn't want to take responsibility and they didn't want to pay.

It was then that some demons decided to pay him a visit, they accepted his invitation, and that's when Tsuki heard the whole story, both sides.

The demons came to him, hearing his calls.

"Are you going to defend the humans?" the demons asked.

I want to hear from you first, with proof, what each of them did.

Then they looked at each other; it didn't seem like anyone would hear them.

So, they said.

- Okay. – In the end, it seemed they didn't care about talking to anyone.

That's when Tsuki Miki got involved with gambling, convinced that it was more interesting than a simple, ordinary game.

When Tsuki was invited, in the middle of a meeting, it was a simple matter of principle.

That's how they started talking, with evidence, with clues, and seeing that Constantine omitted facts and lied, besides not handing over the evidence, hiding what he was doing, even so, involving others in his schemes.

While they were there, the demons answered their calls, which was more out of curiosity than any real value.

If you listen to me and understand that it's not worth negotiating with Constantine, make sure that other demons don't hear them, that they are driven into isolation and oblivion.

"I know that if what you told me is true, their souls are worthless, immortality without consequences, put a curse on them, leave them without contact with other demons," Tsuki said.

"How will we know you won't cheat?" one of them asked him.

"I'm not someone who doesn't keep their word. I've never implied that I would deceive other people. At most, I make plans, but I'm not a person who doesn't keep their word," Tsuki said.

"We can start there, a bet without blackmail or cheating. If you prove you're a person of your word and worth, we won't fight you," one of the demons said.

"Then we can begin," one of the demons said.

"Let's negotiate, give me a good price and we can have good bets. I promise that when we form a partnership, I won't cheat, I'll prove my trustworthiness," Tsuki said.

That's how it was in his cave, where Tsuki would talk without paying attention to warnings; if his mind told him not to, then he would do the opposite. That's how he started frequenting gambling houses.

Between his trips to and from the company and the mansion, he had an agreement with some partners when he was visited by demons, who agreed to negotiate with him and become his partners, all a game of loyalty and trust, in which they happened to be demons involved in a gambling ring.

It was at that moment, when he thought he was judging this in his favor, that he found himself in a series of situations that led him to an undertaking to try to talk to the demons of the contract with him. Although it wasn't difficult to join them, it was complicated. He had years of experience fighting crime, but this was the first time that curiosity had struck him, while he managed to ally himself with the demons through a series of contacts with mages.

Therefore, when Tsuki started, even Constantine, who was one of his allies, couldn't handle it alone. He made contact with him while trying to rid him of yet another problem, a series of them, when he once again wanted to cheat and try to save his soul. Uniting in a new alliance with Tsuki was more profitable.

So, for Tsuki, a business deal and partnership were more profitable than selling his soul. He managed to secure a deal simply by using Constanta's debt, who, in turn, was unaware of his negotiation with Fausto. That's how he negotiated, and that's how their friendship began. That's how Tsuki was convincing them that at that moment, involving others wasn't profitable, and that demonic actions weren't what they wanted...

So, where he found himself now, in a gambling house that no hero would enter, but demons would, it was just an invitation, which he accepted, interestingly enough, he was inspired.

Just as the demons agreed to be his ally, accepting to be listened to, he too entered, all out of curiosity.

Initially, he shouldn't have, but he did it; it wasn't against the rules, but also nobody stopped him from doing it.

Something happened that didn't work out.

Tsuki decided that everything there could work in her favor.

He should go back in time.

4 weeks before whatever your bets with the demons are...

As he began to frequent the demonic den more than the heroes' association, he had more conversations and stories that he wanted to hear.

At some point in time, during an adventure through time, when he didn't know when time was.

Tsuki Miki was falling towards some ruins when an earthquake struck. He plummeted from the crater, falling towards cracks, with part of his torso being pierced vertically.

He had a pointed rock, which had pierced him vertically; its thin point, with a thick extension, pierced from his shoulder towards one of his lungs.

When he broke his spine in the fall, Tsuki Miki didn't know at that moment whether he would die from the haemorrhaged, or from his punctured lung, or if they would remain alive on a bed.

There were numerous ruined buildings there, as well as sharp rocks near his spine. The fall itself caused him to break his spine; he didn't move. He had seen what was above him, not to mention the sharp rock.

That was Astro-Star who was on top of him; a part of the pointed rock tip had pierced Astro-Star's shoulder, who was on top of him.

At some point during the journey back to the past.

- Tsuki Miki... – Astro-Star tried.

"I know you're a good person, but I don't think I'll last," said Tsuki Miki.

So, they left.

He was approached by one of his villains, in Joker 's case , he was in the middle of a commotion of police officers, several people watching, witnesses who could be of some use, the aforementioned clown challenged him, provoked him, at that moment, he was cornering him in front of everyone.

It seemed like a deliberate trap, so that he would be seen by everyone, the man, surrounded by a pile of police officers and witnesses who were caught as his victims in the crossfire, it was never him, he was the victim, wasn't he, laughing in his face, in the middle of a pile of bodies, all around, right in the center of the commotion.

Then he stopped him, provoked him, laughing like the maniac he was, he looked at that man, grabbing him by the collar, he was going to shake him, break him, punch him, but he stopped, looked at him, everyone expected him to come, but he thought...

What was the point of going back in time, to do the same thing again? He had a great lesson, a great learning experience, a milestone in his life.

Nothing beats a good night's sleep, free from despair.

Then he looked at him and said, in a different way.

Then he said.

"It's time for someone to learn that they're not the center of the world, nor the center of attention, and that not everything happens as we wish. You simply have to learn a lesson," Tsuki said.

"Is that really what it would be like, Batsy?" Joker challenged him.

Then he let go of him, straightened his collar, and said.

"I'm not playing this game anymore, play it alone." Then he left, leaving everyone stunned.

"I'm going to have a few drinks with a bunch of women for company," Tsuki said, leaving the room.

- What...? – They all said at the same time.

So, Tsuki headed towards a bar, hidden from human eyes, as well as gossips, paparazzi and reporters on duty, he went to drink, for everyone to see and hear.

At that moment, while disguising himself, Tsuki thought that no one would recognize him, so he wouldn't be approached or cornered, but he was wrong.

As far as he knew, they were projected as holograms, and were seen on all televisions, only the backs of their bodies were visible.

The Presence appeared above them, accompanied by others, such as Lucifer and Neron, and the others who appeared beside them at the bar where Tsuki Miki was drinking; he looked around.

Their images appeared like reflections in the water, above the clouds and the buildings of Gotham City, Golden Valley, Central City, Star City, and all the other superhero cities.

Astro-Star appeared above the skies and buildings of Golden Valley and tried unsuccessfully to punch The Presence in the face, but passed right through him.

"We didn't come here to fight," said Lucifer. "But to propose a deal," said the angel of the morning.

"We are messengers and gamblers," Trigon said.

"Damn it, I already said no," Tsuki said.

"At least listen to us," Lucifer said.

"Your union with the king of darkness could be beneficial," Lucifer said.

"It's beneficial, and besides, I know they didn't come just for that," Tsuki said.

"We are here to announce to all heroes a way to make money that will be worth its weight in gold," said The Presence. "You bet with us, then we try to convince you of the relationship," each of them said.

"We propose this to all heroes; they are not obligated to do it if they don't want to," said Trigon.

"What do you think we would do about it?" Astro-Star asked. "Do you think we're going to do something for you?" the Man of Steel questioned.

"You won't be forced, but if you do," Trigon said, "you will receive 700 billion dollars and 30 gold bars."

"You know, we won't leave him alone," he heard them say.

"Two centuries before the current events, innocent heroes from each of the cities, without being forced to do so, must, if they wish, kill seven innocent people within two weeks," Trigon said.

"Villains don't count; you can kill of your own free will or not," Trigon said. "Without being forced," Trigon added.

Above the clouds, a golden sky appeared, and an immense pointed tower floated, with a box of dollars floating on its tip. Opening the box, the heroes revealed the gold bars and dollars, before returning the box.

"You kill if you want to," said Trigon. "You don't have to," said the demon.

"Within two weeks, you must decide whether or not to kill," Trigon said.

"The tower is protected, and those who try will not be able to leave for at least two weeks; they will regret it," said another creature.

"While the other heroes are busy thinking about the mess of their lives, we keep them distracted. You can think more carefully about how to accept a relationship with the king of darkness," Lucifer said.

"There's no real choice there," Tsuki said.

Then, when the demons and the gods began to manipulate the population.

It was announced in the news, it circulated on the internet, it was broadcast on all television networks, and nothing else was talked about for two centuries before the current events, for days on end until the end of the week.

Everyone saw and heard the story, everyone there felt the pressure and the power...

Yes, they only mentioned the heroes who could kill.

Astro-Star looked towards the sky, and saw around him the black tower with the gold at its tip on top of it.

"It can't be," said Astro-Star.

"Who would kill for money? A hero wouldn't do that," one of them said.

Astro-Star called a meeting in the watchtower later that same afternoon.

The heroes gathered in the watchtower, and if that wasn't enough, Luther organized a march and a press conference about the danger of Astro-Star, which not even a Boy Scout could ignore for such a large sum of money.

Astro-Star saw Tsuki Miki's chair being occupied by another Dark-Dragon.

"What would he gain by giving us money to kill?" another person asked.

"See how low we've sunk?" Raven tried to say.

"He could see us becoming corrupted, and with that, he would have innocent souls being led to the abyss of fear," Raven said.

The Dark-Dragon looked at everyone and said, "Corrupt," he said, "at best."

"Why didn't he choose a villain?" Zatanna asked.

"Do you really think we'll make money by killing an innocent person?" Constantine asked.

"If they said anyone could kill, then someone would have killed right there in the first hour," Zatanna said.

"It's much better to see a hero become corrupt and kill than a villain. He's already corrupted, and they kill for money. Anyone could see that there would be no fun in having no rules," said Dark-Dragon.

"So," said Green Arrow. "The fun part is seeing who gives in first."

Astro-Star flew towards the bat cave. Tsuki Miki had already returned to the mansion; he was feeling weak. The alcohol and the pressure hadn't agreed with him. If he had trouble containing Astro-Star at his best, collapsing weak on the cave floor didn't seem like a good situation.

Damn, how could they pressure him into having a relationship with a dark god, the king of space vampires?

Tsuki Miki ignored the Warriors' calls, he turned off the computers, the cell phones, everything, he stayed in the dark, thinking of a backup plan, in case they literally wanted to kill him, but he was thinking about Astro-Star.

He alternated between using listening devices and trackers on each of his allies. Tsuki Miki supposedly spent her time drinking; he actually took a laptop and followed their movements with cameras scattered throughout the cities, tracking the steps of each hero in each city.

Tsuki Miki ran towards the bathroom, unable to hold it in any longer. It was there that he heard Astro-Star flying towards the cave. He couldn't stop vomiting. He heard more than one footstep; it was someone else...

- Tsuki Miki. – It was Dick, who had his hands on her shoulders.

After Tsuki Miki finished vomiting in the toilet, he turned around.

"You've been drinking," said Astro-Star. "All week."

"Are you still thinking about traveling?" – It was a strange question asked by the Man of Steel.

"It's not the end of the month yet," Tsuki Miki said. "But I'm not feeling well," she added. "Something in the drink," Tsuki Miki said.

"A hangover, at best, isn't really a bad thing," said Astro-Star. "But that's no reason to worry about it."

"Do you intend to kill yourself from drinking so much?" Artemis asked, appearing beside them.

"What do you want here?" he asked, wiping his mouth with toilet paper and standing up. He was wearing only brown pyjama's.

"I left the Warriors, go away!" Tsuki Miki said, staggering.

"I'm no longer useful to the Warriors Society of Heroes," Tsuki Miki said. "I'm out."

"We thought you knew," said Astro-Star, accompanying him around the cave.

"That was shown in every city," said Tsuki Miki.

Some lights were out, and the computer screen was flickering; there was little lighting, and the cave and the mansion were in semi-darkness.

Tsuki Miki slumped towards the chair away from the computer on a corner table, his head aching, he was a mess, there was a large travel backpack packed in the corner, his temple was throbbing.

- God... – Tsuki Miki said. - Crap.

He had to go to the company right away, waiting for some demons to start acting as mediators and representatives, both for bets and as messengers of Darkness.

All the demons, some of them former enemies and henchmen, were conspiring to bring them together, but no matter how much Tsuki said she wasn't interested, it had no effect.

On another day, when he was approached at his mansion.

During a visit from his former associates at the Warriors Society.

"I would say yes, Tsuki Miki," said Artemis.

Tsuki Miki looked at himself in the mirror, deep dark circles under his eyes. Luckily, Gerard was traveling; he wouldn't see him, with his beard needing a shave and his hair dishevelled.

Anyone who tried to lure Dark-Dragon out of his cave would have had a field day in Gotham, but apparently, no one could drag him out of his lair.

"I'm tired," said Tsuki Miki.

"We're having problems," Artemis said.

"You can have all the problems you want, but I'm leaving the Warriors," said Tsuki Miki.

"I trained you, Dick, enough to succeed me," said Tsuki Miki.

"I'm not going to help," said Tsuki Miki.

"There's another Dark-Dragon doing the job," said Tsuki Miki.

"But not even a word of advice?" Astro-Star asked.

Tsuki Miki looked towards the Astro-Star.

"No," he said.

"I want to be left alone," said Tsuki Miki.

"There are so many heroes and vigilantes in Gotham," said Tsuki Miki.

"I trained most, if not all, of them," Tsuki Miki said. "You'll figure out what to do eventually."

They looked at each other and left the cave.

Tsuki Miki stared towards a computer, he waited a few minutes, then, when he waited until no one returned, that's when he turned on a computer, which then displayed several screens, each showing one of the heroes from the cities.

- Idiots. – Said Tsuki Miki.

"Fools," he said.

Within the first week that followed, almost at the end of Friday, all the heroes are included, two centuries before the current events, heroes from each superhero city, will be able to kill seven innocents, from the first to the last, the one they kill must be an innocent without sin.

Everyone there was on edge , constantly irritated, and there was a clock ticking away the time.

Heroes, gods, villains, and everyone there saw and heard what the gods said.

"Interesting," said Luther . "I couldn't have done better."

In a bar full of villains...

Lutheran was sitting there at a table, with poker cards and smoking a cigar.

Lutheran looked around, realizing they wanted heroes to kill, and who was he to not help, to turn Astro-Star into a villain.

"I bet Astro-Star will succumb," he said.

Joker and some villains gathered around a round table, chatting and playing poker, surrounded by smokers and underworld villains.

"I bet I can get Dark-Dragon to kill," said the clown prince of crime.

"The hero is the one who benefits from this, not us," said Mr. Freeze, "besides killing for money."

"I don't see Dark-Dragon killing people around here, not even for money," said Mr. Freeze.

"Actually, I only see a Dark-Dragon, but I don't know if this is the original," said Penguin.

"Even if he needed to," said Penguin.

"But did you notice something, Joker ?" Poison Ivy asked.

"What, darling?" the clown asked.

"We haven't seen him for weeks," said the green woman.

"You, like all of us, know that what we have here isn't the original," Poison said.

"And you know he doesn't kill," said Crocodile.

"But we don't know about this new one," said Riddler.

"He had thousands of opportunities to kill you and he didn't, and it was free," said Penguin. "Why would he kill an innocent person, even now, for money?"

"Power corrupts, doesn't it?" asked the Riddler. "And greed makes you do crazy things."

"We can play around a bit, make them angry enough to cause a complication and drive them crazy to the point of killing and taking it out on an innocent person," said the Riddler.

"Does murder by mistake count?" Riddler asked.

"Come on, let's see who the biggest lunatic is, the one who caused so much chaos that they drove them insane. That would be you," said the Riddler.

"Since we're not doing anything," said Riddler. "Why not?" asked Nygma.

"You wouldn't do it for money?" he said. "Did you see that amount?" Two-Face asked. "It's 700 billion dollars and 30 gold bars," he said. "That would make anyone greedy," he added.

"What would we gain from him killing?" Joker asked. "Besides, of course, seeing him kill an innocent person," he said. "Come on, folks, let's watch the circus burn down."

"He could split the money with us if we found the victim," Nygma proposed.

"Since when would any hero share money with us?" Crocodile asked.

"Why not?" Nygma asked.

"Because if someone kills an innocent person, since when would they care about not killing us?" Harley Queen asked, appearing.