I would like to help me with some Power Stones!
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The transition from Mephisto's collapsing pocket dimension to Agatha Harkness's cottage was unlike any dimensional travel Constantine had experienced. Instead of the violent wrenching sensation that usually accompanied interdimensional transit, he found himself simply elsewhere as if reality had politely rearranged itself to accommodate his presence without bothering to inform him of the change.
The cottage's interior defied every assumption Constantine had made about architectural possibility. Rooms expanded and contracted according to need, corridors led to spaces that existed in different time periods, and the entire structure hummed with the kind of accumulated magical power that spoke of centuries of serious supernatural practice.
"Welcome to my home, John Constantine," a voice said from everywhere and nowhere, carrying the authority of someone who had spent lifetimes learning to bend reality according to her will. "Though I should mention that 'home' is a relative concept when one's residence exists across multiple dimensional frameworks simultaneously."
The woman who materialized from the cottage's shifting shadows was older than Constantine had expected, her silver hair and lined face speaking of considerable age despite an energy signature that suggested power levels that rivaled cosmic entities. She wore practical clothing that somehow managed to look both contemporary and timeless, and her eyes held depths of knowledge that made even the Ancient One's spectral presence seem limited by comparison.
"Agatha Harkness," Constantine said, studying her with enhanced senses that were picking up mystical resonances unlike anything he'd encountered in either reality. "The woman who's apparently been monitoring my dimensional signature since my arrival."
"Among other things," Agatha replied with amusement that suggested she found his directness refreshing. "Though 'monitoring' suggests passive observation, which hardly describes the scope of my interest in your situation." She gestured around the cottage's impossible interior. "I've been preparing for your arrival for considerably longer than your brief time in this reality."
The stranger who had orchestrated Constantine's journey materialized beside them, his expression carrying satisfaction that spoke of plans proceeding exactly according to schedule. "Agatha has been one of my most valuable consultants in preparing for your arrival, John. Her knowledge of multiversal magical traditions and Laughing Magician bloodlines exceeds that of most cosmic entities."
Mephisto appeared last, his cosmic authority somehow diminished within the cottage's mystical boundaries. Constantine noted that the Hell-Lord was maintaining his human appearance with obvious effort, suggesting that Agatha's home existed according to rules that constrained even beings of his power level.
"Your cottage operates outside normal dimensional hierarchies," Mephisto observed with grudging respect. "The magical frameworks here predate Marvel's current cosmic order by several cosmological epochs."
"They predate most cosmic orders," Agatha confirmed with obvious pride. "This residence exists in what you might call the spaces between realities, drawing power from sources that transcend individual universe limitations." Her attention fixed on Constantine with uncomfortable intensity. "Which makes it the perfect location for discussing matters that affect multiple dimensional frameworks simultaneously."
She led them into a sitting room where impossible windows looked out onto landscapes from a dozen different realities. Constantine caught glimpses of his original London through one window, Wanda's Westview through another, and places that belonged to universes he didn't recognize through the rest.
"Right then," Constantine said, settling into a chair that adjusted itself to his preferences without being asked. "The Ancient One mentioned that you have information about my bloodline's significance that will change everything I think I know about my purpose in this reality."
Agatha smiled, settling into her own chair with movements that spoke of considerable age gracefully carried. "Indeed I do. Though I should begin by correcting a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of Laughing Magicians in general and your manifestation specifically."
She gestured, and the air around them filled with images that made Constantine's borrowed soul resonate with uncomfortable recognition. Visions of figures throughout history who had carried the Laughing Magician essence, individuals who had appeared at crucial moments when realities required the kind of disruption that only chaos magic practitioners could provide.
"Laughing Magicians aren't just random chaos agents," Agatha explained, her voice carrying the authority of someone who had studied these phenomena for centuries. "They're cosmic correction mechanisms, entities who manifest when realities develop problems that threaten multiversal stability." She paused, her attention focusing on Constantine. "But you, John Constantine, are something unprecedented a complete Laughing Magician consciousness transferred intact from one reality to another."
Constantine felt the implications of her words settling over him like a shroud. "Which means I'm not just a cosmic correction mechanism. I'm something else entirely."
"You're an evolutionary catalyst," the stranger interjected with obvious satisfaction. "An entity capable of teaching this reality's magical community techniques and approaches that don't exist in Marvel's current framework. Your presence here isn't just about solving problems it's about upgrading the entire cosmic order to handle challenges that transcend traditional dimensional boundaries."
"Challenges like the Devourer," Constantine said, pieces clicking into place with uncomfortable clarity.
"The Devourer is merely the first wave," Agatha replied grimly. "Your presence in this reality has attracted attention from entities and forces that exist in the spaces between universes. Some are curious, some are hungry, and some..." She paused, her expression growing concerned. "Some see your reality-bending abilities as either a threat to be eliminated or a resource to be claimed."
As if summoned by her words, Constantine felt his synchronicity wave traveling abilities activating again not in response to conscious will, but as an automatic reaction to the cosmic-scale attention that was focusing on their location. The cottage around them began to shift and change, reality bending to accommodate his subconscious needs for security and tactical advantage.
Windows that had shown pleasant landscapes from multiple realities suddenly provided clear views of potential threats approaching across dimensional barriers. Doors appeared that led to escape routes through universes Constantine had never visited. Even the furniture rearranged itself to provide better defensive positions and clearer sight lines.
"Fascinating," Agatha observed with professional interest. "Your synchronicity abilities are operating on a multiversal scale now, drawing resources and opportunities from across dimensional boundaries. The cottage's own reality manipulation is being overridden by your bloodline's cosmic authority."
Mephisto was staring at the transformed space with something approaching alarm. "This level of reality manipulation requires power sources that transcend individual universe limitations. He's not just bending local probability anymore he's rewriting fundamental laws across multiple dimensional frameworks."
Constantine could feel the truth of Mephisto's observation in his bones. The power flowing through him wasn't coming from Marvel's structured magical framework or even from his original chaos magic training. It was something deeper, older, more fundamental authority that predated the cosmic hierarchies that governed individual realities.
"This is what you've been preparing me for," Constantine said to the stranger, understanding flooding through him with terrible certainty. "Not just to solve Marvel's current problems, but to become something that can challenge the fundamental nature of how the multiverse operates."
"Among other things," the stranger confirmed with obvious satisfaction. "Though I should mention that your education is approaching its critical phase. The entities that have been drawn by your cosmic-scale synchronicity effects are beginning to manifest directly rather than simply observing from dimensional peripheries."
Through the cottage's transformed windows, Constantine could see shapes moving across the spaces between realities beings of immense size and obvious power who were approaching Marvel's dimensional boundaries with purpose that transcended casual curiosity.
"Multiversal refugees," Agatha said grimly, recognizing the approaching entities with obvious concern. "Beings who have been displaced from their home realities and exist in dimensional exile. Your reality-bending abilities represent the first opportunity they've had in millennia to establish themselves in a stable universe."
"And they're not particularly interested in coexistence," the stranger added with amusement that suggested he found the approaching crisis entertaining rather than concerning. "These entities view inhabited realities as resources to be claimed rather than communities to join."
Constantine felt the weight of cosmic forces pressing against his consciousness as his synchronicity abilities continued to escalate beyond his ability to control. The cottage around them was becoming something unprecedented a fortress that existed across multiple realities simultaneously, drawing defensive resources from universes he'd never visited and incorporating them into a structure that operated according to principles of chaos magic that transcended any single cosmic framework.
"I need to learn to control this," Constantine said, feeling power levels that threatened to tear his borrowed soul apart if he couldn't find ways to channel them safely. "Whatever's happening to my abilities, it's escalating faster than I can adapt."
Agatha rose from her chair, her expression shifting to carry the kind of focused intensity that marked the transition from academic discussion to practical instruction. "Control isn't the appropriate concept for what you're experiencing, John. Your bloodline's cosmic authority doesn't operate according to normal magical limitations. Instead of trying to control your abilities, you need to learn to direct them to guide their effects toward specific outcomes rather than attempting to limit their scope."
She began weaving patterns in the air that spoke of magical traditions far older than Marvel's current mystical community. "The techniques I'm going to teach you have been preserved across multiple realities, passed down through bloodlines that predate most cosmic hierarchies. They're designed specifically for entities whose power transcends individual universe limitations."
Constantine watched her demonstrations with growing understanding of the scope of what he was being asked to master. These weren't just magical techniques they were approaches to reality manipulation that treated the fundamental nature of existence as negotiable rather than fixed.
"How long do we have before the multiversal refugees reach Marvel's dimensional boundaries?" Constantine asked, though he suspected the answer would be worse than his most pessimistic projections.
The stranger consulted what looked like a pocket watch that showed time according to principles that definitely weren't terrestrial. "According to my calculations, approximately six hours before the first wave of entities begins manifesting directly in this reality. Considerably less time if your synchronicity effects continue to escalate at their current rate."
Mephisto was studying the approaching entities through the cottage's transformed windows with obvious concern. "Some of those beings represent power levels that rival abstract cosmic entities. If they establish footholds in this reality, the resulting conflicts could destabilize the entire universal framework."
"Which brings us to the critical question," Agatha said, her attention focusing on Constantine with uncomfortable intensity. "Are you prepared to accept responsibility for becoming something that can challenge multiversal threats on their own level? Because that's what your bloodline's cosmic authority ultimately represents the potential to transcend individual reality limitations and operate as a force for stability across the entire multiversal structure."
Constantine felt the weight of impossible decisions pressing down on him like a physical force. Everything he'd experienced since arriving in Marvel's reality had been leading to this moment the choice between remaining John Constantine, supernatural investigator and professional bastard, or becoming something that could reshape the fundamental nature of existence across multiple universes.
But as he considered his options, Constantine realized that the choice might already have been made for him. The power flowing through his synchronicity abilities was continuing to escalate, reality bending around him in ways that suggested his individual will was becoming irrelevant compared to the cosmic forces expressing themselves through his bloodline.
"The transformation has already begun," Agatha said quietly, apparently reading his expression with the expertise of someone who had witnessed similar transitions before. "The only question now is whether you'll guide it toward outcomes that serve multiversal stability, or allow it to proceed according to whatever agenda the entities who arranged your arrival have in mind."
Through the cottage's windows, Constantine could see the first multiversal refugees beginning to breach Marvel's dimensional barriers beings of immense power who were treating his reality as territory to be claimed rather than a community to join.
The game had changed again, and this time, John Constantine might be the only entity standing between Marvel's universe and forces that could unravel the fundamental nature of existence itself.