Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who kill their fathers!

The Next Day.

John, Star-Lord, and Clark were shopping at the supermarket.

"I hate the cashier here," John complained to the other two. "Her accent is weird. Dad says it's a Jersey accent. She mixes up retroflex and non-retroflex sounds and can't pronounce nasal endings properly. For example, she says 'water' as 'wader' and 'coffee' as 'coffay.'"

While picking up a can of mung beans, John glanced toward the cashier. "I think cashiers should have clear diction."

"And she's kind of fat. Those huge sunglasses of hers remind me of a mantis's eyes. Star-Lord, I think she's like you—unable to control her mouth."

Star-Lord put down the pack of sharp sugar cookies he had wanted to buy and retorted, annoyed, "You sound like you're picking a fight on purpose."

John forced a contrived smile. "Am I? That's not my intention."

"You know, John, you're also someone who can't control his mouth."

"I totally can, but I have some... unique hobbies."

Star-Lord shook his head. "Like when you sneak sips of milk? That's a bit creepy."

John squinted, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Star-Lord, you really do have a way with words."

"Well, some people think I'm terrible at talking."

As the three stood in the checkout line, their banter drew the line out longer and longer.

"Do you think you're funny?"

Still holding a grudge over the magazine incident, John began plotting how to vent his anger on Star-Lord. But to his surprise, the latter provoked him first.

John felt it was time to assert his authority as the "big brother." "I'm going to beat you so hard you'll be crawling on the ground like a snitching brat."

John's stiff smile twisted awkwardly into something resembling a poor imitation of a human grin.

Clark, who had been about to mediate between them, froze awkwardly when he heard John mention the word "snitch."

"Oh, you can try," Star-Lord said confidently as he glanced at the other shoppers in the supermarket.

John glanced around, ready to say something, but suddenly spotted a familiar figure entering the store.

The unique aura of the person instantly jogged John's memory—it was the girl from the circus performance the previous day. She'd been the one doing magic tricks that had accidentally caused a tentacle-filled chaos.

Zatanna didn't notice the tension between John and Star-Lord. She walked into the supermarket, intending to buy a few things.

After the chaos at the circus, she had chosen to leave immediately and planned to leave the small town altogether.

Browsing the shelves, she walked to the toy section.

The shelves displayed various holiday gifts and birthday items.

Carrying her backpack, Zatanna looked at a crystal ball on one of the shelves.

She picked it up and leaned closer to examine the lifelike magical castle inside.

She used to have a crystal ball like this, featuring a similar magical castle. Before leaving home, she would often imagine her mother living in the castle, pretending she wasn't gone.

"Alright," she muttered, shaking her head and putting the crystal ball back. "This is silly. I wonder what happened to the old crystal ball."

As she held the crystal ball, she inadvertently noticed in its reflection a group of men in black clothing sneaking into the supermarket.

Her guard immediately went up. She carefully placed the crystal ball back on the shelf and observed the men.

It was clear they were here for her.

They walked straight toward her, their eyes fixed on her.

Realizing the danger, Zatanna quickly hid to avoid being spotted.

But as the men searched closer, her hiding spot was about to be discovered.

"Damn it!"

Sensing the imminent danger, Zatanna reached into her backpack and pulled out her father's top hat.

"Stay calm. Just like on stage."

Encouraging herself, she placed the top hat on her head.

She pulled out a lighter and held it, prepared to use it against her pursuers as she had done with the tentacles.

"All Dad ever taught me were smoke and mirror tricks or how to make pancakes disappear. Using magic to fight? Not exactly my specialty," she muttered, trying to suppress her panic.

"Tap, tap."

Footsteps drew closer. As the men approached, she raised her lighter.

What she hadn't expected was that one of them was armed.

The moment they locked eyes, the man raised a gun at her.

The smell of sweat and gunpowder filled the air.

It was clear: this was a fanatic, a dangerous one.

Without hesitation, Zatanna unleashed her magic.

"Set it ablaze!"

Her backward incantation summoned flames from the lighter, which surged toward the man.

The gunman reacted quickly, stepping back and firing a shot.

The gunshot echoed, silencing the bustling supermarket.

Screams, chaos, and panic erupted as customers fled, thinking it was a robbery.

Zatanna dodged the bullet, but the gunman wasn't as lucky. The flames caught him, and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

Hearing the gunshot, the man's companions rushed toward Zatanna.

She tried to escape but was grabbed by a burly man, who slammed her to the ground.

With a loud crash, products from the nearby shelves tumbled down.

Ignoring the pain in her back, Zatanna saw the man open her backpack and pull out a stuffed rabbit toy.

When the man noticed the key hanging from the rabbit, his eyes lit up. He ripped the key from the toy and tossed the rabbit to the ground.

"No!"

Seeing the key stolen and the toy discarded, Zatanna screamed in rage.

The rabbit, named Burkes, was a gift from her father, and the key it held opened his workshop. It couldn't fall into the wrong hands.

Fueled by anger, Zatanna grabbed a porcelain vase and hurled it at the man.

"Crash!"

The vase shattered against his head, knocking him to the ground.

She quickly reached for the rabbit toy, but before she could grab the key, another gunman charged at her.

Forced to retreat, she hid behind a shelf and tried to calm herself.

"Freeze solid!"

Using her magic again, Zatanna froze the puddle under the man's feet, causing him to slip and fall with a loud thud.

Meanwhile, Clark and the others saw the commotion involving the magician girl from the previous night.

Without hesitation, Clark moved to help but was stopped by John.

"You can't, Clark. If you do, people might discover your abilities."

"But..."

Clark glanced anxiously at Zatanna. "If we don't help, she might get killed!"

"That's not our problem," John said coldly. "Remember last time? Your heroic act nearly got Jonathan killed. If Dad hadn't stepped in, your parents could've been murdered because of you."

Clark was incredulous. "So, just because bad things might happen, we should let them happen?!"

Then he realized something. "Wait, where's Star-Lord?"

John turned to look around, only to find that Star-Lord was gone.

Elsewhere, Zatanna had just dealt with one gunman when another aimed his gun at her.

"Don't move. Don't speak. Turn around," the man ordered.

Nervously, Zatanna turned to face him, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a chubby figure stepped into view.

With a serious expression, Star-Lord began to sing.

"Seek your love with courage! Cheer, dance with love, baby!"

As he sang, he performed an awkward dance.

"Dance harder! Yeah!" he yelled, adding more flair to his bizarre moves.

"What the hell are you doing?" The gunman looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Come on, dance with me! Just you and me!"

Star-Lord thrust his hips and kicked his legs.

The gunman was so stunned by the absurdity that he momentarily forgot about Zatanna.

Even Zatanna was shocked. Her expression screamed, What am I even witnessing?

'This is worse than the Great Dark One Dad mentioned,' she thought, horrified.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the gunman shouted, enraged.

"Distracting you, you idiot!" Star-Lord replied mid-dance. "Now, Zatanna, do it!"

The gunman turned toward Zatanna, but it was too late.

"Bam!"

Zatanna grabbed a nearby electric kettle and smashed it over his head.

With a heavy thud, the gunman collapsed, unconscious.

"Perfect execution!" Star-Lord cheered, pumping his fist.

Zatanna blinked in disbelief. Was it over just like that?

Her gaze toward Star-Lord was both incredulous and bewildered.

Did his awkward dancing actually work?!

On the sidelines, Clark was equally stunned.

John, on the other hand, took advantage of the situation to grab the golden key from the floor.

...

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