The Grand Finale

Zatanna's gaze flashed across Zack's body like lightning before she snapped her fingers. The restraints and the target vanished, freeing the young man, though there was still no sign of his clothes.

Being half-naked in front of a beautiful girl would have been incredibly embarrassing for our protagonist, but since gaining his powers, it had become as commonplace as breakfast.

"Alright, my esteemed audience, the moment has arrived for the... Grand Finale!"

Magical cheers raised the atmosphere to that of a World Cup final. This lasted for about five minutes before, with a simple gesture from the witch, the place fell into absolute silence, the lights dimming until only she could be seen.

“This act will be riskier; this time I will put my own life at risk. Only one person can save me… and that is my fortunate assistant, Henry Burning.”

“Wait, what?”

Long before Zack blinked, darkness had completely enveloped Zatanna, leaving him alone in absolute gloom. His visibility was so poor he couldn't even see his hands.

Then, the sorceress's voice was heard ethereally, as if it were emanating from everywhere, adding even more mystery to the moment.

“In the next few moments, my assistant must disarm within a time limit before a fatal destiny befalls your servant.”

An enormous hourglass, as tall as a traffic light, appeared just above them, suspended in mid-air. All the golden sand was at the top of the hourglass, completely frozen, not a single grain able to fall.

“The only tool Henry will have besides his intellect will be these special keys.”

A bunch of carrot-shaped keys appeared in Zack’s right hand.

“Only one key can save me… only one key can prevent his favorite sorceress from falling to her final fate.”

Below the hourglass, a kind of panel opened in the stage floor. There, Zack saw it clearly: a fiery red mixed with yellow, radiating a brilliant heat that could be felt miles away… It was a pool of lava!

“Oh my God!”

It was large enough to swallow a school bus, and the scorching steam emanating from within could outshine a sauna.

“That’s right! If Henry doesn’t succeed before the last grain of sand in the hourglass falls completely, this extremely hot lava will melt me to the bone. And as a final touch, there’s only one question left.”

Above the lava and below the hourglass, a long platform appeared with stairs on either side. Along its length were five columns of light that ended in white towers.

Finally, after a long absence, the star of the show appeared, but instead of just one, five Zatannas emerged from the columns of light.

Each Zatanna was bound like thick hips around their bodies, with their arms behind their backs and their feet together. Right between their legs was a golden heart-shaped lock.

One by one, the girls writhed, trying to remove the hips as they looked at Zack with pleading expressions.

“Come on, Henry, you have to guess which one of us is the real one.”

“But you have to hurry, or the door will open.”

“And we’ll all fall into the lava.”

“You have to choose me!”

“No, I’m the real one!”

“They’re lying, Henry! I’m the original!”

None of them stopped claiming to be the real Zatanna, begging to be rescued by an indecisive Zack who hadn’t the slightest idea which one to choose. There was the one who just moaned, the one who kept straining at the chains, and a couple who argued about who was the real one.

None of that could help the young man with his crucial choice. No matter how closely he examined each one, he couldn’t find even a single clue to distinguish them. They all wore the bunny suit, had the same skin tone, identical height, and indistinguishable voices.

And if the situation couldn't get any more complicated, the Zatannas coordinated from left to right to coordinate a countdown.

"5, get ready, Henry."

"4, I know you can do it."

"3, so I'll give you a hint."

"2, listen very carefully."

"1, the carrot is inside the rabbit hole."

"............ZERO!"

The instant the countdown ended, the large hourglass chimed and its sand began to fall. Zack knew he had to act fast. Without wasting a second, he gripped the keys tightly and ran toward the ladder on the right.

The heat of the lava was palpable with every step he took; if he stood still, it would probably melt his shoes. Once he reached the top, he felt the pressure of five pairs of eyes—fearful, anxious, but hopeful of seeing him.

“Let me go, Henry.”

“Don’t. You have to let me go.”

“I beg you, don’t listen to them. I’m the real me.”

“None of that. They’re illusions created to confuse you. Open my lock with the right key!”

“That’s what a crude illusion would say, Henry. Don’t let them confuse you.”

No matter how carefully our protagonist scanned each girl, he still found no clues. The lava below him didn't help matters, and a thick layer of sweat covered his face as the steam occasionally obscured his vision.

But he couldn't waste any more time. He went to the nearest Zatanna, who greeted him with relief and happiness.

"Oh, magnificent, you've chosen me."

Instead of replying, "Henry," he focused on the strategically placed padlock. Despite its heart-shaped design, it seemed so impenetrable; only someone like Power Girl could break it.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the keys. Frantically, he tried to insert one into the lock, failing. He failed twice more before finally managing to insert the key on the fourth attempt.

His heart leaped with joy, but when he turned the key, it happened…

“AHHHHHHHH!”

The witch he was releasing let out a moan and vanished in a burst of confetti along with the key. He had made a mistake. He had also wasted valuable time. When he looked up, he saw that a good portion of the sand had already fallen.

This was a big problem. The bunch had at least 20 keys, and making the wrong choice two or four times could mean running out of time. He couldn't stay still either; moving had to be his priority.

He turned to the next one, who, like the previous one, seemed pleased.

“See, Henry, it was an illusion,” said Zatanna, swaying her breasts.

With sweat pooling on his fingers, he checked that several keys wouldn't fit, and after the fifth attempt, tremors joined the perspiration.

"Come on, come on, just go in."

On the seventh try, he managed to get it in, causing the Zatanna to explode just like the first one.

"AHHHHHH!"

Another failure and more wasted time; now half the arena was below him. Continuing like this wouldn't get him anywhere.

Zack's head swiveled from side to side, looking at the three remaining Zatannas, whose faces were etched with anguish. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't find a way out of this mess.

When his anxiety reached dangerous levels, he remembered the clue the witches had given him.

"Inside the rabbit hole... the carrot is inside the rabbit hole," he murmured, wiping the sweat from his brow.

And for a brief moment, he noticed the three girls smiling like someone who knew the answers to an exam. That was the key to winning, even if their faces told him so.

His mind spent the next few seconds trying to decipher that phrase. Whether it was a riddle or some kind of hidden message, he had to find it.

He examined the keys more closely—small orange carrots—but he didn't see anything resembling a burrow. These were rabbit homes, holes where they hid.

"Burrows, holes, caves, hiding... wait a minute... I think I've got it!"

If the keys he had were just trying to mislead him, just like most of the Zatannas in his hand were simply illusions, then the real key was hidden in "the burrow."

How hadn't he realized it before?

His eyes widened at the girls this time, with a completely different perspective. He never had to look for the heroine; the key was the objective. One of them had the key hidden, and that had to be the original.

With that information, he rushed to examine the Zatannas again, this time focusing his efforts on a specific area. He noticed those deep, plunging necklines that seemed the perfect place to conceal something small.

He struggled to avoid getting lost in those masses of flesh bumping against each other, inviting him to separate them. No, he had to concentrate on his objective, no matter how attractive those inflated balloons looked.

Just as nervousness and excitement were becoming major distractions, he saw it. In the middle Zatanna's neckline, he spotted a faint orange glimmer. Without a second thought, Zack slipped his hand inside. It was brief, but long enough to feel his fingers being squeezed with each touch.

"Ohhh...I see that...that...you noticed...ahhh," the witch muttered.

Now with his hand out of "the burrow," he had it. The small carrot key identified the others. Overflowing with confidence, he found the key that slipped into the lock without a hitch. He swallowed and turned it.

Click!

It was a short, sharp sound, but to our protagonist's ears, it was like an angelic choir. He watched as the heart-shaped padlock opened and vanished, its chains following him.

He had done it!