The Rainbow

Somewhere in deep space…

It was so hard to think, she was in chaos, pure and simple. Flying through the cosmos on six leathering wings and leaving behind a trail of colours and dust in her wake like a comet, Zatanna reeled. Her mind was a torrent of raw emotions, shattered, splintered, the only thing leading her forward was a raw need, the last conscious thought in her mind before it shattered. She was on fire, or she was freezing, it was hard for her to even make sense of what was going on, the power of the six lantern rings competed in her body. Both complementing and contradicting each other and burning her alive with their raw power. Even when she crashed into a planet and landed in the deep canopy of a lush forest, the impact barely registered to her senses save for the fact that she had stopped moving. Curling up into herself and breathing hard, smoke plumed off her scorched flesh as she scurried like an insect towards shelter, anywhere away from the lights that left her blind to the world around her.

It still never dawned on her that the light she was trying to flee from was coming from her body, failing to find shelter under a fallen tree trunk or behind a cliff face. She had no idea how long she had, her wings were already disintegrating into dust and the rest of her was following soon after. She was going blind, deaf, numb, this was the end of it all. Falling to her side, she no longer had the strength to stand or even lift her head. It was all a matter of time now…

“Well now, what have we here?”

She heard the calm and soothing voice, but could not react or lift her head, not even when she felt a gentle hand pet and sooth over her steaming fur and skin. Her glazed over eyes picked up the shape of a man standing over her, crouched on one knee to pet a gentle hand over her pointed ears and upturned nose like he was calming a frightened animal.

“You’ve been through a lot I see.” She heard the voice again, followed by the soft glow of blue light in front of her, one that was just as soothing as the voice as it enveloped her senses. A bubble of blue light encompassed her scorched body, lifting her off the ground and cradling her as she was moved from where she had collapsed. The forest canopy up ahead shifting as her body was lifted and moved.

“So much pain written across your body, and yet you came here with everything you had left in you to do so.”

“She seems to be breaking down, falling apart.” She heard another soothing voice speak. Deeper, yet gentle, like a caring grandfather’s voice her mind vaguely remembered. “She does not seem to have much time left to her.”

“No… But even if one has so much or so little time, hope is always present.”

Slowly Zatanna could feel herself being moved, brought before a blue light that grew in intensity, but was not painful to look at, not that there was any sensation left for the creature she had become to feel. One of her pinions were lifted up and rested in the cupped hands of one of the humanoid shapes tending to her, observing the many rings of her collection.

“This creature has sought out the seven. Admirable, such an endeavor should not be left to futility.” She heard another voice speak, a hoarse and elderly voice but one filled with kindness. “Faith should be rewarded after all.”

“Yes, such a stoney and painful path is rarely sought by the galaxy. Yet this one tries to do so, strange that it burns in the presence of the light, almost as if its very being were in contrast to the light, in contrast to life.”

“It seeks to be something better. To be rewarded for its endeavours in being a being of light instead of darkness, so a reward we shall grant it.”

By now the blue light was all encompassing, it was the only thing Zatanna could see, and even then her eyes began to fail. But before oblivion took her, she felt something get slipped over one of her thumbs. The moment it did, a surge of power rushed through her, revitalizing her with a drive to move. Coiling her stinger of a tail underneath her, Zatanna spread her tattered wings out and gave off intense blue light that mixed and mingled with the other six lights already consuming her. A sensation of pure joy filled her, one filled with peace that made the pain and sorrow earlier fade away, her fanged jaws curling into a soft smile as she felt her mind clear, if only so briefly so she could speak with her inhuman jaws.

“In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite! When all seems lost in the war of light, look to the stars, for hope burns…”

Unable to finish, Zatanna disintegrated into a puddle of ash and dust, one where all seven rings fell to land in the small pile of soot on the blue tiled floor. Gathering around the remains of the broken vampire, the Blue Lantern corps traded looks of shock, but their disposition never changed. A look of pleasant and peaceful calm on them all when Saint Walker knelt to give the dust a closer look.

“Such a tragedy. She gave so much of herself for someone else’s tomorrow.”

“She is gone. Has she died then?”

Saint Walker smiled down at the vampiric remains, sifting his fingers through the dust and ash with a wise smile. “All things die… And that can be a sad thing. But if things never die, other things would not get the chance to be born. And that is something to be happy for.”

At that moment, the seven rings began to glow, levitating off the dust and circling it, gathering it up into the air where it was stretched and molded. A shape began to form, taking on arms and legs linked to a torso. A head formed developing features and long flowing hair that billowed to a breeze formed by the rings that slowly gathered in front of the now humanoid form, clumping together and merging, their colours intermingling until they became a single ring, a white ring. Still forming a physical body, a mouth took shape, one that spoke up with a voice that could be heard across the entire planet Odym.

“In brightest day, there will be light, to cleanse the soul and set wrongs right. When darkness falls, look to the sky, a new dawn comes, let there be light.”

Clasping the ring over her finger, the humanoid being finally took shape, sighing with a smile as her body finally became solid in form, and conjured clothing to envelop itself. White shoes with stockings, bloomers with a white buttoned corset and white dress jacket that drew sleeves down to her white gloved hands and down to split into a pair of oversized coat tails. In her open hand a staff drew into shape and form, ending in a cluster of seven coloured crystals matching the seven emotions of light, along with their emblems etched into her clothing. Slowly floating down to land on her feet, the last thing to be created was a white top hat she rested on her head. Opening her eyes, Zatanna looked around to find herself surrounded in blue robed lanterns, each was radically different from each other, but all of them exuded a sense of peace, of joy that was comforting to the woman. Looking behind her she found the ocean blue core of the Blue Lantern battery emitting a shining blue light into the sky.

“Welcome to the home of the Blue Lanterns, my name is Saint Walker, who might you be?”

“I’m… My name… My name is Zatanna… I remember, I know who I… ‘gasp’ What...?”

She felt something, something she had not felt in years. Bringing a free hand to her chest, she could feel the thump of her heart against her palm, and the beat of her pulse in her ears. Looking down at her human hand, she rested two of her fingers against her wrist and felt a pulse underneath. The sensation of being alive bringing an almost ecstatic grin to her fanged lips and excitement she hadn’t felt since she was a child.

“I’m alive!” Gasped Zatanna, instantly conjuring a mirror to see herself, her surprise still at its peak to find that she now had a reflection again. She was alive, but also somehow different. Her skin was still pale, and she still possessed fangs, but the burning red of her eyes were gone, now a rainbow of colours that were not humanly possible. Shifting her face back and forth, her discovery was distracted by the joyful laughter of the Blue Lanterns watching her. “What am I?”

“You have become the seven made one, the light at the end of a darkness, the rainbow at the end of a storm, you have become a white lantern. A beacon of life itself.”

“I’m… I’m a LIVING vampire?!” Closing her eyes, Zatanna could not help but begin to chuckle at the near absurdity of it, but it was the only thing that made sense. “A beacon of life itself…”

“Yes. When the light first filled the darkness of the galaxy with stars, it brought with it life that filled all the worlds that encircled their brightness, fracturing into the seven drives that fuel said life on their paths. We are the stewards of the blue, the light of hope. We bring healing, and joy to those who seek it. In the light of the blue, all will be well.”

“All will be well.” Chanted the other blue lanterns like a mantra, bowing and folding their hands together.

Nodding and smiling up at the many blue robbed aliens, Zatanna looked to her staff. “A beacon of life itself…”

Stepping away from the blue dressed aliens in front of her, Zatanna pointed her staff towards a grassy clearing and concentrated. Before everyone’s eyes, dust began to gather as a beam of coloured lights shone from Zatanna’s ring, gathering, and shaping the dust in front of her. Arms, legs, a body, all of it took form and became solid as the dust became flesh and bone, skin and clothes as the humanoid figure quickly became dressed in dress shoes, pants, a buttoned shirt and long, heavy brown trench coat.

When her eyes opened, she smiled as the man formed by her powers collapsed to his feet, coughing, and stumbling in confusion as he stood straight and looked around. A pure look of puzzlement on his features as he found himself standing in a field of blue grass, blue trees, and a blue sun in the sky. It was not until he looked up and saw the face of Zatanna in front of him that John Constantine recoiled in surprise.

“Zee? Is that you?”

The man was overpowered and dropped to the ground when she collided into him in a cascade of rainbow-coloured lights, hugging him for dear life and peppering his face and lips with kisses. She did not care that the Blue Lanterns were watching, or laughing at the display of affection, they had every right to laugh and applaud to the sight of a panicking man in a trench coat being smothered with affection by a Vegas showgirl magician turned avatar of life.

“Oy Zee! Not in front of the geezers now, what’s… What’s going on?”

Sitting up, Zatanna pulled John close and pressed his head in against her chest and rested her chin over his hair. It was him, REALLY him, brought back to life by her will and the power of the light itself.

“You’re back, you’re FINALLY back.” Pulling him in for a final kiss, the dhampir sighed and rested her forehead against his. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“Uhm… Zee? What’s going on? Where are we? And who are those old folks over there?” The man asked, tiliting his head over to gesture to the floating Blue Lanterns who smiled down at them.

“It’s a LONG story John, one I can share with you in time, but I’m needed back on Earth, we both are. Something is coming, and I need to be there to face it.”

Chuckling to herself, Zatanna shook her head and smiled, helping them both up to their feet and paused, turning to approach Saint Walker. Now that she could see him clearly, his eyes were pitch black and lidless, like those of a fish. His face almost featureless with no ears, nose, or brow, and yet his thin slip of a mouth showed a pleasant smile back at the woman. She shared in the man’s knowing smile as she approached him and took his hands in hers. Like the other Blue Lanterns, there was a sense of perpetual joy and peace in his small white lips, his black eyes blinking when he felt her bring her hands up to cup his slim oval face.

“Thank you. Thank you all.”

Gently pulling the alien man close, Zatanna kissed him on the forehead, the act making him chuckle at the affection just as she returned to embrace John and opened a portal in front of her. On the other side it was Earth, Gotham city, but not one that John recognise as Zatanna took his hand and guided him inside.

“Come on John, lets go home.”

Stepping through the violet portal, the two humans disappeared, leaving a bashful Saint Walker to look over his shoulder to the others with a wide grin on his face as he gently rubbed his hand over his forehead where she had kissed him.

“Hmm, she kissed me. Heh…”

“She regained all that she had lost in death and then some. She will need it for what comes in the foreseeable future.”

“Yes. A rainbow to shine at the end of a coming storm, and in it, all will be well.”

“All will be well.”