Constantine and Schiller returned to the office at Arkham Asylum, but the summoning ritual could not be performed there. Brand led them down to the asylum's basement, which could also be called his magic workshop.
"You've been using magic all this time?" Constantine looked the room over and said, "I don't know who your creditor is, but I have to remind you that using magic this frequently is not a good thing. One day, you'll pay the price."
"That's none of your concern." To Constantine's surprise, it was not Brand who said this, but Schiller.
Brand then entered as well and closed the door. He took the materials from Schiller, opened the box and inspected them, then began arranging the magic circle once he had confirmed everything was correct.
Constantine sat to one side and watched.
The necromantic circle Brand set up was utterly unremarkable, as basic as basic could be. Even if Constantine had been deliberately looking for trouble, he could not have found any fault with it.
He had been watching this seemingly kind Doctor closely. Of course, "kind" was only in comparison to Schiller. Brand himself had plenty of peculiarities, such as being a little too healthy.
Mages were often eccentric and ill-tempered not entirely because they were insane, but because the pain and illness brought by the price of magic constantly tormented them. Naturally, their mental states suffered. Constantine was the same.
Even Zatanna, who did not have to pay a price, dealt with all sorts of supernatural things and was inevitably affected. Every time she handled a paranormal incident, she went through a long period of emotional depression afterward.
But this fellow called Brand was broad-minded and well-fed. Not only was he in excellent physical health, but his mental state also seemed perfectly normal. Constantine