The Old Mage looked Billy up and down, sighed, and said, "You'll just about do."
Billy had a decent heart and showed promise, but calling him pure and flawless would have been an outright lie.
The problem was that the Old Mage had no choice now. He had to pick Billy. That was why Constantine said Billy was lucky—the kid was practically the chosen one.
The Old Mage stood up, walked over to Billy, and said, "This is the Rock of Eternity, the sacred ground of magic. You are the chosen one. You will inherit my magic and become the next wizard."
Billy looked at the filthy old geezer before him, blinked, and asked, "Is this some new scam? Just so we're clear, I don't have any money."
The Old Mage's face darkened. Andrew and Constantine both burst out laughing. The last wizard of magic's sacred ground had been mistaken for a con artist. What a joke.
Magic really had fallen on hard times.
"Shut up. I'm not a con artist."
The Old Mage couldn't be bothered to waste any more words. He raised his staff and shouted, "Grab it, then say it with me: Shazam."
"Shazam?"
Billy laughed again. He didn't mean anything by it; he just thought the name sounded funny.
The Old Mage's expression darkened further. He shouted, "Grab it and say it with me: Shazam."
Startled by the Old Mage, Billy instinctively grabbed the staff and shouted, "Shazam!"
The instant Billy finished speaking, a bolt of lightning struck him. Then thick black mist billowed out and enveloped him.
The Old Mage held his staff high and shouted, "Speak my name and gain all my power.
Solomon's Wisdom, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the divine power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the