"Barry, no!"
Rachel heard Superman's shout and could feel everything around her trembling violently.
The blue figure flashing across the sky moved incredibly fast. Rachel recognized him—the one television always claimed could save any disaster in time.
Clearly, the world's understanding of speedsters was far too shallow.
A spray of bright blood congealed in the air, like a peony frozen in time.
After the golden and red lightning exploded, everything began moving again. Rachel only saw Shane's figure fly away.
"No."
The Girl stumbled toward Shane. Her mind had gone blank, but the surging emotions that were about to tear magic apart had already built up like a mountain flood before a dam burst.
Several cracks glowing with red light faintly opened across Rachel's forehead. Trigon's power was about to break free.
But a voice broke into Rachel's mind in time.
The voice was bizarre, as though someone were deliberately pressing a massage gun against their throat while holding an electric-voice modulator to their lips.
"He's fine."
Sure enough, Shane sat up from the ground with a thud. His chest was a bloody mess, but it was obvious that the blow originally aimed at his heart had been deflected.
It had only torn Shane's clothes and left a horizontal bloodstain.
"Rachel!"
Shane grabbed Rachel as she rushed toward him. Seeing the additional pairs of eyes about to open on the Girl's forehead, he hurriedly spoke.
"Control your emotions first. If you release it now, this Earth will become completely uninhabitable."
Only after Rachel began closing her eyes and working to calm herself did Shane have time to look over the scene.
Just as the Flash—who had tried to kill him without even asking questions—was about to pierce his heart, a force had shoved him aside.
Superman landed with a crash.