Although he still did not understand what Brad meant by the true past, Shazam watched alongside him with keen interest.
The old Wizard, the previous bearer of the name Shazam, had vanished into the Rock of Eternity after granting Billy his superpowers.
At first, Billy had not cared about the old Wizard's departure-or at least, not all that much.
But after going through so much with the Justice League and truly awakening the innocence and sense of justice unique to a boy his age, Billy desperately wanted to find the old Wizard.
He had never properly thanked him.
Nor had he asked the old Wizard about the experience and wisdom he had accumulated over thousands of years. One of the S's in Shazam stood for the wisdom of Solomon, but Billy knew perfectly well that without knowledge and experience, he could never fully wield that ability.
"I always thought he was like Harry Potter, that he learned extraordinary abilities at some magic academy long ago and then passed them on to me."
Shazam watched the young Wizard's arduous steps with complicated feelings, as though the regret in his heart was beginning to fade.
"It turns out he started with nothing, too-in circumstances even worse than mine, actually. I really admire him for that."
"He did far more than you imagine."
Brad spoke calmly.
"Keep watching."
The Wizard had not always been a wizard.
His birth name was Jebediah.
He was born in Canaan. According to the Bible, Canaan was a descendant of Noah. Thanks to Noah's achievement in building Noah's Ark, Canaan, as a descendant of that savior, naturally became a great man as well.
He could have used that unparalleled reputation and lineage to crown himself king, but Canaan had not done so.
He found a small but exceptionally