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Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of Chaotic Good
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Published:
2021-12-31
Updated:
2025-01-07
Words:
13,560
Chapters:
6/?
Comments:
115
Kudos:
325
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4,447

Chaos Contained

Summary:

A chaotic what-if that turns Earth-16 upside down before the events of Young Justice Season 2. In the midst of what should have been another petty battle, Klarion is struck down by a powerful curse that leaves him stranded on the mortal plane—and squarely in Justice League custody. They believe he could be the key to dismantling the Light once and for all. Klarion just wants his magic back. With the help of his familiar, an old nemesis from his fractured past, and unlikely friends, he must work alongside the heroes he once despised to navigate his current state of mortality and uncover the impossible nature of his defeat. A new bargain is struck: betray the Light and his long-standing alliance with Vandal Savage in exchange for his freedom and the return of his powers. Klarion can’t, won’t, be contained, but is his acceptance an act of Chaos or cowardice?

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Is That the Best You Can Do?

Chapter Text

ROANOKE ISLAND

JUNE 9, 13:04 EST

TEAM YEAR 4

Klarion cackled as members of the Justice League scattered in the face of his attack. The clearing was rife with chaos as his army of sentient trees wrought destruction and splinters upon the unfortunate heroes. “Look at them run, Teekl!” he said. “Isn’t this great?”

“Mreow.” She batted halfheartedly at the growing pile of projectiles-turned-cat-toys beside her. A green ball of yarn—one of the archer’s arrows—tumbled loose. She let it roll away. Klarion could sense her skepticism through their bond. We should leave now while we’re ahead, Master. This distraction has already surpassed The Light’s initial request.

“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss.” He summoned more trees from the surrounding woods and delighted at the alarmed shouts of his enemies. “In case you haven’t noticed, I knocked Nabu out of the game. We’re winning.” Teekl looked up from her mountain of toys and fixed him with a blank stare.

Klarion glared back. “Don’t give me that look. You just don’t want to believe that my plans are working for once, and that the other villains will finally appreciate what I’m capable of. I know Poison Ivy will love to hear about how my army of trees took down the Justice League.”

CRACK! They looked up in time to see Wonder Woman cleave a massive tree in two with her sword. It toppled to the ground in splintered halves, incognizant once more. Klarion winced.

Teekl’s amber eyes glinted with mirth. I’m sure the plant woman will be thrilled at how you destroyed one of her precious forests.

“Shut up, you stupid cat.” He picked up the errant ball of yarn and tossed it in the air before catching it again. “If you’re not going to be supportive, why don’t you make yourself useful and return this to Green Arrow instead. He needs it more than you do.”

I don’t think he has much use for his weapon when it looks like that, Teekl remarked, sullen at the possibility of having her abandoned plaything taken away.

“Maybe he can use it to craft a better costume after you rip his to shreds.” Klarion dropped the ball of yarn and transformed Teekl into her terrifying, Horigal-sized form with a wave of his hand. Her hiss of discontent lowered to a menacing growl as she grew.

“Hey! Save that for the heroes. Since you don’t want to play anymore, you can help me wrap this up.” With a final, scorn-filled look sent in her master’s direction, Teekl stalked into the fray.

Klarion rolled his eyes at his familiar’s dramatics and returned his attention to the fight. Everything was going very well. Why should he stop now? The heroes were still struggling to regroup, and Teekl’s presence brought even more chaos to the violent disarray. He cheered as she swatted her attackers across the clearing with her giant paws. Her mood seemed to have improved significantly. His wretched soul drank it all up—the fear, the despair, the turmoil—but he still craved more. He started pondering more spells to crank things up a notch. Fire? Serpents? Fiery serpents?

Suddenly, a wave of frantic worry crashed through the bond. MASTER, WATCH OUT!

Something was sailing through the air at an alarming speed. He lifted his arms with inhuman dexterity and quickness to conjure a wall of glowing red energy and— “Ouch!” Klarion’s gaze darted from the crack in his mystic shield to the dagger now partially embedded in his torso.

Are you alright, Master?

“Everything’s fine, Teekl,” he said. With an irritated huff, he raised a hand to vanish the pointless, albeit pointed, distraction and reinforce his defenses. How had the simple weapon even breached them in the first place? The slight sting of pain was nothing more than a quiet echo of discomfort in the manifestation of his physical form, buried under the layers of complex magic that had transformed him from a mere witch boy into a being of pure chaos. Stupid heroes. What part of fighting an immortal evil sorcerer didn’t they understand?

His shield flickered as it umbrellaed into the shape of a dome around him. However, the dagger stubbornly remained. He tried to vanish it again by mumbling the incantation under his breath, feeling angry and embarrassed about having to resort to verbal magic. Still nothing. Or rather: still something. The dumb dagger refused to disappear. Klarion’s annoyance morphed into uneasy confusion, but he didn’t have time to ponder it further as he faced a renewed onslaught of attacks from Wonder Woman.

She was stronger than the others, yet her sword clanged uselessly against the dome’s surface. “Surrender, Klarion!” she shouted. “You won’t be able to keep this up forever!”

He rolled his eyes. “Why would I do that? I’m having so much fun! Aren’t you?”

BAM! A blast of chaos magic sent her tumbling backward. He grinned as she struggled to get back to her feet, but it twisted into a scowl when Doctor Fate rejoined the fight. He should have known that the old fart wouldn’t stay down for long. Nabu always had to ruin everything. Each strike of the Amazonian’s blade was now followed by a concentrated burst of golden light. Klarion continued to draw strength from the endless well of his chaos magic. The dome wavered slightly under the power of his enemies’ combined attacks, but the defensive spell remained intact.

He spared a glance at the rest of the clearing. The other heroes had stopped running in circles and were starting to triumph over the thinning army of trees. It appeared as if his source of entertainment for the afternoon was quickly coming to an end. Oh, well. Teekl had been right; the distraction had served its purpose. Soon, the Light would be ready to emerge from the shadows once more. Chaos would be soon to follow.

He paused when he spotted the whiny spawn of Fate’s current host several yards away. A massive pile of splintered wood and charred foliage lay scattered around her. She had fallen to her knees, too weak to remain standing. Their eyes met. He realized that the little witch had already been watching him. Her gaze held the same urgent determination from when she had foolishly donned the Helmet a few years ago and spoiled his fun. Something about it nagged at him. He made a face at her, letting his features shift into the fanged, red-eyed visage of the Chaos entity channeling through him, and moved on. It was time to collect his familiar and leave.

The dome around him sparked. Oh, right. He was still being attacked. Klarion used his magic to form a glowing red fist and sent Nabu careening into Wonder Woman. They sailed through the air before landing with a heavy thud at the edge of the clearing. That should give him enough time to make his escape. He looked down at the dagger once more, having nearly forgotten that it was still there, and decided he would deal with the embarrassment of struggling to remove it later once he was away from prying eyes. “Teekl!” Klarion called. “Playtime’s over.”

“Mreow.” Teekl, relishing in the power of her mighty Horigal-sized form, leapt from her perch atop Green Arrow’s chest and sought out her master. The archer groaned in pain and rolled onto his side. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

Klarion transformed her back into her pet-sized shape as she approached him. He began to open a portal, but she interrupted him. Master, something doesn’t feel right.

Then, he sensed it.

The unknown spell, triggered by his attempted escape, acted quickly; powerful magic wrenched Klarion’s tentative hold on reality from his grasp and turned it to quicksand, rooting him firmly in place on the mortal plane. Time slowed to a crawl. Klarion looked down. The dagger glowed. As if wielded by an invisible hand, it plunged even deeper and twisted. And twisted. Once. Twice. Thrice. Then, the tool of his destruction shimmered and disappeared into thin air. Klarion gasped as he clutched his stomach—a strangled, wet sound—and fell to his knees.

It had been a long time since Klarion last felt anything resembling fear. Then again, it had been a long time since anyone had made him bleed, either. Now imprisoned in a physical body for the first time since his recruitment to the Lords of Chaos, he felt it. He felt all of it. The pain was like fire as it scorched his senses. His chest burned as he gasped for air and stuttered it back out. Over the rushing in his ears, he could hear his shield shatter and dissipate. It sounded like fireworks.

Klarion’s hands shook as they pressed against the wound. Blood gushed between his fingers. He could feel his magic weaken as it tried and failed to stitch him back together. Was this what dying felt like? He couldn’t remember. He wanted to run away across time and space, far away from here. He wanted Teekl.

Blood and bile rose in his throat. It was all too much. The taste of iron flooded his mouth and he gagged as it bubbled on his lips and dribbled down his chin. He retched until he couldn’t hold himself up anymore. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and trailed down his cheeks as he lay in the grass, burning, unable to move.

There was shouting in the distance. Teekl called for him through the bond, and she was afraid. A pained yowl sounded off to the side, and the bond grew quiet. Klarion jerked his head toward the noise and his vision tunneled. He shivered as another wave of nausea rolled through him. They had his cat. They were going to kill his familiar to banish him from the mortal plane. He needed… he needed to get to her. He gritted his teeth and used his arms to push himself forward, only to let out a sob as he fell back against the ground, white hot pain ricocheting through his entire body like a game of pin ball.

“Klarion,” a voice said. Nabu. “Order has been restored. You are henceforth under the custody of the Justice League.” There was a brilliant flash of golden light. The world around him blurred and echoed as his vision went dark around the edges. The darkness closed in. Then, nothing.