| Synopsis | - In Hell, an invading army is facing a defensive action by the demonic soldiers. The situation is dire for the defenders - they are ordered to mount a "blood front", no quarter given, no surrender acceptable. The invaders gather up the damned souls of Hell - but, much to the shock of the damned, the invaders have an apparently benign motive. They are directed to an auditorium, where the leaders of the invasion, Lord Satanus of Purgatory and his sister Lady Blaze, state their claim - they are returning hop to the damned souls of Hell; the hope of reduced sentence and of penance paid. They are gaining ground.
In the centre of Hellish power, Neron is receiving the information. His forces are being pushed back, but his commanders are confident of victory. However, the message of hope is troubling - the damned outnumber the demons by millions to one, and if the message of hope spreads, this majority could win Lord Satanus the war. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Neron demands his greatest follower, Lilith the Mother of Monsters, to call her children back from Hell.
The war has reached the ears of the Telestic Council too, and they have sent Zauriel to meet with their agent in Hell - the late Giovanni Zatara, deep undercover in the Gull. He believes that once news of the war spreads to human mages, they will "vote their consciences", so to speak and select a side. The Council has its own plans.
In Gotham City, the Shadowpact is executing a strike against Linda Danvers, the former Earthbound Angel of Fire. In the middle of the battle, Danvers is teleported away and the Enchantress loses her ability to cast spells. The damned are being called home, as around the world vampires lose their power, demons are cut loose from their moorings and dragged back into the Netherworld, as Black Alice cannot use her powers and Red Devil is struck with intense nausea. The War is beginning...
- In Central City, Richard Occult notes that his mere presence has destroyed his current neighborhood within six months. With the loss of his neighbors, his human contact has been reduced to his few friends and his fewer clients - and Gladys, his receptionist, who has been dead for ten years but returned to life as a zombie to continue her job.
In his office, he is greeted by the late Ralph and Sue Dibny, the Ghost Detectives. He initially takes umbrage at their visit since they are more widely known than he. However, they have come with the news: the war in Hell has begun in earnest. As it spreads, living mages will be recruited by both sides. The Telestic Council, a group of mages, believe that they can stop the war with the Unspoken Invocation. It can stop hell if uttered within its confines - but none bound to Hell can utter it. The Telestic Council hopes to recruit Doctor Occult for this purpose.
Left by his guests, Occult ponders his past. Raised with Rose Psychic by a cult known only as the Seven, they had mastered enough magic by the time they ran away that they were able to set up a consultancy" in new York, dealing with occult goings-on and monsters. During their first few years, they met Giovanni Zatara, who gave Richard the sobriquet "Doctor Occult" which Richard regrets to this day.
Rose and he stopped aging during the forties, but Rose was killed by a cloud of bizarre monsters soon after, leaving Richard to carry on alone. He ponders his next move and a woman's face within the Orb of the Seven appears to him. He remarks that, if he is going to Hell he will require a guide. A vision of a young woman with a star head-dress appears before him, and Doctor Occult agrees to set out in earnest.
|
