About two years have passed since the last events with The Spear of Destiny occurred. It seemed that the world didn’t change, that it remained the same as it was before: stormy, crazy, ambitious, but practically imperceptible changes, like wormholes, changed it, grain by grain, second by second. Nobody understood what was going on. Some of the first to feel the wind of change were two implacable enemies. One of them could not forgive the murder of his friends when his opponent just wanted to get rid of him. Their struggle periodically spilled out in the form of scandals and investigations on the front pages of newspapers, it was tirelessly discussed on the web. They were John Constantine and Balthazar.
John was still a middle-aged bachelor who rented a spacious one-room apartment in North Hollywood. On the one hand, it was the city’s outskirts, but there were many calls since not the most prosperous families lived here. Arriving at the calls without standing in traffic jams under the scorching sun looks like a definite pro for John. Another reason was that he had exactly the needed amount of money to pay rent, buy food, clothes, and very rarely for drinks. Not far from his house, almost a few blocks away, there was his favorite pizzeria: Miro SRO Pizza (New York Style Pizza & Pies), in which pizzaiolos from New York City prepared the “real and unique” pizza of the Big City. He knew it was a lie, and the guys had only recently arrived from Mexico and lived in the same block as John, but their pizza was quite decent, and most importantly, he was given loans if needed.
John practically didn’t change in appearance: he was of medium build, his face was decorated not only with a scar but also with one-week stubble. Nervous work added a little gray hair to him … although, in truth, his face’s skin became healthy in color: refusal from smoking made itself felt. His character, habits, and style of behavior remained unchanged, and in his actions, he didn’t seek any new motivation other than helping common people.