Zatanna has discovered a tree that seems to be the source of magic where she is, and within it a door that may be her escape route. Madame Xanadu, Deadman and Black Orchid are trapped in a hall of mirrors, and dividing into their reflected selves. Madame Xanadu is able to snare their real bodies before they shatter, carrying them to what she calls a zone of "No Time". There they meet Arif, the Lord of Now, and his subjects. He leads them to his palace and shows them something he calls the Beyond Beyond, a ribbon of darkness where nothing exists. He has forbidden his people to go there, and as he now consideres the three Justice League Dark members his people, they are also forbidden. Arif says they should regard Now as a paradise, not a trap. As he guides Madame Xanadu away, Deadman and Orchid decide to investigate but are stopped before the Beyond Beyond by its guardian, Makkaria. She and Black Orchid fight, but Deadman draws their attention to a peril. Elsewhere, Zatanna mediates, trying to reach the mind within the tree. In the Now, Arif asks Xanadu to share something of life where time passes, and she kisses him. Almost instantly, he ages and dies, but he has known the glory of transience, and asks her not to weep for him. She ponders this, only distracted by the black ribbon of the Beyond Beyond, now approaching!