After Diana agreed to help him, Arthur wasted no ti. With his muscles still tense from the recent fall and his senses sharpened, he sprinted through the dense vegetation of the island, searching for a hiding place that would shield him from the keen eyes of the warrior won who would certainly be coming after him. His steps were light, almost silent, like those of a hunter fleeing from predators. But at that mont, he was the prey.
Just a few minutes later, as Diana had predicted, a group of Amazons appeared. They rode at full gallop, mounted on beautiful horses, ard with spears, bows and arrows, and swords. Their faces were marked by determination, and their watchful eyes scanned every inch of terrain with precision. They weren’t here to play. They were in combat mode.
At the front of the group rode Antiope, the imposing general of Themyscira. Sister to Queen Hippolyta and Diana’s aunt, she was known for her unshakable courage and firm leadership. Her upright posture on horseback conveyed authority, and her eyes, even in silence, demanded answers.
"Diana, where is the intruder?" Her voice was firm, yet controlled. She didn’t yell. She didn’t need to. Her presence alone was enough to make any Amazon fall in line.
Diana kept her expression serene, as always. No trembling, no hesitation. She knew she couldn’t reveal the truth, even if it put her in a delicate position.
"I don’t know," she replied calmly. "I ran here the mont I saw that phenonon in the sky, but when I arrived, there was nothing. No sign of anyone."
Antiope studied her for a mont longer than necessary. She trusted Diana. Deeply. Her niece wasn’t the type to lie—especially to her. Still, the situation was unusual, and her military instincts told her there was more going on than Diana let on.
Turning to the calm sea ahead, Antiope maintained her stern expression and piercing gaze. The ocean breeze swayed her battle cloak, but nothing in her posture seed relaxed.
"Return to your posts and remain on high alert," she ordered without taking her eyes off the horizon. "Send patrols to scour every corner of the island. If he’s still here, we’ll find him."
The Amazons around her nodded in silence and quickly dispersed to carry out the orders.
Antiope then turned her attention back to Diana, dismounting with agility and grace. She approached her niece with a faint, nearly imperceptible smile on her stern face.
"Diana, why didn’t you co to training today?" she asked in a tone that mixed mild reproach with genuine concern.
Diana averted her eyes, gazing at the sea with a contemplative air. Her long hair was lifted by the gentle wind, and she brushed it back with one hand before answering.
"I just wanted a mont to walk alone... to breathe a little." Her voice was calm, but carried sothing more. A contained lancholy.
Antiope sighed. It wasn’t just an excuse—she knew that. There was sothing else weighing on her niece’s shoulders. Sothing Diana herself perhaps couldn’t fully explain.
"Diana... this is for your own good too," the general murmured, more to herself than to the girl. Her niece was strong, but still young. And that world that would inevitably call out to her one day... was cruel.
But she quickly brushed those thoughts aside. There was a more imdiate threat to consider.
"Changing the subject," she said, straightening up, "where exactly were you when the intruder appeared?"
"I was walking along the southern cliffs," Diana replied promptly. "When I saw what looked like a body falling into the sea, I ran here. But since then, there’s been no sign."
"Could he have drowned...?" Antiope wondered aloud, looking once more at the vastness of the sea. But she soon shook her head, as if refusing to accept such a simple conclusion.
"No. That’s impossible. Soone who managed to breach the barrier without Hippolyta noticing... wouldn’t die so easily."
The magical barrier that protected Themyscira from the outside world was ancient, created by gods, and unbreakable—or so they believed. For countless centuries, this protection had kept the island safe, invisible, untouched.
Whenever soone crossed it, Hippolyta was always the first to know. But this ti... everything had been different.
They had only realized sothing had happened because of the anomalous glow in the sky and the shadow that plumted into the ocean. Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, the intruder could have walked freely through Themyscira undetected. A thought that chilled Antiope to the bone.
"Diana, I need to inform your mother about this," she finally said. Her voice now held a tenser, more urgent tone. "Stay vigilant. If anything unusual happens, alert imdiately."
She returned to her horse, mounted with confidence, and rode off without another word, heading toward Hippolyta’s castle with the seriousness of soone who sensed a storm on the horizon.
Diana watched her go until the figure disappeared among the trees. When she was sure no one else was around, she looked around one last ti and, in silent steps, headed in the direction Arthur had fled.
---
"This place should do... for now," Arthur murmured to himself as he found a hidden cave among Themyscira’s rocky formations.
He approached cautiously, examining the dark interior. It wasn’t large—the ceiling was low, the floor damp and covered by a thin layer of sand and moss. The air inside was dense, with a strong sll of salt and wet earth. Definitely not comfortable... but it offered shade, shelter, and for now, safety.
Arthur let out a tired sigh, resting one hand against the cave wall. His body still ached from the fall and the impact of the journey.
As for basic needs—water, food, dry clothes—he’d have to rely on Diana for now. And that bothered him. He didn’t like the idea of depending on anyone, especially soone he barely knew. But she was his only ally in this world.
And deep down, Arthur knew: it was only a matter of ti before he was discovered. Themyscira was an island guarded by warriors trained since birth. If Diana stopped believing in him, or if one of them found him first, his stay here would co to a violent end.
"So this is where you were."
The soft yet firm voice ca from behind him. Arthur turned instinctively, his muscles tightening in reflex. Diana stood there, at the entrance of the cave, arms crossed, her curious eyes watching him closely.
"Are you sure you want to hide in such a simple place?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "All the Amazons already know there’s an intruder on Themyscira. Sooner or later, they’ll find you."
Arthur remained silent for a mont, staring at the woman before him. She seed genuinely concerned about him—which surprised him. They had barely spoken, and yet she cared. Why?
Diana couldn’t explain it either. There was sothing about Arthur that stirred a strange sense of trust and... connection within her. Even without knowing his na or his story, she felt he wasn’t a threat. And that unsettled her.
"Thanks for the concern," he replied with a faint, tired smile. "But I don’t plan to stay here long. I want to leave as soon as I can."
As he spoke, Arthur looked away. The Space Stone was still inside him—he could feel its presence, but it was like trying to touch sothing invisible. He didn’t feel power, didn’t feel energy... just a void. As if it were sealed or dormant.
"In the anti... can I ask you a favor?" He gestured to his torn and soaked clothes. "As you can see, I’m... not exactly well-equipped. Clothes, water, food... anything would help."
"Of course," Diana said with a light nod. "But before that, I need you to tell one thing."
Arthur looked at her, confused. What did she want in return? Information? Confessions? A vow?
"Your na." She smiled—a gentle, almost innocent smile that caught Arthur completely off guard. "What’s your na?"
He blinked, surprised. That... wasn’t what he expected. But it was adorable.
(That was surprisingly cute...) he thought, letting out a short laugh.
"Fair enough. Let introduce myself properly," Arthur said, giving a slight, theatrical bow. "My na is Arthur Morgan."
Diana laughed too—a light, sincere sound—and tried to mimic his bow, though a bit clumsily. "Nice to et you, Arthur. I’m Diana."
Arthur chuckled again and, with the mood lighter, stepped out of the cave to look for firewood. Even though he knew he wouldn’t catch a cold easily, the damp chill was starting to bother him. And his clothes... what was left of them, made it worse.
Not long after, he lit a small fire inside the cave, making sure the smoke exited through a natural opening in the ceiling.
Seated by the flas, the two talked for quite a while. Diana was chard by Arthur’s stories.
"You’re the most entertaining person I’ve ever t," she said with a radiant smile. "I’m glad I decided to help you."
"Ahh~ Ti to head back..." she stretched, raising her arms above her head before standing.
"I’ll bring you what you asked for later, okay?" she said, pausing at the cave’s entrance and giving Arthur one last look.
"See you later, Diana," he replied with a wave and a genuine smile.
As soon as she disappeared among the trees, Arthur’s smile faded. He lay down on the cold cave floor, eyes fixed on the rocky ceiling.
"Lost in another world again... what a shitty situation," he muttered, covering his eyes with his arm.
Several minutes passed before he moved again. With a sigh, he took off the upper part of his clothing and laid it near the fire to dry. Then he sat down and tried once more to feel the Space Stone within him.
"There has to be a way... This thing brought here. There has to be sothing I can do..."
But again, nothing. No sign of energy, no response.
Until suddenly, a mory surfaced in his mind.
"Wait... I rember reading sowhere... Infinity Stones don’t work outside their original universes..."
The silence that followed was sharp.
"That’s not a good sign... and this thing..." he looked down at his chest, where a strange insignia had ford.
"What the hell is this? What does this thing do?" he asked in a low, alard voice.
Then, almost on impulse, Arthur tried to shift into his monstrous form. But as soon as he did—
"GAAAHHH!!" A scream of pain tore through the night.
His body was instantly wrapped in black chains, ford from energy that pulsed with agony. They bound him, compressed him, and prevented any transformation. Bolts of darkness pierced his skin as if trying to tear him apart from the inside out.
"ARRRGHHH!! DAMN IT!" he scread, collapsing to his knees, panting, sweating, completely defeated.
The pain vanished as suddenly as it had co. But it left behind a weary, weakened body and a mind even more full of questions.
"Ugh... ngh... T-this just makes things... even worse..."
Arthur fell onto his back, breathless, staring at the ceiling as if expecting an answer from the universe itself.
None ca.
Only the crackling fire and the distant sound of the sea.
"Gwen... Jean... I might take a while to return..."
"Being in the DC Universe with just my human strength is gonna suck..."
---
(End of Chapter)
I intend to return with the normal updates, guys, but don’t be surprised if I end up not posting anything for a day, a lot is happening lately. Also, I’ve noticed that my immunity is low; I am getting sick very easily.
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain , try to throw those pathetic power stones at . Let’s see if even your insolence can amuse a king."
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