"Cough, cough!"
Wonder Woman pressed a hand against her chest as she coughed herself awake.
Her chest felt unbearably heavy, every breath sent pain through her body, and her head pounded as though it might split apart.
Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself in the familiar lounge of the Justice Society headquarters.
Barefoot, she climbed out of bed and carefully took a few steps.
Her entire body still ached, but the pain had eased considerably.
At least every breath no longer felt like shards of broken glass scraping her throat.
So... they had survived.
She rubbed her aching forehead, trying to remember what had happened.
The last thing she recalled was an overwhelming burst of blinding energy before everything went dark.
After that, there was only emptiness.
She searched her memories for anything she might have missed.
Click.
The door opened.
Adrian stepped into the room.
"You're awake, Diana."
The moment she saw him standing there alive and unharmed, the tension she had unknowingly carried melted away.
A bright smile spread across her face.
"This is the best news I've received today."
Ignoring her injuries, Diana hurried over and took both of Adrian's hands.
"You're safe, Adrian. Nothing could make me happier."
"Is that so?"
Seeing her genuine relief, the coldness in Adrian's expression softened slightly.
"I'm sorry."
For the first time, he apologized to her.
"I knocked you unconscious without your permission."
He paused before adding,
"If the same situation happened again, I'd make the same choice."
Although he apologized, there was very little regret in his expression.
Wonder Woman simply smiled helplessly and shook her head.
"I know exactly what kind of man you are."
"If I were going to hate you for decisions like that, or resent you, or direct my anger at you, I never would have stayed by your side all this time."
She turned toward the window.
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, filling the room with a comforting warmth.
It was already well into the morning.
"But..."
Her tone became more serious.
"I don't want this to happen again."
"If you ever decide to knock me out like that another time, believe me, I won't hesitate to use the Vulcan Sword on you."
Like Adrian, she understood his reasoning.
Like Adrian, her expression showed she wasn't entirely pleased with it.
After a brief silence, Adrian spoke again.
"Even so..."
"Thank you."
Wonder Woman blinked.
"Thank me?"
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"You don't seem like the type of man who says things like that."
"I'm not a machine with a fixed personality."
Adrian replied evenly.
"Why wouldn't I say it?"
He looked toward the rising sun outside.
"My vision allows me to see almost anything I choose."
"I also heard everything."
"What you and Black Canary said during the battle."
"What you truly felt."
"I saw it all."
Wonder Woman smiled faintly.
"So what I said was just emotional nonsense brought on by adrenaline?"
For Diana, expressing love had never come easily.
She had always shown her feelings through actions instead of words.
"It doesn't matter."
Adrian's gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"I've already seen your heart."
"That's enough."
Feeling the sincerity behind his words, Diana tightened her grip on his hand.
After a quiet moment, Adrian continued.
"I made a serious mistake."
His expression became solemn.
"Batman made me believe everything had become personal."
"I allowed that distraction to cloud my judgment."
"If I hadn't focused so much on him, I would've discovered Trigon and Trickster long before they infiltrated everything."
He looked directly at her.
"My arrogance allowed you to get hurt."
"So... I'm sorry, Diana."
Wonder Woman gently shook her head.
"You couldn't have known."
"You don't need to apologize."
"No."
Adrian disagreed.
"If I truly wanted to know, I would've known."
"I convinced myself everything was under control."
"I believed no one could challenge me."
"The truth proved otherwise."
"I'm not a god."
"I'm neither omniscient nor omnipotent."
Unlike almost everyone else, Adrian never hid his true thoughts from Diana.
She and Rachel were among the very few people he trusted completely.
After spending decades together within the psychic world, they understood one another better than anyone else.
Wonder Woman looked at him with quiet determination.
"You're always harder on yourself than anyone else ever could be."
"If someone else had stood where you stood, they wouldn't have done any better."
She smiled warmly.
"We created a world without war."
"That's what we've been fighting for."
"And for that dream..."
"I'm willing to bleed."
"I'm willing to sacrifice everything."
She gently cupped Adrian's face.
"So don't apologize to me simply because this path required bloodshed."
"I won't accept that apology."
Her thumb lightly brushed his cheek.
"You're always carrying the weight of the world."
"Sometimes..."
"It's alright to allow yourself to dream."
"Dream..."
Adrian quietly repeated the word.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"I've already spent enough time inside dreams."
"I've seen countless possibilities."
His expression quickly hardened once more.
"Now it's time to deal with the magical community."
"They've become far too comfortable."
"I'll remind them to stay in line."
A dangerous light flashed in his eyes.
Constantine's schemes had only deepened Adrian's distrust of the world's sorcerers.
This time, he intended to make sure they understood the consequences.
...
Winters Manor.
Georgetown, Maryland.
Baron Winters quietly watched the flames dancing inside the fireplace.
The fire shifted unnaturally, slowly taking the shapes of two figures.
Rachel.
And Adrian.
The Baron narrowed his eyes slightly.
Someone of his experience had naturally sensed the battle against Trigon and Trickster.
True to his cautious nature, however, he had remained nothing more than a spectator.
The crimson flames illuminated his refined, middle-aged features.
Time seemed almost unable to touch him.
Leaning on his cane, he looked toward the large black panther resting beside the fireplace.
"I'm not blind, Merlin."
"Of course I saw it."
"Rachel sealed Trigon inside another dimension."
"He'll never return."
Merlin lazily yawned before resting his head on his favorite cushion.
The warmth of the fireplace suited him perfectly.
"It would've been better if the cushion were even closer."
The Baron chuckled.
"Adrian's strength continues to grow."
"His mind has become nearly impossible to penetrate."
"It's been tempered into something frightening."
"If Batman ever hopes to attack him mentally again, he'll fail."
He leaned closer to Merlin as though listening to the panther's reply.
Merlin merely stared back with a blank expression.
"Cough... cough..."
"There are very few people left capable of stopping him."
"With Superman and Rachel standing beside him, Adrian now possesses enough power to plunge this world into endless chaos."
He looked toward Rachel's image in the fire.
"And that girl..."
"She's exactly why I've never trusted those who claim complete selflessness."
Baron Winters had known Rachel since she was a child.
He had watched her grow up.
Yet seeing her seal Trigon filled him with unease.
The little girl who once wandered happily through his manor no longer existed.
She had become someone capable of making even him wary.
He intended to prepare for what might come.
As always, however, he had no intention of personally taking unnecessary risks.
"They're always determined to do what they believe is right."
"Never what is necessary."
He tapped the fire with his cane, enlarging Rachel's fiery silhouette.
"Rachel frightens me now."
"Can you see it, Merlin?"
"Within her..."
"Good and evil exist together in perfect balance."
"What an astonishing contradiction."
The flames reflected across both their faces.
"Our duty, Merlin, is preserving the fragile balance between light and darkness."
"But if the darkness inside Rachel ever escapes..."
He sighed.
"Combined with Adrian's strength..."
"They could destroy this world countless times over."
"I knew this possibility existed from the day she was born."
"I simply hoped it would never happen."
"I wanted her to live an ordinary, peaceful life."
"But fate had other plans."
With another movement of his cane, the fiery images dissolved into shapeless flames.
"I no longer understand the girl who carries both angelic kindness and demonic power."
"Nor do I understand the man who walks like an omen of catastrophe."
"Perhaps neither I nor anyone else will ever extinguish the fire surrounding them."
Baron Winters walked toward a bookshelf and removed an ancient volume.
Merlin followed close behind.
"Don't look at me like that."
"I have no desire to become their enemy."
Opening the book, he skimmed several pages.
"There are deaths I can ignore."
"And there are deaths that concern me deeply."
"This time..."
"I'm very concerned."
"But I won't interfere with a course that's already been set."
Closing the book, he smiled thoughtfully.
"It's time to gather a few powerful sorcerers."
...
Not long afterward, an unexpected guest arrived.
Traci Thirteen landed gracefully in the manor courtyard.
She wore her hair in a ponytail, along with a fitted yellow tank top and high-top sneakers.
"Traci."
The Baron's voice echoed from inside.
"The door's unlocked. Come in."
"It took quite some effort to find you."
She entered without enthusiasm.
"My father told me never to trust you."
"He says you never tell the truth."
The Baron smiled.
"No."
"Your father simply lacks perspective."
"I always consider the bigger picture."
He absentmindedly stroked Merlin's head.
"Relax."
"He doesn't bite."
After confirming the panther remained perfectly calm, Traci relaxed slightly.
"My father also says your lies are painfully obvious."
The Baron sighed dramatically.
"Did he really have to phrase it like that?"
He tapped his cane against the floor.
"Enough about your father."
"I'm interested in you."
Walking toward the sitting room, he continued,
"You're a gifted mystic."
"And I happen to need one."
Taking his seat, his familiar calculating smile returned.
"I heard your father refuses to believe in magic."
"Thanksgiving dinner must've been awkward."
Yesterday had been Thanksgiving, and he clearly found the thought amusing.
Traci folded her arms.
"Can you just get to the point?"
"Very well."
"Ancient forces have awakened."
"The entire magical world faces an unprecedented crisis."
"And I believe you're the only one capable of stopping it."
The truth was, he had already given the same speech to several others.
"We should work together."
"You and I."
"We can prevent what's coming."
His expression appeared completely sincere.
Traci glanced toward Merlin, who was lazily yawning nearby.
"You know..."
"If nobody had warned me about you..."
"I might've believed you."
"My father and I disagree on almost everything."
"But he's never wrong about people."
"Location Shift."
Pink magical energy blossomed around her.
The air rippled as space itself distorted.
Streams of magic wrapped around her body.
"So..."
"Goodbye for now, Baron."
She disappeared into the glowing portal.
Watching her leave, the Baron merely sighed.
"That went better than expected."
He showed surprisingly little disappointment.
"Next..."
"The Air Elementalist."
"Skylar."
...
Not long afterward, Skylar appeared before him.
She had been visiting a museum near Justice Society headquarters, secretly hoping she might run into her idol, Adrian.
Skylar came from Central City.
Only recently, she had watched the Flash chasing a mysterious speedster through the city.
Dressed in a light blue jacket, with long blonde hair flowing behind her, she looked both graceful and shy.
"You really think I'm the only one who can stop something like this?"
She covered her mouth in surprise.
Unlike the outspoken Traci, Skylar was naturally timid.
"You're an Air Elemental."
The Baron smiled.
"With proper training, your potential will be extraordinary."
"It sounds amazing..."
Skylar nervously adjusted her jacket.
"But... could I think about it first?"
To her, saving the world was a superhero's responsibility.
Besides, the world hardly seemed to need more heroes anymore.
She was simply an ordinary girl who could create powerful winds.
That hardly made her special.
Picking up her jacket, she headed toward the door.
"I'll think about it."
The Baron escorted her outside.
"Don't keep me waiting too long."
"I'm running out of time."
A gust of wind lifted Skylar into the sky.
"I promise."
"Thank you, Baron."
"It really is an incredible offer."
He watched until she disappeared into the distance.
Turning back toward Merlin, he smiled knowingly.
"Don't worry."
"I think she'll eventually agree."
"Besides her..."
"There's Traci."
"Red Devil."
"And several others."
Merlin responded with a doubtful rumble.
The Baron chuckled.
"Of course I know most of them won't join."
"But that's not the point."
"I've already given them a choice."