73: Fierce Learning
BOOM!
It was like a dozen thunders rumbling across the earth. Whether Daniel or Diana, both opened their eyes wide in surprise as they felt the force of the other shake them, coursing through their bodies like endless violent waves.
Even though the clash lasted only a fraction of a second before they were forced to step back and return to the ground, for beings like them, capable of perceiving the world at unimaginable speeds, it might as well have been an intense confrontation of several minutes from which neither emerged as the victor.
'She's stronger than I expected,' Daniel thought with a trace of astonishment.
While, thanks to his meta-knowledge, he knew she was powerful, he hadn't imagined it would be to this extent. He didn't know how much of her true strength Diana had just used, since she had undoubtedly held back, just as he had, given that neither of them sought to kill or gravely injure the other.
But even that small display was enough to make him start reassessing her threat level.
'Unconsciously I thought she'd be weaker than Carol, but I didn't take into account a crucial difference.'
In his memories of his past life, many of the alternate versions of Diana in other universes were 'almost' comparable to Superman, often referred to as the only one capable of standing against him, but never fully reaching the point of being his complete equal.
That had inevitably led him to unconsciously assume that Diana's strength should be slightly below Carol's. But what he felt just now completely contradicted that notion.
'I forgot to take into account the difference in time,' he realized, quickly understanding the problem.
A Kryptonian wasn't strong merely because they were near a yellow star.
Although that closeness undoubtedly helped awaken their hidden abilities and raise them to near-divine heights, there were still other factors that determined the power they obtained from absorbing the star's energy, even among members of the same species.
And among all those factors, without a doubt, the most important and decisive was time.
A Carol under twenty years old, though strong, was still far from being comparable to a Clark in his thirties.
And the woman standing before him was someone who, at the very least, could match that man at his prime.
If not for his recent surge in strength, their brief earlier encounter would surely have ended in a very different way.
As he reflected on this, Daniel glanced around, letting out a slight sigh of relief upon seeing that the training hall was still standing despite everything.
For a moment, he had feared it would collapse, but fortunately, the magical protections seemed fairly reliable… for the most part.
'That shockwave spread too far…' he thought, as he noticed the almost imperceptible cracks that had formed in the ceiling. That worried him somewhat, but he didn't have time to continue inspecting the damage.
Moving purely on instinct, he quickly raised his arm and blocked a punch aimed straight at his face.
BANG!
Daniel's eyes narrowed. With his other hand, he barely managed to catch the second strike before it reached his liver.
The attack was powerful, strong enough to almost send him flying, but Daniel didn't allow it. Using the spatial leverage his power of flight granted him, he neutralized most of the kinetic energy from the impact and held his ground. His feet lifted only a few centimeters before settling back onto the floor.
Then he counterattacked. His leg lashed out like a whip, aiming to drive his knee into her side. However, the Amazon reacted immediately. With a fluid motion, she intercepted the strike with her thigh, blocking it with ease as she once again tried to hit him in the face.
In barely three seconds, dozens of high-speed moves were unleashed. The ground beneath their feet caved in, and the winds around them churned with such force that small tornadoes began to form.
Daniel clenched his teeth as he narrowly dodged another blow that shattered the air, grazing his cheek and sending his hair flying wildly.
'Why the hell does she keep aiming at my face?' he wondered in bafflement as he tried to put some distance between them.
The reason, naturally, was that he could barely keep up with her.
She was simply too good, moving with extraordinary dexterity, with a superhuman grace. Dodging, blocking, and attempting to counterattack was demanding far more from him than he had anticipated. Even though he had already known he would find himself in this situation when he chose to fight, he still couldn't help but feel a certain helplessness.
It didn't help that, with every passing second, she seemed more excited, more frenzied, with a smile spreading ever wider across her face and a fierce gleam intensifying in her eyes.
'This brings back memories,' he thought, and without realizing it, the corners of his lips began to lift.
If anyone asked whether Daniel was an expert in the martial arts, the answer would be, quite simply, no.
In his first life, after graduating from university and beginning his independence as an adult, his contact with combat sports was, for the most part, limited to occasionally watching UFC matches or boxing championships in his free time.
However, that didn't mean he had never participated or trained before. In his teenage years, he had even gotten involved in some semi-official amateur fights, as well as in many others that were far less official.
The reason for that, of course, was his older brother: a true combat fanatic, a lover of extreme sports and adrenaline, who often used him as a punching bag to test his "moves" and train.
From an outside perspective, it might have seemed as though his brother intimidated him; but in reality, Daniel took part willingly, letting himself be dragged into his recklessness and joining him in his craziness, even when it got them into serious trouble almost all the time.
He was the one who had taught him how to defend himself from bullies when they were kids, who encouraged him to push himself despite not having much talent for sports, and who helped him lay the foundations that eventually allowed him to become a more than decent fighter in this new life.
But being more than decent was barely enough when facing a true monster, endowed with abilities and techniques honed over hundreds of years of training.
'It's just like the past,' he thought, right as a punch landed squarely in his abdomen, sending a jolt of pain through his whole body.
The sensation of being on the defensive, of doing everything possible to keep up, of trying not to fall despite feeling completely outmatched…
It was deeply nostalgic.
'But I'm no longer the same.' And, as if to prove it, his body moved with sudden explosiveness.
Before Diana could fully react, he had already closed the short distance between them and driven his fist into her abdomen, in exactly the same way she had struck him just moments earlier.
The thunderous impact made the Amazon bend slightly as the air exploded behind her.
Her excited smile faltered; a grimace of pain flickered across her beautiful features for a brief instant, before she recomposed herself and returned to that almost maniacal expression of joy.
Daniel wondered whether all lovers of combat were born with such a look in their eyes, or if it was something acquired… Though, upon seeing the reflection of his own face in those blue eyes, perhaps it was the latter.
Neither of them spoke; there was no pause. They exchanged only a fleeting glance, and in the very next instant, they were already moving.
Too fast to be perceived with the naked eye, their figures tore across the vast hall from one end to the other in an exchange of blows that grew increasingly ferocious.
Bouncing off the walls, colliding with the pillars, they propelled themselves from impossible angles, tearing through any obstacle in their path as though nothing could stop them.
Their feet barely brushed the ground before leaving it again just as swiftly. In their wake, the faint afterimages they left behind had barely begun to fade when dozens more had already formed all around them.
Cracks spread through the hall like spiderwebs; the terrain itself warped wherever they passed. The protective enchantments barely managed to hold against their constant collisions, the magic sustaining them burning out visibly, until some could no longer mitigate the damage and began to shatter.
Crossing her arms in front of her, Diana skillfully blocked a powerful side kick. Even so, she couldn't avoid being hurled backward violently, flying uncontrollably through the air.
With a sharp twist, she forced her body to readjust mid-flight, managing to land in a crouch. However, the momentum still dragged her back, so without hesitation she leaned down at once and dug her fingers into the ground to halt her retreat. Her hands and feet carved deep trenches into the earth before she finally managed to stop.
She was ready to hurl herself back into the fight, but before she could, her instincts, honed through countless years, screamed at her, making her pupils contract and her skin bristle.
She tried to raise her guard, but it was already too late. The only thing she managed was to grit her teeth and furrow her brows.
BANG!
Daniel's fist sank into her cheek, making her head snap sharply to the side from the force as a crack echoed through her neck. The metallic taste of blood flooded her palate, and a dull pain settled into her jaw.
A blow so devastating, strong enough to bring down even a mountain, would have been more than enough to end any other fight. Yet in this clash, the only thing it accomplished was to quicken Diana's heartbeat and further stoke the flame of her spirit.
How many years had passed since the last time she bled? Since the last time her muscles burned from exertion and sweat drenched her body?
Diana could scarcely remember, as if they were vague images threatening to vanish with the faintest breeze. She had almost come to believe that perhaps she would never feel it again—that she might never again relish the pleasure of battle.
She was so glad to have been wrong.
Her hand shot up swiftly, catching Daniel's wrist between her fingers before he could pull his arm back.
Then she yanked him, dragging him forcefully toward her. He tried to resist, but the distance between them was already too short and, before he could defend himself, Diana had already slammed her head against his.
CRACK!
For a moment Daniel felt his vision blur, teetering between reality and unconsciousness, while Diana almost thought she saw stars.
Both of them stopped abruptly, staggering a step backward in clumsy unison. For the first time since their encounter began, neither pressed the attack; instead, they paused, inhaling and exhaling heavily in an attempt to catch their breath.
Blood poured like a waterfall from Daniel's nose; the bridge was bent at the wrong angle, crushed, clearly broken.
It wasn't his only injury. At that moment, his usually pale complexion only served to accentuate the mosaic of bruises covering his body, along with several scratches and scrapes. Had the fight gone on any longer, he feared he might even have ended up with one or two bite marks.
Surprisingly, he wasn't completely naked.
Against all odds, the white sheet he had used as an improvised toga had endured the punishment… more or less. Now it was little more than a ragged, filthy scrap of fabric that barely preserved his modesty. Even so, it was an astonishing testament to the material's resilience that it hadn't disintegrated under the intensity of the battle.
Diana wasn't in much better condition. Like him, her body was a catalogue of bruises and superficial cuts. The most serious wound was on her lower lip: a deep gash from which blood still flowed, staining her chin and sliding down her neck.
Her attire, though less damaged than Daniel's, was also in ruins: the armor bore deep dents and winding cracks, while the leather and fabric parts were riddled with tears.
Perhaps what had suffered most in her appearance was her long hair. Daniel wasn't the kind of man to hesitate when it came to seizing any advantage; in a real fight, labels like woman or man held no weight. So, naturally, he had grabbed her by the hair on more than one occasion.
That tactic had earned him several devastating counterattacks from the Amazon, and earned her several strands torn out at the root, turning her once-beautiful dark mane into a disheveled tangle, with some sections shorter than others.
In short, they both looked as though they had come out of a fight against a pack of dogs.
An inevitable result, after all. Beyond a certain point, any real fight ceased to be a demonstration of skill and technique, becoming something more visceral and brutal, where the only goal was to be the last one standing, and losing control in the process became all too easy.
It was a good thing neither of them had been aiming to kill or seriously injure the other… otherwise, things could have turned out much worse.
Letting out a deep, harsh sigh, Daniel felt the haze of adrenaline that had clouded his mind begin to fade, allowing him to think clearly again.
They needed to stop.
Not that he couldn't keep going. If he wanted, he could activate his core to erase all the pain and fatigue, returning to peak condition in a matter of seconds. But there was no need—this fight had been a test, an attempt to probe his new limits and discover what he still needed to improve. That was why he had kept his core deactivated from the very beginning.
Needless to say, that objective had been more than fulfilled.
'We're evenly matched,' he thought, watching Diana. Whether in speed, endurance, durability, or brute strength, the clash had shown him that neither possessed a clear advantage over the other. Of course, both had held back to some degree, but even so, Daniel sensed that even if they gave it their all, their power levels wouldn't differ significantly.
With that in mind, then how was it possible that he hadn't lost miserably?
Since their physical conditions were comparable, the key to victory obviously lay in skill and experience. And in that field, Diana's advantage was indisputable.
At the beginning of the encounter, Daniel had barely managed to defend himself: the Amazon displayed overwhelming superiority in every aspect, often employing moves he hadn't even known existed—or that were even possible—until that day.
Losing wouldn't have been a great surprise; in fact, he had prepared himself for that outcome. But halfway through the fight, as he recalled the past and his brother's teachings—along with that annoying, irritating look of superiority whenever he kicked his ass—a spark of defiance ignited within him.
Perhaps in his first life, closing such a colossal gap in skill would have been impossible without years of effort and brutal training.
But in this second life, nothing was impossible.
Exploiting his superior processing ability and near-photographic memory, Daniel learned and adapted on the fly. By analyzing each of her movements, he turned Diana into his unwilling instructor, forcing her, blow by blow, to reveal the keys to her fighting style.
Of course, the process wasn't perfect. With such marked "biological" differences between them, there were things he simply couldn't replicate, even if he wanted to.
Even so, what he did manage to assimilate was enough: a perfect starting point, a seed of knowledge from which he began to build something new and better. Soon he corrected the flaws and shortcomings of his previous style and devised new moves, which he tested against her immediately, discarding the ineffective and refining the effective.
The experts hadn't lied: the best way to learn how to fight was, simply, by fighting.
Only by facing a rival who surpasses you can you draw out the best in yourself, squeezing out your potential. And although Daniel had never been the most skilled or most talented fighter, that apparent past 'mediocrity' was precisely what pushed him forward, fueling his determination to go further.
In this life, he couldn't settle for being merely "decent" or "somewhat good"; if the possibility existed, he wanted to go beyond, to reach heights he never would have imagined—not only in martial arts, but in every other aspect of his life.
'This was a great step toward achieving that, but… it's enough.' If they kept going, the entire training hall could collapse, not to mention the damage they would end up inflicting on the island.
It was somewhat disappointing; he felt there was still much left to learn and plenty of room for improvement. However, he didn't let greed take over: he was still a hero, and putting others in danger was not something he liked. If he wanted to continue fighting at this level, he would have to do it somewhere safer, preferably far from any bystander who might be harmed by the aftermath.
"I surrender…" he said without thinking too much about it.
It wasn't out of modesty, in fact, he felt that if they kept going like this, with his body accumulating wounds and exhaustion, he would be the first to fall. Even if he had narrowed much of the gap between them, he still hadn't closed it completely, and that tiny difference could very well be what finally led Diana to victory.
'How incredible,' he thought, looking at her with genuine admiration and, at the same time, anticipation. He hadn't forgotten that Diana still wasn't fighting seriously; after all, she wasn't using either her sword or her lasso. If she was already this strong relying only on her fists…
how lethal would she be once she took up her weapons?
Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine, reaffirming his desire to learn from her. He still hadn't forgotten his small goal of obtaining his own unique weapon. Perhaps it was still a distant objective, but he wanted to be prepared for when the time came; otherwise, he would look ridiculous if he merely waved it around like a stick against his enemies.
While he was lost in his little fantasies, Diana, standing before him, shuddered at his words.
Her eyes, which had been slightly clouded by the overwhelming surge of dopamine her brain had been secreting without restraint, regained a spark of lucidity and locked onto his in bewilderment, as though her mind couldn't quite grasp what she had just heard.
'He surrenders?...' It was absurd. He was still standing. She still had strength to continue. Both of them could go on… and he wanted to stop now?
To describe the overwhelming avalanche of feelings that rushed through her at that moment would be difficult—perhaps even impossible.
Maybe only Diana herself could understand just how great her longing had been, and how long her wait. How many sleepless nights, tossing and turning between her sheets, she had spent imagining this day, dreaming of this moment when, at last, she could once again feel like a warrior, like a true Amazon.
And just when she had finally achieved it… was it going to end like this?
For a second, rage flooded every corner of her consciousness. Her teeth ground together with an audible crunch. Every muscle in her body tightened all at once, and the veins bulged under her skin like steel cables under pressure.
Daniel frowned as he noticed her changes. All his instincts flared at once, warning him of danger. A heavy silence descended upon them, and for an instant, he feared she might lunge at him again, forcing a final confrontation in which he would have no choice but to subdue her by force.
Fortunately, that didn't happen.
"I don't accept it…" Her voice was low, laden with obvious discouragement. Like a deflating balloon, her entire posture suddenly collapsed: her shoulders slumping with listless helplessness.
A victory like this… Diana didn't want it.
Seeing her in that state, Daniel grew a little concerned. In a way, he could understand her, for those who were competitive by nature tended to be the most stubborn when they refused to accept a result—he knew it because he was the same way… though to a lesser extent.
"Then… let's just call it a draw."
Another shiver ran through her. Her gaze locked on him for several seconds; she seemed as if she wanted to say something, and her lips parted and closed several times before, with a slight clench of her jaw, she decided to hold back.
Shaking her head, Diana spat a clot of blood onto the floor before averting her eyes. Her reddened gaze wandered absently around the training hall, and a grimace crossed her face when she finally noticed the structural damage spread everywhere. The place was a disaster—one that, miraculously, was still standing.
Fixing it was going to take some time.
Well, at least it was a decent project to fill some of her countless free hours… Unable to stop herself, her mind began to wander quickly, trying not to dwell any further on the frustration now consuming her.
Clearly, she wasn't happy, but she wasn't a child throwing a tantrum just because she didn't get what she wanted. She was an Amazon, a princess, and above all else, a champion. She knew how to restrain her emotions; she had done so for centuries.
So why couldn't she stop frowning?
"I think your sisters noticed something," Daniel broke through her thoughts, his gaze lifting toward the ceiling, already hearing a great commotion stirring above.
Diana heard it too. She had been ignoring it before, but now she couldn't anymore. With a sigh, she began thinking of several excuses; hiding what had happened wouldn't be difficult, though she didn't like the idea.
Lying was something she very rarely did, but under the circumstances, it wasn't as if she had many options.
"Let's go," she said, moving toward where her lasso and sword lay discarded to pick them up, avoiding looking at him again at all costs—because she felt that if she did, she wouldn't be able to hold back and would end up throwing herself at him once more.
Watching her figure as she walked toward the exit, Daniel remained thoughtful for a moment. Then he shook his head and sighed. With blood still dripping from his nose, he followed her in silence, ignoring the pain that movement brought him.
.
.
.
Not long after, Daniel found himself immersed in a sort of magical jacuzzi. How it worked was beyond his understanding, but somehow, its cool, crystalline waters, shimmering with a faint cyan glow, cradled his body with a soothing gentleness, revitalizing his being and gradually easing the agony in his battered muscles and bruised bones.
It had been absolutely worth refraining from using his core to heal himself. Not that he liked being injured, but there was a certain satisfaction in letting wounds from an intense battle heal on their own, something few things could replace.
So unless it was strictly necessary, Daniel preferred it this way; after all, he didn't want to grow too dependent on his core, though at this point, that was already a lost battle.
'I wonder how things are going out there..."
To say he wasn't at least a little concerned would be a lie. With the world as chaotic as it was, he never knew when a major event might erupt without warning. And although he trusted his allies to keep the situation under control, he still preferred to be there if something truly happened.
'I must return soon.' There were many things he needed to do, some more important than others, but none he could afford to ignore for too long.
Being a hero was certainly a busy life. Honestly, he had no idea how those without superpowers managed to do it. Maybe one day he should talk to one of those types and ask; without a doubt, a few tips on time management would do him good.
With the sound of approaching footsteps reaching his ears, Daniel drifted out of his thoughts and turned his gaze toward the room's entrance, where he saw Diana appear.
Gone was the image of the fierce, beautiful warrior; her battered armor had been replaced by a purple peplos with dark details. The garment, though loose and flowing, did little to conceal her striking figure, giving her an almost artistic aura, as if an ancient Greek marble statue had come to life and was now walking toward him.
But, aside from the change of attire, what undoubtedly stood out the most about her current appearance was what had happened to her hair.
Because it had been so damaged during the fight, Diana had simply decided to use her sword to fix it. Thus, where there had once been a long, magnificent dark mane, she now sported a cut that barely reached past her shoulders, with a few slightly uneven sections, though barely noticeable.
Surprisingly, that didn't make her look bad. On the contrary, it gave her a more rebellious, youthful air; and even without adornments or makeup, and despite the bruises still visible on her skin, she remained dazzling to behold.
Once again, Daniel couldn't help but pity all the ordinary women in this world
It was truly unfortunate for them to have to live in a place where supermodels could suddenly appear around any corner…
Of course, for him, it wasn't so bad, since he certainly appreciated the view. But surely, somewhere out there, there was a young woman who, sooner or later, would suffer a massive existential crisis once the streets began filling with all those impossibly attractive superheroines.
'I can only offer my condolences,' he thought with a faintly ironic smile.
Noticing his strange expression, Diana raised an eyebrow and wondered what he might be thinking.
Her sisters had always told her that men were foolish, simple beings, guided solely by their most primitive instincts. However, upon finally meeting one, she realized things were very different. At least Daniel was far from the image all the other Amazons had of them.
"Is everything alright?" Daniel asked, and Diana nodded.
"I took care of everything." Their fight had caused some panic due to the constant tremors it provoked, but Diana had easily managed to dispel doubts and calm the waters. As princess and champion of the Amazons, her word carried too much weight, and if she said nothing was wrong, then nothing was wrong.
Her excuse wasn't complicated either; she only needed to say she had run into a new monster while exploring the depths of the island, and everyone believed her. After all, it was something that had happened several times in the past, so no one questioned it.
That also explained her injuries. Luckily, most were only superficial bruises, many of which had already healed thanks to her extraordinary natural recovery ability, so no one was too alarmed; after all, most of her sisters usually ended up worse in their own training bouts, often with more than one broken bone.
Thus, Themyscira soon returned to normal, as if it were just another day, with no one but her and Daniel knowing what had truly happened.
"I brought you some clothes," Diana said, raising the set she carried in her hands: a plain white chiton she had taken from her own wardrobe.
It wasn't that she didn't want to offer him something better, but most of the garments on the island weren't suitable for his build. Fortunately, Diana had more than enough clothes she no longer used, so she was able to bring something she thought would fit him without looking odd.
"Thanks," Daniel said in gratitude. Then he stood up and stepped out of the healing pool, moving toward her.
Diana blinked. Her eyes traced his body for an instant, following the water sliding down his toned muscles until stopping below his waist. Her gaze froze briefly on that area before she quickly looked away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Unlike before, when she would have watched him shamelessly without caring about his nudity, now she was aware, thanks to their earlier conversation, of the concepts of decorum, modesty, and propriety that existed beyond Themyscira.
Very strange concepts that she didn't fully understand, but which, once known, stirred within her a sense of shame that had never existed before.
Of course, she was still adapting to them. Otherwise, if she were an ordinary woman from the outside world, she wouldn't even have stepped into the room, risking a glance at what she should not see. She also would have realized how shameless Daniel himself was for not feeling the slightest embarrassment about being naked in front of a woman he barely knew.
"You seem in better spirits. Have you calmed down now?" Daniel asked as he dressed, deliberately ignoring the blush on her face.
Diana nodded, growing more serious as she turned her gaze back to him.
"I want to apologize. If you hadn't stopped me in time, I don't know what would have happened," she said, remembering how lost she had been in the frenzy of battle, almost forgetting everything else. If Daniel hadn't decided they needed to stop, she might truly have let herself be consumed by her desire to fight, causing a great disaster.
"Don't worry. I understand that sometimes you can get carried away in the heat of the moment—it's happened to me as well." He wasn't just saying it to console her; after all, he too had made his own mistakes on more than one occasion.
What mattered was that nothing terrible had happened and no one had been hurt… except for the two of them, of course, but if he wasn't complaining and neither was she, then everything was fine.
Intrigued by his last words, Diana recalled that Daniel still hadn't told her his story, nor why he had fallen from the stars. In fact, when she thought about it, he had said very little about himself at all. Beyond his name and the odd minor detail that had slipped out during their first conversation, Diana knew almost nothing about him.
It seemed that, without meaning to, they had skipped a few steps in getting to know one another. Yet this lack of knowledge didn't awaken any distrust or caution in her.
Sometimes, one could learn much more about someone by crossing swords, or, in this case, clashing fists, than by having a long conversation.
Through the sensations and emotions he conveyed during their fight, Diana had understood many things: from small habits in the way he moved while fighting, to deeper aspects she could scarcely put into words.
Body language rarely lied. Even when one tried to control it, in the end it was impossible to keep certain things from slipping out unconsciously. And someone like Daniel was not the kind to fake his behavior unless it was absolutely necessary: if he was angry, he showed it; if he was happy, he smiled. His irritation could be felt in the air, just as much as his sorrow.
In short, to anyone just beginning to know him, the first impression he gave would be that of an honest man—perhaps somewhat enigmatic, and undoubtedly complex, but above all, trustworthy
All of that made it easy for Diana to lower her guard around him.
"Anyway, I think it's about time I leave. I don't want to abuse your hospitality or get you into trouble if someone finds out I'm here," Daniel said suddenly, making Diana frown and press her lips together.
"So soon?" Diana was reluctant. There was still so much she wanted to know, so many questions left to ask. If he left now, would she ever see him again? And what about their unfinished battle?
Diana didn't believe he had truly accepted a draw, nor a defeat; she had seen it in his eyes, that spark of wanting to win, of refusing to surrender. She knew that in that moment, Daniel had only stepped back to keep the situation from escalating, but deep down she felt that a part of him hadn't really wanted to stop either.
"You didn't expect me to stay hidden in your cave forever, did you?" Daniel joked, but when he saw that she didn't seem amused, his smile softened.
He didn't need to be a mind reader to understand why she wasn't very eager about his departure. Just as Diana had come to understand more about him through their fight, he had done the same with her. It was a kind of understanding that required no complex words or lengthy explanations, and precisely for that reason, it was difficult to put into words.
It was a strange connection, though at the same time simple and direct.
"You know, it's not like I can't come back another day," he said, making her lift her head, surprise and doubt written across her face.
"Did you forget the magical veil that cloaks the island, the one I told you about? Once you leave Themyscira's borders, it's impossible to find it again, unless you're an Amazon," she explained once more, reminding him why the island remained isolated from the world of men.
"Does the island change location?"
Diana didn't know why he asked, but she still answered, shaking her head.
"Then I can come back," he assured her with utter confidence.
It didn't matter how remote Themyscira's location was. As long as it remained in the same place—even if to others it was impossible to find—for Daniel it would only be a matter of flying close enough, and sooner or later he would pierce through the veil that concealed it.
Not to mention, he could simply fly into space and look down from there. Even if all he saw was water, his mind would perfectly remember the location and its surrounding area, making it easy to find again later.
"Then I shall await your return." Diana did not hesitate. Though she didn't know where his confidence came from, she believed he would not lie.
"I promise it won't be a very long wait, princess. After all, I still have a story to tell… and a rematch to claim." The mention of the rematch lifted Diana's spirits at once.
"We'll need a more durable training hall." The prospect of another clash ignited her excitement; in her mind, dozens of ideas were already forming on how to improve the ruined hall. What once had seemed like nothing more than a passing project to kill time suddenly became something far more important.
There wasn't much else to say. Since Daniel had promised to return, a dramatic farewell felt unnecessary. Of course, he would not leave empty-handed: before departing, he managed to convince Diana to give him a sack full of all kinds of fruit.
While helping her harvest them, he learned that she used a specific kind of magic to nourish them and accelerate their growth. Daniel was convinced that this was the secret to their extraordinary flavor, and without hesitation, he decided that this was something he had to learn at all costs.
Magic to hurl fireballs or summon lightning? Boring! As a farm owner, the only magic Daniel needed was the magic of cultivation.
After some time, when night once again fell over Themyscira and the sun had nearly sunk beneath the horizon, Diana and Daniel reached the least-traveled coast of the island.
"Well, I suppose it's time," Daniel said, gazing in wonder at the stars overhead. The scenery he found upon leaving Diana's hideout proved far more breathtaking than he had expected; it was a kind of view that no longer existed in the outside world.
"Are you sure you don't want a boat?" Diana asked as she looked out at the vast, endless sea. She had offered to get him one for his journey, but Daniel had refused, insisting it wasn't necessary.
Diana had no idea what he was planning, and for a moment she even thought he might try to leave by swimming. Not that such a feat would be impossible for them, but still, she believed it would be far less troublesome if he simply used a boat.
Daniel didn't answer her directly. Resting the sack of fruit on his shoulder, he turned, giving his back to the sea and looking at Diana with a faint smile on his lips.
"I suppose there's a lot I haven't told you about myself. I'd like to stay a while longer and explain everything to you, but unfortunately, I still have matters to attend to out there." He paused briefly before continuing.
"Even so, I think showing you this will help clarify a bit how I ended up here."
With those words, and under Diana's confused gaze, he allowed the familiar sensation of weightlessness to fill his body. Around him, the wind began to swirl gently, and at his feet, grains of sand lifted into the air, drifting along with the breeze.
Diana's eyes widened as she witnessed his figure suddenly rise, leaving the ground and floating serenely above the beach.
"You can fly?!" she asked with mild incredulity, though the answer was already before her.
"I had to get up there somehow, didn't I?" Daniel said with a laugh, pointing toward the distant stars.
Well, at least that explained how he had fallen from so high…
"Until next time! I hope to return soon," Daniel said, waving his free hand in farewell to the still-stunned Diana. There was no need to linger any longer; with a single thought, his body shot upward, gradually gaining speed.
Diana took half a second to react. By the time she thought to say something, he was already gone, piercing through the clouds and vanishing into the dark night sky.
The Amazon remained in place for a long while. Countless thoughts crossed her mind, but the clearest of them all undoubtedly narrowed down to a single question.
'Are you truly not a god?'
Even though he had denied it with the Lasso of Truth in hand, she couldn't help but doubt, for the first time, the veracity of his claim.
Shaking her head, she cleared her mind of any questions and turned around, beginning to walk back toward the heart of the island. Whether it was a lie or the truth, she supposed she would find out sooner or later.
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"Right at the very center of the Pacific Ocean, huh," Daniel thought, gazing at the vast sea beneath his feet.
When leaving Themyscira, he hadn't strayed in any particular direction; instead, he had ascended in a straight line, just as he had planned from the beginning, almost to the edge of the atmosphere.
This had allowed him to observe the terrain surrounding the island with far greater clarity and calculate its position with near-perfect accuracy.
Now there was no need to wander aimlessly until stumbling upon it. He could return whenever he wished.
"For a one-day adventure, I suppose it wasn't half bad."
Not only had he stumbled upon one of the most secluded places on the planet, but he had also encountered a genuine mythological monster, witnessed a glimpse of magic, tasted the most exquisite fruit, and fought hand-to-hand against one of the most dangerous and beautiful women in the world.
Undoubtedly a good day and an interesting experience, though there were still things left undone, of course, given the brevity of his stay. But for the most part, he was quite satisfied with how things had turned out.
It seemed that his life would become increasingly entangled in strange and thrilling situations like this one, and he didn't know whether to feel happy, expectant, or deeply worried.
"Perhaps things will get harder, perhaps not. But it doesn't matter, now I am stronger, and whatever comes, I will face it without fear" he thought, his determination growing.
Whether physically or in skill, he felt he was at his peak; and though he could still improve further in the future, for now, for the first time since arriving in this world, he believed he had the ability to protect the things that mattered to him.
It was time to be more proactive in his heroic duty… but first, there was something he needed to resolve.
"Time to find out what the hell you can do," he thought, raising his hand and watching the arcs of blue energy dance between his fingers.
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Note:
Almost seven thousand words!!!
There were setbacks, mental blocks halfway through, and problems with insomnia, but finally!... Finally, it's here!!
I think I've been focusing too much on making long chapters, so I'll try to make them a bit shorter but publish more frequently.
Other than that, I don't have much to say. Writing characters in depth is just as difficult as always, and writing fights is the same. I wanted to be more technical, to describe each movement with greater precision, but that would have added unnecessary filler and made it harder to translate once I turned it into English, so in the end I decided to keep it simple and direct. I hope you enjoyed it.
In the next chapter, we'll finally focus on the discovery of the cosmic energy's capabilities and the changes it has brought about in Daniel. Maybe we'll also see a bit of Susan and Johnny, or how things have been going for Peter after the 'small' trauma he went through.
To wrap it up, thank you for your support and patience!
Remember that you can already find the next chapter of this story on Patreon( patreon com/EmmaCruzader ) All the support received is appreciated ;D