Chapter 381 Paradise Island
Vanished without a trace?
Yang Le asked with a puzzled expression, "Then why are you so sure that the Queen is dead?"
Honestly, if Yang Le didn't know Wonder Woman's character, he would have thought she was a usurper putting on a full acting performance in front of him. With no body and no sign of life, how could they be so sure?
"The Guard Corps saw my mother turn into a Stone Statue in front of them, and then she was shattered," Wonder Woman said painfully.
"I see," Yang Le nodded. "So, that means the attacker first attacked the Queen, killed her, and then injured the Queen's Guard Corps."
"Exactly, I think this is a provocation," Wonder Woman said through gritted teeth. "Deliberately leaving some clue for us, it looks just like Batman's nemesis."
"You've hit the nail on the head," Yang Le snapped his fingers. "Then why don't you go to the World's Greatest Detective? If Batman takes action, he will definitely find the Murderer quickly."
"Before coming to you, I went to Batman first," Wonder Woman rolled her eyes at Yang Le, as if saying, 'Did you think I wouldn't think of that?'
"He is still unconscious, and his injury is not light either. I can't let him drag his injuries to help me."
Seeing Yang Le's idea, Wonder Woman continued, "As for the others in the Justice League, they are mostly the same. Some are injured, some are cleaning up the aftermath. After thinking about it, only you have free time to help me."
Yang Le was not annoyed by being labeled as a 'free person'. After all, it was indeed the case. Superheroes have dual identities. After the Beastification Event, not only do they have things to do in their Superhero State, but they also have a lot of business to attend to in their Ordinary Person State.
Only Yang Le is special. He has almost no ties in this Universe, and therefore he became the 'free person' in Wonder Woman's words.
"You want me to help you find the Murderer?" Yang Le asked.
Wonder Woman nodded and said, "Yes, I want you to help me find the Murderer who killed my mother. I want to personally retrieve my mother's Corpse. She should not be left wandering outside. Paradise Island is the home where she should rest in peace."
"Of course, I won't let you help for nothing," Wonder Woman continued. "Whether you find him or not, I owe you a favor, and I will also keep the business of N Metal a secret."
Hearing Wonder Woman say this, Yang Le immediately extended his right hand and said, "Although I don't understand what you are talking about, I don't think I have any reason to refuse a partner's request."
Wonder Woman grasped Yang Le's extended right hand, stood up smoothly, and looked at Yang Le gratefully.
"Thank you."
"When shall we set off then?" Yang Le asked while feeling the soft hand in his.
"Although I want to say the sooner the better, it's really too late now," Wonder Woman concealed the anxiety in her eyes. "Let's set off tomorrow morning. You are different from me. Your main body is just an ordinary person. After being busy in the morning, staying up late might be too much for you to bear."
Actually, there was another sentence that didn't need to be said, but Yang Le understood. If Queen Hippolyta was still alive, then they would definitely need to race against time. But now, the other party is very likely dead, so being anxious seems meaningless. But all of this is based on the premise that the Queen is dead.
"It's better not to," Yang Le waved his hand. "Time waits for no one. Since the opponent can use illusions to deceive the Guard Corps outside the Palace, there is no reason why they can't deceive a close Guard. So, it's not impossible that the Queen is still alive. We should speed up our footsteps and go to the scene of the crime now to take a look."
"Thank you," Wonder Woman looked at Yang Le with gratitude, and without further ado, grabbed Yang Le and flew up.
Don't underestimate Wonder Woman's speed in descriptions. In the speed rankings given in DC Comics, she is actually among the top. Ahead of her are only Speedster and Superman, those few monsters.
If only talking about speed, Yang Le in Asgardian God State would definitely be completely outmatched. It is estimated that only when the entire planet is plunged into war, strengthening his Godhood of War, could he catch up with Wonder Woman.
Because of this, even though Yang Le could fly himself at this time, he let Wonder Woman carry him. It's efficient and effortless, why not?
In the blink of an eye, Yang Le was brought by Wonder Woman to a boundless sea. At this time, Wonder Woman reduced her speed and was constantly decreasing altitude. Yang Le knew they should have arrived.
Sure enough, relying on the Asgardian's sensitivity to magic and divine power, Yang Le saw a thin film that was absolutely impossible to detect if you didn't look carefully, like foam. After passing through that thin film, an island carrying a piece of ancient Greek architecture appeared before his eyes.
Only about one-fifth of the island's area had buildings, and the rest was all natural scenery. Moreover, the climate was also different from the outside world. The cold wind seemed to have no effect here. That thin film seemed to isolate the cold wind outside, and here it was only the warmth of spring all year round.
"This is really a good place to live in seclusion," Yang Le couldn't help but blurt out.
"Paradise Island is indeed the most beautiful place in the world," Wonder Woman squeezed out a smile. Perhaps only at this time could she alleviate the anxiety in her heart.
"It's a pity that no males are ever allowed to enter," Yang Le smiled wryly. "Speaking of which, won't I be breaking the rule if I go in?"
"Special cases are handled specially," Wonder Woman slowly descended with Yang Le. "Don't worry, I will persuade my Amazonian Sisters. After all, you are the helper I invited, and I won't let you be embarrassed."
After the two landed, and Yang Le's feet stepped on the soft ground, Wonder Woman also released Yang Le's hand. The latter couldn't help but feel a little regretful. After all, the former's hand felt very good, not at all like a hand that wielded swords and spears all year round. Not to mention calluses, there wasn't even dead skin.
"This way," Wonder Woman raised her hand to signal Yang Le to follow her, and then walked towards the buildings. Yang Le immediately followed.
They hadn't walked a few steps before they stopped, not because they had arrived, but because a group of Amazon soldiers riding war horses had already surrounded them.
One of the Amazonian Warriors wearing armor that was obviously different from the others controlled her war horse and walked in front of the two, and said loudly.
"Diana, why did you bring a male to Paradise Island? Don't you know this is a taboo?"
"Philippus, I know," Wonder Woman's gaze was firm, not at all intimidated by the tall war horses and the gleaming weapons around her.
"This is the helper I invited, for the purpose of helping us find the Murderer who killed the Amazon Queen!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 382: Men Can't Go to the Island? Then I'll Just Become an Amazonian
"No matter the reason, men cannot set foot on Paradise Island!"
Philippus said sternly, while pointing her spear at Wonder Woman Diana's back. After the officer raised her weapon, the other Amazonian warriors also raised their weapons, ready to attack Yang Le as soon as their officer gave the order.
It must be said that being surrounded by a group of athletic women is indeed visually stunning, but anyone who underestimates these warriors will pay a bloody price.
Although the armor they wear looks revealing, only protecting key parts, this is because they are Amazonian, and ordinary weapons cannot harm them at all.
Amazonians are not Human. They are an independent race created by the Greek Gods, special life forms similar to demigods nurtured by the Earth Mother Gaia. Therefore, Amazonians can actually be scanned by the Omnitrix.
"Wonder Woman Diana." Yang Le patted Wonder Woman Diana's shoulder, signaling her to turn around, and then pointed to the Omnitrix on his belt and said, "I have a method to solve the current situation, but I need to use the device on my belt to scan you, is that okay?"
The Omnitrix's gene collection is not actually picky. The only requirement is that the body condition of the person being collected must be healthy. Unhealthy genes will be rejected by the Omnitrix.
For example, Azmuth, recognized as the smartest individual among the smartest race in the Universe, logically should be the most outstanding individual among the Galvan, who are known for their intelligence.
However, because Azmuth is an old Otaku, his physical health is really worrying, so Azmuth, as the creator, was rejected by the Omnitrix he created.
When Yang Le scans genes himself, he usually chooses the theoretically optimal individual, but Yang Le wants to scan Diana not for this reason.
Why is this? Most people might think that Wonder Woman Diana, who holds the highest honorific title of Paradise Island, this Super Hero comparable to a Deity, is indeed the most outstanding individual among Amazonians, but actually not.
The most outstanding individual among Amazonians should actually be her mother—Queen Hippolyta.
This is because Diana is not actually a complete Amazonian. She has half or more of God blood flowing in her veins. She is a Demigod.
According to the Comics, after Queen Hippolyta's death, there should be two optimal genes among Amazonians, one is Hippolyta's sister Antiope, and the other is Artemis.
That's right, this one is also called Artemis. In the DC Universe, there are three characters called Artemis in total. The first is one of the Olympian Gods, the hunting Goddess Artemis.
The second is Artemis from a lost Amazonian tribe. Some people may wonder, don't Amazonians believe in the Olympian Gods? How could someone take the same name as the Goddess they believe in? Aren't they afraid of taboo?
They are really not afraid, because this tribe is different from mainstream Amazonians. They believe in the Ancient Egypt Goddess Isis, so they don't care about the Olympian Gods at all.
The last one is Artemis in "Young Justice League". It has to be said that DC Writers are good at saving trouble, using one name for three people.
Back to the main topic, then why does Yang Le want to scan Diana, who is not the optimal solution? This brings us to the Gene Extraction Function that Yang Le used a long time ago to unlock the Omnitrix Authority. Later, to be safe, Yang Le added this function to the Little Broken Watch.
This extraction function can not only extract genes from some biological remains, but another ability of it is to deduce complete genes from a little bit of clue. So this means that Yang Le can deduce Hippolyta's genes, who is a mother, from Diana, who is a Child.
What does this represent? This represents that Yang Le can find a dad for every black person... no, that's not right, it represents that Yang Le can scan Hippolyta's genes.
…
Wonder Woman Diana was stunned for a moment after hearing Yang Le's request. After a brief thought, she immediately understood Yang Le's intention. It is undeniable that this is indeed the best method.
But she vaguely remembered that Batman once told her and Superman to try not to let Yang Le obtain their genes, for fear that Yang Le might have some bad intentions.
However, in Wonder Woman Diana's view at this time, Batman is somewhat overly worried. Not to mention, Yang Le in Asgardian God state is already able to compete with her and Superman.
Combined with the forms Yang Le had shown before, Wonder Woman Diana did not think that Yang Le was the kind of cunning villain who wished for chaos in the world. So after a brief thought, she nodded.
"Okay, do I need to cooperate and pose in any gesture?"
After all, it was serious business, Yang Le righteously refused this very tempting suggestion, and said, "No need, you just need to stand still."
After speaking, Yang Le activated the Omnitrix, and a white light screen shot out from it, scanning Wonder Woman Diana from top to bottom, making the Amazonian warriors on the side stunned.
"Answer me, Diana!" Philippus questioned loudly. "What exactly are you thanking for?"
"Wait a moment, madam." Yang Le stared at the Omnitrix that kept changing colors. After seeing the indicator light finally stop flashing, he pressed the Omnitrix.
A dazzling white light lit up, but quickly disappeared. The surrounding Amazonian warriors even only had time to assume a fighting stance.
When they regained their vision, they found that the person who had been exuding a dangerous breath had disappeared. Instead, a beautiful woman appeared behind Diana.
The woman who suddenly appeared had the same dark and thick hair as Diana. Her beautiful appearance was indeed slightly inferior to Diana, who was blessed by Goddess, but she could also be called a peerless beauty in the mortal realm.
The other party was also wearing a set of Amazonian standard armor, but unlike the metallic color of their armor, the other party's armor was composed of black and white colors, and under the moonlight, it actually had a somewhat holy feeling.
"This skirt armor makes me feel chilly." Yang Le frowned, and with both hands, lifted the armor plates on one side respectively. Her round and white thighs, shining brightly under the moonlight, combined with the shadow covered by the skirt armor, such a stimulating scene made the Amazonian warriors present swallow their saliva one after another.
By the way, because there are no men, Amazonians generally choose female kin as partners. However, in their concept, this is not called homosexuality. In their eyes, this is normal.
And at this time, Yang Le, who has transformed into the optimal gene after scanning and adjusted by the Omnitrix, is naturally the best candidate for Amazonians to choose a partner. Of course, currently, it is only the best candidate in terms of appearance. After all, Amazonians are a martial race, and strength is also part of the selection. However, it is conceivable that Yang Le's strength at this time is definitely not weaker than that of ordinary Amazonians.
"Slap!"
"Ouch!" Yang Le cried out in pain, looking resentfully at Wonder Woman Diana who slapped his... her palm and asked, "Why did you hit me?"
"Nothing." Wonder Woman Diana's expression was as usual, of course, this is ignoring her eyes staring intently at Yang Le's abdominal muscles.
Note, there will be a plot of giving birth later (referring to Big Chill), giving birth is the most important part of Big Chill, I think it is a must-try (confirmed)
(End of Chapter)
**Chapter 383: With Clockwork, Studying is a Cinch!**
Before Yang Le could sense something amiss, Wonder Woman had already withdrawn her gaze and addressed Phillips.
"Now there are no men left. Is there any reason to block us further?"
"This…" Phillips hesitated, flustered. Though she'd lived nearly a millennium, this situation was unprecedented. Yet she quickly regained her composure.
This was thanks to the gods they revered—the Olympian leader, Zeus. That old lecher had indulged in every conceivable vice, and his lineage alone made Amazonians, who'd existed since ancient Greece, no strangers to spectacle. Yang Le's antics were small potatoes by comparison.
"Still no," Phillips shook her head. "How can I trust this isn't an illusion?" She'd been bitten by such tricks before. Their previous failure stemmed from deception; they couldn't afford ambiguity now.
"How could this be fake?" Yang Le pounded her chest emphatically, her ample bosom trembling with the motion—a sight that once again drew all Amazonian eyes.
Wonder Woman again halted Yang Le's antics, inwardly grateful her ally wore battle armor. Otherwise, the trembling might've become *too* distracting.
As Wonder Woman prepared to argue again, hoofbeats echoed. A majestic white stallion led a contingent of riders toward them.
With superhuman vision, Wonder Woman spotted the rider atop the white steed and softened her expression.
The woman exuded regal bearing, untouched by time yet radiating an ancient aura—as if a figure from antiquity had stepped into the modern era. Her armor, intricately etched with timeless patterns, rivaled even Diana's in craftsmanship.
"Welcome back, Diana," the Amazonian smiled, her tone warm as a grandmother greeting a grandchild.
"Happy to see you, Aunt Antiope," Diana reined in her sharpness, bowing respectfully.
Antiope nodded, then asked, "Why are so many gathered here? Has something happened?"
"I've brought someone who might help the Amazons find the killer of our queen." Diana stepped aside, revealing Yang Le. "But they're being barred entry."
Antiope studied Yang Le, then blinked in surprise. "You've found an Amazonian as your ally?"
Centuries of experience let the elder Amazon recognize kinship instantly. Antiope's curiosity turned to Phillips, awaiting an explanation.
"Your Highness," Phillips bowed. "Princess Diana returned with a man who altered his form. I merely upheld duty by barring entry."
"But he's clearly female now," Diana countered.
Phillips fell silent. A princess could be indulged, but as captain of the guard, she'd overstepped by arguing further.
Antiope paused, then ruled, "Let them pass."
"This—" Phillips blinked, unsure she'd heard right, but Antiope's gaze silenced doubt.
"Amazon law doesn't prohibit a man-turned-woman from entering Paradise Island," Antiope smiled at the starlit sky. "Even the gods haven't barred her."
The Amazons looked up. The night was cloudless, moonlight spilling evenly over all—a rare, clear sky.
"Proceed." Antiope stepped aside, her guards parting the ranks.
"Thank you, Aunt," Diana breathed in relief, yanking Yang Le toward the city. Their haste made them look like newlywed lovers seeking blessings.
"A fitting gesture," Antiope nodded with a grandmother's indulgence.
…
As an Amazonian, Yang Le's pace couldn't keep up with Wonder Woman's. Dragged along, they raced through the city to the royal palace, where Queen Hippolyta's chambers lay in disarray—unmistakable evidence of foul play, no illusion needed.
"Now what?" Diana asked urgently, her impatience palpable.
"Get the right answer, of course." Yang Le stretched, then bypassed Diana's questions by activating the Omnitrix on his belt. A flash of light replaced the Amazonian woman with a rotund robot—his favorite shortcut: Clockwork.
"Now I'm a genderless machine," Yang Le patted his metallic belly.
Wonder Woman smirked at the cheerful Clockwork. "Why not transform earlier to bypass the guards?"
"Save the small talk." Yang Le waved her off. "Time to work."
Diana fell silent, raising a hand toward the palace, letting Yang Le take the lead.
"Clockwork can see the past. Brace yourself."
Yang Le explained as his crown's gears spun counterclockwise, casting a white light over the sprawling chamber. Time reversed like a rewound film—the shattered palace restored to its former grandeur. Patrolling Amazon guards materialized, the scene mirroring a normal day.
"Follow me," Yang Le urged, striding into the palace. Diana trailed, unnoticed by the spectral guards—ghosts of the past, irrelevant to their present mission.
Inside, they found Queen Hippolyta seated on her throne, her bodyguard at her side. Diana froze, her gaze locked on her mother.
(End of Chapter)
Death of the Queen
Diana looked at the past phantom of her mother. Hippolyta at this moment was different from usual. The Amazon Queen, who was usually full of majesty and heroic spirit, now seemed a bit lazy, as if she had just woken up.
"I reversed time to around 8 AM," Yang Le walked in unsteadily. "Because I wasn't sure of the exact time, I could only reverse it a bit more."
Yang Le looked at Diana, who was stunned in place, with concern and asked, "Do you need to watch for a while longer?"
"No, no need," Diana shook her head, trying hard to pull herself out of her sadness. "Don't worry about me, can you speed up the progress?"
Yang Le didn't say anything more, just silently increased the speed of the mechanism rotating on his head. The scene in front of him was like a movie being fast-forwarded, looking absurd and bizarre.
Diana's eyes were fixed on the image in front of her, hardly blinking at all. Her determination to bring the murderer to justice was self-evident.
"Pause," Diana's voice increased several degrees, and her hand subconsciously patted Yang Le next to her. The mechanism on Yang Le's head stopped rotating, and the playing image also stopped.
Following Diana's gaze, Yang Le indeed saw a black hole the size of eyes, glowing with purple light, quietly appearing behind Hippolyta.
At Diana's instruction, Yang Le started playing again. Under the gaze of the two, the black hole became larger and larger, and in the blink of an eye, it became about the height of a human. A distorted figure emerged from it, silently, just like a ghost.
"Creak."
Yang Le glanced in the direction of the sound and found that Wonder Woman had already placed her hand on her sword, and even her fingers were clenched until they turned white.
"This is just a past phantom, Diana," Yang Le reminded softly.
"Hiss~ Huff~" Diana said after taking a deep breath, "I know, I know."
When the distorted figure emerged from the black hole, Hippolyta and the guard had already discovered this uninvited guest. The guard drew their weapon at the first moment and protected Hippolyta behind them.
Unfortunately, the loyal guard could not stop the assassin. The distorted figure just waved its hand, and a huge palm made of energy grabbed the guard in its hand like a chick. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't shake a finger of it.
Faced with such a dangerous situation, Hippolyta still did not panic, just loudly called for the guard team. After finding it useless, she raised her scepter and aimed it at the attacker.
The attacker clapped his palm, as if admiring the Queen's courage. When he aimed his palm at the Queen again, the next second the Queen turned into a stone statue.
The guard let out a roar. The attacker seemed to just remember her, and waved his hand again. The palm made of energy suddenly exploded. After the smoke, the guard, covered in wounds, fell to the ground unconscious. The entire palace also became a mess.
After dealing with the guard, the attacker took the Queen, who had turned into a stone statue, and walked towards the black hole. When both of them completely disappeared into the black hole, the black hole also began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye, until it completely disappeared.
It was not until the guard corps broke into the palace that Yang Le stopped playing the image.
"I am very sorry, it seems the murderer was very careful. It is difficult to discover his true identity based on the past phantom alone," Yang Le said apologetically.
Yang Le's ability only allows people to see past phantoms. These images do not contain any water. Whatever happened here in the past will be replayed exactly the same. So if the attacker concealed his appearance, Yang Le would have no method.
"No, no need to apologize, Yang Le," Diana laboriously released her hand from the sword hilt. "If it weren't for you, I might not even be able to get these clues. I am very grateful to you. You let me see the demeanor of my mother as an Amazon at her last moment, even when facing death, she still maintained the aura of a Queen."
"Now we at least have a direction," Diana walked towards the pillar that had collapsed due to the explosion. "Versatile and bizarre, this is obviously caused by magic. The magician who can break into Paradise Island and take down the Queen and her personal guard in one encounter is only one person."
Diana said through gritted teeth, "Circe!"
————Divider Line————
"I didn't expect the famous Klarion to come and find a small magician like me."
From the poppy that has bloomed since the age of Gods until now, Circe was lazily lying on a sofa made of unknown leather. The leather was shiny, making Circe's skin even more enchanting. The thin black gauze clothes on her body could not hide her sexy body at all, but the owner of the body did not care about showing off her body, and the guest who should have appreciated this erotic scene was also not interested.
"Klarion never cares who he joins hands with, I only care about whether it can bring chaos," Klarion stroked his kitty.
"So what are you going to do this time, my little Klarion?" Flicking her hair, violet strands slipped through Circe's finger. The witch looked at Klarion charmingly.
"I brought a gift," Klarion waved his hand, and a black hole appeared with it. "A gift you would never expect."
Circe didn't care about Klarion's words at first, but when she saw what was spat out of the black hole, her expression finally changed, and her originally charming expression turned into surprise.
"Wow," Circe covered her mouth with her hand. "This is really a big gift."
What was in front of Circe's eyes was surprisingly the Amazon Queen who had turned into a stone statue - Hippolyta. Circe straightened up and jumped lightly, like a cat, to the side of the stone statue, carefully examining the stone statue in front of her.
Jade-like fingers gently stroked Hippolyta's face. This was originally supposed to be an intimate gesture between best friends, but now it looked full of absurdity and a strange feeling.
"Diana must be furious," Circe's corner of mouth turned up. The smile that was originally on her face was just her habit, but now she was smiling from the heart.
"What do you want me to do?"
Klarion, as the one being asked, just bowed slightly and said, "I am just a porter, you are the one who has the final say, but I think you should already have some idea in your heart."
Circe leaned her whole body against the stone statue and said softly, "You really understand me."
As soon as the words fell, Circe exerted a little force with her finger, and the stone statue that was originally standing firmly on the ground suddenly fell to the side.
"Crash!"
After a loud sound, the stone statue that fell on the ground instantly shattered into fragments.
"Who would have thought," Circe raised her slender thigh, and her fair toes gently stepped on the fragments of the stone statue.
"The Queen of the Amazons, who is above ten thousand people, would actually die in such a way."
(End of Chapter)
**Chapter 385: Troy**
Sersi retracted her delicate feet from the rubble, raising her hands. A torrent of purple energy surged forth, swirling the stones into a vortex.
A flick of her fingers reduced the uneven stones to powder, which she commanded into a heap.
With a snap of her fingers, a crystal bottle appeared in her grasp, filled with clear liquid resembling ordinary spring water—but brimming with vitality.
"Water from the Well of Rebirth," Sersi teased, her gaze carrying a trace of madness.
"The Well is Gaia's womb, the birthplace of all life. It's also where all Amazons are born. Typically, beings born of the goddess would at least be demigods, but a new pantheon? Zeus would never allow that. So the goddess had to dilute their power. Even so, Amazons remain formidable, the elite among demigods."
Sersi casually tossed the bottle, which hovered in the air as its cork vanished under magical control. The water flowed like a snake, merging with the pile of dust.
"Just a touch of the Well's water to guide her latent power, and a powerful demigod will emerge under my command."
Sersi conducted the magic like a maestro, her fingers dancing in the air. The mixture of water and dust solidified into clay, which molded into a figure resembling a doll.
Under her tutelage, the clay took shape, becoming a humanoid form. Her exquisite craftsmanship refined its features until it bore a resemblance to Diana, albeit only fifty percent.
Sersi nodded, impressed with her work. Once the magic ceased, the clay figure dissolved, leaving behind only the elegant form of a young woman.
"Something's missing," Sersi tapped her chin, her usual sensuality replaced by a playful mischief.
"Ah!" Sersi exclaimed, turning to find the apprentice witch had vanished. On the coffee table lay a crimson orb, swirling with dark energy.
"Smart girl," Sersi summoned it into her hand, cradling it delicately. She smirked at the black mist swirling within.
A flick of her index finger dispersed the mist, blending harmoniously with the crimson hue. The orb turned a dark red.
Blowing softly, it drifted toward the prepared vessel. Under Sersi's watchful gaze, the orb embedded itself into the vessel's forehead, transforming her entirely.
If once lifeless, now vibrant, her eyelids fluttered open. Azure eyes, like Diana's, blinked in curiosity, taking in the world anew.
"Troy, my dear Troy."
Before the girl could survey her surroundings, Sersi appeared, embracing her nude form tenderly.
"Who are you?" Troy furrowed her brows, displeased by the intrusion.
"I am your mother, my dear," Sersi whispered, her slyness fleeting. The befuddled girl didn't catch it.
"Mother?" Troy's confusion deepened, her once-clear eyes now clouded.
"Yes," Sersi released her, flipping her wrist to produce a robe. She draped it over Troy, concealing her beauty.
Troy regained her senses, clutching the robe timidly. "Please, Mother, tell me what's happening."
"Of course, my sweet," Sersi smiled gently, recounting her tale.
In her fabrication, she was a banished queen, scorned by Hippolyta for birthing Zeus's heir. Hippolyta had framed her, sculpting a clay imposter to steal divine blessings. The clay child usurped her place due to its rapid formation.
Hippolyta had manipulated the gods with her beauty and lies, diverting their gifts to the clay imposter. Now crowned with divine favor, the imposter claimed legitimacy, while Sersi was cast adrift. Vowing revenge, she failed due to her weakness. Troy lived as an ordinary girl.
But at eighteen, Troy awakened her divine bloodline. Equipped to challenge the imposter, Sersi finally revealed all. Enraged, Troy cried, "Thirty years east, thirty years west, don't underestimate the young!"
Armed with a blade, she charged for Paradise Island. Finding only Hippolyta, she slaughtered the imposter's creator and escaped wounded. Recovered under Sersi's care, she regained clarity.
Though riddled with flaws, the tale disoriented Troy. Sersi's magic and influence clouded her mind.
"Mother," Troy wiped Sersi's tears, declaring solemnly.
"I'll help you reclaim your throne and collect what's owed. Alas, I've forgotten the imposter's name. Please tell me."
"Her name is Diana," Sersi sniffled. "Paradise Island's princess and current Wonder Woman."
Troy's eyes flared red, her azure gaze extinguished.
"Satisfied, my Troy," Sersi concealed her smirk.
"Until you claim victory like a Trojan horse, Mother won't truly rejoice."
---
(End of Chapter)