The Star Scepter pulsed faintly in Adrian's hand as he stood beneath a sky thick with churning black clouds. The wind tore across Winters Manor, carrying with it a suffocating pressure that pressed against the lungs and scraped across the nerves. The entire estate felt as if it were standing at the edge of something ancient and catastrophic.
An oppressive aura smothered the grounds.
"How much longer?" Adrian asked coldly, not looking away from the sky.
Behind him, Baron Winters knelt beside Rachel, channeling magic through trembling hands. Sweat rolled down his temples as he struggled to stabilize her fading life force.
"It will not take long," Winters replied, his voice strained. "But I fear it may already be too late."
That answer irritated Adrian.
"I sense the opening of a hell dimension," Winters continued. "A breach is forming. You must stop its approach. Whatever happens, do not let Trigon come near this place."
At the Baron's side, his longtime companion, the leopard Merlin, lifted its head and stared at him with uneasy eyes.
Winters exhaled softly. "Do not look at me like that, Merlin. I misjudged Adrian once. I admit it. But people change, and so do circumstances."
Adrian ignored them both.
He tightened his grip on the Star Scepter, fighting the violent impulses surging through his veins. The darkness overhead expanded, spreading like ink across water, swallowing the stars one by one. The air vibrated with destructive energy, as if an inverted hell were descending upon Earth itself.
The aura of slaughter and despair rolled outward in waves.
Even in Gotham, far beyond Metropolis, paused and looked toward the distant horizon, his expression hardening.
"So it has begun," he muttered.
Elsewhere, members of the Justice League felt it as well.
Kara Zor El, Hal Jordan, and all sensed the tremor in reality itself. Kara and Hal, largely recovered from their earlier battles, flew toward Metropolis without hesitation. Diana remained still for a moment longer, staring at the gathering storm with deep unease before following.
They landed outside Winters Manor.
Above it, a vortex of black clouds spiraled violently. Lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the grounds in harsh flashes of white.
"What is this?" Kara asked, swallowing hard.
Hal's jaw tightened. "A cross dimensional entity. Something powerful."
Kara's eyes narrowed. "You know more than you're saying."
Hal remained silent.
"Since we returned with the help of Flash and Batman," Kara continued, "you've been distant. You were infected by Brainiac with that vampire virus because you were acting alone. Now you show up here and immediately connect this to Adrian."
Diana approached from behind them. "Hal, did Batman give you a mission when we left the future?"
"We are teammates," Hal replied. "We should trust each other."
"Then explain why you were so certain this was Adrian's doing before we understood the situation," Diana said.
Hal exhaled slowly. "The time device did not malfunction. We did not arrive early by accident. We came back to prevent the collapse of a spatial barrier."
"Like the Source Wall?" Diana asked, glancing at the sky.
"Not exactly, but close enough," Hal answered. "Trigon's battle with two Kryptonians in our timeline created a distortion that weakened the barrier between dimensions. That fracture led to the disaster we later faced. If he fully manifests here, the damage could destabilize our universe."
Kara stared at him. "You're saying their fight destroys reality."
"In theory, yes. Even a projection of Trigon carries immense power. We came here to stop that chain reaction."
"And how do you propose to do that?" Diana asked.
Hal hesitated. "Rachel is Trigon's daughter. She is the anchor. If Adrian and Winters stop saving her, the channel closes. Trigon cannot cross."
Silence followed.
"You want to let her die," Kara said, disbelief shaking her voice.
Hal's eyes lowered. "Compared to the destruction of the universe…"
"Do not finish that sentence," Diana warned.
"This was discussed," Hal insisted. "We all agreed."
"Not all of us," Diana said sharply. "I am vice chair of the League, and I was not informed. Clark would never sacrifice his sister for numbers on a cosmic scale."
Kara's fists clenched. "Neither would I."
Hal removed a letter from his pocket. "This was not Batman's plan. It was Rachel's."
Kara froze.
"She gave this to me before we left. The multiverse has already been devastated by the Anti Monitor. She believes this is not a sacrifice, but a rebirth."
Kara's hands trembled as she read the first line.
Dear Brother.
Tears blurred her vision.
Inside the manor, Adrian felt it. The pressure intensified. The earth groaned beneath unseen weight.
He stepped outside.
The moment he saw them waiting, his expression hardened.
"You move quickly," he said, glancing at the swirling vortex above.
Kara swallowed and stepped forward. "Adrian… we need to close the channel. Rachel is the key."
"The channel stays open," Adrian replied flatly. Killing intent radiated from him. "Tell me why you are really here."
Kara held out the letter. "From Rachel. From the future."
Adrian took it.
The wind howled as he unfolded the paper. The handwriting was delicate.
She thanked him for raising her, for loving her. She spoke of childish dreams, of gold digging and fairy tales, of emotional bonds that transcended time. Then she asked him, just this once, to stop trying to save her. She wanted to protect the world for him.
She signed it.
Raven.
July 22, 2022.
When Adrian finished reading, something inside him snapped.
His eyes flared crimson.
Heat Vision exploded outward, striking Hal and hurling him across the grounds before he could raise a defense.
Adrian turned, firing again.
Kara launched herself forward at super speed, attempting to restrain him. He met her charge with a single punch. The air detonated around them as she was driven into the earth, the impact shaking the manor's foundation.
Hal recovered midair and constructed a barrage of emerald energy, forming a rotating Gatling cannon that unleashed a storm of will powered rounds. Adrian sidestepped with terrifying precision.
"Adrian, calm down!" Kara shouted, grabbing for his arm.
He struck her again, sending her spiraling across the field.
"The channel will open!" Kara cried toward Diana. "If he loses control, Trigon descends!"
Hal descended, firing continuously. "Diana, do not let Raven's sacrifice mean nothing!"
Diana stood still, head lowered.
Then she moved.
The Lasso of Truth snapped outward, not toward Adrian, but toward Hal.
It coiled around him instantly, draining his strength.
Hal's eyes widened. "Diana?"
With a furious shout, she yanked him from the sky and slammed him into the ground.
Kara faltered in shock. In that instant of distraction, Adrian's fist struck her chest, driving her down once more.
Diana walked forward, binding Hal securely. She met Adrian's gaze.
For a brief second, something unspoken passed between them.
Then she stepped to his side.
"I am sorry, Kara. Hal," she said quietly. "I will not support sacrificing a child for abstract balance."
The vortex above roared louder.
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