"Anyway, it's good to have you back."
The two walked outside together. The destruction inside the Justice Society Hall had finally faded behind them, leaving only the quiet night above. Diana looked at Adrian with a complicated expression.
"Let's fly together for a while."
Adrian did not mention Mera or Selina. He offered no accusations and no criticism.
"If you'd like that, I have no objection."
Wonder Woman nodded and slowly rose into the air.
The two flew side by side through the night sky. Cool wind rushed past them while the clouds drifted overhead, illuminated by the distant glow of the city below.
"If you came to blame me for targeting your two questionable companions, or if you expect me to apologize, I won't do it, Adrian. I am not the kind of woman who offers apologies casually."
Her voice was direct and unwavering.
Adrian remained silent for several moments.
"While I was asleep, I had a dream."
He stopped in midair and turned toward Diana.
"A dream so real that I could hardly believe it was one. Everything felt authentic. Every memory, every conversation, every emotion."
The tension in Diana's face eased slightly as she listened.
"My father was still alive. Lana and Pete lived in Metropolis. Lois and Clark were married."
His voice became distant.
"But it went far beyond that. The nuclear attack never happened. The hospital was never destroyed. There were no wars, no endless conflicts, no disasters waiting around every corner."
A sadness Diana had never witnessed appeared in his eyes.
"I lived with my family. Clark had a daughter, and we helped raise her together. Laila inherited her father's belief in people and his hope for the world."
He looked toward the dark clouds above.
"You became Secretary-General of the United Nations. You were peaceful there, happier, less burdened."
The wind continued to blow around them.
"Everything was exactly as it should have been. My family was beside me. There was no fighting and no struggle for survival."
He slowly clenched his fists.
A faint red light gathered within his eyes.
"Then I woke up, and they were gone."
His voice trembled.
"They were taken away from me again. This time it was worse because I knew exactly what I had lost."
Adrian had always considered himself selfish. He could be cold, detached, and indifferent toward many things.
But he was never evil.
In this life he had gained a family, people he cared about, and a place he called home. He had never desired conquest or power for its own sake.
If given the choice, he would have spent his entire life on the farm with those he loved.
Saving the world.
Ruling the world.
Neither had ever truly mattered to him.
"The cruelest thing in life is being shown perfection, only to have it destroyed in front of you."
Diana's expression softened.
Concern filled her eyes.
After a long silence, she reached out and gently held his clenched fist.
"We all dream, Adrian. But this is reality."
Her voice was quieter now.
"This world, however painful it may be, is the one we live in. We have to endure it."
She squeezed his hand.
"Whatever life we are given, it becomes our responsibility. Fate follows its own path, and there are times when we cannot stop it."
"Is that really true?"
Adrian slowly shook his head.
"Even if it was a dream, it wasn't entirely false."
His eyes became distant.
"Laila was real. My family was real. And Rachel was real. I refuse to believe she was something my mind invented."
Even after awakening, Adrian still doubted many things.
He had spent more than ten years raising Laila, watching her grow from a child who could barely walk into someone capable of flight. He had taught her, protected her, and watched her become her own person.
How could someone so vivid be an illusion?
And Rachel.
His sister had spent decades at his side inside that world.
She laughed, argued, worried, and aged beside him.
She knew things that no creation of his subconscious should have known.
She understood that the world itself was false.
She had entered his dream through powers that belonged to her alone.
Those decades had been real to him.
If he denied that life, he would also deny the years Rachel spent with him.
Before waking, they had spoken one final time.
Rachel had explained everything.
The dream.
Batman's manipulation.
His unconscious state.
Without her, he never would have awakened.
"I need to find my sister."
His expression became serious.
"She spent decades with me in that world."
Suddenly, a voice descended from above.
"Homelander."
Adrian and Diana looked upward.
The Spectre floated above them, his green cloak drifting through the air.
"I found Raven."
Adrian's eyes sharpened immediately.
"Where is she?"
"She is imprisoned within the Tower of Fate, a place existing outside conventional reality. I cannot enter the tower myself, but I can send you there."
Adrian's voice became cold.
"Is Batman hiding there as well?"
"Yes."
The answer immediately ignited the anger buried inside him.
"When do you wish to leave?"
"Right now."
Hatred flashed within Adrian's eyes.
Batman had manipulated him, trapped him within an illusion, and forced him to lose everything twice.
This debt would be settled.
He no longer intended to show mercy.
Old grievances and new ones would end together.
At the same moment, Rachel awakened.
She opened her eyes inside the magical circle.
Her fingers slowly touched her face.
She was young again.
Inside Adrian's dream, decades had passed. She had aged from a young girl into a mature woman, watching years slip away beside him.
Now she had regained her youthful appearance.
Yet the return of her youth brought no joy.
An overwhelming emptiness filled her heart.
Her fingers touched the tears on her cheeks.
She felt as though something precious had been taken away.
Her thoughts returned to her final conversation with Adrian.
It had been a bright afternoon.
The wind had suddenly stopped.
The clouds froze in the sky.
Pedestrians halted in place.
Floating willow leaves remained suspended.
Ripples on the water ceased moving.
Dragonflies no longer rose from the lake.
Fish that leapt from the water remained motionless.
Even the falling leaves stopped in midair.
The entire world had frozen.
Adrian released Rachel's hand.
They had been walking together through the park.
"Brother?"
Rachel stared at him.
Adrian stood motionless.
His posture straightened like a mountain reaching into the heavens.
The wrinkles earned through decades disappeared.
His aged face grew young.
The familiar black suit returned to his body.
Rachel did not feel relief.
Panic gripped her heart.
A terrible feeling spread through her chest.
The pressure surrounding Adrian suddenly became overwhelming.
His hands rose and gently grasped hers.
The moment he touched her, Rachel's own appearance changed.
The years vanished.
Her pale skin regained its vitality.
Her eyes became clear.
Her long lashes framed brilliant black and white eyes.
She returned to the appearance of an eighteen-year-old girl.
The black cloak covered her body.
Her youthful figure returned.
Although she could change her appearance whenever she wished, this was always the form she preferred.
She liked standing before Adrian this way.
It allowed her to feel like an adult rather than the little sister who never grew up in his eyes.
Yet as he held her hand, anxiety overwhelmed her.
"So you knew all along, Rachel."
Adrian sighed.
"I should have realized sooner. You were the only person here who was different. You were never created by this world."
He looked at her uneasy expression.
"You were an outsider, just like Diana. The difference is that Diana could only enter briefly, while your connection to souls allowed you to remain here permanently."
He continued quietly.
"This morning Diana suddenly appeared inside the Fortress. We spoke, and then she vanished. That was when I realized I had been deceiving myself."
His eyes became distant.
"This world is false."
He looked directly at her.
"And you are the only conscious person inside it. Isn't that right, Rachel?"
Memories flooded back into him.
Reality and illusion collided.
His forgotten experiences returned.
Everything he had experienced with Rachel surfaced again.
The truth could no longer be ignored.
Rachel lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, brother."
She held his hand tightly.
"I should have told you from the beginning that this was your spiritual world."
Her face reddened.
Fear filled her heart.
She worried that he would abandon her.
She had hidden the truth for selfish reasons.
She loved this world.
There was no war.
No endless conflict.
Her father lived.
Lana lived.
Heroes stood together as the Justice League.
Laila existed.
Looking at the little girl often reminded Rachel of herself.
Most importantly, she loved this version of Adrian.
He was not burdened by power.
He was not cold and distant.
He did not carry the weight of the world.
He simply lived.
She had wanted to remain here beside him forever.
Because of that, she never revealed the truth.
She loved this life.
And she loved the Adrian who existed within it.
She knew her feelings were complicated and difficult to explain.
At times she wished the Fairy Queen were present to help her understand them.
Whenever she became confused, she often sought answers from her.
Unfortunately, when Constantine imprisoned her within the magical circle, she had not brought the enchanted book with her.
Pushing aside her thoughts, Rachel lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, brother. I knew everything about this world, but I kept it from you. If you're angry with me, or if you hate me for it, I will accept it."
Adrian became silent.
His body stiffened.
Rachel felt him release her hand.
A sense of emptiness spread through her chest.
Yet relief accompanied it.
In those few moments, Adrian had already reviewed countless memories involving her.
He understood her feelings.
His gaze softened.
The anger vanished.
After all, this was his sister.
How could he truly blame her?
Rachel noticed the change in his expression.
He had forgiven her.
Remembering everything that had happened during those decades, the promises, the confessions, and the moments they had shared, her face became warm.
Embarrassed, she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head.
Darkness concealed her expression.
Her face felt unbearably hot.
"Thank you, Rachel."
Adrian's voice was quiet.
If not for her, he would have remained trapped inside that world until death.
Whether intentionally or not, Rachel had guided him toward the truth.
Then Diana's brief appearance within the Fortress had finally shattered the illusion.
The decades they spent together remained vivid within his heart.
Rachel lowered her head beneath the hood.
A tiny sound escaped her lips.
"Mm."
Facing the Adrian who had recovered his memories, she suddenly found herself unable to look at him.
Those decades had been real.
The memories remained.
The private moments.
The embarrassing promises.
The times she held his hand and told him she would remain beside him forever rather than marry anyone else.
Remembering those words now, Rachel felt utterly unable to face him.
===
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