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Still Defiant! SI [Marvel/DC] 71: From the Stars
🕑 Added 2025-07-20 13:51:57 +0000 UTC71: From the Stars
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Like the rapid beat of a war drum, the shrill sound of metal clashing rang out again and again across the training field, producing a strange yet beautiful rhythmic melody capable of quickening the heartbeat of anyone who heard it.
Perfect to accompany the dance of swords that was creating it.
"HA!" With a fierce cry, a figure leapt into the air with supernatural grace and speed. The compact, toned muscles in her arms tensed as she tightened her grip on the hilt in her hands, and using every ounce of her strength, she swung her weapon in a powerful downward strike that could have cleanly split even the hardest rock in two.
A strike that was easily blocked by her opponent.
Sparks flew as the blades met head-on. For a split second, their wielders stood locked in place, neither one giving an inch—at least not until the defender gave a slight push, overpowering her attacker despite her position and forcing her to retreat, sending her flying through the air.
Taking what she believed was an opening, another figure lunged in from the side, her sword hurtling at great speed toward her target’s back.
Upon hearing the wind tearing behind her, a faint smile formed on the rosy lips of the woman, and with a smooth motion, she twisted her torso to one side, dodging the attack with barely any effort.
“Shit!” her second attacker growled, trying to twist her body mid-air to change direction. But she was too slow—reaching out her hand, the woman used just one of her slender fingers to catch one of the straps on her armor, stopping her dead in her tracks before hurling her to the ground, where she tumbled uncontrollably for several meters.
“Ugh!” Letting out a groan, the warrior who had just been thrown tried to get back on her feet, with little success—barely managing to raise her bruised torso.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been knocked down in the brief thirty minutes since the spar had begun, and with each fall, she could feel it wasn’t just her body taking a beating.
"You should stay down," said someone behind her, making her frown even harder.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the one who had spoken was one of the many older sisters who had come running to enjoy the "show" after rumors of the fight taking place on this training field had spread uncontrollably.
Aresia didn’t know which of her sisters had been the one to gossip about the ‘special’ training they’d be having today, but when she found out, she would personally make sure to teach her the importance of keeping a secret.
Although maybe… she was already learning, considering the public humiliation they were all suffering right now.
With a grimace forming on her face, she watched as three of her companions charged at their opponent with weapons raised—only to be brought down a second later by three simple hand movements that seemed almost lazy.
'She’s too strong,' she thought, her growing awe quickly turning into disbelief as she realized that the woman was still standing in exactly the same spot where she’d been since the beginning of the fight… if it could even be called that anymore.
"Now I understand why none of you like fighting her," she commented, drawing a few laughs from the crowd gathered around the field.
“We warned you, but you were all too stubborn—and this is the result,” replied the same woman as before, with an amused smile. However, in her green eyes, a fleeting spark of envy flickered as she watched the figure who could still smile and seem relaxed even while fighting ten opponents at once.
“Challenging the princess is something no one’s done in over a century…” she added, almost under her breath. But Aresia didn’t need her to say it as she already knew.
There was a reason her group had been so insistent on fighting her. For as long as they could remember, Aresia and her younger sisters had heard stories about the mythical and unbeatable Amazon princess and her legendary feats.
But hearing tales wasn’t the same as seeing it with their own eyes. Their curiosity simply couldn’t be put to rest, and it didn’t help that every time they asked why the princess didn’t take part in training bouts or the grand tournaments, the older Amazons would just smile and reply as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:
“Because no one can defeat her,” they all said without the slightest hesitation.
And to the younger Amazons, that sounded like nonsense. No one could really be invincible in this world, right? That was what they thought in private. And as the brave, daring warriors they were, they decided there was no better way to debunk the myth than to face it themselves.
Well… now they knew better.
Gazing at that tall, magnificent figure—whose beauty and bearing made her stand out even among all the stunning women who inhabited the paradise island—Aresia sighed, admiration shining in her eyes, and this time she didn’t try to get back up. Instead, she took her elder’s advice and stayed down.
A wise choice, for soon all her other sisters ended up kissing the ground as well, none of them able to rise again.
Diana looked calmly at the fallen warriors around her, waiting for them to stand, to fight again—but none did. And though her expression remained unchanged, she couldn’t help the flicker of disappointment that crept into her heart for a moment.
'Seems I drew my sword for nothing,' whispered a part of her mind. But almost as soon as the thought came, Diana crushed it without mercy.
She didn’t like thinking that way, but with every passing year as the most powerful of all Amazons, that whispering voice grew louder against her will.
Diana deeply cherished her people’s warrior culture. When she was a child, watching her elders fight in passionate duels was her greatest entertainment. And when she reached the age sufficient to hold her own sword, the expectation of participating in those glorious confrontations barely let her sleep at night.
The memory of that first great tournament she ever took part in—and the final battle where she faced her teacher and aunt, Antiope, only to be defeated—remained one of her most treasured memories.
It was a shame that, for a long time now, memories like that had stopped being possible for her.
Raising her head to admire the sky, now almost completely bathed in the orange glow of sunset, Diana wondered once again when things had started to become this way.
Was it after she finally won the great tournament that crowned her as the strongest of all? Or perhaps after her sword took the head of the last monster hiding on the island she called home?
She didn’t know for sure. but at some point in the past, her strength had increased so much that nothing seemed capable of standing against her anymore. She had become so powerful that even training began to feel meaningless.
For many years, she even stopped doing it—because what was the point of growing stronger if she was already the strongest? That had been her mindset at the time, though such a thought didn’t last long.
Above all else, she was still a warrior—discipline ran through her veins just like her blood. Sitting around drinking and eating without doing anything else became unbearable to her, even more exasperating and boring than any other alternative.
So she soon picked up her weapons again and, with a boiling passion, resumed her training with more intensity than ever before—in such a way that even her sisters began calling it obsessive behind her back.
She noticed it, of course she did, but even so, she didn’t stop. She couldn’t.
On this island, where everything seemed to remain eternally static, at least something needed to change. Even if it was small, even if it was insignificant, Diana did everything she could to keep trying—for years, decades, centuries.
Even when time began to lose its meaning, she kept going, striving not to fall back into complacency.
She changed the ways in which she trained, adapting, transforming. She pushed her routines to extremes that no other Amazon could even imagine. But even so, her best ideas had a limit, and for years now Diana had felt she had reached it.
Lately, even her once indomitable spirit seemed diminished to a tame flame. She rarely visited the training grounds anymore. Instead, she spent her days attending to other duties. Duties that were nowhere near as interesting or thrilling as the art of combat.
It had come to the point where simply watching her sisters practicing from afar had become the most exciting part of her mornings. She longed to join their fights, to sweat, to bleed, to tire herself out alongside them like any other Amazon would.
But she knew she couldn’t… or rather, that she shouldn’t. A person can only lose a limited number of times before something inside them breaks.
Diana had learned this the hard way, when she kept winning...
When her sisters stopped getting excited at the idea of facing her and began to look at her differently. When the admiration in their eyes turned into resentment and frustration.
Perhaps that’s why she didn’t say no immediately when the group of young Amazons came to her, with that nostalgic gleam of challenge in their eyes, seeking a confrontation.
At first, she had hesitated, afraid of repeating the past.
And even though she knew exactly how it would all end, deep down, a spark of expectation rekindled, spreading beyond her control.
Maybe, just maybe, among this group of young warriors there would be someone with the potential to, one day, stand against her...
Someone who could prove that she wasn’t an exception. That having been born from “clay” didn’t make her so different from the others. That those hurtful whispers some of her sisters muttered behind her back when they thought she couldn’t hear them… were wrong.
The longing had been intense—but the disappointment that came when she realized that none of them possessed that 'spark' was even greater.
It wasn’t that they were weak. For their young age, they had developed a skill and finesse that would make even the oldest Amazons treat them with caution in battle.
But that was it.
Diana could feel it. She didn’t know how, but she felt it: even with the blessings the gods had granted them upon being accepted on the island, their strength would not grow any further, their speed would not increase, and their skin would not harden to become immune to the edge of metal, as had happened with her.
In every physical aspect, they would remain like the rest of the Amazons, no matter how much more they trained or how many more battles they fought: the limit of their strength had already been set, and Diana had no idea how to change that.
Why? Why was she the only one who didn’t remain the same? Was being born from 'clay' truly something so important? So significant as to make her special? Or had the gods simply blessed her far more? And if so, for what purpose? What did they need from her?
What monster was she meant to slay? What evil was she supposed to face? What challenge was she meant to overcome?
Diana had searched for the answers to all those questions for years, praying to the gods, waiting for their call, their sign… Surely there had to be a reason for her strength. There had to be! She believed in that.
But no matter how long she waited, nothing ever came.
And so, like every day in recent memory, her gaze inevitably drifted—almost unintentionally—toward the horizon: toward the vast, seemingly endless blue sea… and the land said to exist beyond it.
Despite all the magic that surrounded Themyscira, the so-called paradise island had long ceased to be one in her eyes. In her most intimate thoughts, she had even come to compare it to a prison: one adorned with beautiful flowers and golden bars—but a prison nonetheless.
The idea of sailing away, of leaving it all behind, escaping and beginning a journey into the unknown, flooded her dreams far more often than she liked to admit—even creeping into her waking thoughts during the day.
Perhaps someone else would have surrendered to such fantasies long ago, would have succumbed to the temptation not just to imagine it, but to make it reality.
It was a shame Diana was too stubborn for her own good—too determined to remain steadfast, and far too skilled at resisting.
If nothing interfered, not even she knew how many more centuries it would take for her stubbornness to completely collapse. But she knew herself well enough to understand that, if it were up to her alone, she wouldn’t find out anytime soon.
At the same time, she also understood that even the mightiest wall could be destroyed if struck in just the right spot with the proper force.
And though a part of her feared the day that blow might come, another, in equal measure, longed for it.
Letting out a soft sigh, Diana turned her gaze away from the tempting horizon and sheathed her sword. Despite her initial disappointment, that didn’t mean this afternoon’s training—short as it had been—hadn’t been fun.
Maybe it was time to end her self-imposed isolation and start socializing more with her sisters. At the very least, helping train the younger ones would make her days less monotonous, and reconnecting with her old mentors and longtime friends wouldn’t hurt either.
Not far from Diana, one of the defeated Amazons still lay on the ground, even though the others had already gotten back on their feet. It wasn’t that she was more injured or more exhausted than her companions—she had simply chosen to stay there a little longer, to admire the sky as it began to darken, and the first stars that already shone within it.
Many things could be said about Themyscira, but no one who had ever set foot on the island could deny that its night skies were true spectacles—worthy, even, of being admired by the gods themselves.
“Are you all right, Elena?” The question made the young Amazon blink. Turning her head, she met the slightly concerned eyes of her princess—and the hand now extended toward her.
“Uh? Yes! I mean… I’m fine. I just got lost in my thoughts,” she answered a bit hesitantly.
She’d heard that the princess didn’t like being treated too formally, but being too informal didn’t feel appropriate either. After all, she was still her princess—and until recently, the princess hadn’t even known her name.
Taking the offered hand, the young woman marveled at the sensation that came with that firm grip: her skin was strangely soft and smooth, yet at the same time 'hard,' like marble.
“Don’t worry, it happens to me too sometimes,” she said with a friendly smile that made Elena smile as well.
With a gentle pull, Diana helped her to her feet. And though her muscles burned with pain, Elena ignored it, more focused on closely observing the woman who had defeated their entire group without even trying.
By Hera… she wasn’t even slightly disheveled.
“I was hoping we’d at least get you to use your lasso,” she said, glancing at the coiled rope hanging from Diana’s waist.
It was incredible how one of the most powerful magical artifacts in Themyscira could look so ordinary.
In the stories she had heard as a child, it was said to be made from an indestructible material, capable of stretching beyond the heavens—and that those touched by it could speak only the truth and nothing but the truth, or else be burned in body and soul by the celestial flames of the goddess Hestia.
“Don’t get too excited, girl. You’ll need at least five more centuries before she even considers you worthy,” interrupted a voice, causing both of them to frown.
“Artemis, it’s been a while,” Diana greeted politely, earning a snort from the red-haired woman approaching them.
“Several years, princess. I’m surprised you finally made some time in your oh-so-busy schedule to join us simple mortals.” Her words, though spoken in a tone of ‘mock-friendly banter,’ held a hidden venom that Diana noted with regret.
“I didn’t expect you’d miss me so much. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll make sure to visit the training fields more often from now on.” Diana cursed herself internally the moment she finished speaking. Maybe out of habit, or perhaps nostalgia, she had answered as she once would have in the past. But that had been a mistake.
It had been a long time since friendly sarcasm had existed between the two of them—and as if to prove it, Artemis’s eyes narrowed, a cold light gleaming in them at her words.
“Careful what you say, Princess. Our young sisters might start believing you'll fulfill them"
This time it was Diana who cast a dangerous look at the redhead. The tension in the air thickened, and despite the bustle surrounding the training field, a heavy silence began to form between them.
Elena, caught between the two, felt sweat trickle down her forehead without understanding what exactly was happening.
Maybe she should sneak away while neither of them was paying attention?
Finally, Artemis huffed and turned around, beginning to walk away as if she had nothing more to say.
Watching the woman who had once been her greatest rival in every aspect walk away, Diana couldn’t help but lament how much their relationship had deteriorated.
Not that they had once been the greatest of friends or anything like that—but at least there had been a mutual respect and understanding between the two that was now lost.
Diana knew that, for the most part, it was her fault. Of all the Amazons, Artemis was the one who insisted the most on continuing to fight her over the years—the one who kept pushing herself even when all the others had lowered their swords and accepted that they would never defeat her.
She had seen her efforts. She had felt her frustration, her stubbornness, her tenacity… but above all, her will and her desire to one day surpass her.
And Diana didn’t want to see that disappear.
The most selfish part of her refused to lose it—and that’s why she made a mistake. A big one.
She let Artemis win…
A foolish decision. At the time, she believed her performance had been convincing, that no one would notice.
The Amazons who had witnessed the fight that day cheered with frenzied excitement; none of them seemed to have seen through the farce. Even her mother looked genuinely surprised.
All except Artemis.
When Diana, half-kneeling on the ground, lifted her gaze to meet hers, she didn’t see the triumph she had expected. In those dulled eyes, there was no joy, no satisfaction.
Instead, she saw only betrayal.
Needless to say, things were never the same after that.
“Are you alright, princess?”
At Elena’s question, Diana realized she had lingered too long in her memories. Shaking her head, she gave the young woman a small smile and patted her shoulder in a friendly gesture.
“Yes. Artemis and I just have some unresolved matters, don’t worry too much about it. For now, how about gathering your teammates so we can talk about how the match went? If you’d like, I can give you all some tips to improve your training.”
The offer immediately excited Elena. Forgetting what had just happened, the young woman nodded eagerly, dusted herself off, and then ran to gather the other Amazons.
Already thinking about what she would teach them, Diana set aside the complicated thoughts and immersed herself in the new role of mentor she had decided to take on.
A role for which, even now, she didn’t feel remotely prepared.
For the longest time, she had been the youngest of all the Amazons—the most inexperienced—the one the others guided, corrected, and protected, never the other way around.
At least until, less than half a century ago, new and young members arrived on the shores of Themyscira.
The news had been shocking. So much so that even years later it was still a topic of conversation among many of the island’s women.
As princess, Diana had been one of the first to find out, and without hesitation, she asked to be part of the caregiving group her mother was organizing to take charge of them.
But dealing with children is very different from dealing with swords and spears. And it quickly became clear that Diana lacked the necessary delicacy to care for such fragile beings.
It had been frustrating. And, stubborn as she was, Diana remembered insisting again and again that they let her keep trying. But her mother, wise as ever, had stopped her despite her protests.
“Raising a child is not a game, my daughter. Here we cannot afford to make mistakes,” she had said patiently.
“It has been centuries since beings this young set foot on Themyscira, and we must treat them as what they are: immense treasures. Gifts the gods have granted us, and which we must cherish and care for until they are ready to fend for themselves.”
Diana, of course, hadn’t understood that at the time. Despite her countless years of existence, her maturity in certain areas remained lacking and full of fury and indignation, she had left, returning to focus on her training while ignoring the young Amazons.
At least until they grew old enough to raise their own swords.
Which brought her back to the present.
Now, none of them were fragile. In every sense, they had become true warriors. And for that reason, Diana believed the time had finally come to start helping them, just as other Amazons had once helped her in her youth.
Maybe she couldn’t make them as strong as she was, but she trusted she could at least turn them into the strongest after her… if she managed to adapt some of her training methods to their level.
Though she had studied the theory of teaching—reading every book available in the island’s library and discussing the subject with Antiope and her other former mentors—the truth was that Diana still lacked real practical experience.
The thought of what was to come made her feel a nervousness she hadn’t experienced in centuries, one that reminded her of her childhood: when she was still a novice at everything and feared not living up to the expectations of those around her.
'They’re already at a high level. I can skip the tedious parts and go straight to eliminating the flaws in their combat technique,' she thought.
Not that there were many—but enough for any experienced fighter to exploit and gain the upper hand.
With the winter solstice drawing nearer—and with it, the great Amazon tournament held each year—she needed to fix this if any of them were to stand a chance at distinguishing themselves.
Setting a small goal for herself, Diana decided she would make sure at least one of them reached the semifinals.
Soon, Elena returned accompanied by her nine companions. It seemed they were all interested in accepting her offer, but they didn’t begin right away—it was already late, and they had just finished a fight. While Diana wasn’t tired in the slightest, the same couldn’t be said for them. So, for now, they agreed on a time and promised to meet the next day at a better training ground.
With the fight over, the crowd that had surrounded the area began to disperse. Diana said her goodbyes to the Amazons she still maintained some closeness with and, feeling surprisingly lighthearted despite her encounter with Artemis, decided to skip dinner and walk toward her favorite place on the island.
Just as the sun was about to disappear completely beyond the horizon, Diana reached her destination.
The summit of the highest mountain in Themyscira.
A place almost no Amazon ever visited, not just because of how difficult it was to reach, but also because of how hard it was to stay. Its height pierced through the clouds, and because of that, the air was thin—bitingly cold and rough, nearly suffocating.
Even with their extraordinary physiques, an average Amazon could barely endure such altitude for more than an hour before needing to descend.
For Diana, it was different: breathing was more a choice than a necessity. On one occasion, she had even tried to see how long she could go without doing it, and managed to hold out for nearly two weeks before feeling the slightest discomfort.
Whether on this mountaintop or at sea level, as long as the air held even the barest trace of oxygen, Diana could breathe it without noticing any difference.
'How beautiful,' she thought as she gazed at the vast sea of stars stretched out above her, and the endless blanket of white clouds below her feet, dyed by the colors of sunset.
If she had to choose a single reason why this was her favorite place, the landscape would no doubt be the first thing to come to mind.
Sitting on a rock she herself had carved into the shape of a comfortable chair, Diana let the freezing winds caress her hair while her face was bathed in the last intense rays of the setting sun, along with the light of distant stars.
Had any witness been present at that moment, they would have been awestruck not only by the magical dreamlike landscape crowning the summit of such a colossal mountain, but also by the dark-haired woman standing there: so perfect that she, by herself, was even more dazzling than everything around her.
“Hmm?” The serenity of the moment broke when Diana noticed, with surprise, how a flash of blue light illuminated the landscape. For a moment, she mistook it for the start of an aurora borealis, but she soon realized it was something else entirely.
The light wasn’t coming from the sky—it was coming from the stars.
Fascinated, she watched as a blue streak, resembling that of a comet, pierced the atmosphere, shot across the horizon at incredible speed, cut through the clouds, and fell beyond the island’s shores, plunging into the vast ocean.
Under normal circumstances, such a sight wouldn’t have struck her as anything extraordinary—after all, given her long life, it wasn’t the first time she had witnessed a meteor falling from space.
But it was the first time one of them had a human shape.
For several seconds, she remained frozen, her blue eyes locked on the spot where the “object” had fallen, while her normally sharp mind went completely blank.
Then she stood up abruptly, feeling her heart beating faster than ever inside her chest. Diana frowned, pressed her lips together, and after barely half a second of deliberation, stepped forward, launching herself with a powerful leap that cracked the ground beneath her feet and hurled her body thousands of meters toward the sea.
With a dizzying speed that tore through the air in front of her, the distance that once seemed vast vanished in an instant. Then, with the sensation of her body passing through an invisible veil, Diana—for the first time in her life—crossed the boundary that separated Themyscira from the rest of the world.
Behind her, the magnificent view of the paradise island faded, replaced by a powerful illusion that revealed nothing but an endless stretch of ocean, with no land in sight.
With a loud splash, Diana found herself submerged in the water, her eyes scanning the darkness of the ocean floor until she spotted what she was looking for, several hundred meters away.
With just a motion of her hands and a kick of her feet, she propelled herself forward, slicing through the water faster than any sea creature.
'What is this…?!'
Diana was speechless. Cautiously, she stopped her advance, examining with wide eyes the “thing” floating before her, not fully understanding what she was looking at.
Her mind working at full speed, she finally managed to identify it—though it didn’t make her feel any more at ease.
A man!
And a real one, no less.
She couldn’t help it—her eyes wandered over his figure with growing bewilderment. Although there were ancient texts in Themyscira that described them, as well as a few worn-out illustrations, none of that could possibly do justice to what she was now witnessing.
Slowly, she extended her right hand toward his face. The tips of her fingers brushed his cheek, barely perceiving the texture of his skin, when a faint blue light flashed and a current of energy shot through her, sending a shiver down her entire body.
It wasn’t painful, but it was numbing—like that time, during a storm, when she had to throw herself in front of one of her sisters and take the wrath of the heavens in her stead.
'What was that?' she wondered with curiosity, before shaking her head to snap out of her daze and start thinking about what she should do. Any questions could be answered later; for now, the first thing was undoubtedly to get him out of the water… but then what? Take him to Themyscira?
The very thought struck her as absurd. No man was allowed to set foot on Themyscira; it was their most sacred law. But if not Themyscira, then where? As far as she knew, there was no other landmass for hundreds—maybe thousands—of kilometers.
Biting her lip, she watched in slow motion as air bubbles began escaping from the man’s nose and mouth. And then she made her decision: she couldn’t keep hesitating.
Approaching him, she wrapped one arm around his torso, and using the other, began swimming toward the shores of the paradise island.
'This is a terrible idea,' she thought, though she didn’t stop.
She only hoped she wouldn’t come to regret it later.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Something poked him.
Frowning, Daniel squirmed, curling up beneath the soft blankets wrapped around his body, trying to stay asleep. But then—again… something poked him.
Growling in irritation, Daniel turned over, sleep slipping almost completely from his grasp.
“Stop…” he mumbled through clenched teeth. But his protest was useless, because once again, something pressed against his side.
“Carol, stop!” this time he practically shouted, grabbing one of the pillows beside him and hurling it forcefully at the insistent, annoying girl who couldn’t let him sleep for just five minutes!
Wait…
As the gears in his mind slowly began to turn, Daniel’s eyes shot open.
With slight stiffness, he pulled the white blanket off his head and found himself staring up at a strange ceiling made of brown stone. Embedded in its rocky surface were small white crystals, evenly scattered, each one glowing with a soft light that gently illuminated the room he was in.
And where exactly was he?
Sitting up cautiously, Daniel scanned his surroundings, first taking note of the room’s decoration: shields, swords, spears, axes, and a whole bunch of other objects hung from the walls, on display alongside what appeared to be parts of ‘animals’… or rather, monsters?
Definitely a collection of interesting trophies. Then he noticed the carvings—bronze plaques placed next to some of the displays, inscribed with text he recognized as Ancient Greek. Too bad that, although Daniel had learned many languages over the past year, Greek was still one he hadn’t mastered—let alone its ancient form.
The room was spacious, and he even spotted a few doors that surely led to other areas. Everything seemed to have been built into the rock itself, probably inside a cave deep within some mountain.
Once he finished surveying his surroundings, Daniel turned his gaze to the only other living presence in the room besides himself—namely, the woman he had just thrown a pillow at.
“Is that a stick? Were you… poking me with a stick?” He didn’t know why that was the first thing that came out of his mouth, but he couldn’t help it, he had to confirm.
The woman raised an eyebrow at his question, looked at the long wooden rod she was holding in her hand, and then nodded, as if there was nothing strange about it.
“Huh…”
Well, this definitely wasn’t what he expected to wake up to.
Taking a deep breath, Daniel closed his eyes and counted to ten before opening them again and taking a much closer look at the woman.
She looked ready for war.
Clinging tightly to her torso in a way that highlighted her curves, she wore a form-fitting dark red armor, made of segmented metallic plates, resembling a seamless corset.
Mounted on the upper part of her chest, an 'eagle' with outstretched wings stood tall, crafted from several interlocking pieces of silver metal. Below her navel, circling her waist, was a similarly built belt, but with a large ‘W’ at the center.
Covering her arms and secured by several straps, she wore long, dark leather gloves, fingerless and reaching halfway up her biceps. Over those, silver bracers with golden details extended from her wrists to her elbows.
Attached to the belt, a short dark blue battle skirt made of wide leather strips covered her lower half, and on her long legs she wore a pair of black boots reinforced with metal, rising from her feet to nearly halfway up her thighs, with a set of steel plate guards covering her knees.
The figure of her body alone would be enough to catch anyone’s attention, but when Daniel finally rested his eyes on her face, even he was stunned for a few seconds.
‘Shit, there are way too many hot girls in this place,’ he thought, frowning slightly.
Fortunately, he’d built up some mental resistance, so he didn’t just sit there gawking at her like an idiot. Instead, he reined in his primal instincts and focused on what mattered.
Leaving the stick aside, every part of her attire was a clear sign that she was some kind of warrior—and from her stance, undoubtedly a highly skilled one. As if that wasn’t enough, a long sword rested sheathed at her waist, while in her other hand she firmly held… a lasso?
Wait, a lasso?
Raising his eyebrows, Daniel looked at the half-coiled rope he had somehow failed to notice until now—worse still, it extended in his direction, and as he followed its length with his eyes, he saw it was wrapped tightly around his left arm.
“I’ve had dreams like this before, but I’m usually not the one tied up,” he muttered to himself, wearing a half-cracked smile.
Somehow, the woman must have heard him, because she let out a low grunt before tossing the stick behind her and, with a swift motion that cut through the air, drew her sword.
With the sharp blade pointed directly at his face, Daniel stopped thinking about nonsense and got completely serious.
“How about we all just calm down?” he said, raising his hands.
But the woman didn’t seem too inclined to take his advice. With a slight tug, she tightened the rope in her hand, causing it to glow with a soft golden light.
Daniel felt a gentle, comforting warmth spread over the skin of his arm. It was a strange sensation, but somehow soothing.
“Let’s start with something simple: who are you, and where do you come from?” The woman’s voice was soft, yet firm—and with her words, the rope began to glow more intensely.
Intrigued, Daniel allowed his synapses to quicken slightly as he considered how to respond, but for some reason, his mind resisted the idea of being dishonest.
‘Mind control?’ he wondered, then quickly dismissed the thought.
Mind control was completely ineffective against him. Whatever effect the lasso was trying to use to influence him, he could say with certainty that it was beyond that. Besides, the energy it emitted… he could only describe it as 'divine,' for lack of a better word.
‘What happens if I lie?’ So far, the warmth didn’t seem harmful, but he had a strong hunch that could easily change if he said the wrong thing.
Without hurrying to respond, he moved calmly, brushing aside the sheet that still covered his body. Then he stood up, completely ignoring the sword that remained pointed at him, and began stretching his muscles, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.
Not having to endure constant pain put him in an unusually good mood, despite the strangeness of his current situation.
His sudden movement made the woman tense up, stepping back two paces with more nervousness than Daniel had expected. Curious, he raised an eyebrow at her—but then he felt a cold breeze brush against his skin… all of his skin.
With his hands on his hips, Daniel glanced down and immediately saw the problem. For a second, he was stunned—until he remembered that, while his suit was durable, it wasn't unbreakable.
“Uh… this is a bit embarrassing,” he said, though he made no attempt to cover himself. He had already noticed that she was watching him rather closely. That is to say—she was getting distracted! Disorienting your opponent was one of the most useful combat tactics, and while he still wasn’t sure if she was his enemy, it was best to take any advantage he could, regardless of the method.
“You!” she growled, pulling hard on the rope in her hand. But to her surprise, Daniel didn’t budge an inch.
‘She’s got some strength,’ Daniel thought. She hadn’t managed to move him, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t felt the tug. Something that, without a doubt, a normal person wouldn’t be able to achieve.
With a more cautious demeanor, the woman narrowed her eyes, her gaze dropping briefly before rising again to focus squarely on his face.
“Who are you?” she asked again, increasing the rope’s glow. This time, Daniel felt the heat intensify in a more dangerous way. It was still far from hurting him, but the sense of comfort it had provided before had vanished completely.
‘A rope that forces you to tell the truth… Where have I seen this before?’ he wondered, eyes widening as the memories slowly began to return to his mind.
Misinterpreting his reaction, Diana felt a surge of confidence and spoke again:
“Answer me, stranger! The lasso compels you!”
Under Diana’s intense gaze, Daniel gripped the golden lasso, wrapping it firmly around his palm and offering her his best smile. He let its power flow through him, seeing no need to resist it.
“My name is Daniel Evans, though some know me as Defiant. And unless I landed on another planet by accident, I’m pretty sure we’re both from Earth.”
His last words made Diana’s eyes widen, and—without meaning to—she lowered her sword, pointing it toward a place no sword should ever point.
“You were also sculpted from clay!?” she asked, completely stunned, prompting Daniel to look at her in confusion.
“Clay? Eh… uh, no?” he quickly clarified, gesturing toward the ground while using his fingers to nudge the tip of the sword to a much safer position.
“I meant the planet.”
She fell silent. Her brow furrowed before she slowly nodded.
“I see… my mistake.” For some reason, Daniel thought he caught a hint of disappointment in her tone.
Shaking her head, Diana raised her sword again and tightened her grip on the lasso, asking another question, this time more cautiously.
“How is it that you fell from the stars? Are you… a god?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be the first to call me that. But!” Daniel raised a finger.
“Don’t let my exceptional appearance fool you—I have nothing to do with abstract things like gods. And as for the first part… we might want to get a little more comfortable. It’s a long story, after all,” he added, reaching out to grab the white bedsheet and beginning to wrap it around himself like an improvised toga.
“I have time for a long story,” Diana replied after a few seconds of thought, withdrawing her sword and sheathing it again in a fluid motion.
“Perfect! And now that you know my name, why don’t you tell me yours? I mean, I can’t keep calling you ‘beautiful lady of the lasso’ in my head forever, right?”
That made her smile slightly.
“My name is Diana, daughter of Queen Hippolyta. Princess and champion of the Amazons,” she said, introducing herself properly.
“A princess, huh? This is my first time meeting one. It’s truly an honor, Your Highness!” he exclaimed with a smile.
“Will a simple bow suffice, or should I kneel as well?” he asked, bending at the waist in an exaggerated imitation of a greeting he’d once seen on a TV show.
Diana watched his strange behavior with a mix of amusement and confusion. This was nothing like what she had expected when meeting a man. Her sisters—and especially her mother—had always made it sound as if each of them were some sort of terrible, malevolent being, but the one standing before her was clearly nothing of the sort.
In fact, he was quite pleasant... Shaking her head, she loosened her grip on the lasso, causing the golden light to dim.
“The bow will suffice,” she said, pointing toward one of the doors in the room.
“Come, I know a better place for our conversation.” With that, she turned and began walking away.
For his part, Daniel’s playful demeanor faded at the same time the golden light began to dim.
Frowning, he couldn’t help the slight blush that colored his cheeks. He hadn’t expected that, by not resisting the lasso’s power, his old habits when dealing with women would return so easily.
'You really are a terrifying object, aren’t you?' he thought, glancing down at the rope in his hand.
Sighing, he looked at Diana’s back as she walked away, then shrugged and followed after her. Since he was already here, he might as well take advantage of his good luck and secure another great ally for his future hero team.
And if, in the process, he earned the affection of the beautiful Amazon princess… well, who was he to say no?
'Truly terrifying,' he thought, gripping the lasso a little tighter.
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Note:
Just over seven thousand words!
Originally, this was going to be two chapters, but as I was writing, I thought it would be better to combine everything into one. That’s why it took a bit longer to release.
Working with new characters is always tricky—especially when their origin stories are so inconsistent. I tried to read as much original material on Wonder Woman as I could, but the differences in how various authors portray her and her background really made the job difficult.
In the end, as usual, I chose only the elements I felt best suited this story and its development. Of course, I won’t be able to explore everything, even if I wanted to, so don’t be surprised if some things are simplified while others get a lot more focus.
With so many characters, it’s definitely hard to give each of them the screen time they deserve. And while I’ll continue introducing more, I want to make it clear that the main focus will remain on those who are truly important.
That said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
As a small spoiler: even though Diana believes she was born from clay, I’m actually using her origin as the daughter of Zeus.
Well then, I’ll leave it here. Thanks for the support!
Comments
عبدالرحمن بني صخر
In this universe does the amazonians rape sailors and kill their male born and if so what would defiant reaction be
Chan Myae Aung
Thank for the chapter..... can't wait for more..
