The wings disappeared in a swish.
The three of them turned their gaze to Bruce's face.
"Illusion."
Their eyes narrowed in unison again.
Bruce, acting as if nothing had happened, exited the house and commented, "The sun is pretty good today, probably it was a mirage."
"It's overcast today."
"Mirages appear more easily on overcast days."
"Where have you been?" Lord Superman also stepped out of the living room, directing his question towards Bruce.
"How did you get out?" Bruce deflected the subject.
Wonder Woman gave a sigh, "He chased me all over with his heat vision. I had no energy left, so the Lasso of Truth automatically retracted."
"Sounds like something Batman would do."
"It was his idea, and it really wore us both out." Wonder Woman moved forward, noting Bruce sitting on the swing in the yard. She proceeded to the another swing and asked, "Do you have a solution?"
"I think I understand the principle, but still working on the solution."
"What principle?" Lord Superman was still clueless about what Bruce had just done.
Only Batman remained unwaveringly focused, still pondering the wings he had just seen sprouting from Bruce's back.
They were three pairs of massive wings, made up of 140 small wings. Batman was certain he hadn't miscounted. The description sounded very similar to Gabriel in the Bible, whose wings were the most distinctive and easily recognized.
"I've figured out the principle behind your conflicts." Bruce swung on the swing as he spoke, "In simple terms, due to significant changes in your living conditions, you have entered a period of self-exploration. During this time, you will re-examine your relationships with others, which acts as both a reflection and affirmation of self."
"During this period, the conflicts you have with others aren't just about their words and actions, but also about your urgent desire to observe yourself through them."
Having recited a few textbook paragraphs, Bruce seemed a bit impatient. He halted the swing, and turned to Lord Superman and Batman, "I won't explain the specific principle. In essence, I think you two should take some time apart and cool down."
Just as Lord Superman was about to object, Bruce interjected, "If you confine your interpersonal relationships during self-exploration to just the two of you, the ultimate result will be an inability to accurately observe oneself through others. And due to your urgency for seeking attention, you interfere with the other's self-exploration process. In other words, you are hurting each other."
"But we're a team. How can we separate?" Wonder Woman questioned.
"Didn't I leave my team to come to yours?" Bruce waved his hand dismissively.
"Are you saying we should join other teams?" Lord Superman furrowed his brow deeply.
"Can you contact your teammates?" Batman asked.
Lord Superman instantly understood what he meant, and glared at Batman with great discontent. After a moment of contemplation, Bruce said, "If you must contact them, I can arrange it, but I don't think you'll like the Superman from our universe."
"Why?" Batman was genuinely curious.
"If you can accept your universe's Superman, the Clark I know might be a bit ... " Bruce paused, then asked, "Have you ever driven a Lamborghini tractor?"
This comment left everyone baffled. The other three thought Bruce was just spouting nonsense. Lord Superman, still focusing on Batman, said, "You can't leave, Bruce. Running away won't solve the problem."
"You're the one who's been running away."
"Stop arguing." Bruce interrupted them, then added, "It's not a goodbye or an irrevocable split. Once you've spent some time apart, you can figure out what you want and what the other person wants. That way, you can communicate more effectively, right?"
Lord Superman didn't have the time to contemplate these issues, but he noticed Batman's resolve and realized that Bruce, whom he brought in, was supporting Batman's choice.
Bruce was indeed his choice. Lord Superman wondered if he'd brought this on himself, but he didn't want to show weakness, so he replied, "Alright then. When you meet other Supermen, you'll understand who the better teammate is and who your true friends are."
Batman, as usual, responded with silence.
The next move was up to Bruce.
The teams couldn't communicate with each other at moment, but Bruce found a way to contact Owen, or at least the host of this game. He could return to his own world and find Destiny.
All lives from all universes in his world were recorded in the Book of Destiny. The sponsor of Battleworld had to get Destiny's permission to extract the souls of heroes, so Destiny must be aware and have a way to contact the sponsor.
Bruce returned to Heaven once more and found Michael. As the administrator of the cosmos, Michael could contact Destiny, who in turn could reach the sponsor.
Not long after, Bruce returned. He nodded at the circular platform at the center of the safe area, "Put your hand on it, call the name of the Transcendent, and you'll be able to speak directly with the host. This is a customer service channel that will be announced later."