Although Kara, thanks of Dr. Manhattan, easily entered the Quantum Realm and gained the ability to travel across universes, inter-universal travel was far from simple.
For example, Kara suddenly spotted the shadow of an immense wall stretching endlessly before them.
"The Source Wall," she muttered instinctively.
Though it was her first time seeing it, she somehow recognized its name. It was indeed the Source Wall—a mysterious and complex entity that would be better explained later.
For now, Kara turned to Dr. Manhattan and asked, "So, how do we get past this?"
She didn't bother asking if they could; after all, Dr. Manhattan had clearly traversed it before.
"We go around it," he replied flatly.
"Go around it?" Kara rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is some ordinary wall? You can't just go around it."
Yet, much to her disbelief, they bypassed it.
Kara wasn't sure how Dr. Manhattan managed it. Somehow, with his quantum powers, he transported them past the Source Wall without so much as touching it.
The Source Wall, after all, was infinite—spanning as far as the multiverse itself. It divided and protected universes, preventing collisions or overlaps. But Dr. Manhattan circumvented this colossal barrier as though it were trivial.
As they moved past it, Kara glanced back. From this angle, she could see countless figures trapped within the wall—gods, titans, and beings of incomprehensible power frozen in eternity.
"Perhaps they're the true gods," Dr. Manhattan commented. His tone was calm, almost indifferent, yet laced with a subtle mockery.
Kara shrugged, neither agreeing nor arguing. "Maybe," she muttered, her focus elsewhere.
"What interests me more," she added cautiously, "is your power. What's the full extent of it?"
She wasn't afraid of Dr. Manhattan, but his presence undeniably put her on edge.
Dr. Manhattan turned his gaze toward her and, after a moment of thought, said, "The power you hold is as terrifying to me as mine might be to you."
Kara raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"You symbolize life," he continued, "yet carry the essence of death. You possess not only the potential of a perfect universe but also the capacity to reshape reality itself—emotions that can reconstruct universes, alter timelines, and change the very nature of existence. Compared to that, my own abilities are... modest."
"Huh?" Kara crossed her arms and frowned. "Are you mocking me or complimenting me?"
Dr. Manhattan ignored her annoyance. "For example, if I wish to reach a specific location," he explained, "I merely pull the universe itself closer to me. What, I wonder, is the full extent of your greatest strength?"
Kara faltered. She hadn't tried it yet, but she suspected her current capabilities couldn't compare. Perhaps she could move a dozen suns at most, and that was being generous. Five years ago, she would've struggled even more.
She clenched her fists, frustrated. Was that why Dr. Manhattan sought her out now—because her strength had grown enough to warrant his attention?
She glanced at her hands, where the Ten Lantern Rings shimmered faintly, hidden beneath thin constructs. Their power was vast but external; it wasn't truly hers. She longed to rely solely on her own strength.
Still, the way Dr. Manhattan casually dismissed physical travel was maddening. Just warp the universe, huh? What a show-off, she thought, biting her tongue.
Dr. Manhattan, sensing her thoughts, gave her a subtle glance, his expression unreadable.
Moments later, they crossed the Source Wall and arrived in another universe. The two found themselves in a laboratory, where over a dozen duplicates of Dr. Manhattan were busily working.
Kara blinked in surprise. Each duplicate moved with precision, and all of them shared the original's powers and independent thought. It was as though there were a dozen Dr. Manhattans existing simultaneously.
None of them acknowledged her presence, likely because they already knew she would arrive.
Dr. Manhattan's ability to perceive and exist across time made such encounters peculiar. He could interact with the past, present, and future simultaneously. Conversations with him often felt disjointed—what he said now might be intended for a future version of you.
Kara sighed and glanced around, uninterested in the details of their work. As she wandered deeper into the lab, she noticed two Manhattans speaking with a woman.
That woman, Kara realized, was Dr. Manhattan's current romantic partner—a fact she filed under strange but not my business.
Feeling awkward, Kara raised a hand to cover her eyes but left her fingers splayed wide enough to peek through.
Dr. Manhattan turned to her and said, "My apologies. We've come to the wrong timeline. Let's correct that."
Before Kara could protest, he whisked her away through time, and they reappeared on Mars.
The sudden shift left Kara momentarily disoriented. Mars's thin atmosphere would have been deadly for a normal person, but Kara remained unfazed.
"You..." she began, fixing him with a sharp glare. "Are you playing with time?"
Dr. Manhattan offered no response, but the answer was clear. His mastery of time allowed him to travel freely across it, altering history and future events without consequence. However, no matter how much he manipulated the timeline, his own existence remained immutable.
Some theorized that traveling back in time to prevent his transformation would undo his powers. Yet such efforts were futile. Dr. Manhattan's very being was anchored to the fabric of reality itself—an unchangeable fact. Even he couldn't alter it.
Kara studied him closely, her frustration mounting. "You're really playing with fire, you know that?"
Dr. Manhattan tilted his head slightly, his expression thoughtful but distant.
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Let me guess—this was all part of your plan?"
If he had an answer, he didn't give it. Instead, he simply gazed into the endless expanse of Mars's desolate landscape.
Kara couldn't shake the feeling that, despite his immense power, Dr. Manhattan was just as much a prisoner of time as the beings trapped in the Source wall
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