I saw the anger in her eyes as she tightened the Lasso around me, thankfully, before it could get out of hand, Hippolyta stepped in, "How do you know of us?"
"Through my memories."
"Does anyone else know of our existence?" Hippolyta continued.
"No. Not that I know of."
At my answer, Antiope sighed in relief before bursting with untold fury, "I suggest killing him, that way we can continue to protect our existence from prying eyes."
Feeling Antiope's sword resting on my neck, I felt my spine run cold, as the little voice repeated the same thing over and over again, 'You are going to die'. The voice only grew louder as I saw the anger burning in Diana's eyes. Yet, to my astonishment, it was Hippolyta, who stopped Antiope's rage.
"We still need to understand how he knows of us. How much do you know of us? Of this world?" Hippolyta asked.
I wanted to refuse, to break free from the rope. But how could I do it, when even Superman could not? Worse, I was not even strong enough to attempt to destroy the Lasso with my molecule manipulation, as the Lasso even suppressed my thought of trying.
"A lot. More than you. More than anyone else from this planet."
"Then, you know of the past?"
"Yes."
"Future?"
"Yes."
"Then, what is your goal here?"
At Hippolyta question, I felt my heart sink, yet, there was nothing I could do to stop it.
"I am hoping to stop Ares, and guide Diana to see the outside world."
"I knew it, he does have an ulterior motive. Like every other man," Antiope said with triumph.
This time, it was Diana. She towered over me, the anger and rage in her eyes was bare for me to see as she asked, "Why me?"
"Because I think I am in love with you," I answered. A statement that shook everyone there.
"What? How?"
"You are the most beautiful woman I have seen in both of my life. Your eyes are like the stars, and I wanted to get lost in them for the rest of my life. Those rosy lips mesmerized me, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss them. I fell in love with how brave you are, and how you would stand up and defend for what you believe in. I fell in love with what you are capable of doing. I fell in love with who you are as a person."
I could only sigh in despair at how everything had gone from good to horrible in a snap of a few minutes. And the silence was so much more terrifying in my mind.
Was she angry at me? Why no one was saying anything?
Curiosity triumphed over the suffocating silence. I looked up.
To my amazement, everyone there was rosy from what they had heard. But Diana stared at me unblinkingly. The Lasso she was holding onto with burning anger moment ago was on the ground.
Then our eyes met… I was never going to forget it.
Her face turned beet red, as she stammered, unable to utter a single word, once again displaying her maiden heart. Slowly, we were once again lost in each other eyes.
When Hippolyta reintroduced her existence. Diana jumped like a startled rabbit and acted as though I was not there and stared at the floating cloud.
"I see. Before we discuss among ourselves how to proceed, is there anything else you want us to know?" Hippolyta said, trying to stop the smile creeping onto her face.
An action which undoubtedly did not escape my, or Diana's attention, as she turned redder from embarrassment.
Wanted as I might to savior the moment, I could only place it at the center of my mind palace. A position I realized was reserved for moments I was going to share with her.
Diana had settled down by the time I finished, she banished her blushes, and once again looked at me with curiosity.
"Since the secret was out, I don't have to hide it anymore. And I am sorry for the war I had brought upon your shore, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons." I said.
To my surprise, no one even batted an eye, even Antiope was subdued compared to her earlier outburst. They only exchanged a knowing glance before marching off. Diana even took back the Lasso, freeing me from its control.
"You don't seem surprised." I retreated next to Hippolyta.
From the safety of the hill, we stood and watched as the army of Amazons led by their general and their greatest warrior prepared for battle.
"No. When you miraculously broke through the barrier, a few ships followed behind," Hippolyta said. Her eyes turned toward the distant sea and there it was, the German convoy that had been chasing me since the rising sun. "Iron ship?"
"Yes. The outside world has made major improvements since your last visit. And unfortunately, some of which were meant for war."
"Yet, you decided to bring them here?"
Hearing the questioning tone, I could only sigh knowing another uncomfortable conversation was not far behind, "If it was not me, then it would be another. I was only taking over his fate."
"And you are saying it to me?" Hippolyta asked.
"I know of Diana's personality, so lying would be the last thing I would ever do to her."
"I see, then I will allow you the chance to explain it to her," Hippolyta said.
Soon, what I witnessed next shocked me. Unlike the movie I was basing my decision upon, the Amazons decimated the Germans with ease.
Despite using ancient weapons, the power from which they wielded was astonishing. A volley of arrows was all they needed to end the life of the Germans. As for Diana, she easily sunk the ship like they were nothing, her godly body cut through steel like they were paper.
Then, I heard them, the sound I had avoided most of my life, convincing no one else but me that it was necessary. The cries for help, the begging and wailing drowned everything else as their ship took in water. They grew more hoarse, more desperate by the second.
Eventually, their distinct words melted together, becoming an abomination of war.
Finally, there was nothing.
The silence was suffocating. It was like pins and needles pricking me, urging me to do something, to drown out the cries with an awkward joke. With something.
But then, I felt a warm hand resting on my shoulder. "You don't have to stay if you feel uncomfortable."
Looking back, I saw Diana, and when our eyes met, all of my worries and fears faded.
"I could take you back to our city, there, you don't have to face this. After all, war is not for everyone," Diana continued.
"On the contrary, I do. I need to be here," I said, steeling my resolve and bath in the death around me.
"Why?"
"With my knowledge, I always knew what I was fighting for. But, to my knowledge, I never truly register the cost. What it required of me. I needed to settle in. I need to become a better person if I want to accompany you in the future."
Maybe it was because of my unwavering resolve, or because of the pain in my voice, her hand found its way to my cheek. The care in her touch warmed me to my core as I leaned in for comfort.
"It is not the worries that a mortal man should have."
"For now," I said. Under Diana's confusion, I activated my power, the power I had kept hidden from the world. A single thought was all it took and in my hand appeared a ruby the size of a pigeon egg.
"Because of this power, you feel indebted to the world?" Diana asked, her eyes did not even register the ruby, instead, staring at me.
"No. It is my knowledge that burdened me. This power is simply a tool for me to use to achieve what I must."
"Then, would you share the burden, if I ask?"
"To the world? Only what they need to know. To you? As long as you ask."
"Ahem," Hippolyta interjected.
That was when we saw everyone was looking at us, some blushing with embarrassment, others looking on with slight envy. As for Hippolyta, and Antiope, they shared the same smile. A smile so rare, despite only seeing it once, I instantly recognized it. It was a smile that only a caring mother would have when they saw their daughter was with someone they could trust.
"Le-Let's us get back to the city."
At which, everyone mounted their horse, leaving me standing there alone. Even worse was how their eyes shifted between Diana and me as if they were waiting for a good show.
Thankfully, I had my power to rely upon.
After all, for the two decades since I received my power, I did not waste it doing nothing. I had accumulated so much information I could earn a PhD in biology, genetics, physique, chemistry, math, and a dozen more.
Thus, with a thought, I created a horse. Breathing, living horse.
A feat that paralyzed everyone there. Even Diana approached my creation with incredulity. "You created a living being?"
"Not quite." I sighed.
This was not the first time. In fact, this had been the thousandth time I tried to create a living being. While all of them were warm to the touch, they ate, and breathed like any other creature did, all of them were missing one crucial part.
A consciousness.
The horse next to me was no different. Without my command, it was just a living flesh robot. It could not think, or act by itself. It did not even react when Diana approached it.
"Is it not alive?" Diana asked.
"Be a domesticated horse," I said. Using the only loophole I had found after years of research.
The moment I uttered those words, the horse seemingly came to life. It was horse-like. But to Diana, who had been around horse all of her life, she saw it, a slowness that a horse should not possess. And it could only maintain this state for at most twenty-four hours.
"You had managed to do something that many of us could not even attempt to do in our lifetime." Hippolyta sighed at the small, yet crucial flaw. Running her fingers through the creature's mane, and heard it neighed, she asked a question I wished she did not. "Can you create a human?"
The question invoked memories of my hubris. Attempting to do something I had no understanding of at the time. The twisted creature that was the result of my experiment, scarred me more than I would like to admit. Nor did I want to touch upon the visitor I had afterward.
"My command does not work quite like what you are hoping for… Not on a being as complex as a human."
I said, letting the heaviness of my statement linger before we headed toward the only city on Paradise Island, the legendary Themyscira.