The Dragon Ch02: No Solicitors

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Malcolm Tent, Marethyu, Priapus, Mike God of Lore, Atrius

The Guild of Gamers: The Dragon

Chapter 02: No Solicitors

I need a hoard; my draconic instincts demand that I start to build my own hoard. Not to mention that the system that the bastard who turned me into a dragon shoved into my head tells me that it's one of the ways I can grow in strength.

My lair, if it can be called that, is a cavern deep under the desert that I've dug out far below the sands. I've realised that now that I've officially claimed this place, I can always find it. I can sense the direction and distance no matter how far I wander.

Beyond carving out these caverns, I've used my lightning breath to crystallise the sands into a glassy material. My instincts told me it would work. This is how blue dragons have made their lairs in the deserts for aeons, and it will work for me here.

As for my hoard, I have but a single item worthy of being added to my collection.

Looking at the golden lasso that I finally managed to get off my face once I calmed down, I nod at it, sitting in the middle of the largest cavern. It's a start, but I need more. Fortunately, my system provides.

[Treasure Sense]

You can sense the location of nearby treasures; the larger the collection, the more it will call to you. 

I have a plan on how I can start building a worthy hoard. 

Shipwrecks. I swam underwater for what seemed like hours without issue when I escaped my attackers. Admittedly, the trek from my desert to the ocean is a large one, but it is better than risking an encounter with humans while I'm still weak.

They held me off in my more powerful form. Now that I have shrunk, I would be captured with little effort if I fought them again. I think the collar the purple-haired witch used to take away my freedom was empowering me, though I do not know how.

Maybe I'll ask her right before I tear her limb from limb and feast on her corpse. I will not forget or forgive being turned into a weapon; all three of them will pay. Circe, Aresia and the witch. All will suffer for this insult.

I may lack the sheer might I had before, but I'm still a dragon. The apex of all creatures. I can feel the power within me, the potential. I will regain that power without the need for magical trinkets. 

But first, I need something else. I need a name.

– Diana (Wonder Woman) –

Themyscira had been attacked many times throughout history. 

Yet this was one of the most devastating since Hercules had tricked and enslaved her mother; the dead were beyond counting as the creature, this 'dragon' had rained death upon her island, and countless Amazons had fallen to its breath and claws.

And yet, she could not hate the dragon for the destruction it had unleashed. Once they had removed the chains binding it, she could see the fear and panic in its eyes, and it immediately tried to flee and abandon the fight.

No, her hatred was aimed elsewhere. Aresia and Circe would both pay dearly for this crime.

Aresia herself was in the custody of their people, where her mother and advisors were discussing the potential of simply executing the woman for her crimes or locking her away in Tartarus for the rest of time. Circe was still missing, but the coward would not escape justice for her actions.

Moving onto less dire but more embarrassing thoughts, she sighed. She had not realised that her lasso was still attached to the dragon until it had already fled, moving with surprising speed for a creature so large. 

Kara had wanted to pursue the dragon, but a cornered beast was a dangerous one, and it had already proven that it could hurt her, so they'd let it go.

And yet, the idea of that dragon being loose in the world did not fill her with confidence. Man's world was not the most accepting, and people would either fear it or covet its immense power. The next time it attacked might very well be because people would not leave it alone.

She wanted to be amongst her people in this dire time, but having received a message from the League, she reluctantly headed back, arriving on the Watchtower and heading towards the room where they were waiting for her.

Superman, Batman and Zatara turned to her as she entered the room.

"Diana, how badly did this attack hurt your people?" Superman asked, making her pause.

"Terribly. We haven't suffered losses like this in… perhaps ever. It will take us months to bury the dead and start rebuilding," Diana admitted. "Which is why I should be with them; why have you called for me?"

"Because this is about the attack, Zatara has learnt more of this 'dragon'," Batman answered bluntly, turning to the magician. His daughter, Zatanna, could barely stop herself from fangirling over the creature and its immense magic. 

"Firstly, it is not of our realm. I know not how, but Tala managed to summon the dragon from a different plane, one where magic flourishes," Zatara started, not wasting any time. "There were traces of the magic she used on the remains of its shackles."

"What can you tell us about its kind?" Superman asked.

"His kind, make no mistake, the dragon is as intelligent as any human. He's a blue dragon, one of the chromatic species. In that world, most draconic species can be separated into one of two groups: metallic and chromatic. Unfortunately, chromatic dragons tend to be less benevolent than their metallic counterparts," Zatara explained.

"They are evil creatures?" Diana asked, making him pause.

"They tend to lean towards evil, in truth, but it is not unknown for one to fight its nature and be good. Blue dragons are known for their vanity and manipulative nature, often malicious tricksters who love to lord their power over the lesser species," Zatara replied. "As prideful as they are, I imagine that being used as a weapon has especially angered him. That said, the shackles possessed temporal magic upon them along with many other spells; they were an incredible masterwork, in truth… one I do not believe Tala alone could have produced."

"Temporal… time magic?" Batman asked, with his distaste for magic clear in his tone.

"Indeed, dragons grow stronger with age. I believe that he was artificially aged, as Zatanna noticed that he was growing weaker once the collar was removed. He held the power of an ancient dragon, but if my studies of the shackles are correct, I suspect he is merely a youth. Snatched away from his world and used in this scheme," Zatara explained. "Had they tried to summon a true ancient dragon, I imagine it would have slaughtered them long before they could enslave it."

"We fought a child," Diana asked, shocked as she tried to picture the dragon that killed a dozen of her sisters with a single blast of its lightning being merely a child.

"More likely a teenager, in truth," Zatara clarified. "This has both good and bad implications. He likely has much less power now, making a repeat unlikely. He is by no means safe to fight; he is still a dragon, after all. That said, we don't know what effect the shackles and Tala's experimentation have had upon him, so by no means should he be underestimated."

That was a relief, at least. The feeling of helplessness as she watched the dragon ignore her attacks and lay waste to her home would likely haunt her dreams for years to come.

"And the bad?" Batman asked.

"As I said, blue dragons are rarely benevolent creatures, and this one is just a youth. He will be guided by his draconic instincts and is likely in a state of fury at being taken from his home and used as a weapon. We are fortunate that blue dragons are less impulsive than most of their chromatic counterparts. Were he a red dragon, I imagine we could just follow the trail of destruction he left in his wake, but he will still be troublesome for anyone who encounters him," Zatara explained.

"How do we find him? We can't leave some magical beast with a biological instinct towards evil to his own devices," Batman said grimly.

"I suspect he continued his flight until he found a place that felt safe to him, and from the reports and sightings you've gathered, I think I know where that place was. Blue dragons are known for preferring arid climates, especially deserts, where they make their lairs deep underground. The sightings place him moving in an almost straight line towards the Sahara, where I believe he settled," Zatara explains, making them all pause.

That was a big area to look for a creature that could burrow deep underground.

"I realise that this does not give us a small area to search, but fortune smiles upon us. You reported that he took your lasso, correct?" Zatara asked, making her nod, her eyes widening. "Unsurprisingly, dragons can rarely resist the lure of treasure, especially young dragons. Still, your lasso was blessed by the goddess Athena, and I believe I will be able to craft a spell to help track it down. I imagine the dragon has kept it within his lair, even if he may not have meant to take it. An item with a divine blessing would be a good start to his hoard."

"What is the plan for when we find him? I doubt he's accepting visitors," Superman pointed out.

"Can you send him back to his own world?" Batman asked, making Zatara pause for a moment before shaking his head.

"I doubt it. The multiverse is a large place. I could potentially send him to a world with others of his kind, but the chance of that being the same world he was taken from is slim. In truth, that would likely be a death sentence for a young dragon. Other blue dragons would likely see him as a potential rival to be slain before he could gain power," Zatara mused, rubbing his chin. "No, I do not believe that would be wise. Again, I could send him to a world where magic is more common than ours, but I do not believe that is wise either. He would most likely be slain as an invader and threat, or he'd indulge in his instincts and use his vast power to terrorise any world that couldn't deal with him."

"So what are you suggesting we do with a large, likely enraged, dragon?" Batman asked, frowning. Not that frowning wasn't his default expression.

"Oh, that is simple. As long as he is in our world, the villains will attempt to reclaim him. If they are smart, they'll play to his greed. I imagine he would be easily bribed, and the chance of him being corrupted is high," Zatara explained. "As such, I believe it would be best if we took him in ourselves. We are in a rare position to try and guide a very powerful and majestic creature down a more compassionate path."

"You want to recruit the dragon that just laid waste to Themyscira?" Batman asked, the disbelief clear in his tone.

"Zatara speaks the truth. We cannot simply banish him to some unfamiliar world where he faces certain death, and we've seen the danger he poses should he side with the Legion," Diana pointed out. "I do not hold the attack against him; he was as much a victim as my people. My mother feels the same."

Batman didn't agree with this plan; he didn't need to say a word to show that. Yet, he didn't have a better plan either, going quiet.

"Regardless, I'll need to work on the spell to try and track down the Lasso of Truth first, which may take some time. Perhaps it's better to let him cool off a little so he's less likely to attack on sight," Zatara said, making her nod.

Still, she just hoped they found him first. 

– Two Weeks Later –

With Zatara's spell, they'd managed to narrow the location of the dragon to somewhere in Egypt, and she'd decided to lead the search for him firsthand.

It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, given how active the dragon had been since his disappearance. He was certainly smaller now, given the reports of him flying around Africa, rumoured to be closer to the size of an elephant rather than the towering behemoth he had been before. 

Zatara suspected he could sense treasure, which made sense given one of the first real appearances he had made. Descending on the camp of a warlord hiding in one of the jungles to the south of the Sahara, he'd attacked with surprising ferocity and made short work of the warlord's men, who had quickly retreated, seeing their bullets failing to harm the dragon.

However, he didn't pursue them, instead continuing deeper into the camp where the warlord had kept his stolen loot, gold bars, pilfered jewellery, and even art-work. When the survivors returned, they found the place barren of all valuables and the dragon gone.

The locals seemed to almost like the new apex predator that was wandering the land, but then it made sense. Most of those who saw him were from smaller villages, since he avoided cities, and frankly, they had nothing worthy of his attention.

Why would someone who wanted treasure for his hoard bother robbing some poor farmers? The worst they had to face was the potential of him stealing some of their livestock, and they'd wisely decided that no, it wasn't worth chasing the flying reptile that could breathe lightning over a stolen cattle.

Still, finding his exact location wasn't easy, even as Zatanna recast her spell, sweating slightly from the desert heat. They were slowly triangulating the location of his lair, but she suspected that the magic of the dragon himself was making things more difficult.

"We're getting close. I can feel his magic in the very environment around here," Zatanna said, seeming excited. "His presence is changing the very region around him. If he were older, we'd likely be facing miles upon miles of sandstorms and thunderstorms."

Heading further into the direction Zatanna's spell indicated, eventually, they paused as Zatanna cast it once more.

"Where now?" Diana asked, making Zatanna look at them.

"Down. I think we're right on top of his lair," Zatanna said quietly, excitement and caution in equal measures on her face. They had decided that a small team was better for this, not wanting to intimidate the dragon and make it immediately flee or attack.

"Is he down there?" Diana asked, making both girls focus.

"I can't feel his mind, but he could be too deep for me to reach," Miss Martian said, and Zatanna shrugged herself.

"The entire area is saturated with his power, I can feel a strong source of power below us but that could just be his lair itself," Zatanna explained.

Pausing, they decided to wait for him to come home but as the minutes turned to hours, Diana frowned, becoming increasingly impatient. The sun was starting to set, and she made her decision.

"Zatanna, can you make us a passageway into his lair?" Diana asked, seeing Zatanna pause.

"I think so, though he's not likely to appreciate us trespassing," Zatanna explained, making her nod. "I think he's down there, but I can't say for sure. It's possible he has other ways to get into his lair and just went around us."

"If we can find him, so can the Legion. They won't be so patient, we need to meet with him," Diana decided, watching as Zatanna nodded and started her spell.

The sands shifted as they started to part and make a passageway down, but this would be risky at the best of times. She was half tempted to send the two teens home or make them stay here but shook her head and started her descent.

As they reached the bottom, the passageway ended in a crystalline cavern, the sand having been blasted away by his breath as he carved out his home. She wasn't sure of the science behind it, but she supposed a dragon did not particularly care about logic or physics.

"The lasso is that way," Zatanna said, pointing down one of the large passageways. "I can't sense him, the entire lair is permeated with his magic, it could be camouflaging him."

"I can't sense any minds but ours. I don't think he's home," Miss Martian added; this was why she'd been brought along. She managed to start to get through to him before, and they didn't know if he could understand regular speech.

Following the passageway Zatanna had gestured towards, they came into a truly massive cavern, all freezing as they looked at the room in shock and awe. Where on earth had he found so much treasure? 

Surely he had not managed to steal this much from the local criminals?

Piles of gold and valuables in all forms were neatly arranged with a surprising amount of care, artwork lined against the cavern walls, and the treasures sorted into nice neat piles. 

And there, sitting alone in the dead centre of the room, was her lasso.

Heading over, she picked it up as they looked around the room in astonishment and confusion.

She wasn't leaving such an important relic of her people behind, and as she went to lift it Zatanna called out for her to stop, a moment too late.

As she lifted the lasso, she froze as she felt a shudder of something run through her body right before the cavern started to shake.

"We need to get out, and quickly," Diana shouted, getting the two teens to move as they headed back the way they came. The entire cavern shook as the walls of the passageway started to crumble, but as they turned the corner, they all froze despite the need to move.

Staring right back at them was a pair of golden eyes attached to a large and angry head, lightning already sparking around his mouth. 

Instantly, she remembered part of Zatara's explanation about dragons and their covetous nature. The lasso was a prized piece of his hoard and a piece she'd just stolen. He didn't care that it used to be hers, only seeing a thief taking what was his.

"Wait!" Diana shouted, holding out her hands as he snarled.

"Intruders!" he roared, the entire lair shaking with his anger. "Invaders, die!"

Grabbing the two, she moved quickly as she dragged them down a secondary passageway, away from their exit, well aware of how deep underground they were as a blast of lightning lit up the passageway behind them. She didn't want to attack him; that would almost certainly guarantee that this could only end in violence. 

Making a decision, she tossed the lasso behind them as she ran, leaving it for the dragon to claim in the hopes of calming his rage. The passages were a twisting maze, likely made to confuse intruders, which was working to great effect. 

She could hear the heavy footsteps behind them, their pursuer not giving up, but looking behind her proved to be a mistake.

"Watch out!" Miss Martian shouted, but it was too late as they triggered a trap, the ground beneath them breaking apart as they started to fall, and while she and Miss Martian could fly… Zatanna fell into the deep sinkhole, Diana shouting out as the entire sinkhole started to fill with sand, quickly blocking their view.

Miss Martian tried to use her telekinesis to lift the sand, and she heard Zatanna shout out a strangled spell as she sank, but Miss Martian lacked Martian Manhunter's experience, and the sand just didn't stop.

They might have stopped, but their hunter had not, still charging towards them as Diana turned to face him, raising her hands in a universal sign of surrender, no matter how much it hurt her warrior's pride.

"Please, we did not come here to harm you or steal what was yours. Our friend needs help; let us save her, and we will leave," Diana pleaded, making the dragon stop its charge as it looked at her for a moment. She could see the indecision in its eyes before it suddenly looked down and started to claw, burrowing with incredible speed as the entire body vanished into the ground.

"I- I couldn't feel his mind until he was on top of us," Miss Martian said, still shaking slightly as they looked towards the hole he had left behind.

He wasn't gone for long, burrowing his way back up, one clawed appendage clutching a sand-covered and clearly-scared Zatanna, letting her go as it lightly tossed her towards them.

"Leave," he growled, fangs bared slightly as the tremors stopped. "You aren't welcome here."

"W-wait," Zatanna said, still clearly shaken as the dragon turned to her with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "We mean you no harm and meant you no offence. We wanted to ally against our common enemy, those who enslaved you."

The dragon paused, head tilting as it backed up and sat much like an overgrown dog, staring down at Zatanna intensely, the suspicion still clear.

"The lasso means a lot to Wonder Woman; it is an important relic of her people, the same people who you were forced to attack. It was blessed by her people's patron gods, granted to her by her mother, the queen of Themyscira," Zatanna continued, the dragon remaining silent as it stared at them. "She didn't consider that it was a part of your hoard now; she did not mean to steal from you."

"Open your minds; if you are lying, you will die here," the dragon demanded, making their eyes widen at the knowledge that the dragon had telepathic powers.

She felt a presence pushing against her mind, and after a moment of hesitation, she relented and relaxed, allowing the dragon to pilfer her memories. She briefly feared it would search for the many secrets she knew, like the identities of her fellow League Members, but instead, it searched for the Lasso, and she helped, bringing the relevant memories up. 

It saw the tournament she took place in to become the champion of her people, one of her proudest moments laid bare. It saw her memories of the goddess Athena and heard her mother tell her of the Lasso's creation before the presence moved on to find out why she was here.

The meeting she had with Zatara, Superman and Batman came forward, her discussions with her mother about the aftermath of his attack before she saw herself and the others leaving to search for the dragon and then he pulled back, leaving her mind entirely.

Next, he moved on to Miss Martian, who seemed entirely comfortable having someone enter her mind, and their mental engagement did not last long before he pulled back and moved on to Zatanna, who shuddered as the dragon entered her mind.

This seemed to take the longest, but Zatanna didn't show any discomfort as he plundered her mind before he finally pulled back.

"You," the dragon said, turning back to Diana. "You will bring me something of equal value, and I will permit you to take my lasso," he demanded, and given what she knew of the covetous and possessive nature of dragons, she could see this as the reluctant olive branch it was and nodded, wondering what would be equal to her divine lasso. "You will leave my lair and return in three days' time. I have work to do thanks to the damage caused by your trespass."

They hesitated, sharing a look, but Zatanna nodded to him.

"As you wish," Zatanna agreed, appearing almost submissive towards the large creature as it stared down at her. "May I ask if you have a name? It feels disrespectful to just keep calling you 'dragon'. I am Zatanna, as you saw within my mind."

"I am Io, or at least that is the name I have chosen for myself since I was dragged to this place," Io answered, his eyes glowing as the earth and sand shifted, once again giving them a way out of the lair. "Now, begone."

Zatanna paused to bow before Io, appealing to his ego before she obeyed and turned to leave via the new passageway, not wanting to test his temper any further.

Io just watched them, golden eyes locked to their forms as they left his lair.

Once they reached the surface again, the tunnel collapsed behind them, making them share a sigh of relief. 

"That could have gone worse," Miss Martian said hopefully, not quite hiding the way she was shaking slightly. 

"It certainly could have, but… blue dragons aren't supposed to be telepathic, nor have that level of control over earth," Zatanna mused, looking down at the ground, knowing what was deep beneath their feet. "I think Tala's experimentations did something to him, but without more information, I can't say what. Still, he isn't unreasonable, even going as far as to save me, so things could certainly be worse."

She very carefully didn't mention the slight blush on the younger girl's cheeks. Some things were better left unanswered.

– Io –

The moment the invaders leave, I get to work. My hoard isn't safe here, so I need to relocate, stuffing everything into my inventory. That was a feature that rapidly sped up my collection, saving me many trips home.

I've learnt part of how I grow. I just get stronger over time as long as I have a hoard. The larger the hoard, the faster I grow in strength. It's why I can't just keep it all in my inventory. It doesn't make me stronger; just stuck in there. It needs to be in my lair.

But I'll take a temporary pause on my growth to make sure nobody can steal what is mine. 

My new psionic powers are the fruits of my labour, much to my happiness. I needed a way to protect my mind and decided that instead of making myself an Adult Blue Dragon, it was better for me to shift my focus slightly and find a way to keep people out of my head.

[Sapphire Dragon: Young]

You are a young sapphire dragon. Sapphire dragons are known for their love of conflict and their territorial nature. They are militant by nature, studying battles and wars past to further their martial knowledge and desire martial items for their hoard, such as weapons, armour or relics from great battles past.

[Debilitating Breath]

You have the ability to unleash a burst of nigh-inaudible high-pitched sonic energy, which can panic and incapacitate your prey for easier feasting.

[Sapphire Psionics]

You have the powers of telepathy and telekinesis and are able to teleport a short distance.

I need a way to secure my lair better. They got in far too easily despite how deeply I hid it; I can't have that. Had I not been nearby, Wonder Woman could have fled with the greatest treasure of my hoard, and then I'd have no choice but to wage war to get it back. It's mine; I'll trade for it, but the Lasso of Truth belongs to me now. 

It is both a very nice relic of considerable power and a weapon that I can tell has seen much combat; as such, it is perfect for me. 

If she wants it back, she'll need to offer something equal in return. To accept any less would lessen my growth, lessen me.

As for their suggestion, there is logic to it. The magician and the green-skinned telepath were the two responsible for freeing me and returning my mind to me, and my new Sapphire nature points out that I don't know the strength of my enemies or their allies. I can't risk hunting Circe or Aresia without knowing who they have allied with, and I don't even know the witch's name. I risk being recaptured if I just charge after them and don't even know where to start.

I will have my revenge, but there is no shame in making an alliance to deal with those fools, as long as they don't try and stop me from claiming my vengeance. My fangs will taste their flesh for the injustice they committed upon me, and those who protect them will meet the same fate.

I felt them when they arrived in my lair, but I just burrowed deeper and hoped they'd leave. If they hadn't gone after my hoard I'd have left them alone, but blue dragons have a trick for this.

If someone invades your hoard, you just collapse the lair on top of them. Then you can get your hoard later, along with whatever loot they were carrying. Wonder Woman's armour is very impressive, it would have made a fine addition after she suffocated.

But Zatanna was one of the people who released me from the witch's control, I am not so heartless as to let one of my saviours drown in the sands if they didn't come here to kill me.

Collapsing my lair, I start to burrow away from it, heading deeper into the desert.

– Zatanna Zatara – Three Days Later –

Given her success at talking to Io, it went without saying that she'd be part of the second attempt to convince him to come with them, arriving at the location above his lair.

Io wasn't visible, but she knew he was here; she could feel him. His presence was unmistakable; she'd missed it within his lair because the entire area felt like him. The feeling of his magic sent tingles throughout her entire body, her ability to sense magic making her especially sensitive to his intense aura.

Diana dropped into a more combat-ready stance as the ground shook but quickly corrected herself as Io burst from the sands, rising out of the ground. 

Moving in front of them, he was even more majestic in the light of the day. His eyes roamed over them imperiously before landing on her. Perhaps it was because she was the one to speak up last time.

"You know those that took away my freedom," Io said, his voice booming as they nodded. 

"We do, Circe, a Goddess who has only recently been freed from Tartarus. Aresia, a rogue amazon of Themyscira, and Tala, an ancient sorceress. They are all members of the Legion of Doom, an alliance of villains made to counter the Justice League," Zatanna explained.

"And you," he said, turning to Diana. "I saw the man with the strange hat inside your head. He suggested you recruit me to guide me away from the evil of my kind. Is that why you came?" Io asked, lowering his head until it was almost ground level, his maw very close to Diana as the princess' hair moved with his breath. "Do you think you can change me, princess of the Amazons?"

His words were challenging, threatening even, but Diana was not easily intimidated.

"I think you're a youth, far from home and in an unfamiliar place," Diana answered calmly. "I have no doubt you have the power to take care of yourself, but I also don't want to leave you to be manipulated or recaptured by villains whose names you do not even know. We have mutual enemies, and you have great potential. It would be an honour to help you achieve it."

Io pulled back, sitting as he nodded.

"You speak wisdom; this is not my home, and I will not be enslaved again. I will aid you against this Legion, and they will learn why my kind is the apex of all species," Io claimed, wings spreading wide. "The villains of this world will cower in the shadow of my wings; they will learn to flee at the mere sight of my glorious form."

He was prideful, but given his power, could he really be blamed? He was glorious, sapphire scales shining in the desert sunlight, and now that she could see him properly, she noticed the azure-blue gemstones seemingly growing on his body along his back. There weren't many, but she was pretty sure they hadn't been there when he was in his larger, more powerful form.

A part of her wondered what his gleaming scales would feel like, but she pushed that thought down as Diana nodded.

"Are you okay with leaving your hoard undefended? I fear the Legion may have tracked our movements to find it," Diana admitted, but he simply smiled a fanged grin.

"I have already relocated my hoard. It is safe where it is," Io said. Ah, that was why he wanted them to leave. They'd exposed his hoard to danger, so he'd had to move it. "I will come with you, at least until those who wronged me have been dealt with. Afterwards, we shall see."

Zatanna smiled, looking up at the massive being who looked back at her.

She understood that there was a lot more going on, but that seemed to pale when put next to the simple fact that they had a dragon on the team. 

— Bonus Scene — Tala

Her beloved had left with the League fools; this was inconvenient. Without the Legion behind her, she was hesitant to try her luck against the united heroes, who would likely attack her before she could try and convince her beloved to return to her.

Still, this wasn't the end. She had put too much into this to give up; her beloved was magnificent, already coming into his powers from what little she'd managed to find out. In time, he'd be the mightiest of all beings; even the likes of Superman wouldn't be able to stand before him.

Of course, she needed a way to stop him from devouring her on sight, but she simply smiled.

She'd be by his side again in time, at her rightful place, as he took this pathetic world for all it was worth.