There Is Only One Way

Only a god can resist the will of another god. That was the unshakable truth.

Hippolyta had just tested it herself. When caught by the Lasso of Truth, lying was impossible—words of deceit simply couldn't escape one's mouth. And yet, Ryuji had done the unthinkable, casually weaving words that should have been burned away by the lasso's power.

Was he lying? Or was something far more sinister at work?

Hippolyta's eyes sharpened. Sending Diana to test him would make the most sense. Even if Ryuji was dangerous, Diana's strength, skill, and beauty—gifts even the gods had praised—were unparalleled. If anyone could handle him, it was her.

Besides, it was unlikely Ryuji would resist her. No man ever had.

---

At that moment, Ryuji was deep in thought, scribbling furiously in a crude leather journal he'd fashioned. The dark script he'd been studying seemed endless, full of mysteries he hadn't yet unraveled.

Two similar symbols—darkness and shadow—had wildly different effects.

The symbol for darkness would transform his body into a form closer to a demon: tangible, strong, with heightened physical abilities. On the other hand, shadow turned him into something ethereal, a formless wraith that could move unseen like smoke in the wind.

There were limits, though. Try as he might, writing words like light would fail entirely. He couldn't turn into an angel, for instance. The power of the dark script was clear: it was rooted in the shadows.

---

Ryuji tossed the journal onto the small wooden desk, sighing as he collapsed onto the bed. It was stiff—so stiff that he could feel every board beneath it. Not that it mattered. He wasn't planning to stay long.

"The year is 1918," Ryuji muttered to himself. "The Amazons aren't about to let me hang around here forever."

He needed a plan.

Sitting on this isolated island of warrior women would accomplish nothing. Besides, he was no fool. The Queen of the Amazons wouldn't let a man live here indefinitely, and he didn't want to spend the rest of his life staring at stone walls and sunsets.

But what other choice did he have? He couldn't speak English, so traveling anywhere without help was a death sentence. His only option was to leave with her—Diana.

---

His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound. A buzzing noise echoed through the small room.

"Is it… coming from the conch?"

Ryuji picked up the conch-like device from the table. Sure enough, it was vibrating. "This is some serious magic…"

"uh, Ryuji?" Diana's voice rang out from the shell.

"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"

"Meet me near the clearing by the large boulder. There's something we need to discuss."

"On my way!"

---

Excited, Ryuji stepped out of his room. Writing wings on his arms, dark feathers unfurled from his back, and he shot into the sky.

The morning air rushed past him, cool and invigorating. Diana had said the boulder was obvious, and she wasn't wrong. It loomed like a monolith against the horizon.

He landed gracefully, retracting the wings with a thought. Standing there, waiting for him, was Diana. Her presence was as commanding as ever—beauty matched only by her strength.

"Hello, Miss Diana," Ryuji greeted with an awkward smile, trying to sound as gentlemanly as possible.

Diana returned the smile. "Just call me Diana."

"Then you can call me Ryuji."

---

They walked in silence for a moment, the clearing stretching wide around them. Finally, Diana spoke, her tone measured but curious.

"I'm very interested in your abilities, Ryuji. Who are you? And… what did you mean by minus 80 years old?"

Ryuji hesitated. If Hippolyta had asked that question, alarms would have blared in his head. But this was Diana. She was earnest, untainted by suspicion or hidden agendas.

"Uh… it's a kind of magic," he admitted finally.

"Magic?"

###

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