Chapter 14: Solitude 2

We are weary, my heart, we are weary, so long we have borne
The heavy loved burden of dreams that are dead, let us rest,
Let us scatter their ashes away, for a while let us mourn;
We will rest, O my heart, till the shadows are gray in the west.

******

"You are doing very well, you two," Diana said encouragingly. "Robin, you should be all set. You've got floating down, and the rest is just getting comfortable with the various methods of movements."

"Thank you," Robin said, laying on her back. She was the one that took to the lessons the easiest. While all the women possessed 'Body Talent,' it didn't change that some people were naturally predisposed to certain activities more than others.

Looking over at Artoria, who continued to flail in the water like she was trying to fight it, Diana couldn't help but smile wryly.

Her friend, and more recently lover, had not told the group she couldn't swim. In fact, the amazon would bet money that the blonde would have kept it a secret for as long as possible had Robin not asked for swimming lessons of her own. On land, Artoria was the picture of elegant and mature grace. In the water, she looked like a kid on too much sugar.

Even as Diana watched, the blonde got fed up with her failure to stay afloat. The blonde let herself sink and jumped off the ocean floor. She landed on the waves themselves, the blessing of the Lady of the Lake keeping her from falling.

"I shall best this trial," Artoria swore, staring down at the water like it was her worst enemy.

"You are trying too hard," Glynda said. The taller blonde was wading in their direction, the shallow water only coming up under her considerable breasts. Everyone was in swimsuits of one form or another, except for Yoruichi, who insisted on remaining nude. "Diana, let me take over for a bit."

"If you feel up for it," the amazon started to make her way back to the shore. Artoria would still need help from the teacher, but Robin was enjoying herself independently. The brunette had conjured several legs and combined them in a pseudo mermaid tale.

"I love that girl," Medea said, eyeing Artoria and shaking her head. The bluenette was sipping some fruity blue drink and lounging on a beach chair. "But she can be a bit of a ditz about the oddest things."

Diana had, by this point, towelled off and taken her own seat on the plush chairs. Medea was to her left, and Emma, tanning on her own chair, was to her right. In the distance, they watched Yoruichi hoot and holler in joy as she piloted the jet ski around. Tsunade simply floated in the surf on an inflatable raft, more than a few jugs of sake within arms reach.

"It's because she had such an odd upbringing," Emma said, not moving from her position. "She was a woman pretending to be a man, a knight, and a king. Her education came from an apprenticeship and the occasional advice from an Incubus. She has 'Grail Knowledge,' but, unlike you or Scathach, she defaults to her time in Camelot."

"Tis a silly place, Camelot," Diana said seriously before grinning at Medea, who grinned back. "By the way, who's watching the children?"

"Priscila is babysitting," Medea said, taking another sip of her drink. "She's been training so much that she's fallen behind in the games she wanted to play. She set up in the living room with the big TV, and I dumped the little guys with her. They are still too young for me to trust at the beach. Besides, Raven is there to help her if needed."

"We won't be able to keep them inside for much longer," Emma pointed out. "They are already the size of large dogs. Soon they won't fit through the doors."

"I know, but I don't want to put my babies out in the wild just yet." There was a whiny tone in her voice, though Diana knew the witch was just playing.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask," Diana started. "When will the others cross the Tier 7 threshold? By my math, it should be soon, and I would rather get Emma free as soon as possible."

"Glynda and Tsunade reached Tier 7 two weeks ago, a bit after Mikael started the third game," Medea said casually. "Priscila, because she started a bit later, only crossed it a few days ago. We are only waiting for Robin. Since she was Tier 5 when she appeared on the Island, she has about a 75-litre difference from the others. She'll reach the tipping point after she takes her last dose at lunch in ten days. Each of those pills I give you with every meal is 1 litre of compressed blood."

"Are you certain?" Wonder Woman couldn't help but ask. "I do not want to put Emma at risk if we miscalculate the dosage."

"I've run the number dozens of times. I am as certain as can be."

"I do not mean to doubt you," Diana continued. "I thought the entire point was that when someone reached Tier 7 by dragon blood, they assume draconic elements and turn into one themselves. As far as I know, no one has turned into a dragon. Can we trust that Emma will be all right without that side effect?"

"No one told you?" Medea asked, staring at the brunette in surprise.

"Told me what?"

"We cannot change," Emma explained. "Physically, I mean. Something is preventing all permanent changes in our bodies. While I am in my diamond form, I have been able to lift about 2 tons in the past. My base strength, however, has only been slightly greater than average. Despite all the training we've been doing over the last few months, I have put on no muscle and am not stronger in any way."

"Really?" Wonder Woman couldn't help but wonder.

"We only realized it when Tsunade started giving us check-ups," Medea continued from the blonde. "She pointed out how odd it was for people, especially those who eat as much and are as active as us, to remain the same weight over a month with not even a little change. For the Servants, it would make sense. We are summoned at our peak and are half spiritual. The others? Not so much."

"Could it be because we are dead? Most undead I know are not able to grow." Diana asked. As she did so, she watched Artoria lay flat on a telekinetic platform, Glynda slowly lowering it into the water.

"That was a possibility we considered," the witch nodded but denied the conclusion. "We tested it with Priscilla. She is still alive, barely ever trained a day in her life, and was the one that would have the most variance. Despite getting better at fighting, she has developed no new muscles."

"That must be painful," Diana frowned. If the dragon girl was not developing muscle and muscle memory, their training was like the first day all over again. "I suppose if she trained so rarely, Priscila would not know how odd her situation is."

"Next, we tested if we were 'Tier Locked,' as it were," Medea continued to explain their scientific process. "Maybe we cannot get stronger without going up a Tier? That isn't the case either. Robin had gone from Tier 5 when first summoned to 6 and is almost at 7. Her powers are more varied, she unlocked Conquerors Haki when it wasn't possible before, and she has lost her weakness to water. Despite this, her physical stats have not changed in the least."

"So it is just our bodies then? Does it just prevent growth or any physical change?" It should be remembered that, despite being a very physical fighter, Wonder Woman had also been blessed by Athena to have great wisdom. While she was no scientist or mage, she was smart enough to keep up with the best of them.

"Any physical deviation," Emma said, flipping herself over on her chair. "Think of it like the halfway point between reality and what happens when Mikael summons us. We can affect the world, but it cannot affect us."

"A good analogy, but not exactly right." Medea downed the last of her drink and waved her hands. A simple dislocation spell conjured another glass from the distant bar into her hand, this one red instead of blue. "It is not that we cannot be affected physically. We've all been hurt in training and needed Tsunade to patch us up. Any physical change is reset as soon as the moon sets in the morning."

"The moon?" Diana asked.

"A lot of things are tied to the Moon here. While celestial objects have always been important to magic. Since this is a demi-plane more than a pocket space-"

"Don't ask," Emma suddenly spoke up. She interrupted Medea's speech and Diana, who was going to ask about the difference. The blonde did not even look at them, staying face down on her chair as she answered their silent question. "I do not need to read your minds to know that you would ask Diana. And if you did, Medea would have gone on a long tangent that I don't feel like listening to."

"Anyway," the witch blushed a little at the accurate remark. "Despite not being 'real' celestial bodies, not extending past the Jewel, the sun, moon, and stars still affect things. My descent from Helios led me to initially assume that the sun was more important. But I recently discovered the Moon is a crucial factor in many aspects of the Island."

"How so?" A minor aspect of Artemis's blessing meant that Diana was always aware of the phase of the moon. An almost useless part, except for that one time she fought a werewolf.

"Much like the sun, it rises and sets at the same time every day. I thought we were summoned only when the sun was up, but I realized that the sun rises at roughly 6:30 but sets at 8:30. The moon, on the other hand, rises at precisely 9pm. Due to the angle of the island mountains, I didn't realize it was still faintly visible until it set at exactly 9am. We aren't being summoned with the sun is up, but when the moon is gone. That is the only time our time and Mikael's time can line up."

"While that is interesting to hear," Diana smiled diplomatically at her fellow greek. Seeing her get so animated about a subject was nice, even if they had drifted off-topic. "How does this relate to our physical state?"

"I was getting to that. If we are hurt, train, or have any other physical change, it all gets reset as soon as the moon sets at 9." Medea said in a huff. "Scathach and Tsunade helped me test it. No matter how grave the injury, it disappears in a moment. Since then, we have tried to see if other things align with that time frame. We've only had two successes. All creatures that die after 9 am are resummed the following day. Any new biome or environment Mikael encounters? They, too, only appear at 9 am."

"So, what does it all mean?"

"We have no idea," Emma piped up. "For every mystery we solve, another takes its place."

"I am sorry to say she is right," Medea winced. "The process of discovery and testing is fascinating. We know time is convoluted. That has been consistent throughout this entire experience. We managed to line some things up, but we are no closer to the 'WHY?' of everything. We have dozens of theories, but nothing we can test."

"I find this all rather frustrating," Diana admitted. Despite her words, she did quirk a smile as Artoria finally managed to stay afloat on her back without support. "As good a company as you all are, and as enjoyable as this Island has proven to be, I am going a bit crazy. I always feel like this is one significant buildup, one massive plan from a being who we have seen neither hide nor hair of. If they want something from us, why have they not asked? If it is Death, why go through all this?"

There was a few moments of silence as the women on the beach contemplated their situation.

"In my experience," Medea spoke up after a minute, simmering anger filling her tone. "This is the norm. Higher powers always mess with those lesser than them. They like to see us struggle, and when they grow bored, we are discarded. They never care for innocence or guilt, morality or faith. All they care for is their own capricious whims. And when the chips fall? Then they sit on their high thrones and judge you."

Diana remained silent as the Witch of Betrayal stood and made her way to the water. Emma, too, did not say a word.

*********

"They are getting frustrated," Diana said suddenly. The words had slipped out while she was lost in thought.

The pair had been walking in companionable silence for the last ten minutes, enjoying the night air. Irithyll was a beautiful city. The gentle falling snow, silver buildings, and crescent moon painted a beautiful tableau. It was a crisp and cool night. Though Mikael's breath fogged the air with every breath, Diana's did not.

She could not feel the cold.

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Shadow figures would occasionally dart from dark alleys to attack her companion, sometimes many at once. He dealt with them efficiently, either with his blade or flames. Knights and clerics walked the main roads. They posed a more significant threat, though Mikael could overcome them too.

Wonder Woman watched all the battles she could as the pair made their way deeper into the metropolis. Mikael had explained that his target was the massive cathedral in the center, miles away from their starting position on the bridge. This was the first time Diana had the chance to actually be part of Mikael's journey. Every time she was summoned, they remained stationary in a 'safe' place.

It was enlightening.

The last ten minutes of silence had been the longest her companion had gone without being attacked. It seemed like a shadow hag would ambush him every step they took. Beyond every corner was a priest casting a spell or knights waiting to charge.

Mikael had told her kingdoms and civilizations were converging on Lothric as the fire faded. Their proximity, he said, reduced the time it would take to beat the game. Each of those held millions of inhabitants, most all mad in undeath. They all stood between her summoner and his objective.

There had been times when Diana wondered why it took Mikael decades to clear one 'game.' With his skills, surely he could do it faster. The enemies were a problem, but so was the sheer distance. Every time he died, he lost days of progress. Since he wasn't hollowed, he retained his connection to the bonfires and reformed at the most recent one where he rested. That could be miles away.

By that point, either the undead he had killed had reformed, or more had filled in the holes. Since one death was such a setback, he had to proceed carefully each time. He never knew how many enemies there were or where they could have moved.

She did not know how many beings he had killed alone in the last two hours. She lost track after the first hundred. If this was the norm, he would have a more significant body count than almost all the villains she had faced in her life. In fact, if he only killed one hundred a day, he would have a higher body count than in most wars.

Though his foes were undead, Diana had to wonder about the mentality of a man who could do all that.

"Hm?" Mikael made a noise in question at her words.

"The other women," the amazon clarified as she returned to the here and now. "Many of them are worried that, so close to the end of your journey, you will go through with what you promised and leave us. Them, I mean. You said a few more weeks on our end, correct?"

"That's right," though he answered her, his eyes never stopped roaming the street. He was always looking for foes that could spring at any moment.

"Surely by now, you realize their feelings are genuine? Would it be so wrong to return their affections?"

"Wrong? No. Dangerous? Yes."

"How come?" Diana asked. Michael remained silent, his lips pressed into a frown. "Medea has been using your blood to help us ascend tiers." Mikael nodded but didn't say anything, so she continued. She was taking a risk, but she knew they had to do something drastic. "Once we've all consumed enough to qualify for Tier 7, she plans on using her Noble Phantasm on Emma."

That got a reaction.

Mikael whirled on her, staring at her with wide eyes. He looked worried, panicked even. Despite that, Diana continued to talk.

"We'll be taking all precautions we can, we'll do it right before her next summoning, so if anything goes wrong, you can reimpose the Command. But one way or the other, we are all committed to getting Emma free. It wouldn't be fair to have her bound like that, nor is it wise to keep secrets for so long. Especially from those that only want to help."

"Free? Fair?" He said incredulously. The man stared at Diana, but she met his eyes resolutely.

She knew that people were entitled to their secrets, but she believed that if it was going hurt people, expressly her newfound family, it was better to know. Was this a bit unfair to Mikael? Yes, but they wouldn't have needed to go this far if he had been honest from the start. Diana couldn't understand why, after all this time, he could not trust them. She had faced this same struggle with Bruce several times. Sometimes obstinancy was needed.

He turned away, pausing a moment before starting to speak.

"Imagine," he started to say, piecing his words together like a puzzle. "Imagine you are torn away from everything you ever know. You wake up in a cell naked. You are branded by a curse, one designed to drive you mad. You do everything you can to escape. Over and over, you try to climb the walls, break down the door, anything you can think of. Nothing works. You are in that cell for months, waiting for someone to free you. No companions, no one to talk to. The same four walls. But something is urging you on, never to give up. So you keep trying. One attempt finally kills you. A bashed-in skull from trying to climb to the ceiling."

Diana remained silent, letting Mikael vent. The story pained her, but she wanted to know where he was going with it.

"You wake up in the same place you died, knowing you died and will never escape. You keep trying anyway. You are not able to die nor give up. Then one day, poof," Mikael made a little gesture, tossing some light snow in the air. "Someone appears in your cell. Great! The only problem is that someone is a fictional character and can't interact with the world. You've clearly gone mad, but 'hey, what the hell? If I'm mad, let's see how this goes.' you think to yourself. The madness remains consistent, though you start to feel hope. 'Maybe there is a way out after all.'"

"You still think we are figments of your imagination?" Diana asked incredulously. Mikael shook his head.

"I am trying to get you to see things through my perspective for a bit. I do agree communication is important, but so is understanding where the other stands." He said before continuing his story. "Then something happens. One of the figments of your imagination, one of the women you imagined into existence, does something stupid. She at once proves that she exists to you and that all these delusions are more of a threat to your freedom than the cell ever was."

"You know we are not," the amazon interrupted. "We want to help. Why can't you trust us on that? We are no threat. Even Emma had no malicious intent when she entered your mind."

"So you get desperate, trying to seize all the control you can from the situation." He continued as if uninterrupted. "Step one? Get out of the cell ASAP. The following companion summoned gives you an idea. You're not connected to a bonfire, so you reform precisely when your body falls. What if most of your body is outside? So you start working, cutting your limbs on the bars and passing them through until all that is left is one arm you use to force your skull through and then separate it from your torso. The only part that doesn't fit."

Diana swallowed back the bile in her throat. Mikael had never told anyone how he escaped the Asylum. The man did not pay her horror any mind. He had said all that in a monotone as if recounting the weather. Now his voice picked up as if recalling a happy memory.

"You are finally free of the cell! The gamble worked! More than that, you discover that you can minimize contact with these threats. Instead of spending a few hours a week with them, you can reduce it to a few a month. You cannot force them to leave. Even if you could, it would risk tipping your hand. The following month is spent fighting and dying as you go through demons and hordes of undead. That pattern repeats for decades. You can never rest, never relax. You are trapped in a world, in a mind you know is not your own. Your companions, your only aid, are your biggest threats. But you care for them. You want to help them as well. You would never hurt them if you could. They saved you after all. Can you imagine all that, Diana?"

"I can," she said, her throat dry.

"Good," he looked her in the eye. "Now, despite all that, you would ask me to be open to my wardens? To give away my weakness and risk never achieving the freedom and life that drives me? You would ask me to place shackles on myself as I stand only a few years away from my prison break?"

"No," she denied. "I would ask you to trust us. Trust that no matter what, we are on your side. That we are not your wardens. We, they, love you. Entrust your weakness to us, whatever it is, so we can prove you wrong. We are going to be together forever. You will have to trust us at some point."

"There would be a way for me to trust you," he said. The command seals glowed brightly enough that the light shown through his armour. "I got these because they were cheap and practical. It would be easy too. I would have to start with Medea, of course. Her Noble Phantasm would be the most dangerous threat. All my seals regenerate between summonings. I'm sure I could devise a combination of six commands that would bend any of you to my will. From there, any time anyone is summoned, I simply repeat the process. It would be easy. All it would take would be that I need to abandon the last notions of my humanity, my own values."

Despite his words, the heroine felt no danger and met him eye to eye. Perhaps sensing her determination, maybe simply giving up, Mikael turned away from her and slumped. Diana's heart clenched at the sight, but she remained firm.

"I suppose this is what I get for being too clever," he said wryly. "I can't even order you not to free Emma without going for the nuclear option. Medea would simply use Rule Breaker on you too. I also doubt that any order would stick forever. Emma's has stuck around so long because I refresh them every time she is summoned. And none of you would ever forgive me if I tried. I guess I am being hypocritical. Who am I to stand between a prisoner and freedom?"

There was a long moment when the man gathered his thoughts. Diana kept silent until he took a deep breath, straightened his spine and looked at her again. Though he was only a few inches taller than her six-foot frame, Wonder Woman was pierced by the intense look in his brown eyes. She had known he was a warrior, had watched him battle with great skill, but he was always so gentle with her and the other women that it hadn't really connected in her mind. There was once laughter, warmth and affection in those brown pools. Only steely determination remained as he looked at her, judging her.

This was a man who killed kingdoms. Who slaughtered gods and demons and absorbed their souls. Who, after decades of slaughter and death, after experiencing all the pain the world had to offer, still stood again. This was a man who became a Lord of Cinder twice over.

Diana met those eyes, heart beating wildly in her chest.

"There's nothing I could do to change your minds?" He asked, knowing the answer.

"Nothing," she said resolutely, ensuring her voice was steady and even.

"And you all will accept the consequences of your actions? No matter what they are?"

"We will."

In the future, Diana would look back at this moment wryly. Though it would mark a short downturn in their relationship, it would also be the moment that she decided that falling in love with him was the right thing.

"Very well, a compromise then," he nodded in acceptance. Flames gathered in his hands, and great balls of chaotic magma flooded the street as dozens of shadow hags screamed in pain as their ashen flesh melted away. "Next time Emma is summoned, I'll remove the Command to never talk about what she knows. It will be safer that way. Less risk of backsliding."

As Diana stood amidst the magma rapidly cooling in the night air, she realized two things. Firstly, though she had won the argument and gotten the transparency she wanted, she still felt like she had lost something. Mikael still did not trust them. He was simply being blackmailed into her demands. Either he relinquished his Command, or he risked Emma's health. This entire time, his second priority after being free had always been the well-being of the women of the Island.

The dark red flames licked through her immaterial body and cast flickering shadows on the silver walls. They also illuminated Mikael as he turned from her. His dented and battered armour. The number of weapons he kept out of his bottomless pouches in case any broke. The bow and enchanted arrows he used when needed. The long staff, at once weapon and catalyst. His broad back.

Diana realized a second thing as she watched that back get further away, the magma not harming him.

She could feel the heat.

**********

Take this one with a grain of salt. Diana is equating Mikael with Batman. There are some parallels but it's not as close a match as she thinks. More on that next time. I'm going to finish off Part 3 then with an extra long chapter so you can look forward to it.

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