The color had returned to those faces that had once gone pale with despair.
Diana felt as if she were in a dream, her heart trembling as tears welled up again.
She told herself she couldn't cry anymore—she had already broken down like a child earlier.
But before she knew it, her body was moving on its own.
She rushed forward, tears streaming freely, and threw her arms around her mother and aunt.
Hippolyta's eyes filled with pain and relief as she clutched her daughter tightly.
"My daughter…" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
Antiope gently patted Diana's trembling back, her tone soft and proud.
"I am proud of you." Gone was her usual sternness as a general; in that moment, she was simply family.
Diana touched her mother's face, then turned to cup Antiope's head, as if making sure they were real.
The images of their deaths still haunted her mind.
Some truths, no matter how many times people tell you, never truly sink in—until loss makes them undeniable.
Only when you lose something do you understand its worth.
But by then, it's too late.
Diana had grown in that moment of tragedy. The price was heavy—the loss of everything she loved.
Yet somehow, she'd been given another chance.
Malrick had saved them all.
She held her mother for a long time before pulling away, memorizing every face around her.
Then she turned toward the man standing at the cliff's edge.
The sea breeze tugged at his shirt as Malrick stared out toward the horizon.
Everyone followed her gaze.
They couldn't help but glare at him.
Sure, he'd saved Antiope. He'd saved the Queen. He'd even helped Diana awaken her divine power to defeat Ares.
He was Paradise Island's unexpected savior.
But he was also the man who had made their princess weep like her heart was breaking.
The Amazons, united as ever, shared one thought—
What kind of hero makes a woman suffer like that?
Even so, they couldn't deny what he'd done.
Across the windswept meadow, Diana met Malrick's eyes.
Her lips curved into a fragile smile through her tears.
She didn't know how to name the storm inside her chest—
the wonder of meeting a man for the first time,
the warmth of his looks,
the gratitude of being saved when all hope was gone.
Her heart tangled all those feelings together into something new.
Malrick had appeared out of nowhere, shattered her world, and somehow claimed a piece of her heart.
She started walking—then running, faster and faster—until she collided into his arms.
Malrick caught her easily and spun her around.
If she had worn a long dress, it would've fluttered like the sea itself—
a sight of pure freedom and beauty.
"Thank you for saving them, Malrick. Thank you!" Diana pressed her face to his chest.
He looked down at her, the scent of grass and battle still on her skin.
"Are you sure you want to thank me?" he asked softly. "Everything you saw—that was an illusion I created."
Her eyes widened. "That was an illusion? That's incredible. You even fooled Ares!"
Malrick tilted his head. "That's all you want to say?"
"What else should I say?" she asked innocently.
"Something like… calling me a bad guy?"
"But you saved everyone, Malrick," she said simply.
Her gaze shimmered like sunlight on a lake.
Without realizing it, she rose onto her toes, her hands resting on his shoulders.
She didn't fully understand what she was doing—only that her heart told her to.
Her lips met his.
Malrick could have dodged—his reflexes were faster than thought—but he didn't want to.
How could anyone resist a girl like Diana?
Tony Stark once told him, "When it comes to women, courage is key. Speak, act, and don't hesitate."
And for once, Malrick didn't.
Their shadows merged beneath the sunlight, one silhouette against the sea.
Gasps rose from behind them. Amazons blushed and looked away, whispering among themselves.
Antiope smiled faintly, hands clasped behind her back.
Hippolyta raised a hand as if to call her daughter—but let it fall, sighing.
Watching them, she remembered her own youth—her love for Zeus—and the heartbreak that followed.
Please, she prayed silently, let this man be different.
When Diana finally pulled away, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes heavy with affection.
"I… I feel strange," she said softly. "Is it because of you?"
"I think so," Malrick said with a half-smile. "It's something people in love do—it feels good."
"Love…" she murmured. "Is that like how Zeus gave me life?"
"Something like that," he said under his breath. More like found in a dumpster, he thought dryly.
Diana smiled. "Then… again!"
"Wait, Diana—" Malrick started, but froze.
Tony's vitals were shifting. He was waking up.
Malrick had been monitoring him—
not because he didn't trust him, but because he feared what Tony might do if he woke up on an island of warrior women.
A playboy surrounded by Amazons? Disaster waiting to happen.
"I have to go, Diana," he said quietly.
Her smile faded. "Go? Where?"
"I came here to find Superman," he explained. "But he won't appear for decades. I have to travel into the future."
Diana's expression softened, her heart torn.
"If you come with me," Malrick said gently, "you'll lose decades here. Your mother, your sisters—they'll all grow old while you're gone."
Diana bit her lip and turned toward Hippolyta.
She wanted nothing more than to stay with her people now that she'd seen how fragile life could be.
"Will you come back for me?" she asked finally.
"Of course I will." His answer was firm. "When I return, I'll take you beyond Paradise Island. I'll show you the world."
She hesitated, then nodded. "I'll wait for you."
She rose again, pressing one last kiss—a small, fierce bite—against his lips before stepping back.
Malrick activated his Mark Armor and took to the skies, vanishing beyond the horizon.
Diana stood there long after he was gone, the sea wind tugging at her hair.
Her world had always been small—just Paradise Island and her mission to defeat Ares.
Now, that world had changed.
A stranger had entered it, and her heart would never be the same.
"Diana, he just left? You didn't stop him?" Hippolyta asked as she approached.
Her daughter shook her head silently.
"Let's go home, Mother," Diana said softly. "Tell me… tell me more about Zeus."
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