For a second, Elias forgot how to breathe.
The Watchtower wasn't a room. It wasn't even a building. It was space-cathedral geometry: bright white corridors, polished floors reflecting starlight, and windows framing Earth like a fragile blue ornament hanging in velvet black.
And standing in front of him were legends.
Flash noticed him first. Naturally. He blurred forward, stopping a few feet away in a vortex of red and gold.
"Whoa—hey!" Flash said, hands raised in a friendly surrender pose. "You must be the dimensional… anomaly? Visitor? Guest? Kid Bruce dragged here before breakfast?"
Elias's brain produced the intellectual response:"Uh."
Good start.
Then Superman stepped forward.
Superman.
He was bigger than life, but not in size—in presence. His cape moved like it obeyed physics only out of courtesy. His eyes were impossibly kind, like he could see straight through Elias and still choose not to judge him.
"Hello," Superman said softly. "I'm glad you're safe."
Elias made a sound that might have been human speech. Or possibly a dying kitten.
Behind them, Wonder Woman stood like a statue given breath—tall, regal, eyes sharp enough to slice steel. She was the kind of beautiful that made the room feel unworthy.
Martian Manhunter hovered slightly behind the others. His posture was calm, hands folded behind him, gaze ancient and unreadable. When he looked at Elias, it felt less like being seen and more like being… measured.
Then Batman stepped out from behind Elias, cowl now fully on.
Elias almost shrieked.
"Wait—The Zeta Tube didn't even—there wasn't—did you—how??"
Batman ignored him his look of suprise. Business as usual.
"Assessment begins now," Batman said to the League. "Elias's power presents unknown parameters but is triggered by emotional and cognitive spikes. His most recent demonstrations were controlled, but limited."
Flash blinked. "Controlled? Dude, no offense, but you look like you just escaped a psychiatric horror movie."
Elias nodded. "Yeah, fair."
Superman placed a gentle hand on Flash's shoulder. "Let's give him space."
Wonder Woman stepped closer. "Elias, you are not under arrest. You are here so we may understand what you are capable of—and how to help you control it."
Her voice was calm, but the underlying steel was unmistakable.
Martian Manhunter floated forward silently.
Elias froze.
Batman's voice cut the air. "J'onn."
Martian Manhunter stopped. "I will not harm him."
"I know," Batman said. "That's not why I said your name."
J'onn waited.
Batman turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing at Elias."He panics when he feels cornered."
Elias wanted to protest. Something like: I don't panic that easily—But then realized he absolutely did panic that easily.
Martian Manhunter lowered himself to the floor. "Then let us begin gently."
Elias swallowed. "Begin what?"
"Mind reading," J'onn said simply.
Elias's soul left his body.
"Sorry—mind what?"
J'onn tilted his head. "Your thoughts are fragmented. Your emotional pattern is… unusual. You speak of rules you create. You are not fully aware of the extent of your power. I must understand what lies beneath."
Elias stepped backward. "Nope. No no no no. My mind is not… a thing. It's not a readable thing. It's—private!"
Flash leaned over to Superman. "Do we have telepathic consent forms?"
Superman elbowed him lightly.
Wonder Woman spoke calmly. "Elias, J'onn is gentle. He will not pry deeper than necessary. It is only to ensure your ability does not endanger you—or others."
Batman stepped behind Elias.
Not comforting.
More like a wall of suspicion dressed in kevlar.
"It's necessary," Batman said.
Elias's panic spiked immediately.
J'onn extended a hand.
"May I?"
Elias felt his heart slam against his ribs.
A thousand thoughts slammed together in his head:
If he sees my memories—If he sees I'm not from this world—If he sees all the panic, all the destruction—If he touches the wrong thought—What if my power reacts—What if I explode—What if I accidentally rewrite his brain—WHAT IF HE GETS LOST IN MY TRAUMA MAZE LIKE A FRICKING MENTAL MINOTAUR—
His breath quickened.
Lights flickered.
The air tightened as if pressure changed.
And Elias whispered, without thinking:
"My mind… becomes unreadable."
The world snapped.
A soft ripple burst outward from Elias's skull—silent but forceful. J'onn staggered back half a step, eyes widening.
Superman's cape fluttered.
Wonder Woman's bracelets chimed.
Flash's lightning flickered.
Batman leaned forward slightly, the air around him shifting with suspicion—or maybe awe, though he'd swallow kryptonite before admitting that.
J'onn blinked. "…Fascinating."
Batman's jaw flexed. "Elias. What did you do?"
Elias threw his hands up. "I panicked!"
"Undo it," Batman said.
"I don't know how!"
J'onn took a step forward, slower, gentler. "Your mind is… sealed. Entirely. Even surface thoughts are obscured. This is not simply resistance. It is… anomalous."
Elias backed into Batman, who didn't move.Like hitting a wall of stone that also judged your life choices.
"I didn't mean to!" Elias said. "I swear! I just—I freaked out and now my brain is Fort Knox!"
J'onn's voice remained calm. "Elias. This ability, whatever its source, is intertwined with your emotions. If you continue to fear your own power, you will lose control of it more easily."
Elias felt his throat tighten. "I didn't ask for this."
"I know," J'onn said.
"Elias."Batman's voice cut through everything.
Elias turned.
Batman crouched slightly so they were eye-level—not soft, not gentle, but grounded. Anchored.
"Listen to me," Batman said quietly, low enough only Elias could hear. "Panic is your trigger. Control only comes when you choose intention over fear."
Elias swallowed.
Batman continued. "Right now, you're letting fear drive the power. You need to take back the wheel."
Elias felt something break in his chest.Something small.Something tired.
"Bruce…" Elias whispered. "I don't know if I can control it."
Batman's eyes didn't waver. "You can."
"How do you know?"
"Because if you couldn't," Batman said, "we'd all be dead already."
Elias blinked.
"Oh. Comforting."
Batman didn't smile, but the corner of his mask twitched. Maybe. Possibly. Or it was a shadow.
"Breathe," Batman said. "Not a rule. Just breathe."
Elias inhaled slowly. The air tasted sharp and metallic. Like fear and ozone. He exhaled.
His hands shook.
He squeezed them into fists.
Then he whispered:
"My mind… opens safely."
Reality flickered.
The pressure released.
J'onn straightened as if a veil had lifted.
He closed his eyes.
And touched Elias's thoughts.
Elias gasped.
It felt like cool water poured into the corners of his mind—soothing, gentle, not invasive. More like someone turning on a light inside his skull.
Images flickered behind his eyes:
ArkhamThe shockwaveThe warm handThe breathing ruleThe sense of Raven touching his consciousnessThe stir of something predatory far awayFearLonelinessA small determination burning under the panic
J'onn opened his eyes slowly. "There is great fear. But also great restraint."
Batman said nothing. His silence was its own kind of relief.
Wonder Woman stepped forward.
"If his mind has been assessed," she said, "then the next step is truth."
She unhooked the golden rope at her hip.
The Lasso of Truth gleamed like sunlight forged into a thread.
Elias swallowed. "Is that—?"
"Yes," Wonder Woman said. "The Lasso of Hestia. It reveals truth, spoken or unspoken. It does not harm, unless one resists the truth within."
"Oh good," Elias muttered. "Another panic attack machine."
Flash lifted a hand. "Hey, for what it's worth? The lasso's actually pretty chill. It's like… warm honesty tea."
Superman nodded. "It won't hurt you."
Wonder Woman stepped closer. She wrapped the lasso gently around Elias's forearm. The moment it touched him, he felt warmth—deep, comforting warmth, like someone lighting a candle in his chest.
Wonder Woman's gaze softened, but only slightly.
"Elias," she said. "Do you intend to harm anyone?"
The lasso glowed.
Elias felt his throat tighten—not from fear, but from the truth rising like a tide he couldn't stop.
"No," he whispered. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I've been terrified of hurting people since the moment I arrived."
The glow pulsed—bright, pure.
Wonder Woman nodded slowly. "And what do you want, Elias? Truly?"
Elias felt the truth build in his chest like steam behind a valve.
His eyes burned.
He looked at Superman's kindness.Flash's worry.J'onn's calm.Wonder Woman's steel.Batman's… presence.
And he whispered:
"I want to be part of the League."
Silence.
The lasso burned gold.
Flash blinked. "Oh."
Superman's brows lifted, empathy shining."You want to help people."
Elias swallowed. "I… yeah. I don't want to be some dangerous anomaly locked in a facility. I want to learn. I want to contribute. I want to… matter."
The lasso's glow softened, warm as sunrise.
Wonder Woman released him gently. "Your truth is noble."
Batman gave no reaction.
Except his eyes narrowed slightly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Evaluating the weight of those words.
J'onn clasped his hands behind his back. "Then our next steps are clear."
Elias looked between them all.
"…They are?"
Superman smiled—gentle, but not pitying.
"Yes," he said. "We need to determine if you CAN be part of the League."
Elias's heart leapt so hard it almost broke his ribs.
Flash stretched his neck. "Which means tests. Lots of tests. Power tests, stress tests—honestly, probably emotional tests too, because Batman's intense aura is hazardous to mental health."
Batman did not look at him.
But Flash flinched anyway.
Wonder Woman crossed her arms. "Your powers must be understood and controlled. If you wish to stand among us, you will be held to the same standard as any other member."
J'onn added softly: "But you will not face this alone."
Elias's breath shook.
Batman stepped beside him.
"You asked to matter," Batman said quietly. "Now we'll see if you can."
Elias blinked hard, throat tightening.