"Here. Let me hold him while you adjust the cloth."
"Thank you, Lady Diana. You are a great help. I am grateful to have you here."
Diana Prince nodded and smiled slightly.
She was standing beside the young couple's main bed, her hands lowering to help Mirela with the brown-haired baby named Luka, whose small legs were kicking while his mother struggled to properly adjust the little cloth pants.
Both women were in the young couple's private room. It was warm, lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp that flickered gently on a wooden shelf. The walls were simple, adorned with a few hand-embroidered tapestries and a small wooden cross. In the corner stood a modest crib, its frame carved from dark wood, the sheets soft and clean.
Both women were now making the effort to put the infant's cotton polo shirt on him. Diana was here in this room by order of Victor von Doom while he was outside the cabin with the young man, discussing private matters that did not concern her. Besides, she did not want to be a burden here; helping someone who needed it was her way. It was her own form of heroism. Especially with a first-time mother right in front of her.
Finally, the baby was fully changed with his socks on. It was baby clothing in a medieval style, blue in color. The child smiled at both women. That filled Diana with great tenderness. She carefully lifted Luka, cradling him against her chest. The baby was warm; his small body fit perfectly in her arms. He looked at her with curious brown eyes, still smiling, his tiny hand reaching for a lock of her black hair.
"I see he likes you, my lady." Mirela said with a voice full of pride, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead from the effort.
Diana felt a strange ache in her chest. The baby was innocent, untouched by the complexities of the world like the babies of the mothers she rescued in New York. He had no idea who she was, where she came from, or the darkness surrounding her. A first godson she had never thought she would have — forced upon her, as Doom himself had said. She did not want to accept him, but looking into the child's innocent eyes, her heart broke.
"He is just a baby." Wonder Woman thought. "A child who deserves a better world than the one I am trapped in."
Then she watched Mirela, who went to the crib to arrange the blankets properly so her son could sleep comfortably.
Seeing the first time mother in her actions, after having been such a great support to her and then to the baby, an image appeared in Diana Prince's mind: a mental picture of her own past, helping her sister Donna Troy change her son's clothes, Robert Long. The times of her sister's first motherhood. Diana had been a great support to her. The moments when she cared for little Bobbie in the old house of Donna and her ex-husband, or the times they visited her in New York.
The memory faded. Diana blinked, returning to the present. Her gaze returned to the baby, who was still playing with her hair.
Mirela had finished arranging the crib sheets. She approached the princess of Themyscira so she could put her son to sleep. Diana turned her gaze toward the mother, comparing her beauty with that of her son.
"Little Luka is lovely." Diana whispered in a low voice.
"Thank you, your godson thanks you." Mirela smiled, her eyes shining with pride.
Diana nodded. The baby began to yawn sleepily.
"Allow me, Lady Diana. I am going to put Luka to sleep."
Diana understood and handed the child to Mirela. The young woman lifted Luka into her arms, cradling him against her shoulder.
"Somn, somn, miri drago, Somn, somn, mon cœur, Karpaty čuvat te, Der Wind te nosi u san."
The young mother began to hum softly, her voice carrying a melody that was ancient and haunting.
"Doom je vladar, Doom ist der Schützer, Ne boj se, n'aie pas peur, miri čhavo, Latveria je tvoja staza. Somn, somn, miri drago, somn."
Mirela sang in Latverian, her strange words foreign to Diana's ears. But their meaning was clear: a lullaby, sung by a mother for her child, a promise of love and protection.
Diana felt something in her chest. A memory appeared in its entirety.
Flashback
Thirteen years ago
Diana was in her small apartment in New York, sitting beside her black haired sister on the large sofa in her living room. Donna was rocking her son Robert to sleep. They had come to her apartment after Donna had a heated argument with her husband Terry Long. The one year old red-haired baby was restless; his cries pierced the silence of the night.
"Shh!" Donna whispered, her voice soft and patient. "Bobbie. Quiet. Mommy is here. Mommy will always be here. I will sing you a lullaby to sleep."
The mother began to sing a lullaby melody while rocking the child, Diana's nephew's favorite.
Robert's cries gradually faded, replaced by his soft, contented sighs as he closed his eyes in his mother's arms. Donna looked at Diana, her eyes tired but radiant.
"By Hera! I never knew it could be so difficult." Donna said. "This love I feel for Bobbie is overwhelming."
Diana had smiled at her sister. She thought both of them were tender, mother and son. Out of nowhere she felt something strange inside her. Looking at them more, seeing them together for a year and a half. She felt jealousy. She wondered why. It was not like her. She had felt it during that time. She erased the thought from her mind quickly.
"I hope to have some nephew, Diana. Robert would be happy if he had another cousin besides Lian. Dick and Kory do not want to be parents. Steve and you would be great parents if you had a child." The half-Amazon woman said.
Those words remained engraved in Diana's mind. She hoped that the last thing her sister had said would come true.
A family with Steve Trevor.
Another memory appeared, unbidden.
Flashback
Eight years ago
The Fortress of Solitude was a cathedral of ice and crystal, its towering spires catching the faint light of the Arctic sun. The air was cold, sterile, filled with the hum of Kryptonian technology pulsing softly beneath the crystalline floors.
"Ahhhh-nnnrggh!"
"Ahhhh-nnnrggh!"
"You are doing very well, Lois." Diana Prince said, her voice firm and reassuring. "Just breathe. You are almost there."
Diana Prince stood as Wonder Woman beside the Daily Planet reporter, gently holding her left arm, her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before her.
Lois Lane lay on an advanced hospital bed raised above the icy floor, her face flushed with effort, her dark hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. She was dressed in a long light-blue hospital gown and positioned to give birth, her legs slightly apart. She gripped the edge of the bed with her other hand, her knuckles white, her breaths coming in sharp, irregular gasps.
Lois's eyes met Diana's, full of pain and determination.
"I am not going to let this beat me." She said through clenched teeth. "I can handle a baby, Diana."
Clark Kent was on his knees in front of the bed, his face above his wife, a mask of controlled calm. But Diana could see the fear in his eyes, the desperate hope that everything would be all right. He was dressed as Superman; his presence filled the room with unbreakable strength.
"You are doing incredible, Lois." The Kryptonian said, his voice soft. "I am right here. I am not going anywhere."
Bruce Wayne as Batman stood at a nearby console, his fingers flying over the holographic keyboard. He was monitoring Lois's and the baby's vital signs, his eyes scanning the data streams flowing across the screen.
"Her vital signs remain stable." Bruce said, his voice clipped and professional. "The baby's heart rate is strong. Everything is progressing normally."
Diana watched Bruce for a moment, a small smile playing on her lips. Even here, in the middle of a miracle, he could not stop being Batman.
Lois let out a cry, her body tensing further.
"He is close." Clark said, his voice full of awe. "Honey, he is almost here."
Lois's face contorted with the effort. Diana tightened her hold on her arm, lending her strength.
"Push, Lois." Diana said in her signature voice. "One more push. You can do it."
Lois screamed, her body arching off the bed. And then, suddenly, there was a cry, a small and heartbreaking cry that filled the room with life.
Clark's hands moved with impossible gentleness, his Kryptonian strength held in perfect control. He lifted the baby from beneath his wife's body.
"He is here, honey. He is well and healthy." Superman said, his voice breaking.
Lois collapsed against the bed, her chest rising and falling, her face streaked with tears.
"Let me see him." She whispered. "Let me see our son."
Clark moved to her side, placing the baby gently in her arms. The baby was small, his skin flushed, his tiny fists clenched. His eyes were closed; his cries slowly diminished as he felt the warmth of his parents.
Lois looked at him, her face transformed by a love that seemed almost too vast to contain.
"Welcome to the world." She whispered, her voice full of emotion.
"Welcome to the world, Jon Samuel Kent." Clark finished the phrase, looking at his baby.
Clark leaned down, his forehead resting against Lois's.
"I love you." He continued, his voice barely audible. "I love you both more than anything."
Diana watched the scene, a smile spreading across her face. She had seen many wonders in her long life: battles, miracles, moments of great heroism and sacrifice. But this simple, intimate moment was perhaps the most beautiful of all. The birth of a baby. The son of her friends. The son of Superman.
Then, without warning, she felt it again. A sharp, unexpected sting of jealousy. It pushed at her, making her jaw tighten.
"No. No. Not now."
But the sensation lingered, a bitter taste in her mouth. She looked at Lois, cradling her son, her face radiant with joy. She looked at Clark, his eyes shining with a love that seemed almost too powerful to contain. She looked at Bruce, his stoic expression softened by a rare, genuine smile.
"They have what they want." She thought. "They have what I wanted to have."
Steve had not given her what she desired. A family. She remembered that autumn day in Central Park, the tears, the shattered dreams. She remembered the aching emptiness that had followed, the years of loneliness that had stretched before her like an endless desert.
"Why do I have these thoughts?" She asked herself. "Why now? Oh… Athena."
She closed her eyes, her lips moving in a silent prayer to Athena.
"Goddess of wisdom, grant me clarity. Help me understand this pain. Help me release this envy. Let me celebrate this joy without allowing my own sorrow to eclipse it."
Diana returned to the present, shaking her head and pressing a hand to her temple. The memories were too much, too vivid and too painful. She felt a headache, a dull ache pulsing behind her eyes.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you forcing me to remember?"
She sank onto a small wooden sofa near the wall, her legs suddenly weak. The room seemed to spin; the walls closed in around her.
Mirela noticed. The young mother's face was full of concern. She gently placed Luka in his crib, covering her son's small body with the sheets. His eyes had already closed in sleep, thanks to the lullaby.
"My lady? Are you all right?" She asked, her voice soft and worried, approaching her.
Diana did not answer. Her mind was no longer in the room. It was somewhere else entirely.
Flashback
Twelve years ago
The leaves were golden and red, falling softly from the trees that lined the path. The air was cool, carrying the scent of autumn and the distant sound of children playing in Central Park in New York.
Diana Prince stood with her hands wrapped around Steve Trevor's. She was dressed in a simple long white dress. The blond man wore only black pants and an elegant white button-up shirt. He was handsome to her — his strong jaw, his eyes full of love and devotion. They had just finished a date, a simple lunch at a small Italian restaurant that had become their favorite.
Diana's heart was racing. She had been planning this moment for weeks. She had rehearsed the words, practiced the tone, prepared herself for his reaction.
She wanted him. She loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. And she wanted to build a future with him. A family.
"Steve." She said, her voice soft. "There is something I want to tell you. Something that has been on my mind for a long time."
"Just say it, darling. I will listen to everything you have to tell me." He smiled, his eyes warm.
She smiled, but inside her heart was pounding.
"I am ready to keep growing our relationship even further. For us to continue on the same path of our five-year relationship."
Steve kept listening to her with his loving expression.
"There is something I want you to grant me."
"I will do whatever you want, Diana." Steve's smile widened.
"I want…" Diana took a deep breath. "I want… to start a family."
Then Steve's smile froze. His body tensed.
"I want to be a mother... I want a family with you, Steve."
Diana felt his hands begin to pull away.
"Please, no more protection from now on... I want to have a family like Donna has... I want to have a child with you..." She tightened her grip; her voice grew nervous.
Steve was silent. He tried to pull his hand away again, but Diana held on.
"Do not think I am jealous that she has a family," Diana said, her voice tense. "I would never do that to my sister… The times I have cared for Bobbie or supported her with him… They have made me realize that children are precious. Being a mother is a blessing... I want it from you… You are the love of my life…"
She kept holding his hand, her fingers intertwined with his.
Steve was still silent, his face pale.
"I want you to get me pregnant…. Then, afterward, we can get married. I will convince my mother to approve it. Donna will give us her blessings… It is the time… darling." Diana continued, her voice trembling.
She waited for his response.
Seconds of silence.
"Diana. I… do not know what to do… in this situation…" Steve broke the discomfort, his eyes full of pain.
"What are you talking about?" Diana felt a chill run down her spine.
"I am sorry…. darling…. But I cannot…"
She released his hand, taking a step back.
"I am sorry…" Steve said, his voice breaking. "I am not ready… to be a father…"
"Steve…" Diana felt her heart breaking.
"I love you, Diana. I love you more than anything. But I cannot…"
Her heart was shattered.
"Our lives are in constant danger. I am afraid that if we have one, he or she will have to pay for our actions. Our enemies will look for a way to reach them…. you know what I mean." He continued, his words falling like stones.
Diana's eyes began to sting on her beautiful face.
"You cannot invent such a weak excuse, Steve. I will kill those who try to harm our future child. I swear I will."
"I do not want to carry the same pain that your friend from Atlantis carried when his little son was killed. It is very painful…"
Diana froze at what he said. She did not know how to take it. Arthur's son murdered by Black Manta.
"I do not have enough strength to carry a pain of such magnitude, Diana. I am sorry to disappoint you…"
"Steve…" She whispered anxiously.
"Forgive me… darling. I am not the right man you are looking for to start a family. I do not have the capacity to do it."
She stepped away, her heart in pieces for the first time.
"Please forgive me…" The blond man said in a broken voice. "One day you will see that I was right."
Diana's psyche returned to reality.
"One day you will see that I was right."
Those were Steve's last words when they were still a couple, and they still floated in her head. That day had been hell for her. The day they broke up after several years of relationship.
He had been right. He had been damn right.
A short memory came to Diana of the tragic day she learned that her nephew Robert Long had died in that car accident, still a toddler. Someone who never got the chance to become anyone in life. The day her sister was in mourning for the loss of her family.
Steve had been right. That was why he had not granted her that wish.
Diana wanted to cry at the truth. Her eyes were betraying her.
She was still sitting on the wooden sofa in the room of the young couple she had met today.
Now her cheeks were wet with tears. Her hands trembled and her legs were weak. The drops falling from her face began to intensify, cascading down.
"What is wrong with you?" She thought. "No… You are stronger than this, Diana."
She was still trapped in her trance of confusion and melancholy. She wanted to blame Doom for being behind these memories.
They were not. They were real.
Being present once again in a scene of a mother with her child. It had taken her back to the past. A wish she had wanted to have.
"Lady Diana." Mirela interrupted, her voice kind. "What is wrong? Why are you crying?"
The princess of Themyscira slowly came back to herself. She looked at Mirela, who was crouched beside her, her face full of concern. Then little Luka was asleep in his crib, unaware of the drama unfolding around him.
Diana tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She had made a terrible scene. She had allowed her emotions to overwhelm her in someone else's home.
The young mother extended her hand, taking Diana's left palm.
"My lady. Please, tell me. What is happening to you?"
Diana was still unable to speak.
"I am going to call the master." Mirela's voice grew more urgent as she tried to stand.
Diana's tearful eyes opened with great effort. She extended her hand, gently but firmly taking hold of Mirela's wrist.
"No." she said, her voice broken. "Do not do it. Mirela, please. I am asking you."
Mirela's eyes searched Diana's face. She saw the pain and the desperate plea for silence.
"Do not tell him." Diana continued in a whisper. "Please. It is not his concern. It was a moment of weakness…"
Diana hated saying that last word. She was not weak. But this time she felt human.
Mirela hesitated. Her loyalty to Doom warred with her compassion for the woman before her.
"Please." Diana said brokenly. "This is not about Doom. This is about me. I need you to understand that."
Mirela remained silent for a long moment.
Then the Latverian mother slowly nodded. She extended both hands to take both of the Amazon's palms and crouched beside her.
"I will not tell him." Mirela said quietly. "But you must tell me. I want to understand you, Lady Diana. To know what is happening to you. What caused your tears?"
Diana looked into her eyes. She did not want to share personal things with someone she had only just met. Mirela's eyes were kind; there was no malice in them like Doom's. The young mother had a way of listening without judging, of offering comfort without demanding anything in return. Mirela was the only option.
Then, after a moment of tension that faded in seconds, Diana remained calm.
"I am listening, my lady."
Diana was going to explain to her, to share the burden of her memory with someone who would listen. She sighed bravely and settled properly on the wooden sofa, her hands tightly holding Mirela's. Her cheeks were still wet with tears, her eyes red and swollen. She felt exposed and vulnerable — emotions she had not allowed herself to feel in years.
"I remembered something that broke my heart… in the past." Diana sighed, her voice trembling slightly.
"You can tell me calmly. I do not want to rush you or make you feel uncomfortable." Mirela nodded, still crouched with soft, understanding eyes.
"You are not, dear. Well… someone did not fulfill my wish…" Diana managed a small, fragile smile. "My wish… to be a mother…"
"Who was it, my lady?" Mirela's expression grew serious.
Diana looked away, her gaze fixed on the flickering flame of the oil lamp. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"My ex-partner. I remembered that my ex did not fulfill my wish to be a mother." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to start a family with him. To have children with him."
Mirela listened in silence, her hands now resting gently on Diana's lap, still holding the Amazon's hands.
"He told me he did not feel capable of being a father… He was not ready for it… We broke up because of that." Diana continued, her voice growing stronger as the words began to flow.
Mirela's eyes widened. Then, unexpectedly, her expression hardened with indignation.
"Excuse my language, Lady Diana." The mother said, her voice sharp. "But that man is an idiot. How could he waste a woman as loveliness as you? How could he reject such a gift?"
"Thank you, dear. Your words always are sweet and sincere." Diana blinked, surprised by the young mother's vehemence. A small, reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
"It is true, my lady. Does the master know?" Mirela's expression softened, her warmth returning.
"He knows." Diana's smile faltered, but in reality she was lying.
"I hope Lord Doom put that man who hurt you in his place."
Diana felt a chill run down her spine. She knew Doom was capable of that. He knew her personal information. She had seen his cruelty. If she told him about the pain Steve had caused her, she had no doubt that Doom would find a way to make him suffer.
"No. No. I cannot let that happen. Steve does not deserve that. He made a choice, but he is not a bad man."
"Excuse me for asking, but what is your ex's name?" The Latverian woman leaned forward, her voice soft but curious.
Diana's jaw tightened. She could not tell her. She could not risk Doom finding out; she could not risk Steve's safety. But she had a nervous twitch that he already knew about her ex, in addition to Bruce. She hoped Doom still did not.
"I am sorry, Mirela." She said quickly. "I do not feel comfortable saying the names of people who have been important in my life."
"I understand, my lady. At least you can tell me why that man did not want to make you a mother." Mirela nodded, her expression understanding. "There must be some reason."
Diana remained silent, the weight of the memory pressing on her.
"Was he unfaithful to you?" Mirela asked carefully.
"No, not at all. He was faithful. We were happy back then until the day of our breakup." Diana shook her head firmly.
"How long were you together?" Mirela's brow furrowed.
"Five years." Diana sighed; the number felt impossibly large.
"Wow. That is a long time. It was the right moment to have children." Mirela's eyes widened.
"You are right, dear." Diana nodded, her voice heavy with regret.
"Were you two married?"
"No, we were not. We were going to, but…"
"I understand. That man is still a fool for not proposing marriage during that long time as a couple. At least Lord Doom will do it in less time than he did."
Diana simply remained silent. She was pale. Then Mirela tilted her head, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.
"But something does not add up, my lady. If you told me you come from an island of only women, then where did you meet him?"
Diana hesitated. She had already said too much. But Mirela's curiosity was genuine. The Amazon found herself wanting to share, wanting to explain.
"He is american." one of the founders of the Justice League said slowly. "He is a pilot. I met him when his plane accidentally crashed on my island. My sisters and I took care of him while he was recovering on the island until I took him back to the United States. It is a long story that I plan to tell you someday."
"I will be waiting eagerly." Mirela smiled, her eyes bright with anticipation. "So, Lady Diana. What was the reason that man did not want to be a father?"
Diana looked down at her hands, her voice growing more melancholy.
"He feared that our enemies would harm our future children. I did everything I could to make him understand my perspective… It hurt me deeply the day he told me that so directly…. I thought he was wrong… but he was right."
"Why?" Mirela's brow furrowed.
"I understood. I understood those words of his. The day my nephew died in a car accident along with his father, my sister's husband. He was still a three years old child. My sister was strong, and even so she lost her family." Diana's voice dropped, heavy with pain. The words hung in the air, full of sorrow.
Mirela's eyes filled with compassion. She extended a hand, resting it gently on Diana's arm.
"I am sorry, my lady." The Latverian mother said softly. "I am sorry to hear that. I am sorry about your nephew. Your sister must have suffered greatly at that time. Sometimes we cannot prevent certain tragedies."
Diana wiped her eyes, forcing a small smile. "Thank you for your condolences, dear. She overcame it. I am still a stranger to you."
"As long as you are at the master's side and do not break his heart. Lord Doom is our father. We are his children, not by blood but by belonging. We are Doom's children. That means you are also our mother. You are not a stranger here." Mirela shook her head, her voice firm but warm.
Diana's eyes widened, surprised by the young mother's words. Mirela met her gaze, her expression unwavering.
"She sees me as family. She sees me as part of Doom's world. Part of Latveria."
Mirela extended her hand, her fingers gently wiping the tears from Diana's cheeks. Her touch was soft, full of a kindness Diana had not expected.
"Yes." Mirela continued, her voice soft but certain. "You wish to have children. Lord Doom will grant it to you, my lady. That is why you are here. He will grant you that wish. He will love you in his own way. Only Doom. You would make a great family. That idiot of your ex will regret having let you go."
Diana felt a kind of knot in her chest. The words should have brought comfort, but instead they filled her with anxiety.
"He will grant you that wish. The same wish Steve had denied her. The irony was bitter. She had begged the man she loved to give her a child and now a tyrant was forcing one upon her. What would it mean to have a child with Doom?"
She hated that this masked man was fulfilling a past wish. She hated that he was forcing her to do it. She hated her kidnapping, his manipulation, the way he had forced her to enjoy his touches.
"I did not choose this. I did not choose him."
But she could not say the words aloud. Not to Mirela. Not to this innocent woman who saw Doom as a father and her as a mother.
"You are strong, my lady. Build a new future with the master." Mirela smiled, her eyes shining.
Diana remained silent, her throat tight.
"Truly, you are too strong. I felt it when I touched your hands. Do you have powers? Is that why you have enemies?" Mirela's expression grew thoughtful.
Diana hesitated. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"Are you superhuman or a mutant? Does everyone on your island have powers?"
"Only my super strength, thanks to my Olympian gods." Diana shook her head. "I am not very familiar with the subject of mutants. Can you give me some information?"
"How can you not know, my lady? The X-gene is present in people with powers from birth. They have been discriminated against in the past." Mirela blinked, clearly surprised.
Diana's mind raced.
"The X-gene. It could be the same as the Metagene."
She remembered Bruce's research, his studies on the metagene that activates when a person is in a traumatic situation or near death. But Mirela was telling her that this X-gene was present from birth.
"Tell me more about these mutants. How are they treated? Forgive my ignorance on the subject." Diana looked at Mirela, her curiosity awakened.
"They are feared in many countries, my lady. They are persecuted, imprisoned, even killed. There are places where they are forced to wear collars that suppress their powers. They are treated like monsters, even when they have done nothing wrong. They have saved the planet several times, yet the governments did not care. The outside world is impossible to reason with." Mirela's expression grew somber.
Diana felt a cold rise of anger in her chest.
"This world is different. The rules are different here. The powers. The discrimination. The fear. The hatred."
She thought of her own people, the Amazons, who had been forced to hide from a world that did not understand them. Thanks to Hercules's betrayal, all orchestrated by Ares. She thought of the metahumans of her own world, who were not discriminated against or feared by the people.
"Doom rules over a nation where mutants are… what? Accepted? Feared? Hunted?" She thought.
"And in Latveria? How are mutants treated here?" Diana asked carefully.
"Here they are protected. Lord Doom does not tolerate discrimination. Anyone who harms a mutant is punished. They are citizens like anyone else. They serve the nation and the nation serves them." Mirela smiled, her expression brightening.
Diana absorbed her words, a strange feeling stirring in her chest.
"Doom protects mutants. He does not discriminate. He gives them a home."
The contradiction was dizzying. Doom, the tyrant who had kidnapped her, who had violated her mind, who wanted to force her to carry his heir, also protected the marginalized. He gave them a place where they would not be hunted, according to the young mother's words.
"My lady, I am concluding that you do not belong to this world."
"By Hera! What do you mean?" Diana asked, her voice carefully neutral.
Mirela's eyes studied her face, patient and unblinking.
"The way you ask questions is as if you are trying to find basic information about the world. Everyone knows about mutants, even in the deepest parts. But you… you asked me as if you had never heard of them. Have there ever been mutants on your island?"
Diana hesitated. She could lie. She could deflect, change the subject, protect herself. But something about Mirela's warmth, her openness, made Diana want to be honest, at least in part. Not to tell her the whole truth about Doom. She did not want to start an argument in front of a small baby sleeping peacefully and this kind young woman.
"No." Diana said slowly. "I have never met one. I am going to be honest with you: I come from another world like this one, where my island is. That is the truth."
"I am not telling her that Doom kidnapped me. I am not telling her that I am a prisoner." She thought.
Mirela's eyes widened, but instead of shock or disbelief, her face broke into a warm, delighted smile.
"I see." The redhead said in a calm voice. "Lady Diana. You are from another world. Great!"
"Does it not seem impossible to you to hear that? That it could be real?" Diana blinked, surprised by her reaction.
"The Master has told Andrei and me anecdotes and extreme adventures in other worlds and parallel dimensions, Lady Diana. I live in a world where people have superpowers and sorcerers. I have been present at several attacks by infernal demons or interdimensional beings that attack Latveria. The Master has always protected us successfully." Mirela laughed softly, shaking her head.
Diana stared at her, her mind reeling.
"Demons. Interdimensional beings. Attacks."
The words were spoken with such casualness, such acceptance, as if they were as ordinary as the weather.
"Everything impossible, these people see as something common."
Diana felt a strange knot in her chest. In her world, the existence of other dimensions, of cosmic threats and beings beyond comprehension, was known only to heroes and villains.
But here, in this small cabin, a simple peasant woman spoke of them as if they were part of everyday life.
"Besides, I saw the Devoured of Worlds for the first time in our territory. It was terrifying and amazing to see it live. It was purple and very large, larger than the Carpathians." Mirela spoke calmly.
"Devoured of Worlds. A giant purple being. Different from Imperiex." She analyzed those words.
Mirela continued. "It was the same, the same characteristics the master had told us about the times he had faced it in his life. Andrei was also shocked and excited at the same time to see it for the first time."
Diana thought that this being the Latverian woman spoke of could be considered a cosmic threat.
"Doom has faced it. Several times."
"Lady Victorious and the Master's archenemies supported him in defeating the Devoured of Worlds. Lord Doom saved us all." Mirela continued speaking.
"Archenemies?" Diana's eyes narrowed.
Mirela's expression changed. The warmth in her eyes faded, replaced by something colder, more wary.
"Who are these archenemies? With whom does Doom ally himself?"
"They do not deserve to be a topic of discussion, my lady." Mirela's voice was tense, her words cut short.
Diana studied her face, reading the discomfort in her eyes.
"There is something she does not want to tell me. Something painful. Something related to Doom's past."
"I understand." Diana said quietly.
"Thank you." Mirela nodded, her expression relaxing as she rose from her position.
But Diana's mind was already racing.
"Oh Hera! Who could they be? Who were they for Doom to request an alliance? I knew the character of the man who said the opposite of support."