Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

When Ethan returned to Paradise Island, the familiar scenery remained unchanged. He made his way back to the wooden house where he had lived for half a year.

He wasn't in a hurry to see Hippolyta or Diana. He knew that word of his arrival would quickly reach the Amazon queen, so he took his time strolling around, observing how much—if anything—had changed in the place he once called home.

"It doesn't seem like much has changed. Could it be that time has passed so quickly?"

He ran his hand across the table, finding no dust. Clearly, someone had been regularly cleaning this place. Was it someone Hippolyta had assigned, or was it Diana?

"It shouldn't be Diana."

That girl was still in her mischievous phase. Even when she grew up, she had lived carefree for decades in human society before she finally became the dignified and poised Wonder Woman.

The young Diana wouldn't have been the type to handle such meticulous and mundane tasks… unless—

"Unless decades have passed."

Ethan had previously estimated that the longest gap before his return would be around fifty years. At that time, his connection to this world had been unstable, and the differences in time flow were extreme.

Later, as his mastery over time and space energy improved, he thought the situation would stabilize. But now, it seemed that things were still unpredictable.

As he stepped out of the wooden house, Ethan sensed someone approaching. He assumed Hippolyta had been notified and was coming to meet him. He even wondered if she was rushing over so quickly because something urgent had happened.

However, instead of the Amazon queen, a girl of about fourteen appeared before him.

Ethan found it difficult to describe her appearance precisely. She looked quite different from the future Wonder Woman he remembered. Yet, thanks to his enhanced spiritual power, his memory had become sharper. What was once a blurry image was now crystal clear, and he immediately recognized her, this was Diana in her teenage years.

"Diana?"

"Ethan?"

They spoke at the same time, confirming each other's identity.

Ethan knew this was a younger Diana, but the change in her appearance was so significant that he deliberately asked her name to make it seem as though he wasn't completely certain.

Diana, on the other hand, hesitated because her memory of Ethan had faded somewhat over the years. Moreover, Ethan himself had changed, his features had matured, shedding the youthful softness from before. His appearance was slightly different, and to her surprise, he seemed… more pleasant to look at.

Still unsure, she asked his name.

Once they were sure of each other, Diana immediately revealed her enthusiasm, rushing forward and throwing her arms around him in a big hug.

"I thought you wouldn't be back so soon."

Ethan wasn't sure how Hippolyta had explained his absence to Diana, but judging by her reaction, she must have known he would return eventually.

He had to clarify, "I don't know if you understand, but I still don't have full control over when I can come back."

"I heard… but honestly, your strength is much weaker than I originally imagined," Diana teased.

Her hug had been brief—she didn't throw a dramatic fit, nor did she demand an explanation for why he had been gone so long. Instead, she simply stood in front of him and playfully punched his chest, making Ethan wince.

"But you do seem a little stronger than before," she added.

Ethan's face darkened. Especially when she followed up with, "I never challenged you before because you looked too frail, I was afraid I'd accidentally hurt you."

Only now did he realize that, in Diana's eyes, aside from being a mage, he had also left the impression of being weak.

"Where's Arthur?"

Diana had assumed Arthur would return with Ethan, but after waiting for some time without seeing him, she couldn't help but ask.

Compared to Ethan, whom she had less contact with in the beginning she had a clearer impression of Arthur. They were closer in age and had interacted more frequently. Diana had learned proper swordsmanship, shield techniques, and unarmed combat basics from him.

She had been looking forward to sparring with Arthur to show him how much she had improved over the years.

"Arthur has returned to his throne," Ethan replied simply.

Diana didn't press further. To her, it was only natural that Arthur would fulfill his responsibilities as king, though she did feel a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get to duel him.

"What's his kingdom like?" she asked.

"Actually, I've never seen it myself. Maybe when I get the chance, I'll go take a good look at Arthur's country."

Once he could fully control his dimensional travel, Ethan definitely planned to visit Arthur's kingdom. He wanted to see for himself how the world had changed under a completely different King Arthur.

More importantly, he would never allow the tragedy from the "original story" to repeat itself. Arthur was his friend, and he wouldn't stand by and let him fall into disaster without intervening.

The two of them sat down on the wooden bench outside the house and chatted about whatever came to mind. To Ethan's surprise, the conversation was lively and engaging.

At that moment, he finally understood what Arthur had told him before:

"It's not that Diana doesn't want to talk to you, she's just afraid of bothering you. If you take the initiative, you'll find that you can get along with her just fine."

Paradise Island had almost no children. Diana had never really had friends. Arthur was the only one, and this time, he wasn't here.

Ethan was at least a half-friend, someone she could find common ground with.

Diana was curious about many things. She had read about them in books and accumulated a vast amount of knowledge, but she had never seen the real world. She had no experience applying that knowledge in practice, nor had she ever left Paradise Island.

Ethan, on the other hand, had both extensive knowledge and a wealth of travel experiences. Simply recounting his adventures was enough to keep Diana fascinated. She listened with rapt attention, occasionally throwing in some tricky questions.

"How long can you stay on Paradise Island this time?"

After chatting for a while, Diana finally gained a more comprehensive understanding of Ethan. She also learned that the reason he couldn't stay in one world for too long was that his presence continuously consumed a specific type of energy he had gathered. Once this energy was depleted, he would be forced to leave. If he wanted to travel to other planes or return to Paradise Island to see her, he had to find and replenish this energy again.

"It should be longer than last time."

Judging purely by the amount of energy he had, it was about the same as when he last came to Paradise Island. However, Ethan's mastery of time and space energy had vastly improved since then. The energy loss during travel and the consumption while staying in a world had been significantly reduced. At this rate, he estimated that he could remain in a world for over a year without issue.

However, he had an inexplicable feeling that if he stayed longer than a year, he would encounter a problem, something that would make further improvement difficult.

This premonition had no clear basis, but it felt certain, as if the knowledge had been imprinted in his mind. Ethan suspected it was a subconscious hint from the mysterious orb.

"That's great! If you're staying longer, can you teach me some magic?"

"Magic?"

Ethan was puzzled. Diana had never shown any interest in magic before. Whether in the movies or comics, she was a dedicated melee fighter who didn't even use ranged weapons like bows and arrows. The few long-range attacks she had were simply bursts of divine energy released from her body.

"Why do you suddenly want to learn magic?"

"I just think that learning more skills will make me stronger."

Diana's expression was serious and determined. Ethan studied her for a few seconds before finding the answer in her eyes.

"Your mother… she told you something."

His tone wasn't a question, it was a statement. And Diana nodded, confirming his speculation.

"I've learned my mission. I must defeat the evil Ares."

The development of this world had already diverged from the plot Ethan was familiar with, heading in an entirely new direction. Diana had become aware of her mission much earlier than expected and had received extensive training from Hippolyta and Antiope. Her strength at this stage was likely far beyond what it had been in the original story.

Yet, instead of feeling proud or satisfied, she was actively seeking ways to become even stronger.

Her opponent was Ares, the God of War. In this version of the world, Ares had destroyed the Olympians, the very beings who had created the Amazons of Paradise Island. Facing such a formidable enemy, young Diana was under immense pressure, driving her to seek any means of improving herself.

"Learning magic… is not a good idea."

Ethan looked at Diana carefully. Her talent wasn't just exceptional, it was unparalleled. She had no real weaknesses. With her divine lineage, she possessed an enormous reservoir of hidden power, though at this stage, she couldn't fully access it.

But even if she couldn't consciously wield that divine power yet, it was far from dormant. As Diana matured, the energy within her would continuously strengthen her body, refining it to near perfection. When she reached a certain age, her divine potential would fully awaken.

Just as Diana was about to assume Ethan was refusing to teach her, he instead pointed her toward a different path.

"Rather than learning magic, focus on your strengths."

Ethan stood up and walked around Diana, scrutinizing her carefully.

"Learn how to properly harness the divine power within you… That is the path you should take."

***

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