Marvel Login System (Rewrite)

Diana hugged the quilt tightly, burying her face in the soft fabric as she let out a long, silent sigh. She was wearing a white chiton, that classic Greek tunic made of linen, which draped delicately over her body, leaving her shoulders exposed.

But, at that moment, none of that mattered.

All her mind could summon was the image of Arthur and the moment they had shared in that cave. Her heart raced just thinking about it: that had been the first time, in her long existence, that she had seen a man—not just any man, but someone truly handsome, intriguing… and surprisingly fun.

Heat rose through her chest, warming her all the way to her fingertips as her thoughts lingered on Arthur's carefree expression, the mischievous gleam in his eyes, and that playful smile of his.

---

The next day…

"Wow…"

Diana barely managed to contain her exclamation upon arriving at the place.

The cave Arthur had chosen as his refuge was surrounded by towering rocks and ancient trees. But what truly left her speechless was the unexpected sight before her eyes.

There he was.

Atop a massive stone, Arthur was balancing… upside down, supported only by the tip of one finger. His bare upper body displayed perfectly defined muscles, but without excess—every line, every contour looked as though it had been hand-carved by some Greek sculptor in pursuit of aesthetic perfection. He wasn't just strong… he was harmonious, disciplined, almost unreal.

The wind played with his silver hair as his skin reflected the soft light of dawn filtered through the leaves. His eyes were closed, and his breathing remained calm, as if this extraordinary feat were something trivial for him—a simple morning stretch.

Diana stood frozen, her eyes wide, feeling a mix of fascination and disbelief. Her breath caught for a moment as her mind tried to process the scene: the contained brute strength, the absolute control over his own body, and that tranquility that made him even more… irresistible.

As if he sensed her presence—or perhaps he had known she was there all along—Arthur gave a small smile without breaking the challenging posture.

"I don't mind if you just stand there… admiring me," he teased, his voice firm and laced with that insolent tone that made Diana's heart race and her nerves lose control.

Diana shivered, snapped out of her reverie. "A-ah! I… I'm just… putting this here!" she exclaimed, randomly pointing at the ground, the sky, anything, completely flustered.

She ran into the cave and dropped off the things she had brought.

"I… need… to go train! Bye!"

And without giving him a chance to reply, she abruptly turned and dashed in the opposite direction, her face as red as the setting sun.

Arthur let out a low chuckle, still upside down, watching her figure quickly retreat out of the corner of his eye.

"Who would've thought…" he muttered to himself, flipping with a slight push and landing softly on the stone. "Diana… fascinated… by me."

His gaze drifted for a brief second in the direction she had gone, as a thought crossed his mind, wrapped in silent irony:

(Ah… Gwen… looks like you were right… I really am destined to be a scoundrel.)

He let out a long sigh, part laugh, part resignation.

"Ahhh…"

"And that dream… No… Maybe it was some kind of fragmented memory…?" Arthur murmured as he recalled what he had dreamt the night before.

In the fragments he still remembered, he had heard what seemed like two voices arguing about some kind of bet or something like that. After that, they had placed that mark on him and sent him here.

"Ahhh~ I've been sighing a lot lately…"

With the same ease with which he had balanced himself moments before, Arthur climbed down from the stone, flexing his knees lightly. He approached a massive boulder near the cave entrance and rubbed his hands together enthusiastically.

"Let's see…" he muttered, staring at the solid block of stone. "I have Garou's human strength… and, thanks to that radioactive spider… the strength of a Spider-Man."

A mischievous smile spread across his lips.

"Time to test it…"

In the blink of an eye, Arthur clenched his fist and struck the boulder with devastating force.

"BAM!"

The impact reverberated through the valley, making small rocks vibrate all around. The boulder exploded into hundreds of fragments, scattering dust and shards everywhere.

"Wow…" came a soft, almost muffled voice that Arthur caught instantly.

He turned quickly, eyes alert.

"Hmm?"

But all he saw were rocks, bushes, and more rocks. No apparent signs of life.

Even so, Arthur didn't need much time to understand what had just happened.

A smug smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Training, huh…?"

He shook his head, amused.

"Pretended to leave just to spy on me… tsk, tsk, tsk…"

And with an expression somewhere between pride and tenderness, Arthur let out a low chuckle, muffled by the sound of the leaves swaying in the wind.

(Despite being much older… she's being really cute.)

Unbothered by the hidden "spy," he calmly walked back into the cave, curious to discover what Diana had brought for him.

---

"Diana, where were you?" Antiope asked firmly, arms crossed in front of her chest, as she always did when she was frustrated or concerned.

The general's piercing gaze fell on Diana, who, embarrassed, hesitated before answering. She was already late… more than an hour, to be exact.

"Sorry… I… went for a walk along the coast," she replied, avoiding her aunt's gaze and trying to sound nonchalant, even though she knew that excuse no longer worked so well.

Antiope frowned, suspicious. Her instincts didn't deceive her: something was wrong. Ever since that intruder had set foot on Themyscira, Diana had been… different. Distracted during training, absent in spirit, and sometimes—strangest of all—smiling to herself, dazedly, in her room, as if drowning in forbidden thoughts.

"Why have you been taking so many walks lately?" Antiope pressed, her tone even firmer, as if trying to force the truth out.

Diana bit her lower lip, taking a deep breath before giving the rehearsed answer—the one Arthur had taught her for situations like this: "Walking… helps calm my mind."

For a moment, Antiope's expression remained stern, her eyes narrowed as if analyzing every microexpression of Diana, like a hawk observing its prey.

But gradually, her scowl faded, replaced by a more melancholic, almost resigned expression.

She knew… she knew very well the weight Diana carried, even without her niece being fully aware of it. Her time was running out. It wouldn't be long before Ares appeared, demanding everything Diana had—and perhaps more.

"Diana…" Antiope began, her voice softer, as if weighing each word. "You should've had a wonderful childhood… But we… we no longer have time for that."

Diana looked up, finally meeting her aunt's gaze, and saw, for the first time in a long while, not just the unyielding warrior… but the woman who, deep down, wanted to protect her from the inevitable.

"One day…" Antiope continued with a heavy sigh, "you'll have to face it all… alone."

Before Diana could respond, an Amazon approached quickly, her steps determined, her expression serious.

"General Antiope, Queen Hippolyta requests your presence at the castle."

Antiope frowned again, with that same air of concern that seemed to never leave her. She nodded to the messenger and then turned to Diana, placing a firm, protective hand on her shoulder.

"Continue with your training. I'll return as soon as I can."

Diana just nodded, trying to hide the turmoil spinning inside her.

Antiope then mounted her horse with the usual dexterity and, without further delay, rode off alongside the Amazon, leaving the training ground—and Diana's questions—floating in the air like leaves carried by the wind.

---

When Antiope arrived at the palace, she found Hippolyta standing near the window, gazing at the landscape that stretched from the top of the hill to the blue sea. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, painting the sky with warm shades of orange and gold. The queen, serene, seemed immersed in deep thoughts.

"Hippolyta… what do you want from me?" Antiope asked, breaking the silence, her voice harsher than she intended.

But Hippolyta didn't turn immediately. She kept looking out at the vastness before her, as if needing that view to gather courage. Only after a few seconds did she speak, without taking her eyes off the scenery:

"Antiope… I found the intruder."

The words hung in the air like a sharp blade.

Immediately, Antiope's expression hardened, a lethal gleam appearing in her eyes. She turned abruptly, already ready to leave.

"I'll kill him… immediately."

But before she could take even a step, Hippolyta's voice echoed firmly:

"You can't."

Antiope stopped, perplexed, and slowly turned to her sister.

"I already tried," Hippolyta added, now turning to face the general with an expression laden with a rare mix: concern and… admiration?

"What do you mean?" Antiope arched an eyebrow, incredulous.

Hippolyta took a deep breath, crossed her arms, and leaned lightly against the window frame.

"Not long ago… I led a squad of Amazons to capture him. But… in just a few minutes… he defeated all of them."

Antiope's eyes widened, shocked by the revelation. She knew Themyscira's forces well; the Amazons were perhaps the most formidable warriors ever to walk the Earth.

"In… a few minutes?" she repeated, her voice faltering slightly as a name surfaced, almost instinctively, in her mind. "Is it… Ares?"

Hippolyta, however, shook her head firmly.

"No… even though he is a man… he doesn't have Ares' aura." Her expression softened, as if pondering again something she was already sure of.

"He is… calm. He showed no hostility toward us. He was… merciful. And… more than that… he has resources… abilities… that not even Ares has demonstrated."

Antiope stared at Hippolyta in silence for a few moments, trying to process that absurd information. Slowly, she approached her sister, looking her in the eyes, as if searching for signs of hesitation or doubt.

"Are you serious?" she asked in a low, grave tone.

"You're giving up on the idea of capturing him? He's a man… what if Ares… found a way to conceal his own aura?"

Hippolyta gave a faint, humorless smile and replied with a firmness that silenced any protest:

"Antiope… I may be inferior to you in combat…" her eyes narrowed, challenging.

"But when it comes to judging people… I'm not worse than you."

Antiope remained silent, weighing her sister's words, assessing the risks, until she finally asked:

"Why… did you do it?"

Hippolyta let out a long sigh, closed her eyes for a brief moment, and then answered with a clear, serene honesty:

"My dear sister… I see in him… the possibility of defeating Ares."

She moved closer to the window again, gazing once more at the distant sea, and concluded, almost in a whisper but with absolute conviction:

"And perhaps… he can help Themyscira… and Diana… get through this difficult moment."

---

(End of the chapter)

"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."