Chapter 49

The island on which their Teen Tower was built isn't very large, just a few kilometers in length.

The river has a path that leads to the door of the Tower.

Other than that, there is only well-maintained grass, a few trees, underground traps, and other safety measures.

It doesn't matter how small the island is if it's not a great place to live.

In fact, Dio has plans to make an underground just for himself, but that's for the future.

"Is Doctor Fate very far away?"

Dio asked while still looking at the sunset bathing the city's buildings on the horizon.

The tower must be able to move like Zatanna's house, so it's an important question.

"Not very far at my top speed."

Diana replied and then looked at Dio with a smile.

"It's not hard to carry you, but it slows me down a bit. Unfortunately, you can't fly by yourself."

Diana knows very well that Dio loves to fly and that he was trying to do it by himself, but not very successfully at the moment.

"One of these days, Diana, I'll beat you in an aerial race, and we'll see who'll have the last laugh."

Dio countered, which made her laugh.

Diana quickly put her arm around Dio's body, took off very quickly, and left the Teen Tower behind.

She flew high above the clouds to give him the view that he loved, then began to increase her speed, breaking the sound barrier and going faster and faster.

After a few minutes, she dove.

The place where they landed was very big, flat, and empty.

Dio almost thought it was a golf course at first because the grass was so neatly maintained, but then he saw a city in the distance.

It was a city with very old and traditional houses. Dio couldn't recognize the location.

"Welcome to Salem, Dio."

Diana said as she stood next to him.

Well, this is certainly the perfect place to put a magic tower.

"The tower is very well hidden."

Dio said this and looked at the empty space in front of him.

Dio's eyes can see through magical illusions, just as he could see Zatanna's house.

Dio should be able to see the tower, but Fate is much more powerful and knowledgeable than Zatanna, with his thousands of years of accumulated experience in magic.

It's not unreasonable to think that he has a specific spell to prevent people with Dio's eyes from seeing his tower.

"It's not hidden; it's actually here yet."

Diana said, which left Dio puzzled.

"The tower is in another dimension; it appears here when called, if its master wants to welcome us."

Diana explained.

"Do you think he'll help us?"

Dio asked.

"I don't know. I used to talk to Kent regularly in the past, but after his wife died, he shut himself off from the world, choosing to spend more and more time wearing his helmet. Fate was never very close to the old group; he was part of it out of convenience, so it's hard to know if he'll help us or not."

Without saying more, Diana took a few steps ahead of him and shouted loudly.

"Doctor Fate, we need to talk to you!"

There were no immediate changes, so they waited a bit.

A huge tower appeared in front of them in a blink of an eye.

There was no bright flash or even a slight movement in the wind; it simply appeared as if it had always been there.

Dio can't think of a better way to describe Doctor Fate's tower than "rustic."

A rough gray stone tower built in the style of medieval architecture stood tall and was more than fifteen stories high.

There were no windows or doors that Dio could see.

What's even more disturbing is the feeling it gives Dio. It's like he was facing a mountain—something that will never move by force.

"I think you'll be more impressed once we're inside the tower."

Diana said as she walked toward the rough gray stone wall.

When she was just inches away from hitting the rough gray stone wall, a golden ankh symbol appeared on the wall in front of her.

The master of this place uses the ankh symbol, which is a golden cross with a loop at the top.

Diana wasn't shocked by what happened, as she already knew it. She walked toward the symbol and disappeared.

Of course, Dio followed her, and when he passed through the ankh, he felt a sensation similar to when he walked in the shadows through teleportation.

It lasted less than a second for the golden light to disappear, and he was faced with the most confusing sight of his life.

"Now you can look, kid."

Dio heard a voice that was almost hard to hear; it was so distant, and Dio was very focused on trying to make sense of what he was seeing now.

All he can see in front of him are stairs. There are stairs to the left, stairs to the right, stairs above, stairs below, and stairs upside down.

There are an infinite number of stairs at all angles and positions.

The stairs are all the same size and lead to different rooms.

This scene goes on infinitely.

Dio couldn't really see the tower's wall; instead, there was a massive black hole that completely captured his attention.

Dio's full attention was fixed on the tiny blue point right in the center of the black hole, and the more he looked at it, the emptier his mind became, and then...

"Diomedes?"

Dio heard Diana's voice and was filled with concern, a little louder this time.

As if Dio had just woken up after a long night's sleep, he blinks several times to wake up.

"What happened?"

Dio asked and rubbed his fingers over his eyes.

"This was Doctor Fate's doing. He didn't know you were gifted with the Sight of Truth, so you saw more than any mortal who visited this tower should or has seen so far, and you weren't ready for it."

The second voice Dio heard was strange—a combination of two different voices, one ancient and the other ancestral.

Dio took his hand away from his face and looked around. He saw that he was no longer in front of the stairs but in a big room.

The room had a red carpet on the floor, a lit fireplace on the north wall, tables and chairs set up like in a restaurant, and old paintings on the walls that looked like they were from medieval times.

Dio looked to the other side and saw Diana, who was looking at Dio with concern.

She wasn't alone, because beside her was the man who spoke to him earlier, Doctor Fate.

He was slightly smaller than Diana but certainly intimidating.

Doctor Fate wore the characteristic golden helmet without many details and a golden cape held by an amulet just below his neck, wearing gloves, a golden belt, and golden boots as well; the rest of his suit was all blue.

It was an incredible suit, but it couldn't compare to the magic he exuded—much more than Zatanna had ever shown to Dio.

It was as if he were literally made of magic or connected to it. Zatanna also gave him this impression, but much lower than this person.

"Forgive me, Dio. I didn't know you'd be affected like this."

Diana came over to him and looked all over his body, searching for anything wrong.

"I'm fine, Diana, but can you explain how I got like this?"

Dio asked curiously. He didn't see time passing at all; he kept looking at the same point.

"You just stood there and stared at the stairs without moving until Doctor Fate teleported us to him and did something to you."

Diana replied.

"The Eyes of Truth can see the true nature of things. When you entered the tower, your level of ability was increased due to the high concentration of magic present here, and your eyes saw the true form of the tower."

Fate explained.

"The true nature or form—are you talking about that black hole?"

Dio asked as he recalled his last vision.

"Is that what you saw? Well, the sight of the power nexus of the Lord of Order appears differently to each who has the honor of glimpsing it."

Well, Dio never paid much attention to his eye ability.

Until now, he thought the Eyes of Truth were only for seeing spirits and through illusions. However, Doctor Fate stated they are much more than that.

Zatanna also doesn't seem to know about it, as she never told him anything, and Dio didn't actively search for information on this topic in her library.

She also couldn't have read all the books in her house. It was a mistake not to ask further.

With that topic finished for now, Fate turned to Diana and asked, "So, why have you come to seek the presence of Doctor Fate?"

"We need your help to tell us if you've ever heard of a magical artifact called the Amulet of Arion."

Diana replied.

"And since you couldn't find the true owner, you've come to me."

"Wait, Arion is alive?"

Diana asked in surprise.

Fate didn't respond immediately. He walked over to the three chairs near the fireplace and sat in one of them, then motioned for us to sit as well.

Dio sat beside Diana, and he finally answered her question.

"Arion is a God and his life is infinite unless his power source or his body are destroyed."

"Do you know where to find him?"

Diana asked again.

...

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