The cutting Arctic wind struck Diana's face the moment Clark pulled her out of the normal world. One second earlier they were in his house. The next, a white horizon stretched in every direction, too silent to feel real.
Clark released her hand for a moment and took a deep breath.
Diana adjusted the shield on her arm. "Is this it?"
"Before the fortress." Clark answered, alert. "There's just one detail left."
She tilted her head, curious.
Clark raised his hand and lightly touched the side of her head.
"Stay still for just a second."
Diana had no time to ask. A gentle wave moved through her mind. Not pain, not pressure, but something like a discreet caress, an intimate gesture she did not understand but did not reject.
Clark withdrew his hand.
"Done."
"You're going to explain that." She crossed her arms.
"Later." His smile was brief. "It's protection. That's all."
Diana watched him for a second, weighing whether to press the issue. She let it go.
"Then let's go."
al."
Clark stepped forward onto the solid ice. One precise step was enough for the surface ahead to tremble in geometric lines. The Fortress door opened like a held breath, revealing the white light within.
Diana lifted her chin.
"Beautiful." She said, without exaggeration.
"Functional." Clark corrected as he entered first. "Beauty came as a bonus."
Inside, the silence was almost absolute. Diana studied the space with calculated attention. Impossible shapes, lights pulsing slowly, as if the place were alive.
"And you built all this alone?" She asked.
"The crystals did the heavy work." Clark replied. "I just gave the command."
Diana walked a few steps, touching the base of one of the translucent structures. "It's… different. It doesn't feel like technology. Or magic."
"It's Krypton." Clark stepped up beside her. "And now it's mine."
She nodded, appreciating his honesty.
"And where is your holographic father?"
Clark crossed his arms.
"Jor-El doesn't appear unless I ask." He turned toward the central light. "And he doesn't speak unless I allow it."
"You really took control of this story." Diana remarked.
"I had to." He replied. "And you'll understand when you meet him."
Clark lifted his chin.
"Jor-El. Activate projection."
The light condensed in the air, forming a human outline Diana immediately recognized as someone important, even though she had never seen him before.
The figure materialized cleanly, precisely. A tall man with firm features and a calculating gaze.
"Kal-El."
The voice echoed through the walls as if the place itself bent to it.
Diana raised an eyebrow. "So that's what he calls you."
"Only him." Clark said, without looking away.
Jor-El observed Diana for a moment and showed no reaction at all. He simply returned his focus to Clark.
"I see you brought company. Unusual for this environment."
"She's not company." Clark replied. "She's Diana."
Jor-El remained impassive. "Occupation? Species? Function in this world?"
Diana breathed slowly. "Are you really starting like that?"
Clark stepped in before she moved further.
"She's a demigoddess." He said simply. "From Earth."
The hologram blinked once, as if processing the information.
"A hybrid entity with above-average potential." Jor-El analyzed in a clinical tone. "Perhaps capable of understanding that the strong bear responsibility to command the weak."
Diana laughed, short and incredulous. "I train to destroy men who think like you."
Jor-El finally looked directly at her.
"Then you failed to understand your role. You are not a true goddess. Only an advanced variation of human."
The change in Diana was instant. One step forward, firm and controlled, but charged with tension.
"You speak like someone who has never stepped outside his own tower." Diana replied. "True warriors know power does not exist to oppress. It exists to stop monsters like you from thinking they get to decide who lives and who dies."
Jor-El kept his expression neutral. "Your analysis is emotional, not logical."
"And yours is pure arrogance." Diana shot back. "If you tried to impose the kind of order you're implying, I would cut off your head without hesitation. Even if it were made of light."
Clark did not let the argument advance another inch.
"Jor-El."
His tone changed. Calm, neutral, firm enough to cut the air.
The hologram refocused on Clark instantly.
"You will respect my girlfriend." Clark said. "And you will speak to her the same way you speak to me."
Jor-El was silent for half a second.
"Kal-El, I am merely—"
"No." Clark interrupted. "I said respect. If you cannot do that, disappear."
The projection froze, as if processing the command.
Clark did not blink.
Finally, Jor-El inclined his head.
"Command acknowledged."
The hologram dissolved into light.
Diana released her breath slowly, only now realizing she had been holding it for several seconds.
"He's unbearable." She declared.
"I warned you." Clark replied, his lighter tone returning.
She looked around, then back at him.
"Still…" Diana took a deep breath. "I understand why you wanted to show me this. And why you needed control over him."
Clark nodded. "I won't let him decide anything for me."
"Good." She rested the shield on the ground, more relaxed. "Because if he tried, I would have used this sword."
Clark smiled slightly.
"I know."
The silence that followed was not tense. It was comfortable. The two of them stood side by side in a place that belonged to neither of them, yet somehow suited them both.
"Even though in practice you couldn't hurt Jor-El with that sword." Clark commented, not teasing, simply stating.
Diana crossed her arms. "You don't need to remind me. The intent still counts."
"It does." Clark agreed. "And it's a good one."
She lifted her chin, surveying the vast space of the Fortress. "You didn't bring me here just to introduce your holographic father, did you?"
"No." Clark answered. "But I thought it was a good start."
"And what comes next?"
Clark took a small step back, his expression shifting to something lighter, almost challenging.
"Training."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Here? In your Kryptonian fortress?"
"Why not?" Clark opened his hands in invitation. "It's spacious. Safe. And I want to test a few things with you."
"Test…" She repeated, stepping a few centimeters closer. "You think you can keep up with me."
"Physically?" Clark tilted his head, amused. "I want to see how far you go."
Diana slowly drew her sword, the blade reflecting the white lights of the Fortress. The motion was unhurried. It had intention.
"Then let's find out."
Clark took two steps back, setting his stance. No heat vision. No absurd speed. No overwhelming strength. Just reflexes, strategy, reading.
"No powers." He warned.
"No tricks." She replied.
Diana moved first.
The cut came from the right side, fast and precise, aimed at the shoulder. Clark angled his body diagonally and felt the air vibrate as the blade passed. Sharp enough to split metal. He simply tracked the trajectory, focused.
"Good." Clark said, turning to regain space.
"I'm just getting started." Diana replied.
She rotated the sword into a lateral strike. Clark dropped his torso in a single fluid motion, the blade cutting the air where his head had been a second earlier.
The sound of the sword echoed through the hall.
Clark rose instantly, closing the distance to her guard. "I see it."
Diana advanced again, changing angles. The first strike came high. The second skimmed low. The third was direct and simple, aimed at the center of his defense. Clark avoided all of them without touching her, without force, just reading movement.
"You're studying my rhythm." She noted, twisting her wrist to reposition the weapon.
"That's the point."
"It won't last."
The next attack was faster, a descending arc with power. Clark shifted one step to the side and caught her forearm before the strike reached the ground. The contact was firm but brief. He released her immediately.
"You're opening your shoulder too much." He observed.
Diana smiled with mild irritation. "And you're getting too confident."
"Just a little."
She attempted a reversed cut, surprising, but Clark entered her guard before the blade completed half its arc. His hand touched her grip, not with force, but precision, and the sword spun in Diana's palm.
The metal slipped free.
Clark caught the sword in midair before it hit the ground.
The echo of the movement filled the chamber.
Diana blinked slowly. "You stole my sword."
"Borrowed." Clark replied, turning the blade easily in his hand. "Stealing would be not giving it back."
He extended the sword to her.
Diana took it, eyes fixed on him. "Again."
Clark inclined his head, accepting the challenge.
"Of course."
She stepped back, resetting her stance. "And this time, don't grab my arm."
"Alright."
"And don't take the sword so fast."
"No promises."
Diana drew a steady breath.
Clark prepared himself.
And the silent, white, endless Fortress waited for their next move.