Chapter Twenty-Three: The Lord of Destiny

This night held too many events.

The Spider-Men of Gotham had nowhere else to go, so they were accommodated in the Batcave. Of course, that was the official story; whether they seized the opportunity to snag a room in Wayne Manor, located just above the cave, remained a mystery.

With matters resolved, Black Lightning went home to rest. Whether he suddenly snapped his eyes open in the middle of the night, struck by the realization that "my student and my adversary are the same person," and spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling while clutching his quilt, also remained a mystery.

Green Lantern had wanted to have a word with Nekron, or perhaps he was more interested in meeting the entity to whom Nekron was bound—that Elias Esposito, a man known by name but never seen. However, after obtaining Elias's address from Superman, he decided to postpone the visit... well, at least until the man finished disciplining his son. Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, had two older brothers, and one of them, Jim Jordan, had a son and a daughter with his wife, Susan. Hal had a good relationship with them and had been unfortunate enough to witness a few instances of "mixed doubles" parenting...

The lesson learned was that a bachelor should never spectate; it was a torture to both the eardrums and the soul.

Just think: Galen had a fake father, the Nekron he met that night, and his real father was a member of the Sinestro Corps whom Sinestro himself had visited. This double dose of "tough love" might make even the cosmic tyrant Mongul pause and weigh the consequences—what kind of family could withstand that?

The brave and fearless Green Lantern decided to steer clear.

In the end, only Galen remained. His retreat into the shadows appeared effortless, but in reality, he was not left unbothered. Two young vigilantes from the Bat-family chased him for three kilometers, all the way to the river on the outskirts of Gotham. The river, thick as black ink, wound its way along under the moonlight, and Galen found himself with one foot submerged in the water.

One of the masked superheroes, wearing a red uniform with a cape, stopped and smiled at Galen. "Gotham is not a lawless land," he said. "This time, I’ll let it slide for your father’s sake. Don’t cross this river again."

"For my father's sake?" Galen repeated. He chuckled, a sudden, mirthless sound, and countered the Red Robin standing not far away, "Do you really think he’s a good man?"

Red Robin replied calmly, "At least he didn't become a mafia boss. Seriously, have you considered re-evaluating your career path?"

Must every vigilante family produce a wayward young man?

Thinking of the Red Hood, Tim thought profoundly: because one has walked through the rain, one always wants to hold an umbrella for others.

Galen shook his head.

"That wouldn't be bad either," he murmured. He flashed a toothy grin at Red Robin, turned, and jumped into the Gotham River without a moment’s hesitation.

Red Robin exchanged a glance with the young hero beside him, code-named Beacon, who asked, "Should we keep chasing?"

"No," Red Robin said, turning back, his tone light yet laden with meaning. "Let’s wait until he crosses back to this side of the river. Man... one cannot step into the same river twice."

Galen drifted down the river.

He was a strong swimmer and could float without sinking, which saved him a lot of energy. Gotham was off-limits for now, and Metropolis was too dangerous. Even though he knew the rules of the Book of Fate were fixed, Galen was still unwilling to accept it.

He bought a plane ticket abroad that very night.

As it happened, the International Gang was looking to expand its business, though they hadn't decided where. Galen closed his eyes and threw a dart at a world map, hitting the Arctic exactly as he had hoped.

The Arctic wouldn't work; there was no land.

On his second attempt, his arm swung downward, and the dart struck an island nation in the Southern Hemisphere—Australia.

Australia was a good place; there were more kangaroos than people. After a moment's reflection, Galen decided it was fine. He immediately boarded an 8:00 PM flight, booking a luxury first-class seat with a private partition to avoid causing a commotion should he perform any actions inconvenient for others to see.

Anyway, the money had been accumulated by the previous leader of the International Gang, Morgan Edge; he felt no heartache spending it.

The flight would take over twenty hours. He couldn't sleep until the early hours of the morning, at which point he slumped forward, hitting the metal tray table.

A dull thud echoed in the narrow partition, masked by the hum of the aircraft.

***

In his sleep, Galen heard the sound of fabric brushing against the floor—*swish... swish...*

Then, a blurred figure stood before him. Its eyes were like the morning star, flickering with a strange light in the boundless darkness.

"This is the Realm of Dreams. I am the master of dreams and nightmares."

The stranger had white hair, wore a white robe, and a shimmering gemstone adorned his chest; he looked remarkably young. He spoke to Galen in a tone that was polite yet filled with reproach. "I can sense your strong desire to meet me, but you should not have forced my appearance in this way. If I had not intended to come, what would you have done?"

"I hadn't thought about it," Galen said. "Since the world began, the forces of nature have had several incarnations: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. I assume you are the incarnation of 'Dream.' I thought you would come for my father's sake."

Red Robin had said something similar that evening.

Galen had always known his adoptive father was special and powerful. In his childhood, the whispers he heard most often were: "Look... that’s the child adopted by the Lord of Destiny... he doesn't look like anything special..."

"It’s so strange... I bet he’ll abandon this child sooner or later. Destiny shouldn't interact with mortals..."

"But the boy is quite cute, isn't he?"

"Ah, how pitiful. His adoptive father doesn't like him at all."

"..."

Galen was used to everyone focusing their gaze on his father first.

Even when he was out, he would subconsciously say things like, "I have an adoptive father," "My father told me this," "Father will agree," or "Stay away from me, or I'll go tell my father."

These phrases were effective, and Galen became increasingly willing to bring up his father to others.

It was only later that these words transformed into:

"My father wouldn't care."

"If you're counting on my father, you're making a big mistake; he doesn't care about anything."

"My father has never fulfilled his responsibilities; I’ve grown up entirely on my own."

"He is a jerk, a dictator, a tyrant... you'd better be careful. There is no good outcome in obeying Destiny."

"—Remember to resist."

Even so, Galen found it difficult to escape his father's influence. Even the ability to glimpse the 'Editorial Department' from his dreams was only possible because the Lord of Dreams was willing to provide a small favor for his father's sake.

"Are you still resentful of your adoptive father?" the Lord of Dreams asked with a trace of pity. "I can sense a slight change in him, and I thought that would make a difference."

"He may have changed, but our relationship has not," Galen said coolly. "I didn't come here to talk about my father today; I want to know if I can still see the Editorial Department in my dreams."

"That is your ability; of course you can," the Lord of Dreams replied. "However, long-term immersion in an illusory world is not a good thing. Those who possess power similar to yours have either gone mad or chosen to close their eyes to survive. I can provide shelter for you in the Realm of Dreams, but if I were not here, you would likely die."

Galen frowned. "'Illusory world'? Shouldn't the Editorial Department represent the most real aspect of the universe?"

If knowing one lived in a comic book didn't count as seeing the truth, then what did?

"Your understanding of the world is too shallow," the Lord of Dreams said flatly. "I do not wish to say too much. Just remember—only the place where you live is real. Everything else you see is false."

The words of 'Dream' were somewhat cryptic. Galen thought for a moment; he neither refuted nor agreed, but simply asked, "What if I still want to see it?"

"Are you prepared to pay the price?"

"I am willing to bear all consequences."

"Very well." The Lord of Dreams looked at Galen deeply and said, "I will give you four cards."

As he spoke, four floating, rotating playing cards appeared before Galen. They bore no numbers, only suits.

"Spades, in your words, represent the [Plot] written by the Editorial Department."

Yet, Galen saw that as the Spade card rotated to its back, a line of twisted, entangled letters emerged: *'Destiny.'*

"Hearts represent the [Reviews] people have for this plot."

The Heart card flipped over, with blood-red letters written on the back: *'Interference.'*

"Clubs represent the [Adaptations] created by the authorities."

The Club card spun a few times, and behind the suit was: *'Parallel Universes.'*

"Diamonds represent the [Derivative Works] created by readers based on the content provided by the Editorial Department."

The Diamond card turned, and behind its face was: *'Delusion.'*

Galen withdrew his gaze, but the explanation from the Lord of Dreams continued: "You may flip one card each day in your dreams and see content related to that card's face. How much you see, and whether it has value, is random and depends on your own power. Once you have finished viewing it, you will be unable to flip a second card until you return from consciousness to the dream state the following night."

Galen immediately asked, "Can I choose one now?"

"Certainly. Please."

"...Thank you."

Galen walked over and took the floating Spade card representing the plot. As he raised his hand, he heard the Lord of Dreams let out what sounded like a sigh, but when he looked up, the pure white figure had already vanished.

**

Galen saw the cover first.

For the first time, he saw a comic book so clearly in his field of vision. It was perfectly straight, the pages flat, and it seemed to carry the scent of printer's ink. The colorful cover facing Galen was extremely smooth, reflecting a soft white light cast from an unknown direction.

*The Lord of Destiny*

It read in English at the top.

Below the text was a depiction of Elias Esposito, rendered in slightly abstract strokes. The person in the painting differed slightly from Galen’s impression, yet he could still recognize it was the same man. He wore a tattered robe, his head slightly bowed, kneeling on one knee. One hand braced his body, while the other was clenched into a fist held against his chest. Countless heavy, silver-white chains were wrapped around his forearms like the reins of a beast, anchoring him to the spot. The figure in the center of the image appeared precarious, yet the lines of his arched back held an indescribable sense of power.

Below the image was a subtitle written in a meticulously designed font: