598. Return to the House of Mystery.

A purple portal rapidly unfolded.

Alex, along with Billy, Lightbringer, and the Fantastic Twins, stumbled back into the grand hall of the House of Mystery.

"Oh, thank the heavens, we're finally back!"

The moment Billy returned, he flew straight toward the couch. Even with only one leg, his magical cloak allowed him to move with remarkable speed.

Collapsing onto the soft cushions, Billy felt as if he had just finished a marathon. He was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, unwilling to move even a single finger.

"Alex, I'm telling you right now—never drag me into something like this again! Even if you ask, I swear to the gods of Olympus, I won't go!"

"Come on, Billy, didn't we have fun this time?" Alex smiled slightly.

"Fun?"

Billy poked his head out from the couch, glaring at Alex with disdain.

"Where exactly do you see fun on my face? Look, there are plenty of people on the Wasteland—Raven, Superman, whoever. If you need help, go to them. I'm done."

Though Billy was complaining, Alex could tell he was just venting.

"Alright, we've got two younger ones watching. As the big brother here, you should set a good example, right, Franklin?"

"Don't look at me, I'm going to find my mom." Franklin quickly waved his hand and turned toward the House of Mystery's laboratory.

Having spent so much time in the Wasteland Universe, he had barely had the chance to see his parents. Now that he was finally here, and with the immense power he had recently gained, he naturally wanted to tell his mother first.

Not just Franklin—Valeria, the "Brains," also gave Alex a quick nod. "I need to find Dad. The Hogwarts Express is busted, and it needs fixing."

"Don't forget to finish that device for tracking the New Gods," Alex called after her, watching her hurry off.

"Got it—"

Her voice trailed off as the siblings disappeared down the hallway.

Turning back, Alex stretched lazily.

"Billy, just rest here for now. I'm going to take Lightbringer for a little tour and check on the changes in the Wasteland Universe. Once I'm done, I'll send you back."

Billy didn't respond, simply lifting his arm and waving it half-heartedly.

"You young folks..."

Seeing Billy like this, Alex chuckled, then turned to Lightbringer, signaling for him to follow.

The House of Mystery wasn't too big, but it wasn't exactly small either. Being a magical construct, it constantly produced new, unknown rooms, even ones that Alex himself had yet to discover. Because of that, a full tour was practically impossible in a short time.

So, instead of introducing everything, Alex only showed Lightbringer a few of the most important locations.

"The House of Mystery exists outside of time and space. That means, the moment you enter, your body undergoes subtle changes," Alex explained as they walked.

"The main thing to note is that you won't feel hunger here. But you still need to eat every day—otherwise, your body won't be able to keep up with its energy consumption, especially for someone like you."

"So this is where I'll be working?" Lightbringer looked around. "Doesn't seem much different from what Vought set up for me. Just one prison swapped for another."

His voice was calm, but then he turned to Alex.

"Alex, didn't you say you'd let me live the life of a hero?"

"I did." Alex didn't deny it.

"Then what exactly do you plan for me to do?" Lightbringer asked again.

"Honestly? I have no idea."

"You don't know?" Lightbringer was stunned.

But Alex just chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"This is your life, isn't it? If you want to live in the Wasteland, I'll send you there. If you want to stay here, there's a place for you in the Overseers. What you do is entirely up to you."

"You're letting me choose?"

Lightbringer stared at Alex, dazed.

Since birth, his entire life had been dictated by others. He trained his powers under his father's orders, then joined Vought International, becoming one of the world's most famous 'superheroes.'

But no one had ever asked him if this was the life he wanted. Even after entering Vought, he had no say in anything.

His job, his schedule—everything was controlled by his managers and the company. He simply followed orders.

And now, as Alex placed the choice in his hands, an unexpected wave of emotion surged within him.

No one else could possibly understand how he felt. Some might even mock him for being overly sentimental, but in truth, Lightbringer wanted nothing more than to cry—because, for the first time, he felt respected.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke with determination.

"I want to go to the Wasteland."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"No regrets?"

"None." Lightbringer's voice was firm.

"Alright, if that's what you want, I'll take care of the arrangements. Let me know if you need anything. I'll set you up with an identity, but you won't have a choice in what time period you land in. I hope you understand that."

The Wasteland Universe had undergone major transformations, so he couldn't just pick any era—certain historical periods were completely off-limits.

"I don't mind. I just want to start from scratch as an ordinary person. Right now, I just want some peace."

"That's easy enough. But I have to warn you, the Wasteland Universe is nothing like the world you come from. Be prepared." Alex's tone turned serious.

"I will be."

As Lightbringer nodded in response, their footsteps echoed through the halls of the House of Mystery. Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the entrance of the House of Mystery.

That door was the main gateway of the House of Mystery, the portal connecting different universes. At this moment, it was shaking intensely, as if something—or someone—was forcefully pounding on it from the outside.

Seeing this, Lightbringer immediately became alert. His eyes locked onto the door, and he raised his hand, ready to ignite the flames within him.

However, before he could act, Alex suddenly lifted a hand, stopping him.

The very next moment, the door burst open with a loud crash, and a figure clad in a red cape tumbled unceremoniously inside.

The figure rolled across the floor several times, leaving a long mark on the ground before finally coming to a stop—lying flat on his back right in front of Alex and Lightbringer.

Alex and Lightbringer exchanged a glance, then silently leaned forward, looking down at the man sprawled across the floor.

Their eyes met with none other than Tony Stark's.

"Hello there, Alex! Oh, and a new face—welcome, welcome!" Tony grinned, effortlessly maintaining his confidence. If he wasn't embarrassed, then surely someone else had to be.

"Tony, have I ever mentioned that drinking while traveling across the multiverse is a bad idea?" Alex sighed. "Drunk driving is dangerous enough, but drunk teleporting? That's next-level recklessness."

Hearing this, Tony Stark instantly sprang up from the floor.

"It was absolutely not because of the alcohol! I swear on my title as Iron Man. This was just a minor accident—totally because there was too much cargo to transport."

"Oh? So that means you successfully got the supplies?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Of course! With me on the job, is there any mission that can't be completed?"

Tony Stark smirked and revealed his magical storage space to Alex.

"Take a look—it's all here. The Pym Particle breakthrough that Reed and I finally completed turned out to be useful after all. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to bring back so much food."

"Well done." Alex nodded. This mission wasn't particularly difficult, considering that Old Bruce Wayne was already a long-time acquaintance. "By the way, let me introduce you—this is Lightbringer."

"Nice to meet you." Lightbringer extended his hand.

Tony Stark had only given him a passing glance earlier, but now, as he took a proper look, he couldn't shake the feeling that Lightbringer seemed oddly familiar. "Have we met before?"

"Probably not." Lightbringer shook his head.

"Alright then. I'm Tony Stark."

Since he couldn't recall where he might have seen Lightbringer, Tony decided to drop the thought—he had more pressing matters to discuss with Alex.

Noticing the serious expression on Tony's face, Alex also became more focused. He led both Tony and Lightbringer back to the main hall, where they each took a seat on the sofas.

"Lightbringer and Billy aren't outsiders," Alex said. "Go ahead—what happened?"

Tony didn't hold back. He immediately recounted everything—from entering the Flashpoint One universe to their battle against Steppenwolf.

As Alex listened, his expression darkened.

"Steppenwolf and Darkseid…"

He had long suspected that Darkseid would eventually set his sights on that universe's Earth. What he didn't expect was for it to happen this quickly—and at such a coincidental moment.

From the way events unfolded, that universe's timeline had already diverged drastically. Not only had it merged with the events of Black Adam, but now it was blending the storylines of Batman v Superman and Justice League as well.

In the original timeline, Batman v Superman saw Superman, Clark Kent, perish. But in the Flashpoint One universe, Kara's departure changed everything—leaving Batman, Old Bruce Wayne, as the one who ultimately had to make the sacrifice.

Had Pietro and the others not arrived in time, Batman would've been as good as dead. And even if he had survived, he'd probably have ended up frozen in ice, much like Captain America.

.....

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