The New Truth

A/N: Message to the supporters of a vision inside a certain green alien theory, I used the reset plot twist in Harry Potter FF not long ago, I am not going to do it again in this FF. That much I can guarantee you all.

I noticed mention of reviews few times in comments, so a shameless request from the author. Please take a moment to give an honest review without just bashing for Jinx or claiming this is a Chinese ff.

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Ashborn stepped through the swirling portal, and the scene of battle was left behind. He returned to the quiet of his home, where his two children, Ace and Amazo, along with Tea and Courtney were gathered.

Courtney was sitting beside Ace, her body rigid with anger, glaring sharply at Ashborn the moment he arrived. Ashborn glanced at her and spoke in a tone of annoyance.

"I shouldn't have sent you to Metropolis," he said casually. "You actually came to rat me out. How could you?"

Courtney's fists clenched, her voice rising in fury "You killed someone!! What did you do there?! Who did you kill before you came back?!"

Ashborn shrugged, utterly unfazed.

"Only Wonder Woman's mother," he said offhandedly "And possibly Wonder Woman too, if they don't make it in time."

Courtney's stomach twisted in dread. Her face paled as she stammered, "Wait… Queen Hippolyta? Why was she there?!"

Ashborn answered with the same unnerving nonchalance "I dragged her there," he said "And I beheaded her in front of her daughter. I needed to make an example and deliver a message."

Courtney stared at him, horrified beyond words. The reality sank in, Ashborn had dragged an innocent woman just to slaughter her in front of her own daughter. Whatever image she had tried to hold onto about him cracked violently and collapsed. He wasn't just some morally grey recluse, he was a monster.

As if sensing her thoughts, Ashborn spoke again, his voice completely void of remorse.

"I am not some crazed killer, everything I said about their island is true," he said. "The Amazonians are filthy scumbags. If you really want to put them under the law, every single one of them would face execution."

Courtney's voice trembled slightly, but she still spoke.

"Even so," she said, "you can't just kill like that."

Ashborn tilted his head slightly, regarding her coldly.

"The law is on my side," he said "Morals and ethics are on my side. And if I spread the truth about them, that island would have to worry about a nuke being sent their way."

He took a step closer, his voice growing sharper.

"You and your group show sympathy out of tribal bonds, not because of true ethics or justice. So spare me the drama, Courtney."

Courtney was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing uselessly. Before she could gather her thoughts, Tea spoke up, her voice light and almost cheerful.

"Personally, I think you did a great job with Amanda," Tea said."Good riddance to that cow of a bitch."

Amazo, standing casually nearby, nodded in agreement.

"I hope the Justice League gets the message," he said. "They're completely outclassed. There are easier ways to commit a suicide."

Courtney turned to look at Ace, hoping for some sense of sanity. But Ace only smiled at her warmly and said, "It didn't end that bad. As long as the other heroes keep their distance, Dad won't go after them. Dad is reasonable and a peace loving person"

For the first time, Courtney realized, truly realized, Ace and her family weren't good-hearted individuals. They just liked staying civil and keeping to themselves. But they won't feel remorse for killing.

She swallowed thickly and turned to Ashborn.

"I need you to open another gate," she said, voice tight. "Back to Justice Mount. I need to go back."

Deep inside her, a firm resolution formed. She would do everything in her power to prevent another clash with Ashborn and his family. This small family of four was more dangerous, and more powerful, than the rest of the planet's heroes combined.

Ashborn said nothing. He simply lifted his hand, opening another swirling purple portal before her.

Courtney stepped toward it, feeling the weight of countless new realities bearing down on her.

As she reached the gate, Ace waved at her cheerfully.

"Goodbye," she said. "Stay safe."

Courtney nodded stiffly, unable to summon words. And then she stepped through, disappearing into the portal.

When the portal finally sealed behind Courtney, Amazo asked, his tone curious but light.

"Father, you teleported her to Metropolis intentionally, didn't you? So she could get here." He tilted his head slightly. "You didn't actually want to kill them. You just wanted to scare them into keeping a distance, right?"

Ashborn chuckled.

"They're still useful to keep around," he said easily. "And I doubt they'll dare to look our way again for quite some time after the scare I gave them. People can be courageous in the face of death, but once they truly feel the cold hand of death holding their hearts, feel the inevitable end touch their souls, fear grows against their wills and all that remain is the memory of what could have been"

Ace sighed, her expression thoughtful.

"Courtney looked too shaken," she said. "It might be difficult for her to go back after this."

"Things will take time," Ashborn said. "She'll come along. We are just a civilized family with too much power."

Ace nodded quietly, accepting it.

Then Tea piped up.

"Putting aside your skewed definition of what is a civilized family, why did you drag Wonder Woman's mother?" she asked "Isn't that a bit… excessive?"

Ashborn's face remained impassive.

"Not really," he replied. "She deserved to be killed. And her daughter? She's the biggest hypocrite of them all. I needed to make an example, Amanda was not enough, the heroes needed to see one of them suffer the consequences of coming after me… and the mother and daughter were perfectly suited for that. It felt like a poetic justice"

Tea laughed, a soft, almost cruel sound.

"Poor them," she said, smirking. "And they still haven't found the truth of the Shadow Monarch."

Ashborn smiled "One thing at a time. Let them keep guessing."

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Meanwhile, at Mount Justice, the atmosphere was still suffocating with tension.

When the purple portal reopened, every hero in the room froze, bodies going rigid with fear. Some immediately raised their weapons, preparing for Ashborn's return, faces pale and hands trembling.

But when they saw Stargirl step through and the portal closing gently behind her, their stances relaxed, though the fear didn't leave their eyes.

Courtney glanced around, visibly worried, holding tightly to her staff.

Pat rushed forward the moment he spotted her, concern etched deep into his features.

"What happened after you teleported away?" he asked, gripping her arms gently.

Courtney drew a shaky breath"I found myself in Metropolis," she said "I managed to find Ace, and with Amazo's help… they talked Ashborn out of whatever he was doing here."

The gathered heroes listened to every word. Slowly, the realization dawned. It was thanks to Stargirl's quick thinking, and Ashborn's soft spot for his adoptive children that he decided to leave at the last second.

Pat squeezed her shoulder, pride and gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Great thinking," he said softly. "If you were even seconds later… everyone here would've died. Ashborn was about to finish everyone here off."

Courtney swallowed hard, the weight of it sinking deep into her bones.

Before any more words could be exchanged, a commotion at the entrance caught everyone's attention.

Green Lantern burst into the room, his face grim, carrying a limp and broken figure in his arms.

Wonder Woman.

Gasps filled the room. Courtney and the other heroes widened their eyes in shock.

Wonder Woman's arms looked mangled, crushed beyond all hope of recovery. Her entire body was bloodied and battered, a horrifying testament to the devastating blow Ashborn had unleashed.

The sight shook even the bravest among them to their cores. Three of their greatest heroes had fallen. No one knew what had become of Martian Manhunter. Superman's lungs had been pierced by Ashborn's sword. And now Wonder Woman lay before them, her condition more grim than words could express.

The full reality of it hit them like a hammer, Ashborn had been a moment away from killing them all.

And there had been nothing they could do to stop him, to resist the fate he wanted to deliver. They collectively shivered at the thought of facing him again.

___________

Among all the gathered heroes, no one was more shaken than Supergirl. She stood stiffly, staring blankly at the battered body of her cousin, her mind swirling with disbelief.

Ashborn had powers, real powers, the entire time. And not just minor abilities hidden away. No, he held overwhelming strength, enough to bring Superman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter to near death with ease, to kill everyone in a move from his hand.

Not once she thought Ashborn could have powers, he was always relying on gadgets and magical weapons, even skills and tactics. She had thought it was because he had to, because he was normal human at the end of the day.

Her mind raced back over the countless interactions she'd had with him. They painted a different picture now. She recalled the unshakable confidence he carried, the ease with which he faced any threat. She remembered, with painful clarity, something he had once said to her.

"Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath."

It had been right in front of her the whole time. Hints. Warnings. He had shown them glimpses of the truth, and all of them, especially her, had been blind to it. He almost told her right in the face and she didn't even catch the truth.

She had thought they were alike once. Two that have suffered and lost everything, struggling to find their place, because no one else truly understood.

But now?

She didn't know anymore which parts were real and which were not. Which moments had been genuine and which had been her own illusions.

One thing, however, was painfully, undeniably clear. They had never been alike. Not even close.

Her gaze shifted to her cousin lying nearby, broken and bloodied, barely clinging to life after Ashborn's brutal retaliation.

A wave of guilt crushed her chest. [This is my fault. I added fuel to the fire. I pushed them further when I should have tried to stop them, to calm them down.]

And the worst part, the truly devastating part, was not just that she couldn't take revenge against the evil clone. It was that, in doing so, she had completely destroyed whatever fragile hope there had been of mending things with Ashborn.

She hadn't just lost Ashborn. She had lost to the clone forever.

And there was no fixing it now.