(Fragment from the past)
Allen had come to Atlantis in good faith, yet it seemed many people distrusted him—perhaps because he was from the surface, or maybe due to something beyond Queen Hippolyta's knowledge. The only thing that could be confirmed was that he hadn't been well received.
No ceremony, no courtesy at all. Locked up and left without any information. On top of that, they had even assigned Mera to watch over him. There was a chance someone was planning a conflict, which could explain why the "inexperienced" Mera had been given such a task.
Wait... Allen frowned and looked at Mera.
Even back then, despite not being as skilled, Allen could sense something didn't add up. He watched the girl walking behind him. There was no doubt—that was Mera, the princess of the kingdom of Xebel. However, it was strange for her to be here at this point in time.
Xebel was one of the seven ancient Atlantean kingdoms that had separated from the main Atlantis after the event dragged the continent into the depths.
If I remember correctly, Mera's mother died when she was young, and she was raised by her father...
[Host, what's a princess doing in Atlantis working as a rookie guard?]
Allen rubbed his forehead, trying to remember. King Ryus, Mera's father, hated Atlantis. He passed that hatred on to Mera, even giving her the mission to kill the King of Atlantis.
"Mr. Walker, we really shouldn't be doing this…"
Mera looked serious, frowning as she glanced around, but there was doubt and fear behind that mask. That confused Allen even more. This girl was supposed to be an experienced warrior and possess the power of hydrokinesis.
The thing about multiverses is, you never know what kind of situation you'll run into. Allen shrugged, remembering there were universes where Batman goes insane or where Superman is a woman. So, he just accepted the existence of a younger Mera. There was even a chance she wasn't a princess in this world at all.
…
The two of them moved through the corridors, avoiding guards. It wasn't difficult for Allen, which secretly made Mera more alert.
I thought Themyscira was women-only… why?
Allen nodded toward Mera. "It's a weird feeling… but kinda fun."
He had gained the ability to breathe underwater like an Atlantean, but he wasn't used to it. While he could walk with only slight difficulty, the norm down here was to float wherever you wanted to go.
Mera saw Allen's slightly troubled face, worried not to look foolish, and remembered that he was, after all, from the surface. She laughed and took his hand before swimming with him.
She led him to the palace garden, which was filled with bioluminescent plants. Allen was amazed—and even Wednesday, who usually remained silent during this era, seemed impressed.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mera asked a little melancholic.
"Yeah…" Allen nodded but watched Mera's reaction. Xebel, unlike Atlantis, wasn't nearly as beautiful. It was made up of banished Atlanteans, and Mera's original hatred had come from witnessing Atlantis's prosperity and beauty in contrast to her own home.
Allen held out his hand and created an ice butterfly. Mera's eyes widened when she saw her guest had that kind of power. She smiled and crafted a seahorse out of water. Allen gave a half-smile, and his butterfly began to flap its wings and "fly."
Mera gave Allen a sly grin and formed an eel made of water that attacked the butterfly. When it shattered, she grinned smugly, challenging him. Allen responded by forming an ice eagle, which took down the eel and left Mera speechless.
Before they knew it, they were laughing and battling with Pokémon-like creatures, enjoying themselves. However, the garden did not survive the fun. Sensing danger, Allen grabbed Mera's hand and swam away from the castle.
"I think this distance is far enough," Allen said, finally stopping.
Mera didn't answer. Instead, she looked at their intertwined hands. Allen noticed and quickly let go, feeling a bit awkward.
"Sorry…"
Mera wasn't angry. She just looked at her hand and brought it to her chest, slightly flustered. "People from the surface are pretty warm…"
Allen felt a bit embarrassed and cleared his throat to hide it. "Must be the atmosphere…"
Biologically speaking, Atlanteans had lower body temperatures than humans or Amazons. Still, both of them felt awkward about the situation.
Allen, feeling things getting uncomfortable, slapped his own cheeks and forced a relaxed smile.
"How about we continue our date?"
"…!" Mera felt her face heat up and got slightly annoyed, but then she smiled and regained her composure. "Still looking for trouble, huh?"
Allen took that as a challenge, and the two continued their little adventure through the city—though not without first disguising themselves as regular guards.
Mera wanted to ask Allen where he got those clothes and, more importantly, where he was hiding them, but she held back. It didn't differ much from her original attire, except now she had a helmet that covered her face better. Same with Allen.
Mera started undressing absentmindedly, forgetting she wasn't alone. She was halfway out of her chest plate when she suddenly flinched and looked at Allen, who stood frozen in shock.
"Pervert!" Mera shouted, covering herself.
"Hey! Not my fault—you're the one who started undressing!" Allen turned around and began changing. He could've used the system to instantly change clothes, but during this era, he was extra cautious about showing anything at all.
"…?" Allen looked at the Atlantean guard's chest plate, confused. He didn't know how to open it. He had only asked the system to make two of those outfits.
Mera laughed at Allen's struggle with the armor and helped him. It was an oddly harmonious moment, with a surprising amount of physical contact. After that, they continued their outing.
At some point, Mera forgot her mission to keep an eye on Allen—she even forgot her identity as a princess. It was a fun afternoon, even if it ended with them being chased by a Megalodon in the deep sea.
They returned to Allen's guest room cautiously, but it turned out no one had noticed their absence.
Mera saw how late it was and bid Allen goodbye with a smile.
[Host, it didn't take you long to make a move on another woman. I see a future full of situations like this…]
If I did that, how could I face Gwen? I'll behave…
[Sure you will…]
That wouldn't be the only time Mera and Allen snuck out of the castle. Over the next three days, they visited as many places as they could. Allen even realized that, despite living in Atlantis, Mera hadn't seen most of these locations—further proof she might not have been born there. But regardless of her past, Allen was happy to see the red-haired girl smile…
...
Allen was reaching his limit. There was only so much disrespect a person could tolerate. True, he wasn't being mistreated. He was getting fancy food and good service. But that wasn't why he came here—he came for an audience. The excuse from the royal guards was that Queen Atlanna wasn't feeling well. He knew that, and that was precisely why he had brought some Amazonian medicine to help her. Still, Allen hadn't mentioned it, suspecting that if he handed the medicine to the guards, it might never reach the queen.
Allen snuck through the castle, searching for the queen. He knew that if he wanted to see her, he had to take action on his own—no matter the consequences.
Nothing and no one would stop him...
...
Allen shuddered and opened his eyes...
"I'm so stupid..."
[Allen, are you okay?]
"Yeah, I just remembered something..."
[I suppose it's a problem with a woman…]
"…"
Allen felt offended, but when he thought about it, 90% of his problems had two sources: either apocalypses... or women.
He didn't want to reply to the system and give it the satisfaction of being right, so he got up to start his morning routine. After that, while eating breakfast, he considered visiting Themyscira. This desire, of course, had been sparked by the dreams that had been haunting him lately.
"Yeah, I should go to DC World... I'll contact Donna, Artemis, and Diana to join me. I'll even call Xiana and Daphne, who are probably bored in Invincible Universe 2."
With that in mind, Allen got up in a good mood, unaware of what awaited him once he crossed into DC World. But before that, Allen had decided to take care of some things in his own world.
...
Allen paid a visit to Emma Frost. The woman who breathed money had built him a themed skyscraper as a monument, but she noticed it wasn't to his liking. Not to mention that Allen felt embarrassed seeing statues of himself here and there.
Emma understood that and moved to a more modest residence near Allen's apartment.
When he knocked on the door, it immediately opened, and he found Emma wearing an apron like a proper housewife. Allen smiled, fully aware that this woman was a business predator, and an apron would be the last thing she'd normally wear.
"Hello, Emma."
"Oh, it's such a pleasure to have you visit, darling."
The woman had been subtly tracking his movements and must've known he was coming the moment he stepped out of his apartment, but he did not break her white lie. Upon entering, he was welcomed by the warmth of a second home. Emma had gone to great lengths to decorate this place according to Allen's tastes, using as a reference the kinds of homes he usually lived in.
Allen was guided to a sofa—it was eerily identical to the one in his luxury apartment back in the Invincible world.
"Let me get you something to drink."
Wearing clothes worth as much as a week-long cruise under that apron, the woman made an effort to play the part of a proper wife. Allen noticed she wasn't wearing any jewelry that he hadn't given her. She wore her signature blue lipstick and matching eye shadow, but no longer wore makeup—something she never really needed in the first place.
Allen reached out and stopped her from leaving. She looked at him silently before smiling and allowing herself to be pulled down onto the sofa. She fell into the arms of her lover—because at this point, that's what defined them best. They spent a long time catching up. Hours later, there was a kiss that escalated quickly, and Emma's clothes began to fall to the floor.
"Hehe, come here, my dear❤️~"
...
Allen also went to see Mystique, who, of course, was using the appearance of Tearju. She had dark circles under her eyes from staying up late grading homework. As soon as she saw Allen at the door, she panicked and slammed it shut in an attempt to clean her apartment and freshen up. However, Allen appeared behind her and grabbed her by the waist before taking her to bed.
...
After many hours together, both lay in bed. Mystique had returned to her real form, which had a bluish tone.
"Now that I know the truth... is it really necessary to use that appearance?" Allen smiled.
During their earlier activity, Mystique had switched between her original self and the blonde anime beauty.
Resting against his chest, Mystique ran her hand over him and replied, "I have my reasons... First of all, it was the form you met me in... Second, I feel comfortable with it. Being a woman who doesn't technically exist, it's easy to see myself in her—as a sort of second body..."
Allen, in the past, would've tried to convince Mystique that it wasn't necessary. But he had already experienced what it was like to have two bodies during Ragnarok, and honestly, it hadn't felt strange at all. It was more like a transformation—like going Super Saiyan.
Still...
Allen lowered his head and used his hand to kiss her, letting her know he respected her choice but also making it clear that it wasn't necessary—because he liked her either way.
"Ah❤️~"
---
Allen left the apartment and decided to visit more women.
*Boom!*
An explosion caught his attention for a moment, but he quickly looked away. He was already used to it. Not just him—most people no longer reacted dramatically to things like this.
Makima – As always, the human ability to adapt to any environment is astonishing...
Albedo – That's why they're so hard to exterminate, despite being weak.
Rebecca – Hey, what's with all the hostility, bitches?
Artoria – …
Wednesday – Something wrong, Artoria?
Artoria – It's not a big deal... I was just wondering. These past few days we've seen superheroes and villains fighting all over New York—many times, we've seen different variants of the same individual...
Jalter – And what's your point?
Kurumi – Ara~ how impatient~ Let her finish~
"Go on, Artoria."
Artoria appeared on Allen's shoulder in a chibi version and looked into the distance. "It's just... I find it kind of odd that not a single Allen Walker has shown up..."
The girls, Allen, and even the system went silent. In the Invincible world, it had been proven that even the main character has variants in other universes. However, even though Allen had confirmed the existence of parallel worlds of his own universe... he had never seen a single variant of himself.
Of course, there's a high possibility that he's unique—like Angstrom Levy. That would make sense, considering most of his powers come from the system.
If that's the case, then in other worlds, Allen would just be a regular civilian who would probably die in these kinds of conflicts. Because the other possibility is absurd—it implies that Allen is a unique entity in his multiverse.
Allen shrugged as a "thing" emerged from a building. It was massive, had orange rock-like skin, and wore a trench coat and fedora like a classic private detective. The thing cracked its neck in annoyance as it walked forward.
"That wasn't very nice..." it said.
"HULK SMASH!"
Hulk fell from the sky, landing on The Thing. The impact sent shockwaves while the ground beneath them cracked. Then the two resumed their battle with bare fists.
It was pretty incredible to see a colossus like Hulk go at it. Both of them fought without dodging—just massive punches thrown back and forth with such intensity that even the public started cheering.
Seeing people start to cheer instead of running away gave Allen a strange feeling. What was his world becoming? Some kind of online fighting game server?
Allen refused to get absorbed in it. He shook his head and turned away... he still had a few more places to visit before heading to DC World.
===
A/N: 🍷🗿
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