By the time the dust settled, a little girl named Élise was staring up at a woman in dented, mud-splattered armor, whose eyes glowed like dying embers. "Are you an angel?" Élise whispered.
Diana hadn't meant to reveal herself. But when the artillery shell screamed toward the huddle of orphaned children in the Belgian village of Veldt, her body moved before her mind could catch up.
The Echo of Themyscira
Steve grabbed her arm. "We can still save tomorrow—" Wonder.Woman.2017.720p.HEVC.BluRay.ORG.HIN-ENG....
"I love you anyway."
The soldiers fired. She didn't dodge.
She looked toward the German trench line, where a general named Ludendorff was rumored to have a new gas—one that didn't just kill, but made men forget love entirely. "Ares thrives on despair, Steve. If I let one child die to save a hundred, I’ve already lost." By the time the dust settled, a little
Steve watched from the ridge, binoculars trembling. "She's not winning a war," he whispered to Etta. "She's ending one."
Diana knelt, wiping soot from the child’s cheek. "No. But I believe in you."
In the bunker, Ares felt a crack in his own immortal chest. Not from a god-killer. From a hug. But when the artillery shell screamed toward the
Diana extended her hand. "Truth," she said simply. "I am not your enemy. Your generals are. Lay down your fear, and I will lay down my sword."
"He is real. And so am I." If you'd like a different kind of story—sci-fi, fantasy, or something completely original—just let me know!
Not by shelling. By the orphans themselves—Élise and the others, their eyes milky white, marching into the flames with matches in their tiny fists. Ares's gas had found them first.
