"The Lazarus Pit?!"
Batman's eyes lit up instantly—but whatever he recalled right after made that brief spark dim again.
"No. Ra's al Ghul said it himself—the Pit is connected to a demonic realm. Anyone who bathes in it will have their soul dragged toward Hell. He's had many children and descendants, but he always let them die naturally. He's never once allowed a single one of them to enter the Pit."
Batman shook his head, rejecting the option outright.
Demonic realm? Souls dragged into Hell?
Thea compared this to the information she knew—nothing matched.
Ra's treats his son-in-law surprisingly well, huh? Even told him secrets like this?
Even Talia might not know these details. Thea instantly abandoned the idea of dragging Batman to beat up the Demon's Head for the Pit's location. Their relationship was clearly much closer than she had imagined.
So… it was still going to fall on her to heal Talia.
For injuries this severe, healing with pure magic would cost Thea a ridiculous amount of energy. She honestly didn't want to do it.
"How did Talia get injured like this?"
Batman seemed unwilling to recall it, but still gave a short explanation.
"Joker pushed her into a chemical vat…"
Thea nodded.
That fit Joker's style perfectly. The guy loved jumping into chemical vats for fun.
He and Harley could tank the poison because of sheer insanity and biology; someone as soft-skinned as Talia obviously couldn't.
But the mention of the vat finally gave Thea an idea.
A method she had found long ago on the Horus Orb—a technique somewhere between magic and ritual.
Back in ancient Egypt, the pharaohs were obsessed with immortality to the point of madness. They tried every method imaginable—humane or not.
Combining witchcraft, magic, and alchemy, they actually discovered several effective techniques. The proven ones were carved onto the handle of the Horus Orb itself. Gideon, the AI on the Waverider, had even translated tons of related material for Thea back then.
"How about this—I have a way to save her. But ancient rituals don't match modern conditions. Some requirements are missing. I'll need time to prepare."
"And right now, Talia's body is far too weak. The ritual only accelerates the body's self-healing, but she doesn't even have the basic physical condition required for recovery. Can you use medical means to replenish everything she needs? I'll prepare things on my end. Bring her to Star City in a week. You know I just took over Queen Industries—I'm drowning in work…"
Thea spread her hands.
I can't come to Gotham every day to babysit your wife. You're the one who's free—bring her to me.
"Alright. I'll leave everything in your hands."
Batman didn't feel anything was strange. Nowadays patients adjusted to doctors, not the other way around.
And with his medical knowledge, he knew well that Talia's current condition wasn't optimal for treatment.
The two agreed to stay in touch. Thea told him not to wake Talia under any circumstances; if possible, keep her sedated. Then she flew the jet out of Wayne Manor.
Once she left Batman's line of sight, she didn't return to Star City immediately. She took a detour toward a residential area in Gotham.
"Thea! Long time no see!"
The greeting came from Shado—the young beauty she had smuggled out of Purgatory Island.
"How's your father? On the phone you didn't explain clearly."
Mentioning her father made Shado's expression turn complicated—confused, uncertain, yet faintly hopeful.
"Come see for yourself…"
Thea had always been curious about the Court's resurrection technology. When she first returned to Star City, Shado had called, saying Yao Fei had miraculously regained a heartbeat. Tonight she happened to be nearby, so she came to check.
Shado had rented a small apartment, living alone with her father. The Court's diagnosis stated that on the day he was shot, the bullet hit his head; but with gene-repair technology, the missing brain tissue had now regrown. Whether his memory would ever return—no one knew. Yao Fei's state was similar to many vegetative patients: heartbeat, breathing, but almost no consciousness.
Shado accepted this. As long as he's alive, there's hope.
Knowing the rest depended entirely on natural recovery, she refused further arrangements from the Court and chose to care for her father on her own—working at a Chinese restaurant to cover their expenses.
When Thea entered the small apartment they had lived in for over a month, she could see how hard Shado had been trying. The air in the bedroom was fresh; everything was neatly arranged. Yao Fei lay on the bed, eyes closed, peaceful. Aside from his previously messy hair now shaved clean, nothing looked unusual.
Thea activated the Eye of Horus to examine him.
The Court's diagnosis was accurate—his head injury had fully healed.
The real issue was the missing memories.
That part made things very difficult. Memory wasn't something magic could create out of thin air.
This was just like when she erased Steve's memories—once gone, they were gone. Never coming back.
If a memory existed, it existed; if it didn't, it didn't. No amount of power could force it into existence.
"…Sorry. I don't have a solution for this either."
Shado had seen Thea's supernatural abilities on Purgatory Island. Hearing that even Thea was helpless, her eyes dimmed with disappointment.
"Are you planning to stay in the U.S. or return to China?"
Yao Fei meant nothing to Thea—but Shado, a poor girl burdened with tragedy, deserved sympathy.
"My father signed a declaration on Purgatory Island… we can't go back. And medicine here is more advanced anyway."
Her answer was quick—not rushed, but clearly something she had thought about many times.
Medicine more advanced here…
Thea held back a laugh. Just wait a few years—aliens and meta-humans are going to start popping up everywhere. Each of them is a walking nuclear bomb. With casualty rates that high, of course medicine becomes advanced!
But she didn't say that aloud.
"Come to Star City with me. Gotham is too dangerous."
Thea's reasoning was solid. Barbara had just recovered, now Talia was critically wounded.
Even though Joker had been locked up again, Batman's rage needed an outlet—and Gotham's criminals were the perfect targets.
Even if Gotham's citizens were ordinary humans, every fight still looked like a meteor collision. Better not let Shado witness that chaos. Compared to Gotham, Star City—while Oliver Queen was still absent—was far safer.
Some say superheroes are the source of chaos. That's an exaggeration—but not entirely wrong.
Maybe Gotham would form its own twisted balance without Batman. At least people wouldn't have to write a will just to buy groceries.
Now look at Central City without the Flash, or Star City without the Green Arrow—cheerful residents everywhere.
That alone proves the point.