“…You can’t be…?”

Hal’s pupils shrank.

A very bad guess, one that even he himself found absurd, suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Schiller smiled.

That familiar, calm, almost gentle smile.

But in Gotham—

That expression never meant anything good.

“You finally figured it out,” Schiller said, adjusting his glasses. “Yes, the ring didn’t just ‘fall off’.”

“It wastaken.”

Hal froze.

“…Taken? By who?”

Schiller didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he tapped the green crystal lightly.

A faint ripple of light spread from it, like a calm lake disturbed by a pebble.

“Let’s review what you said,” Schiller continued in a slow, methodical tone.“Green Lantern rings cannot be forcibly removed under normal circumstances. They are bound to the user’s will, protected by multiple safety mechanisms, and cannot be easily separated.”

Hal nodded stiffly.

“That’s right.”

“Then tell me,” Schiller leaned forward slightly, “under what condition… would the ring willingly leave its host?”

Hal’s throat tightened.

“…When it recognizes amore suitable bearer.”

Silence.

The fire in the fireplace crackled softly.

For a moment, even the shadows seemed to stop moving.

Schiller smiled wider.

“Exactly.”

Hal slowly turned his head—

Toward the direction where Aisha had just left.

“…No.”

His voice was low.

“No, no, no, that’s impossible. She’s just a kid!”

“Is she?” Schiller asked calmly.

Hal opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He remembered.

The moment in Wayne Manor—

The instant Aisha lunged forward.

That speed.

That instinct.

Thatferocity.

“…The ring chose her?” Hal whispered.

“Not quite,” Schiller corrected. “It didn’tchooseher in the conventional sense.”

He tapped his temple lightly.

“It wastempted.”

“Tempted?” Hal frowned.

“Yes,” Schiller said. “You see, willpower is the core of Green Lantern energy. But willpower alone isn’t enough—it must bepure,focused, and most importantly…hungry.”

Hal blinked.

“Hungry?”

Schiller turned his gaze toward the direction of the children’s room.

“That child,” he said softly, “has an instinct far more primitive than willpower.”

“An instinct todevour.”

Hal felt a chill run down his spine.

“…You’re saying she tried to eat the ring?”

Schiller didn’t answer.

Because the answer was obvious.

—

Meanwhile—

Inside the library.

Dick sat on a soft chair, rubbing his wrist where the ring had been.

“It’s gone…” he muttered.

Aisha stood beside him, staring at the empty spot on his finger.

Her expression was… disappointed.

Very disappointed.

“…Mine,” she said softly.

“No, it wasn’t yours,” Dick replied helplessly.

Aisha frowned.

She didn’t seem convinced.

To her—

Anything she could bite, grab, or swallow…

Was hers.

She looked around.

Then her eyes landed on the bookshelf.

Specifically—

On a row of objects emitting faint, strange energies.

Artifacts.

Collected by Schiller over time.

Aisha tilted her head.

Her pupils narrowed slightly.

The world, in her eyes, wasn’t made of objects—

But offood.

Different flavors.

Different textures.

Different energies.

And right now—

She was very, very interested.

—

Back in the living room—

Hal stood up abruptly.

“I need to go check on her.”

“No need,” Schiller said calmly.

“Why not?!”

“Because,” Schiller replied, “if shewantedto do something… you wouldn’t be able to stop her.”

Hal’s expression stiffened.

“…That’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

Schiller’s tone was steady.

Then he added:

“But don’t worry.”

“She’s under observation.”

Hal frowned.

“Observation? By who?”

Schiller didn’t answer.

Instead—

He reached into his pocket again.

And took out…

Another crystal.

This one—

Wasn’t green.

It shimmered faintly with a different kind of light.

More unstable.

More… chaotic.

Hal stared at it.

“…What is that?”

Schiller looked at it thoughtfully.

“A failed experiment,” he said.

“Or perhaps…”

“A future success.”

—

At that moment—

In the distance—

A faint sound echoed.

“Crack.”

Both men turned their heads.

The sound came from the direction of the library.

Then—

Another one.

“Crack… crunch…”

Hal’s face went pale.

“…Is that—”

“Yes,” Schiller said calmly.

“She’s eating something.”

Hal rushed toward the door.

But before he could take a step—

Schiller’s voice stopped him.

“Relax.”

Hal turned back.

“You don’t understand,” Schiller continued, “this is actually… a very valuable data point.”

“…Data point?!” Hal almost shouted.

“Yes,” Schiller nodded. “You see, if she can digest Green Lantern energy… or even just interact with it in a non-destructive way—”

“That means we’ve found something far more interesting than a ring.”

Hal stared at him.

“You’re insane.”

“Possibly,” Schiller admitted.

Then he added:

“But effective.”

—

In the library—

Aisha sat on the floor.

Around her—

Several small objects lay scattered.

One of them had already been bitten.

A faint glow leaked from the crack.

She chewed slowly.

Thoughtfully.

Then—

She stopped.

Her expression changed.

For the first time—

She looked… confused.

The energy inside the object reacted.

Not violently.

But… differently.

It didn’t resist.

It didn’t break.

It flowed.

Toward her.

Her pupils widened slightly.

Then—

A faint green light flickered.

Just for a moment.

—

Back in the living room—

Schiller suddenly paused.

His fingers stopped tapping the crystal.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

“…Interesting.”

Hal frowned.

“What?”

Schiller looked toward the library.

His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

“I think,” he said softly,

“I just found a new…”

“Street lamp.”

—

Snow continued to fall outside.

Covering Gotham in silence.

But inside the manor—

Something had begun to glow.

Faint.

Unstable.

And full of possibilities.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com