It wasn't new for the Justice League to receive unexpected visitors. Their headquarters had seen everything—from desperate pleas for help to full-scale attacks. So when the alarm signaled an arrival, Hal Jordan, the first Green Lantern from Earth and one of the League's founding members, took it upon himself to investigate.
As he floated outside, his emerald aura illuminating the space around him, his gaze landed on Laura—a striking woman with a celestial presence, her star-like eyes brimming with an unreadable depth.
He had no memory of her.
Hal prided himself on his ability to recognize heroes and threats alike, but as he searched his mind, the name "Moon Maiden" meant nothing to him. There were no records, no memories. Whatever she claimed to be, she did not exist.
Still, it was his duty to listen. And besides, she was gorgeous.
With his signature smirk, he greeted her with his usual charm. "Hello, my fair lady. What brings you to these dark lands?"
Laura smiled, but her heart ached at his words. Hal had been her friend. For two years, she had fought alongside him, laughed with him, trusted him. And now… now he saw her as a stranger.
The Centurion's device had erased her existence so completely that even those closest to her had no recollection of who she was.
But she wasn't here for sympathy. She had come with a mission.
"I am the Moon Maiden," she said, her voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside her. "I have come to you for help. There is a serious situation that the Justice League needs to be aware of."
Hal studied her for a moment. There was something in her tone—something genuine, something heavy. Even though her name meant nothing to him, he could tell she wasn't lying.
"Alright," he finally said with a friendly smile. "I'll take you to the meeting room."
However, instead of taking her to the Watchtower, he led her to the Hall of Justice—the League's public headquarters on Earth. A precaution. They weren't about to let an unknown individual, no matter how sincere she seemed, into their most secure location.
Laura understood. She knew how they operated.
She walked into the hall without waiting for Hal to guide her further. She had been here before, after all—even if they no longer remembered.
Inside, three members of the League were already present.
Aquaman, also known as Arthur Curry, sat with his arms crossed. The King of Atlantis was a rare sight in League meetings, usually too busy ruling his underwater kingdom. But every now and then, he liked to get away—from the stress, from the politics, and from his possessive wife.
Martian Manhunter, known as J'onn J'onzz, stood silently. His red eyes studied her carefully, his telepathic abilities already picking up small details.
Batman, seated at the end of the table, was half-listening while working on something else. Bruce Wayne didn't miss meetings. If a decision needed to be made, he would be there.
As Laura stepped forward, she took in the sight of them—unchanged, just as she had last seen them before her erasure.
A soft smile formed on her lips, full of nostalgia and sadness.
Arthur noticed. His sharp, ocean-blue eyes studied her expression. "It looks like you know us a lot, young lady."
Laura looked at him, her expression unreadable.
"I do."
J'onn, who had remained silent until now, narrowed his eyes slightly. He had scanned her mind the moment she entered. Not an invasion, but a surface-level reading. And what he found was… unusual.
There was familiarity in her emotions. In the way she looked at them. As if she had history with them. But her memories were fractured—no, forcefully removed.
A deliberate erasure.
J'onn's expression darkened slightly. This was no ordinary visitor.
Even Batman's attention shifted. He didn't say anything, but his posture changed slightly—a subtle sign that he was now fully focused.
Who exactly was the Moon Maiden?
Laura stood at the center of the Hall of Justice, her posture straight but her hands subtly clenched. Her golden-white aura flickered faintly, like the moon's glow on a restless night. She had spoken her truth, and now the weight of its acceptance lay with the League.
The silence that followed was thick with tension. The mention of erasure from reality had shifted the atmosphere. Conversations about secret identities, personal relationships, and past battles were one thing—but to be wiped from existence itself? That was something the League could not ignore.
Seated at the far end of the room, Batman's sharp eyes were locked onto her. The flickering glow of the monitors behind him cast long shadows over his cowl, giving him an even more imposing presence.
"You claim to have been part of the League for two years," he said at last, his voice even, calculating. "And yet, no record of you exists. No traces, no memories, not even a whisper of your name in the archives."
Laura expected skepticism—in fact, she would have been disappointed if Batman hadn't questioned her. The League couldn't afford to trust blindly.
"It's not just you," she admitted. "It's everyone. I searched for any remnant of my past—my family, my home, my battles, even my own name in old reports. Nothing. It's as if I never existed at all."
Martian Manhunter, who had been silent and observing, finally spoke. His deep, calm voice carried a weight of understanding.
"I have attempted to sense any remnants of her presence in our minds," J'onn J'onzz said, his crimson gaze narrowing. "There is… an absence. Not a mere gap in memory, but a deliberate removal. Something—or someone—ripped her from the fabric of reality."
That statement alone made the room grow colder.
Batman folded his hands, thinking. "And you believe the one responsible is this… Centurion?"
"Yes." Laura's gaze flickered with restrained emotion. "His real name is Valkus. He has existed since the days of the Roman Empire, always scheming, always trying to rule over humanity. He failed every time—until now.
Somehow, he created a device that could erase people from reality. He used it on heroes, on those who stood against him. And when I confronted him, we fought in the sky. I destroyed the device—but in doing so, we were both erased.
Or… we should have been."
Superman wasn't present, but if he were, his expression would have hardened.
The League had faced many enemies—cosmic warlords, eldritch horrors, manipulative masterminds. But a device that could delete someone from existence? That was on a different level entirely.
Batman's fingers tapped lightly against the table. His mind was already running calculations—the risks, the possibilities, the ways this could be a deception.
"You expect us to believe this without evidence?" He finally asked. "You give us a name, but nothing else. How do we know this isn't a trap?"
Laura had anticipated this.
Her golden eyes locked onto Batman's as she took a deep breath. "Then let me prove it."
She turned slightly, her gaze sweeping across the room. "You don't remember me, so let me tell you things only a League insider would know."
She raised a hand and began listing, her voice steady.
"Green Lantern was in a relationship with Star Sapphire."
"Batman has romantic ties to Catwoman."
"Superman's heart belongs to Lois Lane."
"Wonder Woman has feelings for both Batman and Superman."
"The League secretly fears Raven from the Teen Titans."
"The Flash has reset the timeline more times than he cares to admit."
With each revelation, the room stiffened.
Hal Jordan—Green Lantern—let out a short chuckle. "Do you have some kind of ability related to love or something?" He smirked but didn't deny it. The mention of Star Sapphire hit home.
"I can sense strong emotions," Laura admitted. "It helps me guide people. I was the Moon Maiden, after all—my whole purpose was to help humanity find its path."
Batman, however, remained unmoved.
"That information can be gathered from observation," he said coldly. "It proves nothing."
Laura clenched her fists. Of course. He wouldn't accept words alone.
She needed to offer something undeniable.
Her golden eyes flickered toward Martian Manhunter.
"J'onn," she said, her voice soft but resolute. "Read my mind."
The room went silent.
Even Batman raised an eyebrow.
J'onn, the last survivor of Mars, had a telepathic ability beyond comprehension. Reading someone's surface thoughts was simple. Reading memories—especially altered ones—was far more dangerous.
J'onn studied her, his red eyes unreadable.
"…Are you certain?" he asked. "Memories are the most intimate part of one's being. This would expose you in ways you may not anticipate."
Laura did not hesitate.
"I have nothing left to hide," she said softly. "My entire existence was erased. You're my only chance to prove the truth."
The League members exchanged glances.
Even Batman, though unreadable, seemed to reconsider her request.
J'onn J'onzz, the last of the Martians, stood silently as he observed the young woman before him. His green-skinned form was clad in a simple blue spandex outfit, his chest mostly bare, revealing the muscular physique beneath. A crimson cape draped over his shoulders, a silent reminder of the dignity he carried despite the tragedies of his past. His kind had been exterminated, not by war or invasion, but by betrayal—his own brother, Ma'alefa'ak, had created a virus designed to react to the psychic abilities of the Martians, igniting them in flames from the inside out.
J'onn had watched his wife and daughter burn before his eyes, their screams haunting him even now. He had experienced loss in a way few could comprehend, yet instead of letting bitterness consume him, he had dedicated himself to ensuring no one else would suffer as he had. Outwardly, he seemed cold and detached, but those who truly knew him understood that he was, in truth, one of the kindest and most compassionate beings among them.
Now, as Laura stood before him with unwavering resolve, he found himself assessing her in a different light. The young woman known as Moon Maiden, who had once been part of their world but had been erased from existence, had returned, seeking their aid against a threat none of them could remember. And yet, despite the logical inconsistencies, despite the lack of tangible evidence, her sincerity was undeniable.
"I am sure. I have nothing to hide, and I trust all of you with my life." Laura's voice was steady, her posture firm as she met J'onn's gaze.
A heavy silence filled the room. Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. His usual cocky demeanor had softened into something more serious as he glanced at the others.
"Do we really need to do this?" Hal asked, his voice carrying a hint of unease. "Moon Maiden, you can just give us the information on Valkus, and we'll keep an eye out for him. You don't have to let someone dig around in your memories just to prove a point."
Arthur Curry, the King of Atlantis, tapped his fingers against the table in thought before nodding. "He's got a point. Reading your mind and just telling us what you know will have the same outcome. Your willingness to be scanned shows you've got nothing to hide, and even if we read your mind, it wouldn't guarantee absolute proof. Memory manipulation exists. False memories exist." His piercing gaze turned to Batman. "What do you think?"
Batman had remained silent throughout the exchange, but now, as all eyes turned to him, he finally spoke.
"It's your choice, Moon Maiden," he said, his voice as unreadable as ever. "The facts put forth by my colleagues are true. You should be aware of the risks."
Laura exhaled, folding her arms before dropping her gaze momentarily. "I know," she admitted with a wry smile. "But my decision isn't about logic—it's about trust." She let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "I know that's not how you operate, but I want all of you to understand who I am. I want you to remember me, even if it's just through my past."
That was when the weight of her situation fully sank in. She was eighteen. She had lost everything. Her entire life had been erased from history, and no one remembered her—not even her own family. The sheer emotional burden of such an existence was unimaginable.
J'onn, sensing the raw turmoil beneath her calm exterior, stepped forward. He placed a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder. "Please, take a seat," he said softly. "I will do my best, and together, we will find a way to fix this."
Laura hesitated only for a moment before nodding. She lowered herself onto the chair he gestured to, grateful for the warmth in his tone. Despite everything, it was comforting to know that at least some things hadn't changed. She had always been closest to Superman, Hal, Diana, and J'onn. Seeing them now, even without their memories of her, behaving so similarly to how they had in the past, reassured her.
J'onn closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind. His telepathic abilities were unparalleled, his power far surpassing even the strongest psychics on Earth. He had once described it as being able to reach across an entire planet with a mere thought. If he wished, he could snuff out the life of every living thing on Earth in an instant. But instead, he used that power to help, to heal, to understand.
Laura's mind opened to him, and he dived in effortlessly.
Memories unraveled before him like scenes from a movie, projected for all to witness. The Justice League watched as Laura's life played out—her childhood, her training, her time as Moon Maiden, her battles alongside them. They saw her bond with each of them, her laughter with Hal, her strategy sessions with Batman, her deep conversations with Diana, and the quiet moments where Superman reassured her that she was making a difference.
Most importantly, they saw Valkus.
An ancient being, predating even the League's oldest members. He had lived since the time of the Roman Empire, manipulating the course of human history in his endless attempts to seize control. His power was unlike anything they had faced before—he could command spirits, bending the souls of the dead to his will. And if he had erased himself from reality along with Laura, then his return meant something far worse than any of them had anticipated.
The possibility of a ghost army was already bad enough. If he could claim human spirits, there was no telling how large his legion could grow. But if he had access to something even stronger—otherworldly entities, long-forgotten warriors, or even the spirits of past heroes—then the danger he posed was beyond catastrophic.
The League remained silent as the memories faded, each member absorbing the gravity of what they had seen. The memories could have been fabricated, yes, but if there was even a chance that Valkus was out there, they couldn't ignore the threat.
J'onn withdrew from Laura's mind, opening his eyes as he stepped back.
"It is as she said," he confirmed, his voice solemn. "Her past was real. Valkus is real."
Laura exhaled, her shoulders sagging slightly with relief.
Hal let out a low whistle. "Well, that was… something. Gotta say, I wasn't expecting all that."
Batman's fingers were already typing on the console in front of him, running searches for anything that might indicate Valkus's return. "We don't have enough to act yet," he said, his mind working through a thousand different possibilities. "But we have enough to keep watch."
Laura looked around at the familiar faces—faces that had once been her allies, her mentors, her friends. They still didn't remember her, but they believed her. And for now, that was enough.