When they floated out of the teal portal, the heroes were greeted by a large staff of medically clad yetis. As if they had anticipated for severely injured patients. The second Frostbite gave them the commands in a language they didn't understand, half of them rushed to off. Some stayed by Frostbite's side as the Yeti approached the teens on the bed.

"Pardon for the suddenness of your arrival. If you would kindly disembark from the bedding..." Frostbite gave Dick and Wally a moment to, albeit hesitantly, get off the bed. The chieftain took a step closer to the bed where Danny was still unconsciously laying. He smiled at the boys as he looked between them and Batman. "With your permission, I would like to take this one to the specialized medical ward. I would not suggest attending the surgical drape as it might be... unpleasant. Our staff is highly skilled so you needn't worry, he will be in good hands."

"Can I come with?" Dick asked. He had seen worse than a few open wounds, he could handle whatever they were planning to do with Danny. Frostbite seemed to pick up on this. "Fear not, with the permission of the Man of Bat, I would prefer for you to also be tended to. My people can help with the injuries you seemed to have sustained recently." Frostbite's warm and genuine smile was answered with a small nod from Batman.

Two yetis came to stand by Dick's side as one motioned with their arm to one of the side caverns. Dick hesitated for a bit. "What about Batman and Wally? Can they come with me?" Frostbite's smile widened more, showing no concern for the distrust in the young bird's questions. "The Man of Bat and your companion may join you, young one. You will be in a different room as this one, they are free to accompany you and receive any care should they so wish." Something about the way Frostbite phrased his answer set off a bell in Wally's mind. "Wait. How come you immediately asked for Dick to be treated but not us?"

Frostbite said something intelligible to his people as they started to move Danny's bed off to whatever room they were taking him. As they left, the others also started to move down the same hall as Danny went into. "Ah, my apologies if I offended you. My people and I are skilled in detecting ailments as we have had centuries of experience here in the Realms. This sadly has made us rather lacking in experience when it comes to living beings however. Hence, it isn't as straightforward to see ailments on you. Should there be any battle injuries like the young one has, we will still be quite helpful in speeding up the recovery however. As such, the choice is yours to be treated as there is no detectable immediate need for it."

As Frostbite finished up his explanation, they came to a small stop as Danny was floated into a big room with loads of foreign equipment. As the last yeti in Danny's convoy entered the room, a glowing wall of ice appeared, blocking off the entrance. Dick paused at the door, putting his hand on the wall. Silently, Wally joined him and also placed a hand on the glowing ice. With seconds however, Wally pulled his hand off and ripped Dick's hand off as well. "Fuck that's cold!" Dick eyed him questioningly. "What do you mean? It felt fine to me." Wally looked at Dick as if he had lost his mind. "Dude, whatever that is, it's literally like liquid nitrogen!" As if to prove his point, Wally put his hand inside his hoodie sleeve and touched the wall again. Just like before he barely lasted a second before pulling it away. Almost shoving his sleeve in Dick's face he cried out. "See! Frozen! Lemme see your hand." Without waiting for permission, he grabbed Dick's hand, fully expecting some level of frostbite or frost burns. Much to his shock however, Dick's hand was perfectly fine. No injuries and not even cold.

In front of them, Frostbite called out to them. "Perhaps it is better if we continue to your room so we can start treatment on you both." They eyed the yeti oddly, taking just a moment to consider before following the giant beast further into the caverns. Not too long later they arrived at another room. Unlike Danny's, this one didn't close off after they entered. Which Wally had no issue voicing out loud. "Ah," For once Frostbite actually sounded surprised. "That is because there is no reason for access to be limited here. Should the need arise during your examination it may be closed temporarily. The other youngin's medical care far exceed what you require. For his own safety and privacy, his room has been restricted so his care will not be interrupted." That somehow made Dick feel both at ease and even more worried. Just how bad was it that they had to restrict the area for? And what if they wanted to see him? Would they deny him entry?

A frosty claw rested on his shoulder, slight concern danced across Frostbite's face as his perpetual smile disappeared. "Fear not, young one. We will not deny you to see your kin. His injuries are of a kind we rarely see. They far exceed the usual battle scars we encounter. The nature of these injuries...They are not something any kin should see another in. I will personally come to inform you of any developments made during his care if that will help ease your worries." Dick wasn't sure how Frostbite knew what he was thinking, the confusion on Wally's face proving he didn't accidentally speak out loud. None the less, he greatly appreciated the chieftain's reassurance.

With a few final discussions, and Wally agreeing to also be treated, Frostbite took his leave to go assist his people in Danny's room. True to his word, the yeti did come around to inform them on the progress made on Danny's injuries. Meanwhile, the staff in Dick's room also informed the chieftain of Dick's testing results. While they didn't particularly understand what the medical yetis were saying, their game of charades worked well enough to understand what was needed for a treatment or test. Just like Frostbite had promised, when Dick had to strip down to his underwear for a test, the room was cleared of as many personnel as possible and the door was sealed. While it was still quite unpleasant to be practically naked in an unknown place, he quite frankly couldn't care. Whatever the treatments were, they were making him feel better than he ever had before.

The test he had to strip for was quite different than the others however. Still playing charades with the doctor yetis, they always demonstrated what they wanted to do first. Waiting for Dick to nod before copying the same thing on him. It was quite a challenge to understand the undressing part of it but the need to place sensors or a breathing mask was rather easy. They guided Dick over to a large tank with light blue liquid inside. With the assistance of Batman, Dick climbed into the tank. The yeti made a fist and placed their other hand on top of the first, trying to explain they had to close the tank. Dick looked over to Batman, wanting him to take the lead on this one. Batman inspected the tank himself and deemed it safe enough for Dick to escape should it be necessary.

Now with permission, they closed up the tank and started the test. Bubbles rose in the blue liquid and Dick felt the lightest he ever had. It somehow felt similar to the time the artificial gravity in the Watchtower broke. Yet, at the same time, it felt like something else entirely. It didn't take too much effort to just float about in the tank as the medical yeti were taking notes from the panel connected to the tank. Batman didn't seem too worried either as he stood a few steps away. Wally, too, was sitting an ends away. His hand was being treated with an ointment but that didn't stop him from keeping his focus on what was going on with Dick.

One of the doctor yetis came to stand right in front of his tank. They held out their hands and made a little glowing blue orb in their hands. Motioning for Dick to do the same, they waited patiently for him to mimic them. Dick, however, wasn't sure what they wanted of him. He can't make little blue orbs. Hell he can barely make the green ones on purpose when he decharged not so long ago. Still, the yeti kept insisting for him to try.

Noticing Dick wasn't understanding the prompt all too well, they changed tactic. Pointing to where they guessed the Yeti's heart was, they make a little blue orb and poked at it a bit before pointing at Dick's chest.

Trying to follow along, Dick too poked at his chest in the same area the yeti pointed at.

Happy with the perceived progress, the yeti placed both their hands over the area. The glow of the blue orb becoming a bit brighter as they seemed to focus on it. When the light got bright enough to emit through their hands, the glow lit up the being's entire chest.

Dick tried his best to copy them. He wasn't sure if he was doing it right. Trying his hardest to focus, he looked for that telltale feeling he gets when he knows it's time to decharge. That little staticky feeling in his chest. Much to his surprise, he could faintly feel that little spark and tried to chase it, to bring it out more. Carefully he cracked an eye open to look at the doctor yeti.

Looking ecstatic, the yeti continued the demonstration. It held out it's arms back to the same position as before. The light across it's chest slowly spread to it's arms and pooled together in it's hands. Slowly but surely it formed a ball of energy again.

Dick took a steadying breath and closed his eyes again. He focused on the staticky feeling. How he felt it move a little. In his mind he could picture a green glow flowing over his arms like a cold bucket of water slowly poured over his arms. He felt it all combine in his hands. A buzzing feeling like the hum of an old tv pooled in his hands. Ever so carefully to not break his concentration, he opened his eyes, wanting to see the happiness in the doctor yeti's expression at how he managed to make the energy ball.

What he didn't expect, however, was the fear and shock in the doctor yeti's eyes. One doctor yeti was frantically waving their arms at him, making X signs as if urging him to stop. The other doctor yeti was yelling at the first doctor yeti. The panel they were standing in front of was not in his field of vision. The flashing lights, however, were. Panicking, Dick let go of the energy as a stabbing feeling spread across his chest.

No further tests were taken after that as Dick was assisted out of the pod and given towels to dry off. Once he had gotten redressed and aided back to his cot, the ice wall got taken down. The two doctor yetis at the tank were still discussing whatever the tests said as other yeti re-entered the room to finish up a few more small things. After they hooked him up to a few monitors, most of the yetis left the room or at the very least left the heroes be.

For what felt like the past 10 minutes however, a few yetis Dick hadn't seen before had come in. They stared at him and then spoke in a hushed tone to each other. Whatever they were discussing seemed to be quite heated. More than once, they left the room and came back to repeat the whole thing over again. Just as they were back in the aggressive whisper discussion, Frostbite came back to the room. Clearly he had heard the others and, judging off the sternness in his voice, told them off. The yetis bowed to their chieftain and to the heroes before scurrying out the room. An soft, annoyed growl escaped Frostbite's throat as he watched the yetis leave. Taking a deep breath, he walked in further to stand next to the cot Dick had been resting in.

"My apologies for their behavior. I hope they weren't too big a bother to you?" Frostbite's smile didn't quite reach his eyes anymore but the sentiment was still there. Something about the chieftain seemed off, which Dick easily picked up on. "Is something wrong with Danny?" Frostbite seemed to hesitate to answer, prompting Dick to start trying to remove the sensors and get out of his cot. The moment his feet his the ground however, he almost collapsed as his knees gave out under him. Batman caught his falling bird and guided the boy to sit back on the bed. "Please, young one. There is no need to injure yourself. I...am not sure how to phrase the situation as there are some concerns for its affects on your own health." Frostbite seemed to hesitate once more before continuing. "Man of Bat, may inquire on your relation to the youngins?"

Batman, not amused by the way this was going, responded gruffly. "My sons." Frostbite eyebrows furrowed a bit. "But not of your creation, yes?" Batman didn't bother to mask the protective step he took to stand between Dick and the yeti. "Is that a problem?" Frostbite remained calm and relaxed, unbothered by the rising hostility from the human before him. "While in other situations I would be inclined to disagree, for this particular one however, it complicates things." Now Wally, too, perked up from his seat and got closer to Dick. The tone of the yeti being a clear prewarning to bad news.

Finally acknowledging the defensiveness of his guests, Frostbite dropped the forced smile. "Man of Bat, may I speak with you privately?" Dick seemed ready to protest again but Frostbite beat him to it. "Rest, youngin. We will not go far. There are questions for the Man of Bat that only he may answer. This is known in the human realm as medical confidentiality, yes? As the guardian, Man of Bat has to make the choice of care. I do apologize for upsetting you with this." Though he didn't smile, the sincerity in his voice still made Dick feel at ease just enough to not pull a disappearing act on them. Wally stayed with Dick as Batman and Frostbite stood an ends away from them. The yeti showed him some paperwork and even with all the body language training in the world, Dick could not get a clear reading on how Batman was feeling.

Before long the pair walked back towards the boys. As usual, Frostbite spoke first. "Man of Bat has agreed to allow visitation of your other half. Would you prefer we aid you to his room?" Dick almost shot out of his cot as he stumbled yet again. Frostbite helped him get the sensors off of him and with both Wally and Batman on either side of him, they walked over to Danny's room again. The ice wall from before was still there but as they neared the entrance it faded into nothingness.

In the middle of the room, surrounded by countless of machines and wires laid Danny. His skin seemed even paler than before as the white and blue hues of the room did nothing to make him look healthier. Bandaging surrounded his entire body and some areas seemed to be splinted to keep them from moving. Not like that should have been any concerns as Danny had still not woken up from his coma. Dick looked on in slight horror. His brother looked so weak and fragile. Even with better medical care, he seemed even worse off than back at the Cave. The only good thing he could note was that they managed to remove that horrid collar without too many new injuries.

"What," his voice cracked, "what's wrong with him?"

Frostbite walked up to him and placed a guiding hand on his back. Slowly they walked over to the edge of Danny's bed. "This one's health is not in good condition. We have done what we can but there are injuries that go beyond our abilities." Dick felt tears welling up in his eyes as his throat seemed to close up. "Is...is he dying?"

Frostbite motioned to his people to bring over seating and guided both Dick and the others to take a seat. "Tell me, young one. What is it that you know of you and your other half?" Through bleary eyes, Dick looked up to Frostbite. "I-what do you mean?" Frostbite hesitated to continue, looking over to Batman for silent permission.

Batman seemed somewhat hesitant as well, unsure if this was the right course of action. After some internal debating, he seemed to agree with the current trajectory. "Your powers, Dickie. He means your powers."

Dick seemed to clam up a bit. Batman almost never permitted him to talk about their powers, let alone to somebody who should still be considered a stranger. Yet, ever since Frostbite showed up and they went through the portal, Dick had felt nothing but safety and calmness. Like coming home after a long mission, there was a deep rooted familiarity about this place. Dick wasn't sure what to even say as he stared at his hands clasped on his lap. "I-We, we were born with them."

Frostbite did his best to mirror Dick's posture, trying to seem as inviting as possible. "My apologies if this is too much, but would you perchance know of the circumstances of your births?"

Dick looked over to Batman, not sure how to answer such an odd question. Batman silently reassured him that it's okay. It wasn't his place to reveal such information so Dick had the full freedom to explain as much or as little as he wanted. "My mom," he started off somewhat hesitantly, "she was really sick. They weren't rich or anything and most doctors that would agree to see her just told her to...to terminate." Wally reached over to hold his hand in support. Opting to fidget with the offered hand, Dick continued in a small voice. "She didn't want to, dad didn't either. They, they called us their miracle babies. The only one of attempts to make it so far along, so they didn't want to give up. One night the circus they were with, they were staying at a village. There was this shaman who came to see them. Our parents initially refused but this shaman, they somehow knew mom was sick."

Frostbite hummed along. Not wanting to interrupt his explanation but still noting he was listening to the boy.

"They never really explained what was wrong with mom. But the shaman did some type of ritual and it seemed to help her so they kept doing what the shaman said to do. Pop Hailey let them stay in that village until mom was good to travel again. So the shaman was their for our births and made sure we all made it through." Dick looked down again, trying to focus again on that staticky feeling that was building in his chest again. "Dad said it was a full moon on the night we were born. He liked to joke it was green but I think he just said that because it's our favorite color." Dick half snorted a bit as he tried to make a small green ball in his hand again like before. The color always mesmerized him and helped him feel calmer.

This time however, it sent a stabbing pain through his chest again. He curled up a bit as he grabbed for his chest. Frostbite rushed up and encased Dick in that same blue glow he always had around him. Slowly the pain ebbed away and Dick managed to start breathing normally again. "Please refrain from doing that, young one." Frostbite helped Dick lay down across the bench, using Wally's legs as a pillow. At least those running muscles were useful for something else than zooming everywhere.

Frostbite left them for a minute to let Dick recover. He went over to some of the medical yeti who were from both of their rooms. Something seemed to deeply trouble the group as they kept pushing different papers to argue whatever point they were trying to make.

Unfortunately for the group of heroes, this meant they were too busy to notice those same gossiping yetis from before returning. This time they had a tablet in hand and seemed a bit more determined than what goes beyond gossiping. They approached their leader and they too now joined in on the debate as well. Somehow, this did seem quite funny and entertaining to Dick. While he had no clue what was being said, the entire group was rather animated in their expressions. It made for quite a funny show as he tried to distract himself from all the memories floating around in his head.

Some arguing later, Frostbite seemed to finally have enough of the gossip yetis as he gestured for them to go to the heroes. With clear annoyance in his voice, Frostbite translated what the gossip yetis wanted to say. "My sincerest apologies young one. These two insist there is information they deem significant for you to know." Frostbite waved his hand at them. Proudly, the yeti holding the tablet turned it around for the others to see. Depicted on a picture they seemed to have recently taken, was a stone edging of a person fighting a bigger person. "These are carvings left by our ancestors. They had a vision of a future where one day, a being of great power would come and defeat the tyrant king. They seem to believe that this carving is a depiction of either you or your other half." Dick sat back up to get a better look at the picture. The yeti holding the tablet eagerly came closer and zoomed in on the smaller figure. While he wasn't sure if it really was either of them, he had to agree that in a rough way, it did look like them.

Not liking the expression Dick was making, Frostbite sighed deeply. "Young one, please understand that the Realms do not work the same as where you came from. Time is not a linear thing here, and as such, many time lines converge and cross from time to time. It is of my belief that this great one of foretold is neither you nor your other half, but a variant of either of you from a different timeline." Dick's mind was racing a mile a minute. In about as casual as a frustrated grandfather can be, this being before him casually mentioned and seemingly confirmed the existence of the multiverse theory. Judging off the vibrations he could feel next to him, Wally was in quite a similar state of shock. At least his scientific brain was loving this more than he should.

The gossip yetis seemed not all to pleased with what Frostbite said as they started stage whispering something to him to translate. Frostbite looked like he was about two seconds from throwing them out but had enough self-discipline to not react in front of guests. "Once again, my apologies. They seem to insist that should there have only been one of you, you would have been our Great One Of Foretold. In their opinion, there are too many consistencies within the prophecy and the tests. If you so please, I can have them sent away immediately." Dick honestly had to laugh a little, finding amusement in their insistence. "Well, they almost had their wish then."

"I beg your finestpardon?" 

Dick let out a small chuckle at the incredulous look on Frostbite's face. He poor being's mental defenses realty seemed to be getting torn down from all sides today. "I'm not supposed to be alive-" "Dick." Wally interrupted. Dick smiled at the ginger as he grabbed Wally's hand, this time to reassure the older. "It's true. It's why the doctors tried to convince mom to, you know. Danny's always been stronger than me. He developed faster than me, he could do more than me, he got less sick and injured than me. He was the one meant to survive, I just somehow made it through to follow along." Dick smiled to himself as he recounted those treasured memories of their youth.

Frostbite seemed rather shocked at the revelation. Seeming as frozen as the place he called home, the chieftain's brain blue screened at the new information. The yetis around them noticed and seemed to be asking something of their leader. Still half out of it, Frostbite answered them on autopilot. Every word bringing him back more and more to reality. Suddenly, the chieftain shot up and ordered some yetis around. It was momentary chaos as they all shot into action while the gossiping yetis looked smug. Machines were pulled into the room and a pair of doctor yetis started setting up some sensors on Danny's chest. Frostbite walked over to the heroes with a second machine being dragged along behind him. "Pardon me young one. May we please attach these to you?" Dick was barely halfway through a nod when the doctor yetis started sticking the sensors onto him as well. As soon as both monitors sparked to life, both the doctor yetis and the gossip yetis divulged into chaos once more.

"What is going on?" Batman's question wasn't quite answered as it took a second for Frostbite to remember they did not, in fact, speak yeti. "Pardon us, Man of Bat. The young one may have given us a hint to a solution but we are unsure of the safety of it all." Frostbite ran his claws through his head-fur as he beckoned them over.

"Young one, I know you told us of this only moments ago, but can you please confirm the lunar phase on the night you were born?"

"A green full moon?"

Frostbite looked like he was slowly losing his mind while also connecting dots he had yet to share with them. "Do you know the importance of such an occurrence?" Dick and the others looked beyond confused which didn't help the impending breakdown Frostbite seemed to be heading to. "A green moon is a rare occurrence when the planes of existence create a harmonious balance between the Infinite Realms and a human realm. Though rare, when a child is born under such a moon, they are bonded to both their home realm and the Infinite Realms. You, however, are an anomaly."

"Gee, thanks."

"It is not an insult, young one. Quite the opposite in fact. There are only specific bloodlines who are capable of producing living children during the green moon. And each of such bloodlines are accursed to never bear twins in these circumstances. Your and your brothers existence are, quite genuinely, a miracle." Frostbite looked utterly delighted with this information while Dick wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. It felt amazing knowing he was even more special than they thought, but it also confirmed the doctors were right about how he should have been dead.

"The curse," Dick started, his voice barely above a whisper, "what does the curse do if there are twins?" He dreaded the answer, but he had to know. He had to know what would have been if he wasn't here.

"I...I am unsure of how this information would be beneficial to-"

"Frostbite, please."

With a sigh, Frostbite pulled up two tablets for Dick to see. "These are the energy signatures of your cores. A core is the essence of a Realmbeing's existence. Without one, we cease to exist. There is no existence past the loss of a core. Due to the green moon, you and your brother were born with both a core and a heart. A harmonious balance between both realms." Frostbite took a small break to let the medical stuff sink in before he continued. He pulled up a tablet with an animation of his explanation to follow. "The curse on your bloodline does not prevent the creation of a twin. It is only to prevent the birth of one. In most circumstances, a twin is formed by the splitting of a fertilized egg. This egg already has a proto-core in its DNA and as it splits, so is the proto-core. As both embryos develop, they start forming their cores along with their other essential organs. In normal circumstances, the stronger of the two will reabsorb the weaker one to recomplete their core and be whole."

Dick cringed a little at the wording but tried to not take it too personally.

"What we suspect happened in your development, is that somehow, the reabsorption did not occur. As such, both you and your brother were each born with a core." Frostbite put away all the tablets and motioned towards the monitors. "These," Frostbite sighed, "These are the frequencies of your signatures. They are both on a different level than natural born citizens of the Realm. As such, we can recognize when one of your status is among us."

"Is that how you were able to tell he needed help?" Wally asked, which Dick was grateful for. It gave him some more time to come to terms with this entire reality changing. "Indeed, fast one. Beings of the Realms recognize them as one of our own. But the same does not go for them as they are both of the Realms and of the human realm. We do not fall under the same definition of kin as you see it."

"Which does bring me back on topic." Oh great, more mental gymnastics for Dick to follow. "As your frequencies differ from Realmborns, there are certain medical procedures we cannot perform on the other. I believe humans have something similar with something called a blood type, yes?" A few nods was enough confirmation that they were still able to follow along. "While somebody of your status can assist Realmborns, we cannot do the same for you. I understand this may be difficult to understand on such short notice. Believe me when I say I would not be explaining this all at once were it not for dire circumstances."

Now that? That scared them all.

"What do you mean?" Dicks voice cracked again. "What's wrong with Danny?"

"My dear youngin, it isn't just what is wrong with your other half." And if that wasn't a punch to the gut. "As I said before, the proto-core you once shared has split. Each of you only have part of a core, both are incomplete. While this in and of itself is already an issue, it seemed to work fine for the majority of your lives." At least something positive. "However," nevermind spoke too soon, "there seems to be damage to both of your cores. This type of damage correlates to severe emotional distress and prolonged overuse and stress to the core itself. Are there any situations that you feel correspond with such a description?"

Both Dick and Wally stiffen as memories of the sleepover incident replay in their minds. "Danny's been missing for 3 years. We haven't been able to find anything on what could have happened to him." "There was an incident, a few days ago, where he lost control. It wasn't the first time it happened but this is the worst it's ever been." Wally added so Dick wouldn't have to. Frostbite nodded along, making a few notes. "Would you be willing to elaborate on the trigger point of these occurrences?" Dick squeezed Wally's hand, not able to will himself to speak. "First time I was there for was the night Danny disappeared. After that were a few minor ones but a few days ago, he- there was an incident where an item of great emotional value was destroyed. It's a connection to Danny they had since they were kids."

"Danny still has his." Dick added quietly. "It's in his hair. So that is one thing that he got spared of."

Frostbite nodded and gave both boys a moment to recollect themselves as undoubtably unhappy memories plagued their minds.

"My deepest apologies for making you explain. I promise you, this was for the greater importance of your care."

"It's okay, it's just not fun to think about."

"I understand this is a very inconvenient time, but there are some important things that have yet been discussed. While usual procedures call for only the Man of Bat, it is of my opinion that that you, too, should be allowed to make an informed decision." Frostbite pulled one of the monitors closer as well as one of the tablets from before. "This is your other half's signature frequency. Combined with the additional readings on his core health, we found severe damaging to his core. The incompletion status of his core would have otherwise been non-threatening. The damage, however, is too severe for it so heal on it's own. Due to his damaged core, his corporal injuries are also not healing." 

Dick took a shaky breath as he blinked away some tears. "So in other words, he is dying. Is there a way to fix this? Can I donate whatever he needs to heal?" If this core stuff is like blood transfusions, he could just donate some of his 'blood' and fix him right up. Right?

The solemn look on Frostbite's face said otherwise. "There is a way for us to aid a damaged core. This would require core energy transfers between the damaged core and the donor core." Dick seemed about ready to jump straight into Danny's cot so they could get started immediately. Unfortunately so, Frostbite placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him back down. "This doesn't come without risks, young one. Core energy is a very fragile thing. It requires a near perfect match for it to work without risking damage to both cores involved." Dick stopped fighting to get up when Frostbite switched out Danny's monitor for his.

"This, young one, is your signature frequency. Your core health is not even to the halfway point of completion. Not just that, but combined with already existing damage, we regrettably have come to the conclusion that your core is incredibly unstable and cannot advise you to go through with this procedure." Dick nearly flew up in a burst of rage as he got overwhelmed by all the emotions he had been fighting to keep down. "Why not?! You're asking me to kill my own brother! I can help him!" Frostbite didn't let the outburst phase him as he tried to help ground Dick.

"Young one, please try to understand. Your health would greatly suffer if we tried this. And even if we did allow it, the chances of success are near zero. Your core frequencies are near identical but the nature of your cores are not." Seeing as the calm tone was slowly helping Dick back down, Frostbite continued. "Your other half has an ice element, he has the same elemental resonance as the people of my tribe. Your core, due to its severe instability and incompletion, is incapable of forming an elemental resonance. Therefor you have a neutral core."

"Then use one of yours too for the element resonance!"

Frostbite looked saddened at Dick's unwillingness to give up. While otherwise commendable, it was making a hard situation even harder. "The addition of a secondary core would cause an energy overload in your other half's core. This, too would cause more damage to his core." Dick still looked ready to go toe to toe with a juiced up Bane. Calming him down seemed to be trickier than expected. "Then get rid of the excess energy! It can't be that hard!"

"Young one, please listen to me. Core energy can't simply be released. It is a part of our very being. It can't be expelled without it being transferred to another core. The only other core who could theoretically handle something like this is your own. But such a thing would only cause your core distress due to its severe instability and will most likely cause it to cease existing."

That finally managed to calm him down enough to see reason again. The room fell silent as Dick processed all the information that had been thrown at him. Danny's core is too damaged to heal. Danny's injuries can't heal because his core is too damaged. Dick's core is beyond just damaged. Dick's core has been reduced to a ticking time bomb of emotional distress.

If they don't do it Danny might die, and Dick dies eventually.

If they do it, Danny might live and Dick can rest peacefully knowing his brother survived.

Is there really a choice to be made?

(writing fueled by 3am zoomies. apologies for the long wait, there were severe drama issues and i needed a mental health break)