Chapter 2: The End
The tremor ripped through Clark's consciousness, waking him from a deep, restless sleep. The entire planet beneath him seemed to tremble, the ground shaking with a violent force that defied explanation. Without a second thought, Clark bolted into motion, faster than even the Flash could track. He rocketed into the sky, piercing the atmosphere with the kind of speed that could shatter sound barriers.
From the cold void of space, he watched the world he had known, the planet he had once sworn to protect, begin to unravel. The surface cracked, deep fissures spreading from one continent to the next. Oceans—huge, vast bodies of water—were being sucked into these fractures as if the planet itself were bleeding. Within minutes, the seas were gone, and the cracks continued to widen, devouring everything in their path.
The collapse came swiftly. The world—*his* world—fell apart in an instant, a violent implosion that left only dust and ruin in its wake. Everything he had fought for, everything he had tried to protect, was gone.
A blinding white light filled his vision, and for a moment, he felt his entire being stretched beyond its limits. The pain was unbearable, as though his very soul were being torn apart. The light grew more intense, until it consumed him completely. His body burned. His mind fractured. And then, everything went black.
When Clark opened his eyes again, he wasn't in the void of space. He was standing in a place he knew well, a place that was *too* familiar. The barn. The Kent barn. The place where he had spent years working alongside his father, where his most cherished memories had been made.
But something was different. The air was thick, charged with a strange energy that Clark couldn't quite understand. The barn, though unchanged in appearance, felt like it existed on the edge of another reality. It felt... *otherworldly*.
And there, standing before him, was Jonathan Kent.
His father.
Alive.
Clark's breath caught in his throat. "Dad? How... how are you here? You died. I—I saw it. I watched you die."
Jonathan's face, though worn by years of wisdom, was filled with a sadness Clark had never seen before. His voice, though calm, carried the weight of a truth that had been too heavy for too long. "I'm dead to you, son. But not for long. I've been given the chance to see you again. To speak with you, one last time."
Clark felt a wave of confusion and disbelief crash over him. His mind was spinning. "What... what's happening? Where am I? Is this... real?"
Jonathan's expression softened, and for a moment, it was as though the years between them fell away. "You're standing at the edge, son. At the threshold. The world you knew is gone. The one you were meant to protect... it's lost. But there's something new waiting for you now."
Clark's heart twisted as the reality of it all settled in. "No. No, this can't be real. I... I couldn't save them, Dad. I couldn't stop it. I—"
Jonathan raised a hand, cutting him off gently. "You did everything you could, Clark. But that's not what's weighing on you, is it?"
Clark's breath hitched, his chest tightening. His throat felt raw, like there was something stuck in it that he couldn't let out. He turned away, unable to meet his father's gaze. "I... I killed them, Dad. Every one of them. I—I didn't mean to, but I couldn't stop it. I thought... I thought I was saving them. Saving the world. But all I've done is destroy everything."
Jonathan stepped closer, his presence steady and calm. "You didn't just kill them, son. You killed *everything*. You took the choice away from them. The one thing that makes them human—their right to live. You thought you were ending their suffering, but in the end, you ended them. And you've carried that weight ever since."
Clark's fists clenched, and he turned away from his father, pacing the small space of the barn. "I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing. I had no choice. Every time, I thought if I could just stop one more tragedy, save one more life, it would all be worth it. But now... I can't escape it. Every life I took... it haunts me."
Jonathan's voice was gentle, but it cut through Clark's turmoil like a knife. "Killing changes you, Clark. It doesn't matter how noble the reason. You can't take a life without it leaving a mark on your soul. You thought you were saving them. But you were really saving yourself from the fear of losing more. The truth is, son, you were never meant to be the judge. You were meant to be the hope, the protector—not the executioner."
Clark's heart broke at his father's words. He collapsed to his knees, his voice barely above a whisper. "I failed them. I failed you. I've ruined everything."
Jonathan knelt beside him, his hand on Clark's shoulder, offering comfort in a way only a father could. "No, son. You didn't fail. But you've been carrying a burden that wasn't meant for you. The path you've walked... it doesn't have to be the end."
Clark shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "I've lost everything. I've destroyed everything. How can I ever... how can I ever fix this?"
Jonathan sighed, his expression filled with the kind of quiet understanding Clark had never truly appreciated until now. "The world you knew is gone, son. But the world you'll create? It hasn't been written yet. You still have the power to choose what comes next. Redemption isn't about fixing what's broken—it's about moving forward. You can still choose to be the man you were meant to be."
Clark looked up at his father, the weight of those words settling deep in his chest. The world that had crumbled beneath his feet was no more. And yet, in this new place—this strange, liminal space—he was being given a second chance.
"I don't know if I can forgive myself," Clark whispered, the enormity of the choice ahead of him almost too much to bear.
"You don't have to do it all at once," Jonathan said softly, a faint, reassuring smile crossing his face. "You just have to start. Start by remembering who you really are, Clark. Not the power you hold, not the mistakes you've made... but the heart that beats inside you. You're not alone in this. You never were."
As Jonathan's words filled the air, the barn around them began to shimmer, the familiar walls fading into an ethereal glow. The world, or whatever this place was, was calling Clark forward, pulling him toward something new.
The light around him grew brighter, pulling him into its grasp. The old world was gone. The new one was waiting.
And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Clark felt a flicker of hope. Not for the world he had lost, but for the world that awaited him.
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