In a remote corner of the universe, a planet on the brink of destruction floated alone in the vastness of space. The sky was shrouded in a thick, oppressive gloom, casting a shadow over the desolate terrain below. A lazy red sun hung in the sky, emitting a feeble glow that struggled against the encroaching darkness. The landscape was barren and inhospitable, where winds whipped up clouds of dust, mingling with sparse vegetation, making the atmosphere suffocating. In this land of despair stood a city that seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie, infused with the essence of futuristic technology, where metal and light danced together in a dizzying spectacle.
"Boom!" The city's cacophony was abruptly shattered by an outburst of chaos. Small spacecraft whirled around, firing upon one another, as explosions erupted, intertwining with the sounds of destruction, seemingly narrating tales of hopelessness and struggle. Yet, in one corner of the city, my bedroom remained eerily tranquil, the cleanliness of the room starkly contrasting with the turmoil outside. I lay on the bed, a golden-haired girl clad in white, peacefully asleep.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Suddenly, the ground shook violently, as if the very earth were trembling.
"What's happening? An earthquake?" The tremendous tremors jolted me awake, disoriented and still grasping for clarity. Before I could comprehend the situation, a middle-aged white woman burst through the door.
"Kara, hurry! There's no time!" Her voice was urgent, tinged with a palpable tension, as though she were speaking in a language I had never heard before. Yet, curiously, I understood her perfectly, as if her words had been imprinted in my mind, an instinctive understanding.
Before I could inquire about what was happening, the woman seized my hand, pulling me into a frantic escape. As we dashed out of the room, I was confronted by a tunnel imbued with a futuristic aesthetic, its metallic walls flickering ominously under dim lights. I glanced down at the woman's rough yet warm hand gripping my small one, and a wave of unease and confusion washed over me. What on earth is going on?!
Confused, I looked down only to realize that I was no longer myself. I was roughly 150 centimeters tall, with long blond hair cascading over my shoulders, not to mention finally pain-free. Struggling to maintain my composure, I suppressed the urge to break free and decided to follow this unfamiliar woman, hoping to unravel the mysteries of my surroundings.
After a frantic two or three minutes of running, we arrived at a spacious hall. In the center stood a middle-aged man who, upon seeing us, let out a long sigh of relief. He leaned down slightly, placing a hand on my shoulder, his voice laced with urgency: "Kara, your spacecraft's coordinates are locked. You'll be heading to Earth with your cousin, Kal-El."
As his words registered, the scene before me began to blur. The man's chest was emblazoned with an S-shaped symbol, causing my heart to race and my pupils to constrict. I lifted my gaze, guided by a mix of unfamiliarity and an odd sense of recognition, and asked with a tremor in my voice, "Is this Krypton?"
The middle-aged couple exchanged glances, the woman gently stroking my hair and whispering, "Kara, don't be afraid. It's a long journey, but you'll be sleeping for most of it." They interpreted my emotions as fear, unaware of the storm brewing within me.
"The sun on Earth is yellow. It will grant you great power. When you get to Earth, you must take care of your cousin..." As she spoke, a wave of intense confusion and shock surged through me. My worst fears had been confirmed: I've crossed over into a world on the verge of exploding, and I've become Superman's cousin!
One of my last identities was Illyasviel von Einzbern. Just moments ago, I had met my defeat at the hands of Gilgamesh, despite having prior knowledge of the events of the Fifth Holy Grail War and my meticulous planning. I could not change Illyasviel's destiny and died, only to awaken in a completely different universe.
"Boom!" Before I could process further, I noticed the ground at the tunnel's end fracturing, molten lava surging forth. The middle-aged woman tightly embraced me, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"There's no time! We have to go!" the man urged, swiftly picking me up and placing me inside a nearby oval-shaped spacecraft. A transparent shield rose at the craft's front, isolating us from the chaos outside.
Inside the spacecraft, I turned to look at my middle-aged parents, their faces etched with sorrow and concern. Tears welled up in their eyes. I'm so sorry, Mom, Dad, I whispered, my voice barely audible. Memories of my childhood flashed before my eyes, and tears sprang into my own. I cursed the fact that my memories had awakened too late, too late to change anything. Yet, I knew my survival was paramount. Biting back my anxiety, I averted my gaze from their tearful faces.
The spacecraft ascended automatically, accelerating swiftly as it shot out of the tunnel and into the depths of space.
"Bang! Whoosh!" I witnessed through the shield the planet's molten fury erupting, buildings collapsing like cards, and crowds of people consumed by the searing lava. As the spacecraft picked up speed, I felt myself gradually escaping Krypton's gravitational pull, entering the boundless void of space. I gazed into the infinite cosmos, finally exhaling in relief as a contradictory feeling overcame me: I'm safe, but my parents...!
However, just as I believed I was out of danger, a deafening explosion erupted behind me. The spacecraft lurched violently, slamming me against the walls of the craft!
"Beep beep beep beep beep..." A series of alarms blared within the spacecraft. Due to the impact, it lost control, spiraling uncontrollably through the vastness of space. Fortunately, the cabin's advanced technology mitigated the initial jolts, sparing me from severe disorientation or dizziness.
"Energy absorption complete!" a voice echoed in my mind.
Recognizing the voice, I exclaimed in surprise, "Titania, where have you been all this time?"
As soon as I finished speaking, a small creature materialized before me. Golden hair, long and flowing, cascaded down its back, framing a pair of emerald green eyes. Delicate butterfly wings, like snowflakes painted with stardust.
"Uh?" Titania answered in a confused tone, "I have been with you since your rebirth."
"Ah, I remember that. Sorry, my memories are a bit confused since my past life's memories have just awakened. My life on Krypton feels more like a distant past." I sighed, taking a moment to recollect before continuing, "That's not what I mean, though. I couldn't reach you when I was in the Nasuverse."
Images of my disbelief when Titania spoke of the future destruction of Krypton filled my mind, as well as our subsequent actions. We did what we could, but it all fell on deaf ears. A sense of relief washed over me, but failure left me with a bitter aftertaste, especially now that I remembered my parents' choice to stay behind.
Titania fluttered her wings, flying right in front of me. Confusion marred her face as she stated, "I don't know about the Nasuverse, mistress. The last thing I remember before your rebirth on Krypton was enacting our plan to escape from the Terror Infinity Universe."
"Yeah, things didn't really go as planned there," I sighed.
Though unsure of what happened, the fact that I was reborn as Illyasviel von Einzbern could only mean one thing: I died. And the fact that Titania, with whom I had a soul connection, was unreachable was probably due to the Counter Force. Either way, all of that didn't matter right now. With the spacecraft now damaged, I had no desire to drift in space—survival was the only thought occupying my mind.
Suddenly remembering our previous plan, my face turned hopeful. "I hope you have enough energy to make the jump to this universe's Earth. I don't feel like spending the next couple of decades wandering in space."
"Yes, mistress," Titania chirped cutely, as if she were asking for praise. But all of a sudden, the little fairy's face darkened, and she quickly created some distance, as much as possible in the cramped cockpit of the escape pod, as if afraid of me, and said, "But I refuse!"
The corners of my lips twitched ever so slightly. "You're refusing to help your friend and creator after all we've been through?" My voice was steady, without any inflection.
The little fairy visibly shivered. "Firstly, it's future you who created me, and secondly, precisely because of all we've been through, I can't in good conscience help you get to Earth. I was willing to help you before, but now that your memories are back..."
"You think I'm a danger to Earth," I said, sounding somewhat sad and disappointed; it was hard to tell if I really meant it or not.
"Mistress," Titania began, "As Gu Yuena, you rallied all the spirit beasts on Douluo Planet and destroyed the Sun Moon Continent, the Star Luo Continent, and the Douluo Continents, ultimately forcing the gods to change the rules to allow spirit beasts to enter the divine realm."
I smirked a little, trying to stifle nervous laughter but soon regained my composure. "They kind of had it coming... they were hunting our kind into extinction just to get stronger. What would you have done?"
"What about your destruction of Konoha when you were Naruko, not to mention what you did afterward?" Titania continued, feeling a little more sure of herself.
My cheeks, still containing some baby fat, started to color crimson from embarrassment as I thought about my past actions. "Okay, I may have gone overboard there, but clearly, Konoha had it coming for the way they treated me. I mean, who the hell pokes a bear for years and expects to get away with it? You can't possibly blame the bear when it decides to bite back. That old Hokage never lifted a finger to stop the 'poking,' so yeah, they had it coming."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, but what about your actions in Date A Live and in the One Punch Man universe?" Titania, now more confident upon seeing my previous reactions, hovered closer and lectured me like a diminutive teacher. "No wonder you keep ending up being hunted down and killed!" she chastised me.
Suddenly, my hand became extremely interesting as I tried my best to avoid Titania's gaze. "You think I'll be a bad influence on baby Kal-El, don't you?"
"Yeah, imagine having two crazy supers around; wouldn't that be the Injustice storyline all over again, only worse?"
My blue, determined eyes met the fairy's green ones once again as I spoke, "You don't need to worry about that. I know that I'm not a saint, nor will I ever be. Besides, I wasn't planning to hang around on a farm in Kansas or something. After my experiences in the Nasuverse, I can honestly say that my previous behavior, though it brought solutions and satisfaction, was short-sighted. Kiritsugu's life was enough proof for me, and..."
Suddenly, I realized the spacecraft was hurtling toward a massive blue vortex in the distance, lightning flashing at its core, striking nearby meteors into oblivion.
"Look, just get me out of here!" I screamed, startling the little fairy, who turned around and saw the approaching danger. "Coordinates set for Earth. Initiating teleportation now!"