"What are you talking about?" Hal looked at Wade with exasperation. "Ever since your own face got ruined, you've cursed me so many times. Even if you're jealous of my looks, that doesn't mean you need to keep wishing for me to be covered in green light! Who in their right mind would end up glowing green anyway?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden flash of green light darted in through the window and shot directly into Hal's chest.
"What the…?" Hal was stunned, feeling a solid jolt as the green light entered his body. This was no illusion. Just a second ago, Wade had been muttering curses about green light, and now, one had entered him. Hal wasn't about to believe this was a coincidence!
"Pickled radish, don't eat it!" Wade exclaimed, launching into an odd string of words. "So, it's finally happening; I really had to witness this. Damn it—my handsome face is really about to be tied to green light?"
"Wade! This wasn't some trick of yours, was it?" Hal demanded, eyeing Wade suspiciously. "You're always talking about supernatural events and your connections with the Avengers. Is this one of your little stunts?"
Hal and Wade had always been close, partly due to their striking resemblance, which often led people to mistake them for twins. And they were indeed family—Wade's mother and Hal's mother were sisters, making them cousins who'd been tight since childhood. Though Hal often found Wade unreliable, especially after Wade's face had been disfigured. Since then, Wade had taken on some rather eccentric traits, even occasionally pestering Hal to "take care of their shared handsome face," which Hal found deeply unsettling.
On top of that, Wade had this habit of mentioning strange things about "green light," so much so that Hal couldn't help but develop a slight fear of it. Now, with green light literally in his body, Hal was even more unnerved.
"Hey, this one isn't on me. As much as I hate the idea of my old face tied to green light, this is the combined universe we live in. Dark DC next door is basically fused into us now; it's hard not to see you ending up like this!" Wade sighed. "Too bad this isn't my solo movie, or I'd have traveled back in time already to prevent all this. Or just shot the guy with a pretty face so we wouldn't end up cursed with green light…"
Hal's initial confusion was now complete bewilderment; he could barely understand Wade. But before he could say anything else, a green sphere appeared around him, encasing him like a cage and carrying him straight out the window.
"Wade! Knock it off!" Hal shouted back toward his room, still convinced Wade was behind this. "Let me go right now, or I swear I'll… I'll get fat and ruin this face of yours!"
"Don't even think about it!" Wade yelled back, alarmed. Hal was Wade's last reminder of his pre-scarred face. Even if Hal had to live with green light around him, Wade still wanted to preserve that resemblance. But if Hal actually got fat, that would ruin everything! Wade immediately jumped out the window, chasing after Hal. Unfortunately, no matter how superhuman Wade's enhancements were, he couldn't keep up with Hal's high-speed, green-lit flight.
"Damn it! I've always looked down on Green Lanterns, but I forgot—even a rookie Lantern is way stronger than me. Unless I undergo some extreme transformation, there's no way I could match up…" Wade muttered to himself as he flagged down a car to continue pursuing the green light carrying Hal.
In his frustration, Wade also rambled about the larger, newly unified world they lived in, full of superheroes and supernatural events. If he wanted to get stronger, he'd have to either seek out another such event, wait for a new Avengers breakthrough, or join an official organization. Lately, those organizations had been unusually quiet, which could only mean they were cooking up something big.
"Wait… so Wade really isn't behind this?" Hal, soaring through the sky in the green sphere, glanced back at Wade, still chasing from below, and grew even more confused. If he hadn't been influenced by Wade's green light obsession, Hal might have been somewhat thrilled by this experience. But Wade's unreliable presence made him wary of what it all meant.
Despite his apprehension, Hal couldn't deny his training as a pilot gave him a thrill from flying. But this was entirely different—uncontrolled, and alarming, especially when he suddenly began plummeting toward the ground!
"Ahhhh!" he shouted as he fell. Fortunately, he wasn't high enough up to be hurt badly, landing safely by a deserted pier.
Pushing himself up, Hal glanced around, relieved, until he spotted a crashed alien spaceship nearby. "Is this… wait, not a supernatural event, but an alien one? The ship looks damaged… was there an accident in space?"
Having witnessed the Battle of New York and seen alien technology in his work as a pilot, Hal wasn't overly surprised. Instead, he hurried over to the downed alien to help him out.
"You okay? Can you understand me?" Hal asked, attempting communication.
"I understand every language in the cosmos, especially from this backward planet," the alien responded weakly. "I am Abin Sur, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, assigned to this sector of the galaxy. There's no time to explain everything, but remember this…"
Abin handed Hal a green ring and pointed to the glowing lantern inside the ship. "Take the ring and the lantern. Use their power to contact the Green Lantern Corps and warn them that Parallax has broken free. We must find a way to imprison it again…"
As Abin spoke, he held Hal's gaze with a look of utmost seriousness, as though entrusting him with a last hope.
"Why me? Earth has the Avengers for supernatural threats. They wouldn't act if the issue doesn't threaten Earth directly…" Hal mumbled awkwardly, glancing at Abin's green uniform and the glowing lantern.
"Earth's defenses are useless against Parallax. It could destroy any civilization. If you want to save your planet, you must join the Green Lantern Corps. Only with their help can we face this threat together!" Abin's voice grew intense, seeing Hal's hesitation.
"But why me? I'm just an ordinary guy…" Hal hesitated, resisting the idea of joining the Green Lanterns.
"The ring chose you, not me. You are the only one on this planet worthy of joining the Green Lantern Corps," Abin replied gravely.
"Seriously? I don't buy it!" Hal scoffed, mimicking Wade's typical sarcasm. "Look, Earth's full of talented people. I might be good in some fields, but I'm definitely not one of a kind."
Hal had no illusions about himself. As a pilot, he excelled at aerial combat, capable of rivaling AI, but that was it. Since Earth adopted advanced alien technology, much of a pilot's duties were automated. Hal's future, like those of many pilots, was destined to be replaced by smarter aircraft and central control systems, leaving them obsolete. His recent reckless stunt had only been an attempt to prove his worth.
"No! Believe in yourself! This is my final wish. Please, don't let me die unfulfilled, and don't let Parallax destroy your world…" Desperate, Abin forced the ring into Hal's hand, issuing his final plea before his life slipped away.
"Wait, you can't just… are you dead?" Hal froze, bewildered. Even after years of dealing with Wade's antics, he found himself stumped by Abin's manipulative determination. Now, with Abin dead, he had no choice but to keep the ring. It was impossible to return it now.
"Maybe I'm just too soft-hearted," Hal sighed, accepting Abin's last request. Retrieving the lantern from the ship, he muttered to Abin's lifeless body, "Can't just leave you here, either. I'll have to take care of you… and where's Wade? Was he really chasing me?"
As Hal spoke, he heard a car screech to a halt nearby.
"Damn it! I missed the whole thing!" Wade stepped out of the car, cursing as he noticed Hal holding the ring and lantern. "So you're really bound to that green light, huh? Did you just take the ring willingly?"
"What else could I do? He shoved the ring in my hand and made it his dying wish. I couldn't just throw it back at him, right?" Hal replied, exasperated. "You'd probably be heartless enough to hand it back, though."
"Of course! I'd just pretend none of this happened," Wade replied casually. "I say just toss the ring back in there."
"See, that's why you don't get morally manipulated," Hal remarked enviously. "But if I tried that, I'd be haunted by guilt and nightmares for the rest of my life."
"Fine, enjoy your life bathed in green light," Wade shrugged, heading back to the car. "But don't come near me with it. And never tell anyone we used to look alike."
"One more thing: don't assume this makes you powerful in the supernatural world. Even with the ring and lantern, you're not that strong here," Wade warned as he got back in the car.
"Wait! At least help me bury this guy's body! And the spaceship needs to be dealt with!" Hal shouted after him.
"If we don't leave, the authorities will be here soon. They're already closing in.
Where are the Avengers, anyway?" Wade muttered, pointing to the sky as he drove off, leaving Hal to his fate.
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