The Green Lantern Corps was known across the universe as a formidable force that prided itself on strength through willpower and imagination. But for all their bravado, they had rarely faced true terror. Now, confronted by the unimaginable power of Parallax, they found themselves deeply outmatched.
Parallax, a colossal being the size of a small planet, roared from its surface, shattering the web of green energy created by the Lanterns to ensnare it. The energy net tore apart, hurling the nearby Green Lanterns helplessly into space.
Sinestro struggled to steady himself, clinging to his ring's power. He was rattled—he had never thought Parallax would possess such terrifying strength. Sinestro had assumed that if Abin Sur had managed to defeat Parallax once, he could do the same. He hadn't considered that Abin's success might have come at great cost, or that the details of that battle had been lost to time along with the lives of those who had fought it.
Now, faced with Parallax's raw, overwhelming power, Sinestro and his team found themselves in over their heads. None of the Lanterns had the courage to stand their ground against Parallax's fearsome presence.
With a sickening hiss, a yellow beam shot from Parallax's mouth, targeting the scattered Green Lanterns. Sinestro barely managed to dodge, but the others weren't as lucky. As the beam made contact, each Lantern was overcome by an insidious terror. Despite the silence of the vacuum, Sinestro could almost hear their desperate screams.
Parallax's power was more than just a weapon; it was a terrifying distortion of energy that exploited the fear within each Lantern. Once injected with this yellow energy, their fear grew beyond what they could withstand. As their terror peaked, they withered, drained of life, their energy siphoned back to Parallax, leaving behind shriveled, lifeless husks.
The yellow beam was not a physical attack but an insidious infusion of terror, weakening its victims from within. The Green Lanterns were powerless, stripped of their will—the very source of their strength. Only those who could resist Parallax's fear had any chance of survival. But in this corps, no one, not even Sinestro, was immune.
As his comrades fell around him, Sinestro made no move to rally or avenge them. Instead, he turned and fled, abandoning the fight. All his high-minded talk of bravery and fearlessness evaporated as he raced to escape, leaving his fellow Lanterns to face Parallax alone.
As he fled, anger bubbled within Sinestro, but it was directed not at Parallax but at the Guardians of the Universe. The Guardians had led the Corps without sharing any knowledge of Parallax's terrifying capabilities. Sinestro had begun to suspect that Parallax's yellow energy, a manifestation of pure fear, was not entirely unrelated to the power the Guardians had harnessed for the Green Lanterns.
When he arrived back at Oa, Sinestro sought out the Guardians, fury lacing his voice as he confronted them. "We tracked Parallax. He's on his way to Oa, and he's slaughtered dozens of my comrades! Tell me everything about him—now!" Sinestro's eyes blazed as he addressed the council of silent, ancient beings.
One of the Guardians spoke up, his voice measured and somber. "We have always relied on willpower as our weapon against darkness. But in the early days, we debated using a different kind of energy, one we swore never to wield: the energy of fear."
Sinestro's eyes widened, his suspicions confirmed. He hadn't expected that Parallax was directly linked to the Guardians or that it was even possible. But he was about to learn even more.
"The power of fear was volatile, uncontrollable. We feared it would corrupt anyone who wielded it. One Guardian chose to prove us wrong, believing he could control it. But he was mistaken…" The Guardian continued, his voice tinged with regret.
"This Guardian went alone to the forbidden temple, where he sought to master the yellow energy of fear. He hoped to arm the Corps with another tool for battle. But the power consumed him. He became the very creature he sought to vanquish. He became… Parallax."
"Parallax was one of you?" Sinestro's mind reeled at the implications. He could hardly believe that Parallax's origins lay with the Guardians. He suspected that the Guardian had not acted alone, but that the council had supported his experiment and simply denied responsibility when it failed.
"When Parallax emerged, we tasked Abin Sur and others with imprisoning him. They succeeded, believing Parallax to be sealed forever…" the Guardian continued, voice heavy with resignation.
"Yet Parallax has escaped! He killed Abin Sur, slaughtered my comrades, and now he's coming to destroy Oa and the Corps!" Sinestro interrupted, his voice thick with barely contained rage.
"He has the power to devour fear, growing stronger with each terrified victim. We do not know if he has limits," the Guardian admitted quietly.
"Then we can't afford to sit by! We need to fight fire with fire!" Sinestro declared, his voice hard. "If Parallax wields fear, then we should too. We need a yellow power ring, one that channels fear. Only by wielding fear itself can we hope to stop him!"
The Guardians fell silent at Sinestro's words, giving him hope that they might heed his call. Unbeknownst to him, however, they had anticipated his plea. Much as they had allowed their fallen comrade to experiment with fear in the past, the Guardians now prepared to let Sinestro become the first Yellow Lantern, knowing that, if necessary, his enmity with Parallax would keep him in check.
As Sinestro embarked on his dangerous path, Earth remained blissfully unaware of the looming cosmic battle. Meanwhile, Hal caught up with Wade and shared his experiences in space.
"Hazings! That's all this Green Lantern Corps sounds like! They're less of a hero squad and more like a cosmic bully club!" Wade immediately jumped to Hal's defense. Then, grinning, he added, "By the way, think I could crash that party with you tonight? Been a while since I've hit up a good party. Maybe I'll find someone interesting…"
"If you keep that up, I'm calling Vanessa," Hal warned, his face serious.
"Just kidding, brother!" Wade laughed, quickly shifting gears. "Alright, if you're busy tonight, we'll swing by the Avengers tomorrow. We'll get you introduced properly."
Hal chuckled, not surprised by Wade's response. Wade's relationship with Vanessa was something of a mystery. He'd once thought Wade's flings never lasted, but his friend had surprised him. Even after Wade's disfigurement, Vanessa had stuck by him. Despite his crude humor, Wade had evidently found someone who cared for him.
As Wade left with Slade, he threw a playful jab back at Hal. "Hey, bro, don't go thinking about things you shouldn't be! Sure, we used to look a lot alike, but I've got more… stamina now. Got the healing factor, you know. Infinite energy, baby!"
"Please. Like I'm going to believe that," Hal laughed, refusing to concede. He wouldn't let Wade win, at least not verbally. After all, the Green Lantern ring had endless energy, too—whatever Wade could do, Hal could probably match it with his imagination.
That evening, Hal attended the business gala with Carol, held as a celebration of a new collaboration between her company and the one Hector and his father, Senator Hammond, were affiliated with. Though Hector, Carol, and Hal hadn't met in a long time, Hal and Carol saw each other nearly every day. Still, the evening felt nostalgic.
After the formal greetings and speeches, Hector spotted Carol and, taking a deep breath, approached her with a raised glass.
"Hey, Carol! Long time no see. Congratulations! I hope you and Hal make a name for yourselves in the aviation world," he said, clinking glasses with her.
"Thanks, Hector! You've done great too. I hope you keep shining in your field," Carol replied warmly, offering encouragement.
Buoyed by her kind words, Hector's enthusiasm grew. "Oh, I am shining, alright! I've recently been analyzing an alien body—not some low-level biological type like a Chitauri, but a true advanced specimen…" he boasted, unable to contain his excitement. His voice caught the attention of Hammond nearby.
"Hector spinning more sci-fi tales for you?" Hammond interrupted, smiling kindly as he cut off his son, subtly preventing him from revealing anything classified. But in his mind, Hammond's thoughts were less kind: "What's wrong with him? Doesn't he have any common sense? Why can't he keep his mouth shut?"
Hector heard his father's harsh thoughts and felt a mix of anger and frustration. All he wanted was to make an impression on Carol, not divulge confidential details.
Hadn't he been careful about what he said? He wasn't about to reveal everything about Abin Sur's body, after all. He just wanted to look impressive in front of Carol—was that so wrong?
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