I saw them Nightwing, Superboy, Donna Troy, Wally West.
They moved towards me, but it was Donna who reached me first, her Raven hair catching the light as she wrapped me in a warm, tight hug. "Cain, It's good to see you." "I missed you," I admitted.
Then Wally swooped in with his usual grin, followed closely by Conner who gripped me in a bear hug, lifting me clean off the ground with a booming laugh. Barbara and M'gann smiled from a few feet away, their expressions softening at the sight. "I swear, you've gotten heavier," Conner said, setting me down with a grin.
"More like denser," Wally quipped. "Probably all that Viltrumite muscle." "Knock it off," Donna said, elbowing him. "We're not here to make jokes." Dick stepped up next. His voice carried that same calm leadership it always had. "It's really good to see you, Cain. I'm sorry I've been a stranger."
Donna added, "We should've come to visit. We should've reached out especially after the Tower was rebuilt. We didn't mean to leave you in the dark." I raised my hand. "No. This isn't on you. I distanced myself, too."
I looked away, shame briefly flashing through me. "I couldn't have gone back to the Tower. Not after that day." My voice lowered. "I don't know who I killed. I wish I could say I remembered. But Roy… Garfield… I wish I could've helped them."
Dick put a firm hand on my shoulder. "Cain. None of that was your fault. Not what happened that day. Not the aftermath." Donna nodded. "You saved all of our lives. We were losing. If you hadn't stepped in, more of us would've died."
"Yeah," Wally chimed in. "I owe you my life man." Conner leaned on a nearby pillar. "So… what's with the all-hands-on-deck call? I mean, I know Diana's not one for dramatic entrances unless it's serious."
He wasn't wrong. Everyone could feel it. The tone in the room had shifted. Then the doors at the far end of the hall parted. Wonder Woman entered with her usual grace and intimidating presence her face somber. Behind her, Batman walked in his expression unreadable beneath the cowl and beside him Superman.
The room went silent.
Every League and Titan member turned to face them. Some sat straighter. Some stayed standing Others looked at me. Guilt. Sadness. Restraint. I saw it all in the eyes of Black Canary, Hawkwoman the Diana spoke, her voice echoing through the chamber.
"We are here tonight to get to the bottom of an incident that has haunted this League for five years." She stopped at the head of the long Justice League table. "The attack by Omni-Man and his son on the League and the Titans was one of our darkest moments. But deeper still was the aftermath—the disappearance of two of our own and the treatment of their son."
She looked at me directly. "Jonathan and Aster Dawn." A murmur rippled through the crowd. Diana held up her hand. "They were heroes. Parents. Allies. And yet… no one has spoken of what became of them. No closure. No memorial. Just silence."
She turned her eyes toward Bruce and Clark. "And we are here to end that silence. Tonight, Cain will speak. And the League and Titans will listen." The hall fell into absolute stillness. I felt dozens of eyes on me.
The hall was silent.
Diana stood tall at the center of the room, the golden light from above catching on the polished trim of her armor. Her presence alone demanded respect, but tonight, there was a heaviness in her voice that weighed down the air.
"We are gathered to uncover the truth," she began, "but before Cain shares what he has found, let us remember how this began. She turned to the League members, then to the Titans.
"Five years ago, Omni-Man—once considered an ally—betrayed this League. He killed several members. Atom Smasher fell first. Then Hal Jordan." Gasps rippled through the younger Titans. Some already knew. Most didn't.
"He attacked without warning," Diana continued, her tone now sharpened. "And alongside him was his son, Invincible. The Titans fought bravely. Many of you here today stood on that battlefield. Others… did not make it home."
She turned to me, her eyes encouraging. I stepped forward. I held the black flash drive in my hand. Then I handed it to Diana. She walked to the Justice League command terminal embedded in the table's surface, inserted the drive, and activated the projection systems.
The holographic feed played. A dusty plain. Smoke in the air. The footage was grainy, but the scene was clear. Omni-Man stood at the center. Blood covered his uniform. Then came my parents—Breaker and Aster. Fighting him with ferocity. Precision. Unity. They weren't fighting to survive.
They were fighting to stop him. And then… Batman appeared. He held something small—metallic, glowing blue, with shifting energy radiating from its core. He said nothing. The flash of light that followed was blinding. When the footage resumed, my parents were gone. Only Omni-Man remained. Then Superman entered the scene, crashing into Nolan with unstoppable force. The video ended. For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Conner stepped forward, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief. "What the hell was that?" His voice echoed in the chamber. Others followed. Eyes turned. Toward Batman Diana did not break her gaze. "Many of you are surprised by this footage. Some of you… are not."
Her voice dropped just slightly in tone, but not in strength. "I cannot speak for Omni-Man. His actions are clear. He made his choices and left blood on the ground. But Cain's parents—Breaker and Aster—fought him. You all saw it. Their intent was to stop a threat, not aid one."
She turned. "And yet, they were erased." Then she looked at Batman. Her voice was steel. "Whatever your reasons, Bruce… what did you do to them?" The entire room tensed. Batman, standing near the rear flank of the central platform, stepped forward. Slowly.
He didn't hide. He didn't hesitate. "I sent them to the Phantom Zone," he said. A wave of shock rippled across the assembly. My eyes widened The blood in my body turned cold