Cough! Cough!
Even with Clark Kent's Kryptonian resilience, Alex's punch had actually made him cough.
Pain flared in his chest—real pain.
For the first time in his life, Clark felt his insides twist like a storm.
He almost vomited up his dinner from last night.
His wide, stunned eyes fixed on Alex, disbelief and shock written across his face.
> What kind of monster is this guy?!
---
Meanwhile, Alex casually dusted off his hands.
The faint glow of cosmic energy dissipated from Davis's limp form as Alex finished draining every last trace of power.
He tossed the boy aside like a broken doll, his tone calm—almost bored.
> "So, Clark," Alex said coolly, looking down at him,
"this is the great savior of Smallville? That's the extent of your 'justice'?"
A faint smirk curved his lips.
Then—
BANG!
He vanished.
In less than a heartbeat, Alex appeared right in front of Clark—so fast it was almost teleportation.
> "What—?!"
Clark's pupils dilated. His reflexes screamed.
That speed!
It wasn't just fast—it was beyond anything human, even Kryptonian!
Before he could even brace himself, Alex's fist slammed into him again.
THUD!
Clark's body arced through the air like a meteor, smashing into the ground with bone-jarring force.
Dirt and rock exploded around him.
When the dust settled, he lay half-buried in a crater.
He groaned, coughing up grit, struggling to get his bearings.
By the time he pushed himself up, Alex was already there—standing tall, hands clasped behind his back, like he'd been waiting for hours.
Composed. Unrushed.
Predator watching prey.
Clark's muscles coiled automatically. Every cell in his body screamed danger.
This man—
wasn't just strong.
He was terrifying.
---
ZAP!
Clark didn't hold back this time. His eyes flared crimson.
Twin beams of molten light burst forth, cutting through the air toward Alex with searing precision.
The ground hissed and bubbled under the heat of his heat vision.
But Alex didn't flinch.
He merely narrowed his eyes—
and twin scarlet rays ignited in return.
ZAP!
The beams collided midair.
The air between them warped, bending under the pressure of raw energy.
For a split second, they were evenly matched—
then Alex's power surged.
His beams pushed Clark's back, inch by inch, until—
BOOM!
The backlash exploded against Clark's chest, blasting him backward into the dirt once more.
He skidded several meters before stopping, smoke curling from his shirt.
> "Wh–What the… How is this possible?!"
Clark's voice shook with disbelief.
> "Your eyes… What did you just do?!"
He stared at Alex as though looking into a mirror from hell.
The same strength.
The same speed.
The same powers.
It didn't make sense.
Meteor freaks didn't have multiple abilities.
Their powers were unstable, chaotic—nothing like this.
And yet, the man before him…
was a perfect reflection.
> Could he be like me?
Another alien? From… the same planet?
Clark's chest tightened as realization began to dawn.
He swallowed hard.
> "Who are you really?" he demanded, voice low, tense.
---
Alex smiled faintly.
> "You can call me… Homelander."
> "Homelander…?"
Clark repeated the name slowly, his brow furrowing.
A flicker of understanding passed through his eyes.
> "You mean… you're from another planet too?"
Alex blinked once.
> …Well, that's one way to interpret it.
He almost laughed.
If Clark wanted to mistake him for an alien?
Sure. Let him.
After all, in this world, that story checked out perfectly.
A being who could fly, shoot lasers, shrug off punches from Superman himself—
yeah, Kryptonian was a pretty solid guess.
So why ruin the fun?
Alex's grin widened.
He decided to lean in.
> "Kal-El," he said solemnly, voice dripping with gravitas,
"you finally remember."
> "Kal-El…?"
Clark's brows knitted. The name rang faintly in his mind—like an echo he couldn't quite place.
He had seen the strange ship in the barn. He did know he wasn't human.
But his true name?
His planet?
He didn't know any of that yet.
Alex saw the confusion—and barely contained his laughter.
This Clark was still green. Still naive.
Perfect.
> "That's your real name," Alex continued smoothly.
"Your Kryptonian name."
> "Kryptonian?" Clark whispered, his eyes trembling.
"So that's… where I'm from?"
For the first time, Clark Kent felt the word home and alien collide inside his chest.
It all suddenly made sense.
The powers. The strength. The loneliness.
Everything.
(Meanwhile, Davis—completely forgotten—was long gone, sprinting through the woods like his life depended on it.)
> "Yes," Alex said gravely.
"That's our home."
> "Then… why were we sent to Earth?"
Clark's tone was raw, trembling—like a boy grasping for answers that could finally fill the void in his life.
Alex's face didn't even twitch.
He recited the Krypton backstory like he was reading from a script.
The dying planet.
The doomed civilization.
The desperate parents who sent their children to survive among the stars.
Clark listened, eyes wide, completely enraptured.
Every word fit.
Every lie slid perfectly into the cracks of his doubts.
And when Alex finished, Clark could barely breathe.
> "And… what about you, Homelander?" he asked softly.
"Who are you to me?"
Alex smiled, his voice lowering into something darkly amused.
> "Kal-El," he said with mock solemnity,
"I'm your big brother."
He paused—
then chuckled under his breath.
The idea of Superman calling him "big brother"?
Now that was a fantasy worth playing out.
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