Originally, I had planned to use the four crystals on the three Kryptonians and on Doomsday, but Kara's appearance completely changed my priorities.
I had to replace one on the list… or ignore her.
The decision made itself.
Without thinking too much about it, who would prefer having another guy when they could surround themselves with a beautiful woman?
Well, the members of the Justice League would lose a powerful Kryptonian, but in exchange they'd gain an even more formidable one. You're welcome. No need to thank me. Especially you, Superman. In the end, trading a cousin you barely share anything with for a cousin you can train with, fly with, and talk about "guy stuff" doesn't sound so bad.
~Sigh~
I hadn't even been in this world for a full day, and I'd already done my good deed of the day.
Jokes aside, I carefully laid Kara on the ground and pressed the crystal against her forehead.
The artifact began to glow with shifting lights, as if it contained a small universe within it. I felt the flow of energy run through my arms as I adjusted memories—gently, with surgical precision. I didn't erase her identity. I only added a shared past.
I didn't stop there.
Quickly summoning Power Girl and Superwoman, I repeated the process. One by one, the crystals did their work.
And so there I was, sitting on the ground, surrounded by three unconscious Kryptonians, each with a crystal resting on her forehead.
The changes weren't excessive.
In their memories, they had escaped Krypton together. Along the way, they had found me. We survived. We fought. We trusted each other. Closeness was born naturally, tempered by hardships and shared decisions. Over time, the bond transformed into something deeper.
They also believed I was a distant variant of their race, similar to Daxamites. A simple explanation… and a convenient one.
As I lifted my gaze toward the night sky, I allowed myself to think about the future.
"Maybe I should go to Mars," I murmured. "Build a fortress. Something discreet."
Was there life on Mars?
I didn't remember clearly. Oxygen or not, my physiology didn't need it.
Besides, I had an army of terraformers waiting for orders. And another "gift" from Rob that came along with them.
Many would think the logical thing would be to establish a base on Earth. Even conquer it.
But you didn't have to be a DC expert to know that this universe hid horrors worse than any army of modified cockroaches. And Earth, in particular, was full of dangerous variables.
If I tried to settle here, I had two clear problems.
The first: identity. Rob had been incredibly lazy. No documents, no prior history, no system to guide me. I was starting from zero.
The second problem… wore a black cape and distrusted absolutely everything.
Batman.
Even if I could face him now, I couldn't rule out the possibility of him finding some weakness of mine. I didn't remember whether Etrigan had clear weak points, but assuming he didn't would be stupid.
Power without caution was the prelude to ruin.
Low profile. Preparation. Time.
A soft sound pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned.
In front of me stood a young woman with grayish skin, bluish-violet eyes, and dark blue hair down to her shoulders. We stared at each other in silence, assessing one another.
Because, of course… anyone would freeze upon finding a lone man in a secluded place with three unconscious women.
I cleared my throat.
"Ahem… it's not what it looks like."
Before I could explain anything, the three Kryptonians woke up at the same time.
"Husband."
"Darling."
"Spouse."
The silence that followed was… dense.
"Hi," I finally said, forcing a smile. "My name is Axel. As you can see, I was camping with my wives. What is a young woman so… uh… so pretty doing in such a secluded place?"
Great. That sounded exactly like something a kidnapper would say.
The young woman watched me for a few seconds before replying:
"Raven."
My mind stopped.
'Raven?'
'Wait… that Raven?'
The Teen Titans.
First day in this world… and I was already running into another key piece.
I smiled inwardly.
Well… I'll have to think about how to integrate her into the team.
Or into the group.
"Raven," I repeated aloud. "Nice name."
I gave a smile… far too confident.
She took a step back.
"Are you a demon?" she suddenly asked.
That did catch me off guard.
"A demon? No," I replied after a pause. "Not at all."
I raised one hand making a peace sign, and with the other I improvised an awkward claw.
"I'm an alien. And I come in peace."
Raven blinked, clearly confused.