Light.
Not warm.
Not cold.
Just… white.
Axel was the first to sit up.
"Daniel…?"
"Here," his brother replied, looking around. "If this is heaven, I expected something less minimalist."
A soft laugh echoed behind them.
"This isn't heaven."
A man appeared sitting on a chair that hadn't been there before. He dressed like someone who could pass unnoticed in any city.
"I'm Rob."
Axel felt something strange, as if he were being read from the inside out.
Daniel frowned.
"Are we dead?"
"Yes."
Silence.
"So… what now?" Daniel asked.
Rob observed them as if examining two interesting pieces on a table.
"Nothing in particular."
Axel blinked.
"Nothing?"
"Well… there was a small error. Only one of you was supposed to be here."
Daniel raised his hand when he noticed Rob's gaze and said with a nervous smile:
"Let me guess. Not me."
Rob smiled faintly.
"Correct."
Daniel sighed.
"Fantastic. I can't even die properly."
Axel clenched his fists and, worried about his brother, asked:
"So… what happens to him?"
Rob shrugged.
"Nothing serious. It was a technical accident. And I enjoy fixing accidents, so I'll send him to the same world I was sending you to—just without the same gifts."
'Enjoy?'
Axel felt a chill run down his spine.
"Where are you sending us?" he asked.
The void rippled and showed fleeting images: a city lit with a red S in the sky, a bat perched on a gargoyle, a planet of eternal fire.
"The DC Comics universe."
Daniel lit up. As a DC fan, it felt like a gift—yet he still asked cautiously:
"The one with Superman and Batman? That DC?"
"That one."
Axel swallowed. He barely knew anything about that world; unlike his brother, he preferred Marvel.
'A world where gods walk…'
He tried to calm himself, thinking they would be sent together and could help each other.
Rob looked at them casually.
"Remember, I don't have a mission for you. You owe me nothing. I expect nothing. I just hope you're not like the other lunatics I sent before who started cults to worship me."
Daniel frowned.
"Then why send us? What's the purpose?"
Rob rested his chin on his hand.
"Because I can. And because it will be interesting."
Silence.
Rob looked at Daniel first.
"As compensation for the error… I'll give you a simple power."
In front of Daniel appeared the image of a man floating with a cape and glowing eyes.
"I'll give you the same powers as Homelander. Congratulations."
Daniel felt warmth bloom in his chest.
"Flight, super strength, laser vision?"
Daniel smiled slowly.
'I could fly over Metropolis… pretend to be a kryptonian and make Superman my little brother…'
"Not bad for a mistake," he muttered.
Rob turned toward Axel.
The pressure in the air changed.
"You were meant to receive something more complex."
Burning symbols appeared around him.
"Power of Sunspot: absorption and conversion of solar energy."
"Demonic essence of Etrigan: hellfire, mystical resistance, connection to the arcane."
Axel's body trembled.
'Heat… and something dark… but controlled.'
"And," Rob continued, "you'll have your summons."
The void revealed female silhouettes, each radiating power.
"You'll be able to summon:
Mary Batson
SuperLand
J'onn J'onzz
Karen Starr
Laurel Kent
Wonder Woman
Lois Lane."
Daniel let out a low whistle.
"That's… unfair."
Axel could barely breathe.
"Will they be loyal?"
Rob shook his head with a smile.
"Nope."
Daniel widened his eyes.
"That's not fair. Then if you're not giving them loyalty, don't give it to me either. I don't want them tearing me apart the moment I summon them. I'd rather have a loyal group of Yautja, if that's not too much to ask."
"Request denied."
"But I'll give you the same number of crystals so you can use them on your summons—place them on them and configure a backstory, loyalty, or even love," Rob added with a grin.
'Then it's fine…'
Axel felt relieved, but as if remembering something, he asked cautiously:
"They'll be summoned unconsciously, right?"
"Maybe," Rob replied with a playful smile.
"You know, you could—"
Before he could finish, Rob interrupted.
"Don't abandon your Yautja fantasy. But since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you an army of Terraformers and even an object capable of restoring vitality to a half-dead planet and making it prosperous."
Daniel crossed his arms, pouting mentally.
'Not fair. Who is Axel, his relative or something?'
"What if we decide to destroy half the planet?"
Rob shrugged.
"Then the Justice League will react. Or maybe Darkseid will take interest. I don't care. I'm not a DC god or anything. Do whatever you want."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"That would be interesting too."
"You won't intervene?" Axel asked cautiously. He had no intention of destroying the world—he was just curious.
"No."
"Not even watch us?"
"Sometimes I'll look. Sometimes I won't. Who knows. So try not to get caught doing anything embarrassing."
Daniel laughed.
"You're the worst kind of god."
"I'm not your god," Rob corrected. "I'm just someone powerful and omnipotent."
The void began to crack.
Axel looked at his brother.
"I guess now we each do whatever we want."
Daniel smiled, his eyes beginning to glow red.
"I always wanted to see if I could beat a kryptonian… too bad I probably won't, unlike you."
Rob raised a hand.
Light swallowed them.
"Do whatever you want."
The world shattered.