Vahl-Or looked upon the shrunken city of Kandor. The last remnants of Krypton. The reason he had stayed here when news that Brainiac had simply vanished after coming to this system brought him here in the first place.
"You're really taking them."
"Kal-El, I am TIRED. I do not feel like wasting our time with anoth-"
"I'm not going to fight."
Vahl-Or turned around to look at Kal-El. He didn't look tense or ready for a fight. If anything, he looked RESIGNED.
"Well, okay," Vahl-Or said awkwardly, not really sure how to respond to that. "Why?"
Kal-El looked up at him. "You were right."
"...About what."
"Kandor's state, my ignorance, hell, even comparing me to LUTHOR."
"Yes, I read what happened to the Lexorians."
"*sigh* I was acting like a child."
Vahl-Or smiled humorlessly. "Yes, well, it's not like I was much better today."
Superman got confused at that.
"What, why so surprised? When you showed actual remorse and a desire to fix your mistake, I responded by losing my temper like a toddler and knocking you into unconsciousness. I selfishly left Kandor here to beat up a remorseful soul.
So yeah, I'm a hypocrite, too."
Despite that, Superman just looked more guilty.
"You actually had a good reason. You didn't let dozens of people die right next to y-"
"Don't. What's done is done, as sad it is. We can only move forward. I have nothing but time to help the residents of Kandor."
Vahl-Or took a breath. "And for what it's worth, I understand the desire to protect an adopted homeworld."
"What? How-"
"I... was a few years old, when Krypton died. My parents didn't use a ship to get me out. They used Technomancy. Sent me around 10000 years, Krypton-standard, back in time to a planet that occupied the same place in the galaxy. Was meant to be 100, but one wrong Rune screwed that over. Hardest part was, they told me I couldn't save them. One paradox would be all it took to wipe the whole of reality out and start it over. They told me how brighter suns would give me power, and long life. Said to save Kandor. I saw the fires reaching them before the spell took hold. When I grew up, I was obsessed with protecting my new home. When I... failed with that, finding Kandor was the only thing keeping me going."
"I... I'm sorry."
"Not your fault, Kal-El. Even with dozens of therapists, living as long as I have... it gets to you."
"Why tell me all of this? Why now."
Vahl-Or looked Kal-El in his eyes.
"Because despite all of this, I don't hate you, Kal-El. I understand the need to help others. It's why I got so mad. I couldn't get how you didn't see their life fade. The only example I've ever had for our power was myself. When you showed up, I had been expecting a self-centered sociopath. But you're not that. You CARE. In some ways, too much. And I understand the drawbacks to that all too well. Besides, I'm far too old to hold grudges."
They both stood in silence for a few seconds.
"So," Kal-El said, "what now?"
"Now, we part ways. Kandor isn't going to unshrink itself. And you've got a news job to get to, 'Clark.'"
"My cousin, Kara, she had a friend in Kandor. Could she... visit when Kandor is restored?"
"Of course. I'd extend the offer to you, but I'm not sure how the Kandorians will feel about you."
"Yeah, they do deserve to know why they were still in there for another 5 years."
"Yes, well, I guess this is farewell, Kal-El."
Vahl-Or extended his hand. Clark took it.
"Farewell, Vahl-Or."
"For what it's worth, I do believe you're a good person, Kal-El."
In between one blink and the next, Vahl-Or and the shrunken city of Kandor were gone.
Superman sat down in a nearby chair, and put his head in his hands. Despite Vahl-Or's reassurances, he couldn't stop the feeling of guilt.
He had looked back upon his memories of Kandor, and removed a mental filter, reigniting the ability to see what he could best describe as "auras." He had put a mental block on that ability when he was young, and flipping the switch back on had let him see the truth.
Some of the lights that were there at the beginning were gone in later memories. Some of those people... were dead.
/Scene Shift/
As his ship exited the Sol System, Vahl-Or let out a sigh as the auto-pilot activated. Even with the warp drive and the Waypoints he had set up, this was a long journey. Kandor was secured. He couldn't fly himself all the way there with passengers.
As the first Waypoint showed up in front of him, he let his eyes close for sleep for the first time in 20 years.
'New Krypton, here we come.'
--------------------
AN:
Not entirely sure about this chapter.
I wanted Vahl-Or and Superman to part on understanding terms, if not friendly ones. The whole techno-magic time travel thing was always meant to be part of his departure from Krypton, and I couldn't really think of a better way or time for him to explain it to Superman. Time travel was the only way for him to have the same golden skin tone as Superman Prime.
And remember, there is no multiverse in this story. The Speed Force is the only reliable form of Time Travel that comes paradox-free. If he removed the reason for him going back in the first place, bye-bye universe.
Waypoints are just intangible wormhole machines he built to make space travel easier.