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"Which slightly historical town doesn't have a few strange tales?"
Clark scratched his head and chuckled.
"The unusual event of the meteor shower might have given everybody the opportunity to spread rumors of the strange stories."
"Perhaps."
Luthor didn't argue with this statement, just gave a light smile.
He had intended to invest in the tragic genius for vigorous research on meteorites but arrived a step too late.
However, it didn't matter. He had recently stumbled upon an incredible and mysterious object that might bring him a different kind of surprise.
'The 'magic lamp' from fairy tales that grants all wishes – is it real or fake?'
With a flicker in his eyes, Luthor paused for a moment, lost in thought. Then he bid farewell to the two and walked away with a smile on his lips.
"It's been a few days, and your acting skills have improved."
Watching Luthor leave, David spoke slowly.
There was hardly a flaw in Clark's expressions just now.
"Of course, it would be even better without those unnecessary gestures."
David had seen what he came here to see and gave his brother some suggestions and turned to head home.
Upon hearing his brother's praise, Clark couldn't muster any happiness. Looking at the body being wheeled out of the hospital room by nurses, preparing to be placed in the morgue below. He sighed, his mood slightly heavy.
"Meteorite..."
Yet another victim because of the meteorite.
If he hadn't brought the meteorite, Mr. Hamilton might still have been a respected scientist rather than the town's scientific oddity.
Sizzle... Zoomm!
Suddenly, jarring sounds pierced through Clark's ears, interrupting his thoughts.
The sounds of medical machines operating, the wheels of the bed being pushed, the scraping of the floor, the cries of patients, the wails of babies...
Various sounds invaded his ears, pounding against his eardrums like drums, overwhelming noise that impeded his ability to think.
"Ah... my ears."
Clark held his head, with a pained expression on his face, staggering back and finally sitting on a hospital bench with some difficulty.
"Another ability?!"
Control it, Clark. There's nothing to fear.
(T/N: This gave me a Run-Barry-Run vibe lol)
It's just another form of super-sensory ability. Clark, who had awakened superhuman vision before, had some experience in this area. He concentrated, convincing himself that he could control it, just like the last time David had told him.
With focused effort, the deafening waves of sound gradually became less piercing in his ears.
...
Luthor Manor.
Nighttime, in a quiet and uninhabited office.
Under the lights, Lex Luthor's gaze was deep as he meticulously handled an item in his hand.
"What a pleasant surprise I found during my last visit to the Metropolis Museum."
A gray stone with a cluster of yellow crystals growing from its base, bound by a brass antique hoop. Elaborate Latin inscriptions covered its surface, making it appear as an ancient handicraft.
However, the material was nothing special, and its age couldn't be determined. It had been added as an extra when the Metropolitan Museum acquired a batch of Egyptian artifacts. An Egyptian antiquities expert had deemed it a modern craft not worth a hundred dollars.
Lacking exhibition value, the crystal had been casually stored in the storeroom along with a pile of odds and ends.
"Is this a meeting of fate?"
During the process of being moved by security personnel, the crystal slipped from the top of a tall stack of boxes, falling over two meters to the ground, yet it remained intact.
Luthor possessed a certain ability to identify gems, and it was quite surprising that a crystal wouldn't shatter from such a fall. He picked it up politely and was about to hand it back to the security personnel, not paying much attention to it.
"Grasp this object and make a grand wish."
Behind his desk, Luthor softly recited the Latin inscriptions on the stone and brass hoop.
At that time, seeing those eight words, he thought of the various mysteries in the town.
"Just like the magic lamp in fairy tales that grants wishes, it's an interesting item."
Luthor, who had never believed in such things before, bought it on a whim.
Back at the mansion, he placed it as an interesting piece of craftsmanship on a bookshelf.
Yesterday, accidentally knocking it off the shelf, he found the crystal still intact on the floor. With his interest piqued, he discovered that the crystal was far harder than he had imagined.
"Although it's a crystal, it can't be smashed even with a hammer, and heating it to over a thousand degrees won't make it crack."
Luthor caressed the cold, hard crystal in his hand, his eyes gleaming with a hint of fervor.
After that, he tried various methods to break it, but nothing worked. It didn't even leave a mark; its hardness was beyond imagination.
"It's simply not something created by mere mortals."
On his nearby computer screen, he had the latest batch of data that he had paid a high price for. Alongside were photos of ancient inscriptions.
"Four thousand years ago, you appeared in the Indus Valley. In 146 BC, you suddenly appeared in Carthage. In 4 AD, the Kush Empire..."
"Romulus II, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, clutched you tightly before being assassinated..."
Luthor's voice was filled with a deep sense of melancholy.
"Mirror, Mirror, tell me, what secrets do you hold?"
Holding the stone, he chanted a spell reminiscent of wishing in a fairy tale.
One second, two seconds passed, and nothing happened.
Because he hadn't really wished for anything, his tone was even tinged with sarcasm.
He could confirm that this was an extraordinary and magical object, but either it had significant limitations on granting wishes, or it came at a great price.
"Otherwise, Romulus II would have ruled the world long ago, wouldn't he?"
Beneath the light, Luthor's face was half shrouded in darkness as he chuckled, his eyes filled with restrained ambition, muttering softly.
"I'm not in a hurry... I will slowly uncover your secret."
He would make his wish when the time was right, but he hadn't yet decided what he wanted to wish for.
"To understand all the secrets related to meteorites, or to become a modern Alexander and rule the world?..."
...
After a delightful and warm dinner.
With stars filling the sky and a cool breeze blowing.
David and Kyla stepped outside the farmhouse. As the only person in the family who was familiar with Kyla, David was asked by his parents to accompany her.
"Thank you for today."
After walking about ten meters, David broke the silence.
"It's nothing, Naman.
I'm willing to do anything for you."
With the moonlight on her feet, Kyla's face was tinged with faint joy.
"You're the destined savior."
"Can you not call me Naman?"
David raised an eyebrow slightly, expressing his discomfort.
He didn't endorse that prophecy. He hadn't cared much about how Kyla addressed him before, but now that she had become a friend of the family, his parents Martha and Jonathan liked this spirited and smart girl a lot.
"You've now had close contact with Clark.
The prophecy in your tribe about the world's destruction by a 'Sageeth,' certainly can't be him. Give him a girl and he'll be plenty flustered; how could he destroy the world?"
It was not surprising that aliens are a little different in the- so-called strength stronger than ten people and that their eyes can emit flames.
As for the notion of accompanying a rain of fire, that was probably a misunderstanding by people with underdeveloped technology witnessing a spaceship's descent and the ensuing flashes of light.
"But as for a savior..."
David's eyes betrayed a hint of helplessness.
The indigenous people at that time probably didn't even recognize continents; their world likely consisted only of mountains and valleys.
"Of course..."
Kyla smiled. She also found calling him "Naman" a bit distant. Her eyes brightened as she attempted to address him.
"Can I call you David?"
Seeing that David didn't resist, she wrinkled her brows and continued.
"Your brother Clark at this time indeed seems unrelated to destruction and ruin."
Kyla recalled her interactions with Clark. He was shy and kind-hearted, becoming anxious when his family was in danger.
"But... even a cold-blooded alligator looks cute when it's just born."
Nonetheless, she wouldn't easily dismiss the prophecy that had circulated for five hundred years in her tribe.
"Lions have a bloodthirsty nature inherent within; even if they resist their fate, they can't survive on grass alone, and sooner or later their fangs will show."
David: "..."
...
"Naman? Sageeth?
Destroy the world, me?"
Standing in the warehouse attic, watching his brother see off Kyla some tens of meters away, Clark, who had just finished dinner and secretly practiced his new ability, wore a bewildered expression.
He had overheard something strange during David and Kyla's conversation.
It seemed like they were discussing something peculiar.
They had mentioned something about him being a Sageeth, having an inherently bloodthirsty nature, and potentially bringing about the world's destruction?
'Is this some kind of joke?'
David had just sent off Kyla and returned. Climbing up to the observatory that was perfect for stargazing and enjoying the breeze, Clark looked at his brother ascending the stairs and couldn't help but speak up.
"David, what were you and Kyla talking about just now?"
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