But time was something he no longer had.
There were still too many planets left to search in the universe.
If he couldn't find Soren in this universe, he would continue to others.
Even though his lifespan matched the sun's longevity, the time he truly had left was far from enough.
Carrying his wounds, he pressed onward.
Stories of Superman began spreading to every corner of the universe.
He had visited countless stars, each one granting him brilliant light.
His strength and battle skills were a perfect fusion, making him undoubtedly the most powerful being in this universe.
And now, he had love.
This was what humanity had taught him: love and courage.
The power of love allowed him to transcend everything, giving him an unbreakable will—one that would not falter, even if the universe itself collapsed.
His entire life was now devoted to a single soul—a small, radiant soul that might not even exist in this universe anymore.
Since embarking on his journey into the cosmos, time had ceased to have meaning for him.
He gradually lost track of how long he had wandered through space, yet every memory connected to Soren became clearer, sharpened by his long exile.
It was as though those memories had occurred just yesterday.
In his mind, he could still see Soren's eyelashes fluttering as he slept.
He had patiently counted the lashes on Soren's upper eyelid during one of their space travels—there were 157.
But sometimes, those memories felt distant, like they belonged to a past life.
There was a moment when he suddenly couldn't recall how long it had been since he left Earth.
It felt as though he had always been drifting aimlessly through the universe, from the beginning of time until now, forever moving toward an unattainable goal.
He was no longer Kal-El, nor was he Clark Kent—just a lonely prisoner, enduring a sentence without end.
That day, he truly panicked.
He feared that his sentence would end before he could find Soren.
He was terrified that there was no path ahead, no way back, that the universe had no direction, no sense of before or after.
Heaven and Earth were indistinguishable, vast and boundless, and he had been drifting in this endless void for far too long.
On that day, he spent an unknown amount of time on a desolate, lifeless planet, gazing intently at the only photograph he had—a picture of him and Soren—throughout the entire day and night.
This is me.
This is Soren.
This is Clark Kent.
And his most beloved, most precious star.
He stared at the photo like a motionless marble statue, standing still in the planet's eroding winds, etching the image into his mind and engraving it deep into his soul.
Though space had no oxygen and the photo would never age, he still feared it might one day turn to ashes and disappear.
So, he traveled to a planet where a renowned collector resided, begging the collector to help him preserve the photograph.
The collector pondered for a long time and finally came up with a solution.
He sewed the photograph beneath the skin of Clark's arm.
This way, Clark could carry the photo with him forever—until death.
The universe, centered around the Oa system, was divided into 3,600 sectors.
He searched every planet in 1,400 of them.
Each time, he held onto hope, but each time, it ended in disappointment.
When he finally arrived at Oa, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians of the Universe dispatched the entire Green Lantern Corps to hunt him down.
—At the start of his reign over Earth, the Guardians had sent the Green Lanterns to oppose his forces.
But with the help of Sinestro's Yellow Lantern Corps, Clark had wiped out the Green Lanterns and killed the greatest Green Lantern in the universe—on the planet Oa.
After his long, endless search, at last, here, he glimpsed a sliver of light.
The Guardians of the Universe knew everything that had happened in the timeline that had not been corrected.
They knew, which is why they had sent the Green Lantern Corps to hunt him down.
This meant—they might very well know where Soren was!!
Clark was ecstatic, allowing the Green Lantern Corps to bind him with their green energy chains and shackles, taking him before the Guardians of the Universe.
His immense power made these Guardians—who had been stationed at the center of the universe for eons, constantly safeguarding its order—wary of him.
The Guardians wanted to pass judgment on his crimes, but he only told them that he could come here and stand trial anytime, as long as they didn't take Soren away from him.
He was now far more powerful than the former conqueror Kal-El had ever been.
If he wanted to, neither the Guardians nor the Green Lantern Corps could stop him.
…After weighing their options, the Guardians finally spoke, pointing him to a final destination.
"Travel to the ends of the universe. In the Prometheus system, before the Source Wall, you will find the person you seek."
And so, he traversed the entire universe, arriving in the Prometheus system, where he met a blue color god.
This being, standing at the very edge of the cosmos, had been quietly awaiting his arrival—Dr. Manhattan.
"In Earth's time," Dr. Manhattan spoke, "I've been waiting for you for one billion, one hundred sixty million years, eleven months, and two days."
"Where is Soren? Did you bring him to me? Did you take him away?"
Aside from Soren, he had nothing else in the universe to care about after searching for over a billion years.
Dr. Manhattan stared at him for a long time, remaining silent.
Clark grew impatient; he couldn't wait.
Every second delayed was another second he might miss seeing Soren.
After a billion years, he didn't want to waste a single moment.
"Where is he?" he asked again.
Finally, Dr. Manhattan spoke.
"He's in a black hole. I has sent him back there, as he wished."