In fact, what Hal said was correct: once the Green Lantern Ring chooses someone as a Green Lantern, it rarely severs that bond easily.
The reason why such an anomaly occurred this time is that there was a particular situation when Hal was first selected. On Earth, at that very moment, there were at least three individuals with extraordinary willpower: Superman Clark Kent, Supergirl Kara Zor-El, and Batman Bruce Wayne.
These three possessed wills as strong as Hal's—if not stronger. Even though Clark's mind hadn't fully matured, what about Kara? What about Bruce?
Yet, none of them were chosen; only Hal was. Perhaps this was because Hal happened to be the closest when the ring was seeking a new bearer.
So when the Green Lantern Ring encountered Kara later, it momentarily wavered and almost abandoned Hal to switch its loyalty to her. However, Kara firmly rejected it; she wasn't interested in wielding the Green Lantern Ring. The green color alone was enough of a deterrent for her.
But in the end, another Green Lantern Ring flew down from the depths of space, directly in front of Kara. No matter how much she ignored it, the ring emitted a faint green glow and hovered beside her, persistently following her around.
Even when Kara went to Hal's place, the ring followed, refusing to part from her unless she accepted it.
Hal pulled a bottle of beer and a soft drink out of the refrigerator.
"I'll take a beer too, thanks," Kara demanded casually.
Hal, surprisingly relieved, swapped the drink for a beer and returned to Kara. Glancing at the ring that still hovered beside her, he couldn't help but suggest, "Maybe you should wear it. Otherwise, it's just too obvious."
The ring itself seemed to nod in agreement.
Kara popped the bottle cap off with one hand, took a long gulp, and commented, "Why? Is this ring really worth it? Doesn't seem so to me."
She didn't find the Green Lantern Ring appealing. Needing to recharge before each battle seemed inconvenient and impractical.
She preferred to rely on her own powers.
This attitude made it clear that even if the Green Lantern Ring had chosen her, she would have refused.
Kara shifted her focus, saying, "By the way, about that big-headed alien—I sensed he was connected to some other alien entity."
"He wasn't using his own power; he was drawing from something else," she added. "I could feel that whatever he was connected to is approaching Earth, and if it arrives, Earth might face an existential threat. Do you know what it is? Seems like an octopus or something. Can it be eaten?"
Hal's expression became even more bewildered at the mention of eating the creature.
"Whether it's edible or not, I'm not sure. But I do know it's dangerous," Hal replied. After all, as a Green Lantern, he was familiar with various interstellar threats. "Maybe you don't know this, but I once went to the Green Lantern Corps' headquarters, a planet called Oa."
"No, I believe you," Kara replied, nodding. "Truth is, I'm not from Earth either. I'm a Kryptonian."
Hal's eyes widened in shock, speechless for a moment.
The reason Kara decided to be honest with Hal was because, as a Green Lantern, he had probably encountered many different alien species in the vast and boundless universe. In fact, the entire universe is divided into 3,600 sectors by the Guardians of the Universe on Oa—each sector patrolled by one or two Green Lanterns. Earth belongs to sector 2814, and Hal is the first human to become a Green Lantern. All his fellow Lanterns are aliens.
Besides, Kara wasn't hiding her identity out of shame but to protect her family and because Clark wasn't ready to reveal theirs. But Hal seemed trustworthy enough to keep the secret.
After finally processing that Kara was an alien, Hal explained what he knew about the impending threat.
"That big octopus creature is a Parallax Entity," Hal explained.
The Parallax Entity typically appears as an insect-like creature with many limbs and a segmented body, but here it somehow took the form of a giant octopus. This might be due to years of containment, mutation, or possibly changes after it escaped into open space.
In any case, this creature indeed is the Parallax Entity.
The Parallax Entity is the physical embodiment of fear itself, not a regular life form. If the Green Lantern's power is derived from will, the Yellow Lanterns' power is drawn from fear.
In many respects, willpower and fear are diametric opposites, and historically, willpower has served to keep fear in check. The Parallax Entity was originally imprisoned by a Green Lantern named Abin Sur. Unfortunately, he has since died.
With Abin Sur gone, the Parallax Entity managed to escape and is now heading toward Earth, drawn by its connection to that alien Kara encountered.
Earth, being the only nearby life-sustaining planet, provides the Parallax Entity an opportunity to increase its strength by spreading fear among countless lives.
In other words, Earth is facing an imminent crisis.
Kara sighed and grabbed the phone, dialing her boss, Perry White. "Hey, Chief, I'm heading out to save the world again."
A half-asleep Perry mumbled something about bringing back pictures and hung up, used to Kara's unique job responsibilities by now.
"So, what's the plan?" Kara asked, putting away the phone and leaning against the table.
"I'm…not sure," Hal admitted. "There are plenty of Green Lanterns on Oa; they'll handle it. It's not really my responsibility."
"Really?"
Kara interrupted, looking at him intently. "If you truly intended to do nothing, you wouldn't know so much about this creature."
"Besides, Hal, Earth is your home. And it's my second home. I'm not going to let it be destroyed, and I don't think you would, either. Even with a massive corps like the Green Lanterns, we can't just sit back and hope they save us."
"I prefer taking matters into my own hands."