"Kal-El, the last son of Krypton?"
Not the question you expect to hear from a guy in a bat costume, somehow floating near space in a way that defies explanation. There was no fear of the massive armored man—just confusion. Lying horizontally one moment and then suddenly standing was unexpected, but that was it. The strength I felt returned within seconds of locking eyes with this guy. My mood, though, was strange. I was thinking about Tori…
"Excuse me, mister, could you maybe give me some clothes first?!"
"Constantine," he said curtly, and with that, clothes appeared on me. Not the weirdest thing happening here, but seeing jeans, a familiar hoodie, and my sneakers materialize out of thin air with a snap of his fingers was still surprising.
"You talking about Superman?" I asked in return, blinking. He stayed silent, seemingly lost in thought. After about ten seconds, he spoke.
"How do you know about Superman if you're not even fourteen?" A strange question, but…
"Read comics. Looks like you have too. Dressed up just like Gotham's Dark Knight. We've got a hero like that too, they say, but without all the armor." I gestured at his costume. "Bet that cost a fortune, huh? Nice cosplay…"
I didn't get to finish before the dandy sitting nearby cut me off. Wait, was he the one who made the clothes appear out of thin air? Constantine, right? Familiar name.
"What, we summoned an ordinary kid?!" He was in shock, muttering something under his breath, but I caught it. "Impossible. I calculated everything perfectly—unless those ingredients were fake…"
"I don't think so, Constantine." The Batman still stood before me, unmoving like a mountain. "Doctor Fate?"
"It's him, my friend." A golden, floating Ankh symbol appeared from his hand in an instant, and I didn't have time to react. Where he pulled it from, I couldn't tell. Magic, then? It flew toward me, and despite trying to dodge, I couldn't. The symbol followed me, closing in fast. Steps, even running to the side—nothing worked. Everyone in the room froze, but I could feel this Doctor Fate watching me. But how?
The symbol hit me square in the chest, and that was it—no other effect. I returned to the same spot, letting time resume its flow. No need to rattle these strangers prematurely.
"In his world, he's known as Superman, and that's what matters." The one who seemed to have seen what I did spoke. "There's a lot of Order radiating from the laughing boy's soul—more than anything else. But there's also Chaos, things he's done. These are minor details, my friends. You didn't notice, but he moved at Clark's level, if Clark were serious. Isn't that proof enough?"
Seriously? He actually tracked my movements? I wasn't sure anyone could notice me. Our position hadn't changed, and I was back where I started. Batman raised an eyebrow slightly at the mention of Order and frowned when Chaos came up.
"What does that mean, Doctor Fate?" The man in the helmet seemed to understand what he meant. Hey, I'm right here!
"Chaos in his soul, old friend. As if he caused it long ago. A millennium back, perhaps, though I might be seeing something hidden within him, locked away tightly. If he were a Chaotic, my friend, I wouldn't have been able to summon or find him. Only someone with a great deal of Order could stand where our young friend does. Let go of your suspicions, Knight."
"Fine." Batman relaxed but kept his eyes on me. "We don't have much time to figure this out. What's your name?"
"You first, bat-costume guy." No need to tolerate rudeness. He tilted his head slightly, as if realizing something, and removed his mask-helmet. A man with a strong jaw and tired eyes. Young—thirty, maybe older. He relaxed a bit without the mask. Without my superhuman vision, I wouldn't have noticed. His body control was near perfection.
"I'm Bruce Wayne. I apologize for pulling you from your world and for this rough welcome, but we need your help." I frowned, unsure how I could help them. Where was this world's Superman? From the start, I knew these weren't cosplayers—his suit had lead woven into it, like he was hiding something from someone. Still, I wasn't entirely sure this wasn't an illusion. The fact that my eyes couldn't pierce the helmeted man's suit also told me this was no prank. Magic, though? That unnerved me.
"Young friend, we—and others—face a universal-scale threat, and only a hero like you can aid us in our fight. I am Doctor Fate, a spirit of Order, but also…" He removed his helmet, revealing his face. An ordinary man, over forty, with graying hair and a neat beard. He seemed… more human? "Kent Nelson. Pleased to meet you."
I nodded in greeting and glanced at the fourth member of this gathering. Kent put his helmet back on, becoming majestic and otherworldly again.
"And I'm Constantine. Just Constantine." He waved a hand, stood, and headed through automatic doors that slid open. Hmm, seems like there's trace lead in the walls. They're prepared, but I'm not a Kryptonian—though they don't know that. Better for me.
"I'm Cain. Just Cain." I introduced myself with the name I gave myself, not the one my adoptive parents chose. It was mine, and I'd never abandon it. "So, what's going on, and why do you need me?"
"We'll explain everything in the meeting hall. Follow me." Batman, mask back on, strode out of the room. I followed, while Fate stayed behind.
"Got anything to eat? I'm starving…"
Yeah, hopping between worlds really worked up an appetite. If only it'd been my choice.
---
Raising my spoon, I pointed at Cyborg, the guy with replaced body parts and cybernetic implants—possibly from Apokolips. It looked odd, but I got used to it.
"Seriously? Darkseid?" I was a bit shocked. More like completely floored.
As they led me to the hall where recognizable—at least to me—people and others sat, they briefly introduced me to all the heroes at once. Batman was clearly in a hurry, but basic politeness kept him from skipping it. Aquaman, who didn't remind me of the Atlanteans from my world and looked like a regular, muscular, blond thirty-something with a serious face, gave me a curt nod. I nodded back, and our introduction to the Justice League continued.
Martian Manhunter, green and in some strange outfit, tensed when he couldn't read my mind but didn't push further. I was surprised when I felt someone knocking at my thoughts, only to gently push back. He clutched his temples and apologized for trying to invade my mind. Turns out, I had some mental shield against telepaths. A neat discovery from someone trying to crack my head open. I didn't like it. I didn't nod to him like I did the others.
The Flash, also present, grinned and said I looked rough. I smiled back and blamed the mages yanking kids from their beds in the middle of the night. He appreciated the joke.
Green Arrow, chatting closely with Black Canary—close enough for kisses, it seemed—paused to glance at me. They didn't quite get who I was at first. When I was introduced as Cain, they were mildly surprised, and that was it. Seen a lot, maybe? Green Arrow gave me a high-five wave, and Canary smiled sweetly, saying I looked like her nephew. I shrugged and kept looking around.
The corridors we passed through didn't reveal much. A glance through the walls showed this base, orbiting the planet, was still under construction. Beetle-like robots with pincers floated in zero gravity, slowly but surely building the local heroes' stronghold. We reached the meeting hall for all the heroes.
The hall had towering ceilings, like it was carved from stone, and a long table where Justice League members sat, laden with food. But the main feature was a massive window taking up one entire wall, showing this world's Earth. Beautiful. For a split second, I sped over to the window and gazed at the planet as I entered the hall. Everyone froze.
A hand ruffling my hair caught me off guard. Turning, I saw a blond guy in a red suit with a lightning bolt on his chest. He was smiling and asked, "Pretty?"
"Very," I replied, liking his friendliness since he'd seen me arrive with Batman. "What year is it?" I was curious if I'd gone back or forward in time.
"Year?" He didn't catch it at first but quickly recovered. "2007, February. Why, is your time different?"
He asked with interest, and I, not planning to lie, said I was from 2018. He didn't get how I was from the future but trusted Batman. We dove into a conversation, joking about how sports betting could make him rich. Mid-laugh, I suggested he buy Bitcoin if that cryptocurrency even existed here. He nodded seriously.
After about ten minutes, we realized we were holding things up and returned to our seats. No one noticed our banter-filled chat. We got to know each other, not fully, but enough. My age showed—I was twelve—and he didn't quite get how he was talking to a kid about serious stuff, but he was a good guy and a solid conversationalist. Barry Allen—the fastest man alive. I barely caught him zipping back to his seat. He was leagues faster than me.
Captain Atom, a man with silver, metallic skin and an atom symbol on his chest, waved his spoon without looking up from his pudding. Hawkman and Hawkgirl, speaking in some unfamiliar language, paused to nod at me with their feathered masks. Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, I think—a brunette guy with arms crossed—seemed in a bad mood and ignored me. Fine, he looked upset and closed off. The last in the room was Cyborg, who arrived after us. We exchanged brief greetings before he moved to the side of the table to tweak something.
That was five minutes ago. Now, done with the main courses, we moved to dessert. A three-layer chocolate cake sat on my plate, and my raised spoon pointed at a massive gray-skinned brute with glowing eyes. The smile I'd shared with Flash and Green Arrow, who turned out to be friendly, slowly faded.
"You know him?" Batman, standing near Cyborg, asked as he noticed the now-silent heroes staring at me. I wished this was just a cosplay meetup, honest to God.
"The god from Apokolips who wants to kill everyone on this lovely planet? Yeah, I know."
"But how?" Black Canary asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Oh, don't worry, I haven't met him in person." The others didn't relax much, but I eased their doubts. They seemed shaken, even Flash, who's usually upbeat, looked down. "Just read mentions of him."
Comics and movies count as mentions, right?
"Alright," Cyborg took the floor. "As you all remember, it's been four years since Darkseid visited our planet." All the heroes reacted similarly: furrowed brows, tense postures. "The damage was catastrophic."
Playing a video, likely for my benefit, showed the planet in ruins. Washington, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, London, even cursed Sydney—everything was fire and bodies. People and creatures in grimy green-yellow armor littered the globe. Every major city faced attack and nearly fell. The next clips, low-quality, showed the events. The heroes stopped the planet's collapse—not fixing it, but pushing the enemy back. Superman, with his iconic chest emblem, and presumably Wonder Woman drove back the main foe. Cyborg finished it with a massive pulse from his body, closing portals worldwide and downing crashing ships. Risky, but worth it. Without Cyborg and the others, that army would've wiped out the planet. The reason for such aggression? No clue. Earth posed no threat to Apokolips with an army like that. Sure, there was a Kryptonian, but he was one guy. Even the strongest, last of his kind, can't face an army alone. I saw Clark in the video, clutching a broken arm close, yet he didn't give up and finished the job.
"It's been four years since then. Batman gathered us here and others who helped in that global fight. Recovery took time, and the League was formed to unite us against a cosmic threat we stopped but didn't fully defeat. Yesterday, at 9:45 Gotham time, Batman encountered this."
The next frame showed a dead soldier from Darkseid's army, like before. But unlike the green-yellow armored ones, this one was pitch black, as if trying to blend into Gotham's night.
Those who hadn't seen it—everyone but Batman and Cyborg—tensed. They'd all fought in that slaughter four years ago. I, however, was intrigued. Apokolips and its god could attack, and I'd help these folks. Let's see how my strength stacks up against those equal or above me. I'd never gone all-out before. It was thrilling.
I wasn't a hero like everyone in this room, but with my powers, sitting idly while a planet of people burned was monstrous. It wasn't altruism or self-sacrifice for the greater good—that died in me long ago, after the army. More like pity for seeing so much destruction and death to stay uninvolved. Pity drove me, but I wasn't about to work for free.
"What is it, Batman?!" Black Canary, clutching her boyfriend's hand, asked in horror.
"A Parademon, Dinah, and you, like everyone here, know what that means."
"Apokolips is coming," Martian Manhunter said quietly, though everyone heard.
"Exactly, John. We, and those down there," he pointed at the planet, "must unite to face Darkseid's threat. And to do that, we'll need…"
"Question!" I raised my hand like in school, easing the room's tension and cutting off Batman. He was about to mention me anyway, so I wasn't worried. Flash and Canary smiled, seeing me wave my hand eagerly. Others turned to me too. Acting childish wasn't my thing, but to avoid seeming odd to these heroes, I played it up a bit. Still, this question mattered, so I dropped the act.
"Who's this guy?" Green Lantern asked, confused about who I was and why I was here. No one paid him mind.
"Yes, Cain?" Batman didn't share my vibe, but whatever.
"Where are Superman and Wonder Woman?" The question begged itself. I hadn't seen them here or on the planet. My eye scans picked up plenty, but no red-and-blue caped figure, though I tried. I didn't even bother looking for Themyscira.
"That's what we were about to tell everyone. Flash?" Batman turned to the speedster, who nodded. In a blink, he was beside Batman and Cyborg.
"Diana left me a message, guys. She dropped by and gave me this. It was short." He held up a note written in elegant handwriting. "Clark and I will be gone for a bit. Divine business, don't worry, it won't be long. Protect the world while we're away. Diana of the Amazons, daughter of Hippolyta."
Mimicking a woman's voice and winking at the end, he zipped back to his seat. Batman17Batman, ignoring the speedster's antics, continued.
"Based on my projections and analysis, Superman and Wonder Woman will be absent for one to two months, maybe more. We don't know for sure. We've lost the League's strongest members, which is why I asked Doctor Fate and Constantine to perform a ritual to find a replacement for them in case war breaks out before they return. We don't know how long they're gone or if Darkseid will strike while they're away. Without the Kryptonian and the Amazon, we can't cover our exposed flanks. The ritual brought us him because, in his world, he's known by a name you all recognize, and he's a hero. Don't mind his age—by the Watchtower's estimates, he's on the same power level as him. Meet Cain, the Superman from the nearest universe to ours."
All the heroes turned to me, each with a strange look, like they couldn't believe I was who they said. Oliver, who'd introduced himself earlier, exclaimed, "You're Superman?!"
Sighing heavily, I replied, "Kinda."
Why did those news idiots have to call me Superman? All because of some nickname that stuck. Couldn't they pick something else? Ultraman, Invincible, or Patriot, at least?
---
Looking Bruce straight in the eyes, I waited for an answer.
"Fate?" A bright flash of golden light, and Doctor Fate appeared in the now-empty Justice League meeting hall.
"Yes, my friend?" He seemed to have always been there, the empty chair now occupied again.
"Cain has a question about the ritual." Batman was brief, fiddling with a tablet and diving into tech, ignoring us.
Fate turned his golden-helmed gaze on me, where I saw myself—a small boy—and said, "Yes, young Cain, what's your question?"
"What's the time difference between my world and this one?" This worried me deeply. While I wasn't against helping protect this planet for a fair price, the life of a woman whose kindness helped me adjust to this new body hung in the balance. I didn't want to return to a world where she'd died because she couldn't get her surgery.
"Time?" He tilted his head. "What do you mean, young hero?"
"Does time move at the same speed, or faster?" I clarified. Batman glanced up from his tablet, intrigued. This was critical—if I missed Tori's surgery, I'd never forgive myself.
"Right." As if recalling something but staying still like a robot, he spoke in that same flat voice. Does this Fate feel no emotions? Or is it the spirit or Kent in control? "It moves a hundred times slower."
"Where'd you get that number?" Batman asked what I was thinking. As Fate answered, I exhaled slowly. The coiled spring inside me eased, and thinking became clearer. During the whole meeting, thoughts of failing her had been a storm. Now, they calmed.
If it's a hundred times slower, one day here equals about 14 minutes and 4 seconds there. If I understand anything, that defies every known science. It's impossible.
"Look." He waved his hands, and two golden light spheres appeared side by side. With another gesture, he raised one above the other.
"Cain's world, as harsh as it sounds, is weaker energetically. It's minimally significant to the multiverse and Order specifically. Magic in Cain's world is fading, nearly gone, so time there loses weight and weakens." The lower sphere dimmed.
"Magic is the foundation of everything. Our world is of a higher order, and time here carries more weight. It flows faster than in Cain's world." The upper sphere still glowed brightly. So, magic.
Hearing this, I relaxed, knowing I had time. Honestly, magic was my weak spot—I was clueless about it.
"Got it." Batman accepted the answer and looked at me. "What's your decision?"
Jumping into this hero saga blindly went against my nature. I needed some compensation for my effort and potential injuries. I wasn't here to play in a sandbox and hand out free toys. They summoned me to fight an empire. Batman, for his part, knew I wasn't Clark, ready to give everything for the world, and I told him as much. My demands weren't too steep for someone like Bruce Wayne.
"First, I need something that can raise the dead." I knew something like that had to exist here—too many supernatural things. It might save Tori.
"Fine." He started noting my requests on his tablet. I bet there are hidden cameras to analyze my behavior later. If I knew anything about the mythic Batman from comics, he trusted no one and always planned to neutralize threats. I must be quite the threat. The lead box on his belt, holding green powder and a crystal, proved I was right.
"Second, he teaches me magic to travel worlds." I pointed at the silent Fate.
"Deal with him yourself." Batman shook his head, and I shrugged. Fine, I'll figure it out.
"Next."
"Third, I want your suit." I couldn't say it seriously. Barely holding back laughter, I watched Batman's deadpan face. Would he agree or refuse? Worth a shot.
"You're like Clark in that way—both pretending to be human, letting others read you, but you're not world-class comedians. Don't joke like that, Cain."
Scolded like a dad. I looked like a kid, so it made sense. No one knew I wasn't twelve. I wasn't about to spill that I'd been reborn. Sticking out my tongue at the boring guy rubbing his temples, I said, "So…"
"No." Alright, not a big loss. "Next."
"Fourth and final." I crossed my arms, dropping the smile. "I need help in my home universe. The enemy who destroyed my race is still there, and I can't win that war alone."
"Details." Batman set the tablet aside and listened closely, as did Fate, who turned from staring at the wall. Here we go.
---
"John?" Batman looked where the invisible Martian stood.
"He wasn't lying. At least, he believed what he said." Martian Manhunter stepped from the wall, revealed by his powers, and answered his friend. "I can't enter his mind, but his emotions showed he's on the verge of losing—or has lost—someone close. Magic genuinely interests him, though he seems to fear it slightly."
"It's normal for people to fear magic. It's natural." Fate, also present and gazing at Earth, shared his view. "Teaching him will be interesting, though it's unclear if it'll disrupt Order."
"He's not human," Bruce said firmly.
"But he's not Kryptonian either," the Martian said, surprising Batman.
"How?" Bruce's only voiced question was aimed at the two heroes beside him.
"Like you, I first thought he was Kryptonian. He's as fast as Clark and can see through walls. But the lead in these walls didn't stop him. His rudimentary mental shield isn't something our red-and-blue friend has. You might've noticed, but he scanned your body and definitely saw the kryptonite hidden on your belt. It didn't faze him, so magic brought him here."
"We don't know all of Superman's powers," Batman noted but didn't dwell on it. "Fate?"
"Yes, my friend?" Fate replied, still watching the planet.
"Why isn't he Kryptonian?" Batman was curious—they'd sought Superman, whose weaknesses Bruce knew, meaning a Kryptonian.
"You wanted Superman, you got him, my friend. His race doesn't matter for our war. Darkseid, Klarion, and the Chaos Lords backing this fight don't care about their enemies' races." With that, Fate flew out the Watchtower window, vanishing in golden Ankh light.
"Clear enough." Batman knew he'd get no more but now needed to uncover this boy's weaknesses. It felt like years ago—facing the unknown again. "A war with an enemy who destroyed a race and empire where Clark would've been a mere soldier? Hard to imagine. A race that powerful doesn't fall in one cosmic day."
John Jones shrugged. Having survived Mars' civil war and nearly being the last of his kind, he understood Cain. He wanted to help.
"He spoke the truth, and we won't abandon this boy after he agreed to aid us, leaving him to face his enemies alone, right?" It was rhetorical—heroes don't abandon the helpless, especially not a universe at war. But heroes think for themselves and aren't always fools. The war in his homeworld seemed more pressing. Bruce was a genius in tactics, deduction, and knowing when to risk or hold back. "By the way, about your suit—he was dead serious."
"Forget it," Batman said, having the last word. Ignoring the grinning Martian, he moved on to his tasks.
Cain was sent home with Flash, who'd bonded with the kid. Barry was the only one who could keep up if the non-Kryptonian decided to wander. John, though fast, couldn't match Superman.
If he flies, catching him will be tough. Batman felt a tension he hadn't in years. Too many unknowns and uncontrollable factors in Cain.