"So what was the ending?" Clark asked Amy, his curiosity clear.
"The ending is…" Amy paused, her expression tightening before she shook her head. "Trust me, you don't want to know."
A trace of disappointment crossed her face as she continued, quieter now. "Maybe this is my curse. I see things I can't forget. Most of them are bloody, terrifying… the kind that stays with you no matter how hard you try to move on."
She set her food aside, appetite gone. "I guess that's why my mother was always afraid. Anyone who constantly brushes against death would carry that fear inside them."
Clark stayed silent for a moment, then asked, "So Kate died?"
Amy nodded. "She couldn't dodge the pickup truck. That was the moment I understood how fragile people are. The first time I realized that everyone around me would eventually leave."
Her gaze drifted, distant but steady. "That's when I decided my life needed meaning. I don't want to die randomly without accomplishing anything. Living in the moment matters, but so does planning for what comes next."
Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. "My dream is to open a sandwich shop. I love sandwiches, especially the kind with fries."
Clark glanced at the sandwich in his hand and nodded. "That's a good goal. But at your age, maybe school should come first."
Amy immediately shook her head. "I hate school. It feels like a giant cockroach nest. The students are the little cockroaches, the teachers are the big ones. Either way, it's all just annoying and miserable."
Clark let out a small breath. "I have a sister around your stage in life."
Amy glanced down at herself, then back at him with a raised brow. "Are you trying to harass me?"
Clark froze, clearly caught off guard. "No, that's not what I meant. My sister is… complicated. It's not like that."
Amy broke into a grin. "Relax, Clark. I'm joking."
Then her expression shifted, curiosity taking over. "So tell me, what's your connection to Homelander?"
Clark stiffened slightly. "I'm not Superman, Amy."
"Fine," she said, adjusting her posture. "Then answer this. What's the relationship between Superman and Homelander?"
Clark thought for a moment. "Maybe they're brothers."
Amy blinked, surprised. "That's not what I expected."
Leaning forward, she pressed further. "If that's true, why is Homelander running the country while Superman does nothing? Is it because of family ties?"
Clark hesitated, then deflected. "What do you think about Homelander ruling America?"
Amy finished her sandwich before answering. "I think it's wrong… but not entirely. There are fewer people bullying others now. The ones who used to cause trouble seem scared of him."
She paused, frowning slightly. "Still, it doesn't feel right. He's not like heroes in comics. He feels more like a villain. But if I were in your position… I might hesitate too. One side is your brother, the other is everything people claim to stand for. That's not an easy choice."
"I'm not hesitating," Clark said, taking the juice handed to him and offering a quick thank you. "I'm figuring out how to stop him."
Amy's eyes lit up. "There it is. You just exposed yourself, and you still say you're not Superman."
Clark sighed, giving in slightly. "Fine. Let's just keep it between us."
"I'm great with secrets," Amy said with a wink. "And honestly, if anyone can stop him, it's you."
Her tone carried an unusual seriousness.
Clark lowered his gaze, lost in thought.
He had come to Riverside to get away, to escape everything weighing on him. After what happened in the hospital, after Rachel's harsh words, he felt like an outsider in his own family.
Adrian's actions had been extreme, but they came from grief and anger. Anyone who understood the truth could at least see where that rage came from.
Clark, on the other hand, had remained composed after his father's death. Rational, controlled… but that very calmness had distanced him from the people closest to him.
He thought running away might help. That going somewhere Alicia loved would bring clarity.
But Amy's words lingered. No matter where he went, he couldn't outrun himself.
A sudden gasp broke his thoughts.
"Oh my God, what's happening over there?!"
Clark looked up. Thick smoke billowed from a building not far from the restaurant.
His vision sharpened instantly, cutting through walls and distance. Flames had already spread through multiple floors. People were trapped.
"It's on fire," Amy said, staring outside in shock.
When she turned back, Clark was gone.
The chair he had been sitting in still spun slowly.
Amy exhaled, unfazed. "Yeah, that tracks."
Clark didn't have time for a proper disguise. He grabbed a baseball cap from a nearby stand, pulled it low, and moved.
At super speed, he reached the building within seconds.
The iron security door gave way under a single kick. Inside, heat and smoke pressed in from all directions. Flames crawled across walls and ceilings, devouring everything.
The structure groaned under stress before part of the ceiling collapsed.
Clark raised his arm, shielding himself as debris and fire rained down.
His vision cut through the chaos. Two young girls, trapped near a restroom.
He moved instantly.
The girls were crying, frozen in fear. Clark reached them, lifting both into his arms without slowing.
Behind him, the fire intensified.
Then came the explosion.
A thunderous blast ripped through the building, flames surging outward.
Clark turned his body, shielding the girls as the force hit him.
Without stopping, he leapt from the fifth floor, descending safely to the ground below.
Outside, a woman sobbed uncontrollably.
The moment she saw her daughters, she ran forward, nearly collapsing as she pulled them into her arms.
"Thank you, thank you!" she cried.
Clark gave a small nod, already turning to leave.
"Wait… are you…" the woman asked, staring at him closely. The glasses, the cap, the presence.
"Are you Superman?!"
The question spread instantly.
People began gathering, voices rising.
"Superman is here?" "Where is he?"
By the time they searched, he was gone.
At the back of the crowd, Amy watched everything, her expression thoughtful.
"So that's what he's meant to do," she murmured.
The next day.
At the Justice Society headquarters, Adrian sat at the head of the table, discussing strategy with Wonder Woman, Mera, Green Lantern, and the others regarding rising tensions with Atlantis.
The room carried a quiet intensity, maps and reports spread across the table.
Hanna stepped forward and handed Adrian a newspaper.
He glanced at the front page, his expression sharpening.
The headline focused on the sudden return of a billionaire.
The photo showed a man with a buzz cut, surrounded by police and reporters. His posture was tense, his eyes sharp, like a predator forced into unfamiliar territory.
Adrian studied the image briefly.
"So it's him," he said under his breath.
Hanna waited. "Do we act?"
Adrian shook his head. "Not yet. If he knows what's good for him, he won't cause problems."
He looked out the window, his gaze distant but calculating.
Elsewhere.
The man in the photograph stood alone in a dimly lit room, staring out at the rain-soaked city.
Thunder rolled across the sky, lightning cutting through the darkness.
He had returned to civilization, but it didn't feel like home.
The rain reminded him of the island.
Purgatory Island.
Before that place, he had been careless. A privileged heir, drifting through life on wealth and charm, surrounded by shallow pleasures.
He had taken everything for granted.