Until the day everything changed.
During summer break, Oliver Queen, who had dropped out of an Ivy League university, joined his father on a cruise voyage. What was meant to be a short trip ended in disaster when their ship was caught in a violent storm and wrecked at sea.
The ocean swallowed the vessel whole. Towering waves tore through the crew, erasing lives in an instant.
Oliver, who had lived a privileged and controlled life for over twenty years, was suddenly thrown into chaos. But what came next would force him to confront reality in its most brutal form.
For two days, he, his father, and a crew member drifted helplessly across the open sea.
No food. No fresh water. Only exhaustion and the slow, creeping realization that survival was uncertain.
Fear spread quietly but steadily.
Robert Queen, the influential Star City businessman and the man who had built Queen Consolidated into a global force, eventually made a decision that would change everything.
A knock interrupted Oliver's thoughts.
"Young Master Oliver, your bath water is ready," a servant said from outside the door.
"Alright, thank you," Oliver replied.
Oliver Queen, the man who would one day be known as Green Arrow, acknowledged him calmly.
"Sam, could you bring me the latest newspaper? I've been away from society for a while. I want to catch up on what I've missed."
Sam nodded respectfully, bowed slightly, and left the room.
Now back in Star City after surviving Purgatory Island, Oliver exhaled slowly. He walked to the window and pushed it open. Cold droplets clung to the sill, mist drifting into the room with the wind.
"Why does everything feel so unfamiliar?" he thought.
His mind drifted back to his return journey from the Celestial Dynasty, traveling across unfamiliar routes with only a backpack and fragmented memories of survival.
Star City at night was no longer what it used to be. The streets felt colder, emptier, stripped of their usual life.
Armed patrols in unfamiliar uniforms had been stationed at major checkpoints throughout the city.
Even more strange, it was an election year. Normally, Star City would be filled with political tension, campaigns, and public noise. Instead, everything felt muted, almost controlled.
Confused, Oliver turned to Sam again when he returned.
"Who is the current mayor?" he asked.
Sam hesitated briefly before answering. "It is Mr. Merlyn."
Oliver's eyes narrowed slightly. "Malcolm Merlyn?"
"Yes, Young Master Oliver," Sam confirmed before leaving the room.
Oliver sat down heavily on the sofa.
"That can't be right," he muttered.
He picked up the newspaper and began scanning the front page.
Almost every headline revolved around Homelander.
The more he read, the more his expression darkened with disbelief.
He could not understand how the world he left behind had changed so drastically.
An alien invasion had been recorded. Then, two beings of extraordinary power had appeared, publicly revealing themselves and saving the country. But instead of unity, they eventually split apart.
Homelander had taken control of the nation.
Superman had vanished without a trace.
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