"Although I find it strange that you would say that, I still want to thank you, Rachel."
Adrian expressed his gratitude softly.
"If Clark could hear you say that, he would be happy too."
As he spoke, Adrian looked gently toward the crowd gathered at the opposite end of the church.
Rachel followed his gaze and saw her father, Jonathan, standing among the guests.
Jonathan looked exactly as he had in the hospital, yet unlike those painful days when he had remained asleep with his eyes closed, he now appeared healthy and full of life, happily speaking with Martha at his side.
As she looked at the scene before her, Rachel felt dazed.
Everything was beautiful.
So beautiful that she did not want to disturb it.
If she could, she truly wished to remain here beside Adrian forever.
But reality still existed.
Even if reality felt powerless.
Closing her eyes, Rachel used her true senses to examine this world.
Instantly, Adrian's mental world became gray and black, like spilled ink spreading endlessly from the horizon. Darkness seeped through everything, swallowing every object and every scene.
Standing behind Adrian, Rachel felt her heart ache.
Something deep inside her struggled to break free.
It felt as though a heavy stone had lodged itself within her chest, leaving her heart sore and suffocating. Tears began to fall uncontrollably.
She mourned for Adrian.
From the very beginning, everything had been a mistake.
His warmth, his optimism, his hope, and the future he longed for had all been placed within a future that could never truly exist.
How could such a future ever come to pass?
If he experienced happiness only to awaken to reality once more, then despair would consume him completely.
He would never forget this happiness.
Yet after awakening, he would discover that the world remained gray, cold, and empty.
The Adrian here was warm and hopeful.
Even when others insulted his family, he simply smiled and said:
"We do not live by the words of others."
Rachel's heart filled with sorrow.
She no longer knew what she should do.
He was not a man consumed by darkness.
He was simply suffering.
Suffering because he could not change reality.
This pain had always existed within him.
It was the pain of memory.
The pain that suffocated him.
It was also the deepest wound Rachel had ever felt within Adrian's heart.
The darkness continued spreading.
It contracted, engulfed Rachel, and finally swallowed her completely.
She felt herself falling.
Falling into endless darkness.
A darkness from which there was no escape.
Suddenly.
Her eyes flew open.
No.
Since she had already entered Adrian's inner world, then she had to try to awaken him.
And even if she failed, she would remain beside him in her own way.
She could not abandon her purpose now.
Even though her heart felt unbearably heavy, she could not surrender hope.
"Since I've come here, then I will protect Adrian. I will preserve this world until Adrian awakens."
Rachel's voice carried both determination and a frightening intensity.
At that moment, she seemed to understand something.
She opened her eyes within the darkness.
Somewhere within that endless void, she felt countless dormant forms, like arranged embryos waiting in silence. Among them, one suddenly opened its eyes.
A twisted smile appeared.
Proud.
Mad.
Overwhelming.
As though it were announcing a new birth.
The sensation vanished almost immediately.
The darkness returned to silence.
That gaze disappeared.
Only endless darkness remained.
Dong.
A deep bell echoed through the void.
The scent of wet grass and damp earth drifted into her senses.
The church appeared once again.
Sunlight poured down, surrounded by brilliant halos.
Rachel raised her head and squinted at the dazzling light.
It was the same sunlight.
The same halo.
Yet her feelings had completely changed.
Lowering her gaze, she looked around.
The white church stood before her, its Gothic architecture elegant and magnificent. Pointed spires stretched toward the sky, and the pure white walls shone beneath the sun. Trees surrounded the area, providing cool shade, while carefully maintained flowerbeds lined the pathways.
Gentlemen in formal suits and women in elegant gowns walked toward the church.
Among the guests stood familiar figures.
Batman.
Green Arrow.
Martian Manhunter.
Other heroes also waited among the attendees.
Rachel narrowed her eyes.
She had returned once again.
Following the crowd, she eventually stopped outside the church entrance.
Preparations for the wedding continued inside. The sounds of conversation and laughter drifted outward beneath the scorching sunlight.
Her eyes became unfocused.
The cycle had repeated.
She was witnessing this wedding once again.
If this was the future Adrian desired, then what right did she have to stop it?
She sighed quietly.
The endless pain was beginning again.
At that moment, a figure stepped toward her, backlit by the sun.
His features appeared slightly blurred.
"Little sister, what's wrong?"
Clark, dressed in his groom's suit, looked at her with concern.
Rachel suddenly returned to herself.
She stared at Clark.
His appearance was already becoming indistinct.
Even Adrian's will could not endure forever.
These people.
These scenes.
Even Clark.
All of them were projections created by Adrian.
By the time Rachel had entered his mind, Adrian had already endured countless cycles of despair. The figures he created had begun to fade.
The same events had repeated endlessly.
Every repetition weakened him.
But how could such a cycle be broken?
Rachel's eyes flickered.
She answered Clark casually before walking away, lost in thought.
She had never rescued someone within a mental world.
She was completely inexperienced.
A mind was not easily changed.
She did not know how many opportunities remained.
But she understood one thing.
If she failed, and Adrian never awakened, then she would perish beside him within this endless cycle.
Should she tell him the truth?
Or should she remain beside him, living an entire lifetime here before searching for another answer?
Rachel fell silent.
Destroying these memories immediately would accomplish nothing. It would only provoke resistance from Adrian's mind.
The important thing was making him realize that he was not alone.
That her companionship gave meaning to everything.
Her brows furrowed tightly.
Magic could solve many problems.
Human hearts could not.
She was still young.
She had little experience with life itself.
She had always relied on magic to resolve difficulties.
How could she make Adrian understand this world without destroying it?
How could she awaken him without causing his mind to reject reality completely?
It was an impossible choice.
She remained troubled until she finally saw the bride.
Lois, dressed in a magnificent white wedding gown, slowly approached Clark while General Sam Lane escorted her down the aisle.
Her face shone with happiness.
Chloe walked beside her as her bridesmaid.
Together, they approached the waiting groom.
As the music began and the choir sang, the ceremony officially started.
Standing beneath the cross, the elderly pastor spoke.
"Clark, do you take Lois to be your wife? In wealth and poverty, in health and sickness, through life's joys and hardships, when she needs you most, will you remain by her side, never leaving, for all your days?"
Clark stood straight.
His eyes rested upon the woman he loved.
Her white dress appeared pure and radiant.
Her face was beautiful beneath the light.
Her eyes were bright.
Her smile gentle.
Everything about her made him want to protect her for the rest of his life.
Lois was the woman he wished to cherish forever.
Clark looked into her eyes.
"I do."
The tension within Lois finally disappeared.
Her bouquet lowered slightly.
A smile appeared upon her lips.
She could no longer hide her happiness.
The wedding proceeded smoothly.
At this joyful moment, everything seemed beautiful.
After Lois also answered, "I do," they exchanged rings.
When Clark kissed her, Lois stiffened slightly.
Perhaps it was because of the moment itself.
Perhaps it was excitement.
Perhaps it was simply love.
The guests applauded.
The bouquet was tossed.
Blessings were offered.
Laughter filled the church grounds.
Rachel watched everything silently.
Suddenly, she wanted to cry.
Because it all felt real.
More real than many weddings she had witnessed in reality.
This was marriage.
Clark had finally married.
Her brother had found happiness.
Even if it was false, she was genuinely happy for him.
Years passed.
The seasons changed.
Time continued moving.
A quiet corner of the park.
The morning sun illuminated the lake.
Golden light spread across the water.
Dragonflies skimmed the surface, leaving gentle ripples behind.
A cool breeze swayed the grass and flowers.
Adrian and Rachel sat together upon a wooden bench.
Both had grown old.
Gray hairs appeared among Adrian's hair.
Rachel had become a mature woman.
More than twenty years had passed within the mental world.
Clark and Lois's daughter had grown up and become the new Supergirl.
Yet Adrian had never married.
Rachel had never married either.
She had remained beside him.
Slowly, Rachel opened her eyes.
Her body had become weak.
Fatigue came easily.
She often wished to sleep.
Even during the morning, exhaustion weighed upon her.
Perhaps her mental strength had finally reached its limit.
In the end, she had failed.
She had not awakened Adrian.
During those twenty years, her desire to save him had gradually faded.
Instead, she had come to treasure the life they shared.
They supported one another.
Sometimes she caused trouble.
Sometimes she worried that Adrian would grow tired of her.
Yet he always forgave her.
He always cared for her.
That warmth moved her.
And eventually, she sank into it.
She loved this feeling.
She loved being beside him.
Even if she could not save him, at least he would no longer face death alone within this world.
I'm sorry, Adrian.
I couldn't save you.
Tears gathered in the corners of Rachel's eyes.
Sunlight illuminated Adrian's profile.
Looking at him, she remembered that day at the wedding.
The warm sunlight.
His hopeful smile.
His gentle eyes.
For a brief moment, she imagined something impossible.
What if Adrian had been the groom?
What if she had been the bride?
Her thoughts frightened her.
She quickly suppressed them.
During these twenty years, Adrian had remained the same.
Gentle.
Warm.
Hopeful.
A finger gently wiped away her tears.
Adrian smiled softly.
He truly did not know what to do with his younger sister.
Even after all these years, she still spoke about making him happy and awakening him.
When they were younger, he could carry her.
He could scold her.
He could protect her.
But they had both grown old.
If she became hurt now, he could no longer carry her to the hospital.
Rachel had grown up.
He was no longer the young man he once had been.
"What's wrong? Is the weather getting cold? Let's go home."
Adrian gently took her hand.
Her hand was no longer as soft as it had once been, yet it remained warm.
Carefully, he helped her to her feet.
It was time to return home.
The breeze stirred the lake.
Ripples spread across the emerald water.
Willow branches swayed gently.
The sunlight shone warmly over everything.
And the world, however false it might be, remained beautiful.