Daniel casually waved the Kryptonite in Clark's direction. "So, do you want this?"
Clark immediately stepped back. "Umm... no. I think it's better if I stay as far away from that thing as possible."
Daniel shrugged, tossing the crystal from one hand to the other. "Your choice. But aren't you worried I'll use it for something bad? Sell it to someone who wants to hurt you?"
Clark looked at him as though he had just heard something ridiculous.
"I don't think you're interested in money. Besides, if you really wanted to do something like that, you wouldn't have warned me about it in the first place."
Daniel smiled and flicked the Kryptonite into his System Inventory, where it disappeared instantly.
"Fair enough. But fragments of Kryptonite have probably scattered all over Earth after Krypton exploded, so you'll have to be careful."
Clark's expression became serious. "I'll keep that in mind."
Footsteps echoed through the Fortress. Kara walked in again, this time wearing normal clothes. She hesitated briefly before looking at Daniel. "Hi."
Daniel gave her a quick glance. "Yeah, hi. So — any lingering side effects? Anything strange left in your mind from whatever was done to you?"
Kara fell silent. The memories came flooding back all at once.
She remembered every moment under the brainwashing — fighting Daniel, driving her fist straight through his heart, burning through his neck with her heat vision, attacking him relentlessly while he never once tried to kill her.
Her hands slowly tightened into fists as she lowered her head. "I remember everything." Her voice was quiet, almost trembling. "I remember everything I did to you."
She forced herself to look Daniel in the eyes. "I'm... sorry."
Daniel simply shook his head. "There's no need to apologize." He leaned back in his chair, completely unconcerned.
"I'm not that easy to kill, and none of that was your fault. You were under someone else's influence — I'm not going to blame you for something you couldn't control."
The guilt on Kara's face eased slightly.
"But do you remember how this happened to you?" Daniel asked.
Kara closed her eyes, trying to piece together scattered fragments.
"When Krypton was destroyed, my parents launched my pod after Kal-El's. My mission was to watch over him and make sure he reached Earth safely." She paused.
"But somewhere during the journey... my pod was knocked off course." She pressed a hand against her forehead.
"I don't know what happened after that. My memories from that point are blurry, like they've been torn apart. I can remember Krypton, I can remember leaving the planet, but everything after that is just fragments." She shook her head slowly.
"I don't know where I went, how I ended up there, or how I fell under someone's control."
Daniel looked at her for a long moment before nodding to himself. "Hmm... it could just be a side effect. Let me check, just to make sure there's nothing wrong."
Clark looked at him curiously. "Check how?"
Daniel shrugged. "I'm not some telepath who can read minds." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm just going to... you know..." He gestured vaguely. "...try something."
Clark stared at him. "That doesn't inspire much confidence."
"Neither does half the stuff I do, but it usually works out in the end."
Kara blinked. "...That's your plan?"
"Pretty much."
Clark let out a helpless sigh. "I can't believe that's your actual answer."
"Look, if I knew exactly what I was doing, I'd have explained it properly. Unfortunately, I don't." Daniel looked at Kara before frowning. "...Now that I think about it, where exactly am I supposed to touch?"
Clark blinked. "I have absolutely no idea what you mean."
Daniel sighed. "Well... don't mind this." He reached forward and gently held Kara's hand. "Just stay still."
Kara nodded. Daniel closed his eyes.
His consciousness slipped beyond the physical world and into her soul.
The glow he had restored earlier remained stable — but hidden deep within it were faint traces of black magic, scattered like cracks across glass.
They no longer possessed enough power to control her, but they hadn't disappeared completely.
Daniel opened his eyes and let go of her hand.
"There are still some remnants left, but they shouldn't be a problem. The brainwashing is gone — what's left is just residual magic. It'll fade on its own over time."
The instant he finished speaking —
"What the fuck are you two sissies staring at?"
Daniel and Clark froze. Both slowly turned toward Kara.
Her posture had completely changed. She stood with one hand on her hip, looking at them with an annoyed expression.
Clark stared at Daniel. "...Didn't you just say there wasn't a problem?"
"...I did."
Kara snorted. "What are you looking at, you sorry excuse for a cousin?"
Clark's eye twitched. Before he could answer, Kara pointed at Daniel.
"And you."
Daniel looked behind himself. "Me?" He pointed at his own chest.
She strode straight toward him. Without any warning, she grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him down to her height, and kissed him.
Daniel's eyes widened. Clark stood frozen.
After a few seconds, Kara let go and looked Daniel straight in the eyes. "I like you." A confident grin spread across her face. "You're strong."
Daniel remained completely still, his brain momentarily refusing to process what had just happened. Clark could only stare at the two of them in stunned silence, wondering whether Daniel had been wrong about those remaining effects after all.
*****
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