“Another one,” Dan exhaled through his nose, brow furrowed as he followed the perspective of a young girl from northern Scotland. She was one of many humans with inactive x-genes, a mutant in waiting. “Rahne Sinclair… it seems that the local minister is her father, an abusive tyrant who’s forced a harsh lifestyle on his child.”
A tendril of power filtered from Dan’s thoughts, drawn from the phantom zone and connected to the girl’s mind. He appeared before her as a mental projection, surrounded by a golden halo and with a smile on his face.
“Greetings, Rahne Sinclair,” Dan suppressed a chuckle as the ten year old girl almost tumbled from her chair. She fell to her knees, hands pressed together as she focused on his projection. “My name is Superman, and you are one of the many gifted children of the Earth.”
A vision of the planet appeared behind him, covered with countless lights. Some were brighter than others, but they all had one thing in common. They were mutants, or potential mutants. Millions of individuals, living among the humans undetected and ignored.
Dan was in contact with most of them already, his mind strained as he guided countless men, women and children towards members of the Order of Krypton and its allies. Many had spent their lives in the shadows, fearful even with his encouragement.
“A great power resides within you, a power that will one day awaken,” Dan returned his attention to the young Rahne, who was still overwhelmed by his appearance. “I know that your life has been a hard one, filled with tedium and misery at the hands of the local church…”
Rahne flinched, fingers white as they clenched together. Dan could see into her mind, as well as the mind of her father. Reverend Craig had hidden his identity from the girl and forced her to live as an orphan under his care.
“There is another path, beyond the clutches of the minister and his missguided teachings,” Dan let images of the students of the Order cycle behind him, smiles on their faces as they attended class and socialised after school. “All meta-humans have a place with us, a home where you’re free to be yourself.”
“I… I’m not…” Rahne stumbled over her words, gaze drawn to her door as the Reverend called her for morning prayer. She struggled, clearly torn as her father called out again. “What if you’re not real? What if this is just a dream?”
“Dreams are meant to be followed,” Dan’s projection smiled, hand extended to pull the girl to her feet. He ushered her towards the solitary dresser in the room, where all her positions were stored. “Gather your things and don’t worry about the Reverend, I’ll have a chat with him myself…”
A flutter of his biofield froze Rahne’s father in place, his hand on the doorknob to her room. This man had made his daughter’s life a daily misery, locked up in his own unhealthy repression and self-loathing. There were many like him in the world, villains in other peoples stories.
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“Hello, Reverend Craig,” The image Dan sent into the preacher’s mind was less friendly than the one his daughter received. Backlit by the brightest sun, his eyes glowed blue as they appraised the horrified man. “The Order of Krypton has heard your daughter’s cries for help, and I have answered.”
The star behind his projection flared, a corona of golden flame that blocked out the rest of the Reverend’s sight. Dan reached out and played a vision from the man’s memories, a summation of Rahne’s years of pain and abuse.
“She carries the unawakened potential of a meta-human within her, a potential that you cannot hope to understand.” Dan let the radiance of the illusionary star consume all but the sigil on his chest. The symbol of the house of EL rose upward, infused by the light of the sun. “She will be gone when you awaken, and you won’t have the will to seek her out. Rahne will be free of you, and you can continue your life of ignorance alone.”
A wave of his hand and the Reverend fell into a trance, feet unsteady as he stumbled to his bed. The man would sleep until tomorrow and awaken to a world where his daughter had been sent to a religious collage. His nature would keep the lie in place, as would Dan’s magic.
“Alright, now to give Rahne her instructions and move on to the next one,” Dan sighed. More than ever before, he lamented the slow speeds that humans experienced time. “There are so many of them, and unless I want to scoop them up and drag them in myself, I have to go at their pace…”
“Master Dan-EL, we’ve finished imprisoning the last of En Sabah Nur’s conspirators,” Cal’s voice broke into Dan’s concentration, another responsibility that demanded his attention. “Steve is wondering when Bucky is going to wake up… he also wants us to let him inside the containment chamber.”
“Let him inside,” Dan opened one eye and glanced at Cal. They both floated in orbit around the Earth, just outside the atmosphere’s reach. “The Winter Soldier will awaken soon and Steve’s presence will be helpful, whether Bucky’s mind is intact or not…”
----------------------------------------
“Chosen One?” Anakin shook his head, hands raised as he led his group to land before the Priestesses. “I’m no chosen one, just a negotiator sent by Dan-EL’s empire. We’re here to seek an alliance against the Force demon, Abeloth.”
“You ARE the Chosen One, and Abeloth is a god, not a demon,” Anger’s robe fluttered in an invisible wind, the formless light of her eyes narrowed behind her mask. “The arrival of your unpredictable master has changed fate beyond reckoning, the Force demands that we compensate!”
The glow behind the Priestesses' eyes flared, a brilliance that blinded even Kryptonian vision. Goku and Anissa stepped forward, positioned ahead of Anakin as the young wizard readied a spell. Before he could finish his magic, the light faded to reveal another world.
Healing light fell from the heavens, no sun visible to cast it. Vigorous plant life unfolded around them, accompanied by the playful chatter of small animals. Far in the distance from their own mountain, another floated free of the earth like a small moon.
A more grounded sister mountain towered over even the skyward island. Capped with a stark, grey ziggurat, it ruled over the landscape like a king. The Priestesses were gone, as were the golden islands of the Welspring. Goku and Anissa floated into the skies, both drawn toward the oversized temple.
“Get back here, you idiots!” Anakin jumped after his companions, only to find their faces empty and eyes dull. They moved robotically, on course for the monastery mountain. “...hey, wake up!”
Twin bolts of electricity lanced from his fingers, enough to force a yelp from both the Viltrumite and the Saiyan. They shook their heads, eyes still unfocused as Anakin cast a web or runes around them.
“Anakin? What’s going on?” Goku rubbed the back of his head, eyes narrowed as he glanced around their surroundings. “What is this place?”
“I don’t know, but the pair of you need to keep it together,” Anakin frowned and cast another spell, one that left a halo of runes above his companions heads. “Something inside that temple took control of your minds, both of you headed straight for it the second we arrived…”
“Your willpower is impressive, Chosen One,” a kindly voice chuckled, carried on the wind from the distant monastery. “Welcome to Mortis, a fulcrum in the Force and the centre of all that rests beyond shadows…”