Chapter 1: The Beginning of a New Life
The first sound Brad heard was a faint whisper, like wind rustling through leaves. His eyes opened slowly, everything bathed in a soft, warm light. As his vision adjusted, he saw the face of an unfamiliar woman. She was looking down at him with a gentle expression, her eyes shimmering with quiet emotion. He quickly realized he was being held in her arms, his small body nestled against her chest.
Confused, he blinked several times, trying to process what was happening. It felt like he was trapped between a dream and reality. A strange sense of comfort surrounded him, but with it came a sudden clarity. Then, like lightning through his mind, the memories struck him—the chaos, the screaming, the deafening gunfire… and the sharp pain of a stray bullet piercing his body.
"I died…" he thought, stunned. The last thing he remembered was being caught in the middle of a shootout—wrong place, wrong time. He had nothing to do with it, just an unlucky bystander. A meaningless death in a meaningless moment.
But now… here he was. Alive. Or rather, reborn.
A strange calm washed over him. There was no panic, no grief—only a serene stillness. Perhaps it was because he was a nerd, obsessed with anime and manga, that this situation felt less terrifying and more… surreal. After all, how many times had he imagined this very scenario? How many isekai stories had he consumed, where the protagonist dies and awakens in a brand-new world?
"Honestly… I didn't have anything worth holding onto in my old life," he thought with a faint, bittersweet smile. "Maybe this is my second chance."
He turned his head toward the car window and watched the scenery roll by. They were driving along a quiet country road, surrounded by open fields that stretched far into the horizon. Trees dotted the landscape, swaying with the breeze under a sky growing dimmer by the minute. The only sounds were the gentle hum of the engine and the soft creaks of the vehicle.
"But… what world is this?" he wondered. It felt oddly familiar, like something out of an old dream or a TV show he had long forgotten.
Suddenly, the air was split by a thunderous crack—like the heavens had been torn open. Brad's eyes widened as fiery meteors began to streak across the sky, lighting up the darkening horizon. Dozens, maybe hundreds, fell in a chaotic rain of fire and destruction.
— ! Jonathan! Turn, now!" — the woman holding him screamed in panic.
Brad was jolted as the car swerved sharply. He could feel the woman clutching him tightly to protect him.
— "I'm trying!" — the man at the wheel shouted back, his voice thick with tension.
The vehicle veered off the road and under a small overpass, seeking shelter from the apocalyptic scene unfolding above. The ground trembled with each impact. The noise was deafening, but eventually, the rain of fire slowed… then stopped. Silence fell again, heavy and uncertain.
Once it felt safe enough, Jonathan restarted the engine and slowly pulled the car back onto the road. They drove cautiously through the fields, the aftermath of the meteor storm still fresh in the air—burnt earth, scattered debris, and columns of smoke rising in the distance.
Then, amidst the eerie silence, a new sound reached them. A baby's cry.
Martha and Jonathan exchanged a glance, then brought the car to a stop. They stepped out, cautiously approaching the sound. As they walked through the field, the source of the crying became clear—a baby, lying next to a strange metallic pod. The pod blinked with faint lights, its sleek and futuristic design unlike anything they had ever seen.
Martha's expression softened the moment she laid eyes on the child. She knelt beside him, picking him up gently.
— "Jonathan… what do we do?" she asked quietly, rocking the baby in her arms.
Jonathan looked from the infant to the strange craft and back again. There was hesitation in his eyes, but it lasted only a moment. He nodded.
— "We can't leave him here. He deserves a chance."
With care, they loaded the pod into the back of the truck. Martha sat in the back seat, now cradling both babies—Brad, still half-lost in thought, and the mysterious child they had just rescued.
Brad watched the scene unfold from within his small, new body. As he looked at the baby in Martha's other arm, a sinking realization hit him.
"This… this is Superman," he thought, stunned. The pieces were coming together. The names Martha and Jonathan. The meteor shower. The pod. This wasn't just any world.
This was the world of Superman.
And somehow… he had been reborn into it.
As his mind raced, a surge of energy welled up inside him. It was raw, overwhelming—like a dark flame hungry to consume everything around it. Brad's instincts screamed in warning. He didn't know what this power was, only that it was dangerous.
But with effort, he pushed it down, calmed himself.
"Okay… I've got powers. At least that means I'll be able to protect myself in this insane world."
The adrenaline faded, and exhaustion took its place. With everything that had happened—his death, his rebirth, the meteor shower, and now this revelation—his body couldn't take any more. He slowly drifted off to sleep, feeling the gentle rhythm of the car beneath him.
Martha looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms and smiled warmly.
— "Sleep well, Arthur," she whispered, gently brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
She then looked to the other baby—the one from the pod. After a pause, she softly added:
— "And you, my little one… your name will be Clark."
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