Chapter 22: Reflection of the Soul
Ben was transported through Green Lantern's energy gate to the planet Oa—the central world of the Guardians of the Universe, where the most dangerous secrets are kept and the rarest energies are studied.
His body trembled—not from exhaustion, but from an internal conflict that wouldn't stop. The black crystals were forming fine lines beneath his skin, and his pulse had become erratic.
He was greeted by the Ancient Guardians with silent concern. Using their ancient technology, they scanned the energy within him, and the result was shocking:
> "The energy inside you resembles that of a lost cosmic force from millions of years ago… It's the core of an unformed reality."
One of them added:
"This is no mutation… It's a blueprint for building a new universe from within."
Supergirl, who had been by his side since the beginning, never left him for a moment. She was noticing how he broke down more each time someone questioned his very being.
That night, they sat together on one of the floating balconies above Oa's luminous skyline, where tiny planets orbited below them.
Ben (in a broken voice):
"I feel like I'm not myself anymore… like something inside me is being erased every day."
Supergirl looked at him in silence, then said:
"But one thing hasn't changed… your heart."
He paused, then whispered:
"I'm scared… scared of turning into something beyond saving."
She gently took his hand and said:
"Even if you lose everything… I won't lose you."
Ben gave a faint smile:
"That's the first time anyone's said that to me."
The moment came close to a kiss, but it stopped at a long silence—filled with unspoken warmth.
The next day, a rare crystal extracted from his body was placed in an ancient scanner on Oa. Suddenly, strange old symbols appeared, repeating:
"Kairos – Core – Divergence"
One of the Guardians cried out:
"If this core is completed… it could give birth to a reality that rewrites the laws of existence."
Only then did they begin to understand: what Ben carried was not a disease… but a cosmic turning point.
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