"So this… is the Time Stone?"
Feeling the strange new perception flooding his senses, Lucas finally understood why the Time Stone was capable of manipulating time.
To him, the Time Stone was nothing less than a control console for time itself.
No wonder the Ancient One had said that once one touched the stone, its methods of operation would become instinctively clear.
This realization led Lucas into deeper thought.
Each Infinity Stone felt like a hidden backdoor within a vast program—master one, and you could activate a portion of the system's functions.
Master them all, and you would possess administrator-level authority.
Of course, such power came with a price.
Lucas pondered this quietly as he found himself already back home.
"Bro~!"
Carrie, who had been sitting on a high stool in the dining area eating cake, immediately jumped down when she saw Lucas and ran toward him.
"Mm." Lucas gently patted her head in response.
As he passed by the cake—now more than three-quarters eaten—an idea suddenly struck him.
Holding the Time Stone, a faint green glow shimmered over Lucas's body, and the cake in front of him began to change.
Carrie thought Lucas wanted some cake and was about to bring it over—
But before she could move, she froze in shock.
The cake… was restoring itself.
Yes—restoring.
The portions she had already eaten were reappearing, bite by bite, at a visible pace.
Each fragment returned exactly as it had been before, identical to the amount she had consumed.
As Lucas felt the steady drain of energy within his body, he began calculating silently.
"Wow!"
When the cake fully returned to its original, untouched state, Carrie's eyes sparkled like stars.
She hurried over, inspecting it with fascination.
"Bro, are you doing magic?" she asked curiously.
Lucas shook his head.
"No. This is the charm of time."
He stepped forward, scooped up a piece with a spoon, and ate it.
"The taste is fine. The texture is normal. The energy converted after consumption is also intact."
Lucas's mind raced. He needed to confirm whether objects restored by the Time Stone were real or merely illusory.
From the cake alone, it was clear—the effects of the Time Stone were absolutely real.
As for the energy cost… restoring the cake was expensive.
Very expensive.
Lucas frowned slightly. The energy he had just expended was comparable to what he had used earlier to destroy Phobos.
However, he could also sense that this consumption was closely tied to his level of mastery over the Time Stone.
"But then how did Strange manage to casually rewind an apple the first time he touched it?"
Lucas frowned in thought.
"Was it magic that reduced the energy cost for him?"
Or perhaps—
"Do the Infinity Stones favor certain users and offer them special allowances?"
That question had no answer for now.
In the original records, it had been stated that altering the present using the Time Stone could generate new parallel timelines—
And it could even attract the attention of a mysterious Time Authority, assuming such an organization existed in this universe.
Lucas turned toward Kara, who had just walked over.
"Where's Clark?"
"He's been waiting for you with Lois's body," Kara replied.
After a brief hesitation, she asked softly, "Lucas… can you really bring Lois back?"
"I can't give you a definite answer," Lucas said honestly.
"This is only a preliminary hypothesis."
"But sometimes, you won't know unless you try."
Kara nodded.
"Go. I can't stand seeing Clark like this anymore—empty, lifeless, like a walking corpse."
"Lois was a good woman. If she can truly be brought back, she'd be Clark's greatest blessing."
Lucas nodded gently.
A blue light flickered around him, and he vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile, in the stairwell, Elaine, who had been standing silently, watched Lucas disappear. A silvery glow flickered briefly in her eyes.
---
"Lois… you always said that after we got married, we'd bring our children here to live."
"Away from the noise of the city. You'd take care of the kids, and I'd work the land."
"Then why… why did fate have to treat you like this?"
At Kent Farm, Clark sat atop a haystack, holding Lois's body in his arms and gazing across the vast fields.
At that moment, Lucas appeared beside him.
Clark turned his head. Seeing Lucas, he didn't get excited—only smiled bitterly.
"Lucas… I know you were just trying to comfort me earlier."
"Don't worry. I know Lois is gone. I've accepted it."
"So you don't need to say you can revive her anymore. I know that's impossible."
Lucas looked at him, feeling the deep despair that went beyond grief—the despair of a heart that had already died.
"I wasn't lying," Lucas said calmly.
"I left earlier to gather what I needed."
"Lucas." Clark looked up, meeting his gaze.
"I told you—I don't need lies to comfort me anymore!"
Lucas suddenly reached out and patted Clark's shoulder.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"And would I joke with you about something like this?"
Clark's expression finally changed.
"You're serious… You really can revive Lois—and our child?"
Lucas paused before answering.
"I can't promise a hundred percent success. But I'll do everything I can."
"Of course, if you don't want me to try, I won't."
"The choice is yours."
Clark froze for two seconds—then burst out emotionally.
"No! Lucas, you have to try!"
Lucas's eyes sharpened.
"Then I need to make this clear—there is a chance this will fail."
Clark answered without hesitation.
"Success or failure—I'll accept either. I'll never blame you."
"Good."
Lucas spoke decisively.
"Step back. No matter what happens, no one is allowed to interfere or interrupt me. Do you understand?"
Clark nodded firmly.
"Don't worry. No one gets past me today."
For the first time, a killing intent surfaced from Clark's body.
With a blur, he retreated dozens of meters away and stood guard, eyes locked on the surroundings—
Determined that no lifeform would be allowed to cross this boundary and disrupt Lucas's attempt.
___
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