In that instant, everyone effectively became blind.
Half an hour later, however, the force-field dome surrounding Lucas and Lois suddenly began to tremble.
As the light slowly faded, the scene within was finally revealed.
The blue-white particles covering Lois's body dimmed one by one, until she fully returned to the appearance of a normal living person.
"Come here, Clark."
Lucas's voice echoed clearly.
Clark vanished in a flash and appeared beside Lois. Seeing her rosy complexion—indistinguishable from that of a living person—his face filled with uncontrollable joy.
With his super hearing and x-ray vision, Clark already knew the truth the moment the force field dissipated:
Lois's body had been completely restored.
Even the child she carried had returned to the exact state it was in before.
"Lois…" Clark whispered beside her ear.
But there was no response. Her eyes remained closed.
At this moment, Tony and the others cautiously approached, keeping a distance of one to two meters.
"There's no need to call her yet," Lucas said calmly.
Clark's heart tightened.
"What's wrong? Isn't Lois fully restored? Did something go wrong?"
Everyone nearby instinctively leaned in to listen.
"Her body is alive," Lucas replied, "but both her soul—and the soul of your child—are gone."
"What… soul?"
Not only Clark, but everyone else froze on the spot.
The concept of the soul had existed since ancient times.
Modern science and medicine tried relentlessly to deny it—
Yet humanity had never truly abandoned the idea.
It persisted in culture, belief, and storytelling, shaping human perception across generations.
"Then what do we do?" Clark asked immediately.
Nothing else mattered to him now—only whether Lois and his child could truly return.
"Don't worry," Lucas said.
"I've already made arrangements. But for now, I need you to take Lois and the child with me to Asgard."
"Only there can they be kept absolutely safe."
Clark nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. I trust you. Wherever you say, I'll go."
Tony couldn't help but complain,
"You just got back, and now you're leaving again?"
It wasn't that Tony liked Lucas that much—
it was that some threats simply couldn't be handled without him.
Zod alone had crushed thirteen of Tony's combat armors without breaking a sweat.
The others shared the same unease.
If Lucas left, who knew what kind of nightmare might descend on Earth next?
"Relax," Lucas said.
"I'll have Clark watch over Earth. If anything unusual happens, I'll return immediately."
Clark frowned slightly. He wanted to stay with Lois and his child at all times.
But after imagining Earth under attack again—countless innocent lives lost—
He clenched his fists and said firmly,
"I'll resolve this matter quickly and come back."
"That won't be necessary," Lucas replied, realizing Clark misunderstood.
"Asgard has the Bifrost. Clark can return to Earth almost instantly. He can stay with his family and still defend the planet."
Only then did Clark finally let out a long breath.
"Well," Tony muttered, crossing himself,
"let's hope God keeps alien generals on vacation for a while."
At that moment, Lucas suddenly looked up at the sky.
A split second later, Clark did the same.
"What is it?" Tony and the others exchanged glances.
"Sir," JARVIS reported,
"Satellites have detected a high-speed object approaching Earth from deep space."
"Its velocity is approaching half the speed of light."
"What? Half the speed of light?!"
Tony froze—and so did everyone else.
What kind of day was this?
"A meteor?" Tony asked urgently.
"Negative, Sir," JARVIS replied.
"Analysis indicates a human-sized object."
"Additionally, after entering the solar system, the object demonstrated intelligent gravitational avoidance behavior."
"It is confirmed to be a sentient lifeform."
The atmosphere instantly tightened.
Many thought another Zod-level alien threat was incoming.
Only Nick Fury showed a subtle change in expression—as if he already knew.
"Sir," JARVIS continued,
"The object is decelerating and will enter Earth's atmosphere in approximately one minute."
Soon, a bright point appeared on the horizon, rapidly growing larger.
A radiant beam of light shot straight down, stopping more than ten meters above the ground.
As the light faded, a figure appeared—
A human-shaped being clad in a red, blue, and gold suit, wearing a distinctive helmet.
Everyone instantly assumed combat stances.
"Hey, hey—relax," Nick Fury said, stepping forward.
"She's not an enemy."
He gestured toward the newcomer.
"Allow me to introduce her. This is Carol Danvers—Earth-born, and on our side."
As Fury finished speaking, Carol's helmet retracted, revealing a human woman's face.
Only then did everyone relax and lower their guard.
Carol merely nodded once—then her gaze locked directly onto Lucas.
"The Space Stone is on you?"
Captain Marvel asked coldly.
"Well…" Fury hesitated.
"The situation's complicated, but for now, it's safest with him."
There was no way Fury could admit Lucas had simply taken it.
"Hand it over," Carol said firmly, staring at Lucas.
The atmosphere instantly tensed again.
"Carol, listen to me—" Fury hurried forward.
"Step aside, Fury," Carol cut him off.
"The Space Stone cannot remain in his possession."
She turned back to Lucas.
"Give it to Fury."
Lucas replied calmly,
"And if I refuse?"
Carol's eyes narrowed.
"Then I'll take it myself," she said coldly.
"And what happens to you afterward—I won't guarantee."
"We can talk this out," Clark stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation.
But Carol snorted.
"You'd better start thinking about how you're going to explain," she said sharply,
"how Kryptonians nearly destroyed Earth."
"I've got accounts to settle—with your kind."
The air crackled with tension.
___
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