Fifteen years had passed since the world had been reshaped. Since the final battle that had solidified Superman's reign. The golden city of Metropolis had remained at peace, untouched by crime, unrest, or any trace of the chaos that once ruled it.
The streets were quiet, but in that silence, there was a calm—an enduring peace that Superman had fought for.
At 60 years old, Clark Kent stood tall, his once-black hair now silvered with age. The years had not dulled his presence. His immortality, granted through the same cosmic forces that had once powered him, had preserved him as he was, a living monument to the time that had passed. His eyes, however, had changed. They had seen it all. The cost of peace.
Beside him stood Bruce Wayne. The Dark Knight, now in his sixties, had long since put away the cape and cowl. The crime that once plagued Gotham had been eradicated, and with it, Bruce's need to be the protector of the night.
Together, they stood as the last remnants of a world that had fought for its place in history. Their bodies had not aged beyond a certain point, granted the gift of immortality through their own means and the stability of the world Superman had built. And yet, despite their unyielding existence, there was a sense of weight in their hearts—a weight that no amount of time or peace could lift.
The world they had saved no longer needed them. It had moved beyond them.
But one thing remained—one thing that neither time nor immortality could change.
Jonathan Kent.
The young boy, at 13 years old, was a perfect blend of his parents. His dark hair was thick, his eyes a sharp contrast of warmth and power, and his build—already strong for his age—hinted at the potential locked within him. But unlike his father, Jonathan had a light in him. A curiosity. A desire to learn, to grow, to experience life in ways Superman could never.
Clark watched as Jonathan ran through the fields outside the Kent family farm, his laughter ringing in the air. The boy was already training with both his mother, Diana, and his mentors—his father, Batman, and the gods of Olympus. Jonathan had begun to understand his lineage, his place in the world.
But for all that, Clark knew the hardest part of his life was yet to come.
This wasn't just the son of Superman. This was the next generation—the next protector of a world that had never known war or loss. The next hope for a planet that had forgotten what it meant to fight.
And that, perhaps, was the greatest challenge of all.
Superman's eyes softened as he watched his son.
"Is he ready?" Bruce's voice broke through the quiet.
Clark nodded. "Not yet. But he will be."
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the field. The world had grown still, but the winds of change were already beginning to stir. And in that moment, neither Clark nor Bruce could sense it, but they knew—something was coming. Something beyond their control.
And the peaceful world they had created… would soon be tested once more.
End of Chapter 1.