I was sitting with my legs crossed in my chamber, wearing just my pants, as I could see the yellow sun in front of me.
Outside the room, Faora was standing along with two scientists. These were among the scientists that Jor-El had recommended when I was creating my list of the ones I was going to take on this journey.
Right now, they were preparing their systems to monitor my condition so that in case the yellow sun radiation proved toxic to me, they would immediately raise the shields and block the yellow sun radiation.
Every vital sign would be tracked, every biological change recorded.
The scientists were Dal-Ek, the chief xenobiologist, and Mul-Ni, his assistant. Both had distinguished careers in studying how different environments affected Kryptonian physiology, though all their previous work had been based on the Council's false doctrine about stellar radiation.
I could see the doubts on Dal-Ek's face, which was completely understandable. What I was doing went against every piece of logic and rationality that Kryptonians were embedded with from their birth.
Kryptonians were by far one of the most rational races in our system and nearby systems. We approached problems with cold logic, analyzed data without emotional bias, and made decisions based on facts rather than feelings.
This rationality could have been an extremely sharp weapon if the billions of Kryptonians had decided to go planet-conquering once again, and would have won us a few galaxies at the very least.
But now, with just a few thousand of us remaining, I needed to make my people go beyond just rationality and logic. I needed to make them bond with each other, to the idea of Krypton, to the idea of the Kryptonian Empire, to the idea of their Emperor. I needed utter and absolute devotion.
My lineage did half the job already. The faith that Kryptonians held in Rao was unshakable. For a race that put logic above all else, they were extremely religious - quite ironic when I thought about it. I needed to replicate that same faith and devotion toward myself.
Just then, Dal-Ek said, "My lord, all testing protocols have been established according to standard xenobiological parameters. We have monitoring systems ready to track every aspect of your biological functions."
He paused, clearly still uncomfortable with what we were about to do.
"We will now take down the shields, and you will be exposed to the full spectrum of yellow sun radiation."
I did not look back as I said, "Proceed."
With that command, the shields were taken down. The yellow sun radiation hit my body directly for the first time in my life. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
I started to feel weird. There was a tingling sensation that began in my spine and spread outward like electricity moving through my nervous system. My hands felt different, my legs felt different - everything started to feel a bit lighter yet stronger at the same time.
The tingling spread through every muscle, every bone, every cell in my body. It was as if each part of me was being awakened from a long sleep, coming alive with energy I had never known existed. My skin felt warm but not burned, energized even.
My bones felt denser yet lighter, as if they were being reinforced while simultaneously being freed from the constraints of normal physics.
Then my senses began to change. I started hearing a lot more than I should have been able to hear. Voices from all over the ship reached my ears - conversations happening dozens of levels away, whispered discussions in distant corridors, even heartbeats of people I couldn't see.
The flood of auditory information caused me to frown due to all the overwhelming input. It was like having every sound on the ship suddenly amplified and channeled directly into my brain. But with all the training I had received since childhood, the meditation techniques that had been drilled into me as the heir of House Rao, I slowly controlled my hearing.
I focused my mind, compartmentalizing the sounds, learning to filter out what I didn't need to hear. Gradually, my hearing slowly returned to manageable levels, though I could still hear far more than any normal Kryptonian should be able to.
I knew that I was floating by now. The sensation of weightlessness was unmistakable - my body was no longer bound by the normal rules of gravity. I was suspended in the air of my chamber, sitting in the same crossed-leg position but without any surface supporting me.
I could hear Dal-Ek's voice beside me, and I knew that he was in shock. There wasn't any toxicity showing in my body at all. Rather, my vital signs were going off the charts in ways that indicated unprecedented health and power rather than poisoning or death.
But for the past few seconds, I had not heard anything from them. No voices, just equipment beeping. I wondered why there was suddenly such complete silence.
It was then that I opened my eyes and turned my face backward toward where Dal-Ek and the others were standing.
They were all shocked beyond belief. Their faces showed a mixture of awe, fear, and something approaching reverence. All three of them stood completely frozen, staring at me as if they had seen a flame dragon without any sort of protection.
Just then, a red strand came in front of my eye. The color was so vibrant and unexpected that it caught my attention immediately. I realized it was my own hair.
I touched my hair and found that it had grown from its normal length down to my ribs and was now red in color. Not just any red, but a brilliant crimson that seemed to glow with its own inner light.
I turned toward the reflective surface mounted on the chamber wall. In the mirror, I saw my transformed appearance for the first time. Beyond the flowing red hair, there was something else that made my breath catch. On my forehead was a half sun made in red, rising like a dawn breaking over the horizon.
The mark of Rao himself. Not just the hair, but the actual symbol that had adorned the God-King's brow in the ancient depictions.
As soon as I looked at them directly, the three of them dropped to one knee in perfect unison. Faora whispered in a voice filled with awe and reverence, "The Crimson Crown."
Her voice carried across the silent chamber like a prayer.
"The sacred mark of Rao reborn!"
The words hit me like a revelation. I remembered something from the archives of Kryptonian religious tradition, knowledge that had been passed down to all Kryptonians.
According to ancient Kryptonian religious texts, God-King Rao had been distinguished by hair "burning with the fire of creation" - a trait that no subsequent Kryptonian had ever manifested.
Not even the ones from House Rao, despite our direct bloodline connection to the divine king.
The prophecies stated that Rao's true heir would one day return bearing this sign, heralding a new age of enlightenment and power for the Kryptonians. The red hair was not just a physical change - it was a symbol that carried millions of years of religious significance.
I did not understand exactly why this had happened to me. Was I truly the heir that was promised in the prophecies? Was this some kind of divine intervention, or simply a biological reaction to yellow sun radiation that had been mythologized over the centuries?
I had no definitive answer to that question. But this transformation was certainly working in my favor, cause thanks to this change, I was now a living symbol of faith and authority to my people.
This would be crucial for my ability to lead them effectively. I couldn't have them divided at all - unity was essential for our survival and eventual dominance. With my current appearance, any doubts about my right to rule would be swept away.
I could see the effect it was having on Faora, Dal-Ek, and Mul-Ni. They were kneeling before the undeniable proof that the ancient texts had been more than mere mythology.
Word of this transformation would spread throughout the ship within hours. Every Kryptonian aboard would know that their leader bore the Crimson Crown of Rao.
That would grant me the kind of authority I needed to build the empire I envisioned. Not just political power or military might, but the kind of absolute devotion that came from faith.
The kind of loyalty that could survive any hardship and drive people to achieve the impossible.
A smile formed on my lips as I said, "Rise."
.....
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