The last thing I remember seeing was a giant flash and feeling heat enveloping me to the point I couldn't breathe, and then I woke with a gasp. My lungs felt like they were burning, then they disappeared like they never happened. For a second, I didn't know where I was. My eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar ceiling, a bright white color, not the popcorn ceiling of my old condo or a hospital.
Blinking rapidly, I sat up and found myself in a cozy bedroom filled with action figures and comic book posters. Everything looked huge, or rather, I was small. My heart pounded as I lifted my hands in front of my face, small, brown-skinned hands, the hands of a child.
What the hell, this isn't my body. The realization hit me like a truck. A flood of images and memories crashed into my mind: my past life, another world. I had been an adult, and now suddenly I'm this child; it all came to my head in an instant. My name was Cain... Cain Dawn is a nine-year-old boy.
My breath came quick and shallow. Stay calm, I told myself, just... breathe. I kept repeating that over and over until I could calm down. I took a deep breath, feeling my tiny chest rise and fall. The air tasted different, cleaner, maybe, and my senses felt strangely sharp. Under the panic, I felt an odd strength thrumming in my muscles.
Footsteps thudded in the hallway outside my room. I instinctively tensed, clutching the blue bedsheets. The door swung open, and a man rushed in. A giant man opened the door, and my god, he was huge. I knew instinctively who he was. My father, my new mind supplied, along with a rush of fondness that wasn't entirely mine.
He was tall and powerfully built, with deep brown skin and short black hair flecked with gray at the temples. He wore a simple black t-shirt that did nothing to hide a physique like an Olympic Bodybuilder. Thanks to my new memories, I recognized him immediately: My father, Jonathan Dawn.
"Cain! Son, are you okay?" he asked, voice thick with concern. He moved to sit on the edge of my bed, the mattress sinking under his weight. His bright brown eyes scanned my face. I realized I must look shaken; hell, I felt shaken.
"I... I think so," I managed to croak out. My voice was small and high, definitely a child's voice. It trembled a bit, so I cleared my throat, trying to steady it. "I just had a weird dream, Dad." The word Dad felt foreign on my tongue, yet also natural. The body's memories told me I loved this man, trusted him. I'll play along to not raise any suspicion.
Dad exhaled in relief and pulled me into a hug. I stiffened a moment, then sank into it, comforted despite everything. His arms were strong and warm. I could hear his heart beating, steady and strong, and beneath that a faint rumble like restrained power.
If I recalled correctly from these shaky memories, Jonathan was Viltrumite, an alien from the same race as Omni-Man and Invincible. My stomach flipped from the thought of what was going on in this universe to have Viltrumites in it. In my old life, I'd read Invincible comics and watched the show.
But Jonathan Dawn wasn't Nolan Grayson; he was different, I hope. According to the memories flooding in, Dad was a hero, a member of the Justice League. "Wait, the Justice League, what the hell?"
"How's my little guy?" came another female and gentle voice. Over Dad's shoulder, I saw my mother standing in the doorway. Her name was Aster Dawn, from what my memories told me. A tall and beautiful woman with rich brown skin and long black hair braided over one shoulder. She moved with grace, and I noticed the glint of silver bracelets on her wrists.
She was wearing grey yoga pants and a faded Wonder Woman t-shirt, ironically, but everything about her screamed Amazonian warrior. My new memories confirmed it. Mom had been an Amazon of Themyscira.
I pulled back from Dad's hug to look at her. "I'm okay, Mom," I said softly. The word Mom felt even stranger, stirring up an ache inside me. In my previous life, I barely remembered my mother, but here I had one who looked at me with such open love and worry. I mustered a small smile to reassure her.
She crossed the room in a few strides and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead, checking for a fever. "You gave us a scare," Aster said, her voice a lovely alto. Up close, I could see the subtle glow of her bronze skin; she truly looked like some demigoddess out of myth. "We heard you yelling in your sleep, and then you wouldn't wake up at first." Her eyes searched mine. "Nightmares?"
"Something like that," I murmured. "I... don't remember all of it." That was true enough. I had a jumble of half-remembered images of my other life. I was sleeping in my bed ( The memory was hazy) and then waking up here. Not exactly a story I could share.
Dad and Mom exchanged a glance over my head. Dad ruffled my curly hair gently. "It's all right. Must have been one heck of a nightmare from the way you were tossing." He hesitated, then added, "Maybe it's... time we talked about a few things, Cain. Things about our family."
I tilted my head, trying to look innocently curious. Inside, my heart sped up. Here it comes, I thought. The talk. The boy's own memories told me that I knew some of it already—my parents hadn't hidden their identities from me.
But Dad mentioned he'd only told me a half-truth about our heritage. Perhaps now that I was nine, they planned to explain a little more? Or maybe my episode worried them enough to bring it up. Either way, I steeled myself to hear it again, with new ears.
Mom sat down on my other side, and Dad remained close, his arm around her waist. They both looked at me with serious eyes. I suddenly felt like a very small child sandwiched between two giants—literally and figuratively.
"Cain," Dad began slowly, "you know that I'm not from Earth originally, right?"
I nodded. "Because you're a Viltrumite," I said, pronouncing the alien word carefully. My child's voice made it sound like I was talking about a Saturday morning cartoon species. My mind flashed to Omni-Man's mustachioed face, blood-splattered. I pushed that memory down and focused. "You told me you came from Viltrum and met Mom, and decided to stay here as a hero."
He smiled gently. "That's right, mostly. My real name is Johna Dan, and I am from Viltrum. Our people are very special. We have powers that humans can only dream of—great strength, the power of flight, and very long lifespans. We Viltrumites believe in strength and protecting what we care about."
Mom made a subtle face at that, a tiny furrow of her brow, as if she found that description a bit rosy. Dad coughed and went on, "I told you before that I came to Earth with another Viltrumite as an ambassador.
The truth is... it was a bit more complicated." He glanced at Mom, who gave him an encouraging nod. Originally, Were was sent to observe Earth. My people wanted to know if this world would make a good ally."
Ally or conquest, I thought, and he came with another. Is he talking about Nolan Grayson(Omni-Man?) I wondered. In the Invincible canon, Viltrumites sent Nolan as a conqueror, not an ambassador. One pure blooded Viltrumite was already a problem, but two with millennia worth of battle experience would be a problem.
Why was he sugar-coating it? Likely. This was another "half-truth". I'm nine years old (even if I'm older mentally), I suppose they didn't want to burden me with the idea that dear old Dad might have been a would-be planetary conqueror, especially if he changed, but his partner didn't.
Dad's hand found my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"But when I arrived here, I discovered Earth already had heroes, men and women who used their gifts to protect others. I admired that it reminded me of the better part of Viltrumite ideals. Then I met your mother." His eyes softened as he looked at Aster. "I fell in love, and I chose to make this planet my home, to defend it rather than observe it."
Mom smiled and put her hand over his. "I left Themyscira because your father made me feel something I haven't felt in a very long time, 'alive. My sisters weren't thrilled," she chuckled, but Diana helped encourage my actions of finding love, so I left with the blessing of her Queen Hippolyta.
I remembered from my memories that boy children weren't exactly common or welcome on the mystical island of female warriors. I wonder if they were still killed or turned into slaves, the better option would be working with Hephaestus. That all depends on how this world of Amazons is born and made. The fact that the Amazons allowed Aster to leave for love was already a big deal. She'd given up a lot to be here in a man's world, raising a son.
Dad continued, "That's why I joined the Justice League. I go by "Breaker" when I'm in uniform." I did recall that name in my memories of seeing Dad in a sleek black and silver suit with the Viltrumite insignia on the chest, fighting alongside Superman and Omi-man. Superman. The thought made me swallow hard. That was confirmation enough that DC icons existed here. If Dad worked with the League, that meant Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were all real in this world. In my world now.
I realized both my parents were watching me closely, waiting for a reaction. I must have zoned out while processing everything. I quickly put on what I hoped was a suitably awed expression for a nine-year-old hearing this (again).
"So... I'm half alien? Half Viltrumite?" I asked quietly. Saying it out loud felt surreal. Part of me, the new Cain, already knew this, accepted it as normal. But the part of me that was me, the interloper, felt a mix of excitement and dread. Half Viltrumite like Mark Grayson... and we know how his dad turned out.
"Yes," Mom said, brushing a thumb over my cheek comfortingly. "You have both Viltrumite and Amazon blood in your veins, my love. A rather unique heritage." She winked, adding with a playful whisper, "So you'd best behave, young man, or you'll have the temper of two warrior races to reckon with."
I let out a small laugh, surprised that I genuinely felt amused. Leave it to Mom to lighten the mood. Dad chuckled as well, the tension easing.
"Your powers will start showing as you get a bit older," he said. "Maybe when you hit puberty, or maybe sooner. We're not entirely sure how your mixed genetics will develop, son. "We need you to be mindful of something", he said as his tone went more serious, which made me think, "oh god, what now?".
Dad scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. See, Viltrumite DNA is pure and refined. "True hybrids are rare in our species," he said. Before I was born, a very long time ago, we weren't allowed to have families with other species. But after a crisis that wiped out a majority of our numbers, we were allowed to find species to complement our people's abilities and traits, and found out it made us even stronger.
Over time of doing this and reintroducing those hybrids back into our species, we were able to evolve and grow not only our numbers and strength, but we are still rare and few. This idea was completely new to me in the lore I know from the comics; true hybrids were rarely tolerated, only out of necessity for the species to continue the empire. They would always end up being full Viltumites basically when fully matured.
Since this is a different universe, I guess some things have changed. He continued Our scientist found out that hybrids seek out ideal genetic partners. People who match us in strength, resilience, and biology. Purebloods like me do as well, but not to the same degree as hybrids naturally. It's why I was drawn to your mother. And it's why, when you hit puberty..."
Mom cleared her throat. "Jonathan." "What? He's going to figure it out. "Still, not now. "What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely curious now. Dad gave me a sheepish look. "Let's just say... your body may go through changes. Some of them might be... intense.
Especially around girls you find and that find attractive. It's biology, not lack of self-control. You'll understand more as you get older. Just promise to talk to us if you notice anything unusual, okay?"
I nodded, cheeks warming. Great. Superpowered puberty. Just what I needed. Then Mom spoke, and her voice softened the moment. "I was born on Themyscira," she said. "I lived there for centuries before I met your father. I chose to leave, to live in this world to raise you. You're not just Viltrumite. You carry Amazonian blood, too. Our strength. Our honor."
"I will teach some of our ways from the combat, philosophy, languages, and history. It is up to you on how you use what I teach you, and I know you will use it well". She would then kiss my forehead.
Dad ruffled my hair again. My heart thumped with pure excitement and anxiousness. "That. Sounds amazing," I admitted, allowing some genuine enthusiasm to color my voice. I tried to temper it, adding in a more measured tone, "But I'll be careful. I promise. I know I have to keep it secret for now."
The moment I feel something is wrong, I will let you two know. Eventually, Mom and Dad left me to rest, saying I could stay home from school today if I felt upset by the nightmare. I pretended to be sleepy, and they reluctantly departed.
Dad cast one more concerned glance before shutting the door. As soon as I was alone, I threw off the covers and hopped out of bed. My feet hit the floor, and I nearly toppled—I wasn't used to being this short. With a steadier stance, I moved to the window and peeked through the curtains.
Seeing a city in the view, my memories told me I lived in the good part of Gotham. I would see that bright sunlight peek through the clouds as the morning was beginning. I saw a silver and black streak fly past a great speed in a blur. That must be my dad. I sat down in bed, looking through my room. Trying to get mentally ready for what's to come, and something tells me this will be one hell of an adventure.
"Little did I know it would be the beginning of something I wasn't truly ready for."