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Just as she finished speaking, Kara slowly began to float.
Jiro watched her hover in the air, sunlight wrapping her in a golden halo, her blonde hair flowing gently in the wind.
"Like I said, I'm a Kryptonian from a parallel universe," Jiro explained calmly.
"We came to this world by accident—originally, we weren't planning to stay. But now that we've found you, we can't just walk away."
Kara opened her eyes. Her brilliant blue irises sparkled with intelligence.
She landed softly, her feet barely making a sound. Graceful. Composed.
"I understand," she said with a nod, voice gentle.
"My enhanced mind just scanned this planet. There's another Kryptonian here—Clark Kent. The humans call him Superman. But when I first arrived twenty years ago, he wasn't here."
She raised her hand, touching her chin in thought.
"My best guess? I'm not from this world either. My ship hit some kind of spatial disturbance in the Phantom Zone and sent me here."
Wanda blinked, curious. "So this world's Superman... might be from a different Krypton than you?"
In most comics she'd read, Supergirl and Superman were usually from the same universe—but sometimes they weren't.
Kara nodded. "Exactly. Like Jiro—we come from similar Kryptons, but they're not the same universe."
Jiro crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Looks like the multiverse is more fragile than we thought."
"So... you don't know this Kal?" Wanda asked. "In your universe, you were the only one left?"
Kara's eyes turned a little somber. "Yeah. In my Krypton, the House of El didn't survive. I'm the last of the Zor-Els. My parents were top scientists—they saw the end coming and sent me away."
She paused, frowning. "I don't even have any memory of this Kal."
"Got it." Jiro nodded. Parallel universes could get messy, but at least this Kara was a unique version.
Kara smiled and offered her hand. "Nice to meet you again—Kara Zor-El, one of Krypton's last survivors."
Jiro shook her hand, feeling the surge of Kryptonian energy pulsing inside her. "Jiro. Though... my story's a bit more complicated."
Wanda reached out as well, scarlet energy flickering at her fingertips. "Wanda Maximoff. Chaos magic user."
Kara looked her over curiously. "Your energy is... unusual. I've never seen anything like it."
(In this universe, Marvel comics don't exist.)
Wanda gave her a playful wink. "And you're the first real Kryptonian I've ever met."
Jiro glanced up. Dark clouds were gathering, and the Siberian wind had picked up.
"This isn't the place to talk," he suggested.
"Let's head back to the city—somewhere safe."
Kara looked around at the frozen wasteland and the distant wreckage of the military base. Her eyes darkened.
"The people who locked me up—they're not going to let this go."
Jiro stared at the ruins, a flash of golden light passing through his eyes. "If they come after us... I'll make sure they regret crossing a Kryptonian."
Kara turned toward him, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile. "I like your attitude."
Wanda laughed lightly, raising her hands as scarlet energy arced through the air. "Then let's not waste time."
She looked at Jiro. "Portal?"
He nodded and waved his hand. Golden sparks swirled in midair and quickly formed a stable portal.
On the other side, bright sunlight gleamed off tall buildings—downtown Metropolis.
Kara's eyes widened slightly. "Spatial jump?"
"Just a magic trick," Wanda shrugged.
Jiro gestured. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Kara took a deep breath and stepped through. Jiro and Wanda followed right behind.
Metropolis – A Café
The three of them found a quiet corner of a cozy café.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the noise of the city felt far away. Sunlight streamed across the table.
Kara had changed into casual clothes. Jiro pulled out one of Wanda's simple black dresses from his system space and handed it to her.
She picked up her coffee, took a small sip, and then smiled contentedly. "It's been a long time since I've had a hot drink."
Wanda rested her chin in her hand, asking curiously, "How long were you locked up in that base?"
Kara's eyes dimmed slightly. "Twelve years."
Jiro and Wanda exchanged glances. The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
"Twelve years," Wanda repeated softly, a flicker of anger in her eyes.
"Humans like that are unforgivable."
Kara shook her head, her tone calm. "Hatred only clouds your judgment. My ship's long gone anyway… I don't really have anywhere to go now."
Jiro tapped his fingers lightly on the table, golden eyes thoughtful.
"Kara, do you have any plans now?" he asked.
Kara set her cup down and looked out the window at the towering Daily Planet building in the distance.
"I want to meet this world's Kal-El," she said softly.
"Even if we're not directly related, he still carries Kryptonian blood."
Wanda nodded. "Clark's a good guy. He'll be happy to meet you."
Jiro paused for a second, then said, "But things are kind of messy right now."
He briefly explained to Kara how Batman was suspicious of Superman, and the tense dynamics within the Justice League.
After hearing it, Kara frowned slightly. "So Bruce thinks Clark might go rogue?"
"Yeah," Jiro said flatly.
"And he's already stockpiled Kryptonite weapons."
Kara's eyes turned cold. "Humans always react like this. They fear what they don't understand."
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around her coffee cup. Tiny cracks immediately appeared along the rim.
Wanda gently placed her hand on Kara's wrist. "Hey, don't get worked up. Not all humans are like the ones who locked you up."
Kara took a deep breath and loosened her grip. Under her bio-field, the cracks in the cup slowly started to heal.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"I just... still have trouble controlling my emotions."
Jiro looked at her calmly and said, "Your powers are still returning, so emotional swings are normal. But you need to get a handle on them—losing control could be dangerous."
Kara nodded, eyes filled with resolve. "I understand."
Right at that moment, the TV in the café suddenly switched to breaking news.
"Breaking! An unidentified creature is attacking downtown Metropolis! Casualties are currently unknown…"
The footage cut to a tall building belching black smoke from its upper floors. Sirens blared through the streets.
A deafening roar tore through the skies above Metropolis, and the whole city trembled.
Jiro, Kara, and Wanda all looked up at the same time, eyes locking onto the massive, rampaging creature in the distance.
"Let's go!" Jiro gave a crisp order.
Wanda waved her hands, crimson energy ripping open the air. A massive portal appeared in front of the three of them.
Without hesitation, they stepped through—instantly arriving in the heart of the battlefield!
"....."