Pain.
Then darkness.
Then nothing.
The last thing he remembered was the blinding headlights.
A truck had run a red light.
There had been a screech of brakes.
A flash of white.
And then...
Death.
At least, he assumed it was death.
Because when he opened his eyes, he found himself floating in an endless black void.
There was no ground.
No sky.
No stars.
Nothing but infinite darkness stretching in every direction.
The young man looked down at himself.
Oddly enough, he still had a body.
Or something close enough to one.
His hands looked normal.
His clothes looked normal.
Everything looked normal except for the fact that he was floating in absolutely nothing.
"Well."
He looked around.
"I'm dead."
The words echoed endlessly.
No answer came.
A few minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then thirty.
There was no way to tell time in the void, but it felt like a long while.
Just as boredom began replacing confusion, reality suddenly shook.
The darkness trembled.
Golden cracks spread through the void.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon the empty space.
The young man's eyes widened.
Something was coming.
A massive golden wheel emerged from the darkness.
It was enormous.
Larger than a mountain.
Larger than a city.
Countless glowing runes rotated across its surface.
Each rune seemed to contain an entire universe.
The sight alone made his soul tremble.
Then a voice echoed through the void.
Neither male nor female.
Neither warm nor cold.
It simply existed.
[WELCOME, DECEASED SOUL.]
The young man blinked.
"...Hello?"
[YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR REINCARNATION.]
His eyes widened.
Reincarnation?
Just like those novels he used to read?
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Okay. This is already way better than I expected."
The voice continued.
[THE WHEEL OF FATE SHALL DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY.]
The gigantic wheel split into two.
One wheel displayed countless worlds.
The other displayed countless abilities.
The young man immediately became nervous.
His future depended on luck.
And his luck had never been particularly good.
[FIRST SPIN: WORLD SELECTION.]
The first wheel began spinning.
Worlds flashed by.
Naruto.
Marvel.
One Piece.
Bleach.
Dragon Ball.
Warhammer 40K.
Harry Potter.
Star Wars.
Thousands upon thousands of worlds appeared and vanished.
The wheel gradually slowed.
His heart pounded.
Please don't be Warhammer.
Please don't be Warhammer.
Please—
The wheel stopped.
A symbol illuminated the darkness.
[WORLD SELECTED: DC.]
The young man's smile froze.
Then disappeared.
Then returned.
Then disappeared again.
"DC?"
Of all possible worlds.
He got DC.
A universe filled with gods.
Aliens.
Reality warpers.
Speedsters.
Living concepts.
Cosmic horrors.
And enough world-ending events to make apocalypse feel routine.
"Well..."
He swallowed.
"At least it wasn't Warhammer."
The voice ignored him.
[BEGINNING ABILITY SELECTION.]
The ability wheel started spinning.
Far faster than before.
The young man watched countless powers flash past.
Reality Manipulation.
Conceptual Authority.
Time Control.
Omniscience.
Creation.
Destruction.
The wheel eventually slowed.
Slower.
Slower.
Then stopped.
A silver rune illuminated the darkness.
[ABILITY ACQUIRED: ADAPTATION.]
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then information exploded into his mind.
The young man froze.
His eyes widened.
Then widened further.
Then widened even more.
Because this wasn't ordinary adaptation.
Not even close.
His adaptation possessed no known limit.
No upper boundary.
No cap.
No restrictions.
Anything that affected him could be adapted to.
Anything.
Heat.
Cold.
Poison.
Disease.
Magic.
Physical force.
Energy.
Concepts.
Reality manipulation.
Time manipulation.
Space manipulation.
Death.
His breathing became ragged.
The information continued.
The adaptation wasn't slow.
It wasn't gradual.
It wasn't even reactive.
It was instantaneous.
The moment something affected him, adaptation would begin.
The more dangerous the threat, the faster the adaptation.
If he survived being exposed to something once...
It would never work the same way again.
The young man stared at the wheel.
Speechless.
This was absurd.
Completely absurd.
He didn't even know what to call this anymore.
[SECOND ABILITY SELECTION.]
The wheel spun again.
Eventually stopping on a brilliant golden symbol.
[ABILITY ACQUIRED: SINGULARITY.]
Another torrent of information entered his mind.
His existence became absolutely unique.
There could never be another version of him.
No scientist could clone him.
No magic could copy him.
No reality warper could duplicate him.
No alternate timeline could artificially recreate him.
No power-stealing ability could perfectly reproduce him.
He was a singular existence.
One of one.
Forever.
The implications were terrifying.
Especially in a universe like DC.
The wheel spun a third time.
A crimson rune appeared.
[ABILITY ACQUIRED: MENTAL LOCK.]
The young man's consciousness shook.
His mind transformed.
Solidified.
Became untouchable.
Telepathy?
Impossible.
Mind reading?
Impossible.
Mind control?
Impossible.
Memory alteration?
Impossible.
Soul corruption through mental influence?
Impossible.
Possession?
Impossible.
His mind belonged to him alone.
Forever.
The young man stared at the wheel.
Then laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Because these abilities were ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
The Wheel of Fate had practically handed him three cheats.
The voice spoke once more.
[SELECTION COMPLETE.]
The void began cracking apart.
Bright white light burst through the fractures.
His reincarnation was beginning.
Before he vanished, he asked one question.
"How powerful can Adaptation become?"
The voice remained silent for several moments.
Then it answered.
[THERE IS NO LIMIT.]
The young man's eyes widened.
Then the world exploded into light.
Cold air filled his lungs.
The young man gasped.
His eyes snapped open.
Bright sunlight greeted him.
He immediately sat upright.
Grass.
Trees.
Blue sky.
Forest.
He was alive.
Actually alive.
The first thing he noticed was that he had become younger.
Much younger.
His body was tiny.
Perhaps six years old.
Maybe seven.
The second thing he noticed was that he was completely alone.
No family.
No home.
No supplies.
No explanation.
"Wonderful."
A rustling sound came from nearby bushes.
His body instantly tensed.
A second later, a wolf emerged.
Large.
Hungry.
Dangerous.
The animal immediately locked onto him.
The wolf growled.
The young boy froze.
Normally, this would be a terrifying situation.
Instead, a strange feeling passed through him.
Information appeared within his mind.
[Threat Detected.]
[Beginning Adaptation.]
The young boy blinked.
What?
The wolf lunged.
Fangs flashing.
Claws extended.
Then something impossible happened.
Time seemed to slow.
Not literally.
His perception simply accelerated.
The wolf's movements suddenly appeared obvious.
Predictable.
Easy to understand.
The adaptation had already begun.
His body adjusted.
His muscles optimized.
His balance improved.
His reflexes evolved.
All within a fraction of a second.
The wolf reached him.
The boy instinctively stepped aside.
The animal missed completely.
Its eyes widened in confusion.
The adaptation continued.
The wolf was now classified as a known threat.
Its movements.
Its instincts.
Its attack patterns.
His body understood them automatically.
The second attack came.
He dodged again.
Easier this time.
The third attack came.
He casually moved out of the way.
The wolf became frustrated.
The boy became fascinated.
Because he could actually feel himself changing.
Improving.
Evolving.
Every second.
Every moment.
Every experience.
The wolf attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Eventually, the animal stopped.
Its instincts screamed danger.
The small child standing before it no longer felt like prey.
The wolf backed away.
Then ran.
The boy watched it disappear.
His heart pounded.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
That had been his first experience with Adaptation.
And it was horrifyingly powerful.
The wolf had only been a threat for a few seconds.
Yet his body had already begun evolving solutions.
What would happen against stronger enemies?
Against metahumans?
Against magic?
Against cosmic forces?
The possibilities were endless.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
Then a larger smile.
Then a grin.
Because for the first time since arriving in DC...
He realized something.
The universe should be afraid of him.
Not the other way around.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled across the sky.
The young boy turned toward the horizon.
Toward the future.
Toward a world filled with heroes and villains.
A world that had no idea what had just arrived.
And with that thought, he began walking forward.
Toward destiny.
Toward power.
Toward a future where even the impossible would eventually become something he could adapt to.