"Where did you get it from?" Adrian asked softly, leaning down to smell the flower.
"From... from..." Rachel hesitated, stammering as she tried to answer him.
Her voice trailed off.
Her small face showed clear guilt.
Earlier, Adrian had told her that she could visit him at Metropolis University. However, he had warned her not to touch anything on campus so she would not attract attention or be discovered.
Now she felt she had already broken that rule.
When she picked the flower earlier, it looked slightly wilted. Wanting to give Adrian something beautiful, Rachel instinctively reached out with her hand. She grabbed a nearby blade of grass and transferred its vitality into the flower.
The result was immediate.
The pink flower became vibrant and full of life.
But the small blade of grass beside it had almost withered completely, drained of energy.
At first Rachel had been happy. The flower she wanted to give her brother looked even prettier.
Then she saw the dying grass.
Her mood quickly changed.
She suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if she had done something wrong.
Adrian had told her not to use her powers carelessly, yet she had still done it.
Worse, a woman nearby had seen the moment she used her ability.
Thinking about everything that happened today, Rachel felt as if she had made one mistake after another. Standing in front of Adrian now made her feel even more ashamed.
"I like it very much," Adrian said calmly.
Rachel blinked in surprise.
She had expected a scolding.
"Thank you."
Adrian reached out and gently stroked Rachel's hair.
Rachel immediately leaned into his hand.
She looked like a small kitten receiving affection from its favorite owner. She rubbed her head lightly against his palm, clearly enjoying the moment.
If they had been alone, she probably would have closed her eyes in contentment.
"Did you come here by yourself?" Adrian asked after a moment.
"Yes," Rachel replied honestly. "Mom is taking care of Dad at the hospital. I just told her I was going out."
Adrian sighed internally.
If Martha knew Rachel had come all the way to Metropolis University alone, she would never have allowed it.
Jonathan Kent had been in a coma for an entire year.
During that year, every possible medical method had been attempted. Lex Luthor used his wealth and influence to search for specialists across the United States, but none of them could wake Jonathan.
Adrian had also tried using the power of the Star Scepter.
Rachel even attempted her unusual healing ability, which could transfer pain or vitality between living things.
Nothing worked.
It seemed Jonathan's consciousness had vanished somewhere unreachable, beyond any known method of recovery.
Because of that, Martha spent most of her time at Metropolis Medical Center caring for him.
Clark stayed mainly at Kent Farm.
According to him, someone needed to take responsibility for the family.
Fortunately, his university schedule at Metropolis University was not demanding, which gave him time to manage the farm.
"Where's Clark?" Adrian asked.
Rachel pouted slightly.
"He's probably chopping wood at Kent Farm," she said. "At this time he always makes loud cracking sounds while working. Sometimes he even does it without a shirt."
Rachel clearly sounded dissatisfied.
She was not very close to Clark.
Since she was extremely sensitive to emotions, Rachel could easily feel the emotional state of people around her.
Ever since Alicia Baker's death, Clark often carried heavy emotional pressure. That silent sadness and frustration constantly surrounded him like an invisible cloud.
Rachel noticed it even when she was younger.
At first she felt sorry for him and wanted to use her ability to absorb his emotional pain.
But she had been stopped.
Over time that negative emotional aura created distance between them.
Because of that, Rachel felt much closer to Adrian.
"I see," Adrian said thoughtfully.
He understood the reason behind it.
Clark had changed after Alicia's death. His quiet grief had left a lasting impression on Rachel.
"Come on," Adrian said, taking Rachel's hand. "Let's go get something to eat."
As they walked across campus, Adrian noticed Betty sitting near a window with a book covering most of her face.
She seemed to be pretending to read while secretly observing them.
Adrian ignored it.
Rachel adjusted the purple hood attached to the back of her jacket and pulled it over her head.
Recently she had developed a habit of wearing hooded clothing. Even at her young age she seemed to like hiding beneath a hood.
After a few steps she spoke again.
"Brother, I drew a picture of extraterrestrial creatures today."
Her tone sounded proud.
Because Rachel had formed a strange soul connection with Adrian when she was still an infant, she could occasionally perceive fragments of his thoughts and memories.
Some of those memories contained strange and indescribable creatures that existed deep within Adrian's mental world.
Rachel sometimes drew them.
"Didn't I tell you not to touch those things?" Adrian asked, frowning slightly.
Rachel lowered her head.
"I copied some drawings earlier," she said quietly. "Then new images suddenly appeared in my mind. If I didn't draw them, it would have felt like wasting them."
Adrian sighed.
"Next time, no more secretly copying them."
He tapped her hood gently.
"Okay," Rachel replied quickly.
Seeing that Adrian was not angry, she nodded firmly.
Kent Farm.
Later that afternoon, Adrian and Rachel arrived at the farm.
The moment they approached the barn, a series of heavy chopping sounds echoed across the yard.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
They followed the sound and entered the barn.
Inside they found Clark.
He was shirtless and swinging a heavy axe into thick logs of wood.
Each strike split the wood cleanly.
"Hey, Adrian. Rachel," Clark said with a smile after noticing them.
He wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Dad used to take care of most of these chores. Now that he can't come home yet, someone has to do them."
Clark set the axe aside and quickly pulled on his shirt.
Then he walked over and gently pinched Rachel's cheek.
"Rachel, you told me before that you like mint cookies. I bought some for you."
Rachel's eyes lit up immediately.
"Thank you, Brother!"
But her excitement faded almost instantly.
"Mom said I'm still too young to eat cookies," she said sadly.
At that exact moment Adrian's phone rang.
The caller was Martha.
Adrian already knew what the conversation would be about.
After explaining that Rachel was safe with him and promising to take good care of her, Adrian ended the call.
Rachel lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Brother. I won't run away again."
Adrian gently comforted her and asked her to go rest in her room.
After Rachel left, Adrian turned to face Clark.
It had been one year since Alicia Baker died.
Clark had slowly recovered from the loss.
Clark took a deep breath, lifted the axe again, and swung it down.
Thud.
The thick log split into four pieces.
"I heard you want to drop out of Metropolis University," Adrian said.
Clark paused.
"Yes," he replied calmly. "Dad is still in a coma. Someone needs to handle things here. Kent Farm needs work every day. Mom is exhausted, and Rachel still needs someone around."
He looked around the barn.
"I think it's time I put more energy into taking care of the family."
Adrian frowned.
"Your life isn't supposed to stay here at Kent Farm, Clark."
His voice grew firmer.
"Dad always wanted you to leave this place and experience the world. Now you're doing the exact opposite."
Clark nodded slowly.
"I know what Dad hoped for," he said. "But I'm the eldest son. I have responsibilities. Right now this family needs me more than the outside world does."
"I won't agree with that," Adrian replied.
He turned slightly.
"Unless you manage to convince me otherwise. Unfortunately for you, I'm usually more stubborn than you are."
Before Clark could answer, someone entered the barn.
A woman in a sharp black suit walked inside.
Her posture was confident and disciplined, with the presence of a trained soldier.
Her sharp eyes briefly scanned Clark before she walked directly toward Adrian.
Clark immediately recognized her.
She was one of the Kryptonians who had once escaped from the Phantom Zone.
Clark had believed she died during the earlier conflict.
Yet she was standing here now.
Working for Adrian.
Clark had always been curious how Adrian managed to convince a Kryptonian warrior to follow him.
The woman stepped closer to Adrian and lowered her voice.
"Something has happened."
Adrian glanced briefly at Clark.
Seeing that Adrian had no intention of hiding the conversation, she continued.
"General Zod has escaped from the Phantom Zone," she said quietly.
"He contacted me."
Her voice became more serious.
"It will not be long before he arrives on Earth."
===
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