"Y-Your Majesty…?"
Clark was completely dumbfounded. He stared at Alex in shock, his mind still struggling to catch up.
Your Majesty?
Did that mean Alex was… a king?
That was a little too outrageous, wasn't it?!
"Alex, you finally decided to come back!"
Before Clark could process it any further, Mystique—acting as the grand steward—arrived with several others and welcomed Alex back with great ceremony.
Charles, Erik, the White Queen, Hank—
One after another, the core leaders of the mutants gathered around Alex the moment they received the news.
After a brief round of greetings, Alex began introducing Clark to them.
"Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Clark Kent, a friend I met in another world."
"Any friend of Alex is a friend of Krakoa," Erik said immediately, nodding at Clark. "Erik Lehnsherr. Welcome to Krakoa."
"Clark, your condition doesn't look good," Charles said solemnly, his eyes focused on Clark.
"That's exactly why I brought him back," Alex replied at once. He then turned to Mystique and gave a casual order, "Go get Eck Damon."
Eck Damon held an extraordinary status in Krakoa.
The reason was simple—he was a mutant with powerful healing abilities.
Decades ago, when Danvers had nearly died from exposure to the Tesseract's energy, it was Eck Damon who saved her.
"Understood."
Mystique immediately turned and left.
Not long after, an elderly man with glasses and a refined demeanor followed her back.
Naturally, it was Eck Damon.
"Your Majesty."
Eck Damon first bowed respectfully to Alex, then turned toward the visibly weakened Clark.
"Sir, please extend your hand."
Clark glanced at Alex instinctively, then followed the instruction and held out both hands.
Eck Damon grasped them firmly.
A soft, gentle white glow bloomed in his palms.
In that instant, Clark felt as though a warm stream was flowing through his body—comforting beyond words.
"Well?" Clark asked eagerly, hope lighting up his eyes as he stared at Eck Damon.
"The injuries inside your body are a bit complicated," Eck Damon said with a grin. "But I've treated far more complicated cases. This won't be a problem."
Clark's spirits instantly lifted, his face filled with excitement.
"Then I'll have to trouble you!"
Eck Damon said nothing more. His ability activated fully, the white light in his hands growing brighter and brighter as it continuously flowed into Clark's body.
Clark could clearly feel it.
The damage inside him was healing at a visible pace.
In less than half a minute, all discomfort vanished.
Strength returned to every part of his body.
He was completely healed.
"Fantastic!"
"This is incredible!"
Clark's face practically glowed.
"Thank you for your hard work, Eck," Alex said with a smile, nodding at him.
After exchanging a few words, Eck Damon took his leave.
---
"Come on, Clark. Let me show you around my country."
Once the mutant leaders dispersed, Alex invited Clark with a smile.
"I'd love to," Clark replied immediately.
Next, Alex took Clark on a tour of Krakoa.
Along the way, he also answered many of Clark's questions.
"So you really are the king of a nation?"
"And you're a mutant too?"
"I never imagined a group like this even existed in the world!"
After learning Alex's true identity, Clark was stunned again and again.
Before long, however, a question surfaced in his mind.
Why had he never heard of a country like Krakoa before?
After all—
Krakoa's prosperity alone was dazzling enough to leave him wide-eyed and speechless, making him feel as if he'd stepped into the future.
This level of advancement was far beyond the current era.
How could such a nation be completely unknown?
"Clark, there's something I never told you," Alex said calmly. "I'm not actually from your world."
"What do you mean?"
Clark froze, looking at Alex in confusion. For a moment, he didn't understand.
"Have you heard of parallel universes?" Alex asked in return.
Clark's expression changed instantly.
Parallel universes weren't some obscure theory—he'd definitely heard of them.
But precisely because of that, the idea now felt even more unbelievable.
Hadn't that always been science fiction?
Was it… real?
"Alex, are you saying you're from a parallel world?" Clark asked slowly, stunned. "And that this world I'm in right now… is another parallel world?"
He stood there for several seconds before finally voicing the question.
"That's right," Alex nodded. "This world is largely similar to yours, but there are also many differences. For example—mutants."
"No wonder…" Clark finally understood. "No wonder you'd disappear so mysteriously so often."
At the same time, his shock only deepened.
Being able to cross barriers between universes—Alex's methods were truly unfathomable.
"Alright, Alex. Thank you for everything you've done for me."
"But now, I think it's time for me to go back."
After walking around Krakoa a bit longer, Clark made his request.
"Why the rush? You haven't even finished seeing Krakoa," Alex said, slightly surprised.
He'd originally planned to properly host Clark—after all, Clark was a guest of Krakoa.
"I can't," Clark shook his head. "Even though you killed Nuclear Man, I'm worried there might be further developments. I need to go back and make sure."
"And I've been gone for quite a while since getting injured. I don't want my mom and Lois to worry."
Clark's reasoning made sense, and Alex didn't insist further.
"Alright then, Clark. Another day, I'll give you a proper tour of Krakoa."
After nodding at Clark, Alex flipped his hand and took out the Infinity Gauntlet.
Right in front of Clark, he opened two inter-universal gateways.
Clark nodded back, then stepped forward.
In the next instant, he vanished.
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