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The Phoenix was correct, and Clark knew that the sun's rays were only a comfort, accelerating his Kryptonian evolution but offering no immediate help.
He never intended to rely on the sun to expel the Phoenix Force. A simple star was not powerful enough to do that. The real reason he flew toward the sun was to find an ideal place to fly.
Clark's speed continued to increase, his energy rapidly expending in his Solar Flare state. It was like a water valve had been fully opened. In less than two seconds, Clark reached the speed of light. Every 14 seconds, he would complete a full orbit around the sun.
"What's wrong, Superman? Giving up already? The moment your special state ends, you won't be able to resist me."
"I never planned to resist," Clark responded, a calm that surprised the Phoenix. "I know I can't handle the emotions of the universe. I know my willpower can't expel you. But I still have my power. I am Superman!"
"W-What?!" The Phoenix began to feel that something was terribly wrong. Though faint, she could sense Clark's speed was still increasing. He had already reached the speed of light, but he was still getting faster. With the terrifying power of his Solar Flare mode, Clark broke through the most solid barrier in the universe: the speed of light.
Love… love can't keep up…
The speed of light is essentially a barrier of time. To exceed it is to transcend time itself. The Phoenix's power could fill Clark's mind with the emotions of the entire universe, but if his speed surpassed the speed of light, those emotions would forever be stuck in the moment before their creation.
The mental pressure would vanish. A complete Phoenix Force might have handled this, but this mere fragment had no answer.
Not only was it unable to suppress his consciousness, but because it had not fully merged with Clark, it was being constantly stripped away by his immense speed. The Phoenix Force began to slowly seep out of every pore on his body. It simply couldn't keep up. Even inside Clark's body, it couldn't match his time-bending speed.
Suddenly, the Phoenix Force, pushed to its limit, ripped itself from Clark's body like a torn bandage. At that same moment, the sun that Clark was orbiting subtly reversed its rotation. The Phoenix, now a tiny firebird, saw Clark stop and hover in front of it.
"You reversed time. Without any law. You used your speed to reverse the time of an entire area. Do you know what that means?" An entity with the Eye of Agamotto might reverse a star more easily, but that was because the Eye was a symbol of the universe's laws. What Superman had done was like breaking the laws of a server.
"I don't know what it means," Clark said, slightly out of breath, as he raised his fist. "All I know is that you're leaving here!"
The Phoenix was silent for a moment before it nodded. Though its strength hadn't changed, it couldn't re-parasitize anyone with Superman standing there. Besides, there was no longer any need.
"I'll give you a piece of advice, Superman. I am not the end of everything, but the beginning. From this moment on, you will become the center of the universe." With that, the Phoenix turned and flew into the depths of space.
Clark stayed there, watching with his super vision as the Phoenix left the solar system and headed for another galaxy. Completely exhausted, the energy of his Solar Flare state vanished, and his now-naked body fell toward Earth.
A Day Later
When Clark opened his eyes, he was in a hospital bed at the X-Mansion. Logan, who had just finished a training session, saw him and burst into the room. "You're awake, Clark!"
A moment later, Clark understood everything that had happened during his unconsciousness. On an international level, the battle had caused so much destruction that the world governments shelved any plans to deal with mutants.
As for Clark, it was Jean who had saved him. She had flown into space alone, using her newly mastered telekinesis, and found him just as he was about to suffocate.
The immense energy drain of his Solar Flare state had temporarily cut off his powers, leaving him to die in the vacuum of space.
But Clark could already feel his powers returning. The time he was without them would be short—just one day. After that, he wouldn't even need to re-absorb sunlight to regain his full strength. He'd be back to normal in a day.
A powerless Superman was a rare sight. Benjamin had to run his company, which was now in chaos after Richard's disappearance, so May had come to the mansion to take care of Clark. His future girlfriend, Katie, was also there.
As a result, his hospital room was overflowing with food. Kryptonians who have lost their powers still need to eat, and May hadn't seen Clark with such a hearty appetite in years.
Katie, in an attempt to help, had taken on the strange project of cooking a delicious meal herself. But the 16-year-old from the X-Mansion had no culinary skills, and her first attempt was a miserable experience for Clark, whose super-senses were the first to return.