Those beings Thea feared were all entities beyond the rules themselves. Parallax, on the other hand, was still bound within those rules, so the Yellow Ring naturally had no ability to replicate such existences to intimidate her. The Emotional Spectrum might sound lofty, but those beings she feared could erase it from existence entirely. The Ring had no interest in touching that disaster.
But since Thea's entire fear-quota was monopolized by those beings, Parallax actually understood her very well—because it also feared those things. It tried to search for some other psychological weak point, but the fear that remained outside those "top-tier terrors" was so minor and scattered that the Ring could only conjure up a series of nearly comedic illusions.
Parallax was the fear entity of the Yellow Light; the Ring and the entity were reflections of each other. Now, Thea did have fear, but she wasn't afraid of Parallax—creating a logical paradox that completely stumped the Ring's rigid judgment system.
As the Ring fell into near-freeze, caught in its logic loop, Thea's consciousness automatically returned to her body. She found several pairs of eyes staring at her—most notably Sinestro's, wide as a bull's.
"What are you looking at?"
Thea noticed the Ring hadn't finished its assessment—it was still flashing violently—so she didn't dare let go, and instead shot an annoyed glance at Sinestro.
But Sinestro had been frightened by her laughter earlier. Was she insane?! Laughing through those nightmare illusions? Or maybe Earthlings expressed fear through laughter? That was terrifying. For a moment he wondered if he actually hadn't conquered the Yellow Ring and was still trapped in an illusion…
The Guardians exchanged confused looks as well. Two minutes? You came out in two minutes? Yet her expression was perfectly normal—not at all like someone traumatized by fear. For beings who had lived since antiquity, she had managed to thoroughly confuse them.
Everyone waited in silence. Another hour passed. Suddenly, the Yellow Ring's light surged, then rapidly withdrew—over and over. Just when Thea began wondering if she had broken this one too, the Ring finally escaped its logical dead end.
After releasing so much power continuously, the Ring was clearly weakened, floating in the air with a trembling glow. Both Sinestro and Thea tensed, hoping it would choose them.
Would it choose Sinestro, who had conquered fear?
Or Thea, who wasn't afraid of Parallax at all?
The Yellow Ring darted back and forth between them, unable to decide.
To improve his odds, Sinestro removed his Green Ring a second time. In this timeline, no one had ever worn two Rings simultaneously. Sinestro believed himself capable of surpassing all who came before—but for now, he wanted the Yellow Ring's recognition first. Everything else could wait.
The Guardians saw his gesture and quietly exchanged thoughts through telepathy.
Another ten minutes passed. Now without his Green Ring, Sinestro was looking pale. The earlier battle and the mental trial had drained him immensely; he was only staying upright by sheer force of will.
In contrast, Thea was in far better shape. Her urgency had faded—if it chose her, great; if not, that was fine too. When she powered down from her Green Lantern form, her original clothes reappeared. She pulled out a stick of gum from her bag, chewing casually as she waited for the verdict.
In the end, the Yellow Ring still could not decide. Its glow pulsed with a strange rhythm—and to the joy barely suppressed in the Guardians' eyes—the first Yellow Ring in history split cleanly into two halves, each half flying toward one candidate.
"Sentient being identified. Thea Queen of Earth—you possess the ability to instill great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps."
"Sentient being identified. Thaal Sinestro of Korugar—you possess the ability to instill great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps."
The Ring floating before Thea glowed a faint yellow; the one before Sinestro, a deep gold.
Both of them were stunned.
The crafty Guardians suppressed their delight and helpfully offered an explanation.
"The Ring could not determine which of you was more suitable, so it chose to divide itself. You must cherish it well…"
Though the first Yellow Ring didn't have command authority over future ones, the first Ring was always the most powerful—its foundation the richest.
The Guardians had created the Green Lantern Corps—they did not wish to see the birth of the Yellow Light. But universal laws and the will of higher beings allowed no delay, so they dutifully forged the very first Yellow Ring.
They had expected Sinestro to be the inevitable wielder. But Thea's interference caused the Ring to split, diverting a portion of its overwhelming power. With only a little over half its strength remaining, Sinestro temporarily lacked the foundation to stand independent…
And in the Guardians' hearts, joy almost bubbled over.
Thea knew nothing of their calculations. She only knew she had a prize to claim. Sinestro was too exhausted to take his Ring immediately, so she didn't mind grabbing hers first. The emotions she felt from the Ring weren't rejection—if anything, they felt almost… cordial?
Without further hesitation, Thea reached out and took the Yellow Ring, reciting the oath that reflected her truest inner nature.
In blackest day, in brightest night,
The wicked flee before my sight.
Those who trifle, cheat, or wrong—
Fear my power, fear it strong.
A pale yellow radiance surged around her. Knowledge flooded into her mind in seconds. When Thea appeared again, she was wearing a black-and-yellow suit.
Yellow light normally altered the wielder's physique—after all, many Ring users were ordinary beings—but Thea's body far surpassed the Ring's enhancement limits. With nowhere else for the excess energy to go, it was absorbed into her outfit.
Her shoulders, bracers, and boots glowed a faint yellow; the rest of the suit was black. A high collar framed her long neck. The emblem on her chest was the traditional symbol of the Sinestro Corps—representing Parallax, an abstract insect-like shape.
Unlike others, she also wore a long, thick black cloak, a much larger Yellow Lantern emblem emblazoned across its back.
Ordinarily, a Yellow Lantern could end their initiation here.
But Thea had inherited the first Yellow Ring, and within it were duties she was required to fulfill.
There was still one more task.
Without time to examine her new powers, Thea raised her right hand—Ring glowing—and pulled something out of the void.
A thick tome with brown-yellow pages, wrapped in metal bindings and chains.
"I am Thea Queen of the Sinestro Corps," she declared.
"I hereby claim the Book of Parallax!"