Yellow sand swirled into spirals beneath Clark's feet, and dark red haze rose from the scorched ground. The industrial-style dining hall had been twisted by warped light and shadow into something that looked straight out of another world.
Clark stood there in the classic suit.
And he was staring at his youngest son with a deep, unreadable look.
...
Ian usually did not panic.
Around his parents, though, that rule had exceptions.
And unfortunately for him, he was currently being pinned in place by his old man's stern gaze. The good news was that Ian did not have to worry about getting hit with heat vision straight out of Superman's eyes.
That already put him in a better spot than most villains.
The bad news was that even if he came clean now, he still had no idea how to explain why he had been using Kara like a hammer.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ian instinctively tried to hide his cousin-aunt behind his back, but Kara was way too long for that, and his shoulders were not broad enough to cover her.
Not that it would have mattered even if he could.
It was just a reflex.
"Superman! You're late! I'm the civilian here, which means I'm the one who deserves an explanation!"
Thinking fast, Ian decided the best defense was a preemptive strike, inspired by the news he had watched the night before.
He played himself off as an ordinary bystander who obviously could not be expected to tell whether Superman was handsome up close or not. In Ian's opinion, it was a very reasonable disguise.
A respectful nod to DC tradition, really.
Unfortunately, that tradition did not seem to be doing much for him here.
"?????"
The veins on Clark's forehead visibly bulged. His fists clenched tight. If he had been the kind of dad who believed in hitting kids, Ian figured this was the moment a belt would have come out.
"Ian. This isn't funny."
Superman ground the words out through clenched teeth, his voice low and sharp.
"Huh. Superman even knows my name... wow. Guess some superheroes really do way too much background checking on minors..."
Ian's acting, inherited from his desk mate in spirit if not in actual skill, was clearly not convincing anybody.
He could see his father's face getting darker by the second.
"Okay, yeah, I knew Madison's Method Acting Handbook was a scam."
Startled, Ian decided he had better stop tarnishing his father's image before things got even worse. He swallowed hard, then suddenly shot a finger behind Clark.
"Look! That Titan giant is getting back up!"
This time he was not trying to pull some cheap distraction out of nowhere.
He had genuinely spotted one.
A colossal figure slowly rose to its feet, vast enough to blot out the sky. It looked almost exactly like the Sargeras Ian remembered, only somewhat shrunken down. Even so, its furious expression and overwhelming presence were enough to make the air feel suffocating.
Rumble!
The Titan's monstrous fist came crashing down toward the one who had flipped it over.
It was a sneak attack.
There was not even any visible wind from the swing.
And yet...
Boom!
Clark was not surprised in the slightest by Ian's warning.
He did not even turn around. He simply lifted one hand behind him, and the ancient otherworldly Titan's fist, bigger than a truck, stopped dead in midair.
The visual impact was unreal.
"Mortal!"
The Titan roared.
It realized it could not move.
Clark paid no attention at all to the struggle behind him. His eyes stayed locked on his youngest son the entire time, and Ian, already feeling guilty, now felt his scalp start to tingle.
"Wow. Superman really is Superman. Looks like I'm not needed here after all..."
With a stiff, awkward smile hidden under the stocking over his head, Ian quietly set Kara down on the ground.
Like he was placing a statue.
Then he even dusted her off a little, wiping away all the dirt and grime left behind from using her as a blunt instrument.
Evidence of the crime, gone.
What was that called?
Destroying the evidence.
Ian was already planning his escape route.
"Ian. I am your father. Clark Kent."
Superman had never sounded this done with life before. His voice had dropped so low it was bordering on Batman territory.
Maybe to vent some of his frustration, Clark spun around, hovered in the air, and hammered the Titan several times in a row, smashing it straight into a mountain ridge running through the land itself.
Rocks exploded everywhere. The whole thing looked violent enough that Ian, who had been about to shout something back, brushed pebbles off his face and immediately decided to lower his volume.
"You evil Superman! Impersonating my kind and loving father like this!"
Ian looked around, but there was nowhere to run in this "real illusion" or whatever this place counted as.
Everywhere he looked, there was scorched earth and lava.
Not a single good direction for a tactical retreat.
Still, he had a plan.
As long as he could get away, he was absolutely confident he could come up with a flawless story about a shapeshifter impersonating him.
Never underestimate a writer.
Ian was sure he could make it sound airtight.
"Stop playing dumb, Ian!"
Superman stepped out of the dust with faint red light still lingering in his eyes, making him look genuinely dangerous.
Ian instinctively shrank his neck back a little.
"The glasses... Clark... put the glasses on..."
Kara was slowly waking up now that the cook had vanished. Shaking her head, she managed to get the reminder out.
Supergirl felt like she had finally figured out one of her nephew's little routines.
And she definitely remembered what had just happened.
So, naturally, she offered Ian a little family love.
"!!!!"
Ian felt betrayed on a spiritual level.
Traitorous cousin-aunt!
He watched as Superman, looking mildly confused, pulled out his glasses and put them on.
At that point, there was really no way left to keep pretending, so Ian quickly slapped a hand to his forehead in fake realization.
"Oh my God! My dad is Superman! I didn't even recognize him without the glasses! That's incredible!"
Ian backed up several steps, took a deep breath, and changed tactics.
"I have to go tell Jonathan and Jordan the good news!"
Threat mode: activated.
His dad really did not want the other kids figuring out the secret. Ian knew that much for sure. As a fake prophet, he had a very firm grasp on his father's personality.
...
The muscles at Superman's temple twitched.
"You should be more worried about explaining to your mother why you missed curfew again."
Clark grit his teeth, turned around, and blasted the Titan behind him with another furious burst of heat vision.
Redirected anger.
Even Superman knew emotional self-management.
Unfortunately, that meant the giant Titan was the one paying the price as it roared under the burning beams.
"You insignificant mortal! You cannot stop our rebirth! In the end, you will become one of us!"
The Titan's roar shook the sky, but the threat did not seem to have much effect.
If anything, Superman's heat vision only got more intense.
(End of Chapter)
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