đ Chapter 38: The Inner Conflict
The next night, while everyone was trying to prepare for what was coming, Ben sat alone in the dim training hall. The new watch on his wrist pulsed with a deep blue glow, as if beating in sync with his heart.
His voice was low, barely audible:
"I'm ready⊠or at least, I have to be."
But suddenly, everything changed.
The lights vanished. The walls disappeared.
And in a single blink, Ben found himself inside a mind that resembled no place he'd ever knownâa gray, fog-filled realm echoing with familiar and unfamiliar voices.
â
đ (Inside the Illusion â Kairos' Trial)
Ben stood in the middle of an endless space.
Suddenly, images of his loved ones appeared: Gwen, Kevin, Supergirl⊠and Grandpa Max.
But their expressions were twisted, filled with sadness and blame.
Gwen shouted:
"Everything you've done⊠it hasn't changed a thing! The damage is still growing⊠because of you!"
Kevin appeared next, his eyes covered in shadows:
"You were always the problem. Never the solution."
Even Supergirl, who had always stood by him, looked at him and said:
"I believed in you⊠but maybe I was wrong."
Kairos' voice echoed in his mind, calm and venomous:
> "Everything breaks, Ben⊠even trust.
They're not betraying you.
They're seeing your truth."
Ben stepped back, breath shaky.
"This isn't real⊠you're just trying to make me doubt myself."
The darkness suddenly took the form of Kairosâcrystalline, glowing.
He stepped closer and placed a hand on Ben's shoulder:
> "I'm not your enemy, Ben.
I'm your other half.
And I'm here⊠so we can be whole again."
Ben shouted, pulling away.
"I'm not you!
I'm not some machine made for cosmic balance or chaos!
I'm⊠I'm Ben Tennyson, and I choose to stay that way!"
â
đ (Back to Reality)
Ben awoke on the floor, panting, forehead drenched in sweat.
The watch on his wrist glowed powerfully, as if responding to his internal victory.
Supergirl entered, sensing the sudden spike in his energy, and rushed to him.
"Are you okay?!"
Ben looked at her, his eyes filled with restrained tears, and smiled:
"Yeah⊠maybe for the first time in a long while, I actually am."
She moved closer, holding his hand.
"What happened?"
He replied softly:
"Kairos tried to make me hate myself.
But what he forgot⊠is that even in the dark, I still remember why I fight."
â
đ (Command Room)
Upstairs, Batman informed the team that Kairos' energy levels had suddenly surged, as if something within had shifted.
Wonder Woman spoke thoughtfully:
"Kairos felt something⊠like an inner tremor."
Green Lantern added:
"Ben⊠did something important today.
Maybe he didn't break Kairos⊠but he broke part of his hold on him."
â
Far away, deep within the Heart Crystal, tiny cracks began to spread across the walls.
Kairos slowly opened his eyes, a faint voice escaping his lips:
> "Rejection⊠hurts.
But it doesn't change the outcome."
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