Dio: "How can you see him, Clark?!"
"Dio," Lex shook his head, "that's a no-go."
Dio's smile froze on his face.
He stared at the little bald kid in disbelief.
This guy actually learned how to say no?
The Lex Luthor who used to trail behind him, asking a million questions, seemed... different now.
Lex, I liked it better when you called me 'sir.'
"Tch, boring," Dio muttered, kicking at some weeds.
He glanced up at the rising sun, stopped in his tracks, and turned around, annoyed. "I've got stuff to do. Can you two stop following me?"
Clark scratched his curly hair, his blue eyes full of innocence. "But I don't have anything to do."
"As for me," Lex hesitated, then said, "I came out here to hang with you, Dio."
That was a lie.
Truth is, Lex just needed a break from the city. Being cooped up at home by Lionel was suffocating.
But for some reason—maybe the lingering trauma from last time—out here on this farm, he only felt a little at ease when he was near Dio.
"Hmm." Dio gave Lex a thoughtful look, taking a half-step back. The wheat stalks around him swayed without a breeze.
"Well, don't you two make a perfect pair?" He flashed a sly grin. "Clark, why don't you keep Lex company?"
"I've got things to take care of."
Before the words even settled, Dio's figure blurred for a split second.
"Wait!" Lex reached out, but his hand closed on empty air.
The space in front of them was empty, save for a few swaying wheat stalks, the only sign someone had been there.
"Uh, Clark?" Lex turned to the boy beside him, stunned. "Where's Dio?"
"And... did I just feel something?"
"What's that, Lex?" Clark blinked, his gaze slowly drifting toward the depths of the cornfield. "Over there." He pointed southeast. "Dio's probably about sixty feet away from us now."
"?" Lex stood on his tiptoes, but all he could see was a sea of wheat. "How can you tell? I can't see a thing."
"I've got good eyes, Lex," Clark said, rubbing his eyes before grabbing Lex's wrist excitedly. "Wanna go check it out?"
"But didn't Dio say—"
Whoosh!
"Wait! Slow down! My shirt!"
The oats on either side blurred as they sped by. The kid's strength was unreal—Lex felt like he was being dragged by a tractor.
---
The noon sun painted the river a shimmering gold.
Dio sat cross-legged on a smooth river Locke, his blonde hair damp with sweat, clinging to his pale skin. His eyes were shut tight, his red irises twitching restlessly beneath his eyelids.
The river's surface looked calm, but beneath it, currents churned. The blonde teen was hard at work, mentally directing The World to throw punches deep in the riverbed.
Each strike hit a school of fish with precision, stunning them without killing them.
Well, most of the time.
Sometimes a shaky hand turned the river red with blood.
"Just a little longer," Dio muttered through gritted teeth, his temples throbbing.
The constant mental strain was giving him a splitting headache, his breathing growing ragged.
Boom!
The World stumbled, its fist grazing past the fish, sending up a stream of murky bubbles.
"Huff... huff..." Dio's heavy breathing startled a dragonfly on the shore.
But...
"My accuracy's getting better," he said, frowning in frustration. "So why can't I nail that feeling?"
Time-stopping was still hit-or-miss for him.
He'd been sneaking out here to practice, away from Clark and his dad, for a while now.
But he still couldn't quite grasp it.
A few yards away, two heads poked out from the bushes.
"What's Dio doing?" Lex whispered, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
Clark nodded, his gaze fixed on the water below. "He's probably meditating," he said after a long pause. "Uncle Locke says when you're stressed, sitting quietly with your eyes closed can help you relax."
Before he could finish, Clark's body suddenly tensed.
An invisible ripple spread around them. His vision blurred, and he caught sight of a transparent figure charging toward them.
"Watch out!" Clark instinctively pulled Lex to dodge but then changed his mind.
He reached out, meeting the invisible attack head-on.
Bang!
A muffled explosion rang through the air, the shockwave sending leaves flying around them.
Lex's tie slapped against his face from the blast. He stared, jaw dropped, as Clark's hand hovered in midair, like he was holding back some massive, invisible force.
"Clark?!" Dio's eyes snapped open by the river, his voice cracking. "How did you touch him?!"
Leaves fluttered down, one brushing past Clark's eyelashes.
The boy looked up at the tall, transparent figure in front of him, then down at his own hand, confused. "I... I don't know."
His fingertips still tingled with a strange heat, like he'd grabbed a piece of the sun. It didn't hurt, but it stung a little.
Dio stumbled to his feet, and the two boys locked eyes across the distance.
Lex, standing off to the side, froze, shrinking back slightly.
Should I even be here?
He glanced at a nearby tree, swallowing hard.
Why didn't I just stay up in the tree?
A moment later.
"Dio, look at all those fish!" Clark's eyes widened as he spotted the fish floating up in the river. "That's enough to feed us for ages!"
"Clark, they're just stunned, not dead," Dio said, taking a deep breath, his red eyes fixed on Clark. "Now answer me. You can see him? Describe exactly what he looks like. What color is he?"
"Uh..." Clark blinked, realizing his attempt to change the subject had failed. He thought hard. "I can't see any color. Just... a blurry outline? Like a tall, transparent person?"
Dio's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
So this big lug isn't a real Stand user.
"But that power?" Dio asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. "When did you figure it out?"
Could it be... His heart skipped a beat. Has Clark been watching everything I've done with The World?
"It was that time with the school bus," Clark said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I felt this surge of power in me. But... it only seems to kick in when things get really intense."
Okay, that's a relief, Dio thought, stroking his chin.
It seemed Clark's power, like his time-stop, was unpredictable.
That made him feel oddly at ease—at least this big oaf wasn't about to outshine him.
"Hey! You three!" A shout broke the silence.
The trio turned to see Uncle Locke standing on the field's edge, waving at them. "Come back for lunch! It's a feast!"
Lex, who'd been trying to blend into the background, let out a relieved breath. "Alright, let's head back, Dio, Clark."
Clark stood up. "Dio, we—"
"Shut it," Dio cut him off. "Don't tell anyone about today."
"Okay," Clark nodded obediently, then paused. "But Lex—"
"Lex," Dio said with a friendly smile, "you wouldn't spill, right? We're friends."
"It's a friend secret. Not even Mom or Dad can know, okay?"