"You… you really awakened?"
Nolanne's voice cracked as she stared at Eden, floating a few feet above the floor. She knew, deep down, that whether she wanted it or not—her son had done it. He'd awakened his superpowers, just as she'd always told herself he eventually would.
In an instant, Eden caught every flicker that crossed her face: panic, dread, indecision, resolve. But not once did he see the one thing he expected from a parent—pride.
"Nolanne," Clark said firmly, cutting through the silence, "now's not the time to freeze. What you should be doing is congratulating our son. He pulled it off—just a week shy of adulthood."
"Right. Congratulations." Nolanne drew in a sharp breath, forcing down her nerves, then stretched a smile across her face. "Well done, my child. You're a proper Viltrumite now. Didn't I tell you? Every Viltrumite awakens their power before they come of age."
"Thanks," Eden replied softly, dipping his head. He smiled back, but his eyes gave nothing away.
"Listen to me," Nolanne pressed. "From this moment on, you're no ordinary boy. You're a Viltrumite warrior in training. Before your powers, you couldn't have understood the weight of the responsibility on your shoulders. Now you will." Her voice had hardened without her realizing, like a drill sergeant slipping into command.
"Maybe it's time we were both a little more honest, Mom," Eden said, shrugging lightly. "About the Viltrumites."
Nolanne's brows knit. "What exactly do you know?"
"All of it," Eden answered without hesitation.
Her fists curled. "Who told you?"
"Cecil," he said smoothly, floating closer until they were eye to eye. "He caught an alien from the Coalition of Planets. And according to that alien, the Viltrum Empire isn't nearly as noble as you've claimed."
"Don't you dare let Cecil poison you!" Nolanne snapped, cutting him off. "That man is a liar. Ruthless. He'd say anything to manipulate you. I know him better than you do."
"Alright, enough!" Clark jumped in, hands raised. "Eden, Nolanne—stop. Talk it out calmly. Don't let this tear the family apart."
"Dad." Eden turned to him, voice sharp. "Give me thirty minutes. Whatever happens, don't interfere. This is between me and Mom."
He didn't want Clark's idealized view of Nolanne shattered by his own hand. If she wanted to confess, that was her choice.
"I agree," Nolanne added flatly. If she could bring Eden to her side, then the two of them together could bring Clark around too.
Clark sighed. "Fine. Thirty minutes." He glanced between them—mother and son in rare agreement even while gearing up to clash. He shook his head, checked his watch, and vanished. Truthfully, Clark Kent wasn't in a "good guy" mood tonight. Beating the crap out of some interdimensional tyrant would help.
"Let's take this upstairs," Eden said, shooting into the sky.
"Fine." Nolanne followed.
Ten miles above the Earth. Mother and son hovered, face to face.
"One secret each," Eden said, pulling a baseball from his pocket and tossing it lightly.
"Agreed." Nolanne nodded once.
"I'll start. I actually awakened when I was five." He lobbed the ball to her.
Thunk. She caught it with one hand, her face hardening. "Five? You awakened at five, and neither your father nor I ever noticed?"
"Your turn, Mom."
She exhaled, then said evenly, "The Empire sent me here to conquer this planet." She passed the ball back.
"When you and Dad were in Hawaii, I brought the Global Defense Agency and the Guardians under my command. Cecil works for me now."
Nolanne nearly dropped the ball. "What?" Her mind stuttered, gears refusing to turn.
"Your turn."
She bit down her fury, steadied herself, then admitted, "A month ago, I suspected you'd already awakened. I even tested you a few times. You fooled me. I was… relieved when I thought I was wrong." Her glare was sharp as steel as she whipped the ball back. "You little liar."
"I also took over the Order. They're mine now." Eden caught the ball, calm as ever.
"Damn it." Nolanne's voice broke into a growl. "You've got the GDA, the Guardians, and the Order under your thumb? You're halfway to conquering the world without me even knowing!" She hurled the ball back hard enough to make the air pop. "Enough games, Eden. No more half-truths. Tell me everything you've been hiding."
"Fine. I killed the Flaxans and wrecked their homeworld's atmosphere. I crushed Doctor Seismic, his bugs, and his Subterraneans. I went to Mars with the astronauts, wiped out the Sequids, and put the Martians in their place."
Nolanne's jaw tightened, but before she could speak, he kept going.
"Oh, and one more." He smirked. "I had Mister Liu stage a distraction in London. Just to keep you busy."
Nolanne's stomach dropped. "Why would you need to stall me?"
"To take out Battle Beast, of course."
The words hit like a hammer.
"Battle Beast?" Nolanne's face went pale. Her mind blanked. That Battle Beast?
Her son had killed him?
She couldn't even form the next question.
"You're sure it was Battle Beast? The white one?"
Nolanne's voice shook. She didn't notice, but Eden did. She'd never imagined a day would come when she'd talk to her son and her voice would tremble.
"If you mean the big white cat, then yeah," Eden said casually. "If you don't believe me, ask Cecil. He's using Battle Beast's corpse to make me a fur coat."
"Christ." Nolanne's head spun. Battle Beast—the universe's most notorious gladiator—was dead?
Dead at the hands of her son. Her not-even-eighteen-by-Earth-years son. A kid who, by Viltrumite standards, wasn't even past childhood.
The shock kept piling up.
"I've got a better test." Her eyes hardened. No more questions, no more hesitation. She threw a punch straight at Eden's face.
"Easy, Mom." Eden caught it one-handed, barely shifting. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed her thousands of meters away.
"...God." Nolanne steadied herself midair, stunned. Not even Thragg hits that hard.
The truth slammed into her. Her son could kill Battle Beast. Could kill her in an instant. Maybe even—unthinkably—could take Thragg apart.
"My son's the strongest in the universe?" she whispered, almost afraid of the words.
If Eden were eight hundred years old, or even one-eighty, she could've accepted it. But eighteen? Not even that. Next week. He wouldn't even be of age until next week.
She couldn't begin to picture how strong he'd be after centuries of growth.
"Better now?" Eden reappeared in front of her, grinning.
"Calm," Nolanne said numbly. Her voice was flat, mechanical. She was too stunned to feel anything at all.
"I know how much you care about our people. I do too. But think, really think—don't you see the Viltrumite strategy's broken?"
"Our numbers are collapsing. Purebloods? Less than a hundred left. How are we supposed to rule galaxies, let alone the universe, with that? What we need isn't endless war. It's survival. Growth. Fixing the weaknesses in our bloodline. Otherwise, even if we conquer a thousand worlds, one plague could wipe us out. Again."
He laid it all out for her. Every truth.
Nolanne stayed quiet for a long time. Finally, she nodded. "Coming from you, it sounds almost naïve. But… I agree. With everything, Eden."
Even if, in her heart, she thought: Agree? What choice do I have? You've already taken control of Earth, son.
The message was clear enough—This planet isn't for you, or the Viltrum Empire. It's mine.
"I knew you'd understand." Eden hugged her briefly. Relief washed over him. No war today. Earth was safe again. Hero's work done.
"So what's your plan?" Nolanne asked.
"Bring every last Viltrumite here. The Empire needs a new leader. A new way forward."
She nodded. Viltrumites always followed strength. And her son was stronger than anyone alive.
"Can you call them?" Eden pressed.
"Of course. I'll send word that my son's awakened, ready for his induction trial. A Viltrumite will come. We crush them, the Empire learns I've defected, they'll send enforcers. We crush them too. After enough losses, Thragg will have no choice but to come himself."
"Got it," Eden said. "Beat the hell out of all of them until Thragg shows up."
"Exactly."
"Easy," Eden smirked.
"Good. Then I'll start making contact."
Elsewhere
"Well. Looks like mother and son finally had their heart-to-heart."
Clark Kent sat on a barren rock in some dead dimension, checking his watch. "Time to head home."
"Don't come back, Clark!" roared the battered, broken figure at his feet—the Worldshaper, still gasping after their fight.
Clark sighed, hoisting him up by the collar with one hand. His voice was calm, final.
"Listen. This is the last time I'm telling you. My universe is never yours to invade."
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