The planet controlled by Grudd wasn't far from Korugar. Thea commanded her official ring members—Deadman and Fiora—to meet her there.
She herself followed the ring's faint connection, attempting to trace Sinestro's final location.
This was an area of stellar debris. Countless cosmic dust particles drifted here. From time to time, overburdened boulders broke into pieces under gravitational forces.
Thea followed the ring's guidance, gradually approaching this region.
Many battle traces remained visible here. Emotional energy still filled the area. One side was the green of courage. The other was the yellow of fear.
The green lantern felt not unfamiliar to her—precisely the one she'd briefly worn, inherited by Hal Jordan from Abin Sur.
The yellow lantern was even more familiar—sharing the same origin as her ring. It was Sinestro's.
Scanning the scene in all directions, she saw no body. Just as she prepared to search deeper, a figure abruptly appeared not far from her side.
White hair, blue skin, wearing red clothing and a white robe—a Guardian was thoughtfully watching her.
Just one? Thea blatantly surveyed her surroundings, discovering only this one appeared before her. The teleportation gem she'd prepared in hand went back into storage.
She nodded slightly. "Honored Guardian, what matter has alarmed you enough to leave Oa, which you've guarded for billions of years?"
"Hello, Earth person. We meet again. You may call me Ganthet." The little blue Guardian spoke expressionlessly.
Oh? Him? Ganthet could be said to be the only Guardian who still possessed emotion. Perhaps it was his inherently kind nature, or perhaps because the ring of the original Lantern Volthoom was sealed within his body, preventing his emotions from being completely erased. He was arguably the only remaining Guardian one could deal with.
Thea followed advice like flowing water. "Ganthet-sama, is there anything I can help with?"
Back on Oa, she couldn't gauge their depths. Now as a demigod, she finally had some understanding of these beings' strength.
Strong! Truly powerful! Just using barely perceptible mental power to sweep past the edge of his body, it was easily deflected by an indescribable great force.
The Guardian named Ganthet seemed unaware, his expression wooden as he watched her.
Thea grimaced slightly. No one she knew was stronger than him.
Though in the original timeline, Ganthet had audaciously claimed the Spectre was inferior to him, only to be pinned down calling him daddy three minutes later—his glorious battle record notwithstanding—his level was genuinely higher than Thea's current state.
Thea felt she'd need to reach New God status, or merge with Parallax, before she could match him.
Ganthet paid no mind to her small movements. Perhaps after billions of years, so many who thought they had some skill had tried testing them—they'd become immune.
"Do you think Sinestro was right? He used his own order, his own understanding, to plunge a planet into fear's vortex. Hal Jordan disapproved of his methods. The two fought. You and Hal both come from Earth. What's your viewpoint?"
Thea truly hadn't considered this question much. Before half an hour ago, whether Korugar exploded had nothing to do with her. She was busy as a spinning top every day—where would she find idle time to ponder such things?
Thinking seriously, she had to admit Earth's various philosophical works were truly rich. Predecessors had long ago reached conclusions on this matter. She slightly modified it, adding some of her own understanding, turning it into new theory.
"Sinestro used his lone strength to establish planetary order, enforcing laws himself, judging himself, requiring all planet inhabitants to live according to his plans. From birth to death, he arranged everything meticulously."
"Earth has a specialized term for this—utopia. Meaning an imaginary nation, impossible good fortune."
"No one on Earth does this. Without extraordinary power intervening, ancient sages only tested this ideal nation concept in small settlements. Reality told them it simply wouldn't work."
Ganthet, originally just listening woodenly, now had his attention captured. This powerful Guardian asked involuntarily, "Why?"
"Freedom. People lack freedom, or rather, the right to choose. They lose life goals, lose anticipation, lose hope. Everyone sinks into numb trivialities, accomplishing nothing as they consume their time."
"Hope?" Ganthet murmured.
Thea spoke more smoothly, not caring whether he listened, continuing on her own. "Earth's sages abandoned utopian concepts. We walk on a free and unrestrained path. Let me give a counterexample—Krypton. You know Krypton, right?"
Ganthet nodded. Such a famous planet, he naturally knew of it. He also sensed what Thea would say next.
"Krypton possessed genetic matching technology second to none in the universe. They screened at the embryonic infant stage, using massive algorithms to calculate children's future development directions. Before they were even born, their future paths were already determined."
"Every Kryptonian understood their mission when they became aware. Like machines, they cyclically, repeatedly performed their tasks. Their planet ultimately was destroyed. Only one naturally born Kryptonian escaped with his life. His parents gave him the right to choose. Humanity's brilliance now shines across Earth. This is the birth of a great soul."
Ganthet seemed to be pondering the principles within her words. "Hope, is it? Life hopes for change. Only hope can save them?"
He muttered to himself, slowly seeming to understand some supreme principle. His ancient well-still face showed a trace of emotion. Without any earthly aura, he stepped backward, tossing Thea an energy-wrapped remnant before disappearing.
"This is what remains of Sinestro's ring. I collected it. You should be able to unleash its power. Sinestro was merely banished to the Antimatter Universe. Don't worry. According to the Book of Oa's records, his story hasn't ended. Take care, thoughtful Earth person. We'll meet again."
Not until he'd vanished without a trace did Thea examine the energy mass.
She wasn't worried about Sinestro at all. This old gentleman initially served the Green Lanterns, then Yellow, then became Green again before returning to Yellow. In the final records of Green Lantern history, he seemed to ultimately return to the Green Lanterns for retirement.
Sinestro's whole life was green-yellow-green-yellow-green back and forth. Add in brief wearings of Indigo and White Lanterns in between—you could say his story had just begun. Describing him with "three rises and three falls" wasn't excessive.
Ganthet kept opening and closing with hope—was this a sign he'd go establish the Blue Lanterns? Thea hunched her shoulders. Heaven and earth bear witness—she'd truly been spouting random things off the top of her head! No special purpose at all!