Chapter 2: The Power Within

The moment I laid eyes on Earth, something within me *shifted*. The infinite, boundless cosmos still stretched out behind me, but my mind fixated on that singular planet—swarming with life, history, and creatures capable of warping the very fabric of reality. Kryptonians, Amazons, New Gods, and something even older hiding in the depths.

And now, I was among them. Or maybe, I was something *more* than them.

There was a weird, rhythmic throbbing in my head. Not hurting, not exactly. It was. knowledge. A torrent of ideas, memories that weren't my own. The stars, the galaxies, the curvature of gravity waves through the vacuum of space—I could *sense* them. But it wasn't a feeling. It was **knowing**.

I wasn't merely looking at the universe. I was *comprehending* it.

Equations ran through my head, computations I had never learned, hypotheses I had never heard—yet I did know them. *Comprehended* them. I knew, with disquieting lucidity, that I was able to comprehend the workings of reality itself.

**Super-intellect.**

The word coalesced in my mind, but it seemed insufficient. This was not merely augmented intelligence. This was something. greater.

I looked at my hands—and not just my hands. The very molecules of my being. I could sense them, feel the vibration of each atom resonating at frequencies beyond human senses. I knew, without having to think about it, that I had the power to change them if I wanted. Change my atomic arrangement. Harden it. Unfold it into energy and reform myself.

A human would never be able to do this.

And before I knew it, the last piece of denial was broken. 

I wasn't human any longer. 

My fingers spasm, and a wave of energy radiated outward. Space around me curved in reaction. It was as if I'd issued a command, and the universe had obeyed.

I balled up my fists. The raw *power* surging through me was exhilarating. But along with it was a queasy realization—if I could do this without even trying, what would happen if I really *pushed* myself?

I had to find out.

I shifted my attention back to Earth. Even at this distance, I could *see* all of it. The planet's curve, the changing clouds, the tug of its gravitational field. But it wasn't visual. I *felt* its electromagnetic waves, listened to the thrum of billions of lives in motion.

And then, as if moved by an unseen current, my sight *zoomed in*.

Metropolis.

A city I had once known in a previous life, in books, in fiction. But this was real. The streets pulsed with activity. Cars, pedestrians, lights blinking in windows. I concentrated deeper, past the physical, into the very energy patterns of the city. The power grid vibrated like a nervous system, surges of electricity coursing through its veins.

And then, the voices. A wave of sound crashed against my brain. Dozens of conversations in dozens of languages. The distant hum of music piped into apartments. Heartbeats.

Thousands and thousands of heartbeats.

It was too much. My hands went up to my temples as the deluge of information threatened to consume me. My mind—limitless as it had grown—was still learning to adapt.

*Too much input. Too much data.* 

I took a deep breath. 

Focus. 

A single thought, and the noise vanished. Silence. Controlled. Filtered. 

I exhaled, opening my eyes. I could control it. It wasn't a curse. It was **a tool**. 

And I would learn to use it.

The strength inside me was enormous, and I had only just begun to scratch the surface. I wasn't merely strong. I wasn't merely quick. I was *something else*.

Something otherworldly.

For the first time, a small, sly smile played at my lips.

This was only the start.

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**End of Chapter 2**