{A/N: it's weird why Alex's former friends all seem to have such a great level of power... I wonder what that's about.}
Gasps filled the air as everyone turned toward the rising column of smoke. In the sky, an army of Orange Lanterns had descended, locked in battle with the Justice League. Two Orange Lanterns among them stood out as they fought against the other Orange Lanterns.
At the center of it all was a strange alien—its grotesque features twisted with hunger—who seemed to be the source of the growing orange swarm.
The Justice League was struggling, clearly overwhelmed by the relentless assault of the Orange Lanterns. Their forces were stretched thin, forced to divide their strength between two fronts—the aggressive orange swarm and the Violet Lanterns.
"Didn't we just come from there?" Alex muttered, eyes wide as he watched the distant chaos unfold. He let out a deep sigh of relief, "We were lucky to get out just in time."
His gaze flicked outside where he had parked the car. If he had wrecked another one of Diana's cars, especially like last time, he wasn't sure how he'd even begin to explain himself. At that point, Alex would have to start questioning if the world was out to get him.
"Yeah…" Rachel said with an unsure look. She wanted to rush in and help them, to throw herself into the chaos alongside the others, but she wasn't sure how she could just excuse herself and disappear mid-date without raising questions.
Thankfully, she never had to move. From the distance, violet streaks of light surged into the fray as the Star Sapphire Corps joined forces with the Justice League. The sky flickered with clashing beams as their combined assault forced the Orange Lanterns to fall back… or rather, return to their source.
'I did hear that there can only be one Orange Lantern,' Alex thought, narrowing his gaze toward the now-dimming battlefield. 'It seems to be true… all of those Orange Lanterns were killed by that guy, making him far stronger than any one Lantern… by over 5,000%? That's overpowered.'
He didn't need to see it clearly—he felt the moment it happened. The sudden, overwhelming surge of power from that being was impossible to ignore.
But it was okay, for the Violet Lanterns seemed to counter the Orange Lantern perfectly. No matter how overwhelming the greed-fueled constructs became, they couldn't break through the radiant shield of love. Each clash of orange and violet light tipped in favor of the Violet Corps, as if love itself refused to be consumed.
Greed faltered. For all its fury, the power of avarice was steadily drowned beneath the calm, enduring strength of affection. One by one, the Orange Lantern constructs were shattered, their energy dissipating into the void. The balance shifted, and the original Orange Lantern—realizing this—fled into the stars, unwilling to be undone. He left the two Orange Lanterns behind, now under the protection of the Violet Lanterns.
"I think I should go. Let's meet tomorrow," Rachel said softly, her tone unreadable as her gaze lingered on the battlefield. Alex nodded without question.
"Yeah, I should also get going… should I drop you off at home?" Alex asked, his voice calm as he reached for his keys in his pocket, only to pause when his phone suddenly began to ring.
He sighed, already suspecting who it was. Sure enough, Diana's name flashed across the screen.
"Excuse me for a moment," he said politely to Rachel before stepping aside to take the call.
"Yes, I'm all right," he said with a tired exhale. "I was just about to start heading back home."
Diana's voice on the other end was sharp with concern, but softened when she heard his reassurance. After a brief pause, she ended the call—but not before telling him firmly to come home right away.
Alex tucked the phone away with a quiet breath, his gaze briefly distant before turning back to Rachel.
"What happened?" Rachel asked, her brow furrowed as she watched Alex slip his phone back into his pocket.
"My boss," Alex replied with a slight shake of his head. "I'm honestly impressed by how fast she got word of the explosion… Was she tracking me or something?"
He looked around, still trying to piece it together. Diana wasn't one to constantly watch the news, and they weren't exactly close to her house anymore. Sure, the blast had been big—but even then, its shockwave shouldn't have traveled more than five miles. They barely felt anything where they were. So, how did she know so quickly? Could the news network have worked so quickly this late at night?
Alex also had Diana's car, so logically, she should have been home playing video games right about now. Yes, it made sense for her to be worried—she cared about him—but how did she get the news so quickly? And judging by her tone, she didn't sound frantic. If anything, it was as if she already knew he was safe and was only calling to confirm. How the hell did she know?
"You're overthinking things…" Rachel said awkwardly, her voice slightly tense as she threw a quick glance toward the rooftop, where she could clearly sense Wonder Woman floating above them, hidden from view.
"I guess I'm overthinking things. I don't know… by her tone, I could swear it felt like she was watching me," Alex said with a puzzled look, still trying to piece everything together.
Rachel laughed awkwardly, her fingers twitching slightly. Thankfully, Alex was too caught up in his own thoughts about Diana to notice how strangely she was acting.
"I should get going… see you tomorrow," Rachel said quickly, standing up and leaving before he could respond.
Left alone at the table, Alex sighed and turned to call a server over, intending to pay the bill and have the leftovers packed up. He wasn't the type to waste food. But before he could say anything, the server informed him that the check had already been settled.
Rachel had paid for everything. Alex froze, stunned. He stared at the receipt for a moment, speechless. He always believed that was supposed to be his job… but he wasn't complaining, he would happily save money anyway he could…
***
"Let's go, Sarah. You've got a lot of training to do," Carol Ferris said, tossing a mocking smile Hal Jordan's way. He stood there, unable to do a thing as they took Sarah, Luke, and David with them.
"I will return," Sarah said, her voice low and cold, "and I will slaughter you all for getting in the way of me and my beloved."
Her gaze carried a chill that cut deeper than her words. It was sharp, piercing—so cold that even Batman felt it. A chill crept down his spine, subtle but undeniable. She wasn't bluffing. She was unhinged. Dangerous. The logical move would have been to point her at Alex and let Alex deal with her—one thought, and she'd be dead.
But Batman wouldn't be Batman if he ever chose the easy path.
"As for you two, you shall bathe in the power of love and be reborn," one of the aliens said gently—a proud member of the Star Sapphire Corps. Their mission, like all Violet Lanterns, was to spread love throughout the universe. Of course, not everyone understood what love was… but that was fine. They had the means to enlighten others forcefully, if needed. All in the name of compassion.
"…No," David said, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "You would take our power."
His body trembled, horror sinking in as the reality settled. How could he allow this? They wanted to strip away the only thing he had left. Power—his power. Something Alex would never possess. He had become the main character. Was he really supposed to let that go? No. That role was his. Everything was his. All of it.
"It's my power! Mine! Mine! Mine!" David roared, the orange Lantern Ring pulsing with increasing brightness, its glow flaring like a wildfire feeding on his greed.
He snapped his gaze toward Luke. And before Luke could even register the shift, David lunged forward. His hand clamped around Luke's ring finger—the one bearing the Lantern ring—and with a brutal jerk, he ripped the finger clean off.
Luke's scream tore through the air, sharp and raw, echoing across the sky. But it was quickly swallowed by David's own unhinged roars as his power surged to new heights. Fueled by two rings now, his presence exploded outward.
With sheer force, he shattered the love-forged bubble encasing him, blasting through it like it was paper. Then, rising into the sky, David hovered, glowing with pure orange light—radiant, mad, and unstoppable.
"Alex! I'm the main character now! I'm the one who turned his fate around! Haha! I'm the chosen one! Everything is mine for the taking!" David roared at the sky, his voice echoing across the heavens as he stared down at Earth.
This planet—it belonged to him. No, not just the planet. The universe. All of it. Every star, every world, every ounce of power. It was his. He was the main character, and that meant the story bent to his will. Fate itself existed for him to mold, to twist, to rewrite however he pleased.
But before claiming what was rightfully his, he had one task left—eliminate anyone who dared to steal even a fragment of his power.
He should've shot forward, should've flown toward his next target. But instead, his gaze locked onto one of the violet Lanterns. Love. They dared to spread love? His love? Delivered without permission?
They had taken what belonged to him.
With a blinding burst of orange light, David vanished, moving faster than the eye could follow. In an instant, he appeared before one of the Violet Lanterns and seized her by the head, his grip radiating pure greed and fury.
Shocked, the Violet Lantern lashed out, firing a concentrated beam of love straight through David's chest. It tore clean through—but David didn't flinch.
He didn't stumble. He didn't slow. He didn't care. His fingers kept digging mercilessly into the woman's eyes, ignoring the damage, as if pain itself no longer held meaning.
"Mine! Mine! It's mine!" David howled, his voice unhinged and echoing like a beast unbound. Both of his Lantern Rings flared with wild intensity, the light growing fiercer with each passing second. Fueled by his obsession, by his overwhelming greed, the rings surged far beyond their limits—past 100%, past 1,000%, climbing until they reached an impossible 10,000%.
"I'm the main character! I'm the Main Character! I'm the Main Character!" David's roar grew more twisted with each word, unhinged and echoing like a chant of madness. The Violet Lantern continued to strike him, beam after beam, but her attacks began to falter—growing weaker, less focused—while David only seemed to grow stronger.
Her strength faded. His didn't. Then, before the wide, horrified eyes of everyone watching, David pulled with a sudden surge of brutal force, tearing the woman's body in half.
He cast aside the half that didn't carry the ring, flinging it like trash. His eyes locked on the finger still clutching the Violet Lantern Ring. With a sharp tug, he took the ring for himself, sliding it free with almost reverent greed.
The other Violet Lanterns unleashed a barrage of attacks, beams of radiant love crashing down around him. But David stood in the storm, untouched and unbothered. In his supercharged state, their love was nothing. Their power was nothing. Their light could not pierce through the overwhelming hunger that now defined him.
"I love this… what is there not to love?" David laughed, the sound wild and cracked, filled with a manic glee as he slid the Violet Lantern Ring onto his other ring finger. The moment it settled, his body responded—one half glowing with radiant violet light, the other blazing with hungry orange fire.
The fusion of love and greed coursed through him like an intoxicating flood. Power surged in both directions, opposite forces working in harmony within his twisted will. He threw his head back and laughed at the sky, drunk on the sensation. His love. His greed. His story.
He was the main character. This was his world to shape. But he wasn't done—not yet. There was more.
His eyes landed on one of the three Green Lanterns nearby, a hungry smile curling on his lips. He was already imagining how their willpower would taste when consumed.