63 You Aren't Him

("Retrieve it NOW!") Tydris roared in Ethan's mind and immediately he moved to knock out the scientist with a simple chop to the back of the neck before killing the G-Gnome that was nearby.

(A/N: Spock style!)

Once everything was settled, Ethan studied the meteorite closely.

It was the size of a fist with jagged edges all around with a gray exterior, making it look unamusing. However, the closer he was to the meteorite the brighter the golden aura around it shine.

Ethan felt some kind of connection with the inanimate object as if it was a part of him somehow and now it wished to bond with him again. 'Strange...'

("What are you doing?! Get it already!") The dragon said, sounding impatient.

'What is it?' Ethan asked.

("I'll explain later. Just take it now!")

It wasn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last, but Ethan wondered if listening to Tydris was a good thing. At times it feels like the dragon was withholding crucial information from him to further along his goal.

However, he puts up with it because he needs him to learn how to revive his parents. Ethan could tell he wasn't doing it out of malice, but still, it left a bad taste in his mouth...

"Is this what you came after?" Harley curiously asked.

" Yes-"

*Bam! Crash!* Seconds after Ethan spoke, Harley kicked the glass tube that was holding the meteorite, shattering it into thousands of pieces. She went to grab it, but the meteorite seemed to have a mind of its own and flew past her.

"Huh?" Ethan barely had time to blink before the meteorite was in front of his eyes. At first, he was a bit stunned, but then he could hear a strange sound.

*Ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

It was a strong rhythmic sound that caused him to block any other noise that could distract him from it. As he stared at it, the dull exterior start fall apart, turning into dust that eventually disappeared into thin air.

Soon there was a strange jet-black crystal with a golden aura around it in front of him, he couldn't make out what it was, but hearing the sound made him think.

'Heart?' Ethan said to himself as he stretched his hand towards it.

("Even in death you find me...Avita...You always said that you'll be by my side...But I am nothing but a ghost of what I once was...I allowed them into my home and I allowed them to slaughter all of our loved ones...")

Once Ethan touched the crystal, he started to feel a bit nostalgic for some reason like he was meeting someone he'd known in the past after a long time. The feeling was so strong that tears were falling from his eyes which alarmed Harley.

"What's wrong?! Honeybun?! Are you in pain?!" She shrieked, grabbing hold of his arms, but something else was wrong.

"Ah!" Harley screamed, yanking her hands back from being burnt? 'How?' She thought as she glanced at her red hands with smoke rising from them before looking at Ethan once again.

Ethan was unaware of everything as now he was in an unfamiliar place, an open plain that stretched for miles, he couldn't even see the end. It was currently night, and the full moon was high above the clouds which blocked its light. However, Ethan could see perfectly because all around him were flowers, flowers that illuminated the darkness with a soft blue light.

Beautiful was the only word that came into mind as his eyes enjoyed the peaceful scenery.

One flower wouldn't illuminate the entire place, but there were hundreds...no thousands of them scattered across the ground and each of them swayed back and forth by a gentle breeze that brought an almost heavenly smell to his nose.

The smell wasn't strong, it was quite subtle and sweet, but Ethan smelled something else along with it which caused him to turn around.

Standing behind him was a massive dragon with beautiful black scales that reflected light of it. The dragon's large eyes were bright blue just like the flowers that provided this place light. Soon, the dragon started to shrink in size as its body was covered in black smoke, and before he knew it, Ethan felt arms around his neck.

"This is where you are hiding again?" A voice asked which causes Ethan to look down to see one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen in his life. She looked to be around her mid-20s with long jet-black hair, luminescent blue eyes, and crescent moon eyebrows upon her face which was as white as the moon above. Her full lips curved into a smile as her slightly cold hand slid across his cheek before cupping his chin.

"You've been avoiding me all day... Why is that dear?" She asked.

" You tend to unconsciously release your poison which I find highly annoying."

'Strange...someone else was here?' Ethan thought, but seconds later he realized that it was his him that answered. 'Wait?! I don't know her! Huh? I can't move my mouth?!...'

"Aren't you immune to my poison?" The woman pouted as her fingers played with his hair.

"Yes, but I still feel an annoying tingly sensation wherever you touch me."

She raised an eyebrow, "And?..."

"Avita-"

"Ssssh!" The woman pressed a finger against his lips. "Who was that said you'll always be my side no matter what."

"Avit-"

"No, answer the question."

"Me..."

"And who said I'll love you even after they told them they were poisonous which was followed by and I quote...Poison is nothing to the great me!" She said with the deepest voice she could muster.

"Me..."

"So...tell me the real reason why you are hiding from me..." She frowned as she held on to him tighter while drawing her face closer. "As your first wife...You know you can't hide anything from me...Tydris..."

'Tydris?! Does she think I'm him?! What's going on right now?! And why can't I move my mouth?!' Ethan couldn't make sense of what was going on with him. He could feel everything, the wind, the touch of the woman's hand, and yet the body felt like it wasn't his own.

"I'll protect you from anyone and anything. You can always confide in me."

"I don't need your protection. I'm a dragon and a god. I can take care of myself."

"A dragon yes...A god? An incomplete one...You aren't as powerful you think you are, you know this." Avita started to laugh as she laid her head against his chest.

"If you were one of those humans I would kill you for that comment."

"Well, good thing I'm not. I'm a dragon that can do whatever she wants." She smirked before letting out a soft sigh. "And what she wants...is her husband to be more open with her..." She said as she stares directly into his eyes once more.

"I have no family and the ones I consider as friends can't come near me...All I have is you..."

After she said those words something began to change, the place Ethan was in slowly started to fade like it was dust being swept by a broom until there was nothing left but white space.

Avita stared into Ethan's eyes in silence for quite some time before kissing his cheek.

"You are like him, but you aren't Tydris. You aren't the one that dragged me out of my loneliness..." She muttered as her eyes started to fill with tears while she lightly bit her bottom lip.

"I don't know what that idiot plans on doing with you, but I'll lend you my power...You won't remember any of this...I'll keep it in check for a while, but you'll need to find a place void of people."

"Huh?" Ethan could finally use his voice, but he was still confused about what was happening to him.

"If you do remember any of this...Tell that fool that I'm waiting for him with everyone else...We miss him dearly. And we do not blame him at all for his decision... Goodbye...Ethan." Avita gave off a sense of melancholy as she smiled one last time before fading away in front of his eyes.

Ethan only knew Avita from what Tydris had told him, but somehow his heart ached when he saw her smile like that. It was like feeling a dagger being jabbed into his chest multiple times by an attacker.

Feelings that didn't quite feel like his own started to overcome him like a faucet that refused to stop, he then looked up and started to roar that shook the entire space as tears streamed down his face.

" IT WAS ALL MY FAULT! I LET MY ARROGANCE BLIND ME!! I LET THAT BASTARD FOOL ME. I'LL FIND YOU WHEREVER YOU'RE HIDING AND I'LL RIP YOUR WORTHLESS PATHETIC FLESH INTO PIECES ALONG WITH EVERYONE INVOLVED!!!"

"BARBATOS!! You will pay...FOR EVERYTHING YOU DONE TO ME!!"

>>>><<<<

"ETHAN!! ANSWER ME!" A familiar voice entered Ethan's ears and suddenly he was back in the lab where the meteorite was found, but now it was nowhere in sight. He felt a bit exhausted, but it was nothing compared to Harley who felt like she was about to break down at any moment.

"Harley?" Ethan said a bit confused as he observed the woman whose flesh bright red and riddled with burns that were still fresh.

"What happened?!"

There was a visible sense of relief after Harley heard Ethan's voice, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, using the rest of her strength to squeeze him as she cried.

"You wouldn't answer me..." Harley weakly said. "And you were practically see-through. I thought you were leaving me...Please you can't-"

The blonde suddenly passed out in his arms, leaving him stunned and worried about her.

'What happened??!' Ethan asked Tydris.

("...It was a dragon heart. It caused you to unconsciously use your powers and you injured her in the process...She'll recover after some rest.") Tydris explained.

Ethan was moments before exploding with anger, but then he started to hear movement coming from behind him, and he quickly identified it as the Justice League members because he could immediately sense Diana.

He then glanced at the now sleeping Harley and held her tightly against his body.

"I'm sorry...it was my fault." He muttered.

The feeling of guilt overrode his anger, and he started to calm down. However, once he calmed down he felt as if he had forgotten something important.

>>>>><<<<

Within the dark space, Tydris was reminiscing about the past as he laid eyes on the black crystal in front of him. He could only gaze upon it as his ghost-like body was unable to hold it.

("Avita...")

>>>><<<<

The heroes couldn't quite believe what they were seeing as their eyes were met with a terrible scene of green blood and parts of Genomorphs scattered around the floor.

"Man...they sure didn't hold their punches.." Robin said, shivering a bit from the sight. He was tasked by Batman to take pictures and information as the caped hero was held up by Diana. Cyborg went to take Hank back to the Hall of Justice to recover which left Dawn to come with them.

The transformation hero couldn't use her powers for quite some time so to protect her identity she was given one of Robin's spare masks. The sidekick always kept extras on his person just in case he needs them.

Seeing all the unfinished Genomorphs made them realize how much more dangerous Lex Luthor was and they wondered what he was doing such a thing while working with the League of Assassins.

"Who is that?" Dawn pointed out to an injured man who was laying in his own blood.

"Guardian?!" Robin shouted as he ran over to the man to check his pulse. "He's alive..."

"Why is he down here though?" Bruce frowned. He never thought someone like him would be this far from Metropolis, but he found it strange how he was still alive after losing so much blood.

"He's not the real Guardian. He's a clone." They were startled by a voice that was soon revealed to be owned by Ethan who was holding an unconscious Harley in a princess carry with a blanket covering her body.

"Ethan..." Bruce frowned while Diana had a complicated expression on her face.

"Batman...Wonder Woman, Robin, Dove..." Ethan said.

"Wait you know me?" Dawn asked, surprised at the fact that someone she recently came to know knew that she was the hero Dove.

.

"I know a lot...and Myra told me," Ethan said as he rubbed Harley's cheek to which she responded with a slight smile as she continued her peaceful sleep.

'I'll make it up to you.' He silently promised.

"Wait...This guy is a clone?!" Robin shouted.

"You could probably find more in the lower levels, and Superman's clone is at the very bottom."

"Tell us everything you know. Now!" Bruce demanded in a harsh tone. He may have misjudged Ethan, but still from the way he left the creatures and the supposed clone meant that he was still a killer. Something he still couldn't accept which is why he called for backup which should arrive here soon.

Ethan's eyes flashed with a dangerous light as he glared at Bruce for speaking to him in such a way. The caped hero may have been his favorite when he was still human, but now he was simply a man that wants to bend everyone to his rules, something that the current Ethan couldn't stand from someone weaker than him.

"You're welcome to find everything out on your own. I got what I came for..." He growled, releasing a bit of killing intent that made everyone flinch back.

"I apologize for how he spoke to you. Would you please tell us everything you know?" Dawn said as she stepped forward.

"I don't-"

"Be quiet this time like you are when you're brooding in your cave." Diana interrupted Bruce.

Bruce gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at Diana who didn't spare him a glance as her eyes were solely focused on Ethan. He then realized in his injured state, he couldn't voice his opinion and so he closed his mouth.

Ethan slightly forgot that the Justice League didn't always get along and seeing their interaction made him remember that fact.

He wasn't heartless, so he decided to tell them the gist of what was going on with Cadmus. And the expressions on their face quickly became grim when he told him that supervillains were banding together for something big.

Ethan didn't remember everyone that was involved as trying to remember everything about the DC Universe was simply impossible especially when the multiverse theory was added into the mix.

There was simply no way to truly know which one he was in unless he was some cosmic entity with world-shattering powers.

"Wow, that is really...really really bad," Robin said after Ethan finished his explanation.

"We can't let their plans succeed...if they manage to complete their plan then...I couldn't imagine the aftermath." Dawn replied.

"If you are telling us all of this...does that mean you wish to work with us?" Diana asked.

"No, I will not associate myself with the Justice League. I'm not a hero. I'm only doing what I want to complete my goal." Ethan answered with conviction.

"No one will stand in my way."

"And if they do then you'll kill them?" Bruce scowled. "You are nothing more than a murderer that should be left to rot in a cage!"

Ethan chuckled at Bruce's outburst as he reminded him of an ant. Sure, when ants work together they can accomplish many great things, but when met with one that could trample all over them...well then it didn't matter how many worked together.

*BOOM*

Suddenly, the ceiling was smashed apart and the cause made the hairs on the back of Ethan's neck stand up as his lips slowly turned into a smile.

'She's here...Along with him...'. Ethan could see two figures floating in the air next to each other. One was a blonde-haired woman and the other was a black-haired man. Both of these people were aliens that hailed the destroyed planet of Krypton.

The man was a hero that the entire world knew of as he was the face of the Justice League and its true leader. He was the embodiment of power and was the one that everyone thought of when the word 'Hero' comes to mind.

"I won't ask you twice. " The man said.

"You are coming with us."