The Price of Clark's Wish!

(~˘▾˘)~~(˘▾˘~)

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As the ring vanished, the intense evil that had surged within Clark quickly faded away, and the ferocity on his face disappeared.

After a few seconds of confusion and bewilderment, panic replaced them.

"I... What have I done?"

Although darkness still surrounded him, it didn't stop Clark from recovering his memories. He recalled his terrible attitude towards his parents, his disrespectful words to his brother, and even the fight.

"And those hurtful words..."

David sighed in relief.

Seeing their eldest son return to normal, Jonathan and Martha hurried over.

"Son, are you okay?"

Both embraced Clark with concern and urgency, asking David.

"I'm fine."

Jonathan looked David up and down. His younger son had not even torn a piece of clothing throughout the ordeal.

In contrast, his eldest son's upper body clothes had been almost torn apart, his eyes were swollen like ripe peaches, tears continuously streaming down, presenting a sorry sight.

"Mom, Dad, David, I'm sorry."

Clark heard the familiar heartbeats and embraced his parents. During the confusion caused by his blindness, he felt a sense of calmness, regret, and sorrow for his actions and words.

"It's okay, my child. We know that wasn't you."

Martha stopped his repentance and comforted her eldest son.

"Clark, what happened?"

Jonathan inquired about the cause of the situation.

"It's that ring... that ring..."

Clark only knew it was the ring's fault. As soon as he put it on, he became insane, his normal consciousness suppressed, almost like a split personality. But he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason.

"It's probably the meteorite."

David walked slowly over and took over the conversation.

"Other than the meteorite that accompanied Clark's arrival on Earth, I can't think of any other reason that could affect him."

"But..." Jonathan was about to mention that meteorites were usually green.

However, just because they hadn't seen a red one before didn't mean it didn't exist.

Now it seemed like the green meteorite affected Clark's physiology, while the red one affected his psychology?

"David, I'm sorry."

Like a child who had caused trouble, Clark kept apologizing as David approached.

"It's fine, after all, it's not me who got hurt."

Although David said so, he still frowned.

It wasn't anger at Clark's actions.

"Clark made a wish, but we don't know the cost."

"My eyes..."

Clark had managed to barely open his swollen eyes that resembled ripe peaches. He could see blurry shapes, but as the sunlight hit him, the injuries began to fade, the swelling receded, and his vision plunged back into darkness.

He reached out, feeling frantic.

"Clark, what's wrong with you?"

"I can't see with my eyes."

"Did your younger brother hit you too hard?" The couple exchanged a glance, somewhat panicked.

David furrowed his brows.

His energy beams could burn and melt others' eyeballs, but it wouldn't be so easy to severely injure Clark's eyes.

Moreover, it was daytime.

"No..."

Clark remembered something, opened his grey-clouded eyes, moved his mouth, and a strange calmness settled on his face, as if he had found peace after being punished for doing something wrong.

"This is the price of my wish."

As the price of his wish, his sight had been taken away.

"What?"

Looking at their son's grey eyes, Jonathan and his wife were taken aback and found it hard to accept: "Does this mean, Clark, that you'll be permanently blind?"

"Perhaps this is the best outcome."

Clark touched his mother's cold hand, comforting her. Though he felt somewhat unsettled about his blindness, he smiled at his family.

He was worried that his reckless behavior would lead to the wish stone extracting the price from his parents and brother.

"If it's only my eyes, it's not something I can't accept."

"It probably won't be permanent."

David frowned and gave a reminder.

The wish stone originated from the Greek god of lies, perhaps if it were God-King Zeus, perhaps his power could surpass that of the regular Superman.

But most other deities likely didn't have the ability to permanently take away Clark's talents.

"David, it's all right.

I still have ears."

In the past, basking in the sun had always healed his injuries, but this time it didn't work. Clark believed his brother was just trying to comfort him.

He had lost one sense, but he still had super hearing.

"Just give me some time, and I'll be just like a normal person."

It wouldn't have too much impact on his life.

...

As usual, David cleaned up the traces of their conflict, ensuring no exposure.

Indeed, as Clark had said, though not proficient, in just two or three days, he looked just like a regular person, except for the sunglasses he wore and the white cane. Hardly anyone could tell he was blind.

It didn't affect his life much either.

A week later, the two of them successfully completed their exams. Their grades weren't outstanding, but they were among the top performers.

If they wanted better scores, it wouldn't be a problem for them, but it wasn't necessary. They didn't want the attention anyway.

"These grades are good."

At home, in front of the computer screen, Jonathan looked at the report cards of his two sons, a hint of pride on his face as he nodded in satisfaction.

"I know that if you were after money, you could easily become a sports star and earn millions.

Well, you're certainly more capable than a farmer like me, who just tinkers with tools."

Finally, he nodded jokingly.

"Boys, what are your plans for the vacation?"

With a smile on her face, Martha gently asked her two sons. Regardless of other aspects, their studies had never caused her or Jonathan any worries.

As for college life, the couple had always believed it wouldn't be a problem for their two sons.

They were simply changing locations for their education. Both had chosen Metropolitan State University, not far from Smallville. Even an ordinary person on a bicycle wouldn't take more than an hour to get there. Exaggerating a bit, it was almost right next door.

At most, their college lives might involve some teenage troubles. At eighteen, it seemed it was time to start dating.

"Chloe is going to intern as a reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis during the break, and she's asked me to be her assistant."

Clark recalled what Chloe had told him before.

"A reporter?"

David raised an eyebrow. Clark, who would use the identity of a reporter to hide his identity, was getting involved with journalism work so early? It seemed there was some fate between the two.

"What's wrong? Even though I lost my sight, I assure you, I've gained a lot of experience in listening."

Clark thought his brother might feel he wasn't suited for the job, and he smiled.

Losing his sight had given him more understanding of vulnerable groups he hadn't paid much attention to before.

"Thinking back, I used to resist my exceptional talents compared to ordinary people..."

As he spoke, he shook his head.

Compared to those born with disabilities, what he was going through was nothing.

"Perhaps, as Dad said, God gave me unique abilities, and I need to learn to accept them... even figure out what to do with them."

Clark muttered softly, a hint of maturity and seriousness on his face.

Listening to his tone, David looked surprised.

'It looks that although this temporary blindness will last just a few days, it has brought Clark closer to the road of becoming Superman.'

While Clark had always been kind, he was still in high school before. He had his own campus troubles and hadn't shown much initiative to help others. Did he now empathize with others on a personal level?

"Do you want to be like Gotham's Batman and become a masked vigilante?"

David thought about what Clark would be like now if he started fighting crime in Metropolis – a super-enhanced version of Daredevil?

"It's hard to say, I haven't thought that far ahead."

Clark scratched his head.

Regarding being a vigilante or something similar, he still had some hesitation, fearing it might bring trouble to his family if his extraordinary abilities were revealed to the public. But who knows what might happen in the future.

After all, people's thoughts can change.

"And you?"

Clark turned his head toward his brother and asked.

"Me?

I might just go on a little trip."

David looked out the window at the distant blue sky and the white clouds, his gaze passing over the mountains to the far distance.

"Travel?"

[Template integration at 59%]

'If I can make a whole group of extraordinary beings emotionally charged because of me from time to time, my template integration speed should skyrocket!'

Paradise Island had thousands, even tens of thousands, of Amazon warriors, and Earth wasn't limited to just one group of superhumans. For instance, there were the Atlanteans in the underwater city...

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(~˘▾˘)~Don't forget to send your power-stones! ~(˘▾˘~)