Welcome to Krypton

In a forgotten pocket of the cosmos, a dying planet floated like a silent tombstone. The sky churned with ominous, ash-colored clouds, their weight pressing shadows onto a cracked and lifeless surface. A weak red sun barely clawed through the gloom, casting just enough light to highlight the futility of the terrain. Dust swirled in restless eddies, brushing past skeletal vegetation clinging to existence. At the center of this desolation stood a city that looked ripped straight from a sci-fi fever dream—gleaming metal towers and neon ribbons of light stretched high, a testament to innovation that came too late to save the planet.

And then, everything went sideways.

BOOM! The tranquil hum of the city snapped into chaos as explosions thundered overhead. Small spacecraft zigzagged through the sky, exchanging volleys of fire that lit up the dark clouds like cosmic fireworks. Below, crumbling buildings and screaming citizens painted the scene with all the finesse of an apocalyptic disaster movie.

Amid this chaos, my bedroom stood oddly still—clean, pristine, and eerily quiet, as if someone forgot to cue the sound effects.

I was there, sprawled out on a soft bed, a golden-haired girl in white, peacefully oblivious. Until the universe decided I needed to wake up.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The ground beneath me heaved like it had a vendetta, rattling me awake. My head shot up as I blinked groggily, my heart pounding. "What the—an earthquake?!"

Before I could make sense of the seismic tantrum, the door burst open, and in came a white-haired woman who looked like she'd just sprinted out of a disaster flick. "Kara, hurry! There's no time!" she shouted, her voice dripping with urgency.

Here's the kicker: I didn't understand her words—or at least I shouldn't have. The language was alien, but somehow, it clicked, like subtitles had been hardwired into my brain.

Before I could ask, What the hell's going on?, the woman grabbed my hand and yanked me into a full-speed sprint. Her grip was firm but not cruel, like she knew exactly how much pressure it would take to keep me moving without snapping me in two.

The corridor outside was a metal labyrinth bathed in flickering, doom-worthy lights. It screamed futuristic bunker on its last leg. The air was thick with the hum of machinery and the distant cacophony of destruction. I glanced at her hand—rough, warm, and reassuring in a strange way—then down at my own. That's when the reality check hit like a freight train.

I wasn't me.

My reflection flashed in a passing piece of polished metal: a girl around 150 centimeters tall, with long, golden hair cascading over small shoulders. No pain, no aching joints—just this foreign, youthful body. The disconnect was jarring, but I kept my cool. Panicking wouldn't help. Instead, I followed the woman, hoping answers were waiting at the end of this nightmare.

After what felt like an eternity (probably three minutes max), we burst into a large chamber. There, a man with a jawline carved from pure determination was waiting. Relief washed over his face as he spotted us. He stepped forward, his eyes locking onto me with a mix of resolve and something painfully parental.

"Kara, your spacecraft's coordinates are locked," he said, his voice like gravel laced with urgency. "You'll go to Earth—with your cousin, Kal-El."

Earth? Cousin? My stomach twisted as recognition slapped me across the face. My gaze drifted to the iconic S-symbol on his chest, and it all clicked in horrifying clarity. "Is this… Krypton?"

The couple exchanged that look—the one parents give each other when they're about to drop a truth bomb on their kid. The woman knelt, brushing a hand through my hair with heart-wrenching tenderness. "Kara, don't be afraid," she murmured. "The journey's long, but you'll sleep through most of it. When you wake up, you'll be on Earth. The sun there will give you strength, power. You'll need it… to protect your cousin."

Her voice was soothing, but her words detonated in my brain. This wasn't just Krypton. This was Krypton on borrowed time. My worst fear confirmed: I was in that universe, and not just anyone. I was Kara Zor-El—Superman's cousin, the last-ditch evacuee of a planet about to self-destruct.

Memories hit me like a truck. Illyasviel von Einzbern—my last identity, my last life. Moments ago, I'd lost to Gilgamesh, despite knowing the ins and outs of the Fifth Holy Grail War. I'd died—again—and now I was here, waking up in another story that seemed hellbent on making me the protagonist.

BOOM! Lava burst into the tunnel behind us, its fiery glow painting the walls in doom. The woman pulled me into a tight hug, her tears warm against my cheek.

"No time! We have to move!" the man barked, scooping me up like I weighed nothing. He bolted for an oval-shaped spacecraft parked nearby and gently set me inside. A translucent shield slid into place, sealing me away from the chaos.

I turned back to see their faces—my Kryptonian parents. Tears brimmed in their eyes as they smiled through the heartbreak. A lump formed in my throat as fragments of childhood memories flickered to life. Too late. Always too late.

The ship's engines roared to life, and it launched upward, streaking through the collapsing tunnel. As we broke into open space, the full scope of Krypton's demise unfolded below: cities disintegrating, lava swallowing everything in its path, and a populace caught in the maw of annihilation.

Relief and despair warred within me. I made it. But they didn't.

Just as I began to process that grim reality, a deafening KABOOM! erupted behind me. The ship lurched violently, and I was thrown against the wall as alarms blared in rapid-fire.

"Great," I muttered through clenched teeth, bracing myself as the ship spiraled into the abyss. "Welcome to the MCU version of Murphy's Law."

"Energy absorption complete!" a familiar voice rang out in my mind like a cheerful alarm clock that absolutely nobody asked for.

My eyes widened. "Titania? Where the hell have you been hiding?"

Before I could even process it, a tiny figure materialized in front of me. Golden hair tumbled in perfect cascades down her back, framing a pair of glowing emerald eyes. She looked like a Christmas ornament designed by a celestial art director—delicate butterfly wings dusted with starlight included.

"Uh...?" Titania blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "I've been with you since your rebirth, mistress. Did you... forget?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Right. My bad. Memory's a little scrambled. You know, the whole 'awakening a past life memory' thing. It's like trying to catch a soap opera halfway through a season. Krypton feels... distant." I sighed, pausing as snippets of old memories tugged at my brain. "But that's not what I meant. You ghosted me in the Nasuverse. Care to explain?"

Images of my disbelief—the first time Titania told me Krypton was doomed—flooded back. We'd tried to warn them, tried to fix things. But no. Krypton was all, 'Nah, we're good,' right up until they weren't. I'd moved past the heartbreak, but the aftertaste of failure lingered, especially now that I remembered my parents' choice to stay behind.

Titania fluttered her wings and hovered closer, looking at me like I'd grown a second head. "The Nasuverse? Mistress, I don't even know what that is. Last thing I recall, we were running for our lives in the Terror Infinity Universe."

I waved a hand dismissively. "Details. The important part is, things went sideways. Clearly. I mean, hello, I'm here now, piloting a busted Kryptonian escape pod." My voice dripped with sarcasm. "But since I'm guessing I died, care to fill me in on the afterparty?"

Titania's tiny face scrunched up in concentration. "I don't know what happened. All I know is, I've been with you. Always." She paused, then muttered, "Well, except when I couldn't reach you."

"Yeah, thanks for that," I quipped dryly. "Anyway, let's focus on the now. Got enough juice to warp us to Earth? Or am I going to spend the next fifty years floating through space, making friends with cosmic dust?"

"Yes, mistress," Titania chirped sweetly, her emerald eyes practically begging for praise. But then her expression darkened faster than a thundercloud. She flitted backward, cramming as much space as possible between us in the cramped cockpit. "But... I refuse."

My brow arched so high it could've entered orbit. "You're refusing to help me—your best friend, creator, and cosmic tag-team partner—after everything we've been through?" My voice was calm. Too calm.

Titania shivered. "Technically, it's future you who created me. And because of everything we've been through, I can't in good conscience let you near Earth. Not now. Not with your memories back."

"You think I'm a danger to Earth." My tone was flat, but there was just enough edge to make her wince.

Titania hesitated. "Mistress... as Gu Yuena, you led spirit beasts to destroy multiple continents on Douluo Planet. The gods had to rewrite their rules because of you."

I fought the urge to smirk but couldn't quite hide my amusement. "Oh, come on. They were hunting spirit beasts into extinction. What'd you expect me to do? Throw a bake sale?"

"And Konoha?" she pressed. "You turned that place into rubble when you were Naruko. And you didn't stop there."

My cheeks reddened as the tiniest hint of guilt crept in. "Okay, fine. Konoha deserved it. Treating me like garbage for years? You poke the bear, you get the claws. That's just basic survival instinct. Don't blame the bear."

Titania crossed her arms, looking entirely too smug for a magical pint-sized fairy. "And what about the Date A Live incident? Or the One Punch Man universe? You're a walking disaster, mistress. It's a miracle anyone ever lets you into their worlds."

I suddenly found my hands fascinating. "So... you think I'm a bad influence on baby Kal-El?"

Titania deadpanned. "Two super-powered disasters in one universe? That's Injustice on steroids. Hard pass."

My blue eyes locked onto hers, determination blazing like a solar flare. "Listen. I know I'm no saint. Never was, never will be. But I wasn't planning to play house in Kansas, okay? After the Nasuverse, I've learned a thing or two about restraint. Kiritsugu's life taught me that much. I won't make the same mistakes again."

Whatever dramatic speech I had planned next vanished as a massive blue vortex loomed in the distance, lightning crackling at its core, vaporizing meteors like cheap fireworks.

"Oh, hell no!" I yelled, snapping back to reality. "Titania, warp us out of here. Now!"

The fairy spun around, her face morphing into pure panic. "Coordinates set for Earth. Initiating teleportation!"