I Will Go to You Like the First Snow (Part 1)

He has been so good to humanity that he resembles a saint, a God of Sun.

...But who can know how much pain and misfortune a god hides within?

They watch as Superman departs.

Clark arrives in Gotham under the night sky.

The silent Dark Knight stands on the gargoyle, waiting for his arrival.

The black cloak wraps around this dark knight as usual, but Clark keenly senses a shift in Batman's aura.

This Batman's restlessness has transformed into a soul that roars defiantly amid suffering.

He hovers in front of Batman, a premonition rising from the darkness.

The questions he has long asked everyone may finally yield a different answer.

He knows.

He knows.

Bruce Wayne, the man who stands at the pinnacle of human will, the one he respects most in life, will use his god-like resolve to fight against the overwhelming power that erases all memories and, ultimately, retrieve his memories, reclaiming the truth of Soren's existence.

"Bruce," he said steadily, "...do you remember Soren?"

The Dark Knight lifted his face, and the steel-blue eyes, sharp like two blades piercing the night, shot directly at him.

"—I remember."

"But didn't you drive him to his death with your own hands?"

"Have you forgotten how you forced him to repeatedly kill himself, how you pushed him to the point of giving up his own memories, how you compelled him to give you his eyes?"

"Clark Kent, look at me."

Batman's voice was like a verdict coming from hell.

Invisible, scalding, thick chains of red-hot iron bound the body of the god among men, making him suffer like a tortured prisoner before Batman.

…And in this courtroom, he could no longer voice a single rebuttal.

…Yes, it was him.

He had selfishly driven Soren to his death.

Soren returned to him with love, yet from the very beginning, he chose to lock him in a cage.

That Soren sat on the bed, hugging his knees, staring blankly at him, a single tear falling for him.

Soren said, "Clark, how could you let him dirty your hands?"

Soren said, "Clark, you will never be able to turn back—"

At that time, he had roughly interrupted him, unwilling to hear another word of persuasion from Soren.

He had stubbornly insisted on making this planet his sanctuary, eradicating war and evil from that point forward.

Little did he know, that was the very beginning of pushing Soren deeper into the abyss.

His Soren stood on the edge of the cliff, battered and bruised, yet still wanting to reach out, to grab him and pull him back from the abyss he had already fallen into.

…But what had he done?

He had imprisoned Soren, threatened Soren's parents, killed his friends, shattered his will, and ultimately made Soren smile as he told him, "Clark, let's go to hell together."

Clark instantly felt unsteady.

So foolish, Soren.

How could you be so foolish?

He almost whispered to himself, his voice choked with emotion.

I am the one who should descend into hell; why do you still want to save me?

I should go to hell, bearing my heavy sins that can never be redeemed.

…But why do you still sacrifice yourself to save my sinful soul?

Batman's gaze was deep as he stared into Superman's pained blue eyes.

—In those eyes, he saw a strong, kind, brave, and precious soul.

"I promised you that if I saw you in this world again, I would end your life with my own hands."

Batman said hoarsely.

He produced the kryptonite ring that had once sliced Superman's carotid artery.

Clark looked down at the ring. "...Thank you, B. Thank you for remembering our promise. But could you give me some time? I want to find Soren back; I want this world to remember Soren, not just you and I."

Batman replied, "Find him? What will you use to find him? You've searched the entire Earth these days; did you find him?"

Clark's expression darkened.

"B, have you ever considered why the collider didn't revert to before Metropolis was destroyed as you had set it, but instead followed our timeline to 2021?"

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

Batman remained silent.

"You must be wondering too, B; I know you like I know myself. I speculate that perhaps the collider didn't truly reverse time. What really changed this world is that someone erased Soren's existence."

"Someone took him from this world, Bruce," Clark said firmly.

"You just refuse to believe that he's finally found peace for his soul," Batman replied.

"And if he has found peace, then what do you want? To drag him back from the grave, like you've done before?" Batman's voice was cold and cutting, his words sharp as blades. "Have you ever thought that maybe he doesn't want to see you again? Perhaps for him, death was the greatest release—leaving you, the final reconciliation and tranquility."

In the darkness of Gotham, Batman's whisper was like thunder, reverberating in Superman's ears.

Clark's heart clenched uncontrollably, pain shooting through his chest.

He clutched his chest, where his heart—bleeding and raw—seemed to weep for the most likely truth.

"He…" Clark forced a painful smile. "He must have hated me."

After all, in that hell, Soren had told him countless times that he hated him.

But… Clark Kent, what right did he have to use Soren's sacrifice for his own redemption?

What made him worthy of all of this?

"I just want to trade my life for Soren's. Compared to me, he's the one who deserves to live. He's the one most worthy of life, Bruce. He doesn't have to see me, I won't let myself appear before him, and I won't hurt him again. All I want is… just to see him find happiness."

Clark spoke softly, his voice filled with a quiet but desperate longing.

Batman fell into silence.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally responded, his words slow and deliberate. "He is more deserving of a happy life than you."