Chapter 10. The world held its breath

As every one sat in front of a screen and saw the conclusion of the fight, or rather, the lack of. They worried greatly. Did hulk get defeated, stopped in his tracks. Or would he continue his menace.

What happened to superman, could he even survive something like this? They had seen him fly, move at super speed, catch bullets and stay inside a burning building. But they had never seen him on this scale before.

Everybody worried for themselves, the world or or for Superman, the hero.

But on a farm in Branchville, a small town outside of New York, A family of four sat and looked intently at the tv. With mixed emotions of grief, despair, anxiety and frustration. The Collins family didn't worry about Superman, They worried about Kevin. Their son, their brother, their family.

As the fight broke out, The whole family hurried together to find comfort in each other.They had never seen Kevin physically hurt before, never seen him bleed.

As they waited and made calls to find any information about Kevin, they grew in worry as there was none.

And with time, the world started to worry more and more about Superman. One night turned to two days, and two days turned to one week, and there was still no sight of Superman. The only good news was that there was no sight of the Hulk either.

The Collins felt grave grief, believing that they lost Kevin, but still hoping for a miracle.

This world shaking event took place in a less populated area, but it still affected most of humanity.

Floating in deep space, Kevin opened his eyes, and what he saw shocked him. In front of him was a source of light so great in size that it can't be imagined.

The star that warmed up earth, the star that gave energy for the plants to grow. The star that kept the earth in its orbit. The sun, It was so much greater than he had ever imagined, and he was looking straight at it.

He turned his body to see the full glory of the expansive universe, before finally setting his sights on a blue planet with a small moon orbiting it.

It looked as if he was a long way from it.

Kevin looked down at his body, and found it to be speck free. All the soil, dirt and filth had been burnt off.

Feeling great and stronger than ever, he started his flight back to earth. He found his flight way easier and faster in space as there was no friction nor gravity to slow him down. His acceleration increased instantly.

Flying at great speeds he was once again shocked by the fact that no matter how fast he went, the earth seemed to be as distan as before.

As he looked back he saw the Sun, it hadn't gotten any further from him, or so it seemed. It meant that the distances between him and the celestial bodies were further than he initially believed. So he picked up speed and once again flew towards earth.

Kevin flew for what felt like an hour or two, but he wasn't so sure, as he couldn't tell time in space.

When he neared the earth, he stopped to take in the beauty of it. Before continuing in great speeds towards the home of his parents in Branchville.

When he landed, in his fields, he noticed a bus closing in on their street before stopping and dropping off Elena and Tyler.

'They look sombre' Kevin noticed.

As they walked in silence towards their home, Elena suddenly stopped. Tyler also stopped noticing that his sister was not moving forward, looking at her in askance. But before he could speak his mind She dropped her backpack and ran all she had towards Kevin.

Tyler looking towards where she was going was also stunned when he noticed who stood there. He also dropped his backpack and ran as fast as he could towards his dead, but now alive brother.

Both Elena and Tyler pounced at Kevin hugging him and crying "You're alive" and "We thought you died".

Kevin Hugged them in shock, he had thought that he was gone for a few hours, maybe a day at most. But he might have been wrong about that it seems.

Elena and Tyler cried and whimpered in his embrace, and Kevin felt tears creep their way to his eyes.

Kevin's parents noticed the commotion and went outside, and as soon as they saw Kevin they also hurried to him. All of them, capable of running at great speeds, because of their spiderman abilities.

After a tearful reunion, Kevin was told how long he was gone for which he wasn't expecting. His mother continuously touched him to see if he was real or to see if he was harmed.

Kevin decided to stay the night at his parents'. And before he could go to bed, his parents came to his room to have a talk.

Kevin's father spoke seriously but carefully. "Kevin, your mom and I feel that after the last... confrontation you had, maybe it's time for you to retire your yellow hoodie... We aren't saying this lightly as we know that you..." But Kevin spoke before he could finish.

"Actually I agree." Kevin said interrupting his father. Confusing his parents as they knew how much this meant for him, to be a source of goodness in the world.

"As I was getting punched, by fists that actually hurt, I felt afraid that if I continue ,I might not see you guys again." Before his parents could say anything in response to that he continued.

"And if I failed in stopping the Hulk, The amount of harm, damage he would cause... I can't even imagine it... I don't think i am ready for such a responsibility.... I can't bear the weight of knowing something like that, should I fail, lots of people will come to harm."

Kevin then looked straight at his parents face and said with determination. "But then I realized in that moment, that if I die, then you guys might die after me. But if I do nothing, you'll still die except that the risk will be greater because I'm not there to stop it. In that case It's better for me to die trying, than to cower and lose it all. And if I can't stop someone, then no one else on earth can, so I might as well try" he said with conviction.

"I need to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, so that people can live for another day. This is my calling, This is my destiny!" He said with a tone that told his parents that no matter what they said, he wouldn't change his mind.

"That's why I'll retire the Hoodie, and wear something properly to be recognized at first instance as a symbol of hope."

They hugged him and his mother cried, this isn't just a burden on Kevin, but also on his parents, as they'll have to watch their son fight, and be harmed so others can be safe.

His mother's tears are tears of resignment and sorrow, but her hug is one of acceptance and placing her trust in him.

Tyler And Elena were outside his room, even though this was a private conversation, it is something that will impact their whole family, so they listened in.

Both of them are going through their own set of emotions.

'Could I do it? Could I walk the same path as him, by his side' Elena Thought for herself.

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At first I was going to save this chapter for tomorrow. But I wanted to ask you guys for a favour.

I want to find a book cover for this fanfic but I don't dare to take one from the internet as I don't want to steal anything. Could you guys help me find something good to use as a cover, that is also okay to use?

I would want something that somehow portrays the fact that this is a story about either Superman or Marvel.

Any help is appreciated. I'll even make a mention of your name in this fanfic.