| Apokolips - December 31
Darkseid sat upon his throne.
Kneeling before him was Granny Goodness, a high-ranking official within Darkseid's empire. She oversaw the Orphanage and commanded the Furies, while her avatar, Gretchen Goode, operated on Earth as the founder of Goode World Studios, keeping him informed on the planet's progress.
"Make your report," Darkseid did not ask so much as demand, his voice absolute.
"Scot has managed to escape the X-Pit. Big Barda, leader of the Furies, has also gone missing. Our Father Boxes are unable to locate them. I have no excuses," Granny said solemnly, her head bowed.
X-Pits were special prisons used by Granny Goodness for discipline and mind control. They were pervaded by the Ghost Dimension, and Granny used them to punish and brainwash her charges. Those trapped within a pit heard a constant refrain:
"Obey your Granny. My command is Darkseid's will."
The Ghost Dimension was a field detrimental to the mind, body, and spirit of those caught within it, causing immense pain while rendering them susceptible to varying degrees of mind control.
In the absence of proper safeguards, the Ghost Dimension repolarized energy from the Source into Anti-Life. Unfortunately, that knowledge did not help Darkseid locate the Anti-Life Equation he sought.
In truth, Darkseid already knew Scot and Barda had escaped. He was aware of everything that transpired on Apokolips. He merely wished to see whether Granny Goodness would admit to her failure. He was evaluating whether she would serve as a better replacement for Desaad than Virman Vundabar, a man who believed himself far smarter than he truly was.
Scot, the son of New Genesis' ruler Highfather, had been traded as a child to Apokolips, New Genesis' greatest enemy, as a means of preserving peace between the two worlds. In exchange for surrendering his son, Highfather received Orion, Darkseid's own son.
But Scot's nature of freedom directly opposed Darkseid's nature of subjugation, and so Darkseid abandoned him.
On Apokolips, Scot grew up within Granny Goodness' Orphanage, a torture camp designed to break his spirit. Yet Scot refused to yield, developing an uncanny ability to escape time and time again before inevitably being returned to the X-Pit.
Both Scot and Barda endured Goodness' sadistic punishments for years.
Now, as adults, they had escaped.
"What will you do to fix this?" Darkseid asked next.
"Big Barda was the leader of the Furies and must be replaced. Grail has informed me of a suitable candidate. A Tamaranean on Earth whom she encountered. Grail has proposed retrieving—"
"No," Darkseid interrupted.
"No. Now is not the time to interfere with Earth. We are uncertain of Savage's situation, and New Genesis already watches us closely. Grail shall remain confined to Apokolips for the next decade as punishment for acting without permission. Remember that you serve me, not her."
Darkseid spoke calmly, yet Goodness immediately lowered her head further at the reprimand.
Darkseid continued.
"Scot's escape is of no consequence. And I have already arranged the new leadership of the Furies."
The Furies were an elite team of female New Gods who served Darkseid directly under Granny Goodness.
A figure slowly emerged from behind Darkseid's throne, and Granny Goodness' eyes widened.
"Long ago, Metron undertook a technological exchange with Krypton in which he acquired a Phantom Zone Projector."
The figure stopped once she fully stepped into the dim crimson light of the throne room.
She was an average-height teenage girl with blonde hair. Her attire was black and dark crimson, complete with a cape and the House of El crest emblazoned upon her chest. Around her neck hung a necklace bearing a red object. Her expression was uncertain. Frightened.
"At some point before Krypton's destruction, Kara Zor-El was sent into the Phantom Zone alone under unknown circumstances. Now Metron has gifted her to us under one condition: feed her rage so we may witness the limits of the Red Lantern Ring."
"Yes, Darkseid!" Goodness shouted enthusiastically.
Darkseid knew the sadistic woman would be more than capable of torturing and breaking this innocent girl into the Red Daughter of Krypton.
"And one final matter," Darkseid added. "See if you can acquire the DNA of the being known as Doomsday. It is time we upgrade our Parademons for our future wars."
**
| Chicago - December 31
Inside a hospital room, Joseph, clad in his Nova suit, sat beside the bed of an old man who looked only a few breaths away from death.
Doctor Fate stood nearby.
Joseph had come after Nabu contacted him through the Order Nth Band, informing him that the man wished to speak with him.
As Joseph watched Wesley Dodds' labored breathing, guilt crept into his chest.
The man had prophesied a coming Armageddon. He had spoken of Nova's return back when Joseph believed he had permanently lost his Dream-creature AI, yet Joseph had never spared a thought to investigate further.
He hadn't even visited after Norman McCay's death during the Hour of Chaos, too consumed with everything else happening in his life.
With a shaky breath, Dodds regained consciousness.
The moment he noticed Joseph, he uttered a single word as loudly as he could, though it emerged as little more than a whisper.
"Dream."
Joseph immediately understood and pulled Dodds into the Dream State.
Reality vanished around them as they entered an endless white expanse.
Joseph's appearance shifted into casual clothing. There was no point in hiding his identity here.
Meanwhile, Wesley Dodds' frail body transformed as his age regressed and his hospital garments faded away.
By the end of the transformation, Wesley Dodds had become his heroic alter ego once more: the Sandman.
He wore a formal suit and tie beneath a cape and fedora, his face obscured behind a World War I-era gas mask.
Even without Nova's vast database stored within the Data Archive, Joseph would have recognized him instantly.
Alongside Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, and Ted Grant, Wildcat himself, Sandman had been one of the Justice Society of America's founding heroes, operating primarily within Gotham.
Though Doctor Fate had always been Joseph's favorite JSA hero, Sandman was a close second. Perhaps that was why he had unconsciously chosen colors similar to Sandman's first sidekick, Sandy the Golden Boy, for his own original hero costume of gold and purple.
"That's more like it. Thanks," Wesley said, stretching his rejuvenated limbs. "Didn't think I'd get to feel this young or move on my own one more time before I go, even if it's only in a dream."
"The honor is mine, sir. Thank you for everything you've done for Gotham," Joseph replied.
"That was decades ago. Green Lantern did more for the city and I'm sure the new guy—Batman—has been doing good work."
Joseph chose not to mention that he'd removed most of Gotham's curse and that Batman wasn't operating in the city at the moment.
"Why'd I call you here again? My dementia keeps fucking with me, even in dreams. Oh right. Prophecies." Dodds rubbed his forehead beneath the gas mask. "Ever since encountering Dream, I've been getting cryptic, ambiguous visions. It only got worse after Norman died and the Spectre moved on to me."
Joseph was about to ask who the Spectre was when Dodds' body suddenly began turning translucent.
Immediately, Joseph started healing him in reality while summoning Nova's avatar to infuse Dodds with additional psychic energy. The process slowed, stabilizing him for the moment, but Joseph could already tell it would only buy him another minute or two at best.
"Don't bother stopping it," Dodds said. "My time's long overdue anyway."
He let out a slow breath before continuing.
"There's going to be some kind of universe-ending threat. Probably several of them, honestly, considering I dreamed of Trigon and that already came to pass. If that was you, good job."
Joseph stayed silent.
"The end of this universe could come from any number of things," Dodds continued. "All-out intergalactic war. Order or Chaos completely overtaking the other. Or a war between the Dark God and the Anti-God. The fact is, this universe is apparently doomed to rot apart and die because something is fundamentally wrong at its core."
Joseph frowned.
"From what I've deciphered, we exist within the Dark Multiverse. Also called the Nth World. A shadow beneath the primary Multiverse, formed from every fear and bad decision ever made or dreamed of." Dodds' expression darkened. "Specifically, our world is designated Earth -16."
The endless white expanse around them suddenly felt colder.
"Worlds within the Dark Multiverse are unstable," Dodds continued. "They constantly deteriorate, inevitably collapsing under the weight of their malformed construction. Apparently, one of the biggest warning signs is when something catastrophic happens to Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman. So hopefully those three are still kicking."
What?
Joseph struggled to process what he was hearing.
He'd already sensed Batman's importance when the Court of Owls tried to use him to summon Barbatos, but why would the fate of the universe revolve around Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman specifically?
What kind of bullshit was that?
Did everyone else just not matter?
Did Kori and his unborn child mean nothing to existence itself?
"Thankfully," Dodds said, "you're here. You are the only hope this universe has of holding itself together. Maybe one day you'll even drag it out of the Dark Multiverse entirely."
Joseph felt his shoulders grow heavier.
Managing Earth had already been enough of a burden. Now he was being told the fate of the entire universe rested on him too.
So he would've needed to establish the Nova Corps regardless. Reviving Superman wasn't an option either, not that he had a reason to be against it.
Dodds was almost fully transparent now. He placed a fading hand on Joseph's shoulder.
"Sorry to dump the fate of the universe on you, kid. But I can feel it. You're strong enough to handle it." His voice softened. "And remember—you're not alone."
For the briefest instant, Joseph saw the flicker of a pale figure wearing a green hooded cloak.
"It seems the Spectre himself is here to lay me to rest," Dodds said quietly. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Joseph replied softly. "I'll need it."
Dodds vanished completely, leaving Joseph alone with Nova's avatar in the endless white expanse.
A moment later, Joseph exited the Dream State.
Back in reality, Wesley Dodds was dead.
Nabu stood nearby with his head bowed, paying silent respect to an old ally.
Dodds had been right.
Joseph was not alone.
"Nabu," Joseph asked quietly, "what do you know about the Dark Multiverse?"
**
| Metropolis - December 31
Joseph returned home exhausted.
Not physically—true exhaustion was practically impossible for him now—but spiritually. His mind felt weighed down.
Neither Nabu nor Teth-Adam knew anything about the Dark Multiverse or the revelation that their reality existed within it. The information had come as a shock to both of them.
For now, they were the only people Joseph had told.
They were among Earth's oldest protectors and trusted allies. Burdening everyone else with knowledge of the universe's impending decay would accomplish nothing.
So Joseph came home hoping to clear his head.
Kori wasn't there yet. She was still spending time with Ryand'r aboard Warworld, though she planned to return before the New Year's countdown.
That was why Joseph found it strange when he detected an additional presence inside the house.
The moment he opened the door, he found complete chaos.
Cass lounged across the couch in front of the television, giggling as she watched Total Drama with Klarion.
Meanwhile, Jason was actively fighting a woman in the middle of the living room.
"Hey Joey! Nice house," Selina said casually as she blocked Jason's punch before sweeping his legs out from under him. "I'm hurt you never invited me over sooner. And you never mentioned you got a butler and adopted kids. The kids have more talent than you did, by the way. Especially Cassandra. Jason here still needs work—and he seriously needs to stop making up stories."
"Nice seeing you too, Selina." Joseph laughed. "We're moving into a bigger house soon, so I figured I'd invite you then. As for the kids, they're just some random orphans I took in. Figured I'd copy Bruce Wayne."
Jason immediately shouted in protest.
Without even looking, Joseph casually caught a shuriken Cassandra had thrown across the room.
Where did she even get that?
Kids these days.
Jason scrambled back to his feet, offended.
"Joseph, didn't I help you take down a powerful alien tyrant and capture a ship the size of the moon?"
Joseph sighed. "Stop saying that so casually."
Selina whistled. "And I thought I was irresponsible for teaching you how to steal."
"It was a one-time thing," Joseph replied.
"He's just joking," Jason said quickly. "I go by Nova Knight, by the way. Way cooler, more creative, and way more original than Catwoman."
Jason abruptly stopped talking the moment claws slid out from Selina's gloves.
"On second thought," he said carefully, "Catwoman is very cool."
Selina snorted before retracting the claws and walking over to Joseph to give him a hug.
"Kori told me. Congratulations on becoming a father."
"Thanks," Joseph replied.
Then, noticing the mischievous look forming on her face, Joseph immediately cut her off before she could say something wildly inappropriate in front of the kids.
"You know Green Arrow and Black Canary got engaged months ago," he said smoothly. "So when are you and Bruce getting married? My kid's gonna need a playmate."
Selina sputtered in shock.
Joseph burst out laughing.
So what if the fate of the entire universe rested on him?
He would save everything.