As the last glimmer of golden light faded away like a receding tide, the familiar feeling of weightlessness vanished with it.
Rock felt solid, slightly damp earth beneath his feet once again.
The cool night air brushed past him, carrying the comforting scents of grass and soil. No more eerie silence, no more alarms—only the chirping of summer insects and the distant rustling of livestock from the barn.
Everything looked exactly the same as when he left.
—He was back.
Back on his own Kent Farm, standing on the land where he'd grown up.
He lifted his head. The stars shimmered quietly overhead.
Peaceful, calm, completely ordinary.
But Rock's heart wasn't calm at all. Instinctively, he looked down at his wrist.
The strange watch was still strapped there, but the lively Speed Force energy that had pulsed at its core was now completely dark.
The golden currents that once flowed across its face had vanished too, leaving behind nothing more than an ordinary trinket.
Well… if his guess was right…
Without a Speed Force signal to lock onto, he probably would never be able to consciously return to that universe again.
Rock Kent, at the end of the day, was just a farm kid with decent luck who happened to awaken some unusual abilities.
He wasn't some god who could tear through the walls between universes on a whim.
That bizarre journey… maybe…
…maybe he should treat it as a dream that felt a little too real—
A dream?
—Not a chance!
That Clark…
He had chosen to face the entire army of Darkseid alone.
All for the sake of every "Kent" across every universe. For every possible version of them.
Rock inhaled the crisp night air sharply, but all he felt was a burning weight in his chest.
His brows drew together as his mind raced—
But no matter how he searched through his memories, he couldn't find a single solution.
Breaking through a universe's barrier wasn't something you just did.
The most well-known methods required one of three things:
—the Speed Force,
—advanced quantum mechanics,
—or the Anti-Life Equation.
And not one of those was something Rock could control right now.
"Dad…"
Just as Rock's mood dipped even lower, a hesitant voice echoed quietly in his mind—the voice of "Shendu."
Almost like it was trying to comfort him.
"Don't be sad."
"…Hm?"
Rock blinked, pulled from his spiraling thoughts.
"Sorry, Shendu. I didn't mean to dump all this on you," Rock said softly. "Dad's fine, just… took me a moment to shake it off."
"If it's possible…" Shendu hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Dad, do you… want to go back to that world?"
"Shendu, why're you suddenly asking that?" Rock asked, puzzled.
"No reason," Shendu muttered awkwardly. "I just… felt like asking."
"..."
A beat of silence—then Rock suddenly understood. His expression eased into a knowing smile.
"You little rascal… are you worried about your 'big brother Clark'?"
"Who cares about him?!"
Shendu's voice puffed up instantly, offended like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
"I was just curious, that's all!"
It paused, then quickly tried to change the subject:
"I gotta go, Dad. My brother is probably panicking right now, terrified and running around looking for me… he's probably scared out of his mind…"
"He's probably eating blueberry pie right now and not thinking about you at all," Rock said helplessly.
"Just tell him to save me a slice."
But…
There was no answer.
"Shendu?"
Silent.
The kid had already slipped away.
Rock sighed, shaking his head.
That little one's attitude swings were worse than Dio's when he was younger.
He unclasped the watch and tucked it carefully into his pocket.
And the heavy weight in his expression was buried along with it.
He couldn't let Jonathan, Martha, or especially Clark notice anything unusual.
He couldn't let them worry about a universe they would never see.
This matter…
…he'd carry alone.
Rock took a breath, smoothed out his expression, and stepped forward to walk home—
But the moment his foot touched the ground—
SWOOSH!
His whole body shot forward at a speed far beyond normal, almost floating for a moment.
The sudden burst even kicked up a breeze.
"?!"
Rock forced himself to stop, eyes widening.
He instinctively checked inward—
And there it was!
In his core, the once heavy and steady Mountain Energy had become denser, more vibrant—almost infused with a new source of vitality.
Its total volume and purity had both jumped noticeably.
It was the watch.
Or rather, the last scraps of Speed Force energy inside it—the ones that had been "revitalized" by Golden Experience.
During the final moment when Heaven-Clark sent him home, some of that energy…
…had been drawn in and absorbed by his Mountain Energy.
Which meant…
He might've completely milked Barry Allen's last bit of Speed Force dry.
Rock didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
What the heck was this?
He went on a wild trip to another universe, did absolutely nothing productive, and returned with a massive power boost?
He shook his head, took a careful breath, and tried again—
THUD!
He misjudged the strength again and stumbled straight into a massive shadow in the vegetable garden.
Juice and chunks flew everywhere.
Wait…
Rock rubbed his forehead and stared at the moonlit shapes before him—
He swallowed hard.
Aside from the one he'd just smashed…
There were three of them.
Three colossal pumpkins.
Each one easily the size of four or five "giant pumpkins" put together.
Round, golden, and glowing faintly under the moonlight like monsters squatting in the garden.
…Oh.
Right.
Rock's eyelid twitched.
Just a few hours before heading to that universe, he had secretly infused a bit of Mountain Energy into the pumpkins so they'd grow sturdier for the charity harvest contest.
And now…
Well.
This was the result.
Rock stared at the monstrous pumpkins, scalp tingling.
This was… maybe a little too effective?!
What harvest contest?
He was about to give the entire town a heart attack.
But…
Since they were already grown…
With a helpless sigh, Rock hoisted one enormous golden pumpkin and let Star Platinum carry the other two behind him like oversized grocery bags.
A few quick steps and they reached the barn.
THUD!
He set the pumpkins down in a corner and covered them with hay before dusting his hands off and heading toward the house.
"Rock, guys—don't be afraid!"
…Yeah.
Jonathan's dramatic voice carried from inside the moment Rock approached the porch.
This old man was getting more childish by the day…
And judging by the rest of what he was saying, Rock couldn't help making a strange face.
Only three hours?
He caught the detail instantly.
Only three hours had passed here?
So the universes had different time flows.
Considering those giant pumpkins, he had been half-afraid several years had passed.
Relieved, he pushed the door open.
"Rock, he—" Jonathan was mid-story.
"I'm starving," Rock interrupted casually, taking off his jacket. "Do we still have pie? Bring me some."
Silence fell instantly.
Everyone's heads whipped toward him, faces full of disbelief.
"Rock?!"
"Uncle?!"
"Father!"
Even Saraphiel, who had been quietly nibbling blueberry pie, shot to his feet.
The kid slid off his chair and sprinted over, wrapping his tiny arms around Rock's leg.
"Dad! I—"
He tilted his face up, desperate to speak, almost teary—
But before Rock could respond, Saraphiel suddenly froze for half a second.
A cool whisper brushed his ear:
"Brother, I'm here."
"…?"
Saraphiel blinked, confused.
"…Where'd you go just now?"
"I…" Shendu paused, then replied stiffly: "I fell asleep. I was exhausted."
Saraphiel: "…"
Shendu, you really think I'm stupid.
He was about to argue when—
"What's wrong, Saraphiel?"
Rock knelt, ruffling his son's hair, cutting off the internal debate.
Saraphiel looked up, mouth open as if to spill a secret:
"It's nothing, Dad… the future wa—"
Before he could finish, a pale hand reached behind him and pinched him by the collar like a kitten.
Dio.
He appeared out of nowhere, red eyes sweeping up and down Rock's figure, quietly scrutinizing him.
"Father," he said slowly.
"You're alright?"
Rock smiled and nodded, then looked around the room.
Martha still had a hand over her heart.
Jonathan stood frozen mid-gesture.
Clark had risen from his seat, worry written all over his face.
Even Saraphiel, dangling from Dio's grip, stared up at him with wide eyes.
Seeing them like this filled Rock's chest with warmth—but also made him bury the truth even deeper.
That heavy secret from another universe…
It would stay with him alone.
He grinned like he'd just gone for a walk.
"It's handled," Rock said brightly. "That Clark from that world—yeah, he's stubborn."
"But after I gave him a real good beating, he had a deep moment of reflection!"
"So don't worry."
"He's out in some asteroid belt doing manual labor right now."
"Mining with his bare hands. Experiencing the struggles of the working class. His worldview has improved a lot."
Everyone but Dio visibly relaxed.
The tension melted instantly.
Clark even beamed, scratching his head.
"So… the other me isn't hopeless after all. That's great!"
Rock walked over and ruffled his nephew's hair.
"Yeah. Because you're Clark Kent."
No matter the universe—
That name always meant the same thing.