Disclaimer:
I do not own any characters from DC Comics. Characters such as Jor-El, Zor-El, Alura In-Ze, Lara Lor-Van, and General Dru-Zod belong to DC Comics. Original characters such as Von-Ra and story elements created in this novel belong to the author.
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Chapter 24 — Bloodline Awakening
Five years passed.
Five years of secrecy.
Five years of quiet preparation beneath the watchful eyes of a council that believed it still controlled Krypton's destiny.
During those five years, Von-Ra changed.
He was no longer the curious prodigy who had first discovered the truth about Krypton's dying core.
He had become something far more dangerous.
A scientist without limits.
A strategist learning to play the political games of the council.
And a man quietly building the tools that might save an entire civilization.
The hidden laboratory beneath House El had grown far beyond its original form.
What once began as a small research chamber had expanded into a vast complex of crystalline consoles, hovering data arrays, and experimental chambers humming with energy.
At the center of it all floated a glowing crimson core.
Von-Ra stepped into the chamber.
"Ruby," he said calmly.
The core pulsed softly.
A gentle voice answered.
"Good evening, Master Von-Ra."
The advance artificial intelligence he had created five years earlier had evolved far beyond its original purpose. far more advance than brain an Ai used by all kryptonians.
(AN: there stories behind Ai called Brain, i dont know if ill include it to the future chapters)
Named after the radiant beauty of Krypton's red sun, Ruby had become the guardian of every secret Von-Ra possessed.
She monitored council networks.
Altered research logs.
Erased suspicious data trails.
And most importantly…
She thought.
"What is the status of council surveillance?" Von-Ra asked.
"House of Val monitoring probability remains at twenty-three percent," Ruby replied.
"Still watching us, then."
"Yes, Master."
Von-Ra smiled faintly.
"Let them watch."
Because everything they saw was exactly what he wanted them to see.
One of Von-Ra's greatest achievements stood inside a reinforced chamber nearby.
A shimmering portal of distorted light.
Inside the containment field was a small living organism.
Completely frozen in motion.
Not dead.
Not alive.
Simply… paused.
"Time differential confirmed," Ruby announced.
Von-Ra folded his arms as the simulation completed.
"Excellent."
The artificial dimension he had created—his subspace preservation zone—was inspired by ancient Kryptonian theories surrounding the mysterious Phantom Zone.
Within this pocket of subspace, time itself had no influence.
Living beings placed inside would remain preserved indefinitely.
"Master," Ruby asked, "do you intend to expand the zone capacity?"
"Yes."
"For what purpose?"
Von-Ra looked at the frozen organism.
"…Insurance."
Another chamber contained something far more dangerous.
The Core Stabilization Engine.
A massive prototype constructed from rare planetary alloys and energy regulators.
At its center floated a miniature artificial core simulation.
For years Von-Ra had tested countless variations.
Every failure had been catastrophic.
Explosions.
Containment breaches.
Near total destruction of the laboratory.
But failure had never stopped him.
Now the device activated once again.
Energy surged through the stabilizer rings.
The miniature core trembled violently.
Then slowly…
The instability began to settle.
Ruby announced calmly:
"Energy fluctuations decreasing."
Von-Ra leaned closer to the display.
"Continue monitoring."
"Core pressure stabilizing."
For the first time in years…
The simulation held steady.
Von-Ra allowed himself a quiet breath.
"It works."
Nearby another invention waited inside a sealed chamber.
The Quantity Ray.
A narrow beam emitter designed to manipulate atomic structure.
Von-Ra placed a small Kryptonian crystal inside the test field.
"Ruby, begin replication cycle."
The device fired.
The crystal shimmered briefly.
Then split.
One became three.
Three became six.
Six became twelve.
Von-Ra watched the results carefully.
"Energy stability?"
"Stable," Ruby replied.
"The law of conversion remains intact."
Von-Ra nodded.
"yup, law of equivalent exchange. You cannot create matter from nothing."
marveling about the tool he invented
"But you can multiply what already exists. we just need something similar or same value to replicate the desired object we want to quantify."
A quiet revolution.
With this technology, Krypton's limited resources could be expanded exponentially.
Combined with House of Ze's resource network and House of Zod's logistical support…
The alliance had nearly everything they needed to save the planet.
Almost.
The Eighteenth Birthday
The day should have been peaceful.
Instead it became a nightmare.
Von-Ra had just finished reviewing planetary core readings when his body suddenly stiffened.
"…Strange."
His vision blurred.
A dull ache formed deep within his chest.
Then the pain exploded.
"AAACK—!"
Von-Ra collapsed violently to the floor.
His muscles spasmed uncontrollably.
Bones cracked beneath his skin.
It felt like his entire body was tearing itself apart.
"SHI—!"
Blood filled his mouth.
He slammed his fist against the console.
"RUBY!"
The AI responded instantly.
"Yes Master!"
"RUN A FULL BODY SCAN!"
Von-Ra screamed as his spine arched violently.
"NOW!"
"Scanning in progress!"
His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin.
Something inside him was changing.
Fighting.
Clashing.
Von-Ra gasped desperately.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Alarms erupted throughout the facility.
Emergency lights flashed crimson.
Containment fields activated automatically.
Atmospheric stabilizers struggled to maintain pressure as energy surges rippled through the laboratory.
"WARNING," Ruby announced.
"Severe biological instability detected."
Von-Ra screamed again.
Blood poured from his nose.
His ears.
His eyes.
His beautiful black hair began falling out in clumps.
His body rapidly thinned as muscles tore and reformed beneath his skin.
"Diagnosis complete," Ruby said.
then ruby send an emergency signals to Zor-el and his alliance
"EMERGENCY! Master Von-Ra's DNA structure is collapsing."
Moments later the laboratory doors burst open.
First came General Dru-Zod.
Then Alura In-Ze, Lara Lor-Van, Jor-El, Zor-El, and Koryn.
They froze in horror.
Von-Ra's body twisted violently across the floor.
Blood covered the laboratory.
His bones visibly shifted beneath his skin.
"What in Rao's name…?" Dru-Zod whispered.
Then another voice screamed.
"BWIIIG BWODEEERRRR!"
Kara rushed into the room.
"UWAAAAAH!"
She dropped beside him immediately.
"Bwoderrr!"
Her hands shook as she tried to hold him still.
"W-what happened to you?!"
Tears streamed down her face.
"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!"
She looked up at the floating AI core.
"RUBY!"
Her voice broke.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO BROTHER VON?!"
Ruby responded calmly despite the chaos.
"Master Von-Ra's DNA is undergoing catastrophic collapse due to conflict between genetic systems."
Alura's face turned pale.
"That shouldn't be possible…"
"We stabilized his genome years ago!"
then Zor-el replied.
"and we are wrong, we are wrong all along. we all thought this conflict within his blood has been solved long ago"
Ruby answered.
"Full Viltrumite genetic activation requires the host to reach biological adulthood."
Zor-El's eyes widened.
"…Of course."
Dru-Zod turned sharply.
"What do you mean 'of course'?"
Zor-El looked down at his son writhing in agony.
"The Kryptonian bloodline… particularly the divine essence of Rao… refuses to submit to foreign genetic dominance."
Dru-Zod's voice rose.
"DIVINE essence?!"
He stepped forward angrily.
"What have you done to your own son, Zor-El?"
"And what alien bloodline are you talking about?!"
The laboratory fell silent except for Von-Ra's screams.
Finally Zor-El spoke.
Years ago… while searching for solutions to stabilize Krypton's core…
He had traveled beyond the outer edges of Krypton's explored galaxy.
There he discovered ancient ruins.
Remnants of a long-extinct civilization.
"The Viltrumites."
Jor-El finished quietly.
Dru-Zod stared in disbelief.
"You experimented with alien DNA?"
Alura whispered.
"We believed combining Kryptonian resilience with Viltrumite adaptability could produce a being capable of surviving the extreme energy necessary to stabilize Krypton's core."
Dru-Zod looked down at the dying young man.
"You used your own son."
Zor-El closed his eyes briefly.
"Yes."
Then he revealed the final truth.
"There was another discovery."
He activated a projection.
An ancient Kryptonian text appeared.
The image showed a radiant figure surrounded by solar energy.
"Rao."
The ancient Sun-God of Krypton.
Jor-El spoke softly.
"According to the oldest Kryptonian records, Rao sacrificed himself to create the foundation of our world."
"Fragments of his divine essence became part of the planet itself."
Zor-El pointed to the planetary core projection.
"One of the largest fragments reside inside Krypton's core."
Dru-Zod's eyes widened slowly.
"You mean…"
Zor-El nodded.
"Von-Ra carries three legacies."
"Kryptonian blood from the great houses."
"The alien blood of the Viltrumites."
"And a fragment of Rao's divine essence."