Several days after the revealing talk between Conner and Raven, John’s forest date, and Brandon’s heat vision lessons at the Kent farm, the atmosphere in Conner’s home had turned peculiar.
The boys knew perfectly well that the moment of separation and the final move was just around the corner.
Although nobody said anything out loud or complained, a heavy air could be noticed in the house.
However, Conner knew he couldn’t take a single step back.
He had to prepare himself and firmly cement the foundations for his future empire before the inevitable global destiny storms began to unleash, bringing along world and universal-scale enemies.
But before departing toward the iconic Dinosaur Island, he decided to do something indispensable: ask for the opinion of his two guests and learn their final decision.
Conner walked with a calm step toward the living room.
There he found Raven, who was completely alone, sitting on the floor in a perfect lotus position, deeply immersed in meditation.
Noticing that the young mystic didn’t even flinch at his presence, Conner preferred not to interrupt her concentration.
Out of total respect, he sat across from her with his legs crossed, straightened his back, and closed his eyes.
Instead of an ordinary meditation, Conner began to practice Torquasm Vo.
An ancient warrior and mental discipline from Krypton that allows the user to enter a higher state of consciousness, separating the mind from the physical plane.
Conner had discovered this technique while studying the databases of the ship that ROB gifted him.
From the history of his past life, he knew perfectly well that Superman used it to combat direct psychic attacks, possessions, or reality-altering spells, creating an impenetrable “astral shield” for most mages.
Logically, Conner had no intention of keeping this secret to himself; he already planned to share it and practice it with the girls later on.
Suddenly, Conner opened his eyes and ran into a subtle surprise.
Raven had come out of her trance at some point and remained still, watching him in silence with her intense violet eyes, as if mutely asking him what he was looking for by coming to meet her.
Conner cleared his throat with a light cough and explained the reason for his visit:
“I’m going to take a trip to an island,” he began, stretching his arms a bit as he stood up fluidly.
“But it’s an island completely different from any other on the planet.
A territory that has never been explored or visited by modern humans.
And the most interesting part…” —he made a mystical pause, pinning his gaze on her— “…it features live dinosaurs.
Beings that in theory should be extinct.”
Raven slightly raised an eyebrow, listening with utmost attention.
“I’m about to head over there with the girls, so I wanted to know if you would like to come with us.
I’m here to ask for your opinion,” Conner added with a frank smile.
“Of course, you have every right to refuse, decide to stay here, or leave for any other place you wish.
I completely respect your autonomy and whatever you choose; I will never force you to do something you don’t want to.”
Raven didn’t hesitate for a single second to give her answer.
“When I first arrived in this world, I was full of doubts, completely lost and not knowing what the future would hold for me.
But, by luck or pure work of destiny, I ran into you.
Not only did you welcome me into your home and help me understand how this planet works; you accepted me just the way I am.
Here, by your side, I have found a peace I thought was lost.
So I don’t plan on staying behind or going anywhere else.
I will follow you.”
She paused briefly, and for an fleeting instant, a small and incredibly rare smile formed on her lips.
“Besides…
that dinosaur thing sounds pretty interesting.”
Conner smiled openly upon hearing her, letting out a long sigh of internal relief.
He would be lying if he said he hadn’t felt a bit nervous about the shapeshifter’s answer.
After chatting for a few more minutes about trivial and unimportant matters, Conner said goodbye with a kind gesture and set off toward the backyard to look for his other guest.
Upon stepping out into the training fields, the scenery was dynamic.
Karen was leaning back at a safe distance, shouting words of encouragement, while Laurel and Kara held an intense but friendly close-quarters combat.
They weren’t measuring who hit harder, but quite the opposite: they were training the absolute control of their strength, the difficult art of receiving and mitigating impacts without causing massive destruction to the surroundings or hurting the opponent.
Conner approached in silence and stood right next to Karen to watch the practice.
Noticing his presence, Karen gave him a gallant smile and, with total naturalness, leaned against his side, resting her head comfortably on Conner’s shoulder.
“What’s up, sweetheart?
Are you coming to join the training too?” she asked in a flirtatious tone.
Conner, keeping his eyes fixed on the exchange of blows between Laurel and Kara, slightly shook his head.
“I just came from talking to Raven…”
“Oh…” Karen interrupted, widening her smile with an obvious look of mischief.
“Well, well, I see you don’t waste any time, young man.
Going straight for the new girl already?”
“Hey, it’s not like that at all,” Conner replied, rolling his eyes in amused annoyance.
Karen adopted a disdainful grimace, pretending not to believe a single word.
“Please, Conner.
She might try to hide it and it might not be noticeable at first glance, but for the past few days, her attitude toward you has completely changed.
Deciding it wasn’t worth arguing, since Karen wouldn’t believe him no matter what argument he used, Conner went straight to the point:
“Whatever, I already spoke to her about moving to the new base and she agreed to come.
Now I’m here to ask our fellow Kryptonian for her opinion.”
Karen hummed a vague reply, keeping her head firmly resting on his shoulder.
Silence reigned between them for a few seconds as they watched Kara gracefully dodge a sweep from Laurel, until Karen spoke up again in a teasing tone:
“And what happens if she refuses?
Don’t tell me you’d be willing to pull away and let a beautiful Kryptonian leave just like that.”
Conner twitched his lips and replied immediately:
“Hey, I don’t look at them that way.
Besides, you guys brought Kara to the farm, not me.”
“Oh, sure.
But you brought Raven,” Karen countered with a perfect smile of victory.
Conner was about to drop a witty retort, but he held back upon noticing that the training between Laurel and Kara had stopped.
Both girls, wiping the sweat from their foreheads, quickly walked toward their position upon seeing that the leader of the house was there.
Glaring at Karen—who merely held his gaze with an expression of massive mockery—Conner cleared his throat and turned toward Kara to propose the same situation regarding the move to the island.
Kara, for her part, visibly furrowed her brow for a few moments, weighing the proposal.
Despite her severe amnesia, her hyper-advanced mind had allowed her to absorb a massive amount of information in just a few days, learning and understanding the basic customs and complex logic of this world at an astonishing pace.
Although she had barely left the boundaries of the farm or interacted with the human society outside, she felt an instinctive and much deeper bond with her fellow Kryptonians than with the humans who lived beyond the farm.
Furthermore, she felt a deep and sincere gratitude toward Conner and the girls for offering her a safe haven, for the unwavering patience with which they had accompanied her, and for helping her navigate the chaotic process of understanding and controlling her new powers.
“I’m going too,” Kara declared, completely relaxing the expression on her face and nodding with absolute determination.
“I am extremely grateful for everything you’ve done for me since I woke up.
Besides…
I don’t see myself going anywhere else on the planet.
I only feel truly comfortable and trusting when I’m with you guys.
And, to be honest, I don’t want to get stuck here babysitting the brats either.
If I can be of help on that island and contribute to building the base, I will gladly do it.”
Conner flashed a wide smile of genuine satisfaction upon hearing her.
With the team in complete agreement and their wills aligned, the journey toward the conquest of Dinosaur Island was ready to begin.