Chapter 2: A New Life, Three Years Later
Three years had passed since Brad's unexpected reincarnation. Now called Arthur by his parents, he sat quietly on the porch of the Kent farmhouse, gazing out across the golden fields that stretched beyond the horizon. The wind carried the scent of freshly cut hay, and the late afternoon sun painted the sky with hues of orange and pink.
He leaned back in the wooden chair, small feet dangling above the porch floor, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts far too complex for a three-year-old—though, in truth, he wasn't really a child. Not inside.
"It's been three years… Three years since I was reborn in this world."
He stared into the distance, a conflicted smile playing on his lips.
"Arthur Kent… little brother of Superman. Just my luck."
He sighed heavily.
"Do you know how many problems that's going to bring me? I'm literally related to the guy who's going to be targeted by every galactic warlord, mad scientist, and rogue AI in the universe. Great."
He shook his head with a chuckle.
"And of course, it had to be American series. Why couldn't I have reincarnated into an anime world instead? I'd have preferred to be a swordsman in a fantasy land or a high schooler with secret powers. But noooo… I get Smallville meets Justice League."
Still, his grumbling was more amused than bitter.
"At least… it's not just DC. This world feels like a mashup of all kinds of shows."
He remembered a newspaper article Jonathan had brought home a few months ago. On the front page was a headline about a young genius from Texas—some kid named Sheldon Cooper.
Arthur had nearly choked on his milk.
"I'm living in a universe where The Big Bang Theory is real? That means Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard are out there, probably making scientific breakthroughs while arguing over comic books."
He laughed out loud, drawing the attention of a passing chicken.
"At least I won't get bored here," he said to himself, smirking. "One day, I'm going to introduce those guys to the real Flash. I can already see Sheldon's brain short-circuiting."
But then his smile faded a little.
"Still… there's another reason I wasn't thrilled about reincarnating in a world of American shows—the women."
He sighed, leaning his chin on his hand.
"They're beautiful, sure… but the drama? Insane. I mean, just think about it—Penny dated half of Nebraska before she settled down, and Mary Jane cheated on Peter more times than I can count. Now compare that to anime girls—half of them would literally blow up the planet just to save their guy."
He raised an eyebrow in mock judgment.
"The difference is painfully obvious."
But then he chuckled again, his tone softening.
"Still… can't say I hate it here. Life's been peaceful. And after what happened that day in the car, I discovered something even crazier than being Superman's little brother."
He paused, then glanced at his tiny hand, clenching it slowly.
"I have powers. Three, to be exact."
He closed his eyes, recalling the strange energy he'd felt that day—the same energy he'd been secretly training with ever since.
"The first one is called Devour. It lets me consume anything and absorb its traits. For example, if I devour an ant, I gain its strength—but thankfully, I don't grow antennae or shrink to ant size."
He grinned, proud of that little clarification.
"The second is Fusion. It allows me to combine the abilities I've devoured into new powers. Think of it as building custom skills, picking the best parts from everything I've eaten. It's like a cheat code for power building."
Then his expression shifted into something more mischievous.
"But my third power… oh man. That one's my favorite. It's called the Dimensional Gate."
His eyes lit up with childlike wonder.
"With it, I can open portals to other worlds—specifically, anime worlds I remember from my past life. The only catch? Right now, the gate is so small it barely fits my eye. I can only peek through."
He pouted.
"I was so looking forward to meeting my future waifus from the second dimension…"
"My beautiful anime wives, waiting for me beyond the veil of reality… and all I can do is peek through a keyhole!"
He let out a dramatic sigh.
"Cruel fate… why give me the gate but not the strength to walk through it?"
Arthur sighed dramatically, the weight of three-dimensional loneliness pressing down on his tiny shoulders.
Just then, a voice broke through his thoughts.
— "Arthur! Dinner time, sweetie!"
It was Martha. Her voice was filled with warmth, a sound he had come to love over the past three years.
He hopped off the chair and ran inside. The familiar smell of roast chicken and homemade biscuits filled the cozy kitchen. Jonathan was already at the table, carving the meat. Martha was setting out the plates, while Clark, the baby from the pod, now a toddler, was babbling to himself in the highchair.
Arthur climbed into his seat and glanced around the table. His eyes lingered on each face—Jonathan's strong, quiet presence… Martha's kindness… and the tiny, smiling boy who would one day become the Man of Steel.
"Who would've thought," Arthur mused silently, "that this little guy would grow up to save the world dozens of times?"
Then he looked at the whole scene again. The home. The food. The laughter. The simple love they shared.
"So… this is what it feels like to have a family," he thought, a gentle warmth filling his chest. "It's not bad at all."
He smiled, picking up his fork.
"Not bad at all."
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