"The End of the World??" Faora was baffled. Wasn't that a philosophical concept? Did the universe really have an end? But curiosity killed the cat; Faora felt that if she continued to follow Thea, she might truly see something unimaginable. This Earthling's knowledge exceeded that of every Kryptonian scholar she had ever known.
"Keep moving!" Thea saw her hesitation but didn't explain further. She dominantly opened a wormhole and continued advancing according to the coordinates in her mind.
That's right. What she wanted to show Faora was the Source Wall. This was the boundary of the universe. If one could maintain their worldview intact after seeing the Source Wall, Thea could only say she admired them.
During the battle with Parallax, as the first person in existence to wield dual Lantern Rings simultaneously, the rings had revealed the existence of the Source Wall to Thea and left behind unique coordinates. Otherwise, if she had to search for it herself, she wouldn't find it until the end of time.
By the time they jumped through the thirty-third wormhole, Thea was so tired she could barely speak.
"Are you alright?" Faora asked. There was a ripple in her tone—not out of concern for Thea, but out of fear that if Thea died, she wouldn't be able to get back! She hadn't learned much spatial knowledge, but she knew their current location likely far exceeded the cosmic limits described by Kryptonian scholars. Kryptonians could survive in space, but if something happened to Thea, Faora wouldn't be able to fly back even if she exhausted herself to death.
"Almost there!" Thea pretended to be calm on her face, but inside, she was cursing. She had bitten off a bit more than she could chew. The distance was far greater than she imagined. She had originally planned to bring Diana here for a tour next time, but now she abandoned that idea directly. Unless it was an emergency, beat her to death and she wouldn't make this trip a second time.
Initially, Thea was worried about being discovered by Yuga Khan, who was stuck on the Wall. That guy was an absolute monster capable of making Darkseid flinch. If he hadn't courted death by insisting on sticking himself to the Source Wall, no one in the entire universe could have defeated him.
The Lantern Rings also didn't wish for the inheritor of the Emotional Spectrum to clash with that grandpa. The coordinates they left for Thea were among the few spots that wouldn't be discovered—a sort of "sneak in, stay low, don't draw fire" approach.
"We're here!—" Thea said, panting heavily. But Faora no longer had the mind to pay attention to her.
What was she seeing?
In the void of the cosmos, there was actually a "Wall" of unknown height and distance?
Faora strained her eyesight to the limit but couldn't see where the boundaries of this wall lay. Wherever she looked, there were mysterious currents of light; various patterns and pulses complemented each other. It was truly difficult to describe this wonder using existing language.
"This is the boundary of the world you spoke of?" Faora had to admit she was stunned. If Krypton hadn't been destroyed, she could have stayed on Krypton for a lifetime and never seen such a scene.
Thea rested for a while before looking carefully herself. It was her first time here too. She found it countless times more sacred, solemn, and majestic than she had imagined. That sense of vast, distant mystery made her feel incredibly shaken, even though she was mentally prepared.
Facing Faora's question, she cleared her throat. "This is the cosmic boundary I spoke of, the End of the World. Ancient scholars call it the Source Wall. Outside the wall is 'The Source'. All answers, the source of everything, are there."
"Countless powerhouses tried to pass through this wall to find the Source, but without exception, they all failed. The losers are stuck onto the wall. One of them is so terrifying that we cannot address Him by name directly. You just need to know that even the most powerful dark god in the universe would turn and flee upon hearing His name, and you can imagine the horror of this place."
"Then what is your purpose in bringing me here?" Faora didn't see what this wall had to do with her.
"This isn't about you. It's about me. I'm not strong enough yet, but I want to go to the other side of the wall to see what the Source exactly is. If I master the Source, perhaps I can possess the power to rewrite causality, change time, and turn non-existence into existence." Thea spoke softly. She didn't finish her sentence, hiding the second half: Maybe mastering these powers will allow me to spar with those existences whose names cannot be mentioned. Just thinking about it excited her.
"Turn non-existence into existence?" Faora muttered in a low voice, thoughtful.
"Correct. When that day comes, perhaps Krypton returning to the universe won't be a difficult task. Your parents and friends might be waiting for you to come home, just like before the destruction."
Thea didn't know if such an ability existed, but she decided to sell the dream first. Anyway, she was determined to climb to the highest peak. If she died halfway, then everything would be moot. But what if she succeeded? If she truly could walk that path of immortality? Restoring Krypton then really wouldn't be hard.
"..." Faora was completely stunned. She couldn't have dreamed up such a crazy, out-of-the-box idea. She wanted to shout at Thea, asking if she was bragging, but the boundless wall before her eyes reminded her that Thea indeed possessed extraordinary qualities.
Seeing her hesitation, Thea decided to administer another strong dose of medicine. "Do you know how Krypton was destroyed?"
"Huh?" Faora didn't know why she suddenly popped this question, but she answered anyway. "Core destruction, planetary explosion. We saw it with our own eyes in the Phantom Zone."
"What you said is just one of the current mainstream theories." Thea didn't give Faora a chance to interrupt and continued.
"The Green Lanterns once went to the planetary wreckage to investigate. There were traces of the high-level artificial intelligence, Brainiac, active at the scene. There are also many alien scientists who assert that Krypton's entropy value was far above the baseline. This doesn't look like a natural reaction; many believe it was man-made. That is also a viewpoint. And there's..." Thea rambled on, listing a handful of different theories regarding Krypton's destruction.
Seeing Faora listening dumbfounded, she continued, "Do you understand? Kryptonians' genetic technology had reached a point where it threatened certain powerhouses. Your planet's destruction wasn't as simple or as innocent as they told you. I can only say that within the Source behind the wall, there must be the answer you want to know."
Thea extended her hand. "I am still weak, but I truly need your assistance."
A war raged inside Faora's heart. The information she received in this quarter of an hour was more than in the previous thirty years. Did I originally know nothing? Facing the hand Thea extended, she was filled with hesitation.
Pledging loyalty to an outsider—this was simply unimaginable. But restoring the glory of Krypton filled her with anticipation. What choice should I make?
Thea didn't rush her; she just held her hand up, waiting for her response.
Time passed minute by minute. Finally, Faora made up her mind. Her genes had hard-coded her as an adjutant, never a commander. Without someone to assist, her life would be meaningless. This was a command engraved at the genetic level, allowing no refusal.
"Fine! I accept!"
The two hands clasped heavily together. Thea revealed a satisfied smile.