{Chapter: 77 - Green Power Ring}
Aiden, instead of heading out into the city or going on another late-night reconnaissance mission, lay sprawled across the luxurious mattress of his hotel suite. The velvet-textured blankets, the crisp linen sheets, and the subtle hum of the room's ambient lights created a cocoon of comfort unlike anything he'd experienced in weeks.
He'd been to Asgard, battled Dark Elves, and even commandeered an interstellar spaceship. While the ship's accommodations were remarkably bad—they couldn't compare to the simple pleasure of a gravity-bound, memory foam bed on Earth. Aiden groaned contentedly as his body sunk into the mattress.
"Finally... something soft," he muttered, eyes lazily scanning the side table.
A folded newspaper caught his attention. It wasn't just any newspaper, either. The iconic globe logo at the top made him blink twice.
"Huh? The Daily Planet?" he said aloud, sitting up and pulling it closer. The texture was real. Ink-stained fingers proved it wasn't an illusion.
Aiden flipped through the front page. Nothing too out of the ordinary—local events, minor political scandals, a small blur about rising crime in Metropolis. But he wasn't reading for the headlines.
"Daily Planet... which means Clark Kent is here," he murmured, a grin tugging at his lips.
Clark Kent—mild-mannered journalist by day. But to those with insider knowledge or cosmic-level awareness, that name bore more weight than any Earthly leader.
Superman.
The Man of Steel, beacon of hope, and cornerstone of the Justice League.
And just like that, an idea exploded in Aiden's mind like a supernova. He sat up straighter, his fingers drumming against the newspaper with excitement.
The last plane he visited had been entirely self-contained. A self-reliant arc, isolated from the larger multiverse. But this one—this world, this narrative thread—was different. Green Lantern wasn't just a solo hero; he was foundational to something far bigger. An entire shared universe.
The Justice League.
Green Lantern. Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Aquaman. The Flash. Cyborg. Titans of their generation, legends to come.
His heart pounded faster as realization dawned.
"System," Aiden said aloud, eyes sparkling. "If I explore this Green Lantern plane and then open another arc in the same universe, like the Superman or Wonder Woman storylines... what happens to Green Lantern? Will it reset?"
[Although the host always reappears within the general region where the main storyline unfolds, the exact teleportation destinations are entirely random. However, whatever happens in one arc stays the same in other interconnected arcs.]
"So you're saying," Aiden continued, sitting upright now, "if I get the power ring in this arc, and then explore the Wonder Woman story, the ring remains with me? No Green Lantern takes my place?"
[Correct. The power ring remains yours. The other characters will adjust accordingly.]
Aiden's grin widened. This was revolutionary.
He didn't have to treat each story arc as a detached pocket universe. They were interconnected, dynamic, and mutable. Just like a proper cinematic universe. Like Marvel had done in his world—but this time, he was the central node tying them together.
This means he doesn't need to create separate worlds for each story. If he jumps a world for Green Lantern, he can include Superman, Batman, Flash, and the others in the same world—just like how Marvel's characters all exist in the same universe.
Suddenly a blue holographic screen materialized before him.
[The plot has begun. Quest assigned.]
Main Quest: Obtain the Green Lantern Power Ring.
Side Quest 1: Save Carol Ferris and win her heart.
Side Quest 2: Let the world know of the Green Lantern's return.
Aiden blinked in surprise. "Whoa, whoa... since when do I get Side Quests?"
[The system has been upgraded. Side Quests have been added.]
Aiden leaned back on the bed, laughing. "This is great. Not only do I get power, but I get romance and fame too? I'm living in a superhero RPG."
Carol Ferris—that mysterious, sharp-witted woman he had met in the nightclub. She wasn't just a stunning CEO with an air of mystery; she was a key figure in this plane. In some timelines, she even became Star Sapphire, a wielder of violet light powered by love.
That made the quest more than just flirtation. It was destiny. It was an impact.
"Not bad," Aiden muttered. "Two birds, one cosmic ring."
Just as he reached to fold the quest screen away, a sudden flash of white light erupted from the window. A surge of energy washed over the room, flickering the lights and sending a gentle tremor through the walls.
Aiden's eyes snapped toward the window. "What the hell was that?"
He jumped off the bed, tossing the Daily Planet aside. Pulling back the curtain, he saw a streak of green light cutting across the night sky. It wasn't a meteor. No, this was controlled. Purposeful.
"Abin Sur?" he whispered.
The alien Green Lantern. The one who, in original canon, crash-landed on Earth and passed his ring to Hal Jordan. But in this timeline?
It might just be Aiden's time.
"Abin Sur's spaceship!" he muttered, his eyes narrowing with recognition.
It all made sense now. The sudden assignment of a main quest by the system, the timing of it all—this was no coincidence. The real story was just beginning.
Without wasting a second, Aiden darted to the window and flung it open. In an instant, his body ignited in a blaze of orange flames—With a roar, he shot into the night sky, leaving a burning trail in the air as he flew toward the green light's source. The city shrank beneath him as the flames wrapped tighter around his body, propelling him forward with ever-increasing speed. In moments, he descended into a forest clearing several miles outside the city limits.
The trees bent away from the impact site. A crater had formed where the spaceship had crashed. It was sleek, made of alien alloys that shimmered translucent green under the moonlight. Energy pulses danced across its surface like breathing veins.
Lying slumped within the cracked hull was a humanoid figure—bald, purple-skinned, wearing a green uniform that flickered weakly with power. A vivid ring glowed on his right hand. It was unmistakable.
Abin Sur.
The Green Lantern of Sector 2814. He was gravely wounded.
Aiden landed softly beside the broken ship. The fires around him faded as he knelt and carefully lifted the alien from his seat. He carried Abin Sur to the grass, lowering him gently.
Abin stirred, his breath shallow, his body trembling from pain. He looked up at Aiden with weary but alert eyes. His mouth opened, but the words were faint—almost lost to the night wind. The green power ring on his hand suddenly shimmered, humming softly as it responded to Aiden's presence.
Then it happened. The ring flared, and a gentle field of green energy enveloped Aiden's body. His muscles tensed for a brief moment, instinctively ready to fight—but the aura wasn't hostile. It was calm, almost reverent. Aiden relaxed, realizing what was occurring.
"It's... choosing me?" he whispered to himself, astonished.
He knew the legend. The ring sought the one who was most worthy in times of crisis—one with power to fight fear, someone with unbreakable willpower. In the traditional storyline, that someone would be Hal Jordan, an ordinary test pilot destined to become Earth's Green Lantern.
But not this time.
The ring had chosen Aiden Graves.
His body trembled, not with fear, but awe. The system had not lied—the world had shifted, and he was now at the center of it.
Abin's lips moved again, and this time Aiden leaned closer.
"What... is your name...?"
"Aiden... Aiden Graves."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in the alien's eyes. "Aiden... the ring has chosen... you..."
He coughed, and then, summoning the last strength in his dying body, Abin reached out. In his hand rested the glowing emerald ring, pulsating with raw, untapped energy. He pressed it into Aiden's hand.
"Take it," Abin said. "Say the oath... honor the corps..."
Then his arm fell. His breathing ceased. The legendary Lantern of 2814, the one who had faced Sinestro, Atrocitus, and even Black Hand in comics, had passed on.
Aiden stared at the ring in his palm. For a moment, it felt surreal. The artifact felt weightless, yet it pulsed like a heart in his hand. He looked toward the star-filled sky, processing what had just happened.
Looking at the power ring in his hand, Aiden thought it was funny. He wondered how he would get the power ring from Jordan but didn't expect things to turn out completely different from what he thought. From the beginning, he was chosen by the power ring.
"Sorry, Hal Jordan, you're not chosen as the next Green Lantern. But this is good, since you won't exist as the Green Lantern, you won't have to suffer as him." Aiden looked at the Green Lantern and waved his hand, making it fly into his arms.
The wind around him swirled. The trees bowed, the ground pulsed with green light, and a voice echoed—not just in his ears, but in the very air around him.
*****
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