Birthday, but Dark Will

The orange-red sun sank toward the wheat fields.

Today's sunset was peaceful, but Locke's heart was anything but.

"Dio?"

"The World grew?"

Locke muttered as he rose to his feet, a towering purple figure appearing behind him.

But this time, something was different.

An eerie green glow flowed through the golden markings on Star Platinum's forehead, then slowly gathered on its back—

Until it formed an emerald crystal that gave off a faint gleam!

The Platinum Printer had kicked in.

But Locke couldn't bring himself to be happy.

"The World!"

The world turned gray.

Wheat stalks froze in midair. Even the wind stopped moving.

And the instant time began flowing again—

The pickup's engine was already roaring beside him.

Locke, you can teleport too?!

Logan stared at the scene in disbelief. "What the f—"

"Get in!" Locke shouted at the still-dazed Logan. "Come with me to town to pick up the kids!"

Only then did Wolverine snap out of it, scrambling into the passenger seat.

Then—

His claws slid out, and his gaze turned solemn.

With an unlit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth and the collar of his leather jacket flapping wildly in the wind, Logan said in a low voice:

"Listen, farmer. No matter what's ahead—"

His Adamantium claws scraped together, throwing off blinding sparks.

"Leave everything that comes next for me to tear apart!"

"."

An awkward silence followed.

"Ahem!"

Logan coughed lightly and turned to him. "Locke, don't panic. Think about the future. Other than you, there's no one else who—"

"Clang!"

The truck jolted over a ridge in the field, cutting him off.

Then another sharp turn slammed Logan's face hard into the window.

"F**k! Locke! My nose!!"

The truck tore down the country dirt road, kicking up clouds of dust.

But as they rounded the last bend, a familiar tractor suddenly appeared ahead—

Jonathan and Martha were driving toward them with panicked expressions.

Seeing how anxious they looked, Locke's heart sank. He hurriedly rolled down the window.

"Get in! Explain on the way!"

Without a word, Jonathan jumped down and helped Martha into the back seat.

Before she could even sit properly, Martha spoke through tears when she saw Locke's increasingly grave expression.

"The school just called. A bridge collapsed, and the school bus fell into the river!"

"What?!"

"It's okay, Locke. The children are all right—"

"It's just..." Jonathan gripped his cowboy hat tightly. "Clark saved the other children, but he inhaled too much water and passed out. He's in the hospital now."

"My little angel..." Martha's tears fell like pearls from a broken string. "Why did it have to happen today?"

The air in the car grew heavy. Outside the window, the sunset slowly descended, and everyone's hearts sank with it—

"Beautiful lady, please don't worry."

A deep, sexy voice came from the passenger seat. A hairy man turned his head. "As long as the children are safe now, that's what matters."

Only then did Jonathan notice the stranger in the car.

"And this is?"

"I hired him."

"Don't ask, brother." Logan cut Locke off and gazed mournfully into the distance. "I'm just a traveler passing through, staying overnight at a friend's house. In return..."

He paused. "I'm helping him harvest his farm."

"Harvest his farm?"

Jonathan looked thoughtful.

"Oh!"

Jonathan slapped his thigh.

"I remember now! You're that 'Field Wolf' from this afternoon, the one faster than a combine harvester, right?!"

"?!"

Logan's face darkened. "...Field what?"

"Old Bob and I saw you this morning!" The old farmer gave him a thumbs-up. "You were zipping back and forth through the wheat like an hungry wolf chasing rabbits!"

"What Field Wolf?! I f***ing am the Gol—"

"—winner of the Golden Harvest Award."

Locke interrupted him with a suppressed laugh. "I heard he's a special talent from the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture. I paid a fortune to hire him."

"No wonder you move so efficiently." Martha smiled through her tears. "Mr. Logan, thank you for helping with the harvest."

Logan opened his mouth, but in the end, he simply gave up and stuck his head out the window.

Letting the evening wind scatter the curses he wanted to spit out.

Watching Jonathan and Martha relax in the rearview mirror, Locke's taut nerves eased slightly as well.

As long as those two kids were okay.

I was being too sensitive—

The familiar hospital room.

But this time, their roles had been reversed.

The smell of disinfectant mingled with the lilacs outside the window, drifting through the sunset.

Clark lay on the pristine white hospital bed. His face was still somewhat pale, but his blue eyes were astonishingly bright.

Dio sat in a chair beside the bed. His golden bangs hung down, hiding his scarlet pupils, but the suppressed anger around him was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice so low it seemed squeezed through clenched teeth.

"Clark, aren't you afraid of dying?"

Clark gave an embarrassed smile, trying to ease the tension. "Dio, sorry—"

"Answer my question!" Dio snapped.

With a sigh, Clark said softly, "Dio, didn't you face that meteor to save people too?"

"That's different!"

Dio sneered. "I calculated it! I had the ability to do it!"

Clark muttered quietly, "Then how did you still get blasted away by the meteor..."

"Clark!!"

Dio's fist slammed down onto the edge of the bed.

Clark shrank back, but soon lifted his head again and looked at Dio seriously. "Dio, don't you think Lana is really pitiful?"

"Pitiful?" Dio frowned.

"Her mom and dad died in the meteor shower."

Clark's voice softened. "If she drowned too, that would be too sad."

"And if everyone drowned..." He paused. "Then everyone's parents would be too sad too."

"Dio, didn't you pull Mrs. Green up too?"

"Wasn't it because she told us happy birthday?"

"So I thought that if you had the ability, you would save everyone too."

"Didn't Uncle Locke say so before?" He revealed a warm smile. "That kind of courage is called Golden Spirit!"

Dio's knuckles turned white, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

"But Dad apologized to me afterward."

"I realized it too." His voice carried a rare tremor. "That kind of courage makes your family worry! It makes everyone sad!"

"Clark!"

Dio stood up and looked down at the boy in the hospital bed. "Did you think about Aunt Martha?! Did you think about Uncle Jonathan?!"

Clark was left speechless, but soon stubbornly raised his head again. "But..."

"Didn't a miracle still happen?!"

He lowered his voice as though sharing a secret. "I got everyone out! I lifted the school bus!"

"..."

Dio fell silent. He stared at Clark for several seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Clark."

"Is this how you entrust your life to something that doesn't exist?"

Clark opened his mouth, but Dio gave him no chance to speak.

"Fine! Golden Spirit, is it?" He suddenly took a step back. "Then from now on, I am—"

"Dark—"

"Dark Will!"

"I won't make my family worry! I won't drown in some river for no reason! I won't make anyone cry for me or sing mournful songs for me!"

"And you, Clark!"

"You can keep waiting for your distant miracles!"

"Pray for a miracle to save you!"

Dio's voice sounded like both a declaration and a mockery. "And I will survive until the end, Clark."

"I, Dio, will be the one who survives until the end! Then everyone will see who becomes emperor!"

His words came to an abrupt stop.

Because—

A large hand pressed down on Dio's head.

The emperor's declaration had been interrupted.

"What do you want to become?"

"Tell Dad, is that your birthday wish, Dio?"