American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

462. The World Beyond the Well.

The noisy fragments of thought reverberated in the Lamplighter's mind, and complex information was forcibly shoved into his mental world by an irresistible force.

The Lamplighter felt as though his head was being sawed in half, with someone using a saw to pull and push at it, then violently throwing a video player inside before snapping his skull shut.

He couldn't even focus his attention. Under the influence of the excruciating pain, the Lamplighter instantly lost all control over his body and could only watch as a dazzling array of colors appeared before his eyes.

At first, he couldn't understand or, perhaps, was resisting the images, but gradually, his mind began to find a sense of direction when he saw a person who looked exactly like him.

"Hello, my name is Bobby."

The young man extended his hand.

"I'm Rogue."

Opposite the young man stood a beautiful girl who smiled and shook his hand. However, the girl was wearing a strange glove.

The scene froze at the moment when the two youths met, and the Lamplighter felt as though he had been fully immersed in it.

He saw a school specifically created for superhumans, called Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Unlike Godolkin University, this was a place where students lived and studied from a young age.

In this environment, which felt almost like a family, the students living there were taught the correct values and grew up healthy, under the guidance of their teachers, learning to control and harness their powers.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The guy who looked just like him was named Bobby, and he was also a superhuman. However, unlike the Lamplighter, Bobby wielded ice-based powers and could release frost without the need for any external assistance.

What surprised the Lamplighter was that he saw someone here with powers exactly like his own.

It was a blonde boy with the ability to control fire. Like the Lamplighter, he needed a lighter to unleash his powers, and without fire, he was no different from an ordinary person.

The images passed by like scenes in a revolving lantern.

He saw Magneto, who sought to forcefully transform ordinary humans into superhumans so that they could dominate the world. He saw Professor X, who wanted to help superhumans better integrate into human society, even if it meant fighting with old friends.

At the same time, he saw the fear humans had of superhumans, which led to the creation of the Sentinel robots that slaughtered and destroyed the superhuman race, ultimately bringing the two leaders to stand together on the same side.

These scenes seemed unrelated to the Lamplighter, but for some reason, he could see his own reflection in them.

What does it mean to be a hero?

The Lamplighter lowered his head, breathing heavily.

He felt his mind spinning, overwhelmed by countless emotions, as memories and feelings clashed within him, making it impossible for him to even begin to answer that question.

"I... I just want my father to be proud of me," the Lamplighter said.

Upon hearing this, Alex, standing before the Lamplighter, didn't speak. He simply stood quietly, staring at the poor man whose worldview was crumbling beneath him.

After a pause, the Lamplighter continued.

"When I was a child, I was a genius. Do you understand? Like a prodigy. I awakened my powers when I was very young. I set my house on fire, and my father was thrilled. He thought I was the chosen one.

From then on, he began training me to make my powers stronger. The more things I burned, the happier he became. And I... I just wanted to make him happy, that was all."

As he spoke, the Lamplighter slowly raised his head, looking at Alex, and said in a low voice.

"Justice, evil... does it really matter to a child? My childhood was spent on burning ruins. I can't go back."

"It's never too late to learn. As long as you want to, you can take a different path—a path that truly belongs to a hero," Alex said calmly. "Didn't you also see it? Those heroes from other universes?"

"Yeah, they..." The Lamplighter's eyes stared blankly, as if he were recalling what he had just seen and heard.

Bobby, Rogue, Storm, Logan. The Lamplighter suddenly felt the urge to swap lives with another version of himself from another world. If he had been born there, if he had a group of family and friends like that, would the outcome have been different?

After a long pause, his gaze refocused, and he looked directly at Alex, asking, "Who exactly are you?"

"Let me introduce myself again." Alex casually unlocked the Lamplighter's handcuffs and then responded, "I'm Crow, a scavenger from another parallel universe."

Upon hearing Alex's words, the Lamplighter's expression turned into one of realization.

If this had happened earlier, he would never have believed that the person before him was from a parallel universe. To the Lamplighter, parallel universes only existed in movies created by directors for cinematic purposes.

Whenever directors hit a creative block, or when the hero's story couldn't continue, they would bring up the concept of a parallel universe to milk the same old material, stir up some hype, and harvest the last bit of attention from their fans.

To the Lamplighter, parallel universes were just a joke.

But now it was different. After experiencing the memories Alex had shared with him, for the first time in his life, the Lamplighter became curious about the world beyond his own.

The same superhumans, the same environment—why, why did this world take such a dark and profound path?

"Do you see it?"

Alex patted him on the shoulder and spoke.

"Although I really don't want to say this, every hero's growth requires going through all kinds of suffering. Being a superhero isn't a job or a career for them. It's their responsibility."

Upon hearing this, the Lamplighter seemed to have a moment of realization. He gritted his teeth, feeling an inexplicable anger welling up inside him. He just wanted to vent.

What the hell was the Vought Group? What was this Super Seven team? He had given half his life for this, but what did he get in return? Nothing. New superhumans came one after another, and he was just discarded as a useless piece of trash.

All his efforts, in that moment, felt like an empty talk.

To protect the Vought Group's privacy, to eliminate those who hindered the development of the Vought Group, he had done countless dirty deeds, killed many innocent people.

Damn it, his goal had always been to be a superhero!

Everything had changed. The great Lamplighter, a member of the Super Seven, was in the end just a dog for the Vought Group. He was just a disposable pawn, ready to be cast aside at any moment.

Did anyone care about his thoughts? Did anyone care about his emotions?

When he was filled with guilt after accidentally killing Mallory's grandchildren, what were others doing? The Vought Group, his father—they didn't care at all. It was as if he wasn't as important as he had imagined.

This world didn't lack superhumans, nor did it lack hype. To the Vought Group, if he didn't want to continue, there were countless others eager to take his place.

Anyway…

The next one will be more obedient, right?

"You just said that your goal was to make your father proud of you, but in reality, hasn't he treated you as a tool?"

Alex paused before continuing.

"All parents are the same. After they accepted the Vought Group's deal, they only had expectations and pressure left for their children.

No one doesn't want their child to be extraordinary, but in doing so, they seem to forget how to raise their children to be useful to society."

Alex paused and then looked directly at the Lamplighter, asking, "Tell me, what are your thoughts now?"

"I..."

The Lamplighter muttered to himself, sighed heavily, and shook his head.

"I want my father to give me back my childhood."

.....

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463. Apocalypse!
464. Action Plan.
465. Butcher's Operation.
466. Stormfront's Attack!!
467. Storm and Tempest.