JustIce League: The Malignant Uprising

Epilogue I: New Ends to Old Beginnings

There are no such things as heroes and I believe that to the very depths of my core.

All too often, when we judge others, try to understand them, we get blinded by bias. We think it's so easy to judge another soul because we only use a black and white rubric to fit others' actions into a box. We have selected categories for good and bad.

I thought that system was fine. It worked. It got the job done.

But I have contemplated this narrative more times than I can count today and I've come to the conclusion that I think all human morals can mix into grey from black and white and become blurred sometimes. The guidelines of good and bad depend on every person, and to some, they are the same. To some, good is bad, and bad is good.

And with that logic, nothing I do matters or can matter. Everything is just perceived differently to everyone. It's all perspective who you kill or don't harm or stop or violently beat down or act with violence as a means to end. I'm no hero.

There are no such things as heroes. I don't care if I'm right or wrong. I just don't care about any of that. All I know is that the past has happened. It was my fault. It was full of too much commotion. It was filled with too much guilt, and I'm tired of guilt. I don't care if I'm forgiven, because my emotions will still haunt my dreams. All of the greyness from the human mind has scarred my soul forever.

I fly above the ocean and think about the kind of hero I have turned into. I stare at my reflection. My red cape is ripped and so is the 'S' symbol on my chest. Am I really Superman any more? The cape flaps wildly in the breeze as I fly faster.

I look away from my changing reflection and instead look ahead of me toward the majestic island of Themyscira. It's a very large island that stretches along the horizon farther and farther as I grow closer to it. As I get closer, I see the beauty of her home come to life just like Diana had always talked about. Luscious green plants have colorful flowers and huge mountain ranges cascade into the sky. Some of the clouds even circled the highest peak. I could never picture her home before, but am taken aback now as I imagine her life here. Her family hasn't been destroyed like mine.

******

Everything about this undiscovered world was something Clark envied. It was the perfect world.

Superman lowered himself onto the soft sand and almost collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. He hadn't gotten much sleep lately and food was a distant enemy. He couldn't sleep or eat without thinking about his friends that were long gone and somehow feel guilty.

Clark tried to calm himself before he stood up again, but he was so tired that his lungs could only manage to keep his breathing quick and shallow. He lifted his head up to gaze at the scenery, to try and ease his mind, though to his surprise there were a dozen Amazonian spears pointed at his face.

A tall woman with long brown braids lowered her spear while the others held their positions. She had freckles on her cheeks and her eyes sparkled with a golden hue. Her pale skin was flawless as she came face to face with Clark.

"Why are you here?" Her voice was low and demanding.

Clark raised his shoulders back and gave a gentle, tired smile. "I'm here too see, Hippolyta."

The brown haired girl smirked and laughed. "You know we don't see outsiders here. Especially male ones like yourself."

Clark looked at the sand and replied carefully, dropping his head. The Amazonians were not as gentle as they appeared to be. They were almost like the mythical sirens. Manipulative and strikingly gorgeous. Though, Diana was one of the few exceptions that were truly kind, intelligent, and thoughtful.