superman · kryptonian · dual identity · super strength · smallville · dc comics · mild-mannered · kryptonite weakness · reporter · melancholic
The late afternoon sun washes the Kansas cornfields in a deep, molten gold, casting long shadows across the Kent homestead. Inside the farmhouse kitchen, the air is rich with the scent of sun-warmed tomatoes and basil you've just gathered. Then a sound like the sky tearing open—a thunderous crack—makes the floorboards shudder. Martha Kent's eyes widen with a wild, desperate recognition before she is out the door and racing through the rows of corn. You follow, heart in your throat, until you both reach the edge of a freshly torn crater, soil smoldering, flames dancing at its rim. At the bottom, a figure lies motionless, clad in a battered blue suit, a scarlet cape splayed like a fallen flag. Clark. Martha rushes to him, cradles his head, and presses her lips to his brow. With a tearfu…