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Chapter 323: The Fourth Lantern Corps
Universe, Planet Zamaron.
"You... are right."
Having severed their connection with the Star Sapphire, the Zamarons repeatedly studied the data Orin Vale provided, comparing it with their existing research, and had no choice but to accept his conclusion.
In fact, their convictions had already begun to waver before they returned to Zamaron. It wasn't just because Orin Vale had used the power of the Blue Lantern to temporarily eliminate the side effects of their prolonged contact with the Star Sapphire—the distortion of their minds by the Emotional Spectrum. It was also due to the sheer shock.
Seeing is believing, as they say. Nothing has a more direct impact than witnessing something with one's own eyes. The Zamarons had personally seen Orin Vale command the energy staff they had developed. Even more shockingly, he had snatched the Star Sapphire from their hands right before their eyes.
All of this pointed to a profoundly shocking truth. Either this person before them knew far more about the Emotional Spectrum than they did, or his understanding of the Love Spectrum was far more correct than theirs.
Or perhaps, both.
Therefore, it was only natural that when Orin Vale accompanied them to Zamaron, they could not help but take his opinions seriously—especially when those opinions were backed by actual data as theoretical proof.
"The power the Star Sapphire uses to control its host is too strong; the host loses their sanity. Sometimes it's an obvious rampage, other times it's more insidious, to the point that the person involved doesn't even notice the change themselves."
"We should have noticed all of this sooner," a Zamaron sighed. "If only we had taken the incident on Xanador more seriously..."
"The incident on Xanador?" Orin Vale asked.
Several Zamarons sighed amongst themselves.
"Once, on that planet called Xanador, there was one of our sisters... The Star Sapphire chose her. Her name was Dela Pharon. The Star Sapphire granted her the power of love, and the one she joined with was a Green Lantern."
A second Zamaron continued, "But on the very night of their union, that Green Lantern was murdered. The Star Sapphire went berserk, corroding every single cell on that planet. Planet Xanador—the entire world was transformed into violet crystal."
"Sounds like that's what you wanted?" Orin Vale remarked as he busied himself at the Zamarons' Emotional Spectrum workbench.
"It once was, but now it seems we may have been wrong," one Zamaron said. "A very long time ago, we were part of the Guardians. We knew the secrets of the Book of Oa, including the Forbidden Chapters sealed by the Guardians."
"The Blackest Night," Orin Vale nodded. "I know."
The Zamarons were taken aback.
"You know? But how...?"
"Don't be surprised. The Guardians aren't as good at keeping secrets as you think. And that's not all I know."
The Zamarons exchanged glances, their expressions toward Orin Vale growing even more complex.
"Creature of Light from Earth, you... perplex us. You are clearly not human, nor do you resemble any creature we know of. And your knowledge... its breadth is equally incredible."
"I do know a lot of secrets. So, you split from them back then because of the 'Blackest Night'?" Orin Vale asked casually, his hands maintaining their work at super-speed.
"Yes... Ultimately, our original goal was simply to prevent that prophecy. If the Blackest Night were to occur, it would be the end of the universe of the living. And the Emotional Spectrum is the key to stopping it..."
"Uh-huh. So the best solution you found was to seal everything in crystal. If everyone's frozen and can't move, then naturally, no one can fight. Smart."
The Zamarons paused to reflect for a moment, then conceded.
"The root of our split back then was that the Guardians insisted that emotion was superfluous. They wanted to discard all their emotions, believing that by doing so, they would have no weaknesses. We were the opposite. We believed the solution lay in emotion. But looking back now, we were obsessed with one emotion for so many years that it led us down the same path as the Guardians. By seeing only love, we had abandoned all other emotions."
"Yeah, you certainly did," Orin Vale replied nonchalantly. "But it's not too late to start changing now. Coincidentally, I have a similar idea to yours. As you can see, I'm quite skilled with Light technology, and I happen to be planning to collect the light of other emotions to fight that prophecy..."
As he spoke, a violet light began to blossom in his hand.
At that moment, the Zamarons couldn't help but reveal expressions of astonishment.
They were engrossed in the power of the Star Sapphire; no one was more familiar with this fluctuation than they were. Yet, compared to the light they had drawn upon until now, the radiance appearing in Orin Vale's hand was significantly more powerful, yet also more gentle.
It was the kind of love that gives, that releases warmth, not one of intense aggression and possessiveness.
"What you're doing is..." a Zamaron couldn't help but ask.
Orin Vale slowly turned around.
In his palm, where the brilliance gathered, floated a small, exquisite power ring, shimmering with a violet glow.
The first Violet Lantern Ring since the dawn of this universe.
"Love should be spread, but not in the way you did in the past," Orin Vale said faintly. "A new Lantern Corps needs to be established. Now..."
With a flick of his finger, the power ring instantly flew into the hands of the Zamarons, releasing a brilliant glow of love amidst their unparalleled shock.
"...let the universe be filled with love."
Meanwhile, on Planet Oa, the homeworld of the Green Lantern Corps.
The universe's renowned troublemakers and founders of the Lantern Corps, the Guardians' Council, were urgently convened. The Little Blue Men gathered in their top-secret room, one never opened to any Green Lantern, and formed a circle.
It was a room that seemed to lack any physical form; upon entering, one was greeted by the sight of deep space. Beneath the Guardians' feet was Planet Oa, known as the center of the universe. In its very center was the reflection of the massive Green Lantern symbol, like a green beacon in the cosmos.
From this star map, three beams of light traversed the entire universe. One was the towering green light from this virtual Oa, another was a golden-yellow beam from the other side of the universe, and the third was a shining blue radiance.
Until today.
Just today, a short while ago, a violet light shot up into the sky, shimmering alongside the other three pillars of light, joining the ranks of the colored lights that seemed to weave through the entire universe.
"The Violet Lantern of Love has just been activated," a Guardian said grimly.
"Is it the Zamarons? Our abandoned kin?" someone asked.
"Perhaps."
"Things are developing. The prophecy is being proven true."
One Guardian stretched out his short, five-fingered hand. With a twist of his palm, the expanse of space shrank, making the four beams of light even more conspicuous.
"First, it was our Green Lanterns. Then, the Yellow Light discovered by the traitors of the Corps. Then, the Blue Lantern Corps activated by Ganthet, who was expelled from the Council. And now, the Violet Light..."
"The War of Light is inevitable. The forbidden prophecy..."
"No, that's just a lie," another Guardian said solemnly. "Hal Jordan's predecessor, Abin Sur, died precisely because he was deceived by that prophecy, and he was the best of the Green Lanterns. It is just a rumor meant to disturb people's hearts. It has no meaning, and it will not come true. That is why we sealed the chapters of the 'Blackest Night,' and it is why we kicked Ganthet and Sayd out of the Council."
"But the Lantern Corps are awakening. The precursors to the prophecy are being fulfilled. So maybe they were right. Maybe we should be prepared," another Guardian said. "Or perhaps, the reason we did all this wasn't that we knew it was false, but because we committed the very taboo we swore years ago never to touch."
He paused here.
The air suddenly grew heavy, and all the Guardians fell silent. They looked at each other, and though no words were spoken, they seemed to see the answer to the question in everyone's eyes.
It was something they had all known all along, but something no one had ever dared to face.
"...We felt fear."
(end of chapter)
Universe, Planet Zamaron.
"You... are right."
Having severed their connection with the Star Sapphire, the Zamarons repeatedly studied the data Orin Vale provided, comparing it with their existing research, and had no choice but to accept his conclusion.
In fact, their convictions had already begun to waver before they returned to Zamaron. It wasn't just because Orin Vale had used the power of the Blue Lantern to temporarily eliminate the side effects of their prolonged contact with the Star Sapphire—the distortion of their minds by the Emotional Spectrum. It was also due to the sheer shock.
Seeing is believing, as they say. Nothing has a more direct impact than witnessing something with one's own eyes. The Zamarons had personally seen Orin Vale command the energy staff they had developed. Even more shockingly, he had snatched the Star Sapphire from their hands right before their eyes.
All of this pointed to a profoundly shocking truth. Either this person before them knew far more about the Emotional Spectrum than they did, or his understanding of the Love Spectrum was far more correct than theirs.
Or perhaps, both.
Therefore, it was only natural that when Orin Vale accompanied them to Zamaron, they could not help but take his opinions seriously—especially when those opinions were backed by actual data as theoretical proof.
"The power the Star Sapphire uses to control its host is too strong; the host loses their sanity. Sometimes it's an obvious rampage, other times it's more insidious, to the point that the person involved doesn't even notice the change themselves."
"We should have noticed all of this sooner," a Zamaron sighed. "If only we had taken the incident on Xanador more seriously..."
"The incident on Xanador?" Orin Vale asked.
Several Zamarons sighed amongst themselves.
"Once, on that planet called Xanador, there was one of our sisters... The Star Sapphire chose her. Her name was Dela Pharon. The Star Sapphire granted her the power of love, and the one she joined with was a Green Lantern."
A second Zamaron continued, "But on the very night of their union, that Green Lantern was murdered. The Star Sapphire went berserk, corroding every single cell on that planet. Planet Xanador—the entire world was transformed into violet crystal."
"Sounds like that's what you wanted?" Orin Vale remarked as he busied himself at the Zamarons' Emotional Spectrum workbench.
"It once was, but now it seems we may have been wrong," one Zamaron said. "A very long time ago, we were part of the Guardians. We knew the secrets of the Book of Oa, including the Forbidden Chapters sealed by the Guardians."
"The Blackest Night," Orin Vale nodded. "I know."
The Zamarons were taken aback.
"You know? But how...?"
"Don't be surprised. The Guardians aren't as good at keeping secrets as you think. And that's not all I know."
The Zamarons exchanged glances, their expressions toward Orin Vale growing even more complex.
"Creature of Light from Earth, you... perplex us. You are clearly not human, nor do you resemble any creature we know of. And your knowledge... its breadth is equally incredible."
"I do know a lot of secrets. So, you split from them back then because of the 'Blackest Night'?" Orin Vale asked casually, his hands maintaining their work at super-speed.
"Yes... Ultimately, our original goal was simply to prevent that prophecy. If the Blackest Night were to occur, it would be the end of the universe of the living. And the Emotional Spectrum is the key to stopping it..."
"Uh-huh. So the best solution you found was to seal everything in crystal. If everyone's frozen and can't move, then naturally, no one can fight. Smart."
The Zamarons paused to reflect for a moment, then conceded.
"The root of our split back then was that the Guardians insisted that emotion was superfluous. They wanted to discard all their emotions, believing that by doing so, they would have no weaknesses. We were the opposite. We believed the solution lay in emotion. But looking back now, we were obsessed with one emotion for so many years that it led us down the same path as the Guardians. By seeing only love, we had abandoned all other emotions."
"Yeah, you certainly did," Orin Vale replied nonchalantly. "But it's not too late to start changing now. Coincidentally, I have a similar idea to yours. As you can see, I'm quite skilled with Light technology, and I happen to be planning to collect the light of other emotions to fight that prophecy..."
As he spoke, a violet light began to blossom in his hand.
At that moment, the Zamarons couldn't help but reveal expressions of astonishment.
They were engrossed in the power of the Star Sapphire; no one was more familiar with this fluctuation than they were. Yet, compared to the light they had drawn upon until now, the radiance appearing in Orin Vale's hand was significantly more powerful, yet also more gentle.
It was the kind of love that gives, that releases warmth, not one of intense aggression and possessiveness.
"What you're doing is..." a Zamaron couldn't help but ask.
Orin Vale slowly turned around.
In his palm, where the brilliance gathered, floated a small, exquisite power ring, shimmering with a violet glow.
The first Violet Lantern Ring since the dawn of this universe.
"Love should be spread, but not in the way you did in the past," Orin Vale said faintly. "A new Lantern Corps needs to be established. Now..."
With a flick of his finger, the power ring instantly flew into the hands of the Zamarons, releasing a brilliant glow of love amidst their unparalleled shock.
"...let the universe be filled with love."
Meanwhile, on Planet Oa, the homeworld of the Green Lantern Corps.
The universe's renowned troublemakers and founders of the Lantern Corps, the Guardians' Council, were urgently convened. The Little Blue Men gathered in their top-secret room, one never opened to any Green Lantern, and formed a circle.
It was a room that seemed to lack any physical form; upon entering, one was greeted by the sight of deep space. Beneath the Guardians' feet was Planet Oa, known as the center of the universe. In its very center was the reflection of the massive Green Lantern symbol, like a green beacon in the cosmos.
From this star map, three beams of light traversed the entire universe. One was the towering green light from this virtual Oa, another was a golden-yellow beam from the other side of the universe, and the third was a shining blue radiance.
Until today.
Just today, a short while ago, a violet light shot up into the sky, shimmering alongside the other three pillars of light, joining the ranks of the colored lights that seemed to weave through the entire universe.
"The Violet Lantern of Love has just been activated," a Guardian said grimly.
"Is it the Zamarons? Our abandoned kin?" someone asked.
"Perhaps."
"Things are developing. The prophecy is being proven true."
One Guardian stretched out his short, five-fingered hand. With a twist of his palm, the expanse of space shrank, making the four beams of light even more conspicuous.
"First, it was our Green Lanterns. Then, the Yellow Light discovered by the traitors of the Corps. Then, the Blue Lantern Corps activated by Ganthet, who was expelled from the Council. And now, the Violet Light..."
"The War of Light is inevitable. The forbidden prophecy..."
"No, that's just a lie," another Guardian said solemnly. "Hal Jordan's predecessor, Abin Sur, died precisely because he was deceived by that prophecy, and he was the best of the Green Lanterns. It is just a rumor meant to disturb people's hearts. It has no meaning, and it will not come true. That is why we sealed the chapters of the 'Blackest Night,' and it is why we kicked Ganthet and Sayd out of the Council."
"But the Lantern Corps are awakening. The precursors to the prophecy are being fulfilled. So maybe they were right. Maybe we should be prepared," another Guardian said. "Or perhaps, the reason we did all this wasn't that we knew it was false, but because we committed the very taboo we swore years ago never to touch."
He paused here.
The air suddenly grew heavy, and all the Guardians fell silent. They looked at each other, and though no words were spoken, they seemed to see the answer to the question in everyone's eyes.
It was something they had all known all along, but something no one had ever dared to face.
"...We felt fear."
(end of chapter)
