Chapter 73 - CH: 72 - The Green Lantern

Please, pretty please with a cherry on top, join my Patreon! 🍒

*****

{Chapter: 72 - The Green Lantern}

"Enter stealth mode!"

The metallic hum of the dark-elf spacecraft thrummed through the cabin as Aiden issued the command. The sleek, obsidian-black ship shimmered briefly before its reflective surfaces refracted the surrounding atmosphere, vanishing from the naked eye.

"Stealth mode activated," the AI system announced in a calm, feminine voice.

Aiden leaned back in the command seat, his fingers brushing along the alien interface. A moment later, holographic runes and indicators flickered around him, connecting with the internet and slowly syncing with Earth's digital language databases to make the ship more user-friendly. He adjusted the ship's orientation to glide smoothly across the upper edge of the troposphere, staying parallel with the Earth's curvature.

No need to show off. Aiden smirked. One dramatic entrance is enough. An oversized alien ship hovering in broad daylight? That'll just send governments into a frenzy.

With the ship's systems now stable and cloaked, he tapped a glowing icon on the control panel and made a call.

"Clarice," he said, activating a secure line.

Moments later, a rip in space blinked open inside the main hallway of the ship. The distinct shimmer of a teleportation portal twisted open like violet mist being stirred by a cosmic wind. Out stepped Blink, elegant and agile as ever, with a blade strapped to her back. Marrow, the rough-edged mutant with bone protrusions jutting from her arms, followed close behind. The last to emerge was Chan Ho, calm, silent, and observant, scanning the alien corridors with a mixture of suspicion and awe.

The three of them halted abruptly upon entering the spaceship's spacious interior—its vast corridors were lined with dark alloy walls that pulsed with bioluminescent veins of blue energy.

Blink's eyes widened in disbelief. "This is...a spaceship?!" she gasped, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous hallway.

"Welcome aboard," Aiden said with a faint smile. "We're officially not Earth-bound anymore."

They walked into the central observation bay, where a massive digital window curved over the front half of the ship like a dome. Stars shimmered beyond the horizon, and Earth hung in the distance like a blue jewel.

Marrow nudged Chan Ho with an elbow. "Okay, I'll admit...this is way cooler than hiding out in abandoned warehouses."

Their attention was soon drawn to the restrained dark elf, seated silently in a corner near the ship's command station. The alien's silver skin and obsidian armor made him look imposing, but his slouched posture and downcast eyes made it clear he wasn't in a position to resist.

"It's...alive?" Blink whispered.

"For now," Aiden replied casually. "He's a prisoner. Part trophy, part teacher."

"Teacher?" Chan Ho asked with a raised brow.

"Yep. He'll be helping us understand how to fly and operate this baby without blowing anything up. Very motivated to stay alive."

The dark elf flinched slightly but didn't argue.

Aiden turned back toward the team. "This ship will be our temporary base. Plenty of space. Go pick some rooms, freshen up, and get familiar with the layout. But Blink—Clarice—I need to talk to you."

She nodded and followed him toward the ship's small strategy chamber, where a holomap of Earth glowed softly in the air.

"Any progress on what I asked?" he inquired.

Blink leaned on the edge of the table, arms crossed. "I've scouted a few locations like you asked—abandoned facilities, old SHIELD depots, hidden mountain bunkers—but they're either too small or too exposed. If we're thinking long-term, those places won't cut it. I say we stop thinking small."

Aiden arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She smirked. "We buy an island."

Aiden blinked, then laughed. "An island? That's... ambitious."

"Ambitious, but doable," she said. "You've got a spaceship, a team, and powers that make half the Avengers raise their eyebrows. Buying an island is small compared to that."

"Fair. Any leads?"

Blink pulled up a set of holographic maps and tapped one. "There's a small archipelago off the west coast—quiet, uninhabited, and far enough from any flight paths or military zones. With some cloaking, it's ideal."

Aiden nodded slowly. "But?"

Blink sighed. "It's not huge. If we grow—recruit more people, build infrastructure—it might get cramped."

Aiden glanced out the window again. "Then we move to a bigger island."

She looked at him like he'd just suggested lifting a mountain. "Move... the entire island?"

He chuckled. "No. Just move us to another island. We've got a spaceship. Logistics are our new superpower."

Blink shook her head in disbelief. "You're something else."

"Clarice, you'll take point on this. Go talk to SHIELD—tell them I want to make that island our temporary base. If Fury has a problem, remind him I just took out Malekith and stole a ship that could outmatch all of their arsenal. He'll agree."

She smirked. "You got it."

"Oh, and while you're at it—start learning from the Dark Elf. I want you to understand not just how this ship operates, but one of the smaller crafts in the hangar bay. We won't be using this behemoth for our travels—it's too big, and too terrifying for most people. Just flying it over a city would cause mass panic. The small ships are discreet, fast, and far less likely to give people heart attacks."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be away for a few days," Aiden replied.

He walked back toward the central console and placed his hand on the control rune for his personal system interface.

"System," he said, "if I open the second copy plane, are there any requirements for entering both?"

[After a copy plane's cooldown is complete, the host may enter any open plane for a duration of three days.]

Aiden smiled. "So... every 30 days, I can spend three days in any available plane?"

[Correct.]

"Then it's time." He took a breath. "Open the second plane. Copy 'Green Lantern'."

Green Lantern. A title known across galaxies. A warrior entrusted with a weapon forged from willpower itself—a ring that grants the bearer the ability to create anything they can imagine. A soldier in a corps created by the ancient Guardians of the Universe, stationed on the planet Oa. A sentinel of light standing against the dark.

Each Green Lantern is not merely a soldier, nor merely a peacekeeper—they are paragons of resolve, chosen across the stars not for their power, but for one defining trait: the ability to overcome great fear.

At the heart of their power lies the Power Ring, an ancient, sentient artifact created by the Guardians of the Universe. To the untrained eye, it appears as nothing more than a glowing emerald ring, but within it pulses the will of countless civilizations. It is a tool, a weapon, and a test—a conduit of willpower so potent it can shape anything in reality. With it, the bearer may conjure energy constructs limited only by imagination and emotional resolve: towering shields, precision weapons, intricate machines, or even entire landscapes made of hard light.

But the Power Ring does not choose lightly. It does not bend to ambition, brute strength, or empty bravado. It chooses those who, even when faced with fear, do not waver.

Among the most well-known of these chosen is Hal Jordan—a test pilot from Earth, a man once called reckless, brash, and untamed. After a fateful crash-landing by the dying alien Lantern Abin Sur, Hal was chosen by the Ring, not because he was fearless, but because he knew how to rise above fear. His journey from untested human to respected Lantern of Sector 2814 was not a smooth ascent, but one defined by grit, failure, and eventual triumph.

And now, another would tread the path of emerald will: Aiden.

But Aiden's reasons were not the same as Hal's.

He did not enter the Green Lantern universe in pursuit of justice. He sought not glory nor the validation of a dying alien's final wish. His goal was colder, calculated, wrapped in layers of long-term strategy and cosmic ambition.

Yes, the Green Lantern Ring was an object of immense power. To wield it was to possess the ability to reshape the battlefield in real-time, conjure defense and offense alike, and travel between worlds at will. But Aiden was not simply after the practical benefits of the Ring.

His eyes were on something far greater.

The Aether.

The Reality Stone. A primal fragment of the universe's fabric. Ancient, chaotic, and unruly. After the death of Malekith, the dark elf who once tried to plunge existence into primordial darkness, the Aether had been absorbed into Aiden's system space. But it was unstable. Untamed. While sealed, it was inert—safe, yet unreachable. As he can't devour it when it's in the system space. But once out, it's absorbed by his body, draining his power, clashing with his essence. It was like holding a firestorm in one hand while trying to wield a blade with the other.

He needed a solution—a vessel that could contain the Aether, channel it, and allow him to consume it gradually without compromising his power.

And what better vessel than the Green Lantern Ring?

The Green Lantern Ring, Aiden realized, was the perfect medium. A legendary weapon forged to turn pure willpower into form—one that could shape, channel, and harmonize with the Aether's volatile energy.

A weapon forged to shape reality through the force of will… just like the Reality Stone, only with limits. But together? Their synergy could be revolutionary. The ring would act as a focusing conduit, harmonizing his will with the Aether's chaotic nature, enabling him not only to safely devour it without risk or loss but also use it. One molded the unreal into real through thought; the other reshaped existence at its core. Fused together, they could potentially rewrite destiny itself.

Many had coveted the Infinity Stones. Fools sought to master them with gauntlets and bodies. Aiden would merge with one—and use another ancient force to tame it. Where others became monsters under the burden, Aiden would not only be able to utilize it but also constantly devour it.

The stone was the sole reason he chose prioritize to go there—despite the countless worlds across the multiverse teeming with super powers.

The system spoke at last, confirming what he already knew:

[Copy confirmed: Green Lantern]

A faint hum echoed in the air around him. A current of unseen energy gathered at his core. His body shimmered with light, and for a brief moment, a green glimmer danced across his skin like ripples of electricity across water. His heartbeat aligned with a new rhythm—one forged in will, one shaped in justice, one destined for war among the stars.

Without another word, Aiden vanished from the spacecraft.

One moment he stood in the main chamber—cool air brushing past the quiet hum of power conduits—and the next, he was gone, In a full silence.

*****

You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.

patreon.com/Eden_Translation