A new story began in Metropolis. Without Lois. Without the home Clark had imagined. But perhaps, with something more important: the opportunity to rebuild himself... not as the man the world needs, but as the one he needs to be.

And for the first time, Clark Kent stepped forward, without looking at the sky... but at the horizon.

The sky over Metropolis had returned to its usual steel blue tone, crossed only occasionally by the white trails of the planes and the fleeting flash of a hero whom many considered lost. Since his return, Superman had taken his place among the living, but Clark Kent... Clark was still trapped in space.

The wording of the Daily Planet had not changed. Perry White kept shouting headlines as if the ink were blood. Jimmy Olsen was still running with his camera hanging from his neck and a smile too young for so much chaos. Lois... Lois was no longer looking in his direction.

She had written "Why doesn't the world need Superman?", but in reality, what she had meant was: "We don't need you anymore."

And she was right.

Clark looked down at his desk. There was still an old photo of everyone together, strategically placed behind his monitor: Jimmy, Lois, him... and, now, a new face. A boy with dark hair, curious expression and eyes that could not be decided between heaven and earth. His son.

He would never tell him. Not yet.

Clark thought, "I have to move on. Not for them... but for me. I'm not just a symbol. I'm a man. And if I am able to carry the weight of the world, I must also learn to carry the emptiness they left in me."

A new story began in Metropolis. Without Lois. Without the home he had imagined. But perhaps, with something more important: the opportunity to rebuild himself... not as the man the world needs, but as the one he needs to be.

And for the first time, Clark Kent stepped forward, without looking at the sky... but at the horizon.