Chapter 1: The Hunter's Arrival (Shikari Ka Aagman)
Krypton ka aakhiri suraj jalte hue angaron ki tarah laal aasmaan mein dooba tha. Wo sirf dhuen ka gubaar aur tabaahi ke nishaan chodh gaya tha.
Lekin multiverse ke portals ko cheerte hue, ek behad khoobsurat aur anjaan grah par aaj ek nayi subah ki shuruat ho rahi thi. Is naye planet ki mitti hari aur sunheri thi. Aasmaan mein do chote peele suraj chamak rahe the, jo yahan bache-kuche Kryptonians ko unki khoi hui God-level takat wapas lauta rahe the.
Namak jaise safed aur chamakte hue pattharon se bane ek oonche pahad par Kal-El khada tha. Uski neeli poshak par laga 'S' ka symbol suraj ki roshni mein aag ki tarah chamak raha tha.
Uske chehre par ek ajeeb si shanti thi, par aankhein door kshitij ko nihar rahi thien. Uske baju mein khadi thi Kara, jiske sunhere baal hawa mein ud rahe the. Uski aankhon mein naye ghar ko dekh kar ek nayi chamak thi.
"Hum safe hain, bhai," Kara ne dheere se kaha, uski awaaz mein ek nayi umeed thi. "Yeh planet humein ek naya jeevan de sakta hai. Hamari nasl yahan dobara fal-phool sakti hai. Hamein ab kisi se darne ki zaroorat nahi hai."
Haan Kara, lekin humein is baar itihaas ki un galtiyon ko nahi dohrana hai," Kal-El ne kaha, uska swar bhari aur gambhir tha.
"Krypton apni takat ke ghamand mein khatam hua tha. Humein yahan ek naya aur shant samrajya khada karna hai."
Theek usi samay, pahad ke neeche se ek zabardast garjana goonji.
Zameen thartharane lagi aur zameen ko cheerte hue patthar hawa mein udne lage. Us dhool ke gubaar se ek bhayanak saaya bahar nikla.
Wo koi aur nahi,
General Jordan the. Lekin aaj unka roop aam Kryptonian jaisa nahi tha. Jab unhone is multiverse portal ki bachi-kuchi energy ko chhua tha, toh unke DNA mein ek khoonkhar badlav aachuka tha.
Wo bramhand ke sabse dangerous aur khatarnak shikari—
Pentane (Panuncian) ke roop mein dhal chuke the.
Jordan ne apna dark aur customized Kryptonian combat mask pehan rakha tha, jiske peeche unka chehra poori tarah rahasyamayi tha.
Unke sharir se ek neeli-kaali shikari energy nikal rahi thi aur unke haath ke nakhun teekhe ho chuke the.
Jordan ko dekhte hi pahad ke peeche se
Faora bahar aayi. Faora jo humesha se Jordan ki wafadar aur ek bereham yodha rahi thi,
usne Kal-El ki taraf dekha aur apne purane andaaz mein shatiranaj se muskurayi.
Dekho, hamara 'sacha sipahi' abhi bhi yahan khada hokar shanti ke pravachan de raha hai," Faora ne tanz kasa aur apni talwar ko zameen par patka.
"Jordan, is seedhe-saade ladke ko samjhao ki bina takat, bina hathiyar aur bina ghamand ke samrajya nahi bante. Yeh sharafat Krypton ko nahi bacha payi, aur na is naye planet ko bacha payegi."
Kal-El ne gehri saans li aur muskura diya. Wo Faora ke is ladaku mizaj aur uske nakhron se achhi tarah waqif tha.
"Faora, kam se kam is naye aur shant planet par toh apni talwar ko thoda aaram do. Har waqt ladne se zindagiyan nahi bachti."
"Tum chup raho, Kal-El! Mujhe mat sikhao ki mujhe kya karna hai!" Faora ne gusse mein apni aankhein tareen aur apna muh ghumaya,
jisse wahan ladai ke beech ek halka-fulka comedy mahol ban gaya. Kara yeh sab dekhkar khilkhila kar hans padi,
aur usne aage badhkar Jordan ke bhari kandhe par hath rakha. Jordan ka wo khoonkhar shikari roop Kara ke chhoote hi achanak thoda shant hua.
Dono ke beech ek gehra aur gambhir romance panap raha tha, jahan Kara ki sharafat aur mohabbat Jordan ke andar ke us dandaar predator ko vash mein rakhti thi.
Jordan ne apne mask ke peeche se ek gehri saans li aur Kara ki taraf naram aankhon se dekha.
Lekin yeh shanti zyada der tak nahi tikne wali thi.
Achanak, us grah ka hara aasmaan beech se fatne laga. Ek vishal aur bhayanak hari roshni ka chakravyuh (Green Portal) hawa mein khula.
Us portal ki goonj itni bhayanak thi ki dono peele surajon ki roshni bhi feeki pad gayi.
Poore bramhand ka sabse bada maseeha, jise har ek planet par ek god ki tarah pooja jata tha—
The Emerald Arbiter—us portal se bahar nikla.
Usne ek dandaar futuristic armor aur mask pehna tha jisse uska chehra bilkul chhupa hua lag raha dharredar tha.
Uski kalai par ek ajeeb sa chamakta hua nishan tha.
Arbiter ne seedhe hamari team ki taraf dekha aur uske mask se ek bhari, mechanical aur thandi awaaz nikli, "Kal-El... General Jordan...
Mujhe afsoos hai. Lekin tum paanch Kryptonians ki seema ab paar ho chuki hai. Tumhari badhti aabaadi aur tumhara naye bache paida karna bramhand ke 'Cosmic Balance' ko poori tarah bigad raha hai.
Mujhe yahan tum sabka namo-nishan humesha ke liye mitane ke liye bheja gaya hai."
"Ek anjaan mukhotey wala bacha...
hum KRYPTONIANS ko mitayega?"
Jordan apne mask ke peeche se gusse mein dahada. Usne ek jhatke mein apni 'Pentane' shakti ka istemal kiya aur hawa mein apni
das hoobahoo nakal (Clones) bana lien.
Das dandaar Jordan ek sath kadkadati hui bijli ki raftaar se us Arbiter ki taraf lapke.
Arbiter ne apni kalai par bandhi us ajeeb chamakti hui ghadi ko dabaya aur ek bhayanak, vishalkay alien roop mein badal gaya. Usne Jordan ke clono par hamla toh kiya,
lekin ain waqt par, jab wo unhe poori tarah maar sakta tha, uske andar ke chhupay hue 'asli hero'
ne uska hath rok liya. Usne jaanbujhkar apne waar ki disha badal di, jisse Jordan ke clones door ja gire aur zameen par bade-bade gaddhe ho gaye.
Kal-El ne yeh dekh liya. Usne us Arbiter ki aankhon mein chhipi wo bebasi aur gilt padh li. Wo samajh gaya ki yeh unka asli dushman nahi hai,
balki is cosmic chakra mein fansa koi majboor yodha hai jiska asli naam aur chehra abhi sabse chhupa hai.
Lekin tabhi, aasmaan ke ek kone mein ek aur saaya ubhra. Ek aalishan aur qeemti suit pehne, hath mein cigar liye aur chehre par ek shatir muskaan ke sath—
Lucifer Morningstar prakat hua. Wo is poori jung ka sabse takatvar aur khunkhar tha, jise in sabke lafdo se koi matlab nahi tha.
Lucifer ne ek chatthan par pair rakha, cigar ka dhuan hawa mein udaya aur hanste hue bola,
"Wah! Ek anjaan shakhs apni ghadi lekar bhagwan banne chala hai, aur ek general yahan apni koptiyan (Clones) bana raha hai. Tamasha waqai bahut bhayanak hone wala hai! Mujhe toh dekh kar hi maza aa gaya."
Lucifer ki is entry aur uske dandaar aura ne bramhand ke devtaon ki us adrishya fauj ko bhi peeche hatne par majboor kar diya jo us Arbiter ke peeche chhipi thi, kyunki we jaante the ki Lucifer se panga lena matlab khud maut ko dawat dena hai.