Kael began isolating himself again. He trained in the early hours, sparred against metal dummies, meditated during storms. But the rage didn't always listen. Sometimes, it burst through in quiet moments.
One night, he broke a mirror just by looking at it too hard.
Superboy found him outside.
"You think I'm scared of you?" Conner said bluntly.
Kael shrugged. "Everyone else is."
"I'm not. I've been where you are. You don't want to be like me."
Kael blinked. "But I thought you—"
"I'm not in control. I pretend I am. But I get close to snapping too. And when I do, it won't be red eyes or gold hair. It'll be something worse."
Kael looked down. "What am I supposed to be?"
"You get to decide that," Superboy said. "But you've got one shot. Don't waste it."