Clark's eyes opened to something he didn't expect; sight. He felt his face to revel in this amazing feat, and he noticed that the only thing he felt when his fingers touched his cheeks was a tingling sensation. He then looked up and around him and realized that he was surrounded by white light. However, the light was not pure. There was an off-white tint and the light tended to flicker. Clark felt that if this was Heaven, it was not very impressive.

"Where am I?" Clark whispered to himself.

"The battleground of your soul, my boy!"

Startled, Clark whipped his head around to see whose raspy voice had called out to him. He was shocked to see Rev. Jim standing in the same grey suit and red tie that he was wearing when they first met, but his voice seemed altered.

"H-how did you get here?" Clark said, trembling.

"I think that this is a very impressive place that you have inside of you, Clark. I'm surprised that you are even allowed to have it, since you're not human and all."

Clark's emotions were bubbling up as never before as he listened to the continued taunts from this evil man. Clark didn't feel like he did when he was in a normal state. He felt that there was nothing holding his feelings back, as if he was on red kryptonite. Only in this situation, he felt that there were moral emotions inside him that drove him instead of bodily desire. It was the only thing that kept him from ripping this man to shreds. Clark was actually hoping for some red kryptonite about now because he wanted to tear this man apart limb from limb for what he did. However, he also felt sorry for the man. Clark didn't want to, but he felt compelled to pity the ignorance that he seemed to have.

"I don't even think that you know what this place is," the reverend continued. "It is a battleground of sorts located inside your soul where people like me fight other fools who want you to join them. However, it is up to you on who wins and who loses. You can give power to the army that you want on your side, I suggest me in this case."

"Why would I do that," Clark hissed through clenched teeth. "You humiliated me. You insulted me. You called me a demon!" At this point Clark was clenching his fists trying to control his anger. "Why would I want to give you anything!"

"My my," Rev. Jim said while running his hands through his hair. "Talk about holding a grudge. I know I might have done some bad things, but it was only to get you here, so that I could offer you amazing power."

"Like the power you have? The power to manipulate and control innocent people?"

Rev. Jim began to walk nearer to Clark with his hands behind his back before he continued with a fiery demeanor.

"Those people would have been nothing without me! They would've simply been hick farmers who beat their families and spend their nights consumed in the bottle. I'm doing them a favor."

"By taking away their freedom? No one has the right to do that."

"Oh poppycock, boy! I do no more controlling than the world around us. I don't see you berating all the television shows that attract teenagers by the millions and make a certain day of the week their day of worship. And when these shows become less than perfect, these people organize just like an army! If my enemy's followers were like that, then I would've been defeated a long time ago."

Clark found it hard to disagree with the reverend on that point, especially since he had seen some kid's at school have sessions of mourning after iBuffy/i was canceled. However, he had a feeling that he couldn't let this man see him cringe. Clark figured that he was in the middle of a dream and the reverend was somehow channeling into his subconscious to try and make him give up hope. From this theory, Clark knew that he couldn't really fight the reverend here, so he just had to take this verbal onslaught that was meant to confuse him.

"It's not just that!" Rev. Jim continued. "I believe that you have a certain girl clad in pink that you followed like your life depended on it not too long ago."

All of a sudden, Clark discovered that his resolve was going to be harder to keep than he thought. "You don't know anything about that! Besides, that ended two years ago."

"Yes, because she let you down. However, you never berate her as you do me. In fact, you still let her close to you. I'm no different than her."

"Lana still cares about me! Just because we're not in love anymore doesn't mean that she's not a good person! That's more than I can say for you!"

"We get told things all the time and believe they're true just because other people or the media says so. Why don't you berate them! I'll tell you why. Because they didn't beat you. I'll tell you this about that race that you want to protect. No one thinks for themselves, and most aren't even qualified to. You for example. Name one decision you have made that has benefited your family for the better."

Clark let out a slight growl at that statement, but as he thought about it, there was really no decision he made in his life that he thought made a positive difference in his parents' lives. Clark was trying to see through the fact that this man was constantly changing the subject in order to confuse him, but at this point, Rev. Jim was circling Clark just as before, and it was giving Clark a horrible flashback to when he was whipped.

"You only want to help people because you think you have to out of guilt. And, let's say that by some off chance, you do make a difference and find a way to help the human race immensely. The minute one poor soul spreads a nasty rumor about you, the public will turn against you. Why? Because everyone is too dumb to think for themselves! They need someone to do it for them! That's my point! You and I are called to lead these people, and with my help, you can gain the power to do so."

The reverend then walked over and put his hand on Clark's shoulder. The boy jerked his body away and gave the reverend a killer look. "You don't know anything about the human race, or me!"

"I know more than you think, Kal-el."

Clark's eyes widened as he took a step back. Every time he heard that name, there was a pang within his heart. To him, it symbolized his secret and when somebody knew it, they were seen by him in a different light. Even though he knew from the beginning that Rev. Jim knew who he was, the use of that name seemed to cement the fact that he was now different than the rest of the world population.

"H-how did you know that name? How did you find out my secret?"

"The secrets of the entire world are at my fingertips, my boy. I can teach all of them to you if you join me."

Clark could feel something inside of him that made him feel queasy. It was like a snake slithering around his body and making its way up to his chest. It seemed to constrict him around his middle and around his chest. It made him stand very still as he began to wonder if this serpent was real.

"Will you join me?" the reverend said in a slow, deep voice.

"N-n-no." Clark said as his neck began to feel tight. A hiss at his side caused him to panic and close his eyes, but then, all of a sudden, he heard a swipe and felt the tight feeling disappear.

"Aelora!" Rev. Jim shouted.

Clark's eyes shot open and his heart soared as he heard that name. However, what he saw when his eyes did open was not what he expected. Aelora looked different than she was when he last saw her. She was in a flowing white dress and her formerly matted hair was now straight and reflected the light like a mirror as it flowed like water around her shoulders. Her glasses were now missing and had been replaced with deep blue eyes, and her rough skin now looked smooth and white like milk.

"Aelora? Wha…?"

"It's okay, Clark," she said in a soothing voice that seemed to resonate all around him. "Wait here."

She then started walking away toward the reverend and revealed that she had grown a few feet. She opened her hand and let a long and slender sword grow out of her hand. It had a shiny finish and a wonderfully complicated design on the handle. It didn't look like a traditional metal sword but rather a crystal or glass object. Aelora then raised it up to the sky and let it glimmer in the white light of Clark's soul.

"What's going on!" Clark asked in a panic as he stared at the intimidating weapon. He then looked over at the reverend and saw that he was suddenly holding a large battleaxe in two of his clenched hands.

"It's time for you to lift the façade!" Aelora cried. As she pointed a long finger toward the man who instantly hunched over and moaned.

"What'd you do to Rev. Jim!" Clark asked Aelora, slightly afraid of this newly discovered power of hers.

"Rev. Jim is dead," she bellowed in a voice that resembled the low tune of a clarinet. "He has been dead for several years now. This is Marduk, or Manipulation, whichever name you prefer. He is a demon whose sole purpose is to trick and deceive."

Clark felt a great rising of fear within his heart as he heard those names. Not because of the names themselves, but because of fangs that were growing out of the man's mouth whenever Aelora spoke. He also noticed that other parts of his body were morphing as well.

"A demon," Clark said as he stepped back from the gradually shape-shifting creature and behind Aelora. "You mean, like those things on iCharmed/i?"

Rev. Jim, or Marduk as he was now known, threw his head back and cackled like a ruthless hag. "See what I mean, boy," He said in a voice even raspier than before. "You are controlled by what you are told."

"Silence!" Aelora called out in a greatly amplified voice. She then turned to Clark and said in a patient voice, "Real demons are nothing like that. Their sole purpose is convincing the world they do not exist, and using that ignorance to wreck havoc on the human race."

Clark then furrowed his brow and rubbed his arms as he glared at Marduk. "You never thought I was a demon at all did you? You knew I was good. You just wanted to convince me that I was evil so that you could control me!"

"Yes, I was told you were a smart lad. Not too good on the street smarts, though. Very trusting. A stupid characteristic if you asked me. Reminds me of James, right before I took him over."

"You…you gave Rev. Jim his powers?"

"Yes sir. I gave James his power. He had a very weak soul, which made him easy to manipulate during a mission trip to Haiti. He was trying to cast me out of a man whom I was inhabiting, and I managed to latch onto him as he thought he succeeded. I then came to him in a dream and told him that I would give him great power if he would listen to me and follow. Being the smart man he was, he accepted. Unfortunately, I didn't specify what the power would be." At this point Marduk threw his head back again and gave a horrible laugh. "Over these past years, I have been eating away at the man's spirit while using my power of manipulation to cause great havoc in this church. Of course, the moment I found out about you, a kind boy that would one day fight my forces, I knew that I couldn't let you go on."

"I had a feeling," Clark said as he tried to hide his fear.

"Don't be afraid, Clark," Aelora cooed. "He cannot lie anymore now that you are gaining strength against him. Since this is your soul, he only has as much power as you let him have."

"Oh don't listen to all that mumbo-jumbo, Clark. If she really cared about you, then why didn't she save you?"

Clark's eyes then went wide and then looked to Aelora.

"It's his most frequently used lie, Clark," Aelora said calmly. "Don't take it to heart."

Despite these words, Clark began to back away from the girl and uttered, "But why didn't you save me? Apparently you have a lot of power."

"All will be explained in due time, Clark."

The boy looked down toward his feet and carried an apprehensive look on his face. He then let out a sigh and muttered, "I don't know."

"Ha! You see Aelora! He sees right through you!"

Aelora shook her head and put her hand on Clark's shoulder. "Clark, why are you believing him? I just outed him as a demon, and when you saw him in the physical realm, he did horrible things to you! I know I didn't save you, but there wasn't a second when I didn't want to. However, I knew that this event needed to happen."

"Why did it need to happen! Why did I have to suffer so much? Why did I have to be humiliated like a stupid criminal!" Clark eyes were brimming with tears and his fists were clenched. Out of his line of vision, Marduk was growing larger as Clark's anger swelled. The boy was hurt and broken and he wanted to know why this had to happen to him. He began to back away from Aelora further and grind his teeth together.

"See, Clark, you can't trust anyone," Marduk cackled. By now, he had totally changed his shape. His fingers now had long talons and his incisors were sticking out of his mouth. His hair was now long, black, and tangled. His skin was grey, and he had long black wings sticking out his back. His clothes were now composed of a back toga that hung over his shoulder and went down to his calf muscle, and his eyes glowed yellow like a stop light.

"Y-you're right," Clark said though the lump in his throat. "Nobody cares. Aelora…Aelora only did this be…because she wanted to destroy Mar…Marduk. She didn't give a rip about me. My…my dad…at least my mom cared enough to…"

"Your mother's alive, Clark," Marduk said as he began to draw near the boy.

Clark's eyes then met Aelora's and she nodded while closing her eyes in deep sadness. This evil being was manipulating that truth that he was forced to tell and was destroying yet another soul. Aelora didn't even want to think about what could happen to Clark once Marduk could lieu again. The tables had now turned and Clark was giving the power to Marduk. This forced her to retain painful silence.

"Yes, even she knows it. Your mother was given a bullet-proof vest that had fake blood inside. Once you all left and she was alone, she got away using the truck."

"No!" Aelora shouted. "That's not…"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence before Marduk darted over and hit her with his battle axe. He then turned his face toward a horrified Clark and continued to feed him dark innuendo.

"That woman was only going to explain away why she let your mother leave without you, just like when she didn't save you. She just tortured you with kindness so that my tests would hurt all the worse."

Something didn't add up in Clark's mind. The monster was quickly contradicting himself "But w-what about what you said…"

"Only lies that her power forced me to tell," Marduk rebutted. "Look, I don't admit to be perfect, but I am someone who wants you to be all that you can be."

Within seconds, the monster that Marduk had become turned back into a man, and then continued to descend on the boy. Clark felt compelled to look at this man and didn't even act out his desire to look over at Aelora, who was weeping on the ground holding her gaping wound caused by the axe.

"Clark, believe me. Your parents have abandoned you."

Clark began to feel a large feeling of sadness as those words flowed into his ears. "But what about when my dad…"

"What about your father? He was the one pounding the nails into your wrists. What made you think he was some sort of exception? He wasn't. Your parents are gone, Clark. They've left you for greater pastures. However, I have a way that you can make them pay. You can follow me and you can gain all of the knowledge of the world. You can save a thousand souls. You will be like a god among men!"

Clark hated that description of himself before, but now, it sounded like the best idea he had ever heard.