Lex suddenly woke, drenched in cold sweat. Darkness enveloped him, the air heavy and chill.
A spark flickered to life. The campfire ignited with a "poof," filling the cave with flickering light.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Lex's gaze fell on his companion across the fire, lingering uneasily.
"Looks like another nightmare, Lex. Your malaria's finally passed, and now this fever hits you like a hammer," said Adrian, casually prodding the flames.
Lex's mind was clouded. "Where… am I?"
"You're in paradise," Adrian replied, his tone indifferent, a trace of amusement in his voice. "The place you've been for two months."
"You said that name again," Adrian teased lightly.
"What?"
"The one who left you here… the one who framed you."
Lex's pulse quickened. "Listen, Adrian, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but if you speak of my wife that way again, I won't be polite."
Adrian shrugged, a smirk flickering across his face. "Lex, think. When you woke up, Helen and the mechanic were gone. Just you here. At least consider that possibility."
"No. Impossible! Helen would never betray me!" Lex protested, his voice raw with fevered desperation.
"You should be fixing the raft instead of ranting," Adrian said coldly.
"I won't let you die out here. Days adrift at sea and you'd be nothing. I can't tolerate that, Lex."
Lex clenched his fists. "I need to leave. This island… it's not mine."
"You don't have to see it as a prison. To the world, you're already dead. Adapt. Live simply. Isn't that freedom?"
Lex's eyes burned with stubborn resolve. "Impossible. Now go, fix the raft."
Adrian finally turned and left, leaving Lex staring at the fire. The fever made his body weak, shivering in the cold cave.
He poked the flames absently, warming his hands, when a patch of disturbed soil caught his eye. Someone had dug here before. Curiosity overcame fatigue. Step by step, Lex approached, probing with a branch.
"Ah!" Lex exclaimed.
A skull emerged.
Heart pounding, he knelt and brushed away the dirt, revealing the skull and chest bones beneath. His stomach turned, but he forced calm, picking the skull up. A deep scar marred its cranium. Around its neck hung a metal tag engraved with Adrian's father's name.
A cold sweat broke over Lex. Adrian—the man he had trusted as a fellow survivor—had killed his own father?
"I warned you, Lex. Only one of us can survive," Adrian's voice cut from the cave entrance, calm and emotionless.
Lex turned. Adrian stepped in, a metal blade glinting in his hand. "He was powerful, wealthy. He criticized me, crushed me slowly, until I vanished. I finished him. Cleanly."
Lex recoiled. "You're a psychopath!"
"Oh really? Admit it—everyone has a little darkness," Adrian replied, swinging the blade.
Lex dodged and ran, the chase leading to a wide clearing. Adrian pursued easily, a predator in his element. Lex fought back, grabbing Adrian's neck and throwing him down, seizing the blade. He struck wildly; blood spattered across his chest.
"No one controls me!" Lex roared, fury and survival intertwining.
A familiar voice froze him mid-motion. "Lex."
He spun. Adrian Kent stood before him, expression unreadable.
"Adrian!" Shock and disbelief rendered Lex speechless.
"I'm here," Adrian said simply. "There's no one else."
Lex's knife clattered to the ground. The blood on his body disappeared, Louis—his tormentor—vanished without a trace. The cave was silent once more.
"What… what did I do?" Lex whispered, trembling.
"You only know your own trials," Adrian said flatly. "The ship waits outside. Leave when you're ready."
Half an hour later, Lex sat in the cabin wrapped in a blanket, sipping hot coffee, the warmth a rare comfort after months of isolation.
"Adrian… I owe you. Without you, I'd still be stranded. You saved me," Lex said, gratitude sincere.
"Don't thank me," Adrian replied, matter-of-fact. "Your father asked me to find you. We just made a deal."
"And more than a deal," Adrian continued casually. "He's testing your abilities, like the old fox he is."
Lex didn't argue. He held his coffee, reflecting. He had once scrutinized Adrian and Clark, hunting for secrets. Now, after being saved, his perspective shifted. Some secrets could be left untouched.
"You know yourself, Lex," Adrian said, gaze sharp. "Whatever schemes you hide, don't harm my family. Cross that line, and I won't look away."
Lex nodded. "Agreed. No harm to each other's loved ones. That's the rule."
He rose and extended a hand. "Step forward in friendship?"
"Friendship?" Adrian shook his head, turning to leave.
Lex smiled faintly, sipping his coffee. Even without a handshake, the bond—the mutual respect—was clear.
Nearby, Bart Allen, who had observed the exchange, spoke. "You seem… in good spirits."
"Better than I expected," Lex replied, a faint smirk.
Bart laughed lightly. "Schizophrenia… gone?"
"Yes." Lex paused, then said quietly, "I killed him."
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