senior year. Clark then notices Greg Arkin amongst the crowd, staring at him. As Clark is about to move, he notices that time has literally stopped and everyone else around him is frozen. Brainiac 5 appears before Clark, expressing his 'sincere apologies' for interrupting the event. Believing him to be a foe, Clark questions his motives as to why he arrived in Smallville. He explains he is here to see that Clark experiences this defining moment that will change his life as he transports himself and Clark away with the Legion ring. Time unfreezes, and Lois discovers that Clark is missing.

Arriving at their destination in the woods, Clark questions Brainiac 5 on his reappearance and what his hidden agenda is: if he is the evil threat Jor-El warnedabout or a ghost from his past. He introduces himself as Brainiac 5, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who has been reprogrammed as a force for good thanks to Clark and the Legion's intervention. Brainiac 5 explains he has returned to prevent Clark from becoming an even greater evil than what he once was as Brainiac by confronting the darkness within Clark's heart, retracing it back to its place of origin: the death of Jonathan Kent. Clark is present at his father's funeral, full of sorrow and regret, as he picks up the dirt and spreads it across the casket as Martha watches.

As they both look on at the past flashback event, Brainiac 5 explains to Clark that this was the moment he allowed himself to