Previously on the Green Lantern:

Two days ago, Kyle Rayner was just an ordinary guy leading an ordinary life. Then he was given a ring with unlimited power from a dying alien, setting Kyle on the path to becoming the hero known as the Green Lantern!

His first challenge: A shadow stealing entity who threatens to shroud the world in darkness. Will the Green Lantern rise to- Oh crap, he just got swallowed whole by the darkness. Well, this is going to be a short issue…

LET THOSE WHO WORSHIP EVIL’S MIGHT BEWARE MY POWER, GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT

By Tobias Christopher

“I can see it all,” said Todd Rice, his voice echoing all around Green Lantern. The hero was floating helplessly in the darkness, having been absorbed by Rice’s shadow form. “I can see everything that haunts you. All the bad memories, everything that you’re afraid of.”

“Get out of my head!” Green Lantern shouted as he tried to find a way out of the darkness.

“Abandoned by the father who never wanted you,” Todd laughed, the harshness of his tone coming from everywhere. “Having to grow up years before you were ready, trying to be strong for mommy. How pathetic. I can see it all, Kyle Rayner. I can see all the pain and weakness that you refuse to show the rest of the world.”

“Shut up!” Green Lantern shouted as he aimed his ring, not sure where to fire. “I don’t know who, or what, you are, but-“

“You think you can stop me?” asked Todd with a laugh. “You above all people should appreciate what I’m doing. I’m saving the world.”

“By killing it?”

“By making sure that no one ever has to go through what I did,” replied Todd. “No one will ever be beaten or mocked, or forced to hide who they are ever again!”

Green Lantern tried to raise his arm as a large force of black energy held him to the ground.

“Stay still, hero, the fun’s just about to begin,” Todd told him.

Terry was sitting next to Maura Rayner’s bedside at the hospital, as he watched the news report on the television about the spreading darkness.

“Come on, Kyle,” said Terry to no one in particular as he held Maura’s hand. “You can beat this thing.”

A knock came at the door as Terry turned his attention to a man wearing a police uniform. He had red hair and seemed to be fairly young.

“How is she?” asked the officer as he walked over to Terry, taking a seat next to the bedside.

“Not good, Marvin,” Terry replied as he looked back down at Maura. “Thanks for letting me know what happened. I know you’re supposed to call immediate family first, but-“

“I’ve known you and Kyle long enough to know that you are immediate family,” the officer replied. “I just hate that I had to call you under these circumstances. Where is Kyle?”

“He’s picking up something for his mother,” Terry told him. “Something that’ll really help her recover.”

“I’m growing more powerful by the second,” Todd told Green Lantern as his voice continued to echo all around. “What do you think of the name Obsidian? I think that’s a cool name to go with when everyone asks who saved the world. Well, those who are left alive, that is.”

“You’re insane,” Green Lantern told him angrily as he tried to get up. “Why are you doing this? Because you got teased? Is it because you felt like you were alone? I’ve got news for you, pal, shit happens! Man up and get on with your life!”

“Is this coming from the guy who can’t even find a job and has to ask his mother for money?” asked Obsidian with a harsh laugh. “You’re telling me to man up? Like I’m going to take advice from someone who can’t even cut the apron strings.”

“At least I’m not taking out my anger on innocent people!” shouted Green Lantern as he tried to concentrate. “Or maybe it’s more than that. Maybe you’re the one with mommy issues.”

“Shut up!” Obsidian shouted as Green Lantern felt the darkness holding him weaken.

“That is it,” Green Lantern smirked. “You didn’t get enough hugs from mommy and daddy. Maybe you got too many and it turned you into a homicidal prick!”

“I said shut up!” shouted Obsidian as he brought down a dark weight upon the hero. “Why don’t you shut up! Everyone else I consume turns into quivering piles of jelly, why aren’t you?”

“It’s a gift,” said Green Lantern as he tried to not let the pain get to him. “You should see me at parties.”

“Maybe I just need to go deeper into your soul and find the one thing you hate most about yourself,” said Obsidian as he dug deeper into Green Lantern’s subconscious until he found what he was looking for. “That’s it!? That’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”

“Get out of my head!” shouted Green Lantern as he tried to fight back.

“You are just like me,” Obsidian started laughing as he realized just what the memory was a bigger part of. “You do things that you think are right, even when it hurts other people!”

Alex and her parents were watching the news report after the party had started winding down. Although her parents really weren’t paying attention to the news at all, as they were involved with other matters.

“Madame Fatasse, please give our daughter another chance,” said Mr. DeWitt as he followed the large woman. “We assure you, there are no vermon on the premises!”

Alex stopped watching the news report as she looked at her mother. “Mother, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, dear,” said Mrs. DeWitt, not really paying attention as she was focused more on the diamond necklace she been given earlier as an anniversary gift.

“We’ve always been close as mother and daughter, haven’t we?” asked Alex, remembering Kyle’s words to her before he left earlier. “Because I can’t remember too much about my childhood.”

“Of course we’ve always been close, dear,” Mrs. DeWitt replied. “I’d always visit you in the morning before turning you over to the help for the day. Then as you got older, we started spending so much time together when I wasn’t at a charity event or going on vacation with your father.”

“Like the year long cruise when I was seven?” asked Alexandra.

“And the one after you were born,” Mrs. DeWitt replied. “You’d grown so much in that first year when we came home.”

“I think I need to go see Kyle,” said Alexandra as she headed for the door.

“You’re going to watch as I consume the world,” Obsidian told the hero. “Isn’t that the kind of world that you want? A world without violence, or anger? People will finally co-exist in peace.”

“Because they’ll be dead or dying,” Green Lantern told him as he continued to struggle. “A lot of people are assholes, I get that. I’ve known plenty of them in my life, but there are also good people out there. You just have to find them and not be a such a dick about destroying the planet.”

Obsidian appeared in front of Green Lantern, kneeling down to him.

“There are no truly good people out there,” Obsidian bitterly told him. “Even the ones that you think are nice have their skeletons, or turn a blind eye when it matters. I thought I knew some good people, but they all refused to help me when they saw I was in trouble. Like those people at the factory that I took out earlier.”

“Mom,” said Green Lantern as he started focusing his thoughts more clearly. He started thinking about the people in his life that he cared about. His mother, his best friend, his girlfriend, even his pet chihuahua. The ring in his hand started glowing brighter under the darkness holding him down as he started reciting an oath that he had no idea he knew. “In brightest day, in blackest night-“

“Those people were just the beginning, I’m going to finish this town off within the next hour, then I’ll move on to the rest of the state,” Obsidian continued.

“No evil shall escape my sight-“

“And you’ll be the last to die, Kyle,” Obsidian told him with a laugh.

“Let those who worship evil’s might-“

“Right after you watch all of your so called friends and family get sucked into- what are you doing?” asked Obsidian as he saw the glowing get brighter.

“Beware my power. GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!”

A powerful surge of green energy burst through the darkness that was holding Green Lantern, which started expanding until the hero stood up, being shielded by the ring’s light.

“You think your parlor tricks can stop me?” asked Obsidian as he rushed forward while forming a blade out of the darkness. Green Lantern blocked the blade, and punched Obsidian with his own fist, before punching him again.

“That’s for attacking my town!” shouted Green Lantern as he punched Obsidian again. “This one’s for invading my mind! And this one’s for my mama!”

Obsidian fell to the ground. “But I’m supposed to have my revenge on them-“

“Sit down, and shut up, I’ll get back to you in a moment,” Green Lantern said as he held his ring hand up and started blasting the darkness around him, overtaking the darkness with his own energy. He was pouring every ounce of concentration he could muster into destroying the darkness. The harder he focused, the more drained he felt, but he couldn’t give up now.

The darkness started giving way as the cloud of darkness exploded, releasing all the shadows that had been sucked in. Green Lantern fell to his knees, feeling weaker as he saw that he’d done it. The darkness was quickly evaporating, leaving only the starry night sky overhead.

At the hospital, Maura opened her eyes and looked up at Terry. A shadow was starting to form under her as Terry realized what was happening.

“What am I doing here?”

“It’s a long story,” Terry told her with a smile, as he was relieved to see was awake. “Just rest now.”

“Where’s Kyle?” asked Maura as she looked around.

“He’s on his way,” Terry told her, hoping he was right. “He just had to run a quick errand.”

The police gathered around as Green Lantern walked over to Obsidian, who was still laying on the ground. He knew Obsidian was right, that everyone had a darkness in them. But he also knew that everyone had a goodness within them, as well. As he kneeled down to look at Obsidian, Green Lantern wanted to believe that everyone had good in them, as well.

“Kill me,” said Obsidian as Green Lantern pulled off his mask, revealing the young man underneath. He was barely older than Kyle Rayner was. “Please.”

“I’m not going to kill you, but you need help,” the hero said as he watched the police come closer. “I hope you get better. Maybe you’ll have a few friends waiting when you get out if you play your cards right.”

The officers walked Obsidian away before directing their attention to the Green Lantern. One of the younger officers on the scene wasn’t sure what to make of the man in green.

“Who are you?” asked Marvin nervously as he put a hand near his taser, just to be safe.

“Someone who just wants to help,” Green Lantern said as he flew off into the sky before anyone could stop him.

The Next Day

“Looks like you’re going to be famous, bro,” said Terry as he read the paper while sitting on Kyle’s couch. “Congratulations.”

“No, the Green Lantern’s going to be famous,” Kyle insisted as he looked out from the kitchen. “Kyle Rayner’s still an unemployed job temp.”

“What time are they releasing your mom?” asked Terry as he petted G’Nort.

“Later this afternoon,” Kyle replied as he walked into the living room. “I’m going to stay the night with her when she gets home, just to be sure there are no side effects to what Obsidian did to her.”

“Speaking of which, what are they going to do with him?” asked Terry as he put the paper down.

“Hopefully get him some help,” Kyle told him as he looked down at the ring on his finger. “He didn’t seem like that bad of a guy, just a little misdirected. Hell, that could have been me if I’d gotten a raw deal out of life.”

“So, are you going to tell your mother or Alex about the ring?” asked Terry as he looked up.

“I was going to before the whole thing with Obsidian, but now I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Kyle replied. “The fewer people who know about this, the better. We have to keep this super-hero thing between the two-“

G’Nort yelped as he sat in Terry’s lap.

“The three of us,” Kyle finished as a knock came at the door. Kyle answered and found Alex standing on the other side. “Alex, I’m sorry about last night, I just-“

Alex silenced Kyle by pulling him into a kiss, before letting him go.

“What was that for?”

“For being there,” Alex told him. “Do you have time to go get a cup of coffee?”

“Go on,” Terry told Kyle from the couch. “I’ll take care of your mother until you come pick her up.”

As Kyle and Alex walked off, Terry looked down at G’Nort. “Does this make me Green Lantern’s sidekick?”

G’Nort yelped his reply.

Todd Rice was sitting in a room at the local psychiatric ward. He’d been sedated and was wearing a straight jacket as he leaned back against the wall, waiting for his evaluation. As he sat there, only one thing kept going through his mind.

“I have a friend…”