Chapter 6: The Paradox Unfolds
The Paradox Event warning haunted Jack for days after it first appeared. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, the words echoed in his mind: Origin Event Connected: Prepare for Rebirth Cycle.
What did it mean? Was it tied to his death and rebirth in the DC universe? And why now, after months of relative peace, had the game file decided to reveal this warning?
Jack knew he couldn't ignore it forever. The glitches were becoming more frequent, more intense, and he felt a growing tension inside him—like something was about to break free, something that had been buried deep within him since the moment of his death.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The Justice League had been keeping him busy, and the universe was never short on crises.
A New Threat
A week after the Paradox warning appeared, the Justice League received reports of strange disturbances across multiple cities. At first, it seemed like minor, disconnected incidents—buildings glitching out of existence, people reporting that time felt like it had momentarily stopped or reversed—but then the disturbances grew larger and more frequent. It wasn't long before the League realized these were not random anomalies. Something—or someone—was causing these glitches.
Jack felt the familiar hum of unease in his chest. The glitches happening across the cities were exactly like the ones he had been experiencing on a personal level. Was this connected to him?
The League convened in the Watchtower to discuss the situation.
"These aren't natural occurrences," Batman said, his voice steady and authoritative as ever. "Something or someone is manipulating reality."
Jack glanced around the table at the other heroes. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Barry—all of them looked concerned. Jack could feel their eyes on him too. They knew about his glitches, but they had never been this widespread before.
"Whatever's causing this," Superman added, "it's affecting large portions of the planet. The longer it continues, the more unstable reality becomes."
Barry glanced at Jack. "Do you think this could be connected to what you've been experiencing?"
Jack hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. He had shared some details about the glitches with Barry and the team, but he hadn't told them everything—especially not about the Paradox warning.
"I… I'm not sure," Jack said carefully. "The glitches I've been having are similar, but they've never been this widespread."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "You're withholding something."
Jack's heart skipped a beat. Of course Batman would see right through him.
"It's complicated," Jack said, feeling the weight of their stares. "But I think… I think I need to investigate this on my own first. If it's connected to me, I'll know."
Superman nodded. "We trust you, Jack. But if you need backup—"
"I'll call," Jack interrupted, though he wasn't sure if that was true.
Batman studied him for a moment longer before finally nodding. "Go. But be careful."
A Journey into the Glitches
Jack didn't waste any time. He left the Watchtower, heading to the source of the latest glitch reported in Central City. As he arrived at the location, he saw the remnants of the glitch—a building that seemed to flicker in and out of existence, the digital remnants of reality warping around it.
Jack walked closer, feeling the familiar buzz of energy under his skin. This was definitely connected to him. He could sense the glitch, like a pulse, almost calling out to him.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the energy, the same way he had done when he first unlocked his Data Stream Access ability. The world around him faded, and once again, he found himself standing in that familiar digital void, surrounded by streams of code and data.
But this time, something was different.
The code wasn't just flowing around him—it was breaking apart.
Jack watched in horror as the streams of data began to fragment, the digital fabric of the void unraveling before his eyes. It was as if reality itself was collapsing, piece by piece, and Jack was at the center of it.
He reached out, trying to stop the fragmentation, but it was no use. The code disintegrated faster than he could react, and Jack felt the familiar pull of the glitch intensifying, dragging him deeper into the void.
Suddenly, the status screen appeared before him, flashing with a new warning.
Paradox Event Accelerating.
Jack's heart raced. This was bad. Really bad.
As the digital void continued to collapse, Jack felt a sudden, overwhelming surge of energy—something far more powerful than anything he had felt before. It wasn't just the Speed Force or the game file's influence. It was something bigger.
The void flashed again, and Jack's surroundings changed.
The Speed Force Connection
Jack stood in a place he had been before—a vast, empty plane of pure energy, crackling with lightning. He was in the Speed Force, but this time, it felt… different. The energy was more chaotic, more unstable, and Jack could sense the presence of something—or someone—watching him.
He turned around and saw a figure in the distance, a figure surrounded by lightning.
It was Barry Allen, but not the Barry he knew. This was a version of Barry from another time, another reality. Jack knew that much instinctively.
The Barry before him looked older, more worn down, as though he had been through countless battles. His eyes were filled with a mixture of pain and determination, and the energy surrounding him was almost overwhelming.
"You shouldn't be here," Barry said, his voice echoing through the Speed Force.
Jack took a step forward. "What's happening? Why is everything collapsing?"
Barry's expression darkened. "Because of you."
Jack froze, his heart skipping a beat. "Me?"
"The Paradox Event," Barry explained. "It's you, Jack. You're the cause. You always have been."
Jack shook his head, refusing to believe it. "That's not possible. I didn't do anything."
Barry sighed, the weight of his words heavy in the air. "You didn't mean to. But when you died, when your soul merged with the game file and the Speed Force… you were there, and created a paradox. You weren't supposed to be reborn, but your intervention led to it."
Jack felt his world crumble around him. "I… I didn't ask for this."
"I know," Barry said softly. "But the universe has rules, and when you broke those rules, the timeline fractured. That's why these glitches are happening. Reality is trying to correct itself."
Jack's mind raced. He had always known that there was something strange about his powers, something that set him apart from other speedsters. But he had never imagined that he was the cause of these reality-breaking events.
"So what do I do?" Jack asked, his voice filled with desperation. "How do I fix this?"
Barry looked at him with sad eyes. "You can't."
Jack's stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
"The way to stop the Paradox Event is to stop your own existence," Barry explained. "You need to go back to the moment of your death. If you undo that, the paradox will be erased."
Jack's blood ran cold. He was supposed to go back and… erase his own existence? Undo everything that had happened to him since his rebirth? The thought was unbearable.
"I can't do that," Jack whispered. "I've worked so hard to get here. I've trained, I've fought… I can't just throw it all away."
Barry placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I know. But sometimes, being a hero means making sacrifices. You've done so much good, but if you let the paradox continue, reality itself will unravel. You need to make a choice, Jack."
Jack's heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to erase his existence. But if he didn't, the world—and possibly the universe—would collapse.
"Isn't there another way?" Jack asked, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. "There has to be another way to fix this."
Barry's expression softened. "Maybe there is. But it's risky."
"I'll do anything," Jack said immediately.
"There's a way to stabilize the paradox," Barry explained. "But it would require you to make sure that your past self died, you would have to kill your past with the Speed Force, to become a part of it. If you do that, you might be able to rewrite the rules of the universe—correct the timeline without erasing yourself, but leading to the current you."
Jack felt a flicker of hope. "But what's the catch?"
"If you do this," Barry said, "you'll become something… else. Your existence will become an anomaly."
Jack's mind raced. It was a monumental decision. On the one hand, he could kill himself and save the universe. On the other, he could stop his past from dying, but he would be erased by the Speed Force, it would mean giving up everything he had ever known—his friends, his life, his future.
But deep down, Jack knew what he had to do.
The Choice
Jack looked at Barry, his heart heavy but resolute. "I'll do it. I'll go back, and fix everything."
Barry nodded, his expression filled with pride. "You're making the right choice, Jack."
Jack took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his decision settle over him. This was it. The moment everything had been leading to. He had spent his entire life—his entire second life—trying to understand his powers, trying to figure out why he had been reborn. And now, he finally had his answer.
He wasn't just a speedster. He wasn't just a kid with a game file in his soul. He was something more. He was an anomaly, and now, he's gonna be the effect of his cause.
As Jack prepared to go back with the Speed Force, the digital void around him began to collapse, the glitches intensifying. He could feel the weight of the Paradox Event closing in, but he wasn't afraid anymore.
This was his destiny.
The energy of the Speed Force crackled around him, and Jack closed his eyes, feeling the raw power surge through his body. He was ready.
And then, with a final burst of lightning, Jack disappeared into the Speed Force, leaving behind the world he had known—
End of Chapter 6