Leonardo's new unique power was unlike anything he had ever obtained before, so much so that it took him quite a while to fully understand it.
Even so, thanks to his ability to see the future, the comprehension came faster than expected.
With just the thought of altering an element, the future he saw would immediately shift, showing a completely different scenario. This allowed him to explore every possible variable depending on each action he took.
In his mind, the future worked like a simulation, all he had to do was adjust a "variable" in the present to get a different result.
Moreover, with the influence and authority he currently possessed, able to mobilize SHIELD, the Avengers, or even the government itself, the options at his disposal were practically limitless. It was not only that a present action could create a new future, now he could directly shape the direction in which that future would develop.
It was like a river, before, if he did not like the course it took, he could only restart it from the source, waiting for the current to flow again. Now, he could place diversions, dams, or obstacles at the exact point he wanted, guiding the water toward the destination he himself chose.
This way, Leonardo could simulate different futures over and over again, adjusting every detail until he reached the optimal scenario.
It only took the decision to test every possible use of his new power for countless timelines and versions of reality to unfold in his mind, filtering those in which his goal was achieved.
What for anyone else would be a titanic task, for him was simple. He did not know if it was because of habit or some advantage granted by the system itself.
In essence, his new power was the ability to alter reality, but subject to very specific limitations. It was divided into three domains, past, present, and future.
Past:
To modify it, the change had to be covered by the veil of ignorance. The less known about a fact, the easier it was to alter.
For example, if an athlete abandoned his career due to an injury known only to him, Leonardo could erase that wound from reality. But if the injury was public knowledge, it was impossible.
The logic could also be reversed, if that same athlete was healthy, but everyone believed he was injured, Leonardo could make him actually injured. If no one believed it, he could not create a wound from nothing.
Another limitation, the change could not cause an excessive impact on world history. He could create or erase injuries, but not make a non-existent city appear in the middle of the United States. Even a "hidden" city would have left historical traces and altered the present in a way unacceptable to the rules of his ability.
Future:
Here, the restriction was not belief, but possibility. He could bring forward a result that was destined to occur.
If a person was going to get stronger over time, he could grant them that increase right away. If a destroyed city was under repair, he could make it appear rebuilt instantly.
But this power did not stack, if he advanced a result, he could not use it again on the same person or situation until the time it would have originally taken to reach that state had passed. Additionally, it could only be used once a week, a significant brake on its use.
Present:
This was perhaps the most dangerous aspect, it allowed him to rewrite something that had happened in the last five seconds, as long as it occurred right in front of him.
Perfect for erasing mistakes. And with his vision of the future, that spatial limitation was no problem, he could always be where he needed to be.
If someone died next to him, he could bring them back to life, as long as there was a possibility they could have survived. If there was any way to avoid the attack, he could reverse it, if it was impossible, for example, surrounded with no escape, reality remained.
In the hands of anyone else, these abilities would be the foundation for becoming an almost invincible superhero. But Leonardo had long abandoned the illusion of saving everyone. Even so, he would use them to save as many as possible.
The real usefulness of this power was understood by comparing it to his previous unique ability, granting someone the power they would have in the future, even if only temporarily.
He had never used that ability as an end in itself, except for specific cases such as when Wanda needed to kill Hive. Normally, he used it as a "variable" within his simulations, what if Hulk had more strength right now? What if Tony had already developed certain technology?
With the previous ability, the possible futures multiplied. With the current one, he could create those variables from the root, alter a past event, multiply options in the future, or extend an opportunity in the present that would otherwise have ended too soon.
Now, Leonardo had in his hands more than just a weapon, the ability to shape the perfect future, piece by piece, until reality matched his vision.
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