'Remember...'
This should be the best of the worst-case scenarios. This is the end, but a new beginning is yet to come.
'Remember...'
A fateless world, free from tragedies, utopian in every sense. So why...? Why do I only feel pain?
'Remember...'
Was I wrong? Was that the only way?... Of course not... We could have just run away, there were plenty of routes...
'Remember...'
However... If we continue to exist, continuous destruction will also exist... It's the purest and simplest mathematics: Marigold + Durango = The end of the fucking world.
'Reflect...'
Is that really it...? I'm acting purely theoretically; Marigold and Durango really can't get in touch... What am I missing here?
Think... Think... Think... Think, damn it! Think, think, think, THINK!
'Remember...'
'Remember...'
Shit...
I don't want to die... I really don't deserve to be happy...?
'You do...'
I don't...
'...'
'Think... Don't give up... Not yet... Please.'
...
'Please...'
...
'I'm begging you...'
...
'They need you...'
Looking up... Old, rotten wood, crumbling under the weight of laughter, tears, sadness, happiness, hatred, resentment... Love.
'...'
Looking down... Flesh, burdened with the promise of pain, anguish... and the hope of a better future, a hope that, with the passing of time, fades from my heart... A future where everything we've lived for, everything we've fought for, will turn to dust.
'...'
Looking around... My family... My brothers, My sister, My... Best friend... People for whom I would watch the world burn for... Their chests shining with a cosmic burden.
'Yes... Remember...'
It is for them that I fight... How could I have forgotten?
'You're smart... very smart... but you can be the dumbest person in the world when you want to be...'
That's right... At this moment, I am the smartest person in the world.
°By changing our perspective, The world is black and white, frozen dust, inert atoms, a static planet... Right now, Time and Space bow before their bender.
°For as long as Five can remember, he has never really trained his powers, never extended them beyond mere basic use, Blink here, Blink there... The first time travel? Disaster, for the second time? A measly minute.
°Well... Not until now. Under the influence of despair, Five, on impulse, extended his will directly to the world; before his dominion, NOTHING will stop him.
... One minute was equivalent to a total of 8.55 × 10¹⁵ Joules... But my height and weight aren't the same anymore... how much do I weigh? How much do I...!
°Height... Five isn't very close to his brothers, although he loves them deeply; Viktor, of course, is an exception.
°An old conversation resurfaces in his mind, during a visit to his brother, a rare visit...
-Flashback-
"...You really need to learn how to treat a woman better, Viktor, not that I have much experience."
°Both brothers are sitting at a table in Viktor's bar, a red handprint on their cheeks, and blood trickling from his lips.
°Letting out a pained sigh, Viktor retorts.
"It's not like I was asking for it, it's just that..."
°Five knows, he always knows, his brother still grieves the loss of his 'Wife' and 'Stepson'... Especially because of how his stepson passed away.
°This was... It's a very sensitive topic for everyone, but honestly?... Five doesn't feel anything about it, only pity for his brother.
"... "And besides..." Viktor continues as he pours himself another shot, "...They always prefer the taller ones..." Sighing in resignation, he downs it.
"..."
°Another sensitive topic, the last time Luther mentioned Five's height... Let's just say he hasn't danced in a long time. But hey, Five paid the medical expenses, so they're even.
°The only one who currently has carte blanche for this is Viktor.
"... Speaking of height, you've grown... Again..." Viktor spoke in a defeated tone, "... I haven't grown since I was fifteen, 5'1... I hate my life..."
°Five never bothered to measure his height; he was simply short, that was that. There was no need for a measuring stick to spout thorny truths.
°While sipping his drink, Five notices Viktor staring intently at him.
"...What are you looking at?" Without responding, Viktor continues to stare at him from head to toe.
"... Keep that up and I'll gouge your eyes out with a chainsaw." He says, downing the entire shot.
"...Where are you going to get a chainsaw from?" says incredulously to his brother.
°Five points out from the bar, a shop selling random things across the street... The sign reads: Lenny's Stuff Shop.
"... Has that always been there?..." Shaking his head, Viktor gets back on track, "...No, forget about that, get up." He says, already pulling Five to his feet.
"...Great, thank you for waiting for me to get up on my own."
°Cinco never liked physical contact, another privilege that only Viktor has... besides the children, of course... God, he loves those children... Don't tell anyone.
(A/N: Trust me 😎🥂🗿)
"Stop being grumpy, I want to see something... Woah!" he exclaimed in surprise, "... You've really grown up, advantages of a healthy adolescence... I-i think-k..." His voice cracked.
°Viktor always was and always will be a very sensitive and kind person. Upon learning of Five's experiences during the apocalypse, he always sought to be by Five's side, even recommending an excellent psychologist... Which was one of his exes... Details...
°Wiping away the tears that slowly streamed down his face, he performs a simple calculation.
"... Okay, you're like, 5'4", 5'5", around there, You're growing slowly, though..." Five became rigid...
°Hold on a minute, okay?
"...You were, like, my size when you came back..." When Viktor's words slurred, Cinco realized his brother was just a little tipsy from the drinks, Sighing, Five finds himself turning to the counter to pour another shot; he's not ready for this shit.
"... "But damn, 10 centimeters in 6 years is very little, don't you think?"
°That's it, you son of a bitch, you heartless wretch.
°Turning around like death itself, Cinco was ready to rip his tongue out and shove it up a dog's ass. (A worthy sacrifice... Not Really)
"..."
°But when he turned around...
"..."
°His brother, sleeping, snoring softly on the counter... A truly impressive talent of his brother is sleeping anywhere and anytime he wants... Truly enviable.
"Why should I be angry with you now?" Sighing resignedly, Five turns off the bar lights, and then immediately picks Viktor up in his arms, who immediately wraps his arms around Five's neck and rests his head in his shoulder, Viktor inspires deeply, before becoming completely comfortable.
"I told you not to get used to it, you little shit."
°Harsh words for his brother... Too bad they don't have any weight. He always says that, but ever since he gained muscle strength, he's been carrying him to his room.
°This happened 2 months ago.°
-End of Flashback-
I'm not confident enough to attempt time travel... I need more options, but what?...
°Five, Five, Five, Always the (Not so) Silent protector of this family... Cursed with knowledge, special even without his powers.
...!
°Such a silly idea, Worthy of a genius!
°In A Snap, the moment that slimy mess of flesh approached them, Five Blinks, two times, imperceptibly, them as far away as possible, not too far, but far enough to put his plan into action.
"What the hell is this five?!" Diego complains, as always.
"Shouldn't we be, like, preparing for death? I already have a speech ready, man... Now I forgot." Luther being Luther.
"Honestly, I don't give a damn about your fucking speech, Luther." Lila, of course.
°Seven years without seeing her children had made her nervous, and seeing them again only to lose them again must hurt, a lot.
"..." Viktor, being the only one who notices what the object in my hand is, just waits. (Good Boy)
"Five..." That motherfucking maternal tone, I'm not your son, Alisson, damn it, much less the younger brother, I'm only holding back for Claire's sake.
°He hates it.
°They've never been organized, just because it's the end of the world (again) doesn't mean they'll behave... They seem like damn children... badly behaved children.
"Cinco, Mi hermano, Could you explain... Pretty
please?" Klaus, despite being the least serious, is also the most reliable. A cool breeze in the summer.
"Of course, Klaus, I'm just waiting for the kids to stop, because it seems like they have other... priorities, Like a fucking speech!!"
"It was important to me..."
"I don't mind, right now... Can I start?"
°Silence... Relative silence. The city is on fire, people are screaming... A busy Tuesday... A very busy Tuesday.
"Thank you, now..." Swallowing his nervousness, Five begins by raising the object for everyone to see, "Do you remember what I said about Marigold and Durango canceling each other out during the absorption process?"
"Duh."
°...
Completely ignoring such existence, Five Continues, "... I think I've found a way so we don't have to go by Puff~"
"Okay, but what does the pot have to do with it?" Lila asks, she's in a hurry, isn't she? So am I.
"Time travel"
°A series of grunts can be heard down the alley, but before anyone can utter a word...
"But not us, you underdeveloped animals, the pot."
Incredibly, it wasn't Lila who understood the idea the fastest, but Klaus.
"Oho~ You damn genius, I could kiss you right now~" Said Klaus in a Singing Song voice.
"Please don't..."
Viktor says, "Okay, but how are we... are you going to do this?"
"My powers are weak after the stunt I pulled there, I won't be able to do this alone... Lila, I need your help." And there goes my peace, why did I open my mouth?
"HUH?!!?! No, you don't..." He comes from the middle of nowhere to stand between me and Lila, preventing her from getting to me, like, bro, we're in the middle of an apocalypse, let's leave that aside, just for now.
"Diego..." I don't have the strength for this shit anymore, "...I promise, when all this is over, I'll leave your lives..."
°Nothing that starts out wrong is destined to be right.
°Even though Five felt that what he did was right, it doesn't change the fact that it was also wrong, but... Who can blame him? NOTHING he did was just HIM, EVERYTHING was consensual.
"... She herself already said, you were there, weren't you? 'It's over.'...When one doesn't want to, two can't fight."
"..."
"... So, put aside your ego, just for today. After this, I'll completely disappear from your lives, deal?" I look them directly in his eyes; I don't want to give the impression that I'm lying... I really am not...
"...Deal..." I can see... the relief in his eyes.
... That hurts. I really can't judge him; just because I'm right most of the time doesn't mean I'm always right...
Seven years was enough for me...
°No, they weren't...
°Perhaps it wasn't meant to be. Happiness doesn't favor him... Or does it?
Ignoring the stares and this sharp pain in my chest, I focus only on my goal... that's all that matters at the moment, nothing more, nothing less.
"Well... who wants to be a guinea pig tonight?"
"Wait, what?"This catches Alisson's attention.
"Me, me~"
"Wai- Klaus!" Exasperated, Alisson exclaims, "What do you mean, guinea pig? Wasn't the pot supposed to be, I don't know, the guinea pig?"
"... I'm going to pretend I didn't even hear such nonsense." Bruh.
°Bruh.
(A/N: Bruh.)
'...Bruh...'
"Bruh... Ahem... I mean, Relax Liss, I'm immortal, I'm the perfect guinea pig, the worst that can happen is... I die."
"...Bruh..."
°She Gets It.
"We all had both direct and indirect contact with the pot. Our mouths touched the marigold, which, before being in the cup, was in the pot. Each of us has a quantum link that extends through time with that object."
Taking a moment to let the information sink in, I continue...
"... What we're going to do is access that connection and reverse it, resetting the pot's timeline for the day we discover its existence, making it so that Marigold never entered our bodies. Everything in the world has a story."
Viktor, picking up on the subtext, asks curiously, "If that's possible, why not reset it to the point of its creation?"
A good point, actually.
"Have you ever wondered how our mothers got pregnant even without partners?"
"Mari... gold?" Luther says uncertainly... sigh
"Congratulations, when all this is over I'll give you a gold star."
"Will it glow in the dark?" I'm not even surprised, "...The dark scares me..."
For the sake of everyone's sanity... we ignore it.
"... Continuing... If we reset to the creation of Marigold, we wouldn't have been born. We didn't arrive here out of nowhere; our consciousnesses took over these bodies, even in this world, Marigold had already been tested."
Another break...
"But that only resulted in 'Virgin Mary Syndrome', 'Normal children'...what really gave us the powers was the second dose... But Durango, it's always been there since the first dose.'
"My head is exploding with knowledge, it reminds me of the high... I want more~"
"Are you ready, Klaus? I can't say if it will hurt or be easy, after all, I don't know."
"Ready any sooner? Impossible... let's go!"
"I appreciate the enthusiasm..." Turning to Lila, I hear myself speaking more softly, fuck, "...Ready, Lila?"
With a nod of my head, we begin... well... I'll start.
Looking deeply into the pot, I begin to see the paths... what they are, what they were, and what they could be.
White, Gray, and Black, respectively.
Because it's closer to us, Klaus's path is the most visible, such an intense white...
Turning my gaze to the pot, I see the gray, where certainty and uncertainty meet.
What could have been... The Black... So many lives, so many unfulfilled destinies. That's much more than forty-three.
In his vision, billions of trillions, infinite fates... Every second these numbers multiply, more and more and more and more.
Tearing my gaze away, I make my decision, I focus on Klaus's brilliant white eyes and...
Turning everything off, Lila turns around and asks me, her concern written all over her face for anyone who wants to see, "Are you okay?"
"...Yes," I say, somewhat dazed, "That was more taxing than I thought, thank you."
Shaking my head to chase away the dizziness (?) I ask Klaus... "Any pain?"
Rolling his shoulders, he says more lightly, "No, it's more like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"... Powers?" I ask with absolute certainty.
Preparing to take flight... Nothing... Closing his eyes... He remains motionless for a few moments, a few seconds later, he open his eyes, relief basically emanates from him.
"Oh God, yes, finally, peace again!" In a surprise attack, he hugs both me and Lila. She laughs as she returns the hug, I just stand there... eyes blurry...
Letting go of us, his eyes filled with tears.
It was worth it...
"Now..." Looking at my family, I speak with lost eyes, "...Who's next?"
But before anyone can answer... Durango appears, a monster level Kaiju.
______
°Miss Fate doesn't like your antics one bit, Five, At this point in the narrative, neither you nor your family were meant to continue existing... You're going against the natural order of things, you naughty little boy... not so little.
°But that won't stop you, right... No, of course not... She never stopped you.
______
With Lila's help, we managed to get everyone out of there... But minutes are all we have left... how many?... Just a few.
"Okay, it seems we can't do this individually, can you do them all at once?!" Don't look at me like that, Alisson.
"There's a reason it has to be one at a time, Alisson. I have to give myself time enough for my eyes and brain to adapt, I can't go there and change a person's destiny without consequences. What I saw, no human should be able to even glance at."
Pausing to measure my words, I continue, "...And Lila can't help me with this, even with her there, she wasn't able to see the Paths, let alone manipulate them."
Offended by my words, Lila retorts, "You think I can't do it?!?"
I look at her with a 'really? now?' look, "Could you?"
"...No... But there was no need to rub it in... rude much..."
Is this bitch serious?
(A/N: Aye~)
Alisson, hysterical as she is, continued, "You can?"
Looking at her... Looking at that abomination she once considered a brother... A decision is made.
"Yes." Fuck it, the world is ending, I can't cling to uncertainties, I'm Going to Make It Happen.
Activating my powers again, there they are, four White Lines, excluding my own. That's it, all or nothing, SO BE IT.