I got an extra chapter in the chamber so send over the Powerstones if you can't wait!
Now enjoy your chapter.
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-SHUUU
A bright light enveloped the dimly lit pipeline, illuminating the area as all heads turned to the wormhole looming over them.
-TING
At that moment, the wormhole spat out a metal helmet with golden wings protruding from each side.
It hit the ground, the TING of two metals hitting each other echoing throughout the pipeline while the four figures standing over it stared for a few seconds.
"What the hell is that?" Joe asked, his gun still raised.
"That's my cue to leave," Thawne replied, an unamused expression dawning on his face upon seeing the helmet.
'Well, it's nice to see a few things haven't changed despite my presence.'
Derek commented, the helmet making a series of images and figures appear in his mind.
However, despite saying this, he didn't know if it was a good thing or not, considering he wasn't too fond of what would soon follow that helmet.
Or rather, who.
Nevertheless, with both Joe and Thawne distracted, Derek's eyes shifted to the only other person in this room who peered at him.
'Cisco…'
Derek and Cisco's eyes locked as the latter wore a complicated expression.
Despite this, Cisco knew exactly the reason behind Derek's intense glare. And to this, he let out a subtle nod, turning away to not draw any attention to them.
'Good.'
Derek's eyes relaxed, looking back at Thawne who stepped into his machine, taking a seat as he failed to hide an excited grin.
Pressing a few buttons on the dashboard before him, the machine let out a slight hum, then a sharp hiss before slowly rising off the ground.
The light from the wormhole blessed his face as his grin only grew wider and more genuine, contrary to the mocking smirk he would usually have on, this was more wholesome like it truly came from within.
"Home…"
He mumbled, his eyes fixed on the wormhole as if he could see past it.
'20 seconds…'
Derek watched this all from behind, his expression neutral.
'Time's up.'
Barry should have been back by now, yet Thawne only drew closer to the wormhole, prepared to leave.
That was the time it took for him to finish his business in the past and return here.
But contrary to what Derek was expecting, silence prevailed.
Despite this, Derek doesn't worry.
He didn't ask himself if he might have failed or if this was it, nor did he contemplate intervening.
He didn't fear that he might have miscalculated or that his plan wasn't as perfect as he thought, because whether he was intelligent or not, there was one thing he knew better than anyone on the face of this Earth.
One could say that he put all his trust into this, so much so that it made him break his stoic demeanour.
'Barry Allen. I know you.'
And like clockwork, a blinding light flashed from the wormhole as those in the cortex fell silent while Joe and Cisco raised their forearm to block the light but didn't close their eyes.
'W-Wha…'
Before Thawne could even finish his thought, his smile disappearing, he turned back for a split second, his heart dropping as he witnessed Derek grinning from ear to ear.
-SHUU!!!
And just like that, a figure in a form-fitting red suit emerged from the wormhole, shooting forth at dangerous speeds with their fist extended.
-CRASH!!!
-SHATTER!!!
The figure smashed into Thawne's time machine, shattering it with his fist as the collision sent out a powerful shockwave.
Said shockwave was enough to send both Cisco and Joe flying through the air, but before they could hit the ground, a familiar BLOP was heard as an obsidian slime tentacle grabbed hold of them midair.
"Oh my god," Iris muttered as they all witnessed the scene.
"It's Barry!"
Despite this all, Stein was the only one to keep a level head as he snapped his head to the side, witnessing the timer rapidly counting down from 15.
"Quickly, we need to shut down the…"
-BANG!!!
-BANG!!!
-BANG!!!
However, before he could finish, the timer suddenly stopped as he witnessed the internal generators in the pipeline suddenly explode, an obsidian slime oozing out from the damage.
"He did it…the wormhole is closed," Caitlin confirmed, witnessing everything happening in the pipeline.
"What happened?" Cisco muttered, seeing the wormhole suddenly close, his feet touching the ground as he couldn't help but drop to his buttocks.
He watched in awe as Thawne blinked a few times, seemingly to dispel the shock from the blow, digging himself out from the debris of his machine.
Meanwhile, Barry groaned as he rolled on his back, pressing his hand on the ground in an attempt to get up.
However, before he could, he paused as his eyes shot to the person looming over him.
"Derek…"
He muttered, seeing the familiar face staring at him.
For a few seconds, neither one of them said anything as all time seemed to have come to a stop around them.
"What's up, Speedster."
Derek broke the silence as his words lingered in the air for a few seconds.
"Caitlin told me…she also told me you weren't feeling the best yourself. So, what's up with you?"
Barry replied in the same monotone and blank expression as Derek as they didn't move an inch.
Derek didn't answer immediately. Instead, he fell into deep thought as he soon replied.
"For a long time, I thought I had the perfect ambition for everything. It made me do things that made sense for my goals, although deep down, it wasn't something Derek would do."
Of course, Derek was speaking about the Perfect Story.
The only purpose he could find for living in this new world.
Whether it was a coping mechanism for having no direction in an unfamiliar world without so much as his memories, he knew now that it was bullshit.
Who was he making this perfect story for?
He had long discovered that this world and the people in it were real, no longer fiction.
And even if there was an audience watching everything they did at this moment, was he supposed to prance around for their entertainment, lying to himself as in reality he crafted an amusing story for them?
No, the only thing worse than being lost was being a puppet for others.
"I only realised the truth after someone I'd almost forgotten made it clear to me."
The boy in the dark corner.
Barry didn't interrupt, even lowering his heavy breathing to listen clearly.
"What truth?"
Derek breathed in, his chest inflating.
"My name is Derek Bond. I don't know where I came from or much of my past, however, I do know one thing."
"I will…live."
As Derek spoke, everyone had been listening in, glued to the conversation.
And as Derek said this, a few smiles erupted from some of their faces.
'This new opportunity in a world I could only dream of…with characters I could only imagine, yet loved dearly…'
"I live for freedom. To do whatever I want. I'll die how I like, surrounded by the greatness I achieved and those I achieved it with. That is all I want. To live. To me, that is the Perfect Story."
Derek held out his hand to the downed Barry in assistance as he smiled.
"There's so much more I want to tell you. Everything. But first, we deal with this, eh?"
At that moment, despite not even meaning to, a warm smile blessed Barry's face as he raised his hand, grabbing Derek's.
"That day we fought…I clung to my mother's death so much that it became a weakness that Thawne could exploit, turning me against my allies."
"I was in a bad space, thinking everyone had started to betray me and that my father was dead. I wanted a redo. It was because of this that I forgot."
Barry rose to his feet, still holding onto Derek's hand as the two came face to face.
"I already have everything right here. Friends, family and the life my mother wanted for me. I almost forgot…"
Barry's lips curled upwards.
"My name is Barry Allen and this is my Timeline, my world and the life my mother would be pleased with…so that's what I'll do this time…I'll live."
'You…'
Derek stared with his eyes wide slightly.
'Is it me, or did I change something else…cause he seems different to the show…in a good way.'
"And it only took going back in time and you to make me realise this."
"Me?" Derek asked despite knowing the answer, a grin soon brandishing his face.
Barry nodded.
"Like I said, Caitlin told me. Thank you." Barry's grip around Derek's hand tightened, the sincerity causing him to smile warmly.
"From now on, we start over. From now on, we both learn who the real Derek Bond is and when this is all over, we'll get some drinks and catch up. You know, if you can handle your liquor."
Barry joked, chuckling as Derek nodded, his smile widening.
"Barry…"
Barry turns his head slightly at the familiar voice that enters his ear, lowering his voice as he speaks.
"Dad." Barry acknowledged his father in his earpiece.
His father, Henry Allen, currently stood in the cortex, wearing casual clothing amongst the others as he watched everything happening.
"I was listening, my boy. And I want you to know, no matter what decision you made today, I'm still so proud of you."
'This was it. You told him just in time, Caitlin. Thank you.'
Barry turned, acknowledging Derek.
After all, it was because of the latter that Barry could be talking to Henry.
"Caitlin, there are three things we need to survive. Number one is Henry Allen."
Derek recalled the words he told Caitlin on that night, showing her proof that he had given his Eclipse a command to teleport Henry out of the prison in the same second he were to be met with any danger.
This was the reason he hadn't once worried about Henry Allen's death.
'Do you see, Thawne? Are you watching?'
Derek's eyes slyly shifted to Thawne who was still writhing on the ground, the former trying his best to hide his devilish grin.
'I did it. Since World War M, I have been ten steps ahead of you.'
He so wished he could yell from the top of his lungs, explaining every detail of his plan to further throw Thawne into despair, but he controlled himself, settling with this.
'I'll admit, you were smart with that Transformer Meta, but it didn't matter. This Tragedy you've built up, taking advantage of Barry's emotions, meant nothing if I could counter it.'
'All I had to do was the same thing, reveal his father to him right before he Time Travelled and his emotions would do the rest.'
Of course, this was the old manipulative Derek who wanted nothing more than a Perfect Story. Now he was simply happy the old man was alive.
But he still acknowledged his plan and its outcome.
'Oh boy, I wish I could say I left so I could let you throw yourself into the rushed latter half of your plan to ensure nothing else deviated from what I knew, but honestly, there's a part of me that was simply thrilled to see you so pitifully hopeful.'
Witnessing Thawne making his way to his feet, his heartbeat quickened with excitement.
'So go on, Eobard! Rage! Wrath! Let yourself go till your dying breath, 'cause we both know you have nothing more left to lose! Face it, bastard…Derek Bond Wins!'
"You…let her die? Why?!"
At that moment, the silence was broken as Derek and Barry turned their heads to Thawne who rose to his feet as veins bulged on his face and he yelled.
"You could have had the life you wanted…you could have had everything you've ever wanted!"
Thawne yelled at the top of his lungs, throwing any piece of debris he could get his hands on in a fit of rage.
Barry simply smiled as he bent his legs, all while these words couldn't help but resonate with Derek also.
A Perfect Story.
Saving his mother.
No, this was not what any of them desired.
Instead, it was quite simple.
With Barry's eyes crackling with electricity and the green in Derek's eyes burning brighter than ever, their identical grin mirrored off each other as they stood side by side.
'I already do.'
"I already do."
Thawne ground his teeth as he pulled on his cowl, his face blurring as his eyes started to glow red.
"Not for long."
[Your Understanding of Barry Allen has increased drastically]
[Your character Status has increased]
[You have broken free from the confines of this Story and instead, you shape your own]
[You are now a Main Character]
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Like I said, I got an Extra Chapter Titled: Velocity XI
Fork over them Powerstones or you'll forking regret it.
And if you can't wait, there's always this alternative.
patreon.com/SonderNow