Broken(DC)

In a hurry, I set off for the cemetery, taking everything I needed based on John Constantine's advice. The process was both simple and complex. Summoning the soul of a deceased person who hadn't fulfilled their purpose and hadn't crossed over to the other side was relatively easy. But seeing or talking to them? That was an entirely different task. An ordinary mortal couldn't perceive otherworldly magic. You had to be born with certain abilities. John Constantine had such gifts, which is why he delved into the occult. I had those abilities too.

Stopping at the cemetery, where pristine lawns stretched around headstones, I walked along, observing the souls sitting on some of the graves. They seemed to stare into emptiness, unsure of where to go. It was not a comforting sight. Among them were not just the righteous but also sinners—people who had committed grave deeds in life and now couldn't find peace.

Finding Tess Morgan's grave, I confirmed it was hers. Drawing a small circle to prevent the soul from leaving—chasing it around the cemetery would be a hassle—I let a drop of my blood fall to the ground.

"Spirit, departed to the other realm, I call upon you. Come forth at my summons, Tess Morgan," I intoned. Suddenly, the wind picked up, as if nature itself had been disturbed. Breaking its laws was no trivial matter. John had warned me about this: if anyone disrupted the laws of life and death too much, the protectors would come to restore balance. Nature had its own guardians, and I didn't want to encounter them.

An ethereal hand emerged from the depths of the earth, followed by the rest of the body.

"Oh God, no! Who are you?!" she cried upon seeing me, trying to run but slamming into the barrier. The panic and terror in her eyes only grew.

"Calm down, Miss Morgan. I mean you no harm," I said, trying to establish contact. Though she couldn't escape, her fear was palpable. She cowered behind her grave's headstone, muttering to herself and begging not to be touched.

"I apologize if I've caused you distress. I won't harm you. I only need to ask you a very important question about your husband, Harrison," I continued, doing my best to speak softly.

"My… husband…" she echoed, her trembling subsiding. She lifted her gaze to me, her expression filled with sorrow. But then, as if recalling something suddenly, she turned away, looking down at the ground. "What do you want? I'm dead, aren't I?" she said, staring at her grave, her voice tinged with resignation.

"Yes, that's true. Harrison Wells is about to activate the particle accelerator, and I doubt his intentions are good. I need to know what happened that day—on the day you died," I said, trying to clarify the situation.

"My husband has been dead for a long time, just like I am," she said, her words hanging in the air.

"Dead?" I repeated, feeling my suspicions begin to solidify.

"The car... on the highway... he lost control, and it flipped. We were injured but alive. And then he appeared," she said, trying to cry, though in her ghostly state, it was almost impossible.

"Please, tell me more. I need to know as much as I can. The lives of an entire city depend on this," I said, extending a hand as if to comfort her, though I knew how foolish that was. She instantly recoiled, pressing herself against the far side of the circle, even more frightened by my actions.

"He... he changed his face right in front of us, taking on my husband's appearance. My dear Harrison was killed. After that... I blacked out, and everything... ended," she said, her voice growing fainter with each word.

"Thank you. Your revelation will help me find the one responsible for your death, and your soul will finally find peace," I said, preparing to end the ritual. But before finishing, I asked one last question: "Why were you so afraid of me?"

"You're like the embodiment of fear. Just the sight of you makes me suffer. The fire inside you burns pieces of my soul," she said. Now I understood why every soul in the cemetery avoided me, why they kept their distance.

"Thank you for your help," I said, dispelling the spell. Dismantling the circle, I quickly headed for S.AR. Labs. I would act without regard for the rules now—I couldn't allow the reactor to be activated. I still had time.

As I approached STAR. Labs, I noticed the lights in the windows starting to flicker, faster and faster. Had they already activated the reactor? Or was this just a preparation phase? Stop the machine! I leaped out of the car. Just as I was about to act, the world around me began to change. Everything blurred, and I felt myself being pulled somewhere. It all stopped after a few seconds, and I was now standing amidst vast sands under a blazing sun.

"Damn it," I muttered, realizing I was clearly no longer in the States. My body began to shift immediately, transforming into a two-meter-tall brute. I had no idea how I ended up here, but I had very little time. What had happened? It felt like I'd been transported at incredible speed.

"I need to get back faster," I thought, feeling time slipping away like sand through my fingers. With a powerful leap, I covered dozens of kilometers, but landing in the sand, I realized it wasn't enough. I jumped higher, trying to survey the area from a new height, but all around me was still an endless desert. Everywhere I looked, there was nothing but sand.

Flames engulfed my body, growing stronger and spreading across the area around me. Like a rocket engine, fiery columns erupted from my legs, lifting me into the air. Mastering this mode of transportation wasn't easy, but I gradually learned to control my direction and maintain balance to avoid tumbling mid-flight.

Reaching the skies, I flew, watching the ground shrink beneath me. It took me several hours to reach Central City. As I approached STAR. Labs, I felt the energy radiating from it and saw the weather spiraling into chaos. Landing in the parking lot, I shattered the asphalt into pieces.

"I didn't think you'd return so quickly," came a mocking voice, laced with hidden menace. I turned toward the sound and saw a man whose face was concealed by a yellow mask. His eyes glowed with ominous red fire, and the lightning bolt on his chest gleamed sharply.

[image]

"I assume you're the one hiding behind the guise of Harrison Wells," I said.

"Brian, you never fail to surprise. The only one unaffected by temporal lines. But that comes with a small side effect—you'll find out soon enough," he said with a smirk before disappearing. My instincts warned me of an impending attack, but I realized it posed no real threat. The blow struck my chest but left no damage.

"An annoying opponent, but I have my methods," he added before beginning to dart around me at incredible speed, appearing in flashes at various points.

I unleashed a wave of flames, clearing the area around me. He was only trying to buy time, but I couldn't let him distract me. I needed to stop the particle accelerator. Smashing through the door, I entered the lab, where the staff stared at me in terror. In a panic, they began to scatter, while I headed straight for the control room.

But suddenly, I felt a powerful impact, as if I'd been hit by a speeding train. Flying through several walls, I struggled to my feet.

"We're not done yet. Back down, or I'll destroy everything you hold dear," he threatened, his voice dripping with menace.

"No. You're trying to doom an entire city—for what?!" I shouted, unleashing a wave of fire, determined to obliterate him.

!!!!

Suddenly, he disappeared and reappeared beside me. His hand vibrated, and before I could react, he thrust it into my chest, holding my heart in his grasp.

"Kh…" I gasped, feeling a horrifying emptiness, but my regeneration kicked in almost immediately, restoring the missing organ. He jumped back, visibly displeased.

"Opponents like you are tough, but you all have one weakness: you can't be everywhere at once," he said with a sinister grin.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt my body disintegrate into the smallest particles, but my adaptation factor wouldn't let me die. My regeneration restored my body again and again, only for it to disintegrate once more. Everything grew quiet, but only briefly. Moments later, I began to be torn apart again. Blurry images flashed before my eyes, and my hands alternated between human and flaming forms. It was as if my body couldn't decide what state I was supposed to exist in.

"Amusing," he said with a smirk, watching me struggle. "I thought you'd be shredded into a thousand tiny pieces. Amazing—you survived. Hmph, you're stuck in a temporal paradox. You exist everywhere and nowhere at the same time. You have no place in the future, the past, or the present."

I couldn't control my body. Clutching my head, I tried to suppress the agony ripping through me.

"Why are you still here? Hm, curious. I remember beings capable of withstanding nearly any external threat. But where did you get Doomsday's powers? Your body should adapt soon enough, which is bad news for me," he mused, pacing around me.

"To trap you in the streams of time—yes, a brilliant idea. Then you won't interfere with me anymore," he said, clearly savoring his plan.

Waiting for the moment when I regained my human form, he grabbed me and carried me at full speed. Lightning flashed around us as a vortex appeared in the air, and I was thrown inside. Chaos immediately attempted to consume me, striking me with bolts of energy. Anger flared in my eyes.

"You'll pay for this!" I growled, feeling my body begin to absorb the energy being directed at me. Now, none of their attacks could harm me. I felt the power filling me, allowing me to calmly take in my surroundings and understand who I was and where I was.

Everything around me was shrouded in constant, flashing lightning—the only source of light in the otherwise all-encompassing darkness. My one goal was clear: find a way out of here.

Central City

News outlets were overwhelmed with reports about what had happened. A trail of fire appeared in the sky, crashing near the STAR Labs and causing an explosion in the particle accelerator. That day, all of Central City was illuminated by a blinding light. Nearly the entire lab staff perished, with only a few surviving by some miracle. One witness claimed to have seen a monster fighting someone using strange fiery powers. This event sparked numerous theories: some talked about an alien attack, others speculated it was one of the new superhumans like Superman, and some suspected government involvement.

One popular blog even proposed a theory that many readers found plausible.

The author: Iris West.

"What happened that night is a tragedy that left deep scars in our hearts. But we must investigate and uncover the truth. Through my research, I've managed to obtain some crucial information. I acquired surveillance footage, which indeed captured the fight.

A battle between the well-known Fireman and a man in a suit. We can all agree that Fireman saved Metropolis from its enemies and prevented an attack earlier today. It seems his actions weren't meant to cause harm. He appeared right before the particle accelerator was activated and, by the looks of it, was trying to prevent the explosion. But another man in a yellow suit interfered. Afterward, neither Fireman nor his opponent were seen again, and their fates remain unknown.

Someone wanted to destroy the particle accelerator."

At the end of the article, there were numerous photos and a short video from the scene. The comments section was ablaze with debates: who was truly to blame, and what had really happened?

One of the unlucky individuals caught in the event now lay in a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages. Lightning had struck him so severely that it nearly killed him. Beside him sat Harrison Wells, his face covered in plasters, with burn marks visible and patches of blistered skin.

"Just a little more," he said, looking at the face of his archenemy and the very person without whom he himself wouldn't exist. "An astonishing paradox. I want you dead more than anything, but I can't return without your power. Sleep well, for now."

Harrison wheeled himself toward the window and gazed out at the night sky. Lightning flashed in the distance, foretelling something ominous. But he wasn't watching the flashes; he seemed to be looking much farther beyond them.

"I have little time left," he added quietly, staring into the distance.