As expected, Batman refused Malrick's invitation to escape the reboot. He didn't see any point in running from it — only to wake up as another Bruce Wayne in a rewritten world. They were all Batman, no matter the timeline. Their pain and their mission remained the same. Escaping wouldn't bring back his parents.
Malrick had told him that in some timelines, Bruce had died while his parents lived. But after a brief silence, Bruce still chose to stay.
"Alright then," Malrick said quietly. "Not a bad ending, being the one who knows the truth and guards the past."
He pointed toward Bruce's wine cabinet. "At least make it memorable. This kind of bravery deserves something stronger — maybe rectified vodka. Ninety-six proof. The kind that burns from your toes all the way to your head."
Bruce's mouth twitched faintly. "Good suggestion. I'll play Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony while I drink. Seems fitting."
Malrick gave a small smirk. "A tragic choice — but appropriate. Goodbye, Bruce."
"Goodbye, Malrick."
---
Leaving Wayne Manor behind, Malrick's next destination was Central City. Inside a modest suburban home, he found Barry Allen, happily eating a plate of spaghetti his mother had just made.
"Barry, you rebooted the world again. You know that, right?" Malrick asked.
Barry looked up, startled. "What? Me? Why would I do that?"
"You should ask yourself. The version of you that did it came from the future."
While talking, Malrick discreetly took a microscopic drop of Barry's blood and sent it into his inner dimension, where one of his clones would analyze it. Barry didn't notice a thing — he simply pushed his chair back, panic spreading across his face.
"Wait — you're saying my future self traveled back here and changed the world? Why would I ever do that? My mom's alive, my dad's free… there's no reason!"
Then it hit him.
"Steppenwolf. It has to be him again, doesn't it?!" Barry began pacing, anxiety surging. "Without Superman, who can stop him? Damn it — this can't be happening!"
Malrick watched the young speedster spiral into panic and sighed softly.
"How about this — enter the Speed Force and ask your future self directly why he did it?"
Barry froze mid-step, then snapped his fingers as realization dawned.
"Right! I can talk to him! The Speed Force connects every point in time!"
He crouched slightly, assuming a short-track sprinter's stance. "I'll go ask him now!"
And in a flash, Barry was gone — vanishing into streaks of lightning that tore through the room. Malrick could feel his speed trail circle the neighborhood several times before disappearing completely.
He shook his head. "The Speed Force really is a convenient little thing…"
"Malrick! MALRICK!"
Before he could finish, Barry's voice returned — and the man himself reappeared, gasping for breath.
"It's Darkseid!" Barry shouted. "My future self told me everything! You took the Mother Box, but it didn't matter — Steppenwolf and Darkseid still invaded Earth!"
His voice trembled. "Darkseid drained the planet's core dry. The whole world burned. Even with every hero united under the Red Alliance banner, we couldn't stop him. He's… unbeatable."
Barry's expression twisted in pain. "My future self said he had no choice — he rebooted the universe to undo what I did. To fix me."
He swallowed hard, voice cracking. "I tried to save my mom. But saving her destroyed the world."
For a long moment, Malrick said nothing. Barry had only worked at the research lab for a few years — still practically a kid, still clinging to hope. He'd just wanted to stop one tragedy — his mother's death. But the Speed Force's gift had turned into a curse.
"I'm sorry," Barry whispered, teeth gritted. "It's all my fault…"
Malrick placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe not. I might be able to help — just a little."
Barry looked up, stunned. "You can?"
"I can take your mother out of this world," Malrick said calmly. "Keep her safe in another realm. When the reboot's done, I'll bring her back."
Barry's eyes widened, disbelief giving way to desperate hope. "Really? You'd do that?"
"Of course," Malrick replied. "But listen — you have to tell your future self not to move that tomato can on the counter. If the camera catches your dad's face, he gets acquitted… but it triggers another reboot."
Barry blinked, confused.
"In one future," Malrick continued, "you got your father cleared of all charges — but the world reset again. Everything changed. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman — all of them were rewritten into something else."
Barry nodded furiously. "I'll remember! I promise! Then… Malrick, you'll…?"
"I'll take your mother now," he said simply.
Led by Barry, Malrick entered the bedroom and found Nora Allen asleep. With a thought, he transferred her into his inner world — a realm untouched by temporal collapse.
Barry exhaled in relief, tears in his eyes. "Thank you… I'll tell my future self everything right now!"
Before Malrick could respond, Barry disappeared again — a blur of lightning vanishing into the Speed Force.
Logically, removing Nora should've altered the timeline further, but at this point, the world's reset had already begun. The thread of time had disconnected from its future. Change no longer mattered.
After several long seconds without Barry's return, Malrick decided not to wait. He stepped outside, shot into the air, and sped toward another city — Philadelphia.
From above, it looked like any modern metropolis. But beneath its streets lay the entrance to the Rock of Eternity — the ancient stronghold of the wizard Shazam.
In this world, Shazam was old and weary, the last of his order. His siblings were long gone, and the Seven Deadly Sins — monstrous embodiments of humanity's vices — strained against their magical seals within the Rock. In some futures, they'd even overpowered Superman in his prime.
The old wizard could barely contain them now. He needed a successor — someone pure of heart and uncorrupted by greed. But such purity was rare. For centuries, he'd searched the world and found no one worthy. Until that day.
The air within the Rock shimmered — and a young man in a black battle suit stepped through the barrier.
"Old wizard," Malrick said, his tone steady. "The world's ending. Do you still plan to wait for a child — or do you want a successor now?"
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