Broken(DC)

POV: Barry Allen

The victory over the demon came at a terrible cost. We lost many good people, and though a month has passed, the echoes of those battles linger. The Justice League was nearly wiped out—Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Shazam. They fell trying to hold back Trigon. Once he reached the city, there was no stopping him.

Portals had opened across the globe, unleashing a demonic army. Civilians weren't prepared for such devastation, and we—the ones meant to protect them—failed in our duty.

Only one miracle saved Earth from total annihilation: the Teen Titans gave their lives. They are the real heroes, not us. Robin managed to return and tell us what happened. A demon appeared and killed everyone. From his description, it was the same demon we'd locked away in the Watchtower. But we couldn't determine how it escaped. The ruins of our base now drift aimlessly in space. When the demon emerged, it eliminated everyone almost instantly. However, Raven managed to break through the veil of control long enough to seal Trigon away. She stayed behind to complete the ritual, and it seems she perished—she hasn't returned.

The remaining demons on Earth had to be eradicated. The military and surviving superheroes united to purge the invaders. When it was over and we counted the losses, the truth became clear: our defenses had been woefully inadequate. Over a billion lives lost—such was the cost of victory.

The hardest part is the loss of loved ones. My father died in prison, where one of the portals opened. Cisco, my best friend, was killed protecting civilians. He was always brave, but that bravery cost him his life. I was the fastest man alive, yet I wasn't fast enough to save anyone. Maybe that's my curse—always being too late.

I have to fix this. Go back and do everything differently. Yes, I have to try. Rising from my knees, I took one last look at my parents' graves. Everything can be undone.

I need to prevent the demon's summoning. Knowing where the ritual took place, I can stop it in time—or perhaps warn the League and fortify the Titans' base. I have to think this through. Accelerating, I raced toward S.T.A.R. Labs. There's no better place to seek help than from a brilliant mind.

Speed always clears my thoughts. I've always enjoyed running for the sheer joy of it, letting the world blur around me. Arriving at S.T.A.R. Labs, I found Harrison Wells deeply engrossed in formulas. Though he's not from our multiverse, he's been an invaluable ally.

"Harry," I greeted warmly.

"Barry, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me?" he said, rolling his eyes as he swiveled his chair to face me.

"You know, I've been thinking—we're in a tough spot right now, aren't we?" I started cautiously.

"Are you referring to the demon invasion, the crime wave, or something else? I'm currently working on a meta-human dampener, by the way. Feel free to help." He spoke matter-of-factly, already turning back to his work.

"Almost. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few days," I said, grabbing a ball from his desk and tossing it between my hands to calm my nerves.

"Thinking is good," he said simply, continuing to write on the board.

"Yeah, and today I've reached a conclusion."

"You want to go back in time," he said unexpectedly.

"What?" I froze in disbelief.

"You've got 'grief-stricken' written all over your face, Barry. But think about Flashpoint," Harrison said, gesturing toward me with the marker in his hand. "This idea of yours can only lead to worse outcomes."

"But this time is different," I argued, conviction in my voice. "I don't want to do this for myself. I want to do it for everyone—to bring back everyone we've lost."

"Saving billions?" he countered, his tone skeptical. "Last time, you saved one person, and it changed the entire world. Now imagine the consequences of trying to save so many. Right now, all we can do is harden our hearts and move forward."

He didn't understand the weight crushing me, the unbearable burden of knowing I could've done more.

"Isn't it worth the risk?" I pressed.

"Honestly, I don't know," he admitted. "You have immense power, Barry. But with it comes the greatest responsibility. You can't afford to let your emotions cloud your judgment." He walked over and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "Besides, could I even stop you if I tried?"

"I have to try—for everyone," I said, glancing down at the ring that held my suit.

"Then run, Barry! Run!" he said, nodding resolutely.

Summoning the power of the Speed Force, I activated my ring. The suit enveloped me, and I took off, accelerating faster and faster. Cities blurred into streaks of light behind me, then entire countries vanished in the blink of an eye. The world around me dissolved into a smear of motion.

The rift in time began to form, a swirling vortex tearing open before me. I hurled myself into it.

Time itself unfolded before me—an endless web of timelines stretching out in all directions. I focused, scanning for the right moment.

And there it was: the day everything changed.

[image]

Meanwhile at S.T.A.R. Labs

In an instant, the Flash was gone, leaving Harrison Wells alone. The expression of warmth and support he had shown earlier vanished from his face, replaced by a sinister smile.

"Barry, Barry... life has taught you nothing. You need to use your own head," Harrison murmured.

Picking up the fallen ball, he started whistling cheerfully as he walked down the corridor. Reaching a wall, he placed his hand on its surface. What had appeared to be a solid, monolithic wall shimmered and disappeared, revealing a hidden room.

Inside the stark white room, a man identical to the one who had just entered was tied up in the corner.

"Gideon, bring up the latest news reports from August 15, 2015," Wells said into the air. Suddenly, a holographic face materialized in response.

"Good to see you, Eobard Thawne," Gideon replied, as a series of news articles appeared in the air.

Scanning the headlines, Eobard Thawne's smile grew broader.

"It's time to rewrite history," he said. Red lightning sparked in his eyes. A flash of energy filled the room, and he was gone.

Central City, August 15, 2015 — Hours Before the Apocalypse

A swirling vortex erupted in the street, releasing a bolt of lightning that struck the ground with terrifying speed. The portal closed just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a solitary figure.

The Flash had completed his time jump, arriving mere hours before the catastrophic events began.

"I have to avoid running into myself. Let's start by sending Batman a warning about the impending attack on the Teen Titans. That should work," Barry muttered to himself as he sped off.

An orange streak of lightning raced through the city, heading toward the origin of the events that set everything into motion. Along the way, Barry sent an emergency message to the other Justice League members through their secure channel.

His next destination was Massachusetts, where the Tower of Fate stood. Without Doctor Fate to protect the dimensional balance, there would be no stopping the invasion. Identifying his priority—delaying the demon long enough for the others to arrive—Barry raced across the city, searching for the moment the demon emerged to overpower Doctor Fate.

He knew his efforts might not be enough to change the future, but he held onto hope.

While darting through the streets, Barry noticed colorful flashes in a nearby park. Racing toward the scene, he spotted Doctor Fate locked in combat with the demon. Stopping at a safe distance, Barry waited for the right moment to intervene.

Doctor Fate unleashed a powerful spell that clearly agitated the demon, but shadows began to gather behind the sorcerer, creeping closer. Recognizing the danger, Barry decided to act. Entering the Speed Force, he slowed time around him to a crawl.

Charging his hands with electricity, Barry hoped light would counteract the encroaching darkness. Approaching the shadows, he hurled two bolts of lightning at them and retreated into the trees to observe.

The lightning struck the shadowy figures, causing them to vanish. Encouraged, Doctor Fate pressed his attack, his incantations growing stronger until even the demon's roars fell silent.

When the assault finally ceased, only a charred fragment of the demon's body remained. Its head, grotesque but alive, struggled to regenerate but appeared to be failing.

"Your end is here and now," Doctor Fate declared, crafting a final spell. With a surge of energy, he launched it at the demon.

The demon—once Brian, who had desperately wanted to return—met his end. His final thoughts were a fleeting sense of relief that he had not brought more harm to the world.

The changes Barry had made rippled through time, steering fate in a new direction.

Staring at the aftermath of his actions, Barry felt a pang of unease. He hadn't expected Doctor Fate to take such drastic measures. The demon had been possessed, but it had still been a person.

But what was done was done.

Accelerating to a speed sufficient to breach the barrier of time, Barry once again traveled to the day he had left. Emerging from the portal, he was met with a horrifying sight—scorched earth stretched before him. The city he once called home was almost entirely wiped off the face of the earth. Memories of events flooded his mind.

"They had arrived to protect the Teen Titans, though Batman never revealed where he got the information. The attack came suddenly. Raven changed, transforming into something unrecognizable, and the entire League seemed to fall under a trance. Demons began infiltrating their minds. Most of the heroes became possessed by demonic forces.

The ritual had been completed nonetheless. The remaining heroes of Earth arrived in an effort to stop Trigon's emergence, but it was futile—they lost the battle. Trigon entered this world, aided by a demonic Justice League. Superman flew from city to city, burning and destroying any resistance, joined by the other members of the League.

By some miracle, Raven managed to break free and purged the possession from part of the team, including me, Batman, and Shazam. We managed to organize one last bastion of resistance made up of rescued villains and surviving heroes. Gotham became our final stronghold."

"No... it's only gotten worse. This wasn't supposed to happen!" Flash exclaimed in shock.

To confirm that his senses weren't deceiving him, he sped toward Gotham. Along the way, he saw only deserts of ash and the skeletal remains of humanity's structures, as if hell itself had descended upon Earth.

Reaching the city, he found it in ruins, though slightly better preserved than the rest. Running through its streets, he spotted a battle underway with hellish creatures. Among the combatants, he recognized Captain Boomerang hurling explosives while retreating toward a makeshift barricade, where Deadshot provided covering fire.

"Damn it, mate, shoot faster!" Boomerang yelled, sprinting for his life.

Flash decided to intervene, systematically taking down demons as he zipped through them. Suddenly, he stopped, startled by his own brutality. When did I become this ruthless? Searching his memories, he realized this wasn't the first time he had resorted to such methods during the war against the demons.

"Oh, Flash, you're just in time! Whew, there's a bloody swarm of these things," Captain Boomerang greeted him cheerfully.

Deadshot emerged from the wreckage of a car, reloading his rifle.

"We need to head back to the shelter. There's nothing here—no supplies, just a waste of time and ammo," Deadshot said flatly.

"Don't say that! I'll just sharpen my babies, while you'll soon be throwing empty cans," Boomerang retorted with a grin. Even in the apocalypse, he kept his humor. Perhaps it was his way of holding onto hope, or maybe it was how he coped with the horrors.

"Better that than your stupid boomerangs," Deadshot snapped.

"AAARRGH!" A guttural roar echoed in the distance, signaling the approach of another wave of demons.

"Flash, get us to the shelter! We can't make it on our own," Boomerang pleaded, swallowing hard as he eyed the approaching horde.

Flash nodded silently, overwhelmed by how much the world had changed. He grabbed them both and sped off toward Wayne Manor, the last stronghold of humanity.

As they approached the mansion, heaps of demonic corpses came into view, interspersed with human remains. The gates had been transformed into towering walls outfitted with numerous turrets and armed sentries. Flash stopped just in front of the perimeter, where the turrets immediately locked onto him, illuminating his chest with countless red laser sights.

"Whoa, mate, take it easy, or our own people will turn us into Swiss cheese," Boomerang grumbled in frustration.

"Oh! Boys, you're back—and Flash is here too!" came an excited exclamation. A colorful head peeked out from behind the wall.

Flash recognized the girl—it was Harley Quinn, the sidekick of the most notorious madman. Though she now wore more practical attire than her signature shorts and tank top.

"Harley, open the gate," Deadshot said firmly.

"Oh, right, almost forgot!" she replied, disappearing for a moment. Soon after, the massive steel gates began to rise.

Two meters of solid steel protected the entrance. They were greeted by guards dressed in field uniforms, weapons at the ready—just in case. Combat robots, armed to the teeth, also stood sentinel.

"Yeehaw!" Harley Quinn cheered as she slid down a rope to join them.

"Well, well, you've come back empty-handed," a disgruntled voice remarked. Emerging to meet them was the Penguin, the former mob boss. Despite the growing food shortages, he remained as rotund as ever. Gotham's ample stockpile of weapons had allowed the city to hold out longer than the rest of the world, and criminals had been among the first to adapt and survive.

"The nearest warehouses and stores have been completely cleared out. We'll need a large combat team to search any farther," Deadshot reported.

"Understood, understood. We'll figure it out," the Penguin muttered, leaning on his cane as he waddled away, followed by a couple of his men.

"Alright, let's go. Let's make a quick report so I can finally lie down and relax," Boomerang said, stretching.

"Let's move. I'll show you the way, and you can tell me what's going on outside the walls," Harley Quinn chimed in cheerfully.