Chapter 22: Five's reason to Stay

[Third Person's PoV] 

"Are you the one giving birth, or is she?" Nathan asked with amusement as he watched Luther walk by.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just really excited that our family is growing and more people are coming into our lives," Luther said, a bit embarrassed.

"Alright, you big softy, you can calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen, especially not with me around."

"I suppose you're right," Luther muttered as he sat down next to Vanya.

To distract himself from the impending birth in the room, Luther asked, "Hey, what did Allison mean when she said that Five was too prideful to come to us?"

"I haven't told you?" Nathan said, surprised. "I guess I haven't. You were on the moon when I told the others. I thought you'd have heard it from them."

"Well, there's no service in space, so we really couldn't communicate," Vanya added awkwardly.

"Ah, well, it was during my tenth meeting with Five. When I sent my consciousness forward in time, I went a bit further than I had before. I ended up meeting an old man version of Five…" Nathan began to recount his experience.

…

**Flashback:**

A 19-year-old Nathan appeared in front of an elderly man sitting on a bench, happily eating a sandwich and watching people and old-fashioned cars pass by. With a metal case rested beside him.

The old man glanced at Nathan but continued eating his sandwich. "Number?"

"Ten. And you're really Five? Damn, you're old."

"Well, not all of us are as immortal as you, Nathaniel. But it's good you're here. I have something to warn you about."

"Wait, before that, you've escaped the apocalypse? Why haven't you come back to us?" Nathan asked, noting the lack of destruction around them and the absence of rats.

"That's what I was getting at. I think I know why your future self didn't rescue my younger self when they met me. I'm certain that the current me warned you not to pull my younger self out of the apocalypse. Doing so could seriously mess up the timeline, creating a distortion that would wipe everything and everyone out."

"Come on, you can't seriously be asking me not to help you, Five!" Nathan protested.

"Just the fact that I'm here, talking to you, means you've taken my advice," Five smirked.

"Okay, but I don't understand. Why don't you want your younger self out? Don't you miss the others?" Nathan asked, looking at the elderly Five with concern.

"More than anything…" Five murmured. "But when I was trying to survive, I was approached by a woman who called herself the Handler. She was part of an organization called The Commission, responsible for keeping the timeline intact and eliminating any anomalies.

I was recruited by them, and I agreed. Thanks to my role, I've already altered the timeline and changed parts of history. If you pull me out too early, you'll undo those changes, damaging the timeline. 

The timeline is extremely fragile and delicate. The changes I made were small, causing ripples through time. If you take me out, those ripples will activate all at once, turning into a massive wave that the timeline can't handle. It would cause it to break and lead to unimaginable destruction."

"Damn it, Five, why do you have to make everything so difficult?" Nathan groaned in annoyance. "Alright, I get it—I can't pull the past you out. But what about you now? Or another future version of you?"

"Nathan, I appreciate the offer, but I don't need help. I'm close to figuring out the equation I need to travel through time," Five replied.

"Now isn't the time to be prideful," Nathan said, his expression serious.

"I need to be the one to do it," Five explained. "I'll send my consciousness through time myself. That way, I can preserve the changes I've made to the timeline without undoing the ripples I've set in motion. My actions will follow a continuous, narrow path that won't disrupt the timeline. If I receive help or an unexpected variable enters the equation, that path could diverge."

Nathan sighed. "Why does time have to be so confusing and complex?"

Five laughed. "Tell me about it. The more I think I understand it, the less I actually do. And just so you know, I didn't use your help for the equation; it was all me."

"Will it kill you to be less prideful for a minute, Five?" Nathan said with a straight face.

"I'm just clarifying so you don't think you helped with the equation," Five scoffed.

Nathan rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, Five added, "Oh, and just because I know this will annoy you greatly, this means I'm older than you now. So, no more using seniority over me like you did when I was younger in the apocalypse." He smirked.

"That's it. I'm leaving," Nathan said, deadpan.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Five laughed loudly.

"For an old man, you sure are childish," Nathan said before he disappeared.

Five stopped laughing and resumed eating his lunch. However, he froze as he noticed people around him staring with worry and fright. A little boy pointed at him, but his mother quickly lowered his hand and hurried away.

Clicking his tongue, Five grabbed his briefcase, adjusted the handle, and vanished from view.

…

"Wait, does this mean Five is coming back!?" Luther asked excitedly.

"Yes, but I don't know when. It could be right now, tomorrow, or in another five years," Nathan explained.

"Oh…" Luther said, a bit disappointed but still hopeful for Five's return.

They continued talking about Five, then shifted to discussing their lives and other topics. Their conversation lasted hours until they froze at the sound of a baby's cries.

They rushed to the glass and pressed their faces against it, peering into the room. They saw a tearful Allison being handed her baby, freshly washed and wrapped in a blanket. Patrick, with a teary expression, kissed Allison's head.

Seeing the baby safely delivered, the three of them thrust their fists in the air, shouting, "WE HAVE A BABY NIECE!!!"

This earned them a reprimand from the nearby nurses.

The Phoenix watched, leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets and a soft smile. She chuckled as she saw them getting scolded. She then extended her senses through the walls and observed the newborn baby. 'Just as I suspected… She's born with Marigold inside her as well… 

I'm curious as to how her powers will turn out to be, will her powers be influenced by the nature of her mother, or will they be totally unrelated and be a completely different power altogether. She's currently too young for me to make out her power. I guess we will see as she grows' 

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