Chapter 23: I Wish...

[Third Person's PoV] 

Three years later… 

Nathan soared through the vastness of space, his movements swift and fluid as he held a magnificent bastard sword forged from both fire and psychic energy. Before him was an alien army, their blue-skinned soldiers clad in space suits, each wielding their own energy swords. Behind them, a fleet of thousands of warships loomed ominously.

The leader of the alien army, Emperor D'Turk, stepped forward, his expression stern. "Lord Phoenix, turn yourself in so the council may pass proper judgment."

In response, Nathan casually raised his middle finger. "Judge this, you bastards."

The emperor tilted his head in confusion. Sensing this, Nathan smirked and shouted, "Where I'm from, this means 'Fuck you!'"

The emperor's eyebrow twitched, his annoyance and hatred palpable. "JUST TURN YOURSELF IN AND BE PROPERLY JUDGED FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST MY EMPIRE!"

Nathan's face hardened. "I am guilty of nothing!"

The emperor's voice boomed, laced with fury. "YOU SLEPT WITH MY WIFE, YOU FRIGGER FLAPPEN!!!"

Nathan covered his mouth in mock shock, and the emperor's forces collectively gasped. Regaining his composure, Nathan calmly retorted, "For your information, Emperor D'Turk, the Empress and *my* wife agreed to the threesome! I am innocent in all of this! The only thing I'm guilty of is my good looks and your inability to satisfy that majestic woman you call your wife!"

The hatred radiating from the emperor intensified, his anger reaching its peak. "ATTACK! FORGET JUDGMENT! HE DESERVES DEATH OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!!!"

The alien ships' weapons all pointed at Nathan as the soldiers charged toward him at blinding speed. With his sword ready, Nathan met them head-on, slicing through their ranks with brutal efficiency. Green blood splattered across the void of space as he tore through their forces, his smile growing with each fallen foe.

Suddenly, two massive beams of energy shot toward him, bright and powerful. Nathan released his sword and extended his hands, catching the beams mid-flight. With a swift motion, he compressed the energy into piercing bolts, sending them back toward the fleet. The bolts struck true, triggering a series of explosions that tore through the enemy ships, lighting up the darkness of space.

As the alien forces dwindled, Nathan's smile widened, his heart racing with exhilaration. The once-mighty armada was reduced to smoldering wreckage, and Nathan knew that this battle was only the beginning.

…

Meanwhile, a few lightyears away, Allison carried a birthday cake adorned with a number 3 candle and the words "Happy Birthday Claire" inscribed on it. Children ran around her, chanting "Cake! Cake! Cake!" in anticipation. She approached a table where little Claire, wearing a party hat, sat excitedly.

From a distance, Vanya sat with a smile alongside Ben, Jennifer, and Klaus. 

"What this party needs is some beer…" Klaus muttered.

Ben gave him a light smack on the chest. "Dude, it's a kids' party."

"Ow!" Klaus yelped, glaring at Ben before smirking mischievously. "So, when are you and Jennifer going to have a little Ben or a little Jen running around?"

Ben gave him a deadpan look while Jennifer blushed slightly. "We decided to wait until we're in our thirties and are properly ready for the responsibility."

"Ugh, that's such a mature answer," Klaus groaned, sticking out his tongue.

Diego then appeared, sitting down next to Klaus with a can of soda in hand. "What about you, Klaus? Ever think about settling down?"

"Oh God, no. I have too much energy and too many parties ahead of me to be tied down," Klaus scoffed at the idea.

"What I'm more worried about is Luther. Has anyone seen him?" Vanya asked.

"Nope. You and Nathan were the last to see him before he went off to the moon again and never returned," Diego said.

"Dear old Dad probably has him imprisoned on the moon like always," Klaus said, shaking his head.

Their attention shifted as Claire asked, "Mommy, is Uncle Nate going to come?"

Allison crouched down with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, honey, but I don't think he'll make it. He's kind of busy right now."

"Oh…" Claire looked down sadly.

Feeling bad, Allison quickly said, "Here, why don't we light the candles so you can eat some of that yummy cake?"

"That girl sure is attached to Nathan," Diego said with a smile.

"With the way he dotes on her, I'm not surprised," Vanya said, shaking her head. "And just so we're clear, I'm the favorite aunt."

"You're the only aunt," Ben said, rolling his eyes.

Once the candles were lit, everyone began to sing "Happy Birthday" to Claire. As the song neared its end, Allison encouraged, "Come on, sweetie, blow out the candle and make a wish…"

Claire placed a finger on her chin, then nodded, closed her eyes, and said, "I wish…"

Everyone in the Umbrella Academy froze as they saw sound waves emanate from Claire's mouth—a clear sign that she was using her powers, just like her mother.

"I wish that Uncle Nate was here!" Claire said before taking a deep breath and blowing out the candle.

Suddenly, Nathan materialized in the middle of the yard, shouting, "HAHAHAHAHA I SLEPT WITH YOUR WIFE, YOU OLD CUCK!!" as he held a flaming sword aloft, ready to strike.

Everyone stared in shock, slowly turning towards Nathan, who now stood among them, looking confused. He glanced around, trying to make sense of the situation. "Huh?"

"UNCLE NATE!! MY WISH CAME TRUE!!" Claire shouted with glee as she jumped up from her seat and ran towards Nathan with a huge smile.

Quickly dissipating his sword, Nathan adjusted to the situation and scooped Claire up into his arms. "There's the birthday girl!"

As he spun her around, Claire laughed joyfully. Nathan, however, looked over at the others and mouthed, "What the fuck is going on?"

"So, did you bring me a present?" Claire asked eagerly.

"Is that all I am to you, little Claire? A present machine?"

"Yup!" Claire nodded happily.

Nathan clutched his heart dramatically. "Your words hurt, little lady."

"So did you?" she asked, unfazed.

"Pfft, did I bring you a present? What kind of question is that?" Nathan reached behind himself and conjured a present out of thin air.

"Of course I brought a present! Here, let's go put it with the rest," Nathan said with a smile.

"Now go, little worm, they're about to cut the cake."

"I'm not a worm; you're a worm!" Claire retorted.

"I know you are, but what am I?" Nathan teased.

Claire just stuck her tongue out at him before running back to the table where her mother and the others were cutting the cake.

Nathan joined his siblings, who were all waiting for him. "Okay, what the hell is going on? Why am I suddenly here?"

"So it wasn't you who teleported here just as Claire made her wish?" Allison asked, a bit apprehensive.

"Wish? What wish?"

"She just said, 'I wish Uncle Nate was here,' and then you suddenly popped up, laughing and saying something in gibberish," Vanya explained.

"I see… So she's finally developed her abilities. And from what you've told me, it can't be good," Nathan muttered, loud enough for them to hear.

"If her powers work the way we've seen so far, then we're in for a lot of trouble," Diego said.

"There's still a lot we don't know. Is it just that she can say 'I wish' and whatever she wishes comes true? Or is it that on her birthday, she gets to make a single wish that comes true?" Vanya asked.

"What if it's the act of blowing out the candles?" Diego suggested.

"Or maybe it's tied to symbolic acts like blowing out birthday candles, wishing on a star, throwing a coin in a wishing well, or blowing a fallen eyelash off your finger?" Klaus pondered.

"Why do you suddenly get these weird moments of intelligence?" Nathan asked, looking at Klaus in surprise.

"I'm always smart. I just choose to use it for something productive, like getting free drinks in a bar," Klaus said proudly.

They all rolled their eyes. "Either way, her abilities are scary, that's for sure. They might even be more powerful than yours, from the looks of it," Nathan said, glancing at Allison.

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