"Limited to ones' Imagination" - DC Fanfic

The Batcave was darker than usual, the usual coldness amplified by the eerie silence hanging in the air. This wasn't the Batcave Alex had come to associate with Bruce Wayne, no—this was something different. The layout was similar, the shadows deep, the sound of dripping water filling the empty spaces between tense breaths. But the atmosphere? The feeling? It was all wrong.

As Alex stood near the massive Batcomputer, he exhaled, his breath steady despite the knowledge weighing on him. He had known something was off since waking up a few hours ago. It wasn't just the air, or the energy of the world—it was a deep-rooted, gut-wrenching instinct clawing at the back of his mind.

Then he saw him.

Thomas Wayne.

The man was older, grizzled, carrying the weight of years of pain in his posture. His Batman suit was different—heavier, lined with red, far more brutal than the one his son wore. The eyes behind the cowl weren't calculating like Bruce's. They were filled with anger, grief, and something else: acceptance.

And standing beside him, looking like he had just barely stopped himself from passing out, was Barry Allen.

Not just any Barry.

Alex's Barry.

"…Flashpoint," Alex muttered under his breath, running a hand down his face as realization sank in. Of course Barry messed with time. How had he not expected this?

Barry stiffened. "What?"

Alex let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "Nothing. Just… nothing."

It all made sense now. The wrongness, the tension, the subtle differences in reality that had been gnawing at him since he woke up in this place. Flashpoint.

And that meant this world was a mistake.

His eyes flickered toward Thomas, who had been watching him closely, calculating in his own way. "You know something, don't you?" the older man asked, voice deep and gravely.

Alex crossed his arms. "More than I'd like."

Thomas's eyes narrowed, but before he could press, Alex turned to Barry. "I should've seen this coming," he muttered. "Especially since it was you."

Barry swallowed hard. He didn't even try to deny it.

Alex didn't blame him, not entirely. Losing your mother? That was something that could break a man. That did break a man. Barry had power—immense power—and he had used it to fix what was broken in his life. The problem?

The cost was everything else.

Taking a slow step forward, Alex looked at Thomas. "You already know the answer, don't you?"

The older Wayne's jaw clenched. "I want to hear it anyway."

Alex inhaled. "Bruce. Your son. He became Batman."

Thomas's posture didn't change, but the atmosphere in the cave shifted.

Barry's eyes widened. "Wait—how do you—"

Alex shot him a look. "I know more than you think. The better question is: why wouldn't I know?"

Barry's lips pressed into a thin line, but Alex didn't stop.

"When you and your wife died in that alley, Bruce lived," Alex continued, looking directly at Thomas. "And that loss shaped him into the man you would've wanted him to be. It's not perfect. Hell, it's painful. But he carries your legacy."

Thomas didn't speak.

Didn't even move.

He was processing.

And Alex could see it—could see the slight twitch of his fingers, the way his breathing slowed as his mind raced.

Then, at last, he gave a small nod. "I see."

Barry, however, was still reeling. His hands trembled slightly as he whispered, "How do you know all this?"

Alex turned to him, his expression unreadable. Then, after a pause, he simply said:

"Do you want to be as paranoid as Batman?"

Barry blinked. "Well, no, but—wait, am I going to forget all this?"

Alex's expression hardened slightly. "No. But only you."

Barry stared at him, mind racing. But before he could speak, Alex exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen, Barry. I really don't want to do this. But frankly?" He clenched his fists. "I don't have a choice."

Barry's heart pounded. "What do you mean?"

Alex's voice dropped to a chilling calm.

"I'm going to reset time."

Silence.

Heavy. Thick.

Then, barely above a whisper, Thomas spoke. "I see."

Alex looked at him, his gaze softer than before. "I'm sorry."

For a long moment, Thomas didn't respond.

Then, at last, the older man gave a small nod. "It's fine."

But then, as Alex turned away, Thomas suddenly spoke again.

"Wait."

Alex paused.

"I have something for Bruce."

The air shifted.

Barry glanced between them, silent.

Then, without another word, Thomas disappeared deeper into the cave.

As soon as he was gone, Barry let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Then he turned to Alex.

"How do you know so much?"

Alex smirked slightly. "Barry, let me put it this way—there's a reason Bruce keeps tabs on everyone."

Barry paled slightly. "...That's terrifying."

Alex's smirk widened.

"Now you're getting it."

Before Barry could respond, Thomas returned. In his hand was a small note, folded neatly.

He handed it to Alex.

"Give this to him."

Alex took it carefully, nodding once. "Of course."

For a moment, nothing was said.

Then Alex turned back to Barry.

"What happened here stays here," he said, voice firm. "And you are not allowed to even think about it."

Barry, for once, didn't argue.

He simply nodded.

And then—

Alex's body shifted.

The air around him distorted, the shadows in the Batcave warping as his very existence seemed to defy reality.

His form morphed, stretching into something cosmic, incomprehensible, yet oddly serene.

A massive, jet-black form took shape, dotted with shimmering stars across its body. Three glowing green eyes opened in the darkness of its face, the air itself humming with sheer cosmic authority.

Barry stumbled back.

Thomas watched, expression unreadable.

And as Alien X raised a single hand, his voice echoed across the void.

"I'm sorry."

Then—

Everything vanished.

A blink.

A breath.

And suddenly—

Alex was alone.

Floating.

Surrounded by nothing but emptiness.

A void.

A universe without shape, without sound—without existence.

In his hand, the note remained.

His fingers curled around it.

And as he floated in the nothingness, a single thought echoed in his mind.

"Barry… you really messed up this time."