The rain had been falling for hours, washing over the city like a slow, relentless countdown. Zero stood at the edge of the roof again, hands tucked deep into the pockets of his black coat. The night was thick with sound — distant sirens, the murmur of cars, and the steady drip of water from the mansion's gutters. But what echoed loudest in his mind was silence. The silence between heartbeats, between moments. The silence before everything changed.
(There's no going back now. Every decision twists the timeline tighter, like a noose around the neck of the world. I can feel it. The pull of what's coming, drawing closer.)
Inside, the mansion was fractured. The siblings were fractured.
Luther was pacing, muttering to himself about loyalty and betrayal, his eyes haunted by the weight of the serum coursing through his veins. Diego sharpened his knives in the shadows, his jaw clenched with unspoken rage and determination. Allison clung to her daughter, desperately trying to find peace in a storm of chaos. Klaus—where was Klaus? Probably chasing ghosts, as usual.
Five was different now. He had seen too much. Lost too much. And the burden of knowledge twisted him like a knife.
Zero found him in the study, staring at a map scattered with notes and strange symbols.
"Any luck?" Zero asked quietly.
Five didn't look up. "Every lead takes me deeper into the Commission's mess. The Handler is tightening the noose. We have less than three days."
Zero nodded, sensing the urgency in Five's voice.
"We need a plan. Something beyond running and hiding. The apocalypse isn't just a ticking clock anymore—it's a wave crashing down."
Five's eyes flicked to Zero's. "You've seen it too."
Zero swallowed the lump in his throat.
(I've seen too much. And every time I try to change it, time pushes back.)
"We can't stop it alone," Zero said. "But if we can rally the others... maybe we can buy time."
Five stood and moved toward the window, looking out at the city below, bathed in rain and neon.
"They don't trust me," Five said, voice low. "Or you. Especially not you."
Zero felt the sting but didn't respond.
(They don't see me as one of them. Not really. Just a ghost, a shadow, the forgotten.)
The conversation was cut short by a sudden knock on the door. Klaus stumbled in, eyes wild, breath ragged.
"They're coming," Klaus gasped. "Hazel and Cha-Cha. They're hunting me."
Zero's heart skipped a beat.
"We need to move," Five said, already reaching for his coat.
Outside, the night had turned colder, sharper. Zero stayed close to the others, but kept a careful distance. He wasn't sure if they wanted him here or not. His powers were a secret weapon—and a dangerous one at that.
They moved through the city like ghosts, shadows slipping between alleys and under flickering streetlights.
(One wrong move, one crack in the timeline, and it's all over.)
They reached the motel where Klaus had been held before. The place was eerily quiet.
Zero stepped inside first, eyes adjusting to the dim light.
The room was empty—too clean, too silent.
Suddenly, the television flickered on. Static filled the screen before the Handler's cold, calculating face appeared.
"Well, well," she said. "You're harder to catch than I thought."
Five cursed under his breath.
Zero watched her closely, feeling the tension spike.
The Handler's words were a warning—and a promise.
Back at the mansion, Vanya sat alone in the music room, violin resting in her lap. Zero found her there, the familiar ache settling between them.
"You're distant," he said softly.
She looked up, eyes glistening. "I'm scared. Of what I'm becoming. Of what I might do."
Zero nodded, understanding more than she realized.
"Power is a burden," he said. "But so is fear. You can't let either consume you."
They shared a long silence.
(Time is fragile. So are we.)
The hours slipped by, each one heavier than the last. The family was pulling apart at the seams, and Zero could feel the threads unraveling.
But there was one thing left: hope. A fragile, flickering hope that if they stood together—if they trusted each other—they might just rewrite the ending.
Zero raised his hand, feeling the familiar pulse of time slowing beneath his fingertips.
One day left to use it.
(One chance to hold this world together.)