Author's Notes: Hello Readers! Sorry that this chapter took longer to release, but this has, so far, been one of the longest chapters to write, at least in this story. Also, I have a lot more going on right now in my life. But I thank you all for your patience.

Also, since my last chapter, I have gotten a few questions regarding the story. I don't want to answer all of them because it means spoiling the story. But I am more than happy to answer a couple of them here.

"How many chapters are left for this story?": I don't have a set number of chapters for this story. I know what I want to write and how I want to end the story. This is just going to take as many chapters as it gets to reach the finish line. However, I can say that this story is a little more than halfway done.

"Did you hear that Supergirl Season 6 will be the finale season of Supergirl?": Yes, I have. But as I said in a previous chapter, I have not watched a lot of Supergirl. I'm more of a Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow fan. I only really watch Supergirl for the crossover episodes. However, I do hope that the last season of Supergirl ends well and that the fans will be satisfied with the conclusion.

With those out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.


Disclaimer: Based on characters and references owned by DC Universe and the CW, which I do not own. Enjoy!


"Zoom! Take that, Captain Cold."

That is the first thing Oliver hears after touching the book along with Barry. Yet, somehow, he feels no book. He doesn't see it or William holding it. He just sees his hand on a wall, which somehow looks familiar.

He turns around to where he heard the voice, seeing a child playing with Flash and Captain Cold toys.

"Stupid Flash! You won't be able to run far when I freeze you in place!"

When the boy lifts his head up for a second, Oliver recognizes Younger William's face, looking as menacing as his Captain Cold impersonation.

"William?" Oliver calls as he removes his mask. William doesn't respond, still playing with his toy.

He reaches out and tries to place a hand on William's shoulder. However, the hand goes right through, as if William is a ghost. Oliver then waves his hand through him, making sure that this isn't a trick.

"I don't think he's real," Barry says.

Oliver jumps a bit, forgetting that Barry, who removes his hood, was even next to him.

"I think when we touched the book, it sent us into William's head. This is one of his childhood memories."

Oliver looks around the room. He starts to recognize the drawings and pictures of animals, the picture of the Central City Diamonds, and the poster of Flash Day.

"This is William's old room in Central City," Oliver says. "Why would it bring us—"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Oliver," The familiar voice of Samantha Clayton denies.

They all turn around, noticing the open door that leads out into the upstairs hallway.

"You must be mistaken."

"Samantha," a past Oliver insists. "I have proof. I know that William is my son."

"Dad?" William silently whispers. He jumps up, a joyful smile on his face, and runs out of the hallway and towards the stairs.

"Oh no," Oliver says in a horrified tone. His eyes widen as he repeats, "oh no, no, no, no, NO."

Oliver runs out to follow William. Fortunately, William hasn't gone far, only looking from a place where he can see the long hallway that leads into the kitchen.

"Oliver!" Barry calls out as he catches up. "Oliver, what's going on?"

"I know that you're going to say that me meeting him is a bad idea, given how he was…born," Past Oliver explains to Samantha. "But I know a friend whose father was sent to jail, framed for the murder of his mother. He had a foster father and sister to look after him, but he NEVER had his real father for most of his life, and it affected him. I don't want that to happen to William. He NEEDS a father. Please."

Samantha looks away for a moment, staring outside one of the windows. Oliver remembers that there was a Father playing catch with his son out in the neighbor's front yard, which probably helped solidify Oliver's argument. He remembered how she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and let out a heavy sigh. Probably because she knew that Oliver was right. Or she was preparing herself to ask him to do the hardest thing Oliver has ever done.

She turns back to past Oliver and asks, "If you really want to see him that much, will you do exactly as I say?"

Oliver nods. "Anything."

Present Oliver, while watching, looks over to William, still wearing that bright smile, waiting to greet the dad he had not seen in years.

"Don't say it," present Oliver silently pleads, dreading over what is going to happen next. "Not with him here."

Despite these pleas, Samantha says, "William is never to know that you're his father."

The smile on William's face fades. He frowns at the direction of his mother, probably confused as to why his mother is doing this.

"And you are not to tell ANYONE about William," Samantha continues. "These are my terms. You're already asking the world from me. I'm just asking the same from you."

Present Oliver, looking at William's now stunned face, leans over the railing and yells, "Don't agree! DON'T AGREE, DAMN IT!"

His words fall on deaf ears. Past Oliver is going through the motions. He closes his eyes, silently contemplating the choice presented to him. When he is done, he sighs silently.

"All right," He agrees in a soft, regretful tone. "I won't tell anybody. Not even Felicity."

Present Oliver leans his head down onto the railing, both his hands grasping the back of his neck.

"Damn it," Oliver curses under his breath.

"It's a nice name," Samantha comments.

"She's a good person," Oliver responds. "She's the best."

"William is upstairs in his room playing. You are just a friend of Mommy's."

As much as he hated to do it, Present Oliver forces himself to look towards William once more to see just how he was feeling. But William is gone, probably in his room pretending to play with his toys.

"Oliver," Barry softly says, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You didn't know."

Oliver doesn't turn back. His mind is too wrapped around what just happened…and what has happened since.

"I have been visiting William…once a week."

Oliver turns to Barry, who looks at him with sympathetic, narrowed eyes. But that didn't help Oliver at all.

"I made him go through…who knows WHAT hell…so he could see his father."

He pushes away from the railing. He then closes his eyes tight and runs his hands through his shaven hair. "I just…I just don't know how he would've gone through that and not argue with his—"

As he looks up to the ceiling and opens his eyes again, he sees something that he didn't see before. There are words inscribed in fire that say:

"She should never have done that!"

"Oliver. The floor."

Oliver looks down, seeing more flame induced sentences where William once was:

"Why did she do that?!"

"She's depriving me of the father I've been waiting for. Why?!"

"Keep it in. Don't say anything. Find out what's going on first. But can I?"

"Are these William's thoughts?" Barry asks.


Before Oliver could comment, He finds himself and Barry no longer in the hallway, but the kitchen. Day has somehow turned into night, no father and son playing catch next door.

"What just happened?" Oliver questions.

"I think we moved forward in time," Barry answers unsurely. "When we are, I don't—"

"Come on William," Samantha's encouraging voice echoes behind them. "Eat up."

Oliver and Barry turn around, seeing William and Samantha seated at opposite ends at the table. Samantha's plate, covered with salmon, green beans, and mashed potatoes, is halfway finished. William's plate, which was fish and chips, looks as if it was barely touched.

Samantha asks, "Are you okay? You've barely said two words to me for weeks."

William looks at Samantha with what looks like a neutral stare at the surface. But Oliver can see the subtle glare on his face, one similar to what he gave Oliver after his outburst at Barry.

"Can you tell me what happened to Dad again?" William asks.

Samantha does not say anything for a moment. Her hand slows to a crawl as her fork pierces into a piece of Salmon. But she clears her throat and maintains her composure.

"Well, like I said, your father's in a better place."

"You mean Star City?"

The sentence freezes her hand in place as she is about to take a bite. She raises her head, her mouth still slightly open as if unable to close.

"Living his life with another woman because you drove him away?"

Her hand trembles, almost to the point of dropping the fork.

"Yeah. I know Oliver Queen is my dad. I've known ever since you made him make that STUPID promise!"

"I-I-I…" Samantha is jumbling her words, not knowing how to respond. "I-I didn't think you were listening."

William shoots up from his table and yells, "That's your excuse?! No 'I'm sorry?' No 'I was wrong for trying to keep your dad away from you?'"

"William," Samantha pleads, raising her hands up defensively. "Please calm down."

"You know, I've been imagining how this reveal would happen for a while! This was NOT what I wanted!"

"William, there are certain things you wouldn't understand."

"Like how I was born?"

Samantha's eyes grow wide as if ready to leave their sockets.

"Yeah. I heard dad say that too. I looked up ALL of the ways a child can be born. I've prepared myself for all the explanations that you're not giving me!"

"Because I didn't want to explain!" Samantha blurts out. "I didn't think I'd have to. You seemed fine."

"Well, I wasn't! Every time Dad visits, I have to PUSH DOWN the urge to call him that. To give him a hug and tell that I know. To tell you that your promise can go to hell!"

"Don't you DARE use that language," Samantha commands, sitting up quickly. "Especially with me. I am your mother!"

"And you're a lousy one!"

William's insult cut her deep, for she freezes in place and says nothing more. Oliver feels nothing but resentment, a tear flowing down his cheek. Whatever Barry is doing or feeling, Oliver doesn't care.

Without another word, William runs away from the table and towards the stairs.

Samantha follows suit, calling, "William! William wait!"

"Oliver," Barry says cautiously. "Oliver, I know this looks bad."

"Looks bad?!" Oliver shouts as he turns to Barry, who jumps and takes a few steps back. "I drove a WEDGE between my son and his mother!"

"You didn't know that he listened to the conversation," Barry points out, taking a couple of brave steps forward. "And it was Samantha who forced you into that agreement."

"And you were the one who lectured me on how dangerous it was to mess with time!" Oliver refutes. "If anything, I should've just left them alone. Maybe then, they wouldn't be arguing."

"But it wouldn't have protected William from being captured," Barry once again argues. "Besides, he may have found out one way or another and they would still argue. Stuff like this just happens Oliver, even between family."

"And just how would you know that William wasn't still mad at her?"

"Because I HATED living with Joe because he was involved in my dad's arrest. But I grew to appreciate what he and Iris did for me, the hole that they filled. If your son was still angry with his mom, why didn't he run away?"

Oliver places his hands on his hips and breathes a heavy sigh before admitting, "I don't know. But I don't want to—"


Almost immediately, everything became pitch black, the only source of light being rays reflected by the moon. From the rug, Oliver can tell that he and Barry are back in William's room.

Not long after they arrive, the door opens, the hallway light revealing William opening and shutting the door quickly. He locks and then sits against it, huddling his legs close to his body and placing his forehead on his knees. He almost looks as if he is about to cry.

All the while, Samantha knocks on the door, pleading, "William! William, please open the door."

Just then, more fiery words formed on the floor, saying:

"I don't want you to come in!"

"You're nothing but a liar!"

"I hate you!"

Oliver, wishing that he can comfort William right now, can only whisper, "Bud."

"I know William," a different yet familiar voice says behind them.

The words fade without a single wisp of ash left behind as William lifts his head up and Oliver and Barry turn around. At the corner of the room stands a shadowy figure that none of them can see clearly. But Oliver feels like he's seen this man before.

"Parents can do stupid things sometimes," the man continues as he walks from one side of the room to the other. "But we do it because we want to protect our children."

The man's face is finally revealed by the moon light as he nears the window. The face of Malcolm Merlyn.

"William?" Samantha calls again, this time with a concerned tone. "William, who is that in there?"

Oliver turns around, seeing William stand up very slowly and flip on the light switch. Malcolm, fully revealed, is in his usual League of Assassins outfit. The same one he wore as the Dark Archer.

William's lips tremble as he says, "W-who are you?"

"My name is Malcolm Merlyn, an old friend of your father's."

William begins to ease up when he hears Malcolm Merlyn's explanation.

"And I've come here, William, because we both share a great pain."

"What pain?"

Malcolm kneels down and continues, "I have a daughter. Thea. Your aunt. Your father's half-sister. That would make you my half-grandchild."

William's eyes widen slightly, but they do not express total shock. For all Oliver knows, he could be doubting Malcolm's claim, even though it's true.

"Yes William. Like you, your Aunt Thea's ties to me were kept hidden by your grandmother. As I am sure she convinced your mother to hide all ties between you and your father."

William's eyes widen even further, almost ready to pop out at any moment if given even more news.

"Even though I still had a son of my own, I still missed out on a daughter, on you, because your grandmother was too afraid to express the truth to me. I never got to treat Thea like family until later in life. But you shouldn't have to with your father."

William stands firm, trying to look braver than he really is. "What do you want?"

"To give you what you want William," Malcolm says. "A chance to see your father. No pretending. No lies. Just you and your father."

Just then, Oliver realizes what is going on. "Wait a minute. This was the night Malcolm kidnapped William and brought him to Damien Darhk." Oliver's eyes furrow as he looks over to William. "But…Samantha said that William was playing in here. She said she didn't hear anyone take him."

"Why would she lie?" Barry asks.

Before Oliver could say, Samantha yells, "William! Whoever is in there, do not go near them."

The muffles of something fidgeting the lock can be heard behind the door.

"William," Malcolm calls, extending his wooden hand, "You're not going to get another chance at this. She is NOT going to let you see him. EVER."

The muffled fidgeting stops, followed by Samantha saying, "William, I'm coming in!"

Hearing this, William steps away from the door before it opens. In comes Samantha, holding a sharp kitchen knife. Her eyes widen when she sees Malcolm, who stands up quickly and smirks.

"Malcolm," Samantha whispers with despair.

"Hello Samantha," Malcolm greets her almost welcomingly. "It's been too long."

William expresses the same confusion as Oliver and Barry do as he asks, "Wait. You know this guy Mom?"

"Oh, there's a lot your mother knows," Malcolm vaguely explains. "Things she will never tell you."

Samantha extends a hand to William, "Sweetie. Come here. This man is dangerous."

"William," Malcolm calls out, extending his hand again. "I would never lie to my family. That includes you. THIS is your only chance."

William does not immediately go to his mother. He looks to her, then to Malcolm. Back and forth over and over.

Meanwhile, Oliver shakes his head.

"Don't do it," Oliver begs. "Bud, don't do it."

To Oliver's dismay, William rushes to Malcolm's side.

"William," Samantha loudly whispers with the same despair.

"I want to see Dad," William says, his voice almost choking.

Samantha is about to lunge at Malcolm, but stops when he says, "Touch me…and the men outside will make sure you never see your son again."

The blade is still steady in her hand. Her lead foot looks ready to charge in again. But she eventually drops the knife, slouching in defeat.

"Tomorrow night, Damien Darhk will show evidence to Oliver Queen that he has William in his custody. Until then, you are not to go to him, any vigilantes, or the police."

As Malcolm and William head for the window, William looks back at his mother, who is about to cry. He doesn't say anything to her. He just looks at her blankly while Malcolm helps him through the window.

On the roof, Malcolm places a hand on William's shoulder and says, "You WILL see your father again. —"


"—I promise."

The scene quickly changes again. They are no longer at William's house. They're outside of someone else's, standing near the front door. Oliver and Barry look down, seeing William look towards something opposite them.

They look and see a sight now familiar to Oliver. A past him, wearing the sleeveless variation of his suit from a few years ago. He is standing on a brick part of a long driveway.

Oliver now knows that this was the day that he saved William from Damien Darhk. But this feels different. Like something important is supposed to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the Green Arrow is gone, replaced by Oliver wearing the tan jacket and blue jeans he wore the day he met William at his home.

"No," Present Oliver utters, his eyes widening. "He…he couldn't have. How?"

More flame inscribed words on the brick pavement reveal the answer:

"His face…it's covered up, but it looks like…"

The words disappear as sirens approach their vicinity. Past Oliver nods to William, grabs his bow from the ground, and retreats. William looks on, new words being etched into the road.

"My Dad…is the Green Arrow?"

"He knew," Barry states, almost stunned. "William knew."

Oliver wanted to deny the claim. His strongest instinct was to say that the book was fooling them. But one quote stood out in his mind. Something William said to him when he was being tortured by Dr. Parker that he brushed off before.

"When I found out who you were, what you've done, all I wanted was to be like you. Be the hero I knew you were."


When Oliver snaps out of his thought, they are in a minivan. He and Barry are in the back seats while William occupies the middle and Samantha drives.

"How long were we in here?" Oliver asks.

"Not…very long," Barry answers with a bit of confusion. "Were you distracted or something?"

Oliver shakes his head. "Just…remembering something."

"You were right," Samantha says out of the blue. "I was wrong to keep your father from you. But I did it because I wanted to keep you safe."

"Malcolm Merlyn said something similar," William points out in a low, indifferent tone.

Samantha nods, but doesn't go further into it. Instead, she pulls the car over the side of the road. Looking outside, they seem to be in the middle of nowhere with nothing but grass fields surrounding them.

She takes a very subtle sigh and says, "I didn't live an ordinary life William. It was filled with secrets, lies, and…other things I'm not proud of." She turns around to face him. "I thought that one lie would have been the exception. To give you an ordinary childhood, to grow up and be a good person making good choices. But I hurt you. Hurt you in ways I thought weren't possible."

William doesn't look up. He keeps staring at the Green Arrow action figure in his hand.

"I know it's hard for you to forgive me, and I don't expect you to right now. But I am making you this promise. When you're old enough to understand, I will tell you EVERYTHING you want to know. After that, whether you forgive me or not…is your choice. Does that sound good?"

William keeps looking at the toy. As he does, more words form on the rug floor of the car saying:

"What would you do Dad?"

"You entered one deal with her, and that turned sideways."

"But…she sounds serious."

As the words disappear, William nods and says, "sure."

"Good," Samantha says silently.

She puts her hand on the gear but does not put it on drive yet.

"Just…one more thing. Did Malcolm Merlyn say anything to you about your father?"

When she finishes the question, a sentence forms on the floor.

"Don't say anything to her about Dad being the Green Arrow. This is the one thing she won't take away from me."

Upon seeing it, Oliver shakes his head in despair.

"No. William, don't think like that."

Unfortunately, William just shakes his head and says, "No."

Samantha does not try to probe him further. She just puts the gear on drive and resumes the trip down the road.

"Can we find a martial arts place when we get there?" William asks. "So I can learn defend myself?"

Samantha swallows hard, obviously not keen on the idea. But she smiles and agrees, "Sure. I think we can do that."

After the discussion, one more sentence appears on the floor:

"I'll be as strong as you the next time we meet Dad. I promise."

Oliver lets out a saddening sigh. "William. You didn't have to be."


Suddenly, Oliver and Barry find themselves standing in what seems to be a gym or dojo. The floor is one large placemat and a shelf in the corner contains sparring equipment such as gloves, helmets, and shin pads.

"Remember, keep your guard up," a vaguely familiar voice says to a bunch of boys doing one vs one sparring. "But don't stay on defense for too long. Find the opportunity and take it."

Oliver looks over to who is talking. He already recognizes the crew cut the man is sporting, but the cuts on his face make it a bit hard to confirm his identity. But Oliver has no doubt in his mind who this martial arts teacher is.

"Ted Grant," Oliver utters aloud.

"You know this guy?" Barry asks.

"I do. He was a boxer and vigilante who trained Laurel in self-defense before Nyssa did. Last time I saw him, he was hospitalized. Never saw him again, but Laurel did tell me that he left Star City for a much simpler lifestyle. But why show us him?"

"Oliver."

Barry's hand points to the left side of the gym, where William is locking one of the other students in an arm bar.

"Nice work Mathew," Ted praises. "Now apply pressure, but not too much. You don't want to break his arm, just enough to make him tap out."

William does just that, lifting his upper body just enough that it makes the student's face scrunch with just how much pressure his arm is feeling. Eventually, the student taps out, which prompts William to let go.

"He trained your son," Barry points out. "You think William found him again later in life?"

Oliver shakes his head. "Unlikely," he deflects, remembering that William was keeping his trainer, Batman, a secret.

Just then, a bell sounds throughout the room, causing all the students to stop.

"The day's over," Ted announces. "Next week, we'll be applying both standing and ground techniques into sparring."

William is about to head through the door, but is stopped when Grant calls to him, "Not you Mathew. I need to talk to you for a sec."

"Why does he keep calling William that?" Barry asks.

"That must have been the name given to him during his time in witness protection," Oliver explains.

When the other students have left, William asks Grant, "Am I doing something wrong?"

"Not at all," Grant answers as he kneels down. "In fact, you're doing a lot better than the other students around here. I'm just wondering if you had any prior experience."

William shakes his head. "Just Bruce Lee movies."

Grant chuckles. "Right. But still, were any of your parents martial artists? Your father perhaps?"

William hesitates to answer for a moment. Eventually, he answers with, "I wouldn't know. He wasn't part of my life growing up."

Oliver can't help but cross his arms and let out a subtle sigh, knowing how true William's statement is.

"I'm sorry," Grant says. "I didn't mean to pry."

William smirks. "It's alright." He then heads out the door, saying, "See you next week."

Grant doesn't say goodbye back. Instead, he places his hands on his hips, watching William exit with Samantha with a raised eyebrow.

"You think he knows?" Barry asks.

"He at least suspected something," Oliver answers. "Even so, I don't think Grant would do anything to William or Samantha even if he—"


The gym either changes overtime or they are somewhere else, because it becomes as large as a town hall. Suddenly, arrows start flying in front of them, a few of them hitting the stationary bullseyes across the way while most of them miss. However, only one hits the target dead center.

"Very good Mathew," another voice congratulates. However, it is not Grant's. They look over to see a man in his 50's, looking a bit plump, but still fit. He wears a black sweatshirt and shorts, a somewhat common attire for gym coaches.

In front of him are students wearing various t-shirts and shorts, holding short bows in their hands. One of them is William, who is across from the arrow that hit the center of the bullseye.

"Third one in a row," The coach continues. He looks at the watch on his wrist and nods his head. "I think we'll conclude practice here. You all can get going." As the students leave, he reminds them, "Remember, there are sign up sheets for the archery team if you're interested!" Then, like Grant, he calls to William. "Matt. I'd like just a couple minutes with you."

William walks over to the coach, who kneels down with a smirk.

"You've been practicing outside of the archery club. I can tell."

William shrugs his shoulders. "It's just an appealing sport."

The coach nods. "I know it is. And…I know your Mom disagrees with the proposition I gave her last time. But you can convince her to just give the archery team a try. If you don't like it, then you can just leave. No problems."

William hesitates to answer, biting the back of his lip as if to put a wall around his answer. More words are inscribed onto the gym floor, saying:

"As much as I want to, I need to respect my Mom's wishes. For now."

Finally, William shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I can't."

The coach's smirk widens. "Well, I thought I'd give it a shot. Now get going. You don't want to miss your bus."

William runs off for the locker room. As soon as he is out of sight, the coach's smirk, for some reason, turns into a frown. He gets up, takes out a cell phone, and calls up somebody.

After a moment of silence, the coach says, "William won't budge Deacon. Tell Prometheus that the kid's all his."

Oliver's eyes widen in horror the moment that he hears the Deacon's name uttered. The same Deacon who is in charge of the Ninth Circle, the people responsible for hunting down Samantha after she refused to give up William to them. And yet, somehow, they knew he was here and, to that extent, Samantha as well. And worst of all was the mention of Prometheus who, as William told him, the Deacon was partly responsible for making, as well as Diaz.

"No," Oliver whispers in shock. "That would mean—"


Before he could say it, Oliver and Barry are teleported again, this time facing the open doors of a school bus. William is the only one who exits the bus before it goes on to its next stop.

"William," a voice that Oliver hoped to never hear again calls out nearby. He and Barry see the man that ruined William's life, Adrian Chase, stop William as he is walking.

"My name is Mathew," William quickly denies before passing Chase and continuing down the sidewalk.

"But it used to be William, right? Before you and your mom left Central City?"

The mention of his mother must've interested William, because he stops and turns around, showing a raised eyebrow.

"William, don't," Oliver pleads. "Keep walking."

"You know my mom?" William asks Chase.

"No, but I know your father." A smirk forms on Chase's face. "And he knew mine."

Suddenly words form on the ground again, saying:

"This has happened before."

"He'll capture me like Malcolm did."

"Warn the couple across the street then run."

Oliver nods his head in approval. "That's it Bud. Don't fall for it."

"Don't try it William," Chase warns as William is about to yell out to the couple. "They're with me."

Oliver and Barry look over to the couple in question. The man is someone Oliver doesn't recognize, but the woman is another story.

"Talia," Oliver utters with mild anger in his voice.

The purple coat, hat, and scarf cover most of her appearance, but Oliver recognizes her stare. However, it does not show determination, but rather worry. Yet Oliver can't figure out why.

"I'm need you to come with me William," Chase demands, holding out his hand. "I won't ask again."

William stands there for a moment, not even twitching. Oliver can't tell what William is thinking, nor does he care.

"Run William," Oliver pleads again.

To his dismay, William walks towards Chase slowly. However, Oliver notices that he is slowly curling his fingers and thumb behind his back. Words form behind him as he approaches:

"The guy's guard is down."

"Punch him, like Mr. Grant showed us, then run."

"If that doesn't work, kick the shin."

When William is close enough to Chase, he throws his arm out to employ a cross to the face. Unfortunately, Chase blocks it and pushes William down before he could kick the shin as planned.

Oliver begins to run towards them, wanting to stop Chase from kidnapping William. But before he gets very far, Barry wraps his arms around him tight.

"No Oliver! It's not real. There's NOTHING you can do."

Oliver tries to break free, but Barry is persistent. He is forced to watch as Chase approaches William and reaches his hand out to grab him. William delivers a kick to the face before raising his arms and legs up into a defensive position.

Chase flinches a bit, but just laughs it off. "You have your father's fighting spirit." He grabs both of Williams legs and drags him in order to grab his neck. "But you barely have his skill."

Chase raises his fist up and prepares to knock out William. Seeing this, Oliver throws all his weight down to get Barry off of him quickly before running towards them.

"No!" Oliver yells as he lunges towards Chase's wrist. But as a twisted reminder of their predicament, his hand goes through it as if it were nothing but a hologram.


The sound of a punch transitions them to someplace dark, cold, and empty. It almost reflects how Oliver feels as his breathing slows to a crawl, almost ready to collapse onto the floor. He had to force himself to turn around and see William, who is chained to a stone wall with no apparent emotion on his face.

"Oliver," Barry calls after getting up. "There was nothing you could've done."

Oliver doesn't respond. He just bows his head in shame.

His guilt trip is interrupted by the door across from them opening, revealing Adrian Chase. He walks in with the Green Arrow toy in one hand and a knife in another. Oliver snarls at him and what possible harm he will do to William.

Walking in after him him is Talia. On the surface, she looks neutral, level-headed. But the rubbing of her hands behind her tells Oliver that she is trying to hold something in. Something she is not comfortable with.

"Talia here tells me that you never said anything while I was gone," Chase says. "Not even a request to see your mom."

William looks down at the floor, choosing to say nothing. But the words appearing in front of him say it for him:

"You probably won't let me anyways."

"I understand," Chase appeals. "I hated my mom for years when I found out who my dad was. Hated her for keeping secrets. We're alike that way, you and I. In fact, we're more—"

"Screw you!" William utters, looking up to Chase with a scowl.

Chase only scoffs at the remark and then proceeds to hold up the Green Arrow toy. "They found this in your backpack. My guess is that you take this everywhere you go. A way to keep your father close to you." He tosses the toy towards William and with his free hand takes out a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I do the same with a photo of my father." He shows the picture of his father, Justin Claybourne. "Always feeling like he's watching me. Every fight, every kill. Like he's there on the sidelines. Even in death. Even when your father KILLED him."

Oliver can hear the silent growl in Chase's voice when he said the word "KILLED." It is as if a scar was never healed, even when Oliver told him that Claybourne was going to disown him.

"If he got killed, he must've deserved it," William said unapologetically. "My father wouldn't have done it unless he felt like he had to."

Oliver, hearing William say that, shakes his head. No William. Don't say that.

Chase chuckles as he puts the photo in his pocket. "Really?" He walks towards William as he takes out a cell phone from the same pocket. "Because I have something that says otherwise." He turns the phone around and turns it on. "Your father's confession."

Oliver's eyes grow wide, realizing what Chase is talking about. He walks over to William's side and looks at the video. He sees himself in a cell, shirtless, Adrian Chase staring him down, and Evelyn laying beside them after faking her death.

Barry walks over to them as well, asking, "What is it?"

"This was when Chase tortured me," Oliver explains. "I didn't even know that it was recorded."

"You've told yourself that you kill because you have to," Chase says in the video. "CONFESS Oliver. You don't kill because you have to. So why? Why do you do it?"

"Because I wanted to," Oliver in the video responds weakly.

"What?"

Oliver bows down in shame. "I wanted to." Finally, he stands back up and yells with all the strength he has left, "I WANTED TO! AND I LIKED IT!"

William looks at the video in horror, not saying anything.

Chase, however, is smiling. "It took HOURS to get the truth out of your father."

William very slowly looks to the toy in front of him and says, "Dad…"

"THIS is what you were aspiring to. A cold-blooded killer!"

"Shut up!" William yells. "My dad would never—"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you not believe the proof right in front of you? Do I have to play the video again until the fact is hammered into your brain?!"

Chase rewinds the video back to the point Oliver yells:

"I WANTED TO! AND I LIKED IT!"

Chase does this again,

"I WANTED TO! AND I LIKED IT!"

And again,

"I WANTED TO! AND I LIKED IT!"

And again,

"I WANTED TO! AND I LIKED IT!"

William turns away and tries to bring his hands up to his ears. But the chains prove too short. Oliver, meanwhile, clenches his fists, but tries his best to remember that, as Barry said, this has all happened before. There is nothing that either of them can do except watch. The fact just infuriates Oliver more.

"He has heard enough!" Talia demands.

Chase turns to her with a glare but does not object to her. He finally turns off his phone and sets it down on the floor.

"So you see," Chase begins. "Your father is no hero. He kills with no discrimination, all to fulfill some sense of 'justice.'"

William lowers his hands, but keeps his head turned away.

Chase grabs William by the jaw, forcing him to look back while saying, "You still want to be like your old man?" He then flips the knife in his hand with the blade facing him. "Well, here's your chance."

Chase forces William to grasp the knife with both of his hands and raises it to the center of his neck. He points to Talia and explains, "She has been instructed to let you and your mother go if you do just ONE thing." After raising a finger to indicate the number, he places it on his neck. "Kill me."

William's hands tremble at the request.

"Kill me!" Chase commands, bringing the blade closer. "Just one stab, Right into my neck!"

William tries to bring his hands away, but Chase's grip is too strong. Talia's leg begins to twitch a bit, as if she wants to intervene but can't for some reason. She then turns her head away and closes her eyes.

William tries to plead, "I…I don't want to!"

"Yet you want to be like your old man! You can't do that without first spilling blood. Do it!"

The last thing Chase says triggers a memory in Oliver's mind, when he had Chase in a chokehold, primed to break his neck, and Chase urging with straining breath,

"Do it! Do it Oliver. Show everyone who you really are!"

William has the same face that Oliver did at the time. A face of conflicting answers, the urge to take the kill that Oliver kept resisting. The same gritting of his teeth as the blade slowly draws closer as the grip of his hold became tighter. It was like a mirror, only these are different circumstance. But that also meant that Oliver knew where this was going to go.

"NO!" Both of them echo.

With all his might, William flings his upper body forward until his forehead connects with Chase's. The head butt makes Chase flinch more than William's kick from the kidnapping, loosening his grip on William's hands. The knife falls to the ground, stainless.

William huddles and rubs his head, whimpering "No" over and over, which may be a substitute for "Ow."

Chase, while rubbing his head, gets up and says, "You must really hate your mom for all the lies she's told you. Because you ruined your chance of EVER seeing her again."

Chase turns to Talia, who looks surprised at the outcome. He seems to ignore it, for he walks past and commands, "Take him to the boat! I have to prepare for Oliver's arrival."

Just as Talia is about to walk to William, she freezes. So does Adrian Chase.

"What's happening?" Barry asks.

"…He knows EXACTLY who his father is," Chase's voice echos just as Oliver was about to say something. "Just as you learned who your father was…"

Oliver and Barry look everywhere, the voice having no discernible origin. When they look back at Adrian Chase, he is somehow gone, as is Talia.

"He's younger than you were, so he'll be fine. And you'll have each other. And that's GOOD, Oliver. That's good."

It was with that last sentence that Oliver remembers the moment when those words were spoken. But they should be outside of the island, on a boat with Oliver holding William in his arms.

"Because it's going to be so lonely without Mom."

The voice is now discernible, but, strangely enough, it is right next to them. They see Chase sitting where William once sat, holding a loaded pistol to his head. He looks up to Oliver with a smirk on his face.

"And Felicity."

"No, Adrian!" Oliver shouts, his first reaction being to reach out and try to disarm the weapon.

However, it was too late. The gunshot follows with blood spraying onto the wall and Chase leaning downwards on his side. Oliver feels that he can't do anything except look on with shock. Barry looks at this the same way, but his jaw is not dropping to the floor as Oliver's is.

Suddenly, the distant sound of explosions can be heard across from them. They become louder and louder when, eventually, a rage of fire starts tearing the side cell walls apart. Barry and Oliver try to retreat through the door, but more fire appears on the other side of the cell, gaining on them fast, and traps them in the center of the cell.

As the fires engulf Chase's dead body, Oliver and Barry close their eyes, preparing for the worst to happen.


However, Oliver feels nothing. He opens his eyes and sees nothing but pitch blackness all around them. No sounds, no explosions. Just the stillness of whatever setting they are in now.

"The bad man was in my dream," the young voice of William says.

Oliver and Barry find him sitting on the edge of a bed with a past version of Oliver kneeling in front of him. Oliver remembers this from when William had a nightmare about the "bad man," aka. Oliver himself. The day when William blamed him for Samantha's death.

"He's why my mom's gone."

"Well, he can't hurt you anymore William," Past Oliver assured him. "He's gone."

"No, he's not," William refuted.

"I'm confused buddy. Where do you think the bad man is now?"

As before, William slowly points to past Oliver. But, for some reason, the image of Oliver freezes, not regressing to the face of guilt he had before. Yet William is still animated, still pointing shakily.

"Oliver," Barry calls from the end of the bed. "Look."

He points to a mirror Oliver had not noticed before; an accessory William never had in his room. Oliver walks to where Barry is to get a good look at the reflection. In it, there is no reflection of him, his past self, or Barry. There is only…

"Bud," Oliver utters in horror. "No." He quickly walks over to where his past self is, which fades into ashes as he walks through it and assumes the same kneeling position. "William, I know you can hear me. You have to be. Please listen. You are NOT the bad man. Do you hear me? It was my fault." He clutches the side of the bed as he yells, "It was my fault!"

"Don't lie to me!"

Upon hearing another voice behind him, Oliver gets up quickly. He and Barry see Older William in place of the mirror. However, he is not in his Red Arrow suit. Rather, he is wearing a white colored outfit with red streaks that run along the back of the sleeves and the hood behind him. His legs are covered in knee and shin pads and his hands are gloved in black leather.

"Do you know how hard it's been? Forcing the blame onto you for so many years? To have all of this guilt bearing down on me?!"

Oliver walks to William, arguing, "No. William, NONE OF IT is your fau—"

"STOP IT!" William yells. "Stop using yourself as a shield! Just shut up!"

Oliver stops himself from talking further, worrying about William becoming angered even more.

After taking a few breaths, William continues, "Now I have this one chance to avert Mom's death…" Suddenly, blue energy forms in William's hand. It takes shape and then manifests itself into the book of destiny. "…thanks to this."

Oliver shakes his head. "But the Book didn't work for Deegan."

"It can for me. The book has shown me how, as well as how to get you out of here. Experience the new reality I will give us. A life where Mom is ALIVE." William stretches out the book to Oliver. "You have seen the pain I have carried. PLEASE."

Oliver opens his mouth, but no words come out. He was going to refuse to do it, saying that there is no telling what can happen. But now something in his mind is telling him that, as harsh as William's judgement against himself might be, he has been making a lot of good choices as a hero. Maybe he is right about this too. Sure, he is angry now. But who wouldn't be with all that guilt inside of him?

New words start to form inside Oliver's mind. Words of agreement. And Oliver was about to say them.

But suddenly, Barry snatches the book away.

"No."

Oliver looks at Barry with confusion.

William, however, gives him a snarl. "What?"

"I know your pain William," Barry sympathizes. "More than you could know. I changed time because I couldn't handle the pain of my parents dying in front of me. But doing so came with consequences."

"He's right," a deeper, modulated voice agrees.

Behind William, younger William and the bed are gone. In his place is Adrian Chase, fully suited as Prometheus.

"You," Oliver says with a growl. He walks up to Prometheus, getting up in his face and yelling, "You don't get ANY judgement in this. You're the reason Samantha is dead! Her blood is in YOUR HANDS!"

"You're right," Prometheus agrees somberly after a few moments.

This does not just confuse Oliver, but shocks him. Prometheus does not retaliate nor does he give any lecture about how everything he touches dies.

"But before you make your verdict, see the rest of it."

As shocked as he is, Oliver does not deter from his anger when asking, "The rest of what?"

"Oliver!" Barry calls. "The Book."

Oliver sees the Book of Destiny floating into the air and opening itself up. As when William held it, blue energy spills from the pages. It enraptures everything, including William and Prometheus, and then…


"Then you can't solve it," A distant voice says.

Oliver and Barry see darkness once again, but not just pitch black. The ground below them is made of rock and there are a few drops of water coming from the ceiling above. This is obviously a cave. But when they look around more, they see gadgets, a supercomputer, and other stuff that suggests a hideout much like the Bunker in Star City.

"Where are we now?" Oliver asks hastily. "What happened to—"

"He wouldn't have done it to keep us away," Another voice tries to reason.

Oliver and Barry find Kate Kane and Lucius Fox fiddling with something very similar to the teleport machine in Star Labs. However, the computer looks different, showing lines of text that may be computer code.

"He wiped out any mention of a solution and our overrides aren't working," Kate points out frustratedly. "And now these lines of code are so nonsensical that even you can't make heads or tails of them."

"I said I recognize what program this is," Lucius explains. "The code, however, is all over the place. There are key misplaced words that should go with the others, but they're just not."

"Have you tried treating it like a Rubik's Cube?"

The voice of Younger William grabs everyone's attention. He is standing just feet away from a lift that brought him down here.

"You." Kate walks up to William with a profound scowl. "I thought I told you to go back home."

"I have no home here," William admits.

"Then where is home?" Kate asked.

"You weren't subtle when leaving. I knew that you had some idea of where the Batman is. I want to see him, and I'm going to whether you like it or not."

While Kate hesitates, Barry comments, "William told us that Kate and Luke saved them. This must've been that night."

"Hold up," Lucius interrupts them. "What did you say about a Rubik's Cube?"

William walks past Kate, who looked like she was going to grab him, but stops herself as soon as he was out of reach.

"My stepmom. She's a computer genius," William explains. "She once told me that an algorithm is like a Rubik's Cube. They're complex and can be solved in various ways. You just have to be creative."

As Luke ponders on this, Oliver can see a smirk on Barry's face. "I somehow knew Felicity rubbed off on him."

Oliver can't help but slightly smirk as well. "Yeah, me too."

Luke, snapping out of his deep thought, walks back to the computer. He looks at the lines of code again, his eyes darting from word to word, especially the ones indicated by the message box as errors. He then looks over to Kate.

"Kate. I think this was meant for you."

Kate, with a raised eyebrow, approaches the computer and looks at the lines. After examining them for a while, her eyes widen.

"Wait a minute," she says. "I think I know some of the solutions." She starts pointing at a couple of the words. "Those words there on that 'what/if' line, 'balance' and death should be 'Alice," and 'Beth.' And that set statement there with the jumbled-up words is a bar I used to go to before becoming Batwoman."

She kept pointing at these glares in the code until she had no more input to give.

"Holy crap!" Lucius exclaims. "This is literally a program based on your vigilante life before he left. Amazing!"

"Try it," Kate commands.

Luke presses the enter key and the lines of code disappear. The two of them wait for something to happen with anticipation while William stands a few feet behind them, fiddling his fingers. Finally, a message appears, saying, "You solved it Kate. Congratulations."

Suddenly, the teleport machine opens a breach, which startles everyone. Out from it comes someone wearing a dark grey suit with a black bat plastered on the chest, as well as black gloves, boots, and cowl with short, pointy ears. To top it all off, all of it is made of the same, flexible metal and mesh as Willam's Red Arrow suit. The appearance is more than enough information to know who this is.

"HAHA," Barry shouts in excitement. "I knew it! I KNEW Batman was real."

The Batman, the supposed teacher of William, immediately takes off his cowl and turns to them, revealing a face that Oliver is surprised to see. The last person he would've expected to see as the Batman.

"Bruce Wayne?" Oliver says, almost in astonishment.

"Wait," Barry interjects. "Bruce Wayne? As in Kate's cousin?"

"Bruce," Kate repeats with joy.

She walks up to Bruce and they embrace in a hug. From the expression on Kate's face, It has been a long time since they ever did.

"It's good to see you Kate," Bruce greets her with very subtle glee.

As they break off the hug, Lucius walks up to him with a hand extended out. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Wayne."

"You too Luke," Bruce responds as he takes Luke's hand and shakes it.

Bruce's eyes then fall upon William, who has been standing there in amazement since his arrival. However, Bruce looks at him with a firm yet concerned stare.

"And why are YOU here?" Bruce asks.

William snaps out of it, barely able to form words at first. He eventually say, "Uh, m-my name is—"

"You're William Clayton," Bruce interrupts. "Oliver Queen's son."

All of them, including Oliver and Barry, are stunned that Bruce even knows this.

"That's Oliver Queen's son?" Luke asks.

"I didn't know he even had a kid," Kate admits.

"He was captured by Damien Darhk a few years back. I was going to plan a rescue, but then the Green Arrow, his father, did so beforehand."

"You knew about Damien Darhk?" William asks. "How?"

"You didn't answer my question William," Bruce deflects. "Why are you here?"

William pauses for a moment, probably wondering whether to answer him or to probe him for more answers. After a few seconds, he speaks again.

"Batman—uh, Mr. Wayne, sir. I came all this way to find you. To ask something of you. Star City, my home, is in shambles after it was wrestled from a criminal named Ricardo Diaz. My father is in jail for being a vigilante."

"If you're asking for someone to protect your home city, I can't simply just go there and—"

"That's not what I'm asking," William detests. "Friends of his are still there. People who fought alongside him for years and I am sure can protect the city until he comes back."

Hearing this makes Oliver smirk again, glad to know that William had confidence in Diggle, Felicity, and the others.

"But…I partially blame myself for what happened to Star City."

Oliver's smirk quickly fades.

"I've been a burden on my father. Being kidnapped twice, him having to raise me while trying to be a vigilante. I don't want to be that anymore. I want to be just a strong as he is. Just as SKILLED. To be of help."

Bruce nods his head. "I see. And you want me to train you?"

William nods his head in return. "That's what I've been hoping."

Bruce takes a moment to examine William, Oliver unsure of what he is trying to find. He then kneels down before continuing, "Listen William. Training to become like your father, me, or a vigilante in general…it's not something that can happen in a matter of months. It takes YEARS of hard work and dedication. It's not an easy path, and I don't want to force that upon you."

Suddenly, William clenches his fists. At first, Oliver thought he was about to angrily strike out for the lecture he was given.

"Most things these past couple of years have been 'FORCED' upon me. I had to pretend my dad didn't exist when I found out he DID. I had to go into witness protection because MY DAD made a decision to hand himself in on his own, without any input from me or my stepmom, who sent me away when Ricardo Diaz found us!"

Oliver closes his eyes tight and turns his head away. The dreadful memories of that day run through his mind, or at least the events as played out in this timeline.

"I ran away from my boarding school because I CHOSE to! In fact, it felt like the FIRST choice I've ever had. And I've come all this way—"

"Did you run away because of your fear of becoming a burden?" Bruce asks. "Did that drive you all this way?"

When Oliver looks back, William's fiddles with his fingers again and taps his foot. "What does that have to do with—"

"Fear. Guilt. Anger. All of these emotions can drive us to make rash decisions."

"I wasn't being rash!"

"You RAN away, miles from your boarding school. The fact that you're still alive tells me that you're already resourceful or you have God on your side."

William doesn't say a word back, closing his lips tight.

"The small book in your sweatshirt pocket," Bruce points to the bulge in William's sweatshirt. "Either a notebook or a Bible. Have you even read it? How about the tale of the father and his two sons?"

William slowly nods. "I read the parable. The younger son runs away when he's given his half of the inheritance. But he eventually goes back."

"Because he starts to regret the decision he made. He wanted to be a servant to his father to make up for it but was welcomed back with a feast. As a SON. You will have that same regret, run back to your family and beg to come—"

"I CAME HERE…" William pauses for a moment. The breath he takes is raspier than calm, but it looks like he regains some composure. "I came here because they're better off without me right now. They may deny it, but it's true! This was the BEST thing for them."

Bruce looks at William with narrow eyes for a long while.

"You're not afraid of being a burden," Bruce finally says. "Your fear is that those you love will get hurt because of you. Because it happened once before."

William's legs begin to look wobbly, small tears forming on his face. Still, he tries to look as tough as he can.

Bruce puts a hand on William's shoulder. "William. You can't run from fear forever. You must face it. CONFRONT it."

"H-how?" William asks, his voice breaking a bit.

"First, take a few more breaths. Calm yourself."

William does as asked, taking a few relaxing breaths that steady his legs and dry his tears.

"Now, close your eyes."


When William closes them, Oliver and Barry are taken to another unfamiliar location. It looks like some kind of large warehouse, boxes stacked by the dozen next to one end of a conveyer belt. Next to the boxes are men opening them and taking out weapons and drugs. Across the way are more of the men unloading them from a large ship onto the conveyer belt.

"Come on men!" A brutish voice calls out. "I want these in the streets of Gotham by tomorrow. Move your lazy asses!"

Oliver clenches his fist when he sees the face of Ricardo Diaz, alive and well. However, there are noticeable strands of white hair on his head, which is curious. What's more, he says Gotham, not Star City.

"Now, take all of your fear, guilt, and anger," the voice of Bruce Wayne continues. "I want you to form them into something. Something that reminds you of all those emotions."

Suddenly, a scream is heard from where the boxes were being unloaded. One of the guards that is inside the ship is gone.

The other guards over there ready their guns and slowly make their way into the ship, keeping eyes on every corner. However, the lights above them go out. Lights from random gunfire light up the hold, showing one man dodging the bullets and taking them down one by one. A man in a dark hood.

"Don't just stand there!" Diaz orders. "Shoot!"

The men near him grab guns and mags from the crates, reload, and aim at the open area of the ship. They empty their clips where the hooded figure was last seen. Afterwards, they reload again and wait for any sign of movement.

"Something that fills you with dread when you see it. Evokes your greatest fears."

After half a minute of nothing, a smoke bomb drops into the group, enveloping them all in its cloud. The hooded man drops in afterwards with a grapple arrow. Oliver and Barry can't see a thing, but they can hear the criminals screaming in pain before being silenced by brutal knockouts.

As the smoke dissipates, the only ones remaining are Diaz and…

"A face."

…Prometheus, standing right in front of him, bow in hand.

Diaz takes out a pistol from his side and aims, but Prometheus reacts by disarming him with a…

An Arrowhead? What the hell?

When Diaz flinches, Prometheus comes in with a hook and cross punch to the face. He then wraps an arm around Diaz's waist and throws him to the ground.

Prometheus quickly mounts Diaz to ensure no escape and starts throwing a flurry of punches at him. Diaz blocks all of them but finds no room to retaliate. Eventually, Diaz throws all his strength from his hips and arms to throw Prometheus off. As Diaz goes for a side lock, Prometheus shrimps out of the initial attempt. He then shoots out his right leg, kicking Diaz in the face, which leaves a bloody nose, but he recovers quickly.

As Prometheus gets back up, Diaz charges at him and locks them both in a struggle. Diaz keeps pushing, trying to pin Prometheus into the pillar behind him. But as they near it, Prometheus jumps onto the pillar and quickly flips over Diaz, breaking the hold.

As Prometheus gets up from his landing, he elbows Diaz's face, stunning him. He then turns Diaz around and pins him to the wall, launching blow after blow everywhere from the torso all the way up to his face, each punch becoming slow and ruthless.

But when Prometheus swings his bow, Diaz grabs it and throws it to the side next to a crate near them. He then goes for a hook, but Prometheus slips underneath it and counters with a cross to Diaz's nose, making it bloodier than before. With Diaz unbalanced again, Prometheus grabs one of his arms and throws him to the ground again.

As Diaz gets up, he takes out a knife from his pocket and tries to sneak in a stab to the chest. Prometheus, however, is quick to step away, trap the wrist and twist it inwards, disarming and grabbing the knife from Diaz, who screams in pain. Prometheus then wraps his arms around Prometheus and, with all his might, throws him once more, this time into the crate next to his bow. This one must have proved to much for Diaz, for he is out the instant he stops skidding on the floor.

Victorious, Prometheus grips the knife in his hand, ready to strike the killing blow. He starts breathing heavily but does not walk to Diaz and plunge the knife into him. He might be planning to throw it, yet he seems hesitant to do anything. Whatever reason that may be, Oliver can't seem to figure out.

"Prometheus," William's voice says, his voice almost breaking again. "Adrian Chase. He wanted me to kill him, saying it would free me and my mom. I refused to do it."

"Why?" Bruce asks.

"Because…because a toy of my dad as the Green Arrow was there. It was facing me, like Dad could see what I was doing, wondering what I would do. I knew…I knew he was a killer before, but…a video I saw over and over…it showed me that he regretted it. I knew that the last thing he would want was for me to kill anybody. But…it got my mom killed. I'm responsible for her death."

"Then you know the burden of a vigilante's life. We do not just have the choice to save lives, but to become judge, jury, and executioner. The choice between the life and death of another. But that shouldn't be up to us. Our goal should be to stop criminals, not to execute them. If your mother was a good person, I'm sure she would've wanted you to make the same choice, even if it was her life on the line. So tell me now. Would you take back what you did, if you could?"

There is a slight pause. Chase still does nothing, but his breathing slows, almost sounding calm.

"…no."

Finally, Chase…drops the knife. Just like that.

But…Chase just went through a lot of men to fight…wait a minute. When is this even taking place? Diaz never had any white hair any time we—

Suddenly, the sounds of sirens catch his attention. Quickly, Prometheus goes and picks up his bow and shoots a grapple arrow at the ceiling. It quickly whisks him away as the cop cars come into view.


Suddenly, Oliver and Barry are on a rooftop looking out into a bay. Behind them, they here the sound of a hatch opening. Coming out of it is Prometheus, who closes it and quickly sits down. He quickly removes the hood and mask, which reveals…

"No."

Oliver's eyes widen when he sees that the face behind the mask is not Chase's, but William's. He holds the mask out in front of him, looking at it with a neutral stare.

"You have faced your fear," Bruce's voice congratulates. "Confronted your demons. But that was only one battle. If you intend to be under my tutelage, then you will learn to wield fear, make the face in your head your own, to make criminals share your dread. That is what I will teach you."

Out of nowhere, Batman, now wearing his suit and cowl, walks up between Oliver, Barry, and William. He extends a hand invitingly and smirks.

"Do you still want to go down this path?"

William smirks back and, without hesitation, takes Bruces hand.


An almost blinding light flashes in front of them, forcing Oliver and Barry to shield their eyes. When the light starts to dim, they see only William, still wearing the Prometheus suit, the mask clipped to the side of his suit. Under his arm, he carries the Book of Destiny.

"William," Oliver says in a low tone, regretful for all the insults just a few minutes ago. "I—"

William raises a hand. "Don't Dad. You know the truth now. Both of you do."

Barry walks up next to Oliver, asking William, "You were trained…by the Batman?"

William nods.

After a little while, Barry laughs joyfully. "That is so awesome!"

William smirks and shrugs his shoulders in response.

"How did you even think to look for him?"

"Comics. He was my favorite superhero before you showed up. When I was in boarding school, I heard rumors from Gotham kids saying that they saw him, that he was back in the city. I debated whether to go or not for a while. But, when I brought a school bully to justice, or someone I thought was a bully, I knew what I wanted to do. I took the chance after I uploaded a video exposing him and, after a tumultuous journey, got to Gotham."

"But you never got to Gotham City," Oliver remembers. "Younger you was kidnapped. What we saw was—"

"The original timeline," William answers. "I dropped younger me off with Bruce after saving him to preserve my timeline. In the original, as I said before, Kate and Luke saved me. When I saw that they had bat insignias on their chests, I lied about living nearby to follow them and…well, you know the rest."

"No," Oliver objects. "You knew Clark and Lois the instant we were there, like they were lifelong friends. Knew we were at the Kent farm. You wouldn't have unless—" Oliver pauses for a few moments, realizing what happened after William and Bruce's first meeting. "Bruce didn't stay."

William shook his head. "He went there to retreat. One of his greatest nemesis' hit him hard, leading to his financial downfall and to the death of a few of his family and friends. He found Earth 38 and discovered that its Bruce died, but it was not publicly known. He used it to his advantage, took on his identity, and remained there, leaving behind a puzzle for Kate and Luke that he would activate once he saw that the city was doing fine with them in it. But you're right, he didn't leave just yet. There was much on Earth 38 that he had to finish."

"So he brought you with him," Barry deduces. "For how long?"

"A few years, until his work was finished. He kept ties with Clark and the Earth 38's Batman Inc. He even sent me there to do missions with them from time to time. And…one on my own."

Oliver, remembering the white hair on Diaz and that they were in Gotham, not Star City, asks, "So, that Diaz you faced was—"

"An Earth 38 counterpart," William finishes. "Just as vicious and cruel. It was a graduation of sorts, to see if I was worthy of being on my own. And…to see if I could keep a level head and make the right call. And I passed."

"But…" Oliver places his hands on his hips and his eyes narrow at William as he asks, "As Prometheus?"

"To master your fear, you must become it," William explains. "Make your enemies learn to dread what you dread. But that night, I thought to myself that I didn't want people to fear Prometheus anymore. That's not who I was. So, I made a new face in my head. One that could bring fear into the hearts of criminals as Prometheus did. The face of—"

"Red Arrow," Oliver figures out. "Your current suit was the result."

"Not entirely," William admits. "The mask was a lot more—"

"ENOUGH OF THIS!"

Barry, Oliver, and William turn around and see, strangely, another William. The one in the white hooded outfit.

"I will hear no more," other William says with an angry gaze. "You'd rather our mother be DEAD! And for what?"

"Wait a minute," Oliver interrupts. He then points to the William next to them. "This is the real William. So who are you?"

"He is me," Red Arrow explains. "He's the part of me that wants to make the changes to the timeline with the book, regardless of the consequences that lie ahead. He's beginning to turn into the person we will be if it happens."

"What conse—"

Oliver stops himself when he sees, in the other William's hand, a sword that he didn't have before, covered in blood. Clipped to his side is a mask of a demon, something similar to how William described the Deacon's mask.

He joins the Ninth Circle? But what would…

He then remembers what Adrian Chase tried to make William do. What William refused to do. And realized that there was only one way that William's mother could survive.

"You killed Chase. You did exactly what he wanted. What the Deacon wanted. You became a pawn for the Ninth Circle. You began killing for the Deacon and Dante!"

"I would kill the Deacon and Dante!" The other William proclaims.

The eyes of Barry and Oliver widen in shock.

"I would grow tired of their differences. Their BICKERING and CONSTANT arguments. They held me back! I would remove the obstacles and help the Ninth Circle and Order of St. Dismas rise in power, as the ultimate bringers of justice! I would become AZRAEL, the killer of evil!"

"But our mother would not approve," Red Arrow refutes. "If we go through with this, we become what she strived to keep us away from."

"But she is there! That's ALL that matters to me."

"Even though she will become more distant from you? Blaming herself for the path that you chose? You don't want her alive because you love her, but only to tell yourself that the first kill was worth it!"

"She still lied to me!"

"And you think killing Chase is what?! a form of punishment for her?!"

"Enough!" Azrael flicks his sword downwards, the blood disappearing into the pitch-black ground. As he walks towards them, he raises his sword and says "I won't continue this USELESS argument further. I'm taking the Book of Destiny and changing my fate."

"No you won't," Oliver declares.

Azrael stops and lowers his sword slightly. He whispers painfully, "Dad…"

"I won't see you become a monster," Oliver explains. "Barry's right. We can't change time, not with the consequences." He then turns to Red Arrow and tells him, "Get us out of—"

Before he can finish, a shuriken pierces Oliver's leg. Another hits Barry's. As Oliver clenches the wound, Azrael quickly charges in and push kicks Red Arrow into the ground. Red Arrow rolls out of it quickly, but Azrael rushes in again and grabs one end of the book. Red Arrow does not let go, resulting in a tug of war between them.

"Give me the book," Azrael demands. "Give it to me!"

"No!"

Oliver quickly takes out the shuriken from his leg. While there is a sharp pain, the cut heals quickly because he has Flash's powers. Looking at the tug of war going on, Azrael opens the book, the blue energy surging from the pages as before.

"William!" Oliver calls out, running in as fast as he can to grab the book before anything else happens.

But it is too late.


After a light envelopes them all, Oliver sees his hand grasping a familiar looking tree. He looks around, finding themselves in a dense forest he starts to recognize.

"Lian Yu," Oliver pinpoints.

"Which one of the Williams brought us here?" Barry asks as he gets up, no shuriken in his leg.

"Most likely both," Oliver deduces. "This was where their ultimate choice was made. They might try to finish their struggle here."

Out in the distance, Oliver can hear grunts, both of them modulated.

"Which they're doing right now," Oliver tells Barry. "We need to help William."

As Oliver was about to speed run, an arrow appears right in front of him, into the tree. A black arrow.

"You're not going anywhere gentlemen," a familiar voice insists.

Barry and Oliver look to where the arrow was fired, seeing a couple of people they thought they would see again. Malcolm Merlyn, sporting his League of Assassin's outfit, and Eobard Thawn, red lightning sparking from his yellow suit and phasing to the point where his face is almost a blur.

"Not while we're here," Eobard finishes for Malcolm, his super speed altering his voice.

Before Oliver and Barry could react, Thawn comes in charging in, taking Oliver away, and Malcolm readies another arrow to fire at Barry.