Author's notes: Hello Readers! I just want to take the time to answer a couple of questions about the last chapter that came up recently.

is the Azrael William real or is he part of William? Azrael is a part of William that wants to save his mother, knowing that it means killing Adrian Chase, becoming a cold-blooded killer and being resented by his mother. Red Arrow is William, who is trying to resist the temptation by showing his progression as a vigilante and how he became a better person from being one. He does not want to throw that all away just to save one life, even if it is someone he loved. I hope I have given a clear answer.

Also, one of you said something was wrong but did not specify what it was. While I do appreciate and listen to feedback, I can't make the corrections necessary unless you guys tell me what it is.

With those out of the way, please enjoy the chapter!


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


As the bright light from the book finally dims, Red Arrow and Azrael find themselves in an open field surrounded by trees. This is a location they know from many nightmares.

"Why here?" Azrael asks frantically. "Why here?!"

Suddenly, the Book becomes transparent in their hands and floats upward to the point where it was impossible to reach.

"I see now," Azrael says as his gaze turns to Red Arrow. "Our conflict must be resolved." He takes the demon mask from his belt and slips it on. He then redraws his sword and points it at Red Arrow. "And the victor WILL be me."

Red Arrow, in kind, puts on the replica mask of Prometheus and unsheathes his bow.

"We'll see about that."

Azrael grips the sword with both hands and raises it close to him, light shining off the edge. Red Arrow positions his bow a little ways away from himself, his empty hand raised between the weapon and his face. Both of them stare each other down, waiting for their opponent to make the first move. Red Arrow remains calm, anticipating which strike Azrael will do first. Azrael's fingers fiddle with the grip impatiently, his lead foot twitching. Flaring nostrils are heard behind the mask, getting louder each time.

Then, as Red Arrow anticipated, Azrael charges in screaming with a thrust.

Bloodthirsty, arrogant. Easy to counter.

Red Arrow sidesteps the thrust and swings his bow at Azrael's head. Azrael seemed to have expected it, though, for he ducks his head at the last second. He then swings his sword in a downward arc, which Red Arrow blocks just in time.

The strength of the strike staggers Red Arrow back, letting Azrael continue his assault. He attacks nearly every angle, a strategy Red Arrow used often to probe an opponent's defenses. He adapts to this by matching Azrael blow for blow, minimizing every window of opportunity.

Further analysis shows similarities in strategy, trying to find a weakness instead of just pile driving through. However, he is much more aggressive. Wait for a window, then strike.

Red Arrow finds his opportunity by blocking an overhead strike and redirecting it to the side. He then employs a spinning backfist targeted at Azrael's face.

Come on. You think Bruce is the only one who teaches mind games? Block, then trap arm.

As the backfist comes in, Azrael blocks it with a helmet guard then immediately shoots the arm out to trap Red Arrow's wrist.

Employ throw.

Azrael then throws Red Arrow over his shoulder and onto the ground. As Red Arrow lands on his back, his grip on his bow is loosened and it flies several meters away from them.

Now, go for the killing blow.

Counter quickly!

As Azrael's plunges the sword down, Red Arrow quickly dodges it, grabs Azrael while he is crouched, and delivers a knee strike to his masked face. He stumbles back, which allows Red Arrow to quickly get up and use an explosive arrow on the sword, leaving it in millions of pieces.

Azrael, despite loosing his weapon, laughs. "Don't you see? I know how you THINK. How you'll act! You were raised by cowards, AFRAID to cross a line. Me?! I'll been raised by the greatest killers of all time! Trained to not hesitate. To feel no remorse for my kills! And what training do you have, besides how to beat criminals senseless only for them to be back out on the streets again?"

Red Arrow stares at Azrael with disgust. "I have a father who taught me how to fix myself when I was broken. A mentor who taught me how to fight with a moral code. While you will have a mother who grows to RESENT you."

With a scream, Azrael throws a shuriken at Red Arrow, which he counters with one of his arrowheads.


Barry just barely dodges Malcolm's arrow. As he reaches into his quiver, Malcolm runs in and push kick's him down. Barry tries to get up, but Malcolm grabs him quickly and throws him towards a tree. Malcolm then takes Barry's face and slams his head in.

Barry groans. His jaw and skull aren't broken, but he feels disoriented and his whole head is in pain.

"Come on Barry Allen," Malcolm taunts. "Is that really all you got?"

With the pain clouding his thoughts, Barry goes for a cross at Malcolm's face, which Malcolm immediately parries and returns in kind.

While Barry leans on the tree in pain, Malcolm laughs. "Embarrassing. At least Oliver put up more of a fight! You know what your problem is? Your too kindhearted. Compassionate. You can't use your anger like Oliver. You can't take all that trauma and turn it into a weapon! I guess the deaths of those you love mean NOTHING to you!"

Malcolm's words anger Barry to where some of his pain is numb. He swings his bow, but Malcolm is able to grab and counter with a hook punch too fast for Barry to block. Malcolm then comes in with a series of punches, knees, and kicks which Barry can do nothing about except block and hope for an opening.


Oliver can barely keep his distance from Reverse Flash. Every time he turned the corner or hopped to and from a branch, Thawn is there to try and knock him down, but the blows just nearly miss.

Knowing that he can't keep up the chase any longer, Oliver turns back and runs at Reverse Flash, ready to deliver a surprise punch. But Reverse Flash just sidesteps it and push kicks him into a tree.

"Look at you," Reverse Flash says as Oliver slowly recovers. "You can't even touch me. Where was that speed from when you outran Amazo or took down all those thugs in the Asylum? Or were those just moments of LUCK?"

Oliver charges in again and tries to land blow after blow on Reverse Flash, but he dodges every one of them. Reverse Flash then grabs Oliver and flings him into the tree, following it up with lightning fast punches. Oliver can feel the pain in his torso going from aching to unbearable in a few seconds. When Reverse Flash finishes, Oliver slides down the tree, unable to move and breathe properly.

"At the end of the day, you're nothing but a man wallowing in anger and hubris, calling it 'strength,'" Reverse Flash insults Oliver. "Your joy is always fleeting because your mistakes drive everyone you love away. At least Barry knows how to hold on to them."

Reverse Flash then grabs Oliver and runs, slamming him into a multitude of trees with no breaks at all.


Azrael throws Red Arrow to the ground. Red Arrow rolls out of it in time to block a raging assault. He tries to counter, but Azrael parries each cross, rolls under every hook, checks every kick and knee, following with strikes that hit ten times harder than Red Arrow's. This continues until they near one of the surrounding trees. Red Arrow feels wobbly, barely able to keep his guard up.

Comeback options…limited. Adjust strategy.

Red Arrow grabs Azrael's next front kick and tries to move in.

Took the bait. Now, incapacitate.

Azrael jumps off from his free leg, using his trapped leg as a pivot to perform a spinning kick, knocking Red Arrow down.

Azrael gets up but does not proceed to attack. He gives an amused smile as he looks at Red Arrow, his Prometheus mask barely on, slowly crawl to the tree.

"Predictable," Azrael scoffs. "How can you be a warrior of God if you can't even fight the stronger version of you? You might be the faithful knight, but I am the Angel of DEATH."

Red Arrow leans on a tree for support as he slips his mask back on.

"I am the one who will deliver the sinners to Hell, so their souls can burn for all of eternity! Preserving what good there is left in this world until judgement day."

"Are those…" Red Arrow struggles to ask under his breath. "The Deacon's words? Or Dante's? Because they're…CERTAINLY…not yours."

"I will be everything the Deacon and Dante strived to be." Azrael takes a couple steps forward. "And MORE."

He's in range. Go for cross.

Fool will go for a cross. Sidestep and incapacitate arm.

As Red Arrow goes for the cross, Azrael sidesteps and grabs the arm. He then takes out one of his kunai and stabs Red Arrow's arm. As Red Arrow screams in pain, Azrael knee strikes him in the stomach, pushes him to the tree, and grabs him by his mask.

"And you're weak!"


Malcolm uppercuts through an opening in Barry's defenses, disorienting him. Malcolm then hits him with an onslaught of jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts to the face, all of which should be breaking Barry's jaw and nose, bruising his eyes. But whatever magic the book has is preventing him from having them.

As Barry leans back on the tree, heaving, Malcolm scoffs and says, "You're weak."

Just then, Reverse Flash comes in and throws Oliver into a tree across from them. As Oliver lands on the grassy floor, Reverse Flash also insults him with, "You're weak."


Red Arrow's breathing slows to a crawl as the pain of Azrael's kunai goes from sharp to bearable. He looks at Azrael, his menacing, gritting smile giving off the feeling of a psychopath. But his eyes, the deeper Red Arrow looks at them, show pain. A familiar one from when he was taken in by Oliver. He would see it every night, every time he woke up from a nightmare and looked into a mirror. Something that he had seen less and less as he trained with Bruce but is somehow much more prominent in Azrael.

Upon realizing why this is, Red Arrow felt temped to laugh, but the pain everywhere else made doing so feel unbearable.

"You're even weaker," Red Arrow says under his breath.

Azrael's psychotic smile starts to fade.

"You wouldn't kill because it's easy. Not because some psychopath taught you how. You do it because you're afraid."

"Shut up."

"You're afraid that those you love will die. That if you do nothing, their blood will be on your hands. And when they do die, you'll do everything in your power to bring them back, but they won't be the same people you knew."

"Be quiet!"

"And that's the difference between you and me! I may still have nightmares, but I learned to control my fears. To use them against those who would do others harm. But you'll end up being an empty husk, killing only to drown out a fear long realized. That your family is DEAD!"

"I SAID BE QUIET!"

Azrael takes the kunai out of Red Arrow's arm. But in that instant, Red Arrow no longer feels any pain there. Whether it was his will or something else, it does not matter. He quickly traps the arm before the kunai could reach the neck. With his other hand, he grabs the arm pinning his face to the tree.

"You'll live your life at the mercy of fear."

Feeling Azrael shaking, Red Arrow slowly moves the arm until his mask is uncovered. He does not know how, but he can feel the eyes becoming red and a mouth forms in the gaps of the mask's leather.

"But fear… is MY WEAPON!"

Suddenly, a swarm of bats fly out of Red Arrow's mouth. They surround Azrael, who screams and swings his kunai everywhere to try and kill them. But the blade just goes through them and they keep attacking and pestering him.

Red Arrow starts to feel the pain wash away as his suit and mask are covered in shadows. He walks over to the now terrified Azrael, grabs his wrist, and twists it inward until he disarms the kunai. He can tell from Azrael's bulging eyes that he no longer sees Red Arrow as Prometheus. Rather, he sees the fear that he never learned to control, never made into an idea to bring dread to others. He is frozen. Speechless.

Time to finish this.

Red Arrow knees strikes Azrael in the gut. He lets go of the wrist to follow with a hook to the face and finishes with an uppercut that nearly send Azrael flying. He falls to the ground, still breathing, but too weak to get up for a while at least.

A little while after, Red Arrow turns around and sees the Book of Destiny in front of him. Seeing that he is the victor, he takes the book and opens it. Blue energy pours from the pages and onto his sleeves. However, instead of just instantly rewriting reality on his own, he prays:

"God, Father almighty. Creator of Heaven and Earth. Of all things visible and invisible."


Reverse Flash slowly walks up to Oliver, who leans on the tree in pain. He sees Barry, slowly getting up as Malcolm watches with an amused smirk.

"I pray to you this day to help me bring reality back to the way it was. To before John Deegan twisted it with his scarred mind. Let my father and Barry Allen return to their respective lives."

"You barely have anything on this Earth that makes you happy," Reverse Flash continues to insult. "And in the end, you'll just lose it all anyways because of your arrogance. So why even bother?"

Reverse Flash chambers his arm for an electric cross.

"But let them remember the lessons they learned while experiencing each-others. Amen."

However, as the cross comes, Oliver feels something coursing through his veins. The same feeling that helped him outrun Amazo on Earth 38. The sense of what he was running to, the things that brought him joy in his life, that made his days in prison bearable. His purpose.

I must…protect…MY FAMILY!

Instinctively, Oliver catches the punch. Upon looking at Reverse Flash's shocked expression, he sees his own hand covered in a familiar black glove. He feels his body no longer covered in latex, but leather, a hood over his head and a familiar mask over his eyes.

Good job William.

The Green Arrow cross punches Reverse Flash in the face and grabs him in a chokehold. He quickly takes out an arrow filled with nanites plunges it just above Reverse Flash's chest.

In an instant, the phasing on Reverse Flash's face fades. But as Green Arrow is about to knock him out, he sees Malcolm readying an arrow. Before he could shoot, a blindingly fast silhouette grabs Malcolm and pins him to the tree. After a moment, the figure becomes more visible, showing Barry back in his Flash suit. The Flash proceeds to barrage Malcolm with lightning fast punches.

With Malcolm out of the way, Green Arrow throws Reverse Flash onto his front and punches him in the back of the neck, ending the fight.

Flash stops and grabs Malcolm by the robe, saying, "My parent's deaths were traumatizing. But MY FRIENDS helped me through it."

The Flash finishes Malcolm with a lightning fast uppercut that launches him into the tree, knocking him out for good.

Before taking a breath, Flash looks at his hand and phases it. Upon seeing this, he smiles.

"I REALLY missed this," Flash admits.

As things quiet down, Green Arrow and Flash hear something similar to a whirlwind in the distance. They look and see bits of blue energy shooting out into the sky, the energy used by the Book of Destiny.

"We need to get to William," Green Arrow points out. "Quick!"

With a nod, Flash grabs Green Arrow and dashes them over to the blue pillar.


During this moment, Red Arrow feels that he is witnessing God molding the world. Every meticulous detail carefully put into place, both seen and unseen, as reality reverts back to its original state. Even after it is done, the Book does not stop. It shows Red Arrow one more thing. An event that shakes him to his core.

"Mom…is this what you meant?"

Finally, the blue energy is absorbed back into the book. But before it closes, a voice whispers,

"Reveal this revelation."

It was no voice that Red Arrow has heard before. But knowing the Book's creator, he chooses not to question it.

"William," Oliver's voice calls.

Red Arrow takes off his mask and smiles as he sees Oliver and Barry back in their respective suits.

A groan can be heard from Azrael, who slowly stands up. Oliver, as the Green Arrow, is about to take an arrow out.

"Wait!" Red Arrow shouts. "Let me handle this."

Green Arrow reluctantly moves his hand away from the quiver.

Azrael, finally standing, limps over to Red Arrow and breathes heavily.

"You may have…won this fight…" Azrael says hoarsely. "But I will NEVER yield…because I know that our mother would never have wanted to di—"

"God."

Azrael stops himself upon hearing her voice. The scene shown to Red Arrow prior plays, with nearly everyone stunned or shocked.

"Samantha," Green Arrow identifies.

"Mom," Azrael says with a low whisper.

They see Samantha sitting on a cot roll in a room similar to where Young William was being held captive on Lian Yu. She looks up as if trying to see the sky, her arms supporting her as she leans back.

"I—I know it's been a long time since I…" She trails off and looks down, as if not knowing what to say next. "I don't know if I stopped because I didn't believe in you or…or if I thought believing in you meant I believed what Blackfire…"

She takes a deep breath, brings her legs to her chest, and puts her hands together in a ball. She looks back up and resumes, "I pray to you now because…because I know that only one of us is getting out alive. So take me."

Azrael's hands tremble.

Samantha then begins to cry, "Please let—let William live. He's a good boy with so much ahead of him. Please let him have a good life. ANY good life. Even if it's not the one I wanted for him. I will take any punishment that I rightfully deserve! Just take me! Please!"

Samantha rests her head on her knees and cries until she fades away. Green Arrow looks to Azrael, who still looks on as if it was not over. Red Arrow can see the sympathy in his father's eyes. He may have been considering whether to walk over to Azrael, to hug him. But he doesn't.

"Mom sacrificed everything to give us a better life," Red Arrow says to Azrael. "If you go forward with changing the future, her prayer will be forfeit."

Azrael slowly turns around, his head bowed, and his fist clenched. Red Arrow readies himself for a possible attack.

Instead, Azrael falls to his knees.

"Just end it." Azrael looks up and yells, "Stop torturing me and end it already!" Tears immediately fall down his face. "Please."

"No," Red Arrow says. He kneels down and continues, "You are a burden. The doubts and fears that I pray everyday to never become true. A reminder of why I am what I am. You are the cross that I must carry."

After a brief pause, Azrael starts to change. The white-hooded, bloodthirsty warrior is now Younger William, unable to hold back his tears. They just look at each other for a while, speaking with their eyes, acknowledging each other for what they are. Then, Younger William becomes a wisp that encases most of Red Arrow's body. It changes his Prometheus suit into his regular superhero suit. However, he cannot feel the mask on his head, nor is it in his hand.

"William," Oliver says after another moment of silence. "I'm so—"

"Well done," a low growling voice behind them says.

The three of them turn around, preparing for a fight. Standing before them is a silhouette covered in a thick green fog. Above the fog is a green hooded figure looking down at them, his face covered by an unnatural shadow.

"No mortal has ever mastered the book as you have since the days of Enoch. You truly are God's Chosen Champion."

Seeing that the figure hasn't attacked them yet, Red Arrow asks, "Are you a messenger from God? Or one of the Devil's servant's?"

"I have been known as many things, an ill omen to most," the figure answers after a bit of hesitation. "But today, I am the former, here to give you your final test."

"No!" Oliver insists, readying his bow. "We're done."

"Dad," Red Arrow tries to intervene. "If this is a messenger from God—"

"I'm done letting you people make MY SON take your tests. We're not listening to anything you have to say!"

"Maybe you'll listen to me," the silhouette suggests as he steps out of the fog.

As his appearance becomes more clear, Green Arrow lowers his bow and looks on with a stunned stare, as does Flash. Red Arrow, seeing the young man with black hair, recognizes him from his display in the Flash Museum, the hall of heroes to be specific.

"Ronnie?" Flash asks in an amazed voice.

The man that looks like Ronnie Raymond smirks. "Yes and no."

"You're dead," Green Arrow states. "You got sucked into the black hole."

"I was, and the experience did nearly kill me. But a higher power gave me another chance."

"God?" Red Arrow asks for clarification.

Ronnie nods. "He said that I have a purpose to achieve, one that involved you William." He then turns to Oliver. "I know this past day hasn't been the best, but I need you to listen. The information I have is important to not just your son, but you and Barry."

After letting out a frustrated sigh, Green Arrow laments, "Fine. But first, you answer some questions. Just what is a chosen and why my son?"

"I thought you would have figured that one out by now," the hooded figure says. "They are those chosen by God to do the greatest of tasks in the mortal realm. Enoch the intermediary, Noah the preserver, Moses the breaker of chains, the wise King David. They and other unsung heroes were chosen for one significant task or another. But few chosen were ever picked after Christ sacrificed his life to save humanity from sin. Eventually, Chosen became nothing but history and lessons of Torahs and Bibles."

"Until William," Ronnie continues. "He is the Chosen Champion of this multiverse. The one who can stop the coming threat. But he needed to be put to the test. To see if his faith could hold fast against the obstacles presented to him."

"But why us?" Oliver asks. "If the tests were for him, why preserve our memories when our realities switched?"

"We never did that," Ronnie states, which surprises them. "You and Barry weren't affected by the change because of what you are. You're more than heroes. You're THE heroes."

"Paragons," the hooded figure answers. "Paragons of what, we cannot yet say. But you are two of the seven who will be at the Chosen's side to fight the threat ahead. You're outing of being such heroes was perhaps coincidence. Or perhaps God knew what you were and thought you needed to be tested as well. But your son is our primary concern."

"And he has just one more test," A more familiar voice echoes out of the blue.

From the forest comes the Monitor, who the Green Arrow aims his bow at. However, the Monitor does not react.

"One that does not require you to share his burden."

"If you think I'm going to let YOU take my son, you are DEAD WRONG," Green Arrow angrily scowls.

The Monitor smirks. "It is not your son I am here to take, Oliver Queen."

With a wave of his hand, the Book of Destiny disappears from Red Arrow's hand, replaced by a dagger. Its blade glows with a white hue and the handle looks to be crafted from the richest gold.

"I am here…for the two of you."

Suddenly, a blue light glows around Green Arrow and Flash. They try and get out but find that it is a barrier that will not let them pass. The light spins around them faster and faster, until their images are nearly incomprehensible.

When Red Arrow sees this, he immediately runs towards them.

"No!" He yells, his arm outstretched.

But as his hand tries to grab his father, they disappear. His hand grabs a fistful of blue ash left behind.

"The dagger you have will nullify the book's effects," the Monitor explains. "And revert reality back to the way it was before once again. If you fail, there will be severe consequences, especially to the paragons. Good luck, Chosen."

Red Arrow doesn't turn back. He can feel frustration. Frustration for so many things not going his way. Secrets being revealed, his family and friends being put in danger, and now his father and favorite hero captured. Yet, he resists the urge to take it out on the person he feels is responsible.

When he hears the Monitor disappear, he forces himself to turn around. Only he, Ronnie, and the hooded figure remain.

"This was not…the deal," Red Arrow mustered while trying to remain calm.

"You were to be tested," The hooded figure reminded Red Arrow. "That was what Novu told you."

"And it was supposed to be me!" Red Arrow yells. "Me and ONLY me! Why did Novu drag everyone else into this?"

"You brought them into this," Ronnie argues.

"Novu turned Amazo against the heroes, knowing FULL WELL that they would get involved!"

"And you could have deserted them to fight him on your own. You could have gone after Deegan alone. But you didn't because you knew that you can't do things like this on your own. Something you learned in Star City while fighting Diaz and the Ninth Circle."

Red Arrow wanted to argue against the point but knows that he can't.

"From here, you can go to any place on Earth 1," Ronnie explains as he slowly steps back into the fog. "Even in the boundary of time and space. And when you stab the book, don't hold it in front of you, or you WILL face punishment for it."

As the fog enraptures Ronnie, it and his silhouette disappear, as does the hooded figure. Red Arrow is now alone with nothing to do but formulate a plan.


Deegan breathes frantically as he slowly stops swinging. The heroes and the Book are nowhere to be seen. It's just him and the unconscious patients.

He looks up at the rope and claw that holds him in place.

Come on. There has to be a switch someplace that can get me—

"Dr. Deegan!"
Deegan panics as he hears the familiar, thunderous voice that greeted him last night. He sees the Monitor in front of him, somehow in possession of the book. A frown is etched on his face, his steel stare piercing Deegan.

"H-h-hi, Monitor," Deegan nervously greets him. "I can explain this."

"I give you power…and you SQUANDERED it!"

Deegan's head shakes uncontrollably. "NO! No, no, no, no, no! It's not my fault. It was the heroes. They caught me off-guard!"

"Further proving that you cannot master the Book," the Monitor explains. "Perhaps someone else will be able to accomplish what you could not."

"Don't!" Deegan begs before the Monitor could walk away. "Please! Give me another chance. I'm starting to figure it out. I've become in charge of Arkham Asylum. I'm able to fix more patients without hinderance. I even figured out a distraction for the heroes! I CAN do this. Just let me try."

There is a moment's pause. The suspense only heightens Deegan's fears as he whimpers at the inevitability of never having the book back. To not have his life back.

Then, the Monitor smirks at him.

"I admire your persistence."

The Monitor waves his hand and, in an instant, the rope and grapple disappear. Yet, Deegan feels himself hovering in midair, his body readjusting and then put down safely on his feet.

"But you did not do what I asked of you before," the Monitor continues. "With this Book, you can do more than fix patients, steal powers or alter buildings. With it, you can create powers of your own. You can alter this very world. You can repair the damage done to the multiverse. But you can only do so if you have the imagination."

The Monitor presents the Book to Deegan.

"Think bigger. IMAGINE greater."

As Deegan slowly reaches out for the book, he ponders on the Monitor's words, something he didn't do the first time.

Imagination? Fixing the universe? I can't fix. I'm a doctor. I can only…

Deegan grips his end of the book tightly.

I'm a doctor. I see the symptoms; I poke and prod to find a diagnosis. I either cure the disease or let the patient die. No! This is a book that can alter reality. With this, I can cure the common cold, even cancer. But why stop there?! I can cure insanity. I can cure evil! I can rid the universe of those diseases. That harm, maim, and defile! And I'll make it so that the disease can never reproduce, NEVER harm anyone again. Destiny has been riddled with many diseases. I will be its cure. No!

Deegan opens the book and lets his mind pour through every single event, past and present, to find every disease and expunge it.

This Book is the cure! I am the doctor! The DOCTOR! OF! DESTINY!


Okay. I have a limited window, but a lot of options. I can go anywhere on Earth 1. Maybe the Bunker to get Team Arrow first. Or I can get Team Flash at Star Labs. They're better equipped to handle the situation. Maybe Kate and Luke in Gotham. It is closer to…wait. The Monitor most likely gave the book back to Deegan and is teaching him how to alter reality, making those places a no go. Which means I have nowhere to go and no one I can rely on in Earth 1, MAKING THIS ENTIRE DEBATE COMPLETELY—

Red Arrow can't help but punch the nearest tree, the gauntlets breaking off a large piece of bark.

Why did any of this have to happen?! I'm the one being tested! No one else was supposed to be involved! No one else was supposed to be harmed!

Red Arrow leans on the same tree and rubs his eyes.

"You look stressed," the voice of his mother says.

Red Arrow can hear her behind him, but he dares not to look back.

"Are you real?" Red Arrow asks. "Or are you something the Book came up with?"

The soft steps of shoes on grass approach him.

"I told you that you would find me here," his mother states. "I did not lie about that."

His fingers impatiently curl, but he continues to fight the urge to see her.

"You made the right choice William," his mother assures her, as if able to read his mind. "There was nothing you could have done. I chose to give my life for yours."

"That's not the problem! My allies are probably in Deegan's thrall while Barry and Dad are imprisoned! Their fates are all in my hands now and I'm already letting them down. None of this should be happening to them! MY BURDEN…it isn't their's to carry."

There is a moment of silence between them. Red Arrow hears his mother sit next to him, which makes him turn away begrudgingly.

"Your father stopped at NOTHING to make sure you came home safe countless times. He would do it again, no matter if you were captured or if you decided that you were better off doing this whole thing alone. So would Barry Allen and MANY of your friends."

Red Arrow can feel a hand on his shoulder pad. He does not shrug it off.

"Ronnie Raymond was right. You couldn't do it all on your own. Not just because it was hard to do so. It's because you have friends, family that you care about, that you would put your life on the line to protect. And they would do the same for you."

"Because I'm the son of THEIR friend."

"But you did not turn them away or keep them out of arms reach. You let them help, knowing full well that they could possibly die along with you. Even Jesus had the Saints, his mother, Joseph, John, Mary Magdalene, even the man who carried the cross for him in the last stretch."

"The man was a stranger the Roman Legionaries picked out of a crowd."

"And Jesus could have chosen to carry the cross on his own. To dismiss the women weeping for him and tending to his wounds. To carry out God's work on his own. But he didn't. He let in others willing to share in his strife because they loved him, for all that he did for them. Don't deny your friends to do the same. Not everything rests on you."

Letting the words sink in, William feels the urge getting stronger until it eclipses all other emotion in his body. Finally, he turns to her, and finds…

No one. Instead, what he finds is something he hasn't seen in years. His Green Arrow action figure left behind in his cell at the temple. He picks it up and examines it, finding nothing unusual. That is, until he flips the toy around and sees something written on the back in white marker. Something that causes him to be taken aback.

"I'm sorry."

As soon as he reads it, the toy dissipates into blue ashes. William can feel a tear wanting to form in his eye, his hand that once held a keepsake trembling.

Mom. I'm…

However, Red Arrow denies the tear and clenches his fist.

No! I'm done. I can't give up now. There has to be someplace. Ronnie Raymond said anywhere on Earth 1. Especially…

Red Arrow's eyes widen as he realizes what Ronnie did for him.

The boundaries between Earth 1's time and space! Could that possibly mean…


"I need all everyone at the bridge now! This is NOT a drill!"

Sara Lance speed walks into the bridge and to the central terminal.

"Gideon, show Star City and Central City in 2018 and scan for any aberrations."

"Affirmative Captain," Gideon complies.

"We're here!" The voice of Ray echoes as he walks in. Along with him are Nate and Constantine. "What's up?"

"We have a situation. The whole world—"

She stops when she sees that they are about three people short.

"Where are the others?" She asks.

"Well, Zari's still getting ready for the day," Nate begins to explain. "Mick is in the middle of writing a novel—"

"And Charlie's currently listening to some rock n' roll," Constantine interrupts. "Won't be here for another few minutes. At least, that's what I reckon."

Sara tilts her head back and lets out a frustrated sigh. Her hands grasp any strand of hair she can get.

Why now? I know we went through a freaky, time bending event a while back, but can you guys at least be punctual?

Sara lets out one last breath to calm herself down.

Don't sweat it. You can catch them up later. This can't wait.

"Regardless," Sara says, "We have some kind of aberration that has just effected the world. Gideon, zoom in on what should be Queen Industries, Star Labs, and the Time Bureau."

As prompted, the images zoom in and show how each location is different.

Star Labs looks pretty much the same, except now it has a large statue on the building of someone they cannot recognize. A bearded man with long hair and wearing something that is hard to make out with the marble except for the cape. A sign over Star Labs' front entrance says "Doctor Destiny's Science Research Facility."

A couple of the other buildings didn't show many other changes except in names like "Deegan Industries" and "Time Correctional Facility."

"Oh crap," Ray exclaims in horror.

"These are just a few," Sara explains. "This guy's face and name are plastered ALL OVER the world."

"But who is this Deegan or Dr. Destiny guy?" Nate asks.

"I don't know, but he must be the one behind all this. We find the aberration, we solve the problem."

"I'm sorry Captain Lance," Gideon interjects. "But there is nothing to suggest an aberration in the timeline."

Everyone is taken aback. Wide and narrow eyes stare at the places that should be victims of a timeline change.

"Nothing?" Sara asks in disbelief. "But what could possibly—"

Suddenly, Sara hears a whooshing noise behind her. She turns around and sees a breach opening. Assuming the worse, she puts her hands up and gets ready to fight. Everyone else comes to her side and does the same, Nate turning metal, Constantine preparing to use a spell, and Ray taking out his miniaturized suit in case he needs it.

However, as the person slowly comes out of the breach, Sara lowers her guard. She looks at a man clad in black armor with a red arrow on his chest, holding a dagger in one hand and a bow in the other. What catches her attention is his face, looking worn out and somewhat tired, yet his stare is firm. His stare, along with facial hair, are similar to…

"William?" Ray asks as he takes a few steps forward, getting a closer look.

Sara's eyes look to Ray and then back to the guy, almost stunned.

William…as in Oliver's son?

"Legends of Tomorrow," the man addresses them. "I need your help."