CHAPTER 3 COMES WITH COVER ART. I cross-posted this story. To see the image, please go to my AO3 (Archive of Our Own) account (under the same username, RainbowSheltie).
BETA: Annabelle
CHAPTER 3: The Oblivion Connection
Coming into the reset universe, Reginald Hargreeves had his wife and an empire. He had never created children with "special powers," as they had only been useful in powering up the Oblivion machine that reset the universe. So it came to pass that the Hargreeves finally had a chance at a normal life.
Allison had already spent more than a year without her powers and was happier than ever, knowing that everything she obtained was the result of something she did herself. Viktor lived his entire life without powers, and he felt a sort of relief knowing he wouldn't blow shit up if he got angry. Luther was happy with a normal human body while Diego and Lila were busy preparing for a new baby, none of which required the use of their powers.
It was Ben, Klaus and Five that had the most difficity adjusting. Ben was having problems but no one was quite sure why. Klaus was mortal and could no longer summon or talk to ghosts.
Five was so used to blinking on a constant basis, whether it was for traveling, intimidation, fighting, or a quick exit, that it had become a part of his personality, and showed in his interactions with other people. Traveling without blinking was slow and arduous, and not being able to blink out of conversations after making a point made everything slightly less intimidating, if that were possible. Five felt slow.
Which is why he found himself back where hotel Oblivion used to be, in the very square where they first arrived, with the bust of their father surrounded by paths extending in every direction.
Five took stock of what he knew. When everyone arrived, it was as if their bodies had been reset to "factory settings." No one had any scars, missing limbs, tattoos or powers.
As Five approached the bust of his father, he felt a searing, piercing pain on his chest followed by the smell of burning flesh. He screamed, fell to his knees, and hunched over. His head nearly touched the ground while waiting in agony for the pain to stop. Instead it grew hotter and more intense, until the flash of a bright light blinded Five and he passed out.
Five awoke with a start and sat up to find the pain had gone. With curiosity, Five lifted his shirt to find the Oblivion tattoo on the center of his chest, the one Pogo had tattooed on him in the previous timeline. It wasn't there this morning.
There was also a strange, yet oddly familiar sensation that ran through his body. He felt lighter somehow, and more at "home" within his own body.
Then it clicked. Five pulled his shirt back down, stood up, and blinked to the opposite side of the square—his powers had returned.