As I walked up the stairs to my new home, everything felt empty.
Despite living the dream of most teenage boys, my newfound hatred of Vilgax just made everything hollow.
I tried to put on a smile as Yu brought up a new uniform for me, considering my old one was now destroyed.
"Thanks Yu" I told her as we reached the door to the recently purchased apartment.
Knocking on the front door, I heard someone shuffling behind before it opened to reveal Midnight, dressed in casual clothes. Her usual seductive look was replaced by a sympathetic one as she stepped out and wrapped her arms around me.
"Ben… I'm so sorry".
In that moment, everything began catching up with me.
The USJ.
Vilgax.
All Might.
The League.
All I could do was fall to my knees and cry.
I felt Yu wrap her arms around me as well, but in that moment…
I felt nothing.
That night, I slept better than I had a long time. Not because of relaxation, but because I hadn't slept in the last few days. Also…
I had a dream.
I saw other worlds. Most I couldn't make out, but I could see three as clear as day. The first was one of magic. Another full of the supernatural. The final had a world full of ships on an endless sea.
There was more. Specific visions that warmed my heart.
A suit of armour, the top of which was shrouded by strands scarlet hair.
A ring of keys. Something about them was different as the tops had different images and I could tell their doors wasn't the standard room entrance.
A woman with longer hair than the first and redder than any I'd ever seen. Wielding an orb of pure destruction. Unlike the first
A priestess, wielding lightning. If I hadn't known any better, I'd have mistaken her for Kaminari's mother.
A multitude of arms, sprouting from the surface of walls.
A bracelet, with a three dimensional compass resting atop.
There was nothing connecting these worlds, bar one thing.
Me. Or variations of me.
No, that wasn't right.
They were variations of the original me.
"Ben 10 of Earth-2016".
"Dad?"
"No…"
"Then, why…?"
"Why do I look like your old man? Because he looks like me"
"Look, I'm really not in the mood right now"
"Soon nobody will be in the mood for anything"
"What do you mean?"
"Something's coming and it'll take more power than any one Ben 10, or his allies, can stop"