Some spoilers for the third part of 'Crisis of Infinite Earths' animated movies and other stuff.
The Sentinel's Succession
Despite what many believe, the omniverse does not govern to any laws… Or maybe they do, but despite the numerous multiverses encased within it, one thing is certain… It is always changing, sometimes expanding when new multiverses are born, and sometimes reducing to a fraction of its size due to multiverses dying… But at its core, the only thing constant about it is that it is always in flux.
One thing many people do not know about the multiverse is that it is not nearly as organized as people think.
It is not organized like how the solar systems in various universes are… a cluster of celestial bodies residing in proximity to each other, around something akin to a sun, but spinning in their own orbits, not colliding.
The omniverse can be closely described by the imagery of a tree that is constantly growing new branches, but even that is not completely accurate.
It is more like a sphere, an intricate tapestry, everything closely linked to each other. A particular cross section of it can be akin to an identity of one multiverse, and another cross section, that of a different one.
It is a common mistake to assume that Multiverse A is separate from Multiverse B… because to understand how it works, we must look deeper.
You see a particular dimension, say Earth 1 of a particular multiverse is more than just the part of that multiverse. If we slice the spherical model in a different way, it can easily be part of another multiverse, or that of infinite others. For example, the reality we know as the 'post-Crisis Earth Prime' in the 'Arrowverse' is Earth 49… merely just another number, in a different multiverse, where it exists alongside variants of the worlds it spawned from as a separate universe.
The Earth-12, what you readers will know as the 'DCAU' is part of many universes, including one, where it is known as Earth-508 instead. Yes, the same multiverse you know from 'My Adventures with Superman.'
Maybe you do not understand it yet, and I certainly do not blame you. It took me many a millennium to properly understand it myself, and I am still not certain I have uncovered all the mysteries of the omniverse, but to sum it up, the individual universes in a multiverse may not be exclusive to that multiverse. It can be part of many others.
Sure, there are exceptions.
Some multiverses contain only one universe with a finite timeline, which is why changing fixed points can rewrite all of history, instead of timelines branching off to form distinct universes, or shatter it to parallel realities, which are constantly colliding with each other in an eternal tussle doomed to inevitable destruction.
One such multiverse recently caught my attention. The multiverse comprising of a single universe, which people in the 'real' worlds or frankly those able to read this journal entry would recognize as the 'DCAMU'… a series of movies where we followed the events chronicling the terran heroes called the Justice League and others in their world before the manipulation of one John Constantine led to the splintering of the singular universe into many others, some resembling other worlds we are familiar with, but mostly new ones, which people are familiar with calling the Tommorowverse. And as with many multiverses before them, they faced an extinction level threat in the form of the Antimatter wave and the Anti-monitors, but in this case, the Anti-monitors were not monsters seeking to destroy all that was, merely natural forces trying to rectify the cosmic imbalance. The heroes were forced to submit defeat, even after countless sacrifices, and give up hope of saving the numerous universes, for a single world to survive… A prime universe, much like the one that was before their multiverse… the Tomorrowverse was created.
This was a tragic tale, but one rooted in truth and sacrifice.
The laws that govern one multiverse may not adhere to another, and yet they are still all very connected.
A paradox unlike any other.
In the end, the struggle for existence was a constant battle fought at the grassroots level… Different universes fighting for its own, and different multiverses fighting for their own.
There are no shortage of cosmic entities or elite organizations declaring themselves the protectors of all there is… The Morphin Masters and Emissaries, the Watchers and Monitors, the Dimensional Guardians, the Spectre and the Phantom Stranger, Roma, Merlin and their Knights of Avalon, Gimmi and the kwamis, the Tribunal of Magic, the Celestials, entire pantheons of Gods, Spirits of fallen warriors, Time Lords, Time Variance Authority, Time Force, Justice Incarnate, Exiles, and the list goes on… In the end, it is not one force upholding the balance, but all of them, working in cohesion, often unaware that they are far from the only ones fighting for their cause.
Once, I believed I was the only one willing to do what it takes from keeping the Anti matter wave from escalating from a multiversal threat to an omniversal one, when it is always going to be a threat, no matter what I or anyone else do.
We save reality, one world at a time, one multiverse at a time.
There is no ending… not truly, because the worlds and the stories spawning from it, or maybe it is the other way around, are eternal.
A particular universe, heck an entire multiverse, might meet their doom, but its legacy will inevitably continue in new worlds.
The omniverse will exist, as long as we continue to fight… as long as despite everything reality throws at us, we continue to live our lives… our stories, and continue spreading it.
Lives turn into memories… Memories into stories… stories into history… history to myths and legends… Legends into prophecies… And the cycle continues.
So, you must be wondering, why am I writing all this?
What good is the rambling of one morphin master?
Well, its nothing.
Merely a swan song, if you will.
No, I am not dying. Maybe I am. We all will, one day, but we will rise again.
I am changing.
For too long, I was the Sentinel, a Morphin Master, and I did my duties. Heck, timelines considered, I have seen it all… Past, present, futures. I have seen the creation of the first world and the destruction of the last.
I have seen heroes win against impossible odds, and villains face justice, and I have also seen the opposite. Forces of good losing to evil.
I have witnessed heroes fall and villains redeem.
All the stories that can be told.
All the spectacles of magic and science.
Nothing surprises me anymore.
I am so tired of watching it all and my small part in shaping the eternal history of the multiverse… the tiny interventions that allow heroes to fight against evil…
Contrary to what you might believe, I am not an author avatar, merely share the name with a writer, who has yet to accept the gift of Uatu… But maybe its time I become one.
I have forgotten how it was to be mortal… to talk with other beings, walk in the forests, feel the breeze against my face, or even feel emotions.
For so long, I have been consumed with multiversal dynamics, and I realized there is no end to it… Just when I discover something, the next instant, there will be a new multiverse that contradicts everything I have known so far.
The latest discovery was the tipping point.
In a way, the Omniverse is merely a blanket term for all the different cluster of universes… One giant multiverse, far bigger than we ever thought it could be.
Sure, there are gaps in the multiversal tapestry like the Vanishing Point, Phantom Zone, Bleed and Null Voids, where we feel we are at a dimension that is immune to the flow of time, and isolated from rest of reality, but that is all they are… gaps between the infinite worlds that stretch for infinity.
There is no true focal point or center of existence… at least, no permanent one.
My former purpose feels void now.
There is no organizing the omniverse, no cataloging all the universes and which multiverses they are a part of, no labelling the infinite worlds, dimensions, or realms.
The only thing I can do… we all can do, is embrace it.
This is not a goodbye.
I will be popping up again, and I can ensure that it would be me, and not whatever incarnation I take next, for I have already done it.
For a Morphin Master, time and space are relative, and from my perspective, your future is my past.
And with that, I take my leave.
The Antiverse
"Ugh, finally." A woman in a red robe and a M-shaped headpiece framing her face, rolled her eyes, as she saw the being stop speaking.
"Hush." Her companion, a man in silver armour and a mane of dark blue hair cascading down his shoulders cautioned, as they watched the Sentinel, one of the more eccentric Morphin Masters, from the Ninja Nexus Prism they had acquired.
Morphin Masters… always so presumptuous. The nexus prism was not just a way for them to observe the multiverse from their safe abode in the Grid, but with the proper spell, it is possible to reverse its function, and make the prism a portal through which they can peer into the Morphin Grid itself, and spy on some of the most powerful beings in existence.
"Get on with it already." Another being, whose appearance was far less appeasing than their companions… It was a purple squid like alien resting in the metallic chest of a robotic body.
"We have spent centuries for this moment. You can control your patience for a few more seconds." A different man in ancient Egyptian robes snarked, the only thing remarkable about him was his purple skin.
"He has so much power, and he is about to give it all away… Such a waste." Another said. This was a man with dark veins creeping across his face, in addition to a burn scar on the right half of his face. His hair was untamed and fell over his green, white, and gold armour, which was reminiscent of heroes known as the power rangers.
"A waste for him, but an opportunity unlike any other for us." A hooded woman smirked. Her form was hidden by a dark cloak, but the power she radiated made the rest of the assembled cabal tremble.
The six continued to look at the portal, as the Morphin Master raised his staff, and dissipated into speckles of coloured light.
"NOW!" The ranger shouted as faceless grunts, one of many brought forward a giant open-ended tube attached on a wheel like a canon, and pointed it at the prism, and the cabal watched with bated breath as the speckles were drawn towards the prism, exiting the portal and being slowly sucked into the tube.
Even with all their planning, they could only harvest a fraction of the Morphin Master's energy through the portal, but that was enough for their needs.
The woman in red flicked her arms and the tube was sealed.
"Finally, this relic did its job." The other woman laughed, her fingers caressing the tube. "The Master Captivator finally filled to the brim with Morphin Grid energy freely given. With no consciousness trapped inside it to resist our plans, we can utilize this energy in an unprecedented way."
"The Multiverse is ours for the taking." The squid thrashed its tentacles, and few of the members balked in disgust.
"Yes." The woman smiled. "As long as we all honour our alliance, we shall succeed. All the realms shall be erased by a singular world…a world where we rule supreme."
Earth 1218
It was a long day, and though he had only intended on writing for a bit, he had got carried away.
He wanted to close the laptop and go sleep, but the words were coming out effortlessly, the first time in weeks.
"You are chosen."
Not again.
A few months ago, he had heard this… even seen this tendril of white light try to wrap around him, and a booming voice telling him the multiverse needed him.
He had tried to forget it, make himself believe it was a dream.
Though he knew it was not.
But he had focused on other things.
Maybe it was a trick of his mind… It was not entirely unplausible, because he had devoted all his free time into reading comics and novels, rewatching his comfort shows and writing fanfics and posting them on the web.
He did have better, more worthwhile things to do.
Real life responsibilities.
But writing made his anguish go away, even if its for a while.
The world was a cruel place. Good people suffered.
Life had taught him there was no karma, no destiny, no higher calling.
It had started with the Pandemic.
Then, a year later, he had lost his father to a terminal disease that had sprung out of nowhere, despite him always being the healthiest of them all.
Five months was all it took.
And it happened mere days before his birthday.
Till the moment it happened, he had kept faith.
Faith in a higher power, hoping against hope in a miracle.
If anyone was deserving of a miracle, it was him.
Their relationship was estranged, mostly his fault, but despite that, he knew in his heart, his father was the best person there was. The kindest and the smartest. He was the one who taught him kindness was strength… that one does not have to raise their voice to win an argument nor their fists to win a fight.
He gave too much, people said. To strangers on the street, and to anyone who asked help.
A good man who endured endless agony before dying. It was not just death, it was torture.
He had never felt more helpless, seeing him suffer and unable to help in the slightest.
His life was just beginning. He had yet to graduate college, and he lost the one person he always thought would be there to support him.
His father never stopped believing in him, even when everyone told him his dreams were foolish and his aspirations were impossible.
And he was gone, just like that.
Superhero origin stories always disgruntled him.
Why did Peter Parker have to lose his uncle?
Why did Bruce Wayne have to lose his parents?
Why can't the heroes have happy lives?
He had not understood it then, but he did it now. Because heroes needed to be someone who could understand real pain, and persevere despite that.
But his life wasn't a comic, and he certainly wasn't a hero.
Heroes persevered.
He just shattered.
But he didn't let anyone else know.
He always let them think he was working towards something. His goal.
He graduated.
He smiled and whooped with everyone else, a façade to hide the gnawing feeling of emptiness within him.
He came back home, got a job, and life continued.
He lost some friends… friends who were cruel to him when they knew what he had gone through. He realized they weren't his friends to begin with, merely people who had seen him as something to be exploited…
But there were those who stayed with him, through long distance phone calls, and there were those friends online, who knew nothing about his real life, whom he had never seen nor knew their real names, and nor did they know his, but they knew the right things to say, and more than that, they replied to his long texts with thoughtful words of support.
And there was his mom, a woman who lost the love of her life, her soulmate, and yet after all this, despite her own pain, was always putting him first.
His life was hard, but he had support.
He had reason to keep on going.
One day at a time.
People thought he would be driven.
That hardships made strong people.
But he was aimless, drifting away in the sea of life.
Then, he started writing.
For the first time, one of his fics had 200 reviews. It was just a number, but it was something. He saw the messages filling his inbox, the approval and acceptance for his changes to canon, and while it did not fill the void in this heart, it did give him a reason to smile again.
He had written all this for himself and for some of his friends, but so many people liking what he had to say… It made him confident.
He sought refuge in this world, of stories where everyone had a destiny… a world where death was reversible and time travel was possible… an impossible world where fate favoured the good.
Was it so wrong that he liked living in his head… visualizing heroes instead of grueling away in a life where everything can be taken away in an instant.
Was it wrong for him to create fiction and indulge in fantasy after what the real world had thrown at him?
But still he had the sense to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Now, the lines blurred.
He heard it again and again.
Then he heard his username… a silly name he had chosen just to be dramatic.
Yet, now it seemed regal even.
"Do you accept the power?"
And he knew what it was, instinctively.
Around six months ago, emboldened by the appreciation he had got for his latest Power Rangers fic, he had decided to dip his toes in not just a different fandom, but in a collaborative continuity of stories… the Infinity Crisis series, after the fic with the titular name by Michael Weyer.
He still remembered the first time he read the fic.
It was before he had actively started writing fics, or even knew the ins and outs of a fanfiction account… that he could subscribe to stories and authors, and get notified of updates via emails.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
He had read it all at once, and since that moment, that continuity of stories became as precious to him as the canon MCU and Arrowverse, and at that time, Endgame had not come out yet and the Arrowverse was still going strong with annual crossovers.
He had got a burst of inspiration when Arrowverse announced they were adapting the epic "Crisis of Infinite Earths" crossover, and he had been inspired to try his own multiversal crossover series with Power Rangers fandom, which was still a perpetual work in progress.
Then, eventually, the Arrowverse shows started to end one by one, and rereading the IC stories became a favourite pastime of his.
When he saw other writers join the ICverse, he was tempted to join himself. Maybe write a few stories here and there, but he wanted to write something that gave back to this fantastic universe that had been a source of so much joy.
The ICverse had all his favourite fandoms in it, from the MCU, Arrowverse and Power Rangers to Once Upon a Time, DCAU, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and many others.
And in many ways, it was more canon to him than the actual canon.
As much as he loved the original Arrowverse shows, he was always spiteful that they never did justice to Earth 1 Laurel's character, and he wasn't even a huge shipper of Oliver/Laurel to begin with, merely a fan of that character, though he loved all the characters, including Felicity, a character whom many fans hated for stealing Oliver…
He was not going to get into that.
He loved Earth 2 Laurel though, and her redemption arc, while drawn out, did her justice.
The ending of the Crisis crossover left a bitter taste in his mouth. It brought every character back from the dead, except Earth 1 Laurel, and she was not even fused with her Earth 2 doppelganger like many theorized. Her story was left incomplete.
The IC verse delivered where canon failed. In "Salvation Run," Laurel came back in an ingenious way that did not nullify everything else Arrow had done post her shocking departure from the show.
And Earth 2 Laurel continued her redemption arc as well, travelling with Sara and her crew in Waverider, though it was hinted that she would eventually return to her own world…
And that was the thing that intrigued him.
Earth 2. A world that wasn't much explored outside of the second season of Flash, and in the ICverse, it was even more fascinating, since the events of the Stargirl show was also part of it… Which meant Justice Society and even a version of Jay Garrick was part of its timeline now.
One thing led to another, and he started getting more ideas.
Earth 3.
Earth X.
Other realities.
With Weyer's permission, he joined the community of writers writing stories about this multiverse.
Now apparently, it was more than just that.
Author avatars. He had never been a huge fan of the concept or self-insert OCs, but Pighead's stories changed his mind. Not only did her character not a Mary-Sue, her stories were personal and had character arcs.
He wrote the Watcher's choice…
But did he really write it?
That voice he heard, and now, every time, he wrote an IC-fic or even wrote something, he heard it… different voices ricocheting inside his skull, and more than that, he felt it… something calling him.
Heck, he felt it even now, but this time, the voice… it felt like his own, but somehow older.
What was happening?
Maybe he should take a break…
Maybe this all was getting to his head…
Was he going crazy?
Maybe he needed a life outside of this?
But he cannot stop writing… he will not.
And to his surprise, for the first time since the day he first heard it, he saw something…
His laptop glowing in a gold aura, wisps of blue light flickering around him, brighter than the light from his table lamp, illuminating his entire room in a sapphire hue.
"What the-" He shouted, as the light spread up his arms, and covered his entire form, before disappearing completely.
All the lights disappeared, and even his table lamp and the light from his laptop went away.
He shook his head.
That's it. He was booking an appointment with a psychiatrist the first thing tomorrow.
Maybe it was an electrical surge that had shut down his laptop and the lamp, or something like that? Something that can be explained by anything other than reality bending magic.
He groaned, trying to on the lamp. It was impossible for him to see anything in the dark, but still his hands couldn't touch anything around him… Not the table surface… not his laptop…
Heck, he hadn't even realized he was standing. He tried to sit down on his couch, only to fall on the floor.
"One heck of a dream…" He murmured, getting up.
"Nope, it is all real!" A giggle drew his attention, and the surroundings lit up.
"You got to be kidding me!" He rolled his eyes, seeing the woman before him, and it hardly took him a second to identify her given her characteristic mask.
"Pighead?" He asked.
"The one and only, man!" She clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, the main one, not the only, given the numerous other variants of myself running around… But enough of that! You certainly took your time getting here."
"And where exactly is here?" He winced, looking around. It seemed to be a darkened cave, the walls lined with holographic screens and computer panels, in addition to shelves lined with souvenirs. "Don't tell me we are in the Batcave?"
"Not really. It's your place…" She said, making a 'wow' motion with her hands. "The Sentinel Cave!"
"Okay?" He nodded. "I am not sure if I will call it that, but I am ready to wake up now… It's too trippy."
"Dude, get your head in the game. It is all real. The multiverse. Other multiverses. Omniverse. The Snap. The Dusting. The Infinity Crisis. The whole shebang! It is all real! And you, my friend, are one of the few from our world, who can go on all these adventures, meet your fictional characters, fight for all reality… Be a Monk, man!"
He stepped back from her.
"You look like you need to sit down." She let out an exasperated sigh, snapping her fingers, and a couch appeared behind him.
"How?" He stuttered. "It wasn't there a second ago."
"Dude, did you forget who I am? Who you are? Just sit down, and take a breather." She said, bored.
"Okay." He said, sitting down on the couch. "So, if everything is real, then what are we?"
"We are the Monks. Our powers are like fifth dimensional imps or watchers, but try not to mess around much, or they will come after you." She warned, before raising her hands. "I know that's rich, coming from me, but trust me on this. They did come after me, and they will come after you as well… Be like L1701E… that guy plays it safe with the Stan Lee inspired cameos, but still gets the job done."
"What…" He shook his head. "Who are they?"
"Well, everyone, but we don't need to worry about everyone, just the top dogs… Other watchers, monitors, but even they are kinda meh. It is the cosmic guys… the Living Tribunal and I sure hope not, the One above All, you need to steer clear of."
"Okay?" He said.
"Yeah, you need to stop saying okay, all the damn time." Pighead deadpanned before her lips twisted into a mischievous smirk. "I know just the thing to help you process this shit."
Even though he had just met her, he knew that was not a good sign.
"Whatever you are thinking of, don't." He held up his hands.
"Too late!" She laughed, taking out a small circular device from her hands and pointing it at him. "You will thank me for it later."
A portal appeared behind him, and Pighead kicked the couch, sending him tumbling through it, ignoring his screams.
"That was unnecessary…" A feminine yet mechanical voice said through the veiled earpiece in her earrings. "Even for you."
"Can you blame me? He needed to believe in all this shit and his powers. The best way to do that is by living in these worlds and not just writing or hearing about them."
"So instead of you carefully guiding him through the nitty-gritty of being a monk, you thought sending him hurtling through an interdimensional portal to who knows where, was a better idea?" D.E.L.I.L.A.H. asked dryly.
"I had better things to do than babysitting a rookie." Pighead said defensively. "Besides it is not like he will be in danger. If he is, his powers will activate and send him back here or to where he comes from."
"Yeah, I am sure you had it all thought out." Her assistant replied patronizingly.
"Don't be like that, Deli." Pighead said. "Besides sending him hurtling through the freaking multiverse is not just me cheating the system, but it does help in my plans."
"You have plans?"
"Deli."
"Sure, go on."
"I was given the name Meddler for a reason. It may sound trivial, but that was exactly why the Watcher created us Monks… So that we meddle in whatever the Anti-Monitor or anyone else has cooked up." Pighead said gravely. "Wherever he is going to end up, he will do his part and by proxy, my part in messing things up. If I had not done that, he might not have even ventured into other realities. He would have returned to his room and typed away in his laptop."
"Okay… that does make sense."
"You see, I am not an airhead."
"No, you are a pighead."
"Your pighead." She was quick to reply, and she smirked hearing her assistant cough on the other side. Deli was so cute and adorable. A robot getting flustered by her. She did have game.
"You have an appointment at 6 PM CEST on Earth 3826." The assistant's voice came in shortly after.
Pighead rolled her eyes.
"I have all the time in the world, Deli. I can be in anyplace, anytime in a zoom."
"And still, you are always late."
"That is a power move, gal." She said, opening another portal.
"Whatever you say." Came the reply, as the infamous Meddler stepped into the portal, leaving the sub-dimension empty.
The lights shut down, except a single monitor, which showed where exactly the newest Monk had landed up in.
But that is a tale for another time.
I had some thoughts for the omniverse stuff, and my plans for my stories since I wrote the first chapter of this fic had changed drastically, so this chapter basically deconstructed some of the things I had introduced in the last.
In regards to the Infinity Crisis multiverse, it is connected to each other by the shared experience of Dusting, and though it is connected to other worlds like everything else in the omniverse, the influence of the Infinity Stones' powers basically made a barrier isolating them from other 'multiverses.'
In universe, the Sentinel's past attempts to shape a multiverse of his own failed spectacularly, and after a millennium or so of trying to discover the secrets of the omniverse, he gave up and embraced the chaos. There is one tease though for a future story I am planning, but that will mostly be in its own continuity.
As the Sentinel gave up his power and was ready for his next adventure, his energies were captured by a cabal of secret villains. I am sure you can guess some of them.
The Master Captivator is a device introduced in Power Rangers Cosmic Fury.
Rest of his powers found his way to a human, the Author Avatar with the same name of Earth 1218 in the Infinity Crisis multiverse.
Had not planned on being this personal while writing it, but went along with it.
The Pighead the human/AA Sentinel met is the Meddler, and she is from a time after she discovered her true origins was from Earth 1218, but before she became the Soldier.
Had to add in a few sneaky easter eggs, and writing D.E.L.I.L.A.H. and Pighead's banter was fun, though they might be slightly OOC.
I wrote it in mostly one setting, so there are probably some typos that skipped by me, so bear with me there. I will probably edit them out later.
Anyway, though this entire fic was basically me improvising in an attempt to get out of a bad writer's block, I hope you guys liked it and please review. :)