Chapter 123: The Gathering Begins
The stars stretched around them like wounds in time, bleeding light.
Barry and Dante followed the Monitor through the corridor of eternity—each step not bound by space or gravity, but by purpose. Behind them, Earth-Prime grew smaller, a speck in the void. Ahead, the fate of the multiverse awaited.
"So," Dante muttered, walking with hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the cosmic emptiness, "what now? You knock on some doors and collect your precious Paragons like Pokémon cards?"
The Monitor didn't look back. "Their roles are written. It is time to gather them. Time is collapsing. Earths vanish by the hour."
Dante smirked. "Yeah, yeah. End of everything. Got it."
Barry glanced sideways at his friend. "You really okay with this?"
"I'm not okay with anything, Barry. But watching the universe end with you seems like a better deal than sitting on the sidelines." His voice turned cold. "Besides, someone has to keep an eye on Tall, Dark, and Judgmental."
The Monitor paused ahead, then turned. "The first Paragon must be found in a world nearly lost to shadow. He is the Paragon of Hope."
Dante snorted. "Hope? What, like a space pastor?"
The Monitor ignored him, and with a single wave of his hand, reality cracked.
A new portal opened.
They stepped through.
---
Earth-96.
The sky was dim—gray clouds hung above a ruined city where the Daily Planet building stood broken, its famous globe lying shattered in the street below.
There, amidst the wreckage, stood a man in a black and red suit—his cape tattered, his eyes full of quiet sorrow.
He looked older than Barry, with hair streaked in silver and a jaw that had once held the world together. He stood among the ashes of his Earth like a soldier mourning his fallen comrades.
The Monitor stepped forward. "Kal-El of Earth-96. You are the Paragon of Hope."
Superman turned.
His eyes narrowed—not in aggression, but recognition.
"I've been expecting you."
Barry blinked. "Wait... you know him?"
Superman smiled faintly. "There were whispers. Strange energy. I could feel the walls of reality cracking. I assumed someone would come for me."
Dante stepped beside Barry, tilting his head. "He looks like Superman. But... older. Tired."
Superman looked at Dante. "And you are?"
"Dante. Not a Paragon. Just here for the show."
Superman didn't seem surprised. "We all fight in our own way."
The Monitor approached Kal-El. "This Earth is beyond saving. Its core is already unstable. But you can still help save the others."
Superman didn't hesitate.
"I will come. There's still hope to protect."
---
Earth-203. Gotham City.
Thunder cracked overhead. Rain fell in sheets. Gargoyles loomed over crumbling rooftops.
Barry glanced around. "Gotham never changes."
And then they saw her.
A woman in red and black armor, her red hair damp from rain. She moved like a ghost through the dark streets, knocking out a group of armed men with swift, calculated precision.
The Monitor stepped forward. "Kate Kane. Batwoman. You are the Paragon of Courage."
She turned, eyes narrowing beneath the cowl. "Paragon of what?"
Dante raised a brow. "She's got a mean right hook."
"I don't do destiny," Kate growled.
"You do," the Monitor said. "More than you know."
She hesitated. Then looked at Barry. "you trust this guy?"
Barry sighed. "No. But the crisis is real. You've seen the sky. You've felt the Earth shake. This isn't just Gotham anymore."
Kate looked down at the unconscious thugs, then up at the red skies.
She swore under her breath. "Fine. But if he lies to me, I'll break his jaw."
Dante laughed. "I like her."
---
Back in the Vanishing Point, the gathering began.
Barry, the Paragon of Love.
Kate, the Paragon of Courage.
Kal-El, the Paragon of Hope.
J'onn J'onzz, the Paragon of Honor.
Ryan Choi, the Paragon of Humanity.
Sarah Lance, the Paragon of Destiny.
Each one brought for a reason. Each one tied to the fate of all creation.
Dante stood apart.
Watching.
Arms crossed. Eyes calm.
He wasn't chosen.
But he was there.
As the final Earths collapsed.
As the last of the multiverse breathed its dying breath.
As the sky cracked with fire.
---
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