Reverse-Flash Trapped in Time

Returning to the home he had lived in for over a decade and living under the same roof as his adoptive father, who was Reverse-Flash, was undoubtedly the strangest thing Zhang Tianran had ever experienced.

Although he was no longer afraid of Reverse-Flash's identity, remembering that he had actually been raised by Reverse-Flash for more than ten years still felt incredibly strange.

"What's wrong, Tianran? Is there something wrong with the food?" Wells asked Zhang Tianran, just as he had years ago.

"Nothing. It just feels a little strange." Zhang Tianran cut into the steak on his plate and answered absentmindedly.

"A well-done steak is indeed a little tough. If you don't want it, you can try something else." Wells spoke calmly as he speared a piece of rare steak still dripping with blood and put it into his mouth.

"That's not it, Wells. Why did you stay in this era? Spending more than a decade just to create a Flash seems a little too costly..." Zhang Tianran could not quite understand.

After all, given Reverse-Flash's level of technology, even in an era with far less advanced technology, there should have been ways to return to the past.

A time machine might have been difficult to build, but only somewhat difficult. Zhang Tianran currently possessed at least three different methods for building one.

Hearing Zhang Tianran's question, Wells picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth before speaking unhurriedly. "It's simple. I'm trapped here. Literally..."

"I know you're confused, because I taught you how to build time machines. But my situation is rather special. Since you happened to ask today, I'll tell you everything."

Wells's words puzzled Zhang Tianran, but he still listened very carefully.

"You know that I'm from the twenty-fifth century. But what you don't know is that my relationship with Barry Allen is far closer than you imagine."

"From the moment I gained the Negative Speed Force, I became Barry Allen's other side. Like the two sides of a card, Barry Allen would always be the front, while I... would always be the back."

"As the reverse side, I simply cannot exist independently of Barry Allen. And as the reverse side, I must also keep accepting all kinds of negative emotions, like a garbage bin."

"This is why I hate The Flash."

Wells's narration was extraordinarily calm, as though he were telling someone else's story. Yet beneath that calm lay true fury.

Zhang Tianran had not expected the truth to be like this. Though he had anticipated something, it seemed Reverse-Flash's circumstances were far more unfortunate than he had imagined.

"I see. You want to break free of the Speed Force, or break free of Barry Allen. Or rather... your real target is the Speed Force, isn't it?" Zhang Tianran pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, but also no! In the future, The Flash is a hero. And I am a supercriminal, The Flash's destined lifelong enemy." Instead of answering Zhang Tianran's question, Wells changed the subject and asked, "Who do you think is the real villain, The Flash or me?"

Zhang Tianran froze at the question, then smiled. "Since you put it that way, you obviously don't think the villain is yourself."

Wells likewise offered no explanation on that subject and continued, "Do you know why the Time Bureau was founded? To maintain the timeline? What a lofty purpose. But in reality, all they do is protect their present selves."

Hearing Wells bring this up, Zhang Tianran finally understood. Just as he had once told Barry, the timeline was like a great river, while reality was merely a different anchor point.

The past was fixed, the future was illusory, and only the present was real!

If someone changed the past, everything in the present would change along with it. If the change was minor,

then the flow of time would swallow every ripple. But if the change was too great... then the present would disappear!

In other words, every time The Flash changed the past, countless lives would disappear. Although those lives would reappear in another form, it was like two nearly identical parallel worlds—seemingly the same, yet completely different.

"No wonder, when I first learned that time travel existed, I wasn't excited. I only felt endless panic and the urge to run away." Zhang Tianran muttered to himself. At that moment, he suddenly felt the impulse to kill Barry Allen.

After all, who knew whether that guy might erase him completely while altering the past?

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Wells's lips when he saw Zhang Tianran's realization.

"I knew the two of us would have an excellent opportunity to work together."

Zhang Tianran had already brought his emotions under control. Looking at Wells's smiling face, he said evenly, "What do you want to do? Destroy the Speed Force? Or do you have some other plan? Let me make this clear first: so far, I haven't found a better solution than running away."

Zhang Tianran was different from Reverse-Flash. If he wanted to, he could leave this world at any time. The Speed Force covered an immense range; as long as he did not leave the DC Universe, he would not lose the Speed Force.

"It's not time yet. When Barry first travels through time, you'll understand everything. This is the matter you've always wanted to know about, but which I had no way of explaining. After all, if you don't experience it yourself, you'll never understand."

Wells's words brimmed with confidence, as though he would obtain everything he had long desired in the next moment.

Zhang Tianran, however, was not particularly optimistic about it.

In the DC Universe, there were quite a few things that could threaten the Speed Force. But completely destroying or controlling it was almost impossible.

This world was still relatively safe, even though the timeline had become somewhat unstable because of Speedsters.

If he went to those chaotic worlds, let alone participating in those events, he might be caught up in them even if he simply stayed put.

"Perhaps. As someone from the future, you should know when I disappear. Until then, I'll cooperate with you. But if I sense any danger... I'll leave this world." Zhang Tianran directly stated his position.

Though he did not fear death too much, Zhang Tianran did not want to die yet. There was nothing in this world that mattered enough to bind him here, so why not live in another world?

"Of course. Don't worry. I've been preparing for this opportunity for a long time. When that moment comes, you'll have everything ready." Wells replied with utter confidence.