Gnosis

CHAPTER 10: THE WHITE VIOLIN I

Word Count: 3952

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April 1, 2019

- Umbrella Academy, midnight

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Five and (Y/n) blinked into the ruins of the Umbrella Academy. The air hit them like a wall—thick with dust, the acrid scent of charred wood lingering. The once-proud mansion was now a skeletal ruin, beams splintered, walls crumbled into heaps, and shattered glass. It was unsettling seeing the Academy nothing but debris scattered across the ground.

(Y/n) clung to Five's arm as they moved through the wreckage, carefully picking their way over broken stone and twisted metal. Five's eyes scanned the area with urgency until he spotted what he was looking for: a glass case, miraculously intact amidst the destruction. He rushed over, yanking it open and pulling out a folded newspaper. He quickly scanned the headline, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Guys!" Five called out, his voice echoing through the skeletal remains of the building as he spotted his siblings. "This is it. The apocalypse is still on. The world ends today."

Luther's face twisted in disbelief. "I thought you said it was over."

Five's jaw clenched as he thrust the newspaper towards them. "I was wrong, okay? This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed."

"No, that doesn't mean anything." Diego shook his head. His voice was firm, rejecting the very idea. "The time could've been altered since that newspaper came out this morning."

Five's frustration mounted, his eyes burning with intensity. "You're not listening to me," he snapped. "When I found it, I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are. The Moon's still shining, the Earth is in one piece, but not the Academy."

Klaus snatched the newspaper from Five's grasp and stared at it like it held some secret he couldn't quite decipher. His brows knit together in confusion as he muttered, "I'm confused."

Five, already at the end of his patience, shot him a glare. "Then listen to me, you idiot!" he barked. His eyes flicked to (Y/n), silently urging her to step in and explain what she had seen in her visions. He needed her to help him make the others understand, to piece together the fragments of their collapsing timeline before it was too late.

"Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse," she explained, her gaze sweeping on each one of them. Their expressions ranged from confusion to dawning realization. "We thought Harold Jenkins was the cause before... but he wasn't. He was just the fuse. Vanya is the bomb. She causes the apocalypse."

Five's eyes widened as the ultimate piece of the puzzle slid into place. "Vanya causes the apocalypse..." he whispered, the weight of the revelation sinking in.

The blaring of sirens and the ominous whirr of helicopter blades overhead shattered their moment of clarity. They all exchanged quick glances.

"We have to find her," Luther muttered.

"We gotta go, now," Diego urged, his senses hyperaware of the approaching threat.

Without another word, they scrambled to leave with Five and (Y/n) teleporting away. They regrouped at a nearby bowling alley, the bright lights a stark contrast to what they were about to face. The familiar, mundane setting felt surreal after the weight of their discovery, but there was no time to dwell on it. The clock was ticking, and the fate of the world rested in their hands.

Luther's gaze swept over the group, his shoulders sagged slightly. "Look, I hate to be the one to say this, but everyone needs to be prepared," he muttered, his voice low, each word hanging like lead in the air.