Wally stood in the middle of the warehouse, holding the Philosopher's Stone.
The strange object felt heavier than it looked. Its surface reflected the dim overhead lights, while the markings carved into it seemed to shift whenever he moved his fingers. He had spent the last several minutes thinking about what Savitar had told him, remembering the warnings, the visions of his mother, and everything that had happened since Barry left Central City.
He wanted to believe he was making the right decision.
More than anything, he wanted to prove that he could handle something important without needing Barry to come running to his rescue.
Wally looked down at the Stone.
"Nobody else is getting their hands on you. I'm ending this before it gets worse."
He moved toward the centre of the warehouse, setting the Stone briefly on a metal table. His breathing became slower as he concentrated. Barry had explained the connection between speedsters and the Speed Force many times, although Wally had never attempted anything quite like what he was about to do.
He needed to generate enough speed to create an opening.
His feet began moving.
Yellow lightning flickered around his shoes as he accelerated, circling the warehouse. His pace increased with every lap. The air stirred, loose objects shifted across the floor, and the lights above him flickered.
Wally pushed harder.
His lightning became brighter, spreading across the room in jagged streaks. The vibrations grew stronger until the entire warehouse seemed to tremble around him.
He could feel it.
The Speed Force was responding.
Wally increased his speed again, forcing more energy into the space around him. A golden streak raced across the floor, then another, until his movements became almost impossible to follow.
A sudden burst of lightning erupted from the centre of the room.
The air split open.
A swirling vortex of blue-white energy appeared before him, its surface moving like a violent storm. The opening expanded, filling the warehouse with an intense glow. Wind rushed toward it, pulling dust, loose papers and small pieces of debris from the floor.
Wally slowed, staring at what he had created.
He had done it.
The Speed Force was open.
For a moment, he simply stood there, watching the energy move inside the breach. He knew the Stone was dangerous. He knew people had suffered because of it. Sending it somewhere nobody could reach seemed like the only sensible solution.
He picked it up.
"That's where you belong."
Wally stepped forward and threw the Philosopher's Stone into the opening.
The object disappeared into the swirling energy.
Immediately, the warehouse changed.
The vortex expanded violently, releasing a tremendous wave of blue lightning. The force struck Wally before he could react, sending him stumbling backward. He tried to regain his footing, but the energy was already pulling him toward the breach.
His eyes widened.
"Wait!"
Wally turned and tried to run in the opposite direction. Yellow lightning erupted around his body, his shoes scraping against the concrete as he fought the pull.
It wasn't working.
The Speed Force had him.
Wally grabbed the edge of the metal table. Its legs scraped across the floor as his body was dragged forward. He tightened his grip, desperately trying to hold on, but the table began sliding with him.
The energy intensified.
His fingers slipped.
"No, no, no!"
Wally reached for anything he could grab, but there was nothing left within reach. His body lifted from the floor, his yellow lightning mixing with the blue energy surrounding the breach.
The next instant, the Speed Force swallowed him.
His voice disappeared with him.
The warehouse was left empty.
The opening remained.
Then something moved inside the vortex.
A powerful surge of blue lightning erupted from its centre. The energy twisted violently, and a dark silhouette emerged from within. An arm reached through first, followed by a massive armored figure.
Savitar stepped out of the Speed Force.
His metal armor caught the light from the collapsing breach. Blue lightning crawled over his body, illuminating the sharp edges of his helmet and the enormous frame that had remained imprisoned for so long.
The Speed Force opening began to close behind him.
Savitar stood motionless as the final traces of energy disappeared.
He was free.
The warehouse fell silent.
Rushville had grown quieter as evening settled over the town.
Barry stood outside the Macon family home with Billy. The investigation had taken them through several difficult conversations, and Barry had spent much of the afternoon trying to understand the connections between Zoe, the Macons and the events surrounding her death.
Billy had been unusually quiet.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking toward the house. There was grief in his expression, but also exhaustion. Too many things had happened too quickly, leaving him with little time to process any of them.
Barry understood that feeling.
"Losing people doesn't become easier just because time passes. You learn to carry it, but there are days when the weight catches up with you. I've spent enough of my life trying to outrun that feeling to know it doesn't work."
Billy looked at him, listening.
Barry continued, his voice gentle. "You don't have to pretend you're alright for everyone else's sake. Whatever happens next, you still have a life beyond everything that's happened here. Don't allow the people you've lost to become the only thing you remember about yourself."
Billy lowered his eyes.
"I've been trying to keep everything together, but it feels like every time I get close to making sense of something, another part of my life falls apart. I'm tired of watching people disappear."
Barry was about to respond when something struck him.
His expression changed instantly.
A familiar sensation surged through his body, travelling from his chest to his fingertips. It wasn't the ordinary feeling of another speedster moving nearby. This was something much larger, a violent disturbance that seemed to ripple through the very foundation of the Speed Force.
Barry straightened.
His eyes narrowed as he reached out with his senses, trying to follow the disturbance. He felt the energy surge again, then detected something familiar within it.
Blue lightning.
His face hardened.
Savitar.
Barry had no idea what had happened in Central City, but he knew something had gone terribly wrong. The Speed Force had been disturbed, and the presence he had hoped would remain imprisoned was no longer where it belonged.
A translucent window appeared before his eyes.
SYSTEM ALERT
Critical
SAVITAR HAS ESCAPED
The entity previously imprisoned within the Speed Force has successfully escaped containment.
ENTITY STATUS
* Designation: Savitar
* Status: Released
* Threat classification: Catastrophic
* Current location: Unknown
* Speed Force containment: Breached
CHAIN QUEST ACTIVATED
THE GOD OF SPEED
Complete the following objectives:
* Save Wally West.
* Save Patty Spivot.
* Save the Flash Team.
* Stop Savitar.
* Save Central City.
Failure to complete the objectives may result in catastrophic consequences.
Additional quest information and rewards will be revealed as objectives progress.
Barry's eyes moved across the notification.
Wally.
The realization hit him harder than the rest.
He understood immediately what must have happened. Wally had been manipulated, pushed into making a decision he didn't fully understand. The Philosopher's Stone had been involved, and now Savitar was free.
But the notification listed Wally among the people who needed saving.
Barry's jaw tightened.
"Something's happened in Central City."
Billy noticed the sudden change in his expression. Barry was no longer the calm investigator who had spent the afternoon listening to him. His entire posture had changed, and the urgency in his eyes made it clear that whatever was happening was serious.
Barry looked toward the road.
He needed to get back. Patty, Cisco, Caitlin, Iris, Wally and everyone else could be in danger. Savitar had escaped, and Barry couldn't afford to waste another second.
Billy stepped forward, his expression becoming serious.
Barry turned toward him.
"Time to rush this."