**The Phantom Zone**
There was no sky. No ground. No sound.
Only an endless, colorless void.
A place outside space and time—where direction lost all meaning and matter forgot how to exist properly.
Within this fractured plane of reality, shattered remnants of fragments of unknown things drifted aimlessly, suspended in a frozen, unnatural stillness. There was no light—only dim reflections of what once was.
No warmth. No air. Just silence.
And floating in that stillness, like a tomb cast adrift, was a metallic stasis pod. Frost coated its sleek, silver surface. Inside, curled like a relic of madness, was The Joker. His eyes were closed. That devilish smile—long gone. Frozen in time.
But then…
A portal bloomed in the void.
A circular ring of crimson light, orange at the edges, flared open like a gash in the very skin of existence. Though the Phantom Zone held no wind, ripples surged through the emptiness as a figure stepped through the rift.
Ethan Carter emerged, his black coat trailing behind him like a living shadow. His boots touched nothing, but he walked with calm, deliberate grace.
His eyes scanned the realm, absorbing the emptiness. 'So this is the Phantom Zone…' he thought, his gaze narrowing.
Floating corpses, shattered remnants of ships, and twisted pieces of otherworldly debris surrounded him. All of it frozen. All of it dead. Ethan walked (in the air) forward, silent and focused.
His coat swayed in slow motion, defying gravity.
He kept searching—until his gaze settled on a single object.
A pod.
The very pod he'd come for.
"Found you…" Ethan whispered to himself as he drifted closer, eyes locked onto the frozen capsule. A faint, calculated glint sparked in his eyes.
The pod that held Joker.
Of course, he'd known exactly where to look. Ethan had placed a tracking spell on the Joker during their last encounter—one that could span across dimensions.
A precaution he'd created for one reason only. 'If Anna or Jean ever got lost in another universe, I needed a way to find them instantly,' Ethan reminded himself.
He, Anna, and Jean—all three bore the same tracking spell, hidden and sealed beneath powerful concealment charms. Ethan had made sure of that. After all, this wasn't just Marvel's universe anymore. This was a world where multiverse verse level threats existed—where entire planets and timelines could be erased in a blink.
And Ethan wasn't the type to take chances.
He reached the pod, floating before it like a grim angel of death.
Inside, the Joker remained unmoving. Unconscious and unaware.
But that wasn't enough.
Ethan's lips curled into a faint smile. A cold, calculating smile. 'Everything went exactly as planned.'
He knew the Justice League would never accept his proposal to use the Phantom Zone as a permanent prison for threats. They would resist. So, he had prepared for that. He needed something… someone… that would give them no other choice.
And the Joker had provided him that opportunity.
Yes, Ethan had been genuinely furious when Joker had blown up Aeon Biotech and the M&C Hotel—his legacies, his foundations. As for the people inside, he could always turn back time to bring them back. After all, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done it.
The moment Ethan had read Batman's mind and discovered the Joker's plan, he'd known what to do. He had used that chaos to his advantage—manipulating events so that the Joker would become the very reason the Justice League couldn't say no.
A masterstroke.
Ethan then waved his hand.
The pod hissed and opened. A blast of frost escaped, swirling around the zone. The Joker, still frozen in time and mind, remained trapped in Tsukuyomi—a mental prison where thousands of years had passed inside his head.
Ethan narrowed his gaze.
He couldn't allow even a sliver of hope for escape—not for Joker. Not for any monster he'd send here in the future.
"Mercy has no place here… this is where beings are erased from existence—permanently."
The Phantom Zone was to be his silent execution chamber, his secret war against evil, waged in shadows and sealed with silence. After all, Ethan could erase beings with a thought. He held that much power now. But where was the fun in that?
No. He didn't just want to eliminate villains.
He wanted the world—the universe—to remember his name.
The Joker had given him the perfect stage.
With a simple mental command, Ethan ended the Tsukuyomi.
Joker's body twitched. His breath caught. But his eyes remained closed, lost in the aftermath of a timeless nightmare.
Ethan raised his hand.
A soft green glow pulsed from his palm.
A magic circle formed—complex, ancient, and laced with binding runes. The Joker's body was instantly enveloped in a transparent green sphere, glowing with greenish intensity. From within the sphere, hundreds of luminous threads burst forth.
Each one pulsed with potential.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly. 'Damn… Thousands of possible escape routes…'
Each thread represented a path, a possibility, a chance for the Joker to one day return.
And that… was unacceptable.
His eyes burned red. The air around him cracked and shimmered, reality itself beginning to fracture.
Time trembled.
With perfect, focused control, Ethan extended his chronokinesis.
He reached forward—into every future the Joker could exist.
He reached sideways—into every parallel universe the Joker could escape to.
He reached downward—into the memory of existence itself.
One by one, the threads began to shatter.
Each broken thread sealed a door. Each erased future snuffed out a chance. Each lost path brought the Joker closer to final oblivion.
Until… there were none left.
Ethan had done the impossible.
He had erased the Joker—not just from the present… but from every possible future.
No resurrection.
No cloning.
No summoning.
No chaotic return.
Nothing.
Now, the Joker was inside the Phantom Zone without a single thread of possibility to ever escape.
The clown prince of crime stirred.
His eyes fluttered open, confused, shattered… and then—
Ethan smiled. Not a warm smile. Not even a mocking one. It was cruel and crazy smile.
He raised his right hand, fingers outstretched.
His crimson irises blazed with fury. "Have an unhappy death."
And then…
Flames erupted.
Not fire of the physical kind—these were flames of cosmic retribution, summoned from the Phoenix force.
The Joker's body ignited from within.
No sound came from his lips.
No final laugh.
No iconic last words.
No clever twist.
Only fire.
After all, this was the Fire—the one that could burn existence itself.
The Joker's flesh crumbled to ash.
Then the ash vanished.
Then… even the soul.
Gone.
His presence was erased from the Phantom Zone.
Only the pod remained.
Ethan looked at it one final time, then raised his hand again.
The pod sealed itself, resetting to its original state.
If, by chance, Batman ever returned here… if he searched for the Joker…
He'd find only an empty pod.
Ethan chuckled at the thought. A soft, dark laugh that echoed through the silence.
'That moment… I want to see his face when he realizes Joker's just gone.'
The Phantom Zone grew quiet once more.
Ethan took one last glance around and murmured under his breath, "I'll return for the tech eventually. I don't have the time or resources to explore this universe and uncover the secrets of this zone right now… but I will."
He already missed Jean and his friends back in the Marvel universe. It had been a while since he left, and the longing to return was growing stronger
A new red portal opened behind him.
His boots still touched nothing, yet he turned and walked toward it.
With a single step, he vanished into the light.
The portal closed behind him with a whisper.
The Phantom Zone returned to what it had always been—
Cold.
Silent.
Empty.
But now…
There was one monster less.
--------------------------
Two days had passed since Joker was erased from existence in the Phantom Zone.
The outside world remained blissfully unaware of the truth—that the Clown Prince of Crime was gone, not imprisoned, not sleeping… but permanently removed from time and space. Ironically, this ignorance brought the world a brief breath of peace.
But peace, in this universe, never lasted long.
By the following days, the world had returned to its usual rhythm of politics, headlines, and quiet panic. Yet, behind closed doors, rumors stirred. Whispers spread through government corridors and elite networks. Whispers turned to questions. Doubts turned to fear.
The higher authorities didn't know what had happened in the Phantom Zone.
They didn't know that a monster had been purged from all timelines, all possibilities.
They only knew one thing—The Justice League now possessed a tool beyond comprehension.
And that made them uneasy.
Across boardrooms and war rooms, questions were whispered:
"If the Justice League can erase someone without trial… who's next?"
"What if this Ethan Carter decides we're threats, too?"
But far from their paranoia, in a cozy space beyond suspicion, life went on.
----------------
**M&C Hotel, Ethan's Penthouse**
Morning sunlight filtered through expansive glass windows. The skyline outside glittered, unaware of the forces that danced inside this unassuming building.
Ethan adjusted the collar of his black jacket, standing before a tall mirror. Behind him, Anna was seated on the sofa, legs curled beneath her, trying to close a zip on a bag that clearly had more things in it than physics should allow.
"You know," Ethan remarked while watching her from the mirror, "I taught you that pocket dimension spell to help with travel. Not to… hoard half the planet."
Anna grinned. "You gave me access to infinite space. Of course I'm gonna use it."
Ethan shook his head, amused. "You might be the first person in history to actually fill a pocket dimension."
Anna shrugged playfully. "It's not full… yet."
They both laughed. Ethan walked over and gently lifted her into his arms, settling on the sofa beside her.
"So," she asked before resting her head on his shoulder. "Everything's settled here, right?"
Ethan nodded, voice calm. "Yeah. I already told Lena I'll be heading home and will return in a few months. I trust she'll take care of the company and M&C while we're away. I left her everything she needs."
Just then, footsteps echoed through the hall, approaching their door.
They turned as the door opened.
Diana Prince stepped into the room, carrying far more luggage than either Ethan or Anna. She wore a classic white blouse tucked into fitted jeans, with a navy-blue jacket thrown casually over her shoulders. Her hair flowed freely.
Anna blinked. "Whoa… did you bring all of Themyscira with you?"
Ethan chuckled. "That's not luggage, that's a relocation."
He then waved a hand. All of Diana's bags vanished in a shimmer of golden light. "I'll store those."
Diana smiled, amused. "You're going to be very useful on shopping trips."
Anna nodded immediately. "Oh, absolutely. Imagine the time we'll save."
Ethan groaned. "Anything but shopping…"
Despite all his powers and adaptive evolution, Ethan Carter—the man who could erase timelines—still hadn't adapted to mall trips. That remained one of the great mysteries of the multiverse.
Anna suddenly asked, "I wonder if Didi will come with us."
Ethan smiled faintly. "She is. In fact, this was all her idea. She'll be here shortly."
Diana made herself comfortable on the other side of Ethan as the three of them relaxed into the soft cushions, a tablet floating before them as they watched an alternate version of The Vampire Diaries—one where Damon was a time-traveling vampire.
---------------------
Meanwhile, atop the M&C Hotel…
The breeze was still. The sky stretched endlessly.
Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, stood near the edge of the rooftop, his robes shifting like ink in water. Beside him stood a young woman with pale skin, silver eyes, and a quiet smile. She wore simple clothes—nothing fancy, but her aura… was ageless.
Didi, the manifestation of Death among the Endless.
"You're sure about this?" Morpheus asked, his voice low but filled with gravity. "Leaving this multiverse to explore another…?"
Didi looked ahead, her expression serene. "I've made up my mind."
"You may encounter different rules, different Death entities," he warned. "This isn't like visiting a world. It's leaving the framework of our home."
"I know," she replied gently. "But I want to see what lies beyond. What other versions of 'me' are like. Maybe I'll even have a drink with one."
Morpheus frowned. "Be careful. I still don't like the idea. You could be trapped… lost. You know what happened to me."
He remembered the decades of imprisonment, the cruel stasis.
Didi chuckled. "I'm not you. I don't brood in glass cages. And besides…" she turned to face him with a grin. "I've got people who'll watch my back."
Her mind flashed to Anna—specifically, the moment Anna had gone berserk when someone had destroyed her bar. She'd beaten the living hell out of Lobo, a moment that still gave Didi chills… and a little pride.
"I'm not going unprotected," she added.
Morpheus sighed. "I can't change your mind, can I?"
"Nope." She grinned playfully.
They both turned to feel the presence of others—Destiny, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction—watching from the realm between thought. None of them appeared, but their presence was unmistakable.
Didi looked toward the wind. "Goodbye, siblings. Don't worry… only my avatar is going. I'll still be around. Somewhere."
Then she vanished, like a candle blown out by an unseen wind.
-----------------
Back in the penthouse…
Ethan sat sandwiched between two of the most powerful women in the universe, both watching a vampire show like teenagers on a sleepover.
Suddenly—"Cough."
They turned and saw Didi stood there, hands behind her back, wearing nothing but a sly grin.
"I'm here guys," she said casually.
Anna blinked. "Wait. You didn't pack anything?"
Didi tilted her head. "Didn't pack any. I figured Ethan can help me get some first-day-in-a-new-universe fashion."
Anna clapped her hands with delight. "Oh! I like that idea."
Ethan sighed like a man walking toward execution. "Again with the shopping? You people are going to bankrupt me."
They all turned to him and said in unison, "Bullshit."
Diana then smiled and stood up to greet Didi. She didn't know who she truly was—only that she owned a unique bar and had once fought beside them during a skirmish in Gotham. But the energy around her… was oddly comforting.
"Welcome," Diana said warmly.
Didi nodded in return. "Let's make it a good trip."
Ethan stood before brushing invisible dust off his jacket.
Everyone gathered close to him as he reached into his coat and retrieved the Omni-Watch, a silver pocket watch that hung from his neck.
As he opened it, the hour hand clicked.
It turned—tick by tick—until it aligned with Roman numeral I.
A soft pulse of power rippled through the room.
In a burst of blinding light, the four figures vanished.
And so, the journey beyond their world… had begun.
---------------
**Central City**
The wind was calm over Central City.
At the edge of town, where the skyline gave way to suburban streets and familiar memories, a figure in red stood still—unmoving despite the restless crackle of lightning coursing around him.
Barry Allen, clad in his crimson Flash suit, stood alone near the tree-lined path that led to his childhood home.
His fists were clenched. His chest rose and fell with steady resolve. And in his eyes—deep behind the cowl—burned something fierce.
Determination. Hope. Grief.
"…I'm going to do it," Barry whispered to himself, his voice steady.
He looked out toward the modest house down the road. It hadn't changed. Not in his mind. Not in his heart. He still remembered every creak in the floorboards, every scent of dinner, every laugh echoing down the hall.
And that one terrible night.
"I'm going to save you, Mom," he said. "And I'll make it right. All of it."
Yellow lightning began to crackle around his body, rising like a storm. The wind surged as energy coiled and spiraled around him.
For a moment, the air shimmered with raw potential.
"Iris… don't worry. I'll be back for you," he said before smiling softly. "Everything will be better. I promise."
Then—he ran.
His legs moved in a blur. The street, the homes, the world itself warped around him. Time bent, curled, and stretched as he pushed himself faster than ever before.
"For a better future," he declared.
He was no longer just the Flash. He was a son racing against fate.
------------
In the Speed Force…
As Barry ran, the world unraveled.
Images of the past whipped by him—phantoms of memories and timelines rushing like rivers on either side. His body glowed brighter, the yellow lightning becoming like a comet's tail.
For years, he had toyed with this idea. The temptation had been there since the day he first discovered his ability to time travel.
He could save her.
Undo the one moment that shattered his childhood and rewrote his destiny.
But he'd always been afraid.
The consequences of tampering with the timeline were immense. He'd seen the damage it could cause—the butterfly effects, the collapsing paradoxes, the fractured futures.
But recently… something had shifted.
Ethan Carter.
A man who toyed with the rules of life and death like chess pieces.
Barry had watched Ethan resurrect people, rearrange destinies, and defy balance—and nothing happened. The world didn't break. Time didn't bleed. There were no screaming demons or collapsing timelines.
So why couldn't Barry do the same?
If Ethan could challenge fate and win… maybe he could too.
Maybe… just this once… the rules didn't matter.
Maybe the world was ready for a better past.
-----------
A portal tore open ahead of him—a swirling, golden vortex in the heart of the Speed Force.
Barry's eyes narrowed. "This is it."
The moment he'd waited for all his life.
He took a deep breath.
Then entered the portal—leaping toward the past.
Toward the night that started it all.
The night Reverse Flash murdered Nora Allen.
And as Barry vanished into the timestream, the winds of change rippled through the multiverse.
The timeline began to twist.
A shift too subtle for most to notice. But those attuned to time—like certain speedsters, cosmic entities, and perhaps even Ethan—would feel it.
A distortion was coming.
Not a paradox. Not a storm.
But a Flashpoint.
And whether it would bring salvation or ruin… remained to be seen.
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Author's Note:
Hey guys, I'm back!
Sorry for the delay—went on a trip with my family last week and just got back this morning.
Anyway, what did you think of the chapter?
Did anyone expect the Flash to create Flashpoint because of Ethan? 👀
Drop your thoughts in the comments!
As always, reviews and ideas are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!