Wronging the Rights

Sorry for the inconsistency, I promise I'm not just being lazy...well, not all the time.

Jokes aside, trust me, the time I spend away usually just goes back into this story, so I hope it'll please you since things will reach its climax soon.

As a testament to this, I now have 10 chapters in advanced on my patreon, more coming soon.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about webnovel. You guys should expect a bonus chapter every now and then.

And also, be sure to expect more frequent daily uplaods.

Alright, enough yapping, go enjoy your chapter.

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'Hm, doesn't seem like much has changed.'

Derek thought, staring at the screen before him. 

Usually, it would raise suspicion upon Derek staring into blank space quietly. Especially so as Caitlin and Cisco, who had returned with his coffee, were just sitting opposite him.

However, he had unconsciously slipped into his super speed perception mode, his mind racing as everything else around him remained frozen.

He would find this happening often. Despite him contemplating things for what seemed like hours, only a few seconds passed in real life.

But he found it rather useful. He didn't need to worry about wasting time since he had plenty of it. Too much, in fact.

[Quest Complete]

[You have defeated the Reverse Flash]

[You have levelled up]

[You have levelled up]

[You have levelled up]

[You have earned 20 Sp]

[Your Eclipse has levelled up]

[Your Character Status has increased to "High"]

'High character status? Does this mean I'm as valuable to the story as Caitlin and Cisco?'

He couldn't say for sure. After all, there might have been something higher that he would soon achieve.

Nevertheless, he continued onto what he noticed first.

'Hmm, not an achievement worthy of a Fable, huh?'

Derek thought, unsure if he should be glad about this fact or not.

Knowing what he knew about Fables, he needed great and notable acts to achieve them. 

He only had two for now, but that was only because he had been somewhat reserved knowing he was weak and couldn't change the story too much since it was his only weapon.

However, he couldn't help but think future acts would result in more.

'Hm, I'll have to test the new additions to my Eclipse later. For now, I don't feel much of a difference from it.'

He thought, taking a moment to focus.

All in all, nothing much seemed to have changed.

A part of Derek knew why this was.

'Because Thawne wanted to be caught.'

Sure, as soon as he initiated a battle with Derek his fate was sealed.

His ego wouldn't allow him to settle with anything less than killing Derek which was why he came after him, ultimately losing.

But whether he was successful or not, he'd have yielded to Barry.

After all, this was how he'd finally propose his deal for Barry to save his mother and restore the original timeline.

Now with Barry thinking his father was missing, most likely dead, it would also give him more incentive to do so.

'But unfortunately for Thawne, that won't be happening.'

"How's your coffee?" 

Time around Derek sped up once again as he spoke, his eyes looming on the pouting Cisco opposite him.

"Bitter." He answered, taking another sip despite that.

'Cisco Ramon.' 

His Vibe attribute was one Derek was keen on copying. 

However, where Derek would usually force out negative emotions to better reveal a person's true self, he decided against torturing his friends.

'Therefore, the good old communication it is.'

"What about your abilities? How well are they coming along?" Derek asked, the question making Cisco's eyes focus as he regained a serious composure.

"Hey hey, let's rephrase what exactly we call this. It's more like a condition or a disorder." He corrected while Caitlin rolled her eyes beside him.

Cisco wasn't stupid. He knew he was simply in denial. Caitlin knew he was too. 

However, it was most likely because he had a bad first experience with his abilities, having to constantly relive Thawne killing him, that made him rather apprehensive about it.

"Alright…how's your condition coming along?" Derek complied, gaining a nod of approval from Cisco.

"Terrible, thank you for asking. I had to build these stupid glasses that help me Vibe better so I could clearly see…and feel everything from then."

He did this to find any clues that could help them defeat Thawne.

Which they did, planning to trap him in an elaborate anti-speedster trap, one which he'd spent most of the two days of preparation building.

'Well, that was before Thawne started World War M.'

"Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. Imagine what else you could do with your…condition." 

Derek quickly caught himself, continuing in the next second.

"From what we know, you can witness complicated scenes like realities that no longer even exist. I'm sure it can do simpler things like locate someone on Earth." Cisco somewhat contemplated as Derek continued, not giving him a chance to interrupt.

"For example, what if one of us gets kidnapped and your Vibing is the only way to locate us? I know I'd be much safer out there if I had your omniscient eyes always looking out for me." 

Derek nodded, his eyes shifting to Caitlin as he contorted his face to send a message, to which she perked her eyebrows up in understanding.

"Ah, yes. He's right. I mean, you have this…condition now and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, so you might as well make the best of it, right?"

Cisco grumbled in a hesitant agreement, taking another sip of his coffee.

"I get that…but it's something else that's bugging me."

Both Derek and Caitlin leaned in, especially the former upon realising this could have been what he was hoping for.

"It's Wells…the day he killed me. He told me my powers were a gift and that one day I'd thank him for it."

Caitlin furrowed her eyebrows upon hearing this.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. But if it's something that will end up making me thank someone like that, it can't be good, right?"

Throughout all this, Derek stayed silent. Though his outside expression remained controlled, he inwardly held back the urge to widen his eyes and shape his mouth in an O shape.

'Wait a minute, I remember something like this in the show.'

It was a plot line that never went anywhere, failing to be answered even when the show finished.

It was the line Cisco just mentioned.

It was why he was one of the main reasons why he hesitated to tell Team Flash about his abilities.

He feared he would become like Thawne.

This thought almost drove him insane. Why wouldn't it? 

Someone from the future insinuating you would become the very thing you fought against would certainly make anyone nervous at the very least.

Why was Derek so sure of this?

Because he was currently experiencing the same thing.

He tried his best to push the words Thawne had spoken to him to the back of his mind, but every once in a while, it would resurface, ruining the rest of his day.

"He also told you he loves you like a son before shooting his arm through you."

Caitlin and Cisco turned to Derek who had suddenly exclaimed.

"He's killed you and he's playing on your emotions like a kazoo."

"Like Barry's righting the wrongs done to his mother, you should be…I guess, wronging the rights he's claimed about you. Use your powers to become the opposite of everything he stood for."

Caitlin stared at Derek for a moment before turning as a thought occurred to her that made her lips curl upward.

"Like his Reverse. You could be the Reverse-Reverse Vibe." She joked in an attempt to cheer Cisco up.

"...That's a terrible name." Finally, Cisco smiled lightly as he stared down at his coffee mug.

'The more I'm in this world, the more I'm realising that these "Characters" might just be more human than I am.'

Derek thought, noticing the screen that had appeared before him, off to the side.

[You have connected deeply with Cisco Ramon]

[Your understanding of Cisco Ramon has increased]

'I didn't do much, simply sped up what was inevitable.'

If he was being honest, this probably did more for him. 

Whether it was a plot hole in the story or simple character development if Cisco could prove Thawne wrong, couldn't he?

Didn't he have the choice to not become what Thawne accused him of?

'Is it even a choice?'

According to Thawne, it was typical for a human.

Power would corrupt.

And he had Malcolm to prove it.

Hell, even himself.

[The name Ainz has been spread]

[You have earned 10Sp]

'Huh?'

Derek stared at the screen as he furrowed his eyebrows.

'What the hell is going on in Nanda Parbat?'

***

The trio consisting of Derek, Caitlin and Cisco, all entered STAR Labs, exiting the elevator as they chatted, walking down the curved hallway toward the Cortex.

They held two cups of Coffee between them for Joe and Barry who had spent their time since last night either in STAR Labs or in the city doing their jobs.

However, as the three of them expected, the two stood in the Cortex as they walked in, their cheerfulness filling the room.

"We come with overpriced coffee!" Cisco announced.

However, like usual, he was the last to notice the tense air in the room, prompting him to pause as he looked around.

"Don't tell me something else happened in the hour we were gone."

"Last time the two of you were this quiet you told us someone we considered close to us was an evil supervillain."

Cisco and Caitlin each started to fall into a slight panic respectively as Joe was quick to raise his hands to diffuse the situation.

"Relax, nothing went wrong and there isn't any bad news."

"So what is it?"

Despite Barry being rather off since his father went missing, this felt different. 

Cisco knew this, hence his question.

And to their surprise, they were given a straight answer.

"It's something else…about you, Derek."

Derek was taken aback, his eyes widening slightly as he shifted his gaze between the rather deflated Barry and the attentive Joe.

Finally, Barry rose to his feet, stepping closer and he stared into Derek's eyes.

"Derek, we have something to talk to you about."

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This shameless act is becoming harder and harder to keep on. But I'll do it anyway.

Powerstones...my fingers hurt.

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