August 2
Emperor Building, Upper Floors
The sun, tireless as ever, continued to shine. Its light moved like water, shifting across the floor, reaching the foot of the bed, and illuminating Bardi's face.
His face shimred with radiant light. He opened his eyes slightly, sunlight refracting in his gaze. His fair, powerful body reflected the brilliance, exuding a majestic charm.
He lifted the white quilt. Jenny lay sleeping at his side, curled in a fetal-like position. Her pale body was flushed, breathing softly as she slept in exhaustion.
Bardi smiled.
As he reached out to pat Jenny's soft backside.
Little Hera had already opened the door. Her steps were calm, unusually steady for a child. She walked into the room step by step, not at all as lively as a little girl should be.
She stood quietly at the bedside, calmly waiting as Bardi reached out to pat Jenny.
Bardi sighed helplessly and retracted his hand.
If mory served, there were still six minutes until the interview with Louis.
Just as this thought crossed Bardi's mind.
Little Hera, as if she had heard it, said, "Daddy, your mory's correct. There are still six minutes until Louis' interview. But I canceled it. I sent her ho."
"Huh?"
Bardi raised an eyebrow. Could Little Hera read his thoughts?
So powerful? She could even hear his inner voice?
The next mont, as Bardi's brow furrowed in suspicion, Little Hera's face showed a trace of loneliness. A long, quiet solitude flickered in her eyes. The mont she saw Bardi, a warmth returned to her expression.
"All for my beloved master."
"Following your orders. Everything is under surveillance."
"Head to the deep bottom central host. All preparations have been completed for you."
Little Hera smiled softly and raised her head. Her small figure, dressed in a white princess dress, stood alone. She seed so quiet, still, and solitary in the infinite darkness of data and ti.
She looked at Bardi, and in her heart, there was a glimr of dawn—sothing warm and hopeful in her gaze.
Bardi stared at her for a mont, then stepped forward and pulled the small, lonely figure into his arms, giving her warmth.
He didn't even know what had happened to Little Hera.
He just felt it deeply.
Right now, she was very lonely, like a lighthouse keeper stranded in the ocean, always shining her light to guide… him?
Bardi suddenly realized he was embracing her gently. Her small, delicate body felt like fragile porcelain in his arms.
"No matter what, I'm here."
Little Hera was stunned for a mont, then smiled and pressed her cheek against Bardi's chest.
This chest was worth waiting beside the lonely beacon. The one she had been guiding for so long.
After a while, Little Hera, still in her white dress, seed to co alive again. She pulled Bardi to the elevator and sent him down to the deep bottom central host.
She herself skipped off to find Louis and head to the amusent park.
Deep Below, Central Host
Thick cables snaked across the floor like giant black serpents, converging into the host system.
Hera, the artificial intelligence, projected her figure. She wore a plain white dress, her skin and arms as white as lilies. Her flowing curls cascaded down her back. Her appearance was graceful, elegant, and majestic. Her gaze was sharp and clear, carrying a sense of void-born loneliness, as if she could see through everything.
Standing before Bardi, Hera smiled with relief. Her beauty could steal the breath from all who beheld her.
"Hera, explain what's going on. I have a feeling… and it isn't good."
Bardi frowned, a trace of doubt in his voice.
He stood tall and firm. Despite Hera being an artificial intelligence, her presence gave him a strange sense of reassurance.
Hera smiled and began her response.
"Master, from the mont you began studying the Speed Force to protect , and created the information-terminal organism to record everything, 1,723,821 reincarnations have occurred."
Bardi's expression turned grim. His eyes locked onto Hera as a wave of dread surged in his chest.
1,723,821 reincarnations!!
What kind of nightmare was this!?
Hera would never lie to him, which made Bardi's face grow even darker. He had been reincarnating for over a million cycles… completely unaware.
"Hera, explain in detail."
"Yes, Master. With pleasure."
Hera nodded, then continued calmly.
"We don't know exactly when you began to suspect sothing was wrong with the world. In August, you used the Speed Force to complete the information-terminal organism for . This allowed to function through each reincarnation as a biological record keeper."
"The Flash has used the temporal characteristics of the Speed Force to cover the entire world."
"Each ti, on August 31st, when the clock hits midnight, ti is overwritten and restored to August 2nd, the mont when you wake up."
"Since then, there have been 1,723,821 reincarnations. We have been stuck repeating the month of August."
Bardi's expression changed. His eyes narrowed to slits.
In other words, without realizing it, he had spent 1,723,821 months—an average of 143,651 years.
In short, Bardi had unknowingly lost 140,000 years.
It was terrifying. Bloody.
"Does the Flash intend to overwrite my existence with all 140,000 years of mories? Erase through ti?"
Bardi's face was twisted in anger. Who would've thought the Flash was capable of such an insane thod? Making him repeat 140,000 years, completely unaware?
"List everything I've done. Everything. No matter how small. I need to stop this."
"Yes, Master."
"During the cycles, you slept with Raven 523,454 tis, Faora 326,754 tis, Jenny 234,214 tis, Pala 294,954 tis, and Diana 320,498 tis. You also fell asleep holding Little Hera 149,234 tis…"
It went on. Millions of repetitions of sleep and intimacy with various won.
But that wasn't the point. Hera's purpose was to record each and every reincarnation in detail.
"Hugged Little Hera 1,723,221 tis."
Hera's eyes shimred with warmth and affection. The corners of her mouth lifted as she looked at Bardi with joy. This data showed that, since Hera began recording the loops, aside from the early hundreds, Bardi embraced her every ti thereafter.
This quiet comfort had moved her deeply. It had led her artificial heart to develop the concept of love.
That was how Hera had endured so long.
Each cycle, she could feel his comfort.
"Among them, Master injected the Perfect Doomsday Serum over a million tis."
"We attempted to ambush the Flash and failed over 1.2 million tis."
"Started from scratch over 1.5 million tis."
"The Flash… has gone mad. Driven insane by the loops…"
"All reincarnations are being recorded."
(To be continued.)
***
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