Five Hargreeves stood at the edge of the rooftop, his gaze fixed on the bustling city below. The wind whipped through his dark hair, but he hardly noticed. Years spent leaping through time had hardened him, made him indifferent to the elements. The world had long since lost its luster; all that mattered now was the mission ahead. He had a knack for making plans, yet they always seemed to crumble the moment his siblings were involved.

The Umbrella Academy had been his family, once. Now, it felt more like a fractured memory, a kaleidoscope of chaos and betrayal. Each sibling was a puzzle piece he had long since given up on fitting together. Luther's misguided loyalty, Klaus’s reckless charm, Allison's idealism, and Vanya’s anger—all tangled threads in a tapestry of dysfunction. Five often felt like the lone adult in a room full of children, forced to shoulder the burdens they refused to acknowledge.

He checked the watch on his wrist, the ticking sound a steady reminder of time’s relentless march. It was a cruel twist of fate that had landed him back in his thirteen-year-old body, forced to navigate adolescence while carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Every second felt precious, yet time was the one thing he could never control. With a heavy sigh, he turned his thoughts to the impending crisis, the shadow looming over the city—a catastrophic event that only he seemed to grasp.

Five’s mind raced with strategies and contingencies. He couldn't afford to waste time wallowing in nostalgia or resentment. No, it was time to be the leader he had grown to despise being, the one who constantly had to clean up the messes others left behind. He had come too far to falter now. As he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead, he knew one thing: he wouldn’t let his family’s recklessness doom them all. Not again.