Chapter 34 – "What Remains"
The wind howled through the broken walls of STAR Labs.
Eobard Thawne's body lay still on the ground, blood and lightning pooling beneath him—until the wind began to take him. His form crumbled slowly, flaking away like ash caught in a storm. Yellow armor. Skin. Bone. Gone. All of it dissolved into nothing, devoured by the weight of the Speed Force, leaving behind only silence.
Barry stared at the spot where his greatest enemy had just vanished.
No victory. No satisfaction.
Only dread.
He ran—straight to the Cortex, boots scorching the floor with Speed Force heat. The monitors flickered back on, revealing cracked screens and flickering images. Joe, Cisco, and Stein were already there. No one spoke. No one needed to.
They had seen everything through the lab cameras.
They saw Dante kill Eobard.
They saw the storm he'd become.
They saw what grief had forged.
Joe sat, his hands shaking. Cisco didn't move, just stared blankly at the screen. Stein leaned on the console, his face hollow with the weight of history repeating itself—another metahuman falling into darkness.
And then—
He came back.
In the blink of an eye, the air cracked apart. Lightning tore through space like a jagged wound, and Dante emerged from it—burning.
He stood in the center of the Cortex, chest rising and falling like a bomb waiting to go off.
In one hand, he held Ronnie Raymond by the throat—dangling like a lifeless doll.
In the other, he cradled Caitlin Snow to his chest like she was the only thing in the universe still worth protecting.
They were both unconscious. Ronnie's face was pale. Caitlin's hair hung limp over Dante's shoulder. She looked fragile. Small.
Dante's eyes were still glowing red. His body pulsed with dark lightning. And for a moment, the only sound in the room was the electric thrum of power that didn't belong in this world.
Barry didn't hesitate.
He rushed forward, gently prying Ronnie from Dante's grip and blurring toward the med-bay. It was the same room Barry used after battles that left him broken—now, it was Ronnie's turn.
Barry laid him on the bed, quickly checking his pulse.
Alive. Barely.
No visible wounds, but his body was drained, like something had pulled every ounce of energy from him.
Barry returned to the Cortex.
Dante was still there, still holding Caitlin like she'd fall apart if he let go.
"She's not waking up," he whispered.
Barry stepped closer. "Let me help—"
"She doesn't need your help." Dante's voice was calm. Too calm. Dangerous calm. "She needs peace. She needs to forget."
"She needs you," Barry said quietly.
Dante looked at him. The glow in his eyes dimmed for just a second, like the storm inside him was considering retreat.
Then Caitlin stirred.
Her hand twitched against Dante's chest. A breath escaped her lips. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed, confused. She looked up at him—not afraid, just lost.
"Dante...?" she whispered.
He knelt, lowering her gently to the floor, his hands shaking. "I'm here."
Caitlin's gaze drifted, unfocused. "Where's... Ronnie?"
Barry stepped beside them. "Safe. He's here."
Caitlin closed her eyes and passed out again, but her breathing steadied.
"She'll be okay," Barry said. "You did it. You found her."
Dante didn't respond. He just stared at her face, memorizing every freckle, every breath.
Then, without warning, he stood up.
"I should've killed him sooner," he muttered. "I should've torn the world apart the moment she was taken."
Cisco flinched. "Dante, that's not—"
"She was hurt," Dante cut him off. "Do you know what that does to someone? Knowing the person you love was hurt, while you were out there chasing ghosts?"
Stein tried to reason. "Dante, what you've done—it's not too late to come back. We can help you control this. You're not beyond saving."
Dante looked at Stein like he was a fool.
"I don't want saving."
His words were thunder.
"I want justice."
The lights flickered. The room groaned under the pressure of his presence.
Barry took a step forward. "Then let us do it together. You're not alone."
"I am alone," Dante snapped. "You think you understand, but you don't. You had a family. You had a team. You had love."
He pointed at Caitlin's still form.
"That's all I have. And I nearly lost her because I was too slow."
Barry swallowed hard. "Then don't lose yourself."
Dante stared at him. The red in his eyes faded slightly, but only slightly.
"I don't know who I am anymore," he whispered.
And then—
He vanished.
A ripple of red lightning, a crack of thunder—and he was gone.
No one said anything for a long time.
Barry knelt beside Caitlin, checking her pulse again. Stronger. Her temperature was stabilizing. Her body, though bruised and shaken, was safe.
Joe let out a breath. "Where is he going now?"
Barry didn't look up.
"To find what he needs "
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