Between Five and Vanya and Klaus as siblings.
The Hargreeves mansion stood as a monolith of memory, a testament to extraordinary childhoods that were anything but carefree. The corridors echoed with the whispers of yesteryears, and within these walls, time seemed to be as much a relic as the artifacts it housed.
Five, the boy who had traversed through the apocalypses of time, now stood staring at an antiquated, brass-rimmed device that lay among Sir Reginald Hargreeves' obscure collection. It wasn't supposed to be operational, yet its inner cogs whispered of a different story. Vanya, the white violin with powers that could harness the ebb and flow of life itself, joined him, her curious gaze locked onto the artifact. Klaus, channeling the long-deceased but ever-cantankerous Ben, floated in, drawn by the siblings' concentrated attention.
"I've never seen this one before," Vanya murmured, the dim light flickering across her features.
Klaus, with glee dancing in his mischievous eyes, couldn't resist the allure. "Let's poke it," he grinned, teasing the void where common sense should live.
Five shook his head, lines of worry etching into his young-old face. "That's exactly what we're not going to do," he asserted, but alas, fate is seldom changed by mere assertion.
As if drawn by an unseen magnet, the trio found themselves closer to the artifact, unconsciously forming a circle. A disagreement, a sibling squabble borne of chaos and concern, ignited the air. Harsh words, always just beneath the surface, spilled over.
"Why must you always act like you know everything, Five?" Vanya's voice trembled, her emotions, raw and unrestrained, buzzed around her like a storm waiting to break.
Klaus laughed, the sound both hollow and sobering. "Probably because he usually does. Except for when he doesn't—like that time with the apocalypse," he quipped, toeing the line between jest and jealousy.
In the heat of their words, a slip, a push, an accidental touch—and the artifact sprung to life. Gears turned, lights emitted, and the air grew thick with the power of undiluted time. Reality rippled, and for a heartbeat, everything stood still.
And then, like dominos in a hurricane, the world they knew came crashing down around them. Visions of what could have been, should have been, and would never be, tore through the fabric of now. Echoes of past mistakes and regrets whispered from every corner. The artifact was more than a mere device; it was a prism of possibilities, and with one fateful touch, it cracked wide open.
As the light subsided, the siblings stood on the precipice of what seemed like an immeasurable abyss of disruptive timelines. The mansion was the same, yet different—shadows shifted, whispers grew louder, and ghosts of their past selves began to manifest.
Five clenched his fists. How far had they gone? What had they done? Could they fix it?
Vanya looked at her brothers, and for the first time in a long while, they weren't just the estranged Hargreeves siblings—they were the core of the Umbrella Academy, united by a bond that not even time could sever.
The artifact of time had begun its dance, and they, willingly or not, had joined its tempestuous tune.