Dexter stood within the restored brilliance of Dextopia, his mind still turning over everything he had just witnessed.
This timeline had suffered, twisted, and nearly collapsed under its own weight, yet in the end, it had recovered. It had stabilized. It had survived.
"…So this one made it," he murmured, eyes narrowing slightly as he observed Old Man Dexter sitting calmly within his perfected world. "Despite everything… it didn't fall."
For a brief moment, there was something almost reassuring in that realization. Not every path ended in ruin. "But if this timeline wasn't destroyed, why does it exist only as a memory?"
That thought did not last.
From Old Man Dexter's perspective, the sky above Dextopia trembled.
At first, it was subtle, like a distortion in glass. The blue expanse rippled unnaturally, as if reality itself had been stretched too thin.
Dexter immediately noticed it, his posture straightening as his instincts flared.
The sky split open.
Not like a storm, nor like a portal formed by technology he recognized. It tore, violently and unnaturally, exposing something beyond it. A fracture in reality itself, jagged and unstable, radiating an energy that made even the perfected systems of Dextopia flicker.
Something stepped through.
Dexter's breath caught the moment he saw him.
"…No way."
It was a man he recognized instantly.
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
But not the version he knew.
Below, Old Man Dexter looked up, his expression shifting from curiosity to mild surprise. "Ah! Doofenshmirtz, my old friend," he called out, his tone warm and familiar. "It's been quite some time. I wasn't expecting a visit."
The man floating above him laughed.
It wasn't the awkward, self-deprecating chuckle Dexter expected. It was deeper, sharper, carried with a confidence that felt completely out of place.
"Friend?" the man echoed, amusement laced with something far colder. "Oh, that's adorable. Truly."
The man descended slowly, boots touching the ground with deliberate ease. His presence alone distorted the air, as if the world itself struggled to accommodate him.
His appearance was striking. He wore a long, dark purple tailcoat that flowed behind him like a royal mantle, paired with a bright purple bow tie over a layered purple and yellow dress shirt. The cuffs of his coat gleamed in pale yellow, matching the accents of his outfit. His pants bore vertical stripes in varying shades of violet, giving him an almost theatrical silhouette.
A tall purple top hat sat firmly on his head, wrapped with a yellow band, while a pair of purple-gray goggles rested just above his eyes. On his back was a metallic apparatus, a backpack fitted with three glowing, bulb-like structures that pulsed faintly with energy.
Everything about him screamed eccentric genius.
But beneath it was something far more dangerous.
Old Man Dexter slowly stood, studying him more carefully now. "You've… changed," he admitted, voice thoughtful. "New outfit? Another one of your inventions, I presume?"
The man smiled.
It wasn't friendly.
"No," he said calmly, his voice carrying an unsettling weight. "This is evolution."
He lifted a hand slightly, as if presenting himself.
"I am no longer Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz."
Dexter felt it before the words even finished.
A pressure.
"I am Professor Time."
Below, Old Man Dexter frowned, though he remained composed. "Professor Time?" he repeated. "That's quite the rebranding. Let me guess… you finally figured out how to make one of your '-inators' work properly?"
Professor Time chuckled, clearly amused.
"Oh, I made them work, all right," he said. "In fact, I made everything work."
He began to walk forward, each step measured, controlled.
"In my timeline, I eliminated every obstacle. OWCA, gone. Agent P, defeated. Resistance? Nonexistent. I conquered my timeline completely."
Dexter's expression hardened as he listened.
"…Total domination achieved first," he murmured. "Then expansion."
Professor Time continued, his tone almost conversational, as if discussing a hobby.
"But conquest is… boring when there's nothing left to conquer. So I looked beyond. I discovered something fascinating."
He gestured upward toward the still-torn sky.
"Other timelines."
Old Man Dexter's eyes sharpened now, understanding dawning.
Professor Time smiled wider.
"I didn't stop at one," he added casually. "Or two or three."
He raised a single finger.
"Six."
Dexter felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Six different Earths of different parallel universes" Professor Time repeated, almost proudly. "Each one different. Each one powerful in its own way and every single one… now mine."
Old Man Dexter straightened fully, the calm wisdom in his posture giving way to something more serious.
"You're saying you came here to conquer this one too," he said.
Professor Time tilted his head slightly.
"Not came," he corrected. "Arrived."
The ground beneath them trembled faintly.
Dexter's eyes flickered upward again, noticing movement within the tear in the sky.
"Dextopia is impressive," Professor Time admitted. "A utopia built on intelligence, innovation, and stability. You nurtured powered individuals, advanced your defenses, unified your people. It's… admirable."
His smile sharpened.
"But not enough."
The sky rupture widened.
This time, things began to emerge.
Dexter's breath stilled.
Robots descended first, but these were unlike anything he had ever seen. Their forms shifted mid-air, metal plating shifting and restructuring, limbs expanding and contracting. Silhouettes warped constantly, revealing glimpses of terrifying alien biology before shifting back, all while a distinct black-and-white emblem, the symbol of the Omnitrix glowed brightly on their chests.
"…Omnitrix-based transformation technology," Old Dexter murmured, the realization hitting him hard. "You integrated alien DNA into machines."
"You are exactly right," Professor Time replied smoothly. "An army of genetically engineered super-soldiers, capable of assuming the forms of various alien species. Created using one of the most powerful devices ever forged by Asmuth… the Omnitrix."
Old Dexter's gaze darkened further as more forces spilled forth from the rift behind them.
They were not just robots.
There were creatures.
Dragons soared through the tear in reality, their scales gleaming with an otherworldly sheen. Monstrous behemoths marched alongside entities whose power levels were beyond anything Dexter could immediately comprehend. Some looked artificially created, twisted into weapons of war. Others… looked stolen, ripped from their own worlds to serve a new master.
Professor Time spread his arms wide, presenting the terrifying armada as if it were a grand achievement.
"I have collected quite the arsenal over time," he said. "Aliens, artifacts, entire species. I have even acquired a few… interesting relics."
His hand brushed the air, and for a fleeting moment, Dexter saw it.
An object resting in a golden casing, pulsing with time and magic.
"…The Eye of Agamotto," Old Dexter breathed, his eyes widening in shock. His voice lost all warmth, turning cold and sharp. "You're not here for a visit."
Professor Time's smile never faltered.
"No," he answered simply. "I am here for acquisition."
In that instant, the memory shifted violently.
Dexter saw it all unfold. The invaders descended upon Dextopia with unbridled fury. The creatures tore through the skies, the transformed robots shattered the defenses, and the very ground shook beneath the weight of their power.
Old Dexter fought with every ounce of intellect and strength he possessed, but his body was old and frail, far past his prime. He watched in agony as the world he had built crumbled around him. The heroes who stood by his side were overwhelmed, one by one. The cities he nurtured burned.
Some fell in battle. Others were captured, forced into servitude, or worse.
Order collapsed and peace was erased.
The once-perfect utopia was reduced to ruin, plunged into eternal chaos and darkness, all under the rule of the conqueror who had come to take everything.
________
[A/N: Hey guys! Can you recommend some good fanfics for me? I don't really have anything to read lately. Most of what I see are just Naruto or One-Piece stories. No offense to those two, I love them, but it's getting a bit boring seeing the same things over and over. I'm looking for something fresh and new!]