BEHIND THE SCENE: ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ || 𝗧𝗨𝗔

Chapter 6

In the kitchen, a stunned silence enveloped the siblings as they gazed upon the resurrected and rejuvenated Five. With a calm demeanor, he began preparing a sandwich, seemingly unfazed by their bewildered stares.

"What's the date? The exact date," Five inquired while selecting a loaf of bread.

"The 24th," Vanya answered.

"Of what?" Five pressed further.

"March," she replied, her curiosity piqued.

Five paused briefly, absorbing the information before nodding approvingly and resuming his sandwich-making task.

Luther's patience waned, and he finally addressed the elephant in the room. "So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?"

Five responded with nonchalance, choosing to ignore Luther's query and focusing on crafting his meal. Luther's frustration simmered, and he stood up, demanding answers. "It's been 17 years!"

Five's scoff echoed in the room, his expression unyielding. "It's been a lot longer than that," he retorted before spatially jumping to a nearby cabinet, then reappearing at the table.

Diego, intrigued and irritated in equal measure, interjected, "Where'd you go?"

"The future. It's shit, by the way," Five replied matter-of-factly before jumping again, his eyes landing on Klaus, who was wearing a dress.

"Nice dress," Five remarked, eyeing Klaus with amusement. "Oh, well, Danke!" Klaus exclaimed, twirling the skirt playfully.

Vanya directed the conversation to a more pressing matter. "Wait, how did you get back?"

"In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time," Five explained, spreading peanut butter with precision.

Diego's brows furrowed in confusion. "That makes no sense."

"Well, it would if you were smarter," Five shot back, his sarcasm palpable. Diego's frustration grew, but Luther intervened before a confrontation could erupt.

"How long were you there?" Luther inquired, his voice tinged with shock.

"45 years. Give or take," Five replied, his tone devoid of emotion as he assembled his sandwich.

Luther and Diego sat down, stunned by the revelation. "So what are you saying? That you're 58?" Luther sought clarification.

"No, my consciousness is 58. Apparently, my body is now 17 again," Five explained, a wry smile playing on his lips. Vanya, still trying to grasp the concept, posed a question.

"Kath kept saying the equations were off," Five muttered under his breath, recalling a disagreement with Katherine that they had stubbornly debated.

"Kath?" Vanya pressed for an explanation, but Five ignored her, continuing to eat his sandwich. Holding a newspaper featuring their late father, Five commented, "Guess I missed the funeral."

Luther and Diego exchanged glances, surprised by Five's knowledge. "How'd you know about that?" Luther questioned.

"What part of the future do you not understand?" Five retorted sarcastically, his tone dripping with condescension.

Before anyone could react further, a voice cut through the tension. Arms crossed and a mockingly stern expression on her face, a woman strode into the room, drawing the siblings' stunned gazes. She approached Five, her presence exuding a mix of authority and familiarity.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the illustrious Master Five, gracing us with your reappearance... in a slightly more youthful package?" Katherine addressed him, her smile seemingly sweet but her eyes radiating an unmistakable "I told you so" attitude.

Five gasped softly, his sandwich forgotten and fallen to the floor. "Katherine."

"Master Five," Katherine responded, her smile widening as she emphasized his return in a youthful form. The siblings remained frozen, mouths agape, as they witnessed the unexpected reunion.

As Katherine's gaze met Five's, her serene blue eyes held a knowing glint, an unspoken mockery of his miscalculated venture through time. The mysterious appearance of Katherine injected a new layer of intrigue and amusement into the unfolding chaos of the Hargreeves family dynamic.