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❛ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇʟᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴛʜᴇ
ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴇɴᴅs ꒱


❝ BUT HEAR THIS, SIR
HARGREEVES: YOU ARE
JULIUS CAESAR & I AM
YOUR SOOTHSAYER ❞

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Throughout the twenty-four hour period that marked the first day of October, 1989, 380,738 women around the world gave birth. Of these natural births, sixteen were determined to be 'unusual.' This is because those specific women had not been pregnant when the day first began. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible. However, this story is not about them.

Instead, the focus is on a pair of twins that were born amongst the 380,738 on that fateful day. Their birth was completely natural: Alan and Lois Gimbel had planned to continue their family lineage months in advance of the baby's arrival. Sometimes, though, the fertilized egg will accidentally split in two, especially when an otherworldly phenomenon acts upon it. Edmund Gimbel was born on the eighth hour of October first, 1989. Four hours later— at precisely twelve noon— Edward Gimbel was born.

The addition of a second baby came as a surprise and joy to the parents of the now-twins. Luckily, they had the means and finances to support this unexpected family member and welcomed him into the family just as they did his brother. This 'extra baby' escaped Sir Reginald Hargreeves' grasp; his unintended camouflage immediately after his brother's birth hid him from the man's sight. . . for the time being.

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[ 2000-2008 ]

Growing up, the two boys displayed the stereotypes that were usually made on twins: they finished each other's sentences, switched places and claimed that they could feel each other's pain. The brothers were as close as siblings could be and rarely ever fought (many who met them were often unsettled by their camaraderie.) This was especially noteworthy because their personalities could not be more different. Where Edmund was easygoing, extroverted and popular, Edward was detached, bookish and isolated. However, their differing personalities seemed to be the glue that kept them together and they balanced each other's extreme sides.

After school, Edmund could be found with his arm thrown over a girl's shoulders (this is unspecified because he was often with a new partner before the week was out.) His group of friends would usually go to the diner that was near their school and claim a booth in the back whilst they also hogged the pool table. Their boisterous laughter would drown out the conversations of the other patrons as they caused a ruckus in the back. (They were never reprimanded, though, because one of Edmund's friend's mom's ran the restaurant.) If he wasn't there, then he was either at one of his friend's houses or playing whatever sport was currently in season.

On the other hand, Edward's location was far more predictable: he was either at the public library or in his room. As much as he loved his brother, he merely tolerated the friends that came with him; he found the group to be unnecessarily loud and uncultured. He much preferred to be holed away in his room, reading about how the world worked.

You might be wondering: if Edward Gimbel was born on the twelfth hour of October first, where are his powers? When did he become interested in tinkering? What does his presence have to do with the love story between his niece and the boy named Five? And: how on Earth did he always seem to know when things happened before they did?

There is no need to be concerned— these questions will be answered in short order.

Firstly— and perhaps because of the lack of Reginald Hargreeves' presence in his early life— Edward did not figure out his powers until much later. Yes; from a young age, he already knew that he was different from his peers. In Kindergarten, he sensed when his classmate's milk was going to spill before it did. (This could easily be written off as children being careless, but there is further proof.) In second grade as he walked home from school after a particularly heavy rainstorm, his vision flashed forward to nighttime where a speeding car would swerve on a rain puddle and cause an accident. (After dinner that night when his father turned on the news, there was a report of a traffic buildup due to a totaled car.)

Now, the answer might seem obvious to you given these extraordinary situations, but to a boy in his preteens these events only made him question the world around him. He knew he was special (not in an egotistical sense, mind you; if anything, it was Edward who was the proud one) but he didn't understand the first thing that was happening to him. Luckily, whatever it was could be kept easily under wraps: if he didn't go out, he wouldn't be able to see what fate awaited the people around him.

It was only when a fledgling group of so-called child superheroes emerged from the shadows did Edward Gimbel become more interested in his abilities. The Sparrow Academy took the world by storm and rose to fame faster than anyone had thought possible. They were adored by millions and beloved by their home city; their faces were painted on practically every billboard and they had merchandise in every store.

Edward Gimbel was nineteen when held his first audience with Reginald Hargreeves.

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Unlike the droves of fans that waited outside the Sparrow Academy's doors each day, Edward Gimbel was not there to cheer on the world-renowned crimefighters. Instead, he was dressed in the sharpest suit he owned with his birth certificate in hand. As the sleek, black car pulled up to the curb, the crowd's noise increased to a deafening decibel. The Sparrow kids— though they were teens now, truthfully— remained oblivious to their supporters as they walked up the well-kept path to the iconic door. Edward took his chance and slipped underneath the barrier to step out from the audience. In a clear, authoritative voice, he called out: "Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a moment of your time."

It is important to note that a man such as Sir Reginald Hargreeves did not take orders from anyone, no matter how politely it was said. If one was to try to tell him what to do, they would not be. . . let's just say, able to see the morning light of the next day. So, it is significant that the older gentleman turned around at the request of his junior. This only gives proof of the attention that Edward effortlessly influenced.

Pleased with his success, he continued; his skill at ignoring the onlookers rivaled the famous teens. "It is my understanding that you are a man of self-preservation and one interested in personal benefit. I know that your time is important so I am asking only for twenty minutes to explain a potential opportunity which you can take or leave. I present to you my first piece of evidence." He promptly handed over the official document.

Reginald's cold, grey eyes studied him in an emotionless way that would have had many turning tail to flee. However, Edward only met his gaze with a detached expression of his own. After all, he was not one of those gullible children that 'saved the world;' he had a quicksilver mind and confidence in himself: he refused to be anything less than equal to this man. (Okay, maybe that prideful streak ran through him as well.)

Upon examining the paper that was handed to him, the man's reaction was well hidden. He thrust it back at the teen. "This means nothing to me; it could have been easily forged. You are just a boy looking for a way to be significant. Well, let me tell you this: you have no powers. You will always be ordinary. Only a select few are able to rise above the humdrum of everyday life to become exceptional and you are certainly not one of them. Now—"

"There is no need to continue; I have enough mental fortitude to understand your message," Edward cut across him icily. "But hear this, Sir Hargreeves: you are Julius Caesar and I am your soothsayer. You will enjoy your Sparrow's fame for now but upon the appearance of another, rival academy, your precious group will fall into a perilous decline that will mark the end of the world."

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It is now time to answer the next questions: when did he become interested in tinkering? What does his presence have to do with the love story between his niece and the boy named Five?

Edward's love of fixing clocks first came from reading about them. He was a great enthusiast of theories but not so much the practical application of it. It was only after he'd delivered his warning that he took matters into his own hands to learn about his power. After many trials, he found that a meditative state worked best for the gift that he determined was foresight: the power to flawlessly predict the exact futures, observe what will happen, and possess knowledge and insight of the events to come with no mistakes and one hundred percent certainty.

The steady ticking of a clock helped him focus his attention. The clock itself was used as a crutch: as he repaired each timepiece, the physical object helped him see the different threads of chronology. He spent many hours (first in his room, then in his shed) working with his hands while his gaze was seeing days, years or decades into many different futures. This was how the original Edward Gimbel from the Umbrella Academy-Dolores' timeline knew that she would eventually meet the fifth Hargreeves.

In this alternate scenario (i.e., not the Sparrow Academy's universe), Edward told his niece about these visions as if they were stories. He could never come right out and say what he'd seen but through cryptic messages and riddles he could advise whoever needed his aid. However, he was not remotely close to this timeline's version of Dolores. Unlike her counterpart she did not depend on her family; she had the Sparrow Academy for that. Thus, she had little to no relationship with her uncle (who consequently did not warn her about her premature death.) On a side note, this is also why Sparrow-Dolores was hardly interested in anything related to Number Five.

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[ 2019 ]

Finally, it is time for the last question: how on Earth did he always seem to know when things happened before they did?

This has already been mostly explained in the above account; there is only one piece of the mystery that remains to be told: how Edward Gimbel arrived with Sir Hargreeves at the Hotel Oblivion.

The answer is simple: while he'd originally been willing to let the world burn, Edward Gimbel was not afraid to strike a deal with the devil. After all, it was far too tempting to keep what the scheming man needed just out of reach.

Thanks to his ability, Edward was able to anticipate the otherwise unexpected arrival of Sir Reginald Hargreeves at the door of his shed. The sound of three smart knocks cut through the peaceful ticking of what he considered to be his space. While he considered himself to be exceptionally mature, Edward was also not above pettiness so he waited until Reginald repeated his gesture before he answered it.

When he opened the door, the man on the other side seemed even more pathetic than he had when Edward had been nineteen. In his opinion, Reginald Hargreeves was a conniving, desperate man who was hopelessly fighting a losing battle. What was worse was that Reginald couldn't see past his own ambitions to admit this.

"Long time no see, Reg," he greeted his visitor. The man's nickname was spoken in a drawling, disrespectful tone as Edward met his gaze unflinchingly. "I'd say that I'm surprised to see you but. . . well, I was already expecting you to stop by."

"Let's cut straight to the chase, shall we?" Reginald responded without acknowledging the other man's contempt. "What you warned me about ten years ago has come to pass. I need to know how this world will end and if my endeavor will be successful this time."

Edward leaned casually against the doorframe as he crossed his arms comfortably against his chest and his legs at his ankles. He smiled with amusement at the gray-haired man. "I find it quite entertaining that you didn't believe I was special a decade ago. Now you're here on my doorstep begging to not fall prey to Caesarisms. Tell me: have your children turned against you or has that not happened yet?"

Reginald's eyes narrowed. "The end of the world is not a joke, young man! You are taking this catastrophe far too lightly for your own good. Would you honestly rather die than work with someone who could ensure your survival?"

This earned him a derisive snort. "No one can ensure survival, Reg. Truthfully, death is not the worst thing that can happen to a man. Or in this case, I should say. . . to anyone. Finally, I do think that Armageddon is quite humorous, especially when you have failed so many times already. But, I can be generous. If we work as equal partners to ensure a profitable outcome for both of us— quid pro quo, let's say— then I might be obliged to. . . spin things in your favor."

The older man's lips pressed into an invisible line as he weighed his options. While he absolutely loathed teamwork, everything he'd worked so hard for was within his grasp. Besides, there was always the option of finishing this arrogant fellow off before the goal was reached. Seeing as how he had nothing to lose, Reginald stuck his hand out. "Very well. We will be colleagues in all matters of the universes' end."

Edward returned this strong handshake with a tight grip of his own. "It's settled, then. How do we set this plan into motion?"