Airport
The loudspeaker's voice announced the disembarkation with its usual tired neutrality, but Jason barely paid attention. His steps were swift, cutting through the crowd with restrained determination. The backpack weighed little on his shoulders, not because it was light, but because he was used to a heavier burden: the choice he'd made.
He unzipped the side pocket and checked the crumpled ticket again. Smallville. The name still felt strange on his tongue, but each syllable carried a muffled memory of what once meant hope. He didn't know if Lana still lived there, if she'd remember him the same way, or if she'd even agree to see him. But he had to try.
"It's not money that keeps me breathing. It's her."
The words slipped out quietly as he descended the escalator to the ground floor. He avoided taxis, vans, and the artificial smiles of drivers. He stopped at an electronic map displaying bus routes, studying each path with focused eyes.
Lana always spoke of open fields, the feeling of clean air. Something Metropolis never gave her. If she had truly returned to Smallville, then maybe, just maybe, there was still a place for him there too.
Jason ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the exhaustion of the journey. The argument with his mother still echoed in his mind, so recent that his jaw muscles ached. The break was final. No inheritance. No name. No promises.
"Better this way… Now it's just me."
The phrase was raw, but it carried a strange relief. No more obligations, forced dinners, or speeches about legacy and public image. Just him, his backpack, and the memory of a smile that made him believe in good things.
He took the first available intercity bus, paying with what cash he had left. No arrival time planned. No place to sleep. No plan beyond finding Lana and getting a job, any job. It was the start of a new life, or the end of an old illusion. But now, everything depended on what he'd find on the other side of the road.
As the bus pulled away, Jason rested his head against the window. Outside, the sky brightened slowly, as if the day were still deciding what kind of light to offer.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
If there was any chance to start over… it began now.
---
Student Newspaper Office
The smell of fresh paper and warm coffee lingered in the student newspaper office. Chloe sat at the computer, reviewing headlines for a story about the return of sports teams, when she heard the door open.
Alicia appeared in the doorway with a slight wave. No provocation in her gaze. No arrogance. Just hesitation masked as confidence.
"Hey, Chloe… can I talk to you for a second?"
Chloe swiveled slightly in her chair, her eyes meeting Alicia's. Her journalistic instinct analyzed the posture, the tone, the way her hands gripped the bag's strap.
"Sure. Come in."
Her tone was neutral, polite. Not warm, but not cold either.
Alicia took two steps inside and exhaled slowly.
"I… wanted to know if you need help with the paper. Not as a lead reporter or anything. But for anything. Editing, organizing files, even making coffee."
The sincerity in her request was clear. For a moment, Chloe hesitated.
Before she could respond, the door opened again.
"Hey! Hope I'm not interrupting."
Lana appeared with a clipboard in hand and a subtle smile. Her hair was tied in a loose bun, her eyes curious and alert to the room.
Chloe smiled at Lana with restrained warmth.
"Not at all. We were just… talking about the paper."
Lana nodded and looked at Alicia, her smile widening slightly.
"You're Alicia, right? I thought you'd transferred. Seems like a lot's changed since I went to Paris."
Alicia wasn't expecting such ease, especially not from Lana Lang.
"Yeah… I… well, I was away for a bit. Now I'm trying to fit back in."
Lana extended her hand, kind.
"Welcome back, then. I'm in that process too. We'll get used to it together."
Alicia shook her hand, surprised by the genuine kindness. For a moment, she forgot Chloe was still watching with a reporter's eyes.
"Thanks. Really."
Chloe crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.
"If you want to help, start by reviewing these copies of the last edition. Just mark the errors. It's simple."
Alicia took the papers carefully, as if afraid to tear them just by touching.
"I've got it. Thanks for the chance."
Lana pulled a chair near the table and sat beside her, curious.
"Have you always liked writing, Alicia?"
"Not really… but I like reading. And understanding how people think."
"That's a good start."
The two exchanged a smile, and Chloe watched without comment. Even with lingering doubts, one thing was clear: the Alicia standing there wasn't the same as before.
And maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something less complicated.
---
Western Himalaya – League of Shadows Headquarters
Thick fog draped the rocks like heavy veils. The mountainside stood motionless, indifferent to the world below, as if this fragment of the Himalaya had been forgotten by time. But the thin, icy air carried something new.
A cut in the sky. A muffled sound. Then, silence.
The shadow wings retracted slowly as Bruce landed before the gate carved into the stone. No sound of impact, no displacement of air. Just his presence, as solid as the cliff itself.
Ra's al Ghul waited.
He stood in the center of the outer courtyard, no escort, no visible weapons. His gaze steady, his posture upright. The morning light hadn't yet reached this part of the mountain, yet Ra's's eyes gleamed with cold clarity.
"You arrived sooner than I expected."
His voice wasn't welcoming, nor hostile. Just factual.
Bruce didn't answer. His right hand rested on the magnetic compartment at his waist, where the crystal emitted a faint glow, blue and pulsing like a vein beneath skin.
"You have it, then. The crystal."
Ra's didn't need to move to notice. His gaze was too trained for that.
Bruce stepped forward. Shadows still clung to his body, even at rest.
"I didn't come for approval. I came for structure."
Ra's turned, his cloak dragging dry ice underfoot. He gestured to the entrance without ceremony.
"Then come. What you need… has already been prepared."
The stone passage opened with a slow creak. The smell of burnt incense and ancient metal escaped through the gap. Both entered.
The corridor was cold, unadorned. Only torches on the walls lit the way with pale flames, flickering as if reacting to Bruce's presence.
"The mountain has accepted your arrival," Ra's remarked without turning. "It recognizes those who bear the burden of transformation."
"I'm not the same man who left here, Ra's."
"I know. You didn't return as a disciple. You returned as an heir."
They descended narrow ramps to a hexagonal hall, where black stone walls reflected small runes carved along the edges. This was where ancient oaths were made, and broken.
Bruce stopped before the empty throne in the hall's center. Ra's walked beside him and stopped nearby, standing as an equal, not a commander.
"You want to rebuild the world. I see it in your eyes. But now you understand the cost."
Bruce turned his wrist slightly. The compartment opened, and the Water Crystal floated above his palm, wrapped in a silent glow. The energy within was unstable, ancient, hungry.
"With this… we'll shape the structure. Not just physical. But spiritual."
Ra's watched, attentive. Not to the relic, but to how Bruce handled it. No hesitation. No doubt.
"What you seek isn't domination. It's purification."
"Order," Bruce corrected.
The crystal retracted into his suit.
"For that, I'll need an army. One that doesn't question the impossible. One that obeys an absolute will."
Ra's nodded slowly.
"And that army will be yours. But know, Bruce… in commanding the shadows, you become part of them. There's no turning back."
Bruce lifted his gaze. His dark pupil seemed to dilate, absorbing the torchlight as if craving to devour it.
"I didn't come to turn back."
The silence that followed wasn't empty. It was acceptance.
The hall's shadows seemed to lean slightly toward him. The runes hummed in an almost imperceptible tone.
Ra's extended his hand, palm open.
Bruce clasped it, sealing the alliance.
"Then, heir of the shadow veil… let the preparation begin."
📢 Bonus Chapter Available!
Are you following my stories DXD: The Awakening of Phenex, Reincarnation in Smallville, or DXD: Gasper's Awakening?
Then I have a surprise for you!
Support my work on Patreon and gain access to exclusive bonus chapters, behind-the-scenes content, and much more.
Your support means the world to me and helps me keep writing the stories you love.
💖 Support here: patreon.com/22Mirko22
Thank you so much for reading — see you in the next chapter!