Five days had passed.
For the first time in days, Ethan felt the air inside the house wasn't as heavy anymore. The weight of unspoken truths had lifted, and although his mother still watched him with a permanent shadow of worry, it was no longer the same silent fear of the unknown. Now she knew. And knowing, even with all the risks that came with it, made everything easier to endure.
Sofia had become a kind of silent accomplice, as if her brother's confession had brought them even closer. Many times she stayed in his room during the mornings, watching or even helping while Ethan worked on his uniform. The helmet was being reconstructed on the desk, circuits and metal alloys scattered like pieces of a puzzle, while he tried to install an internal communicator. He also spent hours reinforcing the structure, testing new alloys—trying to make sure that, next time, the fists of another being wouldn't break it so easily.
Mornings had become his workshop.
The afternoons, however, belonged to ValeTech.
The Jump City branch received him with cautious curiosity at first. Employees whispered about the young heir who had appeared to supervise operations. But it didn't take long for the murmurs to turn into respect in some, and envy in others. Ethan absorbed documents, contracts, numbers, and meetings with impressive speed—especially with his Intelligence Status, where he made sure to invest more points through daily missions. It helped him make quick decisions, eliminate errors, and conduct negotiations as if he had been doing it for years.
On the third day, Nathan called from Metropolis. His voice carried pride and relief:
"You don't need to worry about school anymore, Ethan. I received the full report from Gotham, and today I reviewed Jump City's. The work you're doing speaks louder than any diploma. If you want, you can dedicate yourself fully to the company."
Ethan didn't hesitate. He accepted right away.
A strange sense of maturity washed over him—as if with those achievements, he was helping shape the family's future alongside his brother. It filled him with determination like never before.
That day, dusk had already fallen when Ethan left the ValeTech building. The lights of the skyscrapers reflected on the asphalt, still wet from a light rain earlier, scattering broken reflections along the sidewalk. Adjusting the briefcase on his shoulder, he began walking down the almost empty street at an unhurried pace.
But something was wrong.
It was that invisible weight, that sense that every step echoed with more than just his own. His perception—sharpened by the System—flared like an internal alarm. Someone was following him.
He discreetly quickened his pace.
The farther he got from the main avenue, the emptier the streets became, but the feeling didn't fade. On the contrary, it grew stronger. The presence wasn't leaving.
That's when Ethan made his decision.
He suddenly turned into a narrow alley, lit only by a flickering yellow lamp above. Stopping in the middle, he shoved his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath. He didn't look back.
"You can come out now. He said in a firm voice, calm on the surface but charged with tension. "I know you're there."
The silence lasted only a few seconds, until a shadow leapt from the top of a building and landed with feline precision on the cracked asphalt. A cape swayed in the wind, and a mask caught the faint light of the alley.
It was Robin.
The green eyes behind the mask locked onto him, sharp and suspicious.
" Ethan Vale… "the young man's voice was low, cutting" We need to talk."
The alley seemed to shrink around them, the air growing heavier just from Robin's presence. Ethan kept his calm posture, though he already knew this encounter would not be simple. The eyes behind the mask dissected him like blades, weighing every detail—from his breathing to the way he kept one of the hands in his pockets.
Robin took a few slow steps, the cape dragging lightly against the damp ground.
" I saw what you did at the park." his voice was steady, controlled. "Not just anyone takes down Mammoth like that."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, feigning indifference.
"So.. I imagine you came to thank me."
A trace of an ironic smile tugged at Robin's lips, but it vanished quickly.
" Don't be mistaken." He stopped a few meters away. "I'm not here to thank you. I'm here to understand."
Silence hung for a moment, broken only by the distant sounds of cars echoing from the avenue. Ethan sighed, slowly taking his hand out of his pocket, raising them slightly as if to say I'm unarmed, without losing the firmness in his gaze.
"Understand what, exactly?"
Robin didn't blink.
"Who you are. What you're really doing in Jump City. And most importantly… whether you're a threat or not."
Ethan's eyes hardened. This wasn't just curiosity anymore—it was judgment. The same judgment he had heard in that woman's voice on TV, saying his eyes looked like those of a killer.
"You talk as if you've already decided the answer." Ethan replied, his tone more serious now.
" I don't decide anything without proof." Robin shot back, dry. " — But everything about you screams danger. The guns, the coldness, the way you fought… that's not what a hero looks like."
Ethan drew a deep breath, weary of that accusatory look.
" I saved the people in the park." he said firmly, without wavering.
" I saved your partner." He made a point of emphasizing it, recalling Raven.
" And I neutralized two villains you should have been fighting."
Robin narrowed his eyes but stayed silent.
Ethan took a step forward, facing him eye to eye.
"So tell me, Robin… what exactly do you want from me? To prove I'm "heroic enough"? Or to follow the manual of conduct you inherited from Batman?"
The name echoed in the air, heavy, slicing through any mask of formality.
Robin clenched his jaw, clearly hit. Mentioning his father cut deep, but he kept his composure.
"It's not about manuals." he said in a low tone, almost a growl. "It's about responsibility. I saw the way you fought. Judging by how you left Mammoth and Dr. Light, the weapons you used and the violence you applied—it didn't look like you were trying to save. It looked like you were deciding who lived and who died."
Ethan let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"And yet… no one died."
The alley grew even heavier, every word like a spark ready to ignite a fire. They stood face-to-face, predators measuring each other.
Robin's gaze pierced him, sharp as ever.
" Tell me one thing… have you ever killed someone?"
The question sliced the air like a blade. Ethan froze for a moment, memories of the bridge flashing—the stench of sulfur, the demonic creatures he tore apart within the Rift.
He inhaled deeply. Lying to Robin was pointless—the boy had Batman's instincts. He was almost impossible to fool.
" Never a human being, he replied firmly. But I have taken lives before."
The alley seemed darker for a second. Robin's eyes narrowed, absorbing every word.
Silence stretched between them, suffocating. Only the faint hum of Jump City traffic seeped into the void.
Ethan held his stare, unflinching.
"So.. what now? Are you going to arrest me?" His voice came out almost as a challenge.
Robin didn't answer right away. He kept staring, dissecting every gesture, every word, searching for a crack, a lie—something to condemn him. But he found nothing.
Finally, Robin looked away for just a heartbeat, but it was enough to ease the tension.
"No, he said curtly. But I still don't trust you."
He stepped forward, cape dragging lightly on the damp floor. His voice was calm, controlled, but cold:
" I'll give you a warning. His green eyes locked onto Ethan. I'll be watching you."
The silence was crushing as he continued:
" If you ever cross the line… if you ever decide to kill, whether it's an innocent or a villain… I won't come to talk. And I won't come alone."
He let the weight of his words fall like a blade:
" The Titans will come with me."
Ethan's whole body tensed, but he didn't answer. He just held the stare as Robin gave him one last look. Then, the boy wonder turned on his heel and vanished into the shadows, as if he had never been there at all.
Ethan remained in the alley, silence swallowing Robin's fading footsteps. For a few moments, only the distant hum of the city filled the air.
His fist trembled—not out of fear, but restrained rage.
"Hypocrite…" he thought, teeth clenched.
Damian Wayne. Batman's son. The same boy who was trained by the league of shadows, molded from childhood to kill without hesitation. He came to Gotham believing death was the answer. A blood-born heir of the blade.
And now? Now he came to lecture him? To judge so quickly someone who had never even taken a human life?
Ethan exhaled sharply, trying to control the fury burning inside.
"You talk about lines not to be crossed, but you've waded knee-deep in them. You only changed because you chose to follow the Bat's shadow. But me? I haven't killed anyone. And still, I'm treated as the threat."
He lifted his gaze to the clouded sky, Robin's words still echoing in his head.
The rage, contained, erupted into action. His fist slammed into the wall, concrete cracking, the vibration rumbling through the alley. A small but deep crater marked the impact point.
Ethan held his fist against the fractured wall, chest heaving.
"If they—the Titans or anyone else—decide to come after me… Maybe I cant resist. Not yet."
Lowering his hand slowly, he stared at his dust-covered knuckles.
"It's time… to go back to the Rift."
Hours later
The house was silent. Dinner had ended, and the clock in the living room ticked close to midnight when Ethan gathered his mother, Sofia, and Abel in the living room.
He stood tall, arms crossed, gaze firm, as if he had rehearsed the words a thousand times.
" I… need to travel again, he began, straight to the point."
His mother raised her eyebrows, surprised, but said nothing. Sofia looked at him nervously, already knowing what was coming.
"I can't go into details." Ethan continued. "But it's something I need to do. I might be gone for a few days… a week, like last time."
A heavy silence filled the room. His mother and sister exchanged a quick glance, as if they wanted to say a thousand things but couldn't.
Abel, however, adjusted his glasses and nodded calmly, pragmatic:
" Very well. In that case, I will handle preparations for the company. The branch cannot go unattended, so I'll make all arrangements in your name until you return."
Ethan acknowledged him with a brief nod, tension heavy on his shoulders.
Then his mother let out a long, defeated sigh, as if bearing the weight of her powerlessness to control her son's path.
" I can't forbid you… " she said, her voice trembling but firm. "But at least I'll prepare something for you to take. I won't let you leave on an empty stomach."
A faint, bittersweet smile formed on Ethan's lips.
"Thank you, Mom."
She rose slowly and went to the kitchen. Sofia stayed seated, biting her lip, torn between pride and worry.
Ethan smile to her, remained in silent, preparing himself mentally.
Dawn had barely broken when Ethan rose. The sky, painted in hues of blue and orange, announced a new day. On his desk lay the pieces of the uniform he had been adjusting over the past days.
The helmet, now reinforced with a stronger alloy, rested on dark cloth. Ethan ran his fingers over the metallic surface, inspecting the final details. He checked the new chestplate, now reinforced, pulled on the gloves, tested the clasps' grip, adjusted the boots, ensuring everything was in perfect condition. Every move was precise, rehearsed. No room for mistakes.
Beside it lay a package, carefully prepared. The food his mother had left the night before—simple portions, packed to last for days. A silent gesture of love, heavier than any words.
Ethan paused, staring at that maternal care. He inhaled deeply, storing everything in his inventory.
Then Ethan adjusted his clothes and slipped into his chosen attire: a plain white shirt beneath a fitted black leather jacket, dark cargo pants, and heavy boots that muffled against the cold floor.
The sound of soft footsteps made him turn. Abel was there already, impeccable in his posture even at dawn. His calm demeanor barely hid the concern in his eyes.
"The motorcycle is ready in the garage." the butler said in a low voice. "Full tank, tires checked. I did what I could to make your departure… less burdensome."
Ethan nodded, allowing a small smile.
"Thank you, Abel."
Descending the stairs, the silence of the house weighed on him. Sofia was still asleep. His mother too. He didn't wake them. Maybe it was cowardice, maybe just the wish to avoid another goodbye.
In the garage, the black motorcycle reflected the faint morning light. Ethan adjusted his uniform, stored the helmet in his inventory with the rest of his gear, and stood before the vehicle.
Abel remained a few steps away, silent, respecting the moment.
Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at the garage entrance, the morning chill brushing against his skin. One more breath. One more dive into the unknown.
He turned the key. The engine roared, shattering the silence.
Without looking back, Ethan rode off.
(Continue...)
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