Right after I decided to stay out of trouble, I somehow ended up diving straight into it.
I have no idea why I came here or who brought me. But if there's one thing I do understand, it's that something is seriously wrong with the settings of this damn world!
You make a plan — the world ruins it.You make a decision — the world ruins it.You just want to stay out of danger — and guess what? The world ruins that too!
Is this that so-called "legendary hero's luck"?
Am I cursed for my fate to unfold this way? I'm not a damn hero, nor do I want to be one. Not that I'd even make a good one if I tried. So what exactly is this world trying to prove to me?
I could stand here all day and curse my fate, but the armed men in suits at the end of the corridor seem eager to hurry things along.
I told Catwoman I'd distract them.
Note to self: Never make promises yourself when you don't know what's really going on.
Do I still have to distract them? I mean, I said I would — but that was before I knew they were armed men in suits.
I'm an ordinary person, okay? It's perfectly natural for me to panic and back away when I see scary guys with guns. It's not like I've dealt with anything like this before.
Who even are these guys? Some kind of mafia? Security guards for this building?
No, if they were security, they wouldn't be holding their guns like that — ready to fire at any moment. No matter how I look at it, they don't seem like good people. Okay, I'll just pretend I didn't see them, turn around quietly, warn Catwoman, and—
"Hey, you there, girl."
Damn it! Why does this keep happening to me?!
They saw me. Now if I back off, I'll look suspicious, right? And if I try to run, well — they've got guns. They might shoot.
Should I go talk to them? Maybe that's the safest option. I look like a twelve-year-old kid. There's nothing suspicious about me… aside from the blood on my clothes and the fact that I'm trespassing on this floor. But that's not really my fault, right?
No time to think. If I run, I'll lead them straight to Catwoman. I'd be putting not only myself, but her life in danger too.
Should I pretend to be a lost, crying child? No, twelve-year-olds aren't that little. More like small adults, kind of.
Trying to keep a calm face, I looked toward the man who had called out to me. There were three of them, and the one in the middle had spoken. He was tall, dark-skinned, and I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. He had a ridiculous mustache and straight black hair. Slowly, he approached.
"Can I help you?" I asked, doing my best to sound calm and sweet.
"What are you doing here? You came from upstairs, didn't you? Did you see a woman in black?" he said, scanning the area.
There's no way he wasn't talking about Catwoman."I got lost, and I honestly have no idea where I am. Are you looking for someone?"
"Where did the blood on your jacket come from?" His voice turned sharp, suspicious. He'd finally noticed the stains. I thought the red color of my coat would hide it — but no. This was bad. Really bad.
"Blood?" I echoed, glancing down. "Oh, right! It looks worse than it is, I promise." I pinched my nose and smiled, pretending it was a nosebleed.
Please let this look innocent, cute, and convincing.
Damn it. I could've done better. But no, my stupid awkwardness had to kick in now!
"I see," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at me. "Then you won't mind if I take a look upstairs, right?"Yep. Definitely suspicious now.
"Well, do you even need my permission? You seem to know this place better than I do," I said quickly, stalling for time.
"So, are you with security? Or some kind of agent? You look like you're searching for something. Maybe I could help? I always wanted to be a secret agent when I was little." I added, clasping my hands excitedly.
And now I'm embarrassed I actually said that.
Alright, since "polite girl" didn't work, I switched to "curious, excited girl." I couldn't drive them away, but maybe I could at least stall them.
"Just move aside," the man said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the way.
Guess he saw right through me.
I'd been standing right in front of the door — suspicious from the start. There was no avoiding this now.
"Wait! Actually, I—" I tried desperately to stall him, but he ignored me.
As he shoved me aside, the man on the right stepped forward and flung open the door.
A black claw slashed across his face, leaving three deep lines.
"Aaagh!"
The man screamed in pain and fell back as Catwoman burst through the doorway in one swift motion. She moved fast — almost too fast to follow. She grabbed the fallen man's gun, kicked another in the face, then hurled the weapon straight at the tall man's arm.
It all happened in an instant — too fast for my brain to process. This woman was a force of nature. Even in her current state, she still had the strength to move like that.
In a single heartbeat, Catwoman took down two men and disarmed the third.
The gun hit the tall man's arm, making him drop his weapon — and judging by his face, it hurt. A lot.
Before I knew it, Catwoman was already on the run.
I stood frozen, wide-eyed, until instinct finally kicked in and I started running too.
But it was too late.
A large hand grabbed me by the back of my jacket, yanking me backward. I couldn't even struggle.
When I felt the cold blade press against my throat, I realized — for the first time in my life — how powerless I truly was.
"Stop! Or the girl dies!" The tall man's voice thundered behind me as the knife pressed closer.
Reality hit me hard. This world wasn't a game. None of this was pretend. It was all real — painfully real.
I was a hostage.
As I processed that, my eyes began to sting. Not from fear or helplessness, but from guilt — the heavy, crushing guilt of being a burden to someone else.
Up until now, I'd treated everything like fiction. Even facing armed men, I'd acted like it wasn't truly dangerous. I underestimated reality — and now, here I was. Because of my stupidity.
Catwoman stopped and turned, eyes falling on me and the blade at my neck. She froze, probably weighing her options.
To her, I was just a random kid — a stranger she'd happened to meet by chance. She had no reason to risk herself for me.
But when I saw her bite her lower lip, I knew I'd put her in a terrible position. And I felt even worse.
If it weren't for me, she could've escaped easily. She wouldn't have to look back.
Now she was forced to take responsibility for a child whose name she didn't even know.
My tears fell despite knowing they'd only make things harder. Maybe I really was just that weak — that pitiful.
Dead weight.
"Let's make a simple deal," the man behind me said, voice low and chilling. "Give me the jewel, and I'll let the girl go. It's not even yours, right? You're just returning it to its rightful owner. Easy trade — the jewel for the girl."
He continued, "Judging by your reaction, you're not that attached to her. Still, let me be clear. That thing you're holding is very important to us. No matter the cost, we can't leave without it. So even if you walk away now, we'll find you again. Stronger. We never give up — and you know that."
He tightened his grip. "So here's the deal. Give me the jewel, take the girl, and we'll walk away. We'll never cross paths again. Deal?"
Catwoman stayed silent. For me, each second stretched into hours. Sweat dripped down my back. My vision blurred. My fate was entirely in someone else's hands.
"Fine… I'll give you the jewel. Let the girl go." Her words flooded me with relief — and guilt.
"Toss the jewel in front of her. The girl will pick it up and hand it to me. Then she can go."
"Release the girl first," Catwoman demanded. "Then you'll get it."
"No!" the man snapped. "No more games. We do this my way."
Catwoman studied him carefully. Then she moved — reaching behind her and producing the jewel like a magician. "Fine. But if you lay a finger on her, you'll regret it."
"Understood. Now throw it — and don't try anything funny." He crouched slightly, using my body as cover. He was cautious — never underestimating her.
Catwoman tossed the red gem gently to the floor in front of me.
It was beautiful — a large ruby that glowed faintly even under dim light. I could tell it was valuable just by looking. But what stood out was the black shard fused to its base, like a broken piece of metal.
I knelt down and reached for it.
The moment my fingers brushed the gem, everything changed.
A bright crimson light flared, blinding us all — the same glow I'd seen from the ring and the book before.
"What the—?!"
"What?!"
The man and I shouted in unison, just as footsteps echoed.
As the red flash faded, Catwoman was suddenly right in front of me. Her black claws slashed the man's face, and she kicked him hard, pulling me away by the hand.
Before I knew it, we were sprinting down the corridor. Catwoman led the way, dragging me behind her. My mind was blank; I couldn't even focus on where we were going — I just followed like a lost duckling after its mother.
"How did you do that?" I managed to ask between breaths.
"I didn't," she replied, not even looking back.
We reached a staff elevator. The doors opened, and we rushed inside. She hit the basement button, then leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. She looked like she could barely stand.
As the elevator descended, I tried to steady my own breathing.
"What was that light?" I asked.
"I don't know."
Then it hit me. "Wait — do you still have the jewel? I completely forgot in the chaos!"
"No."
"You mean we left it with them?!"
"No."
"I don't understand. Then where is it?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't—" I stopped. My head was spinning. None of this made sense.
"The jewel disappeared when you touched it," she said.
"What?! How?!"
"That's what I'd like to know."
So… it's in me now? Somehow? Like the ring and the book before? But I don't feel any different… I think? No new power, no strange sensation.
Then where did it go? Did it… merge with me? What the hell is happening? I just wanted a quiet, danger-free life — and look at me now.
"I'm guessing you have no idea either," Catwoman said, giving me a sharp look.
"No…"
The elevator dinged open, and we stepped into the basement. She straightened, gathering what little strength she had left.
"Anyway. Go home for now. I'll figure out what's going on. Until then, stay inside and keep your head down." Her tone was firm.
"Yeah, about that…" I followed her quickly. "I don't exactly have a home."
She stopped and turned, lowering her gaze toward me. Suddenly, she looked way more intimidating.
"I'm… kind of from another dimension. You know, like— parallel universes?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"I know it sounds crazy! But please, just let me explain."
I sighed deeply. "Honestly, I was trying to figure it out myself until I met you. I have no idea how I ended up here. I went to bed one night, and the next thing I know — BAM! I'm on a rooftop in Gotham. Not in my pajamas, but wearing these clothes. And I have this ring. Somehow, I got tangled up in your mess."
"Ring?"
"Yes," I said, showing her the silver band on my finger. "It's… like a magical storage device. It gives access to a space about the size of a room, but I can only store inanimate objects. Until I met you, I was still experimenting with it."
To demonstrate, I summoned an ID card from thin air. It appeared in my hand as if from nowhere. I repeated the action a few times, then handed it to her.
"This was inside the ring."
She examined it. "Thea Rodsman."
"Look, I get how hard this is to believe — and you don't have to. I just wanted you to know I have nowhere to go. I don't want to be your responsibility. Just drop me off somewhere safe, and I'll give you the ring in return." I held it out to her.
She took it, studying it carefully. "You said you're from another dimension. How do you know that?"
"Sorry?"
"You said you went to bed and woke up on a rooftop. A logical person would assume kidnapping or teleportation. But you immediately concluded you're from a parallel world. How did you reach that?"
That was… actually a sharp question.
Right. This is the part where I'd have to tell her she and this entire city exist in a fictional comic universe. How the hell do I phrase that?
"Well…" I began, thinking hard. "That's… not something I can tell you right now."
She sighed, clenching the ring in her fist. "Listen, kid. We're in a very dangerous situation, and I need every piece of information I can get. Hiding things from me will only make this worse."
"I understand. I really do. And I want to tell you — but I can't. Not right now. It would only make things more complicated. Please… understand. I'm so sorry." My voice cracked. Tears welled up again. I hated how weak I sounded."All I can say is, I'm absolutely sure this is a parallel world."
She exhaled heavily, seeming to let it go. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
"Then maybe the jewel's inside the ring."
"Oh! That actually makes sense!" I exclaimed — then my excitement faltered. "Ah, but it looked empty when I pulled out the ID. Let me check again."
She handed me the ring. I slipped it on and looked inside.
"No. Still empty," I said, disappointed.
"I see," she murmured. "One more thing."
"Go ahead."
"When you were held hostage — couldn't you have used the ring to steal the knife from him?"
My eyes widened. "Damn it, I could've! I'm such an idiot! I didn't even think of that!"
I was an idiot. I'd oversimplified everything — surrendered myself to fear instead of fighting back. I never asked what I could do. I just handed control over to others because it was easier. Because I was a coward.
"There's nothing to apologize for," she said. "In a situation like that, adrenaline makes it hard to think clearly."
My eyes blurred again, and this time I couldn't hold it in. "No… I—"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I only caused you trouble. You could've escaped without me. And even now, I'm just holding you back. I'm sorry…"
All the stress, fear, and guilt I'd been bottling up burst out at once. I couldn't stop crying, couldn't stop apologizing.
Catwoman looked visibly uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay. Stop crying," she said, trying awkwardly to calm me down. "What happened to that tough attitude of yours?"
I sniffled, watching her flail helplessly. Clearly, dealing with crying kids wasn't her strong suit.
"Sigh… alright, listen to me," she said firmly. "If anyone should apologize, it's me. I'm the one who dragged you into this mess. You did nothing wrong."
I looked up, surprised.
"I'm the guilty one," she continued with a weary sigh. "My selfishness always puts others in danger. You were only trying to help, but because of me, you got caught up in this. I was warned — and I didn't listen. Now look where we are."
Then she straightened, eyes firm again. "But don't worry. I'll fix this."