Her assassin instincts were too sharp to miss it.
She placed her hand over my chest.
My heartbeat was steady.
Stronger.
Controlled.
She narrowed her eyes.
"…What did you awaken?"
I didn't lie.
"A power," I said quietly. "A system. My first… template."
Her breath caught subtly.
She didn't understand, but she recognized real strength when she sensed it.
"Show me."
Not the gentle request of a mother.
The command of Talia al Ghul.
A Demonstration That Terrified Her
I inhaled.
Just one Sun Breathing inhale — not even a stance or technique.
The air around me cracked faintly.
A heatwave rippled off my skin.
The torches flickered as if bowing to something greater.
Talia stepped back.
Her eyes widened in a way I'd never seen.
She whispered:
"…What… are you?"
I exhaled calmly.
"Your son."
She placed a trembling hand on my cheek.
Not fear.
Not horror.
Awe.
"You are destined," she said with a breathless whisper.
"You will change the world."
Ra's al Ghul Arrives
Of course he felt it.
Of course he came.
The door opened without a sound, yet the temperature dropped.
Ra's al Ghul entered the room like a shadow given form.
His eyes locked onto me.
"…Power," he murmured. "Raw. Refined. Ancient."
He stepped forward.
"Show me your eyes."
I let the Transparent World activate.
My pupils dilated, and everything slowed.
Ra's gasped softly — the closest he ever came to surprise.
"Your gaze… sees through flesh."
I nodded.
"Through everything."
Ra's leaned in, whispering:
"You have awakened something far beyond my training… beyond my understanding."
He smiled dangerously.
"Good."
Ra's Tests the New Power
Ra's raised two fingers.
He struck toward my forehead.
Fast.
Sharp.
Precise.
Before the strike even reached me…
The Transparent World mapped his entire movement:
the angle of his shoulder, the contraction of his wrist tendons, the pulse in his arm.
I moved one inch to the side.
One inch.
The smallest motion possible.
His strike missed completely.
Ra's froze.
Talia inhaled sharply.
And I stood there, calm, heart steady.
Ra's whispered:
"…Impossible."
He stepped back, laughing softly.
"Yoriichi himself would envy you."
He placed his hand on my head.
"From this day onward… your training will change."
Alex's Resolve
In my small bed that night, I looked at my hands.
I didn't feel like a god.
I didn't feel unbeatable.
I didn't feel invincible.
I felt…
Ready.
Ready to grow.
Ready to fight.
Ready to protect.
The League wanted a weapon.
Ra's wanted an heir.
Talia wanted a legacy.
I wanted none of that.
I wanted freedom.
Strength.
A life where betrayal and weakness couldn't reach me.
And with Yoriichi's power as my foundation…
I was going to reshape my destiny.