Batman thinks: "Why do you move like my son… Tim?")
Crime Alley was silent—too silent.
The kind of silence that weighed on Batman's chest like guilt.
He had been chasing this vigilante for weeks.
The one the underworld whispered about:
"The Sun Shadow."
Quiet. Precise. Deadly.
A ghost who carved through crime with fire-like movements and impossible technique.
Tonight, Batman finally cornered him.
The Moment They Cross Paths
Damian—masked, cloaked, unreadable—landed softly on a rooftop ledge above Crime Alley.
He sensed Batman before he even arrived—Transparent World lit up the man's muscle tension, heartbeat, and micro-movements.
He's wounded… tired… emotionally compromised, Damian realized.
Before he could retreat, Batman dropped from the shadows.
They faced each other for the first time—
the father and son who did not know each other.
Batman's eyes narrowed.
"You."
His voice was low, guarded.
"Whoever you are… you move like my son."
Damian stiffened.
Son?
Does he suspect? …No.
His emotions… the tremor… this isn't about me.
Batman stepped closer, jaw tight.
"…Tim."
Damian's eyes widened behind his mask.
Tim Drake. Not him.
Batman continued, voice cracking ever so slightly:
"He was killed. I failed him.
And now I see someone with his balance… his speed…
his… hesitation to kill."
Damian said nothing.
He could not afford to speak.
His voice could give away age, tone, anything.
Batman's cape shifted.
"I don't know who you are," Batman growled,
"but if you're using his style, his memory—
I will find out why."
Damian's Escape
Batman flicked a batarang—
but Damian saw the tension in his forearm, the shift in his spine,
the movement before it even happened.
He tilted his head a fraction—
and the blade hissed past harmlessly.
Batman's eyes widened.
Transparent World… he can read me? No… impossible…
Damian activated Sun Footwork, slipping backward off the rooftop.
Batman lunged—
Damian vanished into an alley, moving like flowing sunlight.
By the time Batman reached the ledge,
there was only heat rising from the ground below.
Batman's Final Whisper
He stared into the darkness where the Sun Shadow disappeared.
"…Tim."
His voice broke.
"I should've been faster."
Meanwhile—Damian Reels From the Encounter
Safe in the shadows, Damian pressed a hand to his chest.
He thought I was Tim Drake…
He has no idea I'm his blood.
…Good.
The system notification flickered silently in his mind:
Mission Update: Eliminate Slade Wilson
Reason: Threat to your future. Threat to the League.
Reward: Mera Mera no Mi
Weakness immunity granted by system.
Damian exhaled slowly.
The sun… will soon gain fire.
And Batman?
He had just begun hunting the wrong ghost.