Jason's breath trembled.
His heart pounded as he crawled down the staircase toward the bottom of the building, ignoring the pain tearing through his leg.
Every step felt heavier…
colder…
darker.
When he finally reached the alley below, he froze.
Knuckle lay there—
broken, motionless, the rain starting to fall around him.
Jason stumbled closer on his knees.
JASON (shaking whisper):
"No… please… it can't be… not what I'm thinking…"
His hands trembled violently.
He reached forward—
hesitating—
then slowly rested his fingers on the edge of Knuckle's mask.
A deep breath.
A pause.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
(rustle…)
He lifted the mask.
Bit by bit, the face beneath it emerged—
familiar features
familiar jawline
familiar scar on the eyebrow—
Jason's eyes widened.
His chest cracked open.
Tears burst out of him all at once.
JASON (voice breaking):
"No… no… how…?
How didn't I know…?
How didn't I see it…?"
The mask fell from his hand and hit the ground softly.
(tap…)
Jason collapsed forward, shaking uncontrollably.
He cupped the blood-stained face before him.
The face he'd grown up with.
The face that always smiled when he came home.
The face that should never have been under a hero's mask.
JASON (choking on his words):
"Jake…?"
His voice shattered.
"Why…? Why were you behind the mask…?"
Drops of rain fell harder.
Or maybe it was just his tears.
He couldn't tell anymore.
His brother—
his only family—
the one who always tried to act strong for him—
lay there still.
Jason pressed his forehead against Jake's.
His voice was barely a whisper:
JASON:
"Why did you save me like this…?
Why did you have to be the one…?"
He remembered Jake's last words in the air.
Take care… of yourself.
Jason broke.
Completely.
He held Jake tight, like the world was being ripped away from him.
Because it was.
The Hero of Sanctuary City was dead.
But worse—
Jason had just lost his brother.
Jason held Jake's body, his cries echoing into the cold night.
His heartbeat throbbed violently in his ears —
(THUMP… THUMP… THUMP…)
as if his chest might break open from the pain.
Then—
(sirens wailing in the distance…)
Blue and red lights flickered across the ruined alley.
Maybe the weak student called them.
Maybe someone else did.
It didn't matter.
A police car stopped, and Captain Rourke stepped out, an umbrella shielding him from the rain.
ROURKE (muttering):
"What happened here…? Not again…"
He saw a boy kneeling over a body… crying… shaking… refusing to move.
Rourke's steps slowed. Something felt off.
Very off.
He approached carefully.
ROURKE:
"Excuse me… sir? Are you alright?"
No answer.
ROURKE (firmer):
"I need you to respond. If you don't, things will only get worse."
Still nothing.
Jason didn't even flinch.
Rourke stepped closer — then saw it.
The blood.
The broken mask lying near the body.
And the suit.
His hand went numb.
ROURKE (whispering):
"…No… no, this isn't real. This can't be…"
He rushed forward and knelt — and the moment he saw the face beneath the mask, his breath collapsed.
ROURKE (shaking):
"Not him… Not Knuckle… He… he wasn't supposed to die…"
Rourke reached out to help, but Jason didn't react.
His eyes were empty.
His soul had fled.
And the massive blood loss finally tore him from consciousness.
Jason collapsed forward, still gripping Jake with inhuman strength.
ROURKE:
"MEDICS! NOW!"
The ambulance arrived.
Even unconscious, Jason wouldn't let go of Jake — it took three people to separate them.
Jason was taken to the hospital.
Two Days Later
Jason finally woke up.
But he wasn't truly awake.
His eyes stared through the darkness of the hospital room, empty and lifeless.
All he could see were memories.
Every laugh.
Every fight.
Every moment with Jake.
And now… nothing.
Rourke got the call—Jason was awake. He rushed down the hallway.
He entered and found Jason sitting in the darkest corner of the room, like a man whose shadow had eaten the rest of him.
ROURKE (gentle):
"Are you feeling better, my child?"
No response.
Jason slowly looked up, confused. He didn't recognize the man.
ROURKE (soft laugh):
"Oh… right. Sorry. I'm Commander Rourke — head of the police department… and a friend of Knuckle."
Jason's eyes flickered.
"Friend…?"
JASON (weak):
"You… knew him?
ROURKE:
"Yes. We worked together for months. Secretly.
But he didn't tell me about you.
He didn't tell me much of anything, really."
(pauses)
"So… who were you to him?"
Jason stared at the wall for a long moment.
Then he whispered:
JASON:
"…Bad luck."
Rourke's heart clenched. He already knew everything — he had pulled Jason's file before coming.
But he wanted to hear it from the boy himself.
ROURKE:
"Listen… I know you're hurting. I know you're not ready.
But I need to know what really happened out there.
Knuckle was like family to me.
If I can get every detail, I can find the one responsible."
Jason finally looked at him.
His gaze was hollow… and angry.
JASON:
"You won't do anything.
In the end, you're just a slave to those rich collars."
Rourke didn't flinch.
ROURKE:
"You think I haven't heard that before?
I know you don't trust me.
But I will find who did this.
You just need to tell me what you know."
Jason sighed.
JASON:
"A man named Trekker.
He was behind everything.
But he's dead too."
Rourke froze.
ROURKE (whispering):
"Trekker… that's why we couldn't find any data on him."
JASON (sarcastic):
"So what? He a ghost?
Or your team is full of morons?"
Rourke shook his head.
ROURKE:
"He wasn't some local thug.
Trekker was our biggest lead to track down 'KID.'"
Jason frowned.
JASON:
" Who the hell is 'Kid' now?"
ROURKE (firm):
"I can't tell you.
But for your sake — stay away from this.
'Kid' is extremely dangerous.
He runs the underworld now.
Knuckle dedicated everything to stop him."
Jason looked down at his bandaged hands.
Then slowly lifted his head.
Sorry but i can't sit here and do nothing.
ROURKE:
So what you gonna do?
JASON (voice deep, dark, trembling with rage):
"They stole the light of my room…"
His eyes sharpened — no fear, only something cold and violent.
JASON:
"Now they'll see the darkness living inside it."