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Batman: Eternal: Season 3, Episode 2 - Heir to the Demon [Part 2]

by Mockingchu

Mockingchu Bruce further delves into his relationship with Damian. Then, they are interrupted by a sinister guest.
Damian lay his fingers over the cool blade. The dim lights of the Batcave cast an eerie glow over the sleek sword. Bruce laid a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Sword,” Damian said.

“Swords kill,” Bruce explained, “We don’t.”

“Nyssa wants to kill me,” Damian countered, “Kill back.”

“That’s not how this works, Damian,” Bruce said, “We’re better. We have to be better. We win without killing.”

“Killing makes quicker,” Damian said.

He wasn’t wrong. If Batman used lethal force, his life would be easier. And his city would be safer. If he had snapped the necks of Joker, Hugo Strange, Poison Ivy- all of them. If he had just done that, the city would be rid of them for good. Instead, they were all alive. Granted, they were under heavy security. Joker was locked away at Arkham in a cell without any stimuli. Hugo Strange was held in another country. Poison Ivy was also at Arkham, in a climate-controlled room that prevented the growth of plants. However, Ivy was let out every once and a while to tend to a garden. The garden that Scarecrow got an ingredient for his fear toxin.

“We. Do. Not. Kill.”

Damian took his hand away from the sword.

Batman was supposed to be the protector of Gotham City. Gotham happened to be one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world. Crooks would come to Gotham, hoping to make a name for themself. They’d wreak havoc, and destroy people’s entire lives. And Batman let them off the hook. He left them with their lives. But he couldn’t kill. He couldn’t. Even if it was the easiest way to keep Gotham safe. He was the hero, not the villains. Heroes didn’t kill.

Damian instead picked up Escrima sticks, and lowered into a crouching position. His right foot slowly slid out behind him.

“Again?” Bruce asked. Damian nodded.

Damian extended his leg, shooting him towards Bruce. He brought his arm around to strike Bruce in the face with one of his sticks. Bruce wrapped his fingers around the stick, stopping all of Damian’s momentum. He shot his other arm forward, leading a thundering punch into Damian’s gut. Damian shrieked, and Bruce twisted the stick behind Damian’s back. Damian released the stick, crying out in pain. Bruce placed the stick at Damian’s throat.

“You’ve got to be better than that,” Bruce said. Damian stuck his stick behind Bruce’s stick and his neck, and flicked outwards. Bruce let go of the stick, and Damian spun around, smacking him across his jaw.

“I am better than that,” Damian growled. Bruce rubbed his jaw, and shifted it, hoping to ease the crackling sensation. Damian jabbed at Bruce’s chest, knocking him back. He followed up with a flurry of blows, bringing Bruce to his knees.

“Damian! Stop!”
“I am better!”

Suddenly, something was bashed into Damian’s back. He stumbled forward, and turned around to see Tim Drake holding a metal staff.

“Calm yourself, Damian,” Tim ordered. Damian dropped his stick, and walked away.

Tim helped Bruce up.

“That kid is sure something,” Tim said.

“Definitely my kid,” Bruce nodded.

“Stuck up and defiant,” Tim agreed. Bruce shot him a nasty look. They both stood together, unmoving.

Tim shifted his eyes around, and Bruce saw a strange blip in his irises. Tim blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes, and the blip was gone.

Last year, when Bruce had battled Tim, who was on Scarecrow’s monster-making fear toxin, Bruce had kicked his eyes. Tim had gone nearly blind. Luckily, Lucius Fox had been able to make advanced contacts that allowed Tim to see. In a few weeks, these contacts would be released to the public. Bruce would try to be there.

When dealing with Scarecrow, Bruce had withdrawn from the public almost entirely. The media ran articles theorizing about his death. Tabloids were littered with headlines like “Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne Dead?” or “Sly Son of Gotham Disappearance”. Lucius had kept the company from going under in his absence, but stock prices had significantly dropped. After Scarecrow was defeated, Bruce made an effort to get into the public eye. But it was hard. Hard to balance Wayne Enterprises, Batman, and Damian.

The press had a field day when Bruce revealed his son to the world. He claimed that he had shown up on his doorstep, which wasn’t too far from the truth. A DNA test confirmed that he was indeed a Wayne.

Speculation began about who the mother was. Bruce knew. The mother was Talia al Ghul. She had taken the mantle of Ra’s al Ghul after the Ra’s Bruce knew died. Now, she had died as well, leaving Damian as Ra’s al Ghul. But Damian’s sister, Nyssa, was out for blood, wanting the crown for herself.

“Aren’t you going to talk to him?” Tim asked, “Maybe reprimand him for hitting you after the fight had ended?”
“No,” Bruce shook his head.

“Bruce, that’s what dads do,” Tim said.

“I never did that to you,” Bruce pointed out.

“Excuse me?” Tim chuckled, “Do you not remember all those times that you scolded me after missions? That was disciplining! That’s what parents do! Did you forget how to scold?”
“Fine. I’m going,” Bruce surrendered, walking towards the stairs out of the Batcave. He reached the top of the stairs, and pushed open the door. The door was not a door, but instead an old grandfather clock. He shut the door/clock, and called out for Damian.

“What?” Damian asked, exiting the kitchen.

“You can’t do that. You can’t keep fighting after the fight is over,” Bruce explained.

“The fight is over when dead,” Damian said, “If not they fight again.”

“Not if you send them to jail,” Bruce countered, “Arkham holds nearly all of my enemies.”

“Break,” Damian said, “If break, all enemies escape. If dead, never escape.”

He had a good point. But Batman was the “good guy”. And “good guys” didn’t kill. Unless they did. Achilles. Hercules. Odysseus. Perseus. They were all the heroes. They were all also killers.

The modern hero was different. There were rules that had to be followed. Vigilantism was illegal, but Commissioner Gordon tolerated it as long as Batman never crossed the line of killing. The rest of the police department was untrustworthy of Batman, but they were loyal to Gordon. If Gordon ever faltered- if he ever questioned his trust in Batman, the police would bring Batman down.

“If you kill your enemies, you lose a piece of yourself,” Bruce explained, “You lose a piece of your humanity.”

“I value life over humanity.”

Bruce put his fingers between his eyes, and massaged.

“Father, you must understand,” Damian said, “How I was raised. Killing. Assassin. Who I am.”

“No. You’re the son of Batman. You’re not a killer,” Bruce said.

“I am also son of Ra’s al Ghul. No. I am Ra’s al Ghul. I am an assassin. It is my nature,” Damian insisted.

“Your violent bloodline can’t dictate your life,” Bruce sighed, “What happens when I put you into school?”

“School?”

“You learn in school. Learn how to contribute to society. You’re starting next week. Have I really not told you?”

Damian shook his head, amazed as to what school was. Bruce was kicking himself for not letting Damian know earlier.

“Teach me how to not kill?” Damian asked.

“No. They teach you math. And history. And science. Stuff like that,” Bruce said, “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.”

Bruce had no excuse. There was no big villain taking up his time. No evil scheme. Just his forgetfulness.

“I know math. And history. And science,” Damian claimed, “Mother taught us. Math was needed for angles. History needed so we would not repeat it. Science needed for making toxins.”

“Then you’ll be set,” Bruce smiled, hugging his son.


14 YEARS AGO…

“What bothers you, my lord?” Khafaash asked. He and Ra’s al Ghul were sitting in Ra’s chambers. The stony hall was dark and empty, save for the two of them.

“I fear that my demise is nearing,” Ra’s confided, “Sleep eludes me. Weariness wracks my body. Weakness fills my bones.”

“My lord, I do not understand,” Khafaash frowned, “What of the Lazarus Pit?”

“Even with its help, my health declines,” Ra’s sighed, “I have grown too old for even the Lazarus Pit to sustain.”

“Impossible,” Khafaash shook his head.

“We live in a fantastical world, Khafaash. There is an island full of immortal female warriors. There was once an underwater kingdom. There are pools with rejuvenating waters. What is to stop these waters from ceasing their magic when the user grows too old?”

“How old… are you?” Khafaash dared to ask. Ra’s raised an eyebrow, and chuckled, giving no answer.

“When I die, you will take over,” Ra’s said.

“It must pass to Talia! It is ancient League tradition!” Khafaash said.

“You think I do not know ancient League traditions?”

“I know you know them. That is why I am confused. Why break tradition?”

“My daughter is not a leader. She is just as powerful as you, but would not be able to carry the League on her shoulders. I have studied you. You have power… and resolve. You will be the next Ra’s al Ghul.”

Khafaash was amazed. He bowed.

“However, you will face one final test.”

“Anything,” Khafaash nodded.

“You will return to Gotham City with me,” Ra’s explained, “We will bring an elite army. We will burn Gotham to the ground.”

“You know I have no allegiance to that city,” Khafaash said.

“Then you will have no trouble destroying it. It will shatter any remnants of Bruce Wayne, and leave you fully committed to the League of Assassins.”

“There is no Bruce Wayne left,” Khafaash assured.

“We both know that is a lie,” Ra’s smiled, “But after the razing of Gotham, it will be truth.”


PRESENT…

When a knock was heard the front door, Bruce got his hopes up. Perhaps it was Alfred!
Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne Family butler, had left last year after having a vision of the Scarecrow. He had begged Bruce to hang up the cowl, but bruce had refused, pushing Alfred away. Now that Scarecrow was gone, maybe Alfred would return.

Bruce opened the door, was met by the tip of a thick sword that tapped the end of his nose.

“Where is Ra’s al Ghul?” the girl holding the sword demanded. She had braided black hair down her back, and scars layered across her thin face. She looked ancient, but had the build of a young girl. Nyssa.

Bruce slammed the door shut, and backed away from it. The sword broke through the thick wood, and slid back out. It jabbed in again at another point. Bruce turned and ran to the grandfather clock. He set the time to 8:37, and heard a click. He slid the clock the side, revealing the staircase.

“Damian! Your sister is here!” Bruce hollered, racing down the stairs. He heard a crack and a thud. Nyssa had broken down the door.

Bruce made it to the floor of the Batcave, and saw Damian running towards him, sword in hand.

“No, Damian!” Bruce yelled, “No swords!”

Damian blew past Bruce, racing up the stairs.

“I’ve got him,” Tim said, directing a drone over to Damian. A claw fell from the body of the drone, and snatched Damian. Damian swung his sword in an arc over his head, slicing through the drone. He fell back to the stairs, and continued to run.

Bruce grabbed three Batarangs, and his grapple gun. Batarangs didn’t really fit their namesake. Originally, they had been designed as sharpened boomerangs. They always returned to him. Over time, they evolved into more of throwing knives, or shuriken.

Bruce grappled to the top of the staircase, and rushed into the hallway. He scanned the area, searching Nyssa.

“Where is she?” Damian asked.

“Damian, put the sword down,” Bruce ordered. Damian shook his head. Bruce narrowed his eyes at the boy.

Suddenly, Nyssa dropped from the stairway above. Damian was prepared. He cut through the air hanging above his head, jabbing at Nyssa. Nyssa tapped her toes on the tip of Damian’s thin sword, and used it to propel herself back up to the stairs. She then flicked three slim knives toward Damian. Damian swatted one to the ground, the second one missed, but the third was right on target, shrieking in the direction of Damian’s right kneecap. Damian hopped off the ground, and did a barrel roll. When he slammed back to the wooden floorboards, he snatched one of the throwing knives, and whipped it back at Nyssa. Nyssa leapt over the railing, and grabbed the knife with her bare hand. She landed in front of Damian, flipped the knife around, and swung at his neck. Damian bent at waist, leaning back at nearly ninety degrees.

Bruce snapped out of the trance that the awesome fight had put him in, and quickly intervened. He swung at Nyssa’s face. Big mistake. Nyssa anticipated it, and her head moved to dodge it. Damian and Nyssa moved like they were made of liquid. Flowing movements clashed, separated, then clashed again.

Bruce continued trying to land a hit on Nyssa, but she was too elusive. Finally, Bruce began to bore her. So she sprinted back to the base of the staircase, grabbed two of her knives off the ground, and flung them at Bruce’s feet. Bruce moved both feet out at once, and slipped, falling into the splits position. Nyssa raced over to him, and planted her knee in his face. He crashed to the floor, blood oozing from his now misshapen nose.

Nyssa took no time to gloat. She was back on the prowl, searching for Damian. Damian had vanished while she was occupied with Bruce.

Nyssa rotated slowly, eventually coming full circle. Nothing. Then, out of the corner of her left eye, she saw a flash of movement. She spun to face the blur, and saw Damian charging, gripping his sword with both hands. Nyssa didn’t move. She knew that Damian expected her to slide out of the way. So when she didn’t even flinch, Damian’s charge slowed. He was a bit confused. In his moment of confusion, Nyssa struck.

Nyssa shot her arm out, and slammed her fist into Damian’s chest. He stumbled back a bit, and she quickly disarmed him. With his sword in her possession, Nyssa finally let herself smile.

“Valiant effort, brother,” Nyssa said.

Damian said nothing.

“You will return to the League,” Nyssa stated.

“I will not be Ra’s al Ghul,” Damian growled.

“No. You will not. But I will,” Nyssa said, “We will arrange an official duel for the throne. To the death.”

Damian looked at his father. No killing. That was the rule.

“If I win, I become Ra’s al Ghul,” Nyssa said.

“If I win, League ends. For good,” Damian said.

Nyssa nodded.

“I accept,” Damian relented.


I hope you enjoyed Part 2 of the opening three-parter. Go check out Superman: Eternal by @Generation Sect!
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  1. Mechanist Gamma
    Mechanist Gamma
    Aww, shit! Damian vs Nyssa in the same style as Teen Titans #4/5! As a Damian fan, I’m hyped.
    Jun 23, 2018
    Mockingchu likes this.
  2. Mockingchu