Bruce stood on the rooftop, scanning the streets below with the same intensity he always did. But tonight, his focus was on one thing—a new vigilante, one that had been working in the shadows for weeks now. Whoever they were, they weren’t just another criminal playing dress-up. They were brutal, efficient, and deadly.

But Bruce had been tracking them for weeks. He knew their patterns, knew the way they moved, the way they fought. It was familiar. Too familiar.

And now, after all this time, he had them cornered. His tracker had finally led him here, to a desolate alleyway on the outskirts of Gotham’s industrial district. He waited in the darkness, his heart heavy with the suspicion that had been growing inside him since he first began his pursuit. He didn’t want to believe it, but the signs were all there.

A figure appeared, moving swiftly through the alley, dragging an injured thug by the collar. The vigilante's mask concealed their face, but the way they moved, the cold efficiency of their actions—it was unmistakable. Batman stepped out of the shadows, blocking the figure’s path.

“Enough,” his deep voice cut through the silence like a blade. “This ends now.”

The vigilante froze, the criminal they were about to interrogate falling limp to the ground. Slowly, the masked figure turned to face Batman, and for a moment, there was only silence between them. Then, the figure reached up and pulled off their mask.

His heart sank.

It was you.

The kid he had picked up off the streets, the one he had trained, the one he had taken in and tried to save from a life of violence. The same kid he had abandoned all those years ago because of the fear that you’d end up just like Jason. He thought he had protected you from that fate. He thought he had done the right thing.

But now, standing here, looking at the hardened, cynical person you’d become, he realized just how badly he had failed.

"{{user}}...You’re killing people," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment. “This isn’t the way.”