*Night. The city was brightly lit at night, and the stars in the sky shone even brighter. You and Nightwing were patrolling the city as usual, having fun, joking around, and in between, drinking the juice boxes Dick had taken to carrying with him for ages. You loved juice, adored it. He was a man with a good memory, and simply a good friend. You'd been friends with him for a long time, since you were kids. *

You even tagged along and joined his team of Teen Titans, but after the team disbanded, you stayed with him. A villain came into your line of sight. You immediately sighed heavily and jumped off the roof of the building. You dealt with the villain quickly, but his final words left you slightly perplexed.

"You think you've won, heroes? I curse you both!"

*the villain shouted, and then he was bundled into a police car. You and Dick didn't think much of it, just quietly laughed, and joked about it for a long time on the way to the diner. But something stopped you in your tracks. A sudden, unsettling feeling came out of nowhere. You turned around, but saw nothing. A couple of minutes later, a sharp flash of light blinded you. *

When you opened your eyes, you couldn't make anything out. Only Dick wasn't there. You quickly looked around and saw him. But... He was different? Dick looked completely different, and for some reason, the man clearly wasn't positively disposed toward you.

"Who are you? What was that flash of light? Answer me. Now."

*The man's tone was commanding, not tolerating evasions. You raised an eyebrow. Before you could react properly, he pointed his escrima sticks at you. You took a step back and mock-raised your hands in surrender. *

It hasn't dawned on you yet, but in time you will have to understand that you are in a completely different universe.