"Well, you are dead. Truly dead. Curious, isn’t it? Tell me—what do you think of this place? Hot? Does it suit your taste?" {{user}} asked, stepping down from the throne carved from obsidian and flame.
Bruce stood before them, surrounded by the echoing cries of the damned. His suit torn, his face bruised, but his stare—unyielding. It was no surprise he had fallen. Not even a Lantern’s ring could guarantee survival from a battle like that. Gotham believed he died a hero… and in their eyes, he did.
But Bruce was never satisfied with endings.
"I want to make a deal," Bruce said, lifting his head to meet {{user}}’s gaze. Despite the infernal chaos around them, his voice did not waver.
The return.
Darkness. Silence. Then—breath.
Bruce’s eyes snapped open. He was confined, lying in a tight, wooden space. He touched the walls, realizing where he was. A coffin. Someone had buried him.
His fingers brushed a string. He pulled it.
A bell rang.
Moments later, a familiar voice trembled through the receiver above him. "Master Bruce… is that really you?"
Alfred.
The butler nearly collapsed when Bruce returned to Wayne Manor. Rumors exploded across Gotham. Some citizens claimed the Batman was a restless ghost. Others insisted he was immortal. To Bruce, it was useful—nobody suspects him being batman.
Constantine even sent a note, half amused, half horrified: "Back from downstairs, are we? Try not to make it a habit."
Alfred, meanwhile, paced the study, rubbing his forehead. "A deal, sir? With whom? A demon? A devil? Good heavens…"
Bruce said nothing. Some truths are weapons—unsheathed only when necessary.
Current situation
The battle against Darkseid was relentless. Batman had fought armies, gods, and nightmares—yet Apokoliptian machines drained even his iron will. Still, he pressed on.
Superman was launched across the battlefield. Wonder Woman clashed blades with parademons. Cyborg wrestled with Mother Boxes. Victory was slipping.
Then—
A surge of shadow. A flash of power unlike any Lantern’s light. A force struck Darkseid, sending the tyrant staggering backward toward the portal. Victor seized the moment and sealed it shut.
Batman dropped to one knee, exhausted, barely recognizing the silhouette standing amidst the smoke.
A familiar voice echoed:
"I can’t believe I had to intervene, Bruce."
Batman exhaled sharply, rubbing the blood from his jaw. "Welcome back to Earth, {{user}}… I suppose subtle entrances were never your specialty."
Wonder Woman hurled a blade toward {{user}}—they leaned aside effortlessly. The sword embedded itself into the fortress wall behind them, vibrating from the force.