The ruins of Gotham Academy loomed under a slate-colored sky, crowned with ash and broken stone. What had once been a pristine institution of privilege and promise; now resembled the husk of a battlefield. One wing had collapsed entirely—its roof reduced to splinters, classrooms peeled open like torn skin. The gymnasium at the campus's heart had fared worst of all. Its walls stood cracked and blackened, held together more by memory than mortar
Batman moved first, his gauntlet lit with blue tracing light, projecting a grid across every surface he passed. As he stepped through scorched corridors and flickering halls, the Batcomputer's HUD streamed details directly into his cowl
"Temperature damage is concentrated here. Explosion radius inconsistent with chemical accelerants", he muttered
Zatara trailed him, cane tapping softly against broken tile, eyes half-lidded in focus. Where Batman saw fractures and pressure points, Zatara felt memory—the psychic residue of agony, rage, and unfathomable determination
They stopped beneath a shattered archway. The tiles were warped, but not burnt, they had been peeled, as if by invisible claws dragging upward
"Impact here wasn't physical", Batman noted, scanning a fresh gouge down the length of the wall. "Force displacement—psychic? Possibly gravitational"
Zatara raised his hand, palm open
"Tnemom tsal ruoy fo ecneserp eht em wohs"
(Show me the presence of you last moment)
A shimmer passed through the hallway. The air thickened with gold, and silhouettes flickered into view— Wotan unleashed a majestic spell as Marek stood still… then a flicker of feathers
Zatara frowned, "The boy survived Wotan's initial spell here and then fought back"
They pressed deeper
In a second-floor corridor, they found Sportsmaster
Batman was the first to kneel, "no physical trauma, and no signs of struggle"
He tapped his gauntlet, and the scanner's pulse passed over the man's still form
"Pulse shallow. No brain activity. Neural feedback shows catastrophic collapse"
Zatara crouched beside him, and whispered:
"mrof hsurap"
(Pursue form)
Violet light flickered across the villain's temples. Ghosts of his memories rose—and collapsed, jumbled fragments of pain and shame shivered in the air before disintegrating, then memories of torture began
"This wasn't magic", Zatara murmured, "not psionics either. It was something else…. Telepathy, yes, but not like I've ever seen. This wasn't a mind invaded. It was a mind shattered. The boy broke his identities and remade them, only to break them again"
Zatara exhaled, staring at Batman instead, "you said the boy avoided violence. That he held back"
Batman was silent
"You should revisit that belief", Zatara rose, cane tapping once, "Nothing to recover. This… this is a broken mind stitched together, only to be stomped on again"
He raised a hand again:
"Yrtemhcysp fo sneercs tsal, nwohs eb"
(Be shown, last screens of psychometry)
A shimmer of gold revealed emotional sediment hanging in the air. Zatara's eyes narrowed as the feelings crashed against him
Joy. Sharp and plenty
Then anger—cold, not frenzied
And at last—resolve, unimaginable resolve
Zatara turned to walk the shattered hallway that led towards the gymnasium, "he found something in this man's memories. Something that provided him with joy, then anger and finally a determination I have rarely felt from another"
They entered the gymnasium
The remains of the Domain still hung in the space like dying breath. Phantom roots wound around rafters. At the center, lay Wotan's body
Batman scanned it immediately, "no signs of life, and no residual brain function. Magical saturation: total"
Zatara moved closer, kneeling beside the ancient corpse. His fingers hovered over the cracked amulet at the corpse's chest
"The failsafe. Wotan's teleportation anchor. It should have activated", he drew a slow circle in the air
"Ezylana laudiser ssenkrad"
(Analyze residual darkness)
The amulet pulsed, and the corpse trembled faintly—reacting to memory
"It tried to pull him out", Zatara muttered, "but it was somehow rejected"
Batman looked to the burn-marked floor nearby, "Marek's doing"
Zatara nodded, "yes, the boy's essence was too commanding. It hijacked the escape spell", he stood with care, "whatever that child is, he wasn't just using magic. He wove it into this very gymnasium. That kind of imprint doesn't come from a mere trick"
Batman's typed the information into the holographic keyboard that had popped from his gauntlet, "so what kind of magic was it?"
Zatara didn't answer immediately. He looked at his own hand, as if sensing the echo of the strange energy brushing his skin
"I don't know", he admitted, "it wasn't chaos magic. Not blood, nor word, nor divine. It fed on pain, on regret, and on memories. It's power born from suffering"
He turned to Batman, "demons use that kind of fuel. But the boy?", his voice dipped, "he's definitely not a demon"
They stood in silence for a long moment, then Zatara raised his cane again
"Niffoc morf kcirb, nruter ot tsurc!"
(Brick form coffin, return to crust!)
Shattered stone from the gym floor rose, spinning slowly through the air and forming a tight spiral around Wotan's body. The bricks sealed themselves with mortar, locking tight in sigil-etched perfection. When it was complete, the coffin hovered soundlessly beside Zatara
Batman raised an eyebrow
Zatara gave a faint, sardonic smile, "Wotan will return. It's what he does"
He turned to leave, the coffin floating after him
"But when he does", he said, cane tapping, "I'll be better prepared"
And in the dim ruin of Gotham Academy, the magician and the detective walked side by side, carrying with them the body of a powerful sorcerer
————————————-x
The window creaked open with a hiss of cold air, and Jade tumbled in, landing with a grunt, one leg dragging stiffly behind her. Her suit was torn, her shoulder bruised, and her mouth smeared faintly with blood. She collapsed backward onto the floor of the small shared bedroom, chest heaving, with sharp breath
Artemis stirred, sitting up and blinking in the dark, "Jade?"
"Yeah, it's me"
Artemis swung her legs over the edge of her bed, and dropped beside her sister, "what the hell happened?"
Jade laughed—short, and painful, "League contract, to capture a pissed-off kid named Marek Drakon"
Hearing the name, Artemis' face hardened, "you went after him? After everything he did for you? He fed you when you were hiding. When no one else did"
"Yeah, and he broke my knee for the trouble"
"What?!"
"I'm not mad", Jade said, smiling now— yet hiding an emotional pain, that surprised even her, "he didn't just fight back, Arty. He outplayed us. All of us. He got to Dad"
"What do you mean?"
Jade exhaled slowly, the words tasting false, 'Maybe I'm still in one of his illusions'
"He didn't kill him, didn't even touch him", she looked up at Artemis, "he tore his mind apart"
Artemis froze
"There's no Lawrence Crock anymore", Jade whispered, "no Sportsmaster. No monster with a mission"
She laughed again, "he did it, Arty. He did what I always wanted to do but never could"
A long silence followed. Artemis sat beside her sister on the floor, who had her arms wrapped around her knees
Neither of them said a word out loud
The bedroom door creaked softly, and Paula Crock rolled in, quiet as always. Her wheelchair moved slowly over the worn hardwood, halting just past the threshold. She had caught enough
There was no anger in her face. Just exhaustion, and uncertainty
"I heard you", she said, her voice low, "about Lawrence"
Neither daughter responded at first. Artemis shifted uncomfortably, and Jade didn't move at all
Paula observed her daughters—two warriors shaped by pain, and her eyes softened
"I'm not sure how to feel", she admitted, "but I do know what matters"
She looked at Jade, "are you okay?"
Jade startled, the question catching her off-guard
"Not really", she admitted, "but I'm not broken up about it either"
"That's enough for me", Paula said quietly
She turned her chair a few inches towards the open space, "Stay, Jade, please. Stay here with us"
Jade smiled softly, but shook her head, "I can't. I will for now—until I heal. But after that…"
She looked down at her leg, then up again, "there are old debts I still owe. People I've wronged. Things I have to learn. I've spent too long letting Dad write my story"
Paula's voice cracked, "you don't need to go back"
"I do", Jade replied, "but this time, it'll be my choice"
Without a word, Artemis reached out and hugged her sister, pressing their foreheads together in quiet solidarity
They sat that way for a moment—shoulder to shoulder, breath to breath
Paula wheeled herself closer, gently placing one hand on each of her daughters' backs
And for the first time in years, the Crock family comforted each other
———————————x
The Batcave was quiet—its usual hum reduced to a low thrum beneath Gotham's bedrock. The only light came from the Batcomputer, its wall of monitors casting cold blue reflections across Bruce's armored shoulders
Onscreen: the classrooms, broken and burning
He replayed the footage again
Wotan stood tall at first—gleaming with elemental rage and arcane power, the air warping around him as ancient spells twisted into form, and then everything shifted
Flame, flying stationary, and finally the boy sliced into Wotan's shoulder
Another video played of Wotan's final spell; of its' destruction, and then a screen showed the boy half-dead, dragging himself with one arm and one leg
'A half dead boy, who won, a losing battle'
Batman's jaw tightened
He leaned forward, pressed a button, and began to record, "Subject: Marek Drakon"
His voice was steady and clinical, "Observation of the Wotan engagement confirms initial speculation: subject exhibits advanced illusion casting, likely not derived from traditional magical disciplines. He is able to overwhelm sensory input, and inflict layered psychological trauma through memory replication"
He paused the video on Wotan screaming, eyes wide, "further supported by J'onn's telepathic diagnosis of Lawrence Crock: no neurological repair is possible. Brain matter remains intact, but identity and cognition have been irreparably damaged. As of today, J'onn classifies him as neurologically inert"
Another beat
Batman rewound the footage again—to Marek crawling through blood. Scarred, burned, still planning
Still fighting
"Subject's willpower exceeds expectation", he continued, voice low now, "even when physically dismantled… he advanced. Objective was not escape. It was completion"
He leaned back slightly, shadows gathering beneath his cowl, "Marek is not just a danger because of his ability. It's because he doesn't know when to stop. Pain doesn't deter him. Loss doesn't delay him, and victory and survival seem secondary to the need to meet his objectives"
The screen flickered, a frame—Marek slumped against the wall, blood pooling beneath him, looking directly into the camera
Batman stared at it for a long time, then he added, almost reluctantly:
"…He's a strategist with a survivor's instincts and a will that borders on pathological"
He ended the recording
The Batcave's lift whirred open with a hiss of hydraulics and a blast of filtered air. Two figures stepped out—Green Arrow, in full gear, and behind him, Black Canary, poised and a leather jacket clinging to her protectively
"You were expected", Batman said without turning, "she wasn't"
Canary raised an eyebrow, "nice to see you too, Bruce"
Green Arrow explained, "she's coming to see the Crocks"
Batman's eyes narrowed, "this isn't a social call. It's an interrogation"
"We're about to meet a family", Canary countered, "one that's grieving"
Batman nodded in acceptance
Canary stepped closer, glancing at the large screen still cycling footage. Her breath caught when she saw it—Marek, facing down Cheshire and Deathstroke
"I've fought him", she said, softly, "Once. I'm not even sure that if the fight was real. I remember pain, and the boy's polite demeanor "
Batman noted the information, and they soon left in silence
————————————x
The door creaked open to the dull light of a Gotham afternoon. Paula Crock sat in her wheelchair, a blanket across her lap, her expression already wary
Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary stood on her front porch like thunderclouds wrapped in Kevlar
She looked at them—one by one—then pulled the door wider
"Well", she said, her voice tired, "you'd better come in"
They stepped into the modest house, each bringing a kind of gravity the walls seemed unprepared to bear. The living room was dim, neat, and lived-in. Pictures hung slightly crooked on the walls—Artemis as a child, a younger Jade before the mask
From the stairs, footsteps thudded lightly, and Artemis appeared at the top, hoodie half-zipped, her eyes going wide as she took them in
"Is that…? Are you… all really here?"
She hurried down the stairs, breathless, "Mom, why are they—?"
Batman didn't waste time, "we're here to talk about Lawrence Crock, and Marek Drakon"
Green Arrow and Canary stayed quiet, as Paula wheeled herself to the side of the room, hands still in her lap, "I don't know what Lawrence got up to. We didn't talk"
Batman's gaze sharpened, "you took the fall for him, once"
Paula met his stare, "I had two daughters to worry about"
"You knew what he was, what he wanted, and you left your daughters with him"
"I did what I had to do...so they'd survive"
Artemis stepped forward, her voice tight, "STOP"
Canary moved before the girl and knelt beside her, "Artemis," she said, soft, "sorry about what happened to your father"
Artemis gave a short, angry nod, "he knew exactly what his work would cost"
A beat passed in silence
Then Artemis looked up, voice quieter, "how's Marek?"
Black Canary studied her for a moment, "you know him well?"
Artemis sat on the armrest of the couch, searching the heroes' faces, "when I was younger and training with my dad—I got hurt real bad, couldn't even stand. Marek stepped in, and told my dad to back off"
Her voice trembled just a bit, "dad never admitted it, but I think he was afraid of Marek. Not because Marek would kill him, but because he knew he couldn't beat him"
Batman listened
Artemis crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her expression hardening, "you all want answers, but you never trusted people like us. Sons and daughters of criminals. You look at our bloodlines and see the threat first", her gaze darted to Batman. "So no—I'm not giving you anything else. GET OUT"
Batman's eyes narrowed, "the boy assaulted Sportsmaster's mind. Tortured him, and left nothing behind. That's not justice. That's a villain's work"
Artemis shot to her feet, eyes blazing, "he was defending himself! Assassins came after him. Marek fought them off like anyone would—and you know he could've killed them all, but he didn't. Where were you when he was in danger", she jabbed a finger at Batman
Her voice cracked, "you think he wanted this? He was surviving"
Canary cut in, her voice understanding but filled with quiet urgency, "Artemis… I believe you, but we need everyone to believe it. You've seen what Marek can do. We need to understand why he's not a threat—why he's not the kind of person who'll burn the world down just because he can"
She gently placed a hand gently on Artemis' shoulder, "if you believe in him—then help us believe too"
Artemis looked at Black Canary, then at her mother, "he and I dreamt together. We'd talk about getting out. Being heroes. He wanted a big, chaotic family—like the ones on those old sitcoms"
She laughed through her nose, wiping her eye, "Hello Megan. That was his favorite. He'd watch it on loop when things got bad. He always laughed at the theme song"
Black Canary smiled, "that's sweet"
Artemis nodded, a joyful expression sitting on her face now, "yeah. He said he liked that 'fake' world more than this one. No clue what he meant by that"
For a moment, none of the heroes spoke
The calmness was stirred away by the creak of a step. All eyes turned as Jade descended the staircase, limping slightly but upright, one hand grazing the banister for balance. Her grin arrived a step before she did—sharp, tired, and unapologetic
"Well, if I knew Gotham's finest included cheekbones and leather jackets", she said, eyes sliding toward Black Canary, "I might've come down sooner"
Canary raised a brow but said nothing, lips twitching into the faintest smirk
Jade reached the base of the stairs, exhaling as she leaned into a nearby wall. The teasing edge in her voice faded, replaced with something more worn-in, "you're here about the kid"
Batman nodded once
"Marek", she reminisced, "he's… not like the rest of us. There's no hunger in him. No cruelty. When he moves, it's quiet. When he talks, it's careful. Like he's always measuring the world. He's not a villain, you Heroes believe him to be"
Her fingers flexed slightly, the phantom pain in her leg making itself known, "there's a kind of… gentleness in him. Like he never wanted to fight. He just had to. And when he finally chooses to? You pray he doesn't choose you"
Batman stepped forward, his tone neutral, "did he change in Nanda Parbat?"
Jade was about to answer, but Artemis cut in, "No!", she said firmly, "he was still Marek"
Her fingers flexed at her sides, "he sent me letters", she continued, "handwritten. Sometimes starting with, 'Hey, dummy,' and I always burnt them after reading"
"Why burn them?", Black Canary asked
Artemis smiled faintly, then moved defensively, "because they were mine, and because no one else needed to see them"
She looked up at Batman, "he told me about Lady Shiva. About fighting Deathstroke, about how Ra's al Ghul planned his future… and how he didn't care enough to investigate why or what"
"He excelled at genetics. Said blood and DNA were puzzles—riddles etched into our bones, just waiting to be solved"
Green Arrow blinked, "he was dissecting genomes while sparring with assassins?"
"Yeah", Artemis confirmed, "and then he'd write to me about bad food, dumb monks, and birds that nested in his hair. He was still Marek. Just… sharper, I guess"
Jade looked at her sister for a long moment, "you still believe in him"
Artemis nodded, "he never gave me a reason not to"
Batman's voice cut through the room, "even now?"
"Especially now. Marek wouldn't have done what he did to Dad without a reason. He's always been precise—efficient. He doesn't lash out. He calculates. If he broke Sportsmaster… it's because he found something worth breaking for"
A beat of silence, filled the space, then Black Canary said quietly, "then maybe we've been asking the wrong questions"
Batman's gaze shifted between the sisters, "do either of you know what he was looking for?"
Artemis hesitated, her brows drawing together, "he's always wanted family… but not in the way people think. He never talked about Constantine or Hummingbird like they were 'real' parents"
Jade's voice came next— almost a breath, "Fiona"
Everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes gained sudden clarity. Her fingers clenched,"Constantine once told dad that he could do it again. That Marek was proof of his 'genetic supremacy'. That all it took was the right balance. His DNA with… someone feral. Mating with a meta-human that exhibited animal traits."
Batman leaned forward slightly, "you think he had another child"
"I don't think", Jade said, "I know. He had a daughter, a few months after Marek left for Nanda Parbat"
Artemis' voice came, certain, "He found out from dad's mind"
Jade nodded slowly, "Fiona—she's his sister. And if Marek knows she exists…"
"He'll tear the world apart", Artemis whispered, "to make sure she's safe"
Artemis stood now, her voice laced with purpose, "I need to find him"
Batman's eyes shifted toward her—calm, unreadable, but firm
"I need to help him", Artemis said again, stronger, "he's not going to stop. Not now. Not with a sister out there. He'll keep going until he burns himself alive chasing after her"
Jade watched her sister quietly, a flicker of guilt in her eyes. Black Canary didn't speak, and Green Arrow's jaw was set tight. Paula wheeled in closer to try and reason with her daughter
"He saved me", Artemis continued, "Again and again. When I was scared. When I was angry. When I thought I'd never be anything but what my parents made me—he looked at me like I was already someone better. Someone real"
She looked at Batman, "If he falls now, I can't—"
"You won't help him by putting yourself at risk", Batman cut in, "The amulet Wotan carried was a teleportation anchor. At the moment of death, it was supposed to extract Wotan's body, but it malfunctioned"
He stepped closer, his figure like an eclipse across the window light, "Marek was teleported instead. We don't know where he is"
Artemis's mouth parted, but no words formed
Batman acknowledged her frustration with the smallest nod, "he's beyond our reach, for now"
Artemis' fingernails dug into her palms
"He's League business" Batman informed, "we'll locate him. We'll assess the threat, and if he can be reached—we'll reach him"
"No", Artemis said quietly, "you'll try to contain him"
She turned away, not out of defiance, but to steady herself
Black Canary stood, "you're not wrong, but you're not alone either. If Marek can still hear you—if he still listens—then we'll need your voice when the time comes"
Artemis nodded slowly, "just find him"
Batman concluded the visit with a quiet, "Thank you"
He turned towards the door, cape shifting behind him. Green Arrow followed silently
Black Canary lingered, and finally gave Artemis a gentle touch on the arm, "you were lucky to have each other"
Then they were gone, like shadows disappearing, leaving behind only the weight of memories
———————————-x
From a quiet rooftop across the street, Batman, Black Canary, and Green Arrow observed through linked lenses
A second-story window eased open, and Artemis crawled out of it
Her movements were practiced. She dropped down onto the ledge, crouched for a moment, then vaulted onto the nearby rooftop with a light roll. She was wearing forest green now—a stitched-together suit not unlike the ones they'd seen a dozen vigilantes wear. On her back, and across her shoulders, was a bow
Green Arrow's eyebrows lifted behind his mask, "well, would you look at that," he said with a grin, "kid's stealing my gimmick"
Black Canary smirked, "you mean improving it"
Artemis paused on the roof, scanned the skyline, then took off across the adjacent building—light on her feet
Batman's voice came low and measured, "she's been doing this for weeks"
Canary blinked, "you knew?"
"I've been monitoring her movements. She targets low-level traffickers. Moves fast, and hits clean. She's not trying to be seen"
Green Arrow crossed his arms, "I've already got have a sidekick. Roy's enough trouble"
"She doesn't need to be your sidekick", Canary argued, "She needs a teacher. I'll take her"
"But the arrows", Green Arrow pouted
Canary rolled her eyes, "maybe she'll shoot straighter than you someday"