A/N: This will be part one on my take to Batman mythos. This combines comics, Arkham games, movies, Gotham canon plus some of my own creation. There are so many different versions of these characters but I have tried to remain as respectful of those and still make them my own. Enjoy!

Batman: The Mythos

Batman: The Beginning Of The Caped Crusader

Prologue - The Symbol Is Born

Alfred Pennyworth had seen a lot in his years. He had been in an army, he had went through medical schools and he even had an acting diploma. Still with all that education and experience nothing could have prepared him for what was to come in his later years. He would see countless people to die, loved ones, enemies, most of the victims he didn't even know. He would even see couple of them return from the dead but they were never the same that they used to be. He would see allies and enemies come and go, laughter, grief, every emotion that he could think off. But one thing would always stay in his mind. One thing that would kick off the next decades of madness in his life. And it would all start in an evening of June 26th.

Alfred had come to visit his old friend Thomas Wayne to America since he and his wife, Martha Wayne had been getting death threats. Thomas had offered Alfred a job as his head of the security and Alfred had said yes. He had been in town only a little while but he could already see that it was very clearly disturbed. His first action was to recommend moving out of Gotham, perhaps to nearby Metropolis which was a lot nicer area and not as criminally active and dangerous like Gotham was. Thomas and Martha had laughed it off and told him that the death threats were nothing serious, they only called him to be absolutely certain that they little son Bruce would be safe. They had explained to Alfred how they had big plans for Gotham. Such as repair the railway system, clean the corrupted police force and most importantly re-open the old Asylum that was Martha's heritage. Indeed Thomas Wayne's beautiful wife was née Arkham and had inherited an old, out-of-order mental institution that was rumored to be cursed. Now Thomas and Martha wanted to re-open the place to help those who needed help in Gotham. They were good and noble people.

Unfortunately all of these big plans got them killed. In that night of June 26th little Bruce, Thomas' and Martha's eight year old son, wanted desperately go to the movies to see Mask of Zorro again. It appeared to be his favorite movie and even though he had seen it countless times before he still wanted to see it again. So, Martha made some phone calls and soon the family was on their way to the movies despite Alfred's warnings. He wanted to at least put couple body guards to go with them but Thomas and Martha insisted that they wouldn't need them. They wanted to make life as normal as possible for young Bruce. Alfred had learned that just under a year ago Bruce had lost his best friend, Thomas Elliot. Elliots had been close friends of Thomas and Martha but unfortunately a car crash killed the Mister Elliot. Thomas had manage to rescue The Misses Elliot just in time but this experience had left young Thomas Elliot scarred eventually breaking off his deep friendship with young Bruce. Alfred could clearly see that the Elliot boy had been Bruce's only friend. The child was always alone, he did not fit in with people of his age, Alfred could see. He was solemn, quiet and very intelligent. Despite this his face would lit up in company of his parents and he would seem as a normal happy child that he truly was.

Alfred's first job as the head of the security was to save young Bruce when he had fell into one of the caves at the morning of June 26th. He had been playing around in the yard when Alfred had noticed how the kid disappeared. Alfred alarmed the boy's parents but he was soon found in one of the caves, scared but unharmed. His father had picked him up with the help of Alfred and he knew that Martha wanted to somehow make up for young Bruce this experience. So later that evening they decided to go to the movies.

Bruce had looked so happy when they left. He was explaining his favorite scenes to his parents and how he wanted to grow up as cool as his hero Zorro, how he wanted to become a real hero, like Zorro and his parents, he had told them.

In the evening Alfred got a call from the GCPD. Young officer Gordon was on the line telling that Thomas and Martha Wayne had been shot by a common mugger. Bruce was now at the station, alone and orphaned. Gordon had tried to help the kid as best as he could but there was not much he could do for him.

When Alfred drove to the police station he didn't have any idea what was to come. He didn't yet understand what did this night kick-start in young mater Bruce's life or in his own. He would later know that Thomas and Martha had named him to be their child's legal guardian if anything would happen to them. So Alfred Pennyworth, ex-head of the security, current butler and guardian of Bruce Wayne came to be perhaps the only parental figure in Bruce's life who wouldn't leave him.

Following years were hard to Bruce. He never recovered from his parents' murder. He became angry and lonely child. Alfred eventually pulled him from school to be home-schooled because he was constantly getting into trouble, especially getting into fights. So when Bruce came to him only a couple years after his parents' death and asked if he could teach him how to fight Alfred was not surprised. Perhaps he felt little disappointed that this was the life that his young master had chosen for himself. Only later Alfred realized that Bruce had already begun his training in secret. He was already on his path way before Alfred even noticed.

But Alfred had to hand it to the kid. He learned quickly. The kid was determined, hard-working and never complained other than he wanted more training of course. He wanted to be ready. Yet every time when Alfred asked ready for what Bruce would only stay quiet and focus on whatever task at hand. Alfred trained him in every martial art and fighting style that he could think off, acrobatics and free-running but this was not enough for the young master. He also learned different investigating techniques and even though Bruce was very talented in the physical parts of his training it was nothing compared to his detective techniques. His eyes lit up every time he had a new case and every single time he solved it faster and more efficiently than was expected.

But this was not enough for Master Bruce. When he turned fourteen he announced to Alfred that he wanted to travel around the world, learn from the best of the best and he wanted to do it alone. He would leave everything to Alfred and made him promise that he would wait for Bruce. He would be back, he promised. There was nothing that Alfred could do to stop him so in the following autumn, when all the other fourteen-year-olds went back to school, young master Bruce left Gotham to travel the world.

Alfred didn't hear from him ever since. He had grown fond of the kid, so he couldn't break his promise even when Gotham turned for the worse. Gotham had always been a dangerous place to live but now it has taken a turn for even worse. Organized crime was having its hay-day and new criminal organizations rose to power every day. Old players such as Maronis and Falcones were having their forever gang-war on who would get to be the king of Gotham. New players such as Oswald Cobblepot and Roman Sions were rising also. These were the criminals that Alfred was more worried about. They were rising quickly in the ranks by bribing the right people in Gotham. People had started to call them the Penguin and Black Mask respectably. Gotham was perhaps worse than ever when Bruce Wayne finally returned to his home town.

Ten long years he had been gone. When he returned Alfred could see that Bruce Wayne had died and something new had merged from his ashes. Bruce had grown to be even more serious and solemn than ever. He had learned every fighting style known to man, every detective technique that anyone could think off, every area that could help him with his mission. Bruce Wayne had transformed his body and his mind to reach perfection during his years away from Gotham. The boy was gone and the man had emerged.

But still Bruce seemed to think that something was missing. Something crucial. Then one night after his return, he called Alfred down to his cave. It was the same cave that he had fell in all of those years ago. Bats were still there but everything else had changed. Master Bruce had built a fortress down there full of modern technique, weaponry and gadgets. It was like a military base but for one man only.

When Alfred came down he saw Master Bruce standing, facing the wall on the other side of the cave. He was standing in the shadows so it was hard for Alfred to see what he was doing. Slowly he approached Bruce, waiting for him to speak. Upon coming closer Alfred could see that Bruce was dressed in black cape and looking at a photo of his parents. Saying nothing he pointed a mask on the table and Alfred understood what he meant. He picked it up and handed it to Bruce who still silent, took it and put it onto his head. Then he turned around and faced Alfred.

Alfred had never seen anything like it. Somehow it seemed that this was true Master Bruce as impossible as it was. He walked past Alfred, still saying nothing with a new look of determination. Alfred couldn't see his eyes, the mask covered them but he could only guess what his master was feeling. This was the element that had been missing. This was the last piece of the puzzle that was Master Bruce's future. He had truly been reborn and now he was ready to take on his destiny. The man was gone and symbol had been created.

On that night, Alfred understood, The Batman has been born.