Grandfather was leading me down a maze of corridors and hallways. The walls were painted in some kind of yellowish off tin color. It was a pretty color, but I still found it hard to look at the walls. I felt my body constricting in on itself. Trying to collapse on itself and implode. Like I was about to start screaming anytime now.
The pressure in the base of my throat was building up. I had lost any nerve I might have had. The worst possible thing happened and there was no one coming to save me. There was no one able to save me. I was going to be put back in the same position. Just another toy for my grandfather. And there was no one who could help me, or even put me out of my misery. I just wanted this all to end. Why couldn't i just get one thing to go my way. Id go back to Gotham and do whatever Batman wanted. Id go back to be alone on the street as garbage. I just wanted away from him now.
I kept my face cool throughout the whole ordeal of the walk though. My grandfather keeping a firm grip on my shoulder as he walked me into a dark room. Pushing me in and closing the door behind us. We were alone. I took a step to the side, not gaining much room, but atleast moving a bit more out of the way incase he decided a punishment was needed. Granted, in such a closed off space, there was no way i could avoid any attack.
I was surprised when instead of raising a fist, he instead raised a gentle hand and placed it on top of my head. I held back the flinch that came from the contact and let him turn my head to a darker part of the room. A body laid on a bed. Still as ever.
"Say hello Damian."
"Hello Mother." my voice was automatic and void. I didn't let any emotions out about seeing her. I don't know why, but her presence always made me on edge.
"Good, I'm sure she has missed you, Damian. I have." I looked up at the man. "It's true. I have missed my family and I am so close now to getting everyone back. Damian, come." He gestured for me to follow him. I walked with him to a side door. He opened it and stepped in, coming back out a moment later with a think black box.
"This will fix all the mistakes of the past Damian. This will bring back your loving mother and any you two can start a new. Be the family you were before." I continued to stay quiet. I was confused now. What could fix something that not even the pits could?
Grandfather stepped forward and opened the box and a deep red spread across the room.
"This is an ancient crystal that the gods created long ago. It can restore and destroy. I will not use this to destroy though. This will restore what has been lost. Come, boy. It is time for us to be together once again."
"Grandfather, what will it do?" Grandfather just looked down at me and smiled before picking the shard up with his bare hands, smoke almost immediately rising from his fist. The shard was burning him!
He stepped forward, raising his fist up and plunging the shard into Mother. It burned into her and she let out this terrible screech.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" my ear rung from her cries and I jumped back while grandfather pulled the shard out again and let it drop to the ground. He held his hand now, looking at the damage handling the shard had done.
"Ahhhhhhh!" mothers screeches continued, and the pain increased. This was not a human screaming anymore. Her voice had morphed into something otherworldly. It burned my mind and I sprinted to the door to get away from her. Throwing the door open, the hallway was littered with guards at the ready. I was rushed and thrown back into the room where my mother was screeching. She had risen from her bed and was now tearing at her own hair.
My grandfather yelled out orders to go and stop her. To hold her down and restrain her. I was lying on the floor now, the guards were jumping over me to get to mother, but she was just throwing them around like ragdolls. Tearing someone apart as she made her way to the floor. Looking for something.
Oh god, I hope it's not me. I rolled forward and started to make my way to the door. This was a chance to try and escape. I continued to crawl forward when I felt a hand grab the back of my neck and pull me further into the room.
"Why can't you just stay with your family Damian. We are so close to being together again." Grandfather was dragging me into the room and I was desperately trying to get myself unhinged from his grip, but his grip, even one-handed, was unrelenting. I was dragged into the room from before and grandfather threw me against the wall.
"Ughh.." I grunted as I dropped to the floor. The impact caused me to lose my breath and pain to spread across my already fucked up back. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to regulate my breathing. The sound of my mothers screeching was echoing through the room while the sound of the massacred guards was starting to become quieter. I tried to stand back up, but my ribs ached so bad that I fell back to the floor almost immediately. Clutching my chest, I tried to take in a breath, but it was too painful. Grandfather stood over me, his dark green eyes blazing down at me. Livid at the situation and his insubordinate grandson.
He bent down to me and grabbed my wrist, dragging me further back to the wall and cuffing me to the wall with metal cuffs. Chaining me down here while he dealt with the situation out there. I glared back up to him and watched him walk back out, only to come back in almost immediately, hold the red shard from before. He came to stand over me and held it above me.
"Keep watch of this Grandson." He sneered down at me, before dropping the shard. It dropped on my chest and a burst of fresh new pain washed over me. First came the burning, I could feel my very skin starting to melt from the contact. I'm pretty sure I was screaming upon the first contact, but I couldn't hear myself. My mind was pulled from my body, which would have been a blessing if I was thrust into a dizzying spell of images of people I didn't know, and events that didn't happen. It was like these images were being burned into my very mind.
The battle fought and won. People talking to me I recognized but never talked to. Superman, flash, most of the justice league. All speaking to me, some with fond smiles others with a look of disapproval or exasperated eye rolls. I never met these people. Then memories of Batman. Him talking to me in a car. Or him in my room at the manor, smiling down at me as I painted for him. He had never done these things with me. So why was I seeing them? Him and I in a battle against Talons and then him comforting me afterward. Holding me close. I could almost feel his warmth. I longed to feel some kind of comfort.
And then all of the sudden I was faced with other images of Grayson, Tim, and Jason. Grayson picking me up and twirling me around him. I looked like was angry with him, but I felt something inside of me become giddy at the image. Reflecting the emotions inside of the image. Then Tim sitting next to me as we talked over a computer file. He was pointing at something and I looked interested in what he was saying. Leaning closer as he explained in more detail. It was a simple scene, but it brought me so much peace.
I was just starting to get comfortable when I was tugged into a different direction, pointed to a scene with Jason. He was kneeling down at his bike, working on it. I approached him from behind and said something, but he didn't turn around. Instead just kept working. I got closer to him and said it again, but he just kept going. When I took another step and was beside him he quickly turned around and dragged me to the floor with him. Crossing his legs over my stomach and effectively holding me down while he went back to work on his bike. I struggled for a bit before seemingly giving up. Eventually I started to mess with his bike too, he seemed annoyed at first, but eventually started to tell me what to do his bike. Pointing at random spots on it for me to fix or to take apart. But soon the image soon turned into nothingness. I was lulled into the darkness. I was not sleeping, but it felt like my mind was starting to wake up, but with more awareness of those around me.
I was no longer chained to the wall or on the hard ground. Instead, I was lying on a warm soft surface. Being cradled against with the utmost care as soft voices spoke around me. My mind was still fuzzy from the images and a buzzing had started to replace the ache. My body still felt like it was run over by a line of semi trucks.
"The place was already set to blow, so we just sped up the time."
"They everyone left got out?"
"There was only Rha's left, so yeah. That guy wouldn't die like that."
"Ah, well hopefully he got the message that he lost."
"I think he did. His own plan backfired on him. Whatever he was trying to do cost him gravely."
"Mmm," the talking went quiet after that. I kept my eyes closed for now. Still too tired to do much, but I've gathered I was no longer with my grandfather but with father.
"How's he holding up?" I have rearranged again and this time I was lifted up and my head lulled against someone's neck. I smelled familiar. Grayson. He was holding me against him again. I wanted to lift my arms and wrap them around his neck and just bury myself in his warmth like I used to.
" Pretty beat up and that burn on his chest was nasty. Whatever that stone is, let's hope it hasn't done too much damage to him."
The stone? Right the burning.
"Think we are gonna have a freak out when we get back to Gotham?" Home? Are we going home?
"Maybe, hopefully, he will be open to the truth." the truth? What truth?
" At least he will be safe." I was held a bit tighter after that. I tried to lift my arms up, but it just ended with a pathetic twitch from my arm.
"Huh? Damian? You awake."
"Tt" it was the best I could do.
"Thank god. Don't worry buddy. We got you." I was unable to speak so instead I just nuzzled further into his hold.
"Yeah me too buddy. I'm glad to have you back too. Don't worry we are almost back."
"Hme?" I mumbled out.
"Home? Yeah, we are almost home."