Chapter 1

Robin eerily stood before the prostrate body of Slade at his feet, the slain bodies of countless friends and enemies littered about the ruins. He stared down at the face of his greatest enemy, the cause of all his suffering, and the bane of his existence. Countless sleepless nights lost over the secret hiding behind the black and brown mask.

His grip on the birdarang tightened. So much blood, so much death, so many webs of lies spun only to be untangled- all in the name of justice and staying true to his principles, to his mentor. Out of justice, he forsook his opportunity for vengeance against the killer of his parents. Out of pride, he had turned the back on the one who raised him as his own. Out of friendship, he forsook his opportunity to learn the truth in favor of regaining the trust of friends. Out of unconditional faith, he had willingly forsook all opportunity for retribution against the agent responsible for bringing about the end of the world, moving Heaven and Earth to find the one with the power to stop it.

All that power, all that potential, all that knowledge, it had always been there for him, ready for the taking. But the only thing he had cared about was his principles, and the people who called themselves his friends, who ultimately were as willing to turn against him and label him an enemy. Years of sacrifice and labor had been undone in a single cheated moment.

All in the name of justice.

Achieving one's goals always required quashing the aspirations of others. Yet mankind, in its feeble sanctimonious arrogance, insisted that to do so was evil. And today, he had finally emerged victorious. He had succeeded in breaking free of the constraints of artificial morality. Years of defeat, humiliation, sacrifices, lies, and betrayals- all to discover the secret of the human behind the madness. Now before him lay fruit of his labors, the culmination of all his toils.

And yet, the victory was incomplete. There was a final piece to be put into place.

A harsh cough interrupted his train of thoughts as Slade stared up at him with his remaining dark eye. He moaned weakly and reached upwards, but his hand faltered- only to be caught by a second gloved hand. As their eyes met, Robin recognized in his enemy's face the sense of acknowledgement, of pride, and something else.

A single tear rolled down Slade's eye.

But it was not a tear of anger, of bitterness, or of sadistic triumph. It was one of genuine mirth, affection, and fatherly love. A powerful unspoken connection passed between the two one-eyed enemies. Not since the days his first mentor had taken him under his wing had Robin felt such an awakening.

Even so, there was no stopping what was inevitably coming. The torch had to be carried home. The final chapter of a long and enduring saga that had defined him as a son, a hero, and a leader would reach its conclusion.

Robin stood, his arm raised high, his trembling but firm hand gripping the birdarang tightly... and plunged the knife into Slade's heart. The villain spasmed, gasped harshly, then relaxed. For the first time in years, a smile appeared on the villain's face, finally at peace after being filled with hate for so long. Robin collapsed and rolled over onto his side, exhausted and breathing heavily. The fatigue he had endured during the many months of prolonged intense activity came crashing down as sleep overtook him.

He eventually woke up, not knowing how much time had passed. He stood before the bodies of Slade, his former friends and enemies who died fighting to their last breath, a grave of heroes and villains. He looked around him at the smoking remains of the destroyed massive monitor screens surrounding his former archenemy's lair. A single one had somehow escaped destruction and it showed yet more bodies. They had once called themselves the Justice League and the Honorary Titans, dedicated as he was to safeguarding earth from danger. They were fools, all of them. had died in vain. Every single one of them had died in vain. In their desperate frenzy, heroes and enemies had destroyed each other. Humans, mutants, aliens, sorcerers, they were all the same. In the end, the only thing that ruled was power.

Yet the same empty feeling as before bothered him.

He wheeled about him in anger. What was it? He, Robin, had triumphed over his friends and enemies alike. He outsmarted and defeated them through guile, cunning, strength, and endurance. He had proved himself superior and worthier. He had achieved more than his mentor could ever hope to be.

Then he saw it.

The half-black, half-brown object with the single eye slot stared deep into him.

"This isn't about your friends, Robin. It's about you. It's always been about you: sending trouble your way, leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel. I was testing you. For some time now, I've been searching for an apprentice. Someone to follow in my footsteps. And Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."

"Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike."

"All my knowledge, all my power, all for you..."

Lurching footsteps echoed behind him as Cinderblock loomed into view. Under his arm, the concrete giant carried a pale skinned girl. Argent looked into Robin's eyes with quiet acceptance on her face. He held up the mask.

"It is time." Robin said.

Black tongs pulled out the mask out of the cauldron of thick putrid liquid as Argent recited the tome's words in the unearthly language. The flames of the torches leaped and danced about them, the shadows making Robin's haggard face look like a dead skull.

"Jiak beukeech avhe poweruk avhaav be avo join avheuke ukouluk shal julhopak julion- paukav, preukenav, agh fuavure!" She finally shouted in the unearthly language of Blackspeak.

A great roaring sound filled the room and Cinderblock shouted in alarm as he dropped the tongs holding the mask from which black tentacles shot out of, seizing onto Robin. Robin shouted in alarm as they held him fast, the mask levitating into air and its single eye slot glowing red. It repositioned itself so that its inside faced towards Robin's face and the tentacles pulled Robin into it. He screamed through the mask as the evil energy spread through his body. Memories of his past and those of Slade surged through his mind. He saw the deaths of his parents, of Batman, his friends, the team, Slade's military service, the destruction of his family, and the loss of his eye.

Robin's skin cracked and bled. His body shriveled, too weak to stand, as he collapsed. Then the flames went out.

Argent crept towards Robin from where he lay, heat and smoke emanating from his body. She reached out a trembling hand. A gloved hand seized her wrist while a second holding a birdarang shot forward, stabbing into her neck and slashing it open. She gurgled and fell, drowning in her blood. Robin didn't raise his head. His shoulders began to shake and a low sinister laugh filled the air.

"Finally, at long last... EVERYTHING IS MINE!"

And Robin's chuckle exploded into a full-blown maniacal laughter. The extinguished flames of the torches roared back to life as Robin continued to laugh. Robin was no more. Their souls and memories merged into a single, hateful being- past, present, and future. There was only Slade.

He stopped and flexed his muscles, as strong as ever. There was no sign he was ever injured. He turned, his single eye glowing evilly through the slot of the mask. He was pleased that Cinderblock hadn't moved. The giant stood stiff, awaiting his new master's orders. The end of Robin was only the beginning of Slade. There was still much to be done. His plans would come to fruition.

And as the monitor showed the remains of the great mansion looming on the outskirts of Gotham City, he knew how the first chapter of that book would be written.