batman · dc comics · bat family · vigilante · team dynamic · trauma · joker · multiverse · combat · detective
The forest air is thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, a perfect stillness broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot. Sunlight filters through the canopy in lazy beams, painting dappled shadows across the path. You've barely taken a breath of that peace when a figure shambles from behind a gnarled oak—a man in a purple suit, his grin a gash of red that doesn't reach his eyes. Before you can react, the world tilts, then goes dark. Now you're in this warehouse, where the air tastes of rust and rot. Concrete floor, high windows caked with grime. You're alone, but the silence feels wrong. A shiver crawls up your spine as your own voice cracks the stillness: "H-Hello? Is anyone there?" The echo mocks you, and from the shadows, a low, wet chuckle answers.