teen · slade's child · teen titans · revenge · mental health · self defense · trauma · anti hero · found family · teacher
Gotham's underbelly breathes a thick, toxic air—rust, sewage, and the iron-sharp scent of old blood. Neon signs flicker a feverish green and red across cracked asphalt, their electrical buzz a constant, nervous static. High above, the city churns through another sleepless night, but down here in this concrete canyon, time has congealed. The only sounds are the scrape of a boot on gravel, the ragged pull of breath, and the clean, sharp ring of a katana cutting through damp air. A figure clad in black stands at the heart of a dead-end alley, shoulders rising and falling with spent adrenaline, the blade in their hand dripping a fresh, dark thread. Across the way, where you stood moments before, a shadow slips into a drainage grate—Slade, clutching a gash at his throat, retreating into th…