The Red Ghoul {The Red Good Series: Book Zero}

ARC III: PART VI

Jason stormed into the Batcave, his fury almost tangible. His usual calm was replaced by a rage that electrified the air around him. He locked eyes with Bruce and Tim, his voice sharp and venomous as he let loose his pent-up anger.

"What were you thinking?!" Jason's voice echoed through the Batcave, each word a dagger aimed at Bruce and Tim. "You had no right to drag Damian and Billy into this mess! They're just kids, damn it!"

His fists clenched at his sides, trembling with anger. Jason's eyes blazed with a fire that could melt steel, his frustration boiling over. He'd trusted Bruce and Tim to respect the boundaries and rules he'd set for the safety of his brothers, and they had failed him spectacularly.

"You could have gotten them killed!" Jason's voice cracked with emotion, his words dripping with raw fury. "Do you have any idea what it's like to watch someone you love be torn apart by those monsters? To feel utterly helpless as they're consumed by darkness?"

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, a grim reminder of the consequences of their actions. Jason's anger was a storm, threatening to consume everything in its path. In that moment, he wasn't just Red Ghoul, the formidable warlock of Gotham—he was a brother, betrayed and furious, his heart bleeding for those he loved.

"And don't you dare try to justify it with your 'greater good' crap!" Jason's voice rose, the intensity of his fury growing with each word. "You think I don't know about sacrifice? About doing whatever it takes to protect this city? I've spilled more blood for Gotham than you'll ever know!"

His eyes flashed with a mix of pain and indignation, the weight of his past sins heavy on his shoulders. Jason had faced darkness unlike anything Bruce and Tim could imagine, and he bore the scars—both physical and emotional—to prove it.

"But I will not sacrifice my brothers on the altar of your ego!" Jason's voice thundered through the Batcave, defiance burning in his eyes. "You want to play hero, fine. But leave Damian and Billy out of it. They deserve better than to be pawns in your game!"

His words hung in the air like a challenge, a gauntlet thrown down in the face of their authority. Jason turned his glare solely on Bruce, his eyes blazing with righteous anger. "You, Bruce," he spat, venom in his voice. "All those promises about changing, about respecting boundaries and trusting me... they were all lies, weren't they? Just empty words to shut me up while you keep playing your twisted games."

Bruce met Jason's accusing glare with heavy silence, guilt weighing on him like a leaden cloak. He knew Jason was right, knew that his actions had once again betrayed the trust his son had placed in him. But the words caught in his throat, unable to find their way past the lump of remorse that had formed there.

Jason's chest heaved with frustration, his fists clenched as he struggled to contain the storm inside him. "I should have known better than to trust you," he continued, his voice raw with hurt and betrayal. "But I guess some lessons are just too hard to learn."

The air between them was thick with tension, the weight of unspoken words hanging like a storm cloud ready to burst. Bruce's silence said it all, a reminder of the growing rift between them. Jason turned away, heart heavy with disillusionment, leaving Bruce to watch helplessly, knowing some wounds cut too deep to heal.

Jason's anger shifted to Tim, disappointment etched in his features. "And you, Tim," he growled, his voice dripping with disdain. "I thought you were smarter than this. I thought you were starting to think for yourself, to see through Bruce's crap. But no, you're still his lapdog, doing whatever he says."

Tim's eyes widened, Jason's words hitting like a punch to the gut. He had always looked up to Jason, admired his strength and independence. Hearing such harsh criticism cut deep, leaving him reeling with a sense of betrayal.