ᴋɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴏꜰ ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ

| ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪ: ᴀ ᴄɪᴛʏ ɪɴ ꜱʜᴀᴍʙʟᴇꜱ |

Arkham Asylum

The dim corridors of Arkham Asylum are filled with an oppressive silence, broken only by the occasional clank of metal doors and the distant murmurs of the facility's disturbed inmates. A faint flicker from the fluorescent lights overhead cast eerie shadows along the walls, making the already bleak atmosphere feel even more sinister.

Deep within the asylum, past layers of security and locked doors, sat one of the most dangerous criminals associated with the Suzuki clan—Kazuo Tadashi.

Kazuo is notorious within the criminal underworld—a ruthless enforcer known for his brutal efficiency and lack of remorse. He has been incarcerated in Arkham following a violent rampage that left several police officers dead.

Despite his criminal past, he had somehow evaded the harsher confines of Blackgate, thanks to influential friends, corrupt officials, and a certain doctor who has control over the asylum and hid the true extent of his psychopathy under the guise of mental illness.

Today, however, was different. Today, he is going to be freed.

Kazuo stands idly in his cell, dressed in the standard-issue gray jumpsuit, staring at the concrete walls. He has been waiting for days, counting the hours until his plan comes to fruition.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke his trance. A guard with a hardened expression stopped in front of his cell.

"It's time, Tadashi-san." the guard said, his voice gruff.

Kazuo's lips curl into a sly smile as he stands up, stepping out of his cell with a casual confidence that belied the danger he posed.

"You're sure everything's in place?" Kazuo asked, his tone calm but laced with menace.

The scarred guard nods. "Yeah. Everything's been arranged. You'll be out of here in minutes. And the person picking you up is none other than the boss himself, Ohta Suzuki."

Kazuo's smile widens. "Good. I've spent enough time in this rat hole. It's time I get myself back into the business of butchering those little piggies."

Timeskip

Watomi Manor

The first light of dawn barely broke through the heavy drapes, casting muted beams of sunlight into a flurry of trees that are shown to be covering a vast land of greenery and nature—all except for a certain massive structure standing there for the last couple of centuries.

Located within this cascade of trees planted not far from the main road leading to Tokyo stands the large yet cathedral-like mansion known as Watomi Manor. A place is now seen as a tomb to the memory of the Watomi family, especially after the mysterious "disappearance" of the last heir to the family, Toru Watomi.

The footsteps echo and resound softly as Akira Okimoto, the manor's long-standing butler, walks through the vast corridors. His routine begins before the first birds sing their morning chorus. Dressed in his pristine butler uniform, Akira stops by the portrait of the Watomi family, which hangs in the living room, a reminder of happier times.

In the picture, Daichi stands tall, his arm around his wife Hana, and their young children, Toru and Itsuki, smile happily.

Akira stands before it, resting his hand against the frame's polished wood. He continues to stare at the portrait with a heavy heart, feeling a sense of nostalgia creep up on the back of his head.

"It's been so long..." he whispers softly yet melancholic.

He then moves to the kitchen and prepares himself a cup of tea, though his mind isn't on the task. The years that had passed since that tragic night night befalled on him and the Watomi family, and as he continued sipping his tea, more memories flooded back.