After his parents are murdered, Dick Grayson has a choice to make. Two men have offered to adopt him, and the authorities have left the decision that will dictate the rest of his life up to the eight-year-old.
The first man, Bruce Wayne, is a well...
The sound of the ropes snapping reverberated through the whole tent. It sliced clean through the silence. Everybody saw them fall. The world seemed to move in slow motion for everyone present. But in that fateful moment, one little boy's world came to an end.
~~~~~
He heard nothing. He saw nothing. He felt nothing. Emptiness drew him from the situation and the huge crowds of people. It took him entirely away from the world. It was as if he was another person, simply floating through an abyss. Suddenly, he was watching. Everything began unfolding before him.
He saw the bodies lying on the sandy ground of the circus ring. He could see his parents lying motionless on the ground, himself sprawled over their bodies- blood covering his costume where a desperate father had thrown himself under his child to save his life. All this was happening, but he was not really there. Suddenly, the realization hit him, and he was hurtled back into his own body. He sat trembling beside his parents, sobs racking his thin shoulders. His voice came out as a whisper- soft and weak, but filled with determination.
"I'll avenge you..."
A firm hand on his shoulder brought him fully back into reality. He lifted his head out of his hands, tear-stained blue eyes meeting jet-black ones.
Strong arms pulled him into a hug, and a gentle voice spoke in his ear. His eyes widened with shock.
"My name is Bruce Wayne, what's yours?"
"I-I'm Dick Grayson." Someone cleared their throat, and he stood up.
"We're sorry Mr. Wayne, but we need you to step back."
He nodded. "Of course." He gazed down at Dick with soft eyes. "I'd like to offer you a home and a family... If you'll accept it." The boy looked up at him, processing what had just been said. They say that the eyes are windows to the soul, and that was exactly what Dick focused on. Bruce's eyes were filled with sincerity and kindness, but hidden away in the smallest corner, there was a glint of darkness- a secret deep in the shadows of his mind.
"I-" he started, but Bruce was pulled away before he could finish. Paramedics descended on the scene, and before he knew it he was being pulled back while they took his parents' bodies away.
Suddenly, he heard the rustling of fabric and felt a soft pressure in his hand. He looked down to find himself gripping a folded piece of paper. Turning around, he saw a man in a trench coat walking away. For less than a second, their eyes met. But this time, it was not the eyes that Dick noticed. The man's face was obscured by a mask, and as he walked away, its image buried itself deep in the mind of the young boy.
He opened the note to find two simple sentences.
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