Two sides of the same coin

Chapter 10 - No Man's Land

Bruce backed away from the fight and slowly realized that he had to choose to either continue to follow Jeremiah or fight with the people he believed in. Not only would it decide how he would participate in this battle but it would ultimately determine what side he was really on. The whole reason he was here was for Selina, and without that information she was as good as dead. He couldn't avoid the fact that he was the one who did that to her. So if he could help her in any way, it would be worth it.

"Or is that just an excuse?"

Bruce quickly looked around looking for who said that, but instead discovered that he wasn't in the same place as before. He was in a place that seemed oddly familiar. He stood in a small room with two windows on each side of the far-ends. Instead of receiving light from the windows it was received from the candles that were hung on each side of the wall. The door was iron with a squared pattern to it that seemed to symbolize a cage of sorts.

Before Bruce could do anything, he saw Selina laid out on the floor. He ran towards her and kneeled next to her.

"Selina."

He received no reply, and brought his gaze towards her eyes. Selina's eyes were glossed over and weren't moving, only gazing towards the ceiling. Only then did Bruce realize that she wasn't moving. He placed his hand on her neck to check and see if she had a pulse. No pulse. He checked her wrist. No Pulse.

"Selina!"

He shook her, hoping for her to somehow reply to him. He turned towards the door, if he could find someone to help her she'd be safe, right? But when he arrived at the door, it slowly faded into the wall and afterwards it looked like there was no door in the first place. Bruce's eyes widened. After a moment of silence, whispers began to wander into the room. He backed away from the wall while slowly beginning to make out words of the whispers as they grew louder by the second. The number of different voices slowly became just one, and it's dry and scratchy voice whispered into Bruce's ear.

"Selina is dead."

After a moment of processing those words tears he slid down the wall. His cheeks and his breaths became shallow while slowly falling to the floor once meeting it, he held himself and began to rock back and forth.

After he managed to calm himself down, he wiped his tears off his cheeks with his wrist and took a deep breath in as he stood up. He looked towards the floor, trying to avoid where Selina's lifeless body laid. His thoughts began to focus on someone, the person who had killed Selina, Jeremiah Valeska. All of the candles were blown out all at once, leaving Bruce in the dark.

Bruce felt someone's hands grab his shoulder and pull him towards something. He blinked then he was back at the building, the sound of blades and guns flooded over him. Barbra was pulling Bruce's shoulder towards the middle of the room where Ra's was. Once they got close enough to him she let go of his shoulder, grabbed his hands, and wrapped it around the knife while she still held it. Bruce slowly realized what Barbra was planning, but before he could do anything, he was pulled towards Ra's by Barbra. Bruce closed his eyes before he could see anything and after silence filled the small space between the three he opened them again. Ra's had been stabbed by the only knife and person that could kill him. After a moment of shock Ra's glazed eyes drifted to Barbra.

"Well done Barbra."

Immediately after, a noise was heard outside and everyone looked towards where it came from. Orange clouds of smoke spread above a large bridge. Then, the middle of it fell with metal creaks and afterwards a large splash of water. One by one, all of the bridges that lead out of the city suffered the same end while everyone in the building stopped fighting and watched the destruction. To some it was a horrific sight and to others it was wonderful.

Bruce felt someone grab both of his shoulders and guide him towards the floor, he looked over and realized that it was Ra's. His skin seemed to crack. And in between those cracks looked like lava of some sorts which painted a picture of a volcano's floor growing across Ra's entire body. His eyes grew into a gray color with an expression of being panicked and lost. It seemed like Ra's was using all his will to focus on Bruce.

"The choice is now yours. Stay Bruce Wayne or accept you're destiny become Gotham's dark knight."

Ra's skin grew into a shade of gray as if it had been burned to ash, but somehow managed it's form. He opened his mouth to attempt to say something, but before he could his body began to collapse on itself. Instead he let out a muffled scream right before his body lost its original form and was reduced to ash. Bruce looked towards the pile of ash, oddly enough he wasn't too panicked. This frightened him to some extent which lead to him making excuses for himself,

'Ra's was an enemy after all and I'm not actually the one who killed him so why should I feel guilty?'

Quickly dismissing the guilt of Ra's death, his thoughts reverted to Ra's last words.

'The choice is now yours. Stay Bruce Wayne or accept you're destiny become Gotham's dark knight.'

Another prophecy of Ra's that Bruce was left to find out for himself. A man's last words must mean something, stay Bruce Wayne or become this Dark Knight for Gotham. He let his thoughts slowly drift away from those words and towards the window. The bridges that seemed to hold a symbol of hope were gone and the city was thrown into chaos.

Gotham was gone.

Jeremiah's plan was a success.

This was No Man's Land.
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