Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [12]

As Jason Todd, the Red Hood, saw Bruce in his line of sight, it was as if his blood started to boil.

Finally, I’ve found you.

Memories of his time as Robin flooded his mind, but they shattered just as quickly, leaving only raw hatred.

The once-cherished memories had become the source of Jason’s deepest pain.

Jason Todd had once viewed Batman as a father.

As a street kid, he’d caught Bruce’s attention by trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile.

Bruce had seen potential in Jason, and, hoping to keep him from a life of crime, took him in as his adopted son and even trained him as the second Robin.

It seemed like the makings of a touching story, but Bruce Wayne’s issues ran deep.

His mentorship style was demanding and strict. Jason, though he trained under Bruce for years, had never once seen Bruce smile at him.

Bruce’s intent was to make him stronger, but to a young boy, the emotional distance was harsh.

Jason, desperate to prove himself, grew more extreme in his methods of fighting crime.

But his reward was always the same—Bruce’s repeated disapproval.

Their dynamic was bound to unravel, and the Joker played a pivotal role in hastening its collapse.

The Joker had devised a twisted game, using Jason’s long-dead mother as bait to lure Jason into Arkham Asylum.

He filmed the brutal beating with a crowbar, capturing every blow until Jason’s life was snuffed out.

Finally, the Joker sent the recording to Batman himself.

Bruce searched tirelessly for Jason after his disappearance.

But after seeing the Joker’s recording, he gave up.

Not a flicker of sadness showed—Batman remained Gotham’s stoic Dark Knight, never allowing his vulnerability to show.

Within weeks, he took in Tim Drake as the third Robin.

The Bat-Signal continued to shine as if nothing had happened, but for Jason, the nightmare had only just begun.

Held captive in Arkham, he suffered at the hands of the Joker and the lunatics within its walls for a full year.

Jason had prayed countless times that Batman would come to rescue him. But Batman never did.

The agony and resentment twisted Jason’s heart, and under the Joker’s influence, his love for Bruce had entirely transformed into hatred.

A boundless hatred.

“I trusted you…”

Now, standing on the Granger family’s roof, Jason glared down at Bruce.

“How long did it take for you to replace me, huh? A week? A month? I trusted you, and you left me to die!

“And even after the Joker killed me, you wouldn’t avenge me!”

Jason’s teeth ground with rage.

His hatred for Bruce stemmed from two wounds:

One, Bruce had given up on him, moving on with another Robin in no time.

Two, even knowing that the Joker had killed him, Batman refused to end the Joker’s life in retribution.

To Jason, if their roles had been reversed, he would have torn the world apart to avenge Bruce.

Everything distilled down to one truth:

Batman had betrayed him.

And now, as the Red Hood, he’d come back from hell.

Bruce Wayne, it’s time for you to die.

Jason leapt from the rooftop, landing in front of Bruce with perfect control.

But the truth was, Bruce had no idea who this stranger was.

Jason’s grudge came from Batman’s future self, a history that had nothing to do with the eleven-year-old Bruce standing here.

But Jason didn’t care. Bruce Wayne was Bruce Wayne, and this one was from the main universe. Hurting him would be even more satisfying.

Killing him early could even save his future self from a lifetime of suffering.

Bruce instinctively took a few steps back, creating as much distance as he could from this sudden, threatening figure.

“The Dark Knight… Gotham’s protector.” Jason’s voice held a note of vicious satisfaction from behind his helmet.

“Look at you now—so helpless.”

Bruce continued to back away, doing his best to look like a frightened kid, as if he had no idea how to handle this.

Jason sneered, taunting, “You always taught me to stay calm, find the truth. But look at you now. Guess you couldn’t follow your own advice?”

“I don’t know you,” Bruce said at last, his first words since Jason had appeared.

But his voice betrayed none of the fear he’d seemed to show.

In fact, Bruce’s tone was icily calm.

Was this situation terrifying?

Bruce remembered that night in Crime Alley, his parents dying in front of him—that had been his worst nightmare.

If he’d survived that, then nothing else could truly scare him.

“But I know you!” Jason’s fury boiled over as he raised a pistol, aiming directly at Bruce’s head.

“If you beg for forgiveness now, I’ll make it quick!”

But Bruce’s voice was unwavering. “I said, I don’t know you.”

With that, he put his carefully crafted plan into action.

“Tarantellegra!”

Bruce thrust his arm out, spreading his fingers as he recited the spell from his Beginner’s Spellbook.

Jason blinked, bewildered, as his legs suddenly jerked to life, forcing him into an uncontrollable, manic dance.

“What the—?”

He knew it had to be some form of magic, the kind he’d seen in other universes.

But why would Bruce know magic? How had he learned this?

“I always knew you were hiding something from me!” Jason’s hatred flared even hotter, feeling betrayed to discover Bruce had known magic since he was eleven.

Bruce, though, paid no attention to Jason’s outburst. He saw his opening and pressed the advantage.

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

He cast the Levitation Charm on Jason’s guns, sending one tumbling to the ground and the other flying directly into Bruce’s hands.

He gripped the pistol with both hands, aiming it squarely at Jason’s legs.

He didn’t want to kill, but he wasn’t above disabling his attacker.

“Click—”

Bruce squeezed the trigger, but to his surprise, the gun jammed.

An empty gun?

Impossible.

Bruce’s mind reeled. What kind of assassin came to kill him with an empty weapon?

“Heh…”

Jason’s laugh was cold and mocking. Drawing on every ounce of his own strength, he forced himself out of the dancing spell, his feet finally stilling.

Then, in a single swift move, he lunged forward and landed a powerful kick to Bruce’s chest, sending him sprawling backward.

“I never planned to kill you with a gun,” Jason sneered, his tone dripping with contempt. “You’re not even worth it.”

—

T/N: whaaaaat is that really arkham jason’s backstory? that’s fuckked