[Third Person POV]
Alfred stared intently at Danny's face, searching for something—truth, perhaps, or maybe deception—before he finally, albeit reluctantly, lowered his weapon. But Danny could immediately tell the butler hadn't truly let his guard down. Not even close.
There was a brief pause, filled only by the tension between them and the creak of the old manor around them. Alfred's sharp eyes drifted down, scanning Danny from head to toe. And then he saw it—the unmistakable, ethereal glow of the ghost tail trailing where legs should have been.
"You're a ghost..." Alfred muttered, his voice low and wary.
"Indeed I am," Danny replied with a small, sheepish smile, strangely relieved to see even a half-familiar face in the eerie isolation of Gotham.
Alfred exhaled with a sigh, followed by a dry, tired grumble. "Wonderful. This place looks so ancient and decrepit now, it's begun attracting the undead."
Danny gave a quiet chuckle, hovering a bit closer. "It's not the manor that drew me here… It was the man still living in it."
With a subtle grunt, Alfred rested the shotgun over his shoulder like an old soldier settling into habit. "I'd offer you tea, but we're long out, and you look far too young for anything else I might have tucked away."
He made his way into what remained of the manor's kitchen, placing the shotgun down on the dust-covered table. Reaching into his worn coat, he pulled out a flask, uncapped it, and took a swig before eyeing Danny again with cautious curiosity.
"So," Alfred began, his voice edged with suspicion, "why are you looking for me specifically?"
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away. "Well… this is going to sound crazy. And honestly? You probably won't believe a single word of it."
Alfred's face hardened. "If you're here just to waste my time with tall tales and ghost stories, I suggest you leave. Now."
The coldness in his voice stung more than Danny anticipated. He sighed, massaging his forehead as he tried to figure out where to even begin.
"Let me start by saying that reality… as you know it… isn't quite what it seems," he said cryptically, then launched into the story—explaining the rewritten world, the wish made to a reality-warping genie, and the bizarre circumstances that had rewritten history itself. He laid it all out: the wish for the disappearance of Batman, the true identity of the Dark Knight as a grown version of young Master Bruce, and his own role as Bruce's ward in another life—a life that no longer existed here.
Alfred was silent through most of it. His flask dangled in one hand, his posture tense. When Danny finished, Alfred's eyes narrowed.
"So let me get this straight," he said slowly, dangerously calm, "You're telling me that this reality—the one I live in—is a fabrication? One conjured by some magical being because someone wished for Batman to disappear? And that Batman, supposedly, is none other than a grown-up Master Bruce? And you—" Alfred jabbed a finger at him, "—are someone he trusted enough to take in as a ward?"
"Pretty much," Danny said, fanning his hands out with a weary expression. "Now, I know that's a lot to take in—"
He didn't even see the hit coming.
A sudden, crushing blow smashed across Danny's face, sending him flying back like a ragdoll. He crashed into the kitchen cabinets, which exploded in a rain of splinters and dust. For a moment, silence. Then Danny stirred, blinking in stunned disbelief as he brought a hand to his face. His fingers came away stained with glowing green blood.
His eyes snapped toward Alfred—who stood there, chest heaving, jaw clenched, rage blazing in his eyes like a furnace.
"You listen to me, you arrogant little brat," Alfred growled, voice trembling with fury. "I don't know what sick joke you think you're playing, but I am not in the mood. You want to act like you know me? Like you know him? Don't think for a second that your age will stop me from teaching you a lesson in manners. Now get out. Leave."
The hatred in Alfred's gaze cut deeper than the punch. Danny could feel it, burning into him like acid. And it hurt—far more than he expected. More than it should have.
'I… I shouldn't have come here. This was a mistake. A stupid, stupid mistake.'
"I'm… I'm sorry," Danny whispered, voice trembling. "I'll leave you alone…"
With that, he phased through the wall and vanished into the shadows of the broken city, his body trembling, his heart heavy with guilt and shame.
'What was I thinking? Why did I tell Alfred? Did I honestly believe he'd understand? Was I hoping… he'd help me? With what exactly?! What the hell was I hoping to accomplish?!' Danny's mind raced, haunted by the look in Alfred's eyes. 'What if… What if he thought I could undo the spell and place everything back to the way it was? But I can't. I couldn't. I wouldn't be able to. God, what have I done?
'Stupid… so stupid…'
But before he could spiral further, movement caught his eye.
Something shifted in the edge of his vision—something massive, looming in the darkness above. Danny turned, startled.
A hulking, monstrous shape hurtled toward him. It had large leathery wings, a body covered in coarse brown fur, and a snarling maw filled with jagged teeth. Its tiny eyes gleamed with feral instinct.
"What the—!?"
Danny barely had time to react before the beast slammed into him, the impact sending them both spiraling through the air. They tumbled violently, claws swiping, teeth snapping, wings flapping furiously.
Grunting with effort, Danny struggled to hold the creature's face back, its foul breath hitting him like a wave of rot. The beast let out an earsplitting screech, saliva flying from its jaws.
"Man-Bat!! Goddamn it, I'm really not in the mood for this!" Danny shouted, snarling as he let go and suddenly phased through the creature. He vanished from its grip—only to reappear behind it midair.
Danny narrowed his eyes. Ectoplasmic energy surged up his arm coiling and pulsing around his clenched fist. He raised it close to his fast before he struck.
His fist collided with the Man-Bat's back in a thunderous blow, the ectoplasmic energy exploding outward on impact. The force was devastating.
BOOM!
The creature was launched downward like a meteor, its massive form tumbling through the sky before crashing violently into the street below. Asphalt cracked and ruptured on impact, debris launching into the air as a crater formed beneath the creature's body. The shockwave from the impact sent nearby car alarms blaring.
Tires screeched as vehicles slammed on their brakes, swerving wildly to avoid the epicenter. Shouts rang out as pedestrians screamed and scattered, sprinting away from the chaos.
Smoke and dust billowed into the air, cloaking the ruined pavement in a thick gray haze.
For a moment, all was still.
Then movement.
Man-Bat groaned lowly, shifting within the crater. He shook his head violently, dust flying off his matted fur in clumps as he tried to refocus. His ears twitched, and his wings spasmed as he began to push himself up.
From above, Danny hovered, staring down with fierce intensity. His fist and eyes glowing an emerald green hue.
Man-Bat snarled, exposing his jagged fangs, but there was a flicker of hesitation in his beady eyes as he looked up into the unflinching gaze of the glowing ghost above.
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