Chapter 115: The False Hero

Bruce furrowed his brows as he tried to process the situation unfolding before him. He first looked at Arias and then at Selina—one was composed, while the other looked worried. No matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn't think of a scenario that explained why they were showing such expressions.

Arias could see that Bruce was trying to piece together what was happening, and the chances of getting his desired response were slim. So, Arias had to take on a different approach. 

While Bruce was still in thought, Arias chuckled and shook his head, facing the two as if disappointed. 

"You know, Bruce, I can at least admit that I'm not a good man. But you? You go around delivering your own justice under a different identity while ignoring your own wrongs."

"So, let's do this: you can continue to pursue your own fantasies of making Gotham safer as a caped vigilante, while I make that fantasy a reality by doing what needs to be done. I think we can end our tour here."

Arias was very expressive with his anger, so much so that Bruce found it hard to reply. But he still felt his way was right, so he responded as Arias looked ready to walk away.

"You have no idea just how chaotic Gotham was before I began doing what I was doing. If you stoop as low as criminals to reach your goals, then you're no better than them." Bruce said firmly, but Arias only laughed and shook his head.

"There's a lot I'd say to argue, but you're really not worth my time. All I'll say is, it takes a special kind of man to send and train children into such a life. You're no hero; you're just a man with too much money and too much time on his hands."

Selina wanted to speak but found no point of entry into the conversation. Arias's words hit Bruce harshly and caused him to frown, but no reply came.

A silence fell, and only the sound of Arias's steps filled the hall as he began to walk back. As he passed by them, he stopped near Bruce and said one last thing in a whispered tone.

"I've made Gotham one of the safest places in the world using not even a fraction of your net worth or connections. Yet you couldn't even do a fraction of what I have in the many years you've claimed to be helping, be it as Batman or Bruce Wayne. Let that sink in."

Nothing more was said, and Arias continued to walk, leaving Bruce standing there in complete silence. It was perhaps the only time someone had ever spoken to him about what he did so bluntly.

Although Alfred was always around to ensure Bruce did things right, he never pointed out just how futile some of their operations were.

Bruce was especially unable to reply to the comment about training children to put into such situations. He was smart enough to compare, and right now, based on facts and evidence, Arias was right.

It was a realization that shook the very foundation of his beliefs. Why he fought crime, why he lived a double life—and yet before Arias, his efforts were shown as futile.

"You should leave," he said to Selina, who seemed hesitant to speak.

But she, too, hadn't recovered from what she experienced, so she didn't argue and just walked away in another direction, leaving Bruce alone in the hall as he turned his head to look at the family portrait with conflict in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Arias soon returned to the main hall and found Mercy drowning herself in glass after glass of liquor and cocktails. 

Her face was flushed, but she still looked very unhappy to be there. Seeing him, she immediately began to complain in a drunken stupor. "You… Y-you're just like Lex. *hick* You bring me somewhere nice and just run off to talk boring shit with boring people. *hick*. I even wore this stupid candy arm dress."

Mercy spoke in a straightforward tone, looking like she found it difficult to stand.

Arias looked at her up and down before asking, "Oh? And what would you prefer we did? Dance? Look at stars? I think you've seen far too many movies."

She frowned at his mocking but didn't relent. "I don't know, okay, but something that isn't you disappearing and leaving me here to stand next to some random bimbos."

Her complaints were entertaining to Arias, who just raised a brow before replying, "Me? Don't you mean Lex? After all, you made it pretty clear you didn't want to be here."

Mercy was too drunk to compete against Arias in word games. Everything she said, he'd have an answer she would find difficult to argue against. This was very frustrating. "You, him, I don't know, okay? You're just the same selfish jerks. Why even—"

Before she could go on a long rant, Arias pulled her close by the waist and leaned near a corner away from prying eyes before shutting her up with a kiss, one with a very apparent liquor aftertaste.

Still, this didn't stop him from twirling her tongue against hers, and Mercy herself didn't resist it.

Her hands were clenched against the collars of his blazers like she wanted to pull away, yet she didn't. Even her body felt stiff, but no resistance was given, and she just allowed him.

Given the location and time, Arias didn't let it carry on for long and soon separated himself from her.

"Why'd you do that?!" she asked, surprised but not exactly angry.

Arias turned in the direction of the door and began walking. "Because you wouldn't shut up. Oh, and next time, keep your breath minty for me. It felt like kissing a board laced in alcohol."

Mercy followed along, now having a reason to be angry over. "Board?! The hell do you mean? You kiss me and complain about it? Maybe your breath is the mistake; you kiss like an eel."

Arias only shrugged his shoulders and kept walking towards the vehicle ready to take them in the driveway. He stopped only by the door, and as he was about to enter, he looked at Mercy with a smirk.

"You say that, but I didn't hear any complaints over the part about there being a next time. Remember, keep your breath minty from now on, and who knows? We might just make a good kisser out of you."

He mixed charm and annoyance to just enough degree that Mercy would complain but not outright say no. It's like she enjoyed not only being submissive but directly being put in her place—with force.

After Arias spoke, he entered the car, and Mercy followed while grumbling profanities.

Later that same night, a heavy downpour of rain began to fall in the city. Such weather made it very hard to see and move, so many people were already in their homes, but at this hour, a lone figure could be seen walking slowly in the torrential rain, covered only by a ragged-looking cloak.

The figure arrived at the gates of Gotham High, which at the time was closed, and just sat down there by the steel-barred gate.

"Hey, you! You can't sleep there." A patrolling guard in a bright yellow raincoat flashed a light in the direction of the figure and revealed a young girl, or rather, woman.

The guard was taken aback by this and assumed a gentle tone before approaching. The girl looked to be in her teens, young enough to be out—but not in such weather. Something was wrong.

"Hey, are you okay? Why are you in the rain? Where are your parents?" The guard approached the gates while asking these questions, and the girl raised her hand but didn't speak, only taking out a piece of paper.

It was soaking wet, but the guard immediately recognized it. It was a poster about how any meta or alien could apply to Gotham High and receive free education and a place to stay if they met the selection criteria.

The guard could only wonder how far the girl had come, so the tone she spoke in was gentle. "Well, the office is closed till tomorrow, but if you have nowhere to stay, come with me to the guard room. It's not much, but it's better than the damn cold road. Do you have a name?"

Feeling like she ran away or came from a harsh place, the guard didn't ask too much, at least wanting to get her inside first. From there, she could even do a quick background check herself.

The girl stood up, quivering and clearly weak already, as she held her cloak tight to give an answer. "Rachel… Rachel Roth."