Tradition

A boy could be seen walking up a flight of stairs as he slipped on his bag and fixed his uniform to appear more presentable.

"I need to increase my Qi as soon as possible. Fighting with my eyes, heart and legs enhanced drains me too much." Mumbled the boy as he stood before his apartment door.

"Grandpa should still be at work. I can peacefully walk through the front door like I'm not out fighting gangsters late at night. Wait a second, am I a Vigilante? I don't see why not. Sure, I haven't reached the level of Batman or Green Arrow, but who's to say I won't live to be greater than them? It could be argued that I'm even a 'Superhero'. Looks like the Justice League will be having a new member soon. I'd be so cool that the likes of Wonder Woman and Black Canary would kill to be my girlfriend." Said Isaac jokingly, laughing as he went on a rant.

He swung open his door as his imagination went wild at the countless possibilities that were now presented to him. Due to this, he failed to notice the old, bulky, grey-haired man taking a few sips from a glass bottle and staring at him.

"Isaac." Said Derek in a gentle voice, trying his best not to startle his weak-hearted grandson. However, this didn't seem to help as Isaac swung his head towards the man while taking a premature deep breath and widening his eyes.

"Holy crap!" Yelled Isaac as he snapped out of his daydream. He took a good look at the man on his couch as his grandpa came into view. As he realised this, his heart started to rapidly beat for a completely different reason.

"Grandpa, why are you back so early?" Said Isaac as he started to sweat profusely.

"Something about a gang war that's had the streets scared out of their minds. Which is why I'm so surprised to see you out so late. What've you been up to?" Said the man in his thick British accent.

Isaac struggled to reply to his grandfather's question as he started to stammer. He knew the old man was concerned for him but he also knew that Derek's emotions were currently split between concern and disappointment.

"Where have you been?" Interrogated the man a second time as Isaac's mind spun uncontrollably. He couldn't come up with a plausible excuse. He could say he was at school, however, his grandfather might call them to confirm. He could say he was with a friend, but his grandpa wasn't stupid. The old man knew he wouldn't be able to make friends so easily at his new school. Isaac was running out of time and his lips started to move, his fantasy and last thought still fresh in his mind.

"I… I got a girlfriend."

"..."

Isaac's heart sank as he accepted his fate. There was no way he was going to get away with this.

"A girlfriend? From your school?" Asked the man as a small glint of hope sparked inside Isaac.

"No. She's from Ravenwood." He said, knowing the old man wouldn't believe he found a friend in a school full of discriminatory brats, let alone a girlfriend.

A few seconds passed as Derek peered into Isaac's soul. Isaac tried his best to keep his composure as he felt the piercing gaze of the interrogator before him. Chilling seconds passed as the silence was broken with loud rumbling laughter.

"HAHAHA, I knew it was about time! My boy's a lady killer!" Yelled the man as he stood up and slapped Isaac on the back. It seemed his excitement at the situation overpowered all the suspicion he was feeling from Isaac's peculiar behaviour.

"I was almost worried there, mate. I was starting to think you didn't fish in the same lake as most of us men." Said Derek, prompting Isaac to feel incredibly insulted.

"What's her name?" Isaac knew he couldn't spend too long on the next questions. It would determine his fate.

"Emily." He answered quickly.

"How old is she?"

"18. Same age as me."

"How did you meet?"

"Our paths crossed once or twice until I approached her and greeted myself."

"Good man. What's her ethnic background?"

"Her mother's Russian but her dad is from Ireland."

"A fellow drunkard and a Russian lady. I've had my fair share of Russian females back in my day. I gotta say they're wild in the…"

"I don't think I need to know the details, Grandpa." Interrupted Isaac before his ears were sullied.

"Ah, right. Well, this calls for a celebration. Take a seat." Said the man as he went to fetch something from the kitchen. Isaac quickly prepared himself, expecting to finally be fed after hours of no food.

His grandfather returned with a large vase with a thin neck as well as a small rope wrapped around it and two small glasses. The bottle caught Isaac's attention. Its sleek design adorned with intricate patterns, captivated the eye.

His grandfather slammed the large vase onto the table as he handed Isaac a glass.

"What is this?" Asked Isaac, the suspense eating away at him.

"This is a Hale family tradition. When a child comes of age, they take a glass with this specific beverage while making an oath. It signifies you're an adult and are truly part of the family." Said Derek as he poured the amber liquid for the both of them. The aroma of aged oak and hints of vanilla wafted through the air, enticing their senses.

"I've been of age for a while now. Why am I just hearing about this?" Asked Isaac and after a few seconds, the old man answered.

"I just forgot." He said with a smile.

"Wait a minute, is this alcohol?" Asked Isaac as he started at the beverage.

"It is. Finest bottle of Aurora Hops." He answered with a smile. Isaac almost spat blood after hearing this, knowing that this one glass cost more than his apartment. Which begged the question of how his family could constantly afford this for a child's coming of age.

"Drink it. It'll grow hair on your balls." Said the old man as he noticed the boy's hesitation.

"Is that a good thing?" He asked with a nervous face.

"Of course it is. Ready?"

"Wait, you said there was an oath to be made. What is it?" Asked Isaac, stopping the man from gulping the drink in one go. However, after he asked the question, the old man took a few seconds to answer.

"The oath is… something I try not to look back on. Thinking back, it was perhaps one of my biggest regrets when I decided to go along with it." Said the man as he put on a forced smile, trying to stay composed before Isaac.

Isaac knew better than to pry further after seeing his grandfather's discomfort.

"What, were you part of a cult or something?" Said Isaac, trying to lighten the mood, but to no avail. He thought for a few seconds before raising his glass and speaking.

"Let's make a new Oath. Screw the old one. We Hales will have a new tradition that the generation after us will engage in. We stick by each other's sides and do whatever the hell we want!" Yelled Isaac with his glass in the air as the old man stared at him. After a few seconds, he smiled and laughed as they touched glasses.

"Don't forget that we don't mess around when it comes to our grub." Said the old man with a smile as Isaac nodded, etching their previous way of life into their family's name.

"Ready?" As the old man said this, the both of them locked eyes and shot back their head as they gulped the liquid in one go. Instantly, Isaac's throat protested and a cough escaped his lips. The alcohol burned with fiery intensity, leaving a tingling warmth in its wake. But amidst the initial shock, a delightful sweetness emerged, coating his tongue with notes of caramel and honey. It was a taste like no other, a symphony of flavours dancing across his taste buds.

However, as Isaac savoured the lingering sweetness, a sobering thought intruded upon his mind. The value of that one glass costs more money than he would ever have any time soon. The bitter reality tainted the experience, leaving a sour aftertaste that no amount of sweetness could fully disguise.

"How is it?" Asked the old man with a smile.

"It's nice after the initial burn subsides." Answered Isaac as he banged his chest slightly.

"Did Mom also engage in this tradition?" Asked Isaac after clearing his throat.

"Of course she did. I could barely get the bottle off her. That girl was a bigger drinker than me at that age." He laughed while pouring himself another glass.

"What about Dad's side of the family? Did they have any traditions like this?" Isaac caught a glimpse of a small tendon in his grandpa's arm tense as he hesitated before gulping another shot.

"No. To be honest, your father didn't have many relatives to raise him. He only had his uncle who tried his best to do what he could." Isaac felt surprised by this fact. He didn't know much about his parents but he felt shocked as this was the first he was hearing of this.

"Anyway, enough of that. You want something to eat?" Asked the old man as he grabbed the vase and two glasses.

"Yes, please. You have no idea how hungry I am." Said Isaac as he grabbed his stomach and almost wept at the chance to eat some food.

"Coming right up. By the way, I hope to meet this young lady you speak of soon." Laughed the old man as he left for the kitchen. Isaac's smile slowly faded as he sighed.

"Great. Now I have to go find a girlfriend."

***

A man in a lab coat and glasses handed a tablet to a dark-skinned female who sat behind an obnoxiously large table as he perked up his glasses and tried his best to look presentable.

"All carriers of the MacGregor's Syndrome have been seen collecting their medicine and or visiting the hospital at their usual times. No suspicious activity has been noticed." Started the scientist as he stood before the female.

"What of the child who lives in the area?" She asked, clearly unsatisfied with the news.

"Other than a few late returns from school and a few detours to the city, he leaves for school and arrives back every day." He said, almost regretful at the information he was presenting to his superior.

"Have you found anything else with the blood?" She asked, to which the scientist shook his head.

"However, the Monkey Man has been spotted once again. This time he's assaulted the 'Street Demonz' gang, once infamous in Gotham and under the Penguin, before the Batman quickly shut them down. The few who escaped decided to relocate to the newly vacant Ravenwood District." The female placed down the tablet and was clearly uninterested in the latter half of the conversation. Usually, the scientist would grab his tablet and leave after she turned away. However, he had a question that was eating away at his mind, begging to break free. The scientist swung his body around as he plucked up the courage and asked the question.

"Director, it seems the Monkey Man is doing some good in the Ravenwood District, why are you investigating him so thoroughly?" He slightly widened his eyes knowing his tone could be seen as unprofessional and informal.

The female said nothing for a few seconds before she started to speak.

"The world used to be simple. The most we had to worry about was a few terrorists and a constant potential threat of World War 3. Until the supernatural started to swallow the world. In a short time, the world we knew changed to something unimaginable. It still changes so often we can barely keep up."

"What happens when Superman wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one day? What happens when Amazonians or Atlantians decide to wage war against the human race? What happens when a speedster decides to play god with the timeline?" The scientist listened as he couldn't help but jump in.

"'When'? Don't you mean 'if'? These things aren't very likely to happen."

"Oh, but they will. They happen every day. General Zod, Reverse Flash and Black Manta. These things are an inevitability that are stopped by the so-called 'heroes' every day while we sit back, quivering behind them and clapping at their heroism. All while ignoring the fact that not only are they our heroes, but also our biggest threat."

"It's inevitable. Who will stop the heroes after they turn against us? We've even seen it happen on other earths. The best we can do is prepare and hope the world isn't destroyed in the chaos. It reminds me of a small anecdote frequently told by a criminally insane lunatic. 'All it takes is one bad day to drive the sanest man alive to lunacy'.

"But at the end of the day, we're just humans, no match for aliens and magicians. Which is why we need to fight fire with fire." The scientist stood with his eyes fixed on the female, a small feeling of regret for not leaving when he had the chance bubbling inside him.

"Sure, the Monkey Man will make Ravenwood a better place to live. However, under me, he'll be an invaluable weapon I can use. Under me, he'll be capable of so much more. Under me, he'll be capable of saving the world."

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Author's Note: Hello, if you are enjoying I'd appreciate the powerstones. They help a lot. Also, join the discord!

discord.gg/wfxxZv8j4B