Chapter 1 - Prologue (1/2)

"…" - Spoken Dialogue.

'…' - Thoughts.

*...* - Emphasised words or sentences (because webnovel doesn't allow italics or bold.)

Jason Todd opened his eyes, expecting to see the ceiling of his safe house, but saw an endless expanse of white instead. He heard not a single sound, not even his own heartbeat.

'What the hell is this? His senses prickled as he went on high alert. He furrowed his eyes in confusion when he noticed he was naked and could see through his whole body as if it was made of glass.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake."

He turned his head toward the voice's origin, only to be greeted by a tall, bald-headed man dressed in a simple plain white t-shirt and sweatpants.

Now knowing that he wasn't the only one inside wherever this place is, he planned on walking towards the only likely lead to finding out about the situation he was in and *acquiring* the information.

He already had some guesses, but it was best to find out from a better source, especially since he had little to no information. He already dismissed Penguin, Joker or Black Mask as the culprits for this situation. Those guys would either hire someone to take care of the job for them or put a bounty on his head, and in the Joker's case, he would do it himself and drag him into whatever crazy plan he cooked up inside that fucked up mind of his.

However, just as he was about to take his first step, his body paused mid-movement. He could still feel and move his eyes and mouth, but trying to move any other part of his body was impossible. At this moment, he knew that whoever or whatever took him to this… place… was not something he would normally deal with.

"I don't know who you are or where this is, but if you don't tell me right now, I'll make sure your mom won't recognize you after I'm done with you," he threatened, his deep and rough voice along with his murderous glare would've made any Gotham City street thug who knew him quiver in fear.

'Since I can't move, I might as well buy time to think of something to get me out of whatever mess this is.'

Chuckling, the man raised his hands. "Now, hold on. There's no need for violence. Besides, you can't even move your body, and I know you're trying to buy time, but it's unnecessary."

"Alright then, I'll bite." Jason narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what's going on."

"We'll get to that, but first, introductions." He pointed a thumb at himself and gave Jason a friendly smile. "You can call me Joe. I enjoy going on tours to every conceivable universe," he said casually.

"However, since you were so eager to fight me just a few seconds ago, I'm going to have to nip that in the bud right now to save both of our time."

A powerful pressure suddenly bore down on Jason. His body shook and his pupils dilated. His honed instincts sent multiple warning signals to his brain, and he felt compelled to kneel before Joe. It was as if he was just an ant standing before a god, and it took all of his will to resist the pressure Joe was emanating. It felt like an eternity had passed before the pressure disappeared.

Jason's chest heaved like he had just ran a marathon, and he stared at Joe with caution and apprehension.

"What does someone like you want with someone like me?"

Joe's eyes shined with mirth, along with an amused smile at Jason's blatant disrespect, even after his display of power. "I'll let you guess. Surely someone trained by Batman could deduce whatever my reasons are based on previous evidence. You think I don't know you've been analyzing me since the start of our conversation?"

Jason narrowed his eyes in thought. 'Something about that smile and how he talked about Bruce tells me he also knows more than he's letting on, maybe even Bruce's real identity. No, my intuition's telling me he probably *does* know. He mentioned going on *tours* to every conceivable universe. As ridiculous as that sounds, I know there are beings out there that can do something similar. The Flash being one of them. But Joe's *powerful*. More powerful than anyone I've ever met.'

Jason thought back to the overwhelming pressure from before. 'No one's ever made my instincts flare up like that or create that kind of pressure. But all that doesn't explain why he came to me or why I'm here.'

"Can't figure it out, huh? And thank you for the compliment. I rarely get them these days because of how busy I am." Joe gave him a knowing smile.

"Tsk, looks like you can read minds as well." Jason looked away, clicking his tongue in frustration at how he could do nothing to stop Joe from reading his mind. What the All-Caste taught him didn't include how to defend his mind from telepathic monsters like the Martian Manhunter.

'Now I'm definitely sure he knows about Bruce's and everyone else's identities.'

"Alright, let me give you some context." Joe held up one finger. "First, you're dead, but-"

"What the hell do you mean, I'm dead?" Jason closed the distance between them with a glare before Joe could blink. In his outrage, he didn't notice that whatever force was holding before was now gone. 'How could I be dead *again*? Did something kill me while I slept? Was it an assassin?'

A whirlwind of emotions started overwhelming him.

Confusion. Anger. Disbelief.

"You know, it's rude to interrupt others when they're speaking." Joe rubbed the back of his neck with an annoyed expression. "As I was saying, you're dead, but you're not the only one."

"Just get to the damn point already." Jason clenched his fists.

"Your entire universe was wiped out."

And just like that, the whirlwind of emotions was snuffed out in one moment, replaced by shock. His eyes widened as he tried to comprehend what Joe had just said.

"To summarize things for you, a rogue reality warper called the Marquis of Death has been travelling around the omniverse, annihilating every universe he comes into contact with." Joe continued on. "Your universe was one of the countless others that the Marquis of Death erased. I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you, but everyone you know and love is dead. No one escaped the Marquis of Death's slaughter, not Superman or any other powerful entity in your universe."

"No, no, no… This has to be a trick." Jason muttered. His universe… wiped out just like that? "How do I know you're not lying?"

Joe looked at Jason in the eye and asked, "I'm sure you know when someone is lying, and what would *I* gain by lying about this? Does it seem like I lied?"

Does it? No, it doesn't seem like he lied…

"You'll have to take my word for it, Jason. I have no reason to lie to you," Joe said. "I'll have you know…"

Jason, however, ignored him, standing still with his head lowered and fists clenched as his mind processed the words Joe spoke before.

Everyone he knew and loved was dead? Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Artemis, Barbara, Tim... everyone?

He grit his teeth and shut his eyes.

'Death is a revolving door in our business…' Those were the words Jason said to Bruce when he delivered the news of his best friend's death, Roy Harper. But who would've thought everyone would die just like that?

-===-

As Jason wallowed in his grief for his loved ones, Joe kept track of the Marquis of Death's trail of destruction that was continuing even at this very moment. He sensed the countless lives being taken away as each universe is wiped out of existence, one after the other.

The desire to stop the Marquis sparked inside him, but Joe snuffed it out. If he stopped the Marquis, it would take quite a lot of power to accomplish, and he would have to pay a price that he wasn't willing to pay. Not now. He already paid a small price by interfering with Jason's soul. Besides, even if he couldn't stop the Marquis of Death personally, something else would take care of him soon.

Cosmic Armor Superman. A Sentential powered by symmetry, memories, duality, probabilities, and possibilities. A doomsday machine engineered by the Monitors to defend against the ultimate evil. Capable of adapting instantly to counter any future threat. A sentinel-suit designed for a single purpose, to protect all existence in the DC continuity against the ultimate enemy. It was the Marquis of Death's nearing demise.

The mechanism would normally stay dormant, but the Marquis of Death's breach of a Omniversal law will cause immeasurably powerful forces to activate Cosmic Armor Superman, which will destroy the Marquis. If he hadn't breached a Omniversal law by destroying many DC universes and multiple other multiverse sectors that weren't of his own multiverse's origin, he would've been able to continue his rampage unimpeded. But as it stands, the empowered Cosmic Armored Superman will simply wipe him out of existence in ways no entity could detect unless they were on Joe's level.

That is the consequence of his actions.

'Then again, the Marquis is just one of many universe destroyers, and his rampage gave me the opportunity to get a suitable candidate to do many of the tasks I can't do myself and I get to compensate a tragic victim of circumstance in the DC multiverse. ' A guilty smile tugged at Joe's lips as he thought about the boxes he can finally tick off his bucket list.

He always thought it would take a longer time for him to find the soul with the right parameters suitable for the world the tasks are on and his powers. It was a lucky break when he just stumbled upon the Marquis of Death's rampage and spotted one soul among the countless others that just felt... different, but right. And it happened to be Jason Todd, of all people.

'However, the Marquis is far more powerful than he should be, and whatever caused him to stray from his intended fate is a mystery, even for me,' Joe thought, brows furrowed in uncertainty.

The Marquis of Death would gain mastery over time and space, as well as other powers like the creation of near omnipotent beings, but not to this extent. There were other factors at play here that he wanted to identify, and that strange world with multiple anomalies is a key point in studying what may have caused the Marquis to gain more power than he should have.

As for Jason Todd's current emotional state and mental state, he already expected him to react this way. Though he felt slightly apologetic and guilty about influencing his emotions and making him believe his words without questioning them.

But what else was he supposed to do when doing nothing will just cause Jason to keep doubting his words and most likely make him reluctant to accept what he was about to say? Joe could never convince him of accepting his request that way.

For most of his soul powers to work, the recipient soul needs to fulfill certain conditions.

-===-

Bruce Wayne, most members of the Bat-Family, and a few others like Artemis, were the only people he truly cared for in life. Bruce was someone he treated as his father even if they had a rocky relationship, and the other Robins were his brothers in all but blood, even if some of them could really get on his nerves.

Finding out that they were now all dead… it hurt more than what the Joker ever did to him. The only consolation he had was that their deaths were painless.

Jason took deep, slow breaths and regained some composure. Knowing they're all dead still felt like his heart was being crushed, but the sting in his eyes disappeared and he could think clearly again.

"So if I'm dead…" Jason crossed his arms, ignored the slight crack in his voice, and asked, "why am I the only one here?"

Death was a familiar and unknown feeling to him. He had no recollection of going to hell or heaven, and neither did he go to a special place like this white room. All he knew was that after he died at the hands of the Joker, he was suddenly in the Lazarus Pit, buck naked but alive.

"Well…" Joe trailed off. "After the Marquis of Death erased your universe, every soul-human or alien-would have been erased along with it. That means no opportunity to reincarnate or go to an afterlife, but that's where I came in. I intervened just before every soul was erased. And aside from saving some souls from your universe from nonexistence, I also saved souls of other universes, but not all of them. I specialize in souls, but even I'm not capable of completely saving every soul of any universe from instant death." Joe shrugged his shoulders.

Jason digested this new information. He finally got a more concrete idea of how powerful Joe was and an explanation of his current state.

How powerful would you have to be to talk about saving souls from nonexistence from multiple universes, like it was just a small chore? His current "body" was most likely his soul, which would explain why he looked like a ghost, being transparent and all that, but it didn't explain why it still felt like he had his physical body.

"Ah, yes. About that," Joe said, making Jason look up at him. "I made it so that you would feel as if you still had your physical body because I wanted you to be as comfortable as you could be. After all, I wouldn't be much of a host if I didn't accommodate my guest."

"I see," Jason said as he set his arms down, narrowing his eyes at Joe.

A strategy to make someone more willing to cooperate was to make them comfortable, which could include easing them through simpler topics before leading up to the main one or by having a delicious meal first before the negotiation. Of course, you could also do what Jason enjoyed doing most because of they're effectiveness: violence and threats. But that usually worked on the normal thugs or the small-time villains, not on the more intelligent and powerful enemies like the Talons from the Court of Owls, unless of course your threat was severe enough to give them second thoughts of denying you what you wanted.

"I still don't know what you want from me. And yet, from what I can tell, you most likely want someone with my particular set of skills. Nothing else about me is special, unless you count coming back from the dead as something to note. Still... I don't know what the hell I can do at this point since I'm dead," Jason said. 'That is, unless you have a way to revive me.'

Joe smiled before tilting his head. "Well, I would have called you an idiot if you didn't get that by now, but as expected of someone trained by Batman himself, you're quick on the uptake. I know you don't enjoy beating around the bush, so I'll just give it to you straight. Jason Todd, aka. Red Hood, I want you to work for me. This includes your help in ridding worlds of the scum and trash you're familiar with, but is mostly about completing certain tasks I can't do myself. If you accept, you'll have my support and as much freedom as you desire, which, of course, includes your revival. But you will also be granted perks very few in the omniverse can give you."

"Why me specifically? Why not Bruce or Dick? Hell, if you want someone who's good at taking people out, Ra's, Slade, Cass, and Shiva are better at that, and they're also more experienced than me."

"Ha!" Joe laughed, grinning and shaking his head in amusement. "In my eyes, they're not the best ones for the job. Batman's good and you made some good points, but he doesn't have the willingness to do whatever it takes that you have, and I never liked the way he handled the Joker and the others in his rogues gallery. Nightwing, meanwhile, is also fit for the job skill-wise. But he also has a similar disposition to Batman's, so he's a no-go for me. Now Ra's, Shiva, and Slade are people that check most of my requirements, but I already know how they'd handle things and what I'd have to do to convince them to accept, and I'd rather not waste time doing that. So in conclusion, you, Jason Todd, are the best candidate eligible for this request of mine."

"This means I'll be resurrected. Again," Jason said under his breath. "But tell it to me straight. Is there a catch? If I decline, are you just gonna force me to work for you?"

Joe shook his head. "No, there's no catch unless you count not being able to return to your original multiverse and body a catch. That means no returning to any iteration of your world. Also, I may be powerful, but even I have limits and conditions in how I can use my powers. That means I can't force you to work for me because one condition is for you to accept my request of your own free will. Declining would mean that I'd just send you to be with your loved ones."

Hesitation brewed inside Jason after hearing that, but he was curious about this request. It sounded like the mercenary jobs he'd taken before when he was still alive.

"Hmm…" Jason mulled over what Joe said. "What kind of scum are you talking about? Anything specific you want me to deal with?"

"Instead of telling you," Joe paused before grinning, tilting his head slightly. "I'll just show you."

Jason Todd couldn't even utter a reply before Joe's hand was suddenly on his head.

Jason blinked, confused by where he was now floating above of. A sizeable crowd of students wearing Japanese middle school uniforms was below him, and they were inside what seemed to be a school gym.

There were decorations on the stage surrounding who he suspected as the principal, with a sign behind him signifying the graduation of middle school students. And yet, he couldn't hear anything.

Urged by an unknown feeling, his attention was forcefully drawn to a young girl wearing thick glasses and had her hair tied into two thick braids framing her face.

Jason, puzzled by this urge, furrowed his brows as he created a mental profile of her. There must be a reason Joe forced his attention on her.

He observed her as she returned home and seemed to ask her mom something. Jason didn't even try reading their lips because lip reading was mostly unreliable, and in the next moment, the scene flashed and he was now floating above a classroom, watching as the girl from before was now transformed into a completely different person.

She straightened her hair, put on lip gloss, took off her large glasses and wore a shorter skirt. The changes were few, but she objectively looked prettier. She socialized with her classmates, which was a stark difference from before when it seemed like she didn't even have one friend to celebrate with during graduation, and as he continued to observe the girl, he was wondering what the point of seeing all this was until she entered a convenience store and conversed with a young man who was clearly an adult.

Seeing him approach her after looking at her from head to toe was already a clear warning sign for Jason, and based on the body language and expressions they both displayed during their conversation, he could see that the man was flirting with her, evidence of this being the girl blushing after receiving some compliments from him.

His suspicions were confirmed when the older man convinced the girl to come with him and they entered a karaoke place together. They both sang some songs and ordered drinks. Meanwhile, the man seemed to compliment her more and more. Jason could already tell that the man was experienced.

Based on what Jason had observed from before, the girl was inexperienced with social interactions, and it was the same when interacting with men.

This made her an easy target for the man.

Enraged, Jason could only watch with gritted teeth as the man drugged her and forced himself on her. Helpless, the girl's eyes became unfocused and her movements became sluggish, making it hard to put up any resistance.

Oh, how he wished he had his pistols right now. It would take just one shot to kill this bastard. Actually, that would be too merciful. He'd torture the information on the drugs he used first before finishing him off.

'So this is the type of scum that Joe meant. They're not the more dangerous kind that I'm used to dealing with, but it doesn't matter. There's no need for hesitation in matters like this. I'll agree to his proposition if it means ending bastards like this and making sure others won't end up like this girl.'

With his decision made, Jason felt his consciousness return to his soul. He opened his eyes to see Joe standing with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised.

"So, have you made your decision?" Jason nodded without hesitation. "You have a deal if it means I get to kill that bastard."

A broad smile was plastered on Joe's face and he offered his hand, which Jason shook with no hesitation. The moment after it was done, he felt something change inside him.

"Excellent. The soul contract has been established. And there's no need to worry about that. You'll have your opportunity. What I just showed you is what would happen if nothing about her situation is changed. I would've made you see even worse scenarios, but since you already agreed, let's get right to it. To tell you the truth, the girl's situation in the vision you saw gets worse." Joe's brows furrowed. "I won't go into the exact details, but what you just saw is mild compared to what happens to her after that."

That only makes accepting Joe's request more worth it to Jason.

"Fortunately." Joe clapped his hands, his smile returning. "You've accepted my proposition, and with my power combined with your help, we can prevent that from ever happening. Ah, but don't forget about the other stuff I'll need you to do for me."

"As long as they're within my capabilities, there'll be no need for you to worry," Jason said. "Wait, let me ask you a question."

"Ask away."

"If you're so powerful, why can't you do it yourself?"

"Ah, that." Joe rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. Okay, to answer your question, I'm able to do it, but I would have to pay a price. Yes, entities like me are powerful, but like I said before, there are limits to what I can do. There's an unknown force that prevents beings like me from using all of our power to interfere with the events of a multiverse that isn't our original. So when I saved the souls from the Marquis' path of destruction, the price I paid is the inability to use some of my powers for a certain duration."

"For how long?"

"Five billion years," Joe answered depressedly. "And I'm forced to experience every nanosecond. Making my perception of time faster? Nope, can't do that. Shortening the duration of the ban? Can't do *that* either."

Jason winced. He could only imagine how painful being prevented from using your powers for billions of years is. Not even Vandal Savage or Ra's lived that long, and they were the oldest living humans he knew about.

"Damn. Sorry about that."

"No, no. It's fine. It's not your fault." Joe said, waving away his apology. "It was my decision, so I have to live with the consequences. Do you have more questions?"

"No. I think I'm good now." Jason brushed his hair back. "How am I going to do this?"

"It's simple. Find her, and ensure that she absolutely does nothing idiotic like trusting a stranger she just met. Of course, it won't always be that easy with future tasks, but you'll have my help, and that's basically a guarantee." Joe explained, giving Jason a thumbs up and a bright, shiny smile.

'Saki Yoshida, huh? Alright, I won't forget her name.' Jason narrowed his eyes. 'I won't forget that piece of shit's face either.'

"Now, before we begin, do you have questions?" asked Joe.

Jason nodded and asked, "Can we get started already?"

Joe's grin reached his ears. "Thought you'd never ask."

Joe stretched his back and cracked his knuckles. "Now it's been a while since I last did this, so it might be a little painful at first. I apologize in advance."

"What do you m-"

Before he could finish, Jason dropped to his knees, hunched over with his jaw and fists clenched.

Unimaginable pain coursed through his whole body for what felt like an eternity before his eyes closed. His consciousness left him as he fell to his side, and a soft blue glow emanated from his body. The light intensified before it became an azure cocoon that wrapped around Jason.

-===-

'Huh… Where am I..?'

'It feels warm… Familiar… But it feels like my thoughts aren't coming together fast enough, as if my mind is moving through mud…'

"Jason... It's me," a familiar voice suddenly echoed.

'That voice… Bruce..? Is that you..?'

"Yes. I only have this one opportunity to leave you a message before you go. So please, let me talk first," Bruce said, his voice tinged with urgency.

'Okay… Am I going somewhere..?'

"Jason… You and I haven't had the best relationship-"

'You have a talent for making understatements, Bruce…'

"-and I know I haven't apologized enough for letting you down…" Bruce paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, Jason. I should've been there for you. Protected you."

'I thought we were over that...'

"I wish I had the same thoughts. But I always regretted not being able to save you, to be there with you when you needed me the most. I should've been a better Batman. A better *father* to you."

'I forgive you… But I'm sorry too… For so many things…'

"Thank you, Jason. I failed you before, but that's why I'm here."

Jason heard the sudden lightness of tone and wondered where the sudden optimism came from. "So that I — we — could help you one last time."

'We..? What are you talking about..?'

"Don't make the mistake I made, Jason. Don't get hung up on the deaths of your loved ones and live your life."

'Bruce..?'

"Don't forget that I'll always believe in you."

'No…'

"Goodbye, son"

'Bruce..!'

-===-

Author's Note: Please note that I am still a relatively new at writing stories in general.

Sauce of the girl: 'Metamorphosis' or '177013' as other people know it.