Chapter 65: Loyalty and Betrayal

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"Everyone always has a story they tell themselves to justify bad decisions. It never matters. You are always alone in your actions."

– Hawke, (Dragon Age 2)

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)> 

"You sure that Nyssa isn't going to be a problem?" I asked Talia one last time as I wore the traditional League of Assassins clothes I was supposed to wear for my 'graduation' ceremony. We were currently in my room which was one of the very few places we could talk without having to worry about being spied on since I had thoroughly checked the room for bugs and installed a couple of portable voice nullifiers which basically made this room fully soundproof.

"No, she definitely isn't. I sent her on a mission to our Arabian base, Eth Alth'eban saying that she was needed there urgently. She didn't really want to go and miss your ceremony since she didn't have the faintest idea what would truly be happening there tonight but I somehow convinced her. She isn't going to be back by next week. So, by the time she returns, everything should be over." Talia spoke a little nervously.

"Hey don't worry. I promise I won't let you die today. Whatever happens, you will get to meet your sister again, trust me." I smiled as I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them lightly to give her some much-needed confidence.

Both Talia and Nyssa though hated their father were also utterly afraid of him and yet had an inner urge to constantly need his approval for all their achievements. This was of course by design. Ra's Al Ghul was a smart, cunning, and ruthless man, qualities that can make someone very dangerous when grouped together. He had carefully trained his daughters from birth and psychologically conditioned them to feel those feelings for him in a bid to make them equally merciless and yet loyal to him and the league, no matter what.

I personally have been trying to apply my own psychological tricks to try to break the mental hold their father had on them for the last couple of weeks. I have even succeeded somewhat with Nyssa due to how much she already distrusted and hated her father after the All-caste mission.

I have even hinted about my own 'incompatibility' with her father which she took quite well to. I wanted to let her in on the plan about... well, betraying and murdering her father on the day of the ritual since I didn't want her to misunderstand anything after finding it out on her own or from someone else. Also, she could be quite useful to us if she was included in the plan and I had even started to slowly break it to her but unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. So we had no choice but to send her on a 'mission' to keep her away and safe from everything that was going to happen tonight.

Still, I have only been partially successful with Talia. Her father's toxic lessons were ingrained so deep within her that it sometimes even pushed her away from her own little sister whom she loved so much. It seemed that Ra's had somewhat succeeded in making her think that her entire life's only purpose was to serve the League. For her, living a normal life was equal to a mental suicide. Through my barely successful efforts, I could only change her way of thinking partially about some of the League's illegal activities and the terroristic process of achieving its goal.

Her need to seek constant approval and prove herself to her father had also decreased but in return, she seemed adamant about proving herself useful and capable to me for some reason, even though I never once questioned her capabilities knowing that she was possibly one of the very best assassins in the world probably at the level of Marvel's Black Widow, only more ruthless. Hell, even her physique was enhanced to the degree of a pseudo-super soldier much like her sister.

"Haha, just focus on saving your own life, Mr. Playboy. Believe me, I can survive on my own, don't try to play the part of a white knight. Doesn't quite suit your character." She lightly chuckled as she closed the distance between us and began to straighten my ninja costume or as it is traditionally called shinobi shozoku. 

"You can't blame me for looking out for a pretty lady like you," I laid out some friendly flirting earning an eyeroll from her in return. This little flirting game was slowly becoming a norm between us even while in the presence of Nyssa and it was something that helped us to bond deeper and avoid awkwardness despite the two of us plotting a coup against her warlord of a father. 

"You can't play this game with someone who has already mastered it, Bruce. Also, you are pretty lucky that you are my sister's boyfriend, otherwise, you would have been in quite some trouble." She snorted as she finished straightening my clothes and retreated while deliberately brushing her hands on my crotch and thigh.

'If she thought that this level of seduction was enough to break me, then she has another thing coming. I was the previous record holder of 'No-Nut November' in my last life.' I thought confidently.

"Also, I have taken care of the mid-level and top-level experts of the league. Most of them won't be at the base when the ritual starts. Of course, none of them knows what's truly going to happen tonight. I gave them all various 'emergency missions' to justify them for not being present at the base today. Of course, the All-caste suddenly attacking some of our outposts all around Asia was quite helpful. As far as anyone is concerned, even my father's death will just be a result of an assassination due to a 'cold war' against another organization, something truly unfortunate." She smiled cunningly as she looked at me with eyes that searched for... praise.

"Good, you did your part well Talia. Now, leave everything else to me. I'll take care of the rest." I confidently declared.

"I hope so. Because if my father doesn't die tonight, both of us will." She ominously said with her fear evident in her trained eyes for a second before she silently left the room without a single more word.

I too followed behind her after waiting for a couple of minutes to make sure that nobody would be suspicious of us even though most of the people here wouldn't tell anyone anything even if they saw us together since Talia held one of the highest positions in the League and even I was quite well respected as one of the best assassins of the organization. Also, they truthfully didn't have the guts to approach and tell Ra's Al Ghul that his daughter might be potentially having an affair with someone or plotting something behind his back unless they had hard proof.

The weather was exceptionally cold today as it looked like an ice storm could rise up at any moment. Thick clouds passing through the mountain and heavy fog made it impossible for even me to see anything more than a few meters in front of me. 

"It seems, Winter is coming" I mumbled as I finally reached the main training hall on the mountain. 

I had trained in this place for a couple of years now but I never had the opportunity to fully explore the monastery/dojo. Even the few drones I had sent on reconnaissance a couple of times had always ended up malfunctioning for some reason. I suspected it to be due to some form of magical protection. 

"You ready, Cortana?" I muttered under my breath. 

"Always, Sir." She confidently replied back from the ordinary-looking silver bracelet on my hands. 

[{Image}]

"Good, because it's showtime," I spoke aloud as I entered the monastery with confidence.

Two masked guards posted at the door let me in without asking any questions or any change in their expressions.

The entire dojo looked a lot different than how it appeared normally during my training days. Instead of training equipment, there were now different weird-looking scrolls adorning the hall walls. There was even an artificially raised altar in the middle of the hall as masked assassins stood surrounding it.

Ubu in his combat attire and Ra's Al Ghul in his traditional green cloak were also there, standing with inexpressive wooden faces and just staring at me without even blinking for a second. Talia had also taken her place beside Ubu as she just stared ahead blankly with a stony face.

Ra's Al Ghul strangely had a small bowl in his left hand from which traces of a green liquid were slowly dripping. There was a small trail of that same liquid on his lips as well which he licked away using his tongue. 

Dozens of candles were illuminating the entire place, giving it an even more eerie and ominous vibe.

"Ah, I see you finally made it Bruce. Welcome to your final trial. Forgive me for not decorating this place more but we were a little short on hands. We seem to be in the midst of a war, funny how people think that they can win against change itself." Ra's Al Ghul was the one who broke the silence as he gave the bowl to one of the assassins who bowed and took it away.

"I am grateful to be here and quite excited to be a part of one of the main forces that have governed the world till now," I said with a brilliant smile, not even letting anyone doubt that I was secretly figuring out the best way to kill him. 

"Good, I guess then we are on the same page. Then, we can finally begin the trial." He said as he displayed a kind smile on his face and nodded to Ubu who quickly went to a corner of the room and brought a chained unconscious human dressed in khaki-colored garments near the sacrificial altar. 

I couldn't see the person's face because the entire head was wrapped with a cloth mask.

'I remember this from the movie. He is going to ask me to execute some thief or something. I wonder, should I do that and give him a false sense of victory and security before I continue with the plan or should I kill him before that? Well, depends on what the person is guilty of, I guess.' I thought as I didn't pay much attention to the tied-up individual and just continued to stare at Ra's Al Ghul.

"This person is guilty of a very terrible crime, one of the most terrible crimes one could ever commit, in fact. Your job is to execute this person and make sure that justice is upheld. Do that and you will be a part of the League. You and I together will change the world as we purge it of its filth. We will bring about a new dawn of humanity and keep the balance to make sure that the rotten of the society gets what they deserve." Ra's Al Ghul declared proudly while Ubu kept his head down in respect and Talia looked directly into my eyes, waiting for my signal.

"... Before I execute him, may I at least know what he is guilty of?" I asked as I picked up the sword that was being offered to me by one of the assassins.

"Betraying one's own blood." He coldly said as he didn't even look at the figure.

"Isn't that too much of a punishment for..." I tried to plead on behalf of him.

"No, she betrayed the very people that once cared for her, the very family that raised her and for this betrayal, the only punishment is death. That's the true unbiased judgment of the League... Also, it is a 'she', not a 'he'." He concluded as Ubu slowly raised the piece of cloth covering the bound-up person's head.

"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE FATHER? WHY IS SHE HERE?" Talia yelled angrily as she tried to run towards her father in rage but was immediately grabbed by about a dozen assassins near her. The old man didn't even bat an eye at her.

"What is the meaning of this, Ra's Al Ghul?" I asked in a calm voice, yet anyone witnessing my face right now would know that I was anything but calm. I was feeling a combination of mixed emotions, surprise and anger being the biggest two of them.

"I told you, Bruce, my judgment is unbiased and true for everyone, even if it is for my own younger daughter." Ra's Al Ghul said as his eyes glanced at the barely conscious face of Nyssa lying on the floor.

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