Chapter 9: Infinity Island.

More advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

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The sky was bruised with the dying dusk light, as a sleek black boat cut through the dark waters toward Infinity Island—an imposing fortress of jagged cliffs and dense jungle rising like a sentinel from the sea.

Mist coiled around its sharp edges, giving it the appearance of something ancient, untouched by time.

Damian stood at the bow of the boat, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the island ahead.

The salty breeze tugged at his white hair, but he didn't flinch.

There was no awe in his gaze, only calculation—assessing the terrain, noting potential escape routes, weaknesses, and threats.

Beside him, his 'abductor' Lady Shiva remained silent, her posture relaxed but exuding an aura of authority that even the crashing waves seemed to respect.

'Smug bastard.'

Damian thought, still bitter at the fact he'd lost to her during their second clash. And that was while using his strange abilities! Worse, the instrument of his defeat had been a finger. A mere finger poke had broken through his enhanced defenses.

Maybe he actually needed her training.

As the boat reached the rocky shore, a line of League shadows stood waiting on either side of the stone path that led inland.

Dressed in dark armor with masked faces, they formed a perfect corridor of silent reverence.

The moment Shiva stepped on the shore, they all dropped to one knee, bowing their heads in unison.

"Welcome back, Master Shiva," they chanted in perfect synchronization, the loud and reverent sound carried by the ocean breeze.

Damian's lip curled into a faint smirk, unimpressed. Bowing didn't mean respect—it meant fear.

They began walking up the narrow stone path, flanked by kneeling assassins. Shiva spoke without looking at him.

"This island has rules," she started, her tone sharp and cutting."Everyone follows them. Even me."

Damian's eyes flicked sideways, studying her profile.

"And what's the most important rule?" he asked, voice dripping with his usual arrogance.

Shiva's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. "The commands of the Demon's Head are absolute. Defy them… and you'll die."

Damian shrugged, as if that wasn't news worth caring about. But Shiva wasn't done.

"When we're alone, I'll tolerate your attitude," she added, her voice dropping slightly, laced with something almost bemused. "But in front of others, you will address me as Sifu or Master."

Damian's steps didn't falter, nor did his expression betray any annoyance. After a beat, he simply said, "Fine."

Shiva glanced at him, clearly surprised by the lack of defiance.

"I expected more of an argument," she remarked.

Damian's smirk deepened. "I pick my battles."

They continued up the winding path until they reached the outer gates of the fortress—massive stone doors carved with ancient symbols.

They creaked open slowly, revealing the sprawling courtyard beyond, filled with towering structures, training arenas, and shadowed corridors leading into the mountain's heart.

At the entrance, an assassin dressed differently from the others approached—a tall figure with a red sash tied around his arm, marking him as an elite among the shadows.

"This is Hanzo," Shiva said curtly. "He will escort you to your quarters and give you a tour of the premises."

Damian's eyes flicked to Hanzo, sizing him up in an instant. His posture was rigid, disciplined.

A killer's stance. But there was something about the way he walked—a certain swagger beneath the precision, a subtle defiance masked by discipline.

It tugged at the edges of Damian's memory.

For a brief moment, he was back in the orphanage. Cold concrete floors. Dim lights. The only place he'd ever called home, and not by choice.

And there was someone there—someone who moved just like this.

A boy with sharp eyes, a cocky grin, and fists that never stayed still. The only person Damian had ever called a friend.

Jason.

Jason Todd.

The thought hit him like a phantom punch. But it couldn't be. Jason had disappeared years ago, swallowed by the darkness of Gotham, leaving nothing behind but unanswered questions.

'The long trip must be messing with my head,' Damian thought, shaking it off. 'Jason's dead. Just another ghost in Gotham.'

His grip unconsciously tightened around the knife sheathed at his hip, grounding himself in the present.

Damian turned back to Shiva. "And where will you be?"

Shiva finally allowed herself a small smile, a glint of amusement flickering in her dark eyes. "Where everyone else is—at the Arena for the Battle Showcase."

She started to walk away but paused, glancing over her shoulder.

"Hanzo will lead you there after your tour," she added. "I expect you to behave accordingly."

The faint smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips was almost like an inside joke—one Damian wasn't in on yet.

Damian's own smirk answered hers. "No promises."

Shiva chuckled softly, then vanished into the maze of stone corridors, leaving Damian standing with Hanzo.

The tour was brief—Damian wasn't the type to ask questions or feign interest.

The fortress was exactly what he expected: a prison disguised as a temple, filled with killers pretending to be monks.

But every time Hanzo walked a few steps ahead, Damian's mind betrayed him with remnants of the past—Jason's cocky half grin, the way he'd always tilt his head slightly when annoyed, the way he'd throw a punch like it owed him something.

Damian forced the memories down. 'Ghosts don't come back.'

By the time they approached the Arena from his new quarters, Damian's blood was already humming with anticipation.

He wasn't here to learn.

He was here to prove that no one—

Not Shiva.

Not the Demon's Head or whatever.

Not the League of Shadows—

No one—was above him.

And he'd start by showing them exactly who they'd let through their gates.

---

At the heart of the mountain sat the grand courtyard- a battlefield of tradition, where strength was tested and weakness was crushed.

Torches burned along the stone pillars overlooking the stands, bright flames casting jagged shades across the assembled warriors of the League of Shadows.

At the heart of the gathering stood an arena, simple yet sacred, where combat was the only language that mattered.

At the highest vantage point, overseeing the event with a regal stillness, sat Ra's al Ghul.

His sharp green eyes, filled with centuries of knowledge, held a quiet curiosity.

On his right stood a composed Lady Shiva. And on his left, Talia al Ghul sat silent and unreadable. Her arms crossed as she watched the combat unfold below.

A martial showcase was in progress.

New recruits faced an insurmountable opponent—a masked shadow moving through them like a wraith. Cassandra Cain.

Shiva's daughter was a force of nature, precise and ruthless. She moved between the recruits with inhuman grace, every strike honed to disable, every motion a calculated step toward inevitable victory.

One by one, her opponents fell, barely able to react before being beaten into the dirt.

Ra's observed the spectacle with mild amusement. "Your daughter is as formidable as ever, Shiva."

Shiva inclined her head slightly. "She understands what most do not. Fighting is not about strength. It is about control."

Ra's studied her, then smirked. "Speaking of control… I have heard you've taken on a new student."

Shiva did not look at him, her slightly prideful gaze still on Cassandra. "I have."

Ra's hummed in interest. "And?"

Shiva allowed herself a rare smile. "His potential is limitless. If honed correctly, he will surpass even the best of us."

Talia scoffed her voice frigidly cold. "Potential is irrelevant. These recruits are pathetic. Look at them."

She gestured at the arena as Cassandra easily dismantled another opponent. "If thetrue Demon's heir, my son were here, Cassandra and all your students would be nothing but fodder, Shiva. He would make them lick his feet."

Her words carried venom meant to sting her father, but also a strange bitterness, as though she was mourning something she did not fully understand.

Then—a disruption.

A figure dropped from above, landing in a low crouch at the center of the arena.

The torches flickered.

The air thickened.

All eyes turned toward the intruder—a young warrior clad in dark tactical gear, his white hair wild, his blue eyes gleaming with challenge.

He rose to his full height, exuding a presence that demanded attention.

Several League assassins instinctively moved to restrain him.

But Talia spoke before they could act.

"Stop!"

The command was loud and sharp, almost involuntary.

The shadows hesitated.

Her father and Shiva looked at her in confusion but Talia's eyes were locked onto the boy's face. Her breath caught in her throat.

Something was pulling at the edges of her memory, a name surfacing from the depths of a forgotten past.

She exhaled it in a low whisper audible only to her.

"Damian."

Ra's turned his gaze to Shiva. "Who is this boy?"

Shiva, still calm, finally looked at him.

"My student."

Ra's narrowed his eyes. "And his name?"

Shiva smirked. "Damian."

Ra's reclined slightly, steepling his fingers.

"Interesting."

Ignoring the attention on him, Damian's gaze remained locked onto Cassandra.

He rolled his shoulders, shaking out the tension, then pointed directly at her. "You. Fight me."

The air shifted again, the collective hush of the gathered League turning to barely contained anticipation.

Cassandra, as always, said nothing.

She only stepped forward, her brow furrowed and brown eyes narrowed in focus.

The moment her foot touched the ground—Damian attacked.

He was fast.

A blur of motion, his fist cutting through the space where her jaw had been a fraction of a second earlier.

But she wasn't there anymore.

Cassandra moved like a ghost, twisting around him effortlessly.

Damian adjusted immediately, pivoting mid-motion and throwing an elbow toward her ribs.

She caught his strike with one hand and retaliated with a palm strike aimed at his chest.

He blocked it. Barely.

She didn't give him time to recover.

A flurry of blows followed, precise, relentless. Damian dodged, deflected, but every time he moved, she was already reacting. As if she could predict the next second ahead.

It was uncanny.

Damian scowled. 'She's not faster than me. So how—'

Then it clicked.

She wasn't seeing the future. She was reading him.

Every breath, every shift in weight, every minuscule muscle twitch—she read them like words on a page.

His body was telling her what was coming before he even committed to the move.

Damian gritted his teeth. At this point, his speed and strength didn't matter. She saw everything before it happened.

Then he did something no one had ever forced him to do before.

He adapted.

His movements suddenly shifted. Gone was the structured form of martial arts—he became erratic, chaotic, unpredictable.

He created a new style on the spot.

Feints. Deceptive footwork. Sudden pauses. Disjointed, broken rhythms designed to scramble Cassandra's ability to predict. His mind was basically out of sync with his body. Even he had no idea what he would do next.

Cassandra faltered.

Damian saw it—the briefest hesitation.

His foot slammed into her ribs.

She staggered back, regaining balance almost immediately, but Damian saw it—the crack in her perfect defense.

Got you.

They clashed again, faster, harder. Damian was openly laughing. His chaotic style forced Cassandra onto the defensive.

But she proved a prodigy by adapting quickly, adjusting to his unpredictability.

Their fight became a violent chess match—brutal, beautiful, and deadly.

Damian threw a strike—a move he had learned from watching Shiva herself, not the finger poke but a deadly joint-lock throw designed to break an opponent in an instant.

Cassandra countered with the exact same technique.

They collided mid-air, mirroring each other perfectly.

They hit the ground, locked in a stalemate, both trying to gain the upper hand. Damian's unsheathed blade flashed toward her throat-the use of the weapon unplanned and unpredicted.

Cassandra trapped his wrist. She struck for his heart. He countered, twisting her elbow.

Their attacks intensified—ruthless, efficient, bordering on lethal.

And then, at the exact same moment, they both struck the final blow.

"Enough."

Shiva's voice rang through the arena.

She moved faster than either of them could react, catching both of their strikes effortlessly.

Damian's knife hovered inches from Cassandra's face. Cassandra's fist stopped just shy of Damian's heart.

Frozen.

The silence was deafening.

Damian's chest heaved, his muscles burning from the exertion, but his eyes remained sharp, locked on Cassandra's expressionless face.

Their breaths were the only sounds, harsh and ragged, echoing across the stunned gathering of the League of Shadows.

Shiva's hands slowly lowered. Her gaze shifted from her daughter to her student.

"You would've killed each other," she said softly, stepping back. There was no disappointment in her voice—only observation, as if she'd expected this outcome all along.

Damian took a step back, his fingers flexing as the heat beneath his skin began to simmer down. Blood dripped from a shallow cut on his cheek, mixing with the sweat on his face.

His gaze darted to Shiva. "So…" he muttered, his voice hoarse but defiant, "are you going to kill me now for fighting your daughter...Sifu?"

A ripple of unease passed through the crowd. Challenging Lady Shiva's authority, even with words, was not something most dared to do.

And did he just address her as Sifu? Even though the tone was slightly, just slightly mocking?

Cassandra kept looking in between her mother and the stranger, wondering what kind of relationship they had.

Shiva tilted her head slightly, regarding him patiently.

"If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be standing," she replied coldly. "But you've shown me something interesting today, my insolent student."

Damian arched an eyebrow, his defiance refusing to fade. "And what's that, my brutish Sifu?"

Shiva stepped closer, her shadow falling over him. "That you're more than just arrogance and stubborn. You adapt. You learn. You survive. Those are qualities worth refining."

Damian didn't respond immediately to the serious praise.

His pride wouldn't allow him to admit the faint trace of respect he felt—not for her, but for her strength and the challenge she represented.

Without another word, Shiva turned her back on him, addressing the silent onlookers. "The showcase is over."

The League members slowly dispersed, casting Damian glances filled with a mixture of curiosity, respect, and hostility.

Cassandra gave him one last unreadable look before vanishing into the shadows.

From above, Ra's al Ghul leaned back, his interest fully captured.

"Remarkable," he murmured, gaze settled on Damian, an unfamiliar smirk forming on his lips.

"I believe we've found more than just a student."

Beside him, Talia's gaze never left Damian.

She did not understand why—but something deep within her knew.

And for Damian, that was irrelevant.

All that mattered was the next fight.

The next step forward.

The next challenge.

And he would take it. The Alpha backs down from nothing.