The Batcave was alive with quiet tension.
Superman hovered silently near the computer banks, his cape rippling ever so slightly in the airflow. Batman, back in the cowl now, tapped away at his console, scanning what little data he had. Zatanna's magical beacon had faded, but not before registering a time-skip anomaly in the satellite logs.
"You're telling me," Clark said slowly, "there's someone in Gotham strong enough to make the Batcave sensors blind… and not leave a trace?"
Bruce didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he brought up a freeze-frame — Zatanna's glade, the mysterious figure at her side.
But there was no facial detail.
No thermal image.
Just a shadow with stars inside it.
Clark leaned closer. "That's… not human."
"No," Bruce said flatly. "It isn't."
---
Kairav sat at the edge of a rooftop, legs dangling over the side, eating a donut with rainbow sprinkles.
He didn't need food. He didn't need anything, really.
But sprinkles were fun.
Below, Gotham pulsed with its usual chaos — sirens, arguments, flickering lights. The city was alive, and in its own broken way, beautiful.
He closed his eyes and reached out.
A child in the Narrows was about to be hit by a runaway truck.
Kairav snapped his fingers.
The truck's axle broke three seconds earlier, stalling it completely. The child crossed safely, skipping a rock.
No one noticed.
Except the Bat.
---
Back in the Cave, a silent alarm blinked.
A minor temporal inconsistency just registered across the city. Exactly 0.00001 seconds of lost time.
Superman raised an eyebrow. "That's subtle."
Bruce frowned. "It's controlled. He's not being careless."
Clark crossed his arms. "What do you want to do?"
"Watch," Bruce said.
Clark blinked. "That's all?"
Bruce looked at him, eyes sharp. "If this thing wanted to hurt anyone, it would've already. It's choosing to stay subtle. I want to know why."
---
Later that night, Kairav walked through Gotham Central Park.
There was an old man feeding pigeons, a street violinist playing a melancholic tune, and a teenage couple arguing under a tree.
He liked this part.
The humanness of it.
Then… footsteps.
Deliberate.
Heavy.
He turned casually and saw him.
Batman.
The Dark Knight stood in the path, cape fluttering, expression unreadable under the cowl.
"Nice night," Kairav offered.
"You're not from here," Batman replied.
Kairav raised an eyebrow. "Neither is your fashion sense."
No reaction.
Of course.
Bruce stepped forward. "You touched the timeline."
Kairav nodded. "Guilty. But gently."
Batman scanned him — no heartbeat, no heat signature, no sound. Just presence.
"I don't like mysteries in my city."
Kairav smiled, not unkindly. "Then you must hate magic, time travel, and Joker's logic."
Still no change in expression.
Bruce continued, "Zatanna says you're not a threat. That she saw something in you."
Kairav shrugged. "She saw truth. Not all of it. Just… enough."
Batman's jaw tightened. "Who are you really?"
Kairav stepped forward, and for the briefest second, his eyes shimmered — twin galaxies spinning behind a calm gaze.
"I'm the thing the stars talk about when no one's listening."
Batman didn't flinch.
Of course not.
"I'm not your enemy," Kairav added. "I'm not a villain. I'm not a hero. I'm just… passing through."
"And what happens if someone tries to stop you?"
Kairav's expression didn't change. But the sky behind him flickered — just slightly. Like reality twitching.
"Then I politely ask them not to."
Batman stared.
Kairav turned, walking away.
"Oh," he added over his shoulder. "You might want to look into Arkham tomorrow. Someone's going to try a mass breakout."
Batman blinked. "How do you know?"
"I already fixed it," Kairav said.
And then he was gone.
---
Back in the cave, Bruce returned to his console. Another anomaly: Arkham security systems had auto-updated two hours ago to patch a breach… before it even happened.
No trace.
No signature.
Just correction.
Clark's voice buzzed again. "You think he's dangerous?"
Bruce stared at the blank screen.
"I think," he said quietly, "he's what happens when a god decides to be merciful.