Gotham's nights always have something going on. Rex knew that. It didn't bother him. But tonight, the quiet felt off. It was like someone had muted the noise on purpose.
He lay back on a broken rooftop, his legs swinging over the edge. Rebellion leaned against him, as if it was meant to be there. The city below glowed with neon lights, pulsing, while people walked around, completely unaware of the brewing conflict beneath them.
[ANOMALOUS ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED. APPROACHING ENTITY UNKNOWN.]
"Let 'em come, [V.E.R.G.I.L.]," Rex grumbled, masking his boredom. "Honestly, I could use some entertainment."
The wind shifted. Shadows pulled back. A tall figure stepped forward, wearing a cloak as dark as midnight. The face was mostly hidden, but power radiated from him. It wasn't brute force; it was the kind that made you uneasy. Calculated. Creepy.
Two more figures in matching cloaks moved in behind him. Their movements were overly precise. They weren't here for fun.
"You're hard to find, Rex," said the leader, his voice smooth but with an edge.
Rex stood with confidence. "I'm not hiding. You're just slow."
The guy laughed, sounding rehearsed. "Didn't expect anything less from Gotham's Devil."
Rex rolled his eyes. "I really hate that name."
"Yet you wear it well."
He narrowed his eyes. He sensed the tension. They were playing games, and he wasn't interested in that.
"Let's get to the point. Who are you, and why shouldn't I turn you into a Jackson Pollock right here?"
The guy's smile sharpened. "We're the Dominion."
Rex stared at him. "Cool name. Means nothing to me."
"Oh, it will."
Rex wasn't convinced.
The Dominion guy continued. "We've been watching you. Lex tried to manipulate you. The League wanted you on their team. They all failed. You stand alone. But even lone wolves hit walls."
Rex's hand twitched on Rebellion's hilt. "Be careful."
"We're offering something new. Evolution." He extended his palm, showing a vial of black glass that glowed with a substance that looked like it crawled out of a nightmare. "This is a Catalyst. Pure demonic energy, created by rituals older than your grandma's grandma."
Rex grinned, sharp as broken glass. "So, magic steroids for my devil side?"
"Not steroids. Ascension. Powers you'd need decades to unlock—yours, tonight."
Everything grew colder. It felt like the city was holding its breath.
Rex glanced at the vial and then back up. "Yeah? What's the catch?"
"Loyalty."
Classic. There's always a catch.
"I don't do loyalty."
The guy's smile didn't change. "We don't need a soldier. We need a spark. Someone to burn it all down so we can build something new."
Rex let out a humorless laugh. "You're just selling me the same chain, wrapped in fancier paper."
"No chain, Rex. Freedom. Real freedom."
That struck a nerve. Rex stepped closer, so close he could see the guy's pores. "Don't talk to me about freedom. You wouldn't know its cost if it hit you."
The Dominion guy's eyes blazed with hunger. "We know exactly what it costs. And we're ready to pay. Are you?"
For a moment, the world felt like it was on a knife's edge. One little vial, and he could escape all the suffering. He could be untouchable. But it wouldn't be real. Not his.
He remembered Evelyn's voice: "You're not the devil they think."
He pushed past the outstretched hand. "Keep your Catalyst."
Surprise crossed the guy's face. So, he wasn't used to rejection.
"You're making a mistake."
"Don't care."
The smile returned, but now it was thin enough to break. "Let's see how long pride keeps you alive."
Just like that, the Dominion vanished. Shadows swallowed them whole.
But the air still felt tainted.
[ANALYSIS: CATALYST POTENTIAL—UNKNOWN. ESTIMATED RISK FACTOR: EXTREME.]
Rex tapped Rebellion's hilt. "No shortcuts, [V.E.R.G.I.L.]. We earn it, or we don't take it."
[RECOMMENDATION: INCREASED VIGILANCE. DOMINION THREAT LEVEL ESCALATING.]
He snorted. "Yeah, let 'em try."
At the safehouse, the atmosphere was heavy with dark lighting and bad feelings. Evelyn was there, tending to her own wounds and muttering curses that would make a sailor blush.
"You really need a hobby, doc," Rex said, tossing his coat aside.
She didn't look up. "Yeah? You need a better sense of timing."
"I got offered a cheat code tonight from a group called themselves as dominion or something shit."
She paused, needle suspended in the air. "I'm guessing you told them to shove it."
"Of course I did."
She almost smiled, almost. But worry lingered in her eyes.
"They won't stop, Rex. Lex, Dominion, whoever's next. Someone always wants a piece of you."
"Good. That means I get to break more things."
Evelyn stood, moved closer, and pressed her hand against his chest right over the heart that wouldn't quit.
"But I'm warning you to play it smart. Don't let those idiots drag you into their circus."
He grinned, covering her hand with his. "Relax, doc. I'll make up the rules as I go. Hard to lose when nobody else knows how to play."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The chaos of the city, with its sirens and all, felt like it belonged to another world.
But calm never lasts.
"Get some sleep," she said, stepping back. "Tomorrow, we go full-on strategy mode."
He smirked. "Since when are you my boss?"
"Thank the god I'm not. I'm more worse."
He didn't argue. Why bother? She was right.
Meanwhile, far beneath Metropolis, in a room that could give nightmares to nightmares, the Dominion gathered.
"He said no," the envoy muttered, bowing before a shadow that loomed over a throne made of twisted metal.
The figure barely moved, its voice cold as ice. "Obviously. But now he's picked his side."
The Dominion's enforcers fell to their knees, waiting.
"Unleash the Unchained."
The air itself seemed to flinch.
"The Devil's about to learn that the evolution isn't up for debate. You will change, or you will die."