"Go down to... what?"
Bruce, in a daze, followed his granddaughter's words and descended the ladder, finding himself in a scene filled with religious aura.
Stained glass windows, lit candles, a pristine altar, and a dagger that had suddenly appeared in his hand.
His attire had changed again, turning into a red-hooded robe. Not far away, a short-haired woman lay naked on the altar.
A group of people with vintage wigs stood beside him, resembling the style of the Owl Court, but their clothing bore the bat symbol.
"Hurry up, Bruce."
"The Bat Ritual is ready!"
"Hurry, we don't have much time."
They urged him, pushing him to kill the woman who was the sacrifice.
But it was too late; a powerful explosion occurred somewhere, causing everyone to stagger, some even falling into the blazing flames.
"It's too late, Barbatos is coming!"
People ran past him towards the ladder, fleeing the basement.
"No, that woman, I need to save her."
Through the flames and heat, he moved closer to the altar, the fire even licking his robe.
Yet, the woman sat up, calmly looking at him.
"They will not come to save us. They've nailed the door shut. After I melt in the flames, they will build a city over my grave, marked as your city. I am dying for you."
In an instant, Bruce's red robe transformed into a bat suit. He dropped his dagger, realizing this beautiful woman was a personification of his past girlfriends, all of whom had died for various reasons.
The woman only pulled up a piece of burning cloth to cover herself, smiling at Bruce, with a bat reflected in her eyes.
"They thought I was the door, but I'm merely a stepping stone, allowing you to see outside through the window, and letting the outside see you. Barbatos has seen you."
Bruce clenched his teeth, closing his eyes: "No! Enough!"
...................
The pages turned, and he found himself with three other ordinary people dressed in bat suits, being hunted by the citizens as the Joker Mayor ordered that tonight, anything goes!
Anyone can hunt Batman.
At this moment, a little girl dressed as Bat Heroine next to him said, "We have to hide, hide and make a living..."
Not far away, car lights approached, illuminating the street strongly as countless Gotham citizens waved weapons to hunt them down.
"Damn it! I can finally kill Batman today!"
"Yeah! It's so damn satisfying!"
The people in bat suits around pulled Bruce, running towards the distant darkness: "Run, what are you waiting for?"
"Yeah, if we hide in the darkness, we'll be safe."
Bruce shook off their hands, watching them vanish into the dark while he stood on the street, watching the lights close in.
"No, I won't run, not anymore."
Bruce knew it was all a lie; he must find a way to break free.
....................
The pages turned again, and he returned to the chemical plant, where he caught up with the murderer, who laughed maniacally and jumped into the pool of chemicals.
"Tell me, tell me what you saw?"
The melting, corroded murderer spoke from the green ooze.
"I..."
Suddenly, he found the scene changing, becoming his grandfather Allen Wayne, standing atop a tall building in Gotham, watching the city through binoculars.
Through the special binoculars, he saw that many buildings in Gotham glowed with different colors at night.
"I see... damn, they've mixed Amber Gold into the steel at Wayne Steel Factory! The buildings in Gotham City Center are infused with Amber Gold, stretching endlessly like a mountain range..."
As he turned to leave, a hooded figure with round glasses appeared behind him, stabbing him with a beautifully carved owl dagger, blood spurting out.
"For the Court! Allen Wayne, you will walk the path we have laid out for you!"
"No... I will find a way out...."
...................
The pages turned again, and he appeared in daytime Gotham.
He ran through the streets in his pajamas, on roads bustling with people and vehicles, capturing the look of Gotham several decades ago, when life was peaceful.
Two policemen carrying wooden batons ran up, initially planning to catch a pervert, but recognizing Allen Wayne, their demeanor changed noticeably.
"Mr. Wayne, is there anything we can help you with?"
"I... I need to find a door, or a window..."
At this moment, the two policemen suddenly vanished, and Bruce noticed a flash of skirt disappearing into the crowd, catching his attention.
"Female hero?" he pursued: "Is it you, Diana?"
Diana disappeared into the sea of people, but her voice echoed from within Bruce.
"It's me, Bruce, hold on, we are transmitting ideas through the resonance of 'Metal,' Slade here has Promethium and N Metal, we are on our way, hold on...."
Suddenly, a black hole appeared beneath his feet. As he fell, the voice drifted away from him.
.............
The story turned pages again, and he found himself on a spacecraft amidst a distant universe, witnessing a shattered Earth. He and Harley Quinn were the only survivors.
Bird-shaped space fighters pursued them, firing black energy beams.
"Harley? What's going on?"
"Have you hit your head? I brought you up to the dark curtain, all to avoid the war."
He remembered, he was still trapped in the Dark Multiverse.
"I know, there's a window here, I can get out...."
He shattered the spacecraft glass and took a leap.
...............
The story returned to the beginning, the scene of the factory manager's murder. Gordon led the police to escort the criminal, and everyone's faces were full of smiles.
Yet, the voice of his granddaughter, Janet, inexplicably appeared.
"Grandpa, your case is solved, see, Director Gordon gave you a medal, and the mayor, he's smiling so happily on TV...."
But Bruce held the pages in place, not turning them, the scene remaining at the murder site.
"No, dear, this is the real story, the story of bat and bird..."
"Batman, who are you talking to?" Chief Gordon turned his head to look at him, the matter finished, it was time to wrap up.
"These stains... they're bird blood."
He turned to look at the bloodstained window, the blood on the glass gradually forming the shape of a bat. Suddenly, the surrounding policemen's faces changed, becoming those of the Justice League, yet he ignored this, bypassing them directly heading towards the stairs, he had found it.
"Birds are attracted to the reflection of shattered glass, and metal reflects too, this scene is a reminder to myself using the enemy's blood that everything before was an illusion, I will find the true path, and leave here."
..................
"Snap!" his granddaughter Janet snatched the storybook and closed it: "No, Grandpa, don't change this story, it's too scary..... I don't want you to..."
"No! I must find the passage! I need the truth!"
The granddaughter who was originally cuddling in his arms suddenly turned cold, twisting her head in an eerie manner like a clockwork doll, eyes bloodshot staring at him, her face cracking, revealing her entire jaw.
She spoke with a terrifying voice, like a ship hitting an iceberg on a cold winter night: "Then let me show you the truth!"