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Chapter Three: "Test of Blood and Shadows"
Training Arena, Titans Tower. 10:00 AM.
The training arena in Titans Tower was a terrifying place.
It wasn't just an ordinary gym with weights and punching bags. No, no. It was an advanced simulation arena—a huge white room that could transform into any environment you wanted: a forest, desert, burning city, even outer space. Everything designed to push heroes to their limits.
And this morning, Kayleth stood in the center of the arena, wearing his black armored clothes, katana swords mounted on his back, and a smile on his face.
Around him, the five Titans stood in a circle, watching.
Robin stood directly in front of him, arms crossed, his face serious as stone. "Alright, Kayleth. You said you're a trained soldier. You said you're lethal. Now, I want to see that for myself."
"A test?" Kayleth asked, tilting his head. "My God, I haven't taken a test since... well, since I tried to commit suicide for the thirteenth time. Failed at that too, by the way. Zero out of ten, wouldn't recommend."
Beast Boy laughed—then stopped when Robin gave him a sharp look.
"This isn't a normal test," Robin said. "This is a combat test. I'm going to fight you. No rules. No mercy. If you're as good as you claim, you'll be able to hold your own. If you're not..." He paused. Smiled coldly. "Well, we'll know you were lying."
Kayleth looked at Robin. Then at the other Titans. Cyborg was recording data on his arm screen. Beast Boy was jumping from foot to foot, excited. Starfire was smiling, but her eyes were worried.
And Raven...
Raven stood apart, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, her hood pulled over her face. But her eyes—violet, sharp—were fixed on Kayleth.
She's watching me, Kayleth thought. Good. Let her see what I really am.
He looked at Robin again. "Alright, Wonder Boy. Let's do this. But fair warning: I'm not going to make it easy on you."
"I didn't ask you to," Robin said.
Then he charged.
The fight begins.
Robin was fast.
Not Flash fast, but fast enough to be a blur. His bo staff spun through the air, aimed at Kayleth's head—
—Kayleth dodged it barely, tilting to the side. The staff passed by his ear with a whistle.
"Whoa, whoa!" Kayleth shouted, jumping back. "You were not kidding about 'no mercy'!"
Robin didn't respond. He spun the staff again—low this time, toward Kayleth's knees. Kayleth jumped, and the staff passed beneath him. He landed, but Robin's fist was waiting.
A quick punch toward his jaw.
Kayleth caught it.
Their eyes met.
"Nice," Kayleth said. Then he bit Robin's knuckles.
"Ow!" Robin shouted, pulling his hand away. "Did you just bite me?!"
"No rules, remember?" Kayleth said, wiping his mouth. "And by the way, you taste like leather gloves and anger. You need to use moisturizer."
Beast Boy burst out laughing. Even Cyborg snorted. Starfire covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Raven... Raven didn't move. But her lips trembled. Barely.
Robin, now angry, charged again. This time, he was more aggressive. The staff spun, stabbed, struck from every angle. Kayleth dodged, evaded, caught, fought back—but Robin was good. He'd been trained by Batman.
A hard strike to the side. Kayleth was hit, flew through the air, and landed hard on the ground.
Sharp pain in his ribs. He felt something break.
Then it healed. Instantly.
He sat up, touching his side. "Oh yeah. Broken ribs. That was a good one, buddy."
Robin stopped, his staff still raised. He stared at him. "You... you don't feel pain?"
"Oh, I feel it," Kayleth said, standing. He dusted himself off. "But it goes away in a second. The perk of being immortal. Or a curse. Depends on the day."
Robin stared at him. Then lowered his staff. "You're not... normal."
"No kidding?" Kayleth said sarcastically. Then smiled. "But let's see what I can do."
He drew the katana swords from his back.
The two silver blades gleamed under the lights.
And for the first time, Robin's eyes widened.
Round Two.
Kayleth moved.
This time, he was the attacker.
The swords spun through the air—fast, precise, deadly. Robin struggled to dodge, his staff ringing against metal. Kayleth was relentless. For every move Robin made, Kayleth had three.
Slash—Robin dodged. Stab—Robin blocked. Spin—Robin jumped over it.
But Kayleth didn't tire. He kept attacking, pressing, pushing.
"You're good," Kayleth said, while fighting. "Batman taught you well. But you know what the difference is between you and me?"
"What?" Robin demanded, breathing hard.
"I'm not afraid of death."
Then he did something insane.
He stabbed himself.
The sword went into his side—deep—and blood flowed.
"Kayleth!" Starfire screamed.
"Oh my God!" Beast Boy yelled.
Cyborg jumped forward. "Stop the fight! He—"
But Kayleth didn't stop.
While the sword was still in his side, he used the other sword to attack Robin—who froze, shock on his face—and placed the blade at his throat.
Silence.
Everyone stared.
Kayleth smiled a bloody smile. "I win."
Then he pulled the sword from his side. The wound healed before their eyes. The skin regenerated. The blood stopped.
In ten seconds, it was as if he'd never been injured.
Robin lowered his staff, slowly. He looked at Kayleth. Then at the blood on the floor. Then at Kayleth again.
"You're... you're insane."
Kayleth wiped the swords, returned them to their sheaths. "Maybe. But I'm effective."
"This isn't normal combat," Robin said quietly. "This is... this is war."
"And I'm a soldier," Kayleth said simply. "I told you. I don't play by the rules. I win. Whatever it takes."
Cyborg approached, examining where the wound had been. "No trace. Not even a scar. This is... this is scary."
"Useful in battles, annoying in life," Kayleth said. He looked at Raven, who was still standing by the wall. "What about you, demon lady? Did I pass the test?"
Raven pushed herself away from the wall. She walked toward him, slowly. Her eyes never left his face.
She stopped in front of him. Directly. Very close. Close enough to smell her—incense and lavender and some kind of ancient darkness.
"You don't fear pain," she said quietly. "You don't fear death. But..." She paused. Her eyes narrowed. "You do fear something."
Kayleth smiled. But it wasn't a happy smile. "Everyone fears something, Raven."
"What?" she asked. "What do you fear?"
He looked at her. For a long time. Then said, in a voice so low only she could hear:
"Failing again."
Her eyes widened. Barely. But she understood.
He turned, started walking toward the door. "Alright, Titans! That was fun. Who wants breakfast? I'm starving."
Beast Boy jumped up. "Me! I want waffles!"
Cyborg sighed. "Sure, why not? I'll cook."
Starfire flew toward them. "I'll help!"
Robin stayed, staring at the blood on the floor. Then looked at Raven. "What do you think?"
Raven was still staring at the door Kayleth had exited through.
"He's dangerous," she said quietly. "But he's not evil. There's a difference."
"Do you trust him?"
Raven was silent for a second. Then said: "No. Not yet. But..." She paused. "...I understand him."
Then she walked away, her cloak billowing behind her like a living shadow.
Kitchen, Titans Tower. 11:00 AM.
The kitchen was full of noise and laughter. Beast Boy was telling a silly joke. Starfire was burning—literally—the waffles by accident. Cyborg was yelling, trying to save breakfast.
Kayleth sat at the bar, a cup of coffee in his hand, watching the chaos with a small smile.
This is... nice, he thought. Like family. The kind I haven't had since...
He stopped. Drank his coffee. Pushed the memories away.
Raven entered, silently. She sat next to him, at a safe distance, but closer than she'd been last night.
"Coffee?" Kayleth asked, raising the cup.
"Tea," Raven said.
"Of course. Tea. Herbal, right? Something mystical?"
"...Yes."
A comfortable silence settled between them. The kind of silence that doesn't need to be filled with words.
Then Raven said, without looking at him: "In training. When you stabbed yourself. Why?"
Kayleth put down his cup. Looked at the coffee. "Because I wanted to show them what I am. I wanted them to know I'm not just a man who can heal. I'm a man who can't die. And that changes how you fight. Changes how you think. Changes..." He paused. "...everything."
Raven looked at him. "Do you regret it? The immortality?"
"Every. Single. Day," Kayleth said quietly. "But what can I do? I can't undo it. So I use it. I try to make it mean something."
Raven nodded, slowly. "I... understand that. I carry a power I don't want. A power that could destroy the world. But I try to use it to save it."
Kayleth looked at her. Smiled—a real smile, this time. Warm. "We're more alike than I thought."
Raven didn't smile. But her eyes—for a moment—softened.
Then she said, in a very quiet voice: "Don't die, Kayleth. Even if you can heal. Don't... don't die."
Kayleth stared at her, surprised. "Why?"
Raven looked away. "Because I... because I'm starting to think you might be a good ally."
Kayleth laughed—a soft, unexpected laugh. "Ally, huh? Well, I'll take that."
At that moment, an alarm blared.
Red lights filled the tower. A loud, annoying siren screamed through the air.
Robin ran into the kitchen, a communicator in his hand. "Titans, we have an emergency! Joker is attacking downtown. Explosives everywhere. Civilians in danger. We go now!"
The team jumped into action. Starfire flew toward the door. Beast Boy transformed into a hawk. Cyborg charged his cannon.
Kayleth stood, put down his cup. Looked at Robin. "I'm coming too."
"No," Robin said sharply. "This is our mission. You're not ready—"
"Joker," Kayleth said, his voice suddenly serious. "Insane. Unpredictable. Will kill civilians just for fun. You need every available hand. And I..." He looked at Robin. "...I don't die. Which means I can take risks you can't."
Robin hesitated.
Raven stepped forward. "Let him come."
Everyone looked at her.
"What?" Robin said.
"Let him come," Raven repeated, calmly. "I'll watch him. If he does something wrong, I'll stop him. But..." She looked at Kayleth. "...I think he can help."
Robin looked between them. Then sighed. "Fine. But you follow my orders. No killing. Understood?"
Kayleth smiled. "No killing. Got it."
(Narrator: He does not get it. He will kill. But hey, let's see what happens!)
Downtown, Jump City. 11:30 AM.
Chaos.
Joker was standing on top of a burning car, holding a microphone, laughing insanely loud into the sky. Around him, dozens of people were running, screaming, trying to escape.
And explosives—dozens of explosives—attached to buildings, cars, even light poles.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Joker screamed, his voice echoing through speakers. "Welcome to the Joker's Amazing Show! Today, we're playing a little game called: How many people can explode before the heroes arrive? The answer: All of them!"
He laughed. And laughed. And laughed.
Then, from the sky, Starfire descended, her eyes glowing green. "Joker! Stop this madness immediately!"
Joker looked at her. Smiled a wide, terrifying smile. "Oh, Starry! Nice of you to join! But sorry, time's up—"
He pressed a button.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The explosives began their countdown.
30 seconds.
Robin landed beside Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg behind him. "Joker, you're surrounded! Surrender now!"
Joker laughed. "Or not!"
Then, from the shadows, Kayleth emerged, swords drawn, his eyes focused.
And Raven, beside him, her black energy rippling.
Joker looked at them. Tilted his head. "Oh? New faces? Interesting! Hello, strangers! I'm Joker. Perhaps you've heard of me?"
Kayleth smiled a dark, dangerous smile. "Oh, I've heard of you, clown. And now, I'm here to stop you."
"Oh, really?" Joker said, interested. "Well then. Let's see if you can!"
He pressed another button.
The explosions began.
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If you like this story! and you wan read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at:
https://www.patreon.com/c/zikou66
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you wan!
And be sur am happy just by your reading
And be sure I'm happy just by you reading it.
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