Nora lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her gaze drifting into the distance.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdE4VpSQM9
Her hair fanned out across the pillow like ripples of soft golden waves.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ4ytvb7o9
She didn’t move much—only her chest gently rose and fell with each breath.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslezO8h83Y
She seemed to be spacing out, or flipping through some distant page in her mind.
Tim turned off the small bedside lamp, walked around to the other side of the bed, and lay down carefully.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoOsTmslQJ
His arm naturally brushed against Nora’s, their body heat quietly connecting.
But Nora didn’t turn to look at him.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2zjXdnV7M
Still staring at the blank ceiling above, she asked softly,100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbh2Zy1Y0Es
“Tim, don’t you want to ask me some questions?”
Tim tilted his head, his blue eyes resting on her profile.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypA3vhPpWj
Her tone wasn’t too light or heavy—like she was speaking to a stranger.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01APPuth7t
Or maybe she was deliberately tossing a stone into his heart, just to see what kind of ripple it would cause.
He knew what she meant. About her past.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWMWxceQIG
That past she’d never talked about—but one he had long suspected was far from simple.
Tim stayed silent for a moment, not answering right away.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIjTkGkgFs
Ever since they got together, he had made a decision:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVyM6X6TdC
If she wanted to talk, he’d listen.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtNrGykehE
But he wouldn’t pry.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7LDAcyi2A
Because he could guess—it wasn’t going to be a fairytale.
And the fact that she made it here, stayed by his side—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZ46Df3vFE
It already meant that whatever world she came from… it didn’t have a happy ending.
His blue eyes hesitated as they looked at her, unsure how to begin.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kTdSRdhqO
Just as he struggled for words, Nora turned her head and met his gaze.
Her green eyes sparkled slightly—and then she smiled.
“Tim, you don’t have to be so cautious,” she said gently, as if finally opening a door in her heart.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfq4NtWBKYW
“That part of my memory… it’s from a long, long time ago.”
She rolled onto her side, drawing closer to him, her voice dropping lower.
“The truth is, I believe in Batman more than you think.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmRVZHOQW1
More than any of you think... maybe even more than he believes in himself.”
As the words left her lips, she sounded like she was twisting a tongue-twister.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvedepUS0U
Or like she’d revealed too much too quickly, blinking in slight surprise.
Tim was stunned. He didn’t expect her to describe her connection to Batman like that.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi7vYSdUhe
He opened his mouth, but realized—he didn’t need to say anything.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWTyTrMELP
Because in that moment, she had already told him more than he ever hoped to hear.
She trusted them.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcNBVIrEup
She chose to stay.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9l5MNaCoP
And he would do everything he could to protect her present.
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One Day
Nora was lying on Tim’s lap.
Tim: “Nora, are you sure you want to talk? You know Batman…”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0YQYxNMUf
Nora glanced up at him with those green eyes:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRWXtTJ6lt
“You mean the cold, reclusive, control-freak part?”
She reached up and took his hand.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GFzdORRQX
“Tim, I am trying to seduce Batman’s protégé here. The least I can do is tell a bit of the truth, right?”
Nora grinned mischievously.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XqwFdk00b
Tim glared at her.
A few days earlier, Nora had suggested:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKtMZ5DSpe
“You ask, I’ll answer. I’ll try my best to tell the truth—and you can decide what to report to Batman.”
Tim had hesitated.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0voucPo66
But Nora said, “Let me guess—Batman asked you to write a report, right, Timmy?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmO0OutgDbf
If you don’t, he’ll come in person. I know that much.”
“About who I am…” she said, still staring upward,100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQcA48eLPf
“This is a story I never planned to tell.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25WQymjJol
But now… I’m ready.”
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Nora tilted her head slightly, as if drawing long-forgotten fragments from deep memory.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX2GC3rg6G
Her tone carried a playful ambiguity.
“Just to be clear, I wasn’t born in Gotham with those memories.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5i2iIugtw
“I only remembered later—much later.”
Tim said nothing. Just listened intently.
“It all came back when I saw Batman for the first time. I was sixteen.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ycGIa6lWy
She chuckled. “I remember it was after a ball game. I came home late, took a shortcut—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcQwFx2FGg
and then I saw Batman and Robin.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbp9oujpMek
And I passed out.”
Tim’s expression changed.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8YfZj51RW
That long-buried memory—suddenly cracked open by her words.
He remembered that patrol.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBlMHjHuxq
Not a particularly memorable mission.
A girl appeared at the end of an alley.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtR0aj3L9Fv
Blonde hair. Wide eyes. Frozen in place.
And then—she fainted.
He hadn’t even had time to say a word.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCB5NUpEX7c
He caught her instinctively. She looked like any normal teenage girl.
He took her to the nearest hospital.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xhwU1tmiN
At the time, he even told Bruce, “She probably just got nervous.”
Now, the blonde woman in front of him smiled gently.
“Yes, Tim. That was the first time we met,” she said softly.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNmsPMsHH5
“A flood of memories hit me all at once. My brain felt like it was exploding… so I fainted. Very dramatic, huh?”
Tim said nothing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdimQsSbpEB
But in his mind, he could hear the rain from that night all over again.
“…Why would seeing Batman trigger your memories?” he finally asked, voice cautious.
Nora blinked, her smile widening.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWTprnt4J0
“Ah ah, I’ll get to that~”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi09DMHNx29
Her voice teased at the end—like she was baiting an audience, or trying to make Tim squirm.
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VFWJJcCfn
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Nora’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if recalling memories from another lifetime.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kr5KciO2p
Her expression softened, eyes unfocused—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAS3xeqZwzS
As if looking through time and air, at a world that no longer existed.
Her voice was slow, almost like she was telling someone else’s story.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgJa0dt2eQ
Or trying to comfort herself.
“In my previous life, I was born into a very ordinary family.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ952ZQn9Qin
Just my parents and a sister.”
Her lips curled slightly, like the simple statement brought images to her mind—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeWXSSK38A
the three of them making breakfast, watching cartoons on the couch.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhS0VSXWsMI
Nothing dramatic. No sorrow. Just warmth, familiar and everyday.
“Our family had one special trait—probably written into our DNA.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjJqsLVKwq
We loved children.”
Her tone held pride.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrt9JO5rXl
Not about noble bloodlines or prestige, but a kind of inherited gentleness—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrxofXngSM
a deep affection for life, and an instinct to remain patient through both tantrums and laughter.
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvP8JWY1vBv
“We ran a kindergarten. There were always kids around.”
She let out a soft laugh, part fondness, part exasperation—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBwGAROhc0
as if that school had been the center of her universe:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFKpNntwKG
laughter, arguments, the creak of rocking horses forming the soundtrack of her days.
“I was taking care of little kids from a very young age.”
Her tone was casual, but it carried a sense of responsibility and pride.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIC2pWnoLj
She probably wasn’t even in grade school yet—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8vkep7f1m
but she already knew how to hold a crying baby, how to coax a fussy toddler into eating.
“Kids are the cutest,”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3afA6QVD1c
she said warmly—like the words came straight from her soul.
Her eyes softened. Her lips curved gently.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPjlJub021
A tiny glint sparkled in her gaze.
Nora squinted slightly, still lying on Tim’s lap,100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZbGh0YTSf
though her eyes seemed focused on the past—where there was no blood, no chaos,100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbXxi6OVt6
just children running across rubber mats.
“Our world was peaceful.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyo5hIkblxQ
No crime. No supervillains.”
Her voice was calm—stating it as if it were the most natural thing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQIQKFA2Gw
A world without Gotham.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzo5bNFuVD
No blood-soaked nights.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0IJtQAJtB
No alarms wailing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRIQrXyBmi
Just a place where parents could safely let their kids climb slides and laugh freely.
“My sister, though… had a hobby you’d never guess, Tim.”
She finally looked at him again, her tone turning cheeky, a mischievous glint in her voice.
“My sister was a huge Batman fan.”
Equal parts exasperated and proud, she spoke like someone who’d been thoroughly indoctrinated.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsCeGxLtZR
She’d watched every movie, read every comic.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9SgnXr0kC
Nora, of course, got dragged along for the ride.
Tim blinked. “But… that makes no sense. No crime means no Batman. He wouldn’t exist.”
His voice faltered, like his logic circuits had jammed.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5tn3Qlxss
He furrowed his brows, trying to make her story fit his world—but it didn’t.
Nora laughed.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6I0Zgu3ZjI
“Exactly, Tim. In my world, Batman is just a comic book character.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuZuQGYLk0
He’s a detective series, actually.”
She beamed at him, her tone teasing but affectionate.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77okId4F6R
As if to say, “Yes, I came from a world you can't imagine—but I really did.”
“My sister loved Batman so much.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhDWftCnFN
She watched every movie, bought every comic.”
Her words quickened, like she still remembered her sister yelling at the screen—"Bruce, stop bullying Robin!"—while munching chips.
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLraUijo6UO
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSyPy6rfUT
“She rubbed it off on me. I couldn’t help it.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpE6SUU8Ub
With her raving about him daily, it was impossible not to start liking Batman too.”
She shrugged innocently, like trying to explain how she became a semi-Batfan by default.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtADIQWso6A
But Tim could tell—she truly loved those stories.
“I could even name all the Batman actors in order,”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXlBuDNX8D
she added proudly, like it was a party trick, or a badge of honor.
Nora continued:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUwwiM4b3F
“At night, we’d put Batman movies on during dinner.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIreEYMeZD
Imagine eating while hearing how high Gotham’s crime rate is.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGqDvMRMw1
Then she chuckled. “My dad would always ask:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfWFSTFM7m
‘Does anyone even live in that city anymore?’”
Her voice softened with the memory—nostalgia for a world that felt so ordinary.
“From a young age, my sister collected all the merch—comics, figures, posters.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6DDfE8UAQ
Her room was plastered with Batman.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbb9xoZgje
Every morning I woke up to a black-suited man silently staring at me.”
She burst out laughing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAc8vM4jfEi
A childhood trauma, perhaps—but clearly not one she regretted.
Tim suddenly thought of something. He asked softly:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBcr5gxWHw
“Why did you write… fanfics about Batman?”
Still lying on his lap, she answered slowly:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYypM9xzI1
“I needed to muddy the water.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoanIyS8DuN
Crystal-clear water has no fish.”
Tim’s eyes widened.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnNN06Xrrr
It clicked instantly.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrUbIxsqYc
Nora had deliberately drawn attention away from the vigilantes’ true identities.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnV60YDPrPz
By flooding the internet with chaotic stories, relationships, and drama—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsS5C27IrH
she distracted people from uncovering the truth beneath the masks.
She added,100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7b5iI3zdjj
“When I was just a small-time writer, my fluff had only two readers.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqZxcvsZO7
That was no good… So I took the dark path instead.”
Her voice held resignation—and a bit of self-deprecating humor.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cMmtJ98e1
Like someone who only meant to cause a little confusion,100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOL88wEOpm
but got dragged deeper and deeper into fandom, until there was no going back.
She looked at him seriously.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ihbx9X2K2
“You better not tell anyone.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrcVZf4lR9
I never wrote about you, okay?”
Tim couldn’t tell if that was a plea… or a threat.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LP2XnPxQf
So he simply nodded.
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwIRZPlX5R
Tim looked at her, blue eyes focused.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgOyPL1KOY
He asked, voice quiet:
“So…100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOjPgU5fvK
Were you happy?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsKAggmVHg
In that world?”
Nora nodded gently.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGzTuObtUN
Her tone was soft, filled with an indescribable longing.
“Mm.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhGA6h4wcG
Those were the happiest fifteen years of my life.”
But then—100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkmtDunmxT
she turned her face toward his stomach, burying herself there.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRavjO9EzQ
Her voice came muffled:
“Too bad, Tim…100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66EYNiiA0d
The apocalypse came.”
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtuEQ6koPw
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo0hnlx6Up
and then Add to home screen.