Chapter Text
“The answer’s NO, Batty!” Constantine was saying through a video call. Behind him in the darkness, a giant red-eyed dog was chewing on an iron fence.
“Just confirm you’ve actually looked into it, and you’re not just—"
“I ran a spiritual google search, mate, checked every keyword! Soulbonds are more powerful, deep-as-fuck magic than anything in this dimension could fuck around with. Can’t help ya.”
Batman growled at the screen.
“What about other dimensions.”
Constantine flipped him off and the video cut out.
Batman opened up the next message in his Bat-inbox and connected to Nightwing over comms at the same time.
“Nightwing. Have the Titans made any progress.”
“Not much, Batman. Raven’s trapped in a ritual right now, but it shouldn’t take too long to solve and as soon as she escapes she can visit and hopefully figure something out. She can’t break or form soulbonds, but she can usually gather information from them. At this point, Kid Flash and I are trying to work out a stable speedforce matrix to slow down or stop the progression of the rot in Baby Bird’s leg. It’s not working yet, but I think we’ll get it figured out.”
Batman paused, then made himself say the words out loud: “Good. That will be helpful. Thank you.”
The silence over the channel ended with Nightwing’s shocked voice. “You’re welcome… um. Any progress on your end?”
“All dead ends so far. I believe Raven’s insight may be our best option at this point. Still waiting to hear from several people.”
“Do you need me to patrol tonight?” Dick asked.
“…Possibly. I’m waiting until his parents are asleep to visit him tonight. He may want you to be there during that conversation.”
Dick’s words from earlier echoed in his mind: you never tell us!
So Batman went on, haltingly, “I want you to be there. You are better than I am at navigating emotional conversations.”
“Aww, Batman… of course I’ll be there. You’re gonna tell him, right? That you love him? I know you’ve never said it before.”
Batman sighed. “I will be telling him several things. Things he needs to hear, and I need to say.”
Nightwing whooped. “Let’s goooo! Okay, I’ll see you in two hours. Let me know if you hear from our boy.”
Batman grunted.
At that moment, calls came in from Leslie and Talia simultaneously.
Bruce wanted to hear from Leslie more urgently, but Talia might not answer if he made her wait…
He answered Leslie as he typed out a message to Talia.
“Leslie.”
(B: Free in 5 min. Urgent?)
“Bruce. I dug further into the Sarajevo case and I found something.”
(Talia: Only if the query you sent involves a person other than Jason Todd.)
Leslie went on, “I received photos from the crime scene of the murder attempt, including photos of the weapon used. I’m sending now.”
(B: It does. ?)
Bruce opened the photos on another monitor as he typed.
(Talia: […])
Leslie said, “I recognized the dagger because I remember pulling one out of you. I doubt it’s an exact match, but this must be from a group you’ve fought personally. With cases this rare, there are no coincidences. I’m certain you’ll recognize it.”
The photos showed a simple leather-wrapped grip, deadly sharp pommel and cross guard, and a gracefully curved multi-peak blade with a double edge hollow grind and serpentine spine.
Batman had six of these daggers in a storage locker in the Batcave.
He received two as a gift in the League of Assassins, and collected the other four from his own body.
(Talia: You’ve never asked me what happened to my soulmate.)
Batman stood up, leaning his gauntlets on the desk edge in front of him.
(B: Tell me.)
He said to Leslie: “The attempted murderer of the Sarajevo case was associated with the League of Assassins.”
She nodded at the confirmation of his knowledge. “I don’t know what this means, but I assume you’ll figure it out.”
“Yes.” He hung up and called Talia.
Batman didn’t speak, so Talia waited a moment, and then began.
“You are aware that the majority of league assassins have no soulmarks. This allows us to prioritize loyalty to the league above all others. Every so often, worthwhile recruits are inducted even with soulmarks, though the majority of those have grey marks. Very few people with active soulmates are able to offer proper fealty to our cause.”
“I know all of this, Talia.”
“And you know my soulmate died long before I ever met you.”
“Yes.”
“I was born with a soulmark, but never did I meet my mate. Within a few months of my first immersion in a Lazarus pit, my mark turned grey.”
“Are you saying that the Lazarus pit kills the immersed person’s soulmate. Through their soulmark?”
“If the resurrected does not kill them first, then yes. That is what we have observed. The pit cannot break the bond, but it can cross the bond. The soulmate is poisoned and dies. Every time.”
“Fuck.”
“You have found Jason Todd’s soulmate, I presume?”
“Yes. He’s dying.”
Talia’s face spasmed. “Well. A vulnerability removed.”
Batman barely refrained from an expletive-laced explosion. “Do you have information that can help remedy this, or not.”
“I do not. There has never been a soulbound pair who both experienced the Lazarus pit. I do not know if it would help this person, or kill them more quickly. If this pains you… I offer my condolences.”
Batman cut off the call in disgust and rage.
Jason went into a Lazarus pit. The pit poisons healthy people. It healed Jason and made him rage, and it was poisoning Tim. This was why amputation worked: it cut off the poison. It wasn’t the murderous intent that killed a soulmate through the soulmark; it was the Lazarus pit.
If they could put Tim in stasis and stop the progression… if they could heal Jason, somehow…
They would have to. Batman couldn’t accept losing any more children.
He sat back down. And contacted Nightwing.