Abandoned Shipyard – Seconds After the Gunshot
The smell of gunpowder hung thick in the air.
Time seemed to slow as Selina burst into the chamber, her eyes immediately locking onto the horrific scene before her.
Damian stood unmoving, his back to her, his arms spread wide as if shielding their son from the unseen shooter.
Then—his body jerked violently.
A dark crimson stain bloomed across his shoulder, the fabric of his tailored suit rapidly turning a deep, horrifying red.
Selina's mind went blank. Her knees buckled, and a silent scream tore through her chest. No. No. Not again. Not like this!
Before she could even cry out, Damian turned his head slightly, his voice hoarse but commanding.
"Take him… Run."
His words felt like a blade slicing through the last fragile threads of her sanity. Her heart shattered like thin glass under the weight of a thousand regrets.
The hidden shooter stepped out of the shadows, gun still raised, eyes cold and unforgiving.
Selina didn't think.
She acted.
Throwing herself toward her son, she scooped him into her trembling arms, her body shielding him as she crouched low behind the nearest steel pillar.
Tears streamed down her face, her breath coming in ragged sobs as she pressed her forehead against her son's tiny head.
"Don't look, baby… Don't look…"
Scene Switch – Damian's POV
Through the haze of pain, Damian saw the shooter's finger tighten on the trigger.
He had no weapon left. No cover.
But he still had one move.
The last move of a king.
With a feral roar, Damian lunged toward the shooter, ignoring the searing pain tearing through his body.
The shot fired.
And then… darkness.
Selina heard the second shot.
The world went still.
A single word tore from her throat, raw and filled with the kind of agony that could break the heavens.
"Damian!"
Silence answered her.
And then—
A faint, shallow breath.
But it wasn't Damian's.
A soft, cruel voice whispered through the darkness.
"You think this is over, Selina? The true king has yet to make his move."