The safe house attack wasn't meant for Queen Mera — it was meant for him.
It Begins in His Private Dimension
Damian was in his private kitchen again, preparing a new dish with the precision of Jōichirō Yukihira.
The scent of perfectly seared food filled the air.
He was fully relaxed…
until he felt it.
A faint ripple in the dimensional boundary.
Someone was approaching the door to his normal Jump City decoy apartment.
He froze.
Shadows flickered across his eyes.
"…That's not normal."
He wiped his hands, straightened his shirt, and stepped through the dimensional doorway—
reentering his quiet apartment.
Everything was still.
Too still.
Then—
knock knock
He moved silently toward the door.
He didn't open it.
He didn't speak.
He just waited.
And then a familiar voice whispered:
"Damian. Open the door. Now."
Lady Shiva.
And her tone was the most serious he had ever heard.
Damian unlocked the door instantly.
She stepped inside like a blade.
Her hair was messy.
Her breathing sharp.
Her arm slightly burned.
Her clothes dusted with explosive residue.
She had been fighting.
Badly.
Damian scowled.
"…What happened?"
"They Came For You."
Shiva didn't sit.
She didn't rest.
She looked Damian straight in the eyes.
"Tonight's attack on the safe house wasn't a leak," she said.
"What do you mean?"
She took a slow breath.
"Queen Mera was the cover.
The assassins weren't targeting her."
Her gaze sharpened.
"They were targeting you, Damian."
Damian's heartbeat dropped.
"…Me?"
Shiva nodded once.
"I interrogated the survivors. All high-tier, well-trained, magically protected."
She stepped closer.
"They were given one objective: 'Eliminate the Fire Shadow before he becomes unstoppable.'"
Damian felt something hot ignite behind his ribs — not fury, but clarity.
Someone out there knew he had awakened power far beyond normal.
Someone was afraid of him.
Someone wanted him dead.
"Who sent them?" he asked.
Shiva's jaw tightened.
"Multiple factions bought the contract. A shared kill order. But one name stood above the others."
She leaned in and whispered:
"The Court of Owls."
Damian went still.
Then his brow lowered—cold and lethal.
"The Court knows about me?"
Not your identity," Shiva said.
"But your existence as the 'Fire Shadow' is no longer a rumor. Someone witnessed your battle with Deathstroke. Someone recorded your abilities. Someone realized your fire is not natural."
Damian clenched a fist.
The Mera Mera no Mi.
Sun-Breathing.
Yoriichi's template.
He had shown too much.
Shiva continued:
"They believe you are a threat to their long-term plans. If you survive to adulthood… they think you will be impossible to kill.
Damian smirked slightly.
"…They're correct."
But Shiva didn't smile back.
"No.
This time is different."
Damian raised an eyebrow.
"Explain."
Shiva finally sat down.
Not gracefully.
Not calmly.
But like someone carrying weight.
"Damian… they sent Talons."
His eyes widened.
The Court's undead soldiers.
Regenerating.
Nightmare killers.
Lethal even to the Bat-family.
The strongest assassins Gotham has ever produced.
Damian exhaled slowly.
"So that explosion near the safe house—?"
Shiva nodded.
"Yes. A Talon detonated himself attempting to breach the building. The others followed, searching for you."
Damian frowned.
"And you stopped them?"
Shiva met his eyes.
"I stopped six Talons."
Damian's entire expression changed.
Shock.
Respect.
And then concern.
"You fought six alone?!"
Shiva smirked tiredly.
"Did you think I was 'almost' the world's deadliest woman?"
He didn't laugh.
"You're hurt."
"It will heal," she dismissed.
Then her voice dropped—lower than before.
"Damian. They are not done. They have your heat-signature. Your fire. They are tracking your abilities."
Damian went silent.
He swallowed.
"…So what are you telling me?"
Shiva stood.
Her shadow filled the room.
"I am telling you," she said,
"that the Court of Owls has declared war on you."
And then she placed something on the table.
A mask.
White and bird-like.
A Talon's mask.
Scarred.
Burned.
Melted.
Damian stared at it.
Shiva added:
"And they know you are connected to Bruce Wayne."
Damian's blood ran cold.
She continued:
"They think you are a new weapon of the Batman.
A secret project.
A threat."
Damian's voice deepened.
"What do you want me to do?"
Shiva placed a hand on his shoulder — firm, steady, uncharacteristically protective.
"Choose."
"Choose what?"
"Whether to run."
She tightened her grip.
"Or burn the Court of Owls to ash