The Kryptonian Problem & The Night Fury Promise"
ONE WEEK LATER — BATCAVE, 3 A.M.
Batman stood over the strange ancient symbol they found in the warehouse — a twisted owl skull surrounded by markings older than any known Court script.
"Pre-Court civilization… or something they worshiped," Bruce muttered.
Damian watched from the shadows, arms crossed.
Nightwing whispered to Barbara,
"He stands exactly like Bruce."
Barbara whispered back,
"Yeah… terrifying, isn't it?"
Before Damian could snap at them, pain stabbed his head — a system notification blaring silently inside his mind.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
New Absolute Mission Unlocked — Non-Negotiable
Mission Start Date: Next Month
Objective:
Create a weapon capable of killing or temporarily depowering a Kryptonian, using kryptonite as the core component.
Time Limit: 1 year
Failure Consequence: Unknown. System will not disclose.
Completion Reward:
Night Fury Dragon Egg (Altered to survive the DC universe)
Night Fury Hatch & Training Manual
Creation of a Magical Pond habitat (Auto-generated after hatching)
Damian froze.
A Night Fury?
A real one?
His heart jumped in a way it hadn't since he was six.
This is… incredible.
But the mission itself…
Kryptonian weapons were dangerous. Political. Risky.
BATMAN NOTICES
Bruce glanced at him.
"Another migraine?"
Damian shook his head.
"No. Just thinking."
Bruce studied him — as always, reading micro-expressions only an absolute father would see.
"You're hiding something."
Damian didn't flinch.
"I have a project coming up. Something… complicated."
Nightwing leaned in.
"What kind of project?"
Damian answered carefully — a half-truth, nothing more:
"A contingency system. In case of… Kryptonians."
The entire Bat-Family went dead silent.
Barbara blinked.
"Like a kryptonite weapon?"
Damian:
"Temporary depowering. Not lethal. Just… a failsafe."
Nightwing rubbed the back of his neck.
"Dude, you're already making Batman-level contingency plans?"
Cass pointed at Damian:
smart.
Bruce exhaled slowly, rubbing his jaw.
"We'll talk about it. Contingencies aren't wrong… but they require control, ethics, and secrecy."
Damian nodded.
All things he had.
But he wasn't making this for Batman.
He was making it because the system demanded it.
THE FAMILY REACTS
Barbara:
"Well… considering what happened during Superman's mind-control incident, having a non-lethal option might actually save lives."
Nightwing:
"Yeah, as long as Batman doesn't store it in a place labeled Definitely Not Kryptonite Weapons."
Bruce stared at him.
Nightwing coughed.
"Moving on."
Cass tapped Damian's shoulder gently and signed:
Careful. Kryptonians dangerous. Very.
Damian nodded.
"I know."
Bruce stepped closer.
"Damian… if you decide to create this weapon, you do it with me. Under supervision. Under rules."
Damian met his father's eyes.
"…Maybe."
Bruce frowned.
"'Maybe' is not reassuring."
"Neither is a world where Kryptonians can't be stopped."
Bruce had no counterargument.
DAMIAN RETURNS HOME — AND SMILES
Back in his pocket-dimension house, Damian sat at the table, pulling out a notebook and beginning sketches of kryptonite-powered mechanisms.
The system reward echoed in his mind:
A Night Fury…
The fastest, rarest dragon in fiction — and soon, real.
Damian couldn't help it.
He smiled.
A real smile.
"Guess… I'll have a pet."
He tapped the table rhythmically.
"And I'll name you… something fitting."
The Month of Exhaustion… and the Mission That Finally Begins"
(Damian Begins Building the Kryptonian Weapon — and Batman Starts Really Watching)
ONE MONTH LATER — GOTHAM
Damian was beyond tired.
A full month of:
Nightly patrols
Helping the Titans when they dragged him into something
Stopping assassins the Court kept sending
Protecting innocents
Training with Raven and sparring with Zatanna
Acting civil for Bruce
And pretending he wasn't secretly constructing anti-Kryptonian tech
Even for him, it was exhausting.
But today—
the system chimed.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Non-negotiable mission has begun.
Objective:
Create a weapon that can kill or temporarily depower a Kryptonian using kryptonite.
Time limit: 1 year.
Rewards:
Night Fury Dragon Egg
Night Fury Habitat + Training Manual
Magical Pond (auto-generated)
Damian quietly slipped away from training and patrolling schedules the moment he got the alert.
"Tt… finally."
His month-long burnout evaporated.
He had work to do.
Work only he could do.
POCKET DIMENSION — THE SECRET WORKSHOP
The large, modern, sun-lit workshop activated when his key touched the door.
Damian tossed his jacket aside and walked directly to the sealed table where he kept rare metals collected over the past month.
Dionesium
Promethium
A sliver of Nth metal
A near-pure kryptonite shard he "borrowed" from a black market arms deal he'd busted
And a reinforced forging area lined with obsidian and protective seals
Damian put on a containment suit and activated his internal fire.
His hands ignited with controlled orange flames — the Mera-Mera no Mi fully obedient to him now.
"Let's begin."
He melted the first alloy, binding the metals.
He formed the first casing for the kryptonite core.
Everything was stable.
Everything was progressing.
And then—
BATCAVE — MEANWHILE, BATMAN IS CONFUSED
Bruce stared at the Batcomputer.
Damian's vitals had been odd for weeks.
Heart rate spikes with no combat
Sudden bursts of heat
Strange time gaps
No location datapoints for three-hour windows
And breath patterns that didn't match human norms
Nightwing leaned over his shoulder.
"Bruce… are you stalking your kid again?"
Bruce didn't blink.
"I analyze inconsistencies."
Dick snorted.
"Uh huh. Stalking."
Batman zoomed in on Damian's breath signatures.
"These aren't normal. They're… patterned. Perfectly rhythmic."
Dick blinked.
"You mean meditation?"
"No. It's… something else."
Bruce tapped several keys.
"And his heat readings—too controlled. Not meta. Not magical. Not tech-based."
Dick crossed his arms.
"Are you worried… or impressed?"
Bruce didn't answer.
But the truth was both.
POCKET DIMENSION — PHASE ONE COMPLETE
Damian pressed a button on the casing.
The kryptonite shard floated inside an energy field, humming quietly.
Kryptonian Depowering Core — Prototype 0.1
Not a weapon yet.
But a foundation.
Damian sat back and allowed the first genuine smile he'd had in weeks.
"If this works…
the Night Fury is mine."
He could almost picture it:
A sleek, black dragon
in the sky,
a loyal companion,
a creature of fire and speed like him.
But then he frowned.
"This project needs materials even I don't have."
The system pinged.
[SYSTEM TIP]
Acquire stabilized kryptonite shielding.
Suggestion: WayneTech Military Division.
Damian groaned.
"…I do NOT want to steal from my father."
The system pinged again, merciless.
Required for mission.
Damian rubbed his face.
"Tt. Fine. Borrow."
WAYNE MANOR — THE CONVERSATION
Bruce was sitting in the darkened living room when Damian returned from "patrol."
Lights off.
Arms folded.
Detective mode fully active.
"Damian."
Damian stopped mid-step.
"…Father."
Bruce stepped forward.
"You've been disappearing every night for exactly three hours."
Damian kept his expression still.
"You're working on a project."
Nothing.
"You're hiding it from me."
Damian gave a slight sigh.
"…I'm creating a contingency. Something… strategic."
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
"Kryptonian-related?"
Damian hesitated — then nodded once.
Dick, Barbara, Cass, and Duke peeked in from the hallway, because of course they were listening.
Bruce breathed out slowly.
"Why?"
Damian shrugged honestly.
"Because someone has to prepare for the worst.
Not because Kryptonians are bad.
Because they're powerful."
Barbara whispered,
"He talks like Bruce."
Nightwing whispered back,
"That's what scares me."
Bruce knelt down slightly, meeting Damian eye-to-eye.
"Damian… you're my son. You can tell me anything."
Damian answered carefully — truth mixed with misdirection.
"I found a myth about ancient fruits. They grant powers when consumed.
Mine granted fire.
And my breathing technique? I trained it since childhood."
Bruce processed.
"…Mythology becoming real.
And your fire coming from… a fruit."
Damian nodded.
The Bat-Family muttered among themselves:
Nightwing:
"Fruit powers. Sure. Why not."
Barbara:
"Considering everything else in this world… honestly, believable."
Duke:
"Is that how he burned through the Talons?"
Cass signed:
Power. Strong. Dangerous.
Bruce placed a hand on Damian's shoulder.
"Whatever you build…
whatever you hide…
do not carry it alone."
Damian swallowed.
For a moment—
he actually felt something warm in his chest.
"…I won't."