THE REALIZATION: "THIS IS THAT DOOMSDAY."
Damian's Private Thoughts, Night in the Pocket Dimension
The lab lights hummed softly.
Toothless slept curled in a warm alcove, glowing faintly from the solar energy still cycling through his body. Everything was quiet.
Except Damian's thoughts.
He sat at his desk, head in his hands, staring at the floating system mission.
SAVE SUPERMAN FROM DYING TO DOOMSDAY.
COUNTDOWN: 23 DAYS.
Damian's jaw tightened.
This wasn't a normal threat.
This wasn't something solved with stealth, blades, or intelligence.
This was apocalypse-level.
He leaned back, exhaling slowly.
DAMIAN'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE — THE PAST LIFE HE CAN NEVER TELL THEM ABOUT
This… this timeline is too familiar.
The system never told him when Doomsday would arrive.
Only that he must save Superman.
But now—
The patterns.
The timing.
The reports of a meteor-like object approaching from deep space.
The strange energy readings picked up by Watchtower sensors.
Everything aligned too perfectly.
Damian's eyes drifted to the ceiling.
This is the Death of Superman storyline… isn't it?
He remembered it all.
The comics. The animated movie.
The brutal battle across cities.
The casualties.
Superman's sacrifice.
The world grieving.
He swallowed.
"That Superman… died."
His voice cracked for the first time in weeks.
THE HORROR OF KNOWLEDGE
Damian wasn't afraid of Doomsday.
He'd faced monsters.
He wasn't afraid of death.
He'd accepted it long ago.
What terrified him was this:
He already knew how this story ends.
And he couldn't tell anyone.
Not Bruce.
Not Clark.
Not Raven.
Not Zatanna.
Because nobody would believe "I saw this in a comic in a past life."
He whispered:
"I can't tell them. I can't tell anyone."
His fists tightened.
"But I can change it."
WHY THE SYSTEM MISSION ISN'T "WIN" — BUT "SURVIVE"
Damian reread the mission details:
NOT: Kill Doomsday.
NOT: Defeat Doomsday permanently.
But:
Keep Superman alive.
Keep the Justice League alive.
Keep the world from collapsing.
He leaned forward, thinking deeper.
"Of course… Doomsday is an adaptive evolutionary weapon. You can't 'beat' him. You can only stall him."
It clicked.
That's why the system phrased the mission differently.
"The objective isn't to win the fight. It's to stop the original outcome. To change the ending."
He whispered:
"I'm not supposed to beat Doomsday.
I'm supposed to prevent Superman from dying like he did in my old world."
His heart pounded.
PAST LIFE MEMORIES — AND WHY THEY MATTER NOW
He remembered the animated film.
The battles.
The broken Justice League.
Superman's last punch.
Damian closed his eyes.
In the comic… in the movie… Doomsday was unstoppable.
Superman had to sacrifice himself.
But this was not that world.
This time:
Damian exists
Toothless exists
Damian has Sun Breathing
Damian has the Mera Mera no Mi
Damian has Yoriichi's instincts
Damian has the system
Damian knows the ending and can change it
For the first time since the mission appeared… Damian felt hope.
A dangerous, trembling hope.
DAMIAN'S DETERMINATION HARDENS
He stood up.
Toothless stirred, waking up and lifting his head.
Damian walked over and placed a hand on the dragon's snout.
"Toothless… we're stopping a death that shouldn't happen."
The dragon blinked, sensing the tension in Damian's voice.
Damian whispered:
"This is not about winning. It's about saving.
Saving Superman.
Saving the Justice League.
Saving… my family."
His voice deepened with Yoriichi-like resolve.
"I didn't reincarnate in this world to watch it repeat a tragedy."
He clenched his fists.
"I will change the story."
RAVEN FEELS THE FEAR DAMIAN HIDES
The Tower was quiet.
Night had settled over the coast, the waves smoothing against the rocks like distant whispers. Most of the Titans were asleep, but Raven sat alone on the balcony, a book open in her hands, a warm mug of herbal tea beside her.
She wasn't reading.
She could feel it.
That presence. That mind.
Damian Wayne.
He approached silently — too silently for a normal person — but Raven could always sense him, even through his emotional barriers.
Tonight…
Those barriers were shaking.
She didn't look up when he stepped beside her.
She simply asked:
"…What's wrong?"
Damian stopped.
He didn't expect her to pick up on it so quickly.
He didn't expect anyone to.
His voice was low when he spoke:
"Raven… can we talk? Privately?"
Her fingers tightened around the book.
That alone told her everything she needed to know.
Damian never asked for help.
He never asked to talk.
He never sounded… unsure.
She nodded.
"Sit."
THE SILENT CONFESSION
Damian sat down across from her.
The moonlight caught the subtle tension in his shoulders, the way he kept scanning the area out of habit.
But for the first time…
Raven sensed something she had never felt from him before.
Fear.
Not panic.
Not worry.
A deep, controlled fear buried under layers of discipline.
She gently reached out with her empathy, careful not to invade.
"What happened?"
Damian closed his eyes.
Then he swallowed.
"Raven… something is coming."
Her breath hitched, barely noticeable.
Not a villain.
Not a crisis-of-the-week.
Something more.
"You're hiding something from the League," she said softly.
Damian didn't deny it.
"You're hiding something from Batman."
His jaw tightened.
Still no denial.
She placed a hand on the table, palm facing him — an invitation.
"Damian… let me feel it. Only what you want me to feel. I won't dig deeper."
He hesitated.
Then, slowly, he placed his fingers against her palm.
A faint purple aura shimmered around her hand.
WHAT RAVEN FEELS
The world around them darkened.
Not literally — inside Raven's mind.
Images.
Feelings.
Not clear visions, not memories.
Emotions.
A monster falling from space
Cities burning
The ground cracking
A battle so destructive the world shakes
Superman bleeding
The League incapacitated
A moment of death
Damian standing alone, unable to change it
Raven gasped sharply, eyes widening.
She pulled back, trembling.
"That thing… Damian… what is that?"
Damian opened his eyes.
"…Doomsday."
The name vibrated with dread in her mind.
Raven's voice dropped to a whisper.
"And you think he'll kill Superman."
"Unless I stop it," Damian said quietly.
She stared at him, heart pounding.
"Damian… how do you even know this? This isn't normal foresight. This feels like… like you've already lived this outcome."
Damian breathed in slowly.
"That's something I can never tell you. Or anyone."
Not even her empathic powers could access the truth behind that statement.
The system shielded it.
Raven felt the block — like a sealed door.
But she didn't push.
She had learned to trust him.
THE MOMENT OF UNDERSTANDING
"Damian…" she whispered, "you're terrified."
"…Yes."
Raven's eyes softened.
She had never heard him admit fear openly.
Not once.
"You don't believe you'll win."
"The mission isn't to win."
"Then what is it?"
He finally looked at her, eyes sharper and older than they should be.
"To make sure no one dies."
Raven understood.
This wasn't a prophecy he wanted.
This wasn't a burden he chose.
This was something he was fighting alone, quietly, desperately… because he thought he had no right to tell anyone.
Raven reached out, placing her hand on his.
"You're not alone, Damian."
He didn't move.
He didn't pull away.
For once… he let himself lean, just a little, into someone else's presence.
Raven whispered:
"When the time comes… I'll be with you."
Damian lowered his head.
"…Thank you."