Italy, Sicily.
The very mention of Sicily brought one name to mind, The Godfather.
Carmine Falcone lay exhausted in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
When he ruled Gotham, even cancer had failed to shake the confidence of Gotham's king.
Now he had lost both his throne and his city.
Forced into exile, Carmine's condition had declined dramatically in less than a month.
His spirit had been completely crushed.
He had failed to obtain Axel's genetic samples, and the Falcone family's cancer research had produced no meaningful breakthroughs.
Most importantly, after leaving Gotham, Carmine felt like a fish out of water. Even in his dreams, he longed for the city he had ruled.
Everything felt like an impossible struggle.
The Falcone family still possessed enormous influence throughout Sicily.
Their wealth had been transferred with minimal losses, and their power remained considerable.
Yet Carmine felt as though he had lost everything.
"Sigh..."
He let out a weary breath.
Just then, the bedroom door opened, and his son entered.
Seeing Alberto's energetic appearance, mixed with concern he could not conceal, Carmine quickly straightened himself and forced some vitality into his expression.
"Alberto, my son."
A dignified smile appeared on Carmine's face.
"I'm not some ancient emperor. My children don't need to visit me every morning."
His tone hardened.
"More importantly, I don't want to hear another suggestion about returning to Gotham."
Recently, Alberto had become increasingly determined to reclaim Gotham.
Ironically, when Carmine still ruled the city, Alberto had shown little interest in it.
Only after they were forced to flee had his ambition awakened.
That was the last thing Carmine wanted.
Today's Gotham was nothing like the city he had once ruled.
Compared to its former chaos, Gotham had become something closer to a divine kingdom.
The kingdom of the godlike Wraith.
Even Bruce Wayne, Gotham's true heir, had accepted Axel's rule.
Even Lex Luthor, Metropolis' rising genius, had aligned himself with Axel.
Axel possessed overwhelming power, but even more frightening was his resolve.
He had eradicated the Court of Owls, destroyed one of Gotham's oldest secret organizations, and completely purged the city's upper class.
Against someone like that, being the head of a crime family meant nothing.
Even the President of the United States would probably feel compelled to kneel before speaking to Axel.
How could Carmine allow Alberto to walk back into that city?
He had already lost one daughter there.
He refused to lose his son as well.
His gaze became increasingly stern.
Facing that piercing stare, Alberto instinctively stiffened.
Still, he gathered his courage.
"Father, I don't understand why you're stopping me."
"You know we no longer rule Gotham. I'm not going back to challenge someone like Wraith."
"Gotham has lost almost all of its upper class. Its economic structure is completely unbalanced."
"If we return now, we can enter industries that were once beyond our reach."
"The businesses once controlled by Gotham's elite are now vacant."
"As long as we move quickly, we can seize enormous opportunities."
"The rewards are worth the risk."
"Enough!"
Carmine's furious shout cut him off.
The movement pulled at the three scars across his face, making his already fearsome expression even more intimidating.
Unlike the gentleness he showed his daughter, Carmine never spared Alberto from harsh lessons.
Alberto froze.
After a violent coughing fit, Carmine struggled to maintain his composure.
"You need to remember something."
"We fled Gotham."
He emphasized every word.
"And fleeing always comes with a price."
"Your sister lost her life there."
"I nearly lost mine."
"Even now, the scars on my face haven't fully healed."
"Gotham is dangerous."
"The more profitable those opportunities appear, the more powerful the people competing for them will be."
"If something isn't valuable enough to attract major players, then it isn't worth fighting over."
He laughed bitterly.
"And we..."
"We are no longer major players in Gotham."
"So what?"
Alberto inhaled deeply before speaking again.
"Father, maybe we're no longer important."
"But does that mean we've lost our courage?"
"Gotham is a city full of opportunity."
"Even if we have to start from nothing, it's worth fighting for."
"We still have loyal followers and old allies there."
"I'm willing to risk my life for the family's future."
"My only regret is never getting the chance."
"I've already accepted life and death."
"So why won't you give me that opportunity?"
As he finished speaking, Alberto sat beside the bed and held Carmine's hand.
Feeling how weak his father's grip had become, his heart tightened.
A faint gleam flashed across his eyes.
Carmine noticed it immediately.
He scoffed inwardly.
My son...
You can't even hide your emotions from your own father, yet you speak of starting from nothing.
When I truly started from nothing at your age, I could smile while serving the man who had murdered members of my family.
That is what starting from scratch really means.
Carmine squeezed Alberto's hand.
Just as he was about to speak, the bedroom door opened once more.
His legal adviser entered.
"Boss."
The composed female lawyer adjusted her glasses before walking over with a phone.
After giving Alberto a subtle glance, she handed it to Carmine.
"It's a call from Gotham."
"The number belonged to one of Victor Zsasz's lieutenants."
Carmine's eyes immediately sharpened.
Somehow, although he remained confined to bed, Alberto suddenly felt as though his father had come back to life.
Simply hearing news from Gotham restored his vitality.
Carmine seized the phone, unconsciously tightening his grip until Alberto winced in pain.
As Alberto pulled his hand away, Carmine spoke firmly.
"Both of you, leave."
"Yes, Father."
"Understood, Boss."
The two quietly left the room.
Outside the door, Alberto and the lawyer exchanged a brief glance.
A faint blush crept across the lawyer's cheeks.
Alberto merely smiled knowingly.
Inside the room, after the door closed, Carmine answered the call.
Taking a slow breath, he spoke softly.
"Victor, it's good to hear from you."
"Your call has given this old man new strength."
A cheerful laugh answered him.
"Haha, Carmine, my friend."
"Victor's standing right beside me."
"But I'm not Victor."
"So..."
"Care to guess who this is?"
Carmine paused before giving a helpless smile.
"Wraith..."
"I didn't expect you."
"So, what can I do for you?"
"If you need something, simply say the word."
"As long as cancer hasn't taken me, I can still be of use."
"If I die first, then it'll truly be too late."
He chuckled quietly.
Although Axel's strength vastly exceeded his own, Carmine still regarded him as his true successor.
Axel was his son-in-law.
No matter how Selina felt about him, blood ties remained.
More importantly...
Axel was Gotham's current king.
Carmine had once held that same throne.
That alone earned Axel his respect.
Compared to his own foolish sons and incompetent daughters, Axel seemed far more worthy of inheriting Gotham.
Even if Axel viewed him as little more than an insignificant insect, Carmine still felt a strange kinship with him.
Meanwhile...
Holding the phone, Axel smiled.
He took a single step.
Flames flickered.
The next instant, he appeared beside Carmine's bed.
Carmine stared in stunned silence.
After swallowing hard, he spoke into the phone with a helpless expression.
"So..."
"Why did you even bother calling?"
"I just wanted to make sure you remembered me."
"I'd hate for you to forget your old buddy."
Laughing, Axel ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.
At that exact moment, the bedroom door burst open.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Alberto stormed in, drawing his pistol and aiming it at Axel.
Before Carmine could react, Axel turned around.
"Get out."
The instant Alberto recognized him, every bit of courage disappeared.
His hands shook violently.
The pistol nearly slipped from his grasp.
He hurried backward, blocking the doorway.
"Everyone stay back!"
"Don't come inside!"
"That's Wraith!"
"The Wraith of Gotham!"
"Wraith?!"
"Oh God!"
"No..."
"Damn it!"
Panic erupted throughout the hallway.
Although the Falcone family had left Gotham, they closely followed everything that happened there.
Everyone knew what Wraith had done.
He had wiped out Gotham's elite.
The Falcones had once been part of that elite.
Had he come to finish the job?
Ignoring the terrified voices outside, Axel walked over and casually sat beside Carmine's bed.
Carmine immediately withdrew his hand.
Axel had nearly crushed it.
Still grinning, Axel patted his own chest.
"My friend, you're looking rough."
"You only had mid-stage lung cancer before."
"How'd you end up in late-stage this quickly?"
"Planning to evolve alongside your cancer cells?"
"Come on."
"Cancer isn't something you raise like a pet."
"It won't pay off."
Carmine sighed helplessly.
"Axel..."
Rolling his eyes, he grabbed Axel's wrist.
"Enough teasing an old man who's about to meet Satan."
"What do you actually want?"
"I know everything you've done."
"You're the first person in history to completely destroy the Court of Owls."
"So tell me."
"Did you come to eliminate me because you think I was one of them?"
"Or am I still on your list simply because I used to be one of Gotham's elites?"
Axel laughed.
"My friend, I hate fighting."
"I prefer solving problems."
"Why would I travel halfway around the world just to kill you?"
"I'm actually here with good news."
He cheerfully slapped Carmine's hand away before continuing.
"Congratulations."
"I'm officially rehiring you."
"After I cleaned out Gotham's upper class, the city's running dangerously low on capable people."
"Especially talented criminals like us."
"The Court of Owls controlled nearly ninety percent of Gotham's early supervillains."
"After they disappeared, I couldn't find anyone qualified to manage the Dead Souls Gang or keep Gotham's underworld running."
Chuckling, Axel patted Carmine's shoulder.
He even reached over and casually closed Carmine's widened eyes.
After a long silence, Carmine finally spoke.
"Is this because Oswald has shifted his attention to becoming mayor?"
"Exactly."
"But if someone from the shadows is moving into the light, have you considered recruiting someone from the light to oversee Gotham's underworld instead?"
"I did."
"There's a young prosecutor in New Mexico I actually admire."
"But after thinking it over, putting an honest man in charge of Gotham's criminal world would only create chaos."
Axel leaned forward with a grin.
"So, Carmine..."
"I'm already here."
"You don't get to retire."
"I'm not making repeated visits to convince you."
"So stop arguing."
"Come back to work, my friend."