"JOKER!"
Huff. Huff. Huff.
Where am I?
I looked around slowly. The entire room was empty except for the bed beneath me. The walls were bare, cold, and unwelcoming. The only way in or out was the single door standing in front of me. The place looked more like a prison cell than a room.
No… wait a minute.
Shouldn't I be dead?
Didn't that explosion take my life? Even before that blast, the torture Joker put me through had already pushed me to the brink of death. I clearly remember broken bones, shattered ribs, and injuries all over my body. But now… I couldn't feel any of them. There was no pain, no stiffness, nothing.
It was as if my body had been completely restored.
It must be because of the Lazarus Pit.
Yes, that has to be it.
Wait.
What is the Lazarus Pit?
The moment the thought appeared in my mind, a flood of memories followed it. Knowledge about the Lazarus Pit surfaced naturally, as if I had always known about it. Images, explanations, and details about its power filled my head.
So that's how Ra's al Ghul has managed to stay alive for so long.
No… that's not the important part.
How do I even know this?
Focus.
Let's go over what I remember.
My name is Jason Todd. I was trained by Batman and became the second Robin. The last thing I remember clearly is being kidnapped by Joker. He tortured me endlessly, breaking bones, mocking me, pushing me further and further until I could barely stay conscious.
Then the explosion happened.
And I died.
But that isn't all I remember.
There are other memories inside my mind. Memories that don't belong to Jason Todd.
A boy named John Carter.
An orphan. A high school student. A completely normal kid who lived in a completely normal world.
And he died after being hit by a truck.
So… am I John Carter?
Did I somehow transmigrate into Jason Todd in the DC universe?
No. That doesn't make sense. Jason Todd was revived after his death.
So what exactly am I now?
Argh… this is confusing.
What am I supposed to be? Jason Todd or John Carter?
Strangely enough, both identities feel real. Both sets of memories feel genuine, like they belong to me. It doesn't feel like one replaced the other.
Did John's soul arrive at the moment Jason was revived? Prime Superboy Punch was responsible for it? Or Did the Lazarus Pit somehow merge the two of us together?
This… is incredible.
BANG!
The sudden sound of the door opening pulled me out of my thoughts.
"So you are finally awake."
Hearing the woman's voice, I looked up.
Standing near the doorway was none other than Talia al Ghul. So this really is the DC universe.
A fictional world from John's previous life.
Then another strange thought crossed my mind. If I came from a universe where DC was just a comic, could that mean I was from something like Superboy Prime's universe?
"You aren't answering," Talia said calmly. "Are you in shock that you're still alive?"
I felt a spark of anger toward her.
Why didn't she just let me stay dead?
But the anger faded almost as quickly as it appeared. After all, she was also the reason I was alive. Or maybe the real reason was her father, Ra's al Ghul. Either way, someone had brought me back.
"What do you want me to say, Talia?"
I looked directly at her.
"I'm certain I died. Yet somehow I'm alive again and the first person I see is one of the most dangerous assassins in the world."
"It isn't difficult to guess what happened. Somehow you revived me." I paused for a moment before continuing. "But I don't remember asking for it. And I highly doubt he would take such a step. So tell me… why?"
I watched her expression closely. For a brief second, shock flashed across her face before it was quickly replaced by something else. Appreciation.
"No wonder Bruce chose you," she said after a moment. "Remaining this calm even after experiencing your own resurrection is something I have never seen before." A faint smile appeared on her lips as she studied me carefully. "As for your question… why? Well, it would be a waste to let a talent like you disappear from this world."
Just what I expected. They saw talent and wanted to recruit it for their cause. They probably believed my death would change me, that the experience would break something inside me and make me easier to manipulate. Or maybe she simply wanted to do something that would please Bruce.
"I won't be joining the League of Assassins," I said calmly. "The best I can offer is that I will repay this favor one day. But that's it." I didn't need their help to accomplish what I wanted anymore. Not when I had this.
My gaze shifted toward the faint holographic screen floating in front of me before I glanced back at Talia. From her reaction, it was clear she couldn't see it. Good.
Jason Peter Todd
Race: Human
Characters Assimilated:
Fully Assimilated:
– None
In Progress:
[–None] [–None]
Powers:
–None
Items:
–None
Cards:
–None
When I had been sorting through my memories earlier, I had felt something strange inside me. A presence, almost like another sense waiting to be touched. The moment I focused on it, the screen appeared and information about its function surfaced naturally in my mind.
A gacha system.
Of course it is. Considering the ridiculous life and death situations I had already experienced, this somehow felt fitting.
Still… wasn't I taking this a little too casually?Then again, the experiences I had gone through, along with my training, had drilled one thing into me. No matter the situation, always stay calm.
"Well, we can discuss that later," she said. She didn't seem bothered by my words, or at least she didn't show it. "First, let's change your room. I will notify you after making some arrangements." With that, she turned to leave.
"Talia," I called out, making her pause at the door. "Do you have a hundred dollars?" She stood there for a second before continuing to walk out.
"I will send that too," she replied.
***************
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