Nora lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her gaze drifting into the distance.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91lNy5gwC3
Her hair fanned out across the pillow like ripples of soft golden waves.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLywA0jqUD
She didn’t move much—only her chest gently rose and fell with each breath.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgK7NPj5Aca
She seemed to be spacing out, or flipping through some distant page in her mind.
Tim turned off the small bedside lamp, walked around to the other side of the bed, and lay down carefully.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWyEncPVdU
His arm naturally brushed against Nora’s, their body heat quietly connecting.
But Nora didn’t turn to look at him.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3QkAfPWYj
Still staring at the blank ceiling above, she asked softly,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEASi30Y4v
“Tim, don’t you want to ask me some questions?”
Tim tilted his head, his blue eyes resting on her profile.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ogFwPQKVV
Her tone wasn’t too light or heavy—like she was speaking to a stranger.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeKfN7SKMe
Or maybe she was deliberately tossing a stone into his heart, just to see what kind of ripple it would cause.
He knew what she meant. About her past.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSQSvuZOM6
That past she’d never talked about—but one he had long suspected was far from simple.
Tim stayed silent for a moment, not answering right away.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodrBWOwiA5
Ever since they got together, he had made a decision:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuN6FuQY36r
If she wanted to talk, he’d listen.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHIvqxFZ9k
But he wouldn’t pry.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBe8wEK2IU
Because he could guess—it wasn’t going to be a fairytale.
And the fact that she made it here, stayed by his side—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuWECyQNMT
It already meant that whatever world she came from… it didn’t have a happy ending.
His blue eyes hesitated as they looked at her, unsure how to begin.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULuBshmXfy
Just as he struggled for words, Nora turned her head and met his gaze.
Her green eyes sparkled slightly—and then she smiled.
“Tim, you don’t have to be so cautious,” she said gently, as if finally opening a door in her heart.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQnR0OzoWx
“That part of my memory… it’s from a long, long time ago.”
She rolled onto her side, drawing closer to him, her voice dropping lower.
“The truth is, I believe in Batman more than you think.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKzAK6zVHW
More than any of you think... maybe even more than he believes in himself.”
As the words left her lips, she sounded like she was twisting a tongue-twister.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrccGEPZP2e
Or like she’d revealed too much too quickly, blinking in slight surprise.
Tim was stunned. He didn’t expect her to describe her connection to Batman like that.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg10ulD1l1v
He opened his mouth, but realized—he didn’t need to say anything.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqol5X7NjD
Because in that moment, she had already told him more than he ever hoped to hear.
She trusted them.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXiKGuR5f4
She chose to stay.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyzs0gKT4d
And he would do everything he could to protect her present.
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One Day
Nora was lying on Tim’s lap.
Tim: “Nora, are you sure you want to talk? You know Batman…”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjrmvIKOWD
Nora glanced up at him with those green eyes:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHQawRi7PJ
“You mean the cold, reclusive, control-freak part?”
She reached up and took his hand.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqUkDy5TrJ
“Tim, I am trying to seduce Batman’s protégé here. The least I can do is tell a bit of the truth, right?”
Nora grinned mischievously.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgezXOOuQR
Tim glared at her.
A few days earlier, Nora had suggested:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwv1jtiTtZ
“You ask, I’ll answer. I’ll try my best to tell the truth—and you can decide what to report to Batman.”
Tim had hesitated.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcn6qvySOsw
But Nora said, “Let me guess—Batman asked you to write a report, right, Timmy?137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXmJMa9uXk
If you don’t, he’ll come in person. I know that much.”
“About who I am…” she said, still staring upward,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fbVJo8fi4
“This is a story I never planned to tell.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcOxSZkYZx
But now… I’m ready.”
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Nora tilted her head slightly, as if drawing long-forgotten fragments from deep memory.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLiM1CPWa2
Her tone carried a playful ambiguity.
“Just to be clear, I wasn’t born in Gotham with those memories.”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmz1WA6epT3
“I only remembered later—much later.”
Tim said nothing. Just listened intently.
“It all came back when I saw Batman for the first time. I was sixteen.”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcPt8YndTD
She chuckled. “I remember it was after a ball game. I came home late, took a shortcut—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SLr1zB6eb
and then I saw Batman and Robin.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcvFxV8Tp3
And I passed out.”
Tim’s expression changed.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkti5t9519
That long-buried memory—suddenly cracked open by her words.
He remembered that patrol.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO8BbWT1Kt
Not a particularly memorable mission.
A girl appeared at the end of an alley.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJRTRq4ka1
Blonde hair. Wide eyes. Frozen in place.
And then—she fainted.
He hadn’t even had time to say a word.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1ddHspiWb
He caught her instinctively. She looked like any normal teenage girl.
He took her to the nearest hospital.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnH7yYr4szc
At the time, he even told Bruce, “She probably just got nervous.”
Now, the blonde woman in front of him smiled gently.
“Yes, Tim. That was the first time we met,” she said softly.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizgWb1PUHh
“A flood of memories hit me all at once. My brain felt like it was exploding… so I fainted. Very dramatic, huh?”
Tim said nothing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HoitIT94n
But in his mind, he could hear the rain from that night all over again.
“…Why would seeing Batman trigger your memories?” he finally asked, voice cautious.
Nora blinked, her smile widening.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMueDO9Ypx
“Ah ah, I’ll get to that~”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5s5QEYB2S
Her voice teased at the end—like she was baiting an audience, or trying to make Tim squirm.
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137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fFhYS0sXc
Nora’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if recalling memories from another lifetime.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YL3AXo93c
Her expression softened, eyes unfocused—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vV63ty36A
As if looking through time and air, at a world that no longer existed.
Her voice was slow, almost like she was telling someone else’s story.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRaiFxLKQs
Or trying to comfort herself.
“In my previous life, I was born into a very ordinary family.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywmBGikmcC
Just my parents and a sister.”
Her lips curled slightly, like the simple statement brought images to her mind—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdYEzmkEE1
the three of them making breakfast, watching cartoons on the couch.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfEzoTHLJ3
Nothing dramatic. No sorrow. Just warmth, familiar and everyday.
“Our family had one special trait—probably written into our DNA.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtekOwSW2Ny
We loved children.”
Her tone held pride.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYGFxFCsag
Not about noble bloodlines or prestige, but a kind of inherited gentleness—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopsPx46mk9
a deep affection for life, and an instinct to remain patient through both tantrums and laughter.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CW39TBc8R
“We ran a kindergarten. There were always kids around.”
She let out a soft laugh, part fondness, part exasperation—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTk033s3mEN
as if that school had been the center of her universe:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoJov50JqH
laughter, arguments, the creak of rocking horses forming the soundtrack of her days.
“I was taking care of little kids from a very young age.”
Her tone was casual, but it carried a sense of responsibility and pride.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6T4EHuQRN
She probably wasn’t even in grade school yet—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxlea9QgLo
but she already knew how to hold a crying baby, how to coax a fussy toddler into eating.
“Kids are the cutest,”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ5ej96GmB
she said warmly—like the words came straight from her soul.
Her eyes softened. Her lips curved gently.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaws5cx68R
A tiny glint sparkled in her gaze.
Nora squinted slightly, still lying on Tim’s lap,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsFNfPL4vX
though her eyes seemed focused on the past—where there was no blood, no chaos,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt39Xi72PxX
just children running across rubber mats.
“Our world was peaceful.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyjUwcTfQk
No crime. No supervillains.”
Her voice was calm—stating it as if it were the most natural thing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCRgagg7D5
A world without Gotham.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX9vwoW5SY
No blood-soaked nights.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JZ45Iot9Z
No alarms wailing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8gjgGh0bg
Just a place where parents could safely let their kids climb slides and laugh freely.
“My sister, though… had a hobby you’d never guess, Tim.”
She finally looked at him again, her tone turning cheeky, a mischievous glint in her voice.
“My sister was a huge Batman fan.”
Equal parts exasperated and proud, she spoke like someone who’d been thoroughly indoctrinated.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsLW1mgtCS
She’d watched every movie, read every comic.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKMrmJHC4n
Nora, of course, got dragged along for the ride.
Tim blinked. “But… that makes no sense. No crime means no Batman. He wouldn’t exist.”
His voice faltered, like his logic circuits had jammed.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfdXe9Xynr
He furrowed his brows, trying to make her story fit his world—but it didn’t.
Nora laughed.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53AKwCdAxB
“Exactly, Tim. In my world, Batman is just a comic book character.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzjw9FiDbL
He’s a detective series, actually.”
She beamed at him, her tone teasing but affectionate.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnHJsToUWc
As if to say, “Yes, I came from a world you can't imagine—but I really did.”
“My sister loved Batman so much.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYCgGQJSpr
She watched every movie, bought every comic.”
Her words quickened, like she still remembered her sister yelling at the screen—"Bruce, stop bullying Robin!"—while munching chips.
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137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7MfIv7yk8
“She rubbed it off on me. I couldn’t help it.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUBrfosB2K
With her raving about him daily, it was impossible not to start liking Batman too.”
She shrugged innocently, like trying to explain how she became a semi-Batfan by default.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4KSfQNolA
But Tim could tell—she truly loved those stories.
“I could even name all the Batman actors in order,”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVAtkSyWQ6
she added proudly, like it was a party trick, or a badge of honor.
Nora continued:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1Olb7v7wL
“At night, we’d put Batman movies on during dinner.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP52JzLSDpV
Imagine eating while hearing how high Gotham’s crime rate is.”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkuSisCy3w
Then she chuckled. “My dad would always ask:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEiMqV21vg
‘Does anyone even live in that city anymore?’”
Her voice softened with the memory—nostalgia for a world that felt so ordinary.
“From a young age, my sister collected all the merch—comics, figures, posters.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXV7Z6egrn
Her room was plastered with Batman.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2g0iGqbPkV
Every morning I woke up to a black-suited man silently staring at me.”
She burst out laughing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxNHj9v0Rh
A childhood trauma, perhaps—but clearly not one she regretted.
Tim suddenly thought of something. He asked softly:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPyTsnMboB
“Why did you write… fanfics about Batman?”
Still lying on his lap, she answered slowly:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAGx02wpfD
“I needed to muddy the water.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXY20Ir4SiR
Crystal-clear water has no fish.”
Tim’s eyes widened.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusF1rji1D9
It clicked instantly.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZVgZtMHgL
Nora had deliberately drawn attention away from the vigilantes’ true identities.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgNlmI4jt6
By flooding the internet with chaotic stories, relationships, and drama—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpC0Huw6s2
she distracted people from uncovering the truth beneath the masks.
She added,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjt6z000sbX
“When I was just a small-time writer, my fluff had only two readers.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIEo3Ihfij
That was no good… So I took the dark path instead.”
Her voice held resignation—and a bit of self-deprecating humor.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8CfcORV7D
Like someone who only meant to cause a little confusion,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBEuYtH1cY
but got dragged deeper and deeper into fandom, until there was no going back.
She looked at him seriously.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMu19xbccr
“You better not tell anyone.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfLjJcI7xD
I never wrote about you, okay?”
Tim couldn’t tell if that was a plea… or a threat.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuIbSUYgkl
So he simply nodded.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGxDVylaeD
Tim looked at her, blue eyes focused.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWelZ6KGO5A
He asked, voice quiet:
“So…137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTJ1YyBfnD
Were you happy?137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchvnn7Z9G9
In that world?”
Nora nodded gently.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnSZl2DCcl
Her tone was soft, filled with an indescribable longing.
“Mm.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKMJGtGuAq
Those were the happiest fifteen years of my life.”
But then—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHX708XqW6
she turned her face toward his stomach, burying herself there.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrszbxV4V2U
Her voice came muffled:
“Too bad, Tim…137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Jr4EbC2Qh
The apocalypse came.”
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0zYqhF8yI
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IPTmM5XAz
and then Add to home screen.