The Blade That Broke Us
The blood still steamed on the cold stone floor of the Lazarus Courtyard. The sky above Nanda Parbat was a dull red — the kind of angry hue that seemed to echo Damian’s hollow scream.
Peter’s body lay still, his head resting to the side like he was just sleeping. His twin. His other half.
Damian dropped his sword. It clattered with a sharp, metallic finality.
“No,” Damian whispered. “No no no no no—”
He fell to his knees beside Peter, hands trembling as they hovered above his brother’s still chest. He didn’t even realize he was crying until the tears hit the blood-slicked floor.
“You were supposed to block me,” Damian choked. “You said you would block me. You said you’d always keep up.”
Peter had smiled that morning — just like any other day. Even knowing what was coming. He had smiled and said, “You’ll do great today, D. Just remember — whatever happens, I’ve got your back.”
He didn’t fight back. He let the blade cut.
And now Damian could still feel the resistance of flesh against steel — his own sword. His own hands.
“You coward,” Damian whispered through clenched teeth. “You left me. You—” His voice broke, collapsing under the weight of guilt.
He clutched Peter’s limp hand, pulling it to his chest. “You were always better than me,” he muttered. “Faster. Kinder. You were the good one. I should’ve been the one—”
Footsteps echoed behind him. The shadows of the League watched, silent and expressionless. No one dared speak. No one dared comfort him.
Talia stood at the edge of the platform, her expression unreadable, but her jaw clenched tight.
Damian turned to her, eyes blazing.
“Is this what you wanted?” he spat. “Is this your legacy?”
She said nothing.
He turned back to Peter, curling over him, his body shaking with silent sobs.
“I won’t forgive you,” he whispered to the world. “Any of you.”
And to Peter, he whispered softer:
“But I’ll make it mean something. I swear I will.”
And somewhere deep inside, the future Damian Wayne — the one Gotham would one day fear and revere — was born in the blood of his brother.