"Redemption does not ask to be believed; it simply insists on happening."
---
Gotham Morning
Sunlight spilled over the skyline, turning smog into gold.
For once, Gotham looked… peaceful.
Inside a modest storefront, the words "Quinn & Ink – Custom Tattoos & Art" gleamed in red neon. Harley changed the name of her shop again.
The bell above the door jingled as King entered, his shirt brushing faintly against the frame.
Harley looked up from the counter, grin wide. "Well, if it ain't the big scary god-man himself."
King smiled faintly. "You're open early."
"Kid's got school." She jerked a thumb toward the back room.
From behind a curtain, Ace emerged. Hair tied neatly, carrying a schoolbag and a sketchbook covered in floral designs.
She smiled shyly at King. "Morning."
He nodded. "You've grown."
Harley ruffled Ace's hair. "My little tattoo apprentice-slash-honor-roll-student. Got her first client last week. Drew a rose that looked so real, I nearly cried."
Ace beamed. "I like drawing things that stay."
King crouched slightly to her eye level. "And what do you want to become?"
She thought for a long moment, then said, "Someone who doesn't hurt people when I feel scared."
King smiled. "Then you're already becoming it."
Harley smirked, tossing him a towel. "You're good with kids. Ever thought about babysitting?"
He caught the towel effortlessly. "I only deal with tantrums measured in megatons."
They laughed, except King.
The moment felt normal.
That, in Gotham, was a miracle.
The Watchtower Council
Elsewhere, Earth hung in silence beyond the glass dome of the Watchtower's council chamber.
Seated around the table: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Red Tornado and Aquaman.
The room buzzed with subdued tension.
Wonder Woman spoke first. "He freed convicts, reformed a psychic child and rebuilt a community from ash. Yet the world calls him a threat."
Superman folded his arms. "They're afraid of what they can't categorize."
Red Tornado tapped his holo-display. "Military satellites track his heat signature daily. He's been in four active volcanoes this week. Extracted platinum, gold, carbon. Purity off the charts. He sells them anonymously through third-party markets to small manufacturers."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "That's how he funds Harley's business, the neighborhood shelters, his rent and his hobby."
Aquaman grunted. "So he's a philanthropist now. Doesn't make him less unpredictable."
Martian Manhunter spoke calmly. "He doesn't act unpredictably. He acts authentically. There's a difference."
Wonder Woman turned to Bruce. "You've studied him longest. What do you believe he is?"
Bruce paused. "He's not a god. Not an alien. He's… an equation that balances every extreme. A constant."
Superman looked down. "Then why does it feel like the world's about to shift?"
Batman looked at him. "Because it already has."
Gotham, Afternoon
Ace sat at her workstation, tattooing a small flower on a client's wrist under Harley's watchful eye.
Every motion was precise, calm. Her hands steady, her mind quiet.
Harley whispered proudly, "Look at that focus. Queen of ink right there."
Ace smiled faintly, finishing the linework. The client thanked her, left a generous tip and walked out.
As the door closed, Ace looked down at the bracelet around her wrist — silver, faintly glowing with golden circuitry and runes.
A psychic restraint, sleek and elegant, designed by the Justice League's science team and enchanted by Wonder Woman herself.
She turned it gently. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Harley leaned against the counter. "Good. It's not supposed to. Just keeps the noise quiet, right?"
Ace nodded. "It's like… I can finally think without hearing everyone else."
The bell above the door jingled again.
This time it was Bruce Wayne, in a tailored suit, looking slightly uncomfortable in the colorful shop.
Behind him, Selina Kyle smirked. "Told you it wasn't so bad."
Harley's grin widened. "Well, look who's slummin' with us mortals."
Bruce's tone was even. "We came to see how Ace is adapting."
Ace smiled nervously. "I'm okay. Miss Wonder Woman gave me this," she said, lifting the bracelet. "It's pretty."
Selina crouched, smiling gently. "It suits you."
Harley folded her arms. "She's got more grace than half your League combined, Bats."
Bruce's mouth twitched, almost a smile. "That I don't doubt."
King entered just then, carrying a small crate of uncut gems. "Morning."
Selina arched an eyebrow. "You bring gifts?"
"Fuel." King said simply. "For creation, not destruction."
Bruce glanced at the crate. "Volcanic extractions again?"
King nodded. "Gems, metals, precious stones. Unrefined purity is the closest thing to honesty in this world."
Selina smirked. "So you're a miner and a philosopher."
King met her gaze. "You can't dig that deep without becoming both."
Harley clapped her hands. "Well, ain't this cozy. Gotham's weirdest family reunion."
Watchtower Observation Deck
Later that evening, Superman and Batman watched the same feed — Harley and Ace closing the shop, lights dimming.
Superman broke the silence first. "She's smiling. Ace. Haven't seen that before."
Bruce nodded. "Harley too."
Clark looked at him. "You can't tell me this isn't working."
"It is," Bruce admitted. "But it's also dangerous."
"Why?"
"Because he's redefining heroism without hierarchy. No teams. No symbols. Just… presence."
Clark frowned slightly. "And you're afraid that's better?"
Bruce didn't answer.
LexCorp, Midnight
Lex stood before a floor-to-ceiling projection of King, Harley and Ace in the tattoo shop.
His reflection in the glass was tired, hollow.
Beside him, Amanda Waller folded her arms. "Your move?"
Lex spoke quietly. "I've built weapons to kill gods. But I can't outthink a man who doesn't want anything."
Waller's eyes narrowed. "You giving up?"
Lex smiled, but there was no warmth. "No. I'm changing the question."
He turned away from the screen. "What if he's not a threat… but a mirror? What if the reason he terrifies us is because he's what we'd all be if we stopped lying to ourselves?"
Gotham Rooftop
The night wind carried laughter. Faint and human, from the streets below.
King stood on a nearby rooftop, arms folded, watching Ace walk home with Harley under the streetlights.
He smiled faintly.
Superman landed beside him silently. "You're helping them build a life."
King nodded. "They were always meant to. I just cleared the debris."
Clark looked down. "You could've been one of us."
King looked at him. "You still don't understand. I never wanted to belong."
Superman studied him. "Then what do you want?"
King looked out over Gotham's horizon. The broken skyline, the glowing clouds, the faint hum of life returning.
"To make sure humanity remembers it can still stand without gods."
He turned, walking into the mist. His voice lingered like thunder fading behind mountains.
"And maybe… to see what comes next."
Read 24 chapters ahead on P.A.T.R.E.O.N
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