* 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒

" what are you? "   you used to be more discrete,   one non human finding another was something to be worrisome of.   you used to drop hints,   draw out information rather than ask it as bluntly as you just did.   you've learned since then.   the power that grew within you was the result of the most haunting moment of your life,   but it was power none the less   (   so intense that when you first felt it,   it burned your finger tips,   seared beneath your skin   ).   you're not afraid anymore,   you're not worried,   so you turn to @rulesdream with with a straight face.   " you're not human,   so what are you? "

when was the last time gotham slept peacefully ? the batman struggles to recollect though , his nights are spent in a frenzy. nights in which he battles the elements alongside gotham - gotham is relentless in her cruelty. her talons raked down his kevlar as it pierces through suit , and draws blood. wanting his blood to fall upon city , for the city runs through veins.

' dream , have you been to hell ? ' his voice low , carried by the wind that blows upon them , and his cape whips against the gargoyles that stand. the batman knows that the other who stands next to him is more than what a mere mortal can understand , there are things - beings that are not quite earthly.

' do you think that the horrors below can be mirrored ? ' exhaustion skirts , he can feel it in his very bones. it gnaws away at him , hopes to overpower his will. that's what he thrives on , the will that comes with hope. he is mortal , at night when he goes to sleep he awakes with the wounds that have not healed.

❝ yes.   i   have   been   to   hell. ❞   focus   returning   to   the   urban   wastelands   below,   expression   blank   but   for   the   slightest   tension   at   his   jaw.   𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆.   (  for there   is   an   exhaustion   within   which he   cannot   name. )   an   ache,   an   abyss.   something   decayed   that   picks   at   the   stitching   of   his   viscera.   sensation that   he   is   being   unmade,   only   to   be   𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐘 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒.   ❝ and   the   horrors   below   cannot   be   replicated,   nor   understood   other   than   by   those   who   belong   to   the   damned. ❞

𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒

that is a weird story ,  which will only haunt you if i tell it .

i like weird tales ,  &  they never trouble me .

you’ll be sorry for it ,  &  so shall i ,  perhaps .

a dreadful sense of loneliness oppressed me .

i’ve gone back a little to refresh my memory .

i can find my way back to you .

let us get out of this horrible place at once .

other men have passed here before us .

we may find something rare  &  precious here .

i never have quite forgiven myself for stealing it .

i brought it away as a souvenir .

i have a little surprise for you ,  my love .

you are foolishly superstitious .

neither sleep ,  food,  nor air gives me strength .

i told no one ,  i wanted to surprise you with it .

wake up  &  answer me !

i cherish the theory that the soul sometimes lingers in the body after death .

i should like to see justice done to it .

you believe in the soul as an independent entity ,  then ?

nobody would go near the place .

you and i know what happened .  or at least can guess .

don’t you recognize me ?

you shouldn’t leave your sentences unfinished .

i was just going home .

i’ll gladly come in ,  if you’ll allow me .

i must get back as quick as i can ,  it will be dark in a few minutes .

you must come with me .

i won’t stand for such nonsense ,  now .

good heavens ,  it’s a man’s body !

i wish the wind would go down .

you’ve been gone so long ,  i thought something must have happened to you .

the elements are always the true immortals .

i don’t mean that ,  of course .

shows how lonely this place is .

what else ,  in the name of heaven ,  what else ?

you know ,  i saw it before you did .

don’t keep pretending you hear things .

the best thing you can do is just keep quiet .

come  &  listen ,  &  see what you make of it .

haven’t i explained all that once ?

i can’t disguise it any longer .

i don’t like this place .  the darkness ,  &  the noises ,  &  the awful feelings i get .

we must keep our minds quiet .

&  what do you propose ?

i slept badly a little after dawn .

the wind won’t account for all the noises .

were you awake all last night ?

the only thing for us to do is to go on as though nothing had happened .

the less we think about them the better .