Chapter 54: Limits Confirmed (Patreon)

Kara allowed Barbara and her father to have their moment. A small smile lingered on her face as she watched them. She understood how terrifying it was for them. And now, to have it all fixed so impossibly was something that needed a moment to settle.

Gordon finally pulled back, though his hands remained on Barbara’s shoulders.

“Even though I went to him on my own legs,” he said slowly, “I still can’t believe it worked just like this.”

Kara nodded, then asked, “Sir… how was Sebastian?”

Gordon’s expression turned from happiness to doubt.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But he wasn’t acting like he normally does. He didn’t smile. Didn’t say anything strange. He was… calm. The calmest I have ever seen him. And it felt wrong.”

“What will you do about him?” Kara asked after a moment. “Are you going to throw him in prison?”

Gordon shook his head. 

“No. I met him with Batman. He threatened us.”

Barbara’s brows furrowed. “What did he say?”

“Not much,” Gordon replied. “But it was enough. He made it clear that if we go after him, it will be nothing more than an inconvenience to him. He would simply… move. Find somewhere else to live.”

A brief pause.

“But in return,” he continued, “he would ruin our lives. And the entirety of Gotham.”

The girls were taken aback.

“He said if we are confident we can deal with his ‘nonsense,’ then we are free to try bringing him in,” Gordon added. “And that…” He shook his head slightly. “That scared me.”

Barbara looked at her father with clear surprise..

“I called him insane before,” Gordon went on. “But after everything I’ve learned and seen, he is sane and what he says is true. That makes him far more dangerous than anyone else in this city.”

Kara’s expression tightened slightly.

“He has already shown what he could do unhindered at a city scale when he was helping the city,” Gordon continued. “I don’t even want to imagine what he would do if he truly aimed at hurting Gotham. Especially after what he did to the Joker.”

Kara hesitated. “But… would he really do that?” she asked. “He’s not a monster.”

Barbara spoke before Gordon could answer. 

“He doesn’t like me,” she said, “and he still helped. I don’t think he would cause something on that scale.”

She paused, then added, “And honestly… I don’t think it’s fair to go after him for what he did to the Joker.”

Kara nodded in agreement.

Gordon looked at both of them, his expression firm. “It’s not about what we think is fair,” he said. “He went after and killed people for revenge. That is wrong, regardless of anything else he does.”

“And I don’t understand him,” he admitted. “That’s what worries me the most. He can go to extremes when angered, and he has proven last night that he will follow through regardless of good or bad.”

Another pause.

“What unsettled me the most,” Gordon continued, “was how he described Gotham. ‘It’s just the place where I keep my things’. If that is truly how he sees this city, then an extreme retaliation from him wouldn’t consider consequences. It would only focus on inflicting damage and suffering.”

The room fell silent again.

Finally, Gordon shook his head.

“I am not going after him or letting any officer do that. I’m not willing to take that risk. I would rather watch a man preaching cocaine divinity and helping people than dealing with a cold monster wanting to kill and torture.”

Barbara said. “I suppose… that’s good enough for now.”

Kara said nothing. But her face had a look of surprise.

———

Two weeks later, far from Gotham, Sebastian sat alone at a small roadside restaurant in Xiamen. The place was modest to the point of being forgettable, two worn tables set outside, a faded awning overhead, and a street that barely anyone stepped in.

He hadn’t felt like staying in Gotham. So he decided to take a vacation from it all.

He had informed the Penguin that he would be gone for a few weeks, without specifying a return date. Still, he was careful. He kept track of time. The one-month limit mattered. If necessary, he could return briefly, approach the Penguin without appearing as Alfred, and reset the period. It was a loophole, one he had every intention of exploiting.

For now, though, he sat in a quiet corner of the world, waiting for food he couldn’t even name.

He had picked dishes at random from the menu. The characters meant nothing to him, and the owner didn’t speak English. It didn’t matter. He wanted to try something new. As for payment, at least numbers were universal.

After some wait, the owner returned and placed several plates in front of him. Steam rose gently into the air.

Sebastian looked down at the unfamiliar dishes.

Then he picked up the utensils and started eating anyway.

Before he took the first bite, the world vanished.

He stood in the void again.

Sebastian paused, then sighed.

“What do you want, you petty bastard?”

The presence answered, its voice sounding from every direction.

“Your insolence knows no end.”

The weight came instantly. The pressure of existence itself collapsed onto him, crushing his shoulders, forcing his spine downward. Simultaneously pain erupted in his head.

Sebastian clenched his teeth.

“Fuck you,” he forced out. “Don’t ever dream of me showing you respect.”

“You are pathetic,” the god said coldly. “You ran away from Gotham because a little insect died.”

Sebastian began laughing despite the pain.

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, I am pathetic. I am insignificant. I know this life is fake, everyone is fake, and I am still getting invested in their fictional life. I even felt pain for a fictional worm with a familiar face.”

His grin widened.

“But do you know what’s more pathetic than me?”

The pressure on him increased.

“It’s you,” Sebastian said. “You can’t even get trash like me to respect you, your punishment and rules failed. I still insult you to your face and live the way I want and none figured out my state. I have an entire cult dedicated to cursing you and it is still growing. Your little batmen gang? I killed them. You are pathetic and a disgrace.”

“You exist because I allow it,” the entity responded. “Every time you think you escape your fate, I will bring you down to it.”

Sebastian laughed again, harsher this time.

“I don’t know what your deal is,” he said, straightening slightly despite the crushing force, “but you’re not as mighty as you pretend to be. You’re a liar. And you have limits.”

The pressure trembled, just slightly.

“You don’t know everything,” Sebastian continued. “You can’t just impose rules whenever you want or however you want. You can’t even affect the world whenever you want.”

A wide smirk spread across his face.

“And with every stunt you pull, I get closer to understanding you.” His eyes gleamed. “Eventually, you’ll just sit there helplessly, watching me do whatever I want.”

He laughed again.

“So go on, try your worst,” he said. “What useless rule are you adding this time?”

For a moment, there was silence.

Then.

“You cannot reset your absence timer by briefly returning,” the entity declared. “Your master must see you and issue orders for a duration equal to the time you were gone.”

Sebastian blinked then laughed harder than before.

“That’s it?” he said. “That’s all you’ve got? You pathetic piece of shit.”

The pressure surged again, but he didn’t stop.

“If you’re so powerful, why not add another one?” he continued mockingly. “Go on. Try again.  I will give you a few more tries.”

He paused, his grin widening further.

“Or maybe you really can’t.”

The force intensified, forcing Sebastian to his knees, yet his expression turned manic.

“I knew it. Fuck you!!”

And then the void was gone.

Sebastian found himself back in the small restaurant, breathing unevenly. He stared down at the plate in front of him.

He had provoked that god on purpose. He wanted to confirm his suspicions, and he did. Naturally, he knew there was a possibility of him being wrong and that bastard ending adding more than one rule. But did that matter? The bastard would have done it all the same eventually if he could.

So if something was going to be wrong, it didn’t matter when. In fact, it was better to face them early and find a way around them.

Sebastian continued thinking to himself [If that bastard created this world to punish me, why does he not have control over it? Is it really his creation? What is really going on here?]

Sebastian picked up his utensils again, as if nothing had happened, and took another bite, while he thought about his situation.

———

Once Sebastian finished his meal, he stepped back into the streets of Xiamen. He walked without direction, he was simply touring around and watching the people carry on with their daily life.

By the time evening arrived, he found himself drifting into a narrow alley, the kind most people would instinctively avoid.

A blur of movement caught his attention.

A small figure came running toward him, a little asian girl with black hair, no older than ten or eleven, dressed in tattered clothes. She moved fast, running through the alley like her life depended on it.

Sebastian didn’t react. He kept walking, his gaze forward, as if she didn’t exist.

They crossed paths.

And in that instant, her hand darted toward his pocket.

Sebastian’s body moved before his thoughts could catch up. His hand shot out and caught her wrist mid-motion. He turned his head slightly, looking down at her.

Surprise filled her eyes.

“Really? I am not in mo…” Sebastian began.

He didn’t get to finish.

The girl moved instantly, stepping in close to his side, her movement surprisingly nimble as if practiced. Her leg snapped out, striking the back of his knee.

Sebastian blinked as his leg jolted forward.

He didn’t fall.

If he had been a normal person, that strike would have dropped him immediately.

Instead, he tightened his grip and pulled her forward.

But she didn’t resist and instead used it.

She jumped along with his pull, using it as an added leverage. She did an upward flip while twisting her body mid-air. And in the same motion, her leg came around and struck his chin.

The impact barely moved him, just enough to tilt his head slightly.

But still the hit connected and took him by surprise, that alone was too impressive. 

Sebastian let go of her so she won’t hurt herself by falling on her head after the failed strike.

To his surprise again, the girl not only landed lightly, but she did a few seamless backward flips, creating distance between them. She came to a stop a few meters away, her stance low, her eyes locked onto him.

Confusion flickered across her face. Then determination replaced it.

Sebastian stared back at her, his face showing clear surprise.

Then he had a sudden thought, he wanted to test her. To see how far that skill went. A child moving like that in a back alley wasn’t normal. Even trained adults won’t be able to pull what she did, it was almost as if she was moving ahead of him.

And judging by her stance, she was ready for a fight.

With that thought in mind, Sebastian took a step forward, intending to fight her for real and see how far he can push her.

Suddenly, the girl’s expression changed completely. Determination shattered into fear.

She turned and ran.

Sebastian stopped.

“Why did she run?” he muttered, watching her retreat. “I thought she wanted to fight.”

He looked behind him to see if he missed something, then back toward the direction she ran.

“What scared her?” Sebastian was truly confused.

He stood there for a moment, then he ran after her.

She sparked his curiosity and he won’t let her escape before he is satisfied.