I had a dream.
I dreamt of a world where I was a normal boy. Born in a normal family. Studied in a normal school. And had normal friends.
In that world, I was happy, but there was a sort of dissatisfaction and the need for excitement. I wanted to be rid of my normal life and the normal cycle of life.
So when I saw a girl about to be mugged and killed, I moved...and I died because of it. I have no idea if the girl made it out safely or not since that was the end of my dream.
It's certainly a tragic ending, I thought. Then I also thought, was this just a dream?
The answer is no.
Why so? Because as I look at my body, I only see my little hands and feet...I had become a baby!
This must be the so-called reincarnation or transmigration. Honestly, I am sometimes confused regarding the two.
Whatever it is, I am now in the body of a baby. And it's impossible for a baby to be able to think as I do.
How did this happen? I have no idea. There's no one I can ask as well.
Looking around, I found myself in a crib inside a dark room.
From the windows, I can see it was a dark night outside and it was also raining. Occasionally, the sound of thunder could be heard and flashes of lightning could be seen.
Suddenly, I heard noises from behind the door.
It sounded like an old man and a boy were talking. After a while, they opened the door and walked over to me.
The old man had a balding head with only a bit of white hair left but it was still neatly combed. He stood straight despite being old and wore butler-ish clothes. Hold on, I guess he is indeed a butler?
Is my new family so rich to actually have butlers?
As for the boy, he looked to be about 8 years old. He had a somewhat handsome and childish face. His hair was as black as the night and his eyes were red as if he had just spent the whole day crying.
Is this my brother? I mean, he can't be my father, right? Or maybe a cousin? The butler's son?
"Master Bruce, you still have young master Lucas. You have to be strong."
"...I know Alfred...I knowβ¦"
...Hold up, his name is Bruce and the old butler is Alfred!? Is he Batman or what!?
"With both of your parents...gone. I'm afraid the Wayne family now only has you two."
"...I know...little brother, I know you can't understand me yet...but everything's going to be alright. I promise."
...Wayne!? Little brother!?
This...this...is this some sort of prank or...am I really Batman's little brother!?
Heck, I didn't know Batman even HAD a little brother!...Or no, I think there was a multiverse where he had a brother but I wasn't familiar with it...
Inwardly shaking away these thoughts, I remembered what they just said.
That their parents are now gone...meaning, dead. This must be the night they were murdered...what a strange coincidence.
I was brought into this world the day Batman's parents diedβ¦
Looking at the red eyes of my...brother, Bruce, I knew how devastated he felt right now. In the original Batman story, Bruce was alone after his parents were killed and he didn't have much support at the start other than Alfred.
This caused him to become Batman in the end. But now, it's different. Bruce has a real blood-related family close to him that is still alive. My existence can actually cause Bruce to...not become Batman.
But...is that a good thing? I wasn't sure. My actions may lead to the world having no Batman but...seeing this big brother of mine who's trying hard not to cry in front of his little brother has moved my feelings.
I gave him a smile. Bruce was surprised but smiled back.
When I saw him smile, I felt it...I felt that the Batman I knew had changed...
Time flew, I was now 10 years old. Bruce is also around 18 years old now. Neither of us attended school but was home tutored by Alfred instead.
At first, Alfred insisted we go to school but Bruce refused so I also refused, saying that I would accompany my brother instead.
As such, us 2 brothers got closer to each other as time passed. Still, I can tell that when I'm not around, Bruce would have a solemn and lonely look in his eyes. He still can't forget that night our parents died.
There was nothing I could do about it except try to fill in the gap our parents left behind in him. In about 2 years, Bruce will meet a man named Henri Duncan who would train him on how to fight. However, he is actually Ras Al Ghul, the Demon's Head of the League of Assassinsβ¦
I have no idea if I can stop this...or if I should...After all, I knew that this world needs a Batman. Even Superman needs Batman...without Batman, the Justice League will not exist.
Replace Bruce as Batman? No, I can't do that. If I did replace him as Batman, then what would Bruce do? How will he cope with the trauma of our parents' death?
There's even a high chance that he will...accept Ras offer and become the new Demon's Head!
I can only sigh as I thought of this.
Now that I was 10 years old, Bruce and Alfred finally agreed about letting me out of the manor and explore Gotham city.
Still, Alfred insisted on coming along to be safe and I couldn't refuse him so I can only nod and let him follow.
The Wayne manor was located a bit away from the city itself so Alfred had to drive us over there. I asked him to park the car somewhere so we can just walk and explore Gotham on foot.
After getting out of the car and looked around the city, I grinned in my mind.
Ah! This is Gotham City! Home to Batman, Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and all those crazy villains! Oh, and Jim Gordon too!
I have to say, reading the comics, watching the series, movies, or animes is completely different from walking here for real!
The scenery is making me grin non stop in my head as I try not to show too much excitement in my face since Alfred might think it's weird.
Of course, since this is Gotham, then there would definitely be thugs and bullies.
An example is the one we are seeing now.
In the alleyway of two buildings, there was a guy mugging another guy. And in broad daylight too!
I frowned as I saw this and was about to speak up when someone beat me to it.
"Stop right there!"
"...Huh?"
The mugger looked annoyed as he turned his head and saw a red-haired young girl with freckles who looked about 12 years old.
οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½Beat it brat! This is none of your business!"
"You should stop right now! My dad's a cop and he's already coming over!"
"Youβ¦!"
This time, the mugger was pissed. He charged at the girl, intending to harm her or maybe use her as a hostage in case what she said was the truth.
However, it was time I stepped in.
"Alfred! I choose you! Use tackle!"
"...As you wish young master."
Alfred was a bit speechless but still tackled the mugger.
I knew he was an ex-soldier and despite being old, fighting some roadside muggers is something he can easily do.
"Wh-!?"
In an instant, the mugger was incapacitated.
The victim earlier had already run off without thanking his rescuers as there was nothing taken from him in the end.
I scratched my head and thought about how different the people of Gotham is from my previous world.
Helplessly, I could only look at the redhead girl and greeted her.
"Well, being a hero is good and all but without skills, you shouldn't be so reckless."
οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½Uuu...I have skills! My dad taught me self-defense!"
"Which is meant to protect you in case you are attacked. I'm sure he didn't teach that to you so you can find trouble yourself."
I shook my head and sighed.
The girl seemed to have been infuriated with this and angrily stomped her feet.
"You...why are you even scolding me!? I didn't do anything bad! Also, you're younger than me!"
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not scolding you. In fact, I respect that you stood up despite your age. I just didn't want you to be so reckless next time. My parents died because of a mugger. And that could happen to you if we aren't here just now."
Hearing what I said made the girl pause and even Alfred looked at me in surprise.
"Young master...you...you knew?"
"Of course I knew. Despite you and big brother keeping it a secret, there's this thing called the internet now you know? The Waynes being killed is kind of a big deal and as long as I search Wayne in Google, that news would always pop up."
"...We only wanted you to live happily without any worries."
"I'm not worried about my parents. I barely knew and remember them. What I'm more worried about is big brother. He saw what happened with his own eyes...even a child can tell how sad and broken he must feel like."
"..."
Alfred sighed.
I shook my head and turned back to the girl who now had an awkward expression.
"U-umm...that...I'm sorry, I didn't knowβ¦"
"It's fine. Right, I'm Lucas by the way. Lucas Wayne."
"Uh, my name's Barbara. Barbara Gordon."
...Well damn. Turns out, this chick is the future Batgirl and Oracle! Jim Gordon's daughter!
I cleared my throat in an attempt to calm myself down.
"Hmm, that uniform...are you supposed to go to school or something?"
"Ah! Shoot! I totally forgot! I'm so going to be late!"
Barbara quickly looked at her watch and panicked.
"I gotta go! Ah, right, do you have a Facebook account?" (AN: lol, idk, too lazy to make stuff up XD)
"Uhh, yeah?"
"Good! I'll add you later so you better accept it! Talk to you later!"
With that, she ran away.
I stood there as I watched her disappear from my vision.
"School huh?"
I must admit, it's making me a bit nostalgic from my previous life when I still went to school like normal.
I sighed again and continued to roam Gotham with Alfred.
===
The day passed as Alfred and Lucas finished looking around Gotham.
When Alfred saw that Lucas had gotten back to his room, he sighed and went to find Bruce in the study room.
"Master Bruce, we have returned."
"Alfred, you're here. How was it? Did Lucas enjoy the walk?"
"Yes. In the beginning, though he tried to hide it, I could tell he was very much excited to walk around the city."
Hearing that, Bruce smiled and nodded.
"Good, that's good. As long as he's happy."
"However, while we were walking around the city, we came across a muggerβ¦"
"What!? What happened!? Is he hurt!?"
"Please calm down sir. Young master Lucas is fine and unhurt. In fact, he handled the situation perfectly."
Alfred proceeded to explain the events that happened earlier.
In the end, Bruce calmed down and sighed.
"So he knowsβ¦"
"Yes...and it's not only him who is worried about you sir. I am also worried."
"..."
Bruce fell silent, not sure what to say.
Eventually, he changed the topic instead.
"So this Barbara girl...Lucas seemed interested in her?"
"...It seems so. He tried to act calm when they met but I can see he is indeed interested."
"Heh, this brat is really growing up. Actually already interested in girls!"
"I think he got that from you, sir."
"..."
Bruce was speechless again!
Actually, Lucas did try to hide his expressions earlier but he didn't know that Alfred is just too good at reading expressions! It was unknown what Lucas would do if he knew that Alfred noticed those expressions he tried to hide.
It was a good thing that Lucas is not present at the moment.
"Still, school huh? We should really get Lucas to go to school."
"But he won't if you don't. He is worried about you, sir."
"...Then I'll also attend school."
Alfred smiled and nodded excitedly.
"Then I will make the arrangements sir."
"Sigh, fine. Go."
Towards Alfred's excitement, Bruce can only smile wryly and shook his head.
When Alfred left, Bruce's smile disappeared and he went back to his solemn look, seemingly considering a few things.
===
At this moment, I was staring at the ceiling while considering the future.
In truth, Batman should be the least of my worries. I knew that there are other beings in this universe that can cause a lot of havoc and deaths.
For example, Darkseid, or even Anti-Monitor.
Can I even fight against beings like those?
I know that Batman has no powers and he can still fight alongside Superman but...it's not something just anyone can do.
Just then, something weird appeared in front of my vision.
[DC System installation complete.]
[Welcome host, to the DC System.]
...What?
[The System is capable of allowing the host to fully copy DC characters' powers and skills depending on your synchronization rate with them.]
[You can increase synchronization rate by getting to know the character, fighting them, beating them, killing them, and such.]
[Host's current level is 1. You are only allowed to register 1 character to be synchronized.]
[You can gain experience points by completing the System's missions.]
Seeing all these windows popping up blew my mind away.
I simply can't believe it! A freaking system! And it allows me to copy the powers and skills of DC characters!
Haha, with this, does Darkseid even matter!?
If I can get to know Superman...hehe, wouldn't I get Superman's powers then?
I was excited and had to spend about an hour just to calm myself down. Once I did, I asked the System in my head.
'System, where did you come from? Why appear now?'
[Answering host, you do not have the required level to know where I came from. As for my sudden appearance, the DC System is a large file that needed 10 years to download completely.]
Well, that's certainly a lot. Actually, how can it even download in my brain? I'm no cyborg...whatever, let's just throw it in the magic trash can.
'This level thing...can I see how many experience I need to get?'
[Host can open up his status window by simply thinking of it.]
Then...status!
[Name: Lucas Wayne]
[Level: 1 (0/100)]
[Characters: ]
BlankHuh, well, it seems to be pretty straight forwardβ¦
'Then what about this mission thing?'
[Currently, there are no missions available. I suggest the host to get out of the house more.]
β¦
Dammit, what kind of system is this!
Sigh, anyway, I should think of who to get for that 1 character slotβ¦
Bruce? But he's still not Batman, would that even do anything?
'System, can I remove a character once slotted?'
[No.]
...Figures.
I guess I can only wait for him to be Batman before I slot his character.
Then...who should I choose which I can easily gain sync rate?
...There are not really many supervillains at this point in time huh?
Without much of a choice, I can only leave this character slot blank.
...Or maybe I can take a trip to Smallville and meet Clark Kent? I think he should still be in high school at this pointβ¦
The problem is how to convince Bruce and Alfredβ¦
I sighed again.
No good, I can't think of anything...am I really supposed to wait until I grow up?
Just as I was getting depressed, someone knocked on my door.
"It's me, sir."
"Alfred? Come in."
Alfred opened the door and handed me a letter and a uniform.
"Master Bruce has decided to go to Gotham Academy and wanted you to join him at school tomorrow."
"...Huh?"
Eh? Isn't this too fast? When did they decide this? I even have a uniform already?
"Master Bruce will be a 3rd-year student while you will be in Grade 3."
Grade 3? I'm just 10 years old, isn't it supposed to be Grade 1? Well, not like it matters to me since I'm a reincarnated person but...
Alfred doesn't seem to care about my opinion and tossed the uniform and papers to me.
"You should sleep. Don't be late for your first day of school."
Just like that, he left the room.
And to finish, a pop up appeared in front of me.
[Mission: Attend Gotham Academy.]
[Rewards: 20 EXP]
[Failure: DC System is deleted.]
...