Dick seemed to be frozen, feeling that the person in front of him was lying. The shadowy figure that appeared before him was drastically different from the Batman he knew.
Yet, he couldn't contradict this as no one else could merge as seamlessly with Gotham's darkness as Batman.
Or perhaps, the person in front of him, who introduced himself as Batman, suited the city's darkness more than the Batman Dick knew.
The moist air of the Gotham night seemed to cascade over him like a wave of darkness, causing every droplet of moisture from his hair to his skin to be remarkably noticeable.
Dick had never seen a Batman like this before.
He knew Batman was the Dark Knight of Gotham, and that Batman was not the bright and magnificent hero written about in fairy tales. The allure of this darkness deeply fascinated Dick, but at this moment, he appeared even more mesmerized.
"Who exactly are you?" Dick asked, staring at the figure in perplexity, as he took a hesitant step forward.
"I am Batman," the figure replied once again. Seeing Dick's childish face, he displayed an added level of patience and added, "Batman from another world."
"Another world?" Dick muttered, repeating these words. He felt that he shouldn't accept such a bizarre explanation. Do other worlds truly exist? Is there a Gotham there too? Is there a Batman?
"You know the Batman from this world," the figure in the darkness spoke in a tone that turned the phrase from a question into a statement, taking it as an apparent fact.
Dick slightly regained his senses. He took a step back, baring his teeth like a cat, warning, "What do you want? You imposter, I'm not going to tell you anything about Batman!"
"He shouldn't be Batman," the shadowy figure replied in a very slow voice. Every word echoed clearly in Dick's ears, having an unfathomable attraction.
"What did you say?" Dick asked in surprise.
"Batman is Bruce Wayne," the deep voice echoed again. Before Dick could express his surprise at the figure's knowledge, the figure spoke again.
"He should be more Bruce than Batman."
Dick's mouth gaped open. He suddenly felt a touch of guilt and instinctively glanced around. He stared at the figure in front of him, wondering if the figure possessed mind-reading skills.
Just now, the image of Batman taking him on a roundabout route atop the Gotham Rooftops and the scenario where Bruce was comforting him by his bedside alternated in his mind. This made his already unstable mental state even more chaotic.
When a stranger suddenly exposed his distress, Dick was afraid yet couldn't help but wonder if everyone else thought the same; thinking like this was normal.
Just as Dick was lost in thoughts, the shadowy figure vanished. Dick didn't notice when or how the figure disappeared, yet he was starting to believe that the figure was indeed Batman. Only Batman could disappear without a trace.
Children's thoughts are always apparent, and when Dick returned to Wayne Manor, Alfred brought a towel to dry his damp hair. Just as he was doing this, Bruce emerged from Dick's bedroom.
Upon seeing Bruce's actions, Dick felt a sudden surge of anger. He turned his head to the side, refusing to look at Bruce. Bruce, appearing puzzled, walked over to the couch and asked him, "What's wrong, Dick? Where have you been?"
"Why did you go in my room?!" Dick looked into Bruce's face and his anger grew further when he saw Bruce's perplexed expression. He raised his voice, "There are no secrets in my room! You big detective!"
"No, Dick, it's not like that. It wasn't me who wanted to pry into your secrets, it was Aisha who went into your room looking for you to tell her a story. When she realized you weren't there, she started to cry and messed up your sheets. Alfred and I just carried her out," Bruce patiently explained.
Dick was left speechless, but his anger and irritation did not subside. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I was inconsiderate. Batman is always right."
After saying that, he jerked the towel away causing Alfred, who was holding the other end, to lose his grip.
Bruce immediately frowned and stood in the way of Dick's path back to his room, "Dick, don't act like this. You nearly hit Alfred, you owe him an apology."
Dick turned his head back and glanced at the old butler's aged face. Lowering his voice, he muttered, "I'm sorry, Alfred. I should go to bed."
After saying that, Dick rushed back to his room without looking back, shutting the door behind him. Bruce watched his retreating figure and shook his head helplessly, "Sometimes, I really don't understand what he is thinking."
A look of hesitation crossed Bruce's face. After a while, he nodded, "Maybe recently I've been paying too much attention to Jason and Tim. Dick is a sensitive child, and my adopting Tim must have upset him. If he senses that I favor Jason and them, it will undoubtedly hurt him."