Two weeks had passed since the death of the Joker. Two weeks of statements, interviews, and carefully managed press releases.
Two weeks of Barbara being hailed as both hero and vigilante, depending on which news outlet you preferred. Two weeks of adjustment to a new reality.
The League's influence had indeed proven valuable.
The official narrative - that Barbara had acted to neutralize an imminent threat that conventional containment had repeatedly failed to address - had been largely accepted by the public and legal authorities.
No charges had been filed. Commissioner Gordon had weathered the political storm with dignity, recusing himself from the investigation while maintaining his position.
On the surface, life was returning to a semblance of normalcy. But beneath that veneer, fundamental shifts were occurring.
I found Barbara in the library at Wayne Manor, surrounded by books on legal philosophy, ethics, and historical jurisprudence.
She'd been spending increasing amounts of time here, diving deep into questions that had once been academic but now held personal significance.
"Hey," I said softly, not wanting to startle her.
She looked up from a heavy tome on the evolution of criminal justice, offering a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey yourself."
I took a seat across from her, noting the dark circles under her eyes. "Another late night?"
"Couldn't sleep," she admitted, closing the book. "Too many thoughts."
"Want to share them?" I offered.
Barbara sighed, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I've been thinking about justice. About right and wrong.
The law says killing is wrong - period. Self-defense or defense of others creates exceptions, but those are narrowly defined."
"Your actions fell within those exceptions," I reminded her. "The Joker was threatening lives."
"Did they, though?" she challenged, leaning forward. "By the strictest legal definition, I shot him after you had neutralized the immediate threat. The detonator was disabled. He was no longer capable of causing immediate harm."
I understood her point. The legal justification for her actions relied on a broader interpretation of "imminent threat" - one that accounted for the Joker's history of escaping custody and continuing his reign of terror.
"The law isn't designed to handle someone like the Joker," I said. "Someone who repeatedly escapes justice, who cannot be rehabilitated, who will always pose a threat."
"Exactly," Barbara said, gesturing to the books surrounding her. "The law assumes certain things about human behavior -
that most people can be deterred by punishment, that rehabilitation is possible, that containment works. None of those assumptions held true for the Joker."
She stood, pacing between the bookshelves with restless energy. "But if we accept that the law has limitations - that sometimes justice requires actions outside its boundaries - where do we draw the line?
Who decides when the system has failed enough to justify taking matters into our own hands?"
I watched her move, recognizing that these weren't abstract philosophical questions for her anymore. They were deeply personal, tied to a choice she could never unmake.
"It's not just about the Joker," she continued. "It's about all the systems we create to govern ourselves. Laws, customs, social norms - they all have blind spots, failures, contradictions."
"Like what?" I asked, curious about where her mind had been wandering.
Barbara paused, gathering her thoughts. "Take relationships, for example. After major wars throughout history, male populations were decimated, creating massive imbalances.
In some post-war societies, polygamy became more common - not because of moral shifts, but because of practical necessity."
"The demographics demanded adaptation," I observed.
"Exactly," she said, returning to her seat. "In those situations, was monogamy still the 'right' model?
If it meant large numbers of women would never have partners, never have families? The moral framework that works in one context might create suffering in another."
I nodded, seeing the connection to her broader questioning. "You're wondering if moral absolutes can exist in a world of changing contexts."
"Yes," she admitted. "And it goes beyond historical examples. Even today, there are countries where polygamy is accepted, others where it's forbidden.
There are people unsuited for traditional relationships - whether because of personality, circumstance, or moral character. The numbers don't add up neatly."
She looked down at her hands. "In some places, men marrying multiple women is a solution to these imbalances. In modern Western society, we call that wrong. But is it?
Or is it just different? And who decides?"
I studied her carefully, recognizing that these philosophical musings were connected to her actions that night at the Monarch Theater.
She was questioning the foundations of right and wrong, wondering if justice could exist outside the boundaries of law.
"Would you like to see another perspective?" I asked quietly. "Not just in theory, but in practice?"
Barbara looked up, confusion crossing her features. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," I said carefully, "that I may have found a way to visit another world. A world with different social structures, different moral frameworks, different approaches to justice."
Her eyes widened. "Another world? Like... an alternate dimension?"
"Something like that," I replied, remembering the System's warning against revealing its existence directly.
"A place with its own history, its own evolution of social norms. We could observe it firsthand."
"How is that possible?" she asked, skepticism and curiosity warring in her expression.
I considered how to explain without mentioning the System directly.
----------------------------------
Three days earlier
The familiar blue rectangle of the Omniversal Observation System materialized in my room at Wayne Manor, expanding to show all four participants for the first time in weeks.
"Samael," Azula greeted, her expression showing unusual animation. "We were beginning to think you'd abandoned our little group."
"My apologies," I replied. "There have been... developments in my world that required my attention."
The System thankfully had stopped forced participation a while ago and allowed one to choose when to open it and talk to one another.
Light Yagami studied me with those calculating eyes. "The clown is dead, I take it?"
I tensed, surprised by his perception. "How did you know about that?"
A small, satisfied smile played at his lips. "Your demeanor has changed. There's a weight lifted, but a new one added. Someone significant to your situation has been eliminated, but not by your hand directly. The guilt would be more evident otherwise."
"Perceptive as always, Light," Aizen commented smoothly before turning his attention to me. "Congratulations on resolving your... complication."
Perceptive indeed... Has he gotten the Death Note now?
Before I could respond, text appeared in the center of our display:
[OMNIVERSAL OBSERVATION SYSTEM UPDATE]
[INTERDIMENSIONAL TRANSIT PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
[REQUIREMENTS: MUTUAL CONSENT OF HOST AND VISITOR(S)]
[RESTRICTIONS: NO SABOTAGE OR HARM WITHOUT EXPLICIT PERMISSION]
[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED KILLING RESULTS IN PERMANENT ERASURE OF OFFENDER]
[NOTE: EVEN ALIEN X OR THE HOGYOKU CANNOT PREVENT THIS CONSEQUENCE]
I froze at the mention of Alien X - a transformation I had never revealed to anyone in this world - and noted how Aizen's expression flickered briefly at the mention of the Hogyoku.
The System clearly knew far more about us than we had disclosed to each other.
"Interdimensional transit?" Azula leaned forward, her interest piqued. "You mean we can actually visit each other's worlds?"
[CORRECT. TIME DILATION PROTOCOLS AVAILABLE]
[STANDARD RATIO: ONE MINUTE IN ORIGIN WORLD = ONE YEAR IN VISITED WORLD]
[ADJUSTABLE BASED ON REQUIREMENTS]
"Fascinating," Aizen murmured. "The implications for observation and learning are... substantial."
Light's eyes had narrowed. "And the restrictions? No harm without permission, no killing at all?"
[CORRECT. VIOLATIONS RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION AND PENALTIES]
[KILLING OF GROUP MEMBERS AND VISITORS RESULTS IN PERMANENT ERASURE FROM ALL REALITIES]
[NO EXCEPTIONS. NO APPEALS.]
The severity of the warning hung in the air between us. Whatever entity operated the System clearly had power that transcended even our most significant abilities.
Azula broke the tension with characteristic directness. "Samael, I extend an invitation to you to visit the Fire Nation.
As I've mentioned, Ba Sing Se has fallen, and the integration of Earth Kingdom territories presents unique administrative challenges.
Your perspective on systems transformation could prove valuable."
I was surprised by the invitation, though perhaps I shouldn't have been. Azula had been hinting at potential collaboration since our private session weeks ago.
"I accept your invitation," I replied after a moment's consideration. "Though I would need to arrange matters in my world first."
Azula nodded, satisfaction evident in her expression. "Of course. The System can facilitate when you're ready."
The conversation continued, discussing the practical implications of this new development, but my mind was already racing with possibilities.
-------------------------------
Direct observation of another world, with its own social structures and moral frameworks, could provide valuable insights for both my own objectives and, perhaps, for Barbara's current philosophical questioning.
"You're serious," Barbara said, pulling me back to the present. "You've actually found a way to visit another dimension."
"Yes," I confirmed. "A world with its own history, social structures, and moral frameworks.
Different enough from ours to provide perspective, but similar enough to be comprehensible."
"And we could go there? How long would we be gone?" The practical questions reflected her analytical mind, always seeking to understand parameters before making decisions.
"That's one of the more interesting aspects," I explained. "There's a time differential.
What would be minutes here would be much longer there - potentially years of observation compressed into a brief absence from our world."
Barbara's eyebrows rose. "Years? How is that possible?"
"The mechanics are complex," I said, avoiding direct mentions of the System. "But it means we could observe long-term social evolution without significant time passing here."
She fell silent, considering the implications. "And this other world - what's it like?"
"It's called the Four Nations," I explained, drawing on what I knew of Avatar's world. "A place where elemental manipulation is possible for certain individuals.
Their society has evolved along different lines than ours, with different power structures and moral frameworks."
"Including different approaches to relationships and justice?" she asked, connecting it to our earlier discussion.
"Yes," I confirmed. "Including those. The Fire Nation, where we would visit, has its own distinct cultural practices and philosophical traditions."
Barbara studied me, her analytical mind clearly working through the implications. "This isn't theoretical, is it? You've already arranged this somehow."
"I've made contact," I acknowledged. "I've been invited by someone there - a princess named Azula.
She's interested in my perspective on systems transformation, particularly as they integrate conquered territories."
"Conquered territories?" Barbara's expression grew concerned. "Are we talking about visiting some kind of expansionist empire?"
"We would be observers, not participants," I assured her. "And yes, the Fire Nation has recently expanded its territory.
That's precisely why it's interesting - a society in transition, grappling with questions of justice, integration, and governance."
Barbara was quiet for a long moment, weighing the opportunity against the unknown risks. Finally, she asked, "When would we go?"
"Whenever you're ready," I replied. "The opportunity is open to us."
She nodded slowly. "I need to think about it. This is... a lot to process."
"Of course," I said, standing. "Take your time. It's a significant decision."
As I turned to leave, Barbara called after me. "Samael? Thank you. For understanding why I need to explore these questions."
I smiled. "Some questions can't be answered through books alone. Sometimes you need to see different possibilities firsthand."
I left her in the library, surrounded by philosophical texts that suddenly seemed limited compared to the direct observation we could undertake.
The System had opened a door between worlds, and with it, an opportunity to expand Barbara's perspective beyond the confines of our reality's moral frameworks.
Whether she would step through that door remained to be seen. But the possibility itself represented a new direction for both of us - a chance to understand justice not just as an abstract concept, but as a living, evolving practice across different worlds and cultures.
As I walked through Wayne Manor's corridors, I contemplated what it might mean to show Barbara a world like the Fire Nation -
a place where power and authority operated by different rules, where relationships followed different patterns, where justice took forms both familiar and alien to our understanding.
It would be a risk, certainly. But perhaps a necessary one for someone questioning the foundations of right and wrong in the aftermath of a choice that had forever changed her.
It would as well aid in me perhaps slowly convincing her of my views, for to be honest, I do not think I can bear to lose her now.
I have no desire to have to choose between my vision and her...
For I am not sure which I will choose.
A just world or her.
-------------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!
Do tell me how you found it?
I think this is a reasonable change for an intelligent and moral person like Barbara.
And yeah, we are going to the Avatar world next chapter. I have no idea how long the arc will be, but I will make sure it is fun.
So yeah, do tell me how you found it and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)