Broken(DC)

Life had changed drastically since I left. My powers never returned, leaving me a completely ordinary person. Yet, my leg remained the same. No doctor could fully restore it, and my limp and cane became my constant companions.

When I enrolled in a new school, I faced the same thing as when I had first become disabled contempt from classmates and relentless bullying. The self-defense skills I had learned helped me to some extent, but when you're one against many, the advantage quickly diminishes. Once again, my sister became my protector, stepping in to help and defend me. The boys wouldn't dare hit a girl, which Alice used to her advantage.

That's how my middle school years in Star City went. Crime-related incidents were rare there. People walked the streets freely, unafraid of criminals or life-threatening dangers. The city was drastically different from my hometown brighter, more comfortable, and much safer.

My sister had already moved on to high school and was well on her way to becoming a supermodel or at least, that's what I thought. To me, she remained the pillar of my life, always supporting and helping me despite my condition.

My other skills, aside from hand-to-hand combat, had completely deteriorated. I never learned to cook properly everything I made turned out poorly. My knife-throwing wasn't any better; even when aiming as I used to, the knives never stuck. Instead, they bounced back, often flying dangerously close to hitting me.

This plunged me into deep depression. Even thinking was harder than before; learning new information became a struggle. From a top-performing student, I had fallen to the ranks of underachievers, though I eventually managed to catch up and stay somewhere in the middle of the pack. Elizabeth chalked it up to the move and the change in environment, but I knew the real reason.

Replaying memories in my mind, I couldn't figure out what had happened to me or why I had lost all my powers.

Every night, I dreamed strange dreams, fragments of memories or at least, that's what they felt like. I distinctly knew it was me in those dreams. Occasionally, during the day, I'd experience flashes when reality shifted into hallucinations, showing me something entirely different. But these moments always faded as quickly as they appeared.

That's how my life went for five years. Now I'm sixteen, and with the start of this year, I'll be entering high school.

I never made any friends, and my only close friend, Bruce, disappeared while traveling the world. We stayed in touch for the first year, but over time, the calls became less frequent until they stopped entirely. It's been three years since we last spoke. It saddened me, but everything in this world comes to an end.

I decided to pursue the path I once chose medicine. Perhaps I could find a way to fix my condition, though I doubted I was smart enough for it.

"Brian, let's go!" Alice's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at the computer clock. It was already 3 PM. I had to hurry. Quickly shutting down the computer, I grabbed my things and rushed out.

Today, we planned to get some fresh air and enjoy a walk together. We wanted to catch the latest movie releases, as there were many interesting films out recently. The industry seemed to be experiencing a massive boom, constantly breaking records. News of films grossing half a billion dollars frequently made headlines.

The same could be said for the gaming industry so many diverse games with incredible graphics that were hard not to appreciate. Entertainment options were expanding rapidly, and it was impossible to resist them.

The world was changing fast. Just think back to what life was like before the 2000s and compare it to today. Technology was advancing at lightning speed, showcasing incredible wonders. Of course, there were also tragic events along the way.

I can't stop thinking about Gotham it was my hometown. The Mafia is still strong, and the police seem powerless against it. Or rather, they choose not to act. According to some forums, sixty percent of the force is on the payroll. The city's ruler is now the Penguin. Even the Falcone family couldn't stop him. A true genius of crime, he rose from being a common man to becoming the most dangerous and respected figure in Gotham. He's even launched a mayoral campaign, with posters plastered across the city bearing the slogan: "The Future Belongs to Oswald Cobblepot."

Enough of that. Time to enjoy life.

Location: Arkham, Gotham City

A place steeped in hopelessness and despair. The most deranged villains were imprisoned here, serving their sentences.

Most of those who ended up here had been sane once, but this place warped them beyond recognition. The treatment methods were dubious, as were their results. The most notorious lunatic of all was the head of the hospital, Hugo Strange, who had sent more than a few people to their graves through his torturous methods.

A place intended to reform people instead created psychopaths. Even while locked away, they posed little threat or so it was believed. In practice, escapes occurred with alarming regularity.

In one of the cells sat an inmate serving a life sentence. His flesh was covered in horrific burn scars. His face was disfigured, as were his hands, though the flesh below his neck remained unscathed. Garfield Lynns had miraculously survived, despite the severe burns to his head. He had endured the fire and the collapse of part of Wayne Tower.

Year after year, he survived the tortures of Arkham's so-called doctors and avoided being murdered by other inmates. Even the oppressive aura of the place weighed heavily on his mind. But he managed to keep a fragment of his sanity intact, channeling it into a singular thought revenge. The person responsible for his scars, the one who had put him here.

Pov Brian Forman

Lynns clenched his fists at the memory, his scorched, ruined face staring intently at the boy's image in his mind. That face had adorned the newspapers on the day it all happened. Headlines called him "The True Hero of Gotham."

"As soon as I get out of here, I'll take everything you hold dear!" the arsonist hissed in a dry voice. He had no lips, leaving his teeth permanently exposed.

Every day, he was reminded of his disfigured face. His life had been utterly destroyed, leaving only the shadow of a man confined to a psychiatric hospital. Hatred and rage consumed him, becoming his eternal companions. The moment he escaped, the world would burn in a ferocious blaze.

For now, all he could do was glare at Gotham through the small window of his cell, seething with fury, unable to break free.