"Good evening, sir. I am Bruce Wayne," I introduce myself, trying to be friendly and cordial as he turns to me with a subtle smile on his face.

"The pleasure is mine, Bruce Wayne. My name is Ra's al Ghul," he replies in a soft and gentle tone, but his bright eyes tell me he knows much more than he is revealing. "I have been waiting for you."

I am surprised by his answer. Does he know me from somewhere? My public introduction has not yet taken place, so he must have heard rumors about me. I decide not to react and keep my polite attitude.

"Oh, really? And why did you wait for me?" I ask casually, picking up a piece of bread from the table and putting it in my mouth.

"I've heard a lot about you," he says, staring at me.

I choke on the bread and feel a shiver run down my spine. "Oh, you have? And what have you heard?" I ask casually, trying to hide my reaction and gauge his level of knowledge about me.

"That you are a smart boy who cares about the poor and downtrodden of Gotham, and that you train hard even though you are just a kid," he says with an admiring look on his face.

I am surprised by his words. Is he being sincere or ironic? The only people who know about my training are Alfred and Leonardo, the teenager I use as a training dummy. Or is he just trying to flatter me?

"Thank you for the compliment, sir," I say humbly, but without letting my guard down. "But I am none of those things. I am simply doing what I can to repay the efforts of my parents."

"Do not be modest, Prince Bruce Wayne," he says with a twinkle in his eye. "You will surely be a great leader one day, perhaps even a hero."

I feel a shiver run down my spine. "A hero?" I repeat, confused and curious. "What do you mean?"

"A hero," he repeats with an enigmatic smile on his face. "Someone who uses their abilities and resources to do good and protect the innocent. Someone who does not accept the injustices and cruelties of the world. Someone with a vision and a mission greater than themselves."

I am fascinated by his words. Is he talking about himself? Does he see himself as a hero? Or does he have some other purpose for this conversation?

"Are you such a person, Mr. Ra's al Ghul?" I ask cautiously, trying to learn more about him. "What do you do for a living?"

He chuckles softly and looks at me intently after making sure no one is around to hear. "I do many things, Prince Bruce Wayne. But most importantly, I seek to restore balance to the world."

"Restoration of balance?" I ask, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means eliminating all that is corrupt and decadent in human society. It means cleansing the world of all evil and suffering. It means creating a world order based on harmony and justice."

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Once again I am shocked by his words. He is talking about revolution.

"And how are you going to do that?" I ask, curious and scared at the same time, as a child should be.

He comes closer and hands me a pamphlet folded in four. "See for yourself," he says in a soft, calm voice.

I opened the flyer and read the title in gold letters: "International Competition of Young Talents of the Kingdom of Arkham."

I looked at him without understanding. "What is this?" I ask.

"It's a unique opportunity for you to prove your worth to the world," he answers enthusiastically. "It's a competition that will bring together the most talented young people from all over the kingdom in three years. There you will face various physical, mental, and spiritual challenges to prove who is the best among them."

"And what is the goal?" I ask intrigued.

"The goal is to select the one who is worthy of the greatest honor of all: to be my next successor."

I am puzzled by Ra's al Ghul's revelation. What kind of plan does he have in mind by creating a tournament and coming here in person to invite me to participate? I look at him for an explanation, but he just smiles and walks away, saying,

"Consider my proposal, Prince Bruce Wayne. You have three years to prepare for the tournament. I hope you accept the challenge and surprise me with your skills. Until then." He says and disappears into the crowd of the ball.

I stood in the same place, holding the flyer in my hands and trying to understand what had just happened. I feel a mixture of curiosity and excitement. Should I accept Ra's al Ghul's invitation? Should I enter this mysterious contest? Do I stand a chance of winning? There are so many questions on my mind.

After putting the flyer in my pocket, I leave the ballroom. I definitely need to get some fresh air and think more about all of this.

After walking to the palace gardens, I sit down on a bench near a fountain.

I look up at the starry sky and try to organize my thoughts. I've always liked being a hero in my past life, except for rare moments, because I've always wanted to do something good for my world, for Gotham. I've always wanted to honor the memory of my parents, and I spent part of my childhood training with Alfred and part with Ra's al Ghul himself. This is how I created a secret identity.

I have saved many innocent lives and arrested many dangerous criminals in the mantle of Batman, but I have never given in to the desire to kill certain criminals who have always bothered me, because I couldn't become like them. Many times I have done justice where the law has failed, but I know it was not enough, and in this medieval world, things should be no different.

As much as my parents try to make Gotham a better place, there is something in the nature of this city that will not allow it, and in fact, it only spreads like a disease. In the distant past, I did not know the reason for this, I thought it was because of the bandits, assassins and traffickers, after all, I lost my parents to some old bandit, but today I know that there is something much worse out there, and I am sure that someone in this ballroom knows about it.

I know there is something much worse in the world than I can fight alone, but if there is one thing I must do, it is fight the powerful forces behind the crimes in Gotham City before I can finally travel to find my friends. Corrupt politicians, greedy businessmen, criminal organizations and even people with supernatural powers, none of them will be my first target in this world, because above all is a very old organization in Gotham, the Court of Owls.

Yes, I am only seven years old, but if I have learned one thing in my past life, it is that crime will not wait for me to grow up to evolve, and the Court of Owls is one of the most complicated organizations to deal with once they gain power. So I will end it now.

...

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