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INFINITY ISLAND ONE YEAR AGO
BURNING FLESH AND SEARING PAIN. It was all she had felt in that moment. It was all she could feel, it was as if her other senses had gone completely numb. The hot coals beneath her feet and those attached to her bare shoulders and hands made her grind her teeth as she swallowed her pain. It was one practice Sensei made her do every monsoon and every year it would only get worse.
"You must control your pain, built your endurance" It was like some broken radio on repeat. Did the old man really believe that just because he could do this without trouble, every human would as well. Somedays Shadow was grateful for her ability to heal, no mere human could survive this.
It didn't help that she had been training for twenty four hours, with only water to sustain her. But, this was the League of Shadows. She wasn't just some small assassin or a twelve year old girl. She was Shadow.
She was born for this. This was her purpose.
At a young age she was taught that humanity was destroying their world, criminals, people who were crooked in their ways. Corrupt. Power hungry. They were environmentalists as her Master had put it. He had sat her down gently and explained the purpose of their existence.
They existed solely because of this. She existed for this purpose.
So why did it all feel so hollow, empty and painful? She wasn't satisfied. She couldn't be.
This—sometimes it didn't feel right. Her gut told her not to trust those around her. Her gut was never wrong. She couldn't be wrong.
She stood on the coals for two more hours before the clock finally struck midnight and she could step down. "You have done well, young one. The Master will be pleased" Ubu encouraged and she waited for them to leave before letting out a strangled gasp.
How she made it inside the base had surprised her, the Master believed that everything that exist in this part of the facility be made from earthen materials—sustainable, and so instead of walking to her room, she walked towards two large double doors that housed the 'Shalaal'—The waterfall.
She cried out in pain as she allowed herself to submerge within the water, allowing it to cool her burning flesh as it healed.
The healing process was always slow, her refusal to use her special abilities had become a hindrance of sorts and she hoped it would not result in trouble.
She heard the doors open behind her and stood alerted only to weakly fall back down. But, it had only been Talia Al Ghul, Ra's' daughter. Her eyes were slightly red and puffed. Showing that she had been both intoxicated and crying. The woman said nothing as she took off her shoes and placed her feet within the pure water.
