⭐️ Eternal Shadow 🌙 Damian wayne ~~~~complete

Chapter 32: New Gear, New Solutions

"Aww c'mon, D," Gar whined, shifting into a green Labrador and giving him those ridiculous, oversized puppy eyes. "Look at this face. This is a dying man's wish."

Marceline snorted before she could stop herself. A soft, genuine laugh bubbling out, easing a fraction of the coil in her chest.

Dick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We stop. Five minutes. No more."

"Yessss!"

And so — barely ten minutes later — they made an impromptu landing by a neon-lit food truck.

"I swear if you get sauce on my new suit, you're walking to Ra's," Raven muttered.

Gar came back moments later, arms stacked with foil-wrapped parcels, handing them out like Christmas gifts.

"Here. You need to eat to win a war," he declared.

Damian scowled. "I don't require—"

Marceline plucked one from the pile and shoved it into Damian's hand. "Shut up and eat it, Al Ghul."

He blinked at her, eyes narrowing like he might argue — but instead, he gave a quiet, grudging grunt and unwrapped it.

They ate leaning against the transport's side, grease-streaked paper and laughter filling the space where fear had sat just moments ago. Even Raven cracked a faint smile when Jaime challenged Gar to a chimichanga-eating contest and lost spectacularly.

For a moment — just a flicker — it felt like a family.

A weird, dysfunctional, disaster-prone one. But a family.

And then the moment passed.

Time to get back in the fight.

"Alright," Dick called out, clapping his hands. "Let's move. Destiny's waiting."

Food wrappers were stuffed into bags, gear rechecked, suits secured.

And in the fleeting quiet before takeoff, Marceline glanced at Damian, who still held a half-eaten chimichanga.

"Told you it was worth it."

He just shook his head, but the barest corner of his mouth twitched upward.

The ride after Gar's pitstop was quieter. Tension settling back over them like a second skin. The night stretched long, the coastline giving way to dense forest and rocky cliffs. The flickering neon glow of cities left behind, replaced by the oppressive, endless dark.

Titans Tower was far now.

And ahead — the old enemy base loomed.

"We're here," Dick's voice cut through the static of the comms. "Eyes up. This is it."

The transport touched down on a narrow ledge, half-hidden by twisted trees and jagged stone. Mist clung to the ground, thick and cold. The distant sound of crashing waves against cliffs was the only thing that broke the silence.

Marceline stepped out, the chill biting through her suit. She scanned the horizon — a weathered stone fortress rising from the cliffs, half-swallowed by the wilderness. Faded banners hung from rusted iron spikes. The last of the League's known hideouts.

"Subtle," Gar muttered, pulling his hood up.

"I'll give Ra this," Jaime added, activating his suit. "He's got an eye for creepy real estate."

Marceline felt the familiar pull, like a cord buried deep inside her chest, tightening the closer they drew. Her shadows stirred under her skin, restless. Agitated.

Damian noticed.

"You good?" he asked lowly.

She managed a terse nod. "Let's just end this."

Kory hovered above them, golden light illuminating the dark. "We stick to the plan. No solo acts. No reckless moves." Her gaze flicked to Marceline, then to Damian. "We go in, get the artifact, and we end this."

Dick crouched near a cluster of boulders, pulling out the blueprints they'd stolen from the League's old databanks.

"Entrance is on the east side, through an underground passage Ra's used decades ago. It won't be unguarded."

"When is it ever?" Raven murmured.

The Titans spread out, eyes sharp, nerves coiled tight.

And from a high vantage point overlooking them, unseen by any of the team, Ra's Al Ghul watched with cold satisfaction.

"Let them come," he murmured to the shadows at his side. "It will be their undoing."

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