The night sky was an inky black void, not a single star dotted the vast sky.
However if one were to look up into the midnight atmosphere, they would seemingly spot a shooting star, bright-red in colour.
But what those on the ground would not know is that the supposed shooting star was actually a human figure, a figure fuelled by rage.
The figure shot ever higher into the sky before coming to a complete stop and looking down upon the city beneath him.
Y/n reached his right hand out and held it open towards the city below.
Immediately he felt various sources of rage coming from the streets and alleys, all varying in strength.
After the taste of what a strong rage source could give him, he desired more, desired an increase in power, an increase in rage.
However, none were large enough to satisfy, none were strong enough to improve him and his rage.
As he widened his search, feeling about the city, the distinct noise of a soft material flapping in the wind filled his ears.
Looking right he noticed what appeared to be a...kite?
How on earth was it up this high?
As Y/n moved to destroy the kite beside him, it suddenly shot a net at the red-helmeted figure and dropped.
Being caught off-guard, the net captured him and the sudden drop dragged him downwards towards Gotham's streets.
Y/n channeled his ring and formed a blade to cut at the net but as soon as he began slicing away at the ropes, he was released and slammed into the ground of a Gotham alleyway.
Pushing himself off the floor, he cracked his neck and looked down the alley, spotting two figures standing before him.
"That was my high atmosphere capture kite!" One of the figures spoke, he stood in a skin-tight full-body lime green suit with a yellow diamond in the center with a set of yellow goggles.
"Shut up, Kite." The other said, drawing some sort of modified pistol and aiming it at the red-ringed being that stood before them.
The figure known as Kite began walking forwards as he pulled a small device from his belt before stopping and pulling his arm back to throw it.
"Your rage is far too weak."
Kite turned to face his partner before gesturing backwards with his thumb at Y/n.
"Moth, you seeing this?"
"Kite! Look out!"
Kite turned towards his adversary and was met with a fist smashing into his cheek. His body cascading high through the air.
Suddenly a large kite and thrusters popped out the back of his suit and he took off into the air, soaring high above the alleyway.
Y/n channeled his ring, forming a red disc in his hand and drew his arm backwards, preparing to throw the disc at the flying annoyance above him.
Before he could release the projectile, a strange sticky substance wrapped around his hand and part of his forearm, tugging backwards.
Looking at the substance, it strung from the strange gun held by the figure known as Moth.
Y/n planted his feet and pulled against the figure, causing him to fall forwards and relinquish his hold on the weapon.
With only the gun attached to his arm, Y/n pulled his arm backwards, sending the gun flying right towards him.
Catching the weapon, he pressed a button and the sticky thread immediately slacked and detached from both his arm and the gun.
Immediately switching the weapon into his right hand, y/n aimed upwards at the flying figure of the kite-man and pressed his finger to the trigger.
As he fired, the moth-man jumped onto his back, causing the shot of substance to miss.
With a groan of anger, he threw his head backwards and smashed against the man on his back, hearing the impact of their two helmets hitting one another.
The moment the Moth's grasp loosened, the rage-fuelled man spun and grasped his throat with his free left hand, raising him upwards.
As the Moth began to choke, he aimed the modified gun and fired at the flying kite, snagging the right side of the large kite on his back.
The kite-man responded by increasing his thruster power and attempting to pull away from the sticky substance.
Once more, y/n planted his feet and pulled against the strain of the sticky substance before throwing the choking form of the Moth onto the sticky line.
With the increased weight, he pulled the flying kite downwards, dropping his altitude and causing the strong thrust force to smash him head-first into a building within the alley.
The figure of the kiteman dropped to the floor of the alley and rolled slightly before coming to a stop, small fragments of the wall falling around him.
Y/n turned towards the form of the Moth, struggling against the sticky substance he rested on.
Grabbing the top of his chest gear, he pulled the Moth free from his entrapment and flung him across the alley into the wall opposite his kite-themed ally.
Both figures remained limp and still as the red-ringed being looked between the two.
Y/n took a step towards the Moth man before hearing the sound of clapping echoing about the alleyway.
Turning towards the shadows at the end of the alley, the slow clapping continued before suddenly stopping.
"Kiteman and the Killer Moth..."
The figure at the end of the alley slowly emerged into the light, revealing a black and orange full tactical suit with a helmet that split down the middle between the two colours.
"...I didn't expect them to be capable of defeating you."
"And yet you sent them anyway?" Y/n questioned, raising his fists slightly.
"I had hoped to see what you were capable of before facing you myself but they were useless against you."
The figure cracked their neck and grabbed an extending staff from their back before readying themself and charging towards their adversary.
"What I'm capable of?" Y/n wondered aloud, looking at the ring on his right hand.
He could feel the built up rage within the ring, feel its desperation to flow through him, to strengthen him.
And he let it flow, the ring's red glow ran down his arm and enveloped his entire body.
The rage boiled and burned across his body as it took shape around him.
Once fully complete, he stood several feet taller, his skin a deep dark crimson with the red lantern symbol emblazoned on his chest.
Upon reaching his transforming foe, the mercenary jumped, spinning in the air before bringing his staff down towards the blood-red monster that stood before him.
The staff bounced off the shoulder of the transformed Y/n, who reached over and grabbed the head of the mercenary with his large red claw.
A slit appeared across his helmet before opening to reveal jagged teeth and a long, spiky tongue, the white eyes becoming longer, wider.
He lifted the mercenary clean off the ground before quickly throwing his arm backwards and forwards, flinging him across the alley and into a nearby wall, sending the staff clattering across the alley ground.
Y/n quickly bounded after his foe, smashing him through the building and into a small restaurant inside the building.
Screams of bystanders filled the room as the mercenary attempted to fight back against the monster that had a hold of him.
Managing to free himself from the large claws of the beast he was fighting, the mercenary quickly removed a small machine gun from his waist and opened fire.
Screams and gunshots mixed as the rage-filled fiend raised his arm, shielding his face from the gunfire as he slowly moved towards the gunman.
As the bystanders fleed the restaurant in terror, the clip in the machine gun ran out of bullets resulting in the clicking of an empty mag.
Quickly desposing of the weapon, the mercenary quickly drew a sword from his back and charged the still-guarding monster.
Leaping off a nearby table, the marksman flew through the air before bringing the blade down onto Y/n's shoulder.
Instead of bouncing off of him, the blade shattered, leaving only the hilt remaining.
Responding to the attempted attack, Y/n's guarding arm quickly swatted downwards, his claws slicing at the assassin's helmet, destroying it.
The mercenary, now displaying grey hair and an eyepatch, rolled away and rose once more to find the monstrous form of Y/n already on top of him, his hands inches from his body.
With only a split-second to react, the mercenary pulled a grenade from his belt and jammed it into the jagged teeth of the attacking beast.
The explosion immediately followed, stunning Y/n, who stumbled backwards slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, more grenades were thrown at the lumbering figure of Y/n before the man quickly darted back out of the hole in the wall, returning to the alleyway.
With the marksman running quickly towards the end of the alley, the monster crashed through the building at a different point, bricks and rubble falling across the alleyway.
Seeing the seemingly fleeing man, Y/n quickly bounded towards him, switching between running on 2 legs and using his hands to propel himself forwards.
Reaching the end of the alley, the assassin quickly grabbed a bag and spun, throwing it towards the charging brute behind him.
The bag immediately detonated, causing a large explosion to fill the alley, further damaging the two buildings either side and flinging the blood-red beast backwards down the alleyway.
After landing and rolling a few times, Y/n felt the rage slowly storing itself back into the ring, reducing him back to his human state.
Shaking his head slightly, Y/n pushed himself onto his knees and looked down the alley to see the eyepatched man walking towards him.
Hearing groaning from either side, the ring-wearing man noticed the forms of the Killer Moth and the Kiteman both stirring from their previous fight.
The duo both looked up at their previous adversary before casting their gaze up the alley to the approaching form of the mercenary.
The moment their eyes met the form of the man approaching, he could feel it.
Rage.
They both hated the man before them.
For a split-second, Y/n thought about taking their rage for his own, but then he had a different idea.
Reaching his hands out towards the duo, he delved into their rage and forced it to bubble to the surface.
Both men gave a cry of anger as their eyes glowed a bright red and rose to their feet before charging at the subject of their anger.
"DEATHSTROKE! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Deathstroke's scowl lowered as he quickly punched the duo to the ground before walking past their bodies.
Instead of knocking them out, however, they rose once more and grappled his arms, trying to pull him backwards.
As the trio grappled one another, the mercenary began to overpower the angry duo before an almighty shout erupted.
"SHAZAM!"
The crackle of an almighty lightning bolt appeared, hitting the grappling trio and causing them all to fall limp.
Y/n quickly looked up to see a middle-eastern man in a black suit with a golden lightning bolt on his chest, his cape billowing in the light wind.
"You are Y/n?" The floating figure spoke.
"And you?"
"Adam. Luthor grew concerned with your absence."
---
The blinding light was the first thing Dick saw as he awoke from his altercation with his brother.
As he groaned and sat up, Alfred moved the torch away from his eyeball.
"Ah, Master Grayson, you're awake."
"Al?"
Looking down, he saw that he had been removed from his Nightwing suit and his body bandaged.
"After a bit of rest, you should be back to normal. Also Lady Anders is resting upstairs in the Manor." Alfred stated, packing up the medical equipment and leaving him alone.
Dick placed a hand upon his bandages while sitting up in the medical bed he rested upon.
"I hope you understand now."
Dick looked up to see Bruce standing in his suit with his cowl removed.
"Understand what?"
"That Y/n is gone."
Dick got up and limped slightly over to the edge of the medical area.
"You're wrong."
"You need to accept it!"
"No! I could see it, he was in there!"
Bruce stepped forwards as Dick continued.
"I refuse to accept he's gone! I know we can reach him!"
"No, Dick! I saw what he did to you, how he treated his brother!"
Bruce placed his hand on Dick's shoulder.
"Even if there was a small fragment after Ra's resurrected him, it was lost with that red power ring!"
"So what...what you gonna do after we defeat him? Kill him? Hand him over to the Green Lanterns? Let them exact their will over him?"
Bruce remained silent at the question.
"I'm telling you, he's in there and I, you, WE...can pull him back out."
Dick walked past the Bat, leaving him in a defeated silence before saying one last comment.
"I refuse to give up on him."