Chapter 16: Bent But Not Broken

The bitter cold wind of the Himalayas howled outside the monastery, a blizzard was raging as the sound of chains rattled throughout the halls.

The sound of leather boots hitting the frozen pavement echoed throughout the halls, getting closer and closer to a red metal door at the end of the hallway.

Talia crossed her arms as two men garbed in all black pushed the door open, revealing a dark bloody room, the only source of light coming from a barred ceiling illuminating the room's center piece. A bound and beat Damian, stripped from torso up, his body and face bloodied and bruised. His breathing was slow and pained. He was unconscious.

"Wake him up." She ordered, just as the braziers at her side we set alight.

*Splash*

Damian was awoken by freezing cold water being thrown at him. Coughing hard.

*SMACK*

"Ah good, you're finally awake." Talia said, after slapping him across the face.

Damian spat blood before meeting his mother's cold gaze.

"Welcome home, son. Its good to have you back." She said, almost sweetly. Perhaps in her own twisted way, she meant it.

"Where is he?" Damian asked bluntly, ignoring his countless wounds and the bitter cold.

"Who?" She asked

"Jon damn it. Where is he?!" He growled, lurching forward, tugging hard at the chains.

"Oh, the half-breed. You won't have to worry about him anymore." She said coldly, damian felt a sharp pang in his chest.

"What. Did. You. Do." Damian demanded to know.

"You aren't in any position to demand, whelp." She spat.

"Tell me or so help me i'll break every bone in your body when i get out." He said, tugging harder at his chains to no avail.

Talia smirked, letting out a laugh. "You don't have to worry about your little boyfriend. He's... safe. Encased in a kryptonite lined lead dome at the bottom of the mariana trench."

"How DARE-"

*SMACK*

Talia struck him again only aggravating his anger.

"Your spirit burns bright, you inherited my ferocity." She smirked at Damian.

Damian turned to her and spat on her face. Her grin vanishing, one appearing on his face.

"And your father's foolishness." She said bitterly, wiping it off her face.

Talia nodded as two of the men grabbed branding irons being heated on the braziers, they were in the form of a snake and a rose.

"What are they- aaaaaaggh!!" Damian cried out as he felt his flesh sizzle against the hot irons being pressed against his back. He reached out towards his mother, trying his hardest to scratch her eyes out to no avail.

"After all this.. still you you fight. Your grandfather would have been so proud" she said, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Damian knelt down, breathing heavily. His body being put under extreme stress, the cold, the heat, the pain.

"W-would have..?" He panted.

"Yes. Aren't you wondering why i brought you back?" She asked him.

Damian's face was bare of any emotion. He had one thing in mind. Jon.

"Your grand father. He's finally passed. Body composed beyond resurrection." She said.

"And so the head of the demon falls silent." Damian said

"Not quite. I took his place. And as my son.. you shall take mine."

Damian let out a bitter laugh. "And what makes you think i want to do that?"

"You will. I will break you. Then you will." She said coldly.

"The branding, is the first step. The snake and the rose, marks of the league. The first step."

"I'm getting out of here. And when i will. There will be hell to pay." Damian said coldly, anger in his voice.

Talia smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're only getting out once i let you." Talia said confidently.

"No one is coming for you, no one knows where you are. I made sure of that." She said.

*BOOM*

An explosion rang out from the first wall, the sound of wood breaking as guard towers fell on each other, cinders rose from the pyres of flame erupting from the wooden structures. The whistle of arrows, and shouts of the men filled the air.

Among the chaos, talia could barely make out a figure. The figure of a boy, cape torn, clothes tattered, drenched in sea water. His eyes a fiery red, fists clenched.

"I wouldn't be too sure." Damian smirked.

"No matter. We will simply have to fast track the ritual."  Talia said, as more men filled the room.

"N-no.. no wait!" Damian's eyes went wide as he cried out in pain

"JON!"

A/N: heyo jason here, sorry for late update. I've been really busy. But hey, its here.. yay haha. This story's finally wrapping up. Only a few chapters left.

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