Midnight.

  The academy was silent.

  Batman moved like a shadow, his footsteps soundless against the cold marble floors.

  The letter had given him no information—just a location.

  Midnight Hall.

  A pce that wasn’t on any academy map. Which meant it was either a trap. Or something even more dangerous. And yet, he still went.

  Because answers didn’t come to those who waited.

  The coordinates led him deep beneath the academy, through passageways students weren’t meant to enter. Then, at the end of a dimly lit corridor—

  A door.

  Ancient. Massive. Marked with runes that pulsed faintly.

  Batman reached out.

  The moment his fingers brushed the surface— The door opened on its own.

  Darkness stretched beyond.

  He stepped inside.

  Torches ignited, revealing a room filled with figures in cloaks.

  At the center, seated on a throne of bck stone, was the one who called him.

  A tall figure, their face obscured by a silver mask. But their voice was sharp. Calcuted.

  “So. You really came.”

  Batman said nothing.

  The figure chuckled. “Good. That means you’re ready to hear the truth.” The others in the room remained silent, watching.

  Batman’s stance didn’t shift.

  “Who are you?”

  The masked figure leaned forward. “We are the ones who know what Arcadia truly is.”

  A pause. Then—

  “We are the Exiled Order.”

  Batman’s mind processed everything.

  A hidden faction. A group that knew the academy’s secrets. And they wanted him here. The masked figure continued.

  “You’ve already disrupted the system once, Traveler.”

  They leaned closer.

  “But tell me… do you want to break it completely?”

  The room fell silent. Batman’s gaze remained unreadable.

  The offer was clear. Join them. Or stay in the dark.

  His answer would change everything. ---