Batman: Secret Files, Chapter 23- The Knight is Born

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Rated M for Mature

Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.

Batman: Secret Files, Chapter 23- The Knight is Born

15 years ago.....

Dr. Henry Agathie was giving a lecture at the Gotham University. I always liked to listen what he has to say. Some of the other students looked bored as the others were taking down notes. The classroom was quite large as the gymnasium. About total of 30 students were present in the classroom. Sometimes, the professor would ask questions to these students whom they don't always listen in the classroom. The professor looked young at that time. Yet, he never got married or had the chance to meet someone in his life.

The professor placed a projector on the table. He hooked the projector with a black cable on the wall. The projector was meant to show the students, what the lecture is really about. There are times that the teachers would not only talk about what they know, but also show pictures related to the information being said. He turned off the lights in the classroom. Then he turned on the projector and the light shone on the blank wall. The title of the lecture was "The Knight is Born."

There were several students, whom I noticed, were amazed about the title. Some of them said that the title could refer to a movie. Or even a famous knight who battles witches, dragons, and other monsters from fairy tales.

"Students..." the professor said. "Before I give out my latest topic, I want you to know that this title doesn't refer to some movie." He must have heard what the students said. The other students laughed. "Now..." the professor continued. "Shall we move on?"

He switched the slide which shows an image of a knight. This knight was no ordinary knight like the others. He had a skull mask which his eyes were glowing red. The knight was also shown with riding a black horse. He had that sword being held in his left hand. Some of us would say that the image was creepy looking.

"Don't let the knight scare you," the professor said. "This knight died a long time ago during the Middle Ages. It was the time of war."

War. I thought about that word ever since my parents died. If only I had stopped the homeless man from shooting them, I would have had a normal life. But I was only just a kid. What more I could have done or prevented their unecessary deaths? After their deaths, I decided to wage war on crime. That was the oath which kept me going. A hard, tireless journey into becoming someone that I'm not supposed to be. The title, "The Knight is Born" really intrigued me but there was something about it. A strange mystery of who this scary-looking knight was.

The professor turned the next slide. This image shows a large castle, home of the aristocrats during that time. I read some history about them. It was fascinating to learn about these rich, famous historical figures.

"As you can see..." the professor continued. "This castle was the home of a very rich family. Unfortunately, the prince's parents died due to unknown circumstances." He turned the next slide which shows the image of a king, his queen and son. "The history doesn't reveal the name of the prince or his parents. When I found out about this recorded history, I really want to answer some of my questions. Now I know, you may think why this is important. Because it's a mystery.

What surprised me was that the prince must have gone through the same pain as I did. I'm pretty sure that some other people who have gone through the same thing. But this recorded history of a royal family which tied to the Skull Knight. It seems strange, indeed.

A female student raised her hand in order to ask a question. The professor looked up at her and said, "Yes?"

"What's the Skull Knight have to do with the royal family?"

The professor didn't respond the answer quickly. He must be gathering his thoughts about the mystery of an important event in history. He said, "Well...I'm sorry to say that I can't answer that question. Like I said, I don't know the full details. But there is a connection between the Skull Knight and the royal family. I can feel it."

The other students were whispering to each other, saying "Oh geez, really? A professor is giving us a lecture that he doesn't know much about?"

"Yeah, I know, right? Give me a break."

"Oh great...This is going to be a long one."

I feel sorry for the professor right now. I can see the look on his face. He must have worked hard in trying to find out the true mystery about the Skull Knight and the royal family. I would also like to find the answers. But I guess that took long enough for me to expect.

Present.....

The professor looked at the blue cape with his microscope. He was right about taking time to verify the cape. He wanted to make sure that the cape actually came from the Skull Knight himself. Then he scanned the contents of the cape and produced an output print from the computer. He took out the print and looked at it.

"Oh my God! You...You can't be serious!"

"What is it, professor?"

The professor didn't say anything much. He kept looking at the paper print which shows the details about the Skull Knight's history. He got up from his seat, walking all over the place as if he wanted to find something.

"Professor...what is it? What did the print say?"

The professor stopped suddenly. He read the print again just to make sure he was reading it right. He finally said, "Batman...I think I need to speak with Bruce Wayne...immediately."

"Why?" I asked with confusion. "What did you find out?"

"It's the Skull Knight. I...I think he's related to Bruce Wayne."

To be continued in Batman: Secret Files, Chapter 24- Crime and Punishment.

Holy $h!t! The Skull Knight is related to Bruce Wayne? That means...Find out in the next chapter of BATMAN!

Edited.