"He won't be able to kill your parents."
The figure's voice continued, each statement hitting like hammer blows.
"He won't be able to arrange for your big brother to be tortured and murdered in that alley. He won't be able to set up Nera's fate, won't be able to orchestrate everything that shaped you."
Damian's legs weakened, threatening to give out beneath him.
"And you..."
The figure shifted again, the movement slight but somehow significant.
"You won't be orphaned. You won't have to eat rats just to survive another day. You won't be forced to kill your first man at the age of nine for nothing more than a piece of bread."
His throat closed, breathing becoming difficult.
"You won't become the Mafia Boss responsible for millions of deaths. You won't carry the weight of every person who died on your orders, every life you ended personally and every soul you crushed to build your empire."
The voice became even quieter.
