Chapter 65: Loyalty and Betrayal

Chapter 65: Loyalty and Betrayal

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"Everyone always has a story they tell themselves to justify bad decisions. It never matters. You are always alone in your actions."

– Hawke, (Dragon Age 2)

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)>

"You sure that Nyssa isn't going to be a problem?" I asked Talia one last time as I wore the traditional League of Assassins clothes I was supposed to wear for my 'graduation' ceremony. We were currently in my room which was one of the very few places we could talk without having to worry about being spied on since I had thoroughly checked the room for bugs and installed a couple of portable voice nullifiers which basically made this room fully soundproof.

"No, she definitely isn't. I sent her on a mission to our Arabian base, Eth Alth'eban saying that she was needed there urgently. She didn't really want to go and miss your ceremony since she didn't have the faintest idea what would truly be happening there tonight but I somehow convinced her. She isn't going to be back by next week. So, by the time she returns, everything should be over." Talia spoke a little nervously.

"Hey don't worry. I promise I won't let you die today. Whatever happens, you will get to meet your sister again, trust me." I smiled as I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them lightly to give her some much-needed confidence.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

Both Talia and Nyssa though hated their father were also utterly afraid of him and yet had an inner urge to constantly need his approval for all their achievements. This was of course by design. Ra's Al Ghul was a smart, cunning, and ruthless man, qualities that can make someone very dangerous when grouped together. He had carefully trained his daughters from birth and psychologically conditioned them to feel those feelings for him in a bid to make them equally merciless and yet loyal to him and the league, no matter what.

I personally have been trying to apply my own psychological tricks to try to break the mental hold their father had on them for the last couple of weeks. I have even succeeded somewhat with Nyssa due to how much she already distrusted and hated her father after the All-caste mission.

I have even hinted about my own 'incompatibility' with her father which she took quite well to. I wanted to let her in on the plan about... well, betraying and murdering her father on the day of the ritual since I didn't want her to misunderstand anything after finding it out on her own or from someone else. Also, she could be quite useful to us if she was included in the plan and I had even started to slowly break it to her but unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. So we had no choice but to send her on a 'mission' to keep her away and safe from everything that was going to happen tonight.

Still, I have only been partially successful with Talia. Her father's toxic lessons were ingrained so deep within her that it sometimes even pushed her away from her own little sister whom she loved so much. It seemed that Ra's had somewhat succeeded in making her think that her entire life's only purpose was to serve the League. For her, living a normal life was equal to a mental suicide. Through my barely successful efforts, I could only change her way of thinking partially about some of the League's illegal activities and the terroristic process of achieving its goal.

Her need to seek constant approval and prove herself to her father had also decreased but in return, she seemed adamant about proving herself useful and capable to me for some reason, even though I never once questioned her capabilities knowing that she was possibly one of the very best assassins in the world probably at the level of Marvel's Black Widow, only more ruthless. Hell, even her physique was enhanced to the degree of a pseudo-super soldier much like her sister.

"Haha, just focus on saving your own life, Mr. Playboy. Believe me, I can survive on my own, don't try to play the part of a white knight. Doesn't quite suit your character." She lightly chuckled as she closed the distance between us and began to straighten my ninja costume or as it is traditionally called shinobi shozoku.

"You can't blame me for looking out for a pretty lady like you," I laid out some friendly flirting earning an eyeroll from her in return. This little flirting game was slowly becoming a norm between us even while in the presence of Nyssa and it was something that helped us to bond deeper and avoid awkwardness despite the two of us plotting a coup against her warlord of a father.

"You can't play this game with someone who has already mastered it, Bruce. Also, you are pretty lucky that you are my sister's boyfriend, otherwise, you would have been in quite some trouble." She snorted as she finished straightening my clothes and retreated while deliberately brushing her hands on my crotch and thigh.

'If she thought that this level of seduction was enough to break me, then she has another thing coming. I was the previous record holder of 'No-Nut November' in my last life.' I thought confidently.

"Good, I guess then we are on the same page. Then, we can finally begin the trial." He said as he displayed a kind smile on his face and nodded to Ubu who quickly went to a corner of the room and brought a chained unconscious human dressed in khaki-colored garments near the sacrificial altar.

I couldn't see the person's face because the entire head was wrapped with a cloth mask.

'I remember this from the movie. He is going to ask me to execute some thief or something. I wonder, should I do that and give him a false sense of victory and security before I continue with the plan or should I kill him before that? Well, depends on what the person is guilty of, I guess.' I thought as I didn't pay much attention to the tied-up individual and just continued to stare at Ra's Al Ghul.

"This person is guilty of a very terrible crime, one of the most terrible crimes one could ever commit, in fact. Your job is to execute this person and make sure that justice is upheld. Do that and you will be a part of the League. You and I together will change the world as we purge it of its filth. We will bring about a new dawn of humanity and keep the balance to make sure that the rotten of the society gets what they deserve." Ra's Al Ghul declared proudly while Ubu kept his head down in respect and Talia looked directly into my eyes, waiting for my signal.

"... Before I execute him, may I at least know what he is guilty of?" I asked as I picked up the sword that was being offered to me by one of the assassins.

"Betraying one's own blood." He coldly said as he didn't even look at the figure.

"Isn't that too much of a punishment for..." I tried to plead on behalf of him.

"No, she betrayed the very people that once cared for her, the very family that raised her and for this betrayal, the only punishment is death. That's the true unbiased judgment of the League... Also, it is a 'she', not a 'he'." He concluded as Ubu slowly raised the piece of cloth covering the bound-up person's head.

"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE FATHER? WHY IS SHE HERE?" Talia yelled angrily as she tried to run towards her father in rage but was immediately grabbed by about a dozen assassins near her. The old man didn't even bat an eye at her.

"What is the meaning of this, Ra's Al Ghul?" I asked in a calm voice, yet anyone witnessing my face right now would know that I was anything but calm. I was feeling a combination of mixed emotions, surprise and anger being the biggest two of them.

"I told you, Bruce, my judgment is unbiased and true for everyone, even if it is for my own younger daughter." Ra's Al Ghul said as his eyes glanced at the barely conscious face of Nyssa lying on the floor.

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