-Part One

Riddler stood over Aria, his gun leveled at her forehead. Her once-commanding presence was reduced to a shattered remnant of who she had been. On her knees, her crimson and black robes hung torn and bloodied, her silver hair dampened with sweat. Her staff, now fractured, lay discarded beside her. The faint glow of Trinity’s presence pulsed in the dual Wakizashi, the weapon’s energy resonating with Riddler’s anger.

“Say something,” Riddler growled, his voice low and dangerous. His finger hovered over the trigger of the revolver embedded in his blade. “After all this, after everything you’ve done—why shouldn’t I end it here?”

Aria lifted her head slowly, her eyes bloodshot but defiant. “Go ahead, Riddler,” she spat, her voice weak yet venomous. “Pull the trigger. Prove that you’re no better than me.”

The room fell silent, the weight of the moment suffocating. Trinity’s voice echoed softly in Riddler’s mind, her tone calm yet pleading. “Don’t do it, Riddler. Not like this.”

He hesitated, the rage in his heart warring with the voice of reason. “After everything she’s done, Trinity—after she used you, hurt you—why shouldn’t she pay for it?”

“Because killing her doesn’t make this right,” Trinity replied, her presence steady despite the lingering pain in her tone. “It won’t bring peace. Not to her, and not to you.”

Riddler’s grip on the revolver tightened, his jaw clenched as he wrestled with his emotions. Finally, he lowered the weapon, the tension in his body easing ever so slightly. He looked down at Aria, his voice cold but resolute. “This isn’t mercy. This is a chance—your only chance—to fix what you’ve broken.”

Aria’s shoulders slumped as the fight drained from her. For the first time, the defiance in her eyes dimmed, replaced by something closer to resignation.

Trinity’s voice softened, carrying a hint of the compassion that defined her. “Let her go, Riddler. She’s lost in her own darkness. That’s punishment enough.”

With a final glance at the broken woman before him, Riddler stepped back. The glow of the Wakizashi pulsed once more, and the room seemed to exhale as the danger receded. Aria collapsed fully to the ground, her body trembling, her sobs muffled by the oppressive silence.

Turning away from her, Riddler sheathed the Wakizashi, the revolver folding seamlessly into its hilt. Trinity’s voice lingered in his mind, quiet but resolute. “Thank you.”

As the weight of the moment settled, Riddler’s gaze hardened. “Trinity,” he said, his tone firm, “I need to know the truth. All of it.”

-Part Two

Trinity’s form materialized beside him, her ethereal glow dim but steady. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” she asked, her voice tinged with hesitation.

“I need to be,” Riddler replied, his eyes fixed on her. “If we’re going to move forward, I need to know what happened.”

Trinity nodded slowly, her gaze distant. “Then I’ll show you.”

She reached out, her translucent hand brushing against his temple. The world around them dissolved, replaced by the haunting glow of the past. Riddler found himself standing in a moonlit courtyard, the familiar sight of Trinity and Aria training together under the watchful eye of their master. The scene was eerily serene, but the tension in the air was palpable.

“This was where it started,” Trinity said softly, her voice carrying the weight of regret. “We trained under a man who believed in discipline, in control. But as time went on, his teachings grew darker.”

Riddler watched as their master barked orders, his tone sharp and unyielding. Trinity and Aria moved with precision, their strikes landing with a lethal grace. But there was an edge to the training—an aggression that felt out of place.

“He pushed us to our limits,” Trinity continued. “Demanded more power, more obedience. And when we questioned him, he turned on us.”

The memory shifted abruptly, the courtyard now bathed in the crimson glow of fire. Their master stood at the center, his presence overwhelming as he unleashed a torrent of dark energy. Aria and Trinity fought side by side, their blades clashing against his unrelenting assault.

“I had no choice,” Trinity said, her voice trembling. “He was going to kill us, to use us as tools for his own ambition. I… I killed him to save us.”

The memory froze, the image of Trinity driving her blade into their master’s heart etched in vivid detail. Aria’s scream echoed through the scene, her anguish cutting through Riddler like a blade.

“But Aria didn’t see it that way,” Trinity whispered. “She saw betrayal. She saw me as a monster who had taken everything from her.”

The scene shifted once more, the council standing in judgment over Trinity. Their voices were cold and unyielding as they declared her a threat, a danger to the balance of power. Bound in chains, Trinity was sealed within the Wakizashi, her cries of protest drowned out by the council’s incantations.

“And so, I was locked away,” Trinity said, her tone heavy with sorrow. “Left to fade into nothingness. Until you found me.”

The vision faded, the world returning to the present. Riddler stood in silence, the weight of the truth pressing heavily on his shoulders. He looked at Trinity, her form flickering faintly as she awaited his response.

“So,” she asked, her voice quiet but steady, “do you still want me with you? Knowing everything I’ve done, everything I am—do you still believe in me?”

Riddler stared at her for a long moment before a faint smirk tugged at his lips. “Do I want you with me? No.”

Trinity’s glow dimmed slightly, her expression faltering.

Riddler chuckled softly. “I need you with me. You’re stuck with me, Trinity. Whether you like it or not.”

A faint laugh escaped her, the tension between them easing. “You’re impossible,” she said, shaking her head. “But thank you.”

As the first rays of the morning sun broke over the horizon, Riddler and Trinity stood side by side, the shadows of their past behind them. Trinity glanced at him, her expression thoughtful.

“What’s next?” she asked, her voice quiet.

Riddler rested a hand on the hilt of the Wakizashi, the faint glow of its chains reflecting in his eyes. “We figure it out. Together.”

And as the dawn bathed them in light, they stepped forward, ready to face whatever the future held.

The End… for now.