Robin stopped breathing.
That voice—
It wasn't just familiar.
It was impossible.
Slowly… painfully slowly… he turned his head.
His body refused to follow.
As if something unseen was gripping his shoulders, holding him in place… forcing him to listen.
"…Aunt?"
The word barely escaped his lips.
No answer.
Only that suffocating silence pressing against his ears.
Then—
A soft sound.
A step.
Right behind him.
Robin's heart slammed violently against his ribs.
He turned—
Nothing.
Empty darkness.
But the feeling didn't disappear.
It got worse.
Closer.
As if something was standing inside his space… breathing the same air… watching him from a distance that no longer existed.
Suddenly—
The mechanical hum returned.
Louder.
Aggressive.
Alive.
Lights exploded back to life across the corridor—one after another in rapid succession—
Click. Click. Click. Click.
Robin flinched, raising his arm instinctively to shield his eyes.
When the light settled—
The corridor had changed.
The walls… were different.
No.
Not different.
Revealed.
Symbols.
Dozens of them.
Carved deep into the concrete.
Sharp. Violent. Intentional.
They weren't random.
They meant something.
Robin stepped closer, his fingers trembling as they hovered near one of the markings.
The moment his skin touched the surface—
Pain.
A sudden, burning sensation shot through his hand.
He pulled back instantly.
"What the—?!"
The symbol glowed faintly… reacting.
And then—
A whisper.
Not from behind.
Not from ahead.
From inside his head.
"You remember… don't you?"
Robin staggered back.
"No… I don't… I've never been here!"
But even as he said it—
A flash hit him.
A memory.
Broken. Distorted.
A child.
Small hands.
Crying.
A locked door.
And that same symbol… glowing in the dark.
Robin grabbed his head, breathing heavily.
"No… no, this isn't real…"
"Denial phase detected."
The cold mechanical voice cut through his thoughts like a blade.
Robin looked up sharply.
At the end of the corridor—
The figure was closer.
Much closer.
But still—
Its face was hidden.
Wrapped in shadow… like reality itself refused to reveal it.
"Identity synchronization: incomplete."
Robin's pulse spiked.
"What are you talking about?! Who are you?!"
Silence.
Then—
It moved.
Not a step.
Not a walk.
It glitched.
One moment far—
The next—
Right in front of him.
Robin stumbled back in shock, nearly losing his balance.
Now he could see it.
Almost.
A humanoid shape.
Tall.
Wearing something dark… almost like a uniform.
But its face—
Distorted.
Like a broken screen.
Flickering.
Unstable.
"You were not supposed to return."
Robin's voice shook.
"I've never been here before!"
The figure tilted its head.
Slowly.
Unnaturally.
"Incorrect."
A pause.
Then—
"You were the first."
Robin froze.
Everything inside him went silent.
"What…?"
The air grew heavier.
Harder to breathe.
Harder to think.
The lights above began to flicker again—
But this time… in rhythm.
Like a heartbeat.
Thump—flicker.
Thump—flicker.
Thump—flicker.
The figure leaned closer.
Its voice dropped into something deeper.
Darker.
More… human.
"They erased you."
Robin's eyes widened.
"…Who?"
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Without mercy.
"You asked them to."
Silence.
Absolute.
Crushing silence.
Robin's knees weakened.
"That's… not possible…"
But deep inside—
Something cracked.
Because part of him—
A small, terrified part—
Knew.
The figure raised its hand slowly…
And pointed behind Robin.
"Turn around."
Robin hesitated.
Every instinct screamed at him not to.
But his body—
Moved anyway.
He turned.
And what he saw—
Destroyed everything he thought was real.
The corridor behind him…
Was gone.
Replaced by a massive metal door.
Sealed.
Cold.
Engraved with the same symbol.
And beneath it—
A single line.
Written in fresh… wet… red.
"WELCOME BACK, SUBJECT ZERO."
Robin's breath stopped.
His vision blurred.
His mind—
Shattered.
And behind him…
The figure whispered one last thing—
Right next to his ear.
"You never left."