Darkness blanketed the city with the only lights being those on the buildings and the countless stars that covered the night sky.
On the beach on the outskirts of the city, the body of a boy washed up on shore. The boy looked to be no more than 15 with black neck-length hair. Clothes were tattered, showing that he's only been through hardship.
Suddenly, the boy's body stirred and his eyes shot open with awareness. A violent, hacking cough, expelling the water that had threatened to drown him from within.
A wave of lightness washed over him as his lungs refilled with air, the suffocating tension finally giving way to an overwhelming sense of ease.
He sat back down on the sandy beach and allowed his body to relax.
"Talk about an awakening." The boy who was clearly Devin said as he calmed his breathing.
"Now, where am… Agh!" Devin clutched his head as it felt like his skull was splitting open. Memories crashed into him like a tidal wave. The memories were familiar but at the same time not.
Several minutes passed before the influx of memories finally stopped.
Devin's breath was haggard because that had to be one of the most painful moments of his life.
"I... see." Devin said as he realized what happened. "I... didn't just reincarnate but I... took over the body of my dead counterpart, Devin Levin."
Devin thought it was a bit strange that this version of him had the name Levin but he got over it.
Devin took the time to decipher the new memories he received. When he finished, he felt both pity and disappointment for this Devin.
Like him, his parent's died in a car crash on his eleventh birthday. The only difference after that was this Devin didn't have any grandparent to take him in since that had died of an illness years ago. This resulted in Devin being put in an orphanage.
Fortunately, the lady who ran the orphanage was kind. The orphanage housed more than ten children whose age ranged from 6 to 12.
The lady tried to help Devin through his grief and for a time, it seemed it worked. But in this city, the city of Gotham, bad things were likely to happen.
Like him, his birthday was always a touchy subject. The orphanage lady tried to through a birthday party for him but Devin refused because it only reminded him of the tragedy.
The lady and the other children tried to help Devin over time but he pushed them away and eventually got mixed in with a bad crowd which resulted in him stealing and selling the things he stole for money.
When the orphanage owner found out, she was heartbroken and she broke down in tears. The other children reprimanded Devin and he decided to leave.
That happened when he was 13 and was now 15.
His life up until that point had been nothing but violence and petty theft.
His actions soon caught up to him when he tried stealing from wrong people. He was caught quickly caught and beaten to the point he couldn't stand.
He was then put on boat before being dumped in the ocean. He tried to swim back to land but his injuries were so great, he had no strength and lost consciousness which resulted in him dying.
Devin processed the memories and let out a sign.
He couldn't believe how this Devin could be so selfish and uncaring. All anyone did was try to help him with his grief and give him a happy life.
However, Devin could empathize with his counterpart.
He was hurting.
To him, his life lost all its color.
Maybe… if it wasn't for his grandparents, he probably would've turned out the same way.
At that moment, Devin vowed in his heart that he would do everything right so this Devin could rest in peace.
Standing up, Devin stretched his stiff muscles. Looking at the city before, he realized he had a long way to go. Not only to make things right but to figure out what kind of life he wanted to live in this dangerous world.
Only time will tell.
---
Devin walked through the dangerous streets of Gotham. Wears a jacket he found in the trash, he covered his face to not be recognized. He was on the side of Gotham that was closer to Metropolis which meant it was relatively safer.
Although Devin knew about the high crime rate from the shows he watched, seeing it firsthand was a whole different experience.
He passed by a tv station where each channel displayed something about the crime happening in Gotham: Robbery, arsons, super villains, the Joker escaping from Arkham, Intergang etc.
This city was an amalgamation of chaos.
He couldn't understand how some people could still live here.
Devin soon arrived at a park which was his desired destination. It was empty and it was night which made it the perfect place to test his powers.
After walking around for a bit and making sure the area was clear, Devin decided to try out his powers.
Seeing a large bounder, Devin walked to it with a feeling of excitement and trepidation. Placing his palm on the tree, he felt the roughness of the stone.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind and focused on the idea of what it would look like to have his body covered in armor.
In the next moment, the texture of the stone traveled through his arm and to the rest of his body. In no time, his body along with his clothes was covered in a stone-like armor.
Devin's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at his body. He couldn't believe this was actually happening.
He had superpowers.
Actual superpowers.
As he observed his body, he noticed how he didn't feel hindered by the armor. It moved with his body like it was his skin.
On top of that, he felt stronger.
He felt strength within his body he hadn't felt before.
Devin looked at the large boulder. It was at least at least 1000pounds.
Seeing this as a perfect way to test his strength, Devin bent his legs and gripped his hands around the boulder.
With surprising strength, Devin lifted the boulder with ease.
The shock and awe on his face were palpable. He was lifted something a normal human shouldn't be able to lift without some sort of equipment.
Putting down the boulder, Devin decided to try something else. He remembered how Kevin was able to change his armored fist into weapons.
Focusing on his fist, Devin imagined it taking the shape of something heavy and strong. Suddenly, the appearance of his fist changed and it took the shape of a large mallet.
The amazement in his expression couldn't be hidden. His hand, that was made of flesh and bone and covered in stone armor, was now replaced with large heavy object.
Swinging it around, he noticed how easy it was to do so. A show to his increased strength after absorbing the material.
When he finished, he turned his hand back to normal and made the stone armor recede.
After reveling in the excitement of his powers, Devin thought about how he was going to live in this world.
This was DC after all.
And he was in Gotham no less.
For a moment, he thought about leaving Gotham and going to live somewhere safe. But he thought about the orphanage and those that lived there.
He couldn't, in good conscious, leave when there was a chance they could be in danger. He needed to make things right.
"I need a plan." Devin thought seriously as he began to brainstorm.
"First, I need to get a good grasp on my powers. In a world with superpowers and evil clowns, I need to be able to defend myself. Second, I need a source of income so I can have some money in my pocket." It was a good foundation so far. "Third and most important, try to stay off of Batman's radar." Devin knew the Dark Knight was for his top tier detective skills and his paranoia which allowed him to prepare for the worst-case scenario. The last thing he wanted was for Batman to catch wind of his so early and make contingency plans to take him out in case he turned evil.
After everything he's been through, Devin had no intentions of turning evil. When he died, he had nothing but wrong choices and regrets.
This time, he would do right by the previous Devin, his parents and himself.
His old life is over and has begun his new life as Devin Levin.