Ulaia1
In Gotham, there was a rumor. A rumor, saying that the Bat was the coalescence of their sins, come to punish them (they said that, due to the Batman being formed of their sins, it could not kill them, lest it be weakened).
The Bat was formed of the night, and the lines between it and the night blurred, to the point that it became all but invisible in the shadows, only able to be seen by the glow of its eyes, or a shadow blotting out the little light of the moon as it flew in the skies, surveying its territory.
The Bat was eldritch, a myth, a tale told to children to frighten them into behaving. 'Be good, and the Batman won't snatch you away to join its brood'.
By day, a ditzy socialite, CEO of Wayne Industries, by night, a vengeful shadow in the dark, punishing criminals and doling out justice, the Bat was real.