Shadow Monarch in DC

The aurora continued its eternal dance around the World Tree while Arthur sat on the massive branch, his eyes were open now, fixed on the endless expanse of stars beyond, but he was not seeing them. His mind was elsewhere as A figure appeared beside him, her presence as natural and inevitable as the aurora itself. Death of the Endless settled onto the branch with an easy grace, she was small, unassuming, her short hair dark and and her silver ankh catching the faint light of the aurora. Her eyes ancient beyond measure, found Arthur’s face, and she smiled.

"Arthur," she said, "It has been some time."

Arthur’s lips curved. "Didi. You came."

She sat next to him and leaned forward, her head resting against his shoulder, her presence a comfort. "Of course I came. You called, and I answered." She paused. "Besides, I have been waiting for this moment. I knew you would come around eventually. I knew that the universe would present you with something that would make you understand."

Arthur’s laugh was quiet, genuine. "You always did know me better than I know myself."

"That is what happens when you have watched someone for as long as I have watched you. I have seen you grow, Arthur. I have seen you struggle, and I have seen you triumph." She paused, her eyes softening. "And I have seen you carry burdens that would have broken lesser beings. You have faced many threats, and you have emerged scarred but unbroken. You have lost and you have gained, and through it all, you have remained true to yourself, this is what I like about you."

Arthur was silent for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the aurora met the void. Then he spoke. "I know what sort of foes I faced recently, Didi. I’m here because I finally understand what you told me before." He paused, his eyes meeting hers with a look that was both weary and resolute."What you suggested to me before is the solution, and that it is the only way."

Didi’s smile was gentle. "You were always stubborn, Arthur. But you were never foolish. You understood that power has a price, and that there are some prices you were not willing to pay." She paused, her voice softening. "But now you understand that the price of not paying is even greater.. I truly like that you are more worried about me than yourself.. But I explained it already.. I want this, if I didn’t, I would never have suggested it."

Arthur said in acknowledgment. "The Dragon Monarch could have killed me if he wanted. And he chose not to. He has his own plans, his own agenda, and I am a piece on his board.. for now." He paused, his eyes darkening with the memory. "The Empty Hand could have killed me as well. He was stronger, older, more connected to the source of our power than I am. I barely survived, and only because the Dragon Monarch intervened.."

His voice dropped, becoming quieter, more vulnerable.

"I even found his spawn, the Gentry, to be a challenge. They were not as powerful as their master, but they were relentless, cunning, and they coud kill my shadows for good, and they had the Anti-Death Equation.. a power that should have destroyed me." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "Without my control over the Abyss, I would not have been able to kill them. I sent them to nothingness, erased them from existence. But beings like the Empty Hand and the true form of Darkseid will still be a serious threat, one I cannot face with the way I’m right now."

His voice hardened with conviction.

"I find myself limited. I cannot do much without full authority. One that you hold."

Didi understood that far too well. "And I did offer it to you. And if I remember correctly, you refused that." She paused, her eyes meeting his. "You were not ready then. You had not yet seen the limits of your power. But now you have. And now you are ready."

"You were right. About everything." Arthur said.

"Just like I mentioned before: giving it up without dying is only possible if I become your eternal ghost. An eternal companion." She paused, her voice softening. "While I leave a replica of my own to do my job. Because I know you do not wish to be burdened with the responsibility of Death of the Endless." Her eyes met his with a look of profound understanding. "A single day was enough for you afterall."

Arthur’s smile was small. "I do not wish to do that ever again."

"Of course. No one wants this. The weight of every ending, the silence of every final breath... it is not a burden to be taken lightly." She paused, her eyes searching his face. "Same thing for the concept of Death, it is not just any power. But you are not just anyone, Arthur. You are the Shadow Monarch, a true being of Death."

She stood, her form rising gracefully, her eyes never leaving his. The aurora seemed to dim around her now.

"Are you certain you want this?" She said. "There is no turning back. You will have my concept, and you will have me speaking into your head, walking beside you, standing there, every time, everywhere. I will be with you always, Arthur. Not as a friend, not as a ally, but as a part of you. A fragment of your soul that will never leave.."

Arthur said with absolute certainty. "So be it."

"I assume you did not discuss this with the girls." Didi said.

Arthur’s lips curved. "Raven even suggested it." He paused, his voice softening. "But I have not seen Kara for a while. She would not even understand. She is carrying our child, Didi. And I am about to become something even more than I was before. I do not know how she will react."

"Well, it will cause a lot of trouble. There will be arguments. The people you love will not understand at first. They will see you changing, growing, becoming something they cannot fully comprehend.." Didi said.

Arthur said with quiet conviction. "I assume it will." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "But she will understand eventually. This is necessary for what is coming."

"Very well." Didi said.

She raised her hand, her power gathering around her in a light that was both beautiful and terrible. The world around them shifted, the aurora fading, the World Tree dissolving into nothing. Suddenly, they found themselves in eternal darkness a realm of absolute nothingness, where even the concept of light had never existed.

Arthur felt the awe of a being who had finally glimpsed the true nature of the force he sought to command. "This is the true domain of death."

Didi finally spoke. "Yes. Nothing ever reigns here. Only nothingness and emptiness." She paused, her voice softening."Such is death. It is final. It is absolute. It is the one certainty that every being in existence shares.. no matter who they are."

She stepped closer, her hand rising to touch his forehead. Her forehead connected with his, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Do not open your eyes," she warned. "Or you will be blind forever."

Arthur closed his eyes. Didi’s voice whispered.

"This power of mine will be yours to use. May it serve you well, Monarch of Shadows."

And then the power surged.

It rushed through him like a wave, it was both powerful and overwhelming. He felt his very existence shift, felt the boundaries of his being expand, felt the weight of Death itself settling into his soul. He was frozen, paralyzed by the magnitude of what was happening, his eyes clenched shut against the blinding light that threatened to consume him.

Didi’s form dissolved into black mist, her presence fading like a whisper in the wind. And then she was gone.

The world shattered.

And then he was back.

Arthur sat on the branch of the World Tree, the aurora still dancing around him, the stars still shining in the distance. His eyes opened, glowing violet brighter than before, more intense. The power that now flowed through him was beyond measurement, beyond comprehension.

He looked at his hands, turned them over. "Didi?" He was still confused. "Where are you?"

A whisper echoed inside his head, soft and warm, it was a presence that would never leave.

"Right here." She whispered.

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