Shadow Monarch in DC

Gotham City - The Bowery District

A week later...

Batman moved through the shadows like a silent specter, his cape billowed behind him, the criminals had been targeting the Bowery for weeks, a new crew, bold and brutal, leaving a trail of broken bodies in their wake. Batman had tracked them here, to this dead-end alley, where they thought they were safe.

They were wrong.

His fist connected with the first one’s jaw, the impact sending him crashing into a dumpster with a clang that echoed through the narrow space. The second one swung a pipe, but Batman was already on it, his counterstrike sending the man to his knees. The third one tried to run, but Batman’s hand closed around his collar, yanking him back, slamming him against the wall.

The man’s eyes widened with terror, his mouth opening to scream,

Then suddenly a shadow moved.

It emerged from the darkness like a nightmare, its form twisting and writhing with an energy that was not quite human. Its grin was wide, too wide, its eyes burning with a violet light. The shadow Joker grabbed the third man by the throat, its laughter an echo that seemed to reverberate through the alley. The man’s eyes went wide, his struggles futile, his screams swallowed by the darkness.

And then they were gone.

Batman stood alone in the alley, his fists still clenched, his eyes fixed on the space where the shadow had been. His voice was quiet.

"That shadow is picky with his targets.. He took the one who murdered the person I found earlier." He paused, his eyes narrowing with frustration. "Damn it, Arthur. Just call back this thing..."

His communicator buzzed.

He pressed it, his voice flat and controlled. "What is it?"

Alfred’s voice emerged. "Master Bruce, Miss Raven is here. She wishes to speak with you. She seems... troubled.."

Batman’s eyes narrowed. "Raven?"

Raven’s voice cut through the line. "Sorry for arriving uninvited like this, but I need your help.."

"I will be there shortly." Batman said calmly.

He looked at the corner where the shadow Joker had disappeared, then he turned and left, his cape billowing behind him like a shroud.

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The Batcave -

Batman descended from the Batwing, his cowl still in place, his eyes fixed on the figure that stood near the main Bat computer. Raven was dressed in her usual dark robes, her hood down, her face pale with exhaustion that no amount of rest seemed to cure. She looked smaller somehow.

Alfred stood nearby, his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was one of concern.

Batman asked with genuine concern beneath it. "What do you need, Raven? did something happen?"

"This is about Arthur." Raven said.

Batman removed his cowl, his face emerging from the shadows, his eyes meeting hers. "Of course it is about Arthur." He paused. "It has been a while since I have last heard from him. What is he up to now?"

Raven’s voice was quiet. "He disappeared completely after we returned from a... a mission."

Batman’s eyes narrowed. "You mean the mission where he teleported to a different Earth to try and confirm Future Flash’s warning?"

Raven’s voice carried a note of surprise. "So you know the whole thing?"

Batman nodded slowly. "He told me about his plans before he left. He was convinced that the Flash’s warning was tied to something beyond our understanding, something that would require him to face threats that we could not even imagine." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "But I do not know what happened there. And I am pretty sure he said he was going alone."

Raven’s face flushed with embarrassment, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I followed him secretly... I thought I could help. I thought I could be useful. And instead, I ended up causing more trouble for him. I became a liability, a weakness that he had to protect."

Bruce’s voice was bordered on brutal honesty. "That is expected. You will be his weakness in case he finds something unexpected. That is not a flaw, Raven, it is a fact. The people we love will always be our vulnerabilities. The question is whether we let that stop us from doing what needs to be done."

"Thanks for that." She said, her eyes distant, haunted by the memories that she had been trying to suppress for a week. "But you are right. We did find the unexpected. Fifth-dimensional, sinister beings that destroy universes and their master, called the Empty Hand, a far more threatening being than they are, possibly stronger than Darkseid too. And yeah..."

Batman’s eyes narrowed, his mind already cataloguing the information. "And how did Arthur deal with all of that?"

"He eventually got aided by someone we did not expect to find, let alone find there." Raven said.

Batman was silent, his eyes fixed on her face. "Who?"

Raven’s voice dropped, as if saying the name aloud would summon the being itself. "We found the Dragon Monarch."

She raised her hand, her magic gathering around her, then she touched his head, and images flooded his mind, a scene of the Dragon Monarch fighting alongside Arthur, his appearance, his power of destruction. The images were vivid, visceral.

Batman was silent for a long moment, his mind processing the information with the speed of a supercomputer.

Then he spoke, in acknowledgment. "That was some images..." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "Arthur’s fears and warnings were not in vain, it seems. He really is nothing like the other Monarchs we have seen. He is a force of nature, a walking apocalypse.."

"That was a fight I could not even dare to interrupt. Arthur suffered great injuries, more mental than physical. He strained himself greatly, especially against the being called the Empty Hand." She paused. "He and the Dragon Monarch teamed up and managed to seal him. We do not know for how long. But now Arthur is gone, out there somewhere. Even his shadows refuse to tell me where he is." Her voice cracked, the first sign of the emotions she had been holding back. "It makes me believe he does not want to be found."

"He feels like he was defeated." Batman said, his eyes meeting hers. "And that without the aid of someone he sees as a great enemy, he would not have made it. And it is the truth. The reality of what happened is weighing on him, the knowledge that he needed help, that he was not strong enough alone in the face of a powerful cosmic force.."

His voice softened, becoming more human.

"Give him this time. He is strong mentally. He will pick himself up, he has done it before, and he will do it again."

"I came to you to tell you so you would make sure he is not out there fighting the likes of Darkseid or Mobius on his own again." Raven said, her eyes searching his face. "I cannot find Clark either, otherwise I would have asked him to help as well."

"You are his partner, Raven. If you cannot know where he is, I am afraid I cannot either." Batman paused, his voice softening. "If he attacked Darkseid or Mobius right now, we would know for sure. The scale of that conflict would be impossible to miss." His eyes met hers. "Besides, he is not stupid. And you need to give him space. I do not think he will appreciate you following him again this time around."

Raven was silent, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Alfred stepped forward. "If I may say just this: I understand how you feel, Miss Raven. But considering what he just fought, as you mentioned, he would naturally recover somewhere he finds himself peaceful. Out of sight, away from the noise and the chaos of the world." He paused, his eyes meeting hers with a look of gentle understanding. "And someone like Arthur Blackwynd might have plenty of places like that in mind. He is a being of many layers, of hidden depths. He would not go somewhere obvious. He would go somewhere that holds meaning for him."

Raven’s eyes widened, her voice barely a whisper. "The World Tree... He mentioned it before... it’s where he got his full powers.."

"It seems you have figured out where he is." Alfred said.

Raven’s smile was small, but genuine. "Yes. But I will not go." She paused, her eyes meeting his. "Like you both mentioned, I will give him space... We did go through a lot. And I need to trust that he will come back when he is ready."

Batman’s voice carried a note of genuine gratitude. "Thank you for the information, by the way." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "Finally, I get to make a file about this strange being. I had nothing on this Dragon Monarch. Now at least I know where he stands."

Raven was amused. "Do not mention it."

Alfred sighed. "You will not be sleeping, then, I assume?"

Bruce’s voice was flat. "No."

Raven smiled. "Sorry, Alfred."

Alfred said in acceptance. "Not your fault, child.. Not your fault.."

Raven disappeared in a swirl of shadows, her presence fading from the cave.

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The World Tree - The Heart of Existence

The World Tree was a monument to creation itself, it rose from the void like a pillar of light, its trunk vast beyond comprehension, its branches spreading across the cosmos like the arms of a god. Its roots delved into the depths of existence, anchoring reality to the fabric of the multiverse. The bark was silver and gold, the aurora that surrounded it was ethereal, a dance of colors that defied description, violet and blue and gold and green, swirling in patterns, the light that emanated from the tree was soft and warm.

Arthur sat on one of the massive branches, his legs crossed, his hands resting on his knees, his eyes closed. His ashen white hair moved gently in the wind that seemed to emanate from the tree itself.

He wore simple dark clothing. His face was calm, but there was a tension, a weight that had not yet fully lifted.

A voice emerged from behind him, kind and calm.

"You wanted to see me, Arthur?"

Arthur’s eyes opened, glowing violet.

"Yes..." He paused. "I did."

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