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The comm in Raven's ear chirped, breaking the uneasy silence. She touched it, eyes narrowing as the voice came through.
"Raven," Robin's voice was clipped, urgent. "The situation is bad. I'll keep it short Doomsday's been resurrected. The Justice League is already in a fight with him. I don't know the full details but..."
Raven's brow furrowed. "How? He's been dead… and in containment ever since Kara and Arthur dealt with him."
There was a pause, then Robin's voice lowered. "Batman kept some information to himself again and he's heading there now. I'm telling you because if the worst happens, that thing could land here on Earth. And when it does… we'll have to deal with it."
His tone shifted, heavier. "Arthur's help would be appreciated. He did defeat it before."
Raven's eyes flicked sideways to where Arthur stood, hands in his coat pockets, staring out at the skeletal skyline of Arkham. His expression was unreadable, but the exhale he let out told her enough.
"He will," she said simply, and cut the line.
Arthur didn't look at her immediately. Instead, he asked, "You want to go and help?"
"Probably," she replied. "And you, who called you?"
"Kara." His voice was calm, but there was something underneath it. "She just told me basically the same thing Robin just told you. But I don't really need information…"
His gaze shifted upward, pupils narrowing as if he was seeing something far beyond the horizon. "…because I can already see what's going on through my shadows."
Raven tilted her head. "And?"
"Oa," he said, tone tightening, "is facing the same issue."
Before she could question, he summoned Doom from the shadows at his feet. The hulking figure emerged silently, its violet eyes burning.
"I know what's going on with Doomsday and in Oa.." Arthur continued, voice low now. "And I might have been one of the reasons why it's happening."
Raven froze for half a second before it clicked. "The recent involvement with the Lanterns…"
"Yes." He finally looked her in the eye, his own carrying a weight she'd only seen a handful of times. "There's a prophecy. About a very dangerous event one that will happen on a universal scale."
The shadows around them seemed to deepen as he spoke.
"It's called the Blackest Night. The rise of the Black Lanterns, fueled by the power of death itself, or rather, the Emotional Embodiment of Black. 'Nekron'."
Raven's lips parted slightly. "…Wow. That's a lot more serious than I initially thought."
Arthur gave a humorless smirk. "You haven't even begun to imagine how bad it can get."
He didn't look at Raven when he spoke, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon as though he could see the entire future battles all at once.
"Fear not," his tone was calm, controlled, the kind of confidence that left no room for doubt. "I know how to defeat him. I just need to find his host. Nekron cannot exist without one. If I kill his link to the living plane once and for all, every other Black Lantern would fall. That's the easy way." He finally glanced at her, a faint smirk playing at the edge of his mouth. "And I think only I can do it… Considering the nature of my Shadow Ring."
Raven's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what's the hard way?"
Arthur's gaze drifted back to the sky. For a moment, his voice was quieter, almost thoughtful.
"We might need a White Lantern. The White Entity of Life can bring the Black Lanterns back to their normal selves… and it can destroy the rings entirely. Remember this carefully, Raven..." his voice hardened, the weight of his words undeniable, "...the Black Lanterns are zombies. Undead. Do not hold back against them if you run into one. They cannot die because they are the construct. The ring is in control. Destroy it, and they fall. It can be done with a mix of emotional spectrum energies… something my Shadow Ring already possesses. It absorbs all of it. Which means..." he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "...we might not need the White one at all."
Raven took in a slow breath. "That's a lot to take in… but I understand how to deal with them now." Her gaze sharpened. "What I don't understand is… how do you know all of this?"
Arthur turned fully to face her this time, his smirk returning. "Because," he said, voice low, "I am far superior to Nekron."
A faint, amused breath escaped her. "That didn't answer my question."
He didn't reply only let the silence stretch between them. Then he stepped closer, his shadowed form almost eclipsing her.
"Go with Doom," he said at last, his tone an order disguised as advice. "Handle Doomsday in the Watchtower. Doom cannot be defeated… and even if that Black lantern Doomsday adapts as well. My Marshal is stronger."
And then, without warning, he extended his other hand. Shadows peeled away from his palm, revealing a small object resting there, black and violet metal intertwined, pulsing faintly with a rhythm that felt like a heartbeat.
Raven's eyes widened. "…Is that?"
"Yes," he said, voice steady. "It's a shadow ring. In my current state, I could only make one… and it cost me more than you can imagine. I was saving it for someone worthy." He turned his palm upward, and from the darkness coalesced the ring, pulsing faintly with violet-black energy. "I know you are strong enough that you might not need this at all, Raven. But take this. It will be a great help against what's coming."
Raven's breath caught. Her eyes usually guarded, layered with sarcasm or silence. She hesitated, her fingers trembling slightly as she raised her hands toward his. The light from the ring reflected in her gaze, making her look as though shadows themselves had fallen into her irises.
When her fingers brushed the cold metal, she finally asked, her tone hushed, almost fearful, "If I use this… wouldn't I be using your power? Wouldn't that make you weaker because of me?"
Arthur laughed, not mockingly, but with a rough warmth, the sound of someone who feared nothing. He shook his head, his violet eyes gleaming brighter. "No."
She looked at him, uncertain.
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. "You won't be using my power directly. The shadow ring doesn't pull from me, it draws its strength from the Shadow Central Power Battery in Qward. That thing is an endless glutton for emotional spectrum energy." His grin tilted with irony, and for a heartbeat, there was a shadow of guilt across his features. "Remember when I told you I might be one of the reasons for all of this? That's one example."
Raven stared at him for a long moment, processing his words. Then, unexpectedly, she laughed softly at first, then a little freer. Her voice carried that strange warmth she usually buried beneath her stoicism.
"You're unbelievable," she murmured, and then her fingers closed around the ring, claiming it fully. The violet shadow energy pulsed faintly around her hand, as if acknowledging its new bearer.
She turned, her eyes flickering to Doom, who loomed in silence, the violet glow of his own eyes watching patiently. With a wave of her hand, the air cracked open, swirling into a dark, glowing portal. "Let's go, big guy," she said.
Doom's chest rumbled with a growl, his monstrous frame shifting as he stepped closer to the threshold, ready to follow.
But before stepping through, Raven turned back. Her expression softened, in one sudden, uncharacteristic move, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to Arthur's.
It was not timid, it was hot, intense, filled with every word she would usually say aloud to him. For a heartbeat, time seemed to fracture around them. When she finally pulled away, her face flushed, she looked to the side quickly, almost embarrassed, her voice quieter, gentler. "Thank you."
Arthur stood there with a crooked smile, the violet glow in his eyes softening as if he had just been given something far rarer than power.
He turned his head toward Doom, his voice shifting into something colder, commanding. "Deal with Doomsday. And if anything happens to her…" His smile sharpened into something dangerous. "I'll make you the pet instead of Dex-Starr."
Doom, for all his towering menace, let out a low whimper, a sound of reluctant acknowledgment. He gave Arthur a slow, firm nod.
Raven couldn't help but laugh, then she stepped into the portal, her cloak trailing behind her. Doom followed, vanishing into the swirling darkness.
Arthur remained alone in Arkham, the smile still ghosting his lips. He lifted his hand, violet light dancing in his ring, as he whispered to himself, "Now let's deal with what we have here."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want