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WATCHTOWER -
The air in the Watchtower shifted.
One moment, the League stood gathered around the circular table, light from the Earth's curve washing through the glass above them and the next, reality rippled. A tear of violet shadow carved itself into existence beside the holographic console. The temperature dipped.
From that portal stepped Arthur Blackwynd, dark cloaked, shadows clinging to his form. Behind him, Raven emerged in silence, her hood raised.
Every League member stiffened, even Superman.
Hal's ring hummed instinctively, Wonder Woman's hand went to her sword, and Flash's eyes flicked between them and the nearest exit. Batman was calm as if he was expecting this sudden visit.
The portal sealed behind them with a low, haunting echo. Arthur's gaze lifted toward the gathered heroes, his expression calm.
Batman was the first to speak, his tone level and deep.
"I was waiting for you to show up."
Arthur smirked faintly, his voice carrying that cool, quiet confidence that always unsettled people who didn't know him.
"Yeah. Took my time, but I figured out some important things."
Superman stepped forward, the light from the stars catching on the blue of his suit. His expression was stern, but not hostile.
"Arthur," he said evenly, "you're looking for Zod as well?"
Arthur's reply was slow. "Not just looking for him." His violet eyes flickered. "I found him."
The room seemed to hold its breath.
J'onn J'onzz's voice echoed softly, calm but sharp in meaning. "And is he…?"
Arthur turned toward him, with a faint smile "He's alive," he said simply. "In fact, he's more than alive. I found a world that used to be an old Kryptonian outpost I assume, an ice wasteland now. But there was something, something massive. Some sort of machine, if I had to guess. And Zod… he's already extracted it."
That made the entire room tense. Superman's eyes widened, the weight of those words hitting harder than a punch. Wonder Woman's grip on her lasso tightened, and even Batman's jaw clenched slightly, a rare show of emotion.
Arthur continued, voice low, precise.
"They're coming to Earth. That's not a theory, that's a guarantee it's just a matter of time, I got here first because I can teleport."
Silence. The only sound was the sound of the Watchtower's systems.
Then Clark looked at him again, his gaze flicking briefly toward Raven, the faintest hint of concern softening his anger. She stood behind Arthur, hood shadowing her face, but her fingers were curled.. nervous.
Clark's tone dropped. "Where is Kara?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly violet. His voice was calm. "She got captured by Zod."
Superman froze. His breath hitched. then he moved.
In a blink, he was in front of Arthur, faster than thought, his hand gripping Arthur's collar and lifting him slightly off balance. The table rattled under the shockwave of his movement. His eyes glowed bright red.
"How did you let that happen!?" he thundered. "I thought she was with you.. that she was safe!"
Raven's entire aura flared black and indigo, her power instinctively coiling around her like a storm. She didn't even think shadows formed at her fingertips, eyes flashing beneath her hood. The League reacted too, Hal's ring flared, Diana moved one step forward, but before anyone could act, Arthur raised a single hand.
"Don't," he said quietly to Raven.
And then, he didn't even blink. His violet eyes locked with Clark's crimson ones, unflinching.
"I told her about Zod," Arthur said, calm as if they weren't a breath away from fighting. "And I'm also the one who let her go. I respected her wish not to have a parasite in her shadow. But I'm not stupid." His voice deepened slightly, power humming beneath the surface. "I knew her temper. So I made sure my shadows were watching her, from a distance, unaware."
Then, with one smooth motion, Arthur's own hand came up and gripped Clark's wrist. Not in violence, just enough strength to make the Man of Steel realize he wasn't powerless.
"Would you want me to force her to do something she doesn't want to?"
That hit harder than any strike could have.
Superman's expression faltered, the anger melting into regret, then self-awareness. He released Arthur immediately, stepping back a pace, his chest rising and falling as he tried to collect himself.
"No…" he muttered, looking down, voice rough. "I… I wouldn't." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself. "What am I doing…? This isn't the time for us to be like this."
The League relaxed slightly. Raven lowered her hands, her magic fading, though her eyes still lingered warily on Clark.
Arthur straightened and gave a small nod, no malice in his tone. "You're worried about your family," he said simply. "I understand."
Then his attention shifted to Batman. His eyes softened a little, business mode again.
"Do you have the thing I asked for?"
Bruce exhaled slowly through his nose, the faintest glint of annoyance in his tone. "Your not-so-polite shadow ant picked it up from the Batcave. Damaged a few million dollars' worth of equipment in the process of leaving."
Arthur gave a brief, unapologetic smirk. "Sorry about that."
"Of course you are," Bruce muttered dryly. Then he turned serious, glancing at the holographic console. "In any case, there's something else you need to know...since you're preparing to fight Zod and whatever army he is going to throw at us."
Arthur folded his arms, posture straight. "Go on."
Batman's tone dropped lower, heavy with meaning. "There's a variable among them. A Kryptonian clone. We don't know where he came from or how Zod found him, but he's different and potentially unstable."
Arthur's expression sharpened, his eyes narrowing. "A clone," he echoed. "Of who?"
Batman looked at Clark. The silence said enough.
Arthur stood with his arms folded.
Batman continued, "This clone," voice low, "wasn't created by Zod."
Superman frowned slightly.
Bruce hesitated only long enough to choose his words carefully. "It was made on Krypton. By none other than Clark's biological father, Jor-El."
Batman added "The records I decrypted from the Fortress confirm it. His designation is H'El. The data suggests he was an advanced genetic construct, a composite made from the genetic code of multiple Kryptonians. Think of him as… the culmination of Krypton's scientific ambition."
Arthur tilted his head slightly, studying the faint tremor that crossed Clark's expression.
Bruce continued, "If anything, given Jor-El's role in his creation, he can be considered Clark's older brother, in a sense."
Superman exhaled slowly, his eyes distant now.
Arthur broke the silence, his voice even but curious.
"So you're saying this H'El can be reasoned with? I can't see someone like that being used by Zod."
Batman's response was immediate, but not dismissive, analytical, wary. "We can't be sure of that. Zod is a General. He commands loyalty through conviction and fear. And H'El…" he paused, pulling up a holographic projection of a planet Arthur instantly recognize... Orena. "You said you visited a distant world, didn't you? Found remnants of Kryptonian machinery?"
Arthur nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. "That's right. There were no traces of life, but I didn't believe it, and something massive was taken."
Bruce gave a brief, grim nod. "Then we're looking at the same planet. Orena was one of Krypton's oldest outposts. From what I recovered, H'El was stationed there preserving data, technology, maybe even fragments of Krypton's culture. But according to the readings…" His hand hovered over the hologram; the sun next to the planet dimmed, flickered out. "That system used to have a yellow sun."
Arthur blinked once. Then twice. He stepped forward, his tone halfway between disbelief and dry amusement. "Are you telling me… he absorbed a sun?"
Batman didn't respond immediately. His silence was the answer.
Arthur stared for a moment, then scoffed softly under his breath and rubbed his temple. "You're kidding. That shouldn't even be possible…"
Hal Jordan muttered from the corner, "Neither is having a green ring that creates constructs."
Arthur shot him a faint glare, but Batman's quiet voice drew him back.
"You command shadows and lead an army of the dead, Arthur," Bruce said flatly, crossing his arms. "You should know by now.. the word 'impossible' doesn't hold much weight anymore."
Arthur's violet eyes flickered once, then dimmed slightly as he sighed.
"Fair enough," he admitted, the corner of his mouth lifting wryly. "I understand your point."
/-\
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