Nyx – Formerly Planet Qward
Shadows moved through the streets of Nyx, their forms flickering in the violet glow of the Central Battery that pulsed at the city's heart. Shadow Lanterns patrolled the bridges of solidified darkness, their rings gleaming, their presence a quiet reassurance to the thousands of souls who called this place home. The sky a dome of absolute darkness punctuated by pinpricks of violet light.
It was a normal day, or as normal as any day could be in a city built from shadows and will.
Then something happened, it was not a sound that could be heard, it was very sudden. A vibration that traveled through the very fabric of the dimension, through the streets, through the crystalline spires, through the hearts of every being who called Nyx home. The violet pinpricks of light in the sky flickered.
And then the light came.
It descended from the darkness like a falling star, except it was not a star. It was acolumn of pure white radiance that seemed to devour the shadows around it, that burned with intensity. It struck the city like a divine judgment, tearing through the bridges and spires and structures that had stood for a good amount of time since Nyx was built.
The explosion was silent.
There was no sound, only light, only the terrible, consuming white that erased everything it touched. A section of the city, a quarter-mile of shadow-crystal simply ceased to exist. The structures dissolved. The bridges evaporated, the Shadow Lanterns who had been within that section, one hundred of them, were gone.
Not killed or destroyed. They were simply Erased.
The light faded and the shadows rushed back in, filling the void left behind. But the void remained, a gaping wound in the heart of Nyx, a scar that would never fully heal. The ground where the section had stood was smooth, polished, as if it had been sanded away by some cosmic force. There were no bodies, no debris. No signs of the lives that had been extinguished.
Only silence and then the alarms began to scream.
Nyx - The Aftermath
Marshal Zeus stood at the edge of the devastation, his form silhouetted against the violet glow of the Central Battery. His white hair was tousled, his violet glowing eyes fixed on the void before him. His hands, clasped behind his back, were trembling. With rage.
General Sinestro floated beside him, his face was pale with shock.
Atrocitus stood behind them, his massive frame trembling with the effort of restraint. His old rage consumed self reignited by the atrocity he had just witnessed.
"This was no accident," Sinestro said, his voice a low, "This was deliberate and targeted, we must get to the bottom of this."
Zeus's voice was barely controlled. "One hundred Lanterns, one hundred of our finest lanterns. Gone like that, some were of the Shadow Legion..."
Atrocitus's hands clenched. "Whoever did this will pay.. They will suffer, they will.."
"Atrocitus." Zeus's voice cut through his rage. "Calm yourself."
Atrocitus's jaw tightened. "Calm? You want me to be calm? Did you forget the responsibility we hold here, Marshal?"
"I know." Zeus turned to face them, his expression grim. "I know what we have lost, but we cannot let our emotions cloud our judgment. The Monarch will want answers, and we must have them."
Sinestro's voice was flat. "The Monarch. He will feel this, he already knows."
Zeus nodded slowly. "Yes. He will feel it, and he will come."
The shadows around them shifted.
They coalesced, gathered, formed, a swirl of violet light and absolute darkness that resolved into the familiar silhouette of Arthur Blackwynd. He stepped out of the shadows as if stepping through a doorway.
His eyes were fixed on the void before him.
He was silent for a long moment.
Then he spoke, his voice flat, empty.
"What happened?"
Zeus's head bowed. "Monarch, a blast of unknown origin struck this section of the city. The section was... erased. One hundred Shadow Lanterns were present. They are gone."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. His hand rose, his fingers tracing the edge of the void where the section had been. He felt the absence, the nothing, where his Lanterns had once been.
"Gone," he repeated. "Not dead, gone."
"Yes, Monarch." Zeus's voice was quiet. "There are no bodies, no remains. The blast seems to have... unexisted everything it touched, including Lanterns of the Shadow legion.. But I'm sure you are aware of that already.."
Arthur's jaw tightened. His eyes glowed brighter.
"Show me," he said. "Show me everything."
Zeus nodded. He raised his hand, and a projection appeared in the air, a recording of the moment, Arthur watched the white light descend, watched it consume the section, watched his Lanterns alongside everything disappear into nothing.
He watched it again.
And again.
And again.
When he finally spoke, his voice was cold.
"I know what this is."
Sinestro's head snapped toward him. "Monarch?"
His eyes were fixed on the void where the section of his city had been, the smooth, polished emptiness where one hundred Shadow Lanterns had existed moments ago. The violet light of the Central Battery pulsed behind him, casting long shadows across his face, illuminating the hard lines of his jaw and the cold fire in his eyes.
He turned to face his Marshals.
"I assumed at first this was an attack by Darkseid," he said, his voice flat, measured. "Maybe even the Dragon Monarch." He paused. "But this is completely different. And I would never forget something like this."
"It's deep in my memory, after all." His voice dropped. "This is an antimatter wave. Clearly the work of the Anti-Monitor. Mobius."
Zeus's eyes widened. "The Anti-Monitor? The being that can destroy all manners of matter?"
Arthur nodded slowly. "I survived one that consumed an Earth a long time ago. Back when I fought the Crime Syndicate on Earth-3." His jaw tightened. "I thought he would find our Earth first.. But is he truly finally here?"
He turned away from the void, his eyes sweeping across the assembled Lanterns who were floating behind him.
"But it doesn't make sense." His voice carried a note of genuine confusion. "We are in Nyx. And our Nyx, formerly Planet Qward, is located in the anti-matter universe. This is his universe. But I never sensed him here, even after getting my full powers."
He paused.
"So why now.."
Silence fell across them.
Zeus stepped forward, "This is an act of war against us, my Monarch." His glowing violet eyes crackled with lightning. "This being is dangerous. I will prepare the Lanterns and scatter them around the planet, I will pass an order to keep an eye out for these waves. If any of them appear, we will know."
Arthur's eyes glowed violet.
"Good." His voice hardened. "But I will handle this Anti-Monitor myself, I will find him soon enough." He paused, his gaze sweeping across the assembled Lanterns. "And I will make sure this never happens again."
Zeus's head bowed. "As you command, Monarch."
Arthur turned back to the void.
His shadows stirred around him, responding to his anger, his resolve. The Central Battery pulsed in the distance, its light a constant reminder of what he had built.
"One hundred Lanterns," he said quietly, almost to himself. "One hundred souls who trusted me. Who believed in me. Who gave their lives to protect this place and the universe.."
His hand clenched into a fist.
"I don't wish to have anymore enemies..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "But I will find this bastard... and make him pay for this transgression."
The Shadow Lanterns roared in response.
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