Two months had passed since the war that shook the Earth to its core. Though scars remained, life moved forward. People returned to their routines, living the life while holding onto the memories of the fallen. Cities erected statues, engraved names, and held silent vigils. Among the many memorials, one stood quietly but prominently before the towering Shadow Corp building, an obsidian pillar made of unknown material with a single name etched in white ivory material: Rex. Ashborn had made sure of it. Rex's memory and sacrifice would not be forgotten.
Elsewhere, the world had gotten used to some of the strange aftereffects of the war. One of the most talked-about was the unexpected yet very public relationship between Kara, Galatea, and Ashborn. Rumors came and went, but the three made no attempt to hide it. They didn't need to. Kara, once focused on the heroism, was now smiling again, laughing without a cape.
Superman, however, found the situation… complicated. "Inappropriate" was one word he'd used in private. But every time he saw his cousin genuinely happy, happier than she'd been in years, his objections dissolved into silence. He could not deny it: this new relationship gave her something he hadn't seen in a long time. Joy.
Still, it troubled him.
In his mind, any conflict that might arise would be Ashborn's fault. Kara was passionate, yes, but Ashborn, Ashborn was a being of unfathomable power and a history that stretched across dimensions and wars. If Kara ever got hurt… who could stop him? Who could even talk sense into him?
[Why couldn't she have picked someone… normal?] Clark wondered one evening. [Someone I could punch if needed]
Meanwhile, Ashborn made preparations of his own. Remnant has an unfinished quest. They had left it abruptly, before Amazo could ask Penny to officially be his girlfriend. This time, Ashborn didn't plan to return alone. The ones accompanying him included Ace, Galatea, Kara, and Courtney, the latter eager to see a new world and determined not to let Ace travel without her.
Ashborn welcomed the company, but it raised a pressing issue, who would oversee Shadow Corp in his absence?
After careful deliberation, he made a choice that would stun the world.
Vandal Savage.
A villain to some, a visionary to others. He had lived across ages and ruled from behind the curtains of empires. But most importantly, he was competent.
When Vandal raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why me?"
Ashborn's answer was calm, but laced with meaning "You became my friend seventy-five thousand years in the future. And you owe me a favor, one you can't walk out on. If you refuse me, or don't do a good job, I will be sad. And you don't want me to be sad."
The subtle smile that followed was far more terrifying than any threat.
Vandal agreed. Not out of this supposed friendship. Not even for the said favor. But because he knew, more than anyone else, that upsetting a god of death and darkness was a shortcut to an eternity of suffering.
When the news broke, both the Justice League and world authorities turned a blind eye.
They had a new motto now: "Whatever Ashborn does... it has nothing to do with us."
___________
The sun dipped low over Beacon Academy, casting golden streaks across the stone-paved courtyard. Students were wrapping up for the day, chatting, stretching, and laughing until a sudden gust of wind blew through the yard, followed by a blinding swirl of violet light.
From the heart of the courtyard, a purple gate snapped open, sending a shockwave of awe through the crowd. Heads turned, conversations stopped, and weapons instinctively inched toward hands until figures stepped out of the portal.
Two of them were familiar faces: Ashborn and Amazo, the mysterious powerhouses who had vanished without a trace. But the four women with them were strangers, and judging by their poise, definitely not ordinary travelers.
The moment of stunned silence ended as a storm of red petals danced through the air, materializing into none other than Ruby Rose. She raced toward them with a gleam of relief in her eyes.
"Ashborn! Amazo! You're back!" Ruby cried. "Where have you been? It has been almost a year!! You scared us when you disappeared like that!"
Ashborn nodded in greeting. "There were… unfortunate events back home we had to deal with."
Behind him, Courtney muttered under her breath, "That's an understatement."
Ruby glanced at her, then at the others curiously. Her eyes locked on one familiar face, Ashborn's girlfriend, and then widened in confusion as she noticed another who looked just like a carbon copy.
Ashborn noticed her stare and decided to put things plainly.
"Let me introduce everyone properly," he said, gesturing with calm confidence. "This is Tea and Kara, my girlfriends. That's Ace, my daughter. And this is Courtney, Ace's best friend."
Then he motioned toward Ruby. "And this is Ruby Rose, a native of this world."
Ruby blinked. "Native to this world?"
Ashborn gave a light chuckle but didn't linger on the question. "I need to find Ozpin or someone to arrange rooms for us. We'll talk later."
Ruby nodded. "Right. I'll let the others know you're back."
With that, Ashborn vanished, teleporting directly to the headmaster's office, where Glynda Goodwitch was in conversation with Professor Ozpin. Both turned sharply at his sudden appearance.
Ozpin recovered first with a weak smile. "Mr. Black, you're back… and you have more company this time."
Ashborn smirked faintly. "You don't sound too thrilled."
Ozpin's polite tone didn't waver. "Of course not. You are always welcome here."
"Happy to hear that," Ashborn replied. "I'll need three rooms prepared for my companions."
Ozpin turned to Glynda. "Please, see to it."
Glynda sighed "Very well."
Courtney raised an eyebrow. "They know and fear him, don't they? Why am I not surprised?"
Ace laughed, while the others shared amused expressions. Glynda and Ozpin, for their part, kept composed and wisely ignored the jab.
Ozpin cleared his throat. "By the way, we've had guests at Beacon waiting for you for nearly a year now. Roman and his sidekick."
Ashborn blinked. "I forgot about the guy. Where is he?"
"In your old room," Ozpin answered simply.
Ashborn nodded. Beside him, Kara tilted her head. "Who's Roman?"
"A nice and funny guy I met here," Ashborn replied casually.
Ozpin's eye twitched, just for a moment, but Kara caught it immediately.
"He's a known criminal, isn't he?" she asked, half amused.
"An ex-crime lord actually and was a part-time terrorist planning to destroy the kingdom for a while" Ashborn replied with a straight face.
Courtney sighed, "Again, I'm not surprised."
___________
The hallway leading to the dorms was quiet, with only the faint murmur of students in the distance. Ashborn walked alone, his footsteps silent as he approached a familiar door, his old room, currently occupied by two individuals most would rather forget.
He opened the door without knocking.
Inside, Roman Torchwick was lounging in a chair, hat tipped slightly forward, while Neo lay stretched across the bed like she owned it. The moment Roman saw him, he grinned.
"Well, well," Roman drawled, "Our boss man finally decided to visit these two lowly criminals. I was beginning to think you forgot about us."
Ashborn tilted his head slightly. "I actually did forget about you two. Unexpected things happened. I had to go back home quickly."
Roman raised an amused brow. "And what, pray tell, is so important that it made you forget two fine criminals and faithful followers under your supervision and waiting for you for so long?"
Ashborn stepped inside, voice calm. "The god of Tyranny attacked my home world and nearly destroyed it. I went back, enslaved his army then killed him gruesomely, fixed the damage done to the world, then sent my army to end the god across all dimensions before ending his existence in the God sphere. I also had some acquaintances to visit. And side chores to complete, adding the time dilation between worlds, it took me some time to finish all of that."
Roman blinked slowly. "…You were too busy. Got it."
Ashborn chuckled. "Now tell me, why are you two here?"
Roman shrugged, folding his hands behind his head. "Well, you told us not to commit crimes. But we still needed food. And moving around as two very known criminals is kind of hard, you know? So we gambled on coming here. If the good guys here know what's good for them, they'd let us stay comfortably and feed us while waiting for you. And if they didn't, well, then you'd come break us out and teach them a lesson to not mess with your faithful minions."
Roman grinned. "Hearing what you have done on the other side… I think it's a pity they didn't try locking us up."
Ashborn let out an amused laugh. "Not bad thinking."
He glanced around the room briefly before continuing. "I'm going to stay here for a while. My son's going to ask Penny Polendina to be his girlfriend. Then we'll return to my home world."
Roman gave an approving nod. "Sounds good to me."
On the bed, Neo remained sprawled out, silent as ever, her expression unreadable. She didn't so much as glance their way, content with simply existing in the background, unconcerned with the world around her.
Ashborn stood in the doorway a moment longer, then gave a simple nod and turned to leave, leaving the two criminals to their peace for now.