Shadow Monarch in DC

The Justice League Watchtower - The Meeting Room

The observation deck of the Watchtower offered an unparalleled view of the Earth below, a blye marble suspended in the infinite darkness of space, its surface veiled in clouds and scattered with the lights of cities that had survived the latest assault. The room itself was lined with holographic displays that flickered with data, its center dominated by a circular table that had witnessed countless debates about the fate of the world.

Arthur Blackwynd stood at the head of the table, while the Justice League sat around him, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Hal Jordan, and Martian Manhunter. Not everyone was present; many were still recovering from the Paradragon attack, their wounds a reminder of the battle that had almost consumed their lives if not for the Shadow Legion and the Shadow Lanterns, the silence a testament to the gravity of the situation.

Superman leaned forward, "You are saying you fought the Anti-Monitor?" He paused, his eyes searching Arthur’s face. "Alone. You faced a being that has erased entire universes and threatened ours, and you defeated him. How?"

"I found him in his hidden domain, a pocket of anti-matter reality that he had carved out for himself. He was recovering, licking his wounds, planning his next moves." He paused, his eyes meeting Superman’s. "I decided to end that planning. I gave him no time to prepare, no time to react. I simply appeared and ended his reign of terror."

Wonder Woman said in genuine respect, her eyes fixed on Arthur’s face. "The Anti-Monitor is a being of cosmic terror.. you did the world a great service Arthur." She paused, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "You have done what no one else could, especially after the war we just had."

Arthur’s voice was calm. "I only imprisoned him. He is not dead, he cannot be killed permanently. The true Darkseid proved that. But he is sealed in my Abyss, where he will remain until I decide otherwise." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "He will not threaten this universe again."

The room fell silent.

Hal Jordan said while his ring flickering with the energy of his emotions. "Imprisoned? How do you imprison a being like that? I have seen what he can do. I have felt his power, all on Oa did. He is not something you can just... lock up.. even the Guardians would suggest killing him."

"The Guardians are fools it is no surprise to me." Arthur said then raised his hand, and a dark orb appeared before them, its surface swirling with shadows. Within it, they could see figures clawing at the walls of their prison, their forms barely visible through the darkness. The orb pulsed with a faint violet light, its surface cold to the touch.

Hal’s eyes were fixed on the orb. "So, uh.. I am not going to ask what this is, but which one of them is the Anti-Monitor? I want to know what he looks like in there."

Arthur was amused. "Who cares? It is better that he will be forgotten." He paused, his eyes meeting Hal’s. "What matters is that we will not be hearing from him anytime soon. Or at least until he gives me what I want."

Batman’s eyes were fixed on the dark orb. "Strange that you decided to imprison an entity like him instead of killing him." He paused, his eyes meeting Arthur’s. "This is a first for you. You usually take a more permanent approach." His voice hardened. "What is it that you want from him?"

"If I killed him, he would revive again in a dimension called the Sixth Dimension. We do not want that." He paused, his eyes meeting Batman’s. "It is better to keep him imprisoned like this. He will be powerless forever if I want it." Arthur said.

"Fair enough." Batman paused. "You still did not say what you want from him."

"A certain weapon. Nothing serious." Arthur said.

"So this only leaves Darkseid and the Dragon Monarch." Superman said, his eyes meeting Arthur’s. "Those are the only threats we know about."

Arthur said in grim certainty. "Yes. Those are the only threats we know about." He paused, his eyes meeting Superman’s. "I am afraid my actions against the Anti-Monitor are going to attract the attention of a different, much more powerful being. One on par with the true Darkseid, perhaps."

Hal Jordan felt genuine disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You just dealt with the Anti-Monitor, and now there is something else? What else could there possibly be?"

Martian Manhunter was aslo curious as he could never read Arthur’s thoughts. "And who might this be? We need to know what we are facing. We need to prepare."

"Nothing too crazy. Just a super-celestial being." Arthur paused, his eyes meeting theirs. "One of the Hands who created the Multiverse, her name is Perpetua."

The room fell silent.

The Flash’s eyes were wide with the weight of what he had just heard. "Oh god..." He paused, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "I mean, this is a god, no? The god? The one who created everything?"

Arthur’s voice carried the weight of quiet acknowledgment. "You could say that, she is afterall, one of the hands of the source, and the presence, or the one above all is the source." He paused, his eyes meeting theirs. "But I can sense great threats, and yet I cannot sense her even now. So we are in no immediate danger." His voice hardened. "I also believe she is imprisoned in her own dimension. Her sons, the Monitors are the culprits, the reason is unknown and we shouldn’t care even she is imprisoned, it is better if she stays away."

"This is too much to take in right now." He paused, his eyes meeting Arthur’s. "Her sons, the Monitors? The beings who oversee the multiverse?" Superman asked.

Arthur nodded. "One of them is Mobius." He paused, his eyes sweeping across the room. "And we have already dealt with him." He paused, his eyes meeting theirs. "I have been in a different universe where I met fifth-dimensional beings called the Gentry. They almost bested me, but I eventually erased them. From what they mentioned to me, that was not the only universe they destroyed." His voice hardened. "And the Monitors are supposed to oversee the multiverse, hence their names, so clearly something happened to the world forger or Mar Novu, her other sons." He paused, his eyes meeting theirs. "But no matter. I am here. If a danger regarding them or her arrives, I will be the first to sense it."

Batman was quiet for a long moment, his eyes fixed on Arthur’s orb.

"Your contribution to Earth is immense. Without your help, we could not have deterred the Paradragons." He paused. "For that, we thank you."

Arthur smiled. "You would have taken them down on your own." He paused, his eyes meeting Batman’s. "I knew you were working on a code to reprogram them. I just had a faster alternative." His voice hardened. "Killing them."

Batman said in careful concern. "But I have to ask you this." He paused, his eyes meeting Arthur’s. "Are your actions the reason Earth is drawing these cosmic threats?"

The room fell silent.

Superman said in defense of Arthur. "Bruce... you know that is not true. You know that Arthur has done more to protect this planet than anyone else."

Arthur was silent for a long moment, his eyes fixed on Batman’s face. Then he spoke,

"You are right to some extent, but not all of them." He paused, his eyes meeting Batman’s. "But I take responsibility for the Monarchs and the Rulers." His voice hardened. "It is true that they got here because I exist here as well."

The room was silent,

"We are still glad you are here, Arthur. Whatever the cost, we will fight to the bitter end against these foes." Clark said.

Arthur smiled. "Thank you, Clark."

The Flash leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"You know, man..." He paused, his eyes scanning the room. "I kind of wish we could go back to punching bad guys in the street. You know, the simple stuff. A mugger here, a bank robber there. Maybe a rogue metahuman who thinks he can take on the world." He shook his head slowly. "Now we are dealing with cosmic beings and entities that can erase universes. I miss the days when the biggest threat was a guy with a freeze gun."

"The world has changed. We have changed." Wonder Woman said, her eyes meeting Flash’s. "But that does not mean we cannot still find moments of simplicity, the people in the streets still need us."

Arthur turned to Wonder Woman. "I fulfilled my promise to you, Diana."

Wonder Woman’s brow furrowed. "Promise?"

Arthur’s smile was small, knowing. "More like a request, it was about Grail. But I made a promise to myself and to you that I would bring Grail to justice, without harming her." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "I captured her and delivered her to Themyscira. She is awaiting trial by you."

Diana rose from her chair, her eyes widening with genuine surprise. "Really?! You captured Grail and brought her to Themyscira?" Her voice carried a note of disbelief. "How? When?"

Arthur’s voice carried the weight of everything he had done. "I found her in the Anti-Monitor’s domain. She was there to report to him, after he was already dealt with." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. "I offered her two options: face trial by you or die in that domain. She chose the trial after I promised her the death of Darkseid."

"Grail is dangerous. She has been a threat to Earth and to the entire multiverse. Are you sure she will face justice there?" Batman asked Diana.

Arthur replied instead. "I promised her that she would be tried justly." He paused, his eyes meeting Batman’s. "This is Amazonian business. It is not my place to judge her or you."

Batman disagreed. "It was Amazonian business until she pointed her guns at the whole planet." He paused, his eyes meeting Arthur’s. "She attacked Earth. She threatened billions of lives. That makes it everyone’s business."

Arthur’s voice carried the weight of quiet acknowledgment. "It is true she was the one who delivered the Dragon, but this was Darkseid’s doing, still, you can do whatever you want with her." He paused, his eyes meeting Batman’s. "Though I believe we still need her. She might know the ins and outs of Apokolips. She might know things about Darkseid that we do not." His voice hardened. "A death punishment is a bad idea."

"We will not do that." Diana said, her eyes meeting Arthur’s. "Thank you, Arthur. Truly. For keeping your word."

Arthur nodded. "I always try to."

"I will accompany you to Themyscira." Batman paused, his eyes meeting Diana’s. "I wish to attend this trial. I want to see what Grail has to say for herself, I have questions of my own."

"That is all for my report." Arthur said, his eyes sweeping across the room. "I will be taking my leave now." and before anyone could say anything, Arthur disappeared in a gust of shadows.

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