Shadow Monarch in DC-Chapter 414: The Concept of Death
The quiet moment had grown... tense as Arthur stood facing Lucifer Morningstar, his violet eyes glowing faintly in the fading twilight.
Dream, the lord of dreams was observing the exchange, calm as ever.
Kara looked between them, confusion written clearly across her face.
Arthur’s voice broke the silence.
"What are you insinuating, Lightbringer?"
Lucifer’s smile widened slightly.
"Oh please..."
He rolled the golden key between his fingers again, the metal glinting faintly.
"Don’t play dumb with me."
His tone remained almost playful,
"You are a concept of death."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
Lucifer continued calmly.
"I’m quite certain you are aware of that much."
He gestured casually toward Arthur.
"A being who commands the dead, shapes shadows, bends mortality to his own very will..."
Lucifer shrugged lightly.
"That sort of thing rarely happens by accident."
Kara blinked again.
"...Okay I’m really confused now."
Lucifer ignored her.
He looked directly into Arthur’s glowing eyes.
"And all of us here know someone who already fits that particular job description."
He tilted his head slightly.
"There cannot be two."
A pause followed.
"Not for long."
Lucifer’s red eyes gleamed faintly.
"Even she knows that."
Dream said nothing.
He simply stood there, silent as the night.
Arthur stared at Lucifer for a moment longer.
Then he turned his head slightly toward Kara.
"We’re leaving."
She looked at him immediately.
Despite the confusion still clouding her thoughts, she nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah... that sounds like a good plan."
She stepped closer and grabbed his hand.
Arthur’s voice remained calm.
"I’ll take no part in that, you can be sure of it."
Lucifer lifted a hand in a casual farewell.
"Well now."
"I certainly didn’t mean to upset you."
His smile returned, smooth and amused.
"But we shall see, Monarch of Shadows..."
He twirled the golden key between his fingers one last time.
"...what the future holds."
His voice softened slightly.
"Eventually.."
Arthur’s glowing eyes narrowed one final time.
Then the shadows around him surged violently.
Darkness erupted outward in a swirling gust.
Arthur and Kara vanished instantly.
The wind settled.
And the beach became quiet again.
Dream watched the empty space where they had stood.
After a moment he spoke.
"Was that truly necessary, Samael?"
Lucifer slipped the golden key back into his coat pocket.
"Yes."
Dream looked at him.
"My sister already knows what kind of being Arthur is."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow slightly.
Dream continued calmly.
"She understands his intentions."
"And that is precisely why she has grown to like him, he doesn’t care about obtaining her authority."
Lucifer chuckled softly.
"Yes..."
He turned his back toward Dream, gazing out over the ocean.
"And now I’ve confirmed something for myself."
Dream remained silent.
Lucifer shrugged faintly.
"Not that I particularly care..."
His smile returned again.
"But it seems he has grown rather fond of her as well."
Dream’s eyes shifted slightly.
Lucifer began walking away across the sand.
Then he spoke again with casual amusement.
"Only G.."
He stopped mid-word.
Then corrected himself with a quiet laugh.
"...only He knows what kind of being their union could create."
Dream actually paused.
For a rare moment, the lord of dreams looked... unsettled.
The idea had clearly crossed his mind for the first time.
After a moment he spoke quietly.
"I believe my work here is done..."
Lucifer waved lazily without turning around.
"Yeah."
"See you around, Dream Lord."
And just like that Both beings vanished from the shore.
****
In Gotham...
In the quiet gardens of Arthur’s estate.
Shadows swirled briefly in the air as Arthur and Kara appeared beneath the tall trees.
The estate grounds were calm, untouched by the chaos that had shaken the city earlier.
Kara immediately turned toward him.
"...Okay."
She pointed vaguely in the direction they had just come from.
"What the hell was that about?"
Arthur walked forward slowly across the garden path.
His expression had returned to its usual calm.
"What was Lucifer babbling about?"
Arthur stopped briefly.
Then he glanced back at her.
"We’ll talk about it later."
His tone was calm, but there was a clear finality to it.
"Right now we should bring the others back."
He looked toward the sky briefly.
"High time they leave that shithole."
Kara snorted slightly at that.
Arthur raised his hand.
Dark energy gathered in his palm.
A portal of swirling shadow opened in front of him.
"I’ll be back in a minute."
He stepped forward.
The portal swallowed him instantly.
Then it snapped shut.
The garden fell quiet again.
Kara stood there alone for a moment, arms crossed as she exhaled slowly.
"...This day just keeps getting weirder."
Footsteps approached from behind.
She turned to see George stepping out from the path leading to the estate.
He had clearly just arrived in time to see the portal close.
George blinked.
"...Was that Master Arthur?"
Kara sighed deeply.
"Yeah..."
She rubbed her forehead.
"...that was him."
****
Hell had grown quieter after that chaos not peaceful, Hell could never truly be that, but
The great Tower of Dis lay in ruins.
Once the heart of infernal power, the black palace that ruled its skyline now stood shattered. Towering walls had collapsed inward, demonic statues lay broken across the cracked ground, and the throne chamber had been torn open to the burning sky.
Where a kingdom of demons once schemed and ruled.
Now there was only destruction.
Amid the wreckage stood three figures, Raven, Constantine and Etrigan.
Raven floated a few inches above the cracked stone, her cloak drifting softly around her. Though exhaustion still lingered in her posture, the worst of her fatigue had faded.
Then
The air tore open.
A portal of swirling shadow formed in the center of the ruined hall.
Arthur stepped through.
The moment Raven saw him, the tension in her shoulders melted away.
She crossed the distance instantly.
Her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace.
Arthur barely had time to react before she pulled him down slightly and kissed him.
For a moment the hellish ruin around them seemed to disappear entirely.
Constantine watched the scene with one eyebrow raised.
He took another drag from his cigarette.
"Well now..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
He smirked.
"Look who suddenly found a bit of energy."
The kiss broke.
Raven shot him a mildly annoyed glance before turning back to Arthur.
Arthur simply looked at her with faint amusement in his glowing violet eyes.
Then he glanced around the ruined throne room.
"...Why are you all still here?"
His voice was calm.
"We should leave."
Raven stepped back slightly.
"We were about to."
She gestured vaguely toward the destruction around them.
"Just finishing up some loose ends... see if we missed anything."
Arthur looked around the remains of the palace.
Broken pillars.
Collapsed arches.
The shattered throne of Hell itself.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Can’t say I’ll miss this place."
His gaze shifted toward Etrigan.
The demon now sat on the broken throne platform, the Crown of Horns gleaming faintly in the infernal light.
Arthur studied him for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"So..."
His tone carried clear amusement.
"Lord of Hell."
Etrigan rose from the throne, flames flickering brighter around him.
The demon’s eyes burned with pride as he spoke in his usual rumbling rhyme.
"The crown now rests upon my brow,
The legions of Hell shall serve me now!
The damned will kneel, their wills shall bend,
For Etrigan reigns until the end!"
Constantine snorted quietly.
Arthur chuckled.
"I’m sure you will."
Then his expression shifted.
The smile that followed was... darker.
Almost devilish.
"But remember something."
Arthur raised one hand.
Instantly
Thin violet lines appeared in the air.
At first they looked like strands of light.
Then they tightened.
They wrapped around Etrigan’s massive frame like invisible chains, dozens of them woven together in an intricate web of shadow-bound authority.
Etrigan froze.
The demon snarled slightly as he felt the restraint.
Arthur’s violet eyes glowed faintly.
"Your service isn’t over."
His tone was calm but unmistakably firm.
"No funny business toward Earth."
The invisible lines tightened slightly.
"Hells is yours."
Arthur gestured toward the ruined city beyond the palace walls.
"Do whatever you want with it."
"I never wanted to rule the damned."
Etrigan’s claws flexed as he tested the invisible restraints.
His eyes burned with irritation.
But after a moment
He laughed.
The sound echoed through the broken palace.
"In Hell I rule, the crown is mine!
The mortal world I shall decline!
Your chains remain, your will I heed
Yet Hell alone fulfills my need!"
Arthur lowered his hand.
The violet lines faded from view, though their presence clearly remained.
"Good."
Constantine flicked his cigarette onto the floor.
"Right then.."
"Lovely chat."
"Now can we leave before something else tries to attack us?"
Arthur raised his hand again.
A new portal of shadow opened behind them.
Constantine immediately started walking toward it.
"Bugger me sideways..."
He shook his head.
"About bloody time we leave this shithole."
Raven glanced once more at the ruined palace of Dis.
Then she followed Arthur toward the portal.
/-\
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