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Arthur stood tall, dusted his hands and stepped forward, the faint flicker of violet beginning to pulse in his irises.
"George. Raven," he said, tone even but laced with something heavier. "Step back, please."
George blinked once, then again. "Understood, sir." He gave a slight bow and retreated, feathers ruffling.
Raven, already sensing the shift in arcane energy, raised a brow. "Oh… you're going to do that," she murmured, a touch of wary amusement laced into her voice. Still, she took a step back, clutching her book to her chest as the ambient air grew darker, denser.
Arthur's eyes flared fully violet now, glowing of eldritch command, his voice echoing with the weight of the Void.
"Arise."
The chamber darkened, shadows slithering from the edges of the room, spilling like ink toward the six severed heads strewn upon the floor. As the darkness engulfed them, tendrils of black smoke coiled upward like funeral pyres reversed, graves exhaling instead of swallowing.
From that pitch abyss, six armored figures rose, each formed from shadow and violet flame, their bodies mimicking the fallen Red Lanterns in twisted, regal mockery. Heavy armor made from nightmare-black encased them, the symbol of the shadow corps glowing faintly over the chestplates. Their eyes burned twin violet, hollow, and cold.
And at the forefront… Shadow Atrocitus.
He stood taller than the rest, his body broader, heavier with malice. Black armor covered his frame like plates of obsidian, jagged shifting with menace. Horned helm sat upon his head, glowing violet cracks running through it. His mouth was obscured, but the way he moved, calculated rage left no room for doubt about his strength.
And each one of them wore a ring.. Arthur's ring, bound to his command, thrumming with violet and dark power.
Arthur tilted his head, inspecting them. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "General, huh."
Without needing to say another word, all six dropped to one knee, heads bowed. A synchronized display of loyalty.
Shadow Atrocitus, voice deep, distorted, almost echoing from another plane, growled reverently.
"My king."
The chamber hung in silence for a breath.
George gave a light cough, eyes wide. "Well," he said in a breathless hush, "this rather redefines the phrase putting heads to good use, doesn't it Master Arthur?"
Raven muttered beside him, "The Red Lanters have an awful reputation already, They were terrifying enough when they were alive."
Arthur's gaze didn't leave his new soldiers. "Lex," he called, and from the darker corner of the base, the sleek form of Lex Luthor's shadow, eyes glowing faintly with intellect. "Do something with the heads. Dispose of them. Or use them if you prefer, whatever reason. Your choice."
Lex gave a slow nod, then vanished back into the gloom, dragging the remnants with him.
Just as Arthur was about to turn, a voice stirred, not aloud, but deep within the web of his connection to his shadows. A whisper in his mind.
"My king… There is something I'd like to request from you."
Galatea.
Her tone was different than usual. Calmer and sharper.
Arthur's brow arched. "Oh?" he said aloud, intrigued, as his thoughts reached back toward her. "Speak your request."
****
JUSTICE LEAGUE WATCHTOWER -
The quiet sounds of the Watchtower's systems echoed faintly in the background, rows of holographic displays bathing the control chamber in a sterile blue glow. Hal Jordan stood near one of the panoramic windows, arms crossed, the green light from his ring pulsing faintly as if reflecting his unsettled thoughts. Batman, ever the stoic dark knight, sat before the main console, fingers dancing across keys, not looking up.
"I don't know anymore, Bats," Hal said finally, his voice breaking the silence like a slow exhale.
Batman didn't answer.
Hal ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I feel like the old farts are doing everything possible to cause more harm than good to the universe. It was like that with the Yellow Lanterns. Took one man and his weird summons to destroy the Corps. Our Corps could've done that if the Guardians willed it. But they didn't."
Still silence.
Hal glanced back. "Not gonna say something? Any brilliant input you wanna add?"
Batman didn't flinch. "No."
Hal threw his hands up, exasperated. "Ugh. Bats, sometimes I don't even know why I bother."
He started to turn when Batman's voice, low and sharp, cut through the chamber.
"Ever wondered why they do that?"
Hal stopped in his tracks, shoulders tightening. "Yeah ?! Every damn time! They even wanted to punish Arthur for what he did to the Sinestro Corps. After Sinestro kidnapped him, kidnapped him! Bruce. And knowing Sinestro, he clearly saw Arthur as a force to spread fear. Too bad for him that wasn't the case. And let me tell you something..."
He stepped closer now, jabbing a finger into the air. "..I didn't want to see someone like Arthur with a yellow ring, it would have been a disaster. But the thing he created instead..."
Batman tapped a key. The screen changed, revealing a rotating holographic model, Arthur's Shadow Ring. The construct pulsed with shifting violet-black patterns, consuming and refracting the surrounding light.
"A ring that absorbs emotional spectrum energies," Batman said. "Quite the tool. Dangerously so."
"You don't need to remind me. I saw it eat through constructs like they were made of smoke."
Batman's gaze narrowed. "You mentioned your fellow Lanterns found a battery in Qward. I assume destroying it is not possible?"
Hal sighed, folding his arms again. "Some of us tried. Other than the fact it eats our energy blasts like a glutton, it's home to Parallax. So no, not really a great place to hold a picnic and try to tear through it, it's an impossible choice."
Batman stood now, hands clasped behind his back as he stared at another screen. "We detected Lantern activity in Jump City."
Hal straightened. "Really? Was it Arthur?"
Batman shook his head. "No. Robin reported it was a Red Lantern. Arthur and Raven dealt with it. And by 'dealt with it'.."
Hal rubbed his temples. "Yeah. I get it.. Probably Atrocitus. That fellow is... extremely dangerous and powerful. But..."
His voice trailed. Something dark flickered in his eyes.
"Shit.."
He turned, staring out the window now.
"As much as I hate to admit it, the Guardians were right. The other Corps will target this anomaly that is Arthur. And I fear the worst will happen."
Batman's boots echoed faintly as he stepped away, speaking over his shoulder. "Listen carefully, Hal. There's always a reason why certain people keep things hidden. Either for the greater good… or because revealing those things leads to catastrophic consequences."
He paused before a console, resting one hand on it.
"The reason they never really acted against the Sinestro Corps might have been just that, a delicate balance. And now that there's a fracture in that balance… something could happen. Something extremely dangerous. Something that cannot be contained anymore."
Hal exhaled harshly, his jaw tightening. "I know about that. But the old fools never take our input seriously. We're the ones out there, Bruce. On the edge. Fighting. Dying. While they sit in towers on Oa, speaking in riddles and cautioning restraint like it's all some damn chess game." He paused, eyes burning green. "They fear what they can't understand. What they can't control. That much is clear to me but.."
"Understandable," Batman said quietly.
Hal blinked. "Seriously?"
Batman turned his head slightly, his voice flat, but precise. "Fear is not always irrational. Especially when it's earned."
Hal narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying they're right? About everything? About Arthur? About people like him?"
Batman's silence lingered for a moment..
Then he added, cool and with measured words "But..considering they are a council, not a singular mind, there's always the possibility… someone among them is working against the others."
That made Hal stop cold.
He blinked, stunned. "Wait, what?"
Batman's gaze cut to him like a razor.
"Think about it, Hal. A group built on ancient law and rigid ideology. It only takes one divergent voice. One manipulator. One traitor who believes his own ends justify the means. The Guardians have kept secrets for eons have they not ? do you really believe none of them ever crossed a line?"
Hal's face darkened. The light from his ring dimmed for half a second.
"Damn," he muttered. "You really have no faith in anyone, do you?"
He tried to laugh it off, tried to summon that Jordan bravado again, but it felt flat. Hollow.
And then something clicked. Hal's smile faded.
"Wait a second..." His brows furrowed. "Is that how you think about us? About the League?"
Batman didn't respond or blink. He just looked at him.
That same look Bruce Wayne had given gods and monsters and villains like. Unshaken and piercing.
Hal shifted under the weight of it, muttering, "You're a piece of work, Bats…"
Then he casted his eyes downward, the weight of it all hitting him in full.
His voice came quieter this time.
"Well, Bats... there is a certain prophecy in the Corps..."
Batman said calmly "I'm listening."
/-\
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