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ARTHUR'S BASE - TRAINING ARENA
The sound of fists colliding echoed like thunder. The reinforced floor rippled under the weight of two blurs, Arthur and Beru locked in a furious dance of speed and precision.
Beru's form was monstrous and relentless, a shadow of midnight with four wings and two glowing violet eyes, claws that could tear steel. But Arthur was much faster. His movements were sharp, precise pure human perfection enhanced by a power, experience, and mastery over his shadow monarch abilities.
A feint then a straight punch cracked against Beru's chest. The shadow staggered back, cracking his exoskeleton before reforming into armor once more.. Arthur's violet eyes flared. He dashed forward, two steps, a pivot, an elbow straight into Beru's jaw. The impact rippled through the arena, followed by a roundhouse that sent Beru crashing into the arena wall.
Arthur didn't stop. He closed the distance in a blur, his doomsday bone gauntlets retracting, fighting bare-handed now. His strikes were clean, no wasted motion. A jab, knee, sweep Beru hit the ground again, skidding before stabilizing himself with his claws.
"Too slow Beru," Arthur muttered.
Beru growled, wings spreading wide, shadows pulsing as he lunged forward with renewed fury. His claws slashed in a storm but Arthur slipped between them like smoke. He caught one arm, twisted, stepped inside Beru's guard, and landed a heavy strike to the abdomen, sending a wave of violet energy bursting through the shadow's form.
Beru fell to one knee, trembling, the darkness around him flickering. For a moment he tried to rise but Arthur's hand was already at his neck, glowing faintly. The monarch's power pressed down, commanding silence.
Beru froze, then lowered his head.
"My liege… I am not good enough."
Arthur exhaled softly, the light fading from his eyes. His voice, calm but firm, carried through the arena.
"You can still do better than what you've displayed today. If you pull your punches again just because I'm your monarch…" he leaned slightly closer, tone darkening, "…I'll send you to nothingness."
Beru immediately slammed his forehead against the ground, hard. "Forgive me, my king!" His voice trembled, wings awkwardly twitching as he stayed prostrate.
Arthur sighed, rubbing his temple. "Enough, Beru. Get up before you break the floor again."
The monarch walked past him, shadows that rippled faintly with each step. The massive doors of the training hall hissed open, revealing the main chamber, his base.
A vast console of dark alloy and blue light stood at the center, where Owl sat, silent as stone, his cowl reflecting the glow of countless monitors.
Arthur dropped into a seat beside the console, expression serious. A soft meow followed immediately after he sat.
Dex-Starr, the small blue feline jumped gracefully onto his lap. Arthur blinked once, then gave a faint smirk. "You're getting a bit too comfortable now, aren't you Dexter?"
The cat purred, curling against his hand. For a rare moment, Arthur allowed himself to breathe, stroking the creature's fur absently.
George's refined voice came from behind. "He's behaving now, sir."
Arthur chuckled lowly, not looking up. "Not long ago, he was an intergalactic force of wrath."
George adjusted his gloves, lips twitching in faint amusement. "Indeed. I almost forgot about that particular episode of his life."
Arthur glanced down at the cat again, the faintest glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "Maybe I should bestow upon him a shadow ring."
George stiffened immediately. "I don't think that's a wise idea, sir."
Arthur only smirked, letting the thought hang.
Without lifting his gaze, he asked, "Anything worth knowing, Owl?"
The shadowed figure at the console didn't turn. "Nothing, my king. The coast is clear. Too clear. No unusual activity on Earth or beyond."
Arthur's fingers stopped petting the cat. His gaze hardened, the faint hum of power rising in the air around him. "I really don't like when it's too calm like this."
George's brow furrowed. "Indeed, sir. History has shown that silence, tends to precede storms."
Arthur leaned back slightly, violet eyes glowing faintly against the blue light of the screens. "That's what I'm worried about."
Dex-Starr purred once more, tail flicking, as the screens around them reflected the calm before something coming.
****
TITANS TOWER - MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM
The meeting room at the top of Titans Tower was rather tense today. A dozen faces glowed under the blue light of the holo-display, where the image of J'onn J'onzz shimmered into focus. His tone was calm, but his words were not.
"Titans," his voice echoed, low and steady, "I need you to stay alert. There have been multiple disturbances across the Eastern Seaboard, gangs, smugglers, and mercenary groups using technology that should not exist on this planet. Alien in design, some even Kryptonian in signature. We don't know who's supplying them yet, but we have some suspects."
Robin leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Are they testing these weapons?"
"Yes." J'onn said, his Martian eyes glowing faintly. "In Gotham and Metropolis. I'm not ruling anything out. Keep to the shadows. Watch the streets. If you find anyone armed with strange weaponry, do not engage recklessly. Report, contain, and observe."
Cyborg frowned, arms crossed. "Sounds like someone's gearing up for something big."
J'onn nodded once. "We know one thing for sure, Superman is a Target."
The hologram flickered briefly, static crawling across his form before stabilizing. "Remain vigilant, Titans. The situation is dangerous, and it may worsen before we understand it."
Then, as suddenly as he'd appeared, Martian Manhunter's image dissolved, leaving the room in uneasy silence.
Starfire's eyes dimmed slightly. "Weapons from other worlds… this does not bode well."
Robin's voice broke the stillness. "Superman being a target is nothing new but since he mentioned Kryptonian weapons that changes everything... We'll divide into teams. Patrol, analyze data, and..."
But Raven wasn't listening.
She stood near the far window, her arms folded, her expression totally unreadable. But something had shifted the faint energy around her darkened, pulsing like a heartbeat. She frowned, eyes narrowing, her mind sinking into an unseen current.
Something tugged at her. A whisper of her own magic.
Her voice slipped out softly, almost to herself. "Is this… the spell I cast on Kara…?"
Her eyes flared violet for a second, her soul-self flickering faintly around her like smoke. She concentrated stretching her awareness across space, searching for the magical tether she had placed days ago on Kara.
What she felt made her blood run cold.
"Her heartbeat is..." Raven's words faltered. "Abnormal."
She could feel it, a wild rhythm, unstable.
Her mind, against her will, connected the dots, Arthur and Kara perhaps were..
"No." She shook her head hard, as if to dispel the thought. "What am I thinking…"
But instinct pressed harder than reason.
"Just to make sure…" she whispered, and turned sharply.
Her cloak rippled as she strode to the door. The others looked up, surprised.
"Raven?" Starfire asked, brow furrowing. "Where are you.."
But Raven didn't answer. The door hissed open, and she disappeared down the hall in a swirl of violet light.
By the time she reached the outer deck, the wind was sharp, carrying the smell of rain. Her eyes glowed again, and she reached outward not through her voice, but her mind.
"Arthur… I know you can hear me."
A beat. Then his voice, smooth, teasing, edged with amusement, filled her thoughts.
"Hey, you don't have to infiltrate my mind like this. But since it's you, I'll allow it."
His tone shifted serious, restrained."Unfortunately, it's outside of my control for now. You won't be able to keep this link for long."
Her heart quickened. "Arthur, just listen.. I..."
And then nothing.
The link severed like a snapped thread.
The wind howled. Raven's hands clenched at her sides, magic rippling faintly around her. "Damn it… did he do it on purpose or.." Her breath was sharp, frustrated. "Does his power have a counter to everything?"
She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to calm. Her pulse steadied, and her voice softened to a whisper. "I'll go visit him then… I don't have much of a choice."
Footsteps sounded behind her. She didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"Raven," came Robin's voice low, steady, but filled with concern. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "Why did you leave like that? Is there something wrong?"
Raven's hood was still drawn low, her expression half-hidden. "It's nothing. I just… have something to do."
"Something," he repeated, eyebrow raising.
She turned slightly, finally meeting his eyes. "You guys can handle what Martian Manhunter said, right?"
Robin studied her for a moment, then sighed. "Of course. Just...be careful, alright? It seems like we're dealing with a potential invasion."
That earned him a faint smirk. "So another Tuesday."
Robin let out a small laugh despite himself, then straightened again, serious once more. "Still. Be careful."
Raven nodded, her cloak already rising around her. "Always."
And with that, she vanished into shadow leaving Robin standing alone, watching the last flicker of her energy disappear.
/-\
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