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GOTHAM -
Gotham at night never truly slept. Rain-slick streets and sirens wailed somewhere far off, distant enough to be background noise, close enough to be expected.
Arthur walked through it all with his hands tucked into the pockets of a dark coat.
No armor.
No shadows.
Just a man moving in the streets of Gotham, his ashen white hair wet from the rain, violet eyes glowing in the dark. People passed him without a second glance. A couple argued under an awning. A man slept against a brick wall with a newspaper over his face. A patrol car rolled by, slow and wary.
Gotham did not recognize gods, and Arthur preferred it that way.
He stopped at a corner diner wedged between a pawn shop and a closed laundromat. The sign above it buzzed weakly - OPEN 24 HOURS - one letter flickering. Warm yellow light spilled through the windows, cutting a fragile pocket of comfort into the night.
Arthur pushed the door open.
A bell chimed.
The smell hit him first, coffee, grease, fried onions. Familiar and Human. A few booths were occupied: a pair of off-duty cops murmuring over fries, a cab driver hunched over a plate, eyes half-closed. The counter was mostly empty.
Arthur slid onto a stool.
The waitress noticed him immediately.
She was in her mid-twenties, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, sleeves rolled up. There was tiredness in her posture, but her smile came easily, sincere enough to matter.
"Hey there," she said, grabbing a menu though she already knew it by heart. "Coffee?"
Arthur nodded. "Please."
She poured without asking how he took it, slid the mug over, then raised an eyebrow. "You look like you've had a long night."
Arthur's lips curved faintly. "You could say that."
She laughed softly, scribbling on her pad. "Aren't we all. Food?"
He glanced at the menu for a moment longer than necessary, "Pancakes. And… eggs. Whatever you recommend."
"Breakfast for dinner. Good choice." She paused, then added, "Name's Maya."
"Arthur."
She moved off, already calling the order back to the cook.
Arthur wrapped his hands around the mug. The coffee was hot. He inhaled slowly, grounding himself in the simple sensation.
Maya returned, leaning an elbow on the counter as she refilled a sugar dispenser. Silence stretched, comfortable.
"Passing through?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Lucky for you," she muttered. "It's terrible here."
Arthur tilted his head slightly. "Is that so?"
"Oh yeah." She snorted. "Every month it's like, 'Surprise rent time! You still live in Gotham.'" She shook her head, then waved a hand vaguely. "And it's not even the big stuff that gets to you. Not the Joker-level nonsense since he is gone now. It's the small-time idiots. Pickpockets, guys trying doors at night, kids who think carrying a knife makes them scary."
Her voice wasn't angry. Just tired.
Arthur listened.
Truly.
"The building where I live got hit last week," she continued, pouring herself a coffee she probably wouldn't drink. "Nothing dramatic. Stole a TV, some cash. Cops did what they could." She shrugged. "Still gotta make rent though."
The plate arrived. Pancakes, steaming. Eggs done just right.
Arthur looked at the food, then back at her. "And yet you keep smiling."
She blinked, caught off guard. "Guess someone's gotta." A beat. "Besides, complaining won't fix it."
Arthur nodded once. "No, it won't."
She studied him for a second longer, as if trying to place something about him she couldn't quite name. Then she smiled again, lighter this time. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"No."
"Figures." She gestured vaguely. "You have the Gotham look. But you're too… calm."
Arthur's smile was small. Almost private.
He ate slowly, savoring each bite like it mattered. When he finished, he set the fork down neatly, wiped his hands, and reached into his coat.
Maya slid the check over. "No rush."
Arthur glanced at the amount, then placed a few bills atop it.
Then, quietly, he added more.
Not an absurd pile. Not enough to draw eyes. Just… enough.
Maya picked it up out of habit and froze.
Her eyes flicked to the number. Once. Twice.
She looked up sharply. "Hey sir.. Arthur, wait."
But he was already standing.
He inclined his head to her, polite, warm. "Thank you for the meal."
And then he walked out.
The bell chimed again.
Maya cursed under her breath and hurried after him, apron fluttering as she pushed through the door. "Hey! You forgot.."
The street was empty.
No footsteps, no retreating figure. No sign of him at all.
Just rain, street lights and the endless Gotham night.
She stepped out fully, scanning left, right. Her breath fogged in the cool air.
"...What the hell?"
Arthur was gone.
Back inside, Maya stared down at the bills still clutched in her hand. Enough to cover rent. Enough to breathe for a month.
She swallowed.
****
PLANET QWARD – CITY OF NYX
The Great Training Arena of Nyx had vast circular platforms of black stone hovered at different elevations, suspended over a void threaded with slow-moving violet light. Above it all rose towering spires, observation pillars where Marshals watched in silence.
Dozens of Shadow Lanterns stood scattered across the arena, some hovering, some grounded, all ringed hands raised. Violet light coiled around them like restrained storms. Some constructs flickered, unstable, half-formed weapons dissolving into smoke. Others were too solid, cracking under their own excessive density.
And overseeing them.
Sinestro stood at the center platform.
Or rather, Shadow Sinestro.
Tall. Immaculate. Cloaked in flowing darkness that mimicked the cut of his old uniform, the symbol on his chest glowing in a subdued, ominous violet. His expression was sharp as ever, contemptuous and utterly unimpressed with the living shadow lanterns.
Nearby, Shadow Atrocitus paced like a caged beast, massive arms crossed, glowing eyes burning with fury. Further above, floating lazily with one arm behind his head, was Ring, the shadow lantern of the Crime Syndicate, grinning as if this were all terribly entertaining.
"Again," Sinestro said, his voice cutting clean through the arena.
A Lantern flinched.
"I did not say try," he continued coldly. "I said do."
The Lantern, an alien with chitinous features gritted his teeth and thrust his ring forward. Shadow-light surged, forming a spear.
and shattered.
Sinestro didn't raise his voice.
"That," he said, turning slowly, "was fear."
The Lantern opened his mouth to protest.
Sinestro was suddenly in front of him.
"You hesitated because you were afraid of losing control," Sinestro said softly. "Shadow does not tolerate uncertainty. It devours it. Either you command it.."
He tapped the Lantern's ring with one clawed finger.
"..or it commands you."
The Lantern swallowed hard and nodded.
"Good. Learn."
At the far end of the platform, the human girl stood frozen.
She was younger than most of the others. Smaller. Her shadow-ring glowed steadily, obedient, but she hadn't raised it once since training began. Her eyes flicked between the chaos of constructs and the towering figure of Sinestro with barely concealed anxiety.
Sinestro noticed immediately.
He always did.
"You," he said, turning.
Her shoulders stiffened. Slowly, she raised her gaze, just enough to meet his chest, not his eyes.
"Yes.. sir?"
Sinestro approached her with measured steps, boots echoing against the stone.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"E-Elena," she answered quietly.
"Look at me when you speak, Shadow Lantern."
She hesitated, then lifted her eyes fully.
Violet met violet.
Sinestro studied her,
"You were chosen," he said. "Do you know why?"
She shook her head. "I… I just survived. That's all."
Sinestro's lips curved not into a smile, but something close to approval.
"Wrong," he said. "Survival has nothing to do with it, the ring chose you because of your soul."
He gestured sharply. "Now raise your ring."
Elena obeyed, her hand trembling.
"Now," Sinestro said, circling her, "do not imagine a weapon. Weapons are crude. Temporary. Shadow is not forged from aggression."
He stopped in front of her.
"Imagine resolve."
She frowned slightly.
"The moment you decided not to break," Sinestro continued. "The moment you chose to stand when the world demanded you kneel. That is where shadow answers."
Her breathing steadied.
The ring brightened.
"Good," Sinestro said. "Now shape it."
Violet light poured outward, not violently, but smoothly, forming a shield, curved and layered. It didn't flicker. It didn't crack.
It held.
Sinestro nodded once.
"Control," he said. "This is not will, fear or rage. This is all of it refined by darkness."
Elena stared at the construct, awe creeping into her voice. "I… I did it."
"Yes," Sinestro replied. "Do not sound surprised. You belong here after all."
Nearby, Shadow Atrocitus barked a laugh as two Lanterns slammed into each other mid-air, their constructs colliding in a violent explosion of shadowfire.
"AGAIN!" Atrocitus roared. "YOUR CONSTRUCTS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE PRETTY, THEY ARE MEANT TO ENDURE FIGHTS!"
One Lantern snarled back, rage flaring and his construct suddenly stabilized, becoming a massive gauntlet that sent his opponent crashing into the ground.
Atrocitus grinned, sharp and savage. "GOOD. YOU LEARN FAST."
Above them, Ring clapped slowly.
"Oh, this is beautiful," he drawled. "Look at them, trying so hard not to fall apart. Makes you proud, doesn't it?"
Sinestro didn't look up. "Focus on your assignment, Ring. We shouldn't disappoint the Monarch."
Ring smirked. "Relax. I'm teaching them creativity."
Below him, a Lantern struggled to maintain a construct shaped like a multi-barreled cannon.
Ring snapped his fingers.
"Why one idea?" he said lazily. "Is that the limit of your imagination?"
The construct split, reforming mid-air into a swarm of smaller weapons, each perfectly synchronized.
The Lantern's eyes widened. "I..I didn't know I could do that."
Ring grinned wider. "Of course you didn't Idiot!... well now you do."
The arena was glowing with power. Constructs grew sharper. Movements became cleaner. And Arthur observed their progress through his shadow soldiers.
/-\
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