THE SILENT MONARCH
Chapter 1: The Scavenger The Grey District was a graveyard of rusted dreams. Sakura, eighteen, dug through toxic scrap with bleeding fingers. While the "Sky City" elites used Mana for luxury, Sakura used it for survival. He was a "Zero," but his cold blue eyes held a fire that no one noticed. "One day," he whispered, looking at the glowing towers above, "I will bring the darkness to you."
Chapter 2: A Mother's Hope Inside their freezing shack, Sakura's mother coughed blood. She pressed a rusted copper coin into his hand. "The Academy Assessment, Sakura... try one last time." Sakura knew this was their last money for food. He gripped the coin, his heart breaking. He didn't want their magic; he wanted a world that didn't let mothers die in the dirt.
Chapter 3: The Black Crystal At the Academy, noble kids laughed at Sakura's rags. He touched the Testing Crystal. It didn't glow; it turned void-black. The temperature dropped. The shadows on the walls seemed to grow claws. "Faulty crystal," the Proctor sneered, marking him "Rank 0." Sakura walked away. He felt a dark hum in his blood—something much stronger than mana.
Chapter 4: The First Command That night, debt collectors kicked down Sakura's door. As they threatened his mother, something snapped. The shadows in the room rose like living ink, wrapping around the men's throats. Sakura's eyes erupted with a terrifying blue glow. "Leave," he whispered. The men fled, screaming that a demon lived in the slums.
Chapter 5: System Start A screen appeared before Sakura's eyes: [System: Class 'Silent Monarch' Initialized. Level 1.] He wasn't a hero anymore. He was a King in the making. Senami, a high-rank student, watched him from the shadows. She froze. The poor boy was gone; in his place stood a silent ruler of the abyss.
Chapter 6: The Shadow Market Sakura entered the Black Market wearing a tattered hoodie. He placed a vial of a monster's soul on the counter. The dealer trembled. The pressure coming from Sakura was suffocating. "Ten Mana Pills," Sakura demanded. When the dealer hesitated, the shadows behind Sakura growled. He got the pills and disappeared.
Chapter 7: The Healing Breath Sakura fed the pills to his mother. The grey color left her face, and her breathing steadied. For the first time, Sakura smiled, but it was a cold smile. The System notified him: [To fully heal her, you need the Heart of an S-Rank Boss.] His mission was now clear.
Chapter 8: The Shadow Wolf Sakura entered an E-Rank dungeon as a Porter. When a hidden Boss attacked the team, Sakura stepped into the dark. Without a sword, he tore the monster apart with his bare hands. "Rise," he commanded. A dark, shadowy wolf with blue eyes emerged from the corpse. His first soldier was born.
Chapter 9: The Bully's Mistake Kaito, the Academy's top bully, cornered Sakura the next day. "Where did a rat get new clothes?" he mocked. Sakura didn't look up. He just stepped into Kaito's personal space. The air became so heavy Kaito couldn't breathe. "The next time you speak," Sakura whispered, "make sure it's your last words."
Chapter 10: The Monarch's Promise Standing on a rooftop, Sakura looked at his growing shadow. The Wolf stood behind him. Senami approached him, trembling. "Who are you, Sakura?" He looked at her, his blue eyes piercing the night. "I am the tax the world forgot to pay," he said. The 70-chapter war had officially begun.
Here is the next set, Chapters 11 to 20. These chapters focus on Sakura building his secret identity, his first major fight, and the beginning of his "Shadow Army."
Chapter 11: The Ghost of the Slums
Word spread through the Grey District about a mysterious figure in a black hoodie who protected the weak. They called him "The Ghost." Sakura embraced the name. He spent his nights clearing low-level dungeons alone, harvesting souls. Every kill made his shadows darker, and his blue eyes sharper. He wasn't just leveling up; he was building a kingdom in the dark.
Chapter 12: The Frozen Gate
An unexpected S-Rank "Frozen Gate" appeared in the city center. The military was terrified. Sakura watched from a distance as top-tier hunters struggled. He saw an opportunity. "A dragon's soul would look good in my collection," he muttered. He slipped past the police cordons, disappearing into the swirling blizzard of the gate.
Chapter 13: Blood on the Ice
Inside the gate, the temperature was $-40^\circ\text{C}$. Hunters were freezing to death, but Sakura felt nothing. The cold was just another shadow. He encountered a pack of Frost Wraiths. Instead of running, he released his Shadow Wolf. "Hunt," he commanded. The shadows tore through the ice, and Sakura's level jumped again.
Chapter 14: Extraction
Deep within the ice cavern, Sakura found the source of the blizzard: a Frost Giant. It was a massacre. Sakura used his bare hands to crack the giant's skull. As the beast fell, Sakura stood over it, his aura blacker than the abyss. "Rise," he commanded. The giant's shadow stood up, towering over Sakura, ready to serve its new King.
Chapter 15: Senami's Discovery
Senami had followed Sakura into the gate. She hid behind a pillar of ice, her breath catching in her throat. She saw the "Zero" boy commanding a giant. She saw his eyes—the ethereal blue glow that felt like it could see into her soul. Sakura turned his head slightly. "Go home, Senami. This is no place for a girl who fears the dark."
Chapter 16: The Royal Invitation
The King announced a Grand Banquet to honor the hunters who survived the Frozen Gate. Surprisingly, Sakura's name was on the list. The nobles wanted to mock the "Rank 0" survivor. Sakura looked at the invitation and crumpled it. "They want a show? I'll give them a nightmare." He put on his finest black suit—he looked like an Alpha.
Chapter 17: The Silent Entrance
The ballroom was filled with gold and light. When Sakura walked in, the music stopped. He didn't look like a slum-rat anymore. He walked with the grace of a predator. Kaito tried to trip him, but Sakura didn't even stumble. He looked at Kaito with such intensity that the bully's wine glass shattered in his hand.
Chapter 18: The King's Mockery
The King sat on his throne, looking down at Sakura. "Tell us, boy, how does a Zero survive an S-Rank gate? Did you hide in a hole?" The nobles erupted in laughter. Sakura stood in the center of the hall, silent. The shadows on the ceiling began to flicker. The laughter died down as the room grew unnaturally cold.
Chapter 19: The Silent Declaration
Sakura walked up to the royal dais. He leaned in and whispered to the King, "The crown on your head is heavy because it's built on the bones of my people. Soon, I will take the crown, and the bones." He turned around and walked out. The guards tried to stop him, but they found their shadows pinned to the floor.
Chapter 20: The War Begins
Outside the palace, Sakura looked at the moon. He felt the connection to his soldiers—the Wolf and the Giant. He reached into his system and saw his progress: 20/70 Chapters. The world didn't know it yet, but the revolution had started. "The Monarch is no longer hiding," he whispered to the wind.
Ab story mein action aur suspense ka level badhne wala hai. Chapters 21-30 mein Sakura apna pehla Humanoid General banayega aur uska saamna "Holy Light" se hoga.
THE SILENT MONARCH: FULL TEXT (CHAPTERS 21-30)
Chapter 21: The Assassin's Shadow The King didn't take Sakura's threat lightly. That night, he sent Viper, the kingdom's deadliest S-Rank assassin, to the Grey District. Sakura was waiting for him on a rooftop. "You're fast, Viper," Sakura said, not even turning around. Viper lunged with a poisoned dagger, but his blade hit nothing but black smoke. Sakura appeared behind him, his blue eyes glowing. "But shadows are faster."
Chapter 22: Rise of General Ignis Sakura crushed Viper's heart with a single strike of Abyssal energy. As the assassin's body fell cold, Sakura whispered the forbidden words: "Rise." A massive pillar of black fire erupted. From the flames emerged a tall, knight-like figure in dark armor. This was General Ignis. Unlike the wolf, Ignis knelt and spoke in a raspy voice, "My Monarch, my blade is yours."
Chapter 23: The Poisoned Slums Sakura returned home to find his mother coughing again, but this time it was different. The King had ordered the water in the slums to be poisoned to flush out "The Ghost." Sakura's rage reached a boiling point. The shadows around his shack started to grow spikes. "They want a monster?" Sakura growled, "I'll give them a Monarch."
Chapter 24: The Black Market Raid To find the antidote, Sakura raided the Nobles' secret warehouse. He didn't sneak in. He walked through the front door with General Ignis. Guards fired arrows and spells, but Ignis swatted them away like flies. Sakura found the antidote and burned the entire warehouse to the ground, leaving a single message in the ashes: "TSM."
Chapter 25: Senami's Warning Senami met Sakura in secret. "The Church is involved now, Sakura. They are sending Inquisitor Marcus. His 'Holy Light' is the only thing that can kill shadows." She looked at him with teary eyes. "Please, just run." Sakura touched her shoulder, his touch surprisingly warm. "Light doesn't destroy shadows, Senami. It only makes them longer."
Chapter 26: The Inquisitor's Arrival Marcus arrived at the Academy gates with a staff that glowed like the sun. He claimed he could "smell the filth of the abyss." When he saw Sakura in the hallway, his staff pulsed violently. "You!" Marcus shouted, pointing the light at Sakura. Sakura didn't flinch. He walked right through the burning light, his skin sizzling but his expression remaining dead cold.
Chapter 27: The Arena of Judgment The school organized a "sparring match" between Marcus and Sakura to expose him. Thousands of students watched. Marcus created a cage of golden light. "In this cage, your darkness will burn!" Marcus roared. Sakura stood in the center, his black hoodie starting to smoke. But then, he did something impossible. He opened his mouth and started to inhale the golden light.
Chapter 28: Void Devour The System screamed: [Condition Met: Skill 'Void Devour' Activated.] The golden cage collapsed as Sakura sucked all the holy energy into his own body. Marcus fell to his knees, his staff turning grey and brittle. Sakura's blue eyes turned a deep, electric violet for a second. "Your light was delicious, Marcus. But it lacked soul."
Chapter 29: The Fall of the Staff Sakura stepped on Marcus's broken staff, crushing it into dust. The entire Academy was silent. No one called him a "Zero" anymore. They saw a monster. Sakura looked at the Director and the Nobles in the VIP seats. "Who's next?" he asked. Not a single person dared to move.
Chapter 30: The Monarch's Secret Base Sakura moved his mother to a hidden cave system beneath the mountains, guarded by his Shadow Wolf and General Ignis. He looked at his hands; they were no longer covered in the dirt of the slums, but in the power of a God. 30/70 Chapters. He had survived the Church. Now, it was time to build an army that could conquer the world.
Chapter 31: The Mountains of Despair To build a true army, Sakura needed wings. He traveled alone to the Forbidden Peaks, a place where even S-Rank guilds feared to tread. The air was thin and freezing. High above, a massive shadow circled the summit—the Frost-Fire Dragon. Sakura looked up, his blue eyes reflecting the dragon's scales. "You'll make a fine mount," he whispered.
Chapter 32: Dragon's Wrath The dragon descended, breathing a mixture of ice and blue flames that turned the ground into glass. Sakura didn't dodge. He summoned General Ignis and his Shadow Giant. The mountain shook as the three titans clashed. Sakura waited for the perfect moment, then leaped onto the dragon's neck, plunging his hand—glowing with dark energy—directly into its heart.
Chapter 33: Shadow Dragon 'Frostbite' As the dragon's life faded, the blizzard stopped. Sakura stood over the massive corpse. "Rise," he commanded. The mountain groaned as a skeletal, shadow-winged dragon tore itself out of the body. Its eyes glowed with the same ethereal blue as Sakura's.
[System: New Soldier Added - Shadow Dragon 'Frostbite'.] Sakura now ruled the skies.
Chapter 34: The Academy's Betrayal
The Academy Director made a fatal mistake: he kidnapped Senami to lure Sakura into a trap. He thought Sakura was still that weak "Zero" from the slums. He was dead wrong.
As the Director waited with his elite hunters, the sky suddenly turned pitch black. Frostbite, the Shadow Dragon, let out a roar that shattered every window in the Academy. Sakura descended from the clouds, standing on the dragon's head like a dark god.
"Release her," Sakura said, his blue eyes glowing with a murderous chill. The S-Rank hunters, who were supposed to capture him, couldn't even lift their swords. The pressure of Sakura's aura was so heavy they felt like their hearts would stop. The Director realized too late—he hadn't trapped a student; he had summoned his own executioner.
Chapter 35: The Fall of the Spires The Director ordered his S-Rank hunters to strike, but Sakura didn't even flinch. With a simple snap of his fingers, the ground beneath the Academy turned into a liquid abyss. The hunters were dragged down by shadow hands before they could cast a single spell. Sakura walked through the chaos, picked up the unconscious Senami, and flew away as the great Academy towers crumbled into dust behind him.
Chapter 36: The Global Bounty The news of the Academy's destruction went viral. The International Union declared Sakura "Public Enemy Number One" and placed a 10 Billion Gold bounty on his head. Every greedy mercenary and top-tier hunter in the world started heading toward the Grey District. Sakura sat in his new mountain hideout, watching the news with a cold smile. "Let them come," he whispered. "I need more souls."
Chapter 43: The Night of a Thousand Blades (Corrected Chapter 37) The first wave of assassins reached the slums at midnight. They were masters of stealth, but Sakura's Shadow Wolves were already in their shadows. One by one, the assassins vanished into the dark without making a sound. By morning, the entrance to the Grey District was lined with the discarded weapons of the world's best killers. Sakura hadn't even left his bed.
Chapter 38: The King's Secret Experiment Sakura's shadows infiltrated the Royal Palace and found a hidden laboratory. He discovered a horrifying truth: his mother's illness was caused by the King's "Mana-Drain" experiment. The King was stealing life from the poor to stay young. Sakura's rage turned his aura into a physical pressure that cracked the mountain walls. He was no longer just a rebel; he was an avenger.
Chapter 39: Declaration of Total War Sakura hijacked every television and smartphone screen in the kingdom. His face appeared, his blue eyes glowing with a violet tint. "To the King," Sakura said, his voice echoing in every home. "You have 24 hours to step down and confess your crimes. If you don't, I will march my army into the capital and erase your bloodline from history."
Chapter 40: The 24-Hour Silence The world went silent. The King refused to surrender, instead calling upon the "Holy Church" for protection. The capital was turned into a fortress with golden magic shields. Sakura stood on the edge of the city, looking at the timer on his System. As the last second ticked away, he unsheathed a blade made of pure shadow. "Time's up," he whispered.
Chapter 41: Breaking the Golden Shield The King's mages laughed behind their "impenetrable" shield. Sakura walked up to the golden wall and touched it. Instead of an explosion, he used Void Devour. The shield didn't break; it was eaten. The golden light turned black and dissolved into Sakura's palm. The mages screamed in terror as the "Silent Monarch" stepped into the capital, untouched.
Chapter 42: The Siege of Gold Sakura released his entire army. Frostbite took the sky, freezing the Royal Air Force. General Ignis led the ground assault, cutting through the Royal Guards like paper. Sakura walked through the center of the battlefield, the ground turning to shadow wherever he stepped. He wasn't just a boy from the slums anymore; he was a god of war.
Chapter 43: The Sniper in the Tower The King's top assassin, Kael, was hidden 2,000 meters away with a mana-piercing rifle. He fired a bullet aimed at Sakura's heart. Sakura didn't move, but the bullet stopped an inch from his chest, caught in a gravity well. Sakura looked toward the tower and vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing behind Kael. "Nice shot," Sakura said, before snapping the sniper's neck.
Chapter 44: Rise of General Kael Sakura stood over the sniper's body. "Rise," he commanded. A lean, shadowy figure emerged, holding a long, ethereal rifle.
[System: New Soldier Added - Shadow General 'Kael'.] With Ignis for the front lines and Kael for long-range, Sakura's command deck was now invincible.
Chapter 45: The King's Secret Weapon As Sakura reached the throne room, the King activated an ancient relic—the "Heart of the First God." The King's body grew, his skin turning into indestructible gold. "I am the light of this world!" the King roared, swinging a massive golden sword. Sakura's violet eyes locked onto him. "You're not a King," Sakura growled. "You're just a parasite I forgot to kill."
We are entering the climax of the Earth Arc. These chapters cover the death of the King, the rise of Sakura as a global ruler, and the first contact with an alien threat.
THE SILENT MONARCH: FULL TEXT (CHAPTERS 46-55)
Chapter 46: The False God's Might The King, powered by the Heart of the First God, swung his massive golden blade. The shockwave leveled half the palace. Sakura didn't move. He caught the golden edge with his bare hand, his Shadow Armor cracking under the pressure. "Is this the light you worship?" Sakura hissed, his violet eyes glowing. "It smells like the blood of my people."
Chapter 47: The Price of Divinity The King's golden skin began to glow with a blinding heat. He was burning the life force of every citizen in the capital to stay invincible. Sakura realized he couldn't just fight; he had to drain the source. "Void Devour," Sakura commanded. Instead of attacking the King, Sakura began to suck the golden energy directly out of the air, starving the King of his stolen power.
Chapter 48: The Shattered Crown Without his infinite mana, the King's golden armor began to crumble like dry clay. Sakura summoned General Ignis and General Kael. Ignis pinned the King's arms, while Kael fired soul-piercing rounds into the King's knees. Sakura walked up the stairs, his boots crunching on the gold-plated floor. He reached into the King's chest and ripped out the glowing red stone.
Chapter 49: The Fall of the Parasite The King aged a hundred years in a single second. He was no longer a God, just a frail old man. "Please... I'll give you the throne!" he begged. Sakura looked at him with eyes that held no mercy. "You think I want your chair? I want your head." With a single wave of his hand, the shadows swallowed the King whole. There was no soul left to extract; he was simply erased.
Chapter 50: The Empty Throne The battle was over. Sakura stood alone in the ruins of the throne room. He didn't sit on the throne. Instead, he walked to the balcony and looked at the thousands of people gathered below. They expected a speech. Sakura simply raised his hand, and the dark clouds over the city vanished, replaced by a clear, starry night. 50/70 Chapters. The revolution was complete.
Chapter 51: The Shadow City: Nox Astra Sakura didn't move into the palace. He destroyed it. In its place, he used his power to raise a new city from the ground—Nox Astra. It was a city of black marble and starlight, where the "Rank 0" children were given the best education and protection. Sakura's mother was moved to the highest spire, finally living in the luxury she deserved.
Chapter 52: The Council of Six The neighboring nations didn't like Sakura's rise. Six Kings formed the "Anti-Monarch Alliance," sending a million soldiers to the borders of Nox Astra. Sakura laughed when he read their declaration of war. "They brought a million lives to my doorstep," he told General Ignis. "They aren't soldiers; they are just more shadows for my army."
Chapter 53: The Ghost Siege Sakura didn't send his dragons or wolves. He went alone. That night, as the six armies camped at the border, Sakura used "Domain of the Monarch." Every soldier's shadow stood up and put a blade to its owner's throat. By sunrise, a million men had surrendered without Sakura swinging a single sword. The Alliance was dead before the first battle even started.
Chapter 54: Senami's Gift Senami met Sakura at the top of Nox Astra. She gave him a relic found in the Royal Vault—the "Eye of the Void." As Sakura touched it, his vision expanded beyond the Earth. He saw the stars, the galaxies, and something else... a fleet of white, metallic ships heading toward Earth. "They are coming, aren't they?" Senami whispered. Sakura nodded. "The real hunt begins now."
Chapter 55: The Arrival of the Star-Hunters The sky over Nox Astra split open. A massive, white liquid-metal ship descended, pulsing with a light that made the air vibrate. These were the Star-Hunters, beings who traveled the universe eating mana-rich worlds. A scout stepped out, his body made of pure solar energy. He looked at Sakura and spoke in a telepathic voice: "Hand over the core of this planet, or we will turn your race into dust."
Chapter 56: The Sky Duel The Star-Hunter Scout fired a beam of pure solar energy at Nox Astra. Sakura didn't hide behind a shield. He flew up, manifesting Shadow Wings that spanned the entire sky. He caught the beam with his bare hands, his armor sizzling. "This planet isn't a buffet," Sakura growled. He tore the liquid-metal ship in half with his void-claws, letting the alien's golden blood rain over the city.
Chapter 57: The Monarch's Evolution The battle with the scout pushed Sakura's System to its breaking point.
[System: Evolution Triggered. Class 'Silent Monarch' evolving to 'Void Emperor'.] His blue eyes became whirlpools of infinite darkness. He no longer needed mana; he controlled gravity and space itself. He looked at the wreckage of the ship and realized the main fleet was only hours away.
Chapter 58: General 'Vortex' Sakura didn't let the Star-Hunter scout die. He knelt over the white liquid body. "Rise," he commanded. A new kind of shadow emerged—it wasn't black, but a shifting, starry silver.
[New Soldier: Shadow General 'Vortex'.] Vortex could create localized black holes. Sakura now had a soldier that could destroy entire armies in a single second.
Chapter 59: The Traitor Among Us While Sakura was focused on the sky, a noble he had spared tried to assassinate his mother with a cursed blade. General Kael intercepted the dagger an inch from her heart. Sakura appeared in the room instantly. He didn't kill the traitor quickly. He turned the man's own shadow into a living cage. "Touch my family again," Sakura whispered, "and I will erase your soul from the timeline."
Chapter 60: The Final Countdown The Star-Hunters' main fleet appeared in Earth's orbit—thousands of ships, each the size of a city. The world's leaders panicked, but Sakura stood on the highest tower of Nox Astra. He looked at the "Eye of the Void" and saw the alien Commander. "You're late," Sakura muttered, releasing every single shadow in his collection. The sky turned black as a million shadow soldiers flew into space.
Chapter 61: The Battle of the Stars The vacuum of space was the perfect playground for shadows. Sakura's army didn't need oxygen. Frostbite breathed frozen void-fire, shattering alien shields. General Ignis boarded the lead ship, burning through the hull with black flames. Sakura himself moved like a blur, blinking from ship to ship, leaving nothing but explosions in his wake.
Chapter 62: The Solar Devourer The Alien Commander, a being of pure plasma, stepped onto the battlefield. He tried to burn Sakura with the heat of a thousand suns. Sakura stood in the middle of the fire, his Void Armor absorbing the heat. "Is that all?" Sakura asked. He used Void Devour on the Commander's very essence. The alien's light faded as Sakura grew stronger, his violet eyes glowing brighter than any star.
Chapter 63: The Mother's Blessing After the space battle, Sakura returned to Earth for a moment of peace. His mother was sitting in the garden of Nox Astra. She looked at his dark armor and his glowing eyes. "My son," she said, "you've become the monster they feared, to save the people they hated. Don't forget why you started." Sakura knelt and held her hand. For a moment, the Monarch was just a boy again.
Chapter 64: The Sacrifice of Senami The remaining aliens launched a "Life-Erase" bomb aimed at Earth's core. Senami tried to stop it using her light magic, but she was being overwhelmed. Sakura reached her just in time. He didn't let her sacrifice herself. Instead, he wrapped the entire bomb in his own shadow, compressing the explosion into a small, harmless marble of black glass. "I don't lose my people anymore," he told her.
Chapter 65: The God of Shadows The world began to worship Sakura as a God. Every church of light was replaced by a shrine to the "Silent Monarch." Sakura hated it. He didn't want to be a God; he wanted to be free. He looked at the System. He felt a portal opening—the true source of the shadows was calling him.
Chapter 66: The Gates of the Abyss The portal at the edge of the solar system fully opened. It wasn't an alien ship; it was the Source of Shadows. A voice echoed in Sakura's mind, old as time. "You have played with our power, little King. Now, return it." Thousands of Ancient Shadows, the original owners of his power, stepped out. Sakura stood his ground, his Void Wings unfurling. "I didn't play with it," he growled. "I mastered it."
Chapter 67: The Trial of the Monarch To keep his power, Sakura had to fight the "Original Shadow"—a reflection of himself. The battle took place in a dimension where time didn't exist. Every blow Sakura landed, he felt on his own body. It was a test of will. "Why do you fight?" the Original asked. Sakura saw images of his mother's smile and Senami's face. "Because I'm the only thing standing between them and the dark," Sakura roared, absorbing his own reflection.
Chapter 68: The Throne of Glass Sakura returned to Earth, but he was changed. His skin had a faint silver glow, and his blue eyes were now calm, like a deep ocean. He walked into the Royal Hall of Nox Astra. He didn't sit on the golden throne; he shattered it with a single touch. "We don't need Kings anymore," he told the gathered leaders of Earth. "We need protectors. From today, every human is their own master."
Chapter 69: The New Era Years passed. Nox Astra became a utopia where technology and shadow-magic lived in harmony. Senami became the Head of the Global Academy, teaching children that "Rank 0" was just a beginning, not an end. Sakura's mother lived a long, peaceful life, passing away with a smile, knowing her son had saved the world. Sakura stood by her grave, silent, as the shadows gently carried her soul to rest.
Chapter 70: The Monarch's Silence The world grew peaceful, and the name "Sakura" became a legend whispered to children. One evening, a young boy in the slums—hungry and beaten—looked at a testing crystal. It turned black. The boy was terrified, thinking he was a monster. Suddenly, a tall man in a black hoodie with Glowing Blue Eyes appeared from the shadows. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't be afraid of the dark," the man whispered with a small smile. "That's where the real kings are born." Then, in a blink of an eye, the Monarch vanished into the night.