Shadow Monarch in DC-Chapter 170: Hollow.

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A PRIVATE ROOM IN THE VILLA -

The sound of the ocean waves was distant here, muffled behind reinforced walls and tinted glass. The room itself was quiet a repurposed storage chamber at the back of the villa, where old equipment cases and unused furniture gathered dust. A perfect place for a private call.

Robin closed the door behind him.

He pulled the communicator from his pocket. The Bat-symbol flickered onto the screen with a faint beep, crisp and cold, like everything else from Gotham.

The line connected almost instantly.

"Just like you predicted," Robin said quietly, eyes narrowing. "Arthur did end up coming with us."

There was a pause on the other end. Then Batman’s voice came through, low and even. "I know."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "...You’re not gonna ask me to spy on him, are you?"

The silence that followed was unusual. Un-Batman like. Robin waited, half-expecting a list of objectives or some encrypted data burst. But none came.

"No," Batman said finally. "Don’t bother. Just enjoy your time."

Robin blinked. "...Really?"

"No secret plan? No files you want me to dig into while pretending to swim or toast marshmallows?"

"Nothing," Batman said. "Besides... he already knows."

Robin frowned. "Knows what?"

But the line had already gone dead.

The communicator flickered and went dark in his hand, the Bat-symbol dissolving into static before disappearing altogether.

Robin stared at the screen, processing.

"...Okay," he muttered. "You are welcome ?"

He clipped the communicator back onto his belt, exhaled, and turned back toward the hallway. The sound of laughter Beast Boy’s voice, loud and goofy, filtered through the villa.

But his thoughts lingered.

Not on Batman.

Not on spying.

But on the fact that Arthur had known Bruce would be watching. Had expected it. And still came anyway.

"Maybe he really is just trying to chill ? Hard to believe though..." he muttered, before heading back into the island night.

****

The ocean whispered just beyond the treeline, the wind teasing through Kara’s hair as she walked beside Arthur, the two of them tracing their way back from the forest trail.

Birdsong and distant laughter from the Titans punctuated the calm, but Arthur had grown quiet.

He slowed, then stopped.

Kara noticed immediately and turned back toward him, brows knitting slightly. "Arthur?"

He didn’t answer her at first. His eyes were narrowed, focused on the ground beneath him as the last light of day danced across his irises.

Then his voice, low and deliberate, cut the air.

"Come out."

The shadows around Arthur stretched unnaturally, rippling like oil on water. From that fluid darkness, figures began to rise tall, ominous silhouettes with burning violet eyes and black-violet rings pulsing on their hands.

First came Sinestro, his once-regal armor now tinted in shadows, his mouth twisted in a cold, loyal silence as he hovered a few inches above the ground.

Then came the others at least half a dozen. Lanterns of twisted origin. Some Kara recognized one she remembered from the Arkham asylum, another who’d been listed among the Sinestro Corps’ most dangerous. All of them now bound in silence and darkness, their presence like a chill in the air.

Kara’s eyes widened, jaw slightly slack. "are those...?"

Arthur nodded without looking at her, eyes still on the figures. "Yes. That’s Sinestro. And the one we had to deal with in Arkham. The others too those I erased on Qward. All former Yellow Lanterns."

He finally turned to her, casual as if explaining weather patterns. "They’re mine now. And they’ll make sure this place is safe from any... intrusions of privacy or otherwise."

He turned back toward the shadowed Sinestro, who hovered at attention, silent and statuesque.

"Did you hear that?" Arthur asked.

Sinestro bowed his head deeply, his voice carrying a weight of obedience, laced with the remnants of pride. "Understood, my king."

Then without another word, they all took off into the sky each of them vanishing in different directions, soaring across the island like dark comets. Their rings burned with violet-black energy, trailing eerie glows that shimmered against the clouds.

Kara stood still, arms crossed loosely, watching them disappear.

"Honestly..." she said after a moment, voice quiet. "Sometimes your powers scare me."

Arthur shrugged with the hint of a smirk. "That’s the point."

Kara shot him a sharp look.

He looked at her, completely serious for a second then looked away, saying nothing.

They walked the rest of the way back in silence.

****

The sun had dipped just low enough to set the sky ablaze in warm shades of amber and rose. The private villa buzzed with the rare but welcome sound of carefree laughter. Titans scattered across the sprawling deck and poolside, basking in the tropical air.

Cyborg stood near a high-tech grill embedded into an outdoor kitchen setup, flipping skewers like a seasoned pitmaster. Smoke curled into the breeze carrying the scent of sizzling ribs and spiced vegetables. With an exaggerated flick of the wrist, he flipped a steak and grinned.

"Booyah!" he shouted. "Grill’s hot, food’s hotter! It’ll be ready in a minute!"

Just off the patio, Beast Boy and Blue Beetle were locked in a ridiculously intense dance-off, surrounded by impromptu music blasting from a speaker, and the amused stares of Starfire, Raven, and Robin.

"Okay but how is he doing that with his back?!" Jaime yelled mid-spin, gesturing at Beast Boy who had twisted into some inhuman angle with his transformation mid-move.

Beast Boy pointed at him mid-moonwalk. "Adapt, bro. Evolve! You can’t compete with me so just give up."

Kara and Arthur finally arrived, stepping out from the forest path that led from the island’s interior back to the villa. Kara’s hair was slightly wind-tousled, cheeks still a faint blush, and Arthur was predictably calm, hands in his pockets, boots crunching against the wooden deck.

Robin, ever watchful, was the first to spot them.

"Where have you two been?" he asked with a raised brow, eyes darting between them.

Kara rubbed the back of her head and looked anywhere but at anyone. "Uhh... you know. Exploring."

Arthur answered smoothly, "Just checking out the island."

From the lounge chairs, Raven narrowed her eyes slightly, sipping something chilled from a tall glass as Arthur passed her. He caught her gaze and the small smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

Then Arthur sat right next to her and glanced toward the pool.

He blinked slowly. "What are those idiots doing?"

"Dance battle," Raven replied dryly, never looking away from her drink.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What’s the point?"

"No point," she said. "Idiots. Like you just said."

She casually extended a chilled drink to him without turning.

"Thanks," Arthur muttered, taking it from her hand.

Then Raven leaned in just slightly, her lips almost brushing his ear. Her voice dropped.

"I know what you did."

Arthur didn’t even flinch. He sipped his drink, eyes watching the pool, and muttered under his breath, "You really can’t stop spying on me, can you?"

He paused, then added, "Yeah, I kissed Kara."

Raven smirked, then whispered again, quieter this time. "I don’t mind that... if it’s her. I know she likes you. I noticed that for the longest time.."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, not looking at her, then leaned just slightly toward her ear, whispering, "You know she can hear us, right?"

"I know," Raven whispered with a mischievous lilt.

Kara’s face turned a deep crimson. Practically glowing.

With a stuttered half-laugh, she stepped back away from Robin with an obvious fake cough "I—uh... I just remembered. I left my something...inside. Be right back!"

And just like that, she zoomed toward the villa, as if she was fleeing a crime scene.

Robin watched her leave with visible confusion, brow furrowed. "What just happened?"

Starfire tilted her head. "Perhaps she is allergic to something.."

Robin shrugged. "She’s Kryptonian, Star..."

Cyborg clapped his hands and pointed at the smoking grill triumphantly. "Alright, Titans! Grill’s ready. Come get this food before Beast Boy eats everything." "and I’m serious by the way, he is shameless." he added.

"Vic, you know I have to consume a lot," Beast Boy said mid-spin, hopping into a gorilla form before landing back as himself with a grin. "My transformations take a ton of energy, you see... and dancing too..."

Cyborg laughed and shook his head. "Man, you’re just trying to justify second and third plates."

Beast Boy winked. "It’s science! Ask Dick!" frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

Raven, lifted her dark sunglasses just enough to roll her eyes.

"Dumbass," she muttered, dry as ever.

Next to her, Arthur sat, his posture a little too upright for relaxation, eyes not on the sea, or the Titans. Instead, they were locked somewhere far away past the villa, past the moment, past here.

His jaw was tense, knuckles whitening slightly as his hand curled into a fist over his knee. The party around him faded into a blur of distant noise. Laughter and music bounced around the pool, but it didn’t reach him.

In his mind, shadows stretched.

’I can’t seem to enjoy these vibes...’

Arthur exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled, but there was no peace in it.

’Slowly, over time... I feel like I’m losing that human side.’

Beside him, Raven shifted her gaze lazily dark sunglasses hiding her eyes, but not her awareness. She took a slow sip from her glass, then casually lowered it.

The shadows around Arthur’s chair seemed just a shade darker than the others, as if quietly agreeing with him. He clenched his fist tighter, then opened it, watching as the tension melted back into his palm like mist.

"I guess it comes with the package, huh..." Arthur murmured.

Raven, who had been quietly observing him, turned her head just slightly, catching the edge of his words.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, her tone low and even.

Arthur didn’t turn his head, only blinked slowly. "Nothing.. Just talking... to myself."

/-\

If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.

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