If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
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Across the universe, the power rings moved.
Not loudly or violently. From Qward, the Shadow Rings traveled faster than light and slower than fate, slipping through folds of space, skimming the edges of dying stars, passing unseen through wars, prayers, screams, and last breaths. They did not seek power. They did not seek greatness.
They sought the resolve in the people of this universe.
There was a man who refused to kneel, the battlefield on Thanagar's outer moon was already lost.
Broken wings littered the scorched stone, Thanagarian soldiers cut down by an invading war-engine that was like a walking fortress. Energy fire rained from the sky. The air smelled of blood.
one man, stood his grounds.
A Captain, his helmet was shattered, left wing burned, spear snapped in half. Every instinct told him to retreat.
Every order screamed at him to survive.
But behind him cowering in the ruins of a shattered dome, were civilians. Children. Elders. Those who could not fly, could not fight back.
He planted his feet anyway.
"Come on then," he rasped, blood running down his jaw. "You want them, go through me."
The war-engine raised its cannon.
He closed his eyes.
The shot never came.
A violet shadow tore through the sky, striking the ground before him. Dust and darkness spiraled upward as a ring hovered in the air, spinning slowly.
The captain just stared.
"…What," he breathed, "in the name of…?"
The ring spoke inside his mind.
[You chose death over surrender.
You chose others over yourself.]
The ring slid onto his finger.
Violet light exploded outward.
He screamed not in revelation as shadows wrapped around his shattered wing, reforging it into something stronger, darker. His eyes ignited with a cold violet glow.
Power flooded him, not rage or fear, but a power far greater.
He rose into the air.
And as the war-engine finally fired, he spoke, voice echoing.
"I was the light that chose the fall,
Now crowned in death, I judge them all."
The blast vanished into shadow.
****
On Earth, in a village no one would remember, a woman knelt in the rain.
Maria, no powers, no armor just dirt under her nails and exhaustion. For three days straight, she had pulled bodies from the rubble of a collapsed tenement after a metahuman fight no one took responsibility for.
Rescue crews had left.
The news vans had gone.
But the dead remained.
She whispered names as she worked, even when she didn't know them.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, brushing dust from a broken face. "You deserved better."
Thunder rolled.
Something darker answered.
A ring descended through the rain, untouched by it, glowing softly.
Maria froze.
"…I'm hallucinating," she said weakly. "I'm too tired."
The ring hovered before her.
[You honored the forgotten.
You stood vigil when the world moved on.]
"I didn't do anything special," she whispered.
The ring slid onto her finger anyway.
The rain stopped.
Shadows rose, reverently forming cloaks around the dead bodies. Their wounds closed. Their faces softened. Not reviving them… but at peace.
Maria's eyes glowed violet as tears streamed down her face.
"I don't want power," she said, voice trembling.
[And yet you deserve it more than anyone.
One who will never abuse it.]
Her voice steadied as something ancient and solemn settled into her spine.
"No heaven's call shall break my path,
For I am dread, and I am wrath."
The dead did not rise.
They rested.
****
Deep within a distant world plagued with war and opression, a prisoner hung in anti-grav restraints.
Designation: Subject K-47.
Name long erased.
For years, they had dissected him, mentally, physically trying to break him, rewrite him, turn him into a weapon. They failed. Every time.
Because he refused to scream.
Because he refused to beg.
Because he refused to become what they wanted.
The last experiment overloaded the chamber.
Alarms blared. Energy surged. The facility began to collapse.
K-47 laughed softly.
"So," he muttered, blood dripping from his chin, "this is how it ends."
The shadows answered.
The ring phased through reinforced alloy and stopped inches from his face.
"…You've got to be kidding me," he said hoarsely.
[You endured hardships that would break a mountain.
You did not surrender your self.]
The ring snapped onto his finger. And the restraints shattered.
Darkness exploded outward, swallowing the collapsing lab whole. When the dust cleared, the facility was gone but K-47 floated alone in space, eyes burning violet.
He clenched his hand.
"None will escape my watchful eyes," he said calmly, almost peacefully.
****
On a backwater world orbiting a dying red sun, a boy stood fighting alone a beast twice the size of a tank, one who just killed his entire village.
No weapon or training.
Just a stubborn boy with an unbreakable will.
"I'll not yield or run away!" he shouted, voice cracking. "I will kill you and avenge them all!"
The beast laughed.
The ring arrived like a falling star.
The boy stared, mouth open but no words came out.
The ring slid onto his finger.
The little fear he had vanished, suppressed by a greater power.
His eyes glowed violet.
"By my command, the dead shall arise!"
The shadows behind him moved.
Constructs of shadow resembling his fellow fallen villagers stood once more.
The beast's eyes widened and he tried to run. It didn't work it.
****
Across the universe, new lights ignited.
Not green.
Not yellow.
Not red.
Violet-black.
And far away, on Qward, Arthur felt it.
He smiled.
The Shadow Corps was assembling.
The planet of Qward stretched out beneath him, silent and empty. The problem is that it is a void, barren land, save for the pulsating glow of the central shadow battery. Arthur hovered above the surface, eyes gleaming violet.
Below, his shadow soldiers began to gather, thousands of them, soldiers, marshals, generals all kneeling in perfect formation, waiting for the command of their Monarch.
Arthur spread his arms wide, and his voice carried across the void. "This world is barren. No life. No culture. No structure. No purpose. Yet, from now on, it shall be home to the living Shadow Lanterns, the righteous, the fearless, and the unyielding. Make this world a replica of Oa, greater even. Buildings, cities, light, energy, it must feel alive, functional, and intimidating. Begin immediately."
From the front lines, Bellion, stepped forward, wings folded neatly behind him. "Simple enough, Monarch. I shall organize the soldiers, split tasks between them. Architecture, energy grids, atmosphere stabilization, landscaping…" He trailed off, rattling off the list like a commander giving orders in a war room.
"Make sure you don't overdo things.." Arthur interjected dryly. "Lanterns are not here for sightseeing."
Bellion chuckled. "Understood."
Then came a voice sharp, cutting through the formation.
"Who made you the responsible here? You are not the Grand Marshal!"
All eyes turned to Beru, wings fanning dramatically, claws tapping on the empty ground. His violet glow flickered with impatience and indignation.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed in that serene-but-deadly posture. "Beru..."
Beru's eyes narrowed, then softened in a sudden, deferential turn. "I… will get to work immediately, my liege. I will not disappoint you!" With a dramatic sweep of his wings, he vanished into the darkness, already leaving trails of shadows.
From the rear, a soft, sarcastic voice rang out. "What an idiot."
Galatea, always sharp-tongued, folded her arms, her violet eyes rolling as she observed the chaos. "My King if you gave Beru full authority over construction he'll make a mess.. Allow me to ask of you something, my king.. The Grand Marshal thing can we settle that ?"
Arthur sighed. "I didn't forgot about that Galatea, I know that you are a Marshal right now but that's a detail for later. Now get to work, all of you."
The shadows dispersed across the world. Towering structures formed with uncanny speed, roads carved themselves into a perfect network, and power conduits with pulsing energy, shadows bending reality as if the planet itself obeyed Arthur's will.
/-\
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