The prisoners knelt in a circle at the center of the trial room in Nyx, their forms bound by chains of solidified shadow construct, their heads bowed in defeat. The twenty demon knights had been stripped of their armor, their weapons confiscated, they looked smaller now, less like monsters, more like soldiers who had lost a war they had never chosen.
Arthur stood before them, his arms crossed, his eyes glowing with faint violet light. Raven stood at his side, her expression unreadable. Clark hovered behind them, his arms folded, his eyes fixed on the prisoners with a mixture of curiosity and what seemed like compassion.
The lead knight, the one who had spoken to Clark in broken English, looked up at Arthur.
His voice was a rasp. "You have questions, Shadow Monarch."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "You are the leaders of your clans. The nobles of the demons, the strongest of your army, are you not?"
The knight nodded slowly. "Yes."
"And your Monarch tasked you with attacking Earth."
Another nod. "Yes. He ordered us to slaughter your world, to leave nothing but ash and bone."
Arthur's voice hardened. "Why?"
The knight's jaw tightened. His eyes once burning with defiance, now held something that looked almost like shame.
"We had no choice," he said. "We had to obey. Otherwise, our Monarch would have killed us. He would have destroyed our lines, ended our bloodlines forever." His voice cracked. "He did not care about us. As long as his goals were met, his end goal of killing the Rulers, he would sacrifice all of demon kind without hesitation."
Clark's arms uncrossed. His expression shifted to sympathy. He had heard Arthur's stories of the Monarchs and the Rulers, of the ancient war that had spanned dimensions. But hearing it from the mouth of a demon, a being he had been used already to see as a monster, changed everything.
These were not mindless creatures. They were soldiers. They were people.
Arthur's voice was quiet, almost to himself. "What am I going to do with you..."
Raven stepped forward, her eyes scanning the prisoners. "They would have been useful as shadow soldiers." She paused. "But I kind of feel bad about them."
Clark was silent for a long moment.
Then he spoke.
"Release them."
Arthur turned to look at him. His eyebrow rose.
Clark's voice was calm. "You can create portals between worlds and dimensions, right? Open one for them. Send them back to their world."
Arthur's expression didn't change.
"You mentioned that you took care of the Monarchs," Clark continued. "Including theirs. There is no reason for us to continue fighting their kind. This endless slaughter.. I know we are facing a situation of kill or be killed, but..." He paused, searching for the right words. "We have a choice now. Give them that mercy, let them continue living. Far away from us."
Arthur sighed.
"When you put it like that," he said, "it makes it hard for me to refuse you, besides I had no intention to kill them."
Clark's eyes widened. "You didn't?"
Arthur shook his head slowly. "Just like Raven said, I could have turned them into shadow soldiers and they would have told me the whole truth as well. But nothing would have changed. I would just add another twenty shadows to my army, another twenty demons dying for a dead Monarch's cause."
Clark's voice was almost a whisper. "So you'll let them go?"
Arthur's lips curved. "No. They'll spend ten years here doing hard labor in Nyx." A pause. "Then I'll think about sending them back home."
Raven laughed. "Arthur!"
Clark blinked. "Really?"
Arthur's smile widened. "I'm joking. Yeah, they can leave."
He raised his hand.
A portal opened, a tear in reality, its edges crackling with violet light. Beyond it, a world of volcanic plains and crimson sky stretched into the distance.
Arthur snapped his fingers.
The chains binding the prisoners shattered. The shadows receded, releasing the knights from their bonds. They looked at themselves, at their freed hands, at the portal that led to their home.
Arthur's voice carried across the docks.
"Take this portal, and you will be in your home world." His eyes glowed violet. "I pray that I never get to see you again. Because I might not be so merciful."
The lead knight rose slowly. His eyes met Arthur's.
"Thank you, Monarch of Shadows," he said, "For your mercy."
Arthur's voice was flat. "Go."
The knights moved, one by one, they stepped through the portal, their forms disappearing into the swirling vortex.
The last knight paused at the edge of the portal.
He turned back.
"May your shadows never fade, Monarch."
He stepped through and the portal closed behind him.
Silence fell across the Trial room.
Arthur sighed.
Clark turned to him. His voice was quiet, genuine. "Thank you."
Arthur's gaze met his. "I'm only doing this because I killed their Monarch. These beings have no leader now. They were being used as soldiers for meaningless battles, they were just numbers put up against me." He paused. "That's why I'm giving them a chance to live."
Clark nodded slowly. "Better than nothing. They can live in peace now."
"There is still the Dragon Monarch." Raven said, her eyes found Arthur's. "We just fought and got rid of three Monarchs. And it was not easy."
Arthur's hand moved to his chest, where a faint bruise was already beginning to form. "I'm not in a great shape. But I believe that the Dragon Monarch is in a much worse state." His eyes narrowed. "He fought and killed Destruction of the Endless. I don't believe that he walked away from that unscathed. And I don't believe that Didi would lie to me about it."
Raven's voice was filled with concern. "How can we prepare for someone we know almost nothing about?"
Arthur's expression hardened. "We don't. We just need to be ready."
Clark stepped forward, "I still don't like the fact that you didn't include me. I told you I would aid you in your battle against them. But instead, you tasked me with fighting their soldiers... Kara is one thing, but I'm here and I can..."
Arthur's eyes met his. "Sorry, Clark. But you are soft." His voice was flat. "The Monarchs would kill you. Not because they are stronger, but because you hold back an awful lot. It almost got you killed the last time against the likes of Rakan. And he is probably the weakest among them all."
Clark's mouth opened. Closed. His shoulders sagged.
"I..." He shook his head slowly. "Fair enough."
"Speaking of enemies... that bitch is still on my mind, Arthur." Raven added.
Arthur's eyes narrowed."Grail."
Clark's brow furrowed. "Bruce told me about what happened in that Gate in Greece. And Darkseid has been on my mind even before that." He paused. "I think we will be fighting two enemies at once, this is a chance I would take if I was him. But I don't know what to expect anymore."
Arthur's voice was calm, certain. "I will take the fight away from Earth if it happens. Of that, I promise you. Even if it costs me my own life, the Dragon Monarch is my responsibility, and mine alone." He paused. "As for Darkseid, I'm not sure I know what to expect from him. But even he, I can handle. I've already explained that my target is the real him."
Clark's voice was quiet, almost vulnerable. "All of this makes me feel like we really don't know our enemies. And that makes me feel small."
Raven's hand found Arthur's. "You shouldn't feel that way Clark because we are all in this together, we all care about our home. Also I need to go home and rest, we'll think about this later." She looked at Arthur. "Arthur?"
Arthur nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm quite spent, really."
Clark straightened. "Well, alright, I'll try to keep this a secret from Kara... so.."
Arthur raised his hand, then paused.
"Oh, right."
He opened another portal a swirling vortex of violet light. On the other side, the streets of Metropolis gleamed in the afternoon sun.
"To Metropolis for you," Arthur said.
Clark's smile was warm. "Thank you."
He stepped through the portal.
Arthur and Raven stood alone on the trial room in Nyx.
Raven's hand found his. "George should be waiting, we've got a story to tell."
Arthur's smile was small, tired. "I just need a bed, and maybe George's cooking..."
They disappeared together, in a gust of shadows and a whisper of violet light.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Shadow Monarch: In One Piece / The Witcher: Heir of Fire!
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my p@t-reon / FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 7 More Chapters on all of my stories!