"After the darkest of the nights comes the brightest of the days."
---
The Titans Tower stood tall once again.
Reinforced steel and fresh circuits gleamed in the sunlight as construction drones hummed across the bay, guided by Beetle's remote designs.
The scars of the Brother Blood conflict were almost erased but some wounds, invisible ones, still needed mending.
Return to the Tower
Nightwing stood on the observation deck, arms crossed, watching the city glitter under the morning light.
Below him, King walked the halls in silence. His heavy steps echoed faintly, not menacing. Simply present. Every Titan could feel it: that immovable aura of quiet power.
Starfire floated down beside Nightwing.
"You seem restless, beloved."
He sighed. "King did more than save us. He shifted something. Even Slade looked... broken. That's not natural."
"Perhaps he sees what we cannot see." Starfire said softly. "A man who carries the gravity of worlds. Besides Slade has been broken physically by mighty King."
Nightwing nodded, though unease lingered in his gaze.
A Lesson of Strength
In the training arena, the Titans gathered.
Damian Wayne was first to speak—his tone sharp, respectful and defiant all at once.
"If you're our instructor, then teach. Don't coddle."
King gave him a rare smile. "Lesson one: a blade that only seeks blood dulls faster than one that defends."
Damian frowned. "And what good is a sword that doesn't strike?"
King's answer was simple: "The same good as a shield that never breaks."
He moved before anyone could blink. One moment, he was standing across the room the next, he was in front of Damian, holding his wooden training sword between two fingers.
"Anticipation. Patience. Your instincts are sharp but your heart screams too loudly. Silence it, and even shadows will fear you."
The room was still. Damian's eyes widened—not from anger, but awe.
He bowed silently before returning to stance.
Healing the Heart
Later, in the Tower's garden, Tara sat alone near the water fountain.
Raven approached but stopped when she saw King sitting beside her, both staring at the reflection of the city skyline rippling in the water.
Tara's voice was quiet. "How do you keep going? After everything?"
King looked toward the sea. "Because pain doesn't own me. It visits. It tests. But it never stays."
She bit her lip. "I wanted to hate him forever… but when you told me mercy wasn't weakness—"
"—you found strength." King finished. "Hatred is a cage that looks like armor. You walked free of it."
A tear slid down her cheek but she smiled. "Do you think I can really belong here?"
He nodded once. "You already do."
Raven, watching unseen, felt something stir—a faint warmth that even her dark aura couldn't drown.
Evening fell.
The Titans gathered on the rooftop as the city lights flickered alive below.
Nightwing grilled burgers, cracking jokes about King's "statue mode." Blue Beetle finally relaxed and laughed freely, the beetle on his back oddly quiet, as if still remembering the day King pried it loose and made it yield to compassion.
Starfire raised her drink high. "To family reborn!"
Tara laughed. "To mercy!"
King stood apart at first but when Nightwing looked back, he motioned subtly for him to join.
The old soldier stepped forward, took a glass and for once, smiled.
"To tomorrow." King said. "Because it always needs guarding."
Whispers Beyond the Horizon
Far away, in the Watchtower orbiting Earth, the Justice League observed the feed from Jump City.
Superman crossed his arms. "He's stabilizing them. Turning trauma into strength."
Batman's jaw tightened. "He's also changing the rhythm of the world. They follow him instinctively even Nightwing."
Wonder Woman leaned forward. "You fear him?"
"I fear what happens if he decides to stop teaching." Batman said. "Because then, the world will stop learning."
The hologram flickered to black. Silence filled the Watchtower.
King's shadow loomed large over Earth, not through conquest but through the quiet gravity of an indomitable will.
Read 28 chapters ahead on P.A.T.R.E.O.N
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