Shadow Monarch in DC-Chapter 169: Sunshine and Shadows

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 !

/-\

WAYNETECH PRIVATE ISLAND -

The ship’s ramp extended with a smooth hiss, touching down onto the pristine white sand. The Titans stepped out into a world untouched by time. WayneTech spared no expense. This was less an island and more a private oasis lush tropical trees swayed with the breeze, the air was warm but not stifling, and just inland, the silhouette of a sleek, modern villa stood like a pearl nestled in the green.

The water was impossibly clear. A few birds chirped from somewhere up in the palm trees, and the scent of salt and hibiscus floated on the wind.

Arthur stepped down last, his boots crunching faintly on the sand. He let his hand rest on the ship’s side for a moment, eyes scanning the horizon.

Then, flatly: "We could’ve just teleported here. Why did we take a boat?"

Kara turned to him, tossing her blonde hair over one shoulder. She had changed into a white tank top and shorts, more relaxed than usual. "It’s part of the trip," she said with a grin. "Come on. When do we ever travel by sea like normal people?"

Robin glanced back, arms crossed, already surveying the villa ahead. "She’s right. The point is the journey. Slowing down. Breathing. You know, being normal."

Arthur raised an eyebrow and thought, ’You’re already normal’ but said aloud, "It’s just that, uh..."

Raven stepped in from behind, her tone knowing. "You don’t like boats, do you?"

Arthur looked at her, a little caught off guard. "I never said that.."

She shrugged. "You didn’t have to. You were alert the whole ride here. Barely blinked."

"It’s just that I... nevermind." Arthur scratched the back of his head and glanced away, the sea breeze ruffling his ashen white hair.

They continued walking along the path toward the villa, where white lounge chairs and soft hammocks awaited, stretched between polished stone pillars and shaded by a curved canopy. Everything was spotless, serene.

Cyborg had already dumped his bag down near the entrance and was examining the outdoor grill setup like it was a new piece of tech. Beast Boy, naturally, ran toward the shoreline with Jaime, already talking about who could catch the biggest fish.

Robin dropped his pack just inside the villa’s entrance and looked around. "Alright. Let’s claim rooms, then figure out what we’re doing today."

"I’ll take a walk," Arthur said, his voice casual but distant. His eyes wandered along the tree line to the winding path that cut into the denser part of the island.

Raven opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Kara stepped forward, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I’ll join you," she said.

Raven closed her mouth slowly. She didn’t say anything. Her gaze lingered on Arthur for a moment, but her face gave nothing away.

Arthur nodded. "Sure."

Robin, ever watchful, said nothing but noted the exchange. His expression remained unreadable as he moved to the balcony, glancing at his communicator briefly before tucking it away.

"I’ll be back shortly," he said to no one in particular. "Gotta check something."

As he stepped off the deck and disappeared down the opposite path from Arthur and Kara, the others continued unpacking, laughing, and settling in completely unaware of the currents moving quietly beneath the surface of this vacation.

And out on the trail, beneath the dappled sun filtering through the trees, Arthur walked with Kara beside him, hands in his pockets, blue eyes distant but watchful.

For now, he walked in silence, footsteps soft on the sand-packed trail,half-listening to Kara speak, half-listening to something else... just beyond the trees.

****

Arthur walked beside Kara along a winding path carved lightly into the forest floor, each step crunching over sand, fallen leaves, and dried twigs. The smell of saltwater hung in the air, mixing with the sweet scent of blooming hibiscus and rich earth.

Arthur’s eyes flicked from tree to tree, quiet and focused, as if mapping the island in his mind.

Kara looked over at him with a curious brow. "Are we looking for something?"

He kept walking, his voice low. "This island belongs to Bruce. And for some reason... I just know he’s got surveillance hidden somewhere. I have no shady plans or anything, for once I just genuinely want to relax. And I don’t enjoy being watched while doing it."

Kara narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. "Now that you mention it... I do hear something weird." Her gaze sharpened. "Wait...there!"

Before Arthur could react, she shoved him to the side with a sudden burst of Kryptonian enthusiasm and dove into the brush.

"Wait Kara what the he—!"

Crash.

Leaves exploded. Twigs snapped.

Arthur hit the ground with a grunt, only for Kara to land on top of him a heartbeat later. A confused squirrel chittered angrily from behind a nearby tree, tail twitching.

Kara blinked. "Oh... it’s just a squirrel."

She looked down and froze. Arthur’s brow was arched, eyes narrowed at her like a predator clocking a trickster.

"You did that on purpose," he said flatly.

Kara bit her lip, her voice barely audible. "No..."

"You can see through pretty much everything, including mere trees."

A pause.

She stared him dead in the eye. "Okay, maybe I did do it on purpose."

Arthur huffed and shook his head, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Figures." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

They got up slowly, brushing off leaves and loose sand. For a moment, Kara fidgeted awkwardly, her hands moving without purpose, fingers pulling at the edge of her sleeve. Arthur studied her more closely now, his voice soft but edged with something firm.

"You’ve been acting strange lately. Especially around me." He tilted his head. "Is there anything you want to say?"

Kara’s eyes darted everywhere the treetops, the path behind them, the ground at her feet anywhere but at him.

"Well I...I mean you’re not exactly the easiest person to talk to, and I thought maybe this wasn’t a good time, but I’ve been thinking, and maybe it’s stupid but I figured if I don’t say it now, I might not say it at all, and like, I’m not usually the one to just blurt things out but I.."

She stopped. Inhaled.

"I really like you, Arthur."

She leaned in, her voice suddenly calm quieter than a whisper.

Arthur sighed. "I already knew that, idiot."

Her eyes widened.

Arthur chuckled and stepped closer, brushing a strand of blonde hair away from her face.

"Why do you think I keep you around so much?"

Kara blinked, still processing his words. "Why?" she asked, barely audible.

He didn’t answer with words.

Instead, he pulled her gently toward him and kissed her slow, grounded, and warm. No magic, no cosmic power, no shadows flickering behind him. Just the two of them beneath the trees.

When they pulled apart, Kara’s cheeks were flushed. She blinked once, then smirked.

"Was that your idea of being romantic?"

Arthur smirked back. "Well it worked, And I know that’s what you wanted."

Kara leaned in again, her breath soft against his skin, lips finding his once more. The kiss deepened, lingering in a silence that felt untouched by time. Arthur didn’t move not at first. He let her weight, her warmth, the taste of something normal anchor him. It was a moment worth holding onto.

But something tugged at the edge of his awareness a faint hum, artificial, mechanical, very distant but distinct. A flicker in the rhythm of nature. The trees weren’t moving the way they should. The air didn’t carry just wind anymore.

Still kissing her, his eyes opened slightly, glowing faint blue.

He raised one hand slowly fluidly like swatting a gnat he didn’t need to see. Ruler’s Authority erupted silently from his fingers and shot through the trees. No sound. No disruption.

very far from them, a tiny drone, no larger than a bird, burst apart mid-air in a quiet flare of static and ash.

Kara didn’t notice a thing. Her hands curled gently into his jacket as the kiss lingered, lost in the gravity of that closeness.

Arthur finally eased back, eyes calm again, the subtle flicker fading from his gaze.

She opened her eyes, breathless, dazed for half a second.

"...Wow," she whispered.

Arthur smiled, thumb brushing her cheek.

No trace of tension. No sign of the quiet surveillance he’d just erased from existence. Not even Kara, with all her super senses, had felt it. He didn’t want her to.

/-\

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

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only