Shadow Monarch in DC-Chapter 422: Complicated Things

Arthur had already started walking and Kara moved quickly to catch up, her boots echoing softly against the stone.

"This place… it's very different."

Her gaze flicked around again, more focused now.

"The last one, the red gate felt like we were dropped into another world entirely."

Arthur didn't slow.

"That's because you were in a different world."

Kara frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Arthur's voice carried easily through the silence.

"These gates aren't just openings."

"They're connections."

He stepped over a broken skull without looking down.

"All of these creatures… they're not invaders in the way you think, some gates are their prisons, some drop you into another dimension that mimics their native world."

A pause.

"So they're natives." Kara's expression shifted. "…From other worlds?"

Arthur nodded once.

"Each species. Each race."

His gaze darkened slightly.

"They have their own world, their own rulers."

Then

"Kings."

"Monarchs."

Kara felt something cold settle in her chest.

"…Batman mentioned something like that."

Arthur's lips curved faintly.

"Of course he did."

She glanced at him.

"…What's that supposed to mean?"

Arthur didn't even look at her.

"Where do you think he learned it from?"

Kara went quiet for a moment.

Then

"Of course…You."

It wasn't a question.

Arthur smiled and said nothing, which was answer enough.

They walked in silence for a few steps.

But Kara's expression didn't relax.

"…You're still holding back."

Arthur's steps didn't falter.

But he heard it.

"About all of this. The gates. The Monarchs, certain other secrets too."

Her voice sharpened just slightly.

"You talk like you know everything. I know that you said it has something to do with your powers and that you are similar to them but.."

A beat.

"But you only tell us what you feel like telling."

Arthur finally glanced at her.

"Is that a problem?"

Kara held his gaze.

"…Do you want me to lie?"

Then she shook her head slightly.

"That's not what I'm saying Arthur."

Her voice softened, but only a little.

"For example, you still didn't explain to me what he meant."

Arthur's eyes narrowed faintly.

"Who?"

Kara didn't hesitate.

"…Lucifer."

The name lingered in the air.

Arthur looked forward again.

"That's a... different matter entirely."

His tone shifted, subtly, but enough for her to catch it.

"I'll explain it when we're done here."

Kara stopped walking.

Arthur took another step before noticing.

Then he stopped too.

"…Kara."

She didn't move immediately.

When she spoke again, her voice was quieter..

"Arthur… I'm not an idiot."

That made him turn fully.

She looked at him now, not frustrated or angry.

Just annoyed.

"I was playing along before."

Her arms crossed, but not defensively, like she was holding herself steady.

"I know who he was talking about."

Arthur said nothing.

Kara's eyes didn't waver.

"Didi."

The name came out softer than she intended.

"The whole 'concept of death' thing wasn't exactly subtle."

A faint, humorless huff escaped her.

"Who else could it be? We already know who she is thanks to her being around every now and then."

Silence stretched between them.

Kara's gaze flickered for just a second

"…What I don't get…"

She hesitated.

And that alone was rare.

"…is you."

Arthur's expression didn't change.

But he listened.

Her voice dropped, quieter now.

"When he said it… the way he said it, he implied that..."

Her fingers tightened slightly against her arms.

"…like you too were connected."

A pause.

Then, almost under her breath

"…like you mattered to her and she matters to you."

The words lingered.

Unspoken things filling the gaps between them.

Kara looked away for a fraction of a second

Then forced herself to meet his eyes again.

"…So what is it, Arthur?"

"What is she to you really?"

Arthur held her gaze for a moment longer, then spoke.

"…Are you really concerned about her and me?"

His tone wasn't sharp or defensive.

Just… direct.

Kara didn't answer.

So he continued, quieter now

"Are you implying I feel something for her?"

That did it.

Her eyes narrowed slightly,

"…Do you?"

The question hung there.

Arthur's gaze drifted not away from her, but past her, as if searching for something in the distance that wasn't there. For once, the certainty that defined him wavered.

And when he finally spoke, it wasn't as clean.

"I… don't know."

Kara blinked.

Arthur exhaled quietly, one hand lifting to brush the back of his neck in a rare, almost human gesture.

"Something about it has always felt… off."

His brows pulled together slightly.

"Between me and her."

He shook his head once, faintly.

"I don't know what she expects from me."

"And I don't know what I'm supposed to expect from her."

The words came slower now.

"Whatever it is… it's complicated."

Kara watched him carefully.

Not interrupting.

Arthur's voice lowered just a fraction.

"As for what Lucifer said…"

His gaze hardened slightly.

"He wasn't talking mainly about feelings, he was implying something else entirely."

Kara's expression shifted.

Arthur met her eyes again.

"That eventually… I'll challenge her and take over her concept completely."

Arthur didn't look away.

"That means her end."

No hesitation this time.

"Her death and…Her disappearance."

Something flickered behind his eyes.

"And I don't want that."

Kara studied him for a moment.

"…What if he's right?"

Arthur didn't react immediately.

"What if," she continued, quieter now, "two of you can't exist at the same time?"

That made him frown, not at her

At the idea itself.

"Then he's wrong."

The answer came faster this time. Sharper.

"There are countless interpretations of death across existence."

His voice steadied, slipping back into that calm certainty.

"Entities. Concepts. Manifestations."

He gestured slightly with his hand.

"Some weaker. Some fragmented. Lesser beings."

A faint pause.

"But they exist."

His eyes darkened just a little.

"They coexist."

Kara tilted her head slightly.

"You said it yourself."

Her voice softened, but the point didn't.

"They're lesser."

Arthur didn't interrupt.

"They might be fragments. Avatars. Extensions."

She stepped just a little closer.

"But you and her…"

A pause.

"You're not."

The implication settled between them.

He understood.

"…What if it comes down to that?" she asked quietly.

Her gaze locked onto his.

"Just the two of you."

A beat.

"And only one can remain."

Arthur went still.

For a moment, the dungeon, the gate, the mission,

All of it faded behind that single question. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I don't know."

It wasn't the answer she expected.

Which is exactly why it was the truth.

Arthur's voice dropped.

"She's… very powerful."

A faint exhale.

"One of the strongest in all of creation and she doesn't even fight."

Then, quieter

"…And yet I can't see myself hurting her."

Kara's expression shifted.

"…So you do care."

Arthur looked at her.

There was no hesitation this time.

"Of course I do."

"I care about you."

The words came naturally.

"And I care about Raven, my family, my friends and my world."

Kara didn't look away,

Arthur continued.

"And she's… a good friend of mine."

A small pause.

"…In her own way."

A faint, almost amused breath left him.

"She helped me understand things about myself and even my powers and what death truly is."

Things no one else could've explained.

His gaze lowered slightly, distant again.

"I still remember that one lesson."

Kara's brows furrowed faintly.

"…What lesson?"

Arthur's voice quieted.

"The one where her human avatar died in my arms."

Kara's eyes widened slightly.

"…I remember that."

Her tone softened, the memory resurfacing.

"I thought she actually died."

A faint shake of her head.

"I didn't know who she really was back then…"

She trailed off.

Arthur nodded once.

"That was still her."

A small pause.

"Just not permanently."

Kara exhaled quietly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.

Then she looked at him again.

"…So?" Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you satisfied with my answers?"

Kara held his gaze for a moment.

Then

"…No."

A faint huff left her as she looked away briefly.

"…But I'll drop it."

She rolled her shoulders slightly, tension easing.

"She seems like a nice girl."

There was a hint of something in her voice.

"And like you said…"

Her eyes flicked back to him.

"It's complicated… Let's just hope the devil was lying."

Arthur smiled. "Yeah."

They started walking again.

Side by side.

The dungeon stretched before them, but now their steps felt more grounded, more in sync.

Then, Arthur slowed.

Kara noticed immediately.

"…What is it?"

His gaze lifted toward the massive structure ahead.

Carved from black stone, the surface was scarred, marked by deep gouges and impact fractures, signs of something that had tried, and failed, to break through.

Or escape.

Arthur's senses extended again,

And this time he could tell what it was.

A low, invisible pressure hostile and hungry.

Arthur's lips curved slightly.

"…It seems we're not alone."

Kara stepped up beside him, her eyes narrowing as she focused.

"What do you feel?"

Arthur's gaze didn't waver.

"…An angry dog."

Kara blinked.

"…A what?"

"And someone else."

His expression sharpened slightly. "Both of them are… interesting."

Kara's stance shifted subtly, her posture tightening as she prepared herself.

Arthur glanced at her.

Then

A small, dangerous smirk formed.

"…You do the honors my..."

Kara cracked her knuckles lightly.

"Don't mind if I..."

Arthur's voice cut in, smooth and casual.

"...My jealous girlfriend."

Kara froze.

Slowly, very slowly she turned her head.

"…I'm NOT jealous!"

Arthur didn't even try to hide it now.

That smirk widened just a fraction.

"Of course not."

"…You were just interrogating me about another woman for fun."

Kara's eye twitched.

"That's not.."

She stopped and exhaled.

"…You're insufferable."

Arthur said nothing.

Which somehow made it worse.

Kara rolled her shoulders once, stepping forward toward the massive gate.

"Whatever."

She planted her feet.

Drew back her fist.

And for just a second.

The air tightened around her, then she punched.

The impact didn't sound like stone breaking.

It sounded like something shattering reality.

The entire gate imploded inward, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface before exploding into fragments that scattered like debris. The shockwave tore through the chamber beyond, dust and bone erupting into the air.

Kara lowered her fist slowly.

"…There."

A faint huff.

"Door's open."

Arthur stepped forward, passing her.

"Brilliant work."

Kara crossed her arms, trying, and failing not to look slightly pleased.

"Obviously."

Beyond them darkness stirred and something within it, Growled.

/-\\

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