DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

Azarath.

The land stretched out like a crater, the ground fractured by deep cracks. The earth was barren, lifeless. The air hung heavy with murky haze, a poisonous mist smothering everything.

Suspended in the air, fine particles of toxic oxides shimmered faintly, while the trees, long since withered, stood charred and brittle, devoid of the faintest sign of life.

The sky loomed overhead, a burning red, thick with filth, as though the very heavens had been tainted.

The entire scene was a wasteland—scorched, suffocating, uninhabitable.

Suddenly, the space trembled, rippling like disturbed water.

The swirling haze twisted unnaturally, as if drawn toward a central point. In an instant, the air tore open, forming a dark, gaping vortex.

Deep within its depths, two figures emerged,at first mere specks, then growing larger as they neared.

In a blink, they arrived.

Raven and Zatara stepped out of the vortex, their feet landing on the cracked, desolate ground.

This Raven was Bardi, his body transformed, while the real Raven remained hidden within him—merged completely into his form.

"Is this hell?"

Zatara's voice carried unease. He wore an elaborate magician's robe, its intricate embroidery inscribed with countless secret incantations. The ancient garment radiated power, a relic passed down through his family for generations. In his hand, he clutched a wand twisted from withered vines, pulsing with strong magical energy.

He cast an air-shielding spell over himself, his sharp gaze scanning the ruined land, shock flickering in his eyes.

All of this—this devastation—was the work of one demon.

A force so great it had reduced an entire world to this nightmare.

Bardi stood still, his breath steady. Beneath the hood of his cloak, his hidden gaze swept across the ruined landscape.

This place was utterly inhospitable to life.

The nitrogen in the atmosphere had been completely ionized, disrupting the electron sequence and atomic structure of the air itself.

Nitrogen was a fundamental element in amino acids—the very building blocks of life. Without it, existence here was impossible.

Even the oxygen had become a lethal poison. Any ordinary being breathing this air would collapse within moments, suffering convulsions, cardiac arrest, and rapid brain cell death.

Bardi extended an arm from beneath his cloak, exposing his pale skin to the searing environment. The sensation struck instantly.

It was like stepping from an air-conditioned room into the peak of summer.

Every hair on his arm lifted, his pores tightening against the sudden shift in temperature. A scalding heat licked at his skin, reminiscent of boiling water grazing flesh.

The average temperature here exceeded 80 degrees Celsius, bordering the boiling point of water.

Yet, despite the thick smog, Bardi's vision pierced through the distance.

Far away, the sky churned with thick, dark clouds that seemed fused to the horizon. Amidst the gloom, a mountain pierced the heavens, towering and unshaken—a monolith rising into the sky.

It was the peak of Azarath, the very heart of the world.

Bardi's gaze lowered slightly.

Scattered near its base lay the remnants of towns. Strange, dome-shaped and spire-like buildings still stood, ruined yet echoing their former glory.

Once, these cities had thrived.

Now, they were nothing but ruins, blackened, broken, drenched in blood.

Yet strangely, no corpses remained.

A surge of anger and sorrow swelled in Bardi's mind.

It was Raven's grief—the mournful emotions leaking from within him.

"He… bathed himself in the blood of an entire planet."

Her voice trembled, thick with rage.

The moment Trigon arrived, Azarath was doomed.

There had never been a chance to save it.

Once, this place had been brimming with magic, lush forests, towering crystalline trees, golden spires reaching toward the sky. Strange, wondrous magic had flourished here. Birds had sung, the air had carried warmth and harmony. The people had been kind, peaceful, serene.

A world like paradise.

Until she arrived.

Until Trigon followed her here.

Until he erased everything.

Raven clenched inside Bardi's body, her emotions surging uncontrollably.

She felt like a sinner.

If she had never come here, the billions of lives on this world would still exist.

But she had.

And because of her, all of them died.

Their blood became the bathwater for Trigon's flesh.

Her heart twisted painfully.

Bardi took a step forward, his boot pressing into the cracked earth. His cloak billowed slightly, revealing the slender leg of Raven's form beneath it.

His footsteps were steady, unwavering.

Though his frame was delicate, his presence was colossal, a figure standing against the sky itself, ready to tear it apart with his own hands.

Behind him, Zatara hesitated, his voice quiet but firm.

"Be careful. If you succeed… come back."

He could not fight Trigon alongside Bardi.

He simply wasn't capable of it.

The task given to him by the entire magical world was to cover Earth's presence, to sever the connection between this world and his own.

If Bardi and Raven failed, if Trigon saw through their deception, then Zatara's only purpose would be to conceal Earth from his sight.

To stop him from bringing this same destruction to their world.

They were not qualified to face a demon like Trigon. Their only option was to attempt self-preservation—to hide Earth, to protect it.

Zatara watched as Bardi moved further away, his gaze filled with conflicting emotions.

Bardi had fully assumed Raven's form.

Under the cloak, the slender, frail figure of the Raven seemed small and insignificant.

A dark silhouette moving alone through the haze.

The cloak billowed slightly as he advanced, his face partially concealed. A pale chin peeked from beneath the hood, and in the depths of the shadows, his eyes remained clear and unwavering, without a trace of hesitation.

Inside Bardi's body, the real Raven wept silently, her sorrow echoing within him, a wail of utter despair.

Everything had been destroyed by Trigon.

Bardi did not offer comfort.

He simply walked.

Through the ruins of what was once a thriving world.

The ground beneath his feet was uneven, littered with broken stone and shattered remnants of civilization.

The air was thick with the acrid stench of burnt structures, an unbearable mix of charred debris and smoldering dust. The scent clung to the back of his throat, irritating his nose, making him want to sneeze.

These were the remains of a world.

His gaze gradually synchronized with Raven's, his expression shifting to reflect her grief—to embody the abyss of despair.

He brushed his fingers against a crumbling wall, feeling the rough edges of devastation beneath his touch.

His forehead split open, revealing a second pair of weeping eyes.

Tears fell, hissing as they hit the scorched ground, corroding deep into the earth.

At this moment—

He had become Raven.

Completely.

Their hearts were one.

And the depths of Raven's sorrow were now his own.

He moved through the ruined town, his cloaked figure wavering with each step, blending into the desolate wasteland.

The skeletal remains of a forest stretched before him—once lush, full of life, where birds had once sung soft melodies.

Now, the trees stood blackened and brittle, their bark peeled away by fire, their trunks hollowed by decay.

The streams, once clear and shimmering, had turned into poisoned pools of filth.

'She' looked up at the sky.

And then—

He arrived at the mountain's base.

The sacred peak of Azarath.

Once, this place had been the most holy site of the realm.

Once, light had bathed the land, warmth had filled the air, and peace had been absolute.

Now, all that remained was fear.

The stench of despair thickened the air.

The towering mountain pierced the heavens, its summit lost within the swirling abyss above.

Dark clouds churned restlessly, the sky itself heavy with malice.

A sickly red light pulsed from within the storm.

The thick veil of darkness shifted like living flesh, inflating and contracting as if the sky itself were breathing.

A monstrous presence lurked above—an evil beyond comprehension, resting atop the storm, overlooking the entire world.

A supreme will.

As though a colossal eye had opened in the sky, staring down with infinite malice.

Countless whispers of darkness and corruption hissed from the clouds, a wicked grin stretching across the unseen presence.

The weight of its gaze alone made the planet tremble.

Bardi took a step forward, his cloak trailing behind him like the remnants of a dying shadow.

An aura of despair seeped from his being.

His form—small, lonely, insignificant—was swallowed by the vastness of the landscape.

Yet, with silent determination, he climbed.

Upward.

Toward the peak of Azarath.

***

Checkout my new books under Reading List on my Profile.

For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.