DC: The Shadow Monarch's Chronicles

The swirling portal of purple energy parted like curtains, revealing a sunlit town square bustling with activity. Ashborn and Amazo stepped out into the open area, cobblestone beneath their feet, as dozens of people paused to stare in curiosity at the odd duo who had just appeared out of thin air. Wooden stalls, shopkeepers, and banners fluttered in the wind, clearly a lively town, albeit one not nearly as technologically advanced.

Amazo scanned the area. "This world doesn't seem to be advanced as well."

Ashborn surveying the scene. "We'll give it a quick check…"

But before he could finish, an explosion thundered behind them. Dust and shards of stone rained down as a train burst violently out from underground, metal grinding and screeching. Four figures were flung from the derailed vehicle, tumbling across the stone ground.

The two watched, unmoving, as the girls, all teenagers, each clad in a distinctive outfit and wielding unique weapons scrambled to their feet.

The youngest, wearing a red cloak, spotted Ashborn and Amazo and screamed, "You need to run! Grimm are coming!"

Neither of them reacted. Ashborn simply observed with a bemused expression. "I think you have a good chance here."

Amazo turned toward him, a spark of curiosity on his face. "You know this one too?"

"Yes," Ashborn replied, gaze fixed ahead. "There should be one here… and in the city right now."

For the first time, Amazo's face lit with something resembling hope.

Before the girls could speak again, the ground trembled, and monstrous creatures cloaked in black and bone-white masks emerged from the ruptured tunnel. The girls instinctively took a battle stance, their eyes wide with horror.

"I hope you two know how to fight!" yelled the blonde girl, brandishing her gauntlets as civilians screamed and scattered in panic.

Ashborn, unfazed, spoke calmly to Amazo, "A demonstration, in order."

His shadow darkened and spread like a living oil spill, stretching over the entire square. An enormous dome of darkness soon engulfed the train, the tunnel, and the Grimm alike. From the thick shadows, tendrils shot out like spears and ensnared everything in their path.

Ashborn raised his hand, fingers curling into a fist.

With a low groan and a sucking sound, the tendrils dragged the Grimm, the train, and the tunnel's debris into the gaping abyss. Within seconds, all of it vanished leaving behind nothing but stunned silence and the horrified gazes of the four girls.

"This definitely will get attention," Ashborn said.

Amazo pointed toward the girls. "More like fear."

Ashborn chuckled. From his still-spreading shadow, several figures began to emerge. A sleek white and black dog bounded out first, yipping as it was enveloped in a tight hug by the red-cloaked girl.a man with a green head and trench coat.

Then another man in a white coat and orange hair stumbled out, disoriented. Next to him stood a petite girl with mismatched eyes and an umbrella, Roman Torchwick and Neapolitan.

Ashborn approached them with a smile. "Well, hello there. I hope you enjoyed my Shadow Express, the finest and only of its kind."

Roman blinked, halfway between confusion and fear. "What… the hell…"

"You can leave," Ashborn said with a casual gesture, "but I sincerely advise you to change your ways."

The girls, regaining their composure, screamed in protest, "He's a criminal!"

Ashborn raised a single finger. The four froze instantly, eyes wide, mouths silenced, bodies paralyzed mid-movement.

Roman and Neo stared, terrified.

Roman swallowed. "If I don't change… you'll kill me?"

Ashborn laughed a low, smooth, amused sound. "Of course not. But bad things might happen. For instance… while you're laughing and ranting over a burning city from the sky, a Grimm swoops in and eats you whole. Your girlfriend here swears revenge… but gets enslaved by a color-talking cat. And then… she becomes a tree."

Roman went pale. "That's oddly random and specific."

Ashborn's smile widened further, and his glowing purple eyes locked onto Roman's with eerie amusement.

Roman didn't need more convincing. He quickly stood up, tugging Neo with him. "Well, good sir, it was nice meeting you. I sincerely hope I don't see you ever again."

Ashborn waved. "Goodbye, fine thief."

And with that, Roman and Neo vanished into the crowd shaken but alive.

The four girls remained frozen in place, expressions stuck in a blend of awe, fear, and confusion.

Ashborn turned toward Amazo, eyes gleaming. "Let's wait a little, our ride will be coming soon"

Ashborn glanced at the four frozen girls and flicked his fingers. The invisible force binding them dissolved instantly. "It is rude to interrupt gentlemen's talk," he said.

The blonde one, still bristling, snapped, "He was a thief! A terrorist! And you just let him go!"

Ashborn tilted his head with exaggerated politeness. "It is also rude to speak to someone without introducing yourself first. You look suspicious that way."

The blonde blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Before the tension could rise again, the youngest girl quickly stepped in, pointing at each person as she spoke. "I'm Ruby. That's my sister, Yang. My teammates Blake and Weiss. And this is Professor…"

"Doctor," the green-haired man with the thermos corrected sharply. "Doctor Oobleck."

Ashborn gave them a slow, courteous nod. "Ashborn Black. And this is my son, Amazo Black."

Yang scowled. "You let that criminal go!"

Ashborn's voice was calm, smooth. "Are you training to be a huntress?"

Yang crossed her arms. "Yes, what's that got to do with anything?"

"As an aspiring huntress," Ashborn said, voice still patient, "how can you ask someone else to do your job? And a civilian at that."

Yang clenched her fists. "Which part of you is a civilian?!"

Ashborn gave a long, dramatic sigh. "I am an upstanding citizen who hates violence. But this generation's huntsmen and huntresses forced my hand. This world has no future."

Yang's eye twitched. "You are an asshole, aren't you?"

Ashborn turned to Amazo and asked with a perfectly straight face, "Did I say something wrong?"

Amazo, ever the loyal and honest son, shook his head. "No, father is indeed a peace-loving individual."

Ruby tilted her head. "How old are you? You don't look old enough to have a child this old."

"I'm nearing twenty-six," Ashborn answered. "I adopted Amazo when I was twenty-two."

Ruby's eyebrows furrowed. "How does that even work? How old is he?"

"Amazo is six years old," Ashborn said casually.

Weiss stepped forward with a scowl. "You dunce, he's messing with you!"

Ashborn raised a hand to his chest, mock-offended. "How rude. I am completely serious."

Weiss scoffed. "You're already this old and still acting like a child. Grow up."

Ashborn gave a sly smile. "Okay, ice-queen."

Weiss's eyes narrowed dangerously, irritation bubbling behind her composed expression. But before she could deliver a biting retort, the distant whirring of engines cut through the air. A fleet of airships was rapidly approaching overhead.

Ashborn smiled, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "This is our ride."

___________

High above the grounds of Beacon Academy, in the headmaster, the atmosphere was heavy with unease. The wide screen before them played a looped video, grainy, but clear enough to chill the spine.

A vast field was seen overtaken by a creeping, undulating mass of pure darkness. It moved like a living ocean of shadow, devouring everything in its path. Even the monstrous Grimm, known for their fearlessness and savagery, were swallowed whole, their bodies dissipating into nothing the moment the tendrils pulled them.

And in the center of it all stood a single man with glowing purple eyes.

General Ironwood stepped back from the monitor, his jaw clenched.

"How could someone be able to do this?" he muttered, voice grave. "And who is that guy?"

Glynda Goodwitch's arms were crossed tightly, her lips pressed into a hard line. Her eyes didn't leave the screen.

"This... This is unheard of," she said at last, her voice low. "Controlling darkness on such a scale? No human should be capable of that."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Ozpin stood at the edge of the room, still staring at the image frozen on the screen. His face had gone pale, the usual calm in his eyes replaced with something rarely seen: fear.

He knew what they didn't.

A power that vast… a darkness so alive… he had seen it once before.

The God of Darkness.

Ozpin's hand trembled slightly as he adjusted his glasses. The implications tore through his mind like wildfire. Could it be? Was the god walking Remnant again… this time in human form?

And if so… What was he planning?

Ozpin felt the weight of the world pressing down on him. The last time the God of Darkness walked the world, it ended in devastation. Cities crumbled. Kingdoms were lost. Humanity was nearly erased.

And if someone, anyone, made the mistake of provoking him again… Would the world survive a second time?

"Do you think he is related to her?" Ironwood asked his eyes not leaving the video.

"I don't think so, he stopped the grimm afterall" Glynda replied thoughtfully.

Ozpin didn't speak. He didn't have words to say. The fear was the only thing filling him.