Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

"In the void, all things were born.

The sun nurtured life, and all beings revolved and burned around it.

Two deities created light and darkness.

Then the Earth cooled from molten rock and rose. In the world as we know it, on this sacred land, kingdoms were established.

And the Dark God vanished from this world after completing His mission."

A young boy, newly chosen, raised the Hammer of Thunder and recited the creation myth he had known since childhood to the commander of the Thunder God Legion—the one who safeguarded justice in this realm.

The commander patted the boy on the shoulder. He wasn't surprised in the slightest; such myths had long been etched into the bones of their people.

Below the platform, the gathered Thunder Gods roared in unison, moved by the boy's words.

But the commotion soon quieted. Every member of the Thunder God Legion knew what was coming—the harsh truth the commander was about to reveal to the boy.

"Well said, child. But there is something you must understand. The two gods who created light and darkness eventually came into conflict, their ideals no longer aligned."

The commander spoke with a heavy sigh.

"The great god who created darkness later waged war. He fought against the current Divine Lord, Doom. No matter how you look at it, the Dark God was no match for Lord Doom."

"Yet the merciful Divine Lord did not wish for this god to be remembered as a demon in the eyes of mortals. So it was said that the Dark God perished after creating darkness. Lord Doom even built a grand statue in his honor, so that all would remember him."

The young boy, freshly anointed as a Thunder God, widened his eyes in disbelief.

Though he had grown up with the myth, he had never heard of this hidden truth—especially not that the Divine Lord himself had built a statue for the rebellious Dark God.

In the boy's eyes, rebels should be erased entirely, with no trace left behind.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but hesitated. He wasn't sure if the question would be inappropriate.

"He was exiled by Lord Doom into the endless void, never to find his way back."

The commander knew what the boy wanted to ask and answered directly.

The newly appointed Thunder God was at a loss. He could hardly imagine such an event.

"Will he ever return?"

He asked, curious whether the Dark God had truly been lost in the void forever.

"Perhaps he will, perhaps not. After all, he once walked beside Lord Doom."

The commander shook his head and gently guided the boy upward.

"Tell me, brother. Have you ever crossed kingdoms to venture farther?"

"I came here only once, to complete my trial," the boy answered truthfully.

"I understand. The borders between kingdoms are strictly defined. Crossing requires special permission from local lords. And there is reason for this—most kingdoms are not as peaceful as the Supreme Avalon. Many lie under our rule, yet constantly long for the fall of the Thunder Gods."

By now, the commander had led the boy to the highest point of the Thunder God Legion's stronghold.

"We serve the Divine Lord, enthroned upon the highest seat. We allow no violation of divine law. Lord Doom demands order, and order brings him joy."

The commander turned to the eager boy beside him.

"Tell me, brother—do you wish to please him?"

"Yes."

A short and firm answer—one that revealed the boy's deep reverence for Lord Doom.

"Good. Then this is a world where evildoers run rampant. Let us bring justice!"

Thunder roared.

From nowhere, the commander summoned a chariot of thunder drawn by two goats.

The boy, who moments earlier had worn nothing but a pair of shorts for his trial, now stood fully armored as a Thunder God.

Lightning tore across the night sky.

"The Thunder Gods ride once more."

Down on the ground, the citizens of Oblivion cheered joyfully as they witnessed the thunderbolt's flash.

It was only because of the Thunder Gods stationed there that they could enjoy such peace.

Every time the Thunder Gods rode out, it meant that wrongdoers would be brought to justice.

Among the crowd stood a man who, like the others, looked up at the sky glowing as bright as day.

No one around him seemed to find anything strange.

But after the thunder faded, the man lowered his head and hurried on his way.

Had the commander of the Thunder God Legion spotted him and taken a closer look, he would have noticed that this man looked exactly like the statue of the Dark God he had once seen in the Divine Lord's castle.

The man walked swiftly onward. Coming to Oblivion was only the first step. He had farther to go.

He would cross through Zone 14—territory under the Thunder God Legion's control—because it was the route with the fewest kingdoms between him and Manhattan.

It was also the least restrictive path, as countless youths from other lands came here each year hoping to become Thunder Gods.

But only a few ever succeeded.

The rest would be forced to return the way they came.

And so they would slowly leave Zone 14 behind.

That was why the man chose this route.

Traveling to other nations was not only more restricted; the constant patrols alone would be enough to make things difficult.

Even though he could reach Manhattan in the shortest time possible, doing so would expose him to the gaze of the one who sat upon the clouds.

Now was not the right moment—not the right time to face the one who sat atop the World Tree.

Moreover, he didn't have that ability yet.

Perhaps in the past, he might have had the power to face that guy head-on, but who would have thought that the one who spent all day chasing geese would end up with his eyes pecked out by those very geese.

Once again, a thunderclap exploded across the sky, and this time the flashing lightning illuminated the man's face.

It was none other than the Bat—Bruce Wayne.

"Take us up to that guy's castle. I don't believe this time the hammer won't crush him." At that moment, Bruce's mind pictured the furious ravager pounding relentlessly on the prison bars.

Not far away, at a place resembling a mountain about to break through the earth, there appeared another cage—this one completely empty, like a patch sewn up to keep something from escaping.

Meanwhile, Barry, the Flash, shook his head. The last time, they had indeed thrown everything they had at that guy, but they still failed.

And no one truly knew what level the so-called God-King, Dr. Doom, had reached now.

There was no way they could succeed by fighting alone.

"We need allies, helpers. This time, we're going to find help." Bruce lowered his head and hurried forward.

He drew no attention; after all, everyone who took this route back was in the same boat—no one wanted to be seen in failure.

Naturally, no one thought Bruce's actions were suspicious.

Bruce walked all the way to the area known as Zone 20—Manhattan.

The Manhattan checkpoint found nothing wrong with Bruce's identity since their database had his records.

"It's alright. You just didn't get selected by the Thunder God Corps. You can join us instead—as a proper cop in Manhattan." The checkpoint officer kindly patted Bruce's shoulder, encouraging him not to feel down about being rejected.

Bruce didn't reply, just nodded and walked step by step into Manhattan.

"Poor kid," the officer muttered, shaking his head, then turned his gaze away.

Entering Manhattan, Bruce felt that modern urban atmosphere again. For some reason, many districts were artificially given a medieval look.

Of course, even in this modern-like Manhattan, all kinds of people walked the streets.

Bruce suddenly stopped—right in front of him was a bar called Valhalla Mead Hall.

Everyone knew the Valhalla Mead Hall only welcomed Thunder Gods—those who served in the Thunder God Corps.

But now, at the entrance stood a man wielding a massive axe, shouting at the two doormen: "This bar is for slaves! I'm talking to you! You're all slaves! Shackled by the God Hammer! Slaves of Doom!"

Though the man's tone sounded serious, the two doormen showed no intention of listening. They arrogantly replied, "Enough, buddy, get lost before—"

"Abandon divinity, return to freedom!"

The man kept shouting, utterly ignoring the guards' warnings.

Naturally, the two guards weren't about to show him any kindness and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

They were about to do more when a Thunder God with a horse-like face stepped in and stopped them.

Out of respect for the horse-faced Thunder God, the two guards spat at the man who had been ranting at Valhalla's door.

Bruce watched silently, showing no reaction. He turned and headed toward a nearby alley. With so many Thunder Gods passing their door, it was definitely not a good idea to linger here.

Besides, passing through Valhalla Mead Hall wasn't necessary.

"Look, look! Who have we here?" a slightly crazed voice called out.

Bruce glanced toward the figure hiding inside a cardboard box.

The figure inside the box had green eyes, staring intently at Bruce as he moved in the shadows.

"I always hear something. I hear anyone muttering to themselves while sorting trash, even drunken Thunder Gods mumbling nonsense—I know it all," the man inside the box continued. "But I never thought what they said was true. The great Dark God was really exiled."

The man then crawled out of the box, wearing a crazed grin but with eyes full of reverence.

Bruce said nothing, just kept walking, not even pausing, ignoring the man calling his name behind him.

Of course, the name being called was the one assigned by God-King Doom—Dark God.

Once Bruce vanished into the shadows, the man crawled back into his box. But this time, someone else came looking for him.

"I need your help again," said the horse-faced Thunder God at the alley's entrance—the same one who had defended the ranting man earlier.

"So you found another corpse? Did you bring photos this time? I love looking at those," the man in the box spoke again, though his tone now carried mockery instead of respect.

"No photos. Just asking if you've heard anything," the horse-faced Thunder God shook his head.

"Oh, I always hear things—secrets people mutter behind backs, lies tossed out with the trash. They all come to me."

The horse-faced Thunder God ignored the man's gossip, here only for leads.

"I need a name."

"Oh, of course you do. Five dead with the same name—I can tell you what I heard in the shadows. Horse-face Thunder God, I can tell you why so many are dying." The man, who had just crawled back in, came out again with a teasing smile. "Your good friend Loki could tell you the greatest lie in the world. But I don't think you want to hear it."

"Jane Foster—that's the name you want to know."

After those words, Loki vanished before the horse-faced Thunder God.

At that moment, a thunderclap tore through Manhattan's shadows.

It illuminated the fallen Thunder God's corpse in the alley.

Meanwhile, Batman had no idea what had happened behind him. He had now arrived at the spot he had originally marked.

Looking at the smooth ground before him, no one could imagine that underneath had once been the Batcave.

(End of Chapter)

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