Chapter 603: A Threat to Them All

True to his word, Arthur made no move to return Ivy back to her cell.

"Before you both go," he said to Frost and Ivy, "there’s one more thing you’ll need." He reached out, and the air between his fingers folded inward on itself, a small, shimmering rift blooming into existence. "A portal. You’ll find you already know how to make one yourselves. Try it."

Ivy raised a hand, mimicking the motion, she had never doubted her ability to pick up a new trick quickly, and a second rift bloomed at her fingertips, small and shimmering and entirely her own.

"Well," she said, delighted, turning her hand slowly to admire it from different angles. "Isn’t that convenient."

"Show-off," Frost said, though a beat later she tried it herself, and a third portal edged faintly in frost-blue light opened just as easily beside her. She stared at it for a long moment. "Okay. That’s actually kind of cool..."

"What do you want in return for this?" Ivy asked, turning back to Arthur. "Powers. Portals. An entire glowing statue with my name on it, apparently. Men don’t usually hand me things without wanting something back, Arthur."

"That you both heed my call, when I make it," Arthur said. "As long as you use what you’ve been given to defend Earth, and to aid the Hunters when the need arises. And that you stand against the Dragon Monarch, should he ever surface." He held her gaze evenly. "That’s all I ask. Everything else... how you live, what you build, what you choose to become with this, is entirely up to you."

Ivy’s mouth curved into a slow, teasing smile. "Are you saying you won’t interfere, then, if I decide to commit a few crimes here and there? That I’m free to do exactly as I please otherwise?"

Arthur gave her a long, level look.

"I’m merely joking," Ivy said, entirely unconvincing.

"C’mon now, Ivy," Raven said, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised.

"Alright, alright." Ivy sighed dramatically, waving a dismissive hand. "I’ll play nice. Mostly." She paused, something sharper flickering behind her eyes. "They’d just better not harm my plants, though. And by that, I mean the entire planet. All of it. Every leaf."

"I guess that’s one way to protect the planet," Arthur said.

Frost snorted. "You say that like it’s a real threat and not just, you know, standard Tuesday behavior for you."

"It’s both," Ivy said serenely.

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can we finish this before you two start an actual argument in the middle of a sacred temple?"

"We’re finishing," Ivy said, entirely unbothered, and stepped toward her portal. She paused at its edge, glancing back once more at Arthur. "For what it’s worth, thank you. Truly. I mean that, under all the teasing."

"You’re welcome, Ivy."

She stepped through, vanishing in a ripple of green-gold light, the portal folding shut silently behind her.

Frost lingered a moment longer, glancing down at her own hands, flexing her fingers slowly as though still testing whether they belonged to her. "I have no idea why I suddenly know how to do half of what I apparently know how to do now," she admitted.

"Get used to it," Arthur said. "It settles, eventually."

"Eventually meaning what, exactly? Days? Weeks?"

"Somewhere around there."

"Great, very helpful." She shook her head, though there was no real bite behind it anymore, mostly exhausted. "You know what, whatever. I’ve had weirder weeks." She glanced toward Kara. "Thanks for the whole ’trust us’ thing back there, by the way. Turns out you were right. Mostly."

Kara simply smiled.

Frost gave a small, tired wave and stepped through her own portal, vanishing in a swirl of pale blue light.

The others followed suit as well, leaving only Arthur, Kara, and Raven standing amid the ring of fully lit statues, the chamber considerably quieter now.

"They’re not actually free to just do whatever they want, right?" Kara asked, glancing toward the space where Ivy’s portal had closed.

"Of course not," Arthur said. "One wrong move, and my Marshals descend on them without hesitation, and they both know it now, the knowledge that came with the power made that much clear to them already." He paused. "But I doubt it’ll come to that. Now that they hold this kind of power, I suspect they’ll be considerably more reasonable than attempting anything foolish against the Shadow Monarch. The power doesn’t come alone. It carries memory and history. They understand exactly what they’ve become part of now, whether they wanted the lecture or not."

"Not very pleasant memories, from what I recall," Raven said quietly, arms wrapping loosely around herself. "I got them too, when I claimed this power myself. Centuries of war. Centuries of failure.."

"They’re a reminder," Arthur said. "Of the ones who held these titles before them. Of the history behind all of this, whether it’s comfortable or not." His expression sharpened. "The Dragon Monarch will already know what’s happened here, the moment his awareness reaches this realm again. The Rulers will know as well." His eyes kindled violet, bright enough that Kara felt an involuntary shiver run through her at the sheer, quiet intensity of it. "I already know what his reaction will be. I find myself far more curious what theirs will look like."

"You don’t seem to like these Rulers much," Raven said, watching him carefully. "So far, they haven’t acted against Earth directly. We could still consider them allies, technically. At least on paper."

"They haven’t acted against Earth," Arthur agreed. "But they also haven’t closed the gates that keep spawning across this planet, one after another, even after I killed the monarchs. I could seal those gates myself, easily enough, at this point. I’ve had the ability for some time now. Instead, I’ve left them the option to do it themselves." His jaw tightened slightly. "And they haven’t. Which tells me they still believe the final battle against the Dragon Monarch is meant to take place here. On Earth. Or that they actively want it to happen here."

Raven’s brow furrowed, working through the implication slowly, piece by piece. "So they want the planet saturated with enough mana to properly host that fight." She paused, something clicking into place behind her eyes, her expression darkening. "Wait. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?"

"Wait, what does that mean, Raven?" Kara asked, glancing between them both, brow furrowed. "You know I’m a little slow. Use smaller words."

"Yes," Arthur said, answering Kara directly, his voice quiet and certain. "I believe they consider me a threat as well, now. Not merely a tool, or an ally, or a convenient monarch to keep the peace on this side of the multiverse. A threat. They respected my predecessor, Ashborn, a great deal.. for a very long time. I don’t think they hold nearly the same opinion of me."

"I see," Raven said slowly. "That would explain it." Her expression darkened further. "Bastards. After you ended this entire war yourself.. finishing off every Monarch that came through those gates, alone, without a shred of help from them and their thanks is to quietly hedge their bets against you instead."

"It’s the price you pay," Arthur said simply, "for being the lone fighter. The one no one else can control, predict, or properly leash. You’re feared regardless of what you’ve actually done to earn that fear. It doesn’t matter how much good comes of it in the end. Power without a leash unsettles people who’ve spent ages believing every leash eventually holds."

Kara reached over and took his hand quietly, saying nothing at first, though the gesture carried more weight than words might have managed just then.

"Then we make sure it doesn’t matter what they believe," she said finally, her voice steady. "We’re not exactly unprepared anymore, are we? Eight Monarchs, eight armies. Friends who’d stand with us regardless."

"No," Arthur agreed, something warmer finally returning to his expression. "We’re not unprepared at all."

Raven let out a slow breath, glancing once more toward the darkened edges of the chamber, toward gates she now understood, with sudden and uncomfortable clarity, might never have been meant to close at all. "Then I suppose," she said, "we’d better make sure Earth is ready for whatever they’re actually planning, whether they admit to planning it or not."

"We will be," Arthur said. "One way or another."

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Later that evening, Arthur stood near the tall windows of the nursery, Aurora settled peacefully in his arms, her small hand curled instinctively around one of his fingers even in sleep. Kara sat curled in the armchair nearby, watching them both with quiet contentment, while Raven leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her earlier weariness from the day’s events finally easing.

"You’ve been quiet since we got back," Kara said softly, watching Arthur’s face in the dim light.

"Just thinking," Arthur admitted.

"About the Rulers?"

"About all of it," he said. "The Rulers. The Dragon Monarch. Darkseid’s true self, still waiting somewhere. All of it, circling closer."

Raven watched him carefully. "Does it worry you?"

Arthur looked down at his daughter’s sleeping face for a long moment before answering, something quiet and absolute settling into his expression.

"No," he said finally. "Let them come." His eyes glowed a slow, steady violet, calm. "Whatever anyone out there decides to do, whatever schemes they think they’re clever enough to hide from me, I’ll deter every single one of them. I built all of this out of shadow and will and everything I had to give. I am not losing it now. Not to gods, or kings. Not to anyone foolish enough to test that."

Kara rose quietly and moved to stand beside him, resting her head against his shoulder as she looked down at their daughter, still fast asleep, entirely unaware of the weight of the promise being made over her.

"Good," she said. "Because I like this family exactly the way it is."

Raven, watching from the doorway, allowed herself a small, genuine smile.

"So do I," she said quietly.

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