The black sphere was still covering them, sealing them away from the outside world.
Arthur looked down at the child, her small hands were still trembling slightly, though her tears had slowed. There was a strength in her now.
He crouched slightly to meet her eyes.
"…How about this," he said, his voice calmer now. "Would you like to go flying on that dragon?"
The girl blinked.
Arthur's gaze tilted upward, though she couldn't see through the darkness surrounding them.
"He'll take you home," Arthur continued. "Your father told me where you live."
The girl hesitated for a moment.
Then she nodded, slowly.
Arthur gave a small, approving nod in return.
"Good."
The black sphere dissolved instantly, peeling away like mist. Sound crashed back in, distant sirens, the fading panic of the crowd, the echo of that monstrous roar above.
But Arthur didn't linger for long, he gently lifted the child into his arms,
And the world disappeared around them.
They reappeared above the clouds.
High above Gotham's clouds.
Where the rain couldn't reach.
The sky was clearer there, vast and open.
And beneath their feet,
A colossal shadow moved.
The dragon Kamish.
Its massive wings beat slowly, sending ripples through the air itself.
The child froze in Arthur's arms.
Her eyes widened.
"…It's… real…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Arthur stepped forward, placing her gently onto the dragon's broad back.
"Of course it is, did you think that was an illusion?"
She looked around, small hands gripping carefully onto the ridges along Kamish's shadow spine. Fear was there, but it was overshadowed by something brighter now.
Awe.
She leaned forward slightly, peeking over the edge,
Then gasped softly as she saw the clouds beneath them.
"We're… above the sky…"
Arthur watched her for a moment.
Then spoke, his voice calm. "Fly slowly, Kamish." he ordered.
The dragon's massive head turned slightly, its voice deep, echoing.
"Of course, my king."
"I shall ensure she is not harmed."
Arthur nodded.
Then looked back at the girl.
"…He'll take you home."
She turned to him quickly.
"…You're not coming?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No. I have to make the bad guy pay."
There was a small silence.
The wind moved gently around them, far calmer than it should have been at that height.
The girl hesitated,
Then gave a small nod.
"…Okay."
Arthur's expression softened just slightly.
"Stay brave," he said quietly. "Just like you promised your father."
She tightened her grip slightly.
"…I will."
Arthur gave one last look.
Then, he vanished.
The street returned.
Wet pavement. Dim light. The ever-present gloom of Gotham.
Raven stood beside him as they reappeared, her cloak shifting slightly in the rain.
She didn't speak, but she watched him closely.
Arthur's face was calm, his eyes, however, said everything.
He began walking.
Raven followed without a word.
They moved through the streets in silence until they reached a bar tucked between two aging buildings. The neon sign above it flickered.
Arthur pushed the door open.
Inside, the atmosphere was warm, loud laughter, clinking glasses, the smell of alcohol, the usual.
Raven leaned slightly toward him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"…He's here, isn't he?"
Arthur didn't look at her.
He just nodded as they walked in.
Arthur took a seat in one of the stools, his posture relaxed, almost casual. Raven slid onto the stool beside him, her gaze already scanning the room.
She found him quickly because of the strange magical energy around him.
A man at a nearby table.
Laughing and drinking.
Surrounded by others.
Completely at ease.
Arthur raised a hand slightly.
"Whiskey." The bartender nodded quickly, already sensing something off but not daring to question it. He poured the drink and slid it over.
Arthur picked up the glass, took one slow sip.
Then without warning,
He smashed it across the man's head.
The crack echoed through the bar.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment
Then chaos erupted.
"What the hell?!"
"Did you see that?!"
"Is this guy insane?!"
Chairs scraped violently as people stood up, backing away. Some rushed toward the exit immediately not wanting any part of this.
The man staggered, clutching his head as blood mixed with the alcohol dripping down his face.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he roared, fury overtaking the shock. "You trying to die, you..?!"
Arthur didn't even flinch.
His violet eyes locked onto him.
"Are you enjoying yourself," he asked calmly, "after what you've done?"
The man froze.
Just for a second and then his expression completely changed.
"What?… wait.. Who the hell are you?!"
He moved.
Fast, blurs of motion as his fists lashed out at superhuman speed.
But,
Arthur didn't move.
Or at least, It looked like he didn't.
Every strike missed.
Cleanly.
The man's eyes widened in disbelief. Arthur's gaze never wavered.
"For how long did you have this power?" Arthur asked, voice still calm. "Three days? Four?"
"And now you think you can do whatever you want?"
Arthur's hand shot out,
Grabbing the man's arm.
Twisting, a sickening crack echoed as the limb bent the wrong way.
The man screamed.
People ran. No one stayed, except for the bartender who simply hid.
Raven raised a hand slightly, glancing around at the now rapidly emptying bar.
"…Arthur. We're still in public.."
The man gasped through the pain, rage and desperation mixing in his voice.
"You're doing all this… for that nobody?!" he spat.
Raven sighed.
"…You know what? Never mind."
Arthur's fist came down.
Once.
The man's face snapped sideways, blood spraying as his features distorted under the impact.
"Do you think you're a god now?" Arthur asked quietly.
A kick, The man's leg twisted unnaturally.
Another scream.
"If this had been just a simple robbery…" Arthur continued, grabbing him by the collar, lifting him slightly, "…I wouldn't have cared."
His grip tightened around the man's throat.
"But you took a life."
A pause.
"An innocent one."
The man choked, barely conscious now.
"…And orphaned a child."
Arthur's eyes glowed faintly.
"I can see your soul."
There was a brief silence.
"… And It's not even worthy of becoming a shadow."
"W-Wait!" the man gasped, blood dripping from his mouth. "I've got money! A lot of it! I stole... everything! You can have it! All of it!"
Arthur's expression didn't change.
If anything, it grew colder.
"…See?" he said quietly.
"This is exactly what I meant."
Behind the man,
A portal opened.
Dark and empty.
Arthur didn't hesitate.
He shoved him into it.
The man screamed as he fell
"WAIT!"
The portal snapped shut.
Silence claimed the bar now, it was empty, completely.
Only the bartender remained, crouched behind the counter, trembling.
Arthur stood there for a moment.
Then turned.
Raven watched him.
"…Where did you send him?"
Arthur met her gaze briefly.
"You don't want to know."
Then he walked out.
Raven followed.
****
The fall did not end.
For a moment, just a moment, the man thought he was still inside the bar, still screaming, still reaching for anything to grab onto.
Then he hit the ground.
Hard.
Air exploded from his lungs as his broken body slammed against cold, uneven stone. Pain followed instantly, sharp and overwhelming, crawling through his twisted arm and shattered leg like fire.
He gasped, choking on it.
"…W-what…?!"
His voice echoed.
But not like it should.
It stretched, swallowed by something vast.
Slowly, he forced himself up onto one elbow, dragging his useless leg behind him. His breathing came in panicked bursts as his eyes darted around.
This wasn't Gotham, it wasn't anywhere.
The ground beneath him was black, not stone, not soil, veins of dim, pulsing light ran through it like roots… or arteries. Towering structures stretched upward into nothingness, twisting and spiraling, disappearing into a sky that didn't exist.
There was no sun and no stars.
Only a dim suffocating glow.
"…Where the hell… did he send me…?"
His voice trembled now in Real fear.
He tried to move, and crawl, run, anything but his body betrayed him. His arm screamed in agony when he put weight on it.
Even his speed was gone.
Or rather Arthur made sure he couldn't use it with a broken leg and a broken arm.
Panic set in.
"No… no, no, no.. this isn't real… everything was fine..."
His breathing quickened.
"This is some kind of trick… some illusion…"
But deep down,
He knew. It wasn't..
Then suddenly he heard a sound.
A deep growl.
It vibrated through the ground before it reached his ears.
His entire body froze.
"…HELLO…?"
His voice cracked.
No answer.
Only silence.
Then
Another growl.
Closer.
The fog around him shifted.
He hadn't even noticed it before, but it was there. Thick, pale mist crawling along the ground, coiling around the roots that stretched endlessly in every direction.
Something moved within it.
Slowly.
The man's eyes widened.
"No…"
A shape began to form.
A massive one
The mist parted, and something emerged.
A head, Serpentine and monstrous.
Eyes like burning voids opening in the darkness.
The creature rose, its body unraveling from the fog like an endless nightmare made flesh.
The man's breath hitched.
"…What the FUCK is that…?"
The answer came in the form of a roar.
The creature Nidhogg, tilted its head, observing him.
The man tried to move.
Tried to crawl backward.
His broken body dragged uselessly across the ground.
"No...NO, STAY BACK!"
His voice cracked into a scream.
"I'm powerful!"
The words died in his throat.
Nidhogg attacked and it wasn't fast, it didn't need to be.
In a single attack, its massive form surged forward,
The man's scream tore through the void, Then cut off abruptly just as quickly as he screamed.
/-\
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