Unknown Dimension - The Rulers' Sanctum
The Rulers gathered in a chamber that existed outside of time, its walls were made of light and darkness woven together in patterns that defied comprehension.
"The Shadow Monarch has refused our offer."
"He has threatened us. Openly. In his own home, to our own emissary."
"He has demanded we close the gates. All of them."
"He has claimed authority over the Monarchs. Over powers that were never his to give."
There was a long silence, then a voice older than the others and much colder said. "Ashborn would not have done this."
"No. Ashborn understood his place. He understood the balance and he understood that some things must be maintained, even at great cost."
"But this one... this Arthur Blackwynd... is much different, Ashborn surely made a mistake."
"He is not Ashborn's successor. He is a usurper... A pretender who wears the mantle of the Shadow Monarch as though it were his by right."
"And now he has created seven new Monarchs.. Without our approval. Without our blessing. Without any regard for the order we have tried to maintain for eons."
"He threatens us."
The chamber seemed to darken, the light dimming as the Rulers' anger grew.
"He must be dealt with. Before he grows any stronger."
"He cannot be killed. Not directly. His connection to Death makes him... problematic."
"Then we do not kill him, we shall isolate him. We remove his support. We take from him everything he values, one piece at a time, until he understands that his defiance has a cost... his shadow armies mean nothing to us, he knows very well that our heavenly soldiers are superior to the Monarchs armies combined."
"And if he retaliates?"
"He will, but we will remind him what we are. What we have always been. The architects of order. The keepers of balance."
"The Beast Monarch. The one called Beast Boy. He is the weakest of the new Monarchs. The most vulnerable. The easiest to... remove."
"Yes. He will serve as our message."
"Do we use our Vassals on earth to do the job?"
"No, that will be a mistake."
"Send the Collectors. They have dealt with such matters before, they are after all our strongest soldiers."
"And when the Shadow Monarch comes for him?"
"He will not come in time. And when he does, he will find only the lesson we have left behind."
.
.
.
Jump City - The Streets - Afternoon
The sun was warm on Garfield's face as he walked down the boardwalk, hands shoved in his pockets, a half-eaten hot dog in one hand and a broad grin on his face.
"I'm telling you, Jaime, this Monarch thing is wild," he said, shaking his head slowly. "Like, I can feel everything now. Every animal within a mile. Every bird in the sky. Every squirrel in the trees." He paused, taking another bite of his hot dog. "It's a lot. But it's also kind of amazing."
Jaime walked beside him, his blue armor retracted into the Scarab. "Yeah, I can imagine. The Scarab's been freaking out about it around you, actually. Keeps saying something about 'unprecedented power signatures' and 'potentially catastrophic instability.'" He shrugged. "You know how it is."
"Your alien parasite needs to chill," Gar said with a laugh. "I'm not going to blow up the planet. Probably..."
"That's not reassuring."
"It's not supposed to be man. I still don't know what are my limits.."
They walked in comfortable silence for a moment, the sounds of the boardwalk drifting around them, vendors calling out, children playing. It was a normal day in Jump City. A good day.
Then Gar stopped.
His nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing as something shifted in the air. A scent he didn't recognize, something hostile.
"Gar?" Jaime asked, noticing the change in his friend's posture. "What's up?"
"Something's coming," Gar said quietly. "I can feel it.."
The crowd around them continued to move, oblivious to the danger that was approaching. But Gar felt it, a presence that was out of place, a ripple in his skin that made every instinct he had scream with warning.
Then he saw him.
A figure stood at the end of the boardwalk, his form silhouetted against the afternoon sun. He was tall, dressed in dark robes that seemed to absorb the light around him, his face hidden in shadow. His eyes glowed with a pale, colorless light, their intensity unnatural, their gaze fixed on Gar with an almost predatory focus.
Gar felt his new senses flare, the power of the Beast Monarch surging through his veins, telling him everything he needed to know in an instant. This being was not human. Not even close. And he was here for Gar.
"Who are you?" Gar called out, his voice carrying across the boardwalk.
The figure said nothing. He simply began to walk forward, his presence radiating hostility.
Gar's eyes widened. "Jaime. Get ready.."
"For what?"
"Anything."
The figure attacked without warning.
He moved faster than Gar expected, his form blurring as he closed the distance between them in the span of a moment. His hand shot out, fingers elongating, dark energy crackling around them like lightning.
Gar shifted.
His body twisted, reshaping itself in an instant. Bones elongated, muscles swelled, fur erupted from his skin. Where a boy had stood a moment before, a massive wolf now crouched, its eyes blazing with the same red fire that marked the previous Beast Monarch.
The Collectors had never seen anything like it.
Gar lunged, his jaws snapping toward the figure's throat. The figure dodged, barely, the wolf's teeth grazing his shoulder. He countered with a blast of light energy, the impact sending Gar skidding backward across the boardwalk.
The crowd screamed.
"Everyone get back!" Jaime shouted, his armor erupting around him as the Scarab activated. "This is not a drill! Move!"
The figure turned toward Jaime, his glowing eyes narrowing. "Stay out of this, child. This does not concern you."
"Anything that happens on this planet concerns me," Jaime said, his cannon forming on his arm. "And I'm not letting you attack my friend!"
He fired.
The blast tore through the air, its energy crackling with blue light. The figure raised a hand, and the blast simply... stopped. It hung in the air for a moment, suspended, before dissolving into nothing.
Jaime's eyes widened. "What the.."
The figure gestured, and Jaime was thrown backward by an invisible force, his armor cracking as he crashed through a vendor's stall.
Gar didn't hesitate.
He shifted again, his form growing larger, more monstrous. The wolf became something else... a beast of fury, its claws carving furrows in the concrete and even in the air itself, its roar shaking the boardwalk. He lunged again, faster this time, his claws aimed at the figure's chest.
The figure blocked, but barely. His arm shattered under the impact, bones snapping, blood spilling across the ground.
"You are stronger than I expected... you lot truly managed to claim the Monarchs powers..." the figure admitted, his voice carrying a note of genuine surprise. "The Beast Monarch. A title I did not think would be given to one so... young."
"Not all of us are ancient bastards with nothing better to do than cause trouble," Gar snarled, his voice rough and deep. "Now tell me who you are before I tear you apart!"
The figure smiled.
"I am one of many," he said. "And I am not here to fight you, Beast Monarch. I am here to deliver a message."
He raised his remaining hand, and the air around him split open, revealing a portal of pale, colorless light.
"The Rulers have decided to remind the Shadow Monarch of the cost of defiance. You will serve as that reminder."
Before Gar could react, five more figures emerged from the portal, their forms identical to the first, their eyes burning with the same pale light. They surrounded him in an instant, their hands reaching out, dark energy crackling between them.
Gar felt it a force wrapping around him, binding him, cutting off his connection to the natural world. His transformations failed, his body locked in its beast form, unable to shift back or fight back.
"What the hell is this?!" he roared, struggling against the bonds. "Let me go!"
"Jaime!" he shouted, his voice desperate. "Warn the others!"
Jaime was already on his feet, his armor sparking and cracked, his cannon reforming. "Let him go!"
The Rulers' Collectors ignored him. They dragged Gar toward the portal, his body struggling against their hold, his claws carving trenches in the boardwalk as he fought.
Jaime fired again, his blasts tearing through the air. One of the Collectors turned, raised a hand, and Jaime's armor seized up completely, the Scarab's systems overwhelmed by a power it had never encountered before.
He fell to his knees, helpless.
"Gar!"
The last thing Gar saw before the portal swallowed him was Jaime's face, the fear, the frustration.
Then the portal closed, and he was gone.
/-\
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