Transcendent Wings


VIII: H – Heated Heart

Kasnia was a small constitutional monarchy in Eastern Europe, just bordering the Iron Curtain enough to receive protection during the Cold War era. With the death of the late King Gustav, his daughter Audrey had taken over as queen and the small country itself mired in civil war between rebels and royalists. Not a day went by that the sound of bullets rattled and death stank the air around Kasnia.

Not so today. Light violet flames razed the mark of the spider into the ground as all fighters on both fronts disappeared, shimmering as a circular brand also etched itself into the very earth in sickly green light.

From the rebuilt royal palace, the Queen Audrey watched in mounting horror as her own people were vanished before her eyes.

"This, is barely a taste of our power, Queen Audrey," the masked man in red and black robes smirked. All around him, the still trussed-up bodies of her royal guard littered the floor. "If Your Majesty would just be so kind, as to accede to my wishes."

"Return them!" she yelled at him impotently. "Return my people!"

"My conditions, Your Majesty," the man repeated. "Do it, before your people are permanently gone."

"Within this country I am Queen, and I will not accede until you have fulfilled my demand!" She icily demanded. "Do you know who you speak to?"

"I speak to Queen Audrey," he icily answered. "And don't say I didn't warn you, Your Majesty." His right arm flashed as around, light flames razed the palace grounds until the Spider's legs could be seen far and wide. "This country... will now be the centre of my web."

An invisible thread seemed to bind the queen as she seized up.

"Well, Your Majesty?' he mockingly asked, idly kicking one of the guards.

"I will do so," she stonily repeated, her eyes dazed and a Spider Mark on her left arm as one of the legs of the Spider on the arm of Alaric Kingsley vanished from his own brand. "My lord..."


"So..." one lock tangled around her fingers, Anastasia Kastaros gave im her best sultry look in the middle of the Fawcett International Airport. In the middle of the panic and the crowds seeking to leave the attacked city with no sight of Captain Marvel, no one noticed them. "Billionaire, secret Duellist, and capable of seeing the card spirits... is there anything else you can't do, Mr Wayne?"

Bruce sighed, leaning back. "Ask Winter."

"Please, she's more tight-lipped than her father, and that's saying something," te psychologist sighed. "I never knew Rafael to speak more than the necessary each and every time. Diana was always the more talkative of the pair. Did you know that their fake honeymoon became an elopement?"

"It did?" Bruce changed the question.

"That's private information," she winked slyly. "So, back to Arcadia we go!"

"You go," he corrected. "I'm remaining, with the information gotten from you. You need to go to ground immediately."

"Yeah, right," Anastasia scoffed. "I'm not that large a target. You are, or did you forget what I wrote?"

"Yes, but my place is in America," Bruce solemnly answered. "Remember... secrets."

"I've been doing this longer, of course I know," Anastasia made a face at him. "But... we should make a call to Winter."

Both exchanged looks of trepidation.

"You do it," she bluntly told him.

Sighing, he dialled the number of the Arcadia Movement. A few seconds' wait bore fruit in te form of Nakamura's voice speaking: "Moshi moshi."

"It's me," he muttered.

"The Missy is held up with the principal faculty of Duel Academia at the moment, please speak to me," Nakamura muttered into the phone, his voice low. "Is Queen there?"

"Yes, she's safe," Bruce answered. "We ran into... Cusillu. We beat him back."

Silence for a few moments. "Put Queen on the phone," Nakamura hissed. "Tell her it's Jeeves."

Bruce held it up. "It's from Jeeves."

Anastasia immediately took the small piece. "Hi, Jeeves. How's the missy? Oh, busy? Ah, well, yeah. That happened. The Eye of Timaeus happened, yes."

Silence, before...

"I see," Anastasia's voice was now quiet as she hung up. Neither spoke for a few moments, until...

"He said that I have to come home with an escort," Anastasia murmured. "Otherwise... they might just bomb the planes. They already hit the Middle East, especially the troubled zones, and Fawcett, and Kasnia, and... Metropolis."

Bruce started. "They hit... Metropolis?"

"Mmm," Anastasia pointed to a television screen covering international news concerning the large geoglyph that was now spread across the city.

"Our news copters have spotted the outline of a lizard superimposed against the topography of Metropolis... Experts are at a loss as to why so many within the geoglyph have disappeared... attack on the Daily Planet results in disappearance of editor Perry White... Superman seen arguing with fellow League member Zatanna..."

"The card," Batman breathed, under the mask of Bruce Wayne. "The Hundred-Eyes Dragon... that idiot."


"Perhaps I do not comprehend," Darkseid murmured as Selene led him through the darkened hallways in which they arrived at so soon following their ruckus in Metropolis. "Your lot obviously possesses the power to control your world. Yet, why do you require my presence?"

Selene looked at him for a moment, before nodding as they entered a set of rooms within the sanctuary that had been reserved for his use. "There are many reasons. The first is as a mask."

"A mask?" Darkseid repeated as Selene settled into a chair.

"A common rule of human behaviour is, that when a greater threat than the usual come together, humans can and will set aside their prejudices temporarily because of a common enemy." Selene explained. "In doing so, both parties become disadvantaged. What we are doing is creating something out of nothing. Secret machinations are better concealed in the open than in the dark, and extreme public exposure often contains extreme secrecy."

"Plots and more plots," Darkseid scoffed. "In the end, they achieve nothing."

"A plot got you out," Selene pointed out. "Consider. Superman knows that you must be the man at the top, the one in charge, the tyrant, pardon the expression. Now, by remaining silent you project the image of... compliance, or alliance, whichever you would describe it. Would that not throw him off? Make him confused, make them debate if Apokolips has anything to do with this, make them think. And as they think, we weave more plots such that when our true plot comes out, there is a front of double confusion. We are powerful, I submit, but there are only seven of us, and there are nuclear bombs on the other side."

Darkseid considered. "I must admit... such an idea is... unusual."

"Using confusion to get what I need is something I have done for a long time," Selene admitted. "Although, these strategies are not new. When facing a more powerful enemy, you don't oppose by force, and don't concentrate all your resources on only one avenue of strategy; you keep different plans operating simultaneously in an overall scheme. The Justice League is used to fighting to a set of unwritten rules of combat. With this, we have more or less changed the rules, and thus removed the supporting pillar, the common link that makes a group of men an effective fighting force. No?"

"I do not like sneaking around," Darkseid honestly answered.

"You are powerful enough to never need to," Selene answered. "The rest of us mortals are not."

"Yet you are alive, though you are dead, and you possess a strategic mind beyond anything I have heard from your mortals, save for the one called the Batman," Darkseid answered. "It makes me reassess humanity occasionally, the gems you produce. However, tell me, then. Why consider yourself mortal, when you clearly are not?"

Selene took a deep breath. "That's... I am living on borrowed time. That is it. I have things to do before I can consider this complete."

"Then we are in agreement," Darkseid rumbled. "You assist me, in defeating Kal El, and in return I give you the Earth."

Selene looked at him for a long hard moment, before she stood. "Please excuse me, Lord Darkseid. It is late, and I seem to have kept you. Tomorrow I will introduce you to the rest of us, doubtless you must have ideas to reflect upon. I will also look into sending you back to Apokolips. Good night."

"Do think about it, Selene," Darkseid murmured. "You are living on borrowed time. What better way to end as the queen of the world?"

Selene paused. "To end knowing that those I hold dear are alive."

She left, the dark lord's red pupil-less eyes gleaming in the shadows as she closed the portal and swiftly walked. As far and as fast...

The weight around her neck, beside the shard of Orichalcum... the last reminder.

"I'm doing it, Rafe," she whispered, to nothing but shadows and darkness. "Our job... I'm still at it. Soon enough, this will be over... Cusillu has already fallen."


"I'm back~!"

"Welcome back, Queen," Setsuka answered, looking at the older woman. Their ages and positions were reversed, in a quaint way no other than fate would arrange. "How do you find our newest reserve?"

"He's a reserve?" Anastasia answered, surprised. "Honestly, I'm surprised that a billionaire plays the game, let alone possesses that power over spirits. Are you sure he's a reserve?"

"He's my uncle, so he's a reserve," Setsuka airily answered.

Anastasia had to sit down at that answer. "That explains a lot... why the Darklords?"

"He plays a Fairy deck," Setsuka amusedly replied.

"I see," a pause. "This time..."

"People have disappeared," Setsuka pointed a remote to the office's TV, showing a scene of protests. "More finger-pointing, more blames on either end, more vitriolic words thrown."

"The Dark Signers may well tip the world into the next world war," Anastasia impatiently agreed. "That's neither here nor there. Back to the issue at hand. They're all independent, but... someone's coordinating them. The web is so tangled, we have no either where to start looking."

"That's the idea," Setsuka answered. "Create confusion, and in the confusion be prepared to strike. That's the strategy Mother favoured."

"The Hundred-Eyes Dragon was stolen," Nakamura added. "We can guess."

"So... what's the value of the Hundred-Eyes Dragon?" Anastasia questioned.

"It can search out Earthbound Gods," Setsuka wryly answered. "Aside from that, it is nothing else. It is merely a foil for their true aim."

The psychologist blinked. "Their... true aim?"

"The end of time," Setsuka murmured. "And with it... the end."


"You utter idiot" was Batman's first biting words to yell, but he rapidly shoved them out of his mind as he considered how miserable the Man of Steel looked. Zatanna looked no better, rather her expression conveyed that she would rather be somewhere else, anywhere than about to face the wrath of the Dark Knight. Even if right now he did not feel quite cheesed off.

Best to put the fear back in them. "Explain."

Superman looked wearily at him. "I... well..."

"He gave the card over to them," Zatanna growled angrily. "They disappeared half of the battlefield in the Middle East... when they attacked Kasnia, and Fawcett City too... Superman barged in here when they held Lois Lane hostage. And... and... Darkseid was there."

Fear could come with many forms, but Batman would associate the dark lord of Apokolips with the dark, choking kind that sank like a miasma around for weeks. "Darkseid... how?"

"They freed him," Superman hollowly replied, shaking his head. "He attacked the Daily Planet... with a woman, I saw. She called herself Selene, Selene Artemisia. She... like them. Like... you."

"How can you tell?" Batman asked.

"She did something... called the Dark Door," Superman replied. "And called a knight... she called him Defender."

"Defender the Magical Knight," Batman nodded. "That..."

Superman frowned again. "She seemed really familiar. I don't know why."

Batman gave him a level look. "Regardless, this has proved one thing to us. They don't care about human life at all. Has anyone checked out the disappearance sites?"

"Wonder Woman's in Kasnia," Zatanna answered. "Green Arrow, Green Lantern and Captain Atom are in the Middle East. We have STRIPE and Stargirl covering Fawcett for the moment, but the citizens are demanding to know what happened to Captain Marvel. We... we can't find his body. There are geoglyphs and Orichalcos markings all over, and... and... Fate and I can't do anything to help, neither can Jason..."

"It's fine," Batman told the magician who was clearly approaching hysteria. "It's fine. We'll figure it out."

"Batman?" Aquaman appeared, looking unusually grave. "Fawcett City's back to normal. No one noticed anything wrong."

Batman sighed deeply. "I see."

"We don;t know how to defeat such a great power!" Zatanna voiced out. "How are we...?"

"The Legendary Dragons," Batman answered, pulling out a green card, with the same dragon emblazoned on it. "This card saved the city."

"This card?" Superman stood up, about to reach for it before it crackled, sending the Kryptonian's touch away. "This card?"

"The legendary dragon, Timaeus..." Zatanna considered. "Then... if these are anything like legend there would be two more, to form a trinity. Three is a powerful magical number."

Batman nodded in silent agreement.

"So, we need to find two more," Aquaman said. "And then what?"

"We attack," Batman answered. "They changed the rules of the game... we'll change them right back."


Diana landed on the grounds of the palace, sickened by the sight of the topography of Kasnia. The country now bore the geoglyph of the Spider, a many-legged shaped blight over the country. And her friend was in the centre of it all.

"Audrey?" she called out, the royal guards sure to carry her message. "Audrey? Are you there?"

"Diana," the female voice responded as the Amazon glanced up to the nearest balcony to see the face of the Kasnian Queen. The royal woman's next words were a confusion to her: "Don't come."

Wonder Woman blinked. "What? Audrey, how can you say that?" She began to fly up, the Queen backing away as red boots landed on the balcony. "I'm your-"

"Don't come!" the Queen screeched before her eyes glazed over, taken into purple-black as a spider shone on her right forearm, the Queen... no longer home.

Wonder Woman drew back, her hand touching her ear. "Audrey?"

"Hello, Princess," the voice that spoke was a curious mix of human and not-human, almost false and mechanical. "Your friend the Queen is asleep at the moment."

Diana took up a fighting stance. "Monster! Who are you?"

"I have any names," the not-Audrey gloated. "However... I am Alaric Kingsley, the Dark Signer of the Spider, Uru." the body jerkily held out a hand. "Isn't this fun? The Queen is now my marionette."

"Uru..." she echoed. "Let go of Audrey now!"

"Of course, Princess," the not-Audrey walked over, the edge of the balcony with Diana watching in trepidation as the blonde woman climbed. "I'll let go... and the Queen falls to her death."

"Wait, stop!" the Amazon called.

"You're so confusing, why tell me to let go and then to stop?" the not-Audrey muttered. "I can tell the Queen to do anything now... even start a nuclear programme."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Diana growled. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't need to tell you my reasons, Princess," the not-Audrey laughed. "I shall not be leaving any time soon... and you have not the proper resources to exorcise me."

"I think not," Wonder Woman tucked back a lock of dark hair to show the comm-piece in her ear. "This device is on speaker, monster. Right now, the Justice League will have heard that the Queen of Kasnia is... quite possessed. And I know the man who has an answer to everything."

The face twisted into a parody of a glare and a snarl. "You dare?" It hissed at her.

It then smoothed over into something cold, remote. "Oh well. I have bombs placed around the palace. Within the next two hours, they will go off, and then this palace goes boom at the same time as when I take all the souls of Kasnia. Yes, Princess," the not-Audrey laughed as Diana's stricken expression. "Tomorrow this time, the world will watch in horror, as Kasnia will case to exist as its Queen kills her people and herself with them."


"Alaric's still occupied with the Kasnian thing," Nadine sighed, lying on the table. "So... when are we going to meet big, bad and ugly?"

"He's not that bad," Selene defended. "And, Nadine, watch what you say. We are naturally disadvantaged, after all."

"Selene," Aldric called, finally entering the room. "Send the Yata Garasu to him, tell him the next plans. And..."

He stepped aside as dark blue boots hit the ground, the monolithic face of Apokolips' dark lord shrouded partly in shadows and thrown into relief by the candle-light.

"I'd like to introduce all of us to our guest," Aldric murmured. "Lord Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips. Lord Darkseid, no doubt you already know Ixchel and Selene."

"Indeed," the lord rumbled, pupil-less eyes never blinking.

"This is Nadine, she holds Ccapac Apu," Aldric indicated the blue-robed woman. "Ryuu, who holds Chacu Challhua. My brother Alaric, whom your lord-ship is acquainted with, and... where's Rowan?"

"He fell in battle," Ixchel flatly answered. "As is deserving for his ilk. No worries, his soul was claimed by the Orichalcos."

Darkseid scoffed. "It seems that your worries have merit, Selene."

The Ccarayhua Signer nodded. "I expected either Ryuu or Rowan to be defeated first, though... Rowan was less likely."

"Hey!" Ryuu leapt to his feet. "What's that supposed to mean, Mama?"

He received a kick to the face. "If I'm your mother I can do this," Selene acidly shot back as she removed her heeled foot from Ryuu's battered mug.

"Settle down," Aldric murmured, with a tone of such finality all fell silent. "Alaric is proceeding with the next foil, I shall update him as to our discussions later. What is there to cover?"

"The Middle East is in turmoil following our... intervention," Ixchel volunteered. "World war may loom on the horizon as the two sides squabble again."

"Excellent," Aldric shrugged. "Selene?"

"The Hundred-Eyes Dragon has been retrieved," Selene nodded, producing the card. "Though... are you sure about its purpose?"

"Positive," Aldric took the card, stowing it in his sleeve. "Lord Darkseid, what we are doing is to cause the Earth to destroy itself."

"Destroy itself... ingenious," the dark lord nodded. "Instability is the fall of many a civilisation. And with Kal El humiliated and confused, the rest of the League follows suit."

"Mere preparatory work," Ixchel shook her head. "The next locations are as follows. We cannot allow the League further information. Thus, we must find and capture, if not eliminate those mortals with the necessary information. Therefore..."

"Neo Domino City," Selene comprehended. "You want to bring in the Crimson Dragon again? I believe you have no need to hear me reiterate the explanation why that is a bad idea?"

"No," Ixchel shook her head. "I mean those like us ho found a second lease of life. Former Dark Signers."

"She's right," Ryuu piped up. "We can't afford for anything to happen."

Selene looked downcast. "Then, I shall do it," her voice was curiously flat. "Those in Neo Domino..."

"That's settled," Aldric nodded. "The next location is Peru. Ryuu, as one of Chacu Challhua, you must eliminate Bommer."

"Will do!" Ryuu smirked. "Oh, he won't know what hit him..."

"By attacking like this, create randomness and chaos," Selene murmured. "Then, from the ashes of the old create an opportunity. Lord Darkseid, I am still searching for a way."

"I know a way," Darkseid wryly answered. "If I show my face a few more times, my son will show his. He will never rest until he is sure that I am well dead. That is his sole aim, you know. So, I shall appear, perhaps, for the last time."

"That is quite a gamble," Aldric commented in the silence.

Darkseid gave a smirk. "What is a gamble without a little risk?"


Please review! Stay tuned for the next duel: E – Emergency Call! Duel, Acceleration!