The Living Legacy
The Watchtower
March 12 14:30
After nearly two days of watching the signal on the map move around the country, it finally stopped over Metropolis. When the screen showed another incoming call, Batman called everyone to the briefing room again.
"The Grandmaster has agreed that we would save more lives and have a higher chance of success if we work together. He's requesting to meet at the top of the Daily Planet, and of all the people who should come, at the very least it should be Kal-El." Arin said.
"Wait, how do you know my real name?" Superman asked.
"If you want to know more you'll have to meet us here." Arin answered.
"Why don't you and the Grandmaster come to the Watchtower? If we're going to have talks of cooperation and collaboration Everyone should be involved." Superman offered.
Arin looked off screen as though asking the question to someone else, then turned back,"We can do that. Is there a special way to access it or...?"
"We'll send Aqualad to escort you through one of our portals in Metropolis." Superman said.
"We'll be standing by." Arin confirmed before cutting the feed.
"You sure seem excited to meet these people." Wonder Woman said as Aqualad left.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but I'm wondering-"
"If they're Kryptonians?" Batman finished for him.
"I'll admit, I'm pretty excited myself. These knights look like they'll make some pretty tough allies with this rune magic of theirs." Green Arrow said.
A few moments later, Aqualad came through the portal, followed by Raiku, Maya, and Arin. The fifth person through had the same umber skin and golden eyes as Arin, but looked far older. He had a bald head and a black beard peppered with grey. Instead of a cape attached to his armor like the other three, he wore a red cloak that covered his shoulders. A pendant bearing the same symbol on his chest held the cloak to the armor.
"Welcome to the Watchtower." Superman said extending his hand.
"Thank you. My name is Oren-Ket, Grandmaster of the Runic Knights and patriarch of house Ket." Oren declared as he shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Oren. I just have one question for you before we begin. Are you..."
"Kryptonians? Yes."
The room fell silent as everyone stared on.
"This...this is amazing! I can't tell you how happy I am to meet more survivors." Superman sounded overjoyed.
"Wait, if Krypton was destroyed decades ago, how are you three so young?" Green Arrow asked.
"Cryosleep. When Krypton was destroyed, there were a few ships that escaped the blast but ended up adrift in space. To ensure their survival until they were found, the ships were programmed to preserve that individual exactly as they were at that moment until they were found. Where I managed to arrive where I needed two, these three were adrift in space for a number of years as infants. I found my grandson, Arin, a few years before I found Maya and Raiku." Oren explained.
"So then how old are you guys?" Nightwing asked.
"I'll be 21 this year, they'll be 17." Arin said.
"However, I've come here to ask that we work together taking down our common enemy; a witch named Scilia. She too is a survivor of Krypton, and the betrayal of our planet that lead to its destruction is on of her many crimes." Oren continued.
"Do you know what she's looking for here on earth?" Batman asked.
"She seeks an ancient power sealed away by the first of my order here on earth; the vestige of the abyss. It's the remains of a dark sorcerer who centuries ago delved so deep into dark magic that his twisted soul managed to alter his physical body. It was the first of a technique we call soulflame. Our magic, along with Scilia and her followers, is powered by the soul. When one invokes their soulflame, the nature of their soul is reflected upon their physical being. The dark sorcerer who first evoked his soulflame was such a wretched being he corrupted the very earth around him."
"I have hunted Scilia since the destruction of Krypton, and with the power we receive thanks to the effects of a blue sun we have been able to thwart many of her plans to attain power." Oren said.
"Did you say a blue sun?" Superman asked.
"Yes. I had coordinates to Earth as well after Krypton's destruction, but the explosion damaged my ship and I ended up landing on Mars. I thought for certain I would perish there, but the effects of this system's yellow sun began to empower me. I broke free of my ship and noticed the void of space didn't effect me; I didn't even need to breathe. I was stronger, faster, and after a few days of experimenting discovered I could also take to the skies...or stars in this case. I flew to Earth, but was disappointed to think at the time I was the only one who made it. I was among the few who agreed with your father, Jor-El, that we needed to evacuate the planet, but our cries fell on mostly deaf ears."
"You knew my father?"
"Yes, though we belonged to different guilds I had the utmost respect for your father's intelligence. I was the only one on the Defense Council who heeded his warning about the planet, and upon further investigation I discovered Scilia was behind it. It took precious time to gather the evidence needed, but I was eventually able to bring her crimes to light. I would learn as I went to arrest her that she had already fled, and the planet was soon to be gone. I...went to find my son to ensure that he, his wife and my grandson would use my ship to escape. When I found him, and we went to retrieve his wife, he knocked me out and put me on my ship. I would learn later from a recording that his wife had a terminal illness and he intended to stay with her till the end. My grandson, Arin, was just a few weeks old when they put him on their ship for the same destination as me. They're plea was that I would raise him in their stead, as she would be taken by her illness, and he couldn't bear to leave her in her final moments. Unfortunately, Arin's ship was also knocked off course and he was also lost in space for some time. I believe you were the only one who made it here with no trouble Kal-El."
"When I arrived on Earth I soon found the Runic Order and asked that they teach me their methods in order to combat Scilia's dark magic. They accepted me, and for a few years I trained and even established my own base on the north pole of Mars. I constantly scanned for signs of my grandson's ship, and one day came across it in a distant system. It took me a few months to retrieve it, but when I returned I found the order had been destroyed. I found the old Grandmaster near death and asked what happened; his response boiled my blood. He explained that a witch appeared, demanding the whereabouts of a dark power they sealed away a long time ago. When the Grandmaster refused, he said she brought forth a foul magic he had never encountered before. He said that her strength and speed was similar to mine, and upon mentioning my name she informed him that he'd be left alive long enough to tell me what happened. Before he passed, he named me Grandmaster, and told me she must never find what she seeks. I left with Arin soon after, my resolve to take her down stronger than ever."
"I gathered my base and began my search, but couldn't pick up her trail. As I traveled I noticed the different effects the radiation from suns in different phases had on us. I found the blue sun the most extreme, and locked my base in orbit around one. For a few more years I stayed there, training and raising Arin while keeping my eyes open for any sign of the witch. One day, I came across another signal and recognized it as a ship launched from the nursery. I was overjoyed that more people listened and managed to even evacuate some of the newborns. When I retrieved the ship, my joy would soon turn to sorrow. The ship had been heavily damaged from the explosion and the years spent in space damaged it further. Of the 24 that were inside, only 8 were still alive. I rushed them back to my base, but was only able to save the two you see before you. I raised them as my own and trained them as well, though growing up under a blue sun increased their abilities beyond anything I could imagine. Even kryptonite doesn't have an enormously detrimental effect on us as it would you Kal-El. This was our only advantage over Scilia, as her dark magic began leaving her physical weaker. She compensates for this with her legion of cultists, potent dark magic, and deceptive tongue. Her children, who've become known as the Dark Sisters and Dark Brother, are also kryptonians, who's father she forced herself upon."
"We heard one of them refer to Maya as 'sister'...Is she?" Aqualad asked.
"...yes. Maya is the only one out of her children that I recovered before she did. Scilia seems to see this as a personal blow against her, as she views her children as nothing more than property. Amongst the insults she hurls at me she considers my 'theft' of her daughter the most severe, and constantly vows to reclaim her. Of course her delusions will never be reality, but I have no doubt each one of her children didn't go into that life with her willingly. Scilia lured them in with her dark magic, twisted their love for her until they were reduced to nothing more than servants."
"Any knowledge you can share with us about this woman would be greatly appreciated." Superman said.
"Of course, I will share everything we know so far. Since we thwarted her plans at the factory she's retreated to the shadows. It's only a matter of time before she appears again." Oren warned.
"While you do that, we'll go keep ourselves busy; maybe head back to the base." Arin said.
"Where is your base?" Batgirl asked.
"A few hours away when flying at top speed." Arin replied.
"We have some extra rooms here in the Watchtower you four can stay in so you don't have to travel so far. At least then if and when Scilia resurfaces you'll be right here." Batman offered.
"Oh, we wouldn't want to trouble you with-" Oren began.
"Please, it would mean alot to me if you did. I have so many questions to ask you." Superman urged.
"Hmmm, I suppose we could stay until this matter is resolved. It will also provide an opportunity for my knights to train with your young heroes to establish good teamwork." Oren confessed.
Oren turned to Arin, Maya and Raiku,"Once you've received your lodgings, take the time to become acquainted with the young heroes here. You'll be working with them in future conflicts against Scilia."
"Same goes for all of you. Take them out for pizza or something." Black Canary ordered.
"If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your rooms." Aqualad said.
"We didn't really bring a change of clothes to walk around in." Maya admitted bashfully.
"We've got some clothes you guys can borrow for now." Batgirl reassured her.
"I guess that means our first stop will be the mall." Miss Martian said happily.
"That sounds awesome...now what's a mall?" Raiku asked.
"It's like a trading hub where you exchange goods using currency of some kind." Arin answered.
"That's...pretty accurate." Robin said.
"It's also a good place to get some lunch and socialize." Batgirl added.
"I heard food, I'm sold." Raiku declared.
Aqualad led them to their rooms, and after they assured him they were fine, went to go change over. Miss Martian arrived a few minutes later with a t-shirt, jeans, and sandals for Maya.
"These are just something to wear until we can get you some actual clothes." she said cheerfully.
"Oh, I appreciate it, but this is fine. Plus, I don't have any money to trade for clothes." she said apologetically.
"Don't worry, we're cover you. You guys are our guests after all." she reassured her.
"Oh, all right." Maya conceded,"Thank you."
As she was changing over, Miss Martian noticed a marking on the back of Maya's shoulder.
"Is that a birthmark?" she asked.
"Of sorts...a memento from my...mother." she answered solemnly.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright. It's the kryptonian symbol for the number nine. When we were...made...Scilia branded each of us and made sure we were to be evacuated when the planet was destroyed. This brand would let her know who her child was when she recovered them. It's her way of letting us know 'we're hers'."
"That's horrible! How could she do that to her own children?" Miss Martian sounded outraged.
"We're not children to her...at least not in the way a mother would usually treat her children. She's sees us more as property, or useful servants to discard later."
"I can't imagine how it must be for you to fight your own siblings."
"I feel bad for saying this, but it doesn't bother me as much as it should. I mean, I never knew them and the times we have come face to face they've tried to kill me. Nothing like attempted fratricides to strengthen familial bonds."
"Well, hopefully some R&R and pizza will lift your spirits. We'll be in the briefing room when you're done. I'm gonna go change over. Oh, I'm Megan by the way." she extended her hand.
"It's a pleasure Megan,"she replied, shaking her hand,"I'll meet you out there then."
After she left, Maya turned in the mirror and lifted the sleeve of her shirt. She gazed at it for awhile, and with a weary sigh covered it back up. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts as she left the room she ran into Blue Beetle.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there...um..."
"That's alright. Maya, right? Name's Jaime, the guy in the beetle armor."
"Oh, ok. I forget you guys have to wear masks and whatnot to hide your faces. Pleased to meet you Jaime."
"Were you looking for the briefing room? I'm heading there right now."
"Oh, perfect timing then. Now I don't have to worry about getting lost."
As Arin finished getting dressed, he paused to look at his bandaged arm. He wanted to continue looking for Scilia instead of hanging out at a mall, but knew there'd be no point in searching. Still, something about her sudden disappearance made him feel uneasy.
"Yo! Ready to go?" Raiku asked peeking around the doorway,"I wanna try this pizza the fast kid kept talking about."
"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit." Arin replied.
Undisclosed location
March 12 16:00
The Dark Brother entered a large cavern with the Sister he rescued behind him. They joined the other six Sisters gathered there, each one looked indistinguishable from the next.
"Mother is not pleased with your failure Sister." One said.
"The knights have found us, and once again brought our little sister to fight with them." the Sister replied.
"Why must she hurt Mother so?" Another lamented.
"The knights shield her from Mother's love as they fill her head with lies."
"We must rescue her; we cannot allow them to keep our family torn apart!"
"Yes, they must suffer the pain they cause Mother."
"But we cannot strike. Mother has forbidden us from continuing further."
"We cannot allow them to continuing corrupting our sister!"
"Cease your prattling." The Dark Brother commanded.
"Yes Brother." They all replied at once.
"While I agree that they must pay for the pain they cause Mother and their continued corruption of our sister, we will not disobey Mother." he growled.
"What shall we do Brother?"
"We can't be a family without our little sister."
"If we were to reunite her with Mother it would please her so."
"For now, we must watch and take notice of those who dare take our place in her life. When the time is right, they must be removed, and our little sister must know the pain of their passing. She will long for Mother's love when despair has taken her." he hissed.
"Yes, let her love."
"Let her live."
"Let her know joy."
"So in the end, we can tear it from her."
"And then, she will know Mother's love."