RISE OF THE SHADOWS PART 3

MANY YEARS AGO

The city was colder than usual and darker too. Why did it feel that way to Malcolm Merlyn? Because his light was taken away from him by some punk who wanted a little cash. He walked through the streets of Starling a city he has been in his whole life. He founded his company Merlyn Global and has been helping the city as much as possible. Rebecca set many clinics in the city mostly in the Glades to help those who couldn't afford to go to a hospital. All the good she did was pointless because she was gunned down by a punk. Malcolm wishes it was some random guy who happened to notice her but it wasn't. He had been going to her clinic for months getting help from her and he killed her.

Malcolm walked into his house and fell to the floor just staring into a dark room. What was the point of helping the weak if they were just going to stab you in the back? What was the point of helping the less fortunate if they would just be ungrateful? Merlyn Global, Queen Consolidated, and Stellmoore all did so much for the city but what changes were they really making. He is glad that he sent his son Tommy to the Queen's place for now because he would hate for his son so see him like this.

He doesn't know how long he sat in the dark room but the lights suddenly turned on. He looked up to see his old friend Simon Lacroix standing there in a full suit and his jet black hair. He walked over to Malcolm and just stared down at his friend. He looked to his hands that were red with blood and holding a gun.

"Something tells me you didn't wait for the police to find who killed Rebecca," he said casually leaning on the wall next to Malcolm.

"What's the point Simon?" Malcolm suddenly asked.

"The point of what?" he responded.

"What's the point of trying to good if the people you help don't try to make their lives better?"

"I've been in this city long enough to understand what you are going through?" Lacroix said. "We tried to help the best way we could and look where the city is. It is the same as it was a decade ago and at this rate it will be the same ten years from now."

"Not if I have anything to say about it?" Malcolm said.

"What are you willing to do?"

"Anything!"

"Then I think you should meet somebody?" Lacroix said.

Malcolm left home a few weeks ago in search of the place Lacroix told him about. He called it Nanda Parbat home of the League of Assassins. Malcolm wanted to know how Lacroix knew about them but he wouldn't say. He walked up a mountain where the moon looked down at him, he has been walking since the sun was up and the desert was blazing hot. Now the sun was gone and it was freezing cold. He crawled up a hill and finally saw the place he was looking for. It was a building that was probably thousands of years old carved into a mountain. He could see fires lit that lead to the entrance.

He walked in finally reaching his destination. Entering the building he saw several men and women dressed in black robes standing in a line all the way down the hall. None of them looked at him directly as he finally came to the first room. He saw a young girl maybe no more than ten training with a sword being watched by a man wearing an elegant robe with a sword at his side. The girl stopped swinging the blade and looked right at Malcolm. She approached him sword in hand pointing it at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Malcolm just looked at her. "My name is Malcolm Merlyn," he greeted her. "And who might you be?"

The girl kicked him in his leg bringing him down to one knee. "Kneel when you talk to me," she ordered. "I'm Nyssa Al Ghul, Heir to the Demon."

Malcolm raised his hand and turned it around making a coin pop out of nowhere. "Nyssa I would like to speak with your father. Ra's Al Ghul, correct?"

The girl took the coin from him and then looked to her father. He gave her a nod and she let Malcolm pass.

"Anyone who can make the journey here is deserving of my time?" Ra's said. "What can I do for you?"

"I want you to train me," Malcolm said. I want to be able to make an actual difference in this world. I want to be a member of the League of Assassins."

Malcolm and Ra's clashed blades as they moved swiftly but aggressively through the room. Both were in there training gear and were alone as was the case when someone trained privately with Ra's. Malcolm has been with the League for a few years now and is far from the man he used to be. He has honed his body and skills to the point of near perfection. He has done more to help the world in his time in the League than all the years he was in one city. He has freed slaves, ended tyranny, and saved lives that mattered. He is thankful that he found the League after Rebecca because his purpose has never been clearer.

He ducked a swing by Ra's and then blocked the next attack. He sent strikes at Ra's who blocked them effortlessly. Malcolm did a spin trying to catch Ra's off-guard but failed. Ra's blocked Malcolm's next attack sending the sword out of his hand. He then kicked his opponent's feet out from under him outing the sword to his neck.

"You've gotten better Al Sah-Her," he said helping Malcolm up.

"Still can get better," he said picking up his sword and sheathing it.

"There is always room for improvement even for myself," he said.

"I doubt that," Malcolm said. "I can't imagine someone getting the better of you."

"Of course not," a teenage Nyssa said walking in. "He is Head of the Demon for a reason."

"Even when I was chosen it wasn't because of my skills in a fight," Ra's said greeting his daughter.

"What are you looking for when considering a Ra's candidate?" Malcolm asked getting a glare from Nyssa.

"It depends," he said. "You first got to not consider the person but the current state of the world. Are they right for the time and do they have the will to do this for hundreds of years."

"I can see myself doing this till my dying day," Malcolm said bowing before walking out the room.

Ra's noticed Nyssa glaring daggers at Malcolm, "what is it?"

"He isn't a candidate is he?" she asked.

"No," Ra's said putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "He has potential but not the right motivations to be Ra's Al Ghul."

PRESENT

Malcolm's eyes shot open as he looked out the window of his private plane. He looked down to see Starling City lit by the sun. He had a few more things to take care of before he could set things in motion. The only person he needed to talk to was Miora Queen. They talked about his plan a couple of years before Robert and Oliver died on the Gambit and now they will continue. He has already sent word to her that he was on the way so she can be prepared for his arrival. He was slowly building his groups key figures and with Vordigan bringing people in the League to their side he will soon be ready.

In an empty parking lot Miora Queen sat in her limo dressed professional as usual. She was disturbed to hear Malcolm was coming back and that could only mean he wants to continue with the plan even after he husband and son died. All she had left was Thea and she did not want to bring danger to her as well.

"Miss Queen," her driver looked back to her. "He's here."

She nodded getting out the car taking her shades off. She saw a car pull up and stop a few feet away. The door opened and a dark skinned man wearing a jacket with an orange/brown color scheme approached her.

"You sure payed a lot upfront for my services," he said.

"People speak highly of your skills Bronze Tiger," she said.

"Who do you need dead?" he asked.

"The target's name is Malcolm Merlyn."