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eclecticopposition · 1 year

Note

its your guys so idk if it counts as headcanons but tell me about the au where veto is light yagami and blitz is misa. it's up to you who is L. my first thought was casey but if someone else would fit better then by all means

hey anon you have a bigger brain than the entire sun

(This got long. into the readmore it goes.)

Veto as Light is interesting because Veto definitely likes L more. Is not the type to just start killing people out of nowhere, but would still for sure pick up the death note and be like "I could totally get some CEOs with this." Thinks about it for like a week and then commits.

Has a code. Uses the power sparingly. Starts out very much as an "only when necessary" guy. Cooler head than Light Yagami. To them, this is pure pragmatism. They are a fine instrument.

Catch this guy using it to make this AUs equivalent of Jeff Bezos liquify all his assets, spend it all on climate change funding and police abolitionist groups, make a surprise public statement and dab on stage, and then die instantly.

The very picture of low key.

People lose their minds about this. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Veto is doing the finger steeple in front of the computer watching the internet discourse and going "yes..... all according to keikaku. (translator's note: keikaku means plan)."

Veto also continues posting online like usual and alternates arguing about this and about cartoons. Posts a long argument on why killing billionaires is fine but Kira's a dumbass and should have spent the money on something else.

Who L is here is really really interesting. Because out of the main cast, it probably *would* be Casey, but we don't know which Casey. This one might be more of a Worstcase than canon Casey is. Kind of colder, legitimately more analytical and able to keep their cool, much less in doubt about whether criminals are bad or not. Old enough to have established themself as some sort of prodigy and risen to prominence in law enforcement. Is NOT having some sort of psychosexual duel with Veto. Do not even suggest it.

If it's not Casey, though, then it is absolutely the Witness. Like, come on. She's right there. Is she? No, she's behind a number of proxies that she's lying to you about and a paranoid personality disorder.

The Witness is basically just L already, if L was a legendary whistleblower in the style of Anonymous. Also she's fucking terrifying.

The Witness is L. In canon L used to be around, and she got killed (?) by skeletons. That's just the way it is.

Yeah it's her.

Blitz being Misa is also very interesting, because it means they aren't Ryuk. The dynamic between them and Veto will be pretty different to Light and Misa (if anyone could pull her off, it's probably Nickle). Blitz and Veto absolutely strike up some sort of deal to cover for both of them.

They both already go by fake names of some sort. Blitz because they changed it both when joining and leaving Tesserate's cult, and Veto because they're a bit of an influencer who doesn't want their past dug up (or their ex to find them), so they go by something more in line with their public persona.

Veto asks what Blitz's actual name is. Blitz laughs at them.

Blitz would not have a Death Note, but does know about them. Might have some fucked up Shinigami ability.

Very possible that Tesserate both grants their followers some sick powers and keeps them physically dependent on them. Blitz was trapped there until they saw Veto pick up a new Death Note.

They immediately take the opportunity to get out, switching to being physically dependent on Veto instead.

Veto says they're not really into this fucked up dependency thing. They both know Blitz can't snitch because they need Veto, so if they want to just get like a high five every week or so, that's cool. No forced labor in their house.

Blitz says that is why they don't mind.

Veto is like, so what, you're just gonna help me get away with murder?

Blitz says they certainly seem to need it.

Veto flips them off. So what, they think Veto is like a mildly infuriating video and is just a little bit bad at murder so they want to do it themself?

Blitz says that they're more than happy to let them carry on as they are. They'll go along with what they ask, even. They mostly just want to see what they do.

Murderous Jeeves has joined the party!

Blitz also knows a lot of the other characters from a previous era, including the Witness. A vital source of information and physical/magical protection. Also very good at sharpshooting, of course. You never know when you'll need that.

Tesserate is still doing some sort of thing and wants to hunt Blitz down. Also is trying to hunt down the Witness. This guy is the one with no qualms about just offing everyone in their way. Also has a Death Note.

Mav is a Shinigami and is still the worst.

Casey's actual role in the story is probably a more mundane detective. Like L, but with less information to work with.

This version of Death Note would have a lot more major players and more prominent minor ones. It's a mess.

Casey is at a loss for a lot of things, but has a strong moral code, and is smart enough to put a lot of things together. Legitimately torn about what to do about any of this. Still thinks murder is bad.

Nickle is often seen hanging around Casey! They're the funny little guy. The Maya. A comedy duo doing investigations together. More clever than they seem, but not really one for all the machinations. They don't have the head for it, they say! They just have some ideas sometimes.

Casey absolutely hates magic, and thinks it's absurd. Refuses to acknowledge the supernatural as being proven to be real. Still very good at speculating about it and following logic to make it internally consistent.

Nickle thinks this is very funny and will throw in absurd-but-plausible ideas to trip them up. It's how they talk to each other.

The Witness doesn't show up in person. Casey and Nickle, however, do. At Veto's house. With some questions.

Veto and Nickle still meet at a Tidalform event and do the full rendition of a classic Checkmark/Lockdown confrontation. This is before they both realize that murder investigation brain duels are involved.

Blitz asks if Veto wants them to arrange an accident. Veto is like "nah. I mean, keep it on standby, but I don't really wanna kill these guys. It'll raise suspicion. Plus it's fun to have a challenge" and agrees to let them both into their house.

Most of the murder investigation brain duels are between these four. Casey is the major player here, checking everything for consistency. Nickle is carefree and less informed but scary observant, and will pick up on even tiny discrepancies in people's reactions. They are a very good team.

Veto realizes this immediately. They put on an act of a second, DIY L-figure who is investigating independently to cover their tracks.

Still has many intense conversations in classic death note style.

Blitz is just off to the side bringing people tea. Pleasantly smiling. Also silently scheming.

Casey gets aggravated and gestures a lot, but still thanks Blitz every time they get a cup.

Octave is missing. Nickle hasn't seen them in years.

Octave was actually also doing a Kira thing about five years ago, more clumsily and a lot more aggressively. It went badly enough that they were found out and went on the run. Made a pretty big splash, enough that people remember them as the first Kira, and the public assumes that they're back when Veto starts.

Veto knows the basic details about who Octave is (they were a minor, so it isn't public knowledge, but the forums Veto frequents were one of many places that dug it up anyways). Does know about the first Kira, and once they got one, put together that they must have used a Death Note.

With some digging, they realize that the reason Nickle is allowed to help with this is because they were friends with Octave in the past. Casey might have been involved in it too. Files this away for later and then brings it up to see how much Nickle knows.

It seems like a sore spot, but Nickle doesn't know much. Treats Veto pretty coldly. Insists that Octave isn't really the first Kira. They wouldn't do that.

Casey's opinion of Octave is far lower. They are also cagey about the details, but they are darkly confident that Octave was dangerous, and not up to any good.

Veto presses them and learns that Casey was involved in that investigation. In fact, they were the one who realized it was Octave. That's how they got this position in the first place.

Veto asks them how Nickle took that whole thing. Losing their best friend must have been hard. Were they mad at Casey?

Casey says that it's reasonable to experience intense emotions in that situation. Nickle was erratic for a long while. They don't hold it against them.

"Fucked up to think they were just doing that right under their nose," Veto says. "They didn't notice anything?"

"Nickle didn't have anything to do with it," they snap, immediately.

"Sure, of course," Veto says. "It's just weird that they didn't see it. Like, they're pretty good at picking things up."

Casey looks away a little. "It's hard to admit it when it's someone close to you," they say. "You end up looking for anything else."

Nickle and Veto became friends immediately. Little weirdo attached to their rival. Inviting them over frequently was a handy way to keep an eye on Casey and feed them information to direct their movements. It helps that Nickle is also funny and likes the same cartoon. Veto continued doing their mastermind thing, and Nickle continued being Nickle, but they legitimately did the same fun stuff that they and Nickle usually do.

This was derailed by Nickle cheerfully telling Veto out of nowhere that "You barely even act like a mass murderer!"

ohfuck.png

Veto goes through the many stages of "oh god what the fuck" grief. "oh god oh shit I'm fucked what the fuck" to "I've gotta kill this fucking guy" to "this guy is gonna fucking kill me" to "how the fuck did they figure it out???" to "wait what if they didn't. don't self incriminate this is basic stuff" to "yeah okay this is probably a test be COOL" to "why are they admitting they know to my face??" to "they must have told casey, otherwise they'd never take the risk. what's their insurance" to "oh god this guy is making a play and I don't even know what it is. I am so fucked" to "wait but they didn't just arrest me. what do they want?? are they going to try and blackmail me??" to "oh man this guy is making a PLAY. good for you little man I didn't know you had it in you"

Running through the options as they recover and hit the "Aw, I bet you say that to all the pretty girls."

"Wow, do pretty girls get Death Notes by default? That actually explains a lot."

ohFuck.png

Nickle explains to a very thrown Veto that they haven't told Casey! And if they can be cool about this, they won't. All they want is to make sure that Veto doesn't do anything dumb, like write Casey's name in that notebook or something! Maybe be a little more thoughtful before deciding somebody deserves to die! There's no reason they can't come to some sort of deal here. Everyone wins! What do you say?

Veto doesn't say anything. Just holds a hand out.

Nickle stops. Doesn't seem to know what to so. This caught them off guard. Veto just raises their eyebrows, doesn't say anything, gestures with their chin and makes a "give it here" motion. That makes it click, and Nickle actually looks a little nervous, like they've been caught at something. They start to laugh and speak. Veto just gives them another look. This one is a lot more pointed.

Nickle slowly pulls their phone out of their pocket and hands it over. Veto stops the recording. Deletes it. Quickly checks the most recent calls, emails, and text messages. Finds something that's cued to send in an hour; deletes that. Then tosses it back to Nickle.

"Alright," Veto says. "Let's talk."

They do talk. Veto learns that Nickle was actually involved with Octave's little stint with a Death Note. Knows how they work, knows what to look for. Admits that they agreed to what Octave was doing and helped cover their tracks.

"Aren't you one of those killing is wrong types?" Veto asks.

"Well, yeah," Nickle says.

"So what, you're just fine with letting someone else do it?"

"We didn't just go around killing people," Nickle says. "We talked it over every time. It wasn't a punishment thing, even. I don't think anybody really deserves it."

"You still did it," Veto says.

Nickle shrugs, and doesn't deny it. "We had reasons."

"Sure you did," Veto says. "Does Casey know?"

They just smile, oddly melancholy. "Couldn't tell you if I wanted to! But I do know one thing, and it's that you've got a lot to lose if you tell them."

Octave took the fall for it on purpose and has been missing for several years. Nickle doesn't know where they went. Had to go along with their sudden "betrayal" and act like they didn't know anything about it, or the whole thing would have been for nothing. It was a really tough time.

Nickle is actually the one who received the Death Note. They shared it. Octave took half of it with them, and was the one who used it to kill, but at the end of the day it isn't theirs.

They do not mention this.

Veto and Nickle agree to a truce, at least until they can deal with some of the more dangerous people out there. Tesserate is a threat to everyone, and the Witness is merciless. She's going to take down Tesserate no matter the cost, and she's not going to show mercy to Blitz, Veto, or Octave, either.

Casey thinks she's the good guy in all of this but still has some misgivings about the way she does things. Trusts her, but is starting to hesitate with some of the orders they're being given.

Nickle knows that Octave can't come out of hiding with her around, and while they don't want to kill her over it, they sure are open to helping Veto figure out who she is.

Veto asks what they plan to do about Casey, who is still hunting for anyone involved with Kira. Nickle smiles and reminds Veto that if Casey dies, they're next. Veto smirks and says they would expect nothing less.

The brain duels continue. They're both really into it.

Sometimes they pretend to be having a brain duel and they're actually just quoting Tidalform at each other. Casey hates it.

Octave, when they show up, starts doing their codependent thing with Nickle again. They snap back into having a single agenda and reveal themselves to be a second, more idealistically driven Kira duo. Nickle is thrilled.

Octave states in no uncertain terms that they don't care who dies and that they'd do anything for Nickle. Nickle is taking a break from all that though! They're nonfatal only!

Nickle turns out to have been the actual inspiration behind the first round of killings. They were the one with big dreams about changing the world. They were still unsure about using it when they got the Death Note. Octave was the one who was fully in favor of direct action.

Nickle was hesitant. Octave said that they're the one who knows how the world is supposed to be. They promised they'd love Nickle no matter what they did. They said they could do it together. They knew Nickle was right.

They planned the murders together. Both of them unconsciously let Octave take responsibility for the violence, with Nickle bearing none of the blame. They just kept it working. They just came up with the ideas. They aren't the kind of person who is okay with killing people. They were always the one reasoning in favor of mercy. It's why they made a good team.

Once they left, Nickle was left holding a lot of complicated emotions. They knew Octave was innocent – or just an accomplice – and that they couldn't prove it without condemning themself. They felt guilty about letting this happen, guilty about being the real culprit (although they still don't think of themself as A Murderer. Just because Octave has taken the role of innocence in their mind doesn't mean Nickle then takes on the violence that was done. It's just sort of floating, out there.), guilty about lying to Casey.

They do feel betrayed by Octave going behind their back to take the fall and stuff this way down. The fury in this borders on actual hatred. They blame Octave for leaving them, and it terrifies them.

They are deeply sad and scared of how far this has gone. This was never supposed to happen.

The cut throat mental duels are tense and heart pounding. The life and death nature of it means that if you really beat someone, that's it. They are worried that they are a bad person because they actually enjoy it.

At least Octave will always love them.

Casey is not happy about any of this. They suspect things are going on with Veto, with Nickle, and probably with the Witness too. They don't like Octave and they still don't know if selling them out was right.

They start investigating on their own. Their growing paranoia means they stop talking to anyone about anything, including Nickle.

Nickle tries to reach out and get them to talk. They shouldn't have to do this by themself! Why are they pushing them away?

Casey snaps at them. If they want to know so badly, maybe they should both just tell each other everything.

Nickle, caught, looks away and doesn't answer. They cover it with a nervous laugh, but their discomfort is obvious.

Casey tells them to drop it and walks away.

Tesserate's goons have been coming for various people this whole time. Villain of the week style almost. Everyone gets to look badass kicking their asses.

Vye is around. We don't know what she's doing. She is smarter and more ambitious than Tesserate. Also being weird about it.

Out of all the goons, she's the one who regularly defeats major characters. She's the type of person who could make this be two seasons instead of one.

Killing her is a major turning point in the series, although no one knows it. When you lose this common enemy, you don't lose the things that got you there. You have all the same tools and the same energy, and there's no one to use it on but each other.

Blitz has exactly one poignant moment, and it's sitting with her as she dies.

There is eventually a confrontation between Nickle and Casey. Casey says that they know what is going on (which alarms Nickle very much, who has been trying to work behind their back) and demand both answers and some sort of justification. Nickle tries to calm them down. It doesn't work.

The whole reason Nickle and Casey could work together is that they both wanted to do the right thing. No Killing is very much on that list. Nickle and Casey agreed to hunt down people like Kira! They were good at it! It was one of the reasons people let the suspicions about them slide!

Casey even didn't ask questions about the thing with Octave, even though they knew something was up. They trusted Nickle. It was selfish, and they were guilty about it the whole time, but they didn't want to lose them.

But it's Casey. They can't think one thing and do another for long.

Casey puts their foot down and demands that Nickle either commit to what they agreed to, and to bring in whoever they know is an actual murderer, or let Casey take them into custody. It's the thing they would agree to do, if doing the right thing as they agreed is actually what matters to them.

It will also mean selling out Veto and Blitz, which Casey doesn't know but suspects, and Octave, which Casey knows for sure. They make it clear that if they do, Nickle probably will be punished by the authorities, but Casey will still argue their case.

The alternative, of course, is to just say no. They can run. Octave is still out there. But that will mean Nickle is solidly picking a side.

Nickle is stricken. Casey is emotional but not wavering. Which friend you will lose, likely forever, is a painful thing to have to decide.

Nickle leaves. They don't hurt Casey, but they don't let themself get caught, either. They go back to Octave and cry their eyes out.

Casey tries to stop them. It's possible that they actually succeed. If they do, Octave kicks their ass a little and gets Nickle out before the cops get there. It's a firm statement of where everyone stands.

If Octave kicks their ass, Casey gets a cool scar.

It's about fifty-fifty on the odds that someone kills Casey before the night is out.

It could be many people. Veto could see this confrontation and do it. Blitz is the same thing. Octave could comfort Nickle and then go do it later that night. Tesserate could absolutely do it. Would also try to kill Nickle while they are in the same place, and only Octave would save their life.

Mav is a surprisingly likely candidate. It is probably not the Witness. Nickle is the only one it definitely isn't.

If Tesserate does it, Nickle comes out of it with a cool scar.

If they live, Casey and Nickle split off from each other, and Casey becomes a solo operator from now on. They will become increasingly erratic and focused on the task at hand, trying not to let losing Nickle bother them. Their plans become more extreme and reckless, and their pursuit of answers more intense. They are no longer playing around but are still in over their head.

When they begin actually uncovering the truth behind the situation, and their investigation leads to things not even the people with Death Notes know, the Witness kills them.

Casey dies. The end of the second act. They leave behind little evidence for their own murder, and a massive, very detailed tangle of journal entries and encrypted investigation notes for everything else.

When Casey dies, Nickle's primary motivation changes to finding and killing the one who did it. They have no intention of showing mercy. Not only will they die, but Nickle will make sure they lose everything before they do it.

If Octave is the one who killed them, they don't swear revenge, but it does drive a wedge between them that will never go away.

If Veto is the one who killed them, Nickle does not know for sure and is determined to get proof. Veto, knowing their life is on the line, is determined to hide it. If Blitz did it, Nickle already knows, but won't reveal this until they can kill them.

If Tesserate did it, Nickle swears revenge. A plot is hatched. Will kill them like it is nothing.

If the Witness did it, Nickle swears revenge, and is furious that it was the person Casey trusted. A plot is hatched. She is the most difficult person to bring down and Nickle is determined to make her suffer.

Octave is quietly watching. They don't try to talk them out of it. They just say that they'll make it happen.

Nickle shakes their head. They need to do this one themself.

Octave kisses their knuckles and promises that they'll bring them right to the doorstep.

Meanwhile, Veto's watched this whole thing spiral out of control and has doubled down on their own mastermind thing. No more games. They're in it to win it now. They've gotten into the groove of it, and are making some ruthless calls that are on the same level as Tesserate or the Witness. Light Yagami has arrived and been outclassed.

Blitz is watching them quietly, too.

Veto knows. Blitz is not interested in being chained down to anyone and if Veto goes too far, or gets to be too similar to Tesserate, they'll likely just kill them and take the Death Note for themself. It's something they need to keep an eye on.

Blitz knows that Veto knows that if they can figure out their actual name, they can kill them. Veto knows that if Blitz can figure out for sure if they can live without Veto, they can kill them. Neither of them has explicitly betrayed the other yet, and if they do, there's no going back.

Neither of them do anything. They keep being a weird guy and their butler. They still really only have each other.

Nickle shows up with an unreadable look on their face. They tell Veto that they'll help them. It is not an act of friendship. The undertone of impending betrayal from both parties is very much there.

Veto, now fully filling the role of Light Yagami, agrees. They begin working together to take both Tesserate and the Witness down. It's a beautiful sight. They are both also doing a silent, calculating mind duel about who is going to kill the other once it's over. This one is less exuberant than usual.

It becomes clear that they need to untangle the information Casey left behind. It's a confusing, encrypted mess.

There's a chess game visual. They're doing stuff like smiling and giving each other staplers and then it cuts back to the chess board and they're staring each other down across the table and monologuing about what it all means. Cut back to them saying thank you for the stapler. Cut back to the chess board as one of them puts down their rook.

If Casey hunted down the Witness and then was killed by her, there is a real race against time, because she is also trying to destroy the evidence. And she's very good at it. This is why Casey was killed in the first place.

Casey's growing paranoia is a saving grace. It means that they were also obsessively covering their tracks, following in the footsteps of the person who would kill them. Everything is scattered, hidden and encoded, duplicated who knows how many times. They were trying to make sure that if they were killed, someone could still pick up the investigation.

Casey journaled everything. Half of what they find are personal entries, with little bearing on the case. The only thing that isn't recorded is the thing they never had the chance to write down, which is the final revelation that would eventually kill them.

Nickle knows Casey very well. They and Veto untangle this web together, learning things that Casey never said outright and that people would rather keep hidden. The Witness is much better at this than either of them, but there are some things that only a very old friend would know to check.

Some of the messages were explicitly intended for Nickle. At least one was written in that style, even after they separated. Habits don't go that easily.

The final confrontation draws near. If they can crack this final thing, the person they're after will have no escape. Veto and Nickle are in complete sync as they set up the trap.

It's possible that they won't immediately turn on each other once they kill them. Not likely, though.

They crack it. Casey's mystery is solved.

The trap is armed.

It works. Casey's murderer is not dead yet, but the final piece is put in place. They might as well be. The chess game reaches its final tense moments. They're

Blitz shoots Nickle in the head.

Veto, to their credit, looks genuinely distressed about it.

Of course, this is assuming Octave isn't also on their bullshit, which they absolutely are. Unless they also died previously which is not likely. So Blitz just *tries* to shoot Nickle in the head out of nowhere, and Octave shuts that right down. And then there's a fight to the death.

You thought this was anime? You haven't seen anything yet. Octave and Blitz are going for it.

The fight to the death happens at the same time as another fight to the death, which is just Veto and Nickle huddling behind cover with their Death Notes and trying to figure out the other's true name. Nickle, after all, was the one who gave all three of the trio their nicknames.

Nickle is trying to figure out Blitz's to end the fight, Blitz is trying to figure out Octave's for the same reason, and Veto is trying to figure out everyone's because they are pretty sure they're done for no matter who wins.

We have no idea who gets who. It could go a lot of ways. Maybe they all die and it's terrible. It's Death Note.

We also don't know what Vye has been up to this whole time, but she's *asbolutely* on some bullshit. You know the psychosexual brain duels? She's the one doing them. She's doing a weird thing with Blitz *and* Veto *and* Octave *and* the Witness and she's also waiting for her chance to kill Tesserate. Nickle hates her. She makes overtures of bullshit towards Casey, who does not reciprocate and hates this whole thing.

She doesn't have a Death Note, but she does figure out Blitz's real name, which is massive leverage. Thinks she's hot shit. Is correct, to be fair.

Hubble is also around. Hates Tesserate, hates Blitz, likes Octave and won't admit it, and deeply respects the Witness. The Witness sees them as a valuable ally and would absolutely still kill them if necessary. Hubble knows this and approves of this attitude.

Knight has a very sad subplot where he's the only guy the Witness is willing to confide in. He's her man on the outside. The Witness is deeply suspicious of him because of this. She goes back and forth on trusting him and eventually sends him to his death, convinced he'll reveal his betrayal. He dies having been loyal the whole time. She dies soon after.

TL;DR:

Veto is Light. Blitz is kind of like Misa.

The Witness is L.

Casey is kind of also L, narratively speaking. They're an investigator and a main rival but don't have the same "two steps ahead" thing that L has happening.

Nickle is like if L had a Maya.

Actually Casey is just like if regular fucking Miles Edgeworth got into Death Note and Nickle is like if Kay went with him. This is the Investigations games to them.

Octave tried some Kira shit with Nickle years in the past. When it went bad, they took the fall for it, and Nickle was left behind. Casey was the one who told the authorities that Octave was behind the murders and the one who insisted that Nickle knew nothing about it.

It's uncommon knowledge that Octave was the first Kira. No one knows that Nickle is the original recipient of the Death Note.

Tesserate is running some sort of Shinigami cult. Blitz ditched it. Anyone in the cult can be given sickass Shinigami abilities, but is physically dependent on Tesserate to live. When Veto got the Death Note, Blitz ran and switched to being dependent on Veto to live instead.

The factions here are nuts. People are backstabbing each other and teaming up. The Witness, Veto and Tesserate are in some weird three way duel. Blitz works for Veto, used to work for Tesserate, and now has to deal with a jealous ex. Casey works for the Witness (kind of) and Nickle works for Casey. Nickle also teams up with Veto behind Casey's back and has been on Octave's team the whole time. Octave's team is actually just Nickle's team and Casey is NOT on that team.

Summing up the people with Death Notes: Veto, Tesserate, Octave/Nickle. Blitz and other cult members don't have one but do have weird Shinigami powers.

Octave knows about Death Notes and took Nickle's with them when they fled. They may or may not also have a Shinigami power.

The Witness doesn't know about Death Notes, but has enough information to know that something like them is out there. Her guesses are not always correct, but they are always dangerously brilliant.

Casey doesn't know about Death Notes, but is familiar with the rules of them. They solved the first Kira case and knew something unnatural was behind it. They just assumed Octave was haunted.

Mav is the actual worst.

#variance #death note #Veto #blitz #asks #long post #seriously it is a long one

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kettlefire · 1 month

Text

Prepare for the unexpected. (DPxDC)

Everyone knew about the reign of Pariah Dark. Even those who did not dabble in those realms have heard the tale of the tyrant. A power-hungry man who ruled over the dead with an iron fist.

Following the rise of Pariah Dark, his realm had been effectively cut off from communication. Many mystics and magic users knew better than to open the door of nightmares that could arise if Pariah Dark's reach went further than his own realm.

Except, the universe had plans to bring the realm of the dead back into the cards.

A new opponent, one that had all of Earth's heroes scrambling for options. A being with powers of a god over weather, destruction was on the horizon. A world ending threat.

It's the only reason the Justice League was doing this. In a deep bunker, far from close civilization as a precaution, the heroes looked on with grim expressions.

The world was already being threatened. It would be destroyed regardless of what the league did. So it only made sense to make the last ditch effort. To summon someone strong enough to defeat the threat.

No one wanted to do it. No one wanted to be the one to pull the realm of the dead back to the living. The consequences were untold if this succeeded. If Pariah Dark was freed and defeated the threat, whose to say he won't want control?

That was a problem for later. For the aftermath. For now, the league could only watch on with bated breath as Constantine completely the summon ritual.

They watched on as the shadows in the room seemed to darken and grow. As the sigil sputtered to life with a glow that was growing increasingly brighter. A sudden gust of wind rushed through the room, the temperature began to drop with eaching ticking second.

And then it was all gone.

The room stood perfectly still. Just as it had been moments before. Nothing changed. No giant king standing before them, no sign that the ritual worked.

The room stood deadly still for another beat before the murmurs started. The team trying to make sense of the situation, figure out what went wrong.

Constantine swore up and down that this was the correct ritual, taking offense that they would even think the problem was on his end. It only made it better when it finally happened.

A loud sound ripped through the room, pulling everyone's attention back to the summoning circle. Just in time to see a tear appear in the space above the circle.

A thin tear that ran the length of eight feet. The fabric of the dimension seems to curl at the edges, pulling back to reveal a deep glowing swirl of greens. A dark gloved hand reached through, fingers curling around the edge of the tear, stretching it even further.

A portal. The ritual had worked, but there had been a delay. A delay that had every hero nerves on edge. Each team member tensed, weapons at the ready as they watched the being stretch the portal to the right size.

Then, a foot stepped out with a heavy thud. A dark boot that looked otherworldly despite its similarity to mortal clothing. A deep black that seemed never-ending. A second foot quickly followed before a full body emerged from the portal.

Not many people in the room have ever seen Pariah Dark, let alone know what to expect. Based on what Constantine and Zatara had said, this wasn't Pariah Dark.

A man had stepped out of the portal, standing at almost seven feet tall, and built like a brick house. One glance at the glowing white hair, deadly red eyes, and shard teeth was enough to know this being was not to be messed with.

But there was no giant show of armor or royal garbs. There is no large crown at the top of his head or jewelry from the infinite realms laced around his neck.

Instead, the man stood before them in combat boots, worn-in ripped jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and a spiked leather jacket. Despite his almost normal clothing choice, the man's jacket seemed to be a never-ending depth of the dark night sky. If one was to look closely enough, the cosmos could almost be made out in the sea of darkness.

None of that would have prepared them for when the man spoke. His tone sounded more bored than anything as he took a step forward.

"Oh, so now you need the help of the dead." The man had spoken, running a hand through his hair. When Batman took a step forward to speak, the man raised a hand. Immediately commanding silence in the single gesture. "I'm on babysitting duty and have yet to have a cup of coffee. I'll be right back."

Just like that, both the man and portal vanished into thin air. Leaving behind a group of stunned heroes. Not only was the man not Pariah Dark, but he was also supposedly babysitting.

"Did that just-"

The Flash had been the first voice to speak up, his eyes trained on where the man had once stood. Except he had barely made it through the first few words before the man was suddenly back.

The man that now had a child hanging off his shoulders and another teen being held up by his scruff. Unlike the man, these kids looked human.

Too human for Bruce's liking. The dark black hair and bright blue eyes had every heroes eyes flickering to Batman for just the briefest moment.

"This isn't fair! I'm not even the king. Why do I have to be here!" The teenager had been complaining the moment the man had reappeared. Arms crossed tight over his chest and seemingly used to being held dangling. "Besides, who brings kids to a show down! Wait til I tell mom about this."

"Aw, come on, Danny. This is gonna be fun!!" The younger girl seemed in much better spirits than the teen, Danny. She had climbed up the large man, sitting on his shoulders and resting her arms on the mess of glowing hair. "It's like take your kids to work day! Ooo, Dan! Can we fight too!?"

Unlike the two kids, the man looked purely exhausted and annoyed. The man, Dan, dropped Danny like a sack of potatoes as he took a long drink from the travel cup in his hand.

It didn't take a genius to recognize the look of an exhausted parent in Dan's expression. A look many of the league members were well acquainted to. A look that even had Batman grimacing with sympathy.

"Can it, little shits. You two were grounded, remember." Dan had growled at the kids before shifting his focus back on the team of heroes before them. His glowing eyes set in a deadly glare. "Pariah Dark isn't coming, and he never will. He's been dethroned and banished. We're the best you've got."

A summoning that started with a group of on edge and scared heroes looking for the ghost king, ended in a way no one expected.

No one was even sure if it made any sense. They weren't sure if they should feel hopeful or in despair.

Because truly, what was a ghostly man with two seemingly human children against a godlike foe with the control over the weather?

The unspoken question of power and ability seemed to vanish following Dan downing the metal travel cup of coffee, and crushing it in his fist.

He tossed it to the side, straighting up his posture as he looked over the heroes. Dan might not be a hero, but he's been playing family for too long.

An almost feral, bloodhungry grin spread across the man's face, sharp fangs on full display. The look made the man suddenly look even less human. He looked closer to a demon from the pits of hell rather than the exhausted parent he looked just a few seconds ago.

"Point me in the direction of this bastard. It's been too long since I let loose and had some fun."