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Arthur and Constantine emerged from a portal, and they both stood upon an ancient platform of black stone suspended over a chasm of molten fire.
The City of Dis loomed in the distance, towers rising through crimson haze and even though the city looked close.
This place…
This place was rather isolated from it..
The platform was circular, carved with sigils so old they barely glowed anymore. Chains hung from its edges, descending endlessly into the abyss below. No demons patrolled here. No damned wandered its edges.
It was forgotten.
Constantine adjusted his coat, glancing around with interest.
"Well," he muttered, lighting a cigarette despite the sulfur-thick air, "this is cozy."
His eyes scanned the emptiness.
"Who's this mysterious person or demon that wants to meet you?"
He exhaled smoke, squinting at Arthur.
"And is there a particular reason I'm tagging along for what I assume is another dramatic entrance of someone?"
Arthur stood at the platform's center, cloak shifting softly in the heated wind.
"This one is no demon, and I wouldn't call him a person either," he replied calmly.
Constantine blinked.
"…That's not reassuring."
Arthur's gaze remained fixed on the empty air ahead.
"This is the first time I'll be meeting him directly."
A pause.
"As for you, I want a witness."
He glanced at John briefly.
"And he may provide information useful to you."
Constantine scoffed lightly.
"Brilliant. Cryptic as always."
He took another drag.
"Alright then, where is the bloody.."
The wind stopped.
The flames below seemed to dim just slightly.
A presence settled over the platform.
And he was simply there.
No explosion. No flash.
Just… arrival.
A tall, pale figure dressed entirely in black stood a short distance away. His hair was dark and untamed, falling carelessly across a face too sharp to be mortal. His eyes were twin pools of endless night.
He regarded them both with quiet composure.
"Welcome," he said softly, his voice carrying as though spoken in a vast, empty hall.
"Monarch of Shadows."
His gaze shifted.
"And you, John Constantine."
Arthur inclined his head slightly.
"Dream Lord."
There was no hostility in the exchange, only mutual respect.
John stared at the newcomer, he recognized him.
"…Dream of the bloody Endless," he muttered.
He rubbed his hair.
"So this is the mysterious person."
Dream's expression did not change, but something in his gaze sharpened faintly.
"I have been called many things," he said quietly. "Most of them inaccurate."
Arthur crossed his arms.
"You asked for this meeting," he said evenly. "Do you have something you wish to share?"
Dream studied him as though observing a rare phenomenon.
"I do."
He stepped forward, though his movement felt less like walking and more like floating slightly over the ground.
"I am also here to warn you… Shadow Lord."
Arthur remained still, listening.
The heat of Hell seemed to retreat from the platform, replaced by a cold that belonged to no realm of fire.
Dream's lips curved faintly.
"Hell's residents are afraid of you," he said.
"For good reason."
Constantine glanced between them, tension rising subtly.
Arthur's voice remained level.
"Fear is useful."
Dream tilted his head.
"It is."
His dark eyes flickered toward the distant City of Dis.
"You have altered the rhythm of this realm. Slain one of its greatest fallen. Sealed another."
His gaze returned to Arthur.
"You are change the balance."
Arthur's eyes glowed faintly violet.
"That was my intention, dream lord."
Dream's expression softened slightly.
"Yes, I don't doubt that."
A quiet pause.
"But balance is not something Hell relinquishes easily."
Constantine exhaled smoke slowly, eyes narrowing.
"Let me guess," he muttered. "There's more at play than angry demons."
Dream did not look at him.
"There are forces within this realm that do not yet move," he said. "They will surely find a way to backstab the ones they want to backstab."
His gaze sharpened faintly.
"And they are patient."
Arthur did not flinch.
"I've sensed them."
Dream nodded once.
"Then you understand."
The platform creaked faintly as distant thunder rolled through Hell's sky.
"You seek to prevent Hell's corruption from reaching your world," Dream continued. "An admirable motive."
His voice lowered slightly.
"But your actions ripple further than you intend."
Arthur's expression did not change.
"Speak plainly, Dream lord."
Dream's eyes darkened somehow deeper than before.
"You are not the only sovereign who takes interest in realms beyond their own."
A faint breeze passed between them, carrying whispers that were not quite voices.
Constantine swallowed subtly.
"…You're saying someone else is watching."
Dream's gaze lingered on Arthur.
"I am saying," he replied softly, "that when a Monarch of Death reshapes Hell itself…"
"…the universe is bound to notice, its creator as well."
Arthur's violet eyes held steady against Dream's endless black.
Dream watched him with that same look.
"You are warning me about Heaven," Arthur said calmly. "And about the Presence."
There was no accusation in his voice. Only acknowledging the obvious.
"I assure you, the Silver City is not blind. They know precisely what I am doing here. I do not seek dominion. I do not wish to claim this realm." His gaze drifted toward the burning skyline of Dis. "But I cannot allow Hell to descend into anarchy in the absence of someone capable of restraining it. And threaten my world and loved ones."
Constantine flicked ash from his cigarette and muttered under his breath, "That might be the most reasonable thing ever said on a floating slab in Hell."
Arthur continued,
"I have been careful. I have not unleashed chaos for its own sake. I stayed my hand when I could have slain a fallen angel. I chose restraint."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"Abaddon was not restraint's failure. He was no longer a fallen angel in any meaningful sense. He was a beast."
Dream inclined his head, pale face untouched by judgment.
"And that," he replied softly, "is why Heaven has not yet descended upon you."
"I do not speak for them. I am not their emissary. But they are aware that you have not acted out of conquest."
A faint pause.
"They are… simply watching."
Constantine gave a humorless chuckle. "Angels love a committee."
Dream's dark eyes flickered briefly toward him, then back to Arthur.
"I value order," Dream continued. "And what you attempt here, Shadow Lord. Is something I want to take part in."
Arthur's gaze sharpened.
"Your interest exceeds idle observation. Why?"
Dream folded his hands behind his back.
"Once," he said, voice softer now, "Lucifer burdened me with the key to Hell when he abandoned his throne."
"I entrusted that key to two angels. They, in turn, abandoned this realm by Heaven's decree."
His eyes darkened almost imperceptibly.
"Hell was never meant to be governed by the truly divine. It is a place for the fallen. For demons. For consequence."
Constantine raised an eyebrow. "So Heaven washed its hands of the mess."
Arthur's expression did not change, but something colder moved behind his eyes.
"So they do not care," he said quietly.
Dream regarded him carefully.
"Care is a complicated word where Heaven is concerned."
Arthur stepped forward slightly, boots echoing faintly against stone.
"What are you suggesting I do?"
For the first time, Dream's expression shifted.
"The denizens of Hell dream," he said. "Even here. Especially here."
The flames below flickered lower.
"They dream of Heaven. Of escape. Of redemption that will not come."
A faint, almost melancholy softness brushed his tone.
"I can touch those dreams. I can draw them downward."
Constantine's cigarette paused halfway to his lips.
"You're not suggesting.."
"Yes," Dream said simply.
"I can cast this realm into slumber. A deep one. Nearly all of it. For some time."
The winds stilled entirely now.
"Demons. The damned. Legions."
He paused.
"Not all. There are some beyond my dominion. But the endless skirmishes, the chaotic uprisings, the pointless battles that would sap your strength… they would cease."
Arthur studied him.
"And I would face only those meant to stand against me."
Dream inclined his head.
"You would fight what matters, without your shadows."
Silence.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You understand that I do not require your assistance."
His voice carried no arrogance, only a fact.
"You appear deeply invested in the survival of the damned."
Constantine smirked faintly, watching Dream closely.
Dream did not react to the implication.
"I have already told you," he said, tone even and cool. "I value order."
A faint breeze passed between them, cooler than Hell had any right to be.
"Chaos breeds suffering without purpose. That does not interest me."
Arthur turned away, cloak shifting like ink. He stared toward the distant Palace of Dis, its towers piercing the blood-red sky.
The decision was brief.
When he spoke again, his voice was steady.
"Very well."
He did not look back.
"We will proceed with your proposal, Dream Lord."
Dream's lips curved into the faintest smile, subtle, almost invisible.
"Thank you."
There was a brief pause, and something almost resembling amusement in his endless eyes.
"It appears I owe my sister an apology."
Constantine perked up immediately.
"Oh, this I've got to hear."
He grinned.
"Which one? Surely not.."
Arthur's head tilted slightly toward John, a quiet warning in his gaze.
Constantine cleared his throat.
"Right. So it's definitely her."
Dream's expression remained composed.
"In due time," he said.
He turned his gaze once more toward the infernal city.
"When I begin, you will feel it. The realm will fall quiet."
His voice lowered.
"That will be your moment. Storm the Palace of Dis. Confront what waits within."
Arthur nodded once.
"So be it."
Dream began to fade, dissolving like mist retreating into shadow.
"Prepare yourself, Monarch of Shadows," he said, voice echoing faintly. "Not all who remain awake will welcome your presence."
Then he was gone.
The oppressive heat returned. The flames surged upward once more.
Constantine let out a slow breath.
"Well," he muttered, "that was cheerful."
Arthur turned to him.
"Let's head back."
Constantine flicked his cigarette into the abyss.
"After you, Your Majesty of Misery."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want