Max just stood there when a sonic boom broke the silence. Thena landed behind him, Diana touching down close after her.
"Dad" Thena began.
No response. Max didn't move. His back remained to them.
That alone was enough to make Thena's chest tighten.
"Dad..." Her voice dropped. "Where's Nina?"
A long pause.
Max slowly turned to face her. His expression said everything before his words did.
"She's gone, Thena." His voice was quiet and steady, but only just. "Nina is gone."
The words hit her like a physical blow.
"No..." Thena shook her head, her voice cracking. "No, this can't be."
Her legs gave out. She fell to her knees, the exhaustion of everything she'd pushed through and the shock of what Max had just told her crashing down on her all at once, all of it hitting her at the same time.
"Thena!" Wonder Woman was at her side in an instant, arms catching her before she could hit the ground. But Thena was already gone,unconscious, her body finally surrendering to everything it had been carrying.
Diana held her and looked up at Max.
His face, usually unreadable, was an open wound,pain and guilt both written plainly across features that rarely showed either.
A Few Days Later
The clouds overhead were dark, as if the sky itself was reflecting the mood of the day.
Across the world, screens were broadcasting the same image,a memorial vast enough to hold tens of thousands, rows of flags lining its perimeter, their colors muted in the grey light. At the center stood caskets draped in national colors. Beyond them, more rows of caskets stretched outward,soldiers, laid to rest in formation just as they had stood in life. Armed soldiers stood at attention around the perimeter, rifles held at rest position.
Behind them stood world leaders, generals, and families.
Scattered among the crowd were the remaining heroes. Billy stood alongside Dr. Stone and Supergirl, who wore a simple black dress. The Teen Titans stood together in a quiet cluster, all dressed in black and white. Not far from them, Damian stood with Felicia beside him, her hand resting gently on his shoulder.
And a little apart from the rest, Max stood with Thena and Terra flanking him, a hand resting on each of their shoulders as they waited for the memorial to begin.
On the podium behind the MC,Luthor,stood Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg. The remaining founding members of the Justice League, all bearing the same solemn expressions. All except Batman, who was as stoic as ever,though those who knew him well enough could see it. He was hurting. Losing Jason and Barbara had carved something out of him that no amount of composure could fully conceal.
He just didn't let it show.
Luthor stepped forward and tapped the mic twice.
"Today, we gather to honor those who stood between this world... and extinction."
He paused, letting the weight of it settle over the crowd before continuing.
"This is no celebration. It is a reckoning of truth, of cost and consequence." He straightened. "We will proceed." He turned slightly. "Madam President."
The President stepped forward.
"My fellow citizens, and people of the world..." She paused, composing herself. "As much of a victory as it was to thwart Darkseid's plans and finally eliminate the greatest threat this world has ever faced,it was also an immeasurable loss. We cannot celebrate without feeling the weight of all those we left behind. All those we lost." Her voice remained steady, but only just. "They shall be remembered as heroes for generations to come. May their souls rest in peace."
She stepped back.
"Thank you, Madam President," Luthor said, then turned to a soldier standing nearby who held a carefully folded list.
"Let us remember them."
The soldier stepped forward, unfolded the list, and began to read.
"Nightwing." A pause. "Batgirl." Another. "Martian Manhunter. Hawkman. Green Lantern. Green Lantern Junior." He drew a slow breath. "And... Nina Schiller." at thus,Thena's fingers trembled as Terra took them with her other hand and held them tight reassuringly while Max's gaze lowered.
The soldier continued, his voice steady and deliberate.
"And to all the thousands of soldiers across every nation... who stood and fell..." He paused, letting the silence breathe. "Your names shall be carried by the world you fought for."
He closed the list.
Then he turned to the soldiers standing in formation and drew himself up.
"Present arms!"
The rifles came up in perfect unison.
"Aim!"
Every barrel raised toward the sky.
"Fire!"
Crack!
The sound rolled across the memorial like thunder. The soldiers lowered their rifles in one sharp motion.
"Aim!"
"Fire!"
*Crack!*
"Aim!"
"Fire!"
Crack!
The echo of the third volley faded into the grey sky. Then, from somewhere behind the formation, a bugle began to play,slow, mournful, and achingly clear, carrying across the entire memorial in the silence that followed.
When the last note faded, the soldier's voice rang out once more.
"For the fallen... we hear from one who stood with them."
"Superman."
At the sound of his name, Superman stepped forward. He stood at the podium for a moment, looking out at the sea of faces before him. When he spoke, his voice was quiet but carried clearly across the entire memorial.
"They were my friends. My comrades." He paused. "My family. Our family."
He glanced back briefly at Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Flash, then turned forward again.
"And when it mattered most... I couldn't save them all." The words came slowly, deliberately, as though he had been carrying them for days and was only now setting them down. "That is something I will have to live with."
A brief silence fell before he continued.
"It pains me deeply that you had to leave us so soon. There was so much we had planned. So much we still wanted to accomplish together." His jaw tightened. "But we haven't forgotten what our mission is.Not now,Not ever."
He looked out over the caskets, his gaze moving slowly across them.
"Martian. Hawkman. Nightwing. Batgirl. Green Lantern." A breath. "Hal." Another pause, softer this time. "Even you, Nina."
He straightened.
"Rest well. All of you. And leave the rest... to us."
End of Chapter..
Chapter 32:A Final Reunion.
Chapter 33:The End of Zetsu.
Chapter 34:Kara's True colour's ?
You can read advanced chapters at patreon.com/darker knight