Superman (Clark Kent) POV
Superman didn't like to think that he judged people by their appearances. But the man in front of him gave the impression of a supervillain.
He was tall—taller than Superman, maybe eight feet tall. He was wearing medieval-like armor, covered by a long red cloak. He had gauntlets with sharp digits, long black hair, and eyes that seemed to hold no kindness for anything or anyone. He even had sharp teeth.
So yes, Superman would admit that he expected something different.
The League had returned a few days ago and discovered that a whole city just... appeared in the South Pole. After a League meeting, it was determined that it could be some sort of magical or dimensional anomaly. Of course, they could be wrong, and it could be something else entirely.
But as he had watched the place from the sky for the last ten minutes, he found that the agents Batman informed him had attacked the place were... unharmed. Unconscious, sure, but not dead or tortured. And looking at the few people walking across the city, they didn't seem scared or in danger.
And the city—it simply looked beautiful, like it was out of a fairytale from a kids' book. Everything was made from crystal, and from what his super-vision had allowed him to see, there was a whole system of them under the city. It seemed as if the city's presence had caused crystals to start forming under the ground like some sort of resource.
And there was the King. Superman started to feel guilty because the King, who was first shocked, started looking like he wanted to jump off a bridge as he stared at him with the most empty eyes for a very long minute. The supposed King simply walked back into the throne room, looking back at Superman and saying, "Give me a minute."
Superman didn't want to peek, but considering that he wasn't sure if this man was dangerous or not, he used his super-vision to see the inside of the castle while he waited. He saw the King just sitting near his throne with the biggest faraway look he had ever seen.
[Sombra (MC) POV]
'There is nothing we can do...' Sombra sat at the stairs near his throne, staring at the crystal hall like he was a dead man waiting for a sentence.
'All is futile... My canon knowledge is all out the window because this world is apparently a mixture of Marvel and DC...'
'There is nothing we can do... Why me? Why couldn't they send me somewhere like Equestria? I would certainly not mind playing "Redeemed" or "Friendship is Magic." Better yet, why not some low-level world? Or better yet, a world with no superpowers? I would have loved to farm the "I am invincible" vibes on normal humans.'
'Yet here I am with a man that can bench-press planets on bad days... So many figures like Darkseid are now real. All is really futile... There is nothing we can do.'
In a span of few minutes Sombra passed through all stages of grief until he reached acceptance….And decided to just roll with it.
(Two minutes later)
Sombra finally finished with his depression episode and walked back outside, saying, "Apologies for the wait, Superman. I was having a small mental crisis."
Sombra would normally keep up his King act of being high and strong, but he really couldn't be bothered to do so at the moment.
"I expected someone to arrive to explain the unwarranted aggression against one of my subjects soon... I am happy to be correct." He gestured inside as he said, "Follow me. It is rather poor of me to keep a guest outside."
Sombra was trying to establish himself as the righteous side in the previous conflict, because he in no way wanted the Justice League on his back.
(A few minutes later)
Sombra guided Superman to the throne room as he calmly walked the steps to the throne and sat down on it.
"My name is King Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire... and many other titles that we both don't have time for. Now that introductions are out of the way, if I may ask... what kingdom do you represent?"
Sombra decided to play into the character of the original Sombra, so he tried to stay in role, but less villainous and more kingly. Superman looked slightly awkward as he said, "I think there is a misunderstanding here."
Sombra rested his head on one of his gauntlets as he gestured for Superman to elaborate.
(Few minutes later)
Superman explained the fact that he represented no kingdom or country, and he then explained that he belonged to the Justice League. Superman talked about how they all wanted to do what was right and to protect the innocent.
Sombra played the part, making sure to seem confused, and he even slipped some magic to control his heartbeat. It was a simple spell to make sure his heartbeat wouldn't snitch on his act. After the explanation was done, Sombra stayed silent for a few minutes before saying:
"Interesting organization. I admit that I have not seen one like it before... But it is dangerous. Morality is a changing thing. Sigh... Go on then. If you speak true about yourself, then as a... hero, you are here to understand if I am a threat. Which means you have questions. I can hear them, but I will not answer anything that threatens the safety of my empire, or what remains of it."
Superman stood while meeting Sombra's red gaze for a few seconds before saying, "The weapon this empire holds... what are you planning to use it for? There have been terrifying energy levels in this area, and I need to know what you are using it for."
Sombra furrowed his brows at Superman, saying, "It is no weapon..." Sombra stood up as he walked down to Superman's level, answering, "What you are speaking about is the Heart of the Empire, an ancient artifact that has lived for as long as the empire did."
Superman didn't even care for the difference in height as he met Sombra's gaze with the same determination. "It is dangerous... it needs to be contained."
"Everything is dangerous in the wrong hands. A sword can protect, and it can be used for meaningless slaughter." Sombra's tone turned cold as he answered, "The Heart will always be used for the prosperity of the empire, for its inhabitants' survival, and to be the anchor that protects us from the cold... and until my corpse is cold, it will stay that way."
Superman stared at Sombra for a long minute, saying, "I will have to see it, at least."
"I can feel the amount of energy your body holds. You feel like a sun... I don't have fond memories of such entities." Sombra was being completely honest here; Superman, in a way, reminded him of Celestia. Having the sun itself at your side is really unfair.
Sombra really didn't like anything getting close to the Heart, but having the Justice League on good terms was very necessary. "That can be arranged, as long as you give your word to not try anything, or I will be forced to use more direct means... I really rather not have a new sun-powered foe, so let's keep it civilized."
Sombra did his best fist-pump in his mind because he was pulling off the "King burdened by responsibility"act. He doubted Superman would attack him after he painted the picture of it being used to protect the empire …and besides Sombra could always teleport away with the heart or maybe make the heart turn the ground to kryptonite ... but at least, he hoped that he could solve it with word, he didn't like it since he was betting everything on the "hope" part... like, really, really hard, with a cherry on top.
"Sigh... fine then. What about those people? When are you planning to let them go?"
"Those individuals are under the protection of the crown. Although the empire has definitely seen better days, we would not let individuals be returned to the evil nature mind control."
'If the original Sombra heard me call mind control evil he would die from laughter'
Superman's face turned cold and a frown formed on his face as he said, "Mind controlled?"
"I see that you were unaware…Yes, those humans were being controlled by some primitive method. It didn't use any magical means, which thankfully made removing them easier. The soldiers have not been executed or punished for their aggression due to it being no will of their own."
"And what do you plan to do with them?" Superman's tone carried a cold edge.
"Offer them refuge under the crown. The empire can certainly accept new residents; even I don't like a city of ghosts. If it is refused, then it would no longer be my responsibility to care for their protection, and they would either be released or given temporary refuge."
Superman sighed, seemingly happy that Sombra didn't have evil intentions. "I have a lot more questions, but I need to bring someone to check on them and make sure they are okay... I will be back shortly."
A gust of wind passed as Sombra found himself standing alone in his throne room.
"Alright... that passed better than I expected. Time to invest in some Kryptonite for... survival purposes."
Sombra simply stayed in the silence of his hall, letting the empty place be a sort of comfort. "I will ally myself with the League, maybe even try to become a part-time member... something like Aquaman."
All he probably had to do was not kill people randomly. Sure, it would mean executions would not happen against those deserving, but he could place strict laws about imprisonment and a little magic to make sure that any prisoner would not escape.
'Time to turn people to stone!... Celestia and Harmony would be proud.'
And he needed to establish alliances. If this was truly the Marvel and DC universes together, then he wasn't the only magical or special kingdom around. Wakanda, the Amazons, and Atlantis are simple examples... and they were all stronger than him in literally everything.
Sombra turned his head, seeing the gate to his throne room being opened as Jack entered, being followed by three other people, saying, "Hey! Sombra!..." Jack felt Sombra's cold gaze settling on him with small disapproval. "Cough! I mean, Your Highness!... Guess what! My friends want to stay here as well!"
Jack gestured to a tired-looking man with blonde hair and a beard, and to the smaller woman beside him, saying, "Those two are Lily and Edward, and yes, they are a thing! And this guy here is my besto friendo, Thomas! He is smart, but too dumb at the same time."
Thomas, standing to the side, looked at Jack with murder intent as a vein bobbed on his head. He wondered just how much trouble he would really get in if he strangled Jack in front of the supposed King.
Sombra simply looked at the three individuals for a long minute with hidden excitement, saying, "And why do you three want to join my empire? Because I doubt that Jack is that precious."
Lily and Edward shared a glance before they looked slightly embarrassed as Edward answered, "The price of any respectable house is absurd, and we want a home to start our own family. Living in a place that seems out of a fairytale is pretty enticing. The place here is beautiful and nice; we were hesitant about the electricity and the cold, but Jack said that you would fix everything with magic..."
After a moment, Lily interrupted, saying, "And who wouldn't want superpowers! I want those wings! Mine would be much more beautiful, isn't that right, Edward?"
Edward, feeling the hidden trap in his wife's sentence, answered unconsciously with a, "Yes, dear." Edward turned to Sombra again, saying, "So as long as you let us have one of those shiny houses, we plan to stay."
Sombra stared at them before nodding, saying, "You can choose any house, as long as it is reasonable. But once you both settle, I would assign jobs to you, Edward. It won't be anything dangerous, simply your contribution to your new home... In return, the empire will care for you both to the best of its capabilities."
'Of course, until I establish a new coin or cash system.'
Edward and Lily nodded, seemingly finding no problem in working. Thomas stepped forward after seeing that the conversation had settled, as he said, "I want to learn magic."
Sombra couldn't hide the grin that formed on his face as he said, "It would depend if you become a Unicorn after you swear fealty. I assume Jack has explained what powers you could get."
Thomas nodded, saying, "Yes, but if I know myself, and I do, then I am getting that horn on my head... So, will you teach me?"
"If you do, then yes. But you would be expected to not use those magical capabilities to harm the empire in any way, and you will use it for the benefit of yourself and the empire. There will be restrictions for magic and its teachings; after all, it is rather dangerous. I will tell you the details later, but let me make something clear: If you share knowledge with outsiders without my direct acknowledgment... I will kill you, or maybe imprison you in crystals for centuries. Are we on terms?"
Thomas swallowed heavily as the two red gem-like eyes bore through his soul, and he nodded. While Jack whispered to Thomas, "Don't worry, he isn't so bad when you get to know him."
Sombra ignored Jack's remark as he said, "Very well then. Kneel, and accept the empire as your new home."
All the while, the Crystal Heart formed small magical lines that connected with the new citizens of the empire.
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(A/N): I don't fully like how the chapter is but I needed to get some momentum to get back to writing…So until then take care of yourselves my greedy chapter readers.