"This will be my first time meeting all of the Primes. Since I invited them, it's only right that I be a proper host," Ashborn said calmly. Across the multiverse, Primes were rare—each universe held only one… except this one. After all, there can only be 1 prime per hero.
The doorbell rang, and one of Ashborn's shadows moved to answer it, allowing a sea of heroes to enter the mansion. They were guided to the dining room, where each took their assigned seat at the massive table.
Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Wally West and Barry Allen), Batman, Aquaman, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Cyborg, Zatanna, Doctor Fate, Firestorm, Shazam, Captain Atom, Starfire, Big Barda… the list went on.
These were the strongest versions of their kind—each equipped with more than three Lantern Rings, armed with trillions of years' worth of experience gained in the Training Dimension, and outfitted with the finest gear the multiverse had to offer.
Ashborn sized them all up—this was his first time seeing them together, just as it was their first time laying eyes on him. His gaze swept across the room, scanning each of them with careful interest… until his eyes landed on a goth girl seated near the end of the table.
It was Raven. But not just any Raven.
This was a version from a universe teetering on the edge of annihilation. She had been its last survivor, standing alone in a final battle against Trigon. She had once fought alongside the Teen Titans of her world, the Justice League, and countless others—but she had watched every one of them fall. Trigon's power had grown beyond reason.
She had faced a Trigon who had stolen and absorbed the power of Darkseid. Even the Flash had tried to run back in time to change the future, only for Trigon to sense it and kill him before he could take a single step into the past.
Her life had been nothing but a desperate run—Trigon had relentlessly hunted her, seeking to kill her and claim her powers for himself. So one could imagine her shock when, out of nowhere, another Raven from the multiverse appeared. This alternate version had already broken free of her father's influence and mastered her power, becoming what was known as the White Raven.
Together, they combined their strength to defeat Trigon. And they succeeded.
But it was already too late—her universe had begun to collapse, devoured by the imbalance and ruin left in Trigon's wake. With no world left to save, she sought refuge in the Multiversal Justice League Watchtower. It became her home, and ever since, she had done nothing but train, preparing herself for whatever came next.
Ashborn glanced at Ember and noticed her eyes were fixed on Raven. From the moment Raven had entered, Ember hadn't looked away. Raven had sensed the intense gaze but chose to ignore it—her attention was locked on something far more pressing.
She had felt it the moment she saw Ashborn.
"Your darkness is beautiful," Ashborn said, turning his focus to Raven. It was the kind of darkness that couldn't be faked or mimicked—raw, powerful, and caged behind walls of restraint. He had heard of the Unkindness Raven before, but this was his first time witnessing it up close.
Such darkness wasn't just capable of destroying the multiverse—it had the potential to unravel creation itself. And to Ashborn, it was… beautiful. Of course it was. Darkness was his very nature. He would know.
"…Y-your darkness is beautiful as well." Caught off guard by Ashborn's words, those were the only ones Raven could manage. But she wasn't lying—something about him pulled at her. She wanted to resist, but the darkness within her didn't want to. It leaned toward him, drawn to something.
"Why did you call us here?" Batman, this universe's Batman, cut in, his voice calm but sharp. He ignored Wonder Woman, seated beside him, her fists clenched tightly. She said nothing, but her gaze was locked on Raven and Ashborn, her jaw tightening with every passing second.
Wonder Woman wasn't alone—nearly every woman at the table had a similar reaction. Of course, Ashborn didn't notice. He simply cleared his throat with a light cough.
"Well, today marks one week. Just one week ago, I wasn't even here… and now, I've gained enough power to return to my omniverse."
Ashborn's words sent a jolt through the room. Almost everyone jumped to their feet, but he paid them no mind and continued speaking.
"I will, of course, be leaving," Ashborn said. "But I'll come back. Honestly, I'm curious—if I step away, will the Darkness back off? Will it give you all a chance to restore the balance? Or will something worse happen?" He paused, letting the question hang in the air before continuing.
"Also, I want each of you to become gods. Just like Darkseid and others have avatars scattered across the multiverse, I want you to ascend—to have your counterparts act as your avatars."
That declaration made many of them frown, exchanging uncertain glances.
"There's a limit to how strong any of you can become," Ashborn continued. "And as you've probably noticed, those blue naked guys running around the multiverse? Yeah, the villains might be copying us. They could be creating their own version of a multiversal league. That means we can't stay stagnant—we have to keep evolving."
Everyone looked around at each other, the weight of those words settling in as they considered what came next.
"What would happen to our counterparts across the multiverse?" Superman asked, his brow furrowed.
"They wouldn't be affected, at least, that's what I believe," Ashborn replied. "It's not like you'd control them. As you all know, with Darkseid, not every version of him across the multiverse is under his direct control. I actually came across a good avatar once…"
He paused for a second. "…Which I still ended up killing, but that's not important." Everyone's eyes twitched in unison.