Chapter 36: The Weight of Legends II
[Scene opens inside the Watchtower, the Justice League’s orbital headquarters.]
The meeting room is tense. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter sit at the circular table. The Architect, clad in his signature enigmatic attire, stands at the center, hands casually in his pockets, a slight smirk on his face.
BATMAN (leaning forward, voice cold)
“You don’t just walk into the Watchtower.”
THE ARCHITECT (calm, amused)
“I didn’t walk. I redesigned the approach. The fact that I’m standing here means you let me in.”
SUPERMAN (arms crossed, eyes scanning)
“Why are you here?”
THE ARCHITECT (tilting his head)
“To talk. You value justice. I value precision. We might have… misalignments.”
WONDER WOMAN (narrowing her eyes)
“And you think we will just sit here and listen?”
THE ARCHITECT (chuckling)
“You already are.”
A brief silence. The League doesn’t like it, but they know—when the Architect speaks, there’s always something deeper at play.
THE ARCHITECT (gesturing)
“You fight villains. Stop wars. Protect cities. But do you ever wonder… why the same problems keep happening?”
GREEN LANTERN (frowning)
“What’s your point?”
THE ARCHITECT (leaning in slightly)
“My point is simple. Justice doesn’t build a future. It only repairs the past.”
That makes the League pause. Even Batman, watching closely, says nothing.
THE ARCHITECT (smirking)
“You stop the disasters, but you never prevent them. You fight the villains, but you never eliminate the system that creates them.”
MARTIAN MANHUNTER (calm, analyzing)
“You speak as if you have a solution.”
The Architect snaps his fingers. The holo-projector in the room activates—data, blueprints, and intricate models flicker into existence.
THE ARCHITECT
“I don’t play checkers like Lex Luthor. I don’t play chess like Batman. I play the game that designs the board itself.”
Superman’s eyes glow faintly red. Batman’s hand is near his utility belt. But the Architect simply waits.
THE ARCHITECT
“I came to talk because you’re trying to fix a broken system. But I don’t fix. I redesign.”
A slow pause. Then—
THE ARCHITECT (grinning slightly)
“So tell me, League… do you want to keep playing the same game? Or are you ready to rewrite it?”
[FADE TO BLACK.]
YOU ARE READING
The Book Of Origin: Codex Architectus
Fantasy"The Book of Origin: Codex Architectus" The universe wasn't born. It was written. Before time, the Architect carved reality into pages-then vanished. What's left behind is the Codex: a living manuscript that rewrites everything you thought was true...
