Shadow

Qaramzi el Zal

Ashkiri Temple

"A new Ra's al Ghul has ascended, Master Dusan." Sensei, an elderly man, told a much younger man who appeared to be in his forties and was meditating in front of a Lazarus Pool and below an altar of two snow leopards before he spoke.

"What of my father?" Dusan al Ghul asked, stopping his meditation.

"Intel says that Oliver Queen killed him in a duel." Sensei replied.

"I assume Oliver is the new Ra's al Ghul, then?" Dusan inquired, calm about the revelation of his father's death.

"I'm afraid not, Master Dusan. It appears he gave Al Sa-her the Ring for him to take his place and become the new Ra's al Ghul." Sensei answered, and noticed Dusan's jaw tighten.

"What of Talia and Nyssa?"

"Word hasn't reached us about Talia, yet. Nyssa has submitted to Ra's, although she promised vengeance against him for the hit on Ta-er al Sahfer."

"Nyssa's infatuation with Sara Lance has cost her the leadership of the League just as my albinism did for me, except I didn't have a choice but she did. She could have waited until father gave her leadership." Dusan murmured, annoyed. "Has Qaramzi el Zal returned from his mission?"

"I have, Master Dusan." Qaramzi el Zal answered, surprising the two men with his sudden appearance in the room although they were used to such appearances from him by now.

"If only the Guild had more like you." Dusan said, before he stood from where he was meditating.

"Then I would have competition for leadership." Qaramzi el Zal commented.

"There won't be any competition if you completed your mission." Dusan replied, and then looked into Qaramzi el Zal's glowing red eyes. "Did you complete it?"

"I did, Shadow. Bruce Wayne is dead."

"I didn't order you to kill Bruce Wayne, I ordered you to kill Batman!"

"There is no Batman without Bruce Wayne. You taught me that shadows never leave a trace, by killing Bruce Wayne I killed Batman without leaving a trace or a successor." Qaramzi el Zal calmly responded.

"Isn't Bruce Wayne's death a trace, Master Qaramzi el Zal?" Sensei asked, arms behind his back.

"It would be, if the world knew that he's dead." Qaramzi el Zal replied. "I made it look like he took a vacation like he did before he returned to Gotham and became Batman. And since Bruce Wayne has been distant to everyone since Batman killed Joker, no one will suspect foul play or look for him.

Not even Alfred Pennyworth who knows that if Bruce doesn't want to be found he won't be found."

Silence reigned as Dusan and Sensei digested what was said.

"What about his body?" Dusan inquired, calmer now.

"I personally cremated it and scattered the ashes on my way here." Qaramzi el Zal answered.

"You, my best student, have managed to kill the man that defeated both my father and sister Talia. You've proved that you're worthy of taking my place and leading the Guild." Dusan said, proud. "But there are still two loose ends, two people that could reveal your perfect assassination of Bruce Wayne and Batman to the world."

That confused Qaramzi el Zal until he realized that Dusan al Ghul was talking about himself and Sensei, and he couldn't believe it although he knew Dusan al Ghul never said what he didn't mean.

"The Guild of Shadows has existed for more than sixty years and Ashkiri Temple has been its main base of operations for twenty five years without the League of Assassins knowing about our existence or that we have been operating in their territory." Dusan continued.

"I'm going to expose my life's work, every single member we have, in training, on the field and reserve, and your assassination of Bruce Wayne and Batman to the League and the world if you don't duel and kill Sensei and I and take my place as Shadow. Perhaps I'll even reveal what you are.

You have a week to decide, but in the meantime you will rest for a day and then shadow the new Ra's al Ghul, the man that will order the murder of your fellow Shadows if you don't do what you must do and if you give away my legacy."

With that said, Dusan al Ghul and Sensei left the room and didn't look back, leaving behind a troubled Qaramzi el Zal who watched as they left and once they were out of sight he turned to the alter and looked at the leopard statues.

Although the rise of a new Ra's al Ghul was news to him he couldn't dwell on that right now, not when his savior and mentor wanted him to kill him and his other mentor.

Qaramzi el Zal had been led to believe that killing Batman was his final assignment before Dusan promoted him from being his right-hand and second-in-command to being Shadow, leader of the Guild of Shadows, before retiring but it seemed the final transition wasn't going to be that easy.

His glowing red eyes fell on the Lazarus Pool, where he mysteriously appeared four years ago without hope but a whole lot of anger, guilt, hatred and sadness amongst other overwhelming emotions, all of which Dusan Al Ghul and Sensei helped him bring under control.

But that wasn't the only thing they helped him with, they also helped him accept who he was and who he was meant to be, the alpha he was meant to be, a killer. They succeeded where Peter Hale and Deucalion failed but it was probably because of one very important catalyst.
—
Flashback (2011)
Oak Creek

"Allison!"
—
Qaramzi el Zal was quickly brought back to the present when he heard faint, but loud to his supernaturally enhanced hearing, footsteps heading towards his direction long before their owner appeared, but kept his eyes on the Lazarus Pool.

Judging by the lightness of the footsteps, he knew that the person was a female and when she stopped a few feet from him he kept his attention fixed on the Pool for a little longer, knowing that she would wait for him to acknowledge her as was custom for all members of the Guild beside Dusan and Sensei (to some extent).

"What is it?"

"Master Qaramzi el Zal." Fany, a member of the Guild's Technology Development Unit, greeted Qaramzi el Zal with a bow of the head then advanced to her purpose. "Palmer Technologies is looking for a new Vice President and I request that we send a Visible Shadow to apply for the position, sir.

There's word that Palmer Technologies neutralized the airborne Alpha/Omega virus using nanotechnology and the Guild could use the technology and..."

"What happened to the previous Vice President?" Qaramzi el Zal interrupted with a question.

"Her name is Felicity Smoak. She resigned so that she could leave Starling City with Oliver Queen, aka the Arrow." Fany answered.

"Send me files of tech savvy Visible Shadows with varying experience, level and skills while I think about your request." Qaramzi el Zal instructed, and paused for a moment before he added. "And bring me all the information we have about the new Ra's al Ghul, both paper and digital."

Fany bowed before she left the room to do just as instructed, leaving Qaramzi el Zal alone once again.

He had a choice to make and now knew that death was inevitable, and so was his decision, a decision he knew that he didn't need a week to make. Not when Dusan al Ghul and Sensei made sure that Qaramzi el Zal could make tough decisions on his feet.

But Qaramzi el Zal wasn't going to waste his time questioning what he couldn't change, Shadow's word was law.