Chapter 1
Shattering of a New World
Deep, deep in the dark heart of the cave, no, canyon, beneath Jump city, lie the remains of Terra. A former Teen Titan, defender and traitor of the city, stood still, encased in a prison made up of the very stone that she controlled.
No tears addourned her face. She was no longer alive, and had not crossed over. And before her stood a green figure, one of her dearest friends. He sobbed as though it was only a day before that she had left his world, not a year. He dropped a bouquet of roses, her favorite flowers, spoke a few soft words, and then left.
He had been her favorite person in the world. Her very best friend. Yet nature does not show mercy, and will never do such a despicable thing, lest the balance between the elements be upset and distraught. However, something very ancient and young was stirring beneath the surface of the rock. The strings of fate are curious things, and tend to change space and time, and sometimes the very world we live in. Unto time, the strings of fate can reverse death itself, or at least what is seen as death, and make it as though it had never appeared so. It just so happens that the strings of fate that surrounded this particular piece of rock, living, breathing rock, entertwined with the beating of the young girl's heart, which beat no more. The earth groaned, and reluctantly peeled itself away, rising and presenting the deep blue rock at the feet of the stone-imprisoned girl. From within the rock shone a light, shining as brightly as a beacon and beating as rapidly as a heart pumps blood through a living body. And so it was that the strings of fate beat back the gloom and death from the stone figure, making the rock shine even brighter than before. The light pierced the darkness, consuming it as the darkness had swallowed up all the light previously. However, this light was much different. It wasn't mere light, but a life force in itself, hearty and strong.
This thunderous, magnificent light filled the cavern, and crawled up Terra's stone plaque, climbing up the last remnants of her, encasing and swirling round her.
A loud explosion shook the stone walls of the cavern, bringing with it a cloud of smoke like dust particles. From within this dust cloud, Terra drew the first raggedy breaths she had taken in a year.
Her chest ached painfully from lack of use, so each breath felt like a knife was being carved into her torso. Every limb was on fire, as though it had been asleep rather than dead. She stumbled and fell; her limbs were too weak to hold her up. Her hand brushed something solid and warm, and as her hands ran over it, she felt cracks creep up the side of it. Something soft and life-filled pushed up against her hand, and she fell back with a cry. Her hand burned more than before, and she coughed as her lungs rid themselves of stone particles. A loud squeak was hurt among her coughs.