Nolan Kincade fell into the darkness that was this reoccurring nightmare, it started well over a month ago and his body had started to suffer from lack of proper sleep. His long sandy blonde hair flared out from his head on the pillow, before being tossed about from Nolan's tossing and turning caused by his nightmare.
It was the same nightmare every night, he would be surrounded by unending darkness. The only sources of light were four glowing orange eyes and a voice would radiate from everywhere within the darkness, hurting his ears and echoing in his head. It always seemed to just laugh, for hours on end, enjoying the torment it was putting the young man through. It never spoke a single word, only laughed, until tonight. Tonight was different, everything started off the same, the darkness would pull him in, face to face with the eyes, however, the booming voice did more than laugh, it spoke to him.
"THE TIME HAS COME YOUNG ONE. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO BE THE HARBINGER OF MY ARRIVAL ON THIS PLANE. YOU WILL WREAK HAVOC UPON THE MORTALS IN MY NAME, THE FEAR SHALL FEED ME, AND THEN MY DAUGHTER SHALL OPEN THE GATEWAY AND ALLOW ME THROUGH. REJOICE, FOR YOU ARE NOW MY RIGHT HAND. THE HAND WITH WHICH SHALL BE THE FIST I USE TO CRUSH THIS PITIFUL WORLD."
It then started it's usually laughter, deep and bellowing, until he finally awoke for school.
Groggy and unprepared, but used to this way of waking for the past month now, Nolan got ready for high school. He pulled his loose clothes over his wiry frame and made his way to the bus, eagerly awaiting the day he was old enough to drive.
He looked out the window of his bus and saw the Teen Titans fighting Cinderblock. Your typical day in Jump City. The bus came to a stop at a red light and Nolan got a better look at the Titans. Robin leapt around and was no more than a blur of red and yellow. Cyborg was running around firing some sort of cannon. The orange alien girl named Starfire was throwing green energy bolts at the enemy. Beast Boy turned into a green rhino and charged, only to be thrown. Then, his gaze fell upon the one known as Raven and it was as if she could sense he was looking and turned to look at him, then he saw her eyes flash, one moment they were normal, they next they were red versions of the ones from his nightmares and the voice spoke again in his head 'my daughter'.
The next few moments were all a blur, from what he could tell, Beast Boy had been thrown into his bus, basically just under where he was seated towards the center of it and the bus was thrown sideways into another car and then it all went black.
Luckily, this sleep was undisturbed by the eyes and he awoke in a bright room, which he recognized to be a hospital. He then saw a green boy in the corner of the room, who jerked up when he saw the patient had awoken.
"Dude! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Beast Boy stood up and walked over to the hospital bed.
"Fine." Nolan answered honestly, before asking: "Why are you here? What happened with Cinderblock?"
"He's been taken in, again. I'm here because of what I did yo the bus when Cinderblock threw me. Usually there isn't anybody around to get hurt when we fight the bad guy. I guess people are too used to that and don't try and run anymore. Anyway, I felt bad, you were the only one hurt on the bus."
His speech was interrupted by the door opening and in walked HER. "Beast Boy. Robin sent me to get you, Mammoth is trying to rob Jump City First National Bank." Then her eyes fell on him and she looked almost interested.
"I think I've met you before." Nolan spoke without thinking. Raven merely quirked an eyebrow. "I had a dream one time.."
"Dude, I've tried that line before, it never works." Beast Boy started laughing, his joyful and high pitched giggles a stark contrast to the laugh he had become accustomed to in his nightmares.
However, she seemed to sense the deeper meaning behind his words and mumbled out a quick "We'll talk more later." before flying out the door.
"Bro, you gotta tell me how you do that." Beast Boy chuckled before running after her in cheetah form.
It was late afternoon when Nolan arrived at at the Titans Tower, the ferry ride alone had taken the better part of an hour. He knocked on the giant door and was surprised when Starfire had answered and merely said to go wait in Raven's room, but not to touch anything, she hates when people touch her stuff.
So here he was, sitting on her bed, looking at all the stuff he could not touch when he got the urge to pace. 'Why was he even here?' His eyes then fell upon the book on her dresser, which had actually magically opened up to a page that held no words, only a few symbols he didn't recognize before a bright red light filled the room and he fell unconscious for the second time that day.
Nolan was shaken awake and opened his eyes and looked deep into the eyes of HER. She sighed when she saw him conscious and moved to sit on her bed. "Who are you?"
"Nolan Kincade, you're Raven." The boy sat up and looked at her.
"Maybe I should rephrase it. WHAT are you?" She stared at him intensely.
"What do you mean?" Nolan rubbed the back of his head.
"You're touched by dark magic. I sensed it within you when I went to the hospital."
"I was hoping you could explain things. I've been having these dreams...For the past month they were nothing but these four bright glowing eyes and loud laughing. Until last night, last night, when he told me he chose me. He chose me to be his harbinger. Whatever that means."
Raven was about to reply when an explosion shook the tower. Looking out the window she saw an army of Slades, however she knew which one was the real one by the glowing mark on his forehead, one she knew no one else saw. Or she thought no one else saw, until she saw where Nolan's attention was drawn before another explosion rocked the building.