"What have you done?" -Rasputin
"I chose." -Hellboy (Ron Perlman, aka, the voice of Slade)

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

She had come to a conclusion. Slade had said she had no choice, but that wasn't true, was it? It was nearly 11:30 p.m. as Raven walked into the church. Attired in jeans and a sweater, a backpack slung over her shoulder, she barely stood out from the otherhalf dozen or so individuals scattered about silently amongst the pews.

She barely noticed the slight stinging around the jewel on her forehead. "It could be worse." She thought to herself. "At least I'm not hissing and spitting at the cross…" In the past, she had sometimes been amazed at how much her human side could overpower the demon, but since her encounter with Slade, she had begun to realize how pointless her hopes had been. She had been baptized in Azarath fashion, but that didn't seem to change much. She was a monster, an incredibly dangerous one to boot, and she could think of only one way to save her friends and the city they lived in.

Slowly, Raven proceeded down the aisle in search of the Priest. She found him through the doorway to the left of the pulpit, where he had been reading. It occurred to her how irritated she became when someone interrupted her in the middle of a good book, and she hesitated. The man of the cloth looked up and spoke first. "Can I help you, child?"

Raven was slightly taken aback, but kept reminding herself of why she was here. It took all her will power just to make eye contact. "I don't mean to disturb you, Father, but I was hoping to have an object blessed…" Slowly, she produced a bundle of cloth from a pack she had been carrying and handed it to the Priest. He took it carefully and unwrapped it, revealing a beautifully decorated antique knife. Breaking character, he let out a low whistle. "Young lady, this isn't really something you should be carrying around."

Raven played her lines perfectly, having rehearsed them nearly a dozen times in her head. "Please, Father. My Grandfather brought it back from Germany when WWII ended. Before he died, he gave it to me for my birthday. Ha said he wanted to make up for not being there to help protect me. I just wanted a way to…remember him." Her voice took on a theatrical softness as she finished.

The Priest smiled softly. "Perhaps, Miss, in this case I can make an exception." "Thank you, Father." Raven smiled, finally being forced to divert her eyes. She was actually lying to a Priest, and in a House of God, no less. She took some consolation from the fact that she could be capable of worse. Much, much worse.

A clock somewhere in the distance began to strike midnight as Raven descended the steps, her bag clutched tightly in her hands. She paused at the door, slowly reached out, and cautiously dipped her hand into the bowl of Holy Water. To her surprise, the sensation she received was more of a tingle than a burning. It was as if some force looking over her was begging she reconsider. She came very close to doing so, but then reminded herself that the force she feared was inside, not above. Praying for forgiveness from this deity, or any that would listen, she performed the sign of the cross and set out into the night. In less than twenty-four hours, she would never be a danger to anyone ever again.