"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak, and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore," a voice idly drawled out into the night. The owner of the voice sat on the sidewalk, shrouded in moon-cast shadows at the base of a pizzeria that happened to be near a tipped over truck that was currently being plundered. If a watcher were to try to observe them, they would have found their eyes drifting away from the mysterious person.
"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly, there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping - rapping at my chamber door," the shadowed individual continued, rising to their feet. "Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door. Only this, and nothing more."
In the middle of the street, things had gotten interesting. A group of costumed teenagers, barely more than children, approached the plunderer, who also wore a costume. A fight ensued, the plunderer throwing bolts and beams of light around, among other things. He also dodged or deflected all the projectiles launched at him, taunting his opposition as he did so.
"Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor," the figure continued, stepping towards the commotion. One of the five heroes, for that is what they were, turned into a wolf and leapt at the plunderer. A flash of light, and the wolf dropped to the ground, transforming back into a humanoid shape. "Eagerly, I wished the morrow, vainly had I sought to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore."
The cloaked watcher paused, observing the fight before them. "For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore. Nameless here, forevermore." Another hero took to the air and threw green bolts of energy from her hands, which the plunderer absorbed with a shield of light. He then threw a disk at the ground beneath the girl. "And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me, filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before."
Tendrils of light poured out of the top of the disk, sinusoidally wrapping around the floating girl before rotating, creating a cage of light. The girl threw more energy bolts, only for them to fizzle impotently as they came into contact with the barrier. Angrily, she kicked it, succeeding in merely injuring her toes. "So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating. 'Tis some visitor, entreating entrance at my chamber door. Some late visitor, entreating entrance at my chamber door."
"This it is, and nothing more." The focus of the combat shifted from the girl to a boy who could only be described as a traffic light. He leapt at the light manipulator, releasing a handful of projectiles as he flew. His target sidestepped, tinkering with some device on his chest. A moment later, a beam of light so bright it demanded a new scale burst forth, blinding the Traffic Light Hero. "Presently, my soul grew stronger, hesitating then no longer. Sir, said I, or Madam truly, your forgiveness I implore."
The fourth of the heroes stepped into the fray, having ripped off half of an axle and the attached tires from the overturned truck. "But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, and so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door." The figure was now close enough to the melee that to the casual observer it might appear that they too were a combatant. The plunderer threw a device of some sort at the axle-wielding hero. The device exploded, releasing a burst of light and revealing that over half of his body was cybernetic.
"That I scarce was sure I heard you - here, I opened wide the door... Darkness there, and nothing more." The device had a surprising amount of kick to it, and it knocked Robot Hero flying into a brick building. By this time, the observer was close enough to hear what was said by the man and his opponents.
"Azareth, Metrion, Zinth- " the fifth hero, dressed in a blue cloak started to say, before being cut off by a burst of light.
"Here's a tip: find shorter magic words," the plunderer taunted the cloaked girl as his attack knocked her to the ground. He stepped towards her to continue the assault.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." So focused on her was the man that he didn't notice the blurry and shadowy figure that slowly approached him.
"Don't come any closer," the girl warned from her position, crouching low on the ground, curled around her knees.
"What's the matter? Afraid of the light?" the man jeered.
"But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, and the only word there spoken was the whispered word 'Lenore?' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!' - merely this, and nothing more." The foolish, arrogant man stepped towards the prone girl, blasting her once again with a bolt of light.
"Don't come any closer!" the girl warned again, this time more frantically. He merely laughed, advancing slowly towards her. Glowing red eyes suddenly appeared in the girls hood, and her teeth sharpened into fine points. She also grew taller, her shadow larger beneath her, and tendrils of darkness wrapped around the base of her cloak.
"Back into my chamber turning, all my soul within me burning," the mysterious figure continued, their voice increasing with speed. "Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. Surely, said I, surely that is something at my window lattice. Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore! Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore! 'Tis the wind and nothing more!"
By now, the watcher was nearly stumbling over his words, for it was a he and his voice was male. By now, the plunderer had been seized by a tentacle and was being dragged into the shadow at the base of the girl, her red eyes gleaming and a fanged smile visible through the darkness of her hood.
"What's the matter?" she taunted in a voice that echoed the cries of a thousand tortured souls crying in agony. "Afraid of the dark?"
The watcher at this point stepped between the plunderer and the girl, facing towards the shadows. "Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, in there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore."
The watcher pulled back his hood, staring into the red eyes of the abyss that waited before him. "That's your name, isn't it? Raven… Raven, she of prophecy, she of Azarath… Born of a cursed union that shant be uttered. Remember who you are. Remember what you are."
Suddenly, the shadows waned at her feet, her eyes shifting back to a pale white with blue pupils, no longer red slits, and she shrank down to her original, somewhat diminutive size. Eyes wide with horror, she glanced at the gibbering man down at her feet before turning and melding into the shadows.
"So dark… so dark… no light… oh God, the things! The things in the shadows!" the plunderer whimpered.
"It's going to be alright, Dr. Light," Traffic Light Hero assured him. "Everything will be fine." His eyes scanned the surrounding area for traces of the mystery person who calmed Raven down. He was frustrated to find that both Raven and the man were gone.
"Dude… What was that?" the green hero asked, gesturing at Dr. Light.
"I don't know, Beast Boy, but we're going to find out," Traffic Light responded. "Cyborg, track Raven's communicator."
"Got it, Robin," the cybernetic man obeyed. He started messing with some screens and dials on his forearm. "Looks like she's not too far from here. She's in or on top of a building a couple blocks from here."
"Titans, go!" Robin yelled once he saw the location. Immediately Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl and flew off, with Robin, Cyborg, and a flying girl following soon after. They quickly approached the building, which happened to be a pizzeria.
"Starfire, gimme a lift up there," Cyborg called to the flying girl. She swooped down, grabbed the robotic man by his underarms and lifted him into the air. Gently, she set him down on the roof of the building before silently alighting herself. Robin soon joined them with the sound of a grappling hook embedding itself in the steel beside them, while Beast Boy landed with a screech before returning to human form.
Across from them sat Raven, floating in meditation. Next to her stood the mystery figure from before.
"Raven, your friends arrive. I shall explain the situation, if you wish not to speak," the mystery person said. Raven nodded slightly, and the man turned towards the four heroes.
"Your friend, Raven, has some impressive powers. Granted, one would expect that from her, given the nature of her birth and her heritage. I will not disclose that nature to you, for it is she who must do that if it ever is to be disclosed. However, I will say this, as Raven has given her permission for me to do so."
"There is a darkness in your friend. A darkness she fears, for it is one she cannot control. This darkness is not her - it is an element of her father. Unfortunately, it is quite vindictive, violent, cruel, selfish, and evil. What you saw earlier was a sliver of that darkness breaking through its cage, and it assumed control of Raven, despite her attempts to prevent that."
"Who are you? How do you know so much about Raven?" Robin demanded, not politely by any means of the word.
"Relax, Traffic Light," the figure chided, pulling back his hood and revealing a surprisingly young face. "I am Noctis Umbra, but you can call me Noc, Noctis, Umbra, or Noctis Umbra. As for how I know so much about Raven…"
"One of my gifts is prophecy."
"Wait up a minute," Cyborg interrupted. "Prophecy? As in like, telling the future?"
Noctis nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. When the circumstances allow, I see visions of possible futures and the paths that lead to them. I also have a knack for understanding prophecies better than the average person. I am saddened to say that Raven is a child of prophecy, and that prophecy is… not a kind one."
"You expect us to believe you?" Robin incredulously asked.
"No, but I will not give a different explanation. I strive for honesty, and if I cannot be fully truthful, then I will omit the full truth. I refuse to lie." Noctis stared into Robin's mask, meeting Robin eye to eye. Robin swallowed, unsure whether or not Noctis could really see through the mask.
"Now, this may seem a bit… forward, to say the least," Noctis continued. "But I happen to have run out of money, having been robbed at the last hotel I stayed in a couple days ago. Would you be willing to give me a place to sleep, at the very least, whilst I acquire some funds?"
Robin raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Before he could protest, however, Raven spoke, for the first time since the fight. "I trust him."
"Raven, we don't know anything about him!" Robin argued, almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He didn't even have time to register that this was Raven, of all people, who was vouching for him. Raven didn't trust anybody outside of the Titans.
"Dude… Robin, this is Raven trusting someone," Beast Boy muttered, the implications not lost on him. "She doesn't trust anyone without sufficient reason." It did hurt a little, that Raven trusted this guy, but not him. She'd known him a lot longer. Then again, maybe that is the reason.
"He's telling the truth as he sees it," Raven re-stated. Cyborg nodded in agreement.
"All of my biometric sensors indicate he's not lying," the cybernetic teen said. Robin looked at Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. After a moment, he glanced at Starfire. She was the only one not against him.
"What do you think, Star?" he asked, hoping at least someone would agree with him. His hopes were dashed, however, when Starfire responded.
"I believe that my friends are correct, for I trust them. I trust their trust," she answered as she flew to stand beside the others. Robin simply groaned.
"Four to one, Robin. I think we win," Cyborg stated.
"We owe him. At the very least, I owe him," Raven added in her dispassionate monotone. Much more quietly, she continued. "He did save the city."
"Dr. Light wasn't going to destroy the city, Raven," Robin disagreed. "The city itself wasn't in danger."
Raven merely stared stonily at Robin. He gulped. "Fine, we'll let him stay. But you're responsible for him, Raven." Her eyes widened a little at the prospect, obviously wanting to protest. However, she sighed instead and nodded assent. It wasn't the wisest of choices to push their leader much more.
She walked up alongside Noctis as the others left to return to the Tower. "There's more to you than prophecy, isn't there?" she asked.
"Fortunately for the prophet in me, yes. Unfortunately, like you there is a weight upon me that I would wish upon no one." Raven glanced up at him, suspicion evident in her eyes despite her trust in him.
"What weight do you speak of?"
"I know the prophecies of Azarath. All of them, including the one they fear the most," Noctis answered. "The Trigon Prophecy, as they call it."
Raven stiffened. "You will mention none of this to the others," she warned in a menacing tone. "Not a word, or I will show you Hell. It's not a nice place."
Noctis smirked. "Of course, Raven. It is not my story to tell." They walked on in a comfortable silence, broken only by the scuffling of their footsteps. Suddenly, Raven was struck by a bolt of inspiration.
"Noctis, how many armageddon prophecies are there?" she asked, barely maintaining her signature tone of disinterest.
"That depends. Are we including the ones that have supposedly passed or not? Are we counting ones that apply to other dimensions, or just Earth? Ultimatums or not? Supernatural origin only?" he asked.
"Ones that have yet to pass that apply to Earth," Raven clarified in that dull monotone of hers.
"There are currently, to my knowledge, 340,721 prophecies depicting the end of this world as we know it," Noctis calmly answered.
"How can there be that many prophecies? I mean, if one passes wouldn't that negate all of the others?"
"Of course it would. However, each prophecy depicts only a possible future. There are millions upon millions of prophecies foretelling the end of the world, only for them to fall short of their claims," he serenely stated. "The existence of other prophecies, however, in no way invalidates a prophecy. Even if two prophecies contradict each other. Yes, Raven of Azarath, I can understand your asking, but unfortunately, I can offer no solace, no peace of mind."
Raven was silent, contemplating his words. He was correct when he said he offered no solace - all Raven could do was think of how he implied the prophecy centered around her was as real as the others.
"You seem to know a lot about me," Raven commented after settling her mind. "But I know very little of you."
"I know only what Fate's cruel hand shows me, Raven, and unfortunately, Fate has at least one eye trained on you." He leaned in conspiratorially before whispering. "Fate has many eyes."
"Regardless, we appear to be on an… uneven footing, so to speak. You know a lot about me, and I know that you call yourself Noctis Umbra."
"I will share more of myself later, when your suspicious leader is present. I dislike repeating myself," Noctis stated. "And when the other two have calmed down and you have meditated."
Noctis looked up from his plate of half-eaten food at the people surrounding him. Now that he saw them in better light, he found that they were closer to his age than he had originally surmised. However, legitimate age aside, they still behaved like children. For the most part.
"You did not beat me!" Beast Boy screeched at Cyborg. "You hacked into the system and disabled my controller for at least half a minute! You had to have! There's no way you could've won!"
"You're just jealous that you ain't got the skills to beat me," Cyborg retorted. Noctis found himself smirking at the taunt.
"I so do have the skills the beat you!" Beast Boy indignantly shouted back.
"Oh yeah? Why don't you prove it?" Cyborg challenged. "One more game, winner takes all." He gestured at half a dozen bags of chips surrounding the two.
"Oh, you're so on," Beast Boy accepted. The two of them returned their attention to the TV screen, their fingers fiddling viciously with the controllers in their hands. Raven, sitting cross legged in her chair off to the side and reading a book merely sighed at their antics.
"Friends!" Starfire shouted over the clicking that the two managed to get out of the controllers. "It is most unwise to leave food unfinished, especially in the presence of a guest!" The lack of a response from the others was deafening.
"I'm gonna get ya!" Cyborg mocked.
"No way, man," Beast Boy retorted. Click, click. A moment later, Beast Boy shouted. "No way dude! How'd you do that? C'mon, you gotta tell me! That finisher there was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!"
"Winner's secret," Cyborg smirked. "And winner's takings," he added as he swept up the bags of chips. Beast Boy visibly deflated and pouted.
"Alright, folks," Noctis called, getting everyone's attention. "As I told Raven on the way here, it is somewhat unfair that I know so much about her and she knows so little about me. So, in order to be on a more equal footing, I'm going to share a little bit about myself. So gather round, friends, and listen to the tale of Noctis Umbra, the Prophet of the Night."
Somehow during that little speech, all of the Titans had silently formed a rough semicircle around him. Noctis noted with a little surprise that Robin had appeared from nowhere as well. Well, at least all of them were here, so he wouldn't need to repeat himself.
"As you know, my name is Noctis Umbra. I mentioned before that I have the 'gift', if you want to call it that, of prophecy. As such, there are many figures who would like to control me. If you know how potential futures could play out, you can direct said future to either be much more likely or much less likely. Because of this, I had to learn to protect myself very early on. I also learned not to talk, because when you somehow know almost every single god damned prophecy there is out there, then it's hard to keep them out of a conversation. Especially when one is coming into fruition and it just has to make itself known."
Suddenly, Noctis hunched over violently, his eyes glowing with a wispy, silvery light, and he spoke in a hoarse voice. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, and he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
Immediately, Noctis inhaled a great shuddering breath. His eyes stopped glowing, and he straightened up so that he was no longer hunched over. Everyone just stared at him, an unknown amount of time passing before Beast Boy broke the silence. "What the hell was that?"
"I have absolutely no idea," Noctis responded. "What did I say?"
The others just stared at him. "What do you mean, what did you say? How do you not know what you said?" Robin demanded rudely.
"Well it's not like I know what I say when I'm actually prophesying! I don't know what prophecy I'm spouting. I'm not joking when I say that I can think of a million different prophecies. Tell me what I said, and I can explain it to you. I hope."
"Something about a dark lord and his equal," Cyborg said. "I could repeat it verbatim, but I'd need to double check my memory."
"Oh. That one. Britain's in for one hell of a night," Noctis stated by way of explanation. He only succeeded in confusing everyone even more. "It's a long story. It'd take like… seven books to fully explain it."
"Anyways," Noctis continued brightly. "More about myself. I enjoy peaceful environments, reading, writing, and sleeping. Above all, I value my sleep. I dislike seeing people in pain, and I dislike inflicting pain on people. I'm a pacifist by nature."
"Why do you value your sleep so much?" Cyborg inquired.
"You try spending months at a time running from people you don't know, hoping that the next corner you turn down doesn't have them crouched behind it. You try that, worrying that someone's going to sneak up on you in the middle of the night simply because you know things. I dare you to try doing that and getting a decent night's rest," Noctis ranted.
A moment later, he realized what he'd said, his eyes widening. "Apologies. I'm… very protective… about my sleep. I should not have lashed out at you like that."
"Enough about me, though," Noctis continued after a moment in a peppy tone. "Tell me a bit about yourselves. Doesn't have to be too personal, just a few surface details. Y'know, the kind of thing I'd learn if I read the newspapers for long enough."
"Well, we're the Teen Titans, resident crime fighters of Jump City," Cyborg started. "I'm Cyborg, the green grass stain is Beast Boy, Robin's the one in the mask, Starfire is the redhead, and Raven's the one in the blue cloak. As you can obviously see, we live in a giant tower in the middle of the bay, and we respond to criminals that the police and normal authorities are incapable of handling."
"Read: don't want to," Raven interjected.
"That's about all we permit the newspapers to legally print. I cannot stress how many libel cases we had before the newspapers and news stations got it through their management that we do not want to become tabloids," Robin finished.
Noctis leaned back in his seat, a smirk finding its way onto his face. "Maybe I should've asked for a more personal introduction, then. Oh well, this was all for Raven's benefit, so it doesn't really matter too much. If we're done here, though, I'd like some sleep."
Slowly, Noctis rose to his feet and headed towards the kitchen area, bringing his plate with him. As he placed it in the sink, Robin got Raven's attention with a wave. He proceeded to jerk his head towards Noctis - his way of reminding her of their agreement for permitting Noctis to stay. She sighed, but rose to her feet and joined Noctis in the kitchen.
"As per my agreement with our glorious leader, I am responsible for you while you are a guest in the tower," Raven reminded him in her monotone. "As such, I'll escort you to the guest room, if you'll follow me."
"Wonderful," Noctis commented, falling in beside her as she walked up a set of stairs. "I haven't slept in four days, so I might be a bit… late, as it were, to wake up tomorrow. If I wake up at all. Might sleep for a couple days. Hell knows I could use it." Raven merely nodded, saying nothing else.
"Well, here's the door," Raven announced, stopping beside a non-descript looking door. After she hit a few keys on a pad next to the door, it slid open with a low hiss, revealing a comfortable looking room with a medium sized bed, and an attached bathroom. "Sleep well, Noctis."
"And you too, Raven." Noctis entered the room, and the door slid shut behind him. When he was certain the door was sealed, he murmured in a low tone. "Not the least obeisance made she, not a minute stopped or stayed she. But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door. Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door. Perched and sat - and nothing more."
A/N: This is the first story that I've written and published, so any constructive feedback is most welcome.
Disclaimers: I cannot, with any modicum of honesty, claim that I own Teen Titans. Also, credit given where credit is due - the poem that Noctis is reciting at the beginning is from Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven', which I'm using for hopefully obvious reasons. I do admit to altering the punctuation as it seemed fitting to do so, and I also changed 'he' to 'she' at the very end.