A/N: We'll keep this short and sweet for the time being. So this is based on a dream I had years ago. Starting off, you may get a Sue-ish vibe just from the powers of this person and his biology, but... I urge you to not be hasty. I 'll try hard to make him not Sue-ish, but please do not assume he will be so right off the bat. The term Mary Sue and its associated relatives have been widely misused these days, such that when someone does label a character as being Sue-ish they're probably not using the term correctly.

It's rated M because it will be taking a darker look (hopefully) at this world. There will be sexual themes, language not suitable for children, death, and other things meant for mature teens and adults. Teen might've been more appropriate, but given how the former is going to be present and that's an M rating thingy, it seemed I should be safe.

But if it doesn't seem like it's M as I progress, I'll edit it to be T.

O~O~O

"Is this the place, Cyborg?" Robin said as he peered out over a cliff.

"Should be. My scanners are saying this is where Slade was last detected."

The cliffs were barren mountains and a desolate gorge, a range of bleak brown on the outskirts of Jump City. No grass had grown, the ground had become rough and cracked, and the heat was unbearable. What Slade was searching for out here was unknown to the Titans, as there was nothing of value. The sky was dotted a crimson red, as if stained by the blood of many innocents, the sun rising up in the distance to cast an eerie radiance amidst the horizon. Raven thought to herself that it meant something bad happened, or was to happen. But she didn't feel the need to voice these thoughts.

Cyborg began inputting various code sequences into his cybernetic arm, hoping to glean something of interest that would aid them in their endeavor.

But nothing came.

"I don't get it. Why would Slade want to come here?" Beast Boy asked with a yawn. Being woken up early in the morning was never something his body handled well. For that matter, being woken up at all was not something his body handled well.

Before Robin could say a word on what he believed to be the answer, they saw a figure moving in the shadows below them. It was too far to make out, but it was moving nonetheless. Yelling the order for the Titans to move out, they began to descend down the mountain in their own ways. Starfire and Raven flew down, Beastboy changed form into a hawk, while Cyborg and Robin jumped from ledge to ledge or slid down the Cliffside. Deftly, they dodged falling boulders that decided to join their pursuit. Closer and closer they came to this figure.

You're mine now Slade, Robin thought inwardly. The bitter hatred that he harbored toward his nemesis festered like an open wound with every encounter they had in the past that resulted in him escaping. He insisted his judgment wasn't clouded by it, but he knew his allies and, more importantly, his friends didn't believe it.

Not a few days prior had Slade shown himself once more to the Titans; revealing that Terra's sacrifice of redemption had not truly resulted in his demise. The thought of those trying months still left a bitter taste in Robin's mouth. He had never forgiven himself for failing to see the threat Terra posed, even if he had forgiven her. The monument that lay beneath the earth held a plaque near and dear to their hearts, saying that the things Terra had searched for so long she had finally acquired. Friends, family, and a home. Encased in stone, she stood there, arms outstretched as if to gather people towards her.

Robin wanted answers. Perhaps Slade had some inkling as to how the effects could be reversed, but moreover he wanted to make sure that he paid and that he would not harm his friend Raven. Twice in the past had he used a member of the Titans for his own agenda, and Robin would be damned if he would allow that to happen again.

Now halfway down the mountain, they saw more of who the figure was. It was draped in a ragged black cloak, torn almost to shreds and with the remnants of its hood draped over the head. The enigmatic person was running quickly, as if trying to avoid something.

Or find something, Robin thought again.

"Slade! Stop right there!" he shouted out, jumping from one ledge to the next.

The being turned and looked up, but the face was shrouded beneath strange shadow. Not even the light of the day would illuminate what the Titans were pursuing. It was as if a wraith that stalked the darkest areas of the world was down there, and not any man. The sun was now pressing up against the skyline more and more, its brightly colored streaks giving the blood skies a distinct orange hue to add to their splendor.

"Doesn't look like he's going to listen, Robin." Cyborg said sarcastically.

"Then we'll just have to make him listen!" Raven cried out into the air. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

With that, Raven's eyes turned black from her power and darkness swelled forth from the ground around the figure in the form of a circle. The ground fissured beneath it, the weight of her arcane might having taken a heavy toll upon the land. Trapped, the figure looked around but saw that he couldn't run in any direction. The narrow pass that he was ensconced in was now without a method of retreat.

"Good job friend Raven!" Starfire shouted excitedly.

The Titans were now close to the bottom, the ground strewn with boulders serving as monuments with their own stories to tell. They could now make out even more of who the figure was. He was tall, with broad shoulders and an imposing countenance. Doubtless that he was strong, and his appearance matched that of Slade's from what they could tell.

A strong breeze came through and passed over the black prison, bringing dust into it. The figure looked up and saw that the top was open and clear, with no shadows keeping him at bay. Leaping into the air, he placed a foot on the edge of the confinement built from darkness and gracefully jumped towards the ground, wherein he continued to run.

"Man… why's he gotta keep running?" Beastboy groaned as he switched to his normal form. "Can't Slade just stay there and wait for us?"

"Come on BB, do you really want it to be that easy?" Cyborg said with an easy smile as he gave Beastboy a strong pat on his back. Beastboy shrugged in response, saying that they always choose to run and it doesn't make a difference. And that he really hated running on an empty stomach.

"Complain later!" Robin berated them as he ran ahead of the group. Starfire and Raven quickly followed suit, flying in unison.

Running, running, running. It seemed like they had been running after their target for hours beyond counting, the sun now bearing its heat down upon them heavily in the barren wasteland. The sunburned cliffs were riddled with gnarled roots and withered trees as they pressed forward, as if a great inferno had stricken a once fertile land and turned it to naught but ash and dust.

The elusive figure was darting across the valley even faster then before, almost to the point that the Titans couldn't catch up with him. Beastboy turned into a cheetah, galloping elegantly, to match his speed. Soon, he came up beside him and leapt at his opponent, switching his form to that of a lion. His mane swayed in another gentle breeze as he began to claw at who he believed to be Slade, the claws taking more and more pieces of the frayed cloth with them.

As he readied himself to pounce, an explosion caught his attention. Beaming his eyes up, he saw a deadly mixture of stones, varying in size, barreling down towards him. With each fall they took more and more with them, the mountain now collapsing entirely. Scared, he turned into a peregrine falcon and took to the air, flying back to meet with his companions once again. His regal green wings enabled him to glide easily across the air as the rocks missed their target.

"Heh", the green changeling uttered as he shifted form. "Guess I forgot about his new powers."

"Beastboy, are you injured?" Starfire asked innocently, concerned for her friend's well-being.

As he stretched and rotated his arms, he pushed back a few tufts of hair that had fallen into his face with his right hand and smiled gently at her. "Nah, I'm fine. A bit sore from getting out of there so fast, but I'm good."

Robin and the rest quickly moved past the two of them, leaving them standing amidst the desolation. Starfire turned her head to see that Robin was now at the lead, and moving faster still.

Raven, Starfire noticed, had actually stopped amidst all the strewn boulders that nearly crushed Beastboy. Something had caught her eye, and she bent down to pick it up, carefully sorting through the debris so as to not destroy what she sought out. When she was finished, she tucked the object in a small pouch attached to her belt.

"Friend Raven, what did you stop for?" Starfire said as she and her emerald companion caught up to the silent sorceress.

"Now's not the time for talking, Star", the green changeling informed her as he pointed off into the distance. "Look, over there."

Where Robin was, the world began once more to turn into verdant pastures. Green trees were visible every now and then, but for the most part it was open fields they were running through. Beastboy told Starfire they'd best catch up before all the fun was missed, wherein he changed form into a hawk to fly the distance.

Running, running, running. All the running had done was make Robin even more determined. If he hadn't been pursuing Slade, he might've stopped to climb a tree and take in the scenic vistas with his friends. But not now. That was unimportant, for at least the moment. The bloodied skies overhead had now switched to an azure hue, with white fluffy clouds of grand size coating the skyline and more often then not coaxing the sun into hiding from the earth's eyes.

The heat was beginning to take its toll on the group, but most of all Robin. Sweat was trickling down his forehead as he gave chase, trying their best to keep him cool. Robin blinked quickly, trying to keep it from flowing into his eyes. He could feel the grime on his face that came from a hard day's exertion, but he didn't care about that. He didn't care about the heat. He wouldn't allow himself to stop for rest or faint and let Slade get away.

A breeze came by and gave him gentle relief, cooling his body down. With his body no longer plagued by the sun's rays as much as it was, he felt certain that he could press forward.

"He's running out of room to run now", Cyborg said confidently, seemingly bored by everything. "Soon enough he'll stand on a cliff overlooking the ocean."

The Boy Wonder, unfazed in his momentum or by Cyborg's comments, reached for his utility belt and took out a birdarang gun. I won't let you get away that easily.Firing it, a long tensile wire was attached to the metal bird and wrapped itself around his quarry's legs.

Jerking the string with his hands, the string tightened around the figure's legs and brought him to a halt. Falling face first in the dirt, Robin moved atop his captured foe's body, ready and willing to interrogate him. By now, the rest of the Titans had moved to join up with him.

"Nice! You caught Slade, Robin!" Beastboy shouted with enthusiasm, bearing that self-confident aura that marked him so thoroughly and annoyed Raven to no end.

"Too easily." Raven added. "Because that's not Slade." The others looked at her in bewilderment, not realizing what she was saying. Even Robin, who had single-mindedly focused on Slade, looked at her with his eyes held wide and the makings of a scowl on his face.

A deathly silence fell over the group, their prey trapped beneath the combined weight of his ragged cloak and Robin's strength. No sound emanated from him, and for half a heartbeat Robin feared that he had killed the person he was chasing. Gently easing himself off of the man's back, he untied the rope around his legs and retracted the gadget completely.

"If he's not Slade, then who is he?" Cyborg asked, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

But no sooner had she opened her mouth to explain then had a new voice broken in, disrupting the still air around them.

"Well, well… the Teen Titans. How very… quaint for you to come out here and visit little old me."

Looking around, the group couldn't see anything for miles in either direction. The fields were as empty as a graveyard in terms of life. The skies only contained the shifting clouds in all their random shapes. And out on the ocean was the occasional ship heading towards a local harbor. For all they could tell, a ghost had appeared out of nowhere to taunt them. And it was a voice they all knew too well.

At first, Robin thought that it was the man below despite Raven's earlier assertion, but he quickly noticed that the enigmatic soul was unconscious, sleeping blissfully away. So you're not him, whoever you are. Even with the full light on him, he was still cloaked in shadow, incapable of being seen.

Cyborg began to input various codes and sequences into his metal arm, hoping to scan the area and find some trace of their new "guest". Raven began to meditate hoping to sense his aura, while Starfire and Beastboy took to the skies. Robin, restricted to the ground, took out his birdarang sword and swung at the air violently to get a feel for it.

In the end, all of the Titans came to the same conclusion, confident in the veracity of their beliefs.

"Slade", they all said in unison, their voices forming a choir chanting a hymn towards what some might view as the devil incarnate.

"Astute, aren't we?"

And from beneath their feet past the cliffs rose their nemesis, clad in the same black-gold armor he so liked to wear, his left eye staring intently at them in narrowed form, mocking them all. But most of all, it was mocking Robin, reminding him of how he never truly stopped Slade. Of how he had served him. And how, most of all, the two of them were alike, loathe as Robin was to admit the idea.

He casually strode towards the group, as if they were nothing more then an inconsequential gathering of gnats buzzing about his head on a burning summer's morn. Folding his arms behind his back, he began to walk on air towards them.

"What are you doing here, Slade?" Robin asked forcefully, tired of all the times Slade had evaded justice. "Why pursue Raven? Why come out to here?"

"Robin", Slade said almost exhaustedly, "you could never understand my motives. I know yours, but you would never be able to see why I do the things I do. But if you want to know so desperately, I seek the boy at your feet. I won't let you take him."

"Why? What does he gain you?" Raven asked, her eyes glowing white like pure fire as she began to project part of her soul-self.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Slade asked sarcastically as he leapt towards them, intent on bandying no more words.

He began with a roundhouse kick to Robin that took him completely by surprise in the jaw, sending him flying across the fields. Starfire launched a volley of starbolts at Slade, to which he countered with a shield of dark fire. When she focused her energy and sent a stream of energy from her eyes towards him, Slade deftly jumped into the air and grabbed her by the arm, flinging her towards the ground.

She quickly regained her composure, only to see that Slade had summoned a pillar of fire from beneath her to meet her. Struck in the stomach, she was sent at an accelerated rate pummeling towards the ocean, the calm blue waters ready to swallow her up as a new visitor to their hallowed halls of the deep. Beastboy quickly intervened, shifting form to that of a pterodactyl and clutching Starfire in his claws, easing her slowly onto the ground.

"Thank you, Beastboy." She said as she stood up again, brushing the dirt off of her miniskirt. Robin was now pressing the attack alongside Cyborg, conjoining their attacks. Cyborg's sonic blaster sent out waves of energy, pulsating all throughout the ground, sending it soaring towards their nemesis. Slade knocked them aside with ease, only to be pelted by a flurry of freeze discs, rendering him immobile.

But even then, his new powers kicked in. The ice that encased his body began to rapidly melt away as his hands burned intensely, the water now forming a puddle at the base of his feet.

"Really, Robin, I expected better of my old apprentice."

"I was never your apprentice! Only one person was my mentor!"

"Robin, you wound me. We are so very much alike, you know."

Robin then threw his body at Slade in anger, kicking and punching in rapid succession. For each attack, Slade matched it perfectly. Robin's leg was intercepted by Slade's; Robin's fist collided with Slade's own. They were in perfect sync; a martial dance in such stunning unison that it might seem otherworldly and beautiful.

Robin threw an uppercut at Slade that took him square in the jaw, sending him flying back. But Slade rebounded and landed on his hand, spinning in a wild arc with his legs outstretched that almost caught Robin.

All the time, Robin felt that he had heard sickening crunches with each successful blow, as if bones were breaking from the sheer force of the two enemies. Robin felt nothing, so he knew it wasn't his. And if Slade's bones were crushed, he made nothing to indicate such a thing. No grimace of pain was heard, no flinch or recoil, nor did he clutch his hands. All he did was stretch his body as if this was the first workout he'd had in a long time.

"It's amazing what you can do when you're so full of vigor." He said loudly as he threw orbs of fire at the Titans. Robin could sense that Slade was smiling sinisterly beneath his mask, taking a strange pride in what he was doing.

Robin managed to duck behind a rock jutting from the earth in such form that it seemed to be a sword spawned from the depths of hell. Slade's powers were beginning to take their toll on the stone weapon, and Robin knew soon enough he'd have nowhere left to go. He peered over his shoulder eastward to see that the cloaked figure had begun to rise, now aware of his surroundings in full. His hood – or what was left of it – had now fallen from his face and Robin saw that the figure was a young man no older in appearance then having celebrated his eighteenth birthday.

His long flowing brown hair tumbled gently about his shoulders, swaying slightly in the breeze. His face was smooth and perfectly rounded, with a strong jaw at its core. His eyes were as wide as saucers, taking in what he was witnessing. His skin was pallid, as if sick with a deadly ailment, but the man did not seem to be wanting for strength.

Rolling away from the now useless shield, he ventured a step or two towards the young man while the other Titans fought on. The boy backed away slowly, and Robin yelled at him to run away when he finally stopped in his tracks. The boy just stood there, staring as he tilted his head to the side. Robin couldn't tell why he wasn't running, but he knew that standing about wouldn't help matters either.

Turning, he saw Starfire unleash hellfire down upon Slade, who could only use his arms as a shield to protect his body from the full brunt of the blasts. Catching one in a net of flames, he mixed it with his own demonic powers and sent it flying back towards her. Only a moment before it would've hit her did she dodge it.

Robin jumped back into the fray, keeping Slade on his toes with another relentless push of attacks. Taking him by surprise in the back with an aerial kick, Slade recovered his footing and snatched Robin's leg, running and dragging him across the earth as if he were but a sack of potatoes. Using his other leg, Robin tripped the resurrected menace and freed himself before dropping an explosive.

Cyborg once more sent out a blast from his arm's cannon that hit the explosive, detonating it. Slade was sent flying back with a small shout, but before he could get his bearings a shadow loomed overhead growing progressively larger. Turning to face the sky, Slade's eyes went wide as he saw what was about to happen.

"Banzai!" Beastboy shouted before turning into a stegosaurus, crushing Slade beneath his weight. The look on Beastboy's face was that of almost contentment, until a low rumbling from beneath him took him by surprise. Slade summoned an unimaginable strength as he lifted the changeling and tossed him at the other Titans, Raven and Cyborg in particular.

Knowing that remaining in that form would be disastrous if he landed on top of them, Beastboy reverted back to his original form and knocked Raven down into the dirt, the two of them at opposite ends of each other.

"Beastboy, get your butt out of my face... now." Raven said with cold anger.

He did, though his head was spinning from the impact and so he sat for a minute or two catching his breath. Slade didn't seem to be willing to give Beastboy the breather, hurtling orbs of dark fire at him, knocking him unconscious. The Teen Titans were now down to four.

"Beastboy!" Starfire cried out.

"Really, is this the best your group can do Robin? After everything I've done, I would've expected more from them. From you."

Robin ignored the remark, lunging at Slade as he hit him constantly in the chest, though Slade seemed more amused then anything else as he spun in a circular arc and knocked Robin to the side. Raven conjured up her energy as she pulled the earth from beneath Slade's feet and trapped him within. The other Titans gathered around to take it in, hoping that they had finally won and could question the man.

They were wrong. The earth rumbled and cracked, violent streaks of orange visible within.

"Move!" Robin yelled bluntly, knowing that an explosion was imminent. Unfortunately, the explosion came mere seconds after the order and the group was sent flying back. Lying on the ground, Robin looked around to see his friends were now unable to help. Pulling his body to its feet, the weight of it feeling as heavy as cargo container, he wouldn't give up. Not now, not here.

Slade didn't even consider Robin worth his time anymore. With a slight push, Robin fell towards his knees. As he sat there, unable to move, he noticed a shadow leaping over him, blocking out the sun ever so briefly. Turning his head, Slade was diving headlong towards the young man. As his feet hit the ground, Slade rolled inward to break the fall and quickly ran towards his true target. Robin turned his head all around to see the rest of the Teen Titans were scattered and wounded, Slade having carefully picked them off.

But Slade quickly found that his target would not face the same fate. At a command, the earth swallowed Slade whole, trapping him in a prison several feet thick. As he tried to burn his way through as he had done once before, the young man closed a fist and at once his stone cage detonated like a bomb was strapped to it, sending Slade flying unawares towards the ocean.

Robin stared and saw the boy ascending in the air, shaking violently as the powers coalesced, as if his body were a city caught in the wake of a massive earthquake. From his eyes, it seemed as if blood were spilling forth, raining from every orifice in his face, yet he could see no apparent wound. The blood stained the ground, forever captured like in all battles, where as time passes on the world itself will remember what deeds were performed on those days.

When Slade tried to fly towards him, pillars of water surrounded him, rising up from the ocean. Robin could feel a mist forming from the salty water; he could smell the seaweed and the infinite smell of renewal. The pillars then emulated their stone counterparts, threatening to drown Slade. He gasped for air, his eyes growing wider and wider as he let loose the fire he now commanded. They tore holes through the watery grave-to-be, but the figure quickly sent his fire to match it, rendering the water to boil from within. Slade cried out in pain, but as he passed out from the pain the figure promptly let go of his grip on everything.

Slade fell from the skies, his unconscious body threatening to never again rise again. But the man, for reasons Robin could not know, sent a surge of wind to guide Slade past the verdant fields and the desolate wasteland. Part of Robin suspected it was due to fear, another part out of some sense of pity and mercy. At the same time, the lad looked visibly exhausted by all of it, so perhaps that played a part in it as well.

Slowly, the other four Titans began to waltz towards Robin, stumbling like drunkards with faces displaying a sense of shock and awe.

"Whoa…" Beastboy said, unable to come up with any immature joke or enthusiastic comment.

"Whoa is right", Cyborg said. "Now I see why he didn't want us getting to him."

"We should go talk to him." Robin said as he dusted off his clothes and walked over to greet the young man, who was now turned to the horizon as he gazed at where he had last sent Slade. "Hey, I'm Robin. What's your—"

Robin could scarcely finish his question when a minor explosion took him off his feet, causing him to fall backwards.

"Rguq lupm! Rguq uwuq bhed da!" the young man cried out.

"He's afraid", Raven said as she helped Robin to his feet. "Whatever he's saying, it's out of fear."

"Hey, don't be afraid of us! We're the Teen Titans! We're the good guys, and we're not like Slade." Beastboy said half friendly and half insulted.

"Taufa da uteva! Cirg ke!" he shouted at them as he ran away towards the fields, erecting a stone dome around them to bar them from following. When Raven and Starfire took it down, the entire group of Titans saw that he had vanished into thin air, as if he had never existed in the first place.

"I am confused", Starfire said in her usual tone of innocence as she anxiously rubbed her arms. "Why would he be afraid of us?"

"Robin, should we go after him?" Cyborg said as he began to call for the T-Ship.

"It wouldn't matter." Raven said, floating in front of the group. Whoever he is, he flew out of here as soon as he could."

"Flew? Raven, he didn't exactly have any wings."

"He did Beastboy", she said as she pulled out her pouch. "We just couldn't see them from beneath that cloak, torn as it was. Look."

"A feather?" Robin said as he began to inspect it, as if this was integral to unraveling everything. The feather was large and white, so it evidently wasn't from Beastboy's transformations. "Who is this guy?"

"And why does Slade wish to see him destroyed?" Starfire added.

"That also bothered me", Raven answered. "I don't think he wants him destroyed at all. If there's one thing we've learned in all of our encounters with Slade, it's that nothing he says can be taken at face value. Slade led us out here deliberately, when he could've easily avoided us. To think that we know what he's doing and why he's doing it would mean we've already lost."

Robin nodded in agreement, signifying he was thinking the same thing.

"We'll continue this discussion back at the tower." Robin said authoritatively, looking to the sky to see the T-Ship descending towards them. As they sat down in their assigned positions, Robin couldn't help but muse where the days were leading. Certainly, they were stranger then ever before.

But he couldn't have expected what was to follow. No one could.