Demon's Blood
Chap. 1
Dreamscape
The dead city was all around. The buildings stank of death and decay. No signs of life could be seen. No birds sang, no cars roamed the streets, nothing. The only thing that seemed to give impressions of life was the multitude of statues that littered the streets. But there was a tragic irony in it; for once those statues had been the inhabitants of the city; people who had laughed and worked and lived within it. Now, they were gone, victims of the evil that had ravaged not only their city, but the world around them. Nowhere was this more evident then in the area of Titans Tower. This proud building, home to the city's guardians, was in ruins. Around was littered the stone bodies of its guardians, the Teen Titans and the WILDB.R.A.T.S. The fearless Robin, innocent Starfire, intelligent Neuron, guileless Bartman, powerful Cyborg, jovial Beast Boy, sarcastic Heatstrike, nervous Whimpernel, curious Polar, even the immortals Nightstalker and Lightweaver, blessed by the darkest shadow and the purest lights who had yet found joy with one another, had not been able to withstand the evil. But they were not alone on the island. One being stood with them, looking and staring at the stone forms of those who had been her friends, who through her, had been brought into torment and darkness.
Raven stood there alone, on the broken isle, seeing the horror of what her friends had become. Tears ran down her face, as she tried to avert her gaze from it. But she did not weep just for them, no. She also wept for herself, for this place was not yet real, but it could be. It was a future that she had seen, and one that she had helped to write. "This can't happen," she sobbed over and over. "It can't." But they were words that had less and less meaning each time she said them. For what could she do to avoid this? It was her destiny, which had been prophesied from the day she had been born. This was the final chapter in the life of the daughter of the demon. As she looked at the figure of the Nightstalker, she remembered his words to her; that nothing was in stone, that her destiny was only what could be. He had always been so hopeful about her, refusing to give up, trying to give as much of a joyful life as he could. For he had joy in life, despite his dark lineage, so he refused to accept that she could not have it. "You were wrong Brett." She whispered, as she ran her fingers over his stone face. "You were wrong about me."
Suddenly, she heard movement behind. Slowly she turned; to face the massive form of the one being she feared more then any other. Looking down, her father spoke to her. "You cannot avoid this Raven. This world is your creation, your gift to me, as my power was a gift to you." "I never wanted this!" Raven screamed. "I never wanted the power! I never wanted you!" His eyes gleamed as he replied, "That does not matter now. The time is upon us, and soon your destiny and mine will be realized." The eyes on his forehead glowed, as his power shot down and enveloped his daughter. As the energy crackled around her, Raven could feel his power flow into her, change her. She struggled to resist, but the power was unavoidable. More and more she began to realize the power her father held was infinite, his command of it a force like none that ever been before. Slowly, Raven stopped struggling and began to embrace the darkness around her…..
"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed, as she woke up from the nightmare. Breathing hard, Raven sat up, her body glistening with fear and sweat. The dream had been so real this time. She had had it every night for a week now. Each night it became more and more real, more and more powerful. But that was not what scared her the most. What scared her was that despite it all, she had begun to fear the dream less…. and welcome it more. "What am I going to do?" she whispered in the night, as though someone would answer. But no one did, and Raven was left alone in the dark, to ponder and fear the day that seemed to be coming closer with each hour.