Chains of the Sundering

Chapter 0

The third in the Trilogy of Chains. I have no idea how this will read as a standalone story but it will contain direct links to the events described in the first two stories.

Hope you enjoy it.

Prologue

Trigon stood high above the dimension of chaos and might. These circles were his conquest, worlds where all of his kind bowed before him and trembled with fear at his very name.

For all of his minions and responsibilities, his gaze was instead turned on another. He was intrigued about his daughter and the events that had transpired in the last cycles. His heir had retreated to where the betrayers sank so slowly in ice so deep, burning in the cold of isolation and despair.

She would have settled in to her role as leader if ever the time of his death came, ruled with a harder fist than he did if not for a pesky mortal that deigned to invade the afterlife before his time. These occurrences had happened in increasing frequency of late, one entering the Hells to save another. The first of which was Orpheus of Greece and the latest being Garfield of Jump City.

He could never understand these attachments the humans made with each other. Every other race in the universe consigned their lost to the abyss while humans strove to reunite with their loved ones, either trying to resurrect them or following them into oblivion.

It was his duty to keep the souls to their torment bit this particular human had invaded Hell to return the teammate who had submitted herself to her birthright.

Trigon had watched as the green one bypassed the main gate. He had watched as it was captured by Asmodea, his daughter of lust. He had watched it as it fought in the arena. He had watched as it stumbled through the desert. He sent it off as it went to meet his daughter at the end of dimensions.

With his unrests quelled and his daughter in lesser hands than anything he could command, the demon lord returned to his throne. He was unchanged by the act of selflessness and desperation. His breath was drawn unhitched and his heart rate kept the same beat it had done for untold millennia.

"An unusual act of kindness for the overlord of evil." Came a voice that had a hint of cunning and loathing.

His ear twitched at the unexpected voice and his fists tightened. Trigon grumbled. "You must be commended. No being has ever come so close without alerting their presence."

A hooded man strode into view from behind the throne. "You learn a thing or two after coming back from the dead."

Trigon instantly recognized him even though his face was shrouded. "Your merits show themselves again. Rare is the man able to retain his thoughts in this realm."

The man remained silent, though the murderous stare could be seen even though the darkness of his hood.

"Be gone, mortal. Your usefulness ended the moment I cast you from my service."

"I'm not here to be your puppet again. I'll be the one to pull the strings from now on."

Sensing an imminent threat, the Demon raised his hand, only to have his magic powers sealed before he could attack. His hand had raised with no darkness rushing forth from it. The absence of his power had affected him more than anything had in the past. He had to purely rely on his senses for the first time in years.

A female voice broke the silence. "It's different, isn't it? To have power taken right from under your nose." A red lady with flowing black hair hovered into view above the highest tower where the throne was located. Her eyes glowed a deep crimson, straining to maintain the seal.

Trigon straightened and glared at the newcomer. "Blaze. A lesser plan from a lesser demon. You cannot hope to fathom what you have wrought."

The demoness growled, her anger frothing to no foreseeable end. "I am NOT LESSER." She yelled, jutting her chest out and throwing a sizable blast of energy at the demon lord.

Trigon blocked the attack easily with his bracelets, tensing up before preparing for battle.

"You think that you can defeat me if you seal away my power?" With blinding speed, he threw a punch towards the demoness who barely had a chance to dodge. "I have not ruled for so long based on my power alone."

The cloak flew open and human hands tossed a few daggers at the demon lord, but they barely pierced through the skin. "My blood is what gives me the right to rule. My strength is what has allowed me to keep it. My children will be the ones to defeat me, not you!"

With most of her power being used in maintaining the seal, Blaze could only use the most rudimentary of attacks, most melting at the touch of his skin and causing him very brief moments of pain. The attacks combined and one threw him off balance. In the moment that Trigon stumbled, the two usurpers pounced, attacking the demon lord with as much might as they could muster.

The old man seemed to have an unending arsenal under his cloak, all manner of daggers and sharp objects lined with runes of reinforcement thrown at the Lord of Terror in his weakened state.

The barrage lasted only a moment but Trigon was brought to one knee before he could even retaliate. The pain was excruciating for him and the most he had experienced since his defeat at the hands of the Titans so many years ago.

He took every hit and suffered through every blow while waiting for an opening to attack. The demoness was ruthless in her assault, using seals and sigils to unleash unholy vengeance on her vicious leader. She was astounded at the new powers she held, reveling in the greater strength that her abilities.

The last of the daggers protruding from Trigons body melted as his regenerating powers kicked in, some of his power returning as more of the energy directed at him was shifting more for annihilation than suppression.

In a show of pain and force, Trigon threw off the assault as easily as he would a cape. The outburst caused his attackers to recoil, weakening the magic sealing his powers. Blaze was thrown to the side, knocking her unconscious. His eyes glowed with rage at the downed demoness, ignoring the insignificant human.

"Pitiful creatures. You cannot win against the Lord of Terror!"

A steady voice broke through the menacing aura the demon lord was projecting. "Lord of the Demons." The cloaked man scoffed. Trigon spared a glance at the human, only to freeze at the sight of a glint in his hand. "You don't understand a thing about the limitless power of mankind!"

That was the first fear the Demon King ever felt. The proof that this man, who, with nothing else left in his arsenal, was not speaking words of vainglory was in Trigons eyes. He was paralyzed as the glint became a shine that came towards him, the light striking terror into the master of fear.

He faltered as the blade pierced his skin without disintegrating at his touch. He watched in disbelief as the blade sunk deeper, eating away at his power until the cold grasp of death crept its way into his heart.

As his lungs exhaled in a show of disbelief and submission, a single word escaped his lips before collapsing completely. "Impossible."

Slade Wilson strode towards the quickly decaying corpse and plucked the spear from the chest it was plunged into. There was no prayer for the departed or a bow of respect to an honorable warrior, only a sneer of derision at an evil long past its time.

A flick of his wrist caused the cloak to drop at Slades feet, no longer requiring any costume or deception. He started towards the now-vacant blood-stained throne, wood shrinking to better accommodate its new master.

Instead of sitting down, he stopped beside it and turned around. "Your new throne is ready, my Mistress."

The fallen demoness slowly rose, recovering from being knocked down by the previous ruler. She looked around and smiled. She straightened her dress and walked to the throne, resting back on the cold and unforgiving wood. Blaze leaned forwards and brought her hands together, mimicking the being that once occupied the seat of power.

"Don't you mean 'My Queen?'" The demoness demanded.

Slade bowed further, concealing the grimace that came with capitulating to anyone lower than him. "Yes, my Queen."

As she set into her place a hum vibrated across the circle. The peal of a horn resounded across the region as if marking the change in leadership and commemorating the loss of the long-lived leader.

The ex-mercenary brought a hand up to his lip, successfully masking the smile that was snaking across his face.

"What was that sound?" Blaze asked.

Slade calmed himself instantly. "You wanted a signal, my Queen. That's just the one we need." His new world needed a sign and it had come as if by fate itself.

Blaze looked forwards and nodded as if she knew it all along. The man almost broke his facade again. it had been so easy to manipulate this lesser demon. They could be so easy to predict and control, it just took knowledge and cunning, of which he had in spades.

His plan had finally come to fruition and not even the armies of Hell could keep him from the endgame. He smiled. "Let the chaos begin."

(At the Entrance of Hell)

She drew a breath that she never thought she would take again. The familiar air filled her lungs and with it, her senses and her knowledge of her existence. The energy present in the area was distinctive and unique with only one possible answer as to where she was.

Hell.

In a mixture of sadness and bewilderment, her fingers clawed the ground, gathering up dry dirt in her palm and staining her nails with the sediment. Dust was pushed up and stray particles swept into her mouth, making her cough violently in an effort to clear her airway. The action brought her to her elbows and knees, rising above the ground that her breasts were pressed against.

The dirt in her hands was let go and she made a move to wipe any remaining dirt from her hair and face. At the first touch, she knew that something was amiss. She could feel the tips of her fingers brush against her eyelids, but they were slightly higher than where they should have been, where they had been before.

With her eyes still shut, she used her other hand to confirm that her eyes were higher on her forehead, only to feel the same sheath of skin in a lower place than both her normal and new ones were. Further probing made her feel something wholly unreal to her. And yet, vaguely familiar.

She took a leap of faith and opened her eyes one at a time.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Four eyes. It took longer for her mind to comprehend the meaning of it than it took her eyes to adjust to the ambient lighting but the full realization hit her just as her eyes revealed the scope of her situation.

She had expected to be on Earth, to have normal eyes, normal teeth, and normal hair. Well, purple was normal for her.

How very wrong she was.

She looked down and saw the exact opposite to what she was expecting.

Where she wanted to see pale skin, she saw crimson and fire. Where she wanted to see short purple hair, she saw long and white. Where she wanted to have her human body weak from inactivity, she was a demon invigorated to the point of perfect health.

She closed her fist and slammed it on the ground. All that effort had been for nothing. He had invaded the Hells to bring them both back to Earth, only to fail, stranding her in Hell in a more corrupted form.

Beastboy...

It was at that point that she could hear breathing beside her. She looked around and saw someone curled up and breathing slowly. The green skin clued her into the person's identity and she moved her hand over to him, both checking his status and confirming that he was really there.

At her touch, he rose to meet her gaze. He looked right at her and she was taken aback at what she saw. It was him, but at the same time, he wasn't. His face had the right angular shape and yet it was more ragged, more feral.

One look at him and she could tell; this was just a shell with his face. What was inside was both demonic and animalistic at the same time. There was no soul beneath his milky eyes, just a collection of instincts and aggression.

His body was slender but muscular, rippling fibers of power sewn along his bones. His teeth were jagged and razor sharp, seemingly unable to hide themselves from view. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were intimidating, able to stare down any opponent.

He had all the signs of a mindless animal but his gaze softened when he looked at her. A twinge of joy coursed through her when she saw that he recognized her, making her satisfied that a part of Beastboy was still there, if only a shadow.

His pointed ears perked up, reacting to a sound she couldn't hear. He looked around wildly, trying desperately to find the source, leaving her to try to find it herself. His ears perked again at a sound, only to hear it herself, the tang of metal clashing against metal. She could tell the direction of the sound and they both looked behind her.

Their eyes saw far across the plains from where they fell and spotted the gates that they had both seen so long ago. What was different was that the gates were hanging open with the sound of battle coming from behind it.

She stood up to see smoke rose from behind the walls and movement could be seen inside of the gates. Raven had been gone for no more than a day and already things were more chaotic than anything she had seen before. Something bad had happened to make it like this.

Any and all fights were taken to the Fifth Circle, to the arenas of Dis until they were settled. For any fights to take place outside of those gladiator pits, for them to take place near the gates of the First Circle was almost inconceivable. The only way that would happen would be during...

War.

Her four golden eyes narrowed and her fists shook with rage. She knew what must have happened but didn't know who was responsible. Whoever did it would feel her wrath. And they would feel it soon.

She snapped her fingers and instantly the green monster stood to attention. He had grown from a gangly youth to a towering hulk rising over her. She spared a glance in his direction. He would need a name and she knew the most fitting one for him.

"Garfield."

He straightened when he heard his name, awaiting an order from the heir to the throne of Hell.

Raven grinned. "Come, Garfield. We have an afterlife to rule."

She walked to the gates with him in close proximity, eager to restore order to her realm.

(Meanwhile, on Earth)

Starfire sat down soon after Beastboy departed. His quest was noble and his damsel was most certainly in distress, but he was leaving her behind to chase after impossible odds and undefeatable enemies.

Were they on Tamaran, such a sacrifice would warrant nothing less than a ballad lasting several hours and a feast day dedicated to him, successful or otherwise.

They were, however, on Earth and the best they could hope for was maybe a TV show or cartoon dedicated to them. Certainly not something to last through the eons as a source of courage and might.

She was still upset at his leaving her behind. the action was so grave that she was forced through the eight stages of Tamaranian depression in the space of an hour. She took out her anger on the stone she had sat on, the grief on the now-burned bushels of thorns at the entrance of the area, and the forgiveness on the vole that she had injured in her rampage.

The day that passed was the longest that she had ever experienced. A million thoughts shot through her head and her body was flooded with adrenaline. She couldn't sit still and yet all she wanted to do was kneel down and cry.

Cry over the friends that she had lost so long ago. Robin who fell victim to Brother Blood's attempt to summon Trigon once more. Cyborg who sacrificed himself in a last-ditch attempt to stop the enemy from winning. Raven who took Malchior with her into Hell. Beastboy who went into the afterlife to get her back.

In all likelihood, he had succumbed to the forces of darkness. She had never been there herself, but all the stories and the experiences with Trigon had taught her one thing: Demons are not to be trifled with.

Starfire had left her life of luxury on Tamaran to be with her real family on Earth. Now they were all gone. She had no place on Earth and she had been gone too long to be used to the life of a Tamaranian Empress. She had nothing in any world in all the galaxies in the universe.

The sun was beginning to set now, the last whispers of light flitting across the thorns and the ancient stone of the tomb of Orpheus. There wouldn't be a point to stay any longer, the night would be long and cold with nothing good to come out of it. She sniffed her tears back and used her sleeves to wipe any moisture lingering on her face.

This was it now.

Nothing holding her back.

Nothing keeping her on this planet.

An immense wave of sadness washed over her as she muttered her last goodbyes.

As reluctant as she was to leave, she was sensitive to any sounds or sights that might signal the coming of something. And what happened next signaled something fierce.

A blast of power and a strong wind buffeted the area, focused around the tomb. A flash of light lit the area brighter than sunlight, emanating from the ground beneath her. The dirt around the tomb swirled like a pool of water churned by a great sinkhole.

Dark energy bubbled forth from the tomb, covering the ground with a black mist. The final wisp of sun was sucked into the mist, the energy firld around it only growing. Starfire was glad that she was hovering several meters above it, it looked very powerful and dangerous.

Her eyes noticed a bulge within the mist, a bump that grew steadily bigger as the blackness frothed fiercer and faster than ever before.

Just as the dark energy seemed to reach a boiling point, the sun disappeared and the power dissipated, leaving the ground almost untouched.

Almost.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark, staring at the thing that the mist left behind until it became clear to her what it was.

"Friends Beastboy and Raven! You have returned! Oh joyous events, my happiness is limitless! You are home!"

The unbridled joy of seeing friends lost and then found fueled her flight towards them, almost tackling them with inhuman strength. She took her green friend in her right arm and her pale friend in her left and hugged them until she felt their warmth against her. It was a little more than her friends could take.

Beastboy groaned in pain and Starfire dropped them both almost immediately. With the initial hugging ceremony completed, she then focused on checking them both for wounds. Raven was first, although she was in phenomenal health. Her skin was much rosier than the Tamaranian remembered and flawless.

She moved over to Beastboy, whose injuries were much more severe. Dozens of small cuts marred his skin, hair shaggy and muscles visibly worn. She was just so glad to see him alive, whatever his condition may have been. Her friends had returned to her.

After being checked over by Starfire, Raven did a check over herself, eager to see her condition after making it back from the abyssal dimensions. Her breath caught itself as an awful realization crossed her face. "I... I'm human." She muttered in disbelief.

Both Beastboy and Starfire looked over at her with a shocked expression. it may not have been the first thing they had expected from her, but it didn't mean that they had to stay in that god-forsaken place any longer.

They led the now-human Raven to where they had hidden the Titan Jet, setting a course for Jump City.

For home.

To Be Continued.

This has taken a long time to plan and a long time to release. I am in a much better position now than the other two stories with a much more defined plan as to how long it will be and what it will comprise of.

This final installment will consist of 11 main chapters with a prologue and an epilogue. This may be my last venture into fanfiction for a long time as my future is very important to me. This will be completed in a timely fashion and promises to be an epic.

Amenson out.