A/N: Welcome to my very first Teen Titans story! I'm really excited to write about these characters that I love so much :) This story is AU, and so the characters may not act like they do in the show. Feedback is always welcome of course. I still hope that you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
Raven found herself developing a strong dislike of sorcery other than her own.
Maybe it was the fact that their current villain's powers gave off an aura of familiarity, or perhaps the teen was just in a gloomier mood than usual. Whatever the case, Raven was irked by the scene that had greeted the team. The sorcerer had slipped their grasp for the fifth time that week, and this time they had left a greater mess in their wake. Jump City's public library had been turned into the world's largest book pile. Shelves had been toppled over, some snapped into wooden shambles. Haphazardly opened books were strewn around the room, but their contents didn't have any importance. The scene was a little more than discouraging.
While she supposed that it was right to be unnerved by criminals that brought chaos, Raven hadn't felt this anxious in a long time when it came to an evil doer. Granted the sorcerer hadn't done anything evil yet, but they sure were causing a lot of havoc. Raven had done her best to push away the wariness that hovered over her, both for the sake of the mission and her own powers. Eyes closed in concentration; she floated above the librarian's desk in her meditative position, stretching out her powers. She willed herself to search, trying to catch any trace of the magic that had been used. There had to be a path, somewhere—
"Raven!" The screech, rather high pitched, shattered her concentration. Raven snapped her eyes open, eyebrow twitching in annoyance as she stared down at her communicator on the floor. A green face, pressed too close to the communicator, appeared on the screen. "Did you catch any creepy magical vibes?"
"No, Beast Boy." Raven said, barely keeping the annoyance out of her usual monotone voice. "If I'm going to search, I need quiet. Uninterrupted quiet. And a little more than ten minutes to do so."
"Oh, right," the green boy answered, sheepishly rubbing his neck. Behind him loomed the shadow clad streets and buildings of Jump City. Overhead in the sky she could make out the hovering form of Starfire, the girl appearing and then flying out of shot.
Raven sighed softly so that her teammate wouldn't hear. It wasn't that she was aggravated with Beast Boy exactly; she was more so angered with herself. If she hadn't been so wrapped up in her own problems, if she'd been paying attention to the criminal's magic, they probably would have had them sooner. Yet the teen had been too occupied with searching for answers on how to stop the Prophecy and her father to notice. If she'd just cleared her mind for one day, this would be behind them.
"I'll keep trying," Raven said. "Pass it on to Robin and Cyborg."
"Good luck," Beast Boy said, maybe a little too cheerfully, and then ended the call.
She took a deep breath, tuning her ears to the silence. Then, closing her eyes once more, Raven concentrated. Her empathy stretched out, reaching for any fragment of magic that she could touch. It swept over the library, out the doors and into the streets. Her lips pressed together, and Raven almost broke out of her meditative state as a wall of powerful emotions crashed into her. She had touched magic alright; emotionally induced sorcery. Behind her eyelids images flashed; a hooded figure with a closed mouth sideways smile, an abandoned house; a silver vanity mirror.
In response her own emotions spiraled, and around her the books were thrown into the walls, pages ripping and their spines snapping. Raven opened her eyes and quickly reined in her feelings, pushing away the ones that did not belong to her. Books in midair hit the ground with loud thumps. Raven grabbed her communicator, and then paused. There was something beckoning to her; that said she should go alone. A chill ran through her as a whisper pierced her ears. "Raven."
The girl whipped around, but there was no one there. Again, the whisper came, a chilling call of her name. Then the library doors swung open, presenting itself like the road to what was urging her forwards. Raven regarded the open doorway, and slowly walked out the doors. On the steps she stopped, the wind blowing around her, rusting through her cloak. With it the breeze carried the voice away from the library.
Some sensible part of her knew that she should take out her communicator and call the team before making any moves on her own.
Instead Raven took flight and followed after the voice.
Just as the images had shown her, Raven found herself standing outside of an abandoned house. The property had been closed off for quite some time, but that didn't stop her from going up and onto the porch. Silky curtains lined the windows, and the door in front of her looked as though it was about to fall off its hinges. To her surprise it stayed intact when she swung it open. A wall of darkness met her, and yet Raven could feel the tug of something drawing her inside. Tentatively stepping inside, the teen tried to see through the shadows.
The moonlight illuminated a staircase, and the whisper prompted her forwards. While they looked unstable the stairs held her weight decently, but Raven didn't stay perched on them for long. Her footsteps were light as she made her way up to the second floor, and was greeted by a half open door straight ahead of her. As if the voice could sense her unsure aura, the door opened all the way. Come in, it seemed to be saying, I've been waiting.
She stepped inside, pulling her cloak around her as if it was a shield. The room was mostly empty except for a figure leaning against an old vanity. They were covered in a grey cloak, but the outline of the form told Raven she was dealing with a male. He raised his head, and Raven could see deep amber eyes staring back at her. A sideways smile came onto his face—it was more of a smirk. "I see my calling reached you."
"You're not the first person to come after me," Raven answered, her wariness growing.
The man chuckled, "Do not be so accusing, Daughter of Trigon."
It didn't surprise her, but she did have to resist shifting uncomfortably at the sound of her title. "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing," the man answered and spread his arms out, palms upward. "I have come offering help. You are not the only one that wishes to avoid the Prophecy, or perhaps change its outcome."
That got her attention, despite her hesitance. She wished that she could stop it, but a shred of hope rose in her heart. "You know how to stop it?"
"I'm afraid not," the sorcerer replied sadly. "But I have been observing you, Raven. I see what can be the key to defeating Trigon. However, if I were to tell it straight, I fear you will not believe me."
Raven fought down her growing impatience. "Then what am I supposed to do? Decode a riddle?"
The sorcerer's mouth turned upwards, and he stepped to the side of the vanity. A dust covered mirror reflected her image; a cloaked figure in a shadowed room. He gestured to the glass. "This will reveal the message I wish to convey. It will take time, there will be struggle, but in the end I am sure the answer will become clear."
She raised an eyebrow, looking to him skeptically. "Why do I have the feeling that this is something I already know?"
The sorcerer grinned. "Sometimes the truth is painfully obvious. It just takes a journey for a person to accept it."
Raven was going to reply, but the mirror had begun to glow. The glass had reflected the white moonlight, and now the light grew increasingly bright. Raven shielded her eyes, and could barely see the light wrapping around her body like fiery tendrils. Before she could register exactly what was happening, she felt herself lifted from the ground and being pulled through the air. The light threatened to blind her, and she closed her eyes tight as she fell through the mirror.
The room that she woke up in was unrecognizable.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows as Raven sat up on the bed and took in her surroundings. The walls were painted a sky blue except for the ceiling, which was white. The carpet was beige, and the furniture made of a light colored wood. Bookshelves lined the walls; one normal thing that she could appreciate. The verdict still stood however; Raven had no idea where she was. Slowly she stood up, going over and looking out of the window. She was greeted by the sight of the ocean, Jump City in the distance.
Sure enough, when Raven left the room and went into the hallway she was certain that it was Titan's Tower. She felt slightly disoriented; she'd never seen that room before. There was no reason for her to have been in it either. And how had it gone from night to day so quickly? Raven shook her head as if to clear it and then started down the hall. She could hear sounds coming from the common room; familiar bickering of two male teammates.
She entered and found her surroundings now usual; Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing a racing game on the TV. Both were jeering at one another, pressing the buttons on the controllers excessively. Beast Boy jumped up on the couch suddenly as the screen portrayed the scores. "Ha! That's three wins in a row! Nobody can stop the Green Machine!"
"You're only winning because you took the first controller," Cyborg replied.
"Oh yeah?" Beast Boy said, "Switch me!"
Cyborg grinned and tossed the green boy the remote, successfully gaining control of the game. Typical relationship between them; nothing odd there.
"Friend Raven!" A bone crushing hug enveloped the empath as Starfire flew up to her. "You have awaken from your sleep!"
"Um, yeah," Raven said, though she couldn't even remember going to bed in the first place. If the hug hadn't been so tight, Raven would have jumped at the sound of her own voice. It was no longer monotone. She sounded…well, normal.
Starfire released her and Raven was able to breathe. She brushed herself off and then froze, staring down at her outfit. The clothing hadn't changed really; she was still in her leotard and cloak which was as usual, except that she was wearing white. Not only that, but her hands…
"Raven?" Starfire asked, reaching out her own hand to the teen. There was worry in her voice, but the other girl didn't seem to hear her. Raven looked towards the window and stared wide eyed at her reflection, and a gasp caught in her throat.
Her skin, which had always had a grayish tint was now pale, human in coloring. The purple hair had remained, except that it was long enough to hang at her waist now. Raven felt herself gawking at her reflection and muttered, "What…?"
And then she realized that she was actually feeling.
How many emotions had she let run through her in the past few moments? They were being freely expressed, and nothing had blown up yet. Was she...was she in control of her emotions?
"Hey, Raven," a masculine voice said, and she spun around to face the owner. "Are you alright?"
He resembled her leader in a way, but it was like seeing someone totally different. There was no red or green in his clothing; instead it was all black with a blue bird printed on his chest. And while his eyes were masked, there was something about his expression that was cold, distant. It was everything that she had been before, and on him it felt wrong.
"Robin?" The name came out questioning in her mouth.
He frowned, "That's not my name, Raven. I'm Nightwing."