Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I do, however, claim credit for this Fan fic.
Wings of Redemption
Chapter 1
A Vision in the Night
Despite contrary belief, Raven did dream. Not only did she dream, but she remembered those dreams with a clarity only a sorceress such as herself could possess. Practicing magic opened your mind up to many things, and meditation improved ones memory. This actually made her aware of her dreams, granting her the ability to control them. This is a necessity, because a dream could awaken her emotions, sending her power spiraling out of control.
Tonight, Raven dreamed of home; she dreamed of Azerath. It wasn't often Raven dreamed of home; it held a lot of bad memories for her. Normally she would have changed the dream, but it was more a memory of the mountain she was forced to live on, which overlooked her city of birth. All in all, it was fairly neutral, so she left it alone. As she settled in, overlooking her former home with a carefully neutral eye, she noticed something off.
On the horizon, there was a strange shadow. An unknown darkness covered the horizon of the world, darkening the already grey landscape further still. As her eyes struggled to pierce the veil of shadow, a pair of glowing crimson orbs appeared within the darkness. They were eyes; she thought she could see the hint of a face around it. The dull gleam of fangs caught her attention as the hidden being opened its gaping maw.
"Pain…Agony…" Its voice rumbled across the land, echoing in the grey heavens. It sent shivers of primal fear quaking through Raven. "This…is all that your people… have shown me." Its voice took on a more feral, hateful quality. The bloody gaze narrowed in agitation.
"You summoned me…from my home…and bound me in chains. You twisted me with…your foul magicks! I am…but a twisted mockery…of my former self!" It finished in a roar, and the very world seemed to tremble. However, the being settled down again quickly. "Now, it is time. My retribution is… at hand! Gaze upon me…and tremble!" The beings form shifted in the blackness, before mighty wings revealed themselves, and with a single earth shaking flap, dispelled the veil of darkness.
It was a monster unlike any Raven had ever even heard of, let alone actually witnessed. The being held the appearance of a dragon, but it was as if someone blurred the image into something from a nightmare, reshaping it into something terrifying. It was massive, unnaturally so even by dragon standards. Magma glowed from within it, dripping from its fangs like saliva. The fangs themselves were not natural, but rather some gleaming alloy had taken the place of its natural teeth. These new fangs jutted from it gums like a terrible, bloody parody of teeth, jagged and sharp.
Darkness flowed from its hide like smoke, emanating from scales so black they seemed to drain the light from the world around them. The scales were laired upon one another, row after row of them, like the armor of some tank. Beneath these scales a light showed, molten orange, illuminating the monster. Its veins literally glowed with the magma flowing through its nightmarish form. It was a visage from the deepest depths of Hell itself.
"My torment…shall be paid…in turn with…your blood! I swear…that everyone…and everything…from this world…shall perish!" It roared, flame illuminating Raven's home city, painting it a hellish orange, bathing it in flames so hot that the very stones began to melt. Its tail thrashed, crashing down into the planet, and the very world heaved beneath its might. A black cloud, made from the shadows it had arrived in, spread across the sky, blocking out the stars and Sun.
"Even the…light of day…shall be lost! This wretched world…will know…my suffering." It seemed to calm down, the sight of the burning city quenching its rage momentarily. Raven, however, could only look upon the city with horror. The screams of its citizens echoed, even over the roaring of the dragon's flames. They were dying. All of them were dying; consumed by hellfire. Raven had no real sentimental attachment to this city or its people, but she is still a hero. Every scream cut off was a dagger straight through her heart. The wailing of the damned echoed through the hellish landscape, ringing out loud and clear above all else.
"This is horrible!" Raven uttered, staring at the burning wreckage of the city, horror and fear gripping at her heart like cold, steel hooks, pulling it many directions. Emotions, many unknown and yet intimately familiar, roiled through her mind, causing turmoil. The city before her was the home of the Azerathian Monks, who had both taught her control and placed her in exile. Millions had flocked to the Holy City seeking the protection of the monks; and now every single one of them was dead.
The monstrous abomination was amusing itself breathing small burst of flame on anything leaving the city. With fire all around, and more flames yet within, the people of Azerath were trapped, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Raven was only there in a spiritual sense, she couldn't interact with anybody but the monks and they were probably all dead since the initial burst of fire had hit the temple.
"Dammit!" It wasn't often Raven cursed. Robin didn't like it since it would 'corrupt' Starfire. Personally, Raven knew better. Still, even Robin would have let it slide in this situation. Raven had never felt so helpless. She couldn't wake up since she needed more information on that monster, but she couldn't interfere either. It was eating her from the inside out.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the screams died down. The only sound that remained was the sinister crackling of the flames as they burned gleefully what remained of the once majestic city. Raven felt a cool, wet trail on each side of her face.
"I'm crying." She murmured, wiping at her face. She focused her gaze on the dragon, and she could feel her father in her, or perhaps it was her own hate and rage. Never the less, all she could think of doing was killing that abomination in the slowest, most painful way possible. She could practically see herself holding it down with magic, tearing it apart at the seams painfully and slowly. Still, she knew better. Raven knew well that she was powerful, but she wasn't that powerful. Even in her complete form, her true form, she doubted she could face that monster alone.
Her empathetic abilities let her feel quite a bit about the monster, including the rather obvious amount of power it wielded with such impunity. It was, quite possibly, even more powerful than her father. This monster could have easily torched the entire planet, but it wanted her people to suffer. She vowed, it would be the one to suffer. It would not succeed.
Raven awoke with a startled gasp, shooting up in bed. Her entire body was chilled and soaking with sweat. Her room, eerily dark to her all of a sudden, was a wreck. Her powers had lashed out during the dream. Raven, however, noticed all of this only peripherally. Only one thought echoed through her mind.
"We need help."