The summer meadow was beautiful today, the golden wild wheat glittered like a dragon's hoard, speckled with ruby poppies and sapphire corn flowers. Raven let her eyes flutter shut and inhaled, her short silky black hair ruffled gently by the breeze. It had been so long since she'd walked this meadow, or was it? She tried to remember why she'd been gone for so long, she was sure it was important. She was looking for something, or...? She shook her head, couldn't have been important, and yet why did it bother her she'd forgotten.
''Raven?'' A Soft woman's voice spoke and Raven's glassy blue eyes shot up to the figure in front of her. Confusion over took her.
The woman stood in front of her was, well HER. Only not, rather than the short messy cut that Raven now sported the other Raven wore a long dead straight cut. Their alabaster skin was the same, but again the eyes were different. The other her had ink black eyes.
''Come take me hand, it's time.'' She held up her hand and Raven looked at it, it looked like her own for a split second, she blinked and it was twisted and scaled in crimson the finger tips twisted into black claws. ''You can't save them little sister. Give into us.''
Raven found herself looking up and staring at the now twisted form of herself, bone twisted into spines and horns protruded from the woman's skull and shoulders. Raven gripped her head. ''No! You are not me!''
She felt the woman's hands on her hips and she leant in and whispered into her ear. ''Oh but I am, I am the true you, the one that relishes their blood against my skin.'' Raven struggled and tried to pull again, but the demonic version of her dug her talons into her hip with one hand and gripped her wrist with the other. Come dance with me little bird.
Unable to pull away Raven felt the world spin around her, her bare feet became wet and started sinking into something soft, something that squished up between her toes, She glanced down and a scream stuck in her throat. Faces, oh the faces she knew so well, blood and bone under her feet. Each one of them had been burned into her memory. She'd buried every single one of them, her brothers, her sister, her parents. The baker and his family. Each one started to move with sudden broken movements, she felt something grab her arm and tear her painfully away from the demon.
''Raven''? She clasped her eyes shut, unable to look into the eyes of her sister. ''Raven?''
Raven shot up in a sudden jolt only to be blinded by pain in her head, she heard a grunt that said the hard object she'd collided with was someone else. Her hand went to her forehead and she hissed, half from frustration half from pain. The closer they got to destroying the Black Soul stone, the more intense the dreams. ''What the hell do you want?'' She spat with such venomous tone before looking at who she was speaking to. Her eyes met with the hazel eyes of the dark skinned fallen angel.
Surprisingly he didn't look hurt by her words, in fact he completely ignore them. ''I heard you scream, I assumed you might be in trouble.'' He reached out a hand and gently took hers, she remarked at how pale she was, it always amazed her to see her moonlit alabaster skin against his tawny sun soaked flesh. ''You're bleeding.''
She blinked at the claw marks that ran down her wrists and snatched her arm back. ''I must have caught myself while I dreamt''
Tyrael frowned, ''Why don't you let people in?'' He asked. He'd tried to inquire about her nightmares before. Raven pushed herself up from the flour sacks she'd shaped into a make shift mattress.
Without glancing his way. ''Because everything I touch wilts away and dies.; She smirked. ;Besides, you don't want to peak into the mind of this twisted creature, I make the prime evils and hell look like a walk in a sunny meadow.'' She began walking away, only to have Tyrael grab her arm and force her to stare at him.
''One day it will consume you, devour your very soul and you will become no better than the demons you slay.'' Raven laughed and tore herself from his grasp.
''Too late for wise words. I'm already there.'' She lowered her eyes and sighed carefully taking his hand. ''I understand you mean well, I understand you can sense the injustice I've gone through, that's what you do. But you can't fix this, I don't want to be fixed.'' She looked up at him, her eyes hard as diamonds, stubborn and determined.'' I will continue fighting demons and their masters until I find the one that will drag me to hell.'' She turned around and waved a hand. ''We'd better get the others ready. Tomorrow we'll fight Azmodan and end this stupid reign of evil and everyone can get back to their oh so wonderful lives.''
She left Tyrael frowning. He rubbed his hand over his head and he sighed heavily. Being human was far more complicated than he'd anticipated. Part of him was infuriated by he raven haired woman. She would let no one behind those walls, oh those walls made the walls of the high heavens look like fragile glass. She was right about one thing, he wanted to find out what terrible guilt she carried with her, what horror had she'd seen to draw such blood curdling screams from her lips while she slept, that tore at her flesh. He sighed and made his way to the main hall, glancing briefly as the Enchantress carefully bandaged Raven's wounds.
He flopped down next to his sword and began to clean it, she was a hard woman but he'd seen her softer side before. Every now and then it showed through, he looked down at his left hand, the burns had almost healed and left only scars.
Raven frowned. ''You seem to forget your not some all mighty angel any more.'' She was scolding him, he was clumsily, and angrily trying to bandage up his left hand. This mortal body was soft and easily hurt and he felt foolish and stupid for letting a lesser demon land a blow on him. Raven chuckled and pushed his right hand out of the way. ''You need to be more careful.'' She gently took a small vial of healing salve and gently rubbed it over the burnt flesh, he gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply. He glanced at her and noticed how soft her face looked in the glow of the fire. Soon they'd be in Caldeum seeking a way to stop this war once and for all. Right now how ever he watched as Raven tended his wounds, she blew air upwards in an attempt to push some hair out of her face.
Tyrael reached up with his right hand and pushed the hair out of her face, she stiffened under his touch and glanced back at him before quickly finishing wrapping his hand. In a split second her mood had changed and the softness in her eyes had disappeared and they returned to their usual diamond hardness. He lowered his hand as she silently got to her feet and silently moved to a dark patch far away from the fire to watch for attackers.
Raven flexed her hand, the cuts stung but didn't seem too deep. ''Thank you, Eirena.'' Raven bowed her head to the enchantress in thanks.
''You should not be so hard on him.'' Eirena smiled at the demon hunter, before gesturing her head to the thoughtful Tyrael sharpening his weapon, she chuckled. ''He's sulking. I assume you've said something to him, he only sulks like that after you snap at him.''
Raven raised an eye brow. ''Angel's don't sulk, looks to me like he's making sure he's ready tomorrow.'' She glanced back at Tyrael then to the enchantress who just smiled softly. ''Don't give me that look, just cos you were born over a millennia ago does not mean you are wiser than the rest of us''. Raven said sternly.
The enchantress shrugged her shoulders and began packing up some of her supplies as she spoke. ''One does not have to be ancient to see it.'' She tucked some hair behind her ear and sighed. ''You are harder on him than the rest of us. We've all learnt to give you your space, but apparently age does not make you wiser. He is either stubborn or mad.'' She stood up. ''Come to think of it, he's probably a little of both.'' She smiled and handed Raven a selection of elixirs. ''You know, despite what you might think, you need someone to talk to about what ails your mind.''
Raven put her hands on her hips. ''I talk to you.''
''Telling me you have nightmares is not sharing.'' Eirena took Raven's spare hand. ''What will you do after the souls tone is shattered, after there are no demons to hunt any more? All you will have are your thoughts and memories.'' She dropped her hand always.'' I would hate to see you become twisted like the very things you hunt.''
Raven laughed and slung the bag of elixirs and potions of her shoulder.'' I doubt I'll live that long. If I do I truly am cursed.'' Raven smiled weakly. ''You are a good friend, the closest I've had to one in a long time. But there is no happily ever after, not for me.'' She laughed, it was a dry and tragic laugh, as if she'd just got the punch line to her own life.''I under stand your only trying to help, but it'd be better if everyone kept their mind on the important matter of the soul stone.''
Raven sighed and hauled the bag across the hall to where Kormac was talking to Tyrael. ''Kormac I need you to carry the majority of these tomorrow. I need to carry as little as possible so I can be light and fast on my feet.'' Kormac nodded and took the heavy bag, although he seemed to carry it light it was nothing. Raven put her hands on her hips and watched him walk off. How does he do it? Carrying all that armour around and still be able to take the blows. She glanced and Tyrael. ''I hope your ready for this.''
Tyrael placed his sword upright against the wall. ''I've dreamt of this day for a long time. I think I'm ready.''
Raven glanced at his left hand, even as a human he seemed to heal faster than most. ''How is the hand?'' She asked, being sure to sound like she wasn't really interested but making conversation. Perhaps she was. She watched Tyrael flex his hand.
''Better than if I'd done anything with it.'' He chuckled.'' I don't know how you humans survived. Your bodies are fragile.'' He smiled, as if he found irony in it all.
Raven waved her hand dismissively. ''Well just make sure you are in working order for tomorrow. Everyone needs to be in top form if we are going to beat this thing.'' She looked around nervously for a second. ''And, sorry for snapping at you earlier. Just don't make a habit of waking me up, I'm a real bitch when I don't get enough sleep.'' With that she quickly straightened up and made sure no one else had heard her before walking off.
Raven sat on her sack bed and rubbed her wrist. She immediately felt a presence behind her, pale arms draped themselves over her shoulders. ''Go away!'' She snapped.
''Aww is that how you speak to me little sister?'' The woman leant over to peer at Raven, long black hair falling like a dark nightmarish waterfall around her. ''You're moodier than usual.''
''If you stopped tormenting me and actually died then maybe I'd be a little happier''. Raven glared at the matching face. Those inky black eyes acted like disturbing mirrors that distorted Raven's reflection. She raised a hand to push her away but she'd already moved, like wisps of smoke to sit on the floor in front of her.
''You're the one keeping me here. Or maybe I've already moved on maybe this Is all in your head and your actually insane.'' The woman placed a finger to her lips. ''Maybe you aren't fighting demons maybe you are a demon killing innocence.'' She cooed.
''Shut up Leila!'' Raven snapped harshly.
''Oh little bird, little bird, mamma's black haired beauty..'' Leila began to sing. ''Her heart is black as her hair and cold as her icy blue eyes''. The woman began to dance around.
Raven moved swiftly launching at her twin, she held her up by her throat and slammed her into a wall, pinning her against it. ''I said shut up''! She hissed.
''Go on Brenna. Kill me.'' Leila choked slightly as Raven squeezed her hand. ''Give in..''. She gasped, her eyes started to glaze, despite this she put up no fight.
Raven's face had grown dark, almost taking pleasure in it, but as if she'd come to realise what she was doing she let go and allowed her sister to drop to the ground. ''No, because despite what you might think of me.'' She leant down and gripped the woman's long hair forcing her to look up. ''I'm not you. Besides, if I finally gave into you you'd get bored with no one to torment.'' She let go and lay down on the make shift bed.'' One day Leila, you will get your peace, just not today.''