Chapter 1: Titans Lost
It had been two years since Beast Boy's death. Blackcross had been in Quadralithion since the day before his funeral. Blackcross woke up as the sun shone through his window. He was now living in Albatross's temple and had been for the past two years, learning to control his new powers.
The sun on Quadralithion, unlike that of Earth, was a slate blue color so it gave everything a pale look. Blackcross got up, stretched, and went to freshen up. After he was done, he got dressed. He now wore a black hooded cloak that was frayed at the end instead of a trench coat. He also wore black body armor over a black shirt and black shorts. The last thing he put on was his parents' executioner's mask, which he adopted after his parents' death twelve years ago.
Blackcross then walked out of his room into the temple's hall. The temple was a shade of dark gray. There were no windows to show even the slightest bit of the blue sun, being his room was the only room that had a window. The only light that showed in the temple was given off by torches that lined the walls with a green flame, giving the place an eerie feel. Blackcross made his way down the hall to the Alter of Albatross, where all of his training took place with Albatross himself.
The first year had been the hardest for Blackcross learning to control his powers, as well as other understandable problems that he had to deal with. Once Blackcross made it to the altar, he grabbed a torch from the wall and lit two pyres that were on either of it and then proceeded to put the torch back and bow before the altar.
As soon as he bowed down, the flames on the pyres rose ten feet tall, and green smoke filled the altar. When the smoke cleared, Albatross was standing before him. "Rise," he said in his usual demonic voice.
Blackcross did as he was instructed. "So, what's on the agenda today?" he asked. He had been given the responsibility of taking the souls of the dead on Quadralithion and Earth. Though he never returned to Earth in his form, he had in an astral form. He had quickly gained the a reputation on both dimensions as Blackcross the Reaper because his astral form resembled that of what a child would think the "Grim Reaper" should look like.
As the mutual bond went, the souls of the living were handled by Albatross. "Your training is complete, Andrew. It is time for you to leave now," Albatross said.
"I do not understand," replied Blackcross. "There is still a lot more for me to learn."
"And you will in time, but now you need to return to Earth. Your family needs you," Alabatross replied.
At those words Andrew became very worried. Had things gotten bad that the Titans needed my help? he wondered. "I understand," he replied. "I'll leave immediately."
"Every action has a consequence. Remember your training," Albatross said before vanishing into a cloud of smoke.
Blackcross returned to his room to pack the few belongings he had. He picked up his cross key chain and put it in his pocket as he packed his clothes into a small backpack. Then he put his hand out with his palm facing downwards, and four skeletal hands ripped a hole in the floor. Andrew then stepped through the hole. As soon as he did, the hole closed.
Andrew now emerged on the outskirts of Jump City. He made his way to Titans Tower, his second home. As soon as he got to the bay, he knew something was wrong. He stared in horror at what was once the tower, now sitting in the middle of the bay in ruins.
He used his power to transport to the island. Then he ran as fast as he could through the ashen entrance that stood crookedly, leading into the tower. As he made his way through it, he saw the inside was as bad as the outside. It was in shambles. Once he arrived into the common room, he was shocked to say the least his family was gone and his house looked like it had been hit from a bomb explosion.
Out of the corner of his eye, Blackcross saw a flash of blonde hair go by and knew that he wasn't alone. He was distracted momentarily so he didn't notice the small mechanical device that was flying above his head, projecting a beam of light around him.
A computerized voice suddenly declared IDENTITY CONFIRMED, and the small device fell to the floor, causing Blackcross to jump in surprise. A second later, a prerecorded video of Cyborg appeared on its mini screen.
"Blackcross, if you are watching this then it means that the Titans are no more. After Beast Boy's death and your departure, the team wasn't the same anymore. Egos flared and tempers clashed, and we couldn't hold it together anymore. None of us kept in contact."
"Before we went our separate ways Raven and I made this video for you in case it came to this." As soon as the video said that, a box extended from the floor and rose to chest level. The box slid open revealing a chain necklace made of black metal with a black and red cross hanging on it, just like his key chain.
"I can not tell you what mystical powers Raven put into it, but I made it so that it will show you everything that led to the Titans split up. The longer you wear it, the more it will show you," the prerecording said. "And take care of yourself, we miss you, buddy," Cyborg said sadly. With that, the screen went blank.
Blackcross picked up the chain and put it around his neck. When he looked up, he immediately saw the blonde hair flashing pass him again. He quickly conjured his scythe and turned around, ready to fight his stalker. As soon as he turned, he saw a girl half crouched behind the shredded sofa. Her hair was a radiant blond and her eyes were blue.
"Who are you?" asked the girl.
"I'm Blackcross the Reaper," he answered.
"Why are you here? And what was that tape all about?" the girl questioned.
"I'm a Titan," Blackcross said simply, not answering the latter. "I have every right to be here. Do you know what happened here? Do you know why this place got bombed?"
"No, that's why I'm here," replied the girl, standing up. "I'm not sure what to do now, though."
"Me neither, but all I know is the Titans are lost and I have to bring them back," Blackcross said with determination in his voice. Then he put his backpack down and started to walk away. "Aren't you coming?" he asked, though it was more of a command. The girl hesitated for a moment. Then she started to walk alongside him.
They walked through the isolated common room and out of the tower. "Just a warning, if you betray me or try to hurt them again, when I'm done with you I'll make you wish you were trapped in stone again,Terra," Blackcross said coldly.
Terra was taken aback at the fact that he knew her name. "Look," she snapped, regret evident in her voice, "I want to make things right, okay? The Titans treated me like family and I am fully aware I threw it back in their face. I made too many mistakes in the past. How do you know my name anyway?" she asked suspiciously.
"The Titans told me. I also know what you did, and your powers," replied Blackcross.
"What powers do you have?" Terra asked.
"I hold power over life and death," Blackcross answered.
"Oh. That makes sense," Terra muttered. "So, what do we do now?" she asked.
"Like I said, the Titans are lost, and we need to bring them back together, but we are going to need some help. Starting with...Beast Boy," said Blackcross solemnly.
Terra swallowed. "But how? He's…dead."
"I'm a Necromancer. I can bring him back."