Slade Wilson had never been a man of superstition or faith, but years as a professional terminator taught him that gods and demons existed in many ways, just not the kind preached in the common bible. One such being bellowed in his head, its disembowelled voice promised many things, all for just a simple task. He recognised the evil in his tone, and the danger that followed with it, but the deal wasn't bad, however whether or not the demon would keep his words was another matter. Dealing with demons had always been a risky business, but with nothing else to negotiate with but his skills and experiences, he accepted this risk as a chance to change the fate that was bestowed upon him.
"Heed my command, and I will return what you want most," was what the hollowed voice said, but Slade knew just as well as this 'Trigon' that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"Deal," was all Slade needed to tell him, but his life was his own, he served no one.
He opened his eyes to darkness, only the rocky surface he was lying on told him that he was back underground, in some cave or tunnel, probably somewhere near where he died. Some time must have passed since Terra betrayed and dropped him into a pool of magma, the tremors were gone, and the tunnel walls appeared to be firm and sound. Still flat on the ground, he blindly groped around with his hand, and found a fist-sized rock, testing his strength, he tightened his grip and crashed the rock into tiny bits, as promised he was rewarded with greater strength and probably some other powers he suddenly was aware that he was able to do. However, he didn't need to remove the gloves to know that he was nothing but mere muscles and bones, reanimated by demonic magic.
With vision still swirling and head throbbing, he knew better than anyone that his body wasn't in a tiptop position, but as the stubborn and cautious man he was, he wasn't willing to reveal his weakness. He forced himself up, and tried to regain his bearings. There were no light, but he could see as clear as if it was day, he quickly surveyed the area, staring into empty space, while listening for any hints of life. He found no Titans, but instead a strange black blot shifting slowly among the shadow, the shape was blacker than the surrounding darkness that it was trying to blend into, and it was alive and reading Slade's every move. The shape then took form as he now saw for himself the person he was 'asked' to protect, and soon, the 'it' became a 'she', dressed in a grey cloak with a drawn hood, concealed beneath it was a figure-hugging full-length dress which split at the sides from waist down, revealing skin and the thigh-high heel boots. Other than that, she looked remarkably human, a bit young, and a lot smaller than he thought, but a human nevertheless, a human with her face half hidden by the drawn hood, hiding behind the demon's lies and illusions.
Offering no words, Slade picked a direction and turned away, relying on nothing but his guts and the almost absent breeze telling him of an opening, a mutual silence was maintained between the two strangers as they embarked on a trek out. Though no words were exchanged between them, and no sound could be heard behind him, somehow knew that she was there right behind him, with his every sense tingling with warning, and alerted with danger, a sensation no different from what he felt from the demon who resurrected him.
With the entrance to the open world now in sight, Slade came to a slow halt, the opening was small but was wide enough to allow the two to escape to freedom, and to a smell Slade was almost glad to encounter. The same quake Terra made to kill him must have caused this opening to the sewers, taking the first step from between the soil and rocks, he landed ankle-deep into the unidentifiable sewers water. Slade was no stranger to the underground network that carried the city's waste, but this time he had no idea where they had ended up in, though that was enough of a reason for most to start worrying, he remained calm. Wondering if his guest was adapting well to the filth, he turned slightly to offer a peek, he saw the girl jumping into the murky waters without hesitation, realising the stupidity of his action, Slade snorted.
The sewer tunnels they travelled in were dark and damp, lit by the occasion flickering fluorescent lights. Their journey continued with the girl behind him, the ripples made by her steps and cloak brought another form of comfort to the older man, they were telling him that she was real, and not some floating imaginary ghost, but more importantly they also revealed to him what kind of person she really was. Every step she took were forceful, she wasn't exactly in a clear state of mind herself, and every time a rat or dozens were spotted, he could feel the disturbance in the wave, he could feel her every jumps, she was more human than he thought. Minutes passed before Slade found a worn rusted sign telling him which junction they were in, skipping pass the obvious manhole above them, he led them in another direction, now knowing where they were, he was planning to bring her home, or at least one of the many hideouts he had in the city.
They walked on for hours more, when his destination was finally in sight, he spared a thought for the girl, wondering if she was tired, then he turned his attention to himself. Slade wasn't a man to be easily tired, but now he wondered if his current endurance was telling him that he was normal or that it originated from his undead condition. Turning to fully face the girl for the first time under the light since they started travelling together, he saw a girl with her tiny fists clenching hard onto the cloak, holding it high above the filthy water, a normal girl, a very normal and tired girl.
Remembering something, he said, "You can call me Slade, and I still don't know your name."
It took a while for the answer to come, which she replied in a feeble voice, "I have none."
"Not so normal after all," he grimly reminded himself.
Above him was a secured hatch, with no visible way of getting up, but without wasting a second, Slade swiftly scaled the wall using the pipes and loose bricks. Once he reached the top, he slid open a hidden keypad to unlock the hatch was meant to be an emergency escape, but ended up as an escape from this gloomy hell.
As the hatch clanked open, Slade thought he heard something, and looked down. The murky waters below were calm with no ripples, and the girl had appeared right below him. She was looking up at him, her hood fell back to reveal the pale skin and violet hair, but it was that eyes that caught his attention. Her eyes were of violet-blue colours, and from them, Slade saw a personality Slade didn't know the girl could possess.
Breaking into a gentle smile, the girl said in a clear voice, "My name is Raven."