Chapter 2: Spellbound
A couple weeks had passed since the Teen Titans had officially formed. The whole team had come together to help build the giant 'T' structure that we now called our home. Life seemed good . . . better than I could have ever dreamed of, but that didn't stop me from worrying.
It was the middle of the afternoon, but I was still huddled up in my room. My bedroom was dimly lit, to my liking. Mystical artifacts and sculptures were set up around the space for decoration, and a ton of books were scattered randomly around the room. My circular bed laid against one wall with its ornate headboard and purple-blue sheets.
With a sigh, I lied down on my back on the bed and closed my eyes. Behind my eyelids, an image of my demonic father appeared, sitting on his giant throne surrounded by lava.
"The gem was born of evil's fire," I began to mouth the prophecy to myself. "The gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire, the end of all things mortal."
I had it memorized by the time I was five. My father said that they were the words I would have to use in order to –
Snapping my eyes open, I pushed myself up into a sitting position on my bed and tried to push the thought away for the time being.
"Stop it!" I ordered myself. "You're a Titan now. A hero." I blinked at this.
Was I a hero, or was I simply pretending to be something I'm not?
Needing something to help banish these thoughts from my mind, I reached for the book that I had been working on lately and opened it to where I had left off. I quickly got absorbed into the plot.
As my eyes skimmed over the pages, I began to picture the scenes happening in my head.
Malchior, a young knight, was dressed in a suit of armor, and had a dark scarf wrapped around his mouth and nose to allow him to breath while battling the fire-breathing dragon.
I pictured Rorek, the dragon, with his drooling mouth opening wide for a roar and preparing to belch fire, as the warrior stood bravely in front of the flames that shot out and conjured a shield to block them.
When the heat of the fire died down, Malchior advanced across the stones. More fire blasted out, smashing through his shield. He then hurled a ball of energy that exploded against the dragon's chest, sending sparks all over the body and seemed to freeze it in place. However, the beast was still able to breathe fire, and it sent out a new burst.
Leaping backward, Malchior retaliated with a broad beam that hit Rorek hard enough to throw up dense gray smoke. Landing on a high ledge, Malchior got knocked down by a swipe of the dragon's long tail. After a moment to collect himself, the warrior stood and found himself facing off against the monster again. In desperation, the knight opened his mouth to speak a curse, hoping to stop the dragon once and for all.
"Necronom! Hezberek! Mortix!"
Glowing cracks opened in the stones by his feet and darted up towards the dragon. In the process, the entire floor caved in, dropping the beast out of sight amid a great cloud of dust.
"And so it came to pass that I, Malchior of Nol, did lay siege to the dread dragon Rorek," I read the words from the page. "But it did seem the power of Rorek was greater than my magics could defeat, and as the fell beast struck . . ."
The sound of an alarm going off in the Tower regretfully pulled my attention away from the story.
"No! Not now!" I thought. "It was just getting good . . ."
Not wanting to stop it there, I tried to ignore the alarm system and focused back on the page, but a pounding on my bedroom door told me I was wasting my time.
"Hey, Raven!" Beast Boy's voice came through the closed door. "Put the pedal to the metal! We gotta go!"
With a sigh, I reluctantly closed the book and set it aside on my mattress, determined to get back to it as soon as we got back.
I was thrilled when we managed to take down the evildoer in just a matter of minutes. Desperate to find out what was going to happen next in my book, I hopped back into the Cyborg's car as soon as we took down Kardiak and waited impatiently for everyone else to climb in for the short ride back to the Tower. Once home, I jumped out of the vehicle and hurried back to my room, slamming the door behind me.
I took a seat on my bed and picked up the book that was still lying where I had left it on my mattress. Giving the page a quick scan, I found the line that I had ended on and continued to read.
"But it did seem the power of Rorek was greater than my magics could defeat, and as the fell beast struck . . ."
Knock . . . knock . . . knock . . .
I frowned at my bedroom door. What now?
Pushing the book aside, I walked over to answer the door and found Robin standing on the other side.
"Hey," he started, with a frown of his own. He had a look of concern on his face. "When we got home, you kind of ran to your room and locked the door. Anything you want to talk about?" he asked slowly.
"No," I replied before closing the door in his face.
Heading back to my bed, I picked up the book to attempt to read again, and turned back to the page I was on.
" . . . greater than my magics could defeat, and as the fell beast struck, I . . ."
Knock . . . knock . . . knock . . .
Now I was starting to get mad. Couldn't they tell that I wanted to be alone right now?
Storming back over towards the door, I opened it a crack to find Starfire in the hallway with her long red hair dolled up on the top of her head. Colorful hairclips seemed to be placed at random around the hairdo to help keep it in place.
"I have journeyed to the mall of shopping and discovered the joy of Earthly hair ornaments," the orange alien announced happily. "Do you wish to-?"
"No." With that done, I slammed the door shut again.
Sighing, I picked my book up again.
" . . . and as the fell beast struck, I summoned the forces of my enchanted book. And with a curse more ancient than foul Rorek himself, I . . ."
Knock . . . knock . . . knock . . .
"Yo, Raven!" Cyborg's voice was heard from the other side of the door.
"Dude, open up," added Beast Boy.
By now I was fuming. All I wanted was a couple hours of quiet time so I could read my book. Was that really so hard for these guys to understand? Why couldn't they just leave me alone?
Clutching the book to my chest, I opened the door to give the boys a look that they wouldn't soon forget to show them just how ticked off I was at the moment. By the looks on their faces, they appeared to have gotten the point.
"What?" I snapped at them to emphasize my displeasure.
"We're here tonight with an exclusive offer," Beast Boy started, after they recomposed themselves.
"A once-in-a-lifetime chance to get in on America's fastest-growing sports sensation . . ." Cyborg added.
"The hot new game we just made up . . ." Beast Boy cheered.
" . . . STANKBALL!" they said, finally finishing their big show-and-tell together as Cyborg held up the ball for me to see.
Their 'stankball' appeared to be just a rolled up pile of dirty laundry, but man, it really did stink. I couldn't help wiggling my nose in disapproval at the scent.
Luckily, Cyborg removed the rank-smelling ball away from my face before I had to come up with some clever insult, and in its place Beast Boy held up a black-and-white striped cloak.
"Want to be referee?" he asked, with a huge smile on his face.
Honestly, I did really like the look of that cloak. It was cute, and the style of it matched my favorite blue one, but they chose a bad time to ask me. I really wanted to see what was going to happen to Malchior.
Hoping to finally get some peace and quiet, I gave them my best menacing look. "Go away."
I started to back up to close the door behind me, but Beast Boy wedged himself in to keep it open and give me his best puppy-dog-eyed expression.
"But, pleeeease?" he begged.
My heart sank slightly at the sight. Why did he have to be so cute? It just made this even harder to do.
I sent a black bolt of energy from the gem on my forehead, finally pushing them out so the door could fall closed.
A part of me really hoped that they weren't all going to be mad at me for shooing them away like this. I liked having friends around, but when it came to reading, I hated being interrupted.
"Come on, Raven," I heard Cyborg's voice coming from the hallway. "Everybody loves a good game of Stankball."
"And we need a referee to play the lightning round," Beast Boy prompted.
"No!" I yelled a final time through the door, praying they would just leave.
With a sigh, I started to step away from the door, but then froze as Beast Boy's next words reached my ears.
"Oh, Raven, come on! Why can't you just have fun like normal people?"
. . . Normal people?
I had never pictured myself as being 'normal'. I knew I wasn't, but hearing those words come from him . . . I was surprised at how much it hurt.
"Why are you always locked in your dark room, reading your nasty old books? Why do you have to be so creepy?" he added.
Every sentence he threw at me through the automatic door just weighed heavier and heavier on my heart.
He probably would have continued with his verbal assault against me if it weren't for Cyborg quietly ushering him to back off and leave me alone.
I leaned against my bedroom door as the sounds of their footsteps drifted farther and farther away. Hugging the book to my chest, I thought about what Beast Boy had just said.
"I'm not creepy," I said out loud, trying to convince myself. "I'm just different." As the ache in my chest continued to grow, I made my way once again back to my bed and sat down. "I wish there was someone around here who understood that. Someone I could talk to. Someone more like me."
No longer in the mood to read, I lied on my side on the bed and pulled my legs up into a fetal position. My arm draped across the white book as I closed my eyes, wishing that my friends could accept me for who I am.
"Raven . . ."
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, not wanting to wake up yet.
"Raven . . ."
Sighing, I slowly raised my head. I rubbed a hand over my face to brush away the crust from my eyes before finally opening them to find out who was calling me.
Propping myself up on my elbows, I gave a quick scan around my room, but didn't see anyone.
"That's weird," I said out loud. "I could've sworn . . ."
"Down here," came the voice again.
Glancing down, I stared, puzzled, at the white cover of my latest book.
"Hi."
I let out a gasp and moved to shove the book off my bed. Even as I was preforming the action, I knew how silly this whole thing was. Books can't talk. There was no way the voice was actually coming from the object . . . but as the hardback hit the floor with a thud, a cry of pain was heard from the ground.
Craning my neck over the side of the bed, I could just make out the cover of the book.
"Uh, did you just – "
" – speak?"
"Uh-huh," I mumbled. Carefully, I moved onto my hands and knees so I could see the object better from my position.
This couldn't really be happening. Was I seriously having a conversation with a book right now . . .?
"I did," came the reply. "And then you dropped me on my spine."
"Oh, sorry," I said, staring down at the book in shock. "It's just . . . books aren't supposed to talk."
"True, fair maiden, but I am no book."
The novel suddenly opened by itself. I stared in amazement as the pages started flipping quickly through the book, coming to a stop at a half torn page that showed an image of Malchior's eyes.
"I am a man. Malchior of Nol, at your service."
"The wizard who faced the dreaded dragon, Rorek?" I asked, reaching down to retrieve the book. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I set the book down on my sheets.
"The wizard who defeated Rorek and who was trapped within these pages by the dragon's final curse," he explained.
"Trapped?" I gasped, and quickly tried to tally up the years in my head. "But that battle was almost – "
" – one thousand years ago. And I've been waiting for someone to find me ever since. Raven . . . I have been waiting for you."
For me? He had been waiting for me all these years? Was I supposed to be the one to free him from this curse?
Allowing the black energy to flow into my hand, I reached out to try and preform a spell on him, but I was forced to pull it back in order to use it to cover my eyes when I was met with a blinding flash that shooted out towards the ceiling.
"The curse is strong," I explained when I was able to see again. "I'm sorry, but I don't think my powers can break it."
"Maybe not with your powers, but there is a spell that could help release me."
Picking up the book, I slipped out of bed and headed across the room to put it down on the bookstand I had set up on the other side of my room, and then I began to race around the space searching for all the ingredients I would need as Malchior recited them to me. I placed each item out in a circle with the bookstand at one end, and, when I had retrieved everything we would need, me on the other.
I already had a bowl full of a variety of different powders going when Malchior told me to add in the flower petals to the mix. Sparks danced in the cup as the small objects landed. I then poured in a glowing blue liquid from a flask and added a pinch of yet another rare powder.
"I've never even heard of this spell," I said, as smoke started to rise from the concoction. "Where did you learn it?"
"It's in the Galleon Scrolls."
I glanced up at him, impressed. "You've read the Galleon Scrolls?"
"And the Mornal Archives, and the Stones of Syr." He let out a small chuckle before continuing. "I've been trapped in a book. Not much to do but read."
As I poured in yet another potion, I pondered over the information I had just received.
One thousand years' worth of knowledge was burned into this man's mind. It was hard to comprehend that kind of wisdom. There was so much that he could teach me . . . so much that I could learn from him. Maybe, after he was free, he would stick around to teach me some of the spells he knew.
"I think it's almost ready," I noted.
"Good. There's just one more ingredient."
I froze, scanning the bottles and jars that surrounded me. I had already added in everything that I had laid out in front of me. Had I missed something that he had listed earlier?
Before I could ask him, a page of the book flipped backwards and lashed out like a serpent. There was a brief flash of lightning, and when it cleared a few snippets of my hair dropped into the mixture.
Surprised, I reached a hand up to touch the strands of my hair. The side of my face felt slightly warm, and I smelled a hint of something burning in the air, but other then that, I was unhurt.
I peered up at the book, hoping for an explanation for what just happened.
"A lock of hair from a beautiful girl."
My eyes widened at his words. "Your think I'm beautiful?"
"I truly appreciate all that you are doing for me, Raven," he continued as if I hadn't said anything.
"Lets just hope this works," I said, and poured the contents of the cup out into my hand. Blowing them towards the stand, I watched as the pages went flying everywhere and a bright light exploded from the book.
Pushing myself back to my feet, I let out a gasp as a black image of Malchior's black, longhaired silhouette was seen through the bright light that was radiating through the page. The image hunched over with a moan of pain as the white light enveloped it, and a pair of long wings sprouted from the image's back.
"Malchoir!" I screamed in fright, thinking that something must have gone horrible wrong with the spell.
The force of power that was spilling out of the pages sent me flying backwards in one split-second flash. Lifting my head from the floor, I found a loose page from the book that must have been sent flying when the spell had started. It was a full-page drawing of the wizard and dragon facing each other with a label in front of each displaying the character's names. As I studied the image, the two words began to fade away before my eyes and switched places. I blinked at the page in astonishment.
"You changed it. Malchior wasn't the wizard – he was the . . ."
What had I done?
Leaping to my feet, I turned and started to dash back towards the circle. There had to be something I could do!
"No!" I cried, and was flung back by a second blast.
Through the light, a large, horned, red-eyed silhouette started to take shape. Staring in horror at the creature, the dragon extended its forelegs and dug its claws into the floor. The wings extended and their tips dug into the ceiling. Finally, the fire-eyed head emerged from the white light.
As its piercing red eyes stared right back at me, I couldn't help but notice the similarity in the creature's eyes. They appeared frighteningly similar to my father's dark red-eyed stare.
"You lied to me," I stated softly, before turning away from him and allowed a few tears to slip from my eyes. "You lied . . . and I gave you what you wanted."
With a low growl, the dragon took flight, bashing a large hole in the ceiling in the process. Huge chunks of the ceiling fell to the ground, and instinctively I used my powers to hold up a black shield around me in defense. I held the shield up until the sounds of flapping wings died out in the distance, before letting it go and stared up at the gaping hole.
My father was right. I wasn't meant to be a hero. I had just let loose a huge, fire-breathing dragon out into the world, just like how I was suppose to release my father into this world. My sole purpose for being here was to help others destroy the world . . . and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it.
Knock . . . knock . . . knock . . .
I slowly blinked open my eyes. Rolling over, I saw the slight hint of sunlight streaming through my closed curtains. Morning? Turning onto my back, I glanced up at the ceiling. The gaping hole that the dragon had left was no longer there.
"It was all a dream," I said softly, and closed my eyes in pure relief. "Just a dream."
"Hey, Raven . . ." A nervous voice spoke up from the direction of my closed bedroom door, sounding a lot like Beast Boy. I sluggishly got myself into a sitting position on my bed as I waited for him to continue. " . . . um, it's, like, almost noon and you haven't come out of your room. So, just in case you're mad, I'm gonna go ahead and say, 'Sorry I called you creepy last night'."
When I didn't respond, I heard a loud sigh come from the hallway.
"Raven, can you just . . . let me know you're okay?"
Moving towards the side of my bed, I pushed myself off the surface and began to slowly walk over to the door.
"Why do you care?" I finally asked through the closed door. "Yesterday, you said I wasn't normal . . . If you really think that, then why would you care if I'm okay or not?"
"You're my friend, Raven. Of course I care," he said, and I felt a warm feeling in my stomach begin to grow as he continued. "I was just frustrated, and in the moment I said some things that I shouldn't have."
I placed my hand against the hard surface in front of me. I took a deep breath before admitting one of the secrets about my childhood. "Growing up . . . I've never felt like I belonged anywhere. I have always felt like the weird one . . . and creepy. And don't try to tell me I'm not."
"Okay. Fine. You're way creepy, but that doesn't mean you have to stay locked in your room." I raised my eyes a bit at his words. "You may have been an outcast at one point, but you're not anymore. Here, you are a part of something." He paused for a moment before adding, "You think you're alone, Raven, but you're not."
A small smile appeared on my face as his words reached my ears. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
Opening the door, I took a step closer to Beast Boy, closing the distance between us, and wrapped my arms around his neck.
He would probably never know how much I needed to hear those words from him, but that didn't matter.
This was where I truly belonged.