Beastboy: Another chapter? Hell yeah there is. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
Raven: Here we go *Deadpanned voice*
Dark Hearted Hero: Champion of the Eternal Night
Chapter Two: Details
"No, that can't be," Beastboy told the Raven Queen with a frown on his face. "My parents would have never agreed to do this."
"You should never discount the love parents hold for their child," The Raven Queen told him gently. "They asked…I granted…If you do not trust my words, then allow me to show you what occurred that faithful night…"
The Matron lifted his left hand and with a twirl of her fingers, a small black vortex appeared, revealing to Beastboy a hauntingly familiar sight.
It was of his mother…The beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed, freckled face woman that had raised him until her untimely death and walking beside her was himself. "This is…" Beastboy murmured as his gaze softened at the smiling face of his six year old self as he and his mother walked through the wild forest of Lamumba, Africa.
"Now watch my champion. Watch the past…" The Raven Queen told him softly.
"Now Garfield, don't go too far ok?" a concerned Marie Logan told her young five year old son, who was looking around, his blue eyes shining with excitement.
"I won't mommy," Garfield replied with an innocent smile. Marie's own blue eyes gazed down adoringly at her son and sat him down on the ground and the moment she did, the little tyke bounded off to explore the large area they were in.
Marie could only sigh and shake her head at her son's exuberance but she also smiled. The blonde haired child was like his father in many ways and this was one of them but she did wish that the young Logan would be more cautious.
Especially in a place like this.
With another shake of her head, Marie leaned down to take some samples of a few plants nearby but that was when she heard her son scream out for her.
Fear as well as adrenaline consumed her soul at sound of her son's panicked screams which caused her to immediately dash like a bat out of hell to reach Garfield and when she found him, she saw a green monkey on top of him, screeching violently as Garfield wailed.
Marie immediately pulled out a small pistol shot at the head of the monkey twice, which caused its limp body to fall against the small Logan child.
Marie didn't waste any time in dropping the pistol where she stood and ran to her crying child. She pushed the monkey off of him and murmured "Oh no, no, no, no, no," as she checked him over and saw a bloody bite mark on his left forearm along with a faint green saliva dripping from the wound.
Dread filled her entire being.
A nauseated groan escaped Garfield's young lips while the arm from the monkey's bite began to look greener. "M-Mommy…I don't feel so good," Garfield whimpered out, his eyes getting a distant look in them before he slumped, unconscious.
"Oh god," Marie whispered as she quickly rose to her feet and ran as fast as her legs could take her back to their home.
It had been two days since Garfield had been bitten and Marie was scared out of her mind. Immediately after Garfield went into shock, the two had spent several hours working on making a cure to save his life from the dreaded Sakutia disease. They thought they found the cure when they saved a rat they were experimenting on with the disease.
But there was no improvement and now their son, their salvation in a lawless world, was gone. Marie slumped to her knees, tears streaming down her face while Mark repeated punched at the metal slab that their son rested on.
"No…No!" Marie screamed in anguish as her husband, Mark Logan, stood hunched over the table where their son, now with emerald green skin and forest green hair, laid unmoving as the heart monitor flat lined.
"There has to be something we can do," Mark repeated, his tone going crazed as each punch began to leave blood splatter. "Please…W-We can't lose him…" Mark whispered in a heartbroken tone.
Marie looked at her normal strong husband break down and felt her heart shatter further. 'If any deity can help us…Please…' she thought helplessly. 'Please bring our son back to us…We'll do anything…Just please…Help…'
A few moments went by, only the sounds of their weeping echoing against the large laboratory they were in but then the lights began to flicker wildly around them, catching Marie's attention after the fourth time.
And then they went out, leaving the laboratory in pitch darkness. Before either parent could say anything, light above Garfield turned on, revealing his body where black mist was swirling around his body.
Marie stood up slowly and looked at her son's body. The mist slowly poured down in front of Marie before it began to take shape of a tall and slender woman with flowing black hair and a blank, porcelain mask and a black cloak.
Marie took a step back in horror as the figure's voice entered her mind with a gentle, almost loving tone of "Do not fear me child…"
"W-Who…" Marie began but unable to find the ability to further speak.
The figure lifted her hand and slowly, a dull white orb appeared in her hand. "This…Is the soul of your son…" The figure whispered softly as her other hand gingerly caressed the dull white orb. "A child's life is truly precious and beautiful…He did not deserve to die as he did…And I am sorry for your loss."
Marie stared at the orb and within it, she could see her son's form within it, curled up into a ball with a peaceful smile on his face and felt her tears begin to fall again. "Who are you?" she whispered.
"I am the Raven Queen. Matron of Ravens…The guide of the dead…And I am here at your behest," The Raven Queen told her tenderly. "I truly understand your plight but mothers and fathers often ask me of returning their child…Some succeed, others fail…So tell me child. If I were to bring him back, what shall I get in return?"
"Anything," Marie told her. "My soul…My husband would sacrifice his as well if you asked him. We'd do anything to bring him back."
The Matron of Ravens tilted her head softly before she glanced back at the soul and said "What you've done was close to succeeding. If he had more time, the cure would have worked. He would have the ability however to become a hero…"
"A hero?" Marie asked. "How?"
"If giving more time, the cure would have changed him forever but allowed him to morph into any animal imaginable, both of this world and outside of it. He would have joined a team of young heroes in bring balance to the world…This was meant to be his fate but he has fallen to the disease…" The Raven Queen whispered as she touched the soul tenderly.
The Raven Queen then glanced back at Marie and said "The world is filled with those who wish to cheat death by gaining immortality, abusing death and control it with the undead…Many evil beings are trying to upset the natural course of reality and I am to keep it on course but without a champion, I am unable to do so…So instead of taking your soul and you beloved's soul, I shall grant your wish and bring your son back however, if I do, when the time comes, I shall call upon him as my champion."
"Your champion? That means he would be bound to do your bidding? With no free will of his own?" Marie asked with horror in her voice.
"He would have free will…But he will be my champion until whatever threat occurs has passed. Once it does, I will free him from being my chosen champion but until then, the moment I call, he will be bound to the promise you have given me, if you agree."
Marie looked down and looked from side to side and said "Can I speak to my husband and see what he says?"
The Raven Queen raised her hand and the light above Mark shined, which caused him to shake his head in confusion before he noticed the Raven Queen and flinched in surprise. "W-What the hell is this?!" Mark exclaimed in horror.
"I am the Raven Queen, Mark Logan," The Matron of Ravens told him. "I shall let your wife explain further…"
Marie rushed to Mark's side and said "She's the guide of the dead. She was here to collect Garfield's soul but she's taken pity on us and asked for a deal. If he becomes her champion if she needs one, she will allow him to live."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. How do we know this…Thing isn't lying?" Mark asked as he looked to the Raven Queen with apprehension in his eyes. "How do we know she's not some demon who will make our son some sort of monster?"
"I…I think she's telling the truth," Marie told him. "I can't tell you how but she's being honest with us."
Mark looked at his son's body and said "And she's sure she can bring him back?"
"His soul is in her hand," Marie told him.
"Pros and Cons," Mark told her.
"The Pros of the situation is that we get our son back, he will be different and will gain powers from the cure the Raven Queen said but we will have him back. The Cons of it is the potential pain he could go through being her champion. But also, if that issue never comes, he will be able to live his life without the fear of facing whatever will make her his champion," Marie said. "We have a lot to lose but at this point, I just my son back…"
Mark lowered his gaze and looked to the Raven Queen and asked "Will he still be our son? No tricks or deceptions?"
"None my child," Raven Queen replied. "All he must do is become my champion if the times comes for it."
Mark looked to Marie before he nodded and said "Please…bring him back."
"We accept the terms. Now please, bring him back," Marie said.
The Raven Queen nodded and floated to Garfield's unconscious body and murmured to the soul "Sleep well and grow strong my champion…" before she slide the orb into Garfield's chest and the minute it did, there was a tattoo of a black feather in the spot above his heart.
"It is done…" The Raven Queen whispered as she looked to the parents and gave a nod before she faded away.
The lights then flickered back on, lighting up the entire room.
A few seconds passed…And then they heard it.
The heart monitor beeped.
Once…Twice…Three times…And then it began to get faster.
Garfield let out a small groan and Marie felt her heart soar.
"Oh my god…She was able to do it…" Marie said with awe as she rushed to Garfield's side and caressed his green cheek. "My baby boy…" she whispered as she rubbed her cheek against his as tears of joy fell down her cheek.
'Bless you Raven Queen…Bless you….'
"They actually did it…" Beastboy said as he touched his chest only to murmur "That explains why I had this tattoo on my chest…It wasn't there when I woke up."
"They understood the risks but your life meant more to them than that risk…Even when I lead their souls to their afterlife, they had no regrets in our deal," The Raven Queen told him. "They were able to spend the rest of their lives with you. It was all they ever wanted."
Beastboy didn't know how he felt about this. His parents essentially sold his soul to the Raven Queen but they did it out of desperation for his life…But to sell his soul, even if it sounded temporary…It felt wrong…But what did he know?
He wasn't a parent. He didn't have children to force him to make such a terrible choice.
"Before I answer… Tell me what my mission would be please," Beastboy asked her.
"Very well…" The Raven Queen said.
With a raise of her hand, the world around them began to shimmer before Beastboy found himself in the alleyway where Slade was seen with two familiar girls. One was a dark-skinned girl with black hair and blue eyes while the other, had light skin and brown hair with freckles on each cheek.
"Amber and Dionne…" Beastboy murmured. "These two were Terra's friends…"
But Amber, the brunette girl, had pale white eyes and her body looked more like a husk as Slade's boot was pressed against her neck hard while Dionne was lifted into the air by her neck by the recently resurrected Slade.
The girl punched at Slade's arm weakly as she sobbed out "I-I don't know where Terra is. P-Please L-Let me go."
"Sorry my dear but if you do not know where Terra hides…Then I have no choice…" Slade said calmly before he removed his mask, which revealed his empty eye socket. The girl shrieked in alarm but it was then an icy blue iris appeared in the empty eye socket, where it seemed to vibrate to life before becoming solid.
"Your soul belongs to me," Slade told her as the eye pulsed with power before it filled with empty eye socket, causing the girl's face to glow that icy white.
The girl began to wail in agony as a white wisp left her eyes, her skin began to turn ash gray in color while the body itself began to shrink until the girl was nothing but a husk. Beastboy then heard a sigh of delight leave Slade's lips as he dropped the girl's husk of a body to the ground before he leaned his head back and murmured "Yes…"
"This moment was before he found Terra and enacted the plot to kill you," The Raven Queen told him softly.
"W-What…Did he take that girl's soul?" Beastboy asked with horror in his eyes.
"Yes…He did…" The Raven Queen responded solemly before the world shimmered again and this time, Beastboy found himself staring at Slade in a dark room in front of a mirror but he mask and upper body was off.
It revealed his winter white hair, his surprisingly young face and his empty left eye socket but it was the mark on his back that made him pause.
There was an intricate icy blue tattoo that was stretched across his entire back that seemed to glow a fiery red. It was then Beastboy noticed that he was standing in a mirror. Beastboy took a step forward to see what he was staring at and what that was horrified him.
There was a blue skinned demon with a slim but muscular figure with two rams horns that sat on the side of his head, long navy blue colored hair that stretched down to his back and sides, a pair of shredded black pants with a red belt and the tattoo that was on Slade's back was tattooed prominently on the slim chest of this demon.
But the Beastboy then noticed the eyes. While the right eye was completely white, the left eye was black and had a glowing icy blue iris that seemed to pulse with power.
The eyes stared straight ahead before it slowly looked at Beastboy and let a challenging smirk appear on his face.
"What the hell is this?" Beastboy stammered as he stepped backwards.
"That is the reason why I have chosen you. This being is Pride…one of the siblings of your teammate, Raven," The Raven Queen said, which made Beastboy gasp in shock.
"Raven has siblings?" Beastboy asked.
"Seven of them…Each named after the deadly sins. They were Trigon's top generals during the War of the Realms but they each were sealed away, on exception of Pride, who hid deep inside the demon realm…" The Raven Queen told him with anger in her voice. "He and Slade have teamed up to find a way to make them both immortal, going against the natural order of the universe."
"How?" Beastboy asked.
"When Slade Wilson was killed by Tara Stone, Princess of Markovia, he was brought back by Trigon to do the demon lord's bidding but through trickery, Slade Wilson managed to break away to regain his mortality but this put the fear in death in him. Pride also feared death, now more than ever due to his father's own death but unlike Slade Wilson, he and his brothers have found to cheat death…And that is to steal the souls of men as you saw…"
"You said she had other brothers…Tell me… Do you know where they are?" Beastboy asked her.
"They were freed when Trigon was freed from his seal but their souls have vanished from my sight. I do not know when they will appear again but this is why I have called upon you," The Raven Queen said as the world shimmered one more time, returning the pair back to the Raven Queen's realm.
"Now that you know your mission, You are to kill Slade and Pride before anymore souls are stolen along with finding and eradicating the other spawn of Trigon and when you do, you shall be free of duty and return to your life…Now that I have answered your question…Will you take up the helm as my champion?" The Raven Queen asked.
"Admittedly, I feel a bit betrayed but I guess a parent would do anything to bring their child back so I can't blame them at the same time," Beastboy began as he looked at the sky above. "But while I'm feeling off about what my parents did, I can't turn my back and knowing Slade is doing what he is doing with Pride and not having any idea what the other demons are doing and since I am the only one that knows any of this…I need to stop them so while I personally don't want this, as a hero, I will be your champion to stop this danger."
"Spoken like a true champion and hero," The Raven Queen told him, a pleased tone in her voice. "Then kneel, my champion."
Beastboy knelt down on one knee and lowered his head.
He then felt the cold steel of a sword press against his right shoulder as the Raven Queen said "By the gods above, I, the guide of the dead, the Matron of Ravens, The Raven Queen now deems Garfield Mark Logan…." Beastboy felt the blade leave his right shoulder only to press against his left shoulder and continued with "….Son of Mark and Marie Logan and hero of Jump City as my personal champion until his duty to me is done."
The minute the blade left his left shoulder, Beastboy felt a large amount of pressure building into his chest before the burning began. Beastboy looked down and saw the shape of a feather burning through his suit and the pain continued to increase.
"W-What this agony?" Beastboy exclaimed as he clutched at his chest.
"This is the beginning of making you my champion," The Raven Queen told him as the pain continued to build, which caused Beastboy to scream in agony, the burning feeling sinking down further into his chest and into his heart and then everything went white.
But not before he heard the final words of the Raven Queen.
"You are now my champion Garfield Mark Logan…It is time for you to become stronger to show it…."
Rain: And that is the end of the chapter. So we find out Raven's seven siblings (Her canon comic book siblings) are free and Pride has teamed with Slade to take souls. This threat is big enough to push the Raven Queen to summon Beastboy but what will happen to Beastboy now?
Beastboy: Only one way to find out!
Starfire: See you next time!
