Hey guys. Sorry this one took a while. I got into an epic battle with Writer's Block, but I eventually managed to overcome him. This chapter may be a little weak, but it's just so I can get the story moving again.

Disclaimer: Is on Chapter One


Chapter Four: Fact Finding

"There he is!"

Cyborg chased after Mumbo, with Changeling, currently in the form of a bloodhound, running beside him. The magician turned left into an alleyway and pointed his wand at the wall. A hole appeared in the wall, and Mumbo ran through. A red and yellow blur zoomed past Changeling and Cyborg, making it through the hole just before it started closing. Mumbo looked back at the wall as it closed, and laughed as he saw Changeling and Cyborg stop dead. He looked forward, and his laughter died as he spotted the Flash leaning casually on the wall. The Flash stuck his foot out, tripping Mumbo. Once Mumbo had slid to a stop, the Flash grabbed his hat and wand, and held the hat out, shaking it. Several things fell out of the hat, including playing cards, bouquets, a rabbit, a pigeon, and the bag of cash Mumbo had stolen yesterday.

The Flash casually tossed the hat aside, and snapped Mumbo's wand. Without the wand to maintain the illusion, Mumbo's bright blue skin faded to a much more normal colour. The Flash then took out his Titans communicator and called the other two.

"I got him," he said.

"Did you break his wand?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah," said the Flash. "The wand is the source of his powers, right?"

"It sure is," said Cyborg. "Thanks."

"Hey, no problem," said the Flash. "You guys want me to meet up with you, or are you guys coming over here?"

"We'll head over to you," said Changeling. "Just give me a second to—Ugh!"

"What the...?!" said the Flash as Changeling yelped in pain. He could hear a sonic cannon firing on the other side of the wall. The Flash ran towards the wall, vibrating his molecules at the right speed so he could pass through the wall. Once he was through, he saw Changeling struggling back to his feet. He raced over and helped the green-skinned young man back up.

"You all right?" asked the Flash.

Changeling nodded. "Cy's going after the guy. Help him out."

"You sure you'll be okay?" asked the Flash.

"Yes, I'm sure," said Changeling. "Now go!"

The Flash ran off, rounding the corner and going after Cyborg. He saw Cyborg taking aim with his sonic cannon, and the Flash took a quick look at the target. The guy was wearing jeans and a red hoodie, and the hood was up, so the Flash couldn't see the guys face, and red energy surrounded his hands. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon, and the Flash raced towards him. The guy's eyes flashed red under his hoodie, and a red dome surrounded him. Once the dome faded, the guy was gone. The Flash skidded to a stop where the guy had been standing.

"Who the hell was that?" asked the Flash as Cyborg finally caught up.

"I have no idea," said Cyborg. "He just came out of nowhere and blasted Changeling. Then he ran out here so I followed him. Then you came up and, well, you saw the rest."

The Flash nodded. "D'you get a look at his face?"

Cyborg shook his head. "He was wearing his hood the whole time. I just hope I managed to record enough with this," Cyborg tapped his prosthetic eye, and the red glow faded slightly.

"I didn't know you could record stuff with that," said the Flash.

"Well, I don't normally use it for recording," said Cyborg. "Let's just get back to the Tower and have a look at it."


"Wait," said Nightwing, squinting as he watched the footage. "Go back a bit."

Cyborg rewound the footage, and the red dome that had appeared started moving in reverse.

"Stop," said Nightwing. The other Titans had gathered around, all watching the footage intently.

"Go back a few frames," said Nightwing. Cyborg obliged, tapping a button.

"A few more," said Nightwing, staring at the man's hooded face. "A few more... Another one... One more... There!"

Nightwing pointed at the image, and the others saw what he was pointing at immediately.

Raven gasped in shock. It couldn't be... it was impossible...

"What the...?" asked Jinx.

"What is that thing on his forehead?" asked Bumblebee.

"Look at his eyes," said Starfire.

Nightwing nodded. "I see it. My question is how is it possible?"

"It shouldn't be," said Cyborg. "We beat the guy five years ago. There shouldn't be any way he could come back."

"Okay, time out," said the Flash. "What the hell is up with this guy? Why has he got four eyes? And what's up with that weird glowy tattoo on his forehead?"

"The tattoo is the Mark of Scath," said Raven. Her hand was rubbing her forehead, where she had once had that same mark branded onto her skin. "It's a symbol of the Church of Blood... the followers of Trigon the Terrible."

"You mean that big demon guy who turned everyone onto the planet into statues?!" asked Bumblebee. "That Trigon?"

Raven nodded. "And the four eyes... that means that... he's a son of Trigon himself."

"Are you sure?" asked the Flash.

"Yes," said Raven. "I know because... I'm also one of Trigon's children."

Jinx gasped in shock. Bumblebee stared at Raven in shock, and the Flash's jaw dropped.

Nightwing, Starfire, Changeling and Cyborg looked at each other. If this guy was a son of Trigon, it could be possible that he wasn't the only one.

"Do you have any idea how many children Trigon may have had?" asked Nightwing.

Raven shook her head. "As far as I knew, I was the only one. But I might be able to find out."

"How?"

"I've got a book somewhere in my room," said Raven. "I'll see if I can find it."


Changeling knocked on Raven's door. "You found it yet?" he asked.

The door opened, and Changeling walked in. Raven was floating cross-legged in the middle of the room, books floating around her.

"No," said Raven. "I have no idea where I put it."

"Want me to help you look?" asked Changeling.

Raven sighed, and she nodded. "I doubt you'll find it."

Changeling shrugged. "I'm willing to give it a shot." He walked over to her bed and crouched down.

"Why are you looking under my bed?" Raven asked.

"Hey, you never know," said Changeling as he groped around blindly under the bed. "It might just be here... hah!"

Changeling pulled out his arm, holding up a rather dusty book.

"Is this the book you're looking for?"

Raven raised a hand, and the book levitated across the room towards her. She waved her hand, and the book flipped open, the pages flipping past until she came across a blood-red illustration of the Mark of Scath.

"Yeah," said Raven. "This is the book."


"So, what's this 'Church of Blood' you mentioned?" asked Cyborg. "Any relation to Brother Blood?"

Raven shook her head. She had taken the book and it was now sitting on the table in the main room of the Tower, and the other Titans had gathered around.

"I don't think that Brother Blood has any relation to the Church of Blood," she said. "Anyway, like I said earlier, they worshipped Trigon. They used the Mark of Scath as cover. They didn't want anyone to know that they were worshipping what's basically the devil. Before I was born, my mother ended up with the Church of Blood for some reason; she never told me why. She was going to be married to Trigon, but she eventually realised what was going on, and she tried to escape. Then Trigon... he... he raped my mother," Raven whispered.

Changeling rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Raven sighed. "After that, she was planning on committing suicide when she was found by the Monks of Azar. They took her in, and after I was born, they raised me. I didn't see my mother much during that time; the monks were worried about what would happen if my emotions got out of control."

"That's right," said Starfire. "When your emotions are too strong, you can't control your powers. You haven't had to be so restrained after we defeated your father."

Raven nodded. "After we defeated him, his influence over me was weakened, I guess. I only have to worry about when I get really angry these days."

"But this new guy," said the Flash, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Is he also from this Church of Blood?"

"He'd have to be," said Raven. "My father could only physically manifest in this world for short periods of time, and only in areas prepared by the Church. I don't know why my father would have more than one child, but I can guess."

"Why?" asked Jinx.

"Insurance," said Raven. "I was supposed to be the portal that allowed him to conquer Earth, but if that plan failed, then he'd have a backup."

"And you're saying this guy's the backup?" said Cyborg. "Do you know if he has any other brothers or sisters?"

Raven shook her head. "I tried to find something in here, but there's nothing except for the prophecy about me."

"So we have no way of finding out about this guy?" asked Nightwing.

"Actually... there might be a way," said Raven slowly.

"I'm listening," said Nightwing.

"I could go back to Azarath and ask the Monks of Azar if they know anything about this," said Raven. "If anyone knows anything about Trigon's children, they might."

"All right, then," said Nightwing. "I'll go with you."

"Me too," said Changeling.

"I... I don't know," said Raven. "I've never tried to take anyone with me to Azarath before: I don't know what might happen to you."

"Don't worry, Raven," said Nightwing. "We trust you."

Changeling nodded. "And you don't have to do this alone," he said. "We're your friends, remember?"

Raven was silent for a few seconds, and then she sighed. "Okay, you can come."


"So this is Azarath, huh?" said Changeling, looking around.

"Yeah," said Raven. The extra-dimensional city had been razed by her father five years ago, and after Starfire had left for Tamaran, Raven had come back, and had spent two years helping to rebuild.

As the three Titans walked down the streets towards the Temple, Changeling couldn't help but notice how many people were staring at them.

"We seem to be the centre of attention," he said.

"Well, I doubt green skin is very common around here," said Nightwing.

"Neither are domino masks," said Changeling. "Or black and blue spandex.

"Touché," said Nightwing.

Silence descended upon the trio as they continued their journey through the streets of Azarath. Nightwing watched a dove fly past, heading towards a building with a golden symbol on the side. The symbol was that of a bird, wings swept upward, and tail pointed downwards.

"Is that the Temple?" asked Nightwing, pointing.

Raven nodded. "My mother and the rest of the Monks live there."

Changeling whistled. "It's pretty fancy," he said. "So, are we going in through the front door?"

"No," said Raven. "We'll go a different way."

Raven waved her hand, her eyes flashing white, and a black disc formed under the Titans. She levitated the disc upwards, heading for one of the Temple's balconies. Once the three of them had reached the balcony, they stepped off the disc, and the black energy dissipated.

"So... whereabouts in the Temple are we?" asked Nightwing quietly.

"This is the balcony to my mother's chambers," said Raven.

As Raven spoke, the door to the Temple opened, and a woman wearing a white robe stepped out. The hood of the robe was down; exposing hair stained a similar shade to Raven's hair. Nightwing easily spotted the family resemblance between mother and daughter.

"Rachel?" asked the woman.

"Hey, mom," said Raven, stepping forward and hugging her mother.

"I'm glad to see you're all right," said Raven's mother.

"I'm glad to see you, too," said Raven, letting go of her mother. "But I didn't come here to socialise."

"I know," said Raven's mother, stepping past her daughter to look at Nightwing and Changeling.

"You must be Rachel's friends," she said.

Nightwing nodded. "I'm Nightwing, and this is Changeling," he said, pointing first to himself, then at Changeling.

"My name is Arella," said Raven's mother. "Leader of the Monks of Azar." She looked around. "I have a feeling that we have much to discuss, and this isn't really the place. Please, come inside."

Arella led the three into the Temple. Changeling managed to catch up to Raven.

"So," he said innocently. "Rachel, huh?"

To his surprise, Raven blushed in embarrassment. "Shut up," she said quietly.

Changeling's grin became decidedly evil. "Ooh, I'm gonna get a lot of mileage out of this one."

"First of all, that was my line," said Raven, "and second of all, I never teased you about your name, so you can't tease me about mine."

Changeling opened his mouth to respond... and closed it again.

"She's right, you know," said Nightwing.

Changeling groaned. "I hate it when she uses logic on me."

Nightwing smiled, then turned to Raven. "Didn't you say that 'Raven' was your real name?"

"I never said that," said Raven. "I said it was the name given to me by the Monks of Azar when I was born. I didn't say that it was my real name."

"You sure?" said Changeling. "Because I distinctly remember that when we were exchanging real names after Ding Dong Daddy's race, you said it was your real name."

"No I didn't," said Raven.

"Yes you did," said Changeling.

"I'm with the green guy on this one," said Nightwing. "You said Raven was your real name."

"Fine," said Raven with a sigh. "I admit it: I lied. Happy now?"

Nightwing and Changeling looked at each other, then back at Raven. "No," they said in unison.

"Not until you tell us your last name," said Nightwing.

Raven was silent for a second. "Roth," she said. "My full name is Rachel Roth."

"There, see, that wasn't so hard, was it?" said Changeling.

Raven just rolled her eyes, and hurried to catch up with her mother. Arella lead the three Titans into a side room, with furniture set up not unlike a conference table.

"No one will disturb us here," said Arella, sitting down at one of the chairs. "Now, then, what did you need to see me about.

Between the three of them, Nightwing, Changeling and Raven explained the attack on Changeling, and their suspicions as to who he was. Once they were finished, Arella sat back, deep in thought.

"A son of Trigon," she whispered to herself.

Nightwing nodded. "If you know anything about this, please, we need to know."

Arella was quiet for a short time. "Very well. I will explain what I know the best I can."

"It was prophesised that Rachel would be the portal that would allow Trigon's escape," said Arella. "She was the gem that would open the portal. However, she is not the only child of Trigon in your universe."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'our universe'?" asked Changeling.

"Trigon has sired children in many different universes," explained Arella. "He is bent on conquering all the universes in existence, and has succeeded as many times as he has failed."

"Oh, okay," said Changeling. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's fine," said Arella. "There are seven children of Trigon in each universe he has visited."

"Seven?" asked Nightwing. "Why seven?"

"Each of Trigon's children represents one of the seven sins," said Arella. "Wrath, Avarice, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride."

"So, the guy who attacked me," said Changeling. "Which one was he?"

"I believe he was Wrath," said Arella. "Red is the traditional colour for Wrath. Avarice is green, greed is yellow, Lust is dark blue, Gluttony is orange, Sloth is light blue, and Pride is purple."

Nightwing and Changeling both turned to look at Raven, staring at her purple hair and eyes.

"Wha...? You mean... I'm Pride?" asked Raven in shock.

Arella nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said sadly.

Raven managed a smile. "It's okay," she said.

"So, if Raven's Pride, how come her powers are black, not purple?" asked Changeling.

"I'm... not sure," said Arella. "It might be because Rachel has not given into the sin of pride and not let it control her. The others may have let their respective sins control them."

"So we're up against six guys," said Nightwing. "Can they summon Trigon by themselves?"

"I don't know," said Arella. "If they entered an area that had been prepared by the Church of Blood, then it is possible that they could summon Trigon."

Raven gasped. "The hidden room in the old library," she said.

Nightwing nodded. "Cyborg said that place was much older than the rest of the library, and the Mark of Scath was on the door."

"If they are from the Church of Blood, then they probably know it's there," said Changeling. "Only question is, why haven't they tried to raise Trigon before?"

"They planets need to be aligned in a certain way," said Arella. "On the day of the prophecy, five years ago, the planets were aligned correctly at dusk, which allowed the portal to open."

"So when will the planets align again?" asked Nightwing.

"Today," said Arella. "Just after noon. You haven't got much time."

"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Nightwing.

Arella nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

Nightwing stood up. "Thank you for your time, Arella," he said politely. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go save the world. Again."

"Go," said Arella. "And good luck."

Nightwing and Changeling started to leave, and Raven got up to follow them.

"Rachel?" said Arella, and Raven stopped, looking back at her mother.

"Be careful," said Arella.

Raven smiled. "I will, mom. I promise."


The other Titans were sitting around in the main room when Nightwing, Changeling and Raven returned.

"Hey, you're back," said the Flash. "What'd you find out?"

"No time to talk now," said Nightwing. "We have to get down to the old library. We'll explain on the way."


So, as the saying goes, the plot thickens.

Next time, we get a fight between the Titans and the six Sons of Trigon! But things might go a little differently to what you might expect...

-ShortyBoss.