Chapter 06: Ringing.

Birdarangs flew through the air, all missing their target by hitting a swirling staff that acted as a shield. Slade landed on the ground after his maneuver, the boomerangs raining around him.

"Really, Robin…" He commented, picking up one of the wrecked weapons. "When are you going to get better toys?"

"Don't need them to beat you!" The kid in question snapped, lashing out with his staff at the man.

He countered the attack with his own metallic pole, making thunderous sounds at contact, neither one yielding his position in the power struggle. This is where the advantages of being in a team come in.

Slade was not surprised when the green monkey jumped on Robin elbow; he had seen it coming. The monkey screeched as it dived for him, changing into a lion on the process and using its weight to drag Slade to the ground.

The expert martial-artist took no real concern at this: He leaned back and used his feet and the momentum built up by the lion to throw the animal past him and crashing on the round table. Judo Flip Suplex, quite useful in all fights.

The problem for the Titans is that Slade had the battle under total control: He saw the attacks comings before the attackers themselves thought of using them.

He easily saw Starfire's Starbolts rushing to him after he got rid of Beastboy and jumped out of the way with time to spare. Said time used to throw a small light bomb at Raven, whom he saw attempting to bind him with a spell.

He saw Starfire's shock at her teammate's temporal blindness before the girl even noticed the fact and used it to get pass her and to Robin.

He saw Beastboy, still on Lion form, attempting to stop him and he simply used his staff to trip the feline, seize and use him as a projectile to keep the Tamarenian girl busy. He saw Starfire brought down by the animal's dead weight and Raven falling to her knees, rubbing her eyes.

He saw (and found amusing) Robin's expression when he realized the man before him had disabled his entire team in matter of seconds.

"Now…" Slade said, staring hard at Robin, staff still at hand. "Let's talk."

Titans Tower. Cyborg's room.

The black cybernetic teen rested on his metallic 'bed', deep in sleep mode. Fixit was right next to him using a monitor attached to the bed to supervise the construction process on his friend. Meanwhile, a handful of bite-size bots went around his body adding the finishing touches to the repair job.

The beeping, suddenly coming from the computer, startled Fixit and distracted him from his work. It rather reminded him of the AIM sound used when someone starts talking to you; and indeed, an instant-messenger-looking window (in computer terms, of course) popped up in the screen. A single phrase in it:

DONE YET?

Fixit stared at the question for a while before smiling his ghostly smile. Then he started typing. Wow... An AIM between a robot and a human's semi-dormant subconscious… You saw it here first, folks.

PATIENCE, FRIEND. ALL WILL BE FINISHED SOON ENOUGH.

OK… PLEASE TRY TO PICK UP THE PACE.

Fixit rubbed his chin at Cyborg's last response, pondering on the under meanings of the request; party because human reactions were still quite alien to him… But also because he felt worry.

SOMETHING TROUBLES YOU, FRIEND?

There was no response for a while.

NOTHING… JUST A GUT FEELING…

His uneasiness was easily noticed.

I THINK MY FRIENDS ARE IN TROUBLE…

"…We have nothing to talk about!" Robin yelled, attempting to hit his opponent with a staff. The swing was evaded easily and Slade released a powerful hit to Robin's diaphragm. The teen's eyes widened in both pain and surprise at Slade's speed as he fell on all fours next to the still unconscious body of Alice Reynolds.

"Oh, but we do, child." Slade answered, towering him. "You see, my apprentice was rather a… Disappointment. No doubt I'll be taking care of him when this is all finished…"

Robin spat on his boots.

"…"

"You miserable bastard." The Teen Wonder hissed. "He helps you and you'd kill him. You are sick."

Slade slammed his boot against Robin's chin, drawing blood and a tooth.

"You are defending him?" He asked amusedly. "He tried to kill you and your little friends, and you defend him?"

"I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him." Robin growled, not minding his language. "But not even he deserves you."

"So hurtful." Slade replied dully.

The younger male forced himself to his feet with a great deal of struggle: Slade had got him hard.

"Hmm. But getting back to the subject, Robin." The man continued, clearly not taking him as a threat. "Adam Matthews didn't help me out of his own free will, you must have known that by now; just as you must have known he didn't want to kill any of you. You must also know why. In any case, despite his best efforts, I'm afraid Adam just can't measure up to the task. Which brings us up to this: Would you consider taking on your previous role once again as my apprentice? You certainly handled the position better than Metatron."

Robin remained silent for a few moments, wondering if Slade was really this stupid.

"You gotta be kidding." He said finally.

"Yes, yes, I know. You are the little hero." Slade said, waving a hand. "But the fact is, Robin, that going by my teachings is on your best convenience. I can teach you things Batman's too afraid to."

"…Afraid?" Robin asked in confusion.

"Batman has not taught you everything he knows because he's afraid that you might someday choose my path. If that happens, he won't be able to stop you. Unless… He keeps your abilities limited."

Robin would have denied it… Except it did sound like the Batman he knew. Batman really didn't trust anyone completely. Not even his own family. No doubt he already had a plan devised to take each of his 'team' down should any of them betray him.

But Robin had grown to love Batman as a father. And he could live with his mistakes.

"Let's get something straight." He growled. "I'd rather kill my friends with my bare hands than work for you again."

Slade seemed rather taken aback by the way Robin had expressed his decision… But it quickly drowned under his calm façade.

"Fine then." He said, and leapt into action.

Robin stood, calmly waiting. Something was wrong, he wasn't defending… Nor he was planning to.

BANG!

The Starbolt threw Slade off-course by a mile: He was thrown into the monitors, shattering them and electrocuting himself out of it.

"I am, and forever will be, with the Titans." Robin smiled, Starfire floating next to him. "They are way more reliable."

Slade growled, as he attempted to get out of the wreckage. He should have known a little animal wouldn't be enough to stop the powerful Tamarenian, this was his mistake.

"Remain seated, I insist." Starfire ordered, throwing a good chunk of attacks towards the man.

This time they were evaded, Slade jumped high into the ceiling, readying his staff… Then it glowed black, along with his entire body. The man's eye widened as his staff was ripped from his grasp and his body was thrown against the wall with enough strength to break his bones, had he not be wearing protection.

Raven materialized from the shadows right behind him and seized him.

"Up for a scare?" She said before attempting the same technique she had used to render Metatron unconscious.

And found she couldn't.

Then found how painful it was to have an elbow rammed against your ribcage, before being thrown to the ground.

"RAVEN!" Starfire called out, Robin just frowned.

"Planning to mess with my head, girl?" Slade asked, gazing at her.

Raven sat up with a groan. Something was wrong, she hadn't been able to read anything. "How…?"

"My helmet blocks out your powers. Do not think I am as inexperienced as my last apprentice."

"Funny, you didn't see Beastboy hop into your leg." Robin pointed out.

Slade quickly took action and looked for the kid on his persona. He didn't found him.

A bluff.

"Up here."

For some reason, Slade actually looked up. I guess even the best of the best can't overcome the clichés. Anyhow, the moment he did, he found himself face-to-face with a green velociraptor.

"Hey, baby." It grinned before lashing Slade into the air with its tail. "For the record, Metatron could have fallen for this trick too."

Raven took the chance and quickly bended the possessed staff into an arc, catching Slade with it and encasing sides both sides of the pole to one of the walls.

As the Titans closed up on him, they realized Slade Wilson had been trapped.

And he realized he had made the same mistake his apprentice had done: He had lost control of the fight.

Suddenly they weren't so different.

Tears… She couldn't stop crying.

"Don't."

My voice betrayed me… I could remember how much I was trying not do break down as well.

"Nobody blames you…" I whispered. "Anyone would have done the same in your situation. The will to survive is a powerful thing."

"But…"

"DON'T."

I whipped the tears from her cheeks.

"…I'm scared…" She said, looking the part. "…I killed them…"

"No. You didn't kill anybody." I insisted for the twelfth time in the past hour. "You didn't kill her. You didn't kill him. You took revenge, that's all."

More sniffs came from Aura… She was weak… How did this fragile little girl do what I saw her do?

"Look, if you had killed anyone, I wouldn't help you. You know that." I needed to comfort her, desperately.

"But… What if I end up killing you too?"

I froze. It took me a while to swallow that one.

"…You won't. I know you."

She stared me with puffy eyes.

"Trust me." I said with a smile. "In any case, I could probably hold my own against you."

She didn't find it funny.

"…I'm scared…" She wept.

"Don't be." I hugged her. "I'm here. I'll protect you."

"You promise?" She asked, breaking the hug after a while.

"I promise."

I promise.

Her face faded…

I promise.

Slade Wilson appeared in her spot.

I promise.

He looked at him with hard eyes.

I promise.

He pressed the button.

I promise.

Wake up…

His eyes snapped open.

"I promised." Metatron muttered, attempting to get up.

His strength failed him as he fell on his butt dizzily: It was like his brain was rebooting. And the aching was the first thing that returned to his conscious mind: The burns, cuts and overall damage to his body forced him to lie down for a couple more minutes.

"How did she sneak up on me like that?" He thought outloud, remembering what Raven had done to him. Not really aware of the fact that he had somehow waked up twenty-three hours forty-two minutes sooner than he should have.

Raven. The Titans. The ones that weren't here.

He sat up so fast his brain hit the back of his skull. Ignoring it, he looked around frantically; and his heart sank when he saw that he was indeed alone: The Titans had gone in after Slade.

He had failed. Again.

"No." He growled, forcing himself up. "No. It's not over."

He concentrated his remaining energy into one spot: In his brain, or in a specific nerve on it. It was an old trick he had learned to use when he was low on energy: Executing it on that specific nerve gave him an energy push equivalent to a very powerful sugar rush. With all its benefits: His attacks, speed and blows were as powerful as if he had been in top condition; and most importantly of all, he never gets tired.

However, no technique is perfect, and this one had its downside as well: It hard a time limit, and it was a short one, ten to thirty minutes. No more, no less. When the time limit was reached, he'd be lucky if he had enough life left in him to blink.

Nevertheless, He was out of options. Instantly the power surge through him anew. Fake power, but it would do.

"I have 17 minutes." Metatron clenched his fists a couple of times, ever amazed at how real the energy rush felt, even when he knew it wasn't. "I gotta use them well."

He sprinted towards the entrance.

"Heh. Bravo, children. You've managed to catch me by surprise. Congratulations." Slade said, smug confidence dripped from his words.

"You know, for someone who is about to go to jail, you are certainly taking it well." Robin commented, with his arms closed. Something was bugging him, as arrogant as he was, Slade shouldn't be so confident about this.

The remaining Titans were a bit separate from the two, deciding to let them have their chat.

"Hmm. I agree. But while you may have captured me…"

The explosion caught everyone but Slade by surprise.

"…I'm not going anywhere." He finished.

Robin managed to turn in time to see the fist going for his face, crushing his face with tremendous strength before he went flying against Starfire; the girl yelped in an attempt to catch him, but was dragged down along with him as well.

"What!" Beastboy exclaimed in shock, then he saw Metatron standing before Slade. "YOU!"

Raven was more than shocked.

"…But…" She sputtering in confusion as the golden-eyed teen cut the staff seizing his master with his claws. "…How…?"

"Damnit, what do we have to do to keep you down!" Beastboy yelled while Starfire got up along with a lightheaded Robin.

Metatron remained silent as he held up his hand, which grasped a yellow artifact.

Robin's utility belt.

The Teen Wonder gasped when he saw it, already thinking of the possibilities of Metatron's plan for the instrument.

"Catch." Metatron whispered, throwing the belt at them.

They all stared in confusion, even Slade. Then Metatron released an energy blast towards it. Robin's features showed horror.

BOOM!

Everyone in the room was thrown aback by the shockwave of the explosion, which pretty much blew off the entire roof of the lair. The Titans suffered the most damage though as the explosion had been much nearer to them than to the other individuals.

The aftermath showed it clearly: The Titans on the ground, still and unmoving. Metatron got up from one of the scraps of metal that had fallen on him because of the explosion, his master beneath him.

He ignored Slade's grunts of discomfort and made his way to the bodies. He found them breathing. They were alive.

Metatron stared in silent shock as they started groaning, waking up. HOW THE HELL DID THEY SURVIVED AN EXPLOSSION OF THIS MAGNITUDE?

Then he saw Starfire. Her leg had been badly burned and so had part of her face. Now he knew: The girl had seen it coming and knowing that her species handled heat far better, she took most of the impact with her own body. Except this was a great deal worse than a car explosion; heat-withstanding or not, this had to hurt like hell.

Metatron had to smile in some respect for her. Nevertheless, it quickly vanished; he still had a mission. He walked over to the ruins of the base and retrieved an oval artifact from one of the remaining compartments on the circular table; then he went back to the Titans, who were already getting up.

Robin was the first one that saw him coming. But there was nothing he could do: Metatron threw the oval artifact just right above their heads, where it hovered for a couple of seconds.

Then it suddenly emitted a dull orange energy that became a dome around them, sealing all of them in. The now conscious but less than ready Titans stood in confusion for a couple of seconds before one of the finally tried it.

"AHHH!" Beastboy yelped, having touched the shield with his hand, it had melted away the cloth with a hiss.

"Perfect." Robin muttered, holding Starfire up: The Tamarenian girl couldn't do so on her own. "Raven, get us out of here."

The telepath seemed to concentrate, but quickly gave up.

"I can't… It's disrupting my powers."

"Of course it is, it's designed to keep you in there." Metatron said from the outside, Slade stood behind him.

Robin saw his expression and knew something very wrong was about to happen.

"Titans restrained, Master." The apprentice commented before closing his eyes momentarily. "Proceeding to… Eliminate threat."

Once again, his glowing palm was aimed at the teens.

Click.

It was soft, but his ears picked it up anyway.

Metatron's blood ran cold as the energy sphere vanished instantly. He felt confused and bewildered as he turned around, already knowing what he would find.

Not that it made it any easier.

Slade Wilson stood behind him, his left arm out, holding a black device with a single red button. Which had been pressed.

"…no…"

Hisssssssss…

The sound was fairly low and almost inaudible. But when you had barely heard any noise whatsoever for a long time, your ears were quite alert. This theory was proven correct as the little girl's strangely large ears twitched slightly when she registered the sound.

She seemed confused, as her read eyes scanned her pretty, if not somewhat corny, room for the source. It was kinda hard to miss actually: A strange greenish smoke was oozing from the built-in ventilation system, which was starting to fill the place rather quickly. At this rate, the entire room would soon be covered in it.

"…Huh?" She asked; her confusing growing by the second as she reached an arm out and waved the smoke, smoke that had already reached her knees and was making its way down to her ankles.

Her eyes widened when she realized she could no longer breathe.

No words have been exchanged since Metatron's realization, which left the Titans at the dark about what the hell had just happened. Just a couple of seconds ago, the kid before them was one step away from blasting them out of existence; now he stood frozen in place, staring at his master with a look of pure horror. They had good reason to be confused. Except one, who had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

Ironically, he currently knew more than Metatron himself: His brain appeared to have stopped working. He saw Slade before him, he saw the button pressed, he knew that was bad… Yet he couldn't remember why. He was only aware of the overwhelming mixture of panic, horror and strange confusion that reigned over his mind at the sight.

"B-but…" He finally managed to choke out. He stopped to wait for an answer, mainly because he had no idea what to say next.

Slade remained silent.

"Why…?"

Slade continued to ignore him, actually cracking his neck at the same time.

Around that time, after getting through his fog of confusion, was when it fully dawned on Metatron that the man before him may have already killed his sister. The expected outburst was anger, perfectly blended with horror.

"WHY?" He roared, tightening his fist and ignoring the cuts his claws made on his palm as a result. "WHY, YOU BASTARD? I FOLLOWED ORDERS! I LISTENED TO YOUR EVERY FUCKING COMMAND! I LOWERED MYSELF TO BE YOUR GODDAMN APPRENTICE! I FOUGHT AND GAVE MORE THAN I COULD HAVE! I BEAT THE TITANS!" The anger slowly slipped away from his voice, swiftly replaced by hysteria. "…I was even gonna kill them… I was gonna take fucking teenagers' lives. For you. BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO. FOR YOU! FOR YOU!"

Slade seemed completely unaware of the yelling. Metatron gaped at this as he suddenly felt too dizzy to stand and fell on his knees.

"ARGHH!" The child, whose panic attack had finally gotten the best of him, slammed his fist against the ground in frustration. "ANSWER ME, YOU SONUVABITCH!"

The man in question finally showed a sign that he was indeed listening as he slowly turned to face his apprentice. The look of complete revulsion his eye bared was enough to take Metatron aback.

"For me?" Slade asked, sounding like he found that whole concept hilarious. "Don't try to fool me or yourself, child. You never complied my orders because you so desired. You did it for that stupid little girl." He casually walked towards his apprentice. "And not even with her safety as motivation were you able to measure up. Even with the desire to save her, you still failed. Speaks volumes of your character, my failed apprentice."

"Shut up…" The other responded weakly. Then he seemed confused. "…Failed?"

"You were ordered to abduct Alice Reynolds and bring her without delay." Slade started, motioning dully towards the still comatose girl, who Starfire had managed to protect as well. "Yet you allowed yourself to be traced. You were ordered to keep the Teen Titans out off this room. Yet here they are. You were ordered to kill them. Yet they seem quite lively to me."

Slade stopped his pace, now right in front of the kid.

"But…" Metatron started, as the man knelt down until he was at face level with him.

"I would have killed her even if your mission had been successful."

Metatron paused in disbelief at the new information. "…What?"

Slade's one eyes twinkled slightly. He looked… So. Freaking. CALM.

"I had no use for her. And I planned to dispose of you after you came back." The man muttered calmly. How could he be human? "You failed two missions, Metatron. And when I considered getting rid of our leverage, you begged me to let that worm live. You were pathetic."

Icy silence filled the entire room as Metatron looked at the verge of a nervous breakdown. The confused features on the Titans had by now vanished: They knew enough. Beastboy and Starfire were actually starting to feel sorry for Metatron. Raven had retreated to the back, closing her eyes and meditating. Robin, on the other hand, looked angry. More at Metatron than Slade.

"Begged." Slade hissed, as if it was the foulest of swear words. "That alone let me know that you would never be what I am. That I had been wrong to think I could mold you… You were just weak, simple-minded creature." He seized Metatron by the hair; the kid didn't make a move to stop him: He was still trying to swallow the fact that no matter what he could have done, his sister's fate had been carved in stone from the beginning. "And now… Just like your precious sister, you are worthless. Therefore you have to die."

He got up slowly, pulling Metatron along, who still didn't fight him off. Slade heard the struggle behind him: The Titans knew what was going to happen, and like the little heroes they are, they want to save even the bad guy. How pathetically predictable.

Nevertheless, he paid no mind to them. He knew that in their current grasp of their skills, they couldn't get out no matter what.

Sadly, he was right.

"Don't take it personally, child." He whispered, as his hand tightened on the top of the teen's head. "You are just not useful to me anymore. This is the practical thing to do."

He would twist his hand in one swift move, breaking his neck instantly. He supposed Metatron had at least earned a painless death.

"…Where…"

Slade stopped and stared at the kid, who seemed to be struggling with the words.

"…W-where… Is she?"

The mercenary felt a bit perplexed: Metatron was still talking, therefore somewhat aware of his surroundings… Which meant he knew he was about to be killed. And yet he still seemed to care more about the girl's welfare than anything else in the world.

That fact that he was baffled was the only reason Metatron caught him by surprise.

"WHERE IS SHE?" He roared, suddenly very active, as he lifted Slade from the ground with one hand while aiming the other one at his head dangerously. "I HAVE TO HELP HER! I HAVE TO SEE HER! I WANT MY SISTER! WHERE IS MY SISTER?"

The words echoed through the place, probably being heard even by the police officers that had assigned a perimeter around the entire beach after it had become obvious that something of Metahuman standards was happening in it.

"Where. Is. She?" Metatron growled. Even with his entire body shaking, his palm glowed slightly. "WHERE, MY MASTER?"

There was a moment where Slade simply studied the teen who was lifting him with as much ease as anyone would with a penny.

"Titans' Tower."

Confusion reigned among everyone who had heard the phrase: The Titans gaped at the man even as Metatron's grip loosened. Had he been in better mental condition, he might have noticed Slade looked too calm for someone who was being threatened.

"…Titans' Tower?" Metatron asked.

"WHAT?" Robin questioned.

"Not in it, of course." Slade muttered, straightening his outfit. "But on the island, yes. Her cell is underground and was designed to easily bypass their security measures to avoid detection." He turned to Robin. "Which I recommend you upgrade, the code was fairly simple to crack."

The Boy Wonder glared in return. He could have killed us in our sleep whenever he wanted to.

"The cell is programmed to automatically rise above ground right after the poison-releasing mechanisms are activated. It should be in plain sight by now, better hurry." Slade turned around to find Metatron no longer on his spot, but running towards the sea as fast as his legs could take him. "…Teens." He muttered. Usually used to express exasperation at the outburst of teenagers… But with Slade it sounded like 'can't believe it took you this long to go'.

"Aura Matthews is barely twelve." Robin's voice called from his 'dome'. "Did you actually just deliberately kill a little girl?"

Slade turned to find that all the Titans were glaring at him with intense hate. He didn't seem perturbed.

"She's not that innocent." He answered. "Now sit tight, children. The grand finale draws near."

"Do not attempt to move much, friend. Let your body get used to the new installments."

Cyborg did not listen as he flexed his arms and felt around his body with a grin.

"You are some kind of genius, Fixit." He complimented.

"How many kinds are there?" The robotic male asked, not getting the saying.

"Uh…" Cyborg stammered: This was one of the few times where he was at a loss of words. "I better check on the guys."

His built-in communicator called for the others… And didn't found them.

"Wha?" He asked himself in confusion and worry. "…Something must be jamming the signal." He decided, not wanting to consider what the other option might be.

"Someone is approaching." Fixit muttered, as he stared out the window. "At impressive speed."

"Hmm?" Cyborg asked, rushing to his friend's side. The first thing he noticed upon looking out was the complete wreckage on the beach in front of the island, and the cops forming a perimeter around it.

He was considered calling the police chief for information on what was happening when he saw him. As Fixit had already reported, a figure was quickly closing in to the island, via two large bat wings.

Metatron.

Cyborg's worry about his friend's health suddenly tripled.

"Stay here Fixit." He muttered; arming his sonic cannon as Metatron hastily landed on the island. "And be careful."

He left the room without another word.

She stumbled against her bed, dizzier by the second. Being a demon, she could hold her breath longer than humans could ever hope to… But not forever.

And Aura Matthews was reaching her limits, as tears streamed down her cheeks, the thick, greenish fog blinding her completely.

"HELP!" She yelled; terror now the dominant emotion in her entire body. Trying to hold back the desire to refresh her lungs, knowing that the very attempt would worsen her situation. "Help… please…"

She was slowly loosing her ability to speak… In the end, it didn't matter how much she screamed: The walls on the room were sound-proof.

Help me…

…Adam…

Please…

Her lungs screamed for oxygen. As much as she fought it, Aura is not a warrior; she had to give in… She finally took a deep breath.

Instantly it felt as if her lungs were burning.

Please… You promised…

Her entire body soon followed.

Metatron ran on the island like a wild animal, frantically looking for his sister's prison.

He didn't need to force himself. The cell was right next to the tower, bits of soil and rocks around it, as if it had made its way from underground. Which it had, but being as Metatron had rushed off before Slade finished his speech, he didn't know that.

"AURA!" He yelled as he ran towards it. The walls were still sound-proof.

His fist slammed against its door… And made the smallest dent possible.

"ARGH!" He roared in exasperation even as he started slashing, punching, kicking and blasting the door as much as he could.

He was making progress.

Hang on… I'm coming… Please hang on…

Very slow progress.

I can't breathe… I can't SEE…

Aura was on all fours now, now past the panic and having completely entered resignation to what was happening to her. So hot… Her entire body felt so hot… Scalding hot.

Strange noises came from her throat as she once again attempted to breathe. A brand new wave of unbearable heat surged through her body.

You promised…

Tears fell from her eyes, quickly evaporating on contact with her skin. She was gonna die and she knew it.

A slight ringing was heard on her ears, completely ignored.

You lied…

More tears. More resignation.

That ringing was starting to be bothersome.

Why…?

She slowly lay down on the ground. She felt… Neutral…

The ringing… No, it was racketing now… Was starting to hurt her ears.

You said you loved me…

"Ah…" She moaned, as her ears suddenly jolted in pain.

There was something wrong with that ringing…

Why…?

She gasped as the pain increased.

The ringing became a roar on her ears. She cried freely as she covered them in vain.

The roar didn't go away.

The heat didn't go away.

The pain didn't go away.

WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME TO DIE?

The roar grew louder.

Then all was silence.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Ah, the drama. The plot seems to be taking a rather soap-operaish turn, eh? Don't worry, I assure you that's not the case.

So, did Aura really die? Well, you'll find out on Monday, won't you?

And now, I must award myself for the WORST chapter title on history. I dunno WHY I used it, I guess I was due for a little humor on this. (NOTE: I changed my mind about the title at the last minute. The original version was 'Before you die, you hear the ringing'. You can see why I thought it was my worst idea yet. The new title is better, I suppose.)

Aside from it, I hope you enjoy reading this.