Chapter 7
[Several weeks later - Solor's Universe]
Edward had resigned himself to a longer stay than he had hoped for as the days turned to weeks and his concern was mounting. Time flowed differently in Solor's home universe compared to his own universe. Had he missed the birth of his daughter? How was Rachael holding up? Well, the second question, Edward already knew the answer. She had the moral and emotional support from two teams of Teen Titans. His mother would be frantic, though. It turned out that her effort to find him actually did throw her forward in time as well as Edward's home universe. She had recovered a fair amount of her own strength, which made Edward happy. But, she couldn't fully let go of her dislike of most humans. She didn't mind Edward's extended family. She adored her grandson and it didn't bother her that Edward was Soskrein's god-daughter/adopted Uncle.
But, the problem is that while Edward and Solor had started to get along after a few missteps, it was clear that he was following through on his decision to not seek a long term relationship with Starfire.
That Edward was there helped when Kardiak tried again to kidnap some kids and this time, he was more successful for a few moments. In his hybrid form, he was able to duck and dodge the tentacles in hand to hand combat, something that at the time, Solor was not proficient in doing. Edward had borrowed a collapsible bo staff from Robin and proved that he was quite good at that during the fight.
"You should have stayed broken," Edward said, "This time, I shall insure it." The child had been rescued and Edward's eyes glowed red as he grabbed whatever Kardiak was and took to the air. There was a flash of light as Edward teleported Kardiak far away from where there were any children to kidnap: The North Pole.
Edward dropped Kardiak there and allowed himself to go to his full dragon and snarled, "Show up in Jump City again, and the Titans will not hesitate to destroy you."
If anyone was listening, they would have sworn they heard thunder. Edward made Kardiak ride the lightning, shorting out the nanobots.
"Damn robot," Edward snarled before encasing it in a thick layer of ice that would not be melting anytime soon. He returned to his hybrid form and returned to the Tower to warm up.
But, since there, there were several minor missions. That allowed Edward to start training Solor in hand to hand combat.
There were also the needed all-team training days and since Edward, Solor and Starfire were the strongest, they would spar against each other. Edward started Solor with the simple defensive moves and once he had mastered being able to throw Edward, they moved onto offensive attacks. Solor was a relatively quick study when he wasn't clouded by his anger. And, Edward shied away from the trash talk. Starfire would watch the two dragons sparring and sometimes was invited to take part, to give each dragon a change in the routine. Some days, she assisted Edward, others, she'd side with Solor.
Robin, for his part, offered to show Solor some martial arts and would take over Solor's training when Edward was finally rescued anyway. That meant that there were several training sessions where Edward would stipulate no use of powers and to keep the strength at a more human level. Although Solor was not a big fan of these fights, he did enjoy learning new moves. So, he was willing to pull his punches.
Also, Solor had taken Edward's advice and without explaining it to the others, started walking around with his scales more often. They weren't always visible, but, they added a deeper bronze look making him look pretty buffed and tanned. It even caught Raven's eye and she mentioned it to Edward.
"Edward," she asked, "Tell me straight: is Solor ticklish?"
"You noticed he's deployed smaller scales, huh?" Edward responded, "I can trust you not to tell the others, correct?"
Of course," Raven said in her classic monotone.
"Solor is extremely ticklish," Edward said. He didn't have to say more, though.
"Heh heh heh!" she chuckled, "I wonder if I can use that to take Solor down a peg or two."
"Not until after my rescue," Edward requested, "I do not need an annoyed or angry Solor deciding to put the pieces together. He was already slightly annoyed when Robin asked Starfire out and, I suspect he figured out that I encouraged Robin to ask. He took a little too much pleasure in injuring me."
"I heard that", Solor said, smirking as he walked around the corner. "And yes, it didn't take much for me to put two and two together." He walked over, his eyes glaring playfully. "And Raven, if you do that, you can forget about me ever deflecting Kreinyol from taking you to the mall or Beast Boy from playing another stupid prank on you."
Raven's smirk dropped, and she glared back. "You wouldn't dare."
"Tickle me, and it will be the last mistake you make against me", Solor said. "I may not be aware of how sensitive I am, but I'm not taking any chances." He turned to Edward. "Anyway, Robin sent me to collect the two of you. We're going to go get pizza, and we were wondering if you would join us, or if you want to stay here." So far, Edward hadn't been in the mood to cook, so the rest of the team didn't get a chance to taste his culinary prowess.
[And I was gonna tell you how to set up BB's Insta-lube 9000 to get Solor,] Edward said via the temporary link. Raven had relented and allowed Edward to maintain it. It was probably the only thing keeping the elder dragon from going nuts.
[Ohh?] Raven said, [That would be worth it, if we can keep Solor from figuring out who gave me the directions. He might blame BB for it, except BB doesn't have the know how to rig it up other than when he got Solor before. Starfire, even though she wasn't hit, was livid!]
[I know. Cyborg was the target, but, Solor intercepted the balloon intentionally,] Edward said, [Back home, Starfire got hit instead and from what your counterpart told me, she was absolutely livid. It took the encounter with Thunder and Lightning to teach him a hard lesson...and then, Starfire forgave him.]
"Well," Solor said, "Robin's not going to wait all night."
Edward decided to be a gentleman and extended an arm to Raven, "Shall we, my friend?"
Raven looked at him like he was crazy, but, relented after a moment, "Just keep it as friends, buster."
"I know, Raven," Edward said, "My heart is with my Raven, and, even though you are her twin, I know that I must keep things as strictly friends."
They headed for the T-car and Edward realized that he's have to adjust to give everyone else some room, so, he morphed to a cat and was surprised when Starfire grabbed him up and said, "Friend Edward shall sit with me."
Edward merely purred. He didn't mind as long as Solor was OK with it.
"He is doing the purring!" Starfire said happily.
Solor chuckled a bit. "All dragons who take the forms of animals can do whatever the animal can do. It's sort of like a muscle memory thing." He then mock glared at Edward. "Just keep your paws to yourself, buster."
Edward "Meowed" and stuck out his tongue before purring some more.
Beast Boy commented, "At least Edward doesn't stay emerald green. He'd be great for an undercover mission or a disguise."
Edward flicked his tail in response in a rude gesture.
"Since when do cats know how to flip the bird?" Beast Boy griped.
[He should be glad I don't want to moon him,] he said to Raven.
"Don't push your luck," she said aloud, "lest you get mooned." That got a laugh out of everyone, except Starfire who didn't know the reference.
"Please," she asked, "what is 'mooned'? Isn't it the body that orbits the Earth?"
Solor leaned over and explained it to her, getting a sudden bright pink color.
They arrived as the laughter died down and as soon as it was feasible, Edward let himself be carried into the Men's room by Robin, who was able to hide Edward under his cape. Edward jumped out of his hiding place and resumed his normal form.
"Thanks, man," Edward said.
"Not a problem!" Robin replied as they went upstairs to the balcony and ordered their drinks. Edward opted for a large Pepsi and as he was drinking it several minutes later, he said, "I think it's about time that I started doing something outside of missions to earn my keep around the Tower."
"And what would that be?" Robin asked.
"In my universe," Edward explained, "I ended up cooking for the team and, well, I'm quite good at it. It solved the meat-Vegetarian fighting, for one."
"How did you manage that?" Cyborg asked.
"It was easy," Edward replied, "I would make two versions of what I was cooking. For example, with spaghetti sauce, I would do a meaty one for most of you and I'd remove some for Beast Boy and others on the team that are vegetarians before throwing in any meaty items. I can't go into detail on future members of the team, though. That pesky predestination paradox could come into play here."
"Is it as good as my triple meat sauce?" Cyborg challenged.
Edward's eyes narrowed, "You bet your shiny metal ass it is. Maybe better."
That set off a round of friendly bantering and setting up a cook-off for the next day or two.
The various pizzas arrived and the gang all dug in to enjoy the day.
After they finished the meal, complete with the usual bickering over who gets the last slice (Terra got it), they headed home.
That was until the T-Car got knocked off the road by a purple goo! Plasmus had somehow been awakened and attacked the Teen Titans by surprise.
The T-car spun out and slammed into a building.
The team was seriously stunned, except for the two dragons. Edward and Solor looked at the remains of the car and then looked at Plasmus.
They both assumed their hybrid battle forms and managed to get out of the T-Car.
"Plasmus is mine!" Solor said as he saw his best friend with stars over her head.
"Hit him with a flame burst," Edward said, "That slime is flammable."
Solor did just that and, sure enough, Plasmus burst into flame and panicked. That didn't last long, though as Edward iced Plasmus over, putting the flames out and knocking the poor kid out as well in the process. Edward waited a few seconds to be sure and then freed the teenager. He'd be out for a long time.
"Nice," Solor said, "I will have to remember that one."
"Thanks for not losing your cool," Edward complimented, "The others will be fine, but, Cyborg..."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?!" Cyborg roared as he came to and saw the damage to the T-Car.
"Plasmus happened, man," Edward said, "Solor and I already took him down."
"Is that why the air reeks?" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah. Plasmus should remember that he's easily set alight next time," Solor said, "The kid is fine, though, just sleeping like a baby."
The T-car was in no shape to drive, though.
The JCPD showed up and after a few questions, they packaged the teenager up and hauled him back to his cell, which in his case, meant back on the sedation that kept the Plasmus aspect out of the picture.
By then, the others had recovered and realized that the T-Car needed some repair work done.
Edward and Cyborg pulled the T-Car out of the building it crashed into and after examining the damage, decided that the folks who were fliers should head back to the Tower.
"It'll need extensive repair work," Cyborg said, "How do we get it back to the Tower?"
"Normally, I'd carry it back," Edward said, "Not really an option here, so, time to call a tow truck."
"Good idea," Cyborg said, pulling up his smartphone program and dialing. A few minutes later he was assured that a tow truck was coming.
They waited until the tow truck arrived and the T-Car was hooked up. Cyborg got in the truck as Solor and Edward would have to fly back. They didn't mind, though. It was a nice southern California day anyway so as they took to the skies to fly cover over the T-Car, Edward suggested that he take the high cover and Solor agreed to take low cover. It was mainly due to Edward's primary range weapon being lightning.
But, the trip back to the tower was uneventful and 20 minutes later, the T-Car was in the garage. Cyborg would only allow Raven to help him rebuild it, a task she actually loved to do! That got a smile out of both dragons as they started working on fixing the damage.
Edward and Solor found Beast Boy trying to sneak over to the garage.
"Beast Boy," Edward said glaring, "Lest I teleport you a good 50 miles from here and make you fly back under your own power...leave Cy and Raven alone. I'm serious, man."
Beast Boy's ears drooped hearing that one.
"Man, I could have helped!" he griped, only to see a bronzed arm picking him up. He gulped seeing Solor as the owner of said arm.
"OK, I get the hint!" Beast Boy said in a hurry, seeing how both Dragons were united.
"Let him go, Solor," Edward said, "We'll stand guard over the garage. Beast Boy here knows that I shall be happy to keep my word...and if that happens, he won't like the various pranks that await him upon his return."
Solor let the changeling go and Beast Boy scampered away as a green cat. Edward morphed into a nasty, mean looking bulldog and gave chase, getting Solor to not just smile, but, break out laughing.
It got even funnier when Starfire came across the scene and Beast Boy stopped to give her the "Face". She, of course, picked him up as Edward arrived, barking in mock anger.
"Friend Edward," she said, "Why are you doing the chasing of Friend Beast Boy?"
Edward morphed back and replied, "Just making sure he doesn't decide to try to bother Cyborg and Raven as they fix the T-Car."
Starfire mock glared at Beast Boy and said, "He does and he will be a clorbag valblernelk once more."
She set Beast Boy down and he morphed back, "OK! You guys win! I don't like being called a clorbag whatever...Last time, was plenty."
He headed off for his room.
"Man, I'm glad Terra got him to clean up his act," Edward said, noticing the lack of particular offensive smells from Beast Boy's room.
"We are too," Starfire said smiling.
"Those two are the same in all the universes I've been to," Edward said, "But, Solor taking on Terra's lack of control saved you guys a big problem later on, and saved her life in the process."
"What happened to Friend Terra in your home?" Starfire asked, "I know you told us of some things that happened, but, you hinted at more?"
"Kori," Edward said, switching over to Tamararian, "Slade had total control over her. Mind, body and soul. He did teach her control over her powers and manipulated her into giving up her virginity willingly. You must never tell the Terra of this universe that. What matters to my teammates is that they are happily married now. Beast Boy from my universe knows and he is such a gentle, forgiving soul that when she told him and started crying, he did what you would do. Pulled her into a hug and told her that he forgave her. I like to think that in all these universes, you, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, taught him that."
At first, her expression was one of utter rage at Slade, but, as Edward praised her at the end, even using her title, she smiled and blushed. She gave Edward a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Now," Solor said walking up, "What did I tell you, Edward?" He wasn't angry, though and the glimmer in his eyes gave that away.
Before Edward could say anything, Solor smiled, "I know you two have become fast friends. I am not jealous. Besides, I have a feeling that if Edward's mate senses that he's being unfaithful … he might want to hide here for a few decades till his Raven cooled off."
"You know Raven all too well," Edward said with a chuckle, "Regardless of universe, she is still the same. Even though in my world, Raven is out of her shell and in the middle universe, she's getting there. The constant if that when she's good and angry, her half-demon side takes control. Then, it even takes an effort for me to get her to calm to the point that she reverts back to normal. I would suggest to her that here, whenever Dr. Light shows his face, she allows Rage to emerge, even for a moment or two. He's so frightened of her, being in jail is a safer place."
Both Solor and Starfire thought back to their first encounter with the light obsessed doctor and chuckled. Raven scared him so badly that he ended up seeking therapy in prison, claiming that the horrors Raven's demon side showed him were unspeakable visions of Hell itself, where his soul was slowly devoured by a demon with deep red skin, antlers and SIX glowing eyes.
"That was rather amusing", Solor said, chuckling a bit, "even if a bit too Dark for my tastes. He should be glad he's never met my father before he became the leader of Light."
At that, Starfire turned to Solor. "Your father has a position of power, friend Solor?"
Solor nodded, recalling some painful memories. Normally, he would have clamped up, but with his recent mourning, he had managed to get a lot of negative emotions out of his system, and he was able to willingly talk about it. "Yes, my father is called the Grand Light, as he is the leader of the Light Dragons, my clan. Before he took that position, he was the high inquisitor for our clan, and many of his skills, he passed down to me. I do not know how he can cause so much intimidation, though. One moment, he is calm, and suddenly, out of nowhere, he can cause an entire room to feel like something's about to explode, it gets so tense." He sighed. "Of course, he probably has not forgiven me for what I've said and done. If he did, he would have come for me by now."
Starfire frowned. "He does not sound like a k'norfka."
"I wouldn't say he was", Solor admitted. "My mother raised me for the most part by herself. He would teach me to fight, and to control my powers. I was being trained to take over for the Grand Light in a few hundred years when I was banished, but when it came to things that didn't involve the Circle, he was pretty much anywhere but where I needed him." Solor chuckled a bit. "It does not mean he did not care for me. Out of all of his clan, he chose me to be his Heir. He could tell I was going to be strong, and just. Even if my methods are a bit unorthodox, I fight in the name of Light and justice. But... even justice can be blinded by anger." He turned to Edward. "I suppose you already know about all of this, seeing as you know me very well in the middle universe."
"I do," Edward said, "But, I also know that, at least there, the Grand Light did forgive you. It took something that required my intervention to help fix. I'm not sure if I should tell you what happened, though. It wasn't pretty. In the end, there was a good outcome, but, the price was very high, especially for the Starborn I know. This universe's history is similar in many ways, yet, quite different. I'll admit, it took me a while to adjust, friends."
"It is the OK," Starfire said with a smile, "You've done the adjusting quite well."
Solor nodded in agreement, "I'll admit, there were a few miscues, Edward. But, you've recovered pretty well. Enough that, I've felt comfortable in accepting your friendship for a while now."
Edward switched to the Dragon language, "If you are curious as to what happened and the differences, I'll tell you. But, you may not like what you hear. I've only told you a little of what happened for a reason. But, now, I think you'll be OK with it."
"Your room or mine?" Solor asked.
"Doesn't matter," Edward replied.
Solor thought about it and replied, "Your room."
"Excuse us," Edward said, "I need to talk to friend Solor privately." Starfire nodded and floated away.
They headed towards Edward's room and went in.
"Ok," Solor said, "Spill it. Whatever you've got, I can deal with it."
"First thing's first, Solor," Edward said with a smile, "Would you like something to drink? This could take a while and doesn't leave this room." He got himself some Pepsi and Solor opted for some bottled water.
Edward sat down and said, "I know that you've been wondering about what differences there are between you and the Starborn I know. Also, things that are a lot different between the Lair I know, the Circle I know, and Grand Light. I will not try to convince you to change your mind on any decisions you have made, though. So, do not concern yourself with that. Your path is your own to forge.
"I suppose I'll start at the beginning. As you may be aware, the same Tear that Raven cast when she was possessed split you and Starborn somehow. That's no longer relevant to me.
"When Starborn arrived, like I said before, he was livid and exactly how you are today. It took a while for him to calm down and even after the sparring incident, Starborn was still angry at the whole situation.
"But, something else happened that no one at the two Titan Towers could have foreseen and that was the Tear reopened on its own and sucked Kreinyol in. You also know the end result of that Tear. She was also taken in by my teammates and made to feel at home."
"Now, one of the biggest differences in the universes is that I helped get Robin and the native Starfire … I'll call her Kori here … to hook up and got Terra and Beast Boy to hook up. That didn't take much, though. Beast Boy was conflicted. He didn't know if his heart belonged to Terra after her recovery or with Raven. My suggestion was that he already knew deep down. One would get the big sister type role and one would become his girlfriend. I had the same basic talk with Raven and while she was saddened to lose out on Beast Boy being a romantic interest, she warmed up to the more family-like role pretty quickly. The mind link between her and I didn't develop until a few weeks later.
"When Starborn and Kreinyol were wondering what they should do. Like I told you a few weeks ago, I knew that they were also dancing around their feelings. Then, during a meditation session, Starborn realized that he should act on his feelings … again, I am not going to push you one way or the other … and asked her to do one thing: Take care of his heart as he promised to take care of her."
"What did Robin do about it?" Solor asked.
"Robin had changed his name to Nightwing by then and adopted a black suit with a blue bird on it. To answer your question: Nightwing objected to it and tried to stop the relationship claiming that four couples were too many … and he wanted to protect his counterpart. Starborn would have none of it and challenged Nightwing to a fight," Edward explained.
Solor shuddered, "Starborn beat the living hell out of Nightwing?"
"Here's one of the biggest differences: Starborn did nothing. He sat down in the middle of the training area and allowed Nightwing to wear himself out. Nightwing's attack was vicious, even by my standards. Yet, Starborn did not lift a finger. After 15 minutes, Nightwing relented and allowed the relationship to proceed. But, he paid a heavy price. Kori refused to talk to him and 'demoted' him to 'Teammate Nightwing' for weeks. Kreinyol was also angry but, she was easier to get to be forgiving. The team met and decided that Nightwing would be suspended for a month from leadership. It was not an easy decision and one of the hardest things I've had to do was tell him that he was relieved of his duties as leader. We did not ask him to leave, though. Everyone on the team at one time or another had done some morally questionable things and was not asked to leave. Even Terra was welcomed back after betraying the team to Slade. That is something I am happy you prevented. She is a much happier young woman now, thanks to you.
"After you were rescued, I was able to talk to your father for a while. I know you may find it hard to believe in this universe, but, I saw that he wasn't that bad at all. He was concerned with your well-being enough that he taught the crossover Raven how to cast the Tear. that's how I knew that, at least there, Sol had people watching out for you. Again, here, I do not know one way or another and it's irrelevant for me to try to find out.
"Now, for the difficult part. A year later, Starborn was captured by Darkness. Vilea tricked Starborn into thinking that Kreinyol was ready for the mating ceremony. He fell for the deception, but, she slipped up. You see, Kreinyol at the time did not know that in your customs, you physically mark your mate. Vilea asked Starborn if she needed that marking. Starborn realized, much to his horror, that it was not his beloved girlfriend as she dropped her disguise and assumed her true, Dark Dragon form. After that, she raped Starborn. She drugged him and it only took a week or so for her to absolutely break him."
Solor snarled, "That bitch...if I ever see her, I shall do whatever it takes to end her existence."
"To continue," Edward said, "In Starborn's mind, he knew he needed help to escape that hell. When Vilea called him a Light mosquito, that's when it clicked as to WHO possessed Raven in the first place. Like I said before, Starborn was able to activate the Blessing of Light and escaped.
"But, he was still badly broken inside. Raven, bless her, tried to enter his mind, only to be tossed out. That's when Sol was summoned and after realizing that his son was raped asked Kreinyol to call me. You see, there's a communicator that Cyborg adapted to talk between universes … something I left in the crossover universe. Well she called me on the emergency channel and after talking to her and your father, my Raven and I went over there for the first time.
"Starborn was catatonic though, and it was decided to make another attempt to enter his mind. The two Ravens, Kreinyol and I went in. We met someone very near and dear to your heart regardless of the universe: Your mother's mental avatar was our guide there. We saw Lair. When Starborn was a whelp and summoned by the Circle and named the Heir. He was deeply honored, yet, concerned about how the Circle would see him.
"We saw the brood that she had. Kreinyol was overjoyed to see the first one and was deeply saddened to realize that none survived. We say the humiliating defeat as well. We saw the trial and your punishment. We saw her final moments and how your father couldn't let you grieve and you telling him to find another Heir and that you would be a solder before telling you that if you killed even a single human, he would hunt you down and kill you.
"We saw the memories of how he met the team and his initial impressions. Then, the shredded memories, torn through by huge talons. We saw how he was tricked as well, and, he didn't let us see the act of mating.
"Then, Vilea told him of the grand plans to use one of the whelps to summon a terrible demon: Raven's father! Forgive me, though, Solor, I cannot go into too much detail on him except to say that Trigon the Terrible is a name that all Dragons fear."
Solor's eyes narrowed, "You need not say more about Trigon, for he is well known to us. We will be ready should he try to be summoned here."
"Good to know," Edward said, "You'll know when the time gets close, though.
"After that, the memories faded and Starborn's inner psyche appeared and was ready to fight all of us. I had Kreinyol blast me with a starbolt to prove we were real. He stood down and finally started sobbing on Kreinyol's shoulder, asking her forgiveness. She completely forgave him. He was certainly at the weakest point in his life. But, that started the healing process as well. He exited his mind and told the team of the threat that was coming.
"Big difference time: It was vital that the Circle also be informed of the threat, so, your father invited me back to Lair and called for a meeting of the Circle. I was allowed to bend certain traditions due to my age and engaged the Circle in a long debate. When the vote was taken, the Circle declared war. Grand Earth actually destroyed that ancient volcano by standing up. In fact, the Circle, after seeing the clans of Lair in awe of my strength named me the commander-in-chief. That's when I understood that our people respect strength in the broods and in the individual dragon.
"But, I skipped something as well: After Starborn woke up, he and Sol reconciled their differences. Both forgave each other."
"That's a big difference," Solor said, eyes as hard as steel, "I am not as forgiving in this area. If my father's forgiven me, he needs to welcome me back to Lair. I'm not going to be weak and suck up."
"Solor, I understand that perfectly," Edward said, "No worries or pressure.
"The Circle decided to lift Starborn's banishment, due to the emergency. And, yes, Grand Death was not pleased at that, period. You see, they knew and 'tolerated' the relationship with Kreinyol for a while. Death simply said that Starborn was forbidden to return, period. He was overruled.
"After Darkness tried to destroy the Tower and failed due to the brand new alliance between the Dragons of Lair and the Justice League, I personally took Starborn to Lair."
"An open battle?" Solor asked.
"Yep," Edward said, "It was a nasty fight and it completely blew the Dragon's existence wide open. And, yes, the folks out there at first did not react very well. I had Robin call a press conference and it started to calm folks down. But, we also had some tough questions to answer from the President himself.
"What's interesting in is the middle of the meeting with the President, dark dragons tried to attack there. Again, they were beaten back. In both fights, I captured some dark dragons. One was, like you, a solder who only had one piece of vital information: The entrance to the Dark Lair itself."
"WHAT?" Solor nearly yelled, "No one knows where it is."
Edward smirked, "Correction: In this universe, I'm the only Light dragon with that knowledge. If it will help you return to Lair someday, I have no problem telling you: The entry is under Mt. Olympus itself."
Edward spend several more minutes telling Solor what he needed to know about the Dark Lair, just in case.
"That's a huge bargaining chip," Solor said afterwards, "It alone would change the war here."
"Only if you can get through it," Edward said, "It's likely blocked. The counterpart to my first girlfriend stumbled on it by accident. The sight of the Dark Dragons caused her mind to snap and no one bought the tales of thousands of Dragons.
"You would have to be taught how to form different animal forms, like a bat. That would give one access to the Dark Lair."
"Tell me," Solor said, "Who is raising Soskrein?"
"Starborn is raising her as a single parent officially," Edward replied, "Vilea gave him custody. However, Solor is getting a lot of help. Kreinyol is seen as Soskrein's mom and the other Titans from both universes love her to death and she returns that love many times over. Vilea is part of Soskrein's life, though. Like I mentioned before, she switched sides before Oblaan was vaporized. I told her that despite her crimes against one I consider family, I forgave her anyway. I know that in your own mind, she is insane and in this universe, I would not doubt that. Over there, though, she is slowly earning her right to be part of Lair again. Once the Circle's heirs are seated, the current Circle will ask that Vilea and all Dark Dragons that wish to be in Lair are welcomed back."
Edward had a thought, "Solor, would you like to see what Soskrein looks like? You don't have to, though."
Solor thought about is and slowly nodded, "I will admit that I am curious."
Edward morphed to a copy of Soskrein's dragon form and Solor smiled, "She's beautiful, Edward. The Bronze scales are certainly from me and the jet black underbelly is a perfect balance. Does she have a human form, yet?"
A quick morph and Susie was standing there, bronze skin and fiery red hair like Starfire's.
"No Dark features?" Solor asked.
"None," Edward said as Soskrein/Susie, "She did not want that for her hair and chose Starfire's hair color. She's still getting used to the whole morphing thing. The only thing she hasn't mastered is keeping her eyes from glowing." Edward morphed back to normal, then.
"That would seem like an issue", Solor mused. "I'm no expert in hybrid dragons, so I can't make the best calls here... but perhaps that is something her mother could teach her. It sounds more like a Dark Dragon trait than anything. Some Dark Dragons make their eyes glow in order to see better. Perhaps she needs glasses in her human form? I would not know." He then sighed. "This is quite a lot to take in, my friend. I mean... I'm a father in this other universe, and so much has happened that will not likely happen here. I can't imagine what life is like there... and yet, I can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy for my counterpart."
"Starborn has a good life, Solor. He's got great friends there, and that is also a constant in all these universes. And, as he's a great father, I know that you will be one as well. And, I have a feeling that since here you have little to no interest in reclaiming your spot as Heir. you will have the time to devote to being a father.
"I'm a hybrid, remember? A mix of all the clans as my mother was desperate to have at least one egg so she mated with all 6 clans. She only laid one egg in her life: mine.
"Do I blame her for whoring herself out? I suppose in the morality department, I should be livid. But, even I cannot be angry at my mother for that. Being the first hybrid dragon was the big difference at the end of the War. The Circle gave me a portion of their powers and, that's how I know what Death feels like. When Grand Death roared, it sapped all of my immense strength. The second time, put me into a deep coma for hours.
"The Circle allowed my Raven into Lair even, realizing I would want to see her first thing, and it would reassure her that I was still alive as well. She was the first mortal allowed in Lair in centuries, according to Grand Earth.
"What still infuriates me, though about the Circle: They decided to have a sudden trial to determine not only Starborn's fate over his decision to take Kreinyol as his mate … without their blessing, but, they threw me into the mix as well. The trial almost ended up in a Traitor's Sending and they blocked my teleportation abilities by sealing in Lair. It took all my skill to get Starborn and I out of that one. Then again, he did something that not even I could see: He merely stretched out his neck and said 'I will die the death you deem necessary, Exalted Circle.' That act, I think, convinced Grand Earth to change his motion. He said that Starborn was truly worthy of being the Heir. They repealed the Breed Traitor law and pardoned dragons exiled under it. Sadly, I do not think that will happen here. That trial delayed a mission Starborn and I needed to go on.
"But, the crossover Raven explained the reason why this law, much as I hate it, was necessary: A mix of human and Dragon DNA was unpredictable, so, it was decided by the First Circle to prohibit that totally. That's one reason why, after that enchantment was removed from me why we've monitored my Raven so closely."
"I'm glad for you", Solor said, smiling. "Most dragons don't get to be with the one they love for their entire life. At least, most of the time. Sometimes they feel the attraction, but refuse to act on it because they mate that their heart yearns for is weak. I... I am glad you grew up out of Lair. You should be allowed to love whoever you wish. Even if I never end up with Kreinyol, I am glad the other me did."
"It wasn't as easy as it sounds," Edward said, "your counterpart was just as conflicted.
"Listen, in the long run, you will end up doing what you think is best. When I leave here, I likely will not be back to mentor you like I did your counterpart. I can't balance three universes, for one. Two, if Lair were to discover me advising you to ignore their laws, I would be the one responsible for a lifetime banishment of you. And I know you want to go home, back to the cave you left behind. Even as a solder, you deserve the opportunity to return. That's why I won't give any nudges one way or the other. Starborn accepted being mentored after realizing that I'm not Sol. He wanted to change for the better and we got lucky that everyone in the Circle saw that. Including Grand Death eventually. He wanted to atone for something that you will not remember."
"What is that?" Solor said.
"Solor," Edward said, "He tried to kill you with his blessing. After he defeated you, roughed you up, he took it upon himself to activate his blessing. Had Sol not heard the roaring, you would have died. Your father saved your life. At the time, he did not know what happened to cause Grand Death to want to murder you. He had already lost an entire brood. He wasn't about to lose you as well. I get that he wasn't the greatest of dads. However, he loved you enough to stop Grand Death. And, he could have voted to put you down like a rabid dog when the Circle gathered to determine your fate, right? But, he sided with banishment. Something that can be rescinded. Had Sol voted to execute you for treason, I know that my life...Raven's life would be so different. We could not have the baby that I hope hasn't been born yet. Baby Soskrein would be erased from history as well."
Edward sighed, "Solor, I would not have known my rich heritage. I may not have met my own mother. When you were banished, and when Vilea possessed Raven changed a lot of history, for you and for your counterpart."
Solor asked, "What happened with Vilea there?"
"She is earning her place in Lair," Edward said, "Starborn and Vilea are on somewhat civil terms, maybe cordial now. Maybe at some point, they will truly put grievances in the past where they belong and become friends. But, they did not go through the mating ceremony. She is not marked as Starborn's. That mark is on Kreinyol's neck, and something that she wears proudly. She's the acting Grand Darkness, but, I do not think she will be formally welcomed back for a while. There's literally millions of years of bad blood between the 6 clans and Darkness to just wipe away in the space of a few years. It may take decades or centuries for a full reconciliation to occur."
In the back of Edward's mind, he was impressed. So far, Solor had listened to the prior 30 minutes discussion with just a brief hint of his anger. He was told a lot of difficult things, including how Grand Death wanted to murder him.
Solor shook his head, "Edward...you're a miracle worker. Either that, or the centuries of immortality have scrambled your mind. Lair would be foolish to allow Darkness to return."
"The Circle is taking that objection into consideration," Edward replied, "The current members of the Circle agreed to wait and let the next generation decide. Grand Death already stepped down there. He had to, though. After Starborn and I were 'tried' for breaking that Oblivion damned Breed Traitor law, Starborn called out Grand Death for his wanting to kill. Let's just say that the others were most displeased and they wanted to expel him from their ranks. He said that after the War was over, he would resign. That was accepted. And, he did resign his seat after that. His heir is still in training, so, there hasn't been a formal 'passing of the torch' ceremony.
"But, something that you will be pleased to learn. After all that fighting was over and Oblaan was vaporized, Starborn and Grand Death patched up their relationship. Starborn apologized from the heart, and Grand Death accepted it, forgave Starborn, and officially pardoned him."
Solor smiled, "You are correct. I am pleased to hear that, indeed. The other Me was able to swallow his pride. But, how was Oblaan killed?"
Edward said, "At the end of the war, he petrified the Circle and was about to do the same to Starborn and I. Kreinyol intercepted the attack and Oblaan made fun of the fact that they were mated. Starborn proved once and for all that he … and you … are directly descended from the first Grand Light. He accessed a Primal Blessing in his rage and fired a beam of light that when it was forced down Oblaan's throat vaporized him. Starborn almost died using that. According to Sol, the only thing that saved your counterpart is that he is a great, great, great, great grandson (and probably many more generations removed) of the First of the Light. Any other dragon wouldn't have recovered. We thought that Starborn had fallen for good. I had overexerted the blessings that the Circle granted and my magical resistance was too great. I lost all of them, including the Blessing of Light. The only reason the Circle did that was because I suffered from intense backlash from my own weapons. The First allowed the backlash to be a thing of the past, though. I can fire a sustained full blast and no backlash.
"Your counterpart did take a great deal of pleasure at bitchslapping me to get me to wake up after the various blessings were given. He hit me as hard as he could and ended up hurting his own hand. It was payback, according to him."
"Payback for what?" Solor said.
"When Starborn was in the same boat I am in now, he stuck out his tongue, so, I did a Three Stooges move and made him bite his own tongue," Edward said with a chuckle at the memory.
Solor's eyes went wide as he tried to imagine that one before he laughed as well.
"Relax," Edward said, "I won't do that to you here. Actually, it was a fun night. Starborn had rigged the InstaLube 9000 to fire from the ceiling and got pink paint all over Cyborg, then, after Starborn's tongue quit hurting the team decided to go to Japan for some karaoke, via the Dragon Express. Everyone got up to sing, but, when Starborn went up to sing, another Tear of Oblivion opened to reveal Terra! The crossover Raven had been taught to cast the Tear and Terra volunteered to come through. She almost started a fight because she didn't recognize Nightwing. Starborn got her to stand down. We decided to return to the Tower and Starborn and Kreinyol packed up and went home. It cost me a few thousand dollars to repair the damage in Japan, but, it was worth every dime."
"Just how much money do you have?" Solor asked.
"Here, nothing," Edward said with a sigh, "Back home, over the 3,000 years, I've amassed a fortune. If I were to liquidate my assets, probably $4 billion or more. More than enough that paying a Japanese karaoke bar owner to repair the floor the second Terra ripped up, giving Starborn and Kreinyol some seed money for their first date and civilian attire as well as giving them $5000 to take home to their Teen Titans was literally chump change."
Solor gave this time to mull over in his head. This was quite a lot to digest, and after a few moments, he leaned back, chuckling a bit. "Sounds like you've had quite a few adventures with my counterpart... and you both are so close, it's no wonder you call him your brother. I wish I could have been part of that... or at least, part of me does. I know that can never happen now... especially if there are two of me. I would rather not confuse his daughter, and many more, with another version of me. I can think of quite a few things, though, that you may want to talk to him about, though.
"If he does take the spot of Grand Light... he may watch his daughter die. And Kreinyol may not last as long as you think, even if they are soul bound. While he will become immortal, she will not be in the true sense, and she will have to be careful about diseases and whatnot. Even if she falls in battle, he will be left with that hole in his heart for eternity. Even when he finds another to mate with, that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
"But, I am happy for him", Solor continued. "Even if it is not the life I would choose, I do not doubt he would go through it all with gusto. And hearing all of this strength that he has gathered, to recover from such harrowing times... he is the dragon I wish I could be. My only hope is that in the future, no matter how many years it takes, I will be twice the dragon he is.
"But, I think that's enough about what happened in that universe. I am a little worried about my own well being at the moment... and perhaps some of my teammates", he stated. He sighed. "Tomorrow is my hatching day. And since I will be turning 750, I will be officially an adult."
"Well, that's great news, isn't it?" Edward asked. "You'll be done growing, and you can call yourself an adult, right?"
"I don't suppose that Starborn spoke of this with you, did he?" Solor mused. "I would not be surprised... if he had confessed his love to his mate at the time, then he would not have gone through this, but... dragons go through a day of... well... heightened hormones and pheromones."
"… and what does that exactly mean to you?" Edward said, although he had a bit of an inkling.
"Well, with dragons, it means that they become painfully aware that they are ready to reproduce", Solor said bluntly. "It may have been different for you, and will probably be different for your niece, considering that you both are hybrids, but we become sexually active as soon as we reach seven hundred and fifty years. Many dragons do have the willpower to ignore their hormones... but pheromones are a completely different story. A male dragon can produce enough pheromones to drive anyone insane."
"So, you're worried that you might... smell sexy to your teammates?" Edward said, biting his lip and trying not to laugh. The sound of this was just hilarious.
"Exactly", Solor said. "However, I do have a solution. I can become completely human for the day, and once we pass midnight, it will be safe for me to become a dragon again. But if any part of my true DNA shows, even my scales or wings or tail, then I will instinctively release the pheromones. So... tomorrow, I plan on remaining human, and staying in my room."
"That might be a bit tricky", Edward commented. "What if there's a mission?"
"I will monitor through the screens, and keep an eye on the fight. If it becomes too much for the team to handle..." Solor sighed. "Well, we can cross that bridge when we get there." He got up. "I think I should head back out. I need to explain to at least Robin what will happen."
"Give yourself time, Solor," Edward said, "I have no doubt that you will also be as strong as your counterpart. I was pretty much done anyway, so, go ahead and discuss that last item with Robin. Hopefully, I can pick up the slack if you have to beg off a mission. Robin will understand, and, personally, I do not want the native Raven tossing any of us into another realm...maybe wherever the trash from the Tower ends up."
Solor nodded, heading out of the room. He needed to prepare for tomorrow.
[Crossover Universe - Titan Tower]
It had been three weeks since Edward was sucked into God knew where and it had taken most of that time to teach Soskrein what she needed to know. She had first needed to learn and practice her possession skills. That took a teamup of Vilea and Edward's universe Jericho to help her since both were well skilled in possession. It took a while for her to hone the skills needed to successfully possess Raven, and by extension anyone else. She was told never to possess anyone without permission or when she got older and was a formal member of the team, she could possess the bad guys only. As she only wanted to rescue Edward, she readily agreed to that restriction.
Then, she needed to learn the actual Tear of Oblivion spell and for that, she needed Raven, Vilea, Sol and Solor to teach her. Kreinyol was still the only non-spellcaster allowed to witness what was going on. In fact, she threatened to blast whoever objected through the wall at one point.
"You picked one strong willed mate, son," Sol said at one point, "Certainly one strong enough to get the respect of many dragons."
Rachael insisted on staying there, and she threatened to dump Nightwing into the trash hole if he persisted.
So, the Titans would rotate in and out when Soskrein was resting. Edward had actually added the team to his "deep pocketed" bank account a long time ago, so, the Teen Titans were not having to worry about eating the costs for Rachael being there...Nightwing had to insist that Robin take something for their troubles.
Today was Tara's turn to visit the crossover universe and she was watching the TV with her counterpart for a while. They complimented each other greatly and over the last few years had grown as close as twin sisters. It was to the point that Edward finally felt comfortable ending their sessions: Tara had fully recovered from her emotional traumas of the past. In fact, her and Beast Boy had recently gotten married. That was a simple civil ceremony as neither of them were interested in a religious ceremony. It was held in the Tower with both teams there to celebrate, and the Doom Patrol took a day off as well. They wanted Edward to marry them, but, he declined, citing that he was not qualified to do that one.
Speaking of couples getting together, Tara was overjoyed to hear that her "twin" had also gotten engaged in the last month since Edward's last visit. They had wanted to tell Edward as well, but unfortunately, he had been taken away before Beast Boy and Terra could give him the good news. However, they knew as soon as he got back, he'd be the first to know. And Solor mentioned that while he was considerably younger, he could officially marry them, since while he was training to be human before his... falling out with the species, he had been ordained as a minister before.
"How come you never mentioned this?" Robin asked, chuckling a bit. "I never pegged you as the religious type."
"I was training so I could pass as any age in a human form", Solor replied. "My cover was to be a minister in training back in the 1300s. While I'm sure I cannot use my old name for that anymore, I am technically still able to marry anyone."
"So, if you wanted to, you could perform a ceremony whenever you wanted?"
"Pretty much, yeah", Solor replied. "In fact, Beast Boy and Terra, when you both turn 18, if you still think you'll be together, I will perform the ceremony for you."
"Well, that's one more year for me, and two more for Beast Boy", Terra said, giggling a bit. "But, hey, if Tara can do it, so can I."
"No problem, dude", Beast Boy said. "I really do care about Terra. If she's willing to have me, then I'd marry her a hundred times."
"Does that mean you'd divorce her, just to marry her again?" Raven joked. "Because that's not exactly easy on the budget."
Solor chuckled a bit at the jab at her "brother", but was soon the center of attention again. "So, what other talents have you hidden from us?" Cyborg asked. "I mean, you've been around a long time. What do you know?"
Solor pressed a finger to his chin. "Well, I know thirteen different languages, the rules to seven different sports that aren't played anymore, the location to twenty supposedly extinct species... I know how to play 24 instruments, and five combat styles, most of which involve weapons."
"Really?" Robin asked, baffled. "Then how come you never wanted to spar with us before?"
"Because it wouldn't be fair", Solor said cheekily.
Kreinyol smiled at the way Solor was able to easily bond with the team now. Years ago, he was hard pressed to say "hi" to anyone without threatening to rip their head off. But ever since they had been together and with Edward's guidance, he loosened up quite a lot. It was good to see him acting so calm. Though, she did know he was trying his best to stay calm. He didn't tell anyone else, but he had admitted to her that he was quite on edge since Edward had disappeared.
"I'm afraid, my love", he had said. "If we do not find Edward... I fear that I may become the arrogant, cold dragon that I was before. We need to find him soon."
Kreinyol snapped to attention, remembering that they were supposed to continue with Soskrein soon. If their training was correct, then she should be able to cast the spell correctly now.
"Husband Solor, I think it is time we try again with Soskrein", she said. "Sol has said that her powers were coming along nicely, and that she may attempt to find him when she trains this afternoon."
Solor nodded, and turned to the rest of the team. "Alright, guys. You know the drill. Everyone but those who know how to cast the spell, Kreinyol, and Rachael need to leave."
Soskrein pouted a bit, having been playing with Beast Boy on the Gamestation, but soon she furrowed her brow. She needed to pay attention, this time. So far, she was good at possession, and getting the location of the Tear correct. If she could cast the Tear without it sucking her up now, she'd be able to use her powers to save her godfather.
"Just a little longer, Uncle Edward", she said, knowing this was going to be the trickiest part. "I'm coming to get you."