Disclaimer: Nothing from Teen Titans is mine

I'm trying, I'm trying...

"Speech"

Thoughts

Tap tap...

Tap tap tap...

...

Tap tap... tap tap...

Jinx opened her eyes.

"Raven? Raven, you seriously have to-"

"No."

"Raven, you've been pacing for hours. Will you stop worrying?"

"No."

"Raven, I swear-"

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"No... I didn't," Raven sighed and sat down. "What am I supposed to do with them?"

"I don't know. But at least you could not throw them in the dungeon. Like-"

Raven closed her eyes. "Jinx, we've been over this already. It's better if we-"

"How? And don't say 'we'. I had no part in that decision. Like, seriously, what kind of first impression is that?"

"I don't care for first impressions. That doesn't matter."

"Of course it does!"

"No, it doesn't. They don't matter at all. Not in this case."

"Raven-"

"No, Jinx. My answer is no."

Jinx made a quiet, disgruntled noise - but one still loud enough to be audible. Raven sighed and moved over to the other girl, cupping her chin in a pale hand and tilting her face upward. Their eyes met. Jinx huffed and looked away.

"Jinx..."

"You never listen to me," she replied curtly. "You never..."

Raven bit her lip. "I... sorry. I thought... we were trying to understand each other. I thought... to some extent, we understood each other."

Jinx's hands came up, clenching around Raven's wrists, and once again, she was aware of how small the other girl actually was - a couple inches shorter than her, and so thin... the tiny bones of her wrists seemed so delicate that if she were not careful, she could have broken them by squeezing too hard. Of course, Raven was tougher than that, but still, it was a feeling...

She let out a low, soft breath. "Apparently, we don't."

Raven bit her lip. "We do. We have to."

"What do you mean..?" A slight pause. "Oh. Well, I don't know what you want from me."

"I don't either... I just..."

"Yes?"

Raven sighed, closing her eyes. "What am I supposed to do? I can't trust them. You know that."

"You don't have to. I know you can't..." Jinx touched Raven's face. "I almost feel like..."

Raven looked up sharply. "You can't trust me?"

"Sometimes..."

The demoness's eyes narrowed. "I left myself open to you yesterday-"

"I know, I know," Jinx said hastily. "Raven, you know what I mean. You have to know what I mean. You're the empath-"

Raven sat back, holding her head in her hands. "I'm tired of fighting," she murmured. "No, that's not it." Her eyes trailed up. "I'm tired of fighting with you."

Jinx blinked a few times. "But I wasn't even gone for that long-"

"The time before that counts too..."

"We didn't exactly fight."

"No, we didn't," Raven murmured. "I simply ignored you. And you let it stay that way for a while. Until we got into this mess. Jinx, I'm sick of fighting with you."

"You said that already," the pinkette's face was a strange mixture of concern - annoyance? - confusion - a hint of amusement?

The violet haired girl shook her head, standing. "Whatever. I'm going out for a walk."

"Alone?"

"No, not alone," she looked up at the ceiling. "I'll take one of them with me. Entertain the other two while I'm gone, will you?"

Jinx's eyes lit up. "You're... actually going to listen-"

Raven rolled her eyes. "And it might be a good idea to get them some food too. Whenever you feel up to it."

The pinkette laughed. "Alright." She paused. "Raven, I-"

"Shhh." She put a finger to the other girl's lips. "I get it. You don't have to say anything."

Jinx closed her eyes, smiling. "Okay."

She felt Raven's hand brush up lightly against her cheek, then for a moment, there was intense cold emanating from where the other girl stood... then she opened her eyes and Raven was gone.

A shadowed figure passed through a forest, hidden beneath the moonlight. A specter, a shade, it was nothing more than a wisp of wind, joined by another, then a third… they looked at each other briefly, acknowledging the presence of the others, but not a word was spoken in the faltering light.

In the sky, there was nothing but the jaded moon, and below, nothing but blackness. Crimson eyes, gleaming, angled ovals, sparkling but dulled, muted rubies, it was a sea of eyes... they paused. One of them looked up, sniffing the air.

There was a short gesture - it began moving, and the others followed silently. They were all grim visages, lithe, but powerful forms, some hunched over, some standing tall - tense, wary...

There was a wail off in the distance. No, a scream? A single note cried out, a tone held barely in check... it echoed again, and this time it was a chorus of voices, singing softly... far away, the distant ringing, haunting and ethereal...

The figures paused, and there was a distinct tension in the air for a moment.

"Damned ravens..." a hoarse voice broke the wind.

"Shut up!" Another one hissed. "They know we're here-"

"And what are they going to do about it?"

"Don't underestimate them-"

"We were told that they couldn't come this far. Else they would lose most of their power."

"And what if that's wrong? I don't trust-"

"All of you shut up! Let's keep moving!"

The grumbles died away swiftly as the screams wailed again and they began moving through the forest again, a little more hastily than before. The air crackled with dense energy, the barest prickle in the patches of light and darkness, the tiniest threat, but a warning as well... the iridescent, watchful eyes of the ravens seeming as if they loomed just over their shoulders; there was no doubt... they had been spotted, but it was too far for the ravens to do anything...

And yet the unsettling feeling still pervaded the air. There was something just a little bit off, but it was hard to define exactly what. The indefinite form of the night enveloped them like a shroud... the shadowed figures were at home in the darkness, but not in this darkness. This night - here, so close to Avalon - was the domain of the ravens. The wardens, the guardians...

"We are the usurpers," a dark voice broke the ravens' calls.

The shrieks subsided as two pairs of eyes opened. The darkened eyes gleamed dangerously, and then the presence of the ravens was banished.

"Welcome."

"Lord Trigon," the demons knelt. "We are ready."

The eyes remained bodiless in the darkness, but a simple shift and suddenly, the demons were aware of dozens of other figures in the darkness. They were still hardly an army, but there must have been at least a hundred of them, hidden within the utter blackness.

"There are so few of us..."

"It is not easy to bridge the gap between worlds," the demon lord murmured. "To bring a demon into the mortal world is a difficult task."

There were a few hisses in the background, and Trigon snorted. "Any arguments?"

"Why were we brought here to begin with? What was the point of leaving the inferno to come here-"

"The point? What is the point in anything?" Trigon mused. "What purposes do our immortal lives have? For you, the answer is simple. Do what I want. Unless, of course, one of you thinks that you are strong enough to challenge me..."

It was silent.

"No? Well, that is precisely the reason I came here and brought you all along. You see, sitting on the seat of power in our realm for many millennia gets boring after a while. There is only so much one can do to occupy the time. We war with other demons. We find brief reprieve in peace. We give orders to the underlings. We, perhaps, spend some time with our supposed friends. We drink, we dance, we sing. I watch. And yet there is still so much time, and so little to do."

"But for us-"

"Those of you who have sworn to obey me... your lives are short. A demon, taken to the battlefield, does not live long. But for me, the one at the apex of our world - with no one to challenge me, what do you suppose there is to do?"

Silence reigned again.

"You see," Trigon said slowly. "This is why we conquer. We come out and play for a little while, just for a bit of fun."

"Being trapped for those years-"

"An unforseen setback. But it keeps things interesting. Knowing that there can be some resistance."

"These humans?" "Your daughter - and the ravens."

"Yes..." Trigon looked up. "The ravens. I do wonder about them sometimes. But we shall see. In the meantime, however, I plan to attract my daughter's attention."

"With bait."

"Perhaps. But, I think that leaving them alive would be pointless. I wish to make a point to her. If she refuses to come out, then everything shall burn. So, you are free to decimate them."

"But that would-"

"I know my daughter better than you think. As it is, she may come before we are even finished dealing with these humans."

"And what do you plan to do with her?"

"You shall find out. Do refrain from killing her if you happen to find her. I would prefer you capture her alive."

"If that is even possible..."

"It is not quite as hard as you think. Though it may end up that I will have to do that myself. But that is fine. Now, I believe you lot were spotted on your way here."

"It seems like it."

Trigon nodded. "Then we shall wait a bit. Give her some time to respond."

"But the night-"

"The night is particularly long sometimes... for now, we wait."

The red eyes shifted again, and the shadowed figures all faded back into the darkness as the moonlight broke through the trees.

Where... am I?

What's going on? There was a lot of fire, and then... what happened after that?

Oh god. Moving hurts. Oh god... I can't even open my eyes. The pain! I just... have to fight it! Fight! It doesn't hurt! It's-

What? It's better now. Something's... healing me? But what? I-

Her eyes fluttered a few times. Light broke through, just barely, but she couldn't make out anything coherent. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, then tried again, and this time, she could make out a few things.

First, her hands were tied together. Second, she was in some sort of prison cell. Third, there was someone sitting beside her - a woman, it seemed - no, a girl? - whose face was covered with a hood… a girl - who was healing her? Yes, she had to be, because gradually, her vision began to clear and the pain subsided.

She tried to move, but a hand held her back with just enough force to keep her down.

"Wait a bit. The burns were deep; it will take a moment longer."

She sat still, letting the girl do her work, and then after she felt the healing waves stop, she sat up, rubbing her head to clear way the dizziness.

"Better?"

"Yes. Thank you. Who are you?"

Karen squinted at the girl, trying to make out some of her features beneath the hood. It was a little unnatural; her savior, whoever she was, seemed cast in a sort of unnatural darkness, perturbed, chaotic, and... agonized? But contained...

She looked up again as the girl took off her cuffs and stood. "Can we talk? I have a few things I need to tell you."

"Who are you?"

"I'll tell you. Come on."

"Wait, why can't you just-"

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "It's better if we do this outside."

"Well… fine. But I better get some answers."

There was no response. Karen stood and was a little surprised to find that the girl was actually a fair bit smaller than she was, but she had the sense that whoever this person was, she was very powerful and not someone to be messed with. Yes, that aura about her... hmm. Actually, that aura seems rather familiar. Do I know her? I guess I'll find out...

Outside, it was still dark. Slight rain moistened the night, and it was a little cold, but not nearly as cold as the winter had been. Karen looked back as they left the building, but found that the moonlight was rather dim and she could not make much out, except for the fact that the building behind them seemed to be some sort of large cathedral, or temple of some sorts, and all around the deep forests surrounded the tiny clearings and paths leading across the grassy land.

They went out a little way, toward the forest, and the girl paused, turning back for a moment. She tilted her head down, then up, staring at the sky, then at the Titan directly, sighing lightly. She pulled back her hood, then turned away.

"Do you remember me?"

Karen frowned, eyes narrowing. "Of course I do." She tensed and reached instinctively for her dagger at her side. "What do you want with me? What are you plotting-"

"Nothing. I didn't save you just to-"

"You didn't save me at all-"

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, where were you before you died?"

"I was- that's irrelevant."

"No, it's not. Listen, I don't want to fight you."

"Bullshit. You weren't like that the last time we met."

"I was-"

"You almost killed-"

"I know. I wasn't-"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Will you let me get in a complete sentence, please?"

"No."

…

"Fine."

Raven sighed, rubbing her head. "You know those attacks that have been going on?"

"Yeah. Richard said that you were-"

"I know what he thinks. He's wrong. I know who's behind them."

Karen narrowed her eyes. "Really."

"Really. And I'm his enemy too. So, it's in both of our best interests to join up and beat him."

"How do I know this isn't a ploy?"

"Isn't there anything I can do to get you to believe me?"

"Not really."

Raven closed her eyes. "Will you at least walk with me?"

"I-"

"Did Garfield and Victor tell you what I did?" She asked quietly. "I'm not as evil as you think I am."

"Well..."

"For now, can we at least walk a bit? I have some things to show you."

"Fine. I'll listen. But don't think-"

"I'm not betting on anything. Just... watch. And listen." Raven raised her hood again and began walking.

After a moment, Karen followed her into the forest, looking up at the faint moonlight skittering through the was calm, surprisingly, not as dark as she thought it would have been. It was certainly different from the forests she was used to, but there was a sort of mystic quality about the air here that seemed refreshing. Vaguely, she remembered that the sorceress - Raven - had called herself a healer, and here, it actually seemed fitting; the docile plant life did seem to have that quality about it.

There was a faint cry in the distance. They both looked up at the same time, though for very different reasons, it seemed. Karen frowned, sensing that something was troubling the sorceress in front of her, but then again, it could have just been her imagination. Did such a demonic being ever seem troubled? But then again, she did hear from Victor and Garfield that the girl had risked her life to save a village - and faintly, she remembered Raven saying that she was, after all, supposed to be a healer. And healers were supposed to help people.

But then again, she had killed Richard's parents... and there was just something so... different about her. Karen stared at Raven's back.

And Richard said that she was half demon. She has to be evil. There's no way-

"Why do you automatically assume that I am evil?"

Karen's eyes widened. "You can-"

"I can hear your thoughts. I'm an empath. I feel what you feel. I can sometimes know what you think as well. Trust me. I'm not evil - it's really hard to be, when you can feel everyone else's pain... when you know how they suffer."

"But you were the cause of much of it."

"When?"

"When you... you killed his parents!"

Raven looked up again. Faint cries filled the air once more, and a flock of birds darted across the sky, casting their shadows over the pale landscape. Their voices echoed out, in a quiet, doleful song as they circled above, dancing in the moonlight. Darting through the budding branches and through the leaves, perched in the trees, they stared down with their iridescent eyes.

"I know," Raven said quietly. "I... regret it. They tried to kill one of my ravens, and I even knew that they could not. But still, I could not help but feel..."

"What are they?"

Raven closed her eyes. "Think. Look at them, listen to their song. They will let you know what they are."

No, the ravens' voices floated on the wind. They were whispers... they were human; they had to be human! They were souls... no, they were... their song turned disturbed, harsh and demonic in an instant, and yet there was still that forlorn quality to it... it was frightening at first, and Karen actually took a couple steps backward, eyes widening with fear. But the feeling passed quickly as she listened further, and it was different... a texture, filled with rage, but despair… and yearning. They were alone, as a flock, but so very alone through the long years. Their voices echoed again, and this time she fancied that she could hear words - and yet she could not tell what they were actually saying.

They stared in glowing colors, muted shades of vibrant gems... gems of all colors, opals, their eyes held so much beneath their glossy stares, and suddenly she knew that they were more than human, rather, perhaps, more human than her, and yet she still could not figure out what they were. But it was enough to know?

The ravens flew down, encircling them with their soft songs, then moving toward Raven, brushing up against her with their sleek feathers. They landed on the girl's shoulders and cloak, nipping at her lightly.

Karen looked away. "I... get it, I think. But it's still not an excuse."

"Not fully," Raven stared at the moon. "You can't possibly understand, but… but we can at least stop fighting. You have to get that much, at least. I don't want to fight you. I really don't."

"But it's just..."

"Everything you were told not to do, right? God does not have mercy toward demons. No, in fact, god's knights must hunt demons. I am your sworn enemy..."

"Pretty much."

"Have you ever wondered about that? If god really hated demons, or sorceress, we would just go to hell anyway. Why would it matter if you hunted us in your lifetimes? Besides, if your God was so-"

"Excuse me, our God? There is only one God, and that is-"

"Excuse you. I happen to know of other 'gods', although they certainly fall short of the omnipotence of your one God-"

"There is only one God. And He-"

"For that matter, why is your God a man?"

"Because... well that's just how you refer to Him. He's not really-"

"You're implying that your God is a person."

"That's- that's irrelevant!"

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. I'm not sure about the existence of your God-"

"Blasphemy!"

Raven bit her lip. "I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, just let me finish. Your God exists. But, I question how you interpret what this God of yours has told you. People are not perfect. They may interpret things wrongly."

"I am a Titan, sorceress. It is not my job to interpret. Only to act."

"Then let me pose you a question. Say a demon has possessed one of your priests and has this priest tell you to start razing villages in the name of 'God'. Is this still right? Should you still not question it?"

"That's a bit extreme-"

"Not at all. Especially given the current situation, with demons running amok in your land."

Karen frowned. "Tell me about them."

"I'll tell you about them if you can remove that stick from your ass and admit that you might be wrong."

"Same to you. Might want to suck up your pride and stop thinking you're so much better than normal people."

"I don't!"

"Bullshit. Listen. You may think that I'm dumb, but I'm really not. I heard about you and that girl - she left you, right? Because you're-"

"You don't know anything-"

"I can guess. It's a matter of you being too stuck up to-"

"Shut the fuck up."

"No, you shut the fuck up. Listen here, girl. If we want to work together, we both have to remove these sticks from our asses and be a bit more diplomatic. Stop-"

Raven crossed her arms over her chest. "And by the way, she came back to me."

"Great. That still doesn't make you right."

"It doesn't make you right either!"

"Then neither of us is right."

"I..." the demoness bit her lip. "That's true... then, what do you say? Maybe we can both suck it up and try working together?"

Karen pursed her lips. "At the very least, you'll have to tell me who's behind this. Tell me everything you know. And I mean everything."

"Well..." Raven closed her eyes. "There is a demon lord. A powerful one. I know that he's the one behind this - I fought him."

"You what?!"

"I did, and I lost," Raven admitted rather sheepishly. "My friends here bailed me out. But yes, he's the one behind it, and he's strong. Very strong. He also probably has quite a few lesser demons working under him, and they'll be annoying too. I can deal with those, but right now, I have no idea how to beat him."

"Who is he? How do you know about him?"

Raven sat, staring at the ground. She remained silent for a long while as Karen stared at her quizzically, one eyebrow raised. Raven didn't look up, keeping her face hidden beneath her hood. Around her, the ravens flew around in a gentle spiral, their cries focused at her, this time comforting voices, reassurance, and yet she still seemed... lost?

"You agreed to tell me everything."

The ravens looked up sharply. She didn't agree to anything.

"It's okay. He's..." Raven sighed. "Promise me you won't jump to conclusions?"

"Stick has been removed from my ass. We're going to be diplomatic for now."

"Okay. He's... my father. And before you say anything, he killed my mother in front of my eyes. Enough reason for me to hate him?"

Karen's eyes widened. "You're... related to the one who's causing all of this-"

"I am," Raven snapped. "And trust me, I hate his guts. He took the only person who mattered to me away- he tried to kill me - he-" Raven's eyes glinted red, but she forced herself to calm down. "He tried to kill my only friend, and I barely saved her."

"This isn't just an act is it? You're being serious..."

"Of course I'm being serious! What makes you think - oh please. Not that stupid asshole and his 'she's a demon, so every word out of her mouth is a lie' nonsense."

"I didn't think-"

"It may not seem like it, but I have emotions too, you know." Raven looked down. "I'm different from you. But not that different."

"Girl, calm down. I wasn't going to imply anything."

"But you guys always-"

"Maybe Richard's too pigheaded to listen to you," Karen muttered, "but we've got a problem on our hands and it's beginning to look like you might not be evil."

"That's..." Raven closed her eyes. "Good enough, I guess. So that means we're going to work together?"

"I'm willing to give you a chance. Richard's not going to say yes though. And he won't like it if any of us do."

"Will you listen to him? Or are you going to at least try?"

"He is the grandmaster of the Titans... I don't know."

It was silent for a moment. Raven looked up the dark birds wandering the pale branches of the trees. "He'll probably change his mind soon," Raven murmured.

"Why's that?"

The demoness looked at her darkly. "Because my father's army is gathering near Camelot. Well, by army, I mean maybe a hundred of them. But that's still plenty of power. Enough to raze everything to the ground."

Karen snorted. "I don't think so. If it's just a hundred of them, we'll be fine. Our standing army might not be particularly large, but we can still call upon thousands of knights should the need arise, even at this moment-"

"And I'm telling you that's not enough."

"Is this demon lord that powerful?"

"He probably won't even lift a finger to help them. And they will still crush you all. The way these demons' powers work, they grow exponentially stronger when fighting together."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go-"

"The thing is, he's waiting for that."

"What?"

"He's waiting for me to come," Raven whispered. "So he can fight me by himself." Her voice grew even quieter. "And he knows I can't beat him. He'll… he'll crush me."

Karen tilted her head. She's afraid? "What are we going to do then?"

"... fight it anyway. Unless you want everything to burn."

"But -"

"We can't be scared of death," Raven said softly. "You have to realize, my father was imprisoned by a spell until just recently. He didn't attack us immediately because he was still trying to regain his strength, at least to a point where he could comfortably fight us. The longer we wait, the stronger he gets. Now is our best chance, since it'll only get worse later."

"But you said you couldn't even fight him when he was weaker-"

"I know," Raven muttered. "But we have to try, right?"

"You know," Karen smirked a little, "I like the way you think. Not going down without a fight."

Playing nice now, are we? You wouldn't have said something like that the last time we met. In fact, you would've rather I hand myself in. But, I suppose there is no use in pointing that out to you at the moment. Raven nodded. "I need to confirm something. But after that, we should head back and prepare to go to Camelot."

"And what if it's a trap?"

"That's what I'm about to find out..." Raven's eyes began glowing with power and all around, the ravens screamed, flying up into the sky in a torrent of dark feathers, and disappearing into the sky.

Trigon looked up abruptly. It seemed like none of the others had sensed anything, but his senses were far keener than any of theirs and even he had barely detected it. So he could not be sure, but at the very least, he could guess.

She has made her first move. What is the best way to trap a raven? Can I capture one of them, or perhaps set something else up? Well, at the very least, we must make our move as well. Else she will wait and watch.

"It's time," he muttered quietly, barely loud enough for all of them to hear.

Around, in the darkness, the demons' eyes opened and some perturbed energy began to flow, burning, scorching through the black void. All fire, pure destruction, tendrils of the fiery inferno, the demonic energy stretched out toward the city in the distance. Pure, raw fire took form slowly as the demon energy gave it life, and the impetuous sea of flame encroached upon the spires in the distance.

Camelot, the surrounding villages, and the enormous castle constructed of white stone, housing the temples and the Titans' Tower, slowly awoke as the flames drew nearer. Smoke tainted the moonlit sky, blocking out what little light there was, leaving only the dreadful glow of the consuming fire, and the approaching destruction.

Some sort of bell sounded - an alarm - and not long after, he could sense the knights begin to gather, first in the dozens, then hundreds, then as it became apparent that that would not be enough to stop the flaming beasts that were beginning to form near the outskirts of the castle's towns, more arrived. There were thousands, but the fiery creatures were not of life or substance, and the knights were.

Trigon's eyes narrowed. "They are doomed. Fight as they do, and they cannot defeat us. Our numbers are infinite, and theirs are not."

"But she will come-"

"Stay here. I shall deal with her."

Trigon looked toward the sky.

There was nothing, but he could sense them there - the ravens, waiting, just out of his range, but also not aware that he was aware of him. At least, he suspected that they were not, though it was never certain what the ravens knew and what they were capable of.

I should move away from here. From which direction will she come? They will want to stop us, but they must get here first. And it would be suicide for even my daughter to teleport in here. Perhaps... I can always force her to respond. I am enough of a threat that she will not feel comfortable sitting back in Avalon, waiting for the right moment. Yes... like Arella, she is also prone to panic. It will be your undoing, daughter. A pity you did not listen to me.

Energy gathered around the demon lord's body and he vanished.

The ravens sensed it - he knew they would - and followed, their screams echoing through the air. Just out of range, again, they flew high in the sky above the smoke and the death that the demons wrought...

No, suddenly he was there, flying along with them. The ominous figure stood still for a moment, then darkness spread, blotting out the moon and swarming toward the ravens. Darkness - they bore it easily - in truth, they were demons as well – had no effect. Trigon cursed under his breath. I should have known. But they are of a different sort than I.

Fire exploded in the sky and suddenly, the night was filled with shrieks and the smell of burning feathers. The birds disappeared in gouts of flame, bathed in intense heat, and despite their incorporeal forms, it seemed that they could be harmed.

The fire intensified, scorching through them. The smoke dulled their senses, and the brilliant light blocked their vision... their powers were weaker here, far from their domain. He could not even touch them back in Avalon, but here - I can destroy them all. Will you respond, daughter? No, I know already. You will respond, soon enough. I will be ready for you.

Raven looked up sharply and held a hand to her head, face contorting in pain. She slumped over and squeezed her eyes shut. Karen looked at her oddly for a moment, then rushed over.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I'm... fine," Raven's breath came out shakily. She stood again. "Go back, tell your two friends to be ready. I'll catch up to you."

"What happened?"

"Just go. He was ready for me." She snarled. "He'll be ready for me. And I will be ready for him."

"Alright," Karen nodded and rushed off.

Raven closed her eyes, brows furrowing for a moment, and then she called up her own powers, sending them out in a sparkling wave across the moonlight. Fight him! Don't just stand there! Either fight, or return!

An invisible force threw the demon lord back and the flames disappeared. Another blow hit him, and then Trigon's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the power in his body suddenly severed. In the darkness, he had no sense of where he was, but he knew that he was falling, and falling quickly - but he was powerless to stop it...

No! This is my body! Your magic has no hold here!

His eyes gleamed with fury, and suddenly, the flames were back, bathing him in their blistering heat, but he let the aura sit around him this time, forming a defensive shield against the ravens. His brows furrowed as they screamed again, banishing the darkness and letting the moonlight through the curtains of smoke.

I could not even manage to destroy a single one of them. But at the very least, I managed to scare her. She will be warier now. Trigon looked up as the ravens cried out once more before circling up higher, disappearing into the distance. He closed his eyes, cursing under his breath. Mark my words, daughter. I will be waiting for you. And should you keep choosing to defy me, I will destroy you and your petty birds.

Trigon remained there for another minute, floating within the ball of flame, then vanished again. Not a moment later, another stream of fire burst through the air, toward the white castle in the distance, taking form swiftly as another horde of fire creatures marched toward battle.

"Garth! Roy! You - what are you two doing?"

"We're playing cards with her, what does it look like?" Garth scowled.

"And they're losing," Jinx grinned. "Knights don't make good gamblers, it seems."

"Wait, what - never mind," Karen shook her head. "Listen, we have a problem. Camelot's under attack."

The two knights stood instantly. "By those demon things?"

"I think so. That demon sorceress -"

"Her name is Raven," Jinx corrected her.

"Yes, Raven. She said that we have to get ready and leave, like right now. So get on your armor, you two."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know, she seemed like she was in pain when I left her."

"What?" Jinx screeched. "She looked like she was hurt, but you just ditched her? You… you asshole!"

"She told me to come back here!" Karen retorted defensively. "I think she can handle herself!"

"Ugh. That idiot." Raven looked hurt? But why? What could have happened - the ravens! Something must have happened... she's linked to them somehow, I think. Or maybe not, I don't know. But if something happened to them, it seems like she'd feel it too. Don't tell me-!

The pinkette looked up seriously. "Where was she? I need to get to her, now."

"I'm right here."

Raven appeared out of a dark portal, looking a little paler than normal, but other than that, she seemed calm. "Everything's fine," she whispered to Jinx.

The other girl nodded. "You're okay? They're okay?"

"We're fine. Focus. We'll need to fight soon." Raven looked at the three Titans. "The demons are attacking your city, as you might have heard. So hurry up."

"Mmpf-" Roy grumbled, trying to tug on his armor. "Trying - there!" He stood, then looked at Raven critically. "We can trust you?"

"You don't exactly have a choice at this point. We'll have time to discuss it later," she looked back and forth between Garth and Roy, who both nodded. "Ready? Good. Brace yourselves," she raised her arms.

Darkness spread, swirling around them. Everything faded to blackness, and as they disappeared, the ravens' songs broke through the bleeding wind, hastening them to their destination.