-Chapter 21-
The walk to the park's exit seemed much longer than it should have. Perhaps it was because they walked in silence as no one knew just what to say. Malchior paused and looked back to Cyborg as they stood before the parking lot. "Where is the car?" He asked emotionlessly.
Cyborg pulled away from Beast Boy and Starfire, looking over the parking lot light poles to find the correct number for the row that he and Robin had parked in. "Down there..." He said pointing to his right and starting the silent walk with the others following behind.
"It would seem to be very foggy tonight..." Starfire pointed out hesitantly as she tried to start some form of a conversation.
"Yeah, it's like wickedly thick..." Beast Boy replied as he looked down at his legs, unable to see his feet through the thick gray fog that swirled around them. "I wonder why...?" He questioned as he took his empty hand through the fog feeling as though it had weight to it.
"Perhaps it is because of the planets in the sky?" Starfire stated and looked up to the sky.
"What plan- Holy Shit!" Yelled Beast Boy in shock when he looked up to the sky and saw the many worlds and moons above him. "When did those get there?!"
Cyborg looked up in wonderment as well but kept his comments on it to himself. His mind was thinking of more depressing matters and could not be bothered to think of anything else other than how many more steps there might be before they arrived at the car.
"They've been up there for some time now..." Robin said as he quickened his steps to catch up to Starfire and Beast Boy. "You're just now noticing them?" He questioned Beast Boy.
"I was... Busy..." Beast Boy said feeling embarrassed. "So... How did they get here?"
"I'm guessing Malchior brought them here?" Robin glanced over to said dragon. "Did you?"
"I did." Malchior stated simply.
"Are they going to go away?" Beast Boy asked while trying to count how many golden rings he could see around a red planet.
"Does it matter?" Malchior asked roughly, as though being bothered by such a question had angered him.
Beast Boy cautiously took a few steps away from Malchior. "No..." He whispered and looked away feeling rejected.
"Malchior..." Raven whispered to him as her hand slid up to his cheek. "Please..." Her eyes spoke for her and Malchior sighed, mouthing an -I'm Sorry- to her. He had not meant to take out his frustration on Beast Boy.
"Cyborg, how far until we're at the car?" Robin asked feeling as though they had walked for ages with the fog only growing thicker and higher around them.
"I... I don't know..." Cyborg said as he looked around but was unable to see more than a few feet before him. "I can't see anything..." How had a fog this thick sneak up on him? He could have sworn he had seen the car a few minutes ago... Confusion fill Cyborg as he unexpectedly felt like he was suddenly lost in the fog.
"Malchior..." Raven murmured as a fresh shudder of pain swept over her body. "Something's wrong..." She suddenly felt as though a great weight was pressing on her chest, weighing down her very heart.
Malchior's senses went to high alert as he quickly looked around them. He could see nothing but fog and darkness. Even the light from the stars and planets above them seemed dimed and far away. Unease filled the Titans who moved to form a circle together as chill crept up their spines.
"Something is very wrong..." Starfire echoed Raven's words even though she had not heard the girl speak them.
Malchior snarled and flared out his wings, he flapped them roughly a few times, using the gust of wind to clear away the fog before him.
"What in the..." Robin whispered as the world around them slowly began to reveal itself to them. "Where are we?!" Robin asked while moving to hold the two dolls he carried with one hand as his other went to his belt, pulling out a birdarang and getting it ready. The other three Titans followed suit with Cyborg readying his sonic cannon while Starfire lit up her empty hand with a starbolt.
Malchior's keen eyes looked over their surrounds trying to figure out where they were. They were standing in a field of grass, circled by tall thick trees that blocked out the city lights and sounds. It was Malchior's sense of smell that told him they had not left the city, only somehow been transported to a different part of it.
Beast Boy spoke first, voicing his confusion as he sniffed the air. "How did we end up in the park?" He sniffed again but did not smell anything unusual.
"Is it magic?" Robin asked, glancing to Malchior who looked around with worried eyes.
"No..." Malchior did not look to Robin when he replied. "This is not magic..."
"If it was, you could control it. Right, Magic?" The smooth voice of Vengeance rang out clearly around them. Malchior snarled as the owner of the voice stepped out from within the trees before them and calmly approached the group.
The sight of Vengeance brought out Malchior's rage and were it not for the woman in his arms he swore to protect, he would have lunged himself at the being and tore his head off. "What do you want!?" Malchior growled out as he cradled Raven within his arms carefully.
"What have I always wanted Magic?" Vengeance asked with a sneer. He stood about twenty feet from Malchior as though knowing that if he came within reach someone's blood would be split. "Vengeance against you, of course." His tone was mocking and served to only anger Malchior more. "However, such a thing will have to wait..." He said with a frown as his eyes drifted down to Raven in his arms. "We were sent here to take her from you and bring her forth to Eternity."
Malchior's wings rose up threateningly. "What do you mean, we?" He questioned cautiously.
"Given the history between you two," spoke a new voice as another being seemed to appear from behind Vengeance and moved to stand next to him, facing Malchior. "It was felt unwise to send him alone to retrieve the girl." Soul spoke in a neutral tone as he stood before Malchior with his hands resting atop his cane in front of him. "I told you we would come for her, Magic." As though his words were the cue, others stepped out of the shadows and walked to stand alongside Vengeance and Soul.
"Oh shit..." Whispered Beast Boy as he and the other Titans moved closer to Malchior. Two enemies had been bad enough, but six?! They were outnumbered and all the Titans knew… They were out matched as well. The aura that the six standing before them gave off, made the Titans feel like children, as though one look from any of them would send them away crying in fear.
Malchior glared at all who stood against him and held Raven tighter in his arms. He knew that he could defeat any one of them on their own but to fight against six of his... Brethren... Was not a fight he could win. Not with the state that he was in… He looked down to Raven feeling his heart break. Blood slowly dripped from her parted lips as she desperately gasped with soft shallow breaths for air. Her eyes were locked with those before her and Malchior could feel her trembling in fear and pain in arms. 'Oh, Raven...' Malchior thought despairingly. 'Just being near them is killing her... What do I do?' He glanced to the Titans that had almost huddled up behind him. 'If I run away with her... Would it really buy us anymore time? And what would they do to them...?' He looked away from the Titans and back to Raven. 'What do I do?' He asked himself hopelessly as his wings began to fall. Malchior closed his eyes and nuzzled his forehead against Raven's. "I'm sorry..." He whispered to her. "I don't know what to do... I don't know how to save you..."
"There is nothing you can do to save her, Magic." Spoke Justice firmly as he stepped forward, allowing the little light around them to cast down on his rich olive skin. He was dressed in a dark royal blue suite that was tailored to fit his medium build perfectly. He wore a pale ivory colored undershirt with shiny black dress shoes; the only thing missing from his appearance was a necktie. His short black hair was combed back on top and cut much shorter on the sides and back giving him the appearance of a professional lawyer. That is, if lawyers were 6'5'' and carried a long sword at their hip. The sword was tucked under his jacket but that could easily change with just the flick of his hand. His dark gray blue eyes stared at Malchior firmly as though he believed that with just a look, he could make the man give in and hand over the girl without a struggle.
A soft touch on Malchior's cheek made him open his eyes slowly. Raven looked up into his eyes with the softest of smiles on her face. Full of love and sorrow, it both broke his heart and filled him with strength to see. Her fingers traced over his skin and scales lightly as she spoke. "You've already saved me, Malchior." She whispered tenderly. "Knowing you... Loving you..." She struggled to breathe as she admitted what she always knew to be true to him. "You showed me how to live... How to love..." She looked away from his eyes and to her friends who were looking to her with fear in their eyes. Her gaze shifted to the enemies before them and her emotions hardened. "I have no intention on spending my last breaths with any of you." She said firmly as she struggled to muster up her remaining strength.
A hollow raspy voice chimed in as the owner of said voice walked forward. "You speak as though we are giving you a choice in the matter..." He was tall but very lean with long stringy gray hair that shifted behind him, flowing from beneath his hood as he approached them. In his hands before him, he held a large black scythe. The blade was almost as long as the 6'0 man was tall with a handle that was equal his height. He spun the blade effortlessly in his long bony fingers, the shifting winds from the action made his long black cloak and robes flutter around his thin body. He stopped a few feet ahead of Vengeance standing before the Titans. He gripped his scythe tightly in one hand and slammed the butt of the staff into the ground with a thud that made the ground shake and the Titans flinch. The grass around his weapon began to wither and die. With his other hand, he pulled back the hood of his cloak and revealed himself. "I am Death." He spoke looking to the Titans who stepped back from him as a shiver of fear crawled up their spines and chilled the blood in their veins. His face was that of a skull with bone white skin peeled over it. His nose was just a hollow hole but his teeth were covered with thin lips that seemed to only know how to grin sinisterly at the mortals before him. His eyes were black voids of hollow darkness that even when covered by his paper-thin eyelids seemed to bore into your soul. "It matters not if we take you alive or dead." He said in his ever-raspy voice. His grinned widened when he looked to Raven, stretching the thin skin of his lips even more on his white teeth. "I am here to kill you and Soul is here to take your soul so that not even the Great Magic can keep you from us. In death, you become Mine."
Malchior growled viciously at Death, raising his wings threateningly as his tail whipped back and forth behind him. "Just try to take her from me Death and I'll rip off your hands and stuff that scythe down your throat!" He snarled as his red eyes glowed brightly. "You have never been able to kill me with your touch!" Malchior declared definitely. "I do not fear you and I WILL fight you to keep her from your grasp."
Death only continued to smile and slowly raised his empty hand, slowly pointing a finger to the Titans who had backed up to stand behind Malchior. "Oh Magic... I needn't kill you... I just have to kill them..." He spoke calmly as he pointed to the Titans. "She is your weakness Magic... And her weakness, is them." He spoke in a tone full of sickening pride as though knowing this had already granted him victory.
"No..." Raven whispered breathlessly as the fear of her friends dying before her eyes flashed through her mind. Her small hands grasped onto Malchior's shoulders desperately with all her fleeting strength. "Malchior..." She looked to his face but he did not look down to her. Instead, he kept a firm gaze on the dangerous creature before him.
"Your cruelty knows no bounds... Does it Death?" Malchior asked knowing he would not receive an answer. He did not need one to know the truth.
"Malchior..." Raven's voice in his mind pull him out of his thoughts.
"I don't know what to do Raven..." He admitted shamefully.
"Let me go..." She whispered delicately. "Save my friends... And when this is all over... Come find me... On the other side... I'll wait for you... In our world... Just the two of us... Forevermore..."
Malchior's body shuddered from his repressed cries. "What if I can't find you?!" He questioned desperately, looking away from Death and into the eyes of the only woman he had ever loved.
Raven reached up and held his head between her hands tenderly. Softly she wiped away his tears that flowed from his eyes with her thumbs. "You've always been able to find me..." She spoke aloud. "Please... Save them... For me... Do what I can't..." She trembled in pain in his arms but it was not just physical pain that she was suffering from. Her heart was breaking to know that she could do nothing but watch him struggle and her friends die before her. She was willing to give up everything to keep them all safe but she had nothing left to give. Her eyes stung from tears she did not have to fall while her lips trembled from sobs she did not have the breath to release. "Please..." She begged of him.
Malchior slowly knelt with Raven in his arms, shifting his hold to lay her lower body down gently on the ground. He held her up with one arm under her chest while his now free hand stroked her face softly. His eyes and emotions expressed to her what words could not begin to convey. He held his breath to keep from breaking down as he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers. He could feel the press of her gem against him and longed to never forget the feel of her touch. "...Alright..." He breathed. "I'll protect them..." He spoke with heartbroken words that hurt the hearts of the mortals who heard them. "And then... I'll come for you." He spoke in a firmer tone, building up his resolve.
Raven smiled to him and mouthed a -thank you- that she had not the breath to say. Malchior leaned down and tenderly shared one last passionate kiss with her, sending what power he could into her body to relieve her of some of her pain before drawing back from her. Softly he laid her down on the grass and drew back from her, standing and raising his wings that had cupped protectively around her when he had knelt with her. He did not look back into her eyes knowing that if he was but to gaze upon her one last time, his resolve to fight would leave him.
Carefully, Malchior stepped over Raven's body and stood as a shield before her with his wings stretched out, shielding not only her but the Titans as well. He stared down Death without fear for his own life. "If you want to kill someone Death, then you will have to go through me first."
Death grinned a sickly smirk and twirled his scythe in his boney hands. "Gladly. Long have I wondered if given the chance, could I really end you?"
Before Death stepped forward to charge at Malchior, a woman's voice, gentle on the ears and softly spoken called out them. "Wait, please." She spoke calmly as she walked forward to stand next to Death. She stood at around 5'8, shorter than Death and different from him in more ways that just height. She was thin of frame and wore a snow-white dress robe that seemed just a shade darker than her snowy skin that glowed softly as though a candle was burning internally within her for all of time. She had long light golden hair that shimmed with her every movement. All of her body glowed softly but it was her eyes that glowed the brightest. Her irises were the color of starlight while the sclera of her eyes was the color of the midday sun. "Magic, please let it not come to this." She pleaded softly. "So much is always destroyed when you war against us… She is already dying." She spoke softly and gestured with her hands. "You will gain nothing by fighting us. Give her to us and she will suffer no more."
Malchior snarled at the woman. "I see even you are against me now, Light." He hissed her name in anger. "You were never the type to walk into a battle before, so why are you here now?!" His hands clenched as his anger grew. "Are you here just to stand against me like all the rest!?"
Light shook her head softly. "No, Magic I have come to try to reason with you. She is just one woman. She cannot possibly be worth the pain that this fight will bring you." She glanced to her left as a male dressed in a black dress robe like her own stepped up to stand beside her. His hood was up and only darkness could be seen within it. He stood at her exact height but other than that, they seemed to be polar opposites. Whereas every part of her glowed, he radiated darkness around him, extinguishing any light that came close to him. "There are too many of us here Magic. You cannot take us all out on your own and still expect to be able to protect her friends and keep her from us all at the same time."
"I can try." Malchior spoke whiling eyeing up his opponents. He knew Light's words to be true but he was not going to admit it.
Light sighed and shook her head, stepping back as others stepped forward to accept his challenge. Justice, Death and Dark all approached Magic, who stepped away from the Titans with his wings raised high.
The Titans quickly moved to Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire knelt down beside her while Cyborg and Robin stood guard over her with their weapons drawn and pointed at the Powers.
"Friend Raven…" Starfire spoke hesitantly. "What do we do?" She asked looking down at her friend who no longer had the strength to rise.
"Run…" Raven whispered softly, trying desperately to breathe. "Run from here… Don't… Don't look back, just… Run…"
"We're not going to leave you Raven!" Beast Boy said with tears in his eyes. "We can take you with us!"
"No…" She looked to Beast Boy. "They are here… For me… Not you… Run… Please…" She struggled to speak as her breath was so shallow. "Live for me…"
A dragon's roar met with a clash of steal against claws drew the Titans' attention away from Raven and to the battle that had begun. Malchior and Justice struck at each other first, the sound of dragon claws clashing against steal ran out as Justice drew his blade to meet Malchior head on. Justice may have only had one blade, but his speed allowed him to continue to block or deflect Malchior's strikes from his claws. Justice's strikes were quick and it seemed even Malchior was having trouble keeping pace. However, where Justice had speed, Malchior had power behind his strikes, each one that landed against Justice's blade scratched the metal and reverberated through his arms.
It seemed that the battle between the two immortals was starting to sway towards Malchior's favor until Dark joined in against him and blasted Malchior in the back with a black ball of energy that created an opening for Justice who used the chance to drive his sword deep into Malchior's gut. Malchior roared in pain and swung at Justice, backhanding him before the man could jump out of reach, sending the immortal to the ground thirty feet away, ruining his suit with dirt as he rolled to a stop from the force of the blow. Malchior snarled and gripped the sword with his other hand, ripping it out of his body. Rage was in his blood red eyes as he glared at Justice who rose from the ground. "Here. You can have this back!" Malchior roared as he launched the sword at Justice who was not able to jump out of the way in time. The sword impaled Justice and sent him flying back, slamming him against a thick tree at the edge of the clearing. Justice grunted in pain as the sword held him off the ground, stabbed through his chest and into the tree.
"Holy shit!" Shouted Beast Boy as the group watched the battle in shock. "He just impaled Justice!" Beast Boy looked at the others who looked just as shocked as him. "And on his own sword!"
Malchior was given no time to enjoy the sight of Justice hanging from his own sword as Dark reminded him of his presence by attacking his back again with a stronger blast that almost sent Malchior to his knees as it exploded again his scales like dynamite filled with ice. Malchior turned to Dark and a new battle began before the Titans. Not one of strength, but of power as the two attacked each other, one using blasts of magical light while the other, beams of true darkness that formed from the very night around them all. Dark was in his element; the night was but an extension of himself whereas Malchior was hindered by his chosen form and the desire to protect Raven and her friends as it forced him to contain his power or else he may be the end of them all himself.
Vengeance circled the group of Titans that were mesmerized by the battle before them and it was not until Vengeance snickered behind them that the Titans registered that he was there.
Robin, Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy quickly turned to face Vengeance, their respective dolls they were still holding, dropping to the ground in light of the threat the man before them posed. Robin glared at Vengeance with hate in his eyes while the others looked at him trying to hide the fear they felt at being before such an imposing being.
"Hello Robin." Vengeance sneered as he looked down at the boy. "It would seem you did not die like I had planned after all."
"Sorry to disappoint you." Robin replied as he kept his birdarang at the ready in one hand and pulled out his staff in the other. Cyborg and Starfire followed his lead and charged up both of their hands.
Beast Boy however couched down, ready to transform and grab Raven at any second should the man before them try to go for her. Beast Boy being so close to her, could hear Raven's soft whispers. "Run... Run... Please... Run... Please..." She whispered breathlessly as she struggled to fill her blood-filled lungs with any air as the pressure Vengeance exuded weighted heavily on her, more so than on her friends. Beast Boy did his best to ignore her plea and did not relay her words to the others. He knew they would have the same reaction as him. Never would any of them leave her behind, not until her last breath and theirs. Even if it meant dying with her, they would never willingly leave her side.
"Oh no, you haven't disappointed me." Vengeance said with a smile. "After all, if you were dead, I wouldn't be able to do this!" Vengeance raised a hand, the Titans tensioned readying to fight, smirking he brought his fingers together with a snap. Robin dropped to his knees, letting his weapons fall to the ground as he screamed in agony, clutching his head.
"AHH!" Robin screamed as red-hot searing pain blazed through his head. He felt like someone was trying to rip his skull in two. The pain in his head blinded him to all else. He could not feel Starfire's hands on his arms, trying to pull his hands from his skull, asking him what was wrong.
Cyborg moved to fire his cannons at Vengeance but the man just smiled and waved his hand before Cyborg's face. "Ah ah ahh." Vengeance smirked and tisked a finger at Cyborg who began to scream just like Robin, dropping to his knees and clutching his heading. Starfire and Beast Boy looked on in horror unsure of how to help their friends. "You can't fight against me. I exist within all of you. At some point in your life, you once welcomed me into your mind when you sought vengeance against another." His eyes traveled to Starfire and Beast Boy. "Even you two young ones have sought to end another for one reason or another." His eyes pierced deep into their souls, seeking out their darkest secrets as their friends screamed and Raven quietly plead for him to stop.
"Oh, sweet innocent little Starfire... Just how many of those alien captors did you kill before you escaped?" Tears filled Starfire's green eyes as he forced her to watch the memories play before her in her mind, trapping her within an illusion of her own memories. He turned to Beast Boy next, his already wide smile growing larger and more sinister. "And you, what an animal you are. So much rage and yet you are the most pathetic of the lot. You couldn't save your parents, couldn't save Terra, and never had a chance at stopping Slade. It's no wonder the girl you loved went to him."
He smirked as Beast Boy slumped to the ground, becoming trapped in his own mind. Vengeance reached out, sliding a single finger down Beast Boy's head as he stepped up, closer to Raven, his true goal. "You've always wondered, deep down, why Terra gave Slade control over her body, did she do that before or after she fucked him like a whore?" Tears flowed from Beast Boy's eyes as vengeance played a nightmare that once haunted him dreams before his eyes of his first true love and his most hated enemy. "If I had to guess." Vengeance whispered, stroking Beast Boy one last time as he stepped around him. "I imagine she spread her legs for him the moment he showed her how strong he was." Vengeance laughed as he turned from the broken Titans who were either screaming in agony or crying broken of all spirit on the ground. Vengeance smiled as he looked down at Raven who struggled to remain conscience as she bled on the ground. "Hello Raven. I'm here to take you to Eternity. Try not to die until I'm done enjoying my time with your lovely friends." Vengeance turned from Raven and looked back to her friends, raising his up his hand slowly, pointing to her friends.
'No! No! No!' Raven shouted in her mind as she struggled to move, unable to even lift an arm to aid her friends. "No! Please! Someone! Anyone! Help us! Please!" She shouted into the universe begging for anyone to hear her plea and come to the aid of her friends. "Malchior! He's going to kill them! Please!" Raven managed to turn her head, looking to where Malchior was fighting and saw a sight that nearly stilled her slow beating heart.
Malchior struggled to remain on his feet as his weary eyes tracked his enemies that had surrounded him. While he was distracted with Dark, Death had freed Justice and the two had joined in the battle against him. Blood dripped freely from the many wounds that covered his body and adorned his shredded wings. It was Robin's scream that tore his eyes away from his enemies for just a fraction too long as Death struck with his scythe, slicing open Malchior's chest. Malchior roared in pain and stumbled back, clutching his chest as the pain of a death that did not come flowed over his body. 'Damn it!' He cursed as he forced his tattered body to attack back, lunging into battle against Death as Justice moved to slice away his right wing. Malchior countered Justice's swing with his claws and raised his wing up causing Justice to miss his swipe and met with Malchior's tail to his face instead sending him back. Dark blasted Malchior's right side, but he was able to deflect the blast with his wing, sending it into the sky. 'Raven... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...' He thought as struggled to best the three that stood against him. 'I'm not strong enough to stop them... I've failed you... I'm so sorry...' He thought to himself as he tried to gather any will he had left and continue to fight. He refused to give up but a part of him felt like he already had...
"No..." Raven whispered softly as she watched helplessly as the man she loved bled before her eyes. "What... have I done...?" She questioned to herself with the small breath she was able to take. 'How could I have asked this of him?! No! I can't just lay here and watch all of those that I love die!' "I REFUSE!" She shouted in her mind, allowing her thoughts to reach out into the multi-realm they existed in. "I have to fight! I won't just lay here and die! Please! If anyone can hear me then please help us!"
Raven's attention was snapped back to Robin who fell over onto his side, no longer screaming but now curled up in a ball as Vengeance moved to hover over him, slowly reaching out with his long fingers. "No! No! NO!" Raven shouted with her thoughts fearing the worst for her friend. "Anyone! PLEASE!"
A deafening howl echoed through the clearing and stilled all who looked towards the growing sound. A second howl paired with the thundering of great paws resounded as a bright blue flame came into view followed by four whiter colored flames. The barking and howling of wolves drowned out all else as their forms rapidly came into view.
The Powers were caught off-guard and shocked to see such great flaming beasts rushing towards them. Vengeance stumbled back but the largest wolf, the lead blue, lunged at him and its great jaws clamped down on Vengeance's outstretched arm, ripping the man away from the group. Vengeance yelled in pain and used his free arm to beat on the wolf's head but the creature did not let go, even as his skull began to bleed between its eyes, still it held and continued to pull Vengeance away from Raven and the Titans.
Seeing the wolves that he and Raven had created together come to their aid, Malchior felt a spark of fight begin to burn in his veins once more as he unleashed a dragon's roar upon Dark, letting loose his dragon fire, burning away the darkness around him. Dark screamed in pain as the flames ate away at his being, burning away the very darkness that he was made off. Malchior knew his flames would not keep Dark away for very long, but hopefully, it would be long enough.
The four white wolves that had been lead into battle lingered by the Titans who had begun to stir now that Vengeance's attention was no longer focused on them. The wolves each went to a fallen Titan and pressed their heads against them, filling them with warmth and power, chasing away what Vengeance had done to them making it nothing more than a bad dream in their minds.
Tears that Raven did not know she still had fell from her eyes as her friends started to rise, shaking away the fog that still clouded them. "Thank you..." She whispered to the wolves who looked to her and bowed their heads. A high whimpering cry from the blue wolf snapped them back into reality. Vengeance had gotten free of the wolf who had bloodied his arm and kicked the beast so hard he had surely broken many ribs within it as it was sent flying away from him, skidding along the ground, stopping not too far from Raven. The white wolves snarled and howled as they launched themselves at Vengeance, enraged at seeing their leader hurt.
Raven looked at the wolf that struggled to rise before her. She tried to force her arm to move, to reach out to the wolf but all she could manage was a twitch of her fingers. "No... Please... Don't fall..." A name she had never spoken but knew it to be true slipped passed her lips. "Feverus..."
Feverus's ears twitched from the name and the wolf forced itself up on his front legs, turning its head to look at Raven who laid on the ground. Feverus's eyes locked with hers and Raven could feel that dangerous power starting to rise within her once more. She whimpered in pain that she tried to ignore as its eyes called to her, spoke to her in a way she had never known before. -We are going to die.- She knew it, Feverus knew it too. They were too outmatched. -Let us die fighting, together.- The determination in Feverus's eyes was unlike anything she had ever seen before. 'No... I have seen that determination before...' Raven thought as strength she knew she did not possess lifted her right arm as she reached out for the wolf. 'It's the same look I have seen in Malchior's eyes...' The thought of him filled her with hope as she touched Feverus.
Pain coursed over her body as Feverus's power flowed into her, burning her internally bleeding wounds. Raven screamed, shocking her friends out of their daze as they watched a bright blue flame, same color as the wolf, burst from Raven's skin and burn away the blood that marred her face. Feverus commanded Raven's body as though it was its own, forcing her to rise to her feet. Raven did not fight the control but embraced it as Feverus rose before her to its full height and commanded her to climb onto its back. Raven endured the agony of movement as Feverus's thoughts and intentions melded with her own. Her body was broken, unable to heal yet full of so much trapped power. Feverus's body was not completely one form or another, it could heal and change but had limited power. Together, Feverus would grant her movement once more and she would grant it the power needed to fight against a God.
"Let's go!" They thought as one as Feverus lunged into battle against Vengeance who had beaten down three out of the four smaller wolves already. With a deep growl Feverus lunged for Vengeance's throat with Raven on its back clutching onto its fur as tightly as it could make her. Raven called out her power, letting it flow from her body and into its giving them a burst of speed in the air.
Vengeance was ready for the attack this time however and dodged the strike, if not just barely. Feverus and Raven landed on the ground, their feet only touching the solid surface for a fraction of a second before they had lunged at Vengeance once again with claws and teeth. Vengeance counted the attack and punched Feverus in the jaw, sending the two down to the ground with a sickening crack as bone shattered from the blow. The pain of such a blow would have hindered any other but these two. Raven's power was already making quick work of the damage and Feverus was back on its feet before Vengeance could take advantage of its falter.
"Holy shit!" Exclaimed Cyborg as even his mechanical eye was having trouble following Raven and Feverus as they went blow for blow with Vengeance. Frustration was clearly beginning to show on the man's face as more often Feverus's teeth or claws would meet him than his blows would meet them.
"We have to help her!" Starfire said as she started to run to Raven only to stop as Robin grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Don't Starfire! You'll only get in her way!" Robin yelled feeling useless. "If Vengeance gets a hold of you again he'll use you against her!"
"Then tell me! What are we supposed to do?!" Starfire asked as new tears fell from her already tear stained cheeks?
"I would suggest," Spoke a calm and gentle voice. "That you leave now while you still can." Spoke Light as she walked to them. "This battle is about to become something much more dangerous. While you are able, you should flee." She spoke with little emotion in her words but the look in her bright starlight eyes was hard and cold.
"We will never abandon her!" Beast Boy announced as he stood up and fisted his hands tightly before him. "She's our friend, our family! And you don't leave family behind!" Cyborg, Starfire and Robin all nodded as they moved to stand behind Beast Boy, matching his conviction.
Light gazed at them all until finally she gave them a sad smile as she walked away from them and spoke her last words them. "There is such fire within you all, such a burning light in your souls... Such a light will be missed by all after tonight."
The Titans shared a look between each other as she walked away from them. They all knew what Light meant by those words. If they stayed here, they were going to die.
"You've gotten so weak Magic." Sneered Death as he gazed down at Malchior who was clutching his bleeding throat as Death's scythe had just slashed through his neck. "How did one so strong fall so far?" He questioned as Malchior glared up at him and struggled to rise.
The battle between him, Death, Justice and Dark had taken its toll on Malchior. His body was covered in blood, his spirit nearly broken as he struggled to keep fighting. He was almost back on his feet when Justice came up behind him and sliced through his right leg. Malchior fell forward, catching himself with his hands against the ground. His claws dug into the dirt as he trembled in pain as his most recent death still coursed through his veins while his throat healed. Justice he could beat one on one, Dark too he could stop on his own. However, both of them paired with Death was more than he could handle. Death was right... He had become so weak... Nothing more than a broken man who had lost all will to fight anymore. 'Raven... I'm sorry... I'm not strong like I once was... I'm nothing... I'll always be nothing...'
Dark stepped up to Malchior and glared at him beneath his hood, his cloak had seen better days as Malchior's claws and flames had torn and burned it in many places and bloodied the one beneath it more than a few times. Dark raised a black hand and pointed to Malchior, forming chains of darkness around him that shackled him to the ground on his knees. Malchior barely fought the chains as his will to fight was gone. "Just kill me already Death..." He whispered depressingly. "Let me join her in another life..."
"Don't you think I've been trying to?" Death asked with a glare at the fallen dragon. He used his scythe, placing the blade beneath Malchior's chin, forcing the male to look up at his pale face. "Just how many times do you think I've 'killed' you in this fight alone? Forty, fifty times? Even I have lost count of how many strikes of death I have laid into you. It would seem, even as weak as you are now, I cannot kill you." Death smiled a cruel smile. "You will never die. You will never see the woman you love again after tonight."
The look on Malchior's face as the realization from Death's words sank in pleased the man more than he imagined it would. The sinking horror, the depression, the bitter defeat, it was all written on Malchior's face as tears silently fell from his eyes. Death removed his scythe from Malchior and allowed the broken man to slump forward and wallow silently in his misery.
Death chuckled to himself as he silently wondered if he had perhaps, been spending too much time with Vengeance as of late. 'Speaking of that Immortal...' Death thought as he looked over to watch the man battle against Feverus and Raven who seemed to be pushing him back. 'Interesting...' Death thought as he watched Raven carefully. 'She truly is one of us... Her mortal body is dead... And yet it is her soul that forces life to remain within it... No wonder she was able to take her friend back from my grasp. The power over Life and Death is within her...' Death smiled as he watched Light join in the fight against her. 'But now, it is time for her to come to her end.'
Raven and Feverus struck at Vengeance as one as the man back stepped away from them with a cruse leaving his lips. Their combined might was enough to force him back as true open battle was not his strong suit. He was not like his brother Justice who could and would fight for himself, he preferred to have others do his fighting for him. Raven and Feverus jumped into the air at Vengeance, aiming for his throat with Feverus's jaws but a flash of light blinded them both and Feverus howled in pain that they equally felt. A glowing arrow of light protruded out of Feverus's chest as the two fell back and landed on the ground with a thud. Some ways from them stood Light, her arms raised with a golden glowing longbow in her hands. Her fingers drew back the string and another arrow of light formed, knocked and ready to fire as she stared down at Raven and Feverus.
Raven held herself to Feverus as she forced as much of her power into the wolf as she could, forcing the arrow out that vanished from sight once removed. Feverus groaned but pushed itself back up onto its feet, looking between Vengeance and Light. Neither had seen the first arrow coming and both knew they would not see the second one either.
Feverus ran at Vengeance as fast as it could, choosing to go after the one Raven desired dead. To a human Feverus's movements were nothing but a blur but to Light, Feverus was moving at a snail's pace. Light's arrow flew and stuck Feverus in the back foot, pinning its leg to the ground. Feverus snarled in pain and reared back on its other back leg, trying to pull that one free. It did not work and Light unleashed another arrow, impacting Feverus's chest once more.
Raven cried out from the shared pain she felt from Feverus and did her best to heal the wolf again. She suddenly felt a large firm hand grab her around her neck and yanked her from the wolf's back. Feverus howled in mental agony as Raven's soul was cut from its own. "No!" She screamed as that same pain washed over her from the disconnect. Raven's world went black for a moment as her soul reconnected with her flesh alone. Her eyes were unfocused as she glazed at the one holding her by her neck off the ground. She did not need to see clearly to know those cold gray eyes, she knew she would never be able to forget them. "Soul..." She whispered as her painfilled body was unable to move in his grasp.
"Hello Raven." He said with a smile that was not completely cruel but nor was it pleasant. "I think you have caused us enough trouble, don't you?" He asked as he let her go, allowing her body to fall to the ground limply. Raven groaned on the ground as Soul used his foot to roll her over onto her back. Soul looked over Raven's broken body and shook his head. "Look at what you've done to yourself..." His eyes traveled to her limp hand that laid on the ground by his foot. "When I looked into your mind, I saw a soul that wished for death." Soul placed his foot onto her hand, slowly crushing it beneath his foot. Raven grunted and gritted her teeth as she tried not to make a sound as he crushed the bones in her hand. "Yet here you are. You've somehow manage to trap your soul in your broken flesh, doing everything within your power to avoid Death." Soul smirked. "I'm actually slightly impressed with you. I didn't think you had this in you."
"LET HER GO!" Yelled the Titans as they readied to fight against Soul. They could not just stand by a watch as someone hurt their friend.
Soul looked to the four with a glare. "Why are you still here? Did Light not tell you to leave? She had wanted to spare your lives. Turn around and leave or die. This matter is not of your concern."
"Raven is a part of our family!" Robin yelled as he formed his sword from his birdarangs. "We will never leave her!"
Soul shook his head as Death stepped past him walking slowly towards the Titans. "You should have left while you had the chance." Death spoke with a slight grin on his lips. "Now, you all will die." He twirled his scythe before him as he calmly walked over to the Titans.
"Run." Raven tried to yell but could only whisper, unheard by all. 'No... Please no...' She thought as she struggled to call up her power that was hidden deep within her unsuccessfully. Time itself seemed to slow down to a crawl as Raven watched Death walk towards her friends who tried to stand against him. 'No...' She thought to herself. 'This can't be happening... I have to stop this... I have to protect them!' Her thoughts raced in her mind as time seemed to drag by, each of Death's steps brought him closer to her friends and raised the panic that had filled her thoughts. 'I have to stop him... I have to protect them... I have to!' Raven's thoughts ignited a small spark of power deep within her soul that she knew was not hers. It reminded her that maybe... Just maybe she was not as alone as she thought she was...
"Protector... Please..." She spoke in her mind, closing her eyes and focusing on that small spark. "I have to protect them... I just need a little more time... Please... Help me one last time... You've kept me from death for so long now... Please... Just give me a little longer... Help me save them..."
Deep in Raven's soul, locked away in the cold darkness of the unknown, a storm of blood and thunder raged on unrelenting. A young man whose white hair remained resistant to the stain of blood that rained down on him from the darkened sky, stood in a river of cold blood that had risen to his waist. He stood unmoving as the dark liquid flowed around him, staring at his reflection, gazing into his own sad blue eyes. Booming thunder echoed above him but it went ignored. Protector had long since lost the will to fight against the raining blood and sought no shelter from the storm. He could no longer remember what his world used to be before the rain of blood that had taken it over. He once would fight the tide of the river, struggle in vain to force the clouds away but now... Now he could do nothing but stand in the rising river as the one he wanted to protect more than anything else, died.
He watched as the river rose, his reflection coming closer to meet his face. Tears that were quickly lost in the blood raining down on him flowed from his eyes. How did it come to this? Where did he go wrong? Why was he not enough to keep her safe? If only he had been more... If only he had reached out to her... But it was too late now... Guard was gone, Gatherer had betrayed her, and he was nothing but a failure...
Protector closed his eyes and took in one last breath as the river rose above his eyes and swallowed all he was within its ruby depths. 'This is the end...'
"Protector... Please..."
Raven's words rang out within the cold deafening waters. Protector felt a small spark of himself long to hear her voice that had never once reached him within his world before.
"I have to protect them..."
'Protect them? Why? What does it matter what happens to them?' Protector thought to himself as he listened to her plea.
"I just need a little more time..."
'More time? You rejected the time I have already given you...'
"Please..."
'I can't... It's too late...'
"Help me one last time..."
'Don't ask this of me... Please...'
"You've kept me from death for so long now..."
'I've only prolonged your suffering...' He closed his eyes and shook his head, 'I don't want to hurt you anymore...'
"Please... Just give me a little longer..."
He clinched his fists tightly as he felt her resolve though her words. The blood around him that was once cold now felt so warm, like a comforting embrace he could melt into. 'This warmth... I had forgotten what it felt like to be warm... This is her love... Drowning in death and blood... Yet she still feels so much love...'
"Help me save them..."
Protector opened his eyes as his power began to grow, a yellow glow forming around his body. "I will." He spoke to her, his voice reaching her for the first and last time. "I will give you all that I am. Use me well..."
Death smirked with his thin lips exposing his white teeth as he drew back his scythe. "I'm actually glad you stayed." He said to the Titans. "It saves me the trouble of coming back for you later!" He swung his blade at Robin with such speed that the boy knew he could not dodge it.
' Oh… I'm going to die…' Robin thought as the swing connected with his body. A yellow glow surrounded Robin who was shocked to watch Death's blade slide though his body as though he had become incorporeal. "What the hell…?" Robin questioned as he looked at his glowing hands and then up to Death who yelled in rage.
"Damn it! What have you done you bitch?!" Yelled Death as he turned from the Titans who had begun to glow to Raven.
Soul had backed away from the woman who had risen from the ground and stood before them all with the same yellow glow covering her body and shining from her eyes. Her hand was outstretched, pointing to her friends. "I will not allow them to die by your hands." Raven spoke calmly. Her body felt no pain, only the gentle warmth that told her this was truly going to be her end. "My friend's," she addressed them for the last time as Death approached her, time seeming to slow for her once again. "It's time for you to go home…" She closed her eyes and spoke to the universal around them. "Come, take them home and protect them from all and Eternity."
A dragon's roar paired with a phoenix's cry came from behind the Titans who turned to face the new arrivals in shock. The two new arrivals flew through the air and circled the Titans as the sound of thundering hooves brought forth two glowing white unicorns that skidded to a stop before the group and reared up, neighing loudly.
It was Raven's last words that brought the Titan's attention back to her as the shock of everything finally hit them. "Take them home… And protect them forevermore." She spoke with a soft smile, Death now only a few feet away from her as he drew back his scythe.
The Titan's tried to scream, they tried to run to her but creatures gave them no chance. The dragon roared, sweeping down and grabbed Beast Boy in its tallons, taking him into the air as he struggled in vain and cried. The phoenix did the same to Starfire who could only cry within its warm claws as it took her into the air.
Robin and Cyborg both tried to rush to Raven's aid but the unicorns charged behind them and ducked their heads down, picking up the boys and sliding them down their necks. Robin and Cyborg both grabbed onto their manes from the shock and the horses quickly reared and turned away, sprinting after the dragon and phoenix, taking the Titans away.
"You bitch…" Death glared at Raven who stood before him. He hated that small smile on her face, as though she was finally at peace with everything. "I don't know how you ended up with his power, but I'm done with letting you live!" Death swung his scythe with a yell as Raven stood before him unmoving. The yellow glow around her body faded just as Death's blade pierced her gut and stole the last of her breath away.
Death's echoing laughs haunted Raven as she looked at the blade that protruded grotesquely from her stomach. 'I don't feel this… I can't feel anything anymore…' She could not feel the blade in her body or taste the blood that flowed from her lips. She heard a scream of her name and knew Malchior was calling for her. 'Malchior…' A darkness began to cloud her eyes as she watched Death draw his blade from her body and she knew she was falling. Her head turned as she fell, her eyes catching one last glimpse of Malchior who struggled in vain against his chains that bound him. 'I'm sorry…' She thought as everything went dark.
Malchior struggled and screamed as Raven fell, seconds felt like years as their eyes meet one last time. He screamed her name and pulled against his chains but did not have the strength to break free. He watched in agony as her body fell to the ground, the thick fog that had formed around them all claiming her, stealing her image from his sight. Malchior's world crumbled around him as his heart broke. 'She's gone… I can't feel her soul anymore… She's… She's gone…' His thoughts haunted him as he slumped against his chains, no longer fighting against the bindings. 'She's gone… She's gone…' Nothing mattered anymore… All he wanted was her… All he had was her… All he was… was nothing without her…
Death laughed as he watched Raven fall before him. Her body fell to the ground and was swallowed up by the fog at their feet. "It is done!" He announced, feeling as though, now that it was over, this had taken far too much effort from the start.
Soul sighed and lowered his head, desiring to show some form of respect to the fallen girl. He had honestly never meant to bring her such harm. Things just always seemed to get out of hand whenever Magic was involved. Soul glanced over to said being with a look of almost pity in his eyes as he gazed at Magic's broken form. 'I have to wonder… Was her love really worth falling so far for?' He had been impressed by the fight she had given them all. It was more than he ever imagined from her after looking into her soul. 'If only she had never met you Magic… Her life could have turned out so much better in the end…'
Vengeance chuckled darkly as he walked over to Feverus who was struggling to breathe on the ground. "Finally, the bitch is dead and Magic is in chains." He smirked as he raised a foot and pressed it to Feverus's throat, slowly crushing the wolf's neck. "Everything is working out so perfectly." Feverus whined and struggled but to no avail as Vengeance slowly crushed it.
"Must you be so cruel?" Asked Justice who approached his brother.
Vengeance looked up to his brother and laughed. "I'm everything you are not. So yes. I must be." He turned his attention back to Feverus and ground his foot against it, not enough to kill it yet but just enough to cause it great pain. "This is for thinking you ever had a chance against me." He laughed but his enjoyment was cut short as an arrow of light pierced Feverus's head, killing the beast. "What the fuck?! Light how dare you!" Vengeance yelled turning to the woman who stood away from them, slowly lowering her bow.
"That creature may have been of Magic's make." She stated calmly as she glared at Vengeance. "But it was a being of flames and light. That makes it also mine to decide its fate."
Vengeance sneered but said nothing knowing that she was in the right. He made a note in his head to remember her act against him. "Whatever. I was done with it anyways." He glanced around, looking for the other wolves only to see that Justice had already taken the time to finish them off as well. 'I guess that just leaves the other beasts that took her friend's away…' He smirked at the thought. 'I do so enjoy killing off everything he makes.' His eyes went to Magic and his smile grew. 'Who would have thought things would have turned out so well for me? Had you not turned against Eternity Magic, I would have never been able to enjoy myself like this.'
Tears bit at Robin's eyes as he clutched the unicorn's mane in his hands desperately. 'We have to go back… We have to save her…' Even as he thought it, he knew it was too late. He had watched as his mount had turned away, he saw Death's strike… He knew…
The night's cold air ripped against his skin as they ran from the battle. The pounding strength beneath him made him feel so weak as he clung to the beast that bounded through the streets, taking him back to the tower. Robin glanced over to Cyborg who was riding alongside him and saw the same look of hopelessness and loss on his face. 'He saw too…' Robin knew just by the look in Cyborg's eye. 'She saved us… She gave up everything… and saved us…' His pain turned to anger, not at her, but at himself. 'How did it come to this?!' He shouted in his mind as he glared ahead, watching the T-Tower come into view. 'Why am I never strong enough to protect my family!?'
"Well Magic," Vengeance spoke as he approached Magic who was hunched over, ignoring the world, wallowing in his pain. "How does it feel to be in chains again?" He asked as he grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head back to look him in the eyes.
'Again?' Malchior half-heartedly questioned to himself as his eyes only saw darkness before him. He was deep in his own mind, feeling nothing but the anguish of being completely alone.
Vengeance hated Magic's lack of response and quickly punched him, sending the man to the ground. "Well?! Answer me!" He shouted in anger. "How does it feel to be the reason she's dead!?" He kicked Magic in the gut as hard as he could. Malchior coughed up blood but gave Vengeance no verbal response. Vengeance grabbed Malchior by his wing and lifted him up off the ground by a foot, using his other hand to punch him repeatedly in the head. "Answer me! You! Pathetic Bastard! Tell me you're in pain! Tell me you wish to die!"
Justice, Soul, Dark, Death and even Light all adverted their eyes as Vengeance beat on Magic. Not one of them was willing to come to Magic's aid.
Light held herself and closed her eyes, unwilling to watch but also unwilling to make an enemy of Vengeance by stopping the beating.
Justice sighed and shook his head, wishing that his bother was maybe just a little like him… He could not see the point in beating a broken man. 'I should stop this… I'm supposed to stop this… So why am I not? It's not that I hate him… I feel nothing for him… It's just… I don't feel that he is one of us…'
Dark did not bother to close his eyes. Even with his gaze adverted he could still see each blow Vengeance laid against Malchior. The night around them allowed him to see all whether he wanted to see it or not. His sharp ears allowed him to hear the blood that was sprayed onto the ground as he watched the beating. 'This… This isn't right… He's defeated… I don't understand…' He tightened his fist, feeling his chains that bound Malchior hang loosely against the dragon. 'Why aren't you fighting back Magic? You were once so strong… Why have you given up?' He looked away to the fog where he was sure laid Raven's body. 'She held my power within her… I never gave it to her… What if… What if what we have just done was wrong? Now that she is dead… I'll never know just how she came to command that which is mine…'
Death stood calmly with his eyes closed as he waited for Vengeance to calm. '1… 2… 3…' He found himself counting each blow that would have killed a lesser being. Vengeance may have been weak in battle but he was still a Power. They were all beings of great strength. '13… 14… 15…' His hand tightened on his scythe. 'She can't have been worth all this pain… How many times must you die tonight for a woman who is already beyond your reach?! Not counting how many times I have killedyou tonight… Now you allow your enemy to beat you?! Do you even feel it anymore, Magic?!'
"Ahh!" Yelled Vengeance as he struck Malchior so hard he lost his grip on his wing and Malchior slammed into the ground, sliding on the puddle of blood that had formed beneath him. "Say something!" He yelled again, kicking the half dragon. Malchior barely grunted from the assault. He had long since given into his pain desiring to die with the woman he loved.
Vengeance moved to continue beating on Malchior but a new voice rang out, stilling the man.
"That is ENOUGH!" Yelled a strong deep voice from across the field. All eyes turned to the new voice in shock. No one had expected Him to show.
"Space…" Whispered Light in shock as the dark being continued to walk towards them, his eyes never leaving Vengeance.
Space seemed to form from the very air around them and was imposing even by their standards. He had the same black mane of hair as Malchior and stood equal to his height at 6'5". His skin was equally as black as his hair and he wore a black shirt and pants that made him meld with the darkness around him as though the world was bending around him with his every step. His eyes were of a dark blue that were filled with speck of light as though the galaxies were trapped in his eyes. As he walked closer to Vengeance said man found himself taking a step away from Magic as a fear he tried to fight against filled him.
"Space…" He spoke hesitantly as he built himself up, looking to the man's face while trying to avoid his eyes. "Why are you here? You said you were going to stay out of our affairs…"
Space glared at Vengeance, concentrating his power on the man. Vengeance buckled under the pressure and fell to his hands and knees with a grunt. "I've decided that I have hung back and allowed you to have your way for too long." He turned to Malchior who had not moved from his place on the ground. "I will not just stand by and allow you to beat my brother within me." He knelt down by Malchior and glared at the chains that bound him. With a narrowing of his eyes the chains shattered and turned to dust that faded away. Justice and Dark made a move to attack Space but were halted by his words. "You would DARE attack me?!" Space yelled without even looking back at the two. He did not need to see them with eyes to know their actions. "You exist with in ME! You are still here because I allow it!" He stood and allowed his power to flow from his being, surrounding Justice and Dark, forcing them to their knees. When he turned to look at them, the anger was plain on his face and it terrified them all to see. "You all have been so distracted by Vengeance and your own pride that not a one of you even noticed that her body never once hit the ground!"
His statement shocked them all and Death acted first, using his scythe to clear away the fog before him. "NO!" He yelled, finding that there was nothing but a stain of blood on the ground before him. "That isn't possible!" He shouted, turning to Space. "What did you do with her!?" He demanded, ignoring how much of a bad idea it was to go against him. "It isn't your place to get involved with this! Eternity demanded that you have nothing to do with this!"
Space glared at Death but the man held his own, using his scythe like a crutch, holding onto it to remand standing. "I have done nothing." Space stated calmly, impressed that Death would dare stand up to him. "She is in Fate's hands now. Far from the reach of all of us here." He turned away from them allowing his power to leave them as he turned back to Magic. "Oh, my brother…" He said looking at Magic's bloody form with pity in his eyes. "You have fallen so far…" Space brushed back some of Malchior's hair from his bloody face. "How could you allow yourself to become so weak…?" He questioned to him but knew he would not get an answer. "Magic…" Space spoke firmly as he rolled his brother over onto his back. "Magic, you need to come back… You cannot live in pain. Raven would not want that fate for you…"
The sound of her name coming from another's lips caused Malchior to slowly open his eyes and gaze up at the one before him. "Space…" He whispered in disbelief.
"Yes, my brother. It's me." He said sadly with a forced smile. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
Malchior looked up to the man with dead eyes. "Kill me…"
Space could not hide the shock that filled him hearing Magic's request.
"Kill me…" He repeated. "Remove me from existence… Death cannot kill me… But you could… You could end me… Please… Kill me…"
Space shook his head slowly, looking down at Malchior in disbelief. "Why would you ask this of me? Brother, have you truly lost all will without her? Does she mean that much to you that you would end it all here and now?"
"She does…" Malchior replied without hesitation.
Space closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I should have kept her from you… I've always known about her… I wish I had consulted with Fate… I wish I had known this would have turned out like this…" Space felt a pain he had long since hidden deep in himself start to rise. "I wish… I had never betrayed you… Brother…"
"…Betrayed…?" Magic questioned but found he did not care to hear the answer. He only wanted one thing from his brother. "Kill me… Please…"
"I won't." Space said firmly, looking down at Magic.
"Please…"
"NO!" His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. "If I kill you now, then what reason does she have to come back!?"
"Come back?" Malchior questioned feeling a small spark of himself ignite within his soul. "What do you mean… Come back?"
Space smiled a horribly sad smile. 'You really have lost all will without her…' "She's in Fate's hands now Magic. Fate stole her from Death. It's up to her if she wishes to return…"
Tears Malchior did not know he had left fell from his eyes as Space's words registered in his mind. 'She… She might come back… She's with Fate… He could save her… He could do what I couldn't… But…' He remembered the look in her eyes when she fell… She was sad… But at peace… 'Does she want to? She's known only pain and longed for the peace of death… She saved her friends… She protected this world… What reason does she have left to come back? Me… No… I'm nothing… I'm just a failure who couldn't save her or protect her friends… I'm not worth coming back for…'
Raven found herself falling slowly falling into a dark void. Death's haunting laugh slowly grew dimmer until it faded into the nothingness around her. 'Is this death…' She thought to herself 'This isn't so bad…' A light far away from her shimmered in the darkness. 'What is that…?' She found herself questioning. She remembered that some people spoke of seeing a light during their moment of death. 'They called it heaven…' Despite everything she had done in her life, even now knowing she was not a demon's daughter, she still did not believe an afterlife in heaven was waiting for her. You did not get to chase after death and be rewarded with an eternal after life of peace.
The light grew stronger until it filled the void she was still slowly falling into. Softly she could hear foot steps coming towards her and from within the light a form was becoming clear to her. A young boy of about 6 was walking towards her with a sad yet happy smile on his lips. His white hair shifted in a breeze that was not there and his bright blue eyes glowed and shimmered with unshed tears.
'Guard…' Raven whispered in her mind with disbelief. The closer he came the more his form aged until it was Gatherer who was walking towards her with anger in his eyes but a smirk on his lips. It pained Raven to see his eyes but soon enough she looking at a young man of 18 who had the same long white hair and kind blue eyes. She had never seen his face, but she knew, this was Protector. He was so close to her know but still steps away.
Raven felt gentle arms catch her from her fall and she gazed up at the one who held her and knew him to be none of the three from before. She knew now why the eyes of the others haunted her thoughts and broke her heart to see.
"Rorek?"
ALRIGHT! Posted! I'm also working on Bonding to a Devil so hopefully that will be up soon.
On another note, I am also starting to work on my original stories as well. So hopefully I will be publishing them soon as well! Sorry this took so long! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I'm already working on the next! If you notice any mistakes, as always, please let me know! Thank you guys so much!