Chapter 21
For once in a long, long time... the Teen Titans could take a breath. But it was not over, for as Jeff said, "Our greatest battle is just beginning."
Robin had seen many strange things in his life, being the sidekick to the Dark Knight left no sugar-coating whatsoever, but this... this was the most unusual event he had ever witnessed. He paused for a second, and then he spoke.
"I guess we have no where to turn to. Jeff, you're going to have to fill us in."
"Well, Robin, can't you use your wicked detective skills and deduce half of this? Why should I give you any answers? Tell me what you've learned."
"Alright, a recap then. Ra's Al Ghul used three keys to free Dracula from Azarath. In return, Dracula made Ra's into a vampire, giving him eternal life. Uh... Jeff is Dracula's son. I'm not too keen on that part. But I do think that Dracula went somewhere where he can block out the sun, since he mentioned that the sun will never shine again. When this happens, Dracula will be able to walk the Earth at any time, making a threat to humanity that will never rest. Uh... that's pretty much all I can deduce."
"Good," Jeff replied, "I can fill you in on the rest. Forget everything you read about Dracula in fairy tale books. I've read them all. If Dracula was killed in them, then how is he able to walk the Earth today? The Sun itself is Dracula's only weakness, to my knowledge. Wooden stakes, crucifixes, Holy Water, none of them can kill Dracula. That is why I did not spray him with the Holy Water, for it would have been a waste. Dracula has various powers. He only uses the Hellbeast as a last resort. His basic powers include the ability to defy the laws of physics, meaning that he can appear and disappear in two locations, or teleport. He can walk on walls as if the were the ground. Dracula can heal from almost any wound, which shows his superiority over the living. He has great strength, and can fly, even without the wings. But I'm betting you already knew that.
"What you didn't know is that for a long time," Jeff went on, "Dracula has always wanted to produce some sort of offspring. While he did have brides, they were never able to produce a living child, let alone get pregnant. God shunned the vampires from ever creating life, for they were the fiends of the Earth. And for the longest time, humanity has tried desparately to rid Dracula from their land, but have never succeeded. Until, about sixteen years ago, give or take, a deal was made. God's representatives allowed Dracula to sleep with a supernatural being in exchange for being imprisioned in another dimension. That dimension was Azarath.
"And that supernatural being," he said gravely, almost as if in shame, "was my mother. She was an angel. It sickens me when Dracula acts as if he and her had even had a relationship or something. All they had was one night. I am the result. With other vampires or even normal humans beings, Dracula could never get a child from it. To everyone's surprise, when I was expected to have powers to shake the ages and bend reality (being the product of two powerful entities), I showed to be nothing more than a simple, powerless human being. When I was at a young age, my mother promised me to the Knights of the Kingdom of God, to become a member. My mother, an angel, was able to see the future, since God is outside of time, and she was with God in Heaven. I officially became a Knight in my midteens, and a few years later I encountered my mother. She revealed to me my ultimate mission since my birth, and what I must do.
"I had always questioned my role as a Knight until that day. I had gone my entire life without understanding how I could possibly make any type of difference. There are many things that I still do not understand, but I can assure you that I will stay true to the promise I made to her. Only, now, I'm doing it for different reasons," he finished.
After a few seconds of intake, Starfire inquired, "In this covenant you speak of, what was the benefit of the people of glorious Azarath? What did they receive in the return, the exchange?"
Jeff smiled, "They wanted something. But as of now, I cannot say. For I am not permitted to reveal the future. If I tell you, any of you, what they bargained for, it will disrupt the whole plan. You are simply not ready to understand. I don't think I ever was, or still am. However, you'll learn everything in time. If not by me, then you'll learn by fate."
"So what now, man?" Cyborg asked.
Robin stepped forward, "The sun will rise in a couple hours, and Dracula will have to sleep. I don't know how he's going to block out the sun, probably either with science or sorcery. Most likely the latter. Until that happens, we can't really do anything. We have to let Dracula make the next move."
To this, Jeff nodded. Robin looked at him suspiciously. The guy seemed to hiding something. However, they'd gone this far without him betraying them, perhaps they could go a little longer. And with that, the Teen Titans exited the cave, entered the jet, and flew off to a familiar place, a place many of them liked to think of as home.