A/N (1): Sorry this is so late! I had really bad writer's block; like I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter but I couldn't put it into words.

A/N (2): There's a lot of arguing and debating between Fellyra and Acacius, a big part of it to show how important the Predecessors are and how dangerous they could be. I really hope it doesn't get annoying. It also helps to give a little insight on Fellyra that we will explore later; this is mostly because I have only alluded to Fell's past and you've only seen glimpses with Adrian and with Marx.

Chapter 18

"Instead of blaming yourself for something you cannot undo, let it define you."

- Shaun Hick

Fellyra, Wally, Barbara, and the Wayne family

Still at Wayne Manor

February 15th, 2013 12:30ish EDT

"I killed someone he cared about."

Those words echoed around the room; it was the only sound. The room had grown silent once Fellyra started to speak, but now it was tense with shocked silence. Bruce was about to say something until he saw Acacius shaking his head slowly. His eyes spoke volumes, instructing them to let her finish. So, no one said anything.

"I—" Fellyra started and then grew silent once more.

"Start from the beginning." Acacius prompted. "Start from when you got the tip about the OM-54 serum."

"Right," Fellyra said slowly, her eyes still staring at the floor beneath her feet. "A couple of weeks after I saved Jon, I got an anonymous tip that someone was shipping the OM-54 serum to and from an island in the Galapagos. So, Adam—a childhood friend of Adrian—and I took a helicopter and went to investigate."

Fellyra went on to explain everything that happened up until Marx and Mei came to save her. She paused, seeming to get more nervous and afraid.

"Mei came into the tent at the same time that I was freeing Cheyanne; she told me that Marx was distracting Slade, uh the Deathstroke from my earth who I guess is the same person on this earth, and he wasn't fairing well. Apparently, he was a little too close to where one of the missiles hit."

"I asked if she had a weapon—" she didn't mention that it was a gun. "And then we went to help him out. We were able to get away, but they were following us, and Marx was…"

"Injured? Weighing you down?" Wally supplied.

"Dying." Fell deadpanned looking up at everyone for the first time. Her eyes were haunted as if the memories were too much. "He was severely burned and it's not like we had a hospital on the island. Marx said he'd seen injuries like that in the army and he knew he wouldn't survive. He wanted us to leave. Then I remembered the serum I took from Ivo's tent."

She had a faraway look in her eye. "I—I just wanted to save him. But I shouldn't have given him the serum, I knew the risks because I lived with them every day. But—I thought I could help him control it. And then we thought the serum killed him! No, we were sure of it, so we left. Then—Then Ivo—"

The memories became too much for Fellyra to bear and everyone in the room was pulled into her memories; Fellyra's telepathy running amuck and dragging them in to witness the scene.

"You're nuts! I would never hurt either one of them!"

"…Ten seconds to choose who dies. Choose wisely, you don't want to regret it."

"No! That's your daughter you're putting on the line. You won't hurt her! You can't hurt her!"

"Six seconds."

"You sociopath!"

"Three seconds… time's up. I guess you've made your choice."

"NO!"

Everyone watched every second of the memory, shocked by what Fellyra had experienced. They saw an eleven-year-old girl put her body between a gun and the small child kneeling on the ground. And then they saw Mei jump for the gun and Ivo shooting her in the head.

The memory ended suddenly, and it was kind of disorienting. But the worst part of that whole memory was when they did come out and saw how broken Fellyra looked. Then her face returned to its usual stoicism.

"It's my fault she's dead. If I had helped her… if I didn't just sit there. If I hadn't chosen." She fell silent. No one said anything and Acacius shifted closer to the girl, his eyes filled with sorrow. He hated that she blamed herself when she wasn't at fault. Ivo killed Mei, not Fellyra.

"The worst part is that I didn't tell Marx when I found out he was alive. He buried Mei and I just let him believe that Ivo killed her. I didn't want him to go into a Rage." Fellyra frowned. "But he did anyways because Ivo told him and then—and then he became what he is now."

Fellyra took in a deep breath to calm her raging emotions. She didn't want anyone pulled into that memory. "He said that killing me would be mercy and that he wanted to make me suffer. In order to hurt me, he promised that he would kill my brothers, my sister, Jon, Jay… anyone I cared about—I'm lucky that I got away from him the first time."

Fellyra's hand instinctively rubbed at her chest, at the place Dr. Thompkins had told Bruce there was a large scar. A scar that should have killed her. "The second time, I wasn't so lucky."

"You said that he wanted to make you suffer," Bruce pointed out.

"He did," Fellyra said, hand dropping to her side. "He put me in a position where he wanted me to choose between my brother or my sister. He thought it would be fun to see who I favored more; my father's side or my mother's side."

"But—" Tim prompted.

"I didn't choose… at least I didn't choose either of my siblings. I told him to kill me and spare both my siblings' life. I begged him to kill me." Fellyra's brows frowned as she thought back to that day. In reality, maybe she should have expected that situation. Hindsight is 20/20, though. "I actually thought I got through to the Marx that I once knew; then he stabbed me right through the chest."

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Given that she avoided the Lazarus Pit question when Damien asked, they were sure of the answer now.

"There was nothing but darkness after that and I don't even remember coming out of the pit. The next time I woke up, I was in my room at the Starling's residence with my brothers and sister watching over me." Her forehead scrunched up and then she added, "I was so angry."

"You didn't know that there was a plan to revive you?" Damien asked. "You were the heir, after all."

"I should have expected it. But a part of me wished that my siblings were smart enough not to put me through that torment." Fellyra admitted, then continued on with her story as if she wasn't interrupted. "They realized I was angry with them, so they left to give me time to cool off. When they were gone, I went after Marx. I knew he wouldn't stop his reign of terror. I didn't know, however, that my brother Holden went after him too. I was able to subdue Marx… But I couldn't save Holden."

"After I caught Marx and had him thrown into a secure facility, there was a problem that arose that I had to handle, and then I spent a couple of weeks on another Earth before coming here to find Dr. Hollander." Fellyra looked over at Acacius who hadn't left her side at all. Out of all the Predecessors, he tended to act like the protective older brother who was also very annoying. "I didn't think all this trouble would follow me. But I will end it, no matter what."

Acacius glanced at everyone in the room, watching as they contemplated Fellyra's words. He then turned to the determined girl. "Then we should get some training in. You may be an extraordinary swords master, but it has been nearly a decade since you've been in a Trial by Combat and I'm sure Marx will not fight fair."

Fellyra nodded. "Let's get to it."

The two turned to leave but stopped when they heard Alfred say, "wait."

Everyone glanced at the Englishman who gave Fellyra a disapproving look. "Do you really think that you can fight a man twice your size when you're weak because you haven't eaten in days."

"I've gone longer than a few days without food and did just fine," Fellyra told him, ignoring his concern. Acacius rolled his eyes but didn't want to get involved in this argument, after all, even Acacius knew that Fellyra wasn't going to win this battle. He knew that the butler was right but the young Host was stubborn, someone who didn't want to accept anyone's charity. Fellyra could hold her own against Marx in a swordfight any day, but not caring for herself as she should put her at a disadvantage. The power of darkness didn't help either.

"I agree with the butler." Fellyra turned and glared at the apparition who ignored her and continued on. "Come on Fell, you're a lot smarter than this and you have never acted first without a plan. You may be the only surviving Super Soldier, the Host of the Darkness, and a descendant of the ancients, but you're still human which means you'll weaken without sleep and a proper meal. Marx isn't under the same constraints since he's probably being treated very well with Ra's and the Light; he's as healthy as he could be and training every day. You've been busy with contingency plans and doing everything you could for Jon that you've weakened yourself without even noticing. When was the last time you slept?"

"Doesn't matter." Fellyra crossed her arms. "The Super Soldier serum can keep me going longer than a normal human."

"It's not just about you being weak because you can't take care of yourself. It's about the darkness. You've been using it more than you usually do; even me being here is exerting too much of the power." Fellyra was about to interrupt but Acacius ignored her attempt and spoke louder over her complaints. "I know you can't use your power during the Trial by Combat. But what about after? This is clearly a trap, so you are going to need a quick getaway that doesn't involve anyone else getting hurt. Your transportation magic is the only choice; and if too much of the darkness is used and your too malnourished or too tired to mentally fight back, then this Earth is doomed. Maybe even the whole multiverse."

"There are only ten months left."

"And he killed more than half the Justice League on our Earth in three." Both Acacius and Fellyra could feel wide eyes burning holes into their backs. Acacius spared a glance with a look that said, I'll explain later after I explain to this idiot what the problem is. "Donovan Blackwell was just a normal human when he became the Host to the Darkness, he wasn't a meta nor did he have magic before. But he trained to use his powers and then in five months time heroes were nearly extinct, our Earth had fallen into chaos. Now think about yourself; you're a Super Soldier, an over enhanced meta, you were also trained to use magic before you became the Host. If Donovan takes control, then I give this Earth a month, at best."

"Wait! What do you mean by that?" Growing impatient, Jason voiced the question everyone was wondering. Besides Alfred, who had left the room to begin preparing for dinner. He had no doubt that the girl would be staying for dinner, whether the other boy convinced her or not. No one ever defies Alfred, not even the scary Batman. "Who's Donovan?"

"Donovan is the previous Host." Both Fellyra and Acacius said.

"I thought you were the previous Host," Tim stated, analyzing the two. They were two people that were polar opposites, their personalities being on two extremely different sides of the spectrum. Fellyra was more closed off and clearly didn't want to explain, if her crossed arms and the glare directed away from the family was any indication. Acacius, on the other hand, was more open and willing to let them in on the conversation while Fellyra pretended they weren't there. Clearly not much of a team player.

"I am a Predecessor, but I am not the one that came before Fellyra." Acacius began, turning to the group that was waiting for a proper explanation. "I was the Host before Donovan."

"That's why I asked Umbra for the Predecessor before the previous one," Fellyra muttered and Acacius glared at her.

"If you're not going to contribute to the conversation, then shut it."

Fellyra huffed before turning towards the group and at least attempted to drop the attitude. For the most part, she looked tired and stressed. "Donovan became the Host when he was ten years old and then he trained with the power-up until he was fifteen. Somehow, he figured out abilities that the Darkness had that no one knew was even possible, which made him a danger. When he turned fifteen, he attacked the Justice League and began killing them, convincing the rest of the Villains to stop their games of cat and mouse and help him. That's all the history books say about him; I don't really know too much more."

"Do any of the other Predecessors know why he wanted all the heroes dead?" Bruce asked.

Acacius shook his head. "The Predecessors are only privileged to the new Host's experiences after he or she gets the power. We cannot see the memories from before."

Bruce nodded. "I guess that's not important right now anyway. What do you mean by Donovan taking control though?"

"When Donovan was fourteen years old, he found an old scroll that had a spell that had been hidden for centuries. Even the first Predecessor refused to tell any of us about this scroll." Acacius looked over at Fellyra who was rubbing at her right bicep, a look of discomfort on her face. "The spell was a curse, but not just any kind of curse. It only affects the next Host. It allows the Host that cast it the ability to take over the next Host's body if the next Host has a weak mind. The more Fell uses the darkness, the closer Donovan gets to take over."

"How would you be able to tell if he's about to take over?" Tim asked, now analyzing the girl to make sure she wasn't some evil Host that wants to kill the whole Justice League. The girl simply pulled the right sleeve of her leather jacket down to reveal the black mark that circled her bicep. Bruce noted that it looked bigger than before, now it was stretching down to her elbow instead of being the thin line it once was.

"If this tattoo reaches my heart, then we're screwed. But it only spreads when I use the power of the darkness or I lose concentration on keeping Donovan in check." Fellyra explained.

"Has it ever gotten that far?' Bruce asked. If it had, then he could come up with a plan to bring her back, or else he feared that she would have to be locked up.

"Three times." The girl said, her brows furrowed as she tried to remember how she lost control. "The first time I was only five, so I had the power for about a year. It happened right after my mother died; but I think I was too young for Donovan to take over because as soon as it started, he was pushed back instantly. The second time was when I was ten when Adrian was killed."

"What made you come back to yourself?' Barbara asked.

"It was like I was in a void; I could hear voices all around me, but I couldn't understand what they were trying to say. And then I heard Adrian's voice telling me to live and continue his legacy. I didn't want to disappoint him, so I was able to push Donovan back in his cage." Fellyra answered. "And if it weren't for Kaden, I wouldn't have been able to come back the third time. At that time, he was my anchor and I can't let him get hurt because of the mistakes I made in the past."

"So, those you loved were the only reason you could come back to yourself?" Jason clarified. "Lame."

"Jason!" Bruce scolded.

Fellyra was a little shocked by Jason's comment, but then she started laughing. Truth be told, it does seem lame because she could never save herself and she had to rely on others, but she had learned that the bonds you make with others are a person's greatest strength. "There was a time when I would have said the same thing. But you learn that no one can fight alone, especially if they don't want to lose themselves."

Dick smirked and gave Bruce a pointed look, one that Bruce just rolled his eyes at. But a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Fellyra sighed and looked over at Acacius. "You're right, Acacius. I won't have someone to bring me back, so I shouldn't act recklessly."

"Did you hear that, Alfie?" Dick shouted. "She's staying for dinner."

Alfred entered the room, wiping his hands with a white dishcloth. "I expected as much, Master Dick, so I already began preparing the necessaries for our dinner tonight. But if Miss Fellyra wants to still get some of her training, may I suggest the Batcave."

"Let's go then!" The oldest said, leading the way down the hall. Fellyra followed as Acacius glanced at Bruce and Alfred and found them whispering. His golden eyes narrowed at the pair, trying to figure out what they were discussing, but gave up and followed Fellyra when she looked back at him expectantly.

Acacius's blade swiped at the air above Fellyra's head as she ducked and retaliated by tripping the Predecessor with a quick kick the ankles. For the fifth time since they started sparring, he hit the ground hard, the tip of Fellyra's blade at his neck to show that another round was won.

"Woah!" Tim exclaimed. He sat at the edge of the sparring ring, his legs crisscrossed, and watched the two-wide eyed. He was ecstatic to watch someone other than his own family and the Young Justice team fight, especially with weapons that the Bat wouldn't let them touch at all. And although Acacius was bigger than Fellyra, Tim was intrigued by her ability to not only use his strength against him but to use her weaknesses (her stature, for example) to her advantage. She was quick and every move she made had a purpose. She didn't seem to need the super-strength provided to her by the Super Soldier Serum at all.

Fellyra twirled the blade in her hand as Acacius got to his feet. She smirked at the young Bat. "Want to try?"

Tim beamed and was about to agree when Batman growled out a stern "No."

"Come on Bats!" Tim whined. "I'll be careful and Fellyra won't hurt me."

"We don't use weapons that kill, Tim."

"Damian trains with a sword all the time!"

"First of all, I was trained by the League of Shadows in order to become the next Ra's al Ghul, Drake." Damian stood beside the Bat computer with his father, arms crossed and glaring at his older brother. "Second, I can only use it to train and Father does not let me use it against anything but a dummy."

Fellyra heard Jason snicker and stage whisper to Dick that Damian should be able to use his sword against Tim no problem then. Bruce scolded the boy and Tim shouted in outrage. The young girl rolled her eyes and sighed. Growing up, Fellyra didn't bicker with her family as the Waynes do; Holden was years older than her, so he was overly protective if anything and she never got to see her father's children until after she returned home. It was saddened to see what she missed out on because her father was a psychopath. Although the Waynes seemed to fight non-stop, they had each other's back at the end of the day.

Alfred entered the room, and everyone fell silent, even Acacius disappeared. "Time seems to elude everyone when they are down here, so I came down to announce dinner is ready."

"Finally!" Jason exclaimed and ran up after the Englishman. Everyone following soon after.