"What does this mean?" Batman's inquiry was a harsh whisper as it carried through the stone hall. Raven flinched involuntarily as she stared at her picture on the marble altar.
"It means I'm the next sacrifice," Raven frowned and felt her stomach churn uneasily. She eyed the bronze dagger warily. She felt like she was going to be sick.
Red Robin frowned and switched his gaze between the image of Raven in the picture frame and the real one next to him. It didn't make sense. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned at her. "But –"
"I'm so glad you could make it, Raven"
Raven's emotions bubbled under her skin as she heard the new voice drift through the hall. She whipped around so fast that her hood flew over her shoulders. Raven's eyes narrowed as she stared at the woman in intricate brown ceremonial robes at the entrance of the hall.
"Mary Johnson," Red Robin spoke next to her. Raven could feel his tense emotions as he took a more offensive stance, ready to spring into action. She had to make sure neither Batman or Red Robin got hurt tonight. This was not their fight.
The woman looked unperturbed at the unwelcome guests in her temple. Instead, she smiled and drew the hood of her brown cloak to her shoulders. Curly salt and pepper hair framed her face and as her smile deepened crow feet appeared at the edges of her eyes. Clasping her jeweled hands in front of her, she titled her eyed ever so slightly and eyed them in mirth. "I prefer Lilith if you could," she told them.
"I don't think your operations are up to standards," Raven tilted her head and eyed the woman warily. Raven made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat and ignored Batman's brief glance. She took a step forward and stared at the woman.
"Don't think Brother Blood would be too proud of the little show you're running here," Raven turned her head at the torch that was just a tiny bit off center. She sent the older woman a taunting smile. "Father would not be pleased,"
Lilith pressed her lips together into a smile, unfazed by Raven. Tilting her head just a little bit, she stared at Raven in mild amusement. "I'm sure he'll be pleased once he sees his daughter again," the woman blinked and a catlike smile spread across her face. "Or at the very least bathe in your precious blood,"
Raven heard Red Robin and Batman shift behind her and she buried the spark of worry that slipped through her. "You're late to the party. My father is gone," she said, frowning at the deranged woman in front of her. Some of the torches flickered as a rippled of energy slipped past her.
Lilith looked unimpressed and hummed in amusement. She took a step forward and smiled languidly as Raven tensed. "That he might be," said Lilith and she stopped in the middle of the aisle. Her fingers absently tapped one of the pews in thought. "But there's always his blood that runs inside of you, Raven,"
Raven blinked and she ignored a soft wave of panic that rose to her chest. She felt Red Robin move next to her, both him and Batman seemed ready to attack obviously over the conversation.
"Ah-ah, I wouldn't do that, gentlemen," Lilith teasingly raised her finger and tutted. Batman's hand froze as it reached for his explosives. She grinned as all three stilled. "I'd rather be the one serving the surprise tonight,"
Raven felt the thick energy sweep across the floor and her eyes widened. "Down!" she yelled and turned back to the altar just as the large mark of Scath exploded to life. The walls shook and the mark pulsed angrily as bright light and heat exploded from above the altar. The knife and her picture clattered angrily on the marbled surface.
With a blast of dark energy, she threw both Batman and Red Robin out of the way just as four demons crawled through the pulsing light. With garbled screech, their claws and large red bodies scrambled over the altar and made a leap towards them.
Raven barely registered the loud growl and heavy weight as one of the demons tackled her to the ground and she felt heavy claws sink into her shoulders. Grunting at the impact, she shot a dark blast of energy towards the other demon, making it one less thing to worry about for a fraction of a second. She briefly cast a quick glance towards Red Robin and Batman as they each fought one of the demons, she knew they'd be able to handle one each – but if more would appear, it would become a growing concern. There were just so many demons Batman could take on.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" a burst of dark magic slipped past her hands and cleanly sliced both arms off the demon that tackled her. That gave her enough time to kick the demon away from her as it screeched loudly and crumpled to the floor. Blood oozed out of its shoulders, soaking the floor slowly.
"Sister!"
She hated her family. Raven growled and vaulted over one of the old church pews just as the other demon charged towards her. With a hiss, she used her powers wrapped them around her demon brother. Her powers pulsed angrily and she slammed the demon against the wall momentarily disorienting him.
The mark of Scath pulsed angrily by the altar as the floor shook as one of Batman's expolsives went off. Climbing over the pew, Raven quickly scanned the scene and watched as Batman easily eliminated the demon and Red Robin seemed to have immobilized his own. She heard the growls of the other two she had knocked out earlier, ready to attack again. She had a few more seconds before another round of attacks would happen. Turning to Lilith, she watched as the woman sent her a placid smile.
Raven felt her stomach churn in foreboding.
Leaping over the pews, she sprang towards the older woman with fists cackling with black energy. This madness had to stop. Her powers burst from her hands just as another loud crash from the fight behind her exploded and she heard Red Robin yell. Raven's skin crawled. She was going to put Lilith into the ground.
"Azarath –"
Raven felt light burst behind her eyes as her body slammed into the stone wall and part of it collapsed onto her. The scaly body of the demon pressed into her. "Sister," she heard the sinister hiss. She struggled against the weight of solid stone and demon above her, and she felt claws dig into her ribs, drawing blood. She sucked in a deep breath as she felt the distinct feeling of ribs cranking under the pressure. Glaring through the pain, she hurled her body forward and punched the seething demon away with a burst of strength. Freeing herself from the weight, she scrambled out of the wreckage ready to attack Lilith.
"Raven!"
Red Robin called from the other end of the hall looking like he had subdued the demon with an explosive. He shot her a worried glance before looking at the pulsing Scath symbol on the wall. "More are coming,"
She gasped as she felt the ground tremble and she tore her eyes away from Red Robin. Dread pooled low in her stomach as she felt the familiar dark pull from the glowing symbol. The walls shuddered and the hall groaned as a several more demons jumped out of the portal and roared loudly.
"No!" Raven watched as the demons tried to make a swipe at Red Robin and Batman. Several more came clambering out of the portal and towards them. She used her powers to life several pews and slammed them into the demons. The ominous hiss of "sister" and grunts of fighting filled the air, along with the pleased chuckle from Lilith.
"Batman!" Raven heard Red Robin shout as one of the demons rammed Batman in the pile of pews.
Everything seemed to happen at once as Red Robin and Batman fought off the demons, trying to seal up the portal with whatever explosive they had available. There were six demons in the room and with the way the portal continued to glow, more might still be on the way. She needed to stop Lilith and pull down her summing her charm. Raven struggled as three more demons tried to take a swipe at her.
Jumping over one of the crippled demons, Raven gathered her energy to bind Lilith. She saw her opening as Lilith turned, trying to creep up the stairway. Just as she was about to release her soul self, she heard Tim's yell of pain. She felt his wave of pain and she immediately turned around, watching as one of the demons sunk their teeth into his upper arm.
"No!" She waived mid-flight, dodged one of the demons that tried to swipe her, and aimed her attack at the large red demon attacking Tim. The demon grunted, released Tim, who in turn released a small bomb on the demon's head, killing it.
Having lost focus, Raven gasped as her body was violently ripped to the ground. She slammed into the stone floor with a sickening crunch as her shoulder took the brunt of the impact. Claws dug into her shoulder again and she was sure her right shoulder popped out of its socket. Through the haze of pain, Raven struggled to get up but the weight of one – two – three? Demons on top of her kept her down.
From where her face was pressed against the stone floor she could see two demons restrain Batman and Red Robin. Raven inhaled the dust and blood, trying to calm her frantic nerves. This was not how things would end up. Struggling to push the demons, her brothers, off of her, she growled. Anger slowly bubbling within her.
"I told you I would be the one serving surprises tonight," black boots appeared before her eyes and Raven craned her need a little to look up at the older woman. Lilith offered Raven a chilling smile and tilted her head. "Do you like your little family reunion, Raven?"
Raven winced as her head was yanked back by her hair so she could look up at Lilith. She felt the hot breath of one of the demons against her cheek. "Sister,"
Ignoring the throbbing that radiated through her body, Raven grimaced. "Always wished I was an only child,"
Lilith hummed dismissively, unimpressed by the sass. "On your knees," she instructed and watched in satisfaction as Raven was roughly pulled to her knees and restrained by the hulking mass of two demons on either side of her. The older woman smiled and bent down dragged her index finger along the trail of blood that trickled down the side of her face. Smiling, she straightened and licked her blood stained finger.
Raven grimaced as she watched Lilith lick the blood off her finger. Black energy crackled around her fists and Raven tried to blast the demons away from her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lilith roughly grabbed Raven's chin and roughly thrust her face towards were two of the larger demons that restrained Batman and Red Robin. "I don't think you'd like that your friends loose some of their arms, do you?"
Raven struggled, trying to free her face from the vice-like grip. Her gaze caught Batman's eyes and they stared at each other briefly. A wave of panic and anger swelled in her chest. She could not endanger her friends.
"Come along,"
Raven was hauled to her feet and she struggled against the demons that dragged her towards the altar. She watched as Lilith approached the altar and tipped Raven's picture off the altar absently. Picking up the bronze dagger, she motioned for Raven to draw closer.
"Come, come dear," there was an amused lilt in Lilith's voice.
"Raven!" Red Robin struggled trying to get his arms free from the gnarly demon that held him down. Both his hands where twisted behind his back. A wrong move could easily pop either of the socket or easily snap both arms in half, it was a risk he was not willing to take. Calculating the demon's weight and the claws that dug into his arms, he needed a distraction so he could try swiping the feet (paws? Claws? What do you call these massive clawed feet?) from under the demon and try to slip out of the grasp with little damage. He grunted at the added pressure he felt around his shoulders. Maybe with a little less damage than fully expected. "Watch it, buddy!" he snapped. Or maybe not.
Raven's eyes widened and watched as Tim was thrown to the ground with a loud growl. The gnarly demon pounced on Tim and dug his knees into Tim's back. Claws were raised to take a deep swipe at Tim's head. "Hey!" shouted Raven and with a burst of anger slammed her shoulder into one of the demons holding her and released her left arm. With a grunt, she threw a large burst of black energy at the demon holding Tim down and knocking it into the wall. She barely had time to do anything else as two more demons swarmed around her and roughly slammed her into the white marble altar face first.
Raven head was throbbing painfully from the impact and she barely registered the shouts of protest as she was hauled onto the altar. She felt her hands and legs held down by clawed hands and her head lobbed to the side, blearily eyeing the glowing mark of Scath above her. She could hear Lilith chuckle next to her and she patted Raven's thigh. Tilting her head just a fraction of an inch she watched as Batman struggled against the demon that held him. They made eye contact. Raven swallowed, and struggled as panic filled her.
The marble pressed hard against her searing body and she faintly remember her dreams and her mother. Anger and panic bubbled under her skin and she growled as Lilith came right up to her face. Raven's black magic hissed against her fingers, burning the rough claws that held her down. "You'll regret this," she growled at Lilith, eyes momentarily flashing red. Anger hissed lowly under her skin.
"Oh, dear," Lilith breathed and seemed unfazed by Raven's red eyes. Raising the bronze dagger, she pressed the tip towards Raven's chest and gently pressed into the breast bone. With a few rough tugs, she revealed the old burn mark covering the Scath mark on Raven's chest. The older woman smiled and drew the tip of the dagger against the raised flesh and watched in satisfaction as she saw a trickle of blood. "I'm just here to fulfill your father's wishes," she told Raven.
Raven growled and her black magic lashed against the demons hold her down. Anger within her roared and she struggled for release. Memories of her father slipped into her mind and growled lowly. "He's gone," she hissed, her voice dropping as whispers of her demon heritage slipped free.
"Ah," Lilith purred and roughly grabbed Raven's arm. And without much ceremony, jammed the dagger into Raven's forearm and slit a deep cut up her arm. Above Raven's gasp, the old woman grinned sordidly. "What's that saying? 'He lives in you?'"
For what is was worth, Raven received far more seriously injuries in her lifetime with Titans. A large slit on the arm was barely something to cry over. But she felt the blood ooze out of the slit and pool beneath her on the altar. Her blood felt warm and sticky, and she felt the table pulse underneath her. Her skin was on fire as the altar beneath her pulsed from warm to hot and somewhere in the haze and rage of her mind she remembered her mother. Blood trickled to her leg and the altar was scorching hot, she barely heard Lilith's whispers and Batman's shouts. She felt the scorching marks press into her back and her body arched with a low growl-grown. This wasn't a dream.
"Come, come dear. Let go," Lilith laughed and pressed the dagger into Raven's neck, drawing just a trickle of blood. Leaning down, she pressed her amused face into Raven's cheek and enjoyed hearing her ragged breathing. Tilting her lips towards Raven's ear, she smiled. "You look so much like Arella," she whispered. "She'd be so proud of you."
It felt like her body was on fire and Raven screamed loudly, rage practically seeping out of her skin. Her eyes shone bright white before turning red as another set of eyes appeared on her face. The gem on her forehead pulsed and she roared as her powers snapped angrily around her body. Her body contorted over the table and she growled, the image of her mother pressed to the alter heavily etched into her mind.
The church groaned and shook as a stray burst of power shot up from Raven's hands, ripped off one of the demon's heads that held her down. Power pulsing angrily within her, Raven twisted on the table and easily used her powers to crush all other demons that held down her arms and legs. Ignoring the angry growls from the other demons that made a mad rush towards her, her powers cackled angrily and with flick of her wrist, black tentacles slipped from underneath her robe and wrapped around the throats of the remaining demons in the room. With a loud screech, four other demons dropped to the ground.
Tim dropped to the floor gasping for breath after the demon that held him down disintegrated. The floors shook as Raven levitated above the white altar and with a burst of power destroyed one of the support beams.
"Raven!" Red Robin scrambled to his feet and stared wide eyed at the floating Titan. Dread pooled low in his stomach as her powers snapped angrily at her feet. If she continued this the whole building would go come down on them, and there were still civilians likely in other rooms from the faint screaming he heard.
Raven heard nothing but the loud ringing in her ears. Rage roared loudly within her as her powers flowed angrily through her veins. She heard the faint whispers of her father's memories and her mother's cries. She could barely see and hear her father, a soft memory that fueled her anger. Drawing her hands into fists, she growled. In front of her, the mark of Scath glowed eerily as if responding to her demonic heritage. Her face contorted into anger and she turned to a surprised Lilith. The nightmares of the church of Trigon will end tonight.
"This is what you wanted, Lilith?" Raven's lips twisted into a sardonic smile, fangs showing. She tilted her head in amusement as fear flashed briefly in the old woman's eyes. She floated towards the woman and her grin widened as the woman took a step back. She could smell the woman's fear.
"I thought you learned from the last time,"
It happened so fast, Lilith barely had time to blink. Raven swooped down, grabbed Lilith by the neck and slammed her against the wall. Right in the middle of the pulsing mark of Scath. Raven grinned maliciously and her rage roared in delight as the woman groaned. Her fingers tightened around Lilith's throat, the woman struggling under her fingers. "Wasn't this how Trigon first killed half of his church, by a summoning gone wrong?" Raven's eyes flashed brightly red and she titled her head in amusement. Power pulsed in her veins.
The mark underneath Lilith pulsed and the walls groaned at the surge of power. It grew hotter with each pulse and the Lilith screamed. Raven smiled. "Wasn't this how you treated my mother?"
The mark of Scath pulsed one more time. Lilith groaned as the mark burned through her robes. Wheezing through the tight hold around her neck, she tried to pry Raven's hand away from her neck. The pulsing seemed to briefly stop and she watched in fear as four red eyes stared back at her in amusement. "Did you like my surprise tonight?" Raven asked, fangs glinting in the light.
Lilith chuckled-wheezed and threw Raven a wry smile as she stared into red four eyes. Her old fingers briefly tightened around Raven's forearm, fingers digging into the deep cut from earlier. "You truly are your father's daughter,"
Her father's daughter. Raven felt her heart still and her chest tighten. A cold chill ran through her body and she blinked, four red eyes quickly turning white. She gasped and her hold around Lilith's neck lightened. The pulsing mark on the wall stopped. The loud ringing in her ears slowly slipped away. She finally heard Batman's loud orders through the ringing. She felt her veins numb.
Her father's daughter. No.
A grappling hook sharply hit her shoulder, sending her careening to the ground and making her release her hold on Lilith completely. The fog seemed to slowly lift from her mind and she blinked, her second set of eyes disappearing. A chilling cold seemed to seep through her body as everything that just happened slowly dawned on her. Raven felt her chest tighten and her body slowly numb.
Gathering herself, she stood up and blankly watched as Batman cuffed and restrained the injured Lilith. The old woman caught her eyes and she smirked at Raven over Batman's shoulder. Raven swallowed, and looked away. Her throat tightened.
"Raven," Red Robin moved towards her after, worry coming off of him in waves. He had a gloved hand pressed to his bloodied bicep.
Raven took a step back, her chest tightening inexplicably as scenes from earlier flashed before her eyes. They saw her demon. "There are civilians locked up upstairs," her voice was raspy and her throat was on fire. Not giving Tim another glance, she unsteadily turned on her heels and flew towards the second floor landing.
Their clean up and arrest after tonight's demonic encounter was less dramatic. Locked up in the rooms were some women reported missing a few weeks ago. The GCPD soon arrived and they easily handed over Lilith and all the other followers of the church who had been hiding in another secret room on the second level. The kidnapped women were assisted by the police.
Hours later, after the fight, the blood, and all those demons, Jim Gordon looked baffled at the dusty remains of demons that littered the floor of the now empty hall. "And I thought I saw everything," the old man mumbled to Batman. He wasn't all too sure how to manage the cleanup of the crime scene.
Raven had remained quiet throughout the cleanup and turnover, throat tight and emotions heavy. She stood in the middle of the now empty hall. She barely listened to the hushed conversation between Batman and Gordon. Red Robin stood off to the side, eyeing her critically. She could feel Tim's emotions press into her. Ignoring Tim, she surveyed the mess and swallowed a lump in her throat as she eyed the dusty corpse of a demon by her feet.
You truly are your father's daughter.
She heard the soft whisper of Batman's cowl moving behind her as he and Gordon wrapped up the turnover. Her chest tightened. Looking up, she blinked and stared at the mark of Scath on the wall. The pulsing light was gone, what remained was burnt outline. The white marble altar was still intact. Raven swallowed.
You truly are your father's daughter.
Black energy snapped at her fingers and without even blinking, she released a burst of magic towards the wall. The mark of Scath and the altar blew up into a million pieces. Dust and debris flew through the air. A jolt of satisfaction briefly shot through her body.
"Raven!"
She ignored Red Robin and she felt her heart beat loudly in her chest. Memories seemed to claw their way back into her mind. Her ears were ringing and her eyes started to warm. Swallowing, she drew up her hood and turned on her heels unsteadily. Facing the surprised Jim Gordon and an unperturbed Batman, she barely nodded at both.
"I'll see you at the cave," she whispered, throat still raw. She swallowed.
"You're hurt,"
Raven ignored the worried press of emotions from Tim. "I'll see you later," she mumbled, before calling her soul self and completing disappearing into the floor. Her body groaned in protest, but she continued to teleport – at least the pain still reminded her that she was still very much human.
And not her father's daughter.