Chapter 21

(Warning – My writing style changes. Note in Author's Note)

Garfield sat staring at the vile creation laying on the table, wrapped within old cream bandages in a similar shape of a sword. Neither he nor Raven could devise a possible solution to their current predicament, burning rapidly through the night as they reframed from sleeping, Raven's warning lingering in their minds.

They had thought about leaving the dark item out in the hallway, the seal kept it contained and it should keep it out as well. The idea wasn't their best, the most convenient method to their problem, though it meant someone could find the malevolent piece and possibly misuse it for nefarious reasons. Their previous employment as fighters for justice, and the abundant evidence supplied by this new world to its less than caring populace, culminated into a prevailing sense of morality to see that the malicious object was brought to its end.

A deep sigh escaped Garfield as he lent forward, extending his palm towards the bound weapon, he formed a suppression orb around it. As the green energy encircled, it reacted negatively against the exuding evil energy, the two powers forced each other apart violently. His attempt faltered as the opposing power redirected its radiating energy against him, rebounding the suppression with a full out assault.

Exerting himself beyond his current limit, Garfield gritted his teeth as the evil energy pressed its vantage. Its assault overrode his critical thinking, forcing him to resort to his instincts in order to stave off the excruciating agony the energy inflicted upon him.

Raven worriedly tried to approach him, his pale skin erupted with dark red spots as his emerald eyes violently flickered a bright glowing red. She couldn't fathom how magic energy could affect someone so quickly, aggressively shifting from a passive aura into an offensive magic attack without requiring an additional source powering it.

An aura was only magic that exceeded the amount a mage could hold within themselves, to use that as actual magic to fuel a magic spell wasn't possible without a guiding force that would have to come within. That was how she understood magic to be within their old world, a notion she found she would have to dispel herself from referring to.

As the malevolent energy forced its way into his body, Garfield feebly struggled with his sleeves as his agony filled mind managed to spark a single lightbulb. His idea relied on one crucial action that his trembling fingers failed repeatedly, it wasn't until he felt soft hands aiding him in his efforts.

It had taken Raven a few seconds to understand why he was scrambling at his sleeves before she sparked into action, rolling his sleeves back and undid the latches on the bracers. Removing them one at a time, concern etching her features as she activated her magic sense. However this turned out, Raven would berate him once this was all over, though the fact that he had to resort to removing the bracers to face this evil scared her.

Raven marvelled in awe as the dark crimson energy coating Garfield entire body erupted outwards as blinding verdant energy burst forth within him, a tidal wave of solid green energy filled the room and put immense strain on the seal warding the room. The vile object on the table shakily struggled against the onslaught, its pitiful defense faltered and fell away as Garfield redirected his new found strength in offense against accursed thing. The jade energy enveloped the evil item and lifted it somewhat into the air, creating a perfect suppression orb.

Garfield felt he could tear the piece apart, though a thought stalled him. As he felt himself expend far more energy than he should be, he pushed the suppression orb into the object. Instead of crushing it, he coated the bandages and pushed his energy within them. He felt himself weakening greatly as he infused the bandages with his energy, with no indication of how much he could imbue he opted for the method of try until you can't, hoping that the bandages won't break or fail from his efforts.

Eventually, he fell to the ground in exhaustion, rolling onto his back he held his arms up hoping Raven would understand his silent request. As if reading his mind, Raven quickly reapplied the bracers back onto his arms, helping him to his feet and over to the chair.

"What did you do? The evil energy is gone now, only a faint aura around the object itself." Raven enquired incredulously, baffled as to how he managed to suppress an object so evil without actually doing anything to the object itself. She had thought of aiding him in his effort to destroy the object when he formed the suppression orb around it, nearly removing her own bracers to add her power to the mix.

"The bandages… I thought… that they were… there for a reason… figured if I shove my energy into them then something might happen." Garfield wheezed, he felt worse than enduring one of Robin's morning training sessions as he struggled to catch his breath. He never thought expelling all that energy would cause him to be so tired, tinge of guilt and regret filled him as he remembered all the times he harassed Raven into using her powers excessively.

"That… That is actually impressive…" Raven still found herself in disbelief at his new demeanour, Garfield's once goofy and carefree attitude had been deeply ingrained into her that despite her new understanding of his core being. "How did you know that the bandages weren't going to aid the evil instead of suppressing it?"

"None whatsoever." Garfield's mischievous grin shone brightly as Raven held the bridge of her nose as she regretted her praise, realising that he still retained his foolishness in spite of his original roguish nature. "Didn't think destroying it was a good idea, not sure if it would release the evilness within or… whatever else could happen with destroying an object of pure evil."

"That's… a fair point." Raven couldn't argue with his assumption, she doubted it herself that destroying was a good idea without fully comprehending its origins and its purpose. Sighing to herself, she held her hand close to the object and forced her sense ability around the exuding evil essence towards the bandages themselves.

She could feel a sense of purpose surrounding them, that they were purposefully built to contain the evil energy. How or why, Raven didn't fully understand, she knew that this new magic would have wildly differing concepts from the magic she had originally grew up with. It would also explain how Garfield, of all people, managed to utilise it to such a greater effect even in the face of her ancestry in magic.

A twinge of jealously sparked within her, nestled deep down within her heart as she set about creating a boarder on the bed with their backpacks. Raven dismissed the notion as foolish, she couldn't fathom being envious of the once aptly named 'grass stain'.

"Get some sleep, we can worry about the rest of this in the morning." Raven stated as she got herself comfortable on the far side of the bed, trying in vain to rid herself of the gnawing jealousy prevailing at the back of her mind. Garfield sluggishly heaved himself from the chair, grateful that had taken the side of the bed closest to the wall as he gave up mid shuffle and fell flat on his face on the bed.

He barely managed to heave the rest of his body onto the bed before he passed out instantly, lying peacefully on top of the covers as Raven sighed and spun herself away from him. Restlessly, Raven tried and failed to drift off, twisting and turning relentlessly as thoughts swirled endlessly around her mind.

Raven gradually fell into a fitful sleep, nightmares flooding her mind of being a titan once again, though she was second to Beast Boy. Beast Boy, who became the hero that even the Justice League admired, offering him a full membership and even a seat at the table. His powers exceedingly even the most powerful magic user among all of the heroes, taking on villains that the titans would fall short of even reaching, let along fighting.

Her nightmares baffled her, she never thought of herself being in the limelight, though a part of her desired to be accepted. To be acknowledged for her abilities and her feats, to be respected for her efforts and suffering, to be liked for being herself.

Raven restlessness persisted as her nightmares grew harsher, threatening to consume her into a realm of darkness of self-loathing as she watched Beast Boy stand on stage, accepting a reward for being a hero. A shade of darkness coated the edges of her dream Beast Boy, hidden from her view as she feebly tried to ignore staring at the extremely popular idiot that she never thought could become such a fable.

The darkness shrouds a truth that she failed to see, that she should have seen, that would dissuade her of her irrationality. A truth that she fought persistently until an unknown force quelled the erratic nature of her mind, calming her and freezing her last nightmare in place. Puzzled, she wandered around the stage, scrutinising each one of the merrily smiling heroes proudly standing beside her nightmare.

As she stared exasperatingly at Beast Boy a niggling thought stayed with her, within the eyes of her nightmare she had anticipated to find exhilaration and pride at his achievement, instead she found sadness and pain. Perplexed, Raven intently studied his emerald orbs, intent on finding the mystery of the contradiction.

Raven searched through her memories, searching for the answer behind her nightmare's differing appearance. Then it clicked within her mind, the sadness and pain, the forced smile, the loneliness and despair. Garfield's extravagant and outrageous acting in playing the part of the bumbling fool revealed the clue, someone who goes to the greatest lengths to ensure everyone saw them as nothing more than the token funny guy that no one takes seriously has something to hid.

The secret he had shared with her concerning his power struggle within himself felt reasonably acceptable to fit inside the template she had formed in determining the source of his sadness, though it didn't fit the mould perfectly, a piece that could fit though many holes and gaps shone through. There had to be something else that Garfield kept secret, something that would prevent him from becoming the starlight, something that she felt he would take with him to his grave.

A secret so deadly that it could end his career as a hero altogether.

A slight shiver rang through her as she wondered what could be so horrible that he had to hide himself as an idiot, to constantly receive ridicule despite having the capability to rival Robin if he actually dedicated himself to the cause of fighting evil. Thoughts of how many battles could have been won if he had been fighting as his true self instead of the goof ball they all had to expect would screw up at some point, a notion that had been ingrained into them through years of fighting together.

Though, if that was the case, did it mean he actively sought out ways to fail or did he deliberately cause a blunder to change the way of a fight for them? There had been times when one of his blunders had won them the fight or saved one of them from taking a direct hit, it made her question his motives for being a hero. Did he truly desire to be a fighter for justice? Or did he become a hero because of the Doom Patrol?

The questions swirled in her mind, worrying her that everything she once knew of him to be nothing more than a fabricated lie. Raven found she couldn't bring herself to distrust him, a part of her felt that after everything they had been through, he deserved her trust. That didn't mean she wasn't going to interrogate him later, determined to know all about the person she would have to put her faith in to survive.

Raven's mind settled, allowing her to drift off into a peaceful slumber, content in her decision. Garfield had many opportunities to leave her, to abandon her for his own preservation. Yet, since their arrival to this new world, he has selfless thrown himself headfirst into danger for her sake. It assuaged her of her fear, for all the questions surrounding his true self, at his core she knew him to be a good person.

Author's Note: Short chapter for now, a bit of a filler for the previous chapter.

As for my writing style, during November I took part in NaNoWriMo, an exceptional writing challenge with amazing and supportive people. If you are seeking to become a writer, or would like to talk to someone about writing, they are a good choice. The challenge was to write 50k words in one month, a feat I managed to achieve just barely. My story forced me to write differently and as I enjoyed working on it, I found that it worked rather well, though it had one flaw. When it came to descriptive narrative, it fails to deliver. So for now, I am going to try working on alternating between this new style and my old one to hopefully find a compromise.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

As for this chapter, I felt like giving them a chance to use their powers again. At first, I wanted to have the sword bind itself to Garfield, sort of like a cursed sword he could use in combat though I would need to rework that idea to fit into the narrative of their new magic. Then, I remembered that I made them literal powerhouses, so que Beast Boy turning into super Saiyan. Again, similar prospect with destroying it turned into powering the bandages that surrounded it.

I felt that Raven's jealously would be an essential part of the story, though I am unsure if I played it well. The last two paragraphs felt forced. In the end, I wanted there to be a spark of jealously within her I could call upon, how or when it would depend on the story. As for Garfield's innate ability for magic, he relies on his long time use of his natural instincts, as the magic was formed within him.

Comments

Frog31791 – Thank you for the comment, its appreciated. I am glad you found it interesting! It's a slow burning story, one that I hope I can continue building and one that I hope people will want to read.

Eris – Thank you for the comment, and the continued support. It is appreciated. Glad I managed to make him disingenuous, he is the type of character that the writer hopes the reader's would dislike but not enough to make him the bad guy. The type that would get things done regardless of how people see him, or like him.

And yes, poor Chrysanthis, I felt I needed a scene where the necessity of one's own family's self-preservation forces a good person to become a villain, regardless of how much it hurts her to do so. I had thought of her warning them, except it meant going against Baltharn and losing the offer meant her family suffers. Despite her good nature, I doubt she could make her family suffer for the sake of two strangers.

Thank you, I thought hard on how to explain his powers in a way that if they were ever brought into real life then that could be a potential function of them. Also, it felt cool to give him this hidden issue as it meant he had more of a character hidden within.

Spoiler for potential idea

Ever since I wrote that part about him, and his new demeanour, I have wanted to find a way to bring in the other three titans just to write about how they would react to the new beast boy, and the new disguises. Though I can't do that for another 40 to 50 chapters as I need to develop their story arc first.

Spoiler over

As for the sword, I don't know where I am going with that. I just started writing about it and now it exists, for now I have an idea for it that might work though I will need to see. As for Garfield being left-handed, where did that come from? Not entirely sure where in my writing that he would be considered left-handed though I don't read over my writing that much (evidence to the possibly endless spelling mistakes that I am so going to need to go through and fix at some point) so if it is there then maybe I can work with it as I have been wanting to write about a left handed character for a while.