The next day, Raven was awake and had left the infirmary, she sat cross-legged in the centre of her room meditating.
She got interrupted by a knock.
"Go away." Raven groaned. She opened her eye and looked at the door when she heard neither a response or footsteps walking away. With a sigh, she stood up and walked to the door.
It was with a small amount of surprise that she saw Rock standing there, silently.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
Rock placed a hand on her own chest.
"Mato?" The half-demon asked.
The Otherself nodded.
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"What do you expect me to do?" She asked, crossing her arms.
Rock pointed at Raven, then to her own head, made a talking motion with her hand and rested it on her chest.
"You want me to go into your mind and speak to Mato?" The Titan guessed.
Rock nodded.
"Strength said you were against people doing that." Raven muttered. "Are you sure?"
Rock didn't move.
Raven sighed again and allowed the pale teen to enter, she pointed to the space she had been sat.
"Sit there." She said.
Rock did as Raven said.
"Okay, to do this, there needs to be no resistance on your side. I need to pass through your mind to speak to Mato. Understood?" The grey-skinned girl asked.
Rock nodded.
Raven sat down opposite Rock and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She chanted.
Suddenly Rock was pulled down into a whirlpool of light and emotion, she was flung around like a ragdoll as the world turned inside out.
It reminded her of apparation.
When she came to a halt she saw she was in her world, the sky black with tiny twinkling lights scattered throughout. A wave of sadness swept over her before she suppressed it and looked around.
Standing next to her was Raven, who looked deeply uncomfortable.
"Let's get this over with."
Rock nodded her agreement and they set off in search of Mato across the checked ground.
After several hours, or just a few minutes, they came to the edge of Rock's domain in the Otherworld, a forest of jagged, razor-sharp pillars confronted them. The Otherself lead the way weaving though, with Raven attempting to follow, although her cloak occasionally got snagged.
Ahead of them came a sinister green mist, stepping into it Raven squinted from the comparative brightness of the light.
Dead Master's Lair? Rock thought. Why is this in my mind?
Raven must have sensed her thoughts.
"Our subconscious is shaped by our thoughts, feelings and experiences. When something affects you strongly, it leaves an imprint of it here." She explained.
Rock nodded, and continued on.
As they walked, huge black pillars resembling vertebrae slowly came into view through the thinning mist. They grew more common as they progressed, eventually forming rows that all lead to a vast column made of black chain and bone. In front of it stood thousands upon thousands of skeletal warriors, each holding rusting weapons and wearing torn, decaying, rags and armour.
They stood, unmoving as Rock and Raven passed through, until they got to the central column. They drew their weapons and pointed them towards the pair. Rock looked up, above the chains to where she knew a throne sat. She summoned her cannon
Dark energy radiated from Raven's hands.
"Rock, what's going on?" She asked quietly.
Rock just watched as a solitary figure stood up and walked down the steps towards them.
Dead Master.
"Why. Are. You. Here?" The green tinted Otherself demanded.
Rock said nothing, but tilted her head.
Dead Master mirrored the action.
"Mato? Not. Here. There." She pointed to her left.
Rock nodded, looked at Raven and motioned for her to follow.
"She. Is. There." Dead Master.
Rock stopped in her tracks, she turned and glared at the Otherself.
Dead Master didn't react, instead just just looked bored. She turned around and walked back to her throne.
The pale teen's eye twitched as she felt anger burning through her.
"Who is she?" Raven asked, hands still masked in darkness.
Rock turned and looked at her, she pointed at herself.
"She's you?" Raven asked, Rock nodded. "Like a different aspect of you?"
Rock nodded again, slowly.
"I take it that's not good?" Raven asked.
Rock slowly shook her head.
"We better hurry then." Raven said, lifting into the air.
Rock broke out into a run, speeding through Dead Master's Lair and the thousands of undead warriors.
The green tint slowly gave way, shifting into a more purple mist. Rock slowed down as she entered the unknown area, again was a checked black and white patterned floor which was mostly devoid of objects aside from a few large spikes coming from the ground. In the centre was a white glow which seemed to shimmer at random as though a shadow kept passing over it.
Rock guessed that it was the white glow that was Mato and the entrance to her mind.
"Do you recognise this place?" Raven asked.
Rock shook her head but pulled out her sword and readied her cannon, she looked at Raven who nodded, dark energy once again surrounding her hands.
They moved through the unfamiliar space until the Otherself fell to her knees, her hand went to her eye as it exploded into flames half her height. Slowly she got to her feet, cautiously walking forwards.
Suddenly a fast moving purple object collided with her, sending her sprawling across the unknown battlefield. Raven rushed to help but was blocked by a person, she looked exactly the same as Rock only her eye was burning purple and her legs, arms and upper torso was covered in black metal plating. What caught Raven off-guard the most was her expression.
Although the same impassive face as Rock stared at her, the anger and rage inside her was an almost physical force.
Raven tried to back away but was sent flying by a savage backhand that cut her face with the edges of the gauntlet.
The evil twin of Rock paid her no more attention instead focussing on the Otherself that was already running towards her. She flexed her shoulder and charged forwards.
Raven shakily stood up and saw the two versions of Rock battling, sparks flew as they clashed swords and cannons. The pair moved like blurs, every missed attack cratered the ground or caused the air to sing as razor-sharp metal cut through it.
Rock managed to push her twin back a few steps and Raven moved her hands in front of her in a circular motion.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted, encasing the evil Rock in a black bubble.
Rock looked over at her, a flash of anger passed over her features. She then backed away and headed towards the Titan.
The twin started hammering away at the bubble with her dark, twisted version of Rock's cannon. The tip of the lance creating a loud, high-pitched clang with every hit.
"Who is she?" Raven said, straining.
Rock didn't answer, instead when she reached Raven she pointed her cannon towards the bubble and morphed it into it's Gatling formation.
Raven stared, wide-eyed at the gun.
"You'll kill her!" Raven shouted as the barrels spooled up. "She's part of your mind, it could cause you permanent damage!"
Rock shook her head as the gun reached full speed.
The copy cracked through the bubble, sending a mental shock back through to Raven who clutched her head in pain.
Rock opened fire, pushing the fire rate to it's absolute limit.
"No!" Raven yelled, staggering forward to the Otherself.
She looked up at the other version, it walked through the firestorm of bullets, they ripped through her flesh and shattered against her armour, yet she didn't slow down or show any sign she even registered the hits.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Raven focussed part of her soul into the rubble created by the two Rock's battle minutes before, with a groan of effort she caused them to fly towards the approaching Otherself.
The twin knocked them out of the air just before they hit her with the Insane Blade Claw, the evil, sadistic form of Rock's Black Blade, they fell into pieces as she raised her immense cannon and pulled the trigger.
Rock's Gatling form had started to melt, when she saw her insane side fire her own cannon, she threw it aside and dove in front of Raven. Hundreds of bullets tore through her, spraying blood over the Titan before the girl threw up another telekinetic shield around them.
"Are you alright?" Raven shouted as she saw Rock's body.
The Otherself nodded before spitting out bright blue blood, she drew her sword again and turned back towards her twin.
"You can't go on." Raven argued. "Even in your mind, if you die, you'll be lost forever."
Rock turned and stared, the corner of her mouth started to curl up.
Raven closed her eyes.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She shouted with some effort.
The shield blasted outwards, staggering the evil Otherself as Rock launched into a blinding charge.
By the time the twin recovered, Rock had her sword deep inside her. As she looked down, her twin ripped the blade upwards through her body, carving through flesh and bone. The other Rock snarled, purple blood covering them both, she sagged to the floor with her face contorted in anger.
Stay down this time. Rock thought.
She looked over at Raven who struggled to her feet, dashing over to her, Rock hoisted her onto her shoulder and ran towards the white light.
They emerged onto an overlook built into a hillside, in the distance was a small residential town. Rock looked around and spotted Mato, happily talking with Yomi, Kagari and Yuu.
This is a memory, this is just after Mato saved me. Rock realised.
She gently placed Raven on the floor and walked over to Mato.
With a groan, Raven sat up, she saw Rock talking with Mato, Yuu and two other girls she didn't recognise. She guessed this was a memory as they were all wearing school uniforms. She watched as Mato teared up and slapped Rock before falling into her arms, Rock was stroking her head and speaking to her. Although they were too far away for Raven to hear.
After a few minutes, they separated. Mato openly crying and Rock holding her hand. Raven felt awkward for intruding in such a private moment and looked away. She looked back when she heard footsteps approaching.
Rock was standing over her with a hand extended.
"What happened?" Raven asked.
Rock shook her head and pointed up.
"You want to get out of here?" Raven asked.
Rock nodded.
"But what about Mato?" Raven said.
Rock closed her eyes and tilted her head, she pointed upwards again.
"Okay. It's complicated." Raven said, understanding.
The Otherself nodded.
When Rock opened her eyes she was back in Raven's room, her head hurt and her body sore. She stood up and nodded her thanks to Raven, who also stood up.
"Well, that was interesting." She said dryly.
Rock raised an eyebrow.
"I get it." Raven continued. "We all have problems and issues, but that was something else. Do I get an explanation?" She asked.
The Otherself nodded and held up her fists in front of her face.
"Strength?" Raven asked.
Rock nodded again.
"Ask Strength, right." Raven said.
Rock bowed slightly and left Raven to her thoughts.
"I guess even beings from another reality really do have issues." Raven sighed, collapsing into her bed.
"So you convinced Raven to take you through your own head?" Strength said, surprised. "I'm amazed you even considered that after Voldemort."
The two Otherselves lay on the roof of Titans Tower staring up at the stars, after an otherwise uneventful day. Strength and Raven had relayed what happened to the other Titan's with Rock's permission, Strength had filled in details about Insane Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master when they had questions.
Rock laid silently.
"What about Mato? Is she okay?" Strength asked.
Rock quickly told her through hand movements.
Strength sighed.
"I guess that's understandable, but she has to come out eventually." She said.
Rock nodded in agreement.
"But I get it, she needs time to heal, she got thrown into this world during a mental breakdown. She's had to adapt to a new world, being fused into an Otherself, physically de-ageing back into a teenager with all those hormones flooding her body again, having my memories jumbled up with her own and confronted with new people." Strength said, looking at the night sky. "Even Yuu struggles, although she's better at hiding it."
Rock looked at Strength, a glimmer of sadness touched her eyes.
Mato, are you there? Rock asked.
Yeah, I heard. I'm not ready yet, I thought I was but I'm not. Thank you though for everything you've ever done for me.
Take your time, I am not going anywhere and you have friends out here who are going to look after you.
Rock looked over at Strength, only to find her smiling.
"You were talking to her, weren't you?" She grinned.
Rock nodded.
"Told you, she's a smart girl." Strength said, clumsily placing her hands behind her head. "Oww." She muttered, then sighed.
"So you've finally fought her." She said.
The pale teen looked over.
"Sounds like you had it easy though." Strength said.
Rock glared at her.
"What?" Strength replied. "She was in your mind, from what Raven tells me, she only represented what you thought of her in a deep-seated, subconscious way. I guess you don't think she's too much of a threat, because she was much tougher than that last time."
The Otherself frowned slightly before continuing.
"Last time it took Dead Master, Chariot, Black Gold Saw, myself and a load of wizards to stop her. I'm not counting when she turned into that strange mixture of the both of you."
She giggled slightly.
"I swear Raven nearly passed out when I told her that." She looked at Rock, suddenly with a serious look on her face.
"So even if you don't think she's that dangerous, I know better. Don't let her out."
Rock nodded as her eye flared.
"So." Strength said, changing the subject. "I think Yuu has a crush."