Hello everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of Key to the Titans and to one of my favorite episodes of Teen Titans history! I hope you guys are excited as I am so let's not waste anytime and get right into it. Oh, and in case this chapter takes too long than I apologize. Hopefully, this does not take me forever. Now, onto the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Teen Titans
Chapter 46: Birthmark
It was midday in Jump City as its citizens continued on their day, either going or coming back from work or just having fun in their town. The Teen Titans were doing the same in their Tower, relaxing or training for the next criminal encounter. Sora managed to train Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg with keyblades while also noticing different aspects of their powers: Starfire's mainly specialized in Fire magic, allowing her access to powerful and advanced spells of the element; Cyborg's transformed into different weapons easier and stronger Thunder magic as well. Robin's on the other hand was completely different from his own and the others. For some reason, Robin's couldn't use magic but it made it easier for him to fire or deploy his gadgets and could transform into a sword, a bo-staff, and even twin tonfa staffs. And while Sora was a little disappointed in Robin not having the magic, The Boy Wonder said that it was fine since the use of magic would throw him off his usual game. Right now, they were relaxing, watching some movies and passing the time. Everyone was sprawled out on the couch, including Stitch and Silkie, though Sora eventually noticed someone was missing.
"Has anyone seen Raven?" He asked the others.
"I think she's still in her room," Robin replied.
"Still? As in, she hasn't come out?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, been in there since the sun popped up," Cyborg spoke up.
"Perhaps she is working on the meditating," Starfire replied.
"Or working on some new crazy magic or something, who knows?" Beast Boy said.
"Usually you would since you're constantly snooping around," Rose replied, making the changeling laugh nervously at that. Sora didn't really pay attention as he leaped over the couch and headed towards the door. He made his way to her room and knocked on her door.
"Raven? It's Sora. I-is everything okay?" Sora asked. He heard some footsteps inside the room until the door opened all the way, revealing the blue haired girl.
"Everything's fine. Why do you ask?" Raven replied.
"Oh, no reason. It's just…you've been in your room all day and you don't usually do that. I mean, sometimes you do but that's only during really boring days or if something bad happened but nothing has and-" Sora droned on but Raven placed a hand over his mouth stopping him.
"You're rambling, Sora," She replied with a smile. She took her hand away while he smiled in response.
"Oh, sorry," Sora said, chuckling.
"Don't be. And I'm fine, just…trying to pass the time by learning some new spells," Raven said.
"Oh, anything so far?" Sora asked, excited.
"No, nothing yet. But I'll let you know if I do find something," Raven replied.
"Ok, let me know if you need help with anything, alright?" Sora said and Raven nodded in agreement as the two traded kisses on the cheek before the keyblade wielder left. As the door closed, the owner of the room let out a breath as she walked back to her bed and picked up her alarm clock, the arms showing that it was now 4:00pm. The sorceress let out a breath of annoyance at the time.
"Must this day be dragging on? Can't there just be a crazy event that takes all day?" Raven said. As if in reply, the alarm suddenly blared, alerting the team to a situation. Raven quickly put her hood up and glided out of her room towards the Ops Room, where the others were gathered. "What's going on?" She asked.
"Take a look," Rose said, pointing out the front window. Raven looked out to see a huge bright light coming from one of the nearby oil rigs that the team could clearly see.
"Doctor Light?" Raven asked, as everyone nodded.
"That dude never thinks things through, huh?" Beast Boy asked.
"Not at all. Titans Go!" Robin yelled as the team left the room, leaving Silkie and Stitch behind.
(Jump City Oil Rig)
As always, the good Doctor was proving to be just as resistant as always, keeping the team pinned behind cover as he fired at them with his light energy. Sora and Raven were together behind a stack of pipes as a beam soar past their heads.
"This is taking too long," Raven remarked as Sora fired a burst of fire at the criminal who defended himself with a light shield.
"Got any ideas?" Sora asked her. She thought it over until she smiled in response. Sora saw her grin and laughed. "Alright but we do it together," Sora said. Raven nodded before turning to Robin and Ravager, who were ducked behind some crates.
"Robin, Rose! Think you can distract him?" Raven asked.
"You got it!" Robin said and Ravager nodded as they pulled out their respective weapons and leaped towards Doctor Light, who almost falls over from the attacks but is able to right himself and create a light whip and cut Robin's bo staff in half. Ravager than takes the opening and drop kicks the criminal further down the rig. The Doctor picked himself up but quickly ran from Cyborg's sonic cannon, Starfire's starbolts, and Beast Boy's stegosaurus tail. Doctor Light fell to the ground on his face as the Titans surround him.
"No one defeats Doctor Light! No one-" Doctor Light yelled, picking himself up from the ground and turning to face the team. What he failed to notice though was Raven appearing behind him, making herself tall, her eyes glow, and black tentacles sprout from her cloak. Doctor Light, slowly turned around in fear to see her behind him.
"Remember me?" Raven asked. Ironically, all the color in Doctor Light's face left him at the dreaded sight but it got even worse when he heard someone land next to him and he turned to see the blackened creature that showed him all his great fears.
"Or me?" Rage Form asked. The Doctor began to shake in fear before turning to the team.
"I-I'd l-like t-to go to j-jail now, please?" Doctor Light stuttered out. Starfire clapped in excitement as Robin and Ravager restrain the terrified Doctor.
"All right! The butt-kicking's over and it's almost midnight! Time for donuts!" Cyborg exclaimed as Sora and Raven return to normal. The cloaked Titan suddenly turns back to the Tower while the team heads the other way.
"I'll see you back at the Tower," Raven replied, making the team stop.
"You sure, Raven?" Rose asked.
"You do not wish to enjoy the nuts of dough? It is like eating sweet tiny wheels," Starfire said cheerily.
"I just want to get home before tomorrow comes," Raven replied before suddenly flying off the rig and back home. Question marks began to appear over the team's head.
"What's so special about tomorrow?" Beast Boy asked confused.
"Do you know what's going on?" Robin asked Sora, who shrugged in response.
"I'll catch up with you guys," Sora said, gliding after her. Even though she had a head start, he eventually caught up with her over the ocean. "Raven, is everything ok?" Sora asked.
"Everything's fine, Sora. I just want tomorrow to pass," Raven said.
"Why? What's wrong with tomorrow?" Sora asked.
"Nothing. Just forget it," Raven replied, flying faster, leaving Sora behind. The keyblade wielder stopped and floated there, trying to understand what's going on.
"It can't just be nothing if she wants to avoid it," Sora said to himself when he suddenly got a cold chill pass through his body, making him hold his arms for warmth. "Cold night. I think I'll just head home for now," Sora said, flying back to the Tower. What none of the team knew, deep, deep below the ocean floor and in a dry cavern, an armored hand busts through the surface, releasing light, smoke, and radiance to pour through as the hand heaves a figure through the newly made hole.
"The day has begun," the figure replied as the light reflected off his orange and black mask.
(Next day, at Titans Tower)
Sora and Stitch yawn together as they walk to the Ops Room to pick up some food. It's been a day since they stopped Doctor Light and now it was back to relaxing. Raven went back to her room and stayed in there for the rest of the time while the other Titans were nowhere to be seen. Sora was a little confused on where everyone went or why it was so quiet in the Tower. They finally entered the main room only to see the team, except for Beast Boy and Rose, hanging balloons to the ceiling and a banner that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
"Hey guys. Did I miss something?" Sora asked, catching everyone's attention. Suddenly, Starfire flew up to him with a huge grin on her face.
"Oh it is a joyous day Sora! It is Friend Raven's day of birth and we must celebrate!" Starfire said, getting back to work on the balloons.
"Oh cool. WAIT WHAT!? It's Raven's birthday today?!" Sora asked surprised and shock.
"Yeah man. Didn't you know? I mean you're her boyfriend," Cyborg said, pulling the banner up.
"No, she never really brought it up," Sora said, running his hand through his hair.
"Find gift quick!" Stitch replied.
"Yeah but what? She has some of her favorite books. She also has her lucky charm," Sora said, walking back and forth.
"Sora, I'm sure whatever you get her, she will like. Don't worry too much about it," Robin said, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, right…hhm…ooh, I think I have an idea-" Sora said when suddenly Rose and Beast Boy ran in.
"She's coming!" They both said.
"Everyone hide. Cyborg cut the lights!" Robin said.
"Wait? Wha-Whoa!" Sora yelled as Robin pulled him to the ground. "You guys are gonna surprise her?!" Sora said quietly.
"SHHH!" Everyone shushed him. They waited for a few minutes until eventually Raven entered the dark room. "3,2,1" Everyone but Sora counted down as they all sprang up while the lights turned on. "SURPRISE!" They yelled as the banner and balloons fell. However, Raven screamed in fear enough to make her hair stand up on end before suddenly dropping out of view, making the team lose their enthusiasm.
"Um…Raven?" Cyborg called out.
"It is merely us, your friends, with warm wishes for the day of your birth," Starfire replied.
"We told you a surprise party was a bad idea," Rose said to Beast Boy who laughed nervously. Suddenly, a pool of black energy appeared behind Beast Boy before Raven appeared from it.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" Raven sternly asked, while Beast Boy ran away from her in fear before stopping in front of the team.
"Good question," Sora replied. Beast Boy laughed nervously again before answering.
"Um…member last night how you made that big deal about tomorrow? Well, we started wondering what tomorrow was, so we did some snooping," Beast Boy said, only to have the other four party planners glare at him. "Ok, I did some snooping and I sorta found a restricted file in the off-limits are of the Titans computer that kinda had your birthday on it," Beast Boy revealed.
"And since then, we've been getting ready to celebrate for you," Rose said. Sora leaned over to the still narrow-eyed Raven.
"If you're curious, I just find out about this," Sora said and she nodded in reply.
"We put up tons of decorations," Robin replied.
"I baked my famous eight-layer cake with three kinds of frosting," Cyborg said, holding said cake with candles lit at the top.
"And I have assembled for you a traditional Tamaranean throknar…the crown of meat!" Starfire said, holding up said red crown on a blue pillow. Raven simply glared at it as they waited for her answer.
"Is this all okay, Rae? I mean-" Sora asked.
"No it's not," Raven coldly before taking a breath. "Look, I really appreciate what you're trying to do here…but I'm not interested," Raven said, turning around and heading to the door but Starfire stopped her.
"But…there will be music and the iced cream, and a strange game involving pins and the behind of a donkey," Starfire replied as Sora could only think about Eeyore back in the 100 Acre Woods at the mention of the game. Suddenly, Cyborg stepped up.
"We got a pinata shaped like Beast Boy. You know you want to smack it," Cyborg said, holding up said pinata.
"I said no!" Raven said.
"Come on Raven! I know you hate fun but its your birthday. Its special. You can't let this day end without-" Beast Boy stated but Raven suddenly whipped around with her eyes glowing in anger.
"NO!" She yelled again as everything, from balloons, to the banner, and even the food and cake, were destroyed by her powers and outbursts. The team were left starstruck as Raven exited the room without a single word.
"Well, that didn't go as planned," Rose said, whipping some cake from her face.
"I told you a surprise party was a bad idea," Beast Boy said as everyone rolled their eyes.
"Give it a rest," Robin said, starting to clean up with the others.
"Let me talk to her. Stitch, think you can help them clean up?" Sora asked.
"Eek! Hahaha!" Stitch said, pulling out a broom and towels and getting to work. Sora smiled before running after Raven, who was halfway down the hall by the time he caught up.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Sora asked, making her stop.
"I just don't like parties," Raven dryly remarked. Sora scoffed slightly before walking to her side and taking her hand in his.
"I know it's not that. We've both been each other's minds to know when we're lying," Sora said. Raven turned to look him in the face.
"Sora…you know me better than anyone and even though you've been in my mind, you should know that there are still places that I just can't let you go, where no one should ever go," Raven replied.
"I'm ready to try if it means helping you-" Sora said.
"I won't," Raven said, cutting him off.
"Talk to me Raven. You can trust me, remember?" Sora said.
"I do. Believe me, I do. And I need you to trust me when I say that if you knew anything about my birthday…then you'd know there's nothing to celebrate," Raven said, giving Sora one last hand squeeze before letting go and walking away, leaving Sora alone in the hall.
(Later, in Raven's Room)
As the hours slowly passed by, Raven could only do one thing on her birthday; sit on her bed and glare at her alarm clock in annoyance as the seconds droned on. The time now reached 9:00pm as the arms of the clock continued moving.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Raven groaned. "I just want this day to be over! Relax…only a few hours to go…it might not even happen. Focus…meditate…it'll be midnight before you know it," Raven said, closing her eyes and getting into her meditation pose as she began to float a foot off her bed while the clock up to meet her eye level. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Aza-"Raven chanted before suddenly coughing. She coughed again as if she was choking on something. She clutched her throat and opened her eyes only to be met with a terrifying sight, her whole room was suddenly up in flames and a low rumble echoed around her, making her look around in fear. She couldn't move from her bed or she risked getting burned, leaving her trapped. Suddenly, a booming voice entered her room.
"WHAT YOU HAVE CONCEALED, YOU SHALL BECOME. YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE. YOUR DESTINY MUST BE FULFILLED," The voice boomed as the clock suddenly erupted into flames and slithered from her bed and onto the floor as they take shape into a stylized S. Raven could only stare in fear at the sight of the symbol. "THE PORTAL MUST BE OPENED!" The voice demanded. Raven let out a gasp in shock at what this meant.
"NOOOO!" Raven screamed as a great white flash took over her sight before dying down, revealing her room back to normal with no flames and no voice, just her and the alarm clock. She let out heavy breathes as beads of sweat fell from her face from the vision. She eventually caught her breath when suddenly, someone knocked on her door. She wiped the sweat from her brow before walking to her door and opened it up to see a worried Sora on the other side.
"Are you alright? I heard you scream!" Sora said. She was about to answer when suddenly the alarms went off, as red lights flashed from Sora's necklace and Raven's cloak brooch.
"Trouble!" She replied as the two quickly ran out of the room.
(Later, in the Jump City machine compound buildings)
The Titans found themselves in the machine room of the building where rows of piston cycles were on there left and rights while a network of catwalks were above them, making the team look like small cogs in comparison.
"So, who's the bad guy de jour? Gizmo? Mad Mod? Killer Moth?" Cyborg asked, curious.
"The report simply stated there was an intruder," Starfire replied.
"If so, why come here? There's nothing of value here and destroying this place won't affect the city long-term," Ravager said. Sora suddenly got another chill, to which Raven noticed.
"You okay?" She asked.
"I don't know. I just…got that chill again, like when we first met Terra," Sora said.
"Well, whoever it is, we're gonna totally kick their-" Beast Boy said but was interrupted by a still Robin, who seemed to be frozen in fear.
"No," Robin said, horrified and wide-eyed. The team followed his gaze until they all shared similar faces of shock, disbelief, and horror, in Ravager especially, who began to slowly back away in fear. Standing above them on one of the catwalks, was an armored figure whom they believed they would never see again, a man who has haunted them from the very beginning, who dreamed of their eventual defeat and destruction.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Titans? A month? A year? A millennium? Far too long for my tastes, anyway. I was beginning to think I'd never see your smiling faces again," The figure replied as he turned his head to face them, his orange mask reflecting from the light while his voice sent bone-chilling horror down their spines. This was no copycat or pretender, this was real. He was real.
"That's…T-that's impossible!" Ravager stuttered.
"I saw you fall. There was nothing left," Sora said, terrified.
"You…how did you survive?" Cyborg asked, shocked to his core.
"Terra took you down! Way down!" Beast Boy said angrily. Robin clenched his fist in anger at the sight of the man.
"Slade. I don't know where you've been but you shouldn't have come back. I'm still ready," Robin declared. Suddenly, a smaller version of the S from Raven's vision appeared on Slade's forehead as the masked villain chuckled to himself.
"That's precious Robin. But I didn't come back for you," Slade remarked. Suddenly his hands grew flames and with a feral roar, he unleashed a huge beam of fire straight towards them. The team was frozen in shock and fear before regaining their bearings and moving out of the way. Raven took off into the air only to look to back to see the flames trailing straight towards her, the light illuminating her face from the darkness of her hood.
"Raven!" Sora called out, snapping her out of her fear and quickly disappearing through her soul-self, avoiding the flames. The other Titans quickly took cover as Slade continued to spew flames everywhere.
"Ever had one of those days where you just feel happy to be alive?" Slade quipped before shooting more flames at a flying Beast Boy, who weaved out of the way before landing next to the others.
"Dude?!" Beast Boy exclaimed, while scratching his head.
"Yeah, since when could Slade do that?!" Cyborg asked.
"Never! I've never seen him do this before!" Ravager replied, pulling her swords out. Slade stepped up onto the handrails in front of him before leaping down and landing in a fighting pose in front of them, flames at the ready.
"It doesn't matter. He won't be doing it for long! Titans Go!" Robin yelled, leaping after the masked villain while he, Sora, Cyborg and Starfire readied their keyblades. Cyborg and Starfire quickly fired multiple projectiles at Slade, who quickly created a flame tornado around him, blocking the shots while also bringing him back up to the rails. Sora quickly fired a Blizzard spell at the flames, freezing it and Slade in the process. The team waited a second to see what happened until Slade easily broke out of the ice. Raven picked up some of the ice shards from the ground and launched them at Slade while Ravager threw some explosive knifes as well. Slade quickly jumped out of the way from the ice and knifes and landed on another platform before dodging a gorilla slam from Beast Boy. Starfire quickly flew in and fired another starbolt from her keyblade but Slade quickly created some flames from his hand and caught the bolt, pushing him back a little before launching it right back. Starfire tried to block it but the flame enhanced bolt pushed passed her defenses and knocked her out of the sky. Cyborg, seeing Star go down, ran over to one of the giant pistons and pulls it out with his strength alone, before reeling back and swinging it at Slade. Though the masked villain didn't even budge, only engulfing himself in a flame aura that cut through the giant, metal piston like it was butter.
"Woah!" Cyborg said stunned.
"Woah? That's it? No clever comment? I was looking forward to that," Slade replied mockingly. Cyborg gritted his teeth before running up and swinging his keyblade at Slade, who easily caught the blade in one hand before flicking Cyborg in the face with the other, sending him crashing into Raven and making the two tumble across the ground. Beast Boy, as a falcon, flew in with Sora as the keyblade wielder fired a beam of light, making Slade leap to a higher platform next to the pistons. Beast Boy followed him up before turning into a triceratops. Slade simply places his knuckles on the planks, suddenly traces of fire surged forth and across the platform Beast Boy was standing on. Suddenly, the platform fell apart under the changeling's feet, making him fall below but he quickly turned into a vampire bat and flew away. Behind the masked villain, Ravager grappled up to the platform before tossing multiple throwing knives at her father, who quickly turned around and caught them in his hands but was left stunned when they exploded. The silver-haired Titan quickly sprinted to her father and took a swing with her laser swords but was stopped by Slade.
"Daughter, so good to see you again," Slade remarked, making her grit her teeth.
"How did you come back?! Where were you all this time?! Ravager yelled in anger.
"Now Rose. You of all people should know," Slade said, as suddenly flames grew from his hands, burning her wrists and making Rose scream in pain. "I keep most secrets to myself," Slade replied, before tossing Rose clear off the platform. Reacting quickly, Ravager pulled out a grappling hook and fired it to another platform, making her soar through the air. Slade leaped over to the secure hook and burned the rope, snapping it and making his daughter fall from the hook and painfully land on the ground. Suddenly, Robin swings up next to Slade, throwing explosive discs while reading his keyblade. Slade quickly leaped out of the way of the discs and retreated into an area filled with rotating gears. Robin follows after him, moving from one gear to the next before stopping on one as he sees Slade above him wielding a flaming, fighting staff of his own. With a savage yell, Slade jumps down from his gear and clashes with Robin's keyblade, the sound of metal clashing echoing across the gears. Robin quickly turns his keyblade into his sword and tries to slash at the masked villain, who easily dodges the strikes and disarms Robin, of the keyblade, making it fly into the air and stab into one of the gears. Slade goes on the offensive while Robin pulls out his sliver bo-staff, but it easily snaps in half from Slade's strikes, shocking the Boy Wonder.
"Take my word for it, Robin. You shouldn't play with fire," Slade remarked, swinging his staff and sending the now smoking Robin sailing through the network and landing on a nearby, horizontal gear. "It really has been nice seeing all of you again," Slade said to himself when suddenly, multiple ice blasts were shot at him, making him jump from the gears and to a nearby platform, with Sora landing next to him. "Ah, Sora. It's been too long," Slade said.
"I'd prefer it stay that way. Now why are you back, Slade?" Sora asked.
"Hhm, not yet Sora. Though you will find out soon," Slade said, suddenly shooting two streams of fire at Sora, who quickly froze them with a blizzard spell and sliding over to Slade, striking him with a few times with the keyblade and blasting him away with a Thunder spell. The electricity coursed around Slade's body, until he suddenly absorbed it and launched it back, hitting Sora and sending him rolling across the platform. Sora, shaking his surprise away, quickly ran over to Slade and tried to strike with his transformed claws but Slade quickly sidestepped and struck Sora in the stomach with a flame-enhanced fist, knocking the wind out of him. Slade narrowed his eyes a little before shooting a huge blast of flames out of his fist, sending Sora into the wall, and crashing into it. Slade then turned his lone eye toward Raven, who was looking a still downed Cyborg.
"I just want this day to end!" Raven said to herself.
"I think we both know this day is far from over," Slade said, landing behind her as she turned to face him. "Hello, birthday girl. Ready for your present?" Slade remarked. Quickly, Raven gathers her powers into one hand and launches a huge black claw, grabbing Slade and sending him crashing high into the machine room. She flies up only to see smoke and releases a sigh of relief.
"I have a message for you," Slade's voice cut through the fog as Raven turned to see the masked villain walk out with no damage at all. She summoned her powers again but Slade beat her to it as he grabbed on to her left wrist. Suddenly, pain coursed through her body as white light flashed around her eyes. Slade kept his grip for only a minute until finally releasing her, making her fall over to a nearby gear. Raven picks herself up and looks down at her wrist, only for her eyes to widened as she saw the same, red S mark burned through her clothes and onto her wrist. Slade looked down at her as blue sparks began to crack around his body.
"It has begun," Slade stated as suddenly the energy intensified and blasted all across the room, shooting from his hands and destroying the machines and pistons, while rocks and boulders began to fall from the ceiling. The Titans quickly regroup and begin to run for it, dodging the machines while Sora picked himself out from the hole he was in and saw all the damage going on. He quickly leaped from the wall and began to run with the other Titans while flames began to grow from the explosions. Sora kept running when suddenly a boulder fell and landed on his foot, making him scream in pain as he tried to pull himself free. The other Titans ran to help him but a giant piston blocked their path while a giant cog began to fall over Sora, who quickly put up a Reflect shield. Raven was watching this from her gear as her eyes widened in fear.
"STOP!" Raven yelled as suddenly a huge, black wave erupted from her body and flew across the entire room. The lights dim out while everything slows to a stop all around her. She lets out a breath as she looks around bewildered to see everything was frozen in a freeze frame, from her friends trying to reach Sora, to the flames, to even the falling rocks and cogs, especially the cog that was inches away from crushing Sora. Raven lets out a gasp and wraps her arms around her body for some form of warmth as her eyes turned to the also frozen Slade, who had his arms spread wide and head looking up to the ceiling. "How did I-?" Raven asked herself.
"You might be able to stop time, birthday girl," Slade's voice echoed across the room. Raven looked towards the masked villain, only now he was covered in a red, glowing aura and his eye was now looking towards her. "But you can't stop me. You can't stop any of it really," Slade said as Raven began to back away slowly. "I have to say, Raven, when I found out the truth, I was very impressed," Slade continued as he walked towards her in midair while pushing some frozen rocks and cogs out of his way. "All this time, I had no idea. The power lurking inside you. The glorious destiny that awaits. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" Slade remarked. Raven covered her ears in an attempt to block him out while running for a place to hide while Slade continued after her. "But honestly, did you think you could just blow out the candles and wish it all away? Today is the day it begins," Slade said as Raven eventually ran to the end of a support girder but found herself trapped as Slade stopped in front of her. Slade leans closer to her face while Raven turns away in a last-ditched attempt to close him out. "You've known this all your life. It is going to happen. And no matter what you wish, no matter where you go, no matter how you squirm…there is nothing you can do to stop it," Slade said, his eye narrowing at her. Raven turns to face him with white glowing eyes in anger before passing through the wall behind her. She flies through the other surface in her soul-self form before taking her normal look. She flies over to where Sora was and levitated the rock off before placing a hand on his chest. Energy then washes over his body as his normal color is returned and he lets out a gasp of shock and pain.
"Huh?! Wha-?" Sora said, looking around to see Raven next to him. "Raven? What's going-" He continued but stopped when he saw Slade waiting from above. Raven follows his gaze and quickly wraps them both in a black burst of energy as it carried them out of the room and back on to the streets of Jump City. Raven's soul-self glided through the city before stopping near a cathedral and sending Sora safely on the street while returned to normal. Sora let's out a breath as he turned to face her.
"What was going on back there? How did Slade come back and how did he get those crazy powers and…how did you stop time?" Sora asked as he and Raven looked around to see the entire city frozen in time; people, cars, birds, everything. Raven looked around in shock and turned away from Sora.
"I…I'm not sure," She said as she looked down at her exposed wrist to see the mark fade away. "I never wanted this day to come. And when it did, I just wanted it to stop. I guess I got my wish," Raven replied. Sora walked around her to see her torn sleeve.
"What happened? Did he hurt you?" Sora asked, cradling her wrist but saw no damage or the mark.
"I'm fine, Sora. Don't worry," Raven said, looking down at the ground. Sora sighed before casting a cure spell on himself and Raven, healing his ankle and giving her some strength back.
"What's happening, Rae?" Sora asked, worried. She could only sigh as she looked into his eyes.
"It's my birthday," Raven simply replied. Suddenly, they heard someone land behind them and they turned to see Slade standing there and slowly backed away from him.
"Raven, get out of here!" Sora said, summoning his keyblade.
"Sora-" Raven argued.
"He's after you. I'll hold him off. Go!" Sora said. She reluctantly nodded before running off. Slade was about to go after her but Sora got in between them.
"You won't hurt her again!" Sora said, switching his keychain out of a black crowned keychain, turning it into the dark Oblivion keyblade.
"You can't stop this Sora. There is no stopping what's destined to come," Slade said, confusing Sora. "Did she not tell you? I thought you trusted each other," Slade remarked. Sora gritted his teeth energy from the keyblade transferred to his clothes, turning them all black as a kanji appeared on his pants and hood. He suddenly teleported next to Slade before unleashing a dark uppercut on the masked villain. The keyblade wielder leaped after and unleashed a devastating combo on him that ended with Sora slamming Slade back onto the ground with a powerful, dark shockwave. Sora then fired multiple blasts of darkness at Slade, sending him crashing into the ground. Sora let out a breath before falling to his knees as he looked to see Slade still on the street. He picked himself up with his keyblade ready when suddenly Slade rose from the ground to his feet, though what unnerved Sora was that his neck was twisted at the worst angle possible. Suddenly, with a few cracks, Slade's neck was back to normal and hi eye narrowed onto to Sora.
"W-what are you?" Sora asked, terrified. Suddenly, two giant balls of fire snake up from behind Slade and launch at Sora who quickly creates a dark shield with chains to defend himself but it begins to crack from the force behind them. Slade then shot another blast of fire to amplify the ball and it eventually broke through Sora's shield and hit the keyblade wielder head on. Further down the street, Raven continued running when suddenly she heard an explosion and Sora's scream of pain and she turned around to see a burning car flying into the intersection.
"Sora!" Raven said, flying back to the scene of the explosion, only for a huge wall of flames to be waiting for her and on the ground was Sora's keyblade, though it suddenly disappeared in a burst of darkness. Suddenly, Slade stepped out of the inferno and towards Raven.
"I have a message for you, and I will deliver it, whether you like it or not," Slade demanded. Raven backed away in fear but quickly hid with anger and used her powers to snare Slade in a sewer pipe. But he easily breaks free as he continued. "Skies will burn. Flesh will become stone," Slade said as Raven continued to hurl mailboxes and parking meters at him, all of which do nothing to faze him. "The sun will set on your world…never to rise again," Slade said as another box bounces off of him until he suddenly disappeared in a burst of flames. Raven looked around trying to find him when he suddenly reappears behind her and grabs her by the arms to face him. Suddenly, white flashes appeared again as she felt pain course through her body again. She is then thrown to the ground again and as she got up, she finds that more of her outfit was torn away and red marks shown through again. "Time won't wait forever. You can't run away from who you are," Slade said. Raven turned to face him with blazing white eyes.
"I can try!" She replied as suddenly two huge boulders from the ground rose up on Slade's sides and crush him in between. Raven quickly got up and began to inspect the battle damaged street for the keyblade wielder.
"Sora! Where are you?" Raven yelled, tossing some rocks and boulders aside, looking for him. She keeps looking around when she hears a noise behind her and she turns to see Sora digging himself out of a pile of rocks, his clothes and skin covered in ash and burns. Raven quickly ran over and helped him up as he let out some coughs and haggard breaths. She quickly guides them out of the street and into the nearby cathedral. She pushes the doors open with her powers and walks in with Sora still slowly walking with her. They continue walking down the altar with the stain glass window high above them until Sora suddenly collapses to the ground, with Raven going down with him. She shifts him into a position so that she was cradling his head in one hand while her other was on his chest.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. Any of you. But you're in and what's worse is that we fell for each other. So you need to know. I should've told you sooner but I didn't because…I was afraid. When I was born, they looked into my future. On this day, the anniversary of my birth, something is supposed to happen. Something very bad. That's why I-I didn't want to celebrate. I just wanted to ignore it and hoped it would speed by. But just because you don't have a party doesn't mean its not your birthday," Raven said, a lone tear coming from her eye. Suddenly, Sora's hand reached up and wiped the tear away and she looked down to see him slowly picking himself up.
"It doesn't matter what's supposed to happen or will happen. I'll always be there for you and I'll always care for you, Raven," Sora replied, making her smile. Raven smiled in reply as they separated and slowly got up from the ground. "Do…do you know anything about that mark on Slade's head?" Sora asked, when suddenly the door exploded clean off its hinges, revealing Slade on the other side. He simply put his hands together and split them apart, shooting a huge wave of fire towards them, separating them. Raven landed on the floor of the cathedral while Sora was on the other side of the flames, crashing into a set of chairs. He picked himself up while looking around for his fellow Titan.
"Raven!" Sora yelled out when suddenly Slade emerges from the flames and kicks Sora in the head, making him crash into a nearby pillar and fall to the ground, knocked out. Raven gets up from the floor only to see Slade crouching on a chair in front of her with flames behind him.
"It's just you and me now, kid," Slade remarked. Raven quickly threw some chairs in order to distract Slade as he ran for the nearby exit, leading her to the alleyway. She quickly dodges another fireball books it for the street with Slade right behind her. "You're making this much more difficult than this needs to be," Slade remarked, shooting another fireball ahead of her, creating a flame barrier to stop her. She turns around to see him walking towards her with his arms behind his back. "The message must be delivered," He continued.
Raven quickly summons her soul-self and flies through the flames before reverting back and flying through the skies, with Slade flying right after her. The two soar past the buildings and down through the frozen busy streets. Raven quickly levitated some empty cars and hurled them towards the masked criminal, who either dodged the cars or sliced them in half without losing any speed. They continue flying around the city until Slade shoots two huge streams of fire that turn into arms that try to grab at her but like her chaser she dodges and blasts them away before taking off faster, leaving the two arms to crash into two buildings, while Slade continued onward. They continue passing through the two buildings until Raven gets an idea.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven yelled as her powers take control of the buildings and as soon as she is clear, they pull towards each other and crush Slade in between. Raven stops and turns to see the dust falling from the now pulled together buildings and let out a breath of relief. Suddenly, the upper floors of both buildings explode and she looks up to see the criminal flying straight towards her completely unscathed. The shock stops her from moving as Slade tackles into her and the two end up crashing onto the roof of a circular building. While the smoke flies, Raven quickly gets up and runs to the edge when suddenly Slade grabs her by the hood of her cloak.
"What you have concealed, you shall become!" Slade yells, suddenly ripping off her cloak and making her fall to the ground, her upper back now revealed down to her belt and more red marks showing on her bare skin. "You have no other choice," Slade said, making her eyes blaze with anger.
"No!" She yelled, coating her arms in her powers, she goes in for a strike but Slade easily catches her wrist.
"The message will be delivered," Slade said, catching her second attempt of an attack. "Your destiny shall be fulfilled," He continued. Suddenly, the same S mark appeared on her forehead and over her gem as suddenly beams of white light pour out of her eyes. She lets out groans of pain as suddenly her outfit begins to tear itself apart, revealing more red marks extending from her arms and legs and onto her body. The Sun and Moon began to cycle rapidly as if time itself was being fast forwarded. As Slade keeps his iron-grip on her wrists, Raven's hair began to grow in length until it was almost down to her waist. Slade finally lets her go and she falls to her knees, while wrapping her arms around her midsection. She looks down at her body to see the markings on her and the only pieces left of her outfit was a horribly cut top and briefs and while her wrist guards and bands were gone, she still had her belt on. However, as soon as she looks up, she completely forgets about her look, as what she saw terrified her. The entire city was completely destroyed and stood under a blood-red sky, every building and house were ruined. Even the Tower, which used to stand tall and proud against any threat, now stood at a crooked angle in a sea of molten lava, the whole building nearly destroyed and near sinking into the lava.
Raven looked down to see red, four-eyed ravens cawing into the sky before flying off whilst flames rose from the cracked pavements. Raven soon looked closer and her jaw dropped as she saw stone statues of Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Ravager, and Robin being dragged into the abyss by a horde of ghoulish creatures with long arms. Her eyes eventually turned to the last stone next to the others, Sora and Stitch, trying to fight off the ghouls but ultimately failing. Each of their faces could only convey one emotion: pure fear. Raven managed to get to her feet, trying to compose herself.
"No!" Raven could only say.
"Yes. Look at it. Drink it in. Behold, the world you are destined to create," Slade said, walking up to her. Suddenly, a huge, towering humanoid silhouette rises from one of the ruined buildings and lets out a thundering roar. The creature had four red eyes like the birds and a pair of antlers sprouted from each side of its head.
"No! I won't do it! This is just a vision. This can't be real!" Raven said, clutching her head trying to block it out but Slade grabs her shoulders and makes her look.
"This is the future. Your future. It began the day you were born, and nothing can stop it. This will come to pass. I will make sure of it. You're going to destroy the world, Raven. It's written all over your face," Slade said. Raven squeezed her eyes closed before suddenly opening back up, her eyes glowing white now.
"NOOOOOO!" Raven screamed, as bursts of black rings shoot up from her into the night sky as her soul-self disintegrates, removing the time spell completely as the vision of the destroyed city vanishes and time restores itself back to normal, allowing the people and city to move again. As everything returns to normal, Slade keeps his grip on Raven, who was now rendered near unconscious from the night's events while the red marks vanish from her skin. Her long hair slightly waves from a small breeze while a flock of birds fly pass them.
"We'll be in touch," Slade said, letting her go and allowing her to plummet off the roof top. "Oh…and happy birthday," He remarked. Raven continues to fall towards the ever-approaching street until Sora glides by and catches her in his arms before flying away and roughly landing on another rooftop. He softly sets her down as he searches for any injuries.
"Raven…Raven," Sora said, his voice wavering in worry. She lets out a weak groan and opens her eyes to see Sora above her. He lets out a breath as he embraces her, while she weakly wraps her arms around him, finding comfort in this night.
"I'm sorry," Raven whispers to him and Sora shakes his head, smiling.
"It's okay. Let's go home," Sora said, picking her up, bridal style and gliding back to the Tower. Raven could only curl closer into Sora, to try and force out the things she's seen. Sora looked down at her in worry as home got closer.
(Later, in the night)
The time was near 1:00am the next day as Raven stood in her room, wearing a new outfit and cloak, while she focused on cutting her hair back down to its usual look. Once finished, Raven placed the scissors down on her dresser before taking a long look at the palms of her hands. She stares at them for a few seconds when suddenly a loud knock at her door snapped her out of stare. She walks over to her door and opened it. She steps out a little to see cards laid out on the ground with arrows on them pointing down the way. She raises an eyebrow but follows the arrows anyway until she once again reaches the ops center. Suddenly, the lights cut on and confetti falls around her, making her shield her eyes. Once they adjust, she looks to see everyone standing there again with the Happy Birthday sign, repaired, hanging above them while Cyborg holds a new cake.
"Um…surprise?" Beast Boy said, wearing a party hat and a big, silly grin.
"Look. We know you didn't want a party but after…well today," Cyborg said.
"We hope that you might reconsider," Starfire said.
"We know birthdays can be difficult but that doesn't mean they always have to be," Rose said.
"You may not like it but we're all happy that you were born today," Robin said. Raven looks around in thought before looking over to Sora and Stitch, who smiles and nods.
"We're going to need ice cream," Raven replied, making everyone smile and cheer.
"Coming right up!" Beast Boy said, running off to the kitchen with Stitch.
"I'll cut the cake!" Cyborg said, walking to the table with Rose.
"And I shall fetch the throknar!" Starfire said, flying off with Robin in tow. Once they separated, Raven walks over to Sora and embraces him in a hug. Sora hugs her back as they both let out sighs of relief.
"You feeling better?" Sora asked, as the two separated while holding hands. Raven nodded but cast her eyes to the ground in thought.
"I will be," Raven said while Beast Boy and Stitch ran past with the ice cream cartons. Starfire and Robin soon followed along with the crown of meat.
"What you said back there, about what happens on your birthday, I guess it did. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from it," Sora said, worried. Raven holds his hand more and moved his face to look at her.
"You did all you could. No could've stopped it from happening but I'm glad that you were there," Raven said.
"Slade will pay for what he did to you and hopefully figure out why he did. But for right now, you're safe and that's all that matters," Sora said, as they turned to see Beast Boy and Stitch chowing through the ice cream, Cyborg and Rose cutting the cake with her swords and Starfire and Robin in the middle of the dessert chaos. "I think we better hurry before everything is gone, c'mon," Sora said, about to walk to the kitchen but Raven pulled him back and kissed him on the lips, shocking him but he eventually returned it before separating.
"Raven?" Sora asked.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what could happen. I should've trusted you before-" Raven said but Sora silenced her with another kiss.
"Its fine, Raven. It's all over and no matter what happens, I will always trust and be there for you, just as I know you will always trust and be there for me and the others," Sora smiled, making her smile a little as well. "Uh-oh, I'll be right back. Stitch save some cake for Raven!' Sora said, running over to the kitchen. Raven watched him go before turning her eyes back to her palms, as two red marks appeared on them.
"I'm sorry but…this was just the beginning," Raven said to herself, hiding her hands in her cloak and walking over to the others.
(Meanwhile, deep below the surface)
Slade stood in the cavern where he returned earlier when suddenly a ring of fire forms around his feet and a bright line shines around him.
"The first task is complete, Master. The message has been sent," Slade said, bowing down as traces of fire form up into a giant S above him. "The inscriptions are in place. She knows what she must do. The prophecy will be fulfilled." Slade said, raising his head towards the S as it flared in power.
"AND THE WORLD OF MORTALS SHALL SOON BE ENDED," The voice from Raven's vision echoed across the cavern.
And that is the end or shall I say the true beginning of the Trigon section of Teen Titans. I'm glad to say that this chapter did not take too long to make but still had a lot of stuff going on anyway so…yeah. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and Slade's return along with Sora, Raven, Ravager, and the others dealing with his new powers and the threat that's coming their way. I also hope you guys liked Sora and Raven's relationship, especially with Trigon looming over them. Now, onto the reviews:
NinjaFang1331: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter and content.
Crazzytony: Thanks! Glad you like the chapter and sure thing. Hope you like this one.
Guardian Key: Thanks, I watched Young Justice to see how Superboy was freed and kinda got the idea from that(by the way I liked that part of the episode too) and I'm glad you enjoyed Robin getting his keyblade.
Star of Imagination: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it and yes, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and I hope you're doing good and safe.
Althea Sirius: He will and eventually he will be a big help to the team. And yeah, I really appreciate the idea of Marvel and KH. Hopefully, when I get more time on my hands I could get started on it. Thanks again and I'll try not to.
Khy Dragon: Yep! Hope you like it.
Guest1: Hopefully, you enjoyed Rose's reaction.
Guest2: Oh heck yeah for Josh Keaton for Superboy.
Welcome-to-the-404: Before I answer or address your points, I want to say thank you for writing this constructive criticism. I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the story but I would like to hear a little bit more of it. So, anyway, let's begin:
I never mean to have everything remain the same for the episodes, especially with Sora's addition into it but I've kind of noticed that every episode introduces a point that would return in future episodes, such as with Beast Boy in the "The Beast Within" where he turns into the Beast form again in one of the Season 4 episodes but I see your point and I'm glad you enjoy the other chapters.
Good point, I should've thought of that earlier with having Sephiroth target Starfire for her keyblade.
Good point on that, like many bring in other summons at least besides have Stitch in it. Maybe later in Season 5 have the others go after Sora to check on him. I'll have to think more on it.
Don't worry too much about the criticism, its always good to hear about the problems.
True, I'll have to look over and see which episodes I should skip over, unless someone requests for the episode, then I'll think more on it.
Yeah, I looked over your review while I wrote this and I hope you noticed and enjoy.
Once again, thanks for writing all this and hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter.
UmbranKeyblade: Huh, strange hopefully we can figure that out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter my friend.
Khy Dragon: Happy Black History Month.
Kegeto: Oh, happy birthday. Sorry this took too long. Glad you enjoy the Sora and Raven relationship. And yeah, I can see Riku saying that to Sora for sure.
Guest3: Glad you really enjoy the story so far, my friend. And I also hope that you enjoyed this chapter.
Wlyman2009: That's fair and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Also, I can't explain the book here but I can explain it to you in Private message if that's okay. I do have a plan for the book and I hope you'll like it.
Guest4: The new chapter is here. Hope you enjoyed it.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Glad you enjoyed the previous chapters so far and I hope you like this chapter and the ones that come next.
I hope you guys are staying safe as more and more people get the vaccine and things slowly but surely seem to get back to normal. If you guys liked the story and wish to see more, please favor and follow to stay updated. If you guys have an opinion or idea to share please PM or send a review and I will respond as soon as possible. I will see you guys in the next chapter, so until then, peace and stay safe. Later.