So, there are a few pre-chapter things I'd like to put out there. The aim with these early chapters is to show that Raven is scary, a powerful unknown, especially for the Team, who only really know about her that she's involved in demonic affairs and that she brought forth the apocalypse. The heroines with her do not trust her yet, and I can't say if they will. It might read a little OOC, so do keep in mind my intent.

Enjoy!

Seeing Azarath again was always bittersweet. It was a grim and constant reminder of my heritage, of the horror that had spawned me, and of the tragedy that had befallen Azar's realm. Though the fires left in his wake were long since extinguished, the smell of brimstone and scorched flesh lingered.

I dropped the portal, leaving the young women around me stumbling from the experience.

"Holy...what was that?" -asked Wonder Girl.

I turned to her. "An interdimensional gateway. The only way to enter this realm."

The martian beside her shook her head. "Well, you might've warned us."

"You fight supervillains on a weekly basis. A little cosmic trip shouldn't be much of a problem." -I said.

Bumblebee shook her head. "We're fine. Let's just grab Speedy and get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

And with good reason, I thought.

Batgirl gestured for me to lead the way, which I did. We walked past broken archways, shattered columns, and the scoring of hellfire blasts.

"So, what is this place?" -asked Batgirl.

"This is...used to be my home. It's where I grew up. It's called Azarath." -I told them.

Wonder Girl frowned. "And it's really in another dimension? Shouldn't things look a little more...I don't know, unfamiliar? This place looks kind of like Themiscyra."

"Azar, the monk who discovered this realm, was a human, of greek descent. I imagine the magic in this place was inspired by that. She was a very powerful mage...and a very good mentor." -I said forlornly. Azar had been thousands of years old by the time she met me, and one of the few in Azarath who still cared for Earth. She had kept a massive library, filled with magically obtained copies of mankind's best works. It was the one luxury she allowed herself, and by extension, me. I trained for years just to be able to read a book without warping reality around me just from the emotions I experienced. Of course, the library was nothing but scattered ashes by now.

I felt concern from the Martian's direction. "Is anyone else hearing that?"

She was talking about the voices, of course. "I'm surprised you can hear anything at all. Few non-magical people can sense ghosts."

Her concern turned to disbelief, and just a pinch of fear. "Ghosts. As in the spirits of dead people?"

I nodded. "As I said, Azarath was a place of healing and peace. Its magic shielded mortals from illness, injury...even death, given enough time. Immortality is a double-edged sword, however. The soul is inherently indestructible, but once you become immortal, you're anchoring it to whatever plane of existence you're in, denying it the chance to pass on. And if your body happens to be destroyed...well, ghost stories are not entirely fiction." -I said.

The insect-themed heroine behind me squeaked. "What? So...you're saying the afterlife is actually a thing? Just like that?

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't know, I haven't died yet. What I do know, is that regular souls do not stay after death. The people here were immortal. When Azarath was destroyed, their souls were trapped here for all eternity."

"How were they destroyed, then?" -asked the Martian.

I sighed internally. There was no way she didn't know, or at least strongly suspect, about my father. After all, she'd been affected by his coming, too, and she'd undoubtedly been inside Dick's mind since then.

"My father caught up to me." -I grudingly admitted.

The alien crossed her arms. "So it's true, then. What the League says about you."

I stopped, turning to face her, my eyes glowing slightly. "And that would be?"

She faltered slightly. I could feel her mind probing at mine, wanting to see inside. Don't, I thought, not if you value your sanity.

Batgirl must've noticed the lull in conversation because she picked it up. "M'gann is concerned that we're teaming up with an alleged she-demon to do this." -she said, then added with an annoyed tone, "She should remember that it was Batman's idea. Whoever Raven is, she's not a danger to us."

I raised an eyebrow at Batgirl's defense, seeing as how she'd been a little bit hostile in our initial meeting. I would have to try and figure her out later. "I'm only a half-demon. My mother was a human sorceress."

Wonder Girl looked impressed. "Either your father was a looker or…"

"Or." -I simply answered, unwilling to talk in detail about what was essentially Arella's supernatural rape.

She appropriately shut up. I continued to deal the way, though I could still feel the martian's emerald eyes burning through my skull. I'm warning you out of the kindness of my heart. Do not poke around my head, I thought. The probe grudgingly receded.

"Why are we taking so long to get to Speedy? I would've thought you knew where you left him." -asked Bumblebee.

I rolled my eyes. "You wanted me to drop you on top of a hostile cyborg?"

"We could've taken him." -she answered defiantly.

"I have no doubt, but that's not the point. He might have a trap prepared."

M'gann surprised me by nodding at her. "Raven's...right. This is Roy Harper we're talking about. He didn't survive the Warworld just by luck."

"In any case, he should be over this hill." -I said, pointing at the mound of rubble and dirt ahead of us.

Batgirl nodded. "Okay girls, stay frosty. Miss Martian and Bumblebee, take point. Go stealth and scout the area out. Wonder Girl, front and center. Raven and I will bring up the rear." -she ordered. I approved of the plan, though I was surprised to hear Batgirl as a leader. I would've thought the far more veteran M'gann would lead our impromptu squad.

Miss Martian gave me a last glance before turning near invisible, while Bumblebee simply shrank to the size of her namesake, sprouting wings and flying off. Thirty seconds passed until Wonder Girl briefly took to the skies and then landed right where I'd left Speedy, Batgirl and I jumping in behind her.

There was no one there. I don't think I expected there to be.

Batgirl narrowed her eyes, then brought up a holographic display from her hand, which quickly fizzled out. "What the…?" -she frowned.

"Technology and magic do not mix." -I reminded her.

"I know that, but this is a mini-Batcomputer. It should work, regardless of magical interference. The only kind of magic that does this is…" -she said, then her eyes widened, just in time for Bumblebee to turn full size and crash into the ground behind us.

I turned, eyes blazing. I saw Miss Martian locked in combat with a shadowed figure, with another like it leaping towards us.

It was a ninja. An assassin from the League of Shadows. How he still lived, I didn't know, but I could tell there was something wrong. He emitted no emotions, and as good an assassin as he might've been, he should still feel some sort of determination, or even glee at the prospect of murdering us. I was sure I'd killed them…

The man threw a star at me, which I effortlessly dodged. I thrust my hand out, encasing him with my aura, and threw him at yet another pillar, which cracked from the impact. The man cracked a little, too, but it shook off the hit and charged again, this time bringing out a katana. Batgirl threw a batarang at him, which hit his hand. The man did not flinch, even as his hand started bleeding profusely. He sliced at Batgirl, but the redhead had no problem avoiding the deadly blade. She backflipped onto the top of a broken pillar, then threw a small disk at the ground before the man. It beeped twice and exploded in a brilliant flash, but the man did not stop even as he was blinded. Finally, Wonder Girl had enough of waiting on the sidelines and flew in to deliver a powerful punch which sent the black-clad man flying with a sickening crunch.

When the man rose again, struggling to move with a busted sternum, I figured out what we were dealing with.

"They're undead." -I said out loud. "We have to destroy them, or they'll keep coming."

"What do you mean destroy them? They're people!" -said Batgirl, alarmed.

I shook my head, wreathing myself in a black aura. "Not anymore. Look away, if it's that much of an issue."

The power rush was heady. I hadn't utilized this much in years, literally, but I couldn't simply leave the undead alone. It was immoral, highly taboo, even amongst the seedier scholars of magic. The soul within was gone, replaced by magical driving force that kept the body going. It was a corruption of immortality, and especially in Azarath, it was akin to sacrilege. I let loose a torrent of black energy, which washed over the risen corpse, disintegrating it in a few seconds. I then turned to the second one, but found that Wonder Girl was having a grand time dismembering the undead, with Miss Martian holding it in place. They left only a leaking torso and head intact, the creature trying to snap at the two heroines uselessly. I magically created a fire on the floor, and grabbed the undead's pieces, dropping them into the flames.

"Wait! Leave that one intact. We still need to have something to show for our trip here." -said Batgirl, visibly distraught.

I frowned. "Arsenal could still be here." -I said, though to myself I thought that if he still was, then it might be better if it was just me who found his body.

The redhead shook her head. "He's not. The reason my computer didn't work is because this area is affected by chaos magic. The one type of magic the Batcomputer can't adapt to, since it's too, well, chaotic."

I felt the urge to facepalm. Of course there'd be chaos magic involved in this little necromantic act. The Lords of Chaos should've been among her first suspects when it came to bringing the dead back to life. One question did remain, however.

"How the hell did Klarion breach Azarath?"