Teen Titans; Galactic Eros Arc – Chapter 24: Cryptic Threats and the Forked Tongue Savior, Speaks!

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Raku's pain was still Aiden's pain. Ignito lashed out at the blonde; dragging him back into his mind – scape which had been erected for conditioning of the new king. Glaring red and obsidian daggers at the blonde, the jinn's body was a slight older. It…. was him?

~You stole it! Bring him back; your power has the ability to summon, so do it now! Bring my savior home! ~

~I can't! ~ Aiden protested via the speak. This world was a blemish, and it was thickening as the past came back to eradicate all traces of the good that Raku once wa…

~You want him to be worse than he was! He was getting better, but you wouldn't stop harass –

~ HE has no choice! ~ Ignito shoved the chosen back as vines and demon hands clung to the half – Tameran boy's flesh. Half…. he could fight!

Aiden let out a cry as his bolts shot from his eyes, having missed that his last case of a viral load last year had been the "transformation" that Mir had blabbered off about, (when they'd been stuck together in her diseased web of tricks.)

~I can face you……Fire! Come to my blade! ~ Aiden let the sword come out, and the star -power he had actively taken part in pushing Ignito away with, fueled his phoenix fire to spit jolts at the enemy jinn.

You can't do this!! Raku will suffer…they shall harm him! I can save him – I promised not to kill…. I only want what is best –

~So did Lilith, and look what that did. Raku is human, and you are a part of his life…or want to be…then you have to change your ways! I don't want to hurt you. Raku knows you care too. Why can –

~Because we are one entity!! ~ Ignito raised his arms as the floors of this space buckled and sent Aiden a few paces back. ~You talk to him as if he doesn't understand; he knows full well of your disregard of my lord's feelings…. Azag told him once that he was to record the events of time. What life is this?? A cage – that is what you granted him!! He cannot die in your world…I won't allow you to make us suffer……not againandagiandandAGAIN!!~

They were back in the chamber of Ignito; where Aiden had first come face to face with Raku's aspect of all hermitage and remorse for man kind, even his own kind. He greedily had taken without caring for the destruction he'd bring…. but had he?? They had been frightened, but why was….

It had Aiden back up. ~You…. this isn't real! It –

~ You don't need to know, just yet…~ Grinned Ignito playfully, as he raised a finger to the air and brought forth a tome from up top one his dusted bookshelves.

~ I currently do keep his time here; I am not time but a part of its great cycle of all things…. you are seeing me as I was, not as what I am meant to be…The boy jinn of my "past" came to you. ~ The aspect continued to bemuse the blonde. ~ You turned him away…. you were forewarned of the dangers of breaking your sacred contract with a god-ling…. you only laughed and left him to wallow…I won't forget, for etched across my heart –

The being let down its robes upon its back as Aiden's eyes flew across what looked as marks of ink, yet it was not.

~ I am sealed here, to see to every threat. Every pained memory…. that it not find…a home, for you allowed his darkness outside this domain. Jinn are neither good nor evil, we beings of mischief only stick around humans long enough to record time and places and faces we seek…. ~ He almost said that part in a lilting fashion. ~ You took my time away to fix that broken error…. A Chosen would never be so blind, for Azag was of many things. But never blind to us... ~

~ I didn't do this! ~ Aiden refused to hear the daemon's lamenting anymore. ~ Lilith's curse –

~ Only affects those who bind themselves to their weaknesses. You, were the only one who had less harm come to him by her curse than my lord…poor Raku now suffers, for he took your side. Your pain, had you not noticed it??? That harpy deceived you, and yet there is pleasure – pure, pleasure… by what she had shown to thee…~ Ignito's eyes held something, a very contempt that bordered on hatred. But, yet not that…he was taking his time to analyze Aiden's every weakness with a red glance.

~ This, was a test. ~ Aiden finally let down his guard a bit, his shoulders slouched as he let go a steady breath. ~ Wasn't it, Roku? ~

/

The jinni elder blinked, then let out a dark little laugh. ~ How can you say this to me? I am not he, am I? –

~ You tell me. ~ Aiden crossed his arms, frowning up and down at the clown in red and blacks. ~ You never disappeared, and Lil knew it too. Raku IS Roku, but you are the only real part that could have survived. ~

~It makes sense to believe that the dragon was real, but no. Sorry, boy. Raku's dark side came from me. We were once of order and chaos. Sun and moon, but it broke loose and your Raku aged to become it. His worst self. ~ The daemon's closest tome opened up to reveal a passage of the "turning day,"when Raku had become his worst enemy and Lil's favorite student for real.

Aiden didn't blink an eye. He'd already seen how she'd take everything from his friend. His family, but he wanted to not pity the kid. He didn't deserve for that to go on like his past self had witnessed.

~Raku had my power, yet Roku tainted it, misuse my magic of the known universe. I was born not to an Immortal or Eternal, yet a borderline nightmare…Azag before him, was once a Cosmic – even higher than that of the Universal. ~ Grinned the aspect as it turned the tome's page by hand. ~ Recording cosmic events, destruction. Jinni are born of genius, to a point until they lose their way. With the boy reliving the earlier stages of his "growing pains" once more, he must decide WHAT he wishes to be called. A Cosmic entity, or a wizard and alchemist to the clan of story – writers from whence I was borne. His mother's own blood, or his father's god given talent. ~

~He wanted to be a guardian, we thought…. but he wanted more than that. ~ Aiden nodded. ~ I know what I have to do, that jinn out there IS Raku, but his anger at me…and you…so, what..you…. just got caught up in this? Really? ~

~I, am a voice of reason. ~ Ignito shrugged and closed the giant tome with a snap.

~ I cannot leave this place without breaking every code I have chosen to bind to my skin. ~

Aiden groaned, rubbing the back of his neck by how collected this collector was!

~Anh! All this time we blamed…but you tried to stop him??? What? You weren't infected by –

~ Raku is a god. if he wanted to use say…. the poison from Mir's pheromone solution to formulate an earlier antidote to the madness of the strix -

~ He vomited it up, though -

~ But...~ Ignito looked from the side; eyes half - lidded as he placed his sacred wares back atop their proper shelving posts. Displaying them as some antique dealer from the stone age…. well….

~How do you know if it was not HER taint that spilled from his lips that night? ~

Aiden gawked….

~You…. tricked us…. all of us! They want to kill him now, because –

~Not because of him, because of her. ~ He sang softly the tune of the gods' anguish. ~ Of HER, boy Chosen…the one who hates to lose in our game the most….and war brings about many things to the fold…. can you tell? He's already changing. ~ Ignito pointed to a portal of gold as it had come to free Aiden from his unconscious, illusionary lesson.

~Raku can't change anymore! How do I get him to –

~ You're not a father. Not a brother…something he could not have… ~ The wistful gaze of Ignito spoke in volumes as Aiden's eyes clouded over with shards of glassy tears. The being rubbed its chi as if this wee a puzzle not to he, but to another. Aiden took in a swallow before adding, ~ I don't like him like that…I can't just…. pity? He does –

~You forget. Raku is younger, he needs to grow and know in this time that he may heal. A pity date isn't so bad! But he may come to realize that he cannot love for the sake of love –

Aiden turned beat red at the comment. Wait, was it? With Ignito's riddles, one could never tell…

~ Th – that's ridiculous AND you know –

~ STOP. ~ Ignito put up a hand. ~ This space is sacred, mortal boy. Do not tempt our power as you have in the past…If you please…~ His voice was as a snake's hiss. It wanted to have its way, to take to the void and recollect. After all, Azag was cursed as a sand – serpent of decay, once having given life to every desert oasis before his mighty fall. Raku was of his father's rites; thus, a snake wasn't far off as far as descriptions of Jinn and daemon went.

~You'd threaten me? Are you sure you're not, Ro –

~The portal; go, now. I wish to meditate in silence…. ~ With a flicker of his tongue, the candles spat out all at once, and Aiden's body was left to float towards a forced exit back to where he'd been fighting a crying child.

Raku was split, and the noisy jinni he'd faced with red and black eyes; a body mangled by miasma….it was him. That wa a part of the real Ignito's message all along…. Raku WAS that demon that Aiden had been forced to find and defeat.

But then what would happen to their Raku?? Was Ignito really not the enemy at all??? How could you kill, without killing???

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~ You will face me! Come…back!!!~

~Raku! ~

~He's not –

~Stop! ~

Aiden was looking at him….at…. him….

The walls began to shift as the speak died. His power!

~What…. what have you done??? ~ The dark side of the boy jinn was frightened now of losing this battle. Why was he calling him that…Raku wasn't –

~You…are not Ignito…. ~ Aiden panted and lifting himself up, no weapons, he came closer to the young immortal's face.

~No…. I…Am some –

~You are EVERY ONE OF THEM! ~

/

~MM……mmm…. y …….my voice! Stop it!"

The voice he had for only the gods was wavering.

So, Ignito had left that part out. Interesting.

Aiden cracked his neck and felt his body getting stronger already. The door widened and Anna's face poked through. The heroes were looking in, but could not step through the vortex.

~Ignito wasn't infected! It was a test! ~ Aiden shouted as the door slipped off into mist, leaving him to face the enemy with eyes wide open.

/

"What? Slade looked up as Raku gasped from beside Kori's arm.

The mercenary scowled. "Is he really trying to trick that –

"He…. he means it…." Raku's eyes shed tears that felt so warm right now, he couldn't stop…

"He's right! I am those beings! I have to go." Raku's body changed to the age he'd taken on in Tokyo. Ami's same age right now at fourteen. "I have to help him. Ignito was saved before…. I'd…. forgotten and something found me...hurt us…. he protected my selves…. I have to –

"Whoa, whoa! Are we letting this kid call the shots??" Wally blinked at the alchemist and half jinni. "He almost –

"But he didn't!" Raven realized it too. "Raku's not the enemy, it's like Aiden said. And why Slade refused to kill him is…. that reason. Isn't it…" Her eyes fell onto the assassin's side glance.

"Your enemy is coming, Titans." Slade rolled his shoulders and reassured, as they watched Aiden while the blonde tried to drill some sense into the jinni's skull in the mirror. "Raku's not going to be safe, and neither are we. Whatever he was trying to protect, we stopped it. He can shield himself no more. You took that ability away, even when it was useful to our cause."

"Dude!" Beetle slapped his knee in annoyance. "Why didn't you say anything?? You knew??? About him not being evil –

"He's a kid; look at him!" Slade turned to the screen and waved an arm up to show his own disappointment. "Aiden needed to know why Raku's emotions were out of control to begin with. The body keeps the score, after all. And Raku is part – human by design, are you not?" Raku's big eyes nodded back with his sobering expression. "I wanted Aiden to care about me…. but my…demons got out –

"Like when Raven didn't say she was scared…." Cy slapped his forehead.

"You lost control. Now he's fixing your mess." Slade huffed. "Feels pretty embarrassing, being coddled by that brat. You both still need to do some growing up, with first being the bigger hero for YOURSELF. A better part, of yourself."

"Holy Gotham city, Slade." Dick laughed at the lecture and understood. "You just explained "aspects" to your enemy. I can't believe it either…"

Raku felt as if he'd not only learned a lesson from the most unlikely of folks he'd come to terrorize, but he'd just made amends with a darker part of himself by letting go.

Raku stood before Slade, and got onto the floor to kowtow an apology.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry…for hurting all of you, and you most especially of all, Mr. Wilson!"

/

"You took over my body and made me try to destroy the world." Slade deadpanned. "You almost succeeded, too." Slade rubbed his chin and frowned. Sighing, he'd seen enough.

"Raise your head. That effort won't do us much good unless you stop the ones who want your family, dead, first."

"Huh…Yes, of course." Raku bobbed his head in understanding. Slade noticed how different this kid was from the haughty pain in the ass that was Lord Roku. He had no posse, no endless array of curses to perform, but he had powers that had the ability to rewrite history. He refused to use them, and that was his one weakness.

Embracing what he was for once.

/

"So….do we let him go?" Gar scratched his scalp as Cy shook his head at the display. Raven and Kori with Dick had a decision already made. "Raven will go with you, Raku. We can't risk you being hurt, even by yourself."

"I won't be alone, though –

"That's the point. Grayson?" Slade stood up and faced the cop with a firm expression. "I wish to go as well. Autur is waiting to find out if the crisis on your world has been averted. We are nearly to the end, so I'd like to assist in getting us there faster."

"I'm going then, too." Anna stood from her seat and glared at DS's masked poker face. "I don't trust you guys around my, brothers."

Dick nodded. "That we can allow, but no one goes after "Ignito" or whatever. Slade? You are in this to do something, or else we wouldn't have met up at all."

"Right. Even Anna is unaware of my intentions. It's nothing. You need not concern yourselves. Autur is my guide in this fight."

"And you are my reason to punish your sorry skull if you try anything under my family's watch." Anna sneered at the criminal, feeling like she couldn't come out of hunter – mode.

~ I know what you want, but it won't happen. Trust me. ~

Anna snorted and turned her head away, seeing as her family was already worried about their relationship with one another. Slade respected Anna's skill, but she also had a secret side to herself that hated the man for a separate reason.

He had promised to keep them on their toes, and so he would do just that.

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