Chapter Five: Here I Opened Wide the Door; Darkness There, and Nothing More

Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,

Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow will he leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, Nevermore.'

Robin walked toward the gate, apprehension growing in his mind. What had Intelligence meant by "We've all learned to hate you." ? He was distracted, however, by the dramatic change in his surroundings. After he had passed under the great stone arch, he had entered what was once the "Happy" region of Raven's mind. Something was seriously wrong, however. The sky was overcast, and the numerous wildflowers scattered everywhere were wilting. The trees were losing their leaves as a chill wind blew A Raven in a torn and tattered pink cloak skipped up to him, smiling. "Hi! You must be Robin!"

"Um, yeah. You're Joy, aren't you?"

"Yep! How did you guess?"

"I've heard about you."

"Yeah? Anywho, welcome to Nevermore!"

"Thanks. Have you seen Raven?"

"Oh, you mean the blue cloaked person that looks just like me that never lets me have any fun?"

"I guess...?"

"She went to go talk to one of the others. Tell Timid that you want to go Elsewhere, okay? If you go out that way, you'll find Timid. Come on, I'll show you!" Joy said, skipping ahead. "Hurry up! You'll never get there if you don't start!" Robin followed, a little confused, and a little weirded out by seeing a happy Raven dressed in pink. After a little while, they came to a second stone archway. "Here we are!"

"Thanks." Robin walked toward the gate.

"One last question. Do you know why my flowers are dying and the sun is hiding?"

"I'm sorry...?"

"You. I expect you to fix this. Have a good day!! Remember to tell Timid to take you Elsewhere! Bye bye!" Joy said, and skipped off. Robin shook his head, and walked through the next arch.

He found himself in an area similar to the first one he'd seen when he arrived. The same crimson stars twinkled in the black void overhead. It could've almost been pretty, if it hadn't been for the guilt playing on Robin's mind and heart. He began to get lost in his own thoughts, and nearly jumped out of his skin when walls of a giant maze sprung out of the ground before him. He stepped backwards, and bumped into Timid, the gray-cloaked Raven.

"Sorry." both said at the same time.

"No, that was my fault. You still like me, don't you?"

"Of course. You must be Timid."

"Have you heard bad things about me?"

"No. Now, Joy said to ask you to take me Elsewhere."

"Not through the maze?"

"I don't know. I'm supposed to go Elsewhere."

"Okay...but you won't like me anymore." she mumbled, looking even more downcast. She sighed, and said, "Follow me. I'm sorry for not taking you here sooner."

"It's okay, really." Robin said, following her. They walked through a secret passage in the nearby rocks.

"This just appeared a few days ago. We're not entirely sure what this place is, but I feel even worse when I go in here." Timid said quietly, walking though a small stone archway, similar to the others. Robin trails behind, growing slightly impatient with his guide's sorrow. Robin gasped at the world he had just stepped into.

A raven called out in the depths of the thick blanket of fog. "No. It can't be."

"I told you you wouldn't like me after this." said Timid, a sob welling up in her voice. She turned, and walked away. As she walked, her footsteps echoed in the eerie miasma. There was a sound of birds taking flight.

Robin ran forward, his eyes practically useless as they strained to pierce through the murk. The sobbing began, followed shortly by the dreaded heartbeat. Robin kept running, and yelled, "RAVEN!!" More birds took to their wings. His heart was racing, throbbing in his chest. "RAVEN!!" His voice grew hoarse. The sobbing became earsplitting shrieks, and Robin could feel the heartbeat in his chest, it was so loud and so low. He knew what came next, and he hated the fact that this was all his fault. There, lying on the cobblestones, was Raven's lifeless body, dressed in a dress that matched her ashen skin. The last echoes of that final shriek still lingered as Robin ran to her side.

There were still tears on her face Robin discovered as he drew closer. Her body was cold, but light as a feather. He cradled her head, looking at her face, a perfect mask of death. Suddenly, her eyes flew open, glowing with black energy. Robin found he couldn't look away from the ruined eyes of his friend. The sensation of vertigo seized the Boy Wonder once more, and he was drawn in by the black energy.

Robin found himself in a barren, nearly featureless wasteland with a bruised sky and crimson rivers stretching across the plain. All of the rivers seemed to originate from one place, at the base of a monolith looming in the distance. Several figures appeared to be chained to the monolith, suspended by black energy. Robin ran to the monolith, alongside one of the scarlet brooks rolling away from it. He finally reached the outcropping, unprepared for the horror he witnessed.

Chained to the monolith by their own black energy were all the facets of Raven's personality, all unconscious, save for one. Hatred. Jumping across the many veins fanning out from it, Robin ran around the rocky projection, looking among the rainbow of ragged and torn cloaks for the cobalt-cloaked Raven, and for Hatred. She was there, atop the rock, laughing at him. Her bloodred cloak matched her four glowing eyes under the hood. There was a second figure atop the monolith, clad in a lead-colored cloak. This one was covered in angry red scores, and slumped against a smaller outcropping on top of the larger one. She was chained by her own energy, as well as an iron chain, with a golden lock labeled 'Doubt'. Chained by the same iron and black energy, on the other side of the stone column, was the blue-cloaked Raven, also covered in wounds and unconscious.

Hatred laughed again, and said, "What's wrong? Are you sad because she's dying? Is that it? Why don't you try to rescue her? Too scared?" She grinned a mirthless grin, and gestured for him to join her atop the rock. Robin leapt up the sheer wall with a few well-timed jumps, and landed in front of Hatred.

"Let them all go."

"But it wasn't me who imprisoned them in the first place. I recall it being Raven who imprisoned herself. Do you want to know why?" Hatred said with a smirk.

"Don't listen to her." Raven had awoken.

"She did this to herself because she loves you."

"NO!" Raven shrieked. The once-silver-cloaked Raven woke, and cried out when Raven denied her. She jerked as a new gash opened across her midsection. Robin looked over at Raven. There were tears welling up in her eyes, her face contorted with pain and anger.

Hatred glared at Robin, and shot a black arrow out of her palm. It grazed his shoulder, burning and freezing at the same time. The pain spread throughout his body, paralyzing him. Robin threw several of his freezing discs at her while he still could. Her eyes widened, and suddenly she was imprisoned in a crystal of ice. Robin regained his ability to move, and ran to the rocky pillar.

The girl cloaked in lead looked up at him, and smiled a sad smile. "You're Robin, aren't you? I've heard so much about you. Do you think you could set me free?"

"Who are you?"

"I am Raven's heart. I am dying."