A/N: Alright yous peoples, I didn't get all that many reviews on the last chapter, but because I'm a nice person, I'm gonna go ahead and post this one up anyways. But you better watch it, next time I might be mean and might wait before releasing the next until I have two more chapters written down. Yes I am evil, and I am proud of it too. :D
He continued to take on the appearance of Rorek, even when she knew better than to trust him. But this time it seemed different. The picture was colored, and he looked like Rorek, what she could see of that half of his face, only his eyes were red, blood red, his hair was black, and his skin was deathly white. Those eyes stared at her, amused.
On instinct, Raven slammed the book shut and threw it across the room so that it hit a pile of books, causing a large crashing noise to echo about her room. She sat there, on her bead, her heart beating, her lungs panting, until there was a knock on the door.
"Raven, I heard a crash." It was Robin.
"Some of my books tipped over and fell." She answered in a clear, calm voice.
"Oh, alright. Just making sure you're okay." He said. She then listened while his footsteps fell away. She then turned to the pile of scattered books, the white book that held Malchior seemed to glow in contrast with all the others.
"Robin," A voice hailed.
Robin turned around, wondering why Rorek's voice sounded so worried. "What's up?" He asked.
"It's Lady Raven, I believe there is something very wrong, I can sense powerful darkness coming from her room, but she will not listen to me. Likely she became angered that I entered her room without permission, but I believe that she is in grave danger if nothing is done." Rorek answered.
Robin blinked, "Are you sure?" He asked.
"I am very sure." Rorek answered.
"But I just came from that direction, I knocked on her door and she sounded fine to me." Robin said.
"If Raven were troubled and she didn't want anyone else to know, would they?"
"Good point, alright let's go try and sort this out." Robin said, walking back towards Raven's room.
"That hurt quite a bit, I hope you know." Came a much deeper voice from the book. Not quite the voice of the dragon, but different from the voice Malchior had donned only a few months ago.
"Good." Raven hissed. She forced her heart to stop its swift beating and walked defiantly over to pick up the book, "Maybe I'll throw you some more."
"Vindictive, aren't we? Well, I suppose I should have guessed as much. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." He said.
"Maybe you should go back to sleep until I found out how to destroy you." She threw him, hard, back into the chest and began fixing the lid.
"Destroy me? Hnhn, sweet, naïve, little Raven, is that what Rorek told you? I cannot be destroyed, not while in this book." He said.
"What?!" Raven stopped abruptly, she was about to slam the mended lid back on the book, but stopped.
"I've been wondering when he would come, I also wonder, what exactly he's been telling you and your little friends." Raven glared menacingly at the book before slamming the chest down.
"Clausus, Tectum, Claudo." She chanted. The chest became black and white chains of lightning surrounded it, keeping it shut. She then teleported it back into her secret room, just as there was yet another knock on her door.
Raven opened it up so that it showed only half her face and found Robin there again. But this time Rorek was with him. "Raven, we need to talk." He said.
"About what?" Raven asked, frowning at both of them.
Robin tried to look over her shoulder into her room, she made no move to keep him from it, all he would see would be a lot of books. "About, well, what have you been doing all day?" He asked.
"Research." She answered.
"But what's with all the books? And how come Rorek seems to think there's something dangerous in your room?" Robin questioned.
"Actually, Robin, it seems the danger has passed, I feel no threatening darkness within. It seems Lady Raven was, indeed, telling the truth when she told me she was in control. I apologize." Rorek said, trying to catch Raven's eyes, without much luck.
"Still, Raven, I really think we need to talk, you, me, and Rorek, but mostly, you and Rorek." Robin said.
"I have nothing to say." Raven said. She started to close the door, but Robin put his foot in the way.
"You have nothing you want to say, but there are a lot of things I'm sure you need to say." Robin told her. "Raven, this isn't like you. You're being rather unfair to Rorek too."
Raven glared at him, "If you think I'm going to—" She whispered.
"Can you excuse us for a minute?" Robin asked Rorek.
"Of course." He nodded, he then walked down the hall and entered his own room.
"I know how much you don't want to talk about it, and what it would mean if Rorek knew. Honestly, I don't trust him that much either, even if he was the real wizard, there are too many things that seem suspicious. But really, what are you doing in there that requires so much time?" Robin asked with concern.
Raven sighed, "I am trying to sort through my emotions, I am trying to cleanse myself of Malchior and what happened, so that I might look at Rorek without fear. I know the way I have been acting is uncalled for, and that is what I am trying to fix." She said.
"Raven, tell me, did you take out Malchior's book from your hiding place?" Robin asked.
"I took everything out of there so that I could sort through it all. Don't worry, though, I bound the chest and put it back in its hiding space." She answered.
"Just be careful, okay? I'm not empathic like you, but I think Rorek was really worried, and him being an ancient wizard and all..."
"I know, and perhaps I wasn't in as much control as I thought I was, but I am now." She assured him.
"If there's anything going really wrong, if there's something you need to talk about, you know you can always come to me, or any of us. What Beast Boy said was true, you're not alone." He told her.
"Thank you, Robin. Maybe I can eventually talk about it, but not now." She said, her expression had softened. She began to close the door, and this time Robin didn't stop her.
"See you later." He said, walking off himself.
Raven took a deep breath and looked at her room. It was a mess, perhaps cleaning it up would sooth her more. She put what of Malchior's books she'd already read into the door behind her tapestry, and then started restocking it with the items that had previously been in there.
"What had conspired?" Rorek questioned Robin.
"Uh, nothing, Raven's just having a few problems, but don't worry about it, she's alright. She'll get through it like she always does." Robin answered.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Oh good. But, am I the cause of this? Because if so I can leave." He asked.
Robin thought for only a moment, "No, it's not just you, so don't take it personally." He said. It wasn't a complete lie, Rorek, after all, wasn't at fault here. Had none of that ever happened and he appeared, Raven might have enjoyed having someone more like her on the team. And he was very much like Raven, not in personality so much as in his air. He was dark and mysterious, a mystic that knew his art backwards and forwards. But it was the fact that he had appeared which was causing Raven to have so many problems.
Raven walked through the shelves of the store, placing the books in the box she was levitating behind her in their proper place. Elsa was manning the counter today, which was perfectly fine with Raven, she didn't have to deal with the lines today, not that there were many, it was just that when there were you got some pretty grumpy people to contend with. The humans of this world don't much like to wait, though they're perfectly fine with sitting down and doing nothing but read.
It had been two days since Robin had confronted her, and during those two days Raven had been forcing herself to look Rorek in the eye more and more. But it was more that she was trying to see the difference between them and the ones Malchior had donned in order to deceive her. Well, for one they were in color, but they were still the same shape and had the same long lashes. She had also been pointedly not avoiding Rorek, in fact the past two days they had been on the verge of making their meditation together a habit. And during any conversations they had here and there, Rorek talked about how much he was growing to like it in the Titan Tower. He hadn't gotten Raven to voice many of her opinions quite yet, but she was getting there.
Yet, through all of that, she had yet to calm the beating of her heart whenever she really looked at him.
Raven sighed softly as she stared at the cover of their newest poetry book. "The Eyes I Can't Forget", She opened the first page and read.
They've been burned deep in my head
Like pitch black coal turned to red
The shape, the color, of the one I met
Those are the eyes I can't forget
You crushed me in your iron fist
You threw me blind into the mist
You carved a cross into my chest
You broke my heart and killed the rest
The eyes I saw and learned to love
Keep coming back like a dove
It carries poison and harmful thorns
And in the darkness, there, it mourns
I can't forget those haunting eyes of blue
Though you're not the one I thought I knew
You lied, you tricked me, you acted the part
Yet I can't hate you, I can't even start
They have been sealed inside my mind
Like the sun they burn and are not kind
The shape, the color, of the one I met
Those are the eyes I can never forget
Raven closed the book and put it away, but not before making sure she memorized the author's name so she could find it again. Right now she couldn't justify buying it, even with an employee's discount.
Only Cyborg and Starfire had gotten jobs so far, both in the departments she had suggested for them. Starfire had even come home with an advanced paycheck, and a large one at that. Apparently having her as a demolition employee saved the company millions, so she was given quite a lot for her firepower. And Cyborg not only knew technology back and forth, but he could lift heavy objects and maneuver about places fairly well. Right now, though, they wanted to do some tests with him in order to figure out what department he'd be the most suitable in, but he had also been promised a hefty paycheck as well. It seemed with the three's combined paychecks, they'd be able to pay off the electric bill in no time, but Beast Boy was determined to prove he could find work somewhere other than fast food (He declares while giving Raven the evil eye), and Robin says he's not going to just sit back and let them do all the work either.
BANG!Raven instantly let the box fall to the ground and she ran around the bookshelves towards the gunshot. Someone had screamed, and she recognized that someone as being Elsa. Raven ran to the counter.
"Alright Goth Girl, give us the money in your little redgister, and we'll think about letting you live." Said a rough, haughty voice. Elsa looked more pale then usual, and the men themselves wore black gloves and ski masks on their faces. Were they stupid? Even if Raven weren't there, they could easily be tracked. No doubt several people here had cell phones they were now using, and there was no way they'd get out of there before the cops showed up.
"You idiots." She said, causing them to turn and look at her, "Do you really think you can get away with this? I'm sure someone has called the police by now, you're not going to get away with this." She told them.
The three guys just laughed at her. "Maybe not by ourselves!" One said, now pointing his gun at her.
"You're Raven of the Teen Titans, aren't you?" Asked a new voice. A man wearing a black cloak that completely shadowed all but his lips emerged from the darkness.
Raven raised an eyebrow, "And you are?"
"I am the mystic Balegor, I have been hoping for the chance to meet you, I hear you too are a powerful mystic. I challenge you to a duel of magic. Do you accept?" He asked.
Raven narrowed her eyes at him, then she cloaked herself in a cacoon of shadows, changing from her work uniform into her battle costume. "Let's take this outside." She said, her eyes glowing white and her hands crackling with black lightening.
Balegor smirked, "Very well." He phased through the wall of the store and Raven followed him, but not before she cast binding spells on his three accomplices. Out on the street, Balegor didn't waste any time in beginning. "Cendere Globus!" He exclaimed, a ball of fire erupted from his hands and shot at Raven.
"Retexo!" Raven called, causing the fireball to cancel out, "Azrath, Metriom, Zynthos!" She exclaimed, she sprung into the air, her cloak spreading so that it was shaped like the bird of death, her eyes crackled with white lightening and her hands called forth their dark energy. She raised her hands and called forth black lightening to come down from the sky and onto Balegor.
She didn't mean to do that, she didn't want to kill him, nor did she want to seriously injure him. Why had she been so impulsive to do that? Had she not promised herself she would not use Malchior's magic? Maybe she shouldn't have reread those books.
Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Balegor had pulled up a shield just in time to protect him, but he had still been wounded, and the street was becoming a chaotic scene. People were running away to avoid the battle, police sirens could be heard, and the street had been destroyed where she'd sent the black lightening. Thankfully Balegor flew into the air, and their 'duel' would continue where destruction wasn't such a certainty.
Oh well, he had proven himself to be powerful enough, might as well use the power she had. Raven raised her hands into the air and began to call forth dark clouds while Balegor began to chant a spell under his breath. Suddenly a pentagon symbol appeared before him in blood red light, and out of it came a creature of nightmares. Black and misty, it took on the shape of a wyvern with glowing red eyes and stained red teeth. It came at Raven, intent on swallowing her whole, but she had gathered enough energy, she unleashed a furry of spells upon the dragon from the clouds. Lightning, fire, and blades of ice rained down upon the creature, causing it to cry out in pain.
Raven dodged the beast's attempt to snatch her out of the air and flew around him, "Azrath, Metriom, Zynthos!" She exclaimed, calling forth a black aura around the beast's master, who hadn't noticed her there until the last minute. "That's what you get for being cocky." She told him, sealing him in another binding spell. She then turned to the wyvern, who was just now coming back around at her. She swiftly began casting a spell to return him to wherever Balegor had sent him. "Recurro Domus!" She commanded, just in time to avoid getting a good chunk of her bitten off. The wyvern cried out its rage, but couldn't shake the power of the spell. It soon disappeared.
And the next second Raven felt her binding spell break. She spun around in the air just in time to see Balegor shoot something at her, but not in time to completely escape being hit by the violet beam of light.
Raven clutched her shoulder and bit back a cry of pain, instead she glared at Balegor and began directing the power of her black clouds on to him, making sure that the spells would disperse if they missed so that they wouldn't hit anything else.
Too many of the black-colored spells hit Balegor, and finally he was knocked out of the sky, a black ice crystal lodged in his chest. Raven dispersed her clouds and used her magic so that he did not hit the concrete. She preformed another binding spell, and then flew down to the ground with him in tow.
The police had rounded up the three robbers and had calmed down the innocent passersby and customers. "Uh, Raven right?" Asked one of them as Raven dispersed the icicle in Balegor's chest.
"Yes." She answered as she healed the wound. "This one is a mystic, so keep him drugged and you won't need anything drastic to keep him locked up." She instructed, turning to the destruction of the window and the street.
"Er, right..." The officer said. He watched in amazement as she raised her hands and mended the rubble within moments. "Wow, that'll save a lot of tax money." He marveled.
"Hey Rookie! Get yer $#$ over here right now!" Yelled another officer, irritated that his charge was making happy conversation with a Teen Titan. The police and the Titans didn't exactly work well together. Somehow the Police seemed to think it was there job to stop all the crime, even if they were ridiculously powerful super villains.
Raven went back into the store before she gained too much attention, unfortunately, there was now a crowd of Goths awaiting her return.
Some wanted her to show them more of her spells, others wanted her to teach them her spells, and then there was a collection of other questions related to the whole super-hero thing. One, if you can believe it, actually asked if she'd ever met Batman. She, of course, told them no. She had met Batman, but not as Batman. Bruce Wayne was the one who funded them in Jump City (in spite of Robin's hidden dislike of him) so of course she'd seen him before.
It took a while before things settled back down, actually they didn't. Now that most of the regular customers knew who she was (she was pretty sure they'd had some guesses) there was a shortage of those annoying people who messed up displays and rearranged books on purpose, which was all well and good, but now people were going to openly come up and ask her stuff, which, she was sure, was going to get very annoying.
Aron, on the other hand, was actually quite delighted. Obviously he thought that they'd get more customers once the regulars told all their goth friends she was working here. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. Raven was hoping it'd be the latter.
Upon returning to the Tower, Raven saw Rorek meditating in front of the window of the living room. She looked at him for a moment, and then began her walk to the stairs, when something came to mind. "Rorek?" She asked, deciding to approach him.
"Yes?" He asked turning around to face her.
"Why do you keep a scarf over your face?" She asked him.
Rorek's eyes seemed to smile, "So that I can stick my tongue out at people and they won't know." He answered.
"Heheh, you got that from Beast Boy, didn't you?" She asked, unable to stop herself from chuckling.
"You are correct. I do not know what that sort of gesture would accomplish, besides tasting my scarf, but Beast Boy mentioned that was something I could do." He answered. "There are two reasons I wear this scarf, the first is the same reason that you wear a hood, and that Robin wears a mask. To conceal my identity, though that is hardly needed now. But the other, it's rather embarrassing but, I have a very strong sense of smell." He chuckled. "During my time, there was a fashion of perfume with the women, and I could hardly stand to be near one. This scarf muffles all smells so that they are not as potent to me. And it seems I need it, the air of this time period is rather stifling, I'm only just now getting use to it, even with the scarf on." He told her.
"I see." Raven nodded.
"Would you...like to see my face?" He asked bringing his hands to the scarf.
Raven's hear gave a thump in her ears, but this time it was different. She had never seen the rest of his face, only his eyes. If he removed the scarf, then maybe... "Yes, yes I would." She answered.
Rorek worked the scarf off his face and let it rest around his neck. He looked at her, expectantly, with a gentle smile on his face. Raven was unable to keep a small smile of her own from reaching her lips, but she was smiling for a different reason than what he might have thought. She had found it, she was free! The complete unfamiliarity of his whole face seemed to soothe her entire being. She saw him now, not as the one Malchior had pretended to be, but as Rorek.
His face was, almost feminine actually. He had no beard or mustache, but soft jawbone and an angular nose. He was very handsome, in his own way, but was what you would probably refer to as a 'pretty boy'. Raven didn't care much about all of that, though, she was too elated with the fact that, now, she could see him differently, she could see his eyes, his hair, and even his ears differently.
Rorek's smile seemed to broaden after a moment. "What?" Raven asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Nothing, it's just...you smell very nice. Like a dark flower I once knew of but have forgotten." He told her.
Raven fought back the blush she knew was probably decorating her cheeks, "You can smell me through all the other scents in this room?" She asked.
"Actually, yes. It's quite simple, the other smells are old, they've been there for a while, yours is fresh, so that I know its you." He told her.
"You really do have a good sense of smell, why is that?" She asked him.
He shrugged, "It's just something I was born with I suppose." It felt odd, watching his lips move with his words, but the strangeness of it was making Raven feel all the more free.
"Interesting," Raven said with a yawn. "Well," She said, stretching her arms out, "I'm going on to bed. See you in the morning." She said, turning to leave.
"Raven?"
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow, would it be okay if I accompanied you to this Alabaster's place? It sounds rather interesting." He asked.
Raven shrugged, "Sure, I don't see a problem. Goodnight." She said.
"Goodnight."
Raven launched herself on her bed, feeling better than she had in days. She had done it! And all it had taken was seeing all of his face. She was free now, she saw him as a different person, she could look into his eyes and see Rorek, not Malchior. She was free of his iron grip, free from that haunting dream. Now she could remove all of Malchior's books from her room and begin to move on with her life again.
Raven changed into her nightdress and settled herself in her bed with her book of poetry. Tomorrow she would make herself some herbal tea and, if BB and Cyborg were still on that movie, offer to watch it with them.
Eventually Raven closed her book and turned out her light.
"Raven, my sweet Raven, I miss you, you know. Why don't you come and talk to me sometimes? Even your fiery temper would be enough for me." A caressing finger ran up the edge of her jaw from behind. But when Raven spun around, no one was there, just darkness.
"You, I've had enough of you, leave me be! I want nothing to do with you anymore!" She snapped.
"I can't do that, Raven." A pair of strong arms wrapped around her form, Malchior's breath tickled her neck. "Especially now that I can enter your dreams." He said.
Raven spun around to strike him, but almost instantly he had disappeared again and her leg went through air instead. "What do you mean?!" She demanded. The shadows before her dispersed and there stood Malchior. He looked exactly like Rorek, save that his hair was black, his eyes were red, his skin was pale, his bodysuite and scarf were dark violet, and his armor was black.
"You opened my book, Raven, and you allowed me access to your magic through the barrier you put upon that chest. It took me a while, but now I am able to enter your dreams." He said, walking towards her. Raven moved back, glaring at him menacingly.
"Get out of my dreams." She hissed, "Stay out of my mind, stay out of my life!" She ordered.
Malchior stopped his stride and gave her a taunting look, "You don't really want that, do you? No, you still love me. But I still love you as well, Raven, and I will not leave you alone." He told her.
"Enough of your lies! I refuse to believe another word you say! Azrath, Metri—" Suddenly Malchior's body seemed to shoot at her like an arrow, and before she could get away, he had her in his arms and bending over, their faces not even inches apart. Raven struggled, pushing against him with all her might and trying to keep her feet on the ground at the same time.
"You think I'm lying, but I'm not, Raven. Yes, I did deceive you into thinking I was Rorek, and I was cruel to you after being freed. But I am a dragon, it is my nature, especially in my true form. But know that I did not lie when I told you I loved you." He pulled her down to the invisible floor of the dark expanse they were in, Raven still struggling to get away. He held her fast, lying on top of her as he nuzzled her neck.
"Get off!" She hissed, trying to kick him, hit him, anything to get him off of her.
Malchior raised his head so that she could feel his breath on her ear. "Rorek may court you all he likes," She felt his bare cheek up against hers, what did that mean? Where was his scarf? "But you are mine, you are my sweet Raven." He whispered.
"I don't belong to you, nor anyone!" She snapped, giving her leg the strongest jerk she could, which was the best she could do in way of a kick. It didn't do any good.
"But you do." He said smoothly. He brought his hands up so that they trapped her face, and he forced her to look at him, look at his face. It was Rorek's face, but different. No, it wasn't Rorek's face, it was Malchior's face, the face Malchior had taken and turned into his own. Raven glared at him in hatred. "Face it, Raven, you gave you're heart to me and I have no intention of giving it back." Their noses were nearly touching.
"Azrath, Me—" She tried again, but he silenced her, pressing his lips to hers, leaving her no room for escape. She hit him and struggled as much as she could, but she couldn't get away. She tried biting his tongue when he forced it into her mouth, but he groaned, as if he liked it, and pressed down harder, massaging her lips with his own.
Raven didn't even wait for herself to wake up completely, she teleported straight to the bathroom (thankfully unoccupied) and threw up in the toilet. She could feel the after-effects in her mouth, still taste Malchior's blood where she had bit his tongue, could still feel it in her mouth. And it made her sick to think about.
She had to flush the toilet twice before she was finished, and by then her mouth was so fowled up with that taste that she no longer felt, or tasted, Malchior.
Raven slumped to the floor after washing herself, and her mouth out. She was shaking, trembling. She felt weak and helpless, but she wasn't going to cry, she refused to cry. No, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.
There had to be a way to fight him. Merely not sleeping anymore wouldn't work, and if he had a direct connection to her through that barrier she put on the chest, more barriers wouldn't work either. And once the connection had been established, taking away the barrier wouldn't do anything to keep him out of her dreams.
Raven stood up and forced her heart to stop beating; she regained control over her emotions and forced herself to think logically. What she would have to do is figure a way of either fighting him within the dream, or severing the link he had obtained with her mind. It shouldn't be that hard, after all, there was little he could do as a book, making the connection had taken him two whole days, so it was most likely a weak connection.
For now, there was a type of meditation she could use that would allow her body and mind the rest they needed without dreaming. However, she may be only half human, but she knew that she couldn't go a long time without dreams.
She left the bathroom, not really feeling like teleporting, and headed back to her room.
"Raven?"
Raven looked up, it was Rorek. "What are you still doing up?" She asked him.
"I woke up because I heard you screaming in my mind, I was coming to check on you...is everything alright?" He asked with concern.
Raven pressed her hand to her door and took a few deep breaths, at this point, she probably wouldn't be able to lie so well. "No, but it's something only I can deal with." She told him.
"Are you sure? I mean, if there's anything I can do, I would like to help." He told her.
Raven considered a moment, Rorek was an ancient wizard, he'd lived many adventures and knew a lot of magics, surely he would know how to keep Malchior out of her dreams. But she had to present it to him so that he didn't suspect. Maybe she could tell him Balegor cursed her just before she sent him off to jail and she needed a spell that would close her mind to all external forces, without hindering her own empathic powers.
"Actually, there may be a way, but not tonight." She answered, still considering.
"Tomorrow then." He said, sounding hopeful.
"Yes." She nodded and then she went into her room.
"Goodnight."
A/N: Hmmmm...I don't know, should I change the rating to pg-13, or was the dream scene not juicy enough to be given such a privilege? What do you guys think? Or are you screaming at me to change the rating just so I can make it juicier? Lol.