Chapter Eight
Raven sat with her legs crossed on the extra cot. She cleared her mind of all emotions and started to concentrate.
"Azerath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she whispered loudly. She felt her conscience take the shape of a raven and she flew into the outer regions of Starfires mind.
When she first entered, she could only see a bright light. She flew towards the blinding light and suddenly her feet hit firm ground. She looked all around her. Raven was back on Tamaran, Starfires home planet. Raven looked all around her. Suddenly she spotted a small child with blazing auburn hair flying towards her.
"What are you looking for Raven?" The younger version of Starfire asked innocently.
"I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you get Libiath out of your mind. I seemed to have landed in the wrong part of your mind. This is your memory."
Starfire nodded. "I can show you how to move forward!" she cried. She flew up and took Raven by the hand. The young Starfire led her to a large stone cut doorway. "You have to go through to move forward!" she yelled and then flew away.
Raven walked through the doorway and was instantly pulled through Starfires memory. She saw flashes of everything Starfire had been through. A flash of a young Starfire crying in her room. A flash of Starfire arriving on Earth. A flash of Starfire becoming a Teen Titan. A flash of her fight with her sister, Blackfire. A flash of Starfire reading a large leather bound book on her bed . . .
Suddenly, Raven came to a halt in a large green field. There she saw all Starfires emotions assembled on the grass. Each emotion was recognizable by the color suit wore: happiness in pink, sadness in blue, humor in yellow, intelligence in brown, anger in black and etc. Raven walked towards the nearest Starfire.
"Starfire," she called. The brown clad Starfire walked towards her.
"Raven, you must get out. My body will not succeed over Libiath much longer. If you are still present when this is happening, you will be trapped."
"I can help. I'm going to help. We need you back in the Teen Titans, you can't just give up on us. Now tell me, where's Libiath?" Raven demanded. With a shaking finger, Starfire pointed up into the sky where, to her horror, Raven could make out Libiath throttling a red clad Starfire. Right as she moved to help her, a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backwards through Starfires mind.
Suddenly, Raven landed on the roof of Titan Tower. She turned to see who had pulled her, and faced the real Starfire.
"So you're representing Star's conscience?" Raven asked.
The Starfire nodded and pointed to the sky. There in the distance was Libiath. His muscles gleamed in the bright sun and his eyes mirrored every heartfelt moment Raven had ever had.
"Listen to me Starfire, he's going to try and trick you by making you remember moments where you felt love. This will bring your defenses down, so don't listen. We've got to slay him soon, your body can't take this much stress. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand." Starfire replied, readying herself in fighting stance.
Libiath was now on the Tower, he moved quickly and cunningly and was soon on top of Raven.
"Raven," He whispered seductively, his words were dripping with the feelings she had placed in him. She suddenly remembered the long talk in the rain with her mother and a twinge of love moved through her body. Feeling her start to lose her nerve, Libiath punched her hard in the stomach. Raven flew fast in the air and landed. She had learned her lesson.
"Remember! Don't listen to anything he says!" Raven called out.
Libiath turned on Starfire, who blasted him hard in the chest with a starbolt. Then another, and another. He turned, weakly and stared at her. "How could you do this? Starfire . . ." He whispered the last word and Starfire was suddenly remembering his lips on her, his fingers running down her back . . .
Right as he was about to charge at her, Raven cried out "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" and shot out black cords that picked him up and threw him hard away from the tower. He hovered 300 feet away then seemed to glide back. He shot straight at her and whispered suddenly and quietly, Raven remembered Beastboy hugging her outside her room . . .
Suddenly, she was flying through the air again, but not because of Libiath, Starfire had rescued her from being hit again.
They both turned and charged down Libiath, who drew his sword and stood ready. Raven tore the sword out of his hands and threw it farther down the tower. Starfire shot a starbolt at him and kicked him squarely in the back of the head. He turned and threw a punch at Raven who ducked it and punched him hard in the face. He fell to his knees and looked up weakly again at Starfire.
"Starfire . . ."
Starfire thought of time after time again where Robin sat up with her on the tower, watching the sunrise . . .
Libiath charged and beat the heel of his fist into her chest. She flew 20 feet then swung back and charged at him. She knocked him across the roof, where he stood again, in a fighting stance.
"He's very persistent," Starfire remarked. "I do not believe this is going to succeed."
"No, fighting won't rid your mind of him. But . . . he himself is simply the essence of love. Nothing more," Raven said, turning to Starfire.
Starfire, thought for a second then turned to Raven. "It we were to focus as much energy as possible, not attacking, just focusing, would it be enough force to force him out?" She asked hopefully.
Raven thought for moment. "Focus on what would drive you, focus on your true source of power." Raven cleared her mind. Her power came from her being, she needed it to be focused on her true self. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azerath, Metrion Zinthos . . ."
Starfire closed her eyes and concentrated. Her power came from her emotions, her true happiness, from her . . . Heart! Suddenly a clear picture of Robin came into her mind.
Back in the statistics room, Cyborg, Beastboy and Robin sat in silence. Suddenly, through the window to the hospital room, two blinding lights were forming. Cyborg, Beastboy and Robin bolted into the room. There on the two separate cots, Raven and Starfire were emitting a purple and green light. It became so bright that each of them had to shield his eyes. All of a sudden, all three of them could hear shouting, it started quietly them got louder. They all opened their eyes long enough to see a tall, muscular man materialize out of Starfire and suddenly exploded. Abruptly, the two lights stopped and both girls lay motionless.