The priest's eyes opened twice as big as normal, his mouth opened in a wordless scream as he unexpectedly toppled over, face first down the steps. The guards rushed to his side, but he was clearly already dead, a bloody, gaping hole in his back. The audience gasped at this unexpected turn of events, looking around anxiously for the unseen killer. The culprit soon showed herself, her long, ebony handled knives extended, one hand still dripping with blood where she had silently and savagely slipped it in the priest's back, rending arteries and puncturing his lungs and heart. A feral light was in her normally innocent and beautiful blue eyes, and her jaw was set in determination.

" How did she get in here?" one guard yelled, then ran towards her, his spear raised. She spun around, landing a kick to his knees, fracturing them with the force of hit. He hit his head on the ground and passed out. " One down.." she thought to herself, and then turned and ran behind the huge altar out of the agitated crowd's line of sight. The remaining four guards warily rounded the corners, two on each side. They never had a chance, her gift of invisibility and all of the training with the Titan's had paid off. When the last one had been either knocked unconscious, or laying dying on the stone floor, she leapt onto the altar to Raven's motionless body.

" Raven," she shook the girl's shoulders slightly, " Come on! We gotta get you outta here before they come up here." She glanced back at the the crowd below, who had started pulling out hidden daggers and knives, readying themselves after hearing the fight behind the altar. Two more guards ran from hidden corridors into the room, and began mounting the steps. " No time..." she thought, placing her hand on Raven's forehead, and mentally preparing herself for the pain that was to come. "Let me have your pain..." She whispered, turning visible as she summoned Raven's bodily pain, from her whippings, to her minor cuts and bruises. Tears started streaming down her face as she let the pain course through her, realizing the pain was much more then she imagined, screaming in agony as she began pulling the last of it from Raven's wounds. Her training allowed her to hold much more pain then a average person,

but this was almost too much. Mentally wrenching the last of Raven's pain away, she collapsed onto the altar. It was done.

The as of now unaware worshippers now all yelled, pointing at the altar, alerted by her screams of pain. The guards, who had just searched behind the altar, never thinking to look on top, now readied their spears. But she wasn't going to come down. And they weren't going to take a chance on coming up there after her. Spirit moaned and looked down at them. The light gone from her eyes. " So weak...need to get Raven... out.." She raised one hand as if in defeat, prompting the guards to lower the weapons a little. Then they were knocked flat as a wave of pain hit them. Spirit gasped, letting all of Raven's pent up pain out of her body and into them with a motion of her hand. The two guards dropped to the floor, clutching their heads against the unexpected pain before blacking out.

The followers were shocked, too afraid too move at the moment. Afraid of this strange girl and what she could do. " The priest has summoned another demon " some whispered as as a brave few began to dare to steal out of the room. She gritted her teeth and pulled herself to a sitting position in front of Raven up. The pain was gone from her, it now resting in the two

unconscious guards below. Spirit rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on from the exertion. She was unaware of the figure silently climbing the steps to the altar behind her. The figure leapt, knocking her face into the altar, giving her a bloody mouth. Before she could figure out what happened, the figure came back. It grabbed her hands before she could pull out her knives from their arm sheaths. " Tsk, tsk " a voice said, gripping her arms harder. " Can't have you taking my prize...' Spirit twisted her head round to see her captor and almost shook with rage when she saw him. It was the guard who had earlier claimed Raven for his own. " Well I'm going to get her out of her whether you say so or not." she said, gritting her

teeth. She turned herself invisible, and morphed through the guard's grasp before he knew what happened. " what the? " the muscular man looked around bewildered. He grabbed his stomach suddenly, as a knife went plunging into his gut. He fell to his knees gasping and bleeding. " Looking for me? " a silky voice whispered into his right ear. The guard turned his head, looking into the glaring face of the now-visible girl. The guard stayed defiant to the end.

" Where are her other friends, hmm? Why'd you come, had'ta save your girlfriend? " he looked once more and then back to Spirit, sneering, knowing he had lost. " Go to hell " she whispered, and then winced as she brought her other knife up and slit his throat, shocking even herself with her viscousness.

Retrieving her knives

quickly, she bent down at Raven's side, trying once again to awaken Raven, who this time opened her eyes. Tears of joy welled up in Spirit's eyes " you're alive " she whispered she bent to hug the girl, knowing the telepath's wounds wouldn't hurt when she did so. " Wait..." Raven winced, " thanks, for all you've done, but... " she paused. " I won't live." Spirit

nearly fell back wards from shock. " What do you mean you won't live? " The raven haired girl asked anxiously, noticing some of the crowd were starting to get bolder, inching towards the altar, daggers in hand. Raven touched Spirit's face gently, " my father was almost brought back, through me. I can feel him in me, burning with all the fires of hell, burning my mind and soul! " Raven began to weep, her eyes wide with mental pain and fear as she spoke. " But I

stopped the priest, your father didn't get through! " Spirit said in defiance, not wanting to believe what Raven was saying. "Yes, you stopped him in time. You saved the world. Just like a true Titan. You deserve to be one. But you can't save me... I'm sorry " The empath whispered hoarsely. Spirit was stunned, and then found her voice again," No you cant, I took your pain..." Tears were streaming down her face. " Good-bye " Raven whispered as her

hand dropped from Spirit's face.

Spirit watched, and half consciously heard herself screaming " NO! " She pulled Raven's body into her arms as the crowd, unsure of what to do till now, began surging out of their places and up the huge steps as they saw that she was vulnerable. Spirit cradled Raven in her arms, feeling her last fleeting heart beats, then gently set her down, pulling herself to her full height. The raging followers stopped in their tracks when they heard the iciness of her voice. "You killed her...' she said menacingly, glaring down at the bewildered and still-fearful crowd. " An innocent girl, you MURDERED her! Now, " she almost whispered, hate filling her voice, " you're all going to pay..."