Author's Note: Marius, Cedric, and Maxwell are all of my own creation. This chapter attempts to explain the events of Birthmark and the origin of Slade. And as for the "noble history of this valiant family," I invented it. They are truly the greatest warriors. Smiles big, oh no, wait, that's what I'm supposed to do.
"Good job. How would you like a job working for me?"
"Uh…."
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. However, with the aid of my ray gun, I have…persuaded Terra to do my chores.
Reunions: Chapter Eight- Firepower
"Your foolishness has cost us dearly, Marius."
"She was merely a girl. How was I to know how she would behave? Am I to blame for her stupidity? Did I instruct her to disobey my orders?"
"You should have known that one so eager to betray her own friends would be capable of betraying you." I watched as the elderly man quivered under the weight of Cedric's words, flinching at every insult. When your master is being interrogated, you, too, are on the spot.
"I should have known? Surely one so wise as yourself should have stopped her."
"Enough! For years we have gone by one name. We have worn the same colors as those before us. We have one face and one legacy. A legacy which you no longer deserve to share!"
"Are you suggesting that I abdicate, Cedric?"
"No. I am ordering you to step down!" A murmur went through the council.
"Fine," Marius stated, "I shall." All hope sank within me.
"You can't," I cried, "Master, you can't!"
"I can," he stated, a thin smile on his cracked lips. "The attack on me just made me realize just how pathetic this whole society is. Apprentices, guilds, what is this? Are we forever trapped within the Middle Ages? No," he continued, "this is no life for a man of fifty or a girl of only fourteen years!"
"Then you quit."
"No, I abdicate with all of my dignity." With that he strode towards the doorway.
"Maxwell?"
"Yes, master?"
"Bring me my coat and all of my belongings. Please," he added, with a hint of kindness.
"Yes, master."
"Please, call me Marius." I nodded, then ran to fetch his things.
"Perhaps I was like them all," he told me as I helped him into his car, "doomed to forever see things through only one eye."
He was not like them all. He was the greatest of them all. He was the one whose name struck fear into the poor child's heart. His vendetta against the boy was legendary. His acts would be in all of the history books. And I had the pleasure to serve as his apprentice.
The first one was Thomas. The son of a merchant, Thomas displayed great skill with metals at an extremely young age. He became an apprentice in the home of the local coppersmith. For years he toiled, learning the trade he wished to pursue.
The time came for him to make his masterpiece. It was the piece that would allow him permission to join the guild as a master. It was to be a copper kettle.
Disaster struck. During the melting process, Thomas slipped. He was sent face first into the furnace. He caught himself, but on the kettle. The copper spilled, coating one half of his face. He had enough sense to pull away. But half of his face remained badly burned. In addition to that, he lost sight in his right eye. He was ashamed. They banished him from the guild. Thomas became an outcast.
That was how it all began.
There are those who make the best out of a bad situation, and there are those who make the worst. Thomas was of the latter group. He formed his own guild, a band of untrained warriors and common thieves. With revenge on his mind, he trained them. He found a mask so terrifying, the world need never see his face again. He gave them a name, a name they would all bear when the mask came to them.
Their gang made deals. He rearranged the letters to spell something sinister. We have gone by that one name ever since.
We have become less of a guild and more of a family. We still use the ancient guild terminology. Marius was more than just my master, he was a father to me. Every time, a new ruler comes to power. Every time, a new face has been concealed by the mask. Every time, the masters take on apprentices, who later become masters and get their own apprentices.
We have all been united by the one name, the one face. We are a community. We need no superpowers. We are not immortal. We have no powers but our own strength.
Except for Cedric.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Cedric, you have broken the code. You deliberately attacked innocent people without reason or history. You attempted to annihilate the very universe in which we live. You have worked for an anti-mortal society. And you have attacked one specific Titan for one reason: power."
"What about Marius' vendetta against Grayson?"
"That was different. He liked to challenge the boy. You, however, wish to abuse the girl's power."
"This is her destiny. I am merely helping her along."
"Cedric, we knew you were dangerous. You with your power to control the flames and command them to do their deadly dance. And yet we took you on. You broke the rules, the very rules you helped to establish. And now, there is reason to believe that you are under the employment of another master."
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am."
"We do not associate with their kind."
"Whose kind?" I piped up.
"You know," the councilman said, "the non mortals. The demons."
"Fine," Cedric bellowed. "I shall leave, since you disapprove of me."
"It is not you we disapprove of, but your obsession with destruction."
"You disapprove of my kind," Cedric said quietly, while removing his mask. "Then you disapprove of me. Now you no longer deal with demons," he muttered, exposing himself for what he truly was.
Now you know what has been passed to me from my master, who got it from his. Today is my day. Today I don the mask. Today I bear the colors. Today Maxwell is gone. Today, Terra's doom is slated. Today, I become what I truly am.
Today, I become Slade.
Author's Ending Note: As you can see, Max has, well, issues. But he's a nice kid! Really! Just don't make me wear the suit, it itches!
