Thank you all for the pleasant reviews! The end is coming up soon, and just as a side-note: I hate sad endings!
... I know, I'm a sap, but when it comes to this story, I just can't bear it. Anyway, enough about me and my preferences, on with the show! err... Story!
"The time has come, Titans. She will fulfill her destiny, and so will Mark." Again the voice...
"Titans! Go..." Robin? What happened?
Mark tossed and turned, his sleep far from restful.
"Mark… I-I can't stop him… He- he's fighting…"
"Raven! Listen to me! He will not claim you! Fight him! You can do it!"
Raven struggled, a battle was being fought inside her of epic proportions. Heat radiated from her slim body, her delicate facial features covered in perspiration.
"Aahh! He's- win-."
RAVEN!
And then it was over. Raven opened her eyes calmly. She got up from her bed and walked to her door, sliding it open silently. She stepped daintily onto the carpeted hallway and proceeded towards Beast-Boy's room.
"Raven? Raven! What happened?"
Beast-Boy's door opened, devoid of any noise except for a gaseous 'whoosh'. She entered the room, a slight grin appearing on her emotionless face.
"Raven! What are you-."
The screams perforated the night's air…
Mark awoke with a start, his thoughts racing through his mind about the nightmare he had. It seemed amazingly real. A cold chill ran up his spine, and he shivered.
"Raven…" He felt something, something absent. The Tower was eerily silent, and darkness impeded his vision.
Darkness?
Mark reluctantly turned his head to the left and gazed outside. At that moment, his heart froze. All the blood that flowed through his veins and arteries simply ground to a halt, as if they it had just solidified. His body was overcome with cold, and his lungs could no longer inhale the precious oxygen needed to sustain his body.
"No…No, no, no, no!"
The sky was no longer a light blue. Dark brown clouds polluted it, and the sky itself was pitch black, with a slight blood red hue. The darkness stretched as far as the eye could see, smothering the sun's rays and bathing everyone in never-ending darkness. Screams and cries of terror were heard emanating from the once proud city, now smoking and slowly crumbling into oblivion.
Mark stumbled out of the room, his legs shaking with every fumbling step he took. His breath quickened, but this time there was no Crow to overcome his body and his senses. He was not feeling any anger, only horror.
"Raven!" He shouted desperately. "Robin! Anyone… Oh God no…" There was no reply, not even a sound was heard, save his own ragged and desperate breathing, and his heart pounding in his ears. Mark half-walked, half-ran towards Raven's room. After a few pathetic attempts he managed to slide the door open and he fell inside, looking around for any sign of her. There was nothing. Everything in the room was neat and orderly, even her bed was impeccably done. With a silent cry he walked outside, the shock of the situation finally wearing off, and realization had dawned upon him at last.
"This is just a dream. This can't be true, this is just a dream!"
"No. This isn't a dream. It has finally happened, and you were powerless to stop it."
"Shut up SHUT UP! I am not powerless, I can still… still save her…"
"What are you talking about? It's over, you lost. The world is gone, SHE is gone, all your FRIENDS are gone, and here you are, still in denial! Pathetic…"
"I am NOT PATHETIC!" Mark shouted, his voice echoing off the barren walls of the same hallway that was so familiar to him, so welcoming, a lifetime ago. He continued down the foreboding hallway, the insane shadows flickering madly to a silent tune carried by what little light remained in this forsaken Tower, in this forsaken city.
He reached Beast-Boy's room.
"Please don't let it be true. Please don't… Please…"
He entered the room, and had to shift his weight quickly in order to avoid falling. He swayed backwards and landed on his rear, trying once again to get a grip on this new reality. Beast-Boy's room was gone. Simply… gone. His sliding door opened up to reveal nothing, except for the barren and scorched earth far below. He cautiously proceeded towards the door again, this time stepping out and levitating, floating in the humid and uncomfortable air.
"God no…" It was true. Everything…
He was floating where Beast-Boy's bunk bed once resided, now a mere piece of twisted and discarded metal lying on the ground directly beneath him. He swiftly flew inside and landed roughly on the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks as the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He sobbed silently, his body shaking as he cradled his knees in his arms.
He made a promise to Raven, and he failed to keep it. He blamed himself for everything that happened, and he simply didn't know what to do anymore. He had never felt as alone as he felt now.
"Mark?" A voice drifted in from the shadows of the hallway, quiet and reassuring. Mark turned to face the noise, his fears slightly dimming. A green light lit up the unwelcome shadows, and the slim form of Starfire approached Mark slowly, her feet nary making a sound.
"Starfire? What happened here?" Mark asked desperately, even though he already knew.
Starfire looked away, her eyes brimming with tears as she began to speak.
"Oh Mark. It happened so fast." She started, closing her eyes and trying to will the painful memories away. But they were still fresh, and still burned into her mind.
"Raven started to attack us! Her friends… She attacked her friends…" Starfire was still in shock, and her reply was vague.
"Starfire listen to me! What did she do? Where are the others?" It pained him to ask such a question, and it most likely hurt Starfire more, but he had to know.
Perhaps, if Starfire is alive, then maybe the others are too!"
Starfire didn't reply. She slowly lifted off, her dazzling green eyes cloudy and distant.
"They are gone. Raven disposed of them. Everyone is gone, friend Mark, everybody."
Mark slumped to the ground again, tears once again welling up underneath his eyes.
"So… That's it. All is lost…" Mark murmured to no-one in particular. At that statement, Starfire seemed to have snapped back to reality, and with her eyes glowing green she replied.
"No. All is not lost. We must avenge our friends' deaths. They must not be in vain!" She said with an uncharacteristic ferociousness. Mark pulled himself to his feet, every bone in his body aching in protest.
He simply didn't have the will to fight anymore, but something stirred deep inside of him. It was a warm feeling, pleasant in its presence, which spread from his heart to the tips of his fingers and toes. It strengthened him, revitalized him, and gave him a sense of purpose. He was unsure where it came from, but in this desolated city, it was most welcome.
"Everything will turn out to be fine… I promise…"
"Huh?" Mark asked out loud. He looked left to right, as if trying to find the source of the comforting voice, but his attempts were futile. He shrugged despondently and turned back to Starfire.
"Do you know where Raven is?" He demanded.
Starfire shook her head sadly, her vibrant red hair bobbing in the direction of her movement.
"I do… and so do you…"
Mark's head snapped up, his ears again attempting to locate the source of this reassuring voice. Once again, the voice disappeared without a trace, vanishing into the recesses of Mark and Crow's mind.
"Argh!" Mark exclaimed as he fell to his knees, clutching his head in a desperate attempt to will the sudden and shocking pain away. It felt as if knives were being driven into his skull, splitting his head open. Tears stung his eyes, and his body convulsed violently.
His eyes started darkening, and his hair brightened to a blistering white, signifying the fact that Crow had once again taken control of his body. With a scream he jumped up and flew out into the blood-red sky, Starfire barely able to keep up with him.
Amazing! They are connected in such a way that they are able to share emotions!
Crow leveled out, his head no longer pounding madly in pain. Starfire cautiously approached him, and began to speak.
"Friend Crow, what happened? Are you hurt?"
Crow looked at her with an evil grin, his black eyes full of madness and hurt.
"Just follow me girl, and everything will be fine." He growled with a grimace, and he rocketed off towards the city.