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A/N: Some of you may be wondering how I have so much time to update. Yeah I really haven't been sleeping a lot so gives me plenty of time to write. Also, maybe some of you are wondering why Beast Boy gets no time. Well, ever since Robin hallucinated and fought Slade in his mind and Beast Boy annoyed me to know end with his sneezing and shape changing, I have trouble putting him anywhere except maybe the trash. But he will have his moments in this story. Much more later I'm sure. Let me know if anything isn't good. I did write this pretty late.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans so lets not try and sue me since I don't have anything to sue for.

Ch. 7: Origins of the Underworld

Robin P.O.V:

"And that Robin, is exactly what I'm going to do to you if you hurt Raven in any fathomable way. Is that clear." I'm sure my face was probably green. Could someone really do that with a blowtorch? After some talking with Cyborg, he finally decided to do the whole Big Brother routine about me going after Raven and he did a damn good job. I was going to be having nightmares about this talk for years. I managed to pull myself together to give a nod in agreement.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear. Now you go talk to Raven. Find out what happened back in there and make sure she's okay and if you find the time confess your deepest feelings to her but keep your hands out of the forbidden zones and you'll be good. I'm going to go check on Mister Soul-stealer in there and maybe get some more information. Have fun," and with a huge grin on his face, Cyborg walked back into the infirmary.

"Now that was scarier than facing Slade, well almost. Time to go face the real scariest thing I've ever had to do, time to go talk to Raven," and at a very slow pace, I began walking to her room.

Raven P.O.V:

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos. Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos." Finally a little control. I can't do this. This is all too much to handle. Who is that guy and why did I want to hurt him. Why did my demon half call for blood? Maybe he's a threat to that part of me. Maybe he can help. No Raven, don't think like that. He's probably another person who will try to kill you the first chance he gets. Right now the only people you can trust are the titans. Well its about time, figured he would show up eventually. "I know you're out there Robin, and I'm not going to let you in."

"Raven, I really need to talk to you. Please don't make me beg, it's degrading. Look, I need some answers and…well, I'm worried about you. Please let me in."

"Fine Robin, but only for a few minutes, but if I feel the need to meditate you will leave." I'm sure Robin understood this was not open to negotiation.

"Okay Raven." I opened the door with my powers and Robin walked in.

"Wow, in your room a second time. That has to be some kind of record." I glared at Robin making sure he knew I was not in the mood. "Um okay. What happened back there in the infirmary Raven. The look you were giving that guy was intense and it looked like he was ready attack you. Have you two met before or am I just missing something."

"No Robin I have not met him before. And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure exactly what happened back there. A part of me, the demon part, just felt threatened by him. But my human part, the good side of me felt no fear. I don't know how to explain it so I'm not going to." Robin slowly nodded his head as he listened. I couldn't help but notice that Robin had grown about an inch taller. Funny I didn't notice that before. Soon he'll be towering over me and when he hugs me I'll only be up to his… Stop. Now. I can't afford to be weak again, not right now.

"Do you think he's a threat Raven. Cyborg seems to think we should keep an eye on him but he thinks that because he seems to hate Slade he's on our side for the moment."

"Why do you want my opinion. You're the leader, aren't you." My response came out slightly colder than I had desired but I was just trying to be realistic. After all, Robin always made the decisions.

"I am, but because he seems to be tied into everything that's going on with you, I'd imagine he would be the biggest threat too you. I just want you to feel safe Raven; safe in your home." I could feel the concern from Robin muddled together with plenty of other emotions. This link I had established to save him was becoming quite the nuisance but it did feel good to feel his warmth.

"I do not believe he is a threat. The aura I pick up from is strange, something I have never felt before but I do not sense direct hostility from him. In fact, all I really feel from him is despair and deep sadness." Yeah sounds like me.

"I can understand that. Let me tell you what he told us. Its quite the story." Robin proceded to give me the abridged version of our guest who I now knew as SoulBurn. Another poor soul with power used by Slade and my father. I couldn't help but pity him. A part of me was evil, the darkest of evil but I had never killed anyone. I couldn't imagine what it was like to take so many lives against your will, having to watch innocents die in front of you. My mind flashed back to that dream I had after the attack by SoulBurn, the horror I had witnessed, the titans death, Robin's death. I could feel Robin staring at me. I had zoned out, and he was probably worried something was wrong.

"Have you ever heard of any powers like he has before Raven? Anything at all." I thought for a moment, thinking back to my training on Azarath and also all the books I had read while be fooled by Malchior. I hope he rots in that book for all eternity. Calm Raven.

"No Robin. I haven't. I have never heard of anyone possessing such an ability."

"Well that leaves us with too little information then. Hopefully when he wakes back up he'll tell us more. I don't mean to push you into talking about something you don't want to talk about but is there anything you might knew about whats coming next. Anything you can tell me about your fath…Trigon." I let out a deep sigh. Time to tell a story very few knew about.

"What I'm going to tell you is a tale that I learned on Azarath. The story of the fall of Lucifer, who you know as Satan, whom I call father. What you hear about in Christianity or in the Bible, heck everything you've seen in movies and books holds some truth but very little. Lucifer was once an angel, an arch-angel, second to only the arch-angel Michael in the realm of heaven. I know very little about heaven exactly but yes in a sense it does exist as does hell, but it did not exist yet.

Lucifer had a great gift, he was a great seer, a prophet if you will. He could see far into the future of worlds that did not exist yet, creatures that had not drawn breath. It was a great power indeed. Many lesser angels would come to listen to his visions. They were like bedtime stories for kids filled with wonder and awe. It made Lucifer very popular. It made him prideful. One day a vision came to him, a vision grandeur than all he had ever had. In this vision he was God of all existence. The universe loved him and praised him. All was perfect. This was a time before Earth had humans, millions of years ago."

"However, life did exist on other worlds. It was crude and barbaric. Violent and painful. Lucifer believed he could change all that. He believed he could bring the paradise of heaven to all the universe. He discovered a way to control his visions to see what he needed in order to accomplish his goal, but these visions were not true. His eternal soul had become corrupted by his pride."

"Instead they showed him a great plan to gain power over all, at all cost. No one except Lucifer knows what his plan was, no one knows exactly what the future was supposed to be for him. It did not matter in the end. His wickedness was discovered before he could get far enough. By who no one knows, but he and those that chose to follow him were captured. They were judged to no longer be worthy of Heaven. Lucifer was stripped of all his power and was cast into a new dimension to suffer for all eternity. This would be his punishment. This would become Hell."

I stopped speaking for a second. Robin looked a little pale. The amount of information he was hearing had to be overwhelming. I know it was for me when I learned of it.

"Please Raven. Continue." He was taking all this extremely well. But that is what I'd expect from the man I had fallen for. Stop Raven. Just keep talking and block out irrelevant thoughts.

"Something unexpected happened though. Lucifer was not completely defeated. Over time he began drawing new power from his prison, power that allowed him to begin subtly interacting with the world of mortals. Though the energies that kept him locked away were strong, his followers who had become terrible demons like him, were finding ways into the real world. That world was Azarath.

"Lucifer's dream of bringing paradise to all the universe had become corrupted by the darkness of his soul and by Hell. He no longer wished this but rather the opposite. He now wished to bring all existence to an end. Destroy everything around him and bring hell to not only the mortal realm, but also Heaven itself. Over thousands of years, these demons used the people of Azarath to try and find a way to bring their Lord, who was referred to as Trigon then, into the mortal realm. Time and time again they failed and eventually the people of Azarath turned against the demons, all save a few."

"It was those few that found a way to bring Trigon into the mortal realm, if only temporary. Long enough to rape my mother, whose only crime was to stand by her father when he was cast out for continuing to believe in the demons. I came into existence. Half human, half demon, a being who carried the seed of pure evil within. I was meant to be the Gateway for Trigon. I believe that brings us to present times."

"That's…That's crazy. Not every day you find out that there really is a Heaven. Is there a God? No wait, I don't want to know that. Some things better left a mystery. So in other words, your Father is a deranged ex-angel who wants to destroy everything. Sound about right."

"How eloquently put Robin, but yes, that is the truth. My father is a being of unimaginable power and darkness." I wanted to smile at Robin's ridiculous assessment of the situation but I just couldn't muster the energy. Telling the story reminded me of everything that I was, everything that was coming. I was needing all my mental ability to remain in control.

"So no one knows exactly how Trigon is going to use you to open the gate then. We basically just have to sit back and wait for something to happen. Damn it. This is not good." Listening to Robin talking to himself more than anything, a thought suddenly popped in my head. How could I forget.

"There is one thing Robin. I had a dream after being attacked by SoulBurn. I won't go into the details of the dream but in it my Father told me something. Something about the gate. The prophecy shall be fulfilled. Both the innocent and the tainted shall be sacrificed to open the gate. The Last of the Fallen is the key to unlocking my prison. I recited the words from my memory, trying desperately not to think about the rest of the dream. I looked at Robin who had an intense look of thinking on his face.

"Well if I'm correct, the innocent sacrificed must be related to all those souls SoulBurn was forced to steal. The rest of it makes no sense to me. Damn it. Why do prophecies always have to be cryptic. Heaven forbid that it would just come right and say what the hell's going on.

"Actually Robin, I belive Hell forbid this prophecy from being straightforward." Robin suddenly stopped and tilted his head looking as if he had raised an eyebrow.

"If I didn't know any better, you just tried to make a bad joke at the most inappropriate time ever. Please o Please do not turn into Beast Boy." A huge grin spread across his face. I could feel a slight blush enter my face as I admired his smile. I could even feel my mouth curving up slightly.

"The day I am anything like Beast Boy is the day the universe truly ends." Good back to as monotone and emotionless as possible.

"Yeah, you definitely don't need to be like anyone else. Your completely perfect the way you are."

"Says the mask wearing child to the Spawn of Satan with severe emotional problems." It came out immediately. I should have smiled and said thanks. I guess sarcasm is my ultimate defense mechanism. Robin's smile quickly fell.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself Raven. None of this is your fault. You are an innocent in all this as much as anyone else." Robin had taken a few steps forward as he continued to speak. "I promise, I will find a way to help you and prevent all this from happening. Then you can be free of your destiny." He had gotten to standing just in front of me. I looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. All that kept going through my head was don't, don't do it Robin, there's too much at stake right. Doing this is going to put a giant bull's eye on your back. I felt a hand under my chin as Robin lifted my head up so he could look in my eyes.

"I told you before Raven. The titans are here for you. I am here for you. Raven don't you see, I l…" I could feel the emotions loud and clear from Robin.

"Stop! I yelled as black energy threw Robin back from me. Do not say those words Robin! Never say those words to me, ever. Now go, leave me room NOW! I need to meditate and you promised you'd leave if I had to meditate." The last words came out quietly. I tried to calm down all the emotions raging with in me. Robin needed to get out of there now.

"Alright Raven. A promise is a promise. I'll leave. But one day, we will finish this conversation." With a solemn look Robin opened my door and disappeared. I was sure at that very moment, in my mind, Happy had started crying and Anger had started laughing, never to silence.

Robin P.O.V

I tried and she denied me…sort of. I was walking slowly toward the roof to get some fresh air, clear my head. I mulled over all the information that I had obtained from Raven, what was told directly and what was told indirectly. This fight was defiantly going to be the worst the Titans had ever face, by far. If Slade was only a minion in all this, this was going to be bad, very bad.

Despite all that, there was one thought that kept passing through my head. When I had touched Raven in her room, I had felt something through our link. It was only for a second but I did feel it. It was joy and at this moment, that was all I needed. For what felt like the millionth time today my musing was disrupted by my communicator and of course it was Cyborg.

"Robin. I need you on the roof pronto. We might have a situation." Having been going there already I was up on the roof in a matter of seconds. The sight in front of me worried me. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all stood battle ready. Standing on the edge of the building, staring off toward the horizon was SoulBurn. Noticing my arrival, Cyborg turned to me.

"Glad you're hear. I didn't bother calling Raven. She has enough on her plate already. Our friend over there decided it would be funny to teleport himself up here without telling anyone. I managed to pick him up on the security system and rushed up here. It seems he would like to talk to you about something."

"Did he say what it was about?"

"No, said he would only address his "concerns" to you." Great this day keeps getting better and better. The second this is over, I am so going to sleep for a week, of course I could be a soulless shell in about 2 minutes but hey, who lives forever.

"Alright, everyone take a few steps back. I'm going in." I slowly approached the still figure of SoulBurn. I noticed for the first time that he was tall, well taller than me at least, maybe about 5'10. Also he seemed to have a reasonable build, broad shoulders but still seemed rather slender. "So you wanted to talk to me then, well here I am." He began speaking but never once did he turn around.

"Once again I must apologize for earlier. I do not know why I reacted that way toward your beloved. I believe it was because of the darkness I felt in her that reminded me so much of Slade. It won't happen again. I wanted to speak to you because I wish to know your intentions. Are you planning on fighting against Slade, fighting against the approaching darkness?" Yes was my only response.

"Are you willing to give everything you are and ever will be to stop what is to come?" Yes was my only response again. "If that is the case, then I wish to join you in battle. I have…I have much to atone for. There is much innocent blood on my hands, though it was not my choice, something inside me compels me to make amends for everything I've done. I do not know myself at all, but I know there is much guilt in my heart for not being strong enough to resist what I was made to do. If you will allow it, I am at your disposal."

With that he finally turned around. I processed the words he had spoken to me as I looked into his eyes. Within them I could see so much pain, a haunted look that would not leave, probably ever. In moments like this I usually went with my instincts, and my instincts told me we would need all the help we could get for this fight.

"I will allow you to join us SoulBurn. I will allow you your chance to ease your pain. You can stay with us here at the tower. I am still going to keep an eye on you though and I don't want you leaving this tower under any circumstances. Also, I want to know fully what you are capable of but that will wait until tomorrow. His eyes never left me the entire time I spoke.

"Agreed." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. There was also one more thing that was still bugging me.

"When you first addressed me up here, you apologized for reacting toward my "beloved". What did you mean by that?" A small smile adorned his face as he began to speak.

"When she came to see you while you were talking to me in the infirmary, I knew what she was to you. The moment you laid eyes on her I could see your soul brighten a million times. It is rather obvious."

"If its not too much trouble, could you keep that information to yourself. It's not something I'm entirely comfortable with people knowing."

"Agreed. Now if it is not too much trouble, I would like to go back to sleep in the infirmary." I nodded my head in approval and in a flash of pale blue, he was gone. I turned around to walk back inside only to be greeted by three very large smiles.

"Next person who say anything to me about my feelings has combat training with me at 6 tomorrow morning. There smiles were instantly gone. "God, does everybody know. Next thing you know I'm going to be getting a call from Mad Mod wondering when the wedding is going to be." The laughter of my friends was music to my ears. No matter what, there was always something to fight for in this world.