1
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Teen Titans so don't even try suing me for the minuscule property I have.
Ch. 14: Seals of the Gate
Raven P.O.V:
I found that I felt slightly better since allowing SoulBurn to assist me in my research. Stacks of formerly unreadable books now were dwindling down to almost nothing. It seemed SoulBurn was very serious about finding an answer quickly and attacked the task of researching with quite a bit of enthusiasm. In two days he had made it through almost as many books as I had since learning the information from Malchior.
Every few hours I would go to his room with a few new books I thought would be of the most importance. He would greet me with a small smile and a wave of his hand to enter. The guest room still looked like no one was living there but that was expected as SoulBurn had nothing of his own to clutter up the space. The only things he had were some hygiene supplies and some spare clothes provided to him by Robin. SoulBurn chose to dress in the clothes of a civilian. Black shoes, black shirts, and jeans were what seemed to be his choice. If not for his hair and eyes, he would be completely lost in a crowd of everyday people.
Once inside his room, he would proceed to update me on his current findings toward the prophecy. He had discovered small bits of information but nothing solid as to when the day of the prophecy was. All his finding seemed to come back to phrases like ocean's of fire and darkened sun but it was all vague. I saw that it was frustrating for him to come up empty handed time and time again. He would not show it on his face, but I could see him clench his hands into fists sometimes when he would talk about missing information. Frustration was definitely one of the few feelings I could truly relate too. Today when I went to see him, I was surprised to find the door open up before I even had a chance to knock. SoulBurn stood in front of me gazing down at my smaller figure with a small smile.
"You're late Raven. I finished the last book you gave me an hour ago and have been waiting for you ever since. I was almost tempted to go to your room and get the books myself." I glared coldly at him at his last comment.
"You know you are never to go to my room SoulBurn. I did make that explicitly clear when we first talked did I not."
"Yes you did Raven but sadly patience is a virtue I don't seem to have."
"Yes but if you go into my room, patience will only be one of many things that you won't have, ever again." The words definitely sounded threatening though SoulBurn's reaction was only to smile a little more.
"You really are quite the jokester Raven. Starfire did say you had an interesting sense of humor and I can definitely see it. Please come in so I can inform you of my most recent findings." As I followed him into his room, my curiosity got the better of me.
"What else did Starfire say about me." I couldn't help but ask. I wanted to know exactly what Starfire felt was important enough to tell SoulBurn about me. SoulBurn let out a soft chuckle.
"Nothing really. She said you were her bestest friend who is a girl in the whole universe and that you were very quiet and smart. You love reading and tea and dislike unnecessary conversations which is strange because you did start this unnecessary conversation did you not." I have him another death glare though he seemed to take no notice.
"She went on to explain some of your adventures including one about where you two switched bodies. She gained a tremendous amount of respect for you after that. Did you know that Raven?" I went to respond but he cut me off.
"But I'm sure we have other things to talk about. I did find something rather interesting that I'm sure you would like to know. Please sit down." I took my normal seat as he sat down on his bed and picked up a book and handed it to me. I could not read the language at all.
"Why are you handing me a book that you know I have no ability to read." He smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. It contains a small passage about the Gate which from what I remember from my time with Slade, is you."
"Yes that is correct. What does it say about the Gate." I remained completely emotionless though I was afraid of what he might say.
"It spoke of 5 things that must be provided after the markings are placed to open the Gate. The first is the sacrifice of the souls of the innocent. I believe that I am responsible for providing that." That haunted look returned to his eyes but was quickly replaced by nothingness. He continued speaking. "The others are rather vague. Blood of purity and darkness alike. The flame of Hell and the Rage of the Light. I don't know what any of those are, but at least we know what our enemies are searching for." I thought over what SoulBurn had told me and then it just clicked.
"Slade. Slade is the flame of Hell. He controls the infernal fires of Hell, provided to him by my father. He will provide that to open the Gate." I think both of us tensed at the sound of his name. It was a name that only brought pain and misery.
"If you don't mind me asking Raven. Why do you hate Slade so much. I know of what he did to Robin and Terra as well as myself, but what about you. The hatred I sense from you seems to stem from something very personal. How did he hurt you?" I let out a soft sigh. There was no harm in telling him.
"The markings. The markings mentioned in the passage have already been placed on me…by Slade. On my last birthday, Slade finally made his return following his disappearance after being defeated by Terra. He had returned specifically for me, at the orders of my father. He easily defeated the Titans. He was far more powerful than any of us could handle. He burned the very markings into my body though you can not see them they are there. It was a very painful experience." SoulBurn only nodded grimly.
"Eventually he cornered me and forced me to have a vision of the future, a future where my Father was free and the world was destroyed. A future where my friends were dead. Eventually I regained control only to have Slade through my beaten, half-naked body off the tower we were on. Robin managed to catch me before I fell. I hate him because he hurt my friends only to get to me. I hate him because he jump-started my destiny. I hate him because he nearly killed Robin." I stopped suddenly shocked by my words. I really just didn't say that to SoulBurn.
With all my extra time away from researching, I had been meditating more and felt like I was in more control. That little slip told me I wasn't and I was angry at myself for allowing it to happen. When I looked up at SoulBurn, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he noticed my slip as well though he did not say anything. In fact, he quickly changed the subject.
"Slade is apparently very good at instilling hate into someone, but anyways, that one passage was all I found so far that was worth mentioning. I think it would be best if I got back to work."
"Yes it would." I motioned to the stack of books I had walked in with. Three heavy tomes of knowledge that might hold the key to our salvation or just more grim reminders that the end was inevitably coming.
"Try these three books, and I'll make sure I bring some more early tomorrow morning. Is that agreeable?" He nodded in quiet understanding. I bid him goodnight and glided out of the room. I needed to meditate again. I wanted to curse out my emotions till I was exhausted but I only could think of how happy I had been when I was caught from my fall and when I looked up, saw the face of Robin smiling down at me.
Night settled on the tower yet again. Most of the occupants had retired into restless sleep, even Raven who reluctantly did after another long session of meditation. However, two members of the tower were still awake. SoulBurn continued to read through the books Raven had given him. The one he currently read seemed to definitely know something of the coming prophecy though it had yet to tell him anything he didn't already know. A loud grumble from his stomach reminded him that he had not eaten today but instead had been locked in his room reading vigorously.
He decided to go get something to eat before continuing his work and in a flash teleported into the kitchen. However, upon appearing in the kitchen, SoulBurn found a very startled shapeshifter who had been only a few feet from where he had appeared. A yelp and a body hitting the floor was Beast Boy's reward for having been there.
"You scared the crap out of me SoulBurn. Can't you just walk into a room like a normal person or are you like Raven and just enjoy causing me to freak out by unexpected appearances. Jeez, I think I just lost 5 years of my life." SoulBurn extended a hand and helped the young changling to his feet. He then noticed what was on the ground next to Beast Boy. There was a bouquet of red flowers. SoulBurn looked between the flowers on the ground and Beast Boy.
"If those are for me I'll have you know I prefer white flowers to red. And also you have no chance in hell." A chuckle escaped from SoulBurn. Beast Boy laughed as well though he sounded incredibly nervous.
"Yeah I like white flowers too… No wait, I mean those aren't for you. There for somebody else." His voice trailed off as he spoke.
"May I ask what you were doing in the kitchen at slightly past midnight with a bouquet of flowers, on what I believe to be is a school night." A look of sorrow formed on Beast Boy's face despite the attempt at keeping the mode light-hearted.
"I wouldn't expect you to know SoulBurn. Cyborg and Starfire knew. I half expected Raven and Robin to forget, but both of their minds have been completely somewhere else lately so it was also expected they'd forget. I don't know how much you know about us from your readings of the files but does the name Terra mean anything to you."
"Yes. Tara Markov also know as Terra. Power over the element of Earth. For a time was the sixth Titan and helped stop many crimes. In the end, turned out to be a spy for Slade and betrayed the Titans. Nearly killed them and conquered Jump City. Eventually turned against Slade and gave her life to stop a volcano from destroying the city. It was believed she had killed Slade. Following death, reinstated as a Titan."
"Yeah that's the simplified version of it. There was so much more to it though. She was our friend. Even Raven trusted her, and when she betrayed us it was almost too much to bear, especially for me. You see, I really liked her. Sometimes I think I even loved her. The night she betrayed us was our first date. We were about to share our first kiss when Slade arrived. It was all downhill after that. You see, these flowers are for her. Today is the one year anniversary of Terra's death. I am going to go visit her grave and pay my respects. Maybe even try to talk to her some. Ever since Slade returned, I really haven't been able to make it out there as much as I would have liked. I wanted to get there as soon as the day started so that's why I'm down here at midnight. I know its kinda weird but I just, ya know."
"No need to explain your actions Beast Boy. Your just following your heart and that never needs explaining." SoulBurn gave Beast Boy a small smile to try and ease the depressed form of Beast Boy. The green shapeshifter did return the smile but it was a very empty smile.
"However, there is one thing I would like to ask. Why did you all forgive Terra so easily for what she did. She tried to kill you all and destroy the city. What made it so easy to forgive?"
Even Beast Boy was not so stupid to not understand the purpose of SoulBurn's question. Knowing what he knew about the mysterious young man, he knew the question was meant for more than just explaining about Terra. It was about trying to find an understanding of what he had done and find forgiveness in himself.
"First off had Terra really wanted us dead we would be dead. She could have easily killed us all, but we all survived. She could have never destroyed us. We forgave her because at the end of everything, we say Terra for what she truly was. She wasn't some sadistic megalomaniac bent on world domination. She was a scared little girl who was afraid that her powers would destroy those around her. She had been alone for so very long that when Slade offered her control she couldn't say no. She didn't want control for power, she wanted control so she didn't have to run anymore. She wanted control so she could have a life that wasn't only the barren wasteland of the desert."
"I knew Terra better than anyone of the Titans. She was never a monster though she believed herself to be one when she didn't have control. She was a good person deep down and when she defeated Slade and gave her life to save everything, she finally showed that to everyone, including herself. She was forgiven because despite everything, she chose to die a hero rather than live as a villian" A few small tears had managed to escape from Beast Boy's eyes during his speech. SoulBurn's eyes were slightly glossed over though he showed no other indication that the touching words had even been spoken.
"Beast Boy. It is not safe to being going out at this time with the threats that are out there…" Beast Boy cut him off and responded with anger.
"There is no way you or anyone is stopping me from going to see Terra tonight and…"
"You did not let me finish Beast Boy. I was going to say that it is not safe to go alone. I would like to go with you. I would also like to pay my respects to Terra. If you'll allow me that is." Beast Boy smiled a goofy grin.
"Sure you can come man. I think Terra would have enjoyed meeting you and since ya never know when the worlds going to fall apart, this could be the only chance you get to meet her. We'll be walking there so I hope you're up for that. It will also give me a chance to tell you some really funny stories about Terra and me. You'll be rolling on the ground laughing after I tell you these."
Beast Boy picked up the flowers and the two figures began walking toward their destination. One talking rapidly while laughing and the other simply listening with a smile on his face. Unknown to SoulBurn as he followed Beast Boy out the door was the fact that on the very next page of the book he had been reading was something very important to the prophecy. As with all the other clues, the words were cryptic, but he would have understood enough. Had he read that particular passage, things might have gone differently that night. Had he read about the stone maiden, his decisions would have been different. However, that was not to be the case. Certain decisions were made and a path to oblivion had been set, just exactly as how Lucifer had seen it to be so very long ago.
