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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. 15: A Noble Mistake
It was quiet in Jump City this night. The sky was clear, the stars were clearly visible above, and a gentle breeze moved through the city. It was a beautiful night in a city which suffered from constant threat by Supervillians and maniacs. The only sound around the city were the high voice of a young shapeshifter as he told stories about his beloved Earth-mover. The atmosphere was serene and lighthearted. It was such a change from the atmosphere that had plagued Titans Tower for a few weeks now. It almost seemed like things would finally turn around for the young group of heroes. However, unknown to them, things were going exactly as planned from the very beginning. SoulBurn was fated to walk into Terra's cave that night, whether it was by his choice or forced by another. This was as it was meant to be and somewhere near the city, hidden in darkness, a dark laugh echoed throughout the night.
"I wish you would have seen it SoulBurn. Robin's hair was pink for a week. It was hilarious. Even Raven laughed. Starfire wouldn't leave him alone for a second. She couldn't get enough of it. Man was Robin mad at me and Terra, but it was so worth it." Beast Boy stopped talking suddenly as they came to the entrance to Terra's final resting place. He stopped at the entrance as SoulBurn stayed a few feet behind me.
"Well here it is SoulBurn. Its time to meet one of the best people I've ever known."
"I'm glad Beast Boy. Please lead the way." Beast Boy nodded quietly as the two began walking into the tomb. The entire area was nothing but solidified lava, the last remnants of that terrible battle. Standing in the center was a stone statue. The final resting place of the sixth Titan Terra. Her arms were outstretched and mouth was open, set in a final act of desperation to save the city and her friends. She had succeeded, at the cost of her life. Beast Boy approached her while SoulBurn hung back giving Beast Boy his time.
It was simple but heart wrenching as Beast Boy laid the flowers down at her feet and began talking to her as if she really was there. His words were quiet and simple yet held unbelievable amounts of feeling. This went on for a few minutes though SoulBurn had not been listening to any of what Beast Boy said. He simply stood there, gazing upon the form of the stone maiden seeing something only he could see. It had only taken him a few moments to realize something very important once seeing Terra. Terra was not dead though she was trapped in stone. He could see a brightness coming from the statue, a burning light that cut through the darkness.
However, it wasn't until after several minutes that he began hearing it. A quiet yet sad voice of a young girl echoing throughout the entire place. It kept saying the same thing over and over again.
"I'm so sorry Beast Boy. I'm so sorry Titans. This is my punishment and I accept it. I will remain in stone forever." The voice was almost too painful to listen to. Such sadness, such sorrow. It kept getting louder and louder, nearly deafening. SoulBurn began clutching his head as it felt like his mind would explode. SoulBurn was only pulled away from the voice by a slight pat on the back and Beast Boy's words.
"And this Terra is our new friend SoulBurn. He's only been with us for a few weeks, and I don't know a lot about him, but he did want to meet you after I told him how great you are. He was hurt by Slade just like you. He is going to help us save Raven and the world. So without further adieu, SoulBurn, I would like you to meet our favorite blond Earth-angel Terra." SoulBurn did not say anything right way, only stood there with his mouth slightly open.
"Uhm hello Terra. It is nice to meet you." SoulBurn was cut off by the voice only he could hear.
"Hello. Who's there? Why can I hear you? I shouldn't hear you."
"Calm down Terra. I am only a friend of the Titans. You can hear me because of my powers. You can hear me because I am speaking directly into your essence which continues to linger within the stone body you have chosen to lock yourself away in."
"A friend of the Titans. I used to be a friend of the Titans until I hurt them so much. Why did I let Slade use me. I'm so very sorry." The sounds of gentle sobbing replaced the words. SoulBurn was suddenly pulled from the conversation by the grip of Beast Boy on his arm.
"SoulBurn! SoulBurn! Hey man, are you okay? Your eyes started glowing blue and you completely zoned out of me. You started saying some weird things to Terra. It was kinda giving me the creeps." SoulBurn simply turned a gazed down at the smaller form of Beast Boy, eyes continuing to brighten the dim cavern.
"Beast Boy. I need you listen carefully. I need you to trust me right now. Please just stay back and let what is happening happen. I have to help Terra. She can be saved" Beast Boy was confused by SoulBurn's words.
"Terra is…she's dead SoulBurn. She can't be saved!" His voice was strained.
"Please just trust me Beast Boy. She has a chance, if you only trust me."
"If you can help her, please do it." SoulBurn turned around toward Terra and began walking forward. He started speaking directly to the statue.
"Terra. The Titans know that you are sorry. They have forgiven you for what you've done. There is no need to stay locked in stone. Come back to the Titans. They need you." Terra's voice rang out though only he could hear it.
"No! They would never forgive me. They would never need me. They are happy that I am gone. Please stop with your lies." The voice faded with the last words.
"Listen! I am not lying, but if you won't believe me then understand this. You keep saying you are sorry for your actions and that staying locked in stone is your punishment. That is the cowards way out. If you truly want redemption then face the reality of this world. The Titans are in trouble and so is this entire world. Everything you gave to save this city will soon mean absolutely shit because there will be nothing less when this is all over. You have a chance to prove on a far grander scale that you are truly sorry for everything you've done. This world truly needs you."
"Beast Boy…I hurt him the most. No matter what I can do I can never redeem myself in his eyes."
"You really are stupid Terra, you know that. Who do you think is standing behind me right now. Who do you think was the first to come visit you on the 1 year anniversary of your supposed death. Who do you think brought you flowers and told you how much he missed you. He might need you the most of anyone Terra. Now stop with the damn excuses." SoulBurn placed his hands on to both of Terra's outstretched arm. "If you truly wish to find redemption, let me help you. I need you to want to be free"
"I…I will try. For Beast Boy. For the world." Beast Boy watched in awe as blue energy came from SoulBurn's hands. It flowed into Terra. After a few moments, the statue began glowing yellow. There was a bright flash of bright blue and yellow which forced Beast Boy to close his eyes. It took him a second to regain focus and was speechless at what he saw. There knelt SoulBurn with Terra cradled in his arms. She was still in your tattered apprentice uniform but she was indeed flesh and bone. The only sound in the cavern seemed to be her steady breathing. Finally gaining control of himself, Beast Boy ran forward toward the two. He dropped down beside SoulBurn and stared at a face he thought he would never see again.
"Terra." He brushed his hand across her cheek. He needed to feel her, needed to make sure she was real. Tears started falling from his eyes. "You're finally back. Thank you."
"Beast Boy. I need you to get her to the infirmary back at the tower now. I'm too drained to move right now and she may need help. Can you do this?" Beast Boy immediately responded.
"Yes. I won't let anything bad happen to her ever again." He picked up the unconscious girl and began walking away. "I'll morph into a pterodactyl when I get outside and carry her home. I'll see you when you get back." SoulBurn slumped to the ground as soon as Beast Boy had made it outside. In the dark of the cavern, Beast Boy had not noticed the blood beginning to pool at SoulBurn's feet. SoulBurn lifted up his shirt and saw a deep, bleeding gash across his chest, a result of once again using his powers too much. He pressed the shirt to his chest and managed to stand up. He needed to get back to the Tower.
He placed all his energy into one final burst and in a flash was gone from the cave. He was supposed to end up in the infirmary but due to his lack of concentration he instead ended up in his room. His lack of energy caused him to fall over upon his arrival. He felt like he was losing consciousness but a faint red glow had caught his hazy attention. It was coming from the book he had been reading right before he had gone downstairs to eat and ended up leaving with Beast Boy. The words of the next passage were burning red, almost seemingly coming off the page. SoulBurn felt the words calling to him. He pushed himself up so he could read it. The words were terrible indeed.
The one who shall read this will know he is too late. The Earth maiden shall be freed, given a second chance to live. However ,despite the noble rebirth given to her, destruction shall reign from this act. The Earth shall be enraged at losing the daughter that returned to her. The ground shall crack and the blood of the Earth shall rise up. The Earth's scream shall block out the light. But know that this is only the beginning. The sun shall rise and set two more times on this world. It will not rise a third. The Gate will open and the armies of Hell shall claim the realm of mortals for all eternity.
SoulBurn managed to finish reading the words but just barely. His last terrifying thoughts before finally succumbing to blood loss were 'What have I done.'
Beast Boy finally made it back to the tower and rushed Terra to the infirmary. He laid her down on one of the beds and immediately called Cyborg on his communicator. It took a few moments but eventually the picture of a very grumpy looking Cyborg appeared.
"You better have a very good reason for bothering this late at night grass stain. You know I need to recharge." He was surprised to find Beast Boy at near panic speaking almost too fast to understand.
"Cyborg….help…Terra…infirmary now ….emergency." Cyborg didn't get all of it but he understood enough to know that he was needed in the infirmary. He was out the door not a second later.
It was at about 1:30 in the morning that a slight tremor was felt through out Jump City. It was almost unnoticeable though it was enough to wake up Robin, Raven, and Starfire. They weren't really sure what they had felt but all three believed it might need investigation. Robin was ready to push the alert signal to gather all the Titans when a second tremor hit Jump City. This one was stronger and more violent causing objects to fall down from their shelves. Robin pushed the signal and ran out of his room. He ran down the hall toward the main computer. He arrived and Raven and Starfire were not far behind. No one else seemed to be showing up. Annoyed Robin tried to call Cyborg but received no answer. He tried Beast Boy and had the same result. He checked this link to find out where they were and was shocked to find them in the infirmary.
"Raven! Come with me to the infirmary now. Starfire, go check the guest room. Find out why SoulBurn isn't here. Titan's Go! Expecting no further explanation, the two girls followed their orders. Starfire zoomed toward the guest room and Raven floated after the running Robin, making sure she kept a decent distance behind him.
She felt like something was wrong and her intuition was rewarded with a burning sensation throughout her body. She let out a scream of pain which caught Robin's attention. He turned around to find Raven huddled on the floor. The burning symbols which had been placed by Slade were now clearly visible on the parts of her body that were seen. Another scream rang out from Raven as all the lights in the hallway exploded.
Robin ran up to her and tried to take her into his arms to get her to the infirmary only to find his hands burned by the heat from Raven's body. His gloves were meant to handle extreme conditions yet they burned straight through in only a second. A wave of black energy pushed Robin away from Raven. A third violent scream racked Raven's body as she had almost succeeded in rising to her knees. She collapsed back to the floor, silent and unconscious.
As soon as it had started, the episode ended. The marking disappeared and the intense heat Robin had felt was gone. However, Raven did not move. Robin ran over to her and again tried to pick her up, this time succeeding. It felt nice to hold Raven's tiny body in his arms, but he quickly banished those thoughts and began running toward the infirmary to get Raven help. All that mattered right now was his precious Raven's safety. He would not fail her now. Unknown to Robin at that moment however, was that the people of the world were just starting to feel the wrath of the planet itself. At that moment, fear and pain were not only limited to a single tower by the bay.
