Does anyone have a 'works in progress' folder/ bottomless pit on their computer? I saw this chapter lying in mine and it needed finishing. Let's see if I still have the spark… I do not own Teen Titans in any way, shape, or form. That honor belongs to someone connected to cartoon network and I'm not challenging those people. I seek no profit from this and merely hope to avoid being sued… Please enjoy if possible.
Reverberations of an Exile
By Wordbearer
A blue-cloaked figure knelt shaking under a blazing Arizona sun. She ignored the blistering heat, the grit that clung to her grey flesh, and the wind that whistled mournfully through age-smoothed stone and tangled her enveloping cloak. A flickering sphere of darkness withered into nothing above the frail-seeming youth, its energies scattered to the four winds. Raven ignored everything around her, consumed with her own thoughts. The dark mystic suddenly looked up, dislodging her hood and revealing a heart-shaped face framed by purple hair. Raven's eyes were ablaze with a storm of emotions, emotions she no longer had the stamina or will to repress. She dropped to her knees as a tear trickled down her cheek and a sob forced its way past her unwilling lips. The richly tormented sound hinted at an ocean of grief begging release. Raven pulled her stained cloak about herself as she wept, seeking security from the misery that threatened to bury her alive. Tears flowed in unfamiliar trails while her eyes took in the desolate terrain.
Cruel memories played past her mind's eye as she whispered fervently to herself, "This is what I deserve. Azar is dead because of my weakness. I watched as the one person who dare see me as more than a deadly abomination died at my hands…" Raven stared through her tears at her gloved hands where obsidian blood was beginning to flake off as it dried. The sadness turned to anger and she swallowed tightly. Her black aura flared in all directions, fanned by her surging emotions, tearing at the rock.
A venomous whisper bled past her lips, "Curse you, father. You've banished me from everything I've ever known and left me with nothing." She crumbled inward and rested her forehead on her knees.
"Curse me for being weak enough to let you do it." Raven shuddered, uncaring of the destruction released by her unfiltered emotions.
Raven wallowed in her pain as the sun traversed across the mid-afternoon sky. The sand was blasted away in an irregular circle, leaving her sitting on barren rock amid a pulsing storm of darkness. The horizon was stained pink with the oncoming dusk when Raven paused, certain in the knowledge that she was no longer alone. She reined in her energies, the presence of an Outsider giving her the impetus to curb the coruscating energies. A commanding male voice spoke from behind her, his statement a series of discordant and nonsense vowels. Raven turned her head and glanced at the speaker with a brittle look of cool control on her face.
Passively hovering at the edge of her circle of destruction was an intimidating male figure. Tall and well built, he was clothed in blue and gold. A blue body glove was offset by ornaments of the most glaring shade of metallic gold. He was partially draped in a cape the same color that waved in the cold breeze. Most chilling however, was the helm that covered his features entirely, leaving only a pair of faintly glowing grey eyes to break the smooth facade. He spoke again in a far more stern tone, making Raven's face twist in irritation. She pulled herself to her feet with measured calm. At her lack of verbal response, the figure raised a glowing palm threateningly.
Outwardly ignoring the gesture, she replied calmly, "I don't understand a word you're saying."
This caused the helmed figure to pause. He gestured and Raven felt an enchantment settle around her, her mental wards completely bypassed by the gentle spell. She locked her gaze onto the figure, waiting for the enigmatic being to speak even as she quietly gathered her energy should she be forced to defend herself.
He spoke a third time and this time she understood his speech, "Forgive me, I did not realize that I was dealing with a daemoness who didn't know English. My spell will allow us to converse while we conclude our business. I am Dr. Fate, protector of this sector of the prime material plane and I am curious as to why an Azarathian daemon has entered my protectorate without forward notice." This cavalier statement angered the exhausted half-daemon, but Azar's training kept this from showing.
Fate's tone darkened as he continued, "Tell me your purpose here, or I will send you into the Abyss where your kind were spawned."
Raven kept her answer curt and controlled, "I mean no harm. I merely wish to be left alone in peace."
"I've heard that answer more often than I care to remember from your kind. Most of them proceeded to kill their way through the nearest population center in order to appease their hunger for death and destruction."
Raven boiled inside at this last comment, her aura igniting in a burst of black flame. Pain made her see red as Fate's comment resonated with many of her memories of Tobias and the other guardians who had made her life at the Great Temple a living hell. She would not take this from an unwashed Outsider born in a backwater, dirty little plane so far down on the ethereal spectrum it didn't even rate a full-time deity! Without thinking, Raven hurled a massive rock at the figure's chest. He was knocked to the ground, but arose quickly, none the worse for wear.
Pushing himself to his feet, Dr. Fate intoned, "I'll give you that one shot, daemon. You are unharmed as of yet at my sufferance, but I need answers if I am to let you wander loose." A polychrome aura surrounded his frame with a mere gesture, a burst of power not so much raised as previously masked. Even in her anger the dark mystic could sense the sheer magical brute force at her opponent's command.
The thought brought another consideration to her mind and she whispered to herself, "Why I am I doing this? I can't let my anger control me. I have to control my anger…" With this, she recalled her power and dropped to her knees, eyes downcast in demure submission.
"I apologize for my act of unthinking anger and my failure to acknowledge your station. This is your realm and you have every right to protect what is yours. I am an intruder and my nature is such to inspire suspicion. I submit myself to your will, trusting your fairness and wisdom." The elaborate oath of contrition acted to shore up her discipline and gave Dr. Fate pause, surprise brimming in his grey eyes.
He masked his power once more and tilted his head as he spoke, "You are no normal daemon. A true member of your kind would rather suffer a thousand years of torment than submit to another being. Tell me your name, nature, and purpose, and be prompt about it… If you lie to me or omit some truth you shall be banished before you have the chance to draw breath again." Raven frowned as she considered what she should tell Fate of her tormented history.
Azar's voice spoke in her head as she stared at the ground lost in thought, "Avoiding a situation will not change it. Reality is. You must deal with reality to make it better, child."
She took a shuddering breath before answering in a steely monotone, "My name is Raven of Azarath, a scion of Arella Roth and a daemonlord of the Abyss. I was raised in the Grand Temple of the Phoenix King, but was forced to flee to this plane in order to avoid my… Father's attentions. I merely wish to live free of his influence and hurt no one through inattention or malice." She dropped her mental screens as she spoke, allowing Dr. Fate to feel the truth of her statement if he had the gift to read thoughts.
Fate crossed his arms and intoned, "There is far more to your story than you have divulged to me, but I am inclined to believe your current stance of benevolence. If you promise to deal with me in good faith, I will allow you to remain here as a sanctioned inhabitant of my protectorate." Raven shivered under her cloak, mental and physical exhaustion combining to cut away at her endurance. The sudden act of charity stunned her to her core, for none in Azarath would so readily accept the presence of an Outsider, especially one so tainted as herself.
Mindful of Dr. Fate's waiting presence, she quickly recited a familiar oath, "I shall abide by the law of your realm. I shall abide by the will of its lord. I shall abide by the unspoken will of its sovereign god. I am nothing before the gaze of order and shall conform to its precepts."
Raven didn't notice the way the helmed figure's eyes tightened as she spoke or his whispered curse. "She is so young. What the Azarathians do to their children is inexcusable. No one this young should be so oath bound."
More clearly, he said, "I accept your oath and demand three answers of you before I grant you freedom to wander my realm." Raven's eyes flickered upward, concern bubbling in the depths of her pupils, for she could not lie or conceal the truth in any way if she were to hold true to her oath.
Swallowing nervously she answered, "I am bound to do as you ask."
This was no more than Fate expected as he inquired, "Do you know where you intend to rest this night?"
"No, I don't know this plane or its peoples." Fate's eyes darkened as he thought of the damage this weak-seeming girl could inflict on any ruffians who might think her an easy mark.
"Would you object to the chance of gaining such knowledge in a place of sanctuary for as long as you see the need to stay?" Confusion swirled on her face as she reflected.
Hesitantly Raven answered, "No, I do not."
Fate kneeled and looked her directly in the eye, "Will you accept the hospitality of my house and learn what you will of this world?" The dark mystic's grey-skinned face froze, no more expressive than his own featureless mask. The silence lengthened as the light faded, the sun slipping past the horizon. Dr. Fate could tell nothing of what she was thinking, the eerie passivity of her face fitting for a statue. She blinked and the suddenness of the movement was shocking.
She turned away and whispered, "How can you give sanctuary to one such as myself? I am worse than unworthy…"
Dr.Fate grew angry and grabbed the Raven's chin, forcing her to look at him.
He sternly said, "Whatever you have done can be forgiven; there is no act that will damn you forever in and of itself. Accept my offer of hospitality on the principle that you are far more dangerous in the outside world then you could ever be in my house if you can't accept charity offered for charity's sake." Raven tried to turn away as a black flame engulfed her body. Fate ignored the freezing lash of power and made her look him in the eye, trying to make her understand his earnestness. Anger simmered in the depths of her pupils as the half-daemon's psyche was battered by conflicting storms of shame, anger, and fear. Raven stumbled backwards, tangling her legs in her cloak. Fate followed her with his gaze as she pulled herself together.
"What is your answer? I will not force you to come with me," he repeated, his eyes challenging her to accept his offer. She didn't speak, all her thoughts focused within as she sought to harness the ravening shadow of her power. A cold breeze reminded them both that time was passing and Arizona winters were notoriously cold at night.
Raven spoke, "I'll go with you, but I will not be a risk or a burden to your home longer than a few days. I need only minimal aid to get along on my own in the world." Her voice was filled with an icy pride that trembled at the edge of control, her flesh trembling from the aftereffects of emotional turmoil and physical exhaustion. Dr.Fate accepted the answer for what it was and offered his hand to the sitting girl. Managing to lever herself to her feet with a semblance of dignity, she pulled her cloak tightly about her and looked up at him with a challenging look, angered by the masked figure's blunt approach. Fate shook his head slightly and gestured. A golden light flared on the ground and faded, taking the pair with it. The desert was empty save for the faint stirring of nocturnal life.
Raven and Dr.Fate reappeared in a crowded study, the glare of an anhk-shaped portal blinking out behind them. The room was lined with books and scrolls resting on ornate and oddly carved shelves. A series of lanterns gave a warm yellow light to the room and raised highlights from rich red furniture that was comfortably scattered across the room. Raven scanned the chamber with scant interest, her exhaustion making her numb to the affluence the room extruded. Of more immediate concern was the fact that she felt like dropping where she stood and it would not do to add that to the indignities Fate had witnessed this day. A door opened behind a pair of satin curtains and an ethereal black-haired woman entered, a serious and expectant look in her eye as she made her way over to Dr. Fate. She moved with fluid grace that matched her flowing dress.
The melodic voice rang as she exclaimed, "You're late. I trust that you have another interesting tale to tell me, one that explains why this girl is here?"
"Nothing serious, Inza. Raven is going to be our guest, for reasons that can be explained later, and I believe that it is only polite to offer her a seat at our table. She has had a long and grueling day by all accounts."
Inza rolled her eyes at Fate in a way that shocked Raven as she turned to the blue-clad teen, "We shall talk later, husband, about your habit of inviting guests on the spur of the moment. I trust that this one shall not try to kill us in our sleep… Forgive my rudeness, but he is incorrigible at times. You are welcome." Raven simply nodded and felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. Inza smiled faintly and directed the girl through an open door.
Raven blinked as she entered the dining room, overwhelmed by the array of foods spread out on the table before her. Temple fare was nothing like this seeming cornucopia of food: mashed potatoes, bread, some kind of roast meat, salad, and a bottle of purple fluid that looked suspiciously like the wines Azar had brought out whenever the nobility came visiting on business. Raven fought down the petty little voice that urged her to point out this was not fit fare for a guardian. She reminded herself that she was a guest and that these people were not bound by the same customs of Azarathian spiritual leaders. Raven was zoning out where she stood until a quiet cough got her attention.
Inza asked, "Would you like to sit down? Kent will be joining us shortly and he would not be happy knowing that I kept a hungry, half-asleep guest standing as he changed."
Raven blinked in confusion and asked, "Dr. Fate will not be joining us for dinner?" She was honestly curious, the sacredness of the communal meal an anchor of temple life and the concept of anyone missing it was vaguely alien to her.
A voice very much like Fate's, yet modulated differently chuckled behind the half-daemon. "I apologize for any possible confusion, Raven. Dr. Fate is the name I use in carrying out my duties in the outside world. Here you may refer to me as Kent Nelson." Raven turned around and caught sight of a tall, well built man in his late thirties with blond hair and grey eyes.
She recognized those eyes and whispered, "You are Dr. Fate."
He smiled bemusedly, "It is more complicated than that, but that is a story for another time. I am hungry and I imagine that you are as well."
Inza smirked at the exchange, "For once, you're speaking sense. Our guest is about to fall where she stands if the shaking of her knees is any indication." Too tired to protest any further, Raven went and took a seat in the unfamiliar chair as the pair of adults did the same. She tuned out the gentle babble of conversation and set into the meal, pushing her concerns aside for now.
So. You made it down here. Good, bad, the sequel that didn't need writing? Too wordy and repetitive? If you see fit, leave a review and tell me what you think. I promise the follow up chapter to this will be more prompt, not that that would be very hard… Thank you for your time.
