Finally finished this chapter. I was occupied with a ton of programming projects lately so I didn't have much time to write, and school wasn't helping me too much either. ;) Anyways, thanks to all my reviewers, enjoy!

D-I-WaRrIa: Yeah, that was kinda evil, but I needed to move the plot along, sorry. xD Anyways, remember that idea you suggested to me when you reviewed an earlier chapter? Well, I finally was able to implement it into the story! :D Thanks for reviewing, and for that idea. ;)

legato 626: I have some plans for the king, but that's later on. ;) Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

Hyper Chick: Thanks! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

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Chapter 13: The Dream

King Smilax and Karthor put on sorrowful faces after hearing the Titans shout out in disbelief.

Cyborg piped up, voicing his concern, "But we have to return home! I mean, Firesprite could be running amok right now destroying Jump City!" All of the Titans suddenly realized that Lord Firesprite was still back on Earth and in possession of the Illusion Stone.

"Are you serious dude?" Beastboy questioned with slight hope, "Is there any other way to get us back right now?"

Karthor shook his head sadly, "No, there is no way we can immediately return you home."

Robin sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "So all the work we did to save Jump City from Firesprite was useless..."

"Karthor did mention that it is impossible to return you to Earth at this moment," King Smilax said, "but there is one way, and it is very difficult."

"And what would that be?" Robin interrogated with renewed faith.

King Smilax put on one of his trademark grins, "Allow me to explain." Everyone paid close attention as the king started to talk. "Remember those barriers in the seven temples? Well, once they are broken and we gain access into the pyramid, there is a portal inside that leads directly to Lord Firesprite's base back on Earth."

"You see," Karthor now spoke, "after Lord Firesprite conquered Serenia and changed it to the World of Darkness, he linked Earth and this planet through a portal. And that portal is concealed inside the pyramid. So in other words, your planet and our planet are connected."

"So this is why you asked for our help to break the barriers and free the life power, right?" Terra asked Karthor.

The elder happily nodded, "That's exactly why! So you see, this will benefit both sides."

The Titans understood Karthor's logic. Destroying the barriers and freeing the long lost energy back into the World of Darkness would restore the planet to its former glory. In turn, the Titans would be able to safely return back to Jump City without any problems.

Raven still looked slightly concerned, "Sounds good, but I'm still worried about Jump City right now. Firesprite probably leveled the place completely." A bottle of juice that stood on the table burst with dark energy, signaling Raven's hatred towards Lord Firesprite. Cyborg placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to calm Raven down.

"Um, there is another piece of information that we conveniently forgot to mention, "Karthor said innocently.

"Well, it can't be any worse than not being able to stop Firesprite anytime soon," Cyborg stated with a grin.

King Smilax decided to take it from here, "It could be," the king went on, "What you must understand is that time flows differently here than it does on Earth. For every hour you spend here, a day has passed on Earth. So by now, I can estimate that about, uh, thirty to forty days have passed on Earth." The king looked a little depressed at that thought.

"Oh that's just great; more pressure..." Robin growled.

Starfire tried to comfort a very ticked off Boy Wonder, "Don't worry Robin, we shall save our home just like we always did!" Robin couldn't help but smile at Starfire's glowing face.

"Thanks Star, I guess I'm just overreacting again," Robin said, giving Starfire a quick embrace.

"So anyway, when do we start going after these barrier things?" Terra asked, thinking about the adventure they were about to depart on.

King Smilax and Karthor smiled. "Anytime you want," the king enunciated with energy, " but I recommend departing tomorrow considering the amount of time that passes back on Earth."

"Alright then, sounds good to us!" Robin proclaimed, the Titans agreeing.

Karthor clapped. "Excellent! Feel free to spend the rest of your day enjoying yourselves," the elder proclaimed, "Tomorrow we will prepare." With that, the Titans concluded their conversations and went their separate ways in pairs.

The king simply stood there smiling like he always did. "Looks like everything's turning out great!"

"Yes, looks that way exactly," Karthor added with glee, watching the Titans leave through the massive dining hall doors.

"You couldn't be more correct," the king went on, "I bet Acr... I mean, the people are going to be very happy after this curse is lifted.." Small beads of sweat were visible on the king's forehead. Karthor gave him a weird look, but shook it off.

"Anyway," Karthor spoke as though he didn't notice the king's suspicious behavior, "we have to get some supplies for them ready by tomorrow morning. Come now."

Karthor proceeded up a nearby staircase. "Yeah... let's do that..." King Smilax muttered to himself, relaxing a bit and promptly following the elder.

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(Elsewhere in Emporia)

"Aww come on BB! Let's just have a look over there!" Terra was dragging an unwilling Beastboy around town to every store possible. Though they had no money, Terra apparently found it necessary to see what people here were selling.

Beastboy put on a gloomy face. "But why are you doing this? We can't afford anything anyway!" The changling protested.

Terra insisted, "Today's our only day to relax and then we have to go away again breaking those barriers."

Beastboy reluctantly agreed, seeing the irresistible face Terra put on. "Pff, you call this relaxing?" The blonde simply rolled her eyes and continued browsing each shop.

Eventually, after many more visits to random shops scattered all over the large town, dusk was beginning to fall. Terra finally gave in and decided to call it a day much to Beastboy's happiness.

"See, now wasn't that fun?" Terra asked the shape shifter, walking down the same street that they originally followed to reach the castle. Beastboy just emitted a groan of complaint, dragging his feet as he forced himself to walk, clearly exhausted. "Hey, wait up a second. Look at this." The blond pointed to an official poster that hung apparently from a police building. Both Titans took a closer look to inspect it.

Beastboy finally came to his senses as he saw the person depicted in the monochromatic photo that was covering most of this poster. "You know, I could have swore that I've seen this dude somewhere before." The shape shifter said. Terra agreed.

"Actually, he does kinda look like..." the blond started.

"Firesprite!" Beastboy finished. True, the man shown in the picture looked identical to Lord Firesprite, with a few minor differences. Since there was no color, the Titans couldn't be sure, but the man did possess many of the same physical traits as Lord Firesprite. The details weren't clear from this aged picture, but indeed the body of this man looked similar.

"You know, it could be just one big coincidence..." Terra pointed out.

Beastboy shrugged it off, "Yeah it could, but then again it probably isn't. Whatever, that Firesprite dude is far away from here, and I think we should get back; it's getting pitch black out here again." The shape shifter and Terra started once again for the castle, but they did not notice that they were being watched.

A pair of dangerous, blood red eyes shone from the nearby alley, covered in the shadows. The figure cloaked by the black velvet night didn't utter a word, but its eyes just followed the two Titans until they were out of view.

The figure finally muttered to himself, "We'll just see soon enough..."

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(Back at the castle)

Robin and Starfire just returned from their exploration of the town. Like Terra, Starfire also forced Robin into examining every store, but not as often though.

"I really enjoyed venturing though the many stores, it reminds me of the mall of shopping back on Earth," Starfire said with a chirp.

Robin smiled, though he was tired, "Glad you enjoyed yourself, but please let's not do that again." The Tamaranian princess giggled and embraced the Boy Wonder, who returned it with pleasure.

"I am sorry if I bored you," Starfire spoke with a hint of sarcasm. Chuckling, Robin leaned over and planted a small kiss on Starfire's cheek. This made both Titans just stand there and blush like mad.

"It's no problem, Star!" Robin finally replied after snapping back to reality. Starfire grinned and rested her head on Robin's shoulder as the two proceeded walking about the castle with no particular destination in mind. "Hey Star, do you remember when dinner is served?" the Boy Wonder asked, caressing Starfire's hand as he held it.

The Tamaranian thought for a moment, "I believe we still have an hour." Robin nodded and softly stroked her hair. They drifted through random hallways, not really knowing, nor caring, where they led, but simply enjoying each other's presence. After awhile, it was almost time to return to the dining hall where this evening's dinner was to be served.

The two passed a wooden door that was slightly ajar, stopping abruptly when they heard King Smilax's voice. He was conversing in a rather serious tone, almost as though he was afraid.

Starfire nudged Robin, "Um, Robin? I don't believe we should be eavesdropping on friend King Smilax's conversation."

Robin shook himself mentally, "Yeah I guess. I just have a strange feeling that he's up to something, probably because I'm just damn tired." The two start walking again but came to a halt after hearing an unfortunately familiar second voice.

"I mean it Smilax; don't you even dream of messing this up. If you do, then you will suffer the consequences, double time," the second voice replied, almost threating, "Now get out of my face before I slice you into pieces!"

Robin and Starfire took that as their cue to leave before King Smilax would appear in the hallway. They immediately continued down the hall, passing a large portrait of the king himself. As they passed, the eyes of the king in the portrait lit up in an eerie, neon red glow, watching the two Titans.

A low, hoarse voice was emitted from the portrait, "You better run; just like all the others..." Its eyes then returned to their original selves.

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(Up in one of the castle's towers)

"Azerath metrion zinthos... azerath metrion zinthos..." Raven was calmly meditating at the top of one of the castle's tallest turrets, looking over at the magnificent view it provided through the window. The setting sun behind the large mountains far away, the same that Beastboy and Terra were on, transformed the sky into a barrage of splendid reds, oranges, and purples, as well as casting a dim, golden light across the landscape.

"Hey Rae?" Cyborg walked into the circular tower through a door behind Raven.

The dark sorceress flinched, annoyed that he had disturbed her daily meditation. "What is it?"

"I just came to tell ya that dinner is gonna be done soon." the robotic teen said, "Wanna come?" Cyborg smiled innocently.

Raven thought for a moment, "Maybe. I'm almost finished for today anyway." And with that, the dark witch continued meditating, chanting the same phrase over and over again. Cyborg decided to wait and looked out the window at the magnificent view it provided. After a short time, Raven appeared to stop meditating.

"Alright, enough for now." Raven spoke in her monotone voice. "Are you coming or what? Cyborg? Hello... Cyborg?" She snapped her fingers a few times, making Cyborg spring awake as he seemed to have dozed off.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." Cyborg said, slightly embarrassed. Raven chuckled ever so slightly and the two of them proceeded through the door. Just as they closed the old wooden door, a figure materialized in the tower.

"A sorceress and a metal man... this is going to be way too easy..." The figure softly laughed, staring at the closed door that Cyborg and Raven exited just a few seconds a go. Turning around and facing the window, the figure's red eyes stared out across the landscape. "I'm beginning to think that this task will be finished sooner than your think, my brother..." With that, the figure glowed briefly in purple energy and vanished.

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(Somewhere in the castle)

Cyborg and Raven were walking through the many elegant hallways in silence.

"So uh Rae... have you been in there meditating all day long?" Cyborg questioned, trying to break the silence.

Raven just looked straight ahead, "Yup. Why are you asking? I do this everyday at Titans Tower."

The metallic teen shrugged, not really sure. "Uh, well I know that, but you never meditate all day! I'm just worried about you..." Cyborg trailed off.

The dark sorceress glanced at Cyborg, a tiny smile on her lips. "Don't worry, I'm fine." Though her voice seemed uncaring, Raven actually acknowledged Cyborg's hospitality. "Well anyway, there's the dining hall." The two Titans entered the massive hall for the second time that day, taking a seat next to each other on one of the now silver cloth covered tables.

Not much longer, Robin and Starfire walked through the main entrance, heading to where Cyborg and Raven were seated. "Hey Cyborg, hey Raven," Robin greeted, "Anything interesting?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Nah, I was in my room trying to get a signal back to our tower. No luck, I can't even get in contact with anyone back there."

"Friend Raven," Starfire started, "You must come with me next time Robin and I go to town! It is simply splendid!"

Raven wasn't interested. "No thanks, I have to meditate anyway." The dark witch went back to drinking her warm mug of herbal tea she picked up from the partially full buffet tables. Starfire was slightly disappointed but bounced back with a smile. Just then, both Beastboy and Terra appeared at the same doors that Robin and Starfire walked through just a few minutes ago. Finding the rest of the team already assembled, the two rushed over to them.

"Oh hey Beastboy and Terra!" Robin welcomed them as they both sat down.

"Hey guys. BB and I had a great time!" Terra commented, scooting closer to the shape shifter as he put an arm around her.

Dinner was still ten minutes away, so the Titans engaged in conversation. Robin was eager to reveal what he and Starfire discovered when King Smilax was talking with some unknown person earlier this day.

"I swear that's the last time I'm ever eating another one of Starfire's food." Cyborg was retelling the Titans about his past experiences with the various Tamaranian foods Starfire cooked.

Starfire countered, "But you even said it tasted wonderfully at first!" Everyone was amused, except Robin who still couldn't stop suspecting the king.

"Uh, Titans?" Robin interjected, getting everyone's attention, "Ok, this is kinda serious, so try to listen." Sensing the Boy Wonder had something important to say, the team quieted down and listened. "Earlier today, Starfire and I were walking around the castle and we kinda overheard King Smilax talking to someone who sounded a lot like Firesprite."

"Uh dude, Firesprite is all the way back on Earth," Beastboy interrupted.

"Yeah, I know that," Robin replied, "but I'm not saying that it was Firesprite."

Raven stopped drinking her tea for a moment. "Why were you even spying on him in the first place?"

Robin was stumped. "I don't know. It's just that from the moment I met him, I sensed that there was something going on."

"Ok, so the guy is weird, but what the hell would make ya think that he is trying to kill us or something? I mean, he's just being friendly..." Cyborg countered.

The Boy Wonder was starting to get frustrated from the lack of support. "Well whatever, but that still doesn't explain why the king was talking like he was scared to that other guy."

"Can we talk about this later? Look, the food's out already." Terra said, trying to calm the tensions and looking over at the newly prepared food placed on the buffet tables.

"Sigh, I guess I just need to get some sleep," Robin said, giving up at trying to persuade the others and going over to the buffet tables lined with various dishes.

"Man, what's gotta into 'em?" Cyborg muttered to Beastboy as they too joined Robin. The shape shifter just shrugged.

Dinner was eaten mostly in silence with the exception of a few side conversations. Robin didn't want to bring up King Smilax again so he resorted to chatting with Starfire. After the Titans had their share of food, they all went off to their own rooms to hopefully get some sleep before starting for the first temple tomorrow morning.

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(Robin's castle room)

'I know that King Smilax was being friendly, but why won't they just trust me? Whatever, we'll deal with it after breaking the curse...' The Boy Wonder thought as he climbed into bed. He pulled his sheets securely over and promptly drifted off to sleep, not bothering to extinguish the lit candle on his bedside table.

(A/N: Thanks to D-I-WaRrIa for suggesting the idea of the following! :D)

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'Where, where am I?' Robin thought. He was walking through a hallway, but it wasn't in the castle, or at least he thought so. Instead of the common gray stonewalls that defined every hallway in King Smilax's castle, the walls of the hallways here were made of some smooth, goldenrod stone. Small wall torches faintly lit the way as the Boy Wonder progressed, not sure of where he was going or where he even was. After another minute of walking, the hallway opened up to an indescribably gigantic room. It must have been at least five times bigger than King Smilax's throne room!

This room was circular and had a high dome ceiling. Everything was gleaming gold, helped by a few light green statues holding flaming torches that let off a soothing, crackling sound as they burned next to the walls. In the center, there was a huge hole, and Robin slowly crept over to examine it. Rectangular pillars lined the edge of the hole, spaced about twenty feet apart from each other.

Peering down, Robin noticed that a blinding aurora was being emitted from where ever this hole led to. A faint beam of yellow light was streaming upward from the hole and ending at the top of the dome ceiling. Robin wondered what purpose this place served, but was answered by approaching footsteps from the same hallway as he came in. He quickly hid behind one of the many porcelain statues, not sure if these people were foes or friends.

Three men came into the room, one was tall and apparently muscular. The second looked familiar, as he was rather on the tall side and made heavy, metallic thumping sounds as he walked. Finally, the third man was of average height and appeared to be holding someone as he followed the other men to the edge of the hole.

As they came into light, Robin could easily make out their details. The first tall man was wearing what appeared to be heavy armor. His large, adamant body armor was colored a very soft forest green. His leg armor contained sharp spikes at various points and also possessed the same color as his body armor. His boots were black and he wore thick, brown gloves. In addition, he was wearing a greenish helmet that covered his entire head with thin spikes going down the center. Robin failed to see his face since this man's back was to Robin.

The second figure Robin easily identified as no one other than Breaker, nothing different about him. But what really shocked Robin was that the third man appeared to be... King Smilax! He wore the same outfit as when he first met the Titans; golden armor protecting his entire body. He was indeed holding someone, but Robin couldn't figure out who.

"You have done well, Smilax." The first figure spoke as he looked down the hole, pulling out a long, sharp sword from his side. The sound of it being unsheathed echoed off the walls of the room, creating a tense atmosphere.

"It was my pleasure," King Smilax spoke almost overjoyed, "Now what shall I do with her?" The king pointed to the female person he was holding.

Breaker spoke up, "Kill her; she is useless. And it will cause the Titans much pain to see a friend die."

"Shall I, Acrimon?" King Smilax turned and faced the first man seeking permission, who apparently must be called Acrimon.

Robin whispered to himself as he watched the events unfold before him, 'Could that be the person the king was talking to?'

Acrimon turned just slightly to face King Smilax. "By all means get rid of her. Here, throw her down the hole. She will be painfully disintegrated upon reaching the bottom."

King Smilax nodded and held the girl up by her throat over the pit. She started to scream, and Robin immediately recognized her to be Starfire. "Farewell..." King Smilax let go of his grip on Starfire's throat, and she began to fall, screaming.

"Starfire!" Robin hollered as he stood up from his hiding place, extending his hand as to tell King Smilax not to drop the Tamaranian princess, but it was too late.

"What the..." Acrimon nimbly turned around and fired a dark purple spell without a second thought directly at Robin.

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"Ahhh!" Robin snapped awake and sat up from the horror, breathing heavily. He took a moment to relax, his breath slowing down. 'Oh man... It was just a nightmare, probably just too much food.' Robin thought, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead.

Indeed it was a nightmare, but it felt almost real. He actually felt a slight pain as the spell fired by that guy, Acrimon was his name, collided and woke him up. Robin started to worry about Starfire, but reassured himself that he'd visit her first thing in the morning. As for now, the Boy Wonder tried to fall back asleep, almost unsuccessfully.

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Sorry for the long wait once again, hope that chapter made up for it. ;) Please review if you have some time! :D