Teen Titans – New Divides; Universal War – Finale; Chapter 4: A Lesson Learned and Bridges Burned

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So, the title has a duel meaning to this chapter. Broken trust and rekindled bonds would be Bridges burned. That showed with Raku and Aiden, and Dick with his family. They sort of gambled with their fates and when something needed to be addressed, their bonds were inevitably tested.

The "A lesson learned" is you get what you pay for, or wish in this case. Aiden may not have said "I wish" but Ignito is sort of apathetic to the needs of others – he knows what he must do, but won't leak a word out to anyone about his true intentions. Raku is a doorway, nothing more, right? Why is he just as connected then? Is Raku the genius or madness to a Djinn's existence, or it is the other way around? Is Raku the order to Ignito's hidden chaos? Remember; Ignito told Aden that Raku's taint from Mir's poison was countered and that he was infected for a short time by Lilith's cursed remainder of magic. Athena was infected and is now threatening to go to war with the waking world and spirit factions. Raku's trust in Ignito is not genuinely mutual, but of a cautious nature (since Ignito more so embodies Roku than Raku's powers. He's afraid that letting Aiden get to close

Aiden mulled over the words that Ignito had spoken. He was supposed to protect Raku, but that wasn't the truth from the jinn's lips. He'd said that they needed each other. Aiden had hated when Constantine had pointed out his flaws so brutally, and right when Raku had been listening during their session. Was he really in better hands here? Did John have the ability to do what Aiden never could? Break Lilith's curse and the cycle of hurt that the jinn teen had embodied all this time?

He was the Chosen. The hero! He had to have some important role left to play besides just being a side kick….

Was that it? Did Raku…was he jealous now?? Of, John C?!

"No, nooo, way!" Aiden groaned and put his head in his hands, thinking he was losing his grip on reality already. "He's a friend of Dad's, I…I don't want him around Raku…."

~ Is that your wish, young warrior? ~ A snickering Ignito showed up, while Aiden scowled back the spectral image's way. "You did too much. Go away –

~ I'm here to… impart some clarity, little mortal Halfling. ~ Smiled the trouble making spirit. ~ You may think that I can't visit and know – yet I see clearly, what goes on within those walls…While you, continue to sulk and lose to all emotion. ~ It put on a pouting, pitying set of eyes as Aiden snubbed it off and kept trying to flee the spirit's glances.

Desperate for a way out of the house of mystery, he had an idea.

"I do have a wish, actually," Aiden brought his hazel eyes to seek out the redder ones.

"I want out; Raku doesn't need me, but I won't stop being his Chosen, I want John to see just how difficult being a contracted is… Will you help me?"

Ignito's fire red eyes lit up at the prospects of such a request. The boy was only asking for a spell to be cast, which he could accomplish with more ease than the boy knew was possible. In fact, Ignito could teach both men to work together to protect his young catalyst. He agreed with a smile and a nod.

~ That, I can do. It will only last until the one responsible for causing you such unease is, aware. I won't harm them, for my dear young lord will indeed understand what it is they you wish to relay as he develops his craft further…If you do, it may…have consequences. ~

Aiden raised a brow. "What kind of? Tell me, no games here. Raku is making a mistake by trusting Constantine…and I don –

~ You want magic to become a part of you… Well, well?! ~ Ignito clapped his hands as a spell book emerged from his robe sleeve. ~ You have it, that act of the sun god, you could defeat her. This Athena that scares your comrades so. ~ He insisted that Aiden uncap his magic. As Ami finally had, and Anna, who was struggling to know what she could do. And of course, his eldest sibling Ava Marie, who was born of an elemental art over ice and snow since her first steps unto their world. ~Your solar light's aura is connected to my lord's fire light and his shadow…~ Ignito pondered that bit of information.

~ You could use the "speak" in that one room, which proves that you carry magic from his gift. ~

"And I want to understand how that will help him, when "Aiden" never could…" Aiden's eyes hid below his shaded blonde strands, mopping up tears below the daemon's own view, Ignito supposed. How, peculiar…

Smiling, Ignito realized just how downtrodden the Chosen had become. He was hungry to use it, to be a part of something great before it vanished forever. For Ignito knew the future; the outcome, he knew what to look forward - to realizing.

~ I will assist, but you must promise one thing. ~

Aiden nodded, thinking this deal had a thread hanging loose to it…if only he'd been wrong about his choices much sooner…

"Just tell me what you want." (Red X said the same in Episode Masks.) He sought his answer from the grinning mastermind of fun times and agonizing dealings. As a Djinn by law, and a god of the quiet to others, Ignito was being given hope again to realize his dream.

None would know it, not even the young little lord and his passer – on family. It was for his own protection, anyway. Aiden was a tool; a simply useless stepping stone until it was no longer needed. That time had come. He'd predicted it all.

~ An…Excellent, choice of words…. ~ The world spun round, no son as the protectors of this house of mystery caught on to the pact and had started then, to boldly react.

Slips of magical golden binds brought Ignito to his knees, while Aiden watched in horror as John had come out to see to the recluse finally coming out of hiding, all on its own.

"Don't make any deals with it, lad! You almost ended up as bait to that daemon –wolf – in sheep's – clothing... Jus', Get back! –

~ You'll attack…. but a price will have already been paid, Constantine…~ Raku looked up from over John's side to lock eyes with Aiden, up until the Chosen was easily distracted by another chirp. "Aiden!" Raku called back, tearfully concerned. "What is going on? Why is Ignito set free and…."

Ignito's grin widened. ~ Why, I'm swapping characters for a while, my lordship. ~ It bowed with a sweeping wave of its robes. ~ Our, dear Aiden needed someone close, and you were very busy with your new mentor. That John, he is a grievance to my lord's growth, yet I appreciate his taking an interest in my lordship's history to get to know one another…I'm a bit perplexed, however...~

"You don't speak like a Sumerian deity gone rogue…" Growled the older mortal magi to his new nemesis. "You must be a part of Raku that he's still afraid of –

~ Yet we have a mutual bond. ~ The wolven djinn explained coolly. ~ I exist to protect what's inside. You are here to only see to his character from a, mortal's perspective. You are trying to change my ally and I don't care much for your methods. Aiden wasn't all wrong…~

Raku gasped with eyes full of fresh waterworks. He was devastated, like Aiden had…. assaulted him – Ignito was a part of Raku, and….

Aiden gulped. He'd done something unforgivable.

"Aiden…You…you spoke to him? Why didn't you come to us? You…have to stop. Ignito is… -

Aiden gritted his fists and huffed at the other long-haired immortal in the room. "Yeah, but you have John, and he was…. Ignito offered me a way to have my magic again. So…I said yes –

"You, bloody moron! Sorry, but no! Ignito is a deal maker, a simple scoundrel that exists to cap evil energy, making himself that unstable. A conduit of manna in both aspects…Raku doesn't interact BECAUSE his extra alter is known to be as slick as oil on water…Oy…. I was afraid you'd come at im' and this?? How long...? How long did this go along in your mind…"

~ A promise, is a promise. ~ Ignito sighed with a shrug of the light cords off of his shoulders. How John's eyes grew as wide as his charge's.

~ You will now become Raku's contracted like our Chosen…and I will bond with Aiden to allow his craft again some light –

"No! You can't do that, bloody polterge–

~ A lowly thing, am I? ~ Scoffed the long haired, red eyed older aspect, disdainfully. ~ I'm only granting a wish. That is what Djinn live to do –

"Then they steal the hearts and minds of their…. Aiden! Break his hold! You can't go along with his demands –

"I don't want to sit around and lose you, Raku!!" Aiden shouted at the younger face, ignoring Constantine's frustration and loathing of him already. "You won't be strong if you let him in…" Aiden heard the boy say with a hiccup…" Because he is my eclipsed heart…and you JUST FREED IT!! ~

Ignito's body vanished into smoke as a blood curdling scream erupted from Raku's shaking lips, the room rippled and time warped to break away. However, John C didn't fret. He tugged at the remaining binds that Ignito had shoved off, and managed to loop the rest around Raku's wrists and torso. He coldly turned to Aiden with a scowl. "If you've got magic now, then fix this! Show this child that you can be trusted to help him! Not, to help just yourself…"

/

Dick's foot jumped. He'd been waiting too long in his office to have some action, especially before the weekend. Officer Grayson listened for footsteps as a face showed up at his door and barged right in.

"Wh – Raven?? Gar?? What are you doin –

"We demanded to see you…. something's gone wrong. I sensed a presence where it's not welcomed –

"Athena?" Dick sat up. "Is she already going to attack?? Who else knows… -

"That's not all." Gar took in a gulp of air, trying to catch his breath as he made sure to spill the beans all over the officer's desk.

"We had spotted something super weird. You remember how we all thought that Raku and Aiden going to John C's to help Raku have control over his powers was a sweet deal?"

"Yeah?" Dick raised his eyes to Raven as she ended up filling in the blanks. "He got out. Ignito is there and he's trying to overtake your kids."

Dick's eyes grew serious and narrowed as he grabbed his coat behind him. Setting off to leave for the day, emergency or no. His boys were I danger. John had to know, but it didn't matter. Ignito was like Roku, he was a trickster and a dangerous entity when provoked.

"How do we get over to them? Rave?"

"We have to find the House off Mystery, first." Raven explained that this house was a powerful relic, a transporter from realm to realm that could travel unnoticed by human eyes.

"If we find it, then we can get inside somehow by magic."

"Can you contact John with your telepathy?" Dick asked as they passed a few confused coworkers in the precinct.

"I can try, but if Ignito's presence is through Raku as his host, then it might be difficult to get to him that way. Ignito can predict the future, read minds, so we have to go in with clear thoughts completely."

"Or risk becoming like Raku?" Gar gawked and clawed at his head of hair. "That is so freaky! Does Raku know how to tell him to knock it off??" The Changeling asked. "He's like a god to Ignito, right? So, he'd be breaking –

"To Ignito, Raku's logic is flawed by human need." Raven continued to demonstrate just why she didn't trust her own methods entirely. "Raku is a sort off lifeline between environments, a window where he sees everything Raku does on a much deeper level."

"A regular Slade mentality, to me." Dick partly joked, but he was serious. As in, the trolling attitude had to be stopped before someone got hurt.

"A mental case is more like it…" Grunted Gar as he jumped into the backseat of Dick's suv. "Where to?"

Raven held a hand to her temple in the front seat. "The park, go west…they were there…no…. Japan!"

"Huh??" Gar cocked a brow. "I thought you said –

"Right..." Dick groaned and put his head onto the steering wheel while it was in park. "Aiden and Raku meant John back in Tokyo…" He groaned again with a whine. "Kori is gonna whack my head off for being so forgetful!"

"Then, we have to find out if Ami can let us in via her power."

"The mirror??" Gar recalled what it could do and shivered. "That's like when you teleported us with your dark magic!"

"Ami is a divine child, touched by a sun goddess." Raven corrected plainly. "She'd be able as long as her fox guardians are close by, so we can telepathically connect. Richard." Raven turned to him from her set up front. He rose and blinked back his earlier fatigue with a small yawn. "Yeah?"

"You have to contact your daughter in Japan." Was all Raven told him, and so they gave it one heck of a go.

/

A pinch at her temples made Ami jolt up in her bed. "Agh! Dad?" She rubbed he tired eyes and heard Kaede scuttle over in her kitsune body. ~ Is everything alright, Ami – chan? ~ The white fox twitched its nose to ask, eyes fully aware that the girl was not herself.

"I…" Ami took in a gulp to finish. "My dad. He's trying to contact me! I know, he and my Auntie Raven are inside my head." She paused. "And Uncle Garfield, too." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck with a chuckle. "What do I do, Kaede – onee san?"

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So, Ignito is on a rant again? Aiden gets the boot?? Athena's on the rise! So many clichés – until next chapter! Stay curious for more! Read on.