I'm back with part twelve of Raven's Game! Sorry to leave you hanging for so long! . Raven's in big trouble, so let's watch it unfold! I don't own Teen Titans!

Raven's Game

Part 12: Ixiam

The flashlight struck the ground and came on very suddenly. The darkness squealed in a thousand different voices, an agony indescribable to Raven's ears. Seeing what was happening through her tears, Raven wrenched the magnifying glass out of the purse and picked up the flashlight. Passing the glass over the light she saw the beam brighten and broaden at the same time!

The shadow writhed and twisted in the light, recoiling away from her and across the room. The voices and whispers continued as it twisted this way and that, as though trying to decide on a shape for itself. Raven kept the beam trained on it, slowly rising to her shaking feet. Finally, she knew it was time to banish it from the room. "MORTYM!" The symbol on Cyborg's broken bench-pressing table flashed with every color of the rainbow. It illuminated the room and blinded Raven so badly she cried out! Falling to one side and clutching her eyes, she could only listen to the sounds of the shadow's screaming. God… that horrible sound…

It was gone.

Raven lay there on the floor, desperately gasping for air. Blinded, seeing spots and trembling, she sat up. It would take a minute for her to be able to see straight again. Feeling the flashlight where she'd dropped it, she searched with her hands for the magnifying glass. "Oh no…" she murmured when she found it. It was broken. A few shards of glass here and there told her it had shattered when she'd fallen. It was no longer useful to her. Feeling a sort of odd attachment to it since it had saved her life, Raven picked up what was left of it and placed it in a separate compartment of the purse she was carrying.

It would take her some time to realize that Olkas had appeared on her upper arm and Mortym had shown up right around her chakra gem.

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"Friends, I have located the final symbol." Starfire had had the best luck out of the three. Both boys heard this and grinned from ear to ear. "It is also of Azar descent, as I guessed on the start of my search. Whatever creature lay confined in that cave… it was sealed there by people of Azar."

"People from Raven's home…?" Beast Boy wondered aloud, staring in disbelief. "They sealed that thing down there and didn't tell anybody!" It had been thousands of years ago, they all knew, but still. "You'd think we would've gotten a warning…" he mumbled softly.

"That's probably what all the writing on the wall was." Cyborg reminded him. "We just couldn't read it…" He fell into silence, feeling guilty that he had directly let the creature loose. If you could even call it that… It was a shadow, but there was more to it. "Well, show us what you found."

Starfire showed them what she'd found, all of her notes carefully rewritten in English. All twelve symbols, along with their translations and areas of origin. "These symbols appeared to be of Earthly origin, but I have discovered that humans merely borrowed them from the ancient wizards of Azar. They gave each symbol its own meaning as time went on, but it is my belief that these are the original meanings." She said a lot, pointing to each one in turn. "We must memorize these words in order, and recite them near where the creature was set free."

"We gotta go back down there?" Cyborg gaped at her.

"If it's to get Raven back, fine." Beast Boy said a little too quickly. They looked at him oddly, and he glared them down. "What?" when they said nothing, he spoke up again, "Yeah I like her, okay? Got a problem with it?" No one spoke up. Physically stopping and taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and speak again. "Show us, Star. Tell us each word so we can practice."

The red-head nodded soberly, and pointed to the first symbol. "This symbol is called Lussa…"

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Raven was seriously starting to wind down. Malnutrition, thirst, hunger, and paranioa were all weighing down on her. She'd somehow made it back to the common room alive, but not in great shape. The magnifying glass was broken, and she couldn't seem to summon her powers to fix it. Swallowing loudly to wet her dry throat, Raven heard her stomach growl at her. She groaned, holding it and almost doubling over. When had she eaten last? She didn't know. What she wouldn't have given for a cold glass of ice water… and a huge plate of… of… of anything! Beast Boy's tofu for all she cared! Raven sat gingerly on the love seat, holding her abdomen. She would grow too weak before long. All of her bodily needs were starting to get to her, and she wasn't thinking of the toilet.

Groaning softly, Raven looked down at herself. Torn clothes, dirty body, exposed chest… trinkets from all of her friends. Raven brightened just a little, grasping Starfire's locket in her hand. Opening it and looking at the smiling Tameranian, she gave a weak smile in return. Closing it and letting it fall between her breasts, Raven let her hands run along the buttons of the utility belt she'd picked up. She even traced the glass eye patch she'd constructed, thinking of Cyborg. Beast Boy's diary poked out of the purse she'd been carrying all that time. She stroked it gingerly. When she got back, she and Beast Boy would have a nice, long talk… she promised herself this, and it made her feel a bit better. She could listen to all the stupid jokes he could think up, and she would tie him up and make him listen to her read 'The Raven' aloud. That thought made her snort with quiet laughter, and she stood.

All the diary entries had been read, and only two symbols remained. There were only a few rooms left to search, too. And two friends to come and haunt her, Raven reminded herself. She frowned, deeply hurt that she'd thought that of her friends. The shadow was merely playing terrible tricks on her. She couldn't fall victim to something that merely looked like one of her friends. Raven remembered the serious adrenaline rush she'd gotten from fighting the spectral Starfire. All those rushes of energy and adrenaline were killing her, she knew. Eventually, her body wouldn't be able to take anymore, and it would simply give out. Whether she was finished collecting the symbols or not. Licking her dry lips for perhaps the hundredth time, Raven set out for the eleventh symbol, wherever it might be.

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"Okay, I think we've got it now." Beast Boy nodded, sitting cross-legged in Raven's room with Cyborg and Starfire. He rattled off the names of the symbols, ticking them off of his fingers as he went. Using his two feet for lyrics eleven and twelve, he looked at Starfire for approval. She nodded, telling that he had said the names right and in the right order.

"Let's rest for about an hour and we'll start down, okay?" Cyborg said. "Keep your doors open, and your binding symbols handy if you're alone." He looked much older than he usually did, and pinched his nose to surpress a headache.

"I already do." Beast Boy held up what looked like black crayons. "They go good on walls, if you guys want one." They said no, and he grudgingly put them back in his pocket.

"I will take my leave then." Starfire left Raven's room rather quickly. Beast Boy thought maybe she was rushing to see to a bodily need, but Cyborg knew better. She was in distress because Robin wasn't helping them.

The boy wonder wasn't exactly the type to go on a ghost hunt, but… he'd been pretty distant from them lately. Refusing to help in their research, constantly insulting Beast Boy until finally he'd given up. He'd been keeping a silent distance, angry with BB for his 'prank,' and angry at the others for believing him. Robin had taken to going out at night, looking futilely for Raven. Of course he hadn't found anything, but he felt like he was doing something about their missing teammate.

Starfire went to him, where he was currently watching TV alone. She approached at sat silently on the couch next to him. He regarded her with a neutral smile, then went back to the TV. What was on, Starfire didn't bother to look. She looked at Robin with eyes indescribable, and scooted closer. He didn't notice until she was sitting right next to him. She bravely leaned and lay her head on his shoulder, flushing deeply.

Robin tensed instinctively, not used to feminine contact. Letting the tension flow out of him as quickly as he could, he looked over at her. He'd hardly seen her in what felt like an eternity. She'd been off researching those damn symbols, refusing to stop when he'd come to visit her. Beast Boy's theory was correct, she kept saying. He'd gotten angry and left her alone at last, but… here she was now. "Stopping your research?" he asked neutrally, as not to upset her.

"We have found all the information we need." Starfire said, looking wary. "The vellum Beast Boy found was quite useful." She sat up straight again and looked over at him. Her eyes were wet and concerned. "Friend Robin, why do you not believe us? We have faced many a foe together before… what holds you back so?" The boy wonder stared at her for a long time. His eyes wandered her hair… her beautiful face… her strangely short eyebrows… "Many villians we have faced have been very unbelievable when told of in stories, but they are real too. This shadow is also real, friend Robin…" tears were forming in her eyes. His eyes portrayed nothing that resembled understanding, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Starfire, I–"

"You do not care!" She suddenly shouted at him, standing up. "I can see it in your eyes!" He stared at her in open shock. "You are too set in your ways to help us! We march on the home of the shadow creature at the top of the hour! It is deep in the cave that branches away from the basement!" he made to speak but she cut him off. "I have only one thing to say to you, Robin!" Starfire cried. She could find no words in Tameranian that could express her anger, and a sudden memory broke into her mind. Beast Boy had shouted it at her when his anger had jumped to new heights. The normally peaceful red head took a deep, angry breath and – "SCREW YOU!" she screamed in anguish, flying away as quickly as she could. She got out of the common room within two seconds, gone before Robin could say anything.

Robin's mouth hung open slightly, unable to believe what he'd just heard Starfire say. Where the hell had she learned to say that? Beast Boy stood in the doorway, watching her leave. "You taught her that." He accused angrily.

"…So what?" he said, not looking like he cared. Robin made to yell at him, but Beast Boy looked at him with such haunted eyes that he couldn't do it. He'd been awake for God knew how long, and it showed on his green features. What was happening to his team? He didn't know why, but Beast Boy's 'prank' was sounding less and less like a prank…

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Raven emerged into a room she barely ever visited. The Slade room. Robin had taken it over and turned it into a workstation for chasing after his greatest enemy. Saving the flashlight's weakened battery and using her dark-trained eyes, she scanned the room. It looked old and forgotten, like everything else in the tower. The walls were decaying with mold spots, and the usual stacks of paper looked ancient and moth-eaten. Rats had probably come and taken bits of paper for nests as well. She shuddered at the thought, looked carefully for a symbol. Robin himself hadn't been trusted with a symbol, but perhaps there was one in this room?

A Slade mask, taken from a fake robot Slade, hung on the wall staring at her. It's empty eye looked at her and seemed to follow her around the room. She went and took it down from the wall, turning it over. No symbol there. She frowned, sighing softly. Of course it couldn't be that easy. Beast Boy would've left a puzzle or something for her. She couldn't merely find it. That would be too easy. She grumbled irritably, placing it on the desk.

There were dozens of old newspaper articles taped on the walls. They were ancient and yellowed, most of them in little ratty piles on the floor. Raven reached to touch one, and it came apart when her finger grazed it. The desk was covered with papers, old pens and charts of the city with 'S' marks here and there.

Looking around with 'red vision,' Raven spotted a picture of Starfire sitting on the desk.

Probably Robin's, Raven decided. He kept her near even when he was obsessing over his enemy. She shook her head, a half-smile coming to her face. Reaching and dusting the dust off of the picture frame's glass. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were in that picture. Cyborg was in the picture merely to give Robin bunny ears, and Starfire had her arm around his waist. He was in the process of blushing and trying to ignore Cyborg. Raven smiled gently at the faded photo. Who had been behind the camera? She couldn't remember. Blinking a few times, she went pale. There was a dab of Beast Boy's special ink on the picture frame's edge. Sighing and picking it up, Raven turned it over and shut the eye that had no red glass over it. She frowned deeply at what she saw, and almost dropped the picture frame. The lettering was a brighter red than she had seen before, almost like blood. Trying not to think about that particular word, she read the message over again:

Three of many

Three TOO MANY.

That sure as hell wasn't Beast Boy's writing. Was it Robin's? Cyborg's? Beast Boy was the only one using the secret ink, right? She didn't know… taking out beast Boy's diary, she compared the handwriting from the last entry with the haunting message. "It matches…" Raven whispered in disbelief. Beast Boy had probably written it mere hours before… Raven squashed that line of thought and slid the back of the picture frame off. Putting Beast Boy's diary back in the purse, she set the back of the picture frame aside… and found her prize. The symbol itself was in permanent marker, looking like an upward arrow with two line drawn through the stem. Raven shut one eye so she could see the word in 'red vision.'

IXIAM (ecks-eye-am)

"Ixiam…" Raven murmured. The symbol pulsed with every color of the rainbow, as though in response to its name. Raven looked herself over, and at last found Ixiam in her left palm. Mumbling to herself in nonsense words, she took the picture itself from the frame. Turning it to look at the back, she found handwriting she didn't recognize:

Starfire Robin Cyborg

R.I.P.

Raven recoiled, dropping the photograph. She turned when something caught her eye. There was writing all over the walls that hadn't been there moments ago!

Dark now

In mind

No eyes

Blind eyes

See you

Only YOU

The same message, over and over, was splattered all over the walls in what Raven knew was dripping blood. She pursed her lips, refusing to scream. Her heart was revving up, and she waited. If there was no direct threat, she wouldn't use the newfound word yet. Only if it attacked her directly. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she started forward and out of the room. The words oozed all around her, taking new shape.

Murder

Rape

Insanity

Suicide

The end of all things

R.I.P. Raven

The words got worse, dribbling down the walls only to reform themselves perfectly. But they were still only words, she reasoned. Sticks and stones, Raven reminded herself stonily. Her entire body was trembling as she finally crossed the threshold and out into the hall. The words of blood oozed onto the carpet and Raven turned. The river of blood was coming towards her. Raven squinted from under her eyebrows and reached for the utility belt. She threw a pair of freezer disks with a flourish, and the red liquid froze on the spot. Looking satisfied, she heaved the door shut. It was almost over. It was almost over… Her shoulders sagging tiredly, Raven left the room alone to ooze all it wanted. Damn that shadow… thing…

That was part twelve. Raven only has one symbol to go! But wait! Remember what Beast Boy's Diary said about Starfire being snatched away first? Will she be alive long enough for Raven to come to the rescue? Or will the shadowy creature consume her? Next time, Raven will hunt for the final symbol, and darkness will cast itself upon the Titan's Tower… in the real world. Next time, its the final symbol,Raka! Stay tuned!

P.S. Somehow, Starfire shouting "Screw you!" Just seemed hilarious to me. I hope I didn't kill the scary mood with that!