Preparations
When they arrived back at Titans Tower, the whole team put taking care of Raven into highest priority. She had explained that Kaean spells drain one's physical and spiritual energy tremendously, and coupled with her stopping time and being attacked by Slade, she was too tired to move now.
She lay on the sofa, breathing heavily and moaning in pain, while Beast Boy and Cyborg ran back and forth around the tower fetching whatever supplies were needed. They returned with a blanket to drape over her gently, and one of her favorite books that was lying on the coffee table to keep her occupied.
Robin and Starfire were in her room, searching for the needed ingredients to perform the next spell to revive Terra. That struck Raven for a moment.
She had never trusted Terra, but the young Titan had sacrificed her own life to save millions of them. It was never clear whether she had been good or evil, but that one selfless action proved that at least she had some good in her. Or did she?
Meanwhile Terra – or a channel of her soul, in this case – stood rigid on the stone path where she had once given her life and would soon get it back. But the former she did not know about.
She had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen soon, but could not get past the mist shrouding her mind to figure it out. She could barely think in this half-trapped form.
Somehow, the bond she had with her friends told her that something was going to interfere with their plan to revive her.
But what is it?, she asked herself. I guess I'll know when the time comes.
Raven had stayed in her room for months, coming out occasionally. She was ready to bring back her friend, and was working hard and late in order to insure that she had the power to do that.
She might fail, she and her friends might not get something right, but she knew that she was willing to try, and that was all that mattered right now. Even though she was weighed down by the fact that she would soon... no! It was too early to worry about that.
Even if the prophecy was going to come true, Terra could be just one person who could help her stop it.
But could she? Could anyone?
Beast Boy couldn't believe it. Terra was coming back. Terra! His best friend for those few weeks when she was on the team, but then lost her way down the path of life and joined the enemy.
But he trusted her completely now and was determined to have her back. After all, she had gone through more than he could ever understand, and he appreciated every part of that.
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a voice told him: She dumped you for a reason. Dont get your hopes up, wimp!
Months passed. Raven trained, Terra waited, and Beast Boy recalled all of the wonderful times he had with his friend and all of the wonderful times he had yet to have.
As the seasons changed from summer to fall, Terra began to worry.
By the time she had grown sick with worry for the team, a rumbling could be heard from far away, and the sky was a deep blood red as far as she could look. In the distance, a destroyed, crumbled, blackened Titans Tower could be seen. There was a humongous male figure resting on it, like it was a throne of sorts.
Everything had turned to stone. She was only seeing this because she still technically lived in the afterlife, and Raven's weak spell was all that let her communicate with the living world.
Many hours lightning flashed across the sky and she had no clue why, but there was something prophetic about the red sky and the huge man with antlers resting on Titans' Tower. It seemed like forever ago she had looked upon the world of Jump City, and now it looked like this. All the buildings were crumbled to the ground.
After what seemed like hours she heard a cry from near the tower. It was a raspy, angry voice she knew only too well. White lightning rippled through the clouds above.
She thought it was screaming a familiar mantra she knew. Maybe she was crazy, but that little white-purple dot in the distance seemed to be behind it all.
"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"
A white sheen of power washed over the area, spreading wider and wider, until it enveloped the ruins of buildings, passed through the frozen stone people, and grew until its radiance shined as far as any eyes could ever see, brightening the darkest corners of the world.
Terra knew right then and there that her friends were safe and still thinking of her fondly. She had no clue why the world was in ruins one moment and beautiful again the next, but she didn't need to. Maybe the Titans would tell her later.
Back at Titans Tower, a few weeks after Raven saved the world from herself, she and Beast Boy arranged with the rest of the team a time to try reviving Terra again.
Raven was ready physically and emotionally to take on the challenge of bringing Terra back to life from her statue, after never giving up her training for a second.
Everyone knew that the day had come to set their sights on a goal that seemed so close. Like they could just reach their young arms up and grasp it from the air. At last, they were finally ready.