A/N: Well two of titan east's member's show up here, so as promised I'll give you their names. Tempest/Aqualad: Garth (last name unknown, if any), Arsenal/Speedy: Roy Harper

Chapter 4: New Blood

"It seems you can squeeze blood from a machine," Sebastian said as he walked toward the stone pit brimming with blood. In this very spot his ancestors were imbued with the dark power that was Blood. There was something in the air in this place that Sebastian loved, something other than the stagnant smell of centuries-old blood: raw, unadulterated, pure, evil. Nowhere else did he feel as alive as in this cathedral.

"We are ready for you, Brother Sebastian," Mother told him.

"Good, then we begin immediately," he said, overly anxious. He placed his skull helmet on his head and stepped down the short staircase into the pit. Sebastian was up to his waist in blood before he stopped. Mother and a congregation of monks began to recite the incantation.

"Eighth Devil, Daemon of the Omni-Sin…" intoned the congregation. The runes surrounding the pit started to glow dark red. "…We summon you forth to bless this child…" The room got dark as an ill wind blew out the candles. "…Your son, our brother, to carry your strength…" Black energy arced through the blood and Sebastian raised his hands as if to welcome his master. "…Your will…" The blood began to boil. "…and your flock…" The blood crept up Sebastian's body, consuming him. "…till the day he shall be united with you." Black bolts shot out of the walls arced into Sebastian.

As the crackling of the energy faded, an insidious laugh could be heard. Though the laugh was emanating from Sebastian's form, it was not his voice. The blood around him hardened and began to crack, the congregation knelt, and suddenly his shell exploded out. "All hail Brother Blood."

The child stood several feet from the ground surrounded by a red glow, his albino traits unblemished or obscured in any way by his bath. His heart raced with exhilaration and he could sense that something was different, like he had been given something that no other Brother Blood ever had. Unlike his predecessors, he had been given not only the strength of his forefathers, but the true strength of his god. He was, in essence, the Anti-Christ.

"Raven, hurry and get out here!" Nightwing yelled as he knocked on the door to her room. He had received a call from the Titans East tower that morning that they had something they need to show them, all of them.

"We'll be out in a second!" came a yell from the other side of the closed door. Dick was about to leave to go wake up Beast Boy when he realized something, 'Was that Gar's voice? What the hell is he doing in…' he had no need to finish the thought as a devilish grin came to his face accompanied with an obvious epiphany. 'I've got to tell Vic about this.'

"Sorry to call so early, Dick. It was important," said Arsenal who was accompanied by Tempest. They had long ago retired the guises of Speedy and Aqua Lad.

"It's OK Roy, what's up?" The other Titans were all present, physically anyway, they were all still groggy and had yet to even eat breakfast. Nightwing seemed to be the only one of them fully awake.

"We've got good news and we've got bad news," said Garth. "The good news is that Brother Blood is dead." The entirety of Titans West suddenly perked up at hearing this. "His body washed up on the shore this morning." The joyous thought that their long time enemy was no more brought a smile to even Raven's face.

"Don't get too excited, we still have bad news, and I mean bad," Roy Harper interrupted there joy. "He's been drained of all blood and aside from a busted up chassis there's not a wound anywhere on his body. Victor, about how much force would be required to crush the dome on his head?"

"Several hundred tons, why?"

"It's crushed with five holes in the material; their location would be consistent with a hand. I don't know about you guys, but the only guy we can think of who could do that is Superman, and he's more of a 'take them alive' type. We think he was killed, and left here for us to find," Arsenal replied.

"That's an odd theory, what makes you think that?" Raven asked.

"This," Arsenal said as he held up a metal plate. Inscribed on it were the words: "A gift to you, Titans, courtesy of Brother Sebastian Blood VIII." Beside the inscription was a very familiar symbol: the Mark of Scath.

"It came off of a component buried under untouched parts. This was not done naturally," Tempest explained.

"This Sebastian sounds powerful, I see what I can find out by hacking into Interpol, and if that doesn't work, I'll call in a favor with the League," Nightwing respond, deadly serious.

"We'll see what we can dig up this side too. Talk to you later Dick," Arsenal said before cutting transmission.

"So Gar, what were you doing in Raven's room, huh?" asked Cyborg as they began eating breakfast.

"We were sleeping, that's what most people are doing at five o'clock in the morning," Raven answered for him, knowing damn well his answer would be more trouble than it was worth. However, her response still elicited odd looks from her fellow Titans.

"Please, friend Raven, Beast Boy's bed was in disrepair, yes?" Kory asked naively.

Raven was starting to wish she had answered the door before him. "Raven and I are… um... ah…," Gar struggled to say. "…Together now," he said with some embarrassment.

"No, really Gar, what happened?" Victor said thinking he was joking. Gar was silent; however his silence spoke his answer. "He was kidding right?" he asked looking at Dick.

"There's another thing to add to the list of reason's this didn't happen sooner," Raven said under her breath. "No Vic, he wasn't kidding, although you wouldn't know from the fact it wasn't funny," she told him. Nightwing and Cyborg began chuckling under their breath. However they ceased to find it funny when their bowls of cereal were poured on their heads by black energy.

The rest of breakfast was awkward and silent.

"Guys! I found something on Sebastian," Nightwing said, leaning over a laptop. The titans all dropped what they were doing and came immediately. "It says that he was just ordained the high priest of the cult known as the Church of Blood. They apparently run the theocratic nation of Zandia, somewhere in the Baltic States. That and he's only fourteen. Not to mention that since the Mark of Scath is the religious symbol of the Church of Blood, they probably worship Trigon." The Titans crowded around him to look at the screen.

"Dude, this is an e-mail. You didn't find jack. And who's Timmy?" Cyborg asked reading the From bar.

"'…Oh and the Bat told me to tell you, your old friend from Jump was just released from Arkham, keep an eye out Dick, I hear he's packing heat now.'? Who do you know that has been in Gotham's world famous loony bin?" Raven asked him. He immediately closed the laptop.

"I don't know, I fight crime for a living. Saying he's from here doesn't really narrow it down for me," he said pushing away the subject. "And Timothy is the new Robin; I don't think he would appreciate me telling you much more than that." They shrugged and went back to what they were doing. Slowly Dick opened the laptop back up and read the end of the message: "I know talking about him always ruffled your feathers, no pun intended, but I thought you should know, Deathstroke, Slade, whatever you call him, has a new apprentice. From one Robin to another, good luck, you're gonna need it."

N/A: Anyone want to try their luck at guessing Slade's new apprentice? Hint: it's a girl. Please review, I feed off your praise, and you people are starving me to death.