Starfire could not contain her dread. A scream echoed form her lips as her eyes shut tightly, no longer able to gaze upon the dead form above them. She could hear Robin's fearful voice telling the others to get back, but for some reason, her body would not respond. Before she could continue her attempts to move, cold hands lifted her, carrying her to safety.
Cyborg carried the shaken alien over to where Beast Boy was hunched over Raven. They each watched as Robin shot a birdarang at the noose hanging the criminal, following the silhouette of the body as it fell to the floor. Unable to look any longer, the robot gazed down at his friends. The dark girl next to him appeared to be struck with the same terror that had overcome Starfire, but the fear was much different. The changeling noticed this glint in her eyes as well, it was as if she was remembering something.
"My vision," Raven whispered. "Red X…Robin…"
"…are dead."
They froze. Slade's unmistakable voice pierced through the air from behind them. Without a chance to turnand face the intruder, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were knocked back by a wave of fire, leaving the empath injured and unguarded. Robin began to race toward the villain, but his heroic dash failed. The man simply held out his left hand, sending the boy flying backward, encased in the same flames his friends had suffered.
The attack knocked the Titan leader into the limp body of Red X, which promptly fell over him on impact. Robin let a shout fall from his lips as he quickly shoved the dark form away from him, simply terrified of having a dead body resting on his chest.
Taking advantage of the team's temporary distraction, Slade stepped forward, intending to corner Raven who crawled helplessly away from him, the pain she experienced earlier still hindering her strength.
"What's the matter, Raven? Afraid of what you are – of what you have always been? Afraid of how your friends will treat you when they know the truth?" the sinister man mocked as he continued to walk toward her retreating form. "You can't run away from your destiny any longer. It's time they know the truth!"
The sorceress cried out as Slade reached down to grab her, but his hand never managed to touch her cloak. A small explosion erupted behind him, knocking the dark attacker to the ground. Raven looked up, afraid to see who had saved her, but what her eyes gazed upon came as a comfort to her.
"Leave her alone!" Robin shouted through clenched teeth.
Before the villain could fully stand, the raven-haired boy shot forward, bringing his bo staff down upon the man's head. The attack did nothing to faze the enemy, but merely provoked his anger. Slade threw Robin back with a ball of fire, giving him enough time to extend his own staff. The master and apprentice became locked in a battle of strength, each wielding the same weapon.
"Why do you still fight for her?" the messenger sneered as he smacked the boy square in the chest. "After all the lies she has told you, why do you still protect her?"
"I'm only here to take you down!" Robin answered as his staff collided with Slade's steel pole.
Starfire struggled to raise herself, the burnt skin of her back screaming out in protest. She turned her head toward the strange commotion, coming face-to-face with a deadlock fight between her friend and enemy. She ignored the pain filling her body and flew toward them, letting green light fly from her eyes and into Slade. Her attack's effect was cut short when the evil man reached out for Robin's leg, knocking the boy on his back as he struggled to stand, never letting hold of his grasp. Knowing full well the alien would not attack if she was to risk the safety of her friend, Slade took advantage of her innocence, spinning around once before letting Robin go.
Cyborg and Beast Boy watched in horror as their leader collided with the Tamaranian, forcing them both to crash into a nearby wall where they became covered by fallen pieces of the church. The robot jumped to his feet, firing his cannon without a second's though. His blast missed poorly, but that did not stop him from insisting on fighting. The fighter shouted for Beast Boy to watch over the empath before he charged into battle.
The changeling's eyes bent down in worry as he watched his friend fight against a man he was no match for. There had to be something he could do to help him, but if he moved to attack, Raven would be on her own. Letting his better judgment take hold, the boy lifted the fallen girl into his arms and waited, searching for a place to hide. Seeing Cyborg succeed in punching Slade into a row of benches, the green warrior raced toward a podium he had seen near the red symbol on the ground. Clutching the girl tightly to him, he ducked behind the pedestal, hoping their hiding place would buy them enough time to form a plan.
"Rae?" the boy called out softly.
The dark girl let a painful groan escape her tired lips as she opened her eyes fully, gazing into the emerald orbs above her. She could sense an overwhelming feeling of fear inside of him and despite her wish to comfort him, she had no words to do so. The same terror he felt was within her as well. Coming into the black sanctuary had been a terrible mistake and Raven mentally chastised herself not staying away when her mind told her to do so.
"I'm sorry," she coughed out in barely a whisper.
"Hey, don't get all mushy on me, okay? You're stronger than that!" Though his words were meant to encourage her, Raven could hear how empty they were, his fear and shock blinding his words. "Look, Rae, we need to get out of here. Maybe when Slade's distracted, we can make a run for it…or if you're up to it, you can do that trick with your cloak again."
The empath sighed in defeat. "It's no use. There's nothing we can do."
Beast Boy glared down at the girl in his arms. He refused to sit and listen to her claim their survival was hopeless. The boy was determined to help his friends no matter what anyone told him. There had to be something they could do.
"Wait!" the green elf gasped. "Those words you said earlier…you were able to fight off that red light with them. Wasn't that the symbol you were standing on the same as the one on Slade's forehead? Dude! What if those words can take him down?"
"No…" Raven coughed out, lifting her sapphire orbs to meet the boy's eyes. "That spell…it's used for transcending dimensions."
"Then how come it worked on that stuff around you?" Beast Boy countered, refusing to back down.
"The words…they were the marks that were written in that circle around the symbol. I-I just said them as a last resort, hoping it would work, but the spell wasn't complete…the name of the dimension was missing from the scripture on the floor."
"You're wrong."
Their wooden hiding place ignited with such a pounding force that it knocked the two Titans several feet away from where they had been sitting. Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah the moment he recovered from the fall, fully intending to tear Slade apart before the poisonous man had a chance to speak anymore. Raven could only sit and watch as her protector was shot away easily, smashing painfully into a small shrine of statues and candles.
Turning to face the dark girl, Slade began to finish what he had been saying earlier. "You know what that symbol means…you know what the end of the spell is supposed to be. Finish it."
"No!" the empath shouted, throwing a wave of dark energy toward her opponent.
The man simply stepped to the side, avoiding the carelessly thrown attack. Raven was losing her grip on her concentration. She would be much easier to manipulate than Slade had even dared to hope. Taking a few steps forward, he smiled inwardly at how she clumsily drew away from him, fear clearly painted on her face.
"Finish the spell."
Raven jumped as she felt her back graze against a wall. She was trapped. Her mind whirled in circles as she failed to calm herself. In an utter display of desperation, the empath shot forward, her hands burning with black fire.
"No!" she shouted again as she attempted to knock her opponent away.
"You will do as I command!" Slade refuted as he grabbed both of her attacking hands by the wrist, grinning to himself as she squirmed, attempting to break free.
"Wh-what makes you think I will ever do what you say?" the dark girl countered, trying to place a brave mask over her frail eyes.
The shadowed messenger moved forward, his mask drawing closer to the girl's pale face. "Because you already have. You took up that dagger I left you and carved out your own flesh. I didn't even have to convince you. That just proves how weak you really are."
Raven's eyes widened as the truth of the man's words sunk into her mind; she could no longer deny it.
"So you see, Raven, I have control over you. You will finish the spell! You have no choice!" Slade's deep voice sounded as he threw her to the ground.
The dark man raised both of his hands, letting out a low grunt as four whips of fire shot from his right hand's fingers. The strings of flameflew toward the fallen Titans, wrapping them each in a coiled trap. Raven's eyes became wide with shock as she stared into the pained faces of her friends, their agony deepening as they continued to struggle.
"Stop it! Leave them out of this!" the dark girl cried out.
"Finish the spell."
Raven paused only for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. She struggled to raise herself from the ground, but once she had succeeded, she wasted no time before gliding toward the red encryptions on the floor. Taking a deep breath, she touched down in the center, doing her best to ignore the pain when the crimson light returned around her.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos! Carazon Rakashas Endere! Vaserix Endrien Azarath...Scath, Scath!"
Obeying her command, the floor beneath the other Titans fell away, revealing a large staircase that faded into darkness. Fear tainted the dark girl's eyes, but it soon faded when she realized they were being held safe by Slade's deadly fire. The red light fell away from the girl once her chant ended, the ring below her feet disappearing into the wooden paneling. Raven had done what she was asked to do and she intended to see Slade release her friends safely.
Before the sorceress managed to turn around, she was forced to watch as the red vines wrapped around the Titans' bodies fell away, dropping them into the dark abyss she had created. Their screams echoed in mind as she was too slow to save them. Feeling the blood boil beneath her skin, she whirled around with a snarl.
Slade had already guessed her move and in an instant, a ball of fire shot forth from his palms, knocking the demon child down into the shadowy chasm he had sent the others to. Smiling behind his mask, the man began to descend, walking the newfound stairs with care. When he reached the bottom, he found Raven sprawled upon the floor, a trail of blood seeping down the edge of her lips.
"S-Slade…" the dark girl coughed as she struggled to open her eyes.
The man reached down and wrapped his fingers firmly around her cloak before lifting her to meet him at eye level. He was truly enjoying how helpless she looked.
"The board is set, Raven," he sneered. "The doors have been open."
Before he could continue anymore, a strange light caught his eye. Below Raven's dangling feet was a strange mark he had never seen before. The light began to grow, tiny tendrils branching off to carve intricate symbols upon the dark floor. The instant the engraving was complete, a white light shot upward, matching perfect with the crimson sign Raven had fallen victim to earlier.
Slade cursed loudly as his body was flung away, his back slamming into a hard wall before he collapsed onto his hands and knees. Looking up at the girl within the light, he could have sworn it was not the Titan he had been torturing a few moments ago. Her eyes glowed white, much like they did when she used her powers, but the voice was not hers.
"Azarath, Azarath!" the strange sound echoed before the girl disappeared, the light following in suit.
----
Blinding light. She couldn't bear to open her eyes; it was all too bright for her. There was a strange warmth blanketing her as she kept her orbs hidden, and though she had not the slightest clue of what it was, the sensation comforted her.
"Raven….open your eyes."
The empath's heart raced as a familiar voice filled her head. It couldn't possibly be her. Deciding to allow her eyes to be the judge, the broken girl blinked rapidly as she adjusted to her surrounding, focusing her attention the figure before her as it moved out of its silhouette.
Her white cloak and colored hair were unmistakable.
"M-Mother?"
"It is good to see you again, my child," a gentle voice sung from beneath the white hood.
Raven's eyes grew wide as came to her senses, letting her surroundings sink in. The place she was in seemed painfully familiar, as did the figure before her. She couldn't believe it…the empath was nearly convinced this was all a dream.
"Wh-where am I?" the girl asked, fully knowing where she was as she stood to take a better look around her.
"I have taken you to a true sanctuary," the woman answered softly.
"Azarath! But, I thought I was-"
"You are not here to stay, my child. I have only brought here to give you a chance at success."
Raven watched the women bend down, holding a silver pendant in her hands. The necklace was unique beyond description. It was a silver circle engraved with the same markings the sorceress had briefly seen below her before the light had taken her. She recoiled as her mother drew closer, attempting to pin it on her frail body.
"Raven…" she called as her gentle voice drew the dark girl back to her. Giving her daughter a kind smile, her pale hands reached out and clasped the pendant over the jewel that held the girl's cloak together. "It will keep you safe from Trigon's evil."
The young girl looked down, searching her mind for the meaning behind the symbol she now wore. A sudden flash came before her eyes as the answer became apparent.
"So, this is-"
"The mark of peace," her mother finished. "It is the seal that keeps Azarath safe from the devils and it will protect you from your father. It was given to me by the monks when I first came to this dimension and thus, it will keep us connected. If you should ever need my-"
Raven huffed loudly in disgust as she drew fully away, turning her back to her mother. "I have never needed your help, Arella."
The woman sighed as she stood up, brushing away a few strands of long purple hair that came before her eyes. She watched as the wind played games with her daughter's dark cloak, simply unable to think of words to counter the child's cruel statement.
"I see," Arella whispered. "Perhaps it is time you returned."
"What for?" Raven spat bitterly. "There's nothing to go back to."
"Your friends are not dead, Raven," her mother spoke softly, watching as hope and disbelief clouded the girl's sapphire orbs when she turned around. "Their bodies may be tattered from the fall, but they are far from death. You still have the opportunity to save them."
"No, I can't! He's too strong!" Raven countered. "Trigon's given him too much power. There's nothing I can do."
Arella's blue pools became drenched in sorrow as she listened to her daughter give in to fear. She moved forward, closing the vast distance between them before kneeling down and pressing a slim hand against the symbol she had bestowed upon the girl.
"There is always hope, my child."
She stood back, chanting softly as she summoned forth a familiar white light. Raven felt the same warmth wash over her body started to sink into the radiance around her. The dark girl's eyes shot toward her mother, silently sending the older woman a breathless farewell.
"You have the power you need to survive, my dear Raven. This pendant will help give you the courage to find it." As the words fell from Arella's mouth, her daughter's form vanished completely.
----
Slade stood over the fallen Titans, a flame burning in his hand as he pondered which unconscious child should be the first to fall. A short laugh escaped his lips as he drew back his arm.
"Consider this a favor, Titans, I am simply saving you from watching this world be covered in darkness," the man huffed as he began to bring his hand forward.
"Slade!"
The villain turned at the shrill voice only to see a slab of concrete heading directly toward him, giving him no chance to escape before it threw him into a nearby wall. Pushing the rock from his body, the dark man snapped his shattered bones into place, searching for his attacker.
"You will leave them out of this!" a familiar sound called.
It was Raven, her body glowing red with crimson symbols and her hands encased in black fire. The white shine of her eyes sent a sense of fear flooding through Slade's mask as he looked on, waiting for the girl to make her next move.
"Back from your hiding place, kid?" he mocked as the demon child approached.
"I wasn't hiding," she said with a smirk. "I was finding a way to destroy you!"
A wave of dark energy burst forth from behind the girl, thrashing Slade further into the wall he was against, beating down his body as he lay helpless. He had only one chance to take the girl down, but he would need her to drop her guard.
"Give up, Slade, there's nothing you can do to defeat me," Raven spat as she watched him attempt to get up.
Confidence. That was what he needed to see. Letting the flames return to his hands he shot twisted words at the dark empath. "I don't need to defeat you, Raven."
The fire flew passed the Titan, heading straight for her friends who remained helpless, trapped in a dreamless sleep. Raven panicked, racing back toward them and threw out her cloak, hoping to cover them in time. Her powers spun out of control, slashing the walls around her and knocking the flames into the upper layer of the church where it set fire to everything in its path.
Slade watched in horror at the destruction his attack had caused, but the terror he felt grew worse as his eye followed the image of a large black bird flying upward through the flames before being covered in the shadow of the night.
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Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to post this. I lost track of time with Band Camp and I had minor surgery on my leg, so I could only get the file off my computer upstairs by sending my dad up to burn it onto a portable drive. If you didn't understand the ending, the black bird was Raven's soul self flying away with her friends. The next chapter will be centered on Raven telling the Titans about her past and their future. Arella might show up again...we'll see.
All reviews are most appreciated! I really do love knowing what you guys think of my story. It actually motivates me to write.