Mind Trap

Chapter 15

Raven flew over a rolling grassy field. She soon came to a round stone table surrounded with chairs. She landed near it as other versions of her came into a landing. She looked over the gathered Ravens. "Where is anger."

The emotions seemed almost at a loss for a moment, before one of them spoke. The yellow clad Knowledge stepped forward. "She refuses to come."

"Why?"

"We don't know. She refuses to say."

"Alright. We'll start without her." After Raven and the emotions had settled into their chairs, she spoke again, "Something has changed."

The emotions looked around nervously again before Wisdom spoke, "It probably has something to do what Beastboy did."

"It wasn't any kind of magic I have ever seen."

"I concur, but…"

"He's gonna die and it's all my fault." The gray cloaked Despair seemed to sink further into herself.

"Cyborg said he's going to be okay." Happy threw an arm around the other emotion protectively.

Raven turned her attention back to Knowledge, "Do we have any idea what it was?"

"It was not anything that I have ever seen, but it has had an effect on us."

"I should have leveled the tower."

"We know."

"Why didn't I?"

"Perhaps he succeeded."

"No. He has no magical knowledge. People have studied for decades and not come near an answer."

"Divine power could do it."

Raven's eyebrow shot up, "You think God took a personal interest?"

"It would explain some things."

Raven considered this, "I need to see Anger."

Raven and the emotions, save Rude who seemed to have fallen asleep, stood and took flight. It took only a moment for them to reach Anger's twisted realm. They flew to a large cave that Anger used as a home.

Outside of the cave, Raven spoke calmly, in an attempt to keep from getting Anger riled up at all. "Anger, please come out here."

"Leave me alone!"

"I need to talk to you."

"No! Go away!"

"Come out here, or I'm going in after you." Raven's calm voice carried it's own threat.

After a long pause, a smaller voice seemed to come from the cave, "I won't make you drag me out." After moment, the red cloaked Anger stepped out of the cave. He cloak was pulled tight around her, and her hood was pulled low, hiding her features.

"The hood." Raven commanded.

"No." All of Anger's bravado seemed to have drained out of her.

"Take it off."

With a disgusted sigh, Anger threw back the hood revealing human features. "Happy now?"

Raven gasped at seeing Anger for the first time in a human form. "What happened?"

"That… that little green smear! If I ever get my hands on him I'm gonna wring…"

"Wait, Beastboy did this?"

"Yes! When he cut our hand! He took something away, pulled it away!"

"I don't have a connection to Trigon any more, do I?"

"No. Trigon is separated from us."

Knowledge cut into any further conversation, "I apologize for interrupting, but Beastboy is waking."

In the real world, Raven's eyes snapped open as Beastboy's fluttered weekly. He groaned, his face screwed up in pain, "What… what…" His eye focused on Raven, "Rae, did it work?"

"Whatever it was, yes it worked. Do you want to explain what you did?"

"Nope." His eyes closed and his head sank back into the pillow, "I'm wanna sleep."

"Not yet, I need to know something about what you did."

"Guy said that I could take it."

"Take what?"

"Curse."

"I don't understand. You can't just take it, it is… was part of me."

"Dunno, just what the guy said." He yawned, "I need sleep."

"Do you mind if I take a look around inside your head while you sleep, I really want to know what happened?"

"Yeah, but you're not gonna find much."

"What do you mean?"

"You're always telling' me that I don't have anything in there."

Out of habit, Raven fought down the smile, but caught herself and allowed a chuckle, "Just sleep."

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Raven found herself in a clearing. Thick trees hemmed in the rough circle, and above her she could see a clear blue sky. In front of her a path ran through the woods, but curved away only a few feet away. "Hello? Anybody here?" When she received no response, Raven began to make her way down the path.

After walking for a few minutes, the path opened into another clearing. This one was large, almost a field, and in the center of it was a large box made out of a glowing white materiel. Through the opaque walls of the box, Raven could make out a dark shape pacing within.

Without thinking, Raven started to cross the clearing, walking closer to examine the box. About halfway there, she began to feel a dull throb in her head that swiftly grew until she was driven to her knees, her hands pressed against her temples.

Raven was starting to lose consciousness when she felt arms close around her waist and start pulling her away from the box, half dragging and half carrying. Beastboy's voice seemed to come from a distance, "You shouldn't get close to that Rae, it's not safe for you."

Raven felt herself leaned against the rough bark of a tree. She looked up into Beastboy's concerned features. "What is that?"

"Containment, it's holding your demonic half."

"Would you care to explain what exactly happened?"

"Of course. After I promised to let you feel emotion, I began looking for different options."

"Yeah, I saw your room when I was looking for you."

"Nothing I could find would help, so I went out looking for more. I came across a book store that specialized in magic and told the guy in there what I wanted. He told me what to do and… well there you have it. I did it and now you're free."

"Why did you tell me that you had given up?"

"If you knew what I was doing, then your demonic half would have…"

"It would have killed you outright."

"Right."

"What you did, it wasn't magic."

"It wasn't?"

"No, magic needs a form to control it, a structure. That was raw power. It shouldn't have done anything."

"I don't know then. If you want I can take you to the store and you can ask Gabriel about it."

"I would like that, yes." Raven stared at the box for another moment, "So that is holding my demonic half?"

"Pretty much. You're still a half demon, but that is the part of you that connected you to Trigon."

"So I'm free."