Hello everyone and welcome to the final, last, concluding, closing, ending, and any other synonym of those words chapter. I'm so incredibly sorry this took so entirely long to complete. My muse, Agatha, is demanding to be paid for her services, (which I duly refuse) so she's on a sort of strike. But I pulled a spork on her and everything's better-ish now. But anyhoo, you really don't care about that, so onto whatever's next.
Disclaimer: I own nothing not previously owned by me. That means the song near the end that I'm not even sure we can have anymore.
If you don't remember or are unfamiliar with the way people talk in this certain place coming up, italics are Karigan, and bold/italicized is Siv.
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What is to Come
Chapter Ten: Remember Me
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Karigan's eyes flickered open and she found herself surrounded by dull and hazy grey, with thousands of whispering voices in her head. The teen looked around, recognizing her surroundings as confused aroused in her. As Karigan turned around, she saw a grey cloaked figure melt from the haze. This being she was familiar with, and called out to.
Sividia?
The person removed their hood and gazed at Karigan through quicksilver orbs. It indeed was Sividia, the only female Supreme Ruler and guarder of Mishocair. She had changed little since Karigan had last seen her, but now she looked haggard, forlorn almost.
I'm in a coma again? Karigan asked, very confused at how she ended up her again.
Karigan asked, very confused at how she ended up her
But Sividia shook her head and frowned. No, you are not in a coma, she answered in her multi-tonal voice. Karigan gave her a puzzled look; the only way to get to Mishocair was if you were lingering in between life and death.
Sividia sighed, You died, Karigan. Karigan looked mildly shocked, but still confused.
Then why am I here? She asked.
Sividia sighed again. It seems there is a little…disagreement on where you should go.
Karigan stared at her, dumbstruck. But before she could respond, Sividia motioned for her to follow.
The Supreme Rulers of the Afterlife and the Underworld are arguing on where you should end up. So for your safety, you were transported here until further notice.
Karigan was about ready to question further, but Sividia continued.
Trigon and Celere declared and emergency Council; the first one in about a century, and all for you, actually. I am not quite sure if that is a good thing though. She
finished, her brow furrowed in thought. Just so know, this is not going to be pleasant. She added.
Karigan snorted. I hardly expect it to be. Trigon's there. Sividia smiled to herself.
Trigon seems to think that since you killed Xaphtious, you are somehow bound to him because Xaphtious was your father. So you would be sent to the Underworld and either punished or tortured into his control.
Karigan shuddered; going there was not on the top on her list. But another thought occurred to her. You knew Xaphtious was my father? Sividia nodded. But then why didn't you tell me when I was here before?
You had more important things to worry about, and your mind was elsewhere, and could not even begin to comprehend that kind of burden. Karigan said nothing in return, but was grateful for the chance to recover from the ordeal with Slade before this was dropped on her.
As for Celere, he undoubtedly thinks that since you are a leath taiseal, you would taint the Afterlife with your heritage. Karigan sighed; things were just looking wonderful for her. But fortunate for you, it is not up to just those two to decide where your soul should rest. That did little to reassure Karigan, but she wasn't about to give up hope.
Karigan sighed; things were just looking for her. That did little to reassure Karigan, but she wasn't about to give up hope.
As the two walked further into Mishocair, they approached a door; or, at least, what appeared to be a door. In fact, the 'door' was a swirling mass of silver liquid that seemed to have a life, light and will of its own. Karigan mistook this churning portal for a door mainly because it had the same appearance as one; except, of course, that it was silver and constantly moving. Sividia stopped in front of the gateway and turned to Karigan.
The Council is just beyond this, she said, waving her hand at the strange passageway. One thing you would do well to remember; anything thoughts you may conjure up beyond this portal will be heard by everyone. So do not say anything you may regret later. Karigan nodded, tucking this bit of information into the back of her mind for further use.
she said, waving her hand at the strange passageway. Karigan nodded, tucking this bit of information into the back of her mind for further use.
Sividia then stepped into the swirling liquid, and Karigan followed suit, not knowing what to expect.
XXXXXX
Robin knew he couldn't have stopped her. For once he understood that this would have happened regardless of what anyone tried to do. Robin believed there was always a choice to make and that only you could make it, and now he realized that Karigan had made that choice the day she revealed what was to come to all of them. She had lied, but Robin knew he couldn't hold that against her. She had made the choice and understood it, and now Robin understood it as well. Karigan chose them and the rest of the world over herself. She had found a small glimmer of hope that could save the world and she clung to it, formulating a plan from a minute glitch in the system. But just because he understood it, didn't mean he liked it. As accepting as the Boy Wonder was, he still believed that the rest of the Titans could've helped her, then, at least, Karigan might not have died. But then she had to go all stubborn or valiant, and become her usual obstinate self or the hero. Her refusal of help might have been her undoing, and if Robin had been more persistent and they had helped her regardless of her wishes, she might still be alive. But that had been his choice; he grudgingly chose to trust Karigan and respect that she didn't want them to help. (Sorry, but I really hope I didn't run in circles there…)
Raven could feel the myriad of emotions that were coming from Robin and a stream of thoughts. What he was pondering made a lot of sense, and she found herself agreeing with him on basically everything. And the more she thought about what he was thinking, the more it became obvious.
"She knew she was going to die." Raven muttered. Robin turned and stared at her.
"What?" Raven looked away from the window and at him.
"Karigan. She knew she was going to die. Th-that's why she went. She somehow knew that her death would affect the Telling of what is to come." Robin looked even more confused.
"But how could she have?" Then it dawned on Raven; how could she have forgotten so easily?
"Her dream." She stared at Robin, her mouth slightly agape. "The other night Karigan had a dream, a premonition really. In it, she saw my father, and he said 'this changes everything'." Raven sank to the ground and chuckled sardonically; something that did not suit her. "And she knew. Karigan knew what that meant, but pretended not to. And if I had known," she spat, her voice tainted with bitter anger. "I could've stopped her. If I had looked at the obvious, I would have seen right through her dream." She looked over at Robin. "Xaphtious killed Karigan, or Karigan killed Xaphtious and then died too. I don't know." She finished, leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes; fighting back the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her. Robin stayed silent for a moment.
"Isn't there a way to find out?" He asked softly. Raven sighed.
"No." she said hoarsely. But then her eyes shot open. "Yes." She breathed before she phased quickly out of the room, leaving Robin more confused than ever.
Raven returned shortly carrying the Volume of Faistine in her hands.
"If anything had changed, it would be in here." She said, folding her legs under her and floating a few feet in the air. Robin slowly walked over as she leafed through the pages. The seconds ticked by and still Raven could not find the Telling about the Doom. The pages turned on their own but settled down on the same page Raven started on. Frowning, Raven tried again but her results still came up as inconclusive; but that didn't make sense. So she flipped to the closest thing she remembered by the Telling; Crossfire. The sheets moved on an invisible breeze, and stopped in exactly the same spot. It's like Karigan never existed. Raven thought to herself. But then something jogged her memory and the pages flipped to a Telling about some warrior from another dimension that did something powerful. She went a few pages back and stopped at the page that was supposed to hold the Telling dealing with the Doom, but instead was only a blank page. Startled and a little bit frightened, she turned a couple pages ahead where the prophecy of Crossfire was, but again, came face to face with a blank page. Raven was confused more than ever, and didn't understand this at all. Robin stared at the blank pages and then looked at Raven, worry etched in his face.
"What does this mean?" he asked quietly. Raven stared intently at the book, and then slowly looked at Robin.
"I don't know."
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A bright white light met Karigan's eyes and she squinted against it. But as her eyes adjusted, she realized it was only a lighter shade of grey. Karigan guessed this was only a small room compared to the vast expanse of Mishocair, but since the outer limits of the room reached further than her eyes could see, she couldn't be sure. Positioned (she guessed) in the center of the room was an ethereal silver table that looked to be entirely made up of smoke. Seated on the left side were the denizens of the Underworld, and on the right, the rulers of the Afterlife. Karigan was quite alarmed that the actual rulers were sitting in front of her, and not at each others' throats. She turned to Sividia as she was walking away.
"They aren't actually here are they?" she whispered. Sividia smiled and shook her head.
"These are merely apparitions of the actual entities created to take their place in Councils
for obvious reasons. They just relay what the actual being wants to say, and cannot speak until I start the Council. But unfortunately, there was a glitch in the spell, and they have the actually powers of the Rulers as well." She replied, walking around the table and standing at the head of it.
Sividia motioned for Karigan to rake a seat in the chair that materialized in front of her. After was seated, Sividia cleared her throat and announced that the Council had begun. Right before her eyes, the six remaining Supreme Rulers just seemed to spring to life. Karigan suppressed a giggle and a smile as she realized how much this resembled a court of law and how much Sividia looked like a judge.
"As you all know, we were summoned here to discuss where Karigan," she nodded at her,
"Should be placed." Trigon's specter was first to speak, since he obviously had the strongest feelings for the subject.
"This wretched leath taiseal should be immediately handed over to me to pay for this atrocity tenfold." He roared, clearly furious that she had killed his loyal terrier. Karigan folded her arms over her chest and tried to suppress the sly smirk that was creeping onto her face.
"Ah yes; penance, punishment and torture." Sividia commented, no trace of emotion present in her pale face. "We now know your side, so let us go to Celere, who also demanded this Council." Sividia looked over at Celere as did Karigan, and the Ruler straightened his lengthy white robes and did not meet her eyes, as if Karigan were not worthy of his gaze.
"Well, I believe this child," he emphasized, "should not be permitted to enter our domain because she, (pertaining to her demonic heritage) would taint such a pure and peaceful land." He finished, holding his head high with arrogant dignity.
Karigan rolled her eyes, stupid, righteous prick, she thought sourly. All heads turned in her direction.
"I do say child, I can hear your thoughts." Celere said, appalled that someone would dare say such a thing to him.
"That's the idea…" Karigan muttered, glowering fiercely at Celere. Sividia suppressed a small smile and continued on.
"So, we have two for the Underworld. What are the opinions of everyone else?" she asked, looking around at each one of the Rulers.
Grim slowly turned his scepter is his hands with long bone-colored, spider-like fingers.
"Her soul would be a powerful addition to my wonderful collection. Of course, given that she wasn't broken after Trigon was finished with her." He hissed smoothly, fixating his soulless gaze on Karigan, who stared, albeit trembling slightly, right back at him. She had silently decided that no matter what and of these stupid power-hungry men said or did, Karigan would fight until she could fight no more to go where she wanted, and that most certainly wasn't going to be the Underworld.
By now, Karigan had figured out the pattern in which opinion were expressed and knew the large iridescent seraph would speak next. She also knew that so far the vote was three for the Underworld, and since there was still one evil denizen left to speak, that would be four and also the majority. So Karigan had to add her say before the seraph spoke or she didn't know if she could pluck up the courage to do so again.
"I have a proposition for all of you." She said just as the angel opened his mouth. All heads turned her way and their eyes settled on her with on disquieting weight. Karigan shifted uncomfortably, not used to such scrutiny and opened her mouth to continue.
"Instead of sitting here any longer and bickering like children, I say I make it easy for everyone and not go to either the Underworld or the Afterlife."
Looks of confusion and something else mixed with anger peered down at her. Though puzzled, Sividia was the first to recover.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her multi-tonal voice expressing her curiosity and air of befuddlement.
"I mean," Karigan said, sitting up, "that I stay here. So instead of arguing over me, make so no one wins." For a moment, no one spoke; the weight and possible ingenuity on this on all of their minds. Unanimously, the three rulers of the Afterlife nodded in agreement.
"As long as she is not permitted access to our domain, I am perfectly fine with this arrangement." Celere stated, looking directly at Sividia with his piercing gaze. Sividia nodded appreciatively at him and he, the seraph and the last denizen of good in flowing golden robes disappeared.
Trigon's apparition roared madly and slammed his giant clawed fist into the evanescent table.
"This is an outrage!" he cried, standing up. "I demand that this wretched leath taiseal be handed over to my realm at once!" he bellowed, his eyes glowing deep red as he prepared to strike.
Sividia stood, her eyes flashing dangerously like the raw, merciless edge of a mighty sword. And when she spoke, it wasn't her usual multi-tonal voice, but one clear and ringing tone that seemed to be composed of two entirely different clashing voices. It was beautiful, dangerous, and harmonic and threatening all at the same time and Karigan couldn't decide whether to cover her ears in agony or revel in the sound.
"When you are in my domain you demand nothing." She hissed, her icy tone halting Trigon mid-fire. His steamy wrath was unparallel to her ice-cold fury; her glistening quicksilver eyes had hardened to stormy granite that even made a powerful demon like Trigon think twice about striking. A low, wolf-like growl emitted from Trigon's throat and the redness of his eyes died away. The anger behind Sividia's eyes lessened a bit but they still retained their stormy hue. Karigan felt like cheering and laughing out loud, but controlled her urge and put on a broad smirk instead.
Trigon lowered his clawed red fist and Grim chuckled throatily.
"We need to work on your people skills." he commented mockingly, fingering the blade of his scythe absentmindedly.
Trigon's eyes flared up again and he rounded on the Collector of Souls, prepared to strike. Sividia sighed and waved her hand, and the remaining Supreme Rulers vanished, traveling back to their own dimension.
"We will let them deal with their own issues on their own turf." Sividia commented, stepping through the table as it dissolved into silver dust. Karigan smiled and the two stepped back through the shimmering gateway into dim greyness. Once on the other side, Karigan's appearance changed; she was now outfitted in the same shimmering grey robe as Sividia, only somehow, they were different. If memory served her right, the color was of a darker more solemn hue, but now, they had a silver iridescence that seemed to flicker between blending with the shadows or standing out. It was almost like Karigan's presence made them brighter and more profound. Karigan fingered the garment lovingly and smiled at Sividia.
"Don't be alarmed if your hair begins to change in a little while. It comes with the job description." Sividia said, glancing at Karigan's hair. Karigan stroked her long locks thoughtfully and smiled again.
"What do we do now?" she asked, a new sense of security beginning to settle on her.
"Well, we learn. Anything in particular that you wanted to explore?" Sividia asked, clasping her hands behind her back.
Karigan thought for a moment. "I've always wanted to learn Chinese..."
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A trickle of light escaped the curtains' grasp and spilled onto the dark floor. Sounds of the rest of the Titans waking up reached both of their ears and Raven knew their absence would be noticed; it was only a matter of time. And then the questions would come. When? Why? How? They would ask, and then receive answers that they sadly expected but dreaded. It was like Terra all over again. Why did this keep happening to them? Some times it seemed it would just be better to not accept anyone ever again, to not endanger those they would grow to love and eventually lose. This was why Raven rarely opened up to people; the prospect of loosing anyone close to her frightened her more than aliens, oozing monsters or rampaging villains. But she had opened up, only to lose two great friends, and now she wondered if she could ever open up again.
"Why do we do it?" she said, her voice almost a whisper. Robin raised his head out of his hands and looked at her, confused.
"Do what?" Raven readjusted her cloak and continued.
"Why do we keep accepting people as Titans, and then growing to love them? We're only hurting ourselves, and then completing the cycle over again." Robin sat silent for a moment.
"Because loving and losing someone is better than to never have loved at all."
"But is it worth it?" she asked quietly. Robin stared at the sliver of light streaming in from between the curtains.
"Is bitter loneliness worth more?"
Raven didn't respond to his question, because there was only one answer, and Robin already knew it. A weighty silence fell between them as their thoughts took control of their minds. Sighing, Robin looked back at Raven, worry evident on his face.
"How are we going to tell everyone else?" he asked softly. Raven said nothing, but then remembered the envelopes Karigan had given her before she died. Going over to her dresser, Raven pulled five white envelopes out of the top drawer.
"We don't have to." She said, handing Robin the envelope marked with his name in Karigan's bold scrawl. Robin slowly turned the package over in his hands; the envelope was thin, but something else added to the bulk on the inside.
"Karigan wanted me to give them to everyone if she didn't make it. You read, I'll give the others theirs." Robin nodded as Raven left, his eyes still fixated on the parcel in his grasp.
Slowly, Raven floated downstairs, trusting her memories to lead her to the common room; for there was much on her mind and she was hardly paying attention to where she was going. As she rounded a corner, her mind off on its own, so did another Titan. Raven and Beast Boy collided head on and fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. The green Changeling rubbed his head.
"Hey, watch-" he stopped short, realizing just who he was about to verbally bash. He had been on edge, as well as Cyborg and Starfire, ever since the truth about the future had been revealed.
"Oh, uh, sorry." He stuttered, quickly standing up and extending his hand to help Raven up. The dark girl ignored the hand and scrambled to gather the letters that had been scattered during the fall. Beast Boy bent to help, but spotted the one addressed to him.
"Hey, what's this?" he asked, picking up the envelope and turning it over in his hands. Raven sighed and stood up.
"Follow me and don't open it yet." She said, turning on her heel and heading for the common room. Intrigued, Beast Boy shrugged to himself and complied.
The common room doors slid and Raven followed by Beast Boy entered. Starfire and Cyborg turned towards the sound, and Cyborg raised his eyebrow to Raven's more-somber-than-usual look.
"Hey Rae, where ya been?" he asked, poking the sausage he was cooking with a fork. Raven said nothing and floated over and handed him and Star the envelopes marked with their names, keeping her own.
"These are from Kari." She said. Cyborg opened his mouth to question her, but Raven cut him off. "Don't ask, just read."
They all gave her weird looks, but opened the envelopes without question. Raven walked over to the table and sat down, staring intently at her package. Sighing mournfully, Raven opened the envelope silently and pulled out a folded piece of paper and opened it.
As she read, Raven could feel the sorrow she had tried to suppress threaten to break out.
Dear Raven,
First off, I'm sorry. By now, I know you've figured out the full truth, and well…it sucks. I had to lie one last time, because I knew you wouldn't let me go if you knew. And yes, it was the dream. I figured out the full truth only shortly before writing this, and I knew I had to go. Something in my book changed, didn't it? I don't know if the future has been entirely re-written, but I do know it changed for the better.
But most importantly, I have good news. Great news, in fact. Your powers are tied to your emotions, but I have found a way for you to be able to feel freely, without endangering anyone.
I have been experimenting, very cautiously though, with my emotions. As I was writing everyone else's letters, I let my guard down. My emotions ran stronger than normal, and nothing happened. And if you are reading this and Xaphtious is dead, that means my theory is correct.
If you embrace your emotions, instead of locking them away like some rabid animal, they will do no harm. But it's only when they are restrained, that they begin to revolt. And I know about your emotions, Beast Boy told me the whole story.
I know this seems absurd, and a little hard to believe, but trust me once again. Because I was used to feeling, my emotions weren't so…mutinous after being locked up. But I know yours will be longing to break free and cause all kinds of havoc. So just let out a little bit of sadness, or laughter, or anger at a time, and soon enough, you'll be able to feel openly.
Love,
Karigan
Raven just stared at the letter, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Feel openly…the very prospect frightened her, and she had to doubt what Karigan had written, but in a way, it made sense.
All of those times when she had accidentally let out a little bit of emotion, nothing had happened. But it was only when restraint eluded her that destruction reigned.
A small crystal tear rolled down her cheek and onto the paper. Sniffing slightly, she wiped away the rest and placed the letter back in its envelope.
"Is she really gone?" Beast Boy asked in a small voice, his eyes laden with sorrow.
Raven looked up at him, unable to keep another tear, and another, from sliding down her face.
She nodded.
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For awhile, Robin did not move. It was as if everything around him had frozen in Time, and the only thing that existed was him, and the letter.
Find myself all alone
in darkness without you
and now I can't turn away
From what I must do
You know I'd give my life for you
More than words can say
I've shown you how to love someone
I know you'll find a way
Say goodbye, close your eyes
Remember me
Walk away, the sun remains
Remember me
I'll live on somewhere in your heart,
You must believe,
Remember me
Slowly, as if he were dealing with an active bomb, Robin opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Two white squares fell out of the folded piece of paper and Robin picked them up. The first one was a picture of him and Karigan; they were sitting at the pizza parlor, just acting like normal carefree teens. Of course, that had been before all this end of the world stuff was brought to attention. The other was of the entire team. It had been a nice day outside, so they decided to take a trip to the park for a barbecue. But unfortunately, it had begun to rain. The picture was of them in a sheltered eating area, all sopping wet, taken by a random person that happened to be there too.
No way I can change my mind
I don't have the answers
If you could see through my eyes
You'd let go of your fears
And though I have to leave you now
We're apart of each other
I'll miss your touch, you call my name
I am with you forever
Say goodbye, close your eyes
Remember me
Walk away, the sun remains
Remember me
Winds of change we can't explain
Remember me
I'll live on somewhere in your heart
You must believe
Remember me
You know I'd give my life for you
More than words can say
I've shown you how to love someone
I know you'll find a way
Robin smiled; those were good times, and he wondered what had happened to them. It had been what? A week? Two weeks? Since Xaphtious had shown up, ruining their day like the rain had ruined Beast Boy's vegetarian sausages?
Sighing, Robin pushed those solemn thoughts aside and unfolded the sheet of paper that contained Karigan's letter.
Dear Robin,
If you're reading this then I'm dead. There's no point in euphemisms, they only make the truth harder to bear. I know you're probably mad at me, and undoubtedly a bit agitated at Raven for not telling you the truth. But I did what I had to do, and hopefully in time you will come to understand that. It was something I couldn't get out of, that we couldn't avoid. There's no point in denying the undeniable. Things just don't work like that. And I believe you are the only person besides Raven that understands the pure, simple truth in that. And for that, I thank you. I thank you for the times you helped me along, kept my strength and hope from failing. You are the glue that holds this team together, whether you know it or not. But the rest of the ream is going to need you now, and you'll need them just as much. So play your part and hold each other together. After all, what are friends for? But don't even think of wasting your life away pining for me; I can make a very unfriendly ghost.
But why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. So you do just that; because whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So please Robin, remember me, but let me go.
Love,
Karigan
Don't you think of this as the end,
I'll come into your dreams
Remember me.
XXXXXX
So there you have it. The last chapter of What is to Come has finally been completed. Urgh…it took me forever…but that's ok, because I'm glad it's done. Oh, and the song is 'Remember Me' by Journey. It's on the Armageddon soundtrack...
I think I'll lay off the long-winded author notes and just let you review. Bye all, and Happy Thanksgiving! Don't eat too much…