In case anyone has forgotten: I don't own the Titans. It would be quite cool if I did. Still, DC, who does own them, does a very good job with them if I do say so myself.

Once Broken, Twice shattered. . .

Part Six: Truth

"Raven? RAVEN!" Beastboy shouted. He and Malchior stood on the top of Titan's Tower. Raven's frantic mental cries, so loud just second ago, were now gone- and so was Raven. Beastboy clutched the white book in his hands and looked down at it. "I- I don't understand." He thrust the book into the air and waved it. "Isn't this what he wanted? Isn't this going to give him ultimate, world shattering power that will enable him to become the dictator of the universe? Isn't this why he's here on this planet!"

Malchior had to shield himself from the bright green panic Beastboy was projecting. "I don't know. I thought- I presumed- that it was either myself or the book that he was after. . ." Malchior froze. "Someone's coming!" He said, looking over the side of the tower. He breathed a deep sigh of relief. "It's the other Titans."

Beastboy watched as Starfire deposited Cyborg on the roof and Terra and Robin hopped off of a rock. "What's happened?" Robin said immediately, reading Beastboy's expression. "Where's Raven?"

"Rorek- he took her!" Beastboy blurt out. "We can't find her. We've tried everything- the computer, her communicator, even magic spells!"

"Cyborg-" Robin turned.

"All ready on it," Cyborg said. After a moment he frowned deeply. "I can't pick up Ravens power signature or Rorek's."

"But does not the Rorek use enough power to light up the city?" Starfire inquired. "We tracked him before in such a manner."

Cyborg shook his head. "I've got nothing. He might have only been playing with us before, letting us follow him." He tapped his forearm. "The sensors aren't picking up anything now."

Terra's eyes glowed in anger. "He led us away from his real target- Raven!" She said furiously. "We've been duped!"

There was a sudden cold chill in the air. Malchior stepped forward, his expression like chiseled granite. Beastboy felt the book grow warm in his hands. Not an uncomfortable warm, but just noticeable, as if it were a warning. "I will lead you. I will find Rorek," Malchior finally said. "We cannot hide from each other."

Malchior flew into the air with an eerie grace and began flying over the city. Starfire picked up Robin to follow. Cyborg got on a rock with Terra and Beastboy turned into a condor so he could hold the book without having trouble flying. Why he was bringing the book he wasn't sure. Somehow it felt like it was the right thing to do.

Unbeknownst to the Titans, a ball of light collected in Malchior's room. There was a high pitched laugh, and the light shot into the air, following the Titans.

---------

Raven woke up to find that Rorek had removed her cloak and tied her wrists and ankles together. Luckily she was able to sit up fairly easily. She looked around. Wherever she was, the walls and ceiling were covered in huge crystals. For a second she wondered if she was on another planet.

"We're still in Jump City," Rorek the Black divined her thoughts as he entered the room. "In fact this is the cave your friend Terra was trapped in. Actually it's a little deeper down and with some decorative add-ons." He gestured at the crystals which reflected and refracted multiple images of the two of them. "What do you think?"

"You're a psychopath," Raven spat.

"This coming from a woman with a shattered mind! I'm, flattered, really," Rorek bowed.

Despite his unwavering smile and the evil glint in his eyes, Raven got the distinct feeling that he was lying. "What are you up to?"

"You know what the best part about being thought mad is?" Rorek said, ignoring her question. He didn't wait for a response from her either. "You can do something absolutely normal, and it will throw off people so badly they won't know what happened. Madmen are supposed to be totally illogical, but I still think and act in a logical manner."

"So you're trying to tell me you're not a madman?" Raven said sarcastically.

There was a very rapid change in tone from Rorek. Suddenly he didn't sound so wild, and his grin had faded to a somewhat normal expression. "Exactly," he said quietly. "You think that because of the first time we met and the things Malchior has told you. I was worked up at the time we met. Every time I have to fight someone I get quite irate quite quickly."

"Are you trying to justify what you did to me?" Raven nearly shrieked.

"No, that will come later." Rorek said quite seriously.

Raven stared at him in utter confusion. "Why did you take my cloak?"

"I thought you'd appreciate not showing your emotions so visibly. Especially since I'm very good at disguising mine," He stood up straight and pulled her to her feet with his power. He turned his back to Raven and gazed at one large flat shining surface of crystal. Suddenly his hand shot out and the peaceful surface of the crystal turned into a swirl of images. With a flourish Rorek stepped aside as his life splayed itself across the walls. "I have a story to tell you, Daughter of Trigon."

Raven watched the image swirl around, but it was sensory overload. She shut her eyes. "What story? What are you talking about?"

"Look Raven and you will see."

Raven's eyes snapped open. It was not Rorek IV's voice that had spoken. It was Rorek of Noll, Rorek's great- several time over- grandfather's voice. She looked, and the one flat wall showed images that Raven could understand.

"I presume you thought that my father- the one whom I murdered and who's power I 'embraced' was the descendant of Rorek of Noll," Rorek said, folding his arms and looking into the crystal. "Malchior does."

Raven honestly hadn't put too much thought to the matter, but yes, she had assumed that Rorek's father had been from the line of Noll. A woman appeared on the crystal surface. She was delicate and beautiful, tall and caring. Her eyes were blue, like Rorek's, her hair white as snow- just like Malchior. She was wearing random pieces of armor, including a small piece on her chest with a bird carved into it in black.

"This is my mother, Sparrow of Noll," Rorek said, touching the image of his mother gently. "I- I never knew her real name."

Raven's eyes widened at another image that loomed in, swallowing all of the rest of the room up. Four eyes, white hair, and for a second she thought she was staring at her father- then she realized that this demon, no matter how large, was much too small to be Trigon- and his skin was a deeper shade of red. He had armor all over his body. His hair was braided back and his eyes glowed yellow. He suddenly shrank into the form of a large man.

"That is my father. Cicor of the Dark Void. A demon- with whom your father was aquatinted." Rorek turned to look at her. "From what I can tell, your father got the idea of siring a mortal after my father had gotten my mother pregnant. All of us, Malchior, you and I, were born with the intent to become puppets in our fathers' name." He struck out at the crystal and it shattered, splintering the image of Cicor and Sparrow alike. His head dipped beneath his hunched shoulders. He said something so softly Raven had to crane her neck to hear it.

"Her death was all my fault."

------------

When the Titans had managed to catch up with Malchior the alien sorcerer was standing on a spot they knew all too well. It was the entrance to the cave Terra had been petrified in. Now, however, the cave entrance was sealed off with a white crystal of some sort.

"Hellxspar, doridum, alloris, kacx!" Malchior shouted, slapping his hand together and then parting them. A crack formed in the middle of the crystal and separated enough so that a person could fit in sideways, but not more. Malchior was straining to hold the entrance open. His muscles tensed, sweat trickled down the sides of his face.

Beastboy looked down at the book in his hands. When Malchior was shouting it had suddenly gotten very hot- then cooled down. What is up with this thing? He wondered.

"Terra!" Robin shouted.

"On it!" The blonde Titan replied. She wedged a rock in the top and bottom of the crystal, effectively jamming the door open. Malchior let the crystal go with a gasp of relief. "Hurry-" Terra said, observing the rocks. "It's not gonna hold for long!"

Cyborg threw himself through the small opening first and the other Titans followed. Beastboy brought up the rear and had to turn into a mouse to dart through the crystal before it crushed Terra's 'doorstops' and snapped shut. Beastboy let out a huge "WHEW" of relief then looked around. "Oh man."

The entire inside of the cave was coated in the mysterious crystal. It created passages everywhere, and there was no way to tell which one was the right one. Malchior swore loudly. "He's here and so is Raven- but I have no idea how to GET to them. I'm sure that these crystals will bounce magic around, as well as anything you could muster up," he nodded at Starfire and Cyborg. He clenched his fist together. "We have to wander through this pathetic maze and hope that we get to Raven on time.

"I could move things around-" Terra began.

"No," Robin said. The last time you were in here there was a cave in. It's possible that the geological structure of the area hasn't stabilized yet. Moving things around might bring the whole thing down on top of us."

"Plus it'll let Rorek know we're here," Beastboy pointed out. "Hopefully he doesn't know. Yet."

"Somehow I doubt that," Robin informed the changeling, "but it's a good idea to stay optimistic."

"It's about the only thing we can do," Cyborg said.

"Let's split up," Robin said. Cyborg, you're with me. We'll head this way. Beastboy, Terra, you're together. Malchior, Starfire, you take that way over there. All of you, keep your communicators on and stay safe," he ordered. "Whomever finds Rorek first- don't engage him in a fight. Just get Raven out of there and get going." He looked around at the Titans, fearful that he might be sending them to their deaths. "Teen Titans- GO!" He cried out. The team split apart into three groups and they began running through the tunnels.

-----------------

"You- you killed your mother!" Raven exclaimed.

"NO!" Rorek roared, "I would never hurt her!" He shouted. "Never," he said as his voice faded to a whisper. "My mother was a good woman, and she was in love with Cicor no matter how evil he was to her, but when he tried to take her second son away, she fought against it. She was knocked aside and fa- fath- Cicor was going to snatch up Malchior. He would have taken me, but I had defied him all my life, something he wanted to avoid again by taking Mal with him at such a young age. I didn't want him to leave after hurting my mother. I screamed at him, struck out at him, and then-"

In a thousand different images along the walls Rorek was swatted aside by the massive demon Cicor. Cicor raised a clawed hand. "You insolent whelp! You dare treat your father this way? I will make you respect my power!" he roared, the then claws came down, but not on Rorek.

Sparrow's last look of horror was imprinted on Rorek's mind so strongly that he wept upon recalling it. "She was killed and it was all my fault. My father took Malchior and left," Rorek's eyes flashed with fire and he clenched his fist, "but I wouldn't let him go that easily."

-------------------

"Beastboy!" Terra called out, waving her arms. "Look!" She pointed. Beastboy rushed over and his eyes followed Terra's gestured. He felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. Hanging suspended in a case of crystal was Raven's cloak. It was a deep gray in color.

"Stand back-" Beastboy said, turning into an ape. He lifted his hands above his head, ready to unleash a thundering blow. Terra shouted something about the geological instability Robin had mentioned but Beastboy was too furious to listen. His fists came crashing down on the crystal, shattering it. The cloak fluttered to the ground and Beastboy caught it. "Raven," he said, clutching the cloak. "She must be nearby!" He exclaimed. "We have to find her!"

Terra paused to look at Beastboy. He was all ready charging ahead, but he stopped when he realized she wasn't following. He turned to look at her, concern drifting over his face.

"Terra? Are you okay?"

She nodded and said in a pathetic tone, "Yeah! Of course. I'm fine." Beastboy was about to say more when she added, "Let's find Raven before Rorek does any more damage to her."

"Right-" he said uneasily. "Terra listen-" he began, but an abrupt color change from gray to yellow in the cloak made him wary. "This is very weird. The cloak is changing colors even without Raven. . ."

"Yellow is better than gray I suppose," Terra said. "So maybe Raven is all right. We might still have time to save her!"

Beastboy nodded. "Yeah! Hurry- let's go!"

The two Titans rushed down the crystal hallway, hoping that they would be on time to save their friend.

----------------

"You bested your father by embracing your demonic power, but not becoming a slave to it," Raven said, suddenly understanding some of the mysterious man in front of her. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes," Rorek said. "Otherwise I would not be here today."

Another crystal wall picked up where the other had left off. A young Rorek, with his demon symbols blazing across his skin, was engaged in fighting Cicor. The battle was astonishing to watch. Even the images radiated power. In the end Rorek jus barely managed to repel his father's most powerful blow and redirect the power back upon the demon himself using a spell. The image became fuzzy, as if Rorek had a hard time remembering what happened next, but he found his brother and staggered off.

"Mal was the only thing that kept me alive," Rorek said. "I had to live- to make sure he lived. No one would take us in. Not as many people know about Cicor as know about Trigon, but there are enough. Malchior would never be taken in by anyone else."

Raven shook her head. "You've- you've got to be making this up! This is insane! You shattered my mind- my powers are haywire I can't control my emotions-"

Rorek turned on her, eyes blazing. "Your mind was all ready shattered Raven. You allowed that to happen a long time ago, when you broke off from your demonic side entirely. I had to augment the problem to make you see things clearly- you cannot keep denying what you are!"

Shaken, knowing he was right, Raven still managed to say "No, but I can damn well try."

---------------

"Are you all right friend Malchior?" Starfire asked quietly. The young sorcerer had stopped quite suddenly and had not responded when Starfire had called his name. Now the alien turned to her.

"I have a very- uneasy feeling," he said slowly. "And I feel sick to my stomach." He did indeed look quite pale and Starfire saw he was sweating much like he had a fever.

"If you need assistance I can carry you. You must save your strength. We will need you to help us defeat your brother," the alien princess offered.

"My brother," Malchior repeated, and even though he didn't have pupils Starfire could have sworn his eyes glazed over for a second. "Rorek," he said in a tone of voice Starfire wasn't sure she liked.

"Maybe we should rest for a moment," Starfire suggested.

"No," Malchior said, his voice strange. "I've waited a long time for this. We will find Rorek." Without any trace of the illness he appeared to have before, Malchior sailed quietly down the hallway with perfect confidence. Starfire followed reluctantly.

Something is up, she thought to herself. Oh I wish Robin was here!

---------------

"I think I've got it!" Cyborg said as he and Robin rounded a corner. "Raven's communicator waves are bouncing around everywhere, but I'm pretty damn sure that I've finally- tracked it- down-"

He and Robin stopped and stared at the communicator, frozen in crystal, mocking them from inside its pristine case.

Robin punched the crystal wall in frustration. "He's thought of EVERYTHING!" He shouted furiously. "How are we supposed to find her?" He turned to go back the way they had come, since they were now at a dead end. "How are we supposed to fight this guy!"

"I don't know man-" Cyborg said quietly. "But Raven's tough, she won't give in without a fight. Right now I think she's still probably okay. I mean we haven't heard explosions or anything yet."

"That isn't very comforting," Robin said darkly. "Raven could be seriously injured or even-"

"Don't even joke like that man!" Cyborg said sharply. "Raven's strong, she can take care of herself."

"Her powers and her emotions are going haywire!" Robin said, running down another crystal hallway. "Who knows what that maniac could have done to-"

He was cut off by the high pitched scream of Starfire in pure agony.

------------------

Rorek threw his hands up. "You give me no choice then! I cannot allow you to have such a dangerous power, and yet not tame it and bend it to your will! You've forced my hand!" He held his arms out wide, looked directly at Raven, and then- stopped.

"The others you killed- they were all demons, weren't they?" Raven said softly, watching him tremble. "The people Malchior said you had murdered. . ."

"Malchior was so attached to the idea that I was a monster he never looked past the crimes to see the reason," Rorek said his arms falling to his sides. He walked up to a wall of crystal, and leaned his head against it. "But the ones I killed, they were always full demons, or they had become so twisted by their demon blood that they were no better." He looked over towards her. "And you're not. I came here to find you, to kill you. You are the Daughter of Trigon the Terrible. Surely, I thought, you would be the worst one out of the whole lot. I thought you were for a while after I had arrived here. That scene where you nearly attacked your friend at the restaurant- when you nearly killed Mal- I thought you were hiding your true nature in order to get close enough to kill the heroes of the world."

"You were watching?"

Rorek turned back to her. His usual grin had totally dissipated within the past few minutes, and Raven was beginning to see just how much like Malchior he really looked. He had the same troubled expression, and his eyes, though piercing, were almost as kind looking. "Of course I was. I always make sure I know who my target is. I wouldn't want to kill an innocent." He took a few steps back towards her. "When I realized that you wouldn't willingly help Trigon, and yet his power threatened to overwhelm you, I made it my project to help you."

"So you shattered my mind!" Raven shrieked, overwhelmed with fury. "That's how you decided you could help me?"

"Because the only way to bring everything back together is to accept the powers your demon blood offers you-" Rorek said, leaning over so his face was on the same level as hers, "-and conquer it!"

"If I even give him a fragment of leeway, he'll take over!" Raven retorted. "I won't give him that kind of power!"

Rorek closed his eyes. "Then is it really worth it? Would you live, putting your friends- the entire world in such danger, instead of dying to save it? "

Raven fell silent. It was something she had been wrestling with since their defeat of her father a while ago. Raven knew he wasn't gone for good. . . She just hadn't been able to tell the others that quite yet. She knew that if she let her guard down she was still likely to try and destroy them. How could she explain that to them? They had gone through so much and yet it might have been for nothing. . .

"You see my point then," Rorek said, cutting into her thoughts.

"Yes," she said quietly. It was out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. "But I've been able to do good things-"

The scream made them both turn. "What was that-?" Rorek began while Raven gasped "Starfire!" Then she turned on Rorek. "You've lied to me! This entire time you've been lying to me! What have you done to my friend!"

Rorek rounded on her, his eyes blazing. "I NEVER LIE!" He bellowed, and Raven fell silent. "I've done nothing to permanently injure your friends and this cave was constructed as a maze, not a trap-"

The sounds of battle erupted violently. It was about five seconds before they discovered what was going on as the crystal walls shattered around them in a symphony of breaking glass.

---------------

About a minute after Starfire had suggested a rest to Malchior she knew something was wrong. It wasn't the fact that he was holding himself differently. It wasn't the fact that when he spoke to himself in mumbled tones it sounded like he had two different voices. It wasn't even the markings that began to appear slowly on his skin. It was when he turned around and looked at her, straight in the eye- really looked at her. Starfire knew Malchior was actually seeing her, and if that wasn't a dead giveaway the extra set of glowing red eyes to match his normal eyes (which were now glowing as well) made Starfire realize all too quickly that she was in deep, deep trouble.

"Rob-" she began in a panic, but Malchior's hands were around her throat before the word was out.

"Your silly little friends can't help you," Malchior said, a harsh, deep voice layering above his own. "I daresay you'll find that I'm not so easy to defeat as Trigon!"

Despite a few seconds of battling with her conscious Starfire used her eye blasts to fire right at Malchior's head. It had the desired effect. Roaring in anger Malchior dropped Starfire, and she fell to the floor, gasping for a few breaths of air. "I do not wish to hurt you, please- you must stop!" She shouted at Malchior.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with Tameranian," Malchior said. Then with a few words that sounded more like growls Malchior threw a ball of light at her. Starfire scrambled to avoid it, trying to take to the air, but it hit her on the leg. For a moment there was nothing- then every blood vessel in her body felt like it had burst into flames. She screamed, a piercing sound of pure agony, but it was cut off when Malchior struck her again. The alien princess lay slumped against a crystal wall.

"STARFIRE!" Robin screamed as he came running into the room. He rushed to her side while Cyborg armed himself and looked around wildly.

"Where is he!" Cyborg shouted at Malchior. "Where's Rorek?"

"Not here. I'm taking care of you first," Malchior said. Cyborg's eyes went wide with shock, and he just managed to dodge another ball of light Malchior had thrown. Cyborg swore loudly.

"Robin! We've got Big Trouble!" Cyborg yelled.

"I had noticed!" Robin replied as he tried to haul Starfire to a safe spot.

"Calling all Titans, calling all Titans!" Cyborg shouted into his arm. "We need major backup- NOW!"

"Feh- call all the help you want. You are of no consequence," Malchior boomed.

"I thought you were on our side!" Cyborg shouted.

"Malchior perhaps-" Malchior replied, "but he's 'occupied' at the moment. You may address me, however briefly, as Cicor."

"Sonic boom!" Robing shouted at Cyborg. His companion charged up his cannon, and with perfect timing they executed their trademark maneuver. Malchior- or Cicor- stumbled backwards, throwing his hands over his ears.

"THAT IS IT!" He snarled. Throwing his arms out, Malchior bellowed a single, alien word. Robin and Cyborg barely had time to throw their arms up to protect themselves before they were smashed into the nearest wall and they too slumped like Starfire. "Now, onto more pressing matters-" Malchior said. With that he threw his hand out again and the walls in front of him began to explode into pieces.

----------------

The truth be told, Beastboy knew something was terribly wrong even before Starfire did, which, in any other situation, would have made him extremely proud. In this case, however, he only felt terribly frightened. He was already on edge, as Terra was giving him a running commentary on the color changes in Raven's cloak ("It's still yellow- wait a second- it's gray, gray- yellow again- whoa! Look at that red!"), so when he started hearing voices he nearly freaked out. It started out as a quite whisper he thought was the wind, but suddenly it became clear.

'Cicor, Cicor, Cicor, beware Cicor, beware!'

"Did you hear that?" Beastboy said, turning to Terra.

"Hear what?"

"There was someone telling us to 'beware Cicor'."

"What the heck's a Cicor?"

Beastboy shrugged. He frowned, wondering why he was sweating so much all of a sudden, until he realized that the book, which he had been toting along with him all his time, was glowing and emitting large amounts of heat. Beastboy stretched his arms out in front of him to look at it.

'CICOR IS HERE! CICOR HAS COME! BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE CICOR!"

With a yelp of surprise Beastboy dropped the book. "Holy crap-!" He said.

"Beastboy-" Terra began, suddenly ignoring the cloak, "-is it supposed to do that?"

Beastboy followed Terra's line of sight to see the book, which should have hit the floor, floating at least three feet above the floor. "I- don't think so. . ." Beastboy ventured a guess. "Maybe-"

He was cut off by Starfire's scream.

"Star!" Terra said, turning in circles. "Oh man- which way do we go?"

"I don't know-" Beastboy said frantically. "We've gotta find Raven too-"

Their communicators crackled and suddenly Cyborg's voice cut in. "Calling all Titans, calling all Titans! We need major backup- NOW!"

"You go Terra!" Beastboy said. "I've gotta find Raven!"

"Are you nuts!" Terra demanded. "How are you going to find her?"

Beastboy waved at the book. "I think it'll be able to show me the way."

Terra looked at him dumbfounded. "Are you- you must be-" she shook her head. "Never mind. I'll find the others. You find Raven!" She jumped into the air, a rock sailing up to meet her feet halfway. With a bellow of "I'm coming!" She sailed down the crystal corridors.

Beastboy reached out to take the book. As soon as he touched it he was assaulted by a series of images. Through his mind's eye Beastboy saw exactly how to follow the turning and twisting maze of corridors to find Raven. Snatching up the cloak which Terra had abandoned, Beastboy bolted down the hallways, book and cloak tucked under his arm. Soon he carried them in his mouth as he darted along as a cheetah, hoping to get to Raven in time.

He never would.

---------------

Rorek had thrown some sort of barrier around himself and Raven, which Raven probably would have appreciate more if she wasn't still tied up. Even so, it protected them both from the shattering crystal, but not from the shock that followed it. Raven felt her heart leap into her throat as Malchior stepped into the room- four glowing eyes burning with malice.

"Hello Son," Cicor said, with Malchior's voice saying "Hello brother," underneath it somehow. Raven stared, horrified, but not nearly as horrified as Rorek.

"Impossible- impossible!" Rorek shrieked. "I killed you before you could take hold on Mal! I know I did!"

"You underestimated me I'm afraid," Malchior laughed. "True, my hold was barely there, but over the years as Malchior began to believe you were evil, I was able to creep in. I latched onto the one thing we had in common- our hate for you!"

Rorek became very quite and subdued with fear. "No- Mal- Mal doesn't hate me. He- he thinks I'm a monster, yes but hate?"

"He's trying to distract you!" Raven shouted, snapping Rorek back to his senses.

"I've killed you in your own body- I can drive you out of Mal's!" Rorek bellowed, throwing a great deal of power at Malchior. Barely batting an eye, Malchior deflected it.

"Why don't you sit down for a while!" Malchior boomed, and Rorek went tumbling across the room into one of the crystals sticking out form the floor. Raven hear something crack in a sickening way, and Rorek ceased to move.

"AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!" Raven shouted, throwing all the strength she could muster into her attack.

"Gaaaaahhh!" Malchior screeched. He fell back, stumbling over shards of crystal. When he regained his balance the remains of her attack was steaming off him like black smoke. He picked her up. "Insolent wretch! Spawn of Trigon! I will NOT be treated like that!"

Raven desperately tried to wriggled out of her ties. "Azarath, metrion-"

Malchior spoke one word, "ENOUGH," then pulled his arms back.

Raven remembered vividly the last time she had seen someone make that motion.

"Azarath metrion zinthos! Azarath metrion zinthos!" She repeated fearfully.

Malchior thrust his arms forward, and the wave of energy washed over her. For a second her mind was a jumbled mess of confusion. Then it simply exploded into shattered fragments of memory. When that evolved into pure pain, she realized that Malchior was moving out of the room.

"Now, to finish what I started. Once the Titans are taken care of I can conquer this world like Trigon never could."

Raven tired to open her moth, but somehow could find any words to speak. The world was a blur of color and pain. Still, there was a familiar green blur that came running into the room after Malchior had gone. Raven tried to call out to him, but only a strangled garble came out.

Beastboy saw Raven on the ground and dropped everything to throw his arms around her. "Raven! Raven, speak to me! Please Rae, don't do this!" He hadn't noticed Rorek lying on the ground still and he hadn't seen Malchior at all. Even if Malchior was still in the room it wouldn't have mattered. All Beastboy could see was Raven. Her pupils were so small, they almost weren't there. There was blood trickling gently from her ears. Behind him, Raven's cloak was turning a disturbing shade of black. "Raven, please, speak to me!"

"Be- Beastboy. . ." Raven finally managed to gasp out. She couldn't see him very well, there was a shadow creeping in along the edge of her vision and getting larger. "I'm sorry-" she choked out.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Beastboy asked. She shuddered violently and he screamed her name. "RAVEN! NO!"

Raven tried so hard to say something, but she couldn't think or feel. Out of her throat came only a muffled noise. Her whole world now was shadows and pain, and this strange, cold, numbing feeling that was creeping over her. She tired to fight it off, but it pounced upon her senses, and then there was nothing at all.

Beastboy felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach. He tore off the ropes that still bound her and hugged her body to him like a rag doll. He wasn't sure how long he sobbed over her lifeless form, but it felt like an eternity, and perhaps it really was.

((Authors Note: this is not the end of the story folks! Expect the Final Chapter soon.))