Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Warning: Slight blood and death in this chapter. Author's Note's will immediately follow this, instead of being at the end of the chapter.
...can never truly win... is a line break.
Author's Notes: I'm putting this here because I can (and I don't want to ruin the ending). Anyway, this is the last chapter of Tempest- I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
I have the bonus chapter to Maelstrom which will be put up following this, and the epilogue is being written as you read this. There won't be a sequel to this, but the '8th chapter' (which will be a seperate piece) should wrap everything up.
Thanks, once again, for reading.
Chapter Seven: Letting Go
As the tunnel flashed around him Keol felt as though he was trying to swim through molasses, as clichéd as that may have sounded. The thick, sticky aura of the place resisted his movements, clinging to him; unwilling to release its captive. Finally it let him go and the tunnel resumed its 'normal' pace. As the streaks rushed by him, Keol felt his eyelids close and a presence push at the borders of his mind. He stiffened and then relaxed: sometimes visions couldn't push past his conscious mind. As soon as the boy dropped his mental shields, it rushed in.
Demons filled the streets as the screams of terrified people rang in his ears. Shouts and calls from the lone figures of calm in the storm of chaos- Titans, young and old, fought side by side as other heroes, allies and friends, came to their aid. There- Violet Isis. Farther on, Jackie and Modifier. Others he didn't know, holding back the hellborn creatures, straining to protect their world.
And in the midst of it all, Changeling and Sel destroyed everything that attempted to pass them, frantic looks over their shoulders leading his gaze.
Raven. Mirror. Armory. Held above the ground by a force greater than their own. Arms lifted and palms twisted to beseech the uncaring sky. Three points in a terrible triangle; three entrances of a demonic Gate. And in between them-
Trigon.
He had just begun to emerge, and as Keol saw His antlers start to pierce the clouds, the child realized that Trigon was- for once in His life- vulnerable.
Reality hit. The sky tore apart and let him through; the Heart in his hand glowed intensely as he fell downward, hilt clutched in one white knuckled hand. And then he landed, blade plunging into the Lord of Hell's flesh, piercing white light blinding him as Trigon jerked and roared.
Keol fought to hang on, trying desperately to think of something he could do. Trigon's shock wouldn't last long, and when the Lord of Hell discovered that his grandchild was trying to kill him, Keol didn't think he'd be alive to see the next day. If there was one.
Snap. The Heart's internal light grew and dimmed, grew and dimmed, becoming brighter each time it repeated the cycle. Through the pain and tears, the boy realized that it was holding off and dampening Trigon's power- so he had to do something. Now.
Ignoring the fact that he could no longer feel his hands (and considering the blisters and apparently broken bones, he didn't want to), Keol took a quick breath and closed his eyes, trying to focus, gather his power… and struck.
Trion shuddered, unable to stop the combined power and effects with His drained strength. The earth trembled; Keol watched in horror as the Heart shattered into pieces of light- and Trigon was gone.
...can never truly win...
Somewhere he found the strength to keep away as the demon vanished. Somehow his feet hit the ground and kept him from falling over. An urgent, innate voice told him it wasn't over yet. And even as Keol gasped for breath as blood filled his mouth, he heard it. In the center of the triangle a vortex opened, its black depths churning as the light eating portal expanded.
"It'll suck them in!" Raven's son shouted at Changeling an Sel, coughing to clear his lungs of blood. They understood, and all three moved towards the entranced demons.
Bracing himself against the wind, Changeling moved towards Raven. In his heart, he knew that if he lost that dark bird to anything, the life she had given him would be meaningless. One hand stretched out, hooking around her waist as the powerful wind pulled both of them slowly towards the whirlpool. He had to wake her up. The other moved up and over her shoulder, catching his other hand and holding her to him in a tight embrace.
"Raven."
With a wince Sel felt the leading edge of the demonic wind slice his protective shield. A gesture of his hand brought another one to battle the howling vortex as the Titan edged towards Mirror. He had seen her start and then stiffen, eyes glazing over and losing that spark of life as Trigon began his entry into this world. The amber eyed man had seen her hands lift, summoning demons that began to attack. And he had seen her fear.
"I told you to trust me! I promised myself I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He had promised her.
A wind split off from protecting him and whipped out, becoming a wall between Emily and the hellborn portal. It left Sel open to the vortex's attack for a split second as he lunged forward, snagging her and pulling her towards him.
The barrier tightened instantly around them, but even it's protection was limited. The wind crashed into them and for a split second her lips caught his. He could have imagined it, but Sel would have sworn Mirror shivered.
"Ar-mo-ry!" Keol searched for an opening with enhanced vision, pushing away the fatigue and tiredness that teased him. There- a weak spot! He shut his eyes and plunged in. The furious sounding wind snatched him up and threw him mercilessly around. He twisted, grabbing Hailey's hands as tears, perhaps caused by the stinging air, filled his eyes.
"Wake up!" Buffeted by the wind, Keol clung desperately to her hand. "Armory, wake up!" It was the wail of hurt, scared child- and in itself a plea for help.
The three jerked; eyes previously blank blazed with power.
"Demons. Be gone." Shrieks came from the winged creatures as they were sucking into the vortex, previously contained by it's summoners. In a few moments it was over, and Sel exhaustedly lowered all of them to the ground.
"You're back!" Keol launched himself at Armory, burying his head against her stomach as she gasped for breath.
"What did you do?" He didn't answer her, and she put her arms around him, eyes lifting to see Mirror pull Sel into a kiss as tears rolled down her face. Just a bit away Raven leaned wearily into Changeling's arms, eyes closed as they murmured softly to each other.
A hand on her shoulder. Jinx looked approvingly at her.
"You fought well." Armory sobered.
"I gave in." The Titans' former enemy lifted an eyebrow, and then shrugged.
"If that's what you want to think." And then she moved off.
...can never truly win...
The wounded had been healed, the rest had been given heartfelt thanks, and time moved on. Raven looked around, concern dusting her features.
"Where is Arella?" No one had an answer.
"Raven…" Jackie stood by the block corner, uncertainty in her stance.
She was sitting with her back against the brick wall, eyes closed and a final peace in her grim smile that remained, even after her spirit had fled. The blood of many, many demons painted the walls and ground around her, but none of it stained her cloak or blades.
Raven crouch in front of her, face calm, but in her eyes a bitter sorrow.
"Thank you, mother." It was too soft for anyone else to catch, but the half demoness felt Arella, wherever she was, would hear. She leaned forward to uncurl the death grip around the swords, then rocked back on her heels suddenly and stood.
"Keol." He started, eyes having been locked onto Arella. An unspoken thought passed between them. The boy knelt and reached out to take the swords. The crossed blades flashed as his hands, gloved because of his injuries, took the hilts.
"Keol..." Nightwing. "When you… defeated Trigon, what did you do?"
"I can't feel his influence anymore, little brother." Mirror said with surprise. Keol looked for a moment longer at the calm face of a woman he had never known, and then rose and smiled at them.
"I couldn't kill Him, and banishing Him back to Hell would just give Him a chance to come back. So… I put a piece of Him in everyone. Too small to influence them, yet too broken to reform." The others stared at him and he fidgeted. "What?"
Cyborg broke the silence with a heartfelt laugh. "Looks like we got another real Titan on our hands."
And that about summed it up.
...can never truly win...
Her feet made no sound as she walked across the carpet, blonde hair swirling and then falling around her as she stopped, blue eyes shifting to the scene outside the window.
"There was someone else, wasn't there? Someone you met when you found the Heart." Her voice held no hint of jealousy; she fiercely loved her little brother with all of her quiet heart, and had sensed that extra emotion waiting patiently for Keol to grow up.
He looked out, past his reflection, past the city, to where a ghost of a girl had caught his heart, and given him hers. Then he turned and smiled, brilliant happiness filling his face.
"Yes," Keol said. "Her name was Kalios."
- THE END-
if the day dawns blood red
and a voice says it is the last day
let me turn to find you
because if we must fight to live
and live to fight on
the waking nightmare
can never truly win
for love is the strongest force of all.