Dischord Nostra

Part One

Beast King had been raised to believe that all of God's creatures were beautiful. But he had seen things in his life that made him see that that wasn't true. He knew the truth was a great many of God's creatures are downright disgusting. Both physically and in the depths of their souls, Beast King had seen the ugliness that was in mankind; had seen the way things were pulled apart by war and hatred and mistrust: he had seen the crippling effect of human machination and malcontent and rebellion. Nothing could destroy like the ill will of man. It was one of the reasons why he was glad he was a beast before a man, but there were things that reminded him that the other half of him, the part that wasn't feral and instinct driven, wasn't so bad either. Things like playing gamestation with Cyborg, who too only held half a claim to man; and Celine's smile, which was one of the proofs Beast King took with him when he was almost swallowed in the burden of becoming a man… His mother, Celine, Robin… all the wholly human aspects of his life, the good parts that he held in his heart, reminded him that humanity wasn't all bad in its purest forms…

But the purest form of humanity wasn't as glorious as the title 'pure' made it sound. Indeed, the greatest form of hate Beast King would ever witness came in the form of pure human beings.

His legs pumped to keep up, though his stride was long enough to over take the pace. He didn't know where they were going, all he knew was what they were headed for, and only part of what they would have to do when they got there.

The water slipped and poured off the rock formations like natural rain fall. It was rhythmic, just shy of unsettling. The drops glistened in the unnatural light of the Cave of Segii, those without demonic heritage shuddered from the feel of it. Nightwing bit back the sickening feeling he felt creeping across his body. He turned a worried eye to Raven: if his body felt such distress from the demon power, how did Raven, Akane and Jinx feel when their inherent demonic power reacted to it?

From the information they had found in Jinx's maps and Raven's books, the Cave of Segii continued for something like days if traveled by the brave and self-propelled. It had been years since anyone had been into its absolute depths, about twenty two years to any of their best estimates. The cave walls were splattered with markings, some naturally occurring others that were the consequence of Trigon's influence on the world.

Nightwing could see that Trigon's influence was tampering more than just cave walls.

"This is the beginning of the grand opportunity. Any daughter you would have bared would be the portal of Trigon... But this child is special. She will fuel Doomgaze and Trigon both for their wars... her creation alone will spark the great power to annihilate the time of mortals."

Raven wasn't exactly sure why they were running. The force that was pulsing like fire through the cave energy would make sure they got to the Yiken Stone and got to it when the Ring of Azarath prepared to collide. Somehow Raven knew, blood to blood, bones to bones, that the energy that would come, the energy that Trigon was relying on would spiral through more than just the planet Earth. It would strike down, tunneling through the ring of Azarath and be the end of Azarath… but then again, what was the point of Azarath existing if the Earth did not?

Akane kept the pace, the sting in her blood lead her forward. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. The infinite mark of Scath was blazing in red script in the dead center of her forehead. It made her blood dizzy, as if it were in an anxious pull to leave her body and rejoin the source of its creation. Akane raised her right hand to ball over her heart. The dream catcher brushed under her breast, tinkling softly in a rhythm that opposed her nerves.

She saw it then, on the palm of her right hand, the light of it escaping between the spaces between her fingers. The infinite mark was on her hand in the dead center. From what her mother had told her, from what she had read in the scrolls in the library of Azar Sabrah, that mark was the definition of absolute. Her forehead, she could assume was the will of Trigon on her blood… but the palm of her hand, at the diversity of her power; that was where all things collided.

I cannot afford to lose hope, that I cannot…

"So this thing we're heading for… it's where Trigon is?" Tempest asked, breaking the long running silence. Really the only noises that were occurring in the cave other than the whorl of the demonic energy were the out-of-sync footfalls of the group and the harsh and uneven breathing those who ran were expelling. The flying Titans: Bumble Bee, Foxfire, Blackfire and Star felt no painful exhale. Those whose feet connected to the ground: Cyborg, Nightwing, Beast King (who ran on four legs rather than two), Raven, Akane, Jinx and Tempest, ran without minding the dismal earth beneath their feet, they kept moving forward.

"One year from her birth… she will be as you are and on the anniversary of the day you were born… the portal will be torn from her."

"No," Raven stated. "We're going to the Yiken Stone, it's the place where Trigon's power is sealed. Trigon himself is somewhere else."

"When we defeat the Trigon seal, we will go elsewhere as well to defeat his physical self?" Starfire asked.

"There will be no need. If we stop Trigon here, his physical form will never manifest." Jinx replied.

"But this doesn't end with Trigon, that it does not." Akane added. "The Great Demon Kings are restless. They would use the lastingness of their immortality to generate their war."

"But if we stop Trigon now, will he even be able to start this whole thing again?" Nightwing asked.

"It is our course of action now to make sure we never find out." Jinx replied.

"In three months you'll have your baby… one year after that… she is going to live out the end of the world."

Raven blinked hard, she had felt something, something bad, but she didn't know what it was. It had started with the ground beneath her feet and filtered into the wind that was whipping through the air.

"Are you okay?" Nightwing asked.

Beat, Beat Heartbeat.

"I'm not sure." Raven replied honestly.

"There's something about this wind… it feels like it doesn't belong here." Nightwing admitted.

"I don't know."

The mouth of the middle cave opened and narrowed, causing them to take turns and tremendous caution as they traveled. The way became a bridge, far too narrow to support them in a line. In pairs they sidled across, their feet scuffing unnervingly soft clay. Beast King's foot slipped and the green morph wobbled unsteadily before Akane reached and grabbed him, balancing him and pulling him to safety.

"Thanks."

"We must be very careful." Akane replied.

Their path shifted and one by one the team had to leap down from the cliff ledge to the platform below. Jinx and Cyborg slid one after another, hopping; Jinx gracefully, Cyborg to keep up, leading the transition from higher ground to lower ground. The flying Titans watched the transition, eyes shifting back and forth for any danger. Beast King's cheetah paws bounded swiftly, his form shifting with a grace that Jinx couldn't match. But it wasn't a contest, it was a race and they were all one team heading for the exact same thing…

What hadn't surprised them was that the members of the Slade Syndicate had interfered. What did surprise them was which ones.

Akane had felt it in her blood to run again and as Nightwing helped Raven down from a ledge, the girl gave into the influence and ran. Nightwing frowned and Raven followed and in the mass the others trailed the half demon girl.

They ran and turned, ignoring the muddy stench the cave had taken as they were drawn deeper in. They noticed the earth only when their feet skid to a stop against the suddenly firm soil, Nightwing after Raven after Akane. They stopped one by one and finally in a relaxed mass.

It hadn't taken much imagination to draw a heinous smile on the face that stared back them.

Beat, Beat Heartbeat…

"You." Raven sneered.

"Me." Terra replied with all the venom the Titans had known years ago.

She stood in front of them, barely twenty one, blond hair tied up and out of the range of her diamond blue eyes. She was no different in height or weight than the last time the Titans had encountered her, but something was different in Terra.

It was her companion.

Terra stood, weight shifted on one hip as her eyes surveyed the team briefly, stopping decidedly on Akane. Nightwing stepped forward, putting his body forward to block Akane from Terra's sight. Terra smirked. She twirled a black comm.-link between her fingers, tilting her head just enough to turn her mouth to the intercom.

"Slade, tell Washu he owes me a favor… I was right; the cowards did try to skip out."

Raven sneered, her black energy boiling with in. Akane didn't know this woman, but from the angry faces of the team around her, she could only be one person.

Terra Nostra…

Terra tossed her comm.-link an inch above her shoulder and caught it with a purposeful snap. She secured it behind her back before brushing off the brown-red material of her leotard.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Did you think you could sneak away from us? Tsk, tsk, Birdie Dumdum. There is no escape."

Nightwing could hear the exchange of barbs between Raven and Terra, could hear fists being clenched, teeth grinding and furious breathing, but all his attention was on Terra's companion, who had said nothing, who had done nothing, but was the most magnetic of the personalities in the Cave of Segii. Hooded: too narrow in build to be Red X, too short to be Brother Blood: it was a woman; it had to be, even though the face was masked with the dark grey cloak.

"I know," Terra said sharply, catching Nightwing's attention "that you won't come quietly, but really Raven, save everyone the trouble and give the girl here."

Jinx narrowed her eyes. "I don't know who you are, but it would do you well to move out of the way."

Terra rolled her eyes. Her companion remained absolutely still. "Is this the part where I'm intimidated by a girl with pink hair? Or should we wait for something better?"

The cave began to tremble, Terra's cruel smile remaining fixed as the land danced up and down. The Titans stepped and shifted to keep their balance as the earth heaved and quaked. Beast King's face set in a grimace and Nightwing made sure that Akane kept her footing. "I came here to retrieve Raven's precious baby girl." Terra said, stepping forward without a hint of fear or hesitance even though it was eleven to two… that second one made all the difference.

"You wasted your time. Akane isn't go anywhere with you." Cyborg said, readying his beam cannon.

"Akane?" Terra snorted, turning her head to her companion, who still had yet to move. She smiled coolly before turning her face back to the Titans. Her eyes shifted from Raven to Nightwing to Akane partially hidden by their shoulders. "Looks like we've got a fight on our hands… Good. It was boring without you pathetic Titans to torture. We'll have to make up for lost time."

"We don't have time for this stupidity. Move out of the way." Jinx demanded.

"Or what?" Terra asked.

"There is no or what." Jinx's feral pink energy shelled over her irises.

"You guys wanna go further? You're going to have to get through us." Terra replied.

"Not a problem." Cyborg said, training his weapon. "We've beaten you before, we'll do it again."

And the first fire was shot. Terra rolled her eyes and raised her hand, pulling a column of Earth as a shield, the hardened soil didn't break under the onslaught. Cyborg balked and Terra smirked. Without warning Jinx dashed forward, leaping over the earth barrier. Her echo energy was flashing, her fist drawn back to strike Terra. But it never happened. With Jinx's fist less than a foot from Terra's face, the geomorph's companion raised a slender hand, echoing Terra's motion. Jinx's pink eyes shot wide with shock as a tremendous blast of wind crashed into her, hurling her backwards. Her body twisted out of her control, her back smashing into Terra's earth guard, shattering the shield. Her body was thrown past the Titans, slamming to the ground some thirty feet away. Cyborg's eyes widened in surprise when a column of earth beneath him catapulted him backwards, the mechanical fighter let out a yell before he crashed into the ground, not inches away from Jinx.

Wide eyed Titans turned their eyes from their fallen companions to Terra and her cohort. The yellow glow left Terra's eyes as she dropped her hand back to her side. She wanted them all to see how amused she was, her twisted smile wouldn't do her feelings justice. A casual flick of her hair highlighted her sense of pleasure in the situation she found herself in.

"Oh, but things are different now." Terra said, twirling a stone around her like the moon around the earth. "Not only can I control the earth, but I've got the wind too." Terra's blue eyes sparkled with unveiled venom as the confusion set in around them, as the wind twisted at their hair. She let her control of the spinning stone end, but the wind kept it up, twisting and rolling with natural control. Terra scanned her opponents. "There may be more of you, but the Syndicate has added another player to this game."

Their collective eye shifted to the cloaked fighter at Terra's side. Nightwing gritted his teeth; the wind was coming from there. The good guys waited with worry. Raven clenched her fingers. Of all the people in the universe, they sent Terra, because Washu knew that they'd never be able to resist a fight against the dark menace in their minds. The Syndicate hadn't gotten any less cruel and manipulative in the year that she had been away.

"It doesn't matter how many you get on your side Terra. You're not going to win." Beast King shouted.

"It's not a matter of how many, Beast Boy. It's a matter of who… Dischord," Terra turned her head to her companion. "Why don't you show the Titans who sows the wind?"

Dischord took one step forward and waved a slender hand and showed the Titans her wonders.

The blast of wind energy caught them all by surprise. The airborne Titans were disoriented, the wind catching and lifting them, twisting their bodies and throwing them backwards. The Titans on the ground were no better off. Tempest and Beast King lost their footing and were thrown backwards. Raven, Akane and Nightwing braced their feet, their boots sliding against the solid earth. Their arms shielded their faces, the wind pulling their hair and bodies back.

"Look at how quickly the numbers even out." Terra said.

Akane reacted, generating a barrier to protect them from the wind. Both sides of the barrier, the destructive side of Terra and Dischord, and the old-world Titans who had never seen Akane's power, froze at the amazing shimmering gold in Akane's energy. Tempest and Beast King moved forward with Bumble Bee and the Tameranians flying overhead. They came closer, but remained at a distance. They were mesmerized; they had seen a color like that exactly one time before.

The wind stopped. The maelstrom calmed as Terra's eyes darted across the shimmering color. The gold color shimmered against itself, making light where there was none.

Lightshow… A cruel smirk worked its way over Terra's face.

Her eyes darted to Dischord and back to Akane over Nightwing and finally landing on Raven. Her body shifted to a stance of confidence, one hand on her hip, the other dangling freely by the top of her leggings. Her voice spoke with much more than confidence.

"Your daughter may be strong… but so is mine."

The cave seemed to echo with Terra's words. Akane's barrier dropped and in a line she stood with Raven and Nightwing in confusion. Terra's unabashed expression turned their eyes to Dischord as the wind-fighter removed her cloak. They were the three standing close enough to see every detail of her, from her long hair, to the golden crown wrapped around her forehead to the color of her eyes.

Her eyes were where Nightwing stopped. There was an infinite detail to the girl's face, hair, garb and build, but Nightwing could not see them. Dischord's eyes locked on his and he was hypnotized.

Raven swallowed hard as she saw what Nightwing saw. Dischord's eyes were a brown she was familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears.

"Terra… what have you done?" Raven whispered in horror.

Terra stood beside Dischord, her slightly more mature height allowed her face to be seen behind Dischord's shoulder. "Isn't my daughter beautiful? Strong and in control of her powers. Transients mature so much faster. But it isn't just that… her father's abilities didn't hurt. It took two tries before we got it right… turns out replicas don't have the same strength of energy as the originals."

"Terra…" Nightwing whispered, taking a step backwards in absolute horror.

And Terra smiled.

"Dischord, sweetheart, say hello to Daddy."

End of Part One

Adult Terra's image is posted.

Dischord's image is also posted.

The ugliness in humanity Beast King was thinking about was what you just learned.