The True Meaning of Sacrifice

by: IHOP

Chapter 5 – Practice

Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg convened in a small alley near the old Town Square. They were discussing the mysterious appearance—then disappearance—of the legion of flame demons just minutes ago. Cyborg had his one human eye closed and was holding down some sort of button on his arm.

"I checked my memory banks," the android stated when he was finished. "They're definitely the same creatures that Slade summoned when Trigon was trying to use Raven as a portal."

"But how and why did they return?" Starfire was always the one to ask the question on everyone else's mind. "And why did they vanish so quickly?"

"I don't know," Robin said in his usual leader tone, "but I think we should contact Raven and make sure she and Beast Boy are all right."

As if responding to his words, Robin's communicator suddenly rang. Startled, he grabbed the device and answered the call.

Raven's face appeared on the screen. "Robin, have you found anything in the city?"

"Yes, we have, and I wanted to ask you about it. The signal led us to the old Town Square, and we found it infested with the same flame creatures that appeared at the end of the world. The strange thing is—"

"None of your attacks affected them and they suddenly disappeared?" Raven finished.

Robin paused, momentarily dumbfounded. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"I know what's going on," she answered plainly, "and Beast Boy and I are working on a solution right now, but I can't reveal any real details just yet."

"How is he doing?" Robin asked, suddenly reminded of his ailing teammate.

"He's... conscious. His condition is all right at the moment, but there's a crucial connection between his affliction and the appearance of those flame demons. I need to ask you to remain patrolling the city in case they return. I know you may not be able to defeat them, but it's important that you make sure they don't spread out. Contact me if you need any help."

"Okay, good luck. Robin out." The Boy Wonder closed his communicator.

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Upon ending her conversation with Robin, Raven turned to face Beast Boy. He had been lying in the medical bed for the duration of the dialogue, trying to rest while still listening intently to the exchange. Keeping his composure had drained him, and it had started to show as exhaustion in his face.

"This ritual is going to take a lot of work," the sorceress explained. "I need some time to practice the Incantation, but in the meantime, you have to work on suppressing the darkness, which means you're going to have to learn to meditate."

The very idea of meditation was foreign to Beast Boy, and he was reserved about trying. However, understanding its necessity in this case, he conceded and allowed Raven to instruct him.

"First, you need to find your center," Raven began, demonstrating by assuming the Lotus position, legs crossed, palms out. Beast Boy imitated as best he could, fumbling slightly. "Focus your thoughts, and relax." Her mind was eased by her familiar procedure, and she began to chant. "Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos... Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos..."

After a couple of repetitions, Raven nodded to Beast Boy as a signal for him to join. He slowly murmured each word, struggling slightly with their pronunciation; a soft hue of pink was just barely visible in his uneasy face. Eventually, though, he became more and more comfortable, and he began meditating with more ease. He felt lighter than air, and after opening his eye a crack he suddenly realized that he was, in fact, floating in the air. He let out a shout of surprise and crash-landed on the bed.

"Ouch," Beast Boy muttered as he rubbed his head. "What was that?"

"You were levitating," said Raven, who had been watching. "The darkness seems to have enhanced the power of your mind, giving you some degree of psychic power."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy reveled. "It's too bad that it's also trying to destroy me," he continued, coming back to reality.

Raven gave a small, encouraging smile. "Go ahead and keep meditating. I'm going to work on the Incantation." She walked across to the other side of the room, leaving Beast Boy hovering several inches over the bed in deep thought, a perplexing sight indeed.

The enchantress picked up her spell book and turned to the page on which the Cleansing Incantation was written. She read over all of the words carefully, trying to make sure she understood all of them. She had difficulty focusing because her mind was racing with troubling thoughts.

What if I'm not skilled enough to use this spell? What if it doesn't work? And even if it does, what will happen if the darkness manifests itself outside of Beast Boy? I'll have to sacrifice myself... I know I have to do it, but I'm frightened.

Raven tried to shake off the chills that crept throughout her body as her mind heaved from the exhaustion of worrying. She continued to read the spell, this time inaudibly murmuring the words under her breath. Hopefully, she thought at last, I'll know what to do when the time comes. She then turned to another page in the book, shuddering when she read the heading at the top.

On the other side of the room, Beast Boy, still engaged in awkward meditation, partially opened one eye and peered at Raven as she studied rigorously. Somehow he managed to do this without losing his concentration and plummeting to the ground again. In the back of his mind, though, he was concerned.

Raven sure seems anxious. I think she might be hiding something from me. I don't know what she would still keep secret from me, but I trust her more than anyone else in the world, and I'm willing to put my fate in her hands... I have to.

Giving a soft, gentle sigh, Beast Boy closed his eye and returned to his self-containment, not used to such extended monotony. The room was completely silent, yet the tension that filled the air flooded the heads of both heroes with excruciating noise.

After another few hours of practice, Raven finally stood and approached Beast Boy. She delicately put her hand on his shoulder, rousing him from his meditation and causing him to return slowly to the ground.

"Are you ready?" she asked him straightforward.

The changeling nodded shakily. "I am if you are."

"Then let's go." Raven turned around.

"Where are we going?" Beast Boy asked, confused.

"To enchanted ground," she answered. Waving one arm, she unleashed a wall of black energy, opening a portal in front of them.

The two looked at each other for a moment, a glimpse of fear showing in their eyes. Simultaneously, each reached for the other's hand for strength; in his other hand, the scarred hand, Beast Boy clutched the penny. Then, they stepped through the portal together, disappearing in a flash of white light.

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There you go, chapter 5. Hope it's OK.

Review, please.