DISCLAIMER: I don't own the titans, nor do I own anything affiliated with them. I do, however, retain the right to call any unique characters I create my intellectual property. That about sums up the disclaimer. Have fun reading the story!

Well, it's about time, huh? This chapter took longer than I'd like to admit, but I do think it was well worth it. This seemed to evoke the strongest emotions of any chapter so far as I can tell when I read it through, and for that I was very happy. One of my main goals is to give you, the reader, a vivid sense of what the characters are feeling.

I hope you find I did just that.

Anything else I wanted to say can wait for the end of the chapter, seeing as how I made you wait this long already. The only other thing to do is humbly thank you for continuing to read my story. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I did writing it.

Oh, sorry, just one more thing. There's a reference to a quote from several chapters back, and unless you're reading everything is one sitting, I'll assume you forgot. With that in mind, I'm going to include an excerpt from Chapter 3 involving a dialogue between Rune and Wraith. You'll understand what the relevance is near the end of the chapter. Have a great read!

"Don't you ever talk about her like that. I loved her with all my soul, and I know she loved me, too." His voice was beginning to grow stronger, as well as his confidence and sense of purpose. Little did he know all that would be stripped away from him in a matter of seconds.

"My dear boy, you don't even have a soul."

(If you actually remembered this after so long, I'm honored beyond words)


Fear…Hatred…Hope…Strength…Virtue…Anger…Pain…Darkness…

Joy?

A myriad of thoughts and emotions enveloped Rune's mindscape all at once, rolling one atop the other in a battle for superiority amidst his decimated senses. Coupled with the newfound answers came a clouded awareness of his surroundings.

Broken glass lay amongst a discarded towel, several rays of mid afternoon sunlight skipped across the white and blue linoleum floor, and a permeating chill seeped throughout the hazy vapors of steam still prevalent in the luxurious Titans Tower bathroom.

Despite the fierce pounding that now took up residence in the young man's head, he could still feel Raven – or whatever she was now – attempting to probe his thoughts, ascertaining whether or not his presence was a threat, most likely. The chaotic influx of information resulting from his breakthrough was still raging on, disallowing Rune the opportunity to try and fend off the mental intrusion.

With a heartfelt scowl, the young man pushed his way through the disorientating rush of memories and cast a menacing glare upon his attacker. In the fleeting instant before fear once again enveloped his senses after gazing into those unforgiving eyes, a faint rush of…of something, tickled the back of the boy's mind.

For a moment, the only notion registering in his thoughts was the scent of ivory soap battling against the acrid stench of brimstone. That, of course, came to a halt as soon as the demon spoke his name.

"You are whom my daughter calls 'Rune', are you not?"

Again, a sense of disembodied urgency scratched at the very edges of the youth's thoughts, almost as if the odd sensation had reacted to the twin infernal voices echoing forth from the shell of a girl who was standing before him.

His latent curiosity vanished in an instant when he realized what exactly had just been said.

"Did you say daughter?" At his words, the possessed figure growled ominously, her four red eyes glowing in a most wicked manner.

The young man took an involuntary step back, making a clear note of the precarious situation he had somehow managed to get himself into.

"Y-Yes, I'm Rune." A feeling of desperation overwhelmed his common sense, and he dared to ask another question.

"What are you?" An unexpected smile etched itself across the visage of the girl before him, turning her lips upward in a sadistic grin.

"The child did not reveal her demonic heritage to you? No matter. I am the Unmaker of Souls, the One True Blight, He Who Dwells Within Us All. Anything further would surpass the boundaries of your mortal coil in understanding the vastness of my infinite nature."

A truly dark expression enveloped the youth's face, replacing his look of fear with one of absolute loathing.

"Then, you're a demon." Rune practically spat out that last cursed word, which only proved to draw out a throaty laugh from the extra-planar beast standing before him.

"Your words are strong for one who knows so little. Perhaps you must learn to fear the power of that which stands before you." At the creature's last remark, Rune's features momentarily glassed over and his head tipped forward a bit, masking his face beneath a mane of sandy blonde hair.

A powerful, dark light flickered behind the boy's eyes, and his response was set in a low whisper.

"It's difficult to fear something I've dealt with all my life."

Just as soon as it appeared, the shadow passed, leaving Rune staggering under the strain of both fear and anger. A sharp hand motion sent the remaining hair back over his shoulder, once again offsetting the predominately black and gray outfit with an overabundance of yellow. Unfocused worry for the safety of his female acquaintance got the better of him, and he addressed the creature directly.

"Why are you here? What happened to Raven?" Another laugh echoed throughout the room, and the figure casually looked down at her own body.

"This creature of my flesh is of no concern to you, but if it will subdue your petty queries, know that she is…safe…for the moment." A fierce scowl replaced the indifferent expression on Raven's possessed countenance, offset by a tangible darkness that began to coalesce around her body.

"Enough. I tire of this game. Even now I sense the approach of those who would see me...done away with." For the first time during this encounter, Rune could feel an inner fire begin to burn inside him. Whether it was the demon's allusion of weakness or the thought of Raven having to suffer beneath the will of this…thing, he was unsure. The only fact he knew for certain was that this had to end, and soon.

A brilliant white aura surrounded Rune's frame in an instant, replacing the trepidation in his eyes with a piercing luminescence.

"What makes you think I won't stop you myself?" The edges of Raven's mouth turned upward under the guise of a faint smile.

"Curiosity stays your hand, mortal, for without my essence, you would not know the true nature of things."

A confused frown abruptly replaced the smug grin that had just begun to form on the young man's face. Before he could voice his concern for whatever that cryptic message had meant, his interest was diverted to the door by a loud metallic clanging, accompanied by a booming voice full of worry.

"Raven, you in there? Tower security just went haywire; something about a huge energy release in the…err…well, ya know."

A slight pause ensued, followed by a poorly contained chuckle, though the voice accompanying the laugher was of a much higher octave than the former.

"Hey Raven, did you sneak one of my 'totally tofu tacos' again?" A solid whack echoed through the doorway, offset by a sharp squeak of pain a moment later.

Another slight pause arose, followed by a not-so-lighthearted comment from the previous voice.

"Seriously Rae, you in there? I need to check the security conduit under the sink."

It was at that moment Rune overcame his initial confusion of what was going on, not to mention his complete ignorance of whatever joke Beast Boy had just... A glimmer of awareness abruptly flashed across the young man's eyes.

His name is Beast Boy. I…remember hearing it during the fight. And…and Cyborg, too.

A pleading look over at the sturdy titanium entryway was all the young man could manage before a familiar feminine voice disrupted his thought patterns completely.

"Cyborg! Beast Boy! I need help! He...he's loose and…ugh! " Just as Rune turned his head back to cast a gawking stare at the possessed girl, he was met with the sight of black energy coursing around the young woman's lithe outline. With a quick hand motion, Raven's body sent a jolt of dark lightening at the control panel near the door, causing a plume of smoke and sparks to erupt from the operating mechanism. In that same instant, the young man was encased in a midnight-black cocoon from cheek to foot, allowing him to see and hear everything through unadulterated senses.

"We're coming, Raven! Just hold on, the door's stuck!" Try as he might, Rune couldn't break the bonds he now found himself in, and to his utmost horror, was unable to move any part of his body, save his eyes. To make matters worse, the shining aura that still surrounded his frame had suddenly become immensely more difficult to maintain under the pressure of keeping out this foreign power that now had him wrapped up so tightly. Even after a few seconds, he was already growing tired, unaccustomed as he was to maintaining an energy level of this caliber any longer than was necessary to complete a simple job or two.

The luxury of trying to figure out what was going on and why this creature had thought it necessary to use a ruse abruptly left him when a demonic visage made itself present mere inches from his face. Though the dark restraints prevented Rune from speaking, his look of fear and hatred was more than enough information for the demon.

"You question why I do this." It was more of a statement than an inquiry, and the young man could only stare in quiet indignation, waiting for an answer.

Amidst the heavy pounding on the door, Raven smiled, establishing a powerful grip on the throat of the youth and easily hoisted him up into the air.

"You are an insect, a single speck of dust in the winds of eternity. Your very presence is beneath my notice, but I will indulge you, if only to see the bountiful hatred in your eyes." At that, the young woman dropped her victim. Rune landed with a heavy thud, immediately repositioning himself as best he could so that he might look this beast of a father right in the face.

The possessed girl cast a sidelong glance down at the boy to her side, a venomous sneer clearly evident beneath her glowing features.

"Would you deny a child the ability to play, or a bird the gift of flight? So too is it the fate of demons to destroy and ruin. Your world shall be mine in time, and all will bow low, lest they be trampled beneath my hooves. For this reason I bring suffering and pain upon the mortal realm. "

A violent gesture brought Rune hurtling up from the floor, his trapped form held vertically a foot in the air so that he might regard his keeper face to face. Despite the constricting net of energy, the young man found the strength to cast a white-hot glare at the monstrosity before him. An expression of amusement easily deflected the intended message.

"Chaos is the only true constant in a world of deceit and lies, I am only a harbinger for the inevitable. Had I more freedom, your fortuitous presence would have proven…most entertaining. As it stands, my appointed hour has not yet come, and my time grows short. Still, that has not answered the 'why' of your question, has it?"

The dull crackle of a titanium-encased fingertip blowtorch sounded clearly over the harsh words set before him, and it was with a look of great anticipation that Rune glanced over at the door by the far wall. His sense of anxious foreboding did not have time to develop further, as it was a moment later he was lowered gently to his feet, and to his amazement, set free from the dark prison that had been keeping him immobile all this while.

Unable to capitalize on whatever measure of freedom he had just been granted, the young man could only lean against the steel wall behind him quite heavily, watching the last traces of flickering white energy dissipate under the strain of his intense mental fatigue.

"I will answer one question before I go. Ask, and be satisfied."

Unsure what to make of this sudden turn in events, Rune was scarcely able to pull together his thoughts, nevermind form a coherent question. Almost immediately, he found words already on his lips, spoken in a slow drawl that personified the current state of his mind and body.

"Why…now? What purpose…does this serve? You…you say this isn't the…time. Then why bother…to come at all? How does this help you…?"

A predatory grin enveloped the face of the girl before him, leaving no doubt in his mind that this was exactly the question the demon had been hoping for. With a single gliding motion, Raven was there in front of him, a single hand tenderly raised, tracing the outline of his jaw ever so gently with her delicate finger. It was almost beyond Rune's ability to remember this was not the girl he had so unexpectedly allowed himself to care about, but instead a dark reminder of everything he had hoped and prayed had been left in the past.

The young woman's hand glided elegantly over the top of his shoulder and down across the width of his chest, resting comfortingly atop the raised emblem set a bit off center atop his left breast. All the while, Rune remained captivated by the dark splendor of Raven's eyes, almost succumbing to their terrifying and hypnotic gaze.

As she regarded him closely, he could feel her warm breath against the side of his neck, and the press of her hand flush against the Red X symbol so prominently displayed on the outfit he now wore.

Without warning, he found himself flung backwards against the sturdy wall behind him, pressed and held firm against the stiff metallic backing as easily as a child might squish an insect between finger and thumb. In an instant, Raven was right by his cheek, her lips nearly touching his ear. A cold smile passed by her features at his frightened, staggered breath.

"There is no reason not to pay heed to the whims of pandemonium, a call which supercedes all others. The drive to cause havoc is ever present, always hungry, and I pursue its yearning with a hunger of my own."

Her hand sunk a bit deeper into his flesh, pressing closer towards his heart, a certain thrill running through her veins at the total lack of resistance that met the insatiable desire for a fresh human life.

"But I neglect the truth of my existence, for you see, I have developed a weakness in the eyes of chaos; a compulsion to see one action performed over and over again. It is a fact I endure for eternity, though not one I wholly detest."

She leaned in even closer, whispering so softly that Rune had to strain just to hear the words.

"My weakness is that of a blood tie. I long to reap the benefits from what I have sown, basking in the warm glow of horror and agony. The mere thought of the pain she will endure suppresses the remnants of guilt, and when it does not, when I feel the path of anarchy draws me away to other acts of cruelty, I extinguish my doubts with but one simple thought."

The boy turned his head ever so slowly, an unreadable expression plastered across his face. He regarded the being before him with little more enthusiasm than an unblinking, unseeing stare. His lack of expression was met with a wistful grin.

"Do you wish to hear it?"

A deadly serious expression enveloped Raven's features; all four eyes, cast from the very fires of what lurks below, bored into Rune's skull with the feral animosity of a wild animal.

"What type of father would I be if I did not grasp every opportunity to torture and humiliate my only beloved daughter?"

She let him go, gliding backwards ever so slowly, and filled the room with a coarse, dark laughter.

For several desolate moments, the world went numb, sealing Rune away in his own private Hell. Visions of parents he never knew flooded all aspects of his mind, choking out all the other memories with a suffocating nostalgia for a life he never would, and never could, understand. His scattered thoughts instantly refocused on the cause of the pain, and his lips pulled back in an unbidden snarl.

How dare you.

To hear such a thing, and from a beast of the lowest standing, utter this absolute blasphemy against the one idea that had reigned among his foremost thoughts for years, had brought him hope where there had been absolutely none, and had stood witness to the birth and death of countless resolutions for a better life, was beyond any sense of the word 'forgivable'.

How DARE you.

For an instant, Rune felt nothing but the cold emptiness in his heart. That brief flicker of self-pity slipped away almost as fast as it appeared, only to be replaced by something far more sinister, far more powerful, and far more deadly.

As if the essence of shadow itself had found a foothold in the mind of the young man, a silky black aura, cold as death, surrounded his body from head to foot, casting him in a murky silhouette of his former humanity. Eyes black as sin looked out from beneath the weight of pain and despair, fixing a hollow, rotted gaze upon his demonic persecutor.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Raven's hand was already up before the transformation was complete. At once, all the innumerable shards of glass rose from their respective resting place, coalescing once again into a single whole. She immediately thrust the mirror right before the boy's face, tempting him to give witness to what lay before him.

"Do you see the truth of what darkness can bestow upon a man? Embrace it, for it shall prove to be more powerful than anything you could possibly imagine."

A sudden cry of disbelief echoed forth from Rune's throat, unable to cope with the harsh reality of what he saw before him. Black upon black assaulted his senses, drumming up the distant words of a memory he had just laid claim to after losing it for days.

Dr. Wraith's penetrating voice sounded clearly, a single phrase playing over and over in his head. Even as he shrank away from the image, the dark aura subsequently winking out of existence, a painful truth pulsed ominously throughout his whole body. Rune sank to the floor, looking up to the creature before him with hopeless abandon.

He really was a soulless monster.

"Congratulations. Few are granted the privilege of seeing what truly lies beneath the surface."

With a violent motion, the possessed figure sent the mirror hurtling against an adjacent wall.

Rune shuddered at the sound, as if the shriek of glass upon metal stood for his own life, shattered beyond repair, unable to be forged anew.

"Remember this lesson well, boy. Evil can strike from any number of places, but the most lethal strain can always be found right in your own heart."

So many questions rose and fell within the boy's mind, but none of them would find an answer. With the smallest flicker of a smile, the possessed girl proceeded to roll her head back, the length of her cloak receding to its normal dimensions, and she fell from the sky in a limp manner right into Rune's lap.

As if to capitalize on his weakened state of mind, Raven's eyes fluttered open momentarily, her true, beautiful, violet eyes, trying desperately to focus on the boy who gingerly held her in his arms. After a few moments, she fixed on him an odd expression somewhere between anger and embarrassment, whispering something so softly that he barely heard her before she collapsed against his chest. A wave of anguish hit him hard, only to be reinforced by the echo of her words. She shouldn't have said it. There was no need.

Forgive me…

Without hesitation, he gathered her up as best he could, wrapping both arms around her waist in a protective bear hug. An inaudible groan passed by Raven's lips, and Rune lowered his head to rest against her soft cheek, closing his eyes against the world.

In the next few moments, a strangely cinematic quality descended upon the Titans Tower bathroom, not unlike a classic scene where the heroes finally burst into the enemy camp, only to find that they have arrived too late. Such was the case when Cyborg's heavy metal boot collided with the steel door, knocking it away from its soldered off hinges so that it might crash to the floor like a falling domino.

"Man, this is gettin' replaced by cardboard when I…"

At the sight that lay before them, Cyborg's sonic cannon immediately came to life, taking a bead on the kid's head. His second arm came up fast, scanning for life signs from Raven. A sigh of relief escaped into the air when his equipment confirmed she was only unconscious. Despite the calm and sensible approach taken by his metallic buddy, Beast Boy did not follow such a tactful course of action.

Without so much as a word, the green titan dropped to all fours, assuming the form of a huge wolf, and made a beeline for their supposed 'new friend'. Within a heartbeat, the enraged changeling was on top of the young man, driving his powerful canine jaws into the thick rubbery material surrounding the base of the boy's neck.

He could feel the burning sting of razor sharp teeth digging into his shoulder, but chose to ignore it, instead drawing Raven even closer against his sturdy frame. Despite Rune's unusual resilience to the obvious pain, a threatening growl sounded clearly right next to his ear, harboring a good deal of anger as well as what seemed to be more than a little worry.

"Beast Boy! Get off him!" The younger titan didn't respond, didn't even look up at his friend across the room. Even though Cyborg still had his sonic cannon at the ready, it was pretty obvious that something was wrong with the new kid, and the cybernetic teenager didn't seem too worried about him attacking, at least for now. If they were going to get anywhere, both he and Beast Boy would need to remain at least somewhat level headed in order to get through this without any actual casualties.

"BB, if you keep biting him like that, you're gonna hurt Raven, too." That got the changelings attention. With a final growl, he released Rune and backed away slowly, resuming his human form so that he might wipe away the small trickle of blood that was leaking out the side of his mouth. Regardless, he cast the young man a venomous scowl.

"You're just lucky I'm a vegetarian."

If Rune heard the words, he didn't respond, instead remaining perfectly silent while Cyborg made his way over to the crouching youth. From the quick once over he had given the room, the mechanized young man could plainly see that some kind of battle had taken place, but the specifics seemed to be far less forthcoming. His interest had centered on the wall directly behind the kid for a few moments, and he briefly wondered what could have made the large black scorch marks.

Still, the situation was far from being in control, and the older titan made sure to maintain a calm, level voice when he spoke.

"Kid, listen up. I need you to let go of Raven so that I can take her to the infirmary." No reaction met his words at first, and Beast Boy took a threatening step forward. The metallic teen glanced upward and waved him away. Thinking that perhaps a direct approach might yield better results, Cyborg reached out and took hold of the offending boy's arm. Immediately, the youth tightened his grip and buried his nose right into the crook of the girl's shoulder.

For all of her immense power, Raven was still a rather small girl, and the cybernetic titan feared that if this guy tightened his grip any harder, he might crack a rib or something.

"Look, if you keep squeezing her like that, you're gonna hurt her the same as BB." Rune's head abruptly popped up about an inch from Raven's shoulder, and he immediately loosened his hold, though his eyes still refused to meet either figure. Finally seeing some progress, Cyborg eased Raven out from beneath the kid's embrace and lifted her into his large arms.

The green titan, already upset over what this new guy had done to his friend, instantly recognized the now visible Red X suit as a prototype Robin kept stored in the evidence room.

Beast Boy was on him in an instant, grabbing hold of Rune's uniform and forcing him backwards into the wall. The young man's head bounced off the metal plating with a satisfying thud, though his eyes still did not rise.

"Is this how you repay her? Raven stuck up for you! If it weren't for her, you wouldn't even be alive right now! And this is how you say thanks? You steal Robin's suit and almost kill the one person who actually cared whether you were ok or not? What's wrong with you!"

By this time, a small stream of tears had begun to run down the side of Beast Boy's cheeks, revealing his true feelings about the whole situation. Suddenly aware of Cyborg's presence once again, he cast a plaintive look up at his friend before turning back to the young man, a vast majority of his anger spent on the previous outburst.

"If she doesn't get better soon, I swear I'll finish what that Doctor Wraith guy started." Of all things, it was the mention of something from the past that finally invoked a response from the silent youth. Rune looked up at Beast Boy with large, wet eyes, and spoke in a rushing, staggered breath.

"I…I wanted to help, but…the eyes, they…it was too much…the way she…what it said, the voice…I just…I'm sorry…I…I couldn't stop it…I'm so sorry…" The young man finished his expressive monologue with a pained shudder, lowering his head once more.

Beast Boy backed off almost immediately, more or less having had all his anger deflated after such an unexpected rush of emotion. An uneasy glance upward revealed a neutral expression on Cyborg, though it was clear he wished this to be over and done with as soon as possible. Another sigh exited into the room.

"BB, take him to a holding cell on the second floor. I need to bring Raven to the med labs. Robin's gonna have a field day with this when him and Starfire get back." Not allowing for any further complications to arise, Cyborg turned around and headed for the door, gently cradling his small package in two massive bionic arms. Beast Boy followed suit and turned into a gorilla, hauling Rune to his feet a bit more gently than he would have a few minutes ago.

As the two of them reached the spot where the door used to be, the young man resisted his guide and turned back to regard the room behind him. A simple golden glow enveloped one of his hands, and he raised his palm to overshadow the floor. Beast Boy gave him a skeptic look, which was quite ambiguous considering his current form, but didn't interfere.

Almost immediately, the mirror fragments rose slowly from the corner of the room and deposited themselves in a small waste basket off to the side, clearing the ground of any painful reminders of what had transpired earlier. When he was finished, Rune cast a weak, forlorn smile at his very large guard.

"That's the first thing I did right all day." An indifferent stare was all the response he got, leaving the two of them with no choice but to traverse their way towards the stairwell, marking the commencement of a whole new chapter in the young man's life.


So, you guys and gals like it? I thought the subtle clues about his clothing were somewhat clever, though I'm sure the majority of you saw right through that from the start. (Ah well)

Besides that, I guess there isn't much to say. I'll try and start the next chapter as soon as I can in order to avoid this rather large delay again. Stay tuned for Chapter 9: Clandestine Memories! (At least I got the title, right? That's a start. LoL)