HIVE Quarters, Medical Bay
(Following the day after the incident.)
Jinx groaned as she slowly gathered consciousness. Her back was screaming at her, muscles were aching and no doubt inflamed. Her lids felt heavy; mouth parched, and she licked her lips to gain any sense of moisture. She guessed she broke a few with how hard she was breathing.
With effort, she managed to lift her eyelids and regretted it soon after. The lights in the medical bay were too bright! The machines beside her beeped and hummed of her conditions, signaling that she had awakened. A swish of the automatic door and footsteps quickly trailed in; her team was here.
"Hey. How are ya feelin'?"
She noted that the voice was baritone and gruff. It's Mammoth. She could barely make out their figures from her blurry vision. They huddled around her bed, some opting to pull and sit down in a nearby chair.
"Thirs…ty." She finished her statement with a cough. She grimaced in pain when her chest throbbed further.
"Here, lemme help you." The rim of the glass was gently placed on her lips. She drank carefully and slowly; she did not want to choke and have another coughing fit. She murmured a quiet thanks when the glass was cast away.
"So," There was a tone of hesitancy when Seemore spoke. "Care to tell what happened? We packed your stuff in case the Titans come in investigating. There were no traces, Jinx. Who attacked you?"
"Cook… book…"
"Wait, ya mean the cookbook really caused that? We kinda found it near ya when ya blacked out."
Gizmo's backpack moved before spitting out the cookbook. He gingerly handed it to their bedridden leader.
"Well, the thing is," Jinx stalled, opening the book to the page she read the chant. It was gone, replaced with the standard instruction. "I think at that moment, it was magically enchanted."
"And who would enchant it?"
"Possibly the old lady that gave it to me. I remember her. She might have caused this."
"Remember her features? I can run the systems and find her."
"She was old, wearing a cloak. I really didn't have a glimpse of her face either. Just wrinkly hands."
"Color of the cloak?"
"White."
"How did the cookbook attack you?" Seemore approached further in Jinx's space, trying to squint at the instructions.
"There was a weird phrase right here," Jinx said as she pointed to a statement on the cookbook, yet all it said was put the chopped vegetables in the broth. Seemore looked at her quizzically. "But it was gone. There was a magic word here, used for summoning."
Jinx inhaled as she closed the book before facing all of them.
"Look, I summoned a demon. I don't know how, but it happened. Someone thirsty for my soul, and they've promised to come back to find me."
"Shit. A demon? Like from hell we've been hearing from those religious shit?"
"Yes. Those who suck your soul and have horns. Get the image?"
Kyd Wykydd entered the discussion by waving his hand around.
[You were the summoner?] He signed smoothly, the team quickly understood it in real-time.
"Yea. It gave me two wishes. Of course, I used it to gather info and spare my life. And I don't want it going back to me for my soul."
"...Shit. So, do we have to, ya know, battle this demon. To defend your soul?"
"Uh, hopefully, no."
Jinx grabbed the book by its spine before putting her other hand on the front cover. She laid her palm flat on the front cover, inhaling before gathering her powers. Her team already took a step back, aware of what she would do.
Her eyes flared with her powers, glowing in fuchsia energy before her hands sparked with her hex. She raised the book, pointing towards the wall across her. She sent the energy spiraling towards the book with all the strength she could muster with a grunt.
The book was blasted away from her grasp as it was sent hurtling to the wall. The strength of her power made the book engrave itself to the wall, the power of her energy corroding the wall.
Everyone looked surprised at the unscathed book. Being on the receiving end of Jinx's power was never good. Worst if you faced it directly, the chances of your arteries bursting were high.
The book shook, vibrating wildly against the shape it formed in the wall. It popped itself out, landing with a heavy thump on the floor. The sparks from Jinx's hex still danced around on the book with pink static.
Billy jumped back in surprise when the book expelled the hex caster's residual energy, destroying the nearby object where it landed. The book suddenly opened, pages fluttering so fast like it was being blown away by the wind.
"Hey! Hey! Are you sure you didn't summon it back?" Gizmo shouted, eyes filled in fear when the book started to float out of nowhere, with its pages still wildly fluttering. Everyone had a defensive stance, eyes never straying from the weird book.
"No! I can't summon it back again, not without a chant or something sinister!"
Out of nowhere, a wind started, gradually becoming stronger as it whipped everyone's hair. The book finally closed down in the center of the howling wind and remained levitating. When a different howl from the wind that sounded like souls dying resonated in their room, everyone prepared for the worst.
But nothing came out from the wind when it died down. No figure was standing with horns and four crimson eyes staring at them. Aside from the thrown objects lying around the room, they saw that the book was gone.
"Did…you destroy the book?"
"At this point, I don't know Seemore. Maybe it was sequenced to be destroyed like that?"
"Let's hope you're right, Jinx. I don't want to be fighting with a demon that never left a trace and carved your figure in a wall."
"So," She croaked, resisting the urge to cough. "Why were ya comin to my apartment at that time?"
"Well, the thing is, we got a message from the Headmistress. Look, Jinx. We got hired by Slade. But, seeing your condition, we don't know if we're going to accept it."
Jinx's jaw slacked open, mind still running to comprehend the sudden information. Slade? The Slade that gave them the mission to try and ruin the Titans for their final exam? He made it clear that he hated their service when their exam failed.
"But… what, how? I mean, what's the content? What is he hiring us for? We already failed that guy."
"We specialize in stealing, Jinx. He's hiring us to steal something."
"But he specializes in those, too! We're amateurs compared to him! No offense, but you know it's real." She quickly added the last statement when they glared at her.
"Apparently, he said he heard a rumor from the black market. Got curious, and didn't have time to investigate, so that's where we got called. We're gonna steal something near the area of your apartment."
"Where?"
"The old library. For some reason, the guy's curious about some rumored item located below the library."
"Wait, below?"
"That's what I'm confused about too. We checked the layout of the library before coming to you yesterday. Nothing out of the ordinary; there were no underground levels. Gizmo's tech couldn't pick up on anything. Kyd's teleportation wasn't working on it either."
"Declining it would put us in a bad state." Billy hastily quipped in, distracting Seemore and Jinx in their discussion.
Their rate in the market was already above average. Yet, one word from Slade could send their reputation crumbling down before it even had a chance to peak. They can't decline it.
"This is a dilemma. Look, how about this, request to him we will accept it provided that he lets us work for a week. I need to heal for a few days. It will be possible with my genetics and Giz's tech."
"Alright, I'll inform the Headmistress. You should rest Jinx," Seemore said before glancing at the spot where the book was floating minutes ago. "And pray to whoever we believe in that that does not come hunting for your soul."
"Better pray hard then. That demon can kill angels."
"Stop joking and rest well." They departed, yet Kyd Wykydd remained seated on the chair, waving his goodbye when they glanced at him. Jinx looked at him in question when the door closed.
[The demon, what was its name?]
"Why?"
[I'm familiar with…demons. From experience. Before I joined the Hive.]
"Tell me, Kyd. Have you experienced summoning one before?"
[No.]
"How are you familiar with demons?
Kyd remained silent, hands resting in his lap as he stared at Jinx with his red eyes.
"Sorry, that may be insensitive of me. Well, to tell you. If you're familiar with them, I managed to summon Raven, Daughter of Trigon the Terrible."
Jinx was shocked to see that Kyd shivered as if he were cold, eyes wide as he stumbled from his chair. When Jinx hoisted herself up to a sitting position to check on her friend, his hands were shivering from how tight it was fisted.
"Kyd! What happened?"
[Raven?] He motioned with a tone of urgency and fear; his eyes portrayed it enough. [Why was she the one summoned?]
"Look, look, I don't know either, okay? Calm down. Why are you panicking?"
[I met her. Once.] Jinx waited for him to speak. Eyes widening at the piece of information. He seemed to be struggling to sign the following words he was going to say.
[For she's the reason I'm mute.]
Titans Tower
"Hey, Rob." Cyborg waved over his head to catch the attention of their leader. Robin quickly left his spot on the kitchen stool before performing a quick hop over their couch.
"What's up?"
"My sensors caught a whiff of external power combustion. Unknown entity. Ya think we should go and investigate?"
"Unknown entity?"
"That's what my scanner said."
Terra, Starfire, and Beastboy halted their hobbies as they tried to listen along with the conversation of the two. They both had a stern look on their faces as they typed along with the keyboard with haste. The screen turned alive. It was static for a moment before a map displayed itself. A blaring red dot blinked in the center of the map.
"It's in the rundown part of Jump. Another reason to visit the source."
"Another one?" Beastboy whined, increasing in tone as he drawled it out. "We're already busy with Slade with his plans!"
"Heroes never rest, Beastboy. Titans, let's go."
They departed, abandoning their quick snack that afternoon. Their pace was brisk as they arrived in the garage and hastily entered Cyborg's T-Car. Robin decided to leave first with his cycle zooming out from their underground road that leads outside the port of Jump.
His car hummed to life as he pedaled the gas. The vehicle's screen was blinking the location of the disturbance, with their leader's position moving fast on the maps.
"Dude, Robin really goes crazy when it's Slade, huh?"
"Man's basically qualified for world domination. Who wouldn't?"
"C'mon, B. At least Robin goes crazy for the right stuff, unlike you who goes crazy for conventions."
"I thought we were past that."
"Shush. Look on the road." Terra nudged Cyborg's shoulder, eyes focused on the car's screen. The road wasn't busy as they were cruising smoothly. Cyborg didn't bother stopping at those red lights, eager to reach the destination without Robin going solo again.
"Hey, I'm here. I'll go in." Robin's voice sounded from the speakers.
"Robin, be careful. Like Cyborg said, it's an unknown entity, and you're a human for fuck's sake."
"I will, Terra. Thanks for the kind words."
"Floor it, Cy. He's gonna go batshit there for all we know."
"Ya got it, Ma'am." Cyborg pressed the pedal as low to the floor as possible. His eyes gleamed in joy as his car roared to life, buildings becoming a blur. Terra sat in the front, seat belt in place as she tracked their location.
"Should I fly there to stop him?"
"No need, Star. We're near. Let's hope whatever entity there hasn't eaten his ass alive yet."
"Dude, I can't really believe how you're still alive for talkin' to Rob like that."
"B, you cursed at him for a game. Terra got a point. Rob's only human. He may be skilled and a detective, but he can only take so much. You know how useless he was when he got stung by Fang."
"Are we there yet?" Starfire pleaded.
"Yeah." Cyborg turned sharply, arriving at their destination. The street was empty, with a few homeless people sleeping on the provided bench. Robin's cycle was parked in front of a rundown apartment. The presence of its driver was missing.
Cyborg turned the engine off before getting off along with the other members. He took a quick glance at his surroundings, knowing that theft was common in this place. Their car would be safe with the current security system installed in their vehicles.
"Let's go." They entered the apartment. The door quickly opened up to a narrow hallway with the light flickering from time to time from the lack of maintenance. Several doors that lead to each unit were old and cracking from the bottom; stairs that lead up to the second floor can be seen at the end of the hallway.
"Which room?" Terra asked as she scanned the numbers of the doors; some were rusted, others were torn off. The apartment looked like it wouldn't last long from its condition. The floors were creaking, and there were leaks in the corner of the ceiling.
Cyborg barely fit in the hallway with his build. He was walking with his body tilted to accommodate more space. He looked at the scanner in his right arm, trying to visualize this apartment.
"Rob's upstairs."
They stepped up, ignoring the simultaneous creaking of the wooden stair from their footsteps. They found their leader soon inside in the dead-end of the hallway. He looked irritated.
"What ya find?"
"Well, it's hard to see anything concrete."
"D'ya mean?"
Cyborg entered the apartment, taking in the kitchen's look to the small living area. Another door led to a small bedroom containing only a single bed placed on the floor.
The kitchen area looked to be the center of the disturbance. The table was askew, chairs thrown aside, and a rotting smell of what looked like pieces of chicken. There were chopped vegetables on the floor, too. Someone was making food.
"Scanners say this was just yesterday. Looking at it, the blast happened here in the kitchen."
"So what caused the explosion? There would be debris if it were a grenade. These ain't weapons. We may be dealing with a meta-human, or worse, a supernatural case."
"Robin," Terra entered the scene, stepping over the broken glass with loud crunches. Having heard of the earlier discussion, she continued. "We really should upgrade our team with someone skilled in magic."
"I know, I've opened the position about it to our Honorary Titans. Argent declined. I was kind of hoping she'd agree. She would have been a helpful addition."
"This ain't Slade, Rob. Whoever caused this is powerful. We either drop this or drop Slade's to pursue who caused this." Cyborg informed him, facing their leader.
"But how would we start? How are we going to collect evidence besides a blasted kitchen?"
"I can override the camera here."
"There's none. I checked on my way in."
"Well, shit."
"How about this!" Beastboy offered as he hopped to shift into a bloodhound. They all looked at him with his tail wagging as he tried in his own way in the kitchen.
"But won't he just smell the rotting chicken? That's gonna be disgusting for a hound's sensitivity to smell."
Beastboy threw Terra an exasperated look the best he could from his form. With a quick shrug from Terra, Beastboy entered the small bedroom, inhaling deeply inside. It only smelt of old bedsheets, burned-out incense, and wood.
He morphed back, sheepishly scratching his head.
"There's just a smell of incense, dunno."
"We can't get anything from here. This was a waste of time. Let's go back." Robin said irritatedly. Before he could step out, though, Cyborg's heavy hand clutched his shoulder.
He paused, recalling the report of Cyborg's unknown entity. It was concerning, but no one on their team knew magic, not even its gist. They were a mix of meta-human, an alien, and a human, not a sorceress or magician.
"We'll investigate again if something happens similarly. I want to pursue it, too. But like I said earlier, seeing we won't get far with a kitchen, I say we focus back to Slade."
"Should I contact Argent, though?"
"No, she's busy in her home." Robin ended the discussion, exiting towards the hallway.
"Well, looks like I get to continue playin' then! Race ya home!"
"Aw naw you won't! Stop hogging the TV!"
Starfire closed the door on the way out. Unbeknownst to them, a small technology of Gizmo lay hidden in the hinge of the door. It repeatedly blinked before whirring a small set of blades. It flew outside the window, towards the destination of their headquarters.
Hell
Raven
Raven stirred in her sleep, her senses reaching out to every corner of her room.
Her powers were leaking off from her; shadows danced in the corner of her bed, lapping the ground lazily. There were times that a group of red eyes blinked open in the shadows and closed again.
It was silent in her room, with only the bubbling from the magma outside her window disturbing it. The silence was ruined when there was a flapping of wings. A raven flew over her window, perched in its sill. It had four eyes similar to its owner.
It glanced at its sleeping master. It looked curiously at the dancing shadows on the ground. However, it croaked in panic when those shadows blinked open many crimson eyes and struck towards it. It cawed towards its owner as it evaded the darkness.
Raven woke up when she sensed another presence in her room. She recalled her powers when she saw that it was only her familiar. Her familiar landed at the foot of her bed, cawing at her indignantly, its chest puffing and opening its wings to emphasize its point. It pecked at her toes angrily.
"Malphas. Sorry about that."
[Your Father calls.]
"Alright. Thank you."
[Next time, try not to kill me, will you?]
"No promises."
She exited her quarters, with her familiar perching itself on her right shoulder. Several demons who catered to their family bowed in respect as she crossed them, making way for her.
"Any reason why Father called me?"
[He sends good news, he said.]
"Hmm." Raven trekked slowly, still quite weary from the ordeal yesterday. She would start after the meeting with her Father. Visiting their library would boost her progress.
[Your power was leaking.]
"It's just my senses."
[You feel different.]
"Something happened yesterday."
[Is that why I wasn't able to sense you yesterday?]
"Yes. I'll tell you more later. Now shut up."
[It's not that hard to be kind to a familiar.]
"It's not hard for you to shut up."
Malphas cawed again, pecking the tip of her right ear. Raven clicked her tongue in irritation before pushing the familiar out of her shoulder. She stopped before the grand entrance before her Father.
Her familiar landed on her left shoulder this time as the iron door that hugged the ceiling to the floor creaked in agony as it opened.
Trigon was seated in his gigantic throne, eyes closed as he breathed in. His mere breath made the room rumble softly. She felt it faintly drumming in her chest, too.
Her brothers were also here. They were holding their favorite weapons, their bodies freshly coated in blood. It trickled down in their muscular forms before evaporating when it finally reached the floor.
"Our conquest was a success, Father." They reported, kneeling after as Trigon finally opened his sets of eyes. Raven followed suit, her familiar also bowing in its way.
"Raven."
"Father. You called?"
"The Church of Blood on Earth is still alive. I need you to come and investigate. Come in contact with them."
"But Father, Azarath blocks us off."
"I know. I found a way to bring you there."
He rose off his chair. He grew smaller as he took each step closer to his kneeling daughter. His other children stayed silent on the side as he finally opened his hand to reveal a crimson gem to his daughter.
"Stick this to your forehead. I will send you to Earth undetected, although with a cost. I'll have to restrict some of your powers so those foolish monks won't be able to track you."
Raven eagerly accepted the gem, looking at it curiously. Tentatively, she plucked it out of her palm before setting it on her forehead. She hissed when it burned through her skin.
Her eyes scrunched in pain when the pain flowed from her head to all parts of her body. Her blood felt about to burst, a splitting headache rendering her immobile to the floor as she gasped.
She clawed at the ground as she tried to ride out the pain overriding her senses. She faintly hears her familiar cawing at her in concern. She felt her body morphing out of its will.
The pain gradually faded as she huffed. Trigon continued to loom over her wracking form, waiting for the gem to settle correctly.
"I apologize for the scene, Father."
"Fret not. It is normal when receiving my power."
Trigon nodded at the changed form of his daughter. Instead of her crimson skin, a pale, ashen skin tone appeared. Her two sets of crimson eyes were replaced with the eyes of who gave birth to her.
"Tch. Unfortunately, you would have to bear your mother's look."
Raven glanced at her hand, devoid of her talon-like claws. Her skin was pale, akin to the tone of those humans she met on Earth. Like the monks in Azarath when they prisoned her there when she was still a child.
She touched the gem in her forehead; it was embedded like part of her. Her long white hair was replaced with midnight blue locks from the corner of her vision.
Her vision changed. It did not occupy that same coverage of the four sets she had.
"I am… human?" She finished with a note of disdain.
"That is what you would look like in your… human form, my child. You always had the opportunity and choice to pick that appearance. However, I like you in my blood's appearance."
"How much of my power is restricted?"
"I disabled your pyrokinetic. That is what they searched for the most. The rest of your power remains, although weakened drastically."
Raven sluggishly rose, her new form confusing her. She flexed her muscles, trying out the movement. She shrunk a few inches shorter, and her body looked so frail and small. It did not match her image.
"Nice tits," Jacob commented, eagerly absorbing her new appearance with a hint of arousal.
"Lust." Trigon reprimanded. The rest of his siblings snickered.
"Apologies, Father."
"Raven, the gem would serve as a conduit. Call it from the gem if you ever need to recall your power to its full strength. However, you risk the detection of your presence. I trust that you will make the right call."
"I will not fail you, Father."
"Go be a dear, and open up Earth for me. Are you ready?"
"I am, Father. May I bring Malphas with me?"
"Out of all the familiars you have, why choose that useless prey?"
Malphas looked away in shame, never having the courage to look back at Trigon's gaze. Raven shrugged. She liked Malphas not only as a familiar but as a company.
Trigon led her to the center, where a rune was already set. Raven patiently stood in the middle of it. The rune consisted of several symbols drawn with blood. Her brothers gathered outside the circle.
The room vibrated and rumbled when their powers gathered. Her brothers powered up the rune with all their specialized power. Trigon gave the final blow with his crimson power, lighting up the runes.
It glowed, and rays of light danced around before finally the runes path whizzed to her form and swallowed her. Raven was gone when the rune eventually died out, only a cloud of smoke in her position.
"Jared, Jeese, Jacob. Prepare and strengthen your army. Tell Malchior to do the same. When Raven returns, we attack Azarath. It is time we conquer a new dimension."
He shifted back to his original form as he sat. His sons took a bow before leaving.
"Earth shall soon know the power of Trigon!" He bellowed in the vast room.
Raven carefully covered herself with her power as she traveled multiple dimensions. She was in her avian form, with Malphas safely contained inside her soul-self. The rune looked effective as she finally felt the familiar realm of Earth.
A portal opened up suddenly before it spat her out on the ground. She landed swiftly, uprighting herself and morphing back to her appearance. Malphas landed ungracefully on the floor.
[I think I'm going to vomit.]
"Don't you dare do it on my feet."
[A pleasant idea.]
Raven flew away when Malphas did approach her feet. She remained naked; her loincloth was gone. The sound of a choking bird sounded below her, but she ignored it.
She looked at her surroundings. It was dark, but with her vision, she could see clearly. From what she sensed, she was on an underground level. The underground was gigantic, its space similar to the throne of her Father.
She turned around, surprised when a marble-carved towering hand was placed in the center of the room with its palm opened towards the sky. Behind it was a statue of a hooded figure, a broach fastening the cloak it was using.
Raven looked at the broach. It was similar to what Malchior gifted her. Was it a coincidence, or are events starting to line up?
"The prophecy." She purred the word. The timing could not be more right. Trigon said that they were to step and invade this dimension soon with the prophecy, and she would be the one to do it all.
Ah, all the newest treasure she could fill her room! The opportunity for several conquests had her guttural purr echo in the empty area. Her skin lit with those symbols she saw in the runes.
She glanced at her limbs curiously as those runes etched into her skin. The colors danced around in the dark before settling and fading as fast as they appeared.
[You may want to look normal in this world if you don't want those monks chasing after your neck.]
"I am not stupid, Malphas."
She summoned her power, her mind envisioning the clothing she desired. Her ability crafted her a long split navy blue dress, with thigh-high boots of similar color hugging her lower limbs. Long gloves hugged her upper limbs, with gloves that only hugged her ring and middle finger.
She took the broach Malchior gifted her, and her powers crafted her a cloak with a broach to fasten it locked. She twirled around, trying out the new clothes that hugged her figure well.
[Your tastes are fine. However, you may want to complement it with a golden belt.]
"I was about to."
With the snap of her fingers, a large, circular gold-lined belt hugged her waist, with the middle being in the shape of a raven. Malphas cawed in agreement as it flew around her.
[You literally live up to your name, don't you?]
"Of course. Now, Malphas, before we start finding the Church of Blood, we will find a witch."
