Beast Boy pressed the play button, and the TV showed a clip of me and Raven hurrying through the old factory as she used her magic to create obstacles for Slade.

"Today... it begins." Slade said.

"Pause." Robin said. Beast Boy obeyed, pausing the clip on the close-up of Slade. "Rewind."

"Come on, man, we've been looking at this all day! There's nothing new to see!" Beast Boy said.

"Play it again."

Beast Boy sighed and played the clip again.

"I managed to get some results. After cross-matching that symbol on Slade's forehead with every database on the planet... I still turned up with nothing." Cyborg said.

"I don't like whatever Slade has planned. This symbol has something to do with it. And because Ciela won't tell us anything about it, we're at a lost." Robin said.

"Sorry that I value other people's intimate secrets and don't blurt them out to everyone I see." I said, sitting upside-down on the couch next to Beast Boy. "If you really want to know what the whole Slade and symbol thing is about, Raven will tell you."

"I doubt she ever will. She's been acting even most distant than usual." Beast Boy said.

"If a conniving villain came back from the dead to chase after you with newly gained fire powers, you'd be pretty freaked out, too."

The alarms went off. The video clip was replaced with a scanner that flashed Slade's symbol.

"Well... I guess we may find out more now." Robin said.


We found Slade inside a rundown, blocked off section of the city scheduled for demolition. The "DO NOT ENTER" signs screamed in our faces as we passed through the barricades. We followed the smoke stacks from the buildings he lit on fire and it brought us there. He emerged from the flames.

"Hello, Teen Titans." Slade said. "You've caught me at a bad time. I'm actually in the middle of something right now. I'll deal with you later."

"No, we're settling this now." Robin said.

"All right, then... If you can catch me."

Slade's hands burst into flames and he slammed them into the ground. Fire erupted from the ground, and we jumped out of the way as Slade glided away, leaving a trail of flames in his wake.

"Titans, after him!"

Starfire took my hand and lifted us into the sky. I pulled out an energy pistol and shot at Slade as he jumped from building to building, using his fire powers to propel through the air and leave a trail of thick, black smoke. The smoke surrounded us and clouded our vision. I buried my nose in my sleeve as my eyes water. Starfire started to descend.

A shadowy figure leaped into the smoke and barreled into me. I gasped as I slipped from Starfire's grasp. I fell to the ground. With a groan, I rolled onto my stomach and climbed to my feet. The smoke thinned, giving me a little more vision. I saw the figure standing at the entrance to an alley.

"Hey!" I called. They were cloaked in black; nothing about their appearance had any hint of color.

They took off down the alley. Something like a cape fluttered behind them as they ran. I sprinted after them. The moonlight dimly lit my path. I shot at the person, but they turned the corner. I ran into the wall before I could react. Gritting my teeth, I continued.

I found the exit and looked around. Whoever that was, they were gone. As I turned to go back into the alley, I stopped when I saw etches in the decaying cement. They were thin and didn't cut too deep, like someone tried to slice through with a blade. They led up the side of the building. My eyes followed them until they reached the top, and I saw the figure standing on the roof. Taking one last look at me, they turned around and disappeared.

Who the heck was that?

"Did you enjoy that bit of exercise?" I turned around and faced Slade. "How strange; I thought she'd show up a little later. I guess she's so eager to see you again, she just can't stay away."

Before I could speak, an astral raven emerged from the ground between us. It disappeared, and Raven stood in front of me.

"What do you want?" Raven said.

"To complete what I was tasked to do. I have a message to deliver, and I intend to get it across. Your friends will learn about the truth, and if you don't have the courage to tell them, I will gladly do it for you."

"Leave them out of this."

"It's not my fault they got tangled up in this mess. Ever since they let you into their lives, they were destined to be the first to partake of the destruction you will cause. Time is running out, Raven. Whatever will you do?"

Slade raised his arms and created a fire vortex around him. Raven stretched out her hand to create a shield and block the rogue fire at flew at us. When the vortex was gone, so was Slade.

"Titans, do you copy?" Robin's voice came from my communicator. I plucked it from my belt.

"Beast Boy and I are here. Where are you?" Cyborg said.

"I'm here with Raven." I said. "There's an abandoned library somewhere in this block. Let's all regroup there."

I closed my communicator and looked at Raven.

"Are you okay?" I said.

Raven turned and walked past me. "That's the wrong question to ask right now."


We gathered in front of the library. All around us, buildings lay in piles of ash and charred debris.

"If Slade wanted so badly to burn this block down, why did he leave the library alone?" Beast Boy said.

"There must've been a reason." Robin said.

"This library's been around since the beginnings of the town, but it's been empty for decades." Cyborg said.

"No wonder it's so old." Beast Boy walked over to a pillar and kicked it. It snapped off the base and fell to the ground. The 'LIBRARY' sign stretching across the top of the entrance fell off and landed in front of us, creating a cloud of dust. When the dust subsided, we saw the mysterious symbol on the wall.

"The Mark of Scath." Robin said. Raven's eyes went wide. "Slade told me the name. Let's go in."

"Wait!" Raven said. "What if Slade set up a trap in there? It's best if we don't go inside."

"We'll just have to take that risk."

Starfire gripped the door handles and gave them a hard yank. The wooden boards barricading the door broke off, and the doors opened. Cyborg entered first, using a flashlight to help us see. We walked through the center aisle, the smell of dust bunnies and mothballs hanging heavily in the air. Somewhere along the path, I ran into a cobweb. I frantically pulled the thick string off my face and threw it to the ground. The aisle led to the other side of the room.

"See? I told you there's nothing here. Let's go." Raven said. When I glanced over at her, a small Mark of Scath glowed on her forehead. A slab of the wall glowed with the same symbol and opened, revealing a secret path. Raven pulled her hood more over her eyes.

We climbed down the stairs and into an empty room. Cyborg shined a light on one of the many skeleton statues lining the walls. Each were dressed in ragged, black robes.

"I never knew your libraries contained such... disturbing sculptures." Starfire said.

"I guess you've never seen old librarians." Beast Boy said.

"And you've never even been in a library before." Cyborg said, looking at the scanners on his arm. "Nothing anywhere mentions this. This place is old... like, before the city was even built."

When Raven entered the room, red symbols appeared on the walls, traveling to the other side of the room. A large Mark of Scath burned. The eyes of the sculptures glowed white, and ghosts pulled away from them and floated above us.

"The Gem was born of evil's fire. The Gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire, the end of all things mortal." A collection of chanting voices came from the ghosts. A deep chill crept down my spine.

I heard footsteps behind me. I looked and saw the ends of Raven's cloak disappear as she climbed up the stairs.

"Raven, wait!" I called. I hurried after her, climbing the stairs two at a time. When she reached the top of the stairs, I reached out and grabbed her cloak.

"Let me go. I shouldn't be here. I need to get out of here!" Raven said.

"You've got to stop running away! You don't need to be afraid!"

"Don't you dare tell me that I shouldn't be afraid!" Raven yanked her cloak out of my hands and faced me. "You think things are fine now, but you don't know what I know! You don't know what will happen to-!"

Raven stopped, her eyes growing wide. She turned her back to me.

"Raven...?" I said. I reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. My hand passed through her as her astral magic swept her away up through the ceiling. "Raven!"

My hand fell back to my side. I took a deep breath, turned around, and headed back down the stairs.

"Where has Raven gone?" Starfire said when I entered the room.

"She left." I said. I walked past them and to the wall at the end of the room. The symbols were gone, but the Mark of Scath was still etched in the stone. I transformed my energy pistols into my bazooka rifle, aimed it at the wall, and fired a laser into it. The wall exploded. Pieces of stone few back and far, far down. My friends and I entered the next area, which was a long winding staircase. Seconds after we entered, we finally heard the shattering of the stones hitting the ground below.

"That's a long way down." Cyborg said.

A distant collection of moans made its way up to us. We peered over the edge and saw a white speck steadily getting bigger. Once it was close enough, it turned out to be a horde of ghosts. They floated around us, each wielding a scythe, but the blade part sat at the end of the pole and looked more like a watermelon slice. They had wings and skulls that belonged to some kind of giant bird, and they all had four red eyes.

"Anybody got a plan?!" Beast Boy said. He yelped and ducked as a ghost swung its scythe. It grazed over the tips of his hair.

"This way!" Robin said. He sprinted to the edge and dove off into the hole. Starfire and Beast boy followed suit.

"Are you crazy?! Half of us can't even fly!" Cyborg cried.

A pair of ghosts reached through the cement and grabbed Cyborg's legs. He screamed and jumped back, flailing his cannon around and shooting through the ghosts. He backed up into me, and we both fell over the edge.

"All right, now we're plunging down to our deaths with a swarm of angry bird ghosts chasing after us!" Cyborg cried. "What next?!"

The bottom started to come into view, and I saw a pool of ghosts gathered there, their weapons ready. I scanned the area as it zipped by. A flash of red came into view.

"There!" I cried, pointing at the Mark of Scath painted on the wall.

Starfire flew faster to catch Cyborg before he fell into the ghost pool. Beast Boy fluttered by as a hummingbird. Robin pulled out a grappling hook and shot it. It dug into the stone. As he lurched from falling down to climbing up, I crashed into him. He gripped the back of my jacket to make sure I didn't continue falling. When we reached the Mark, I slipped out of his grip and stumbled onto the staircase, planting my hands against the stone to steady myself.

"Another secret passage?" Robin said. He pulled on the rope of his grappling hook, and the slab of stone popped off and landed on the ground. We climbed inside and sprinted down the hallway. The shrieks of the ghosts dotted my arms with goosebumps. Robin tossed a disc over his shoulder. It released a bright light, temporarily stunning the ghosts.

We entered a room with many doors leading down different paths.

"Which way do we go?!" Beast Boy said.

I looked up at the tips of the arches and spotted a Mark of Scath above the one on the left wall.

"Follow me!" I said, taking off down the path. The others followed closely behind. The next group of doors had different animal symbols. We ran down the one with the raven on it.

At the end of the hallway, the door slid shut, sealing us inside. Starfire crouched down to try and lift the stone, but to no avail.

"At least the strange spirits aren't able to get us anymore." Starfire said.

"Hey, guys," Beast Boy called from the doorway to the next room, "I think you should see this."

We followed him to the balcony leading into the next room. A stone hand sat in the center of the room, its palm facing up with a beam of light sitting in it. Giant sculptures of hoodless, faceless people lined the walls. In between them were statues of ravens.

"Is it just me... or do these things look awfully familiar?" Cyborg said.

"I should think it's obvious." a voice said. We looked up and saw Slade standing on the curled index finger of the stone hand. "Judging by your surprise, I'm guessing neither Raven nor Ciela told you anything? I don't know which I'm more surprised by."

"Tell us what? What are you hiding from us? Who is this Scath that you're working for?!" Robin said.

"Perhaps if the power of friendship wasn't so strong between you all, you'd already know the answers to your questions. Poor Raven is trying so hard to make sure you stay safe... while she leaves the rest of the world to burn."

Slade thrust his hands toward us and fired two columns of flames at us. We leaped in different directions. Slade jumped off the statue and landed on the ground, pounding his fists into the stone and creating a large crater. It traveled to Beast Boy and Cyborg, plunging them to the ground below. Starfire threw a starbolt at Slade. Slade reached out and grabbed the starbolt. Flames consumed the green energy, and he launched it back at her. It hit her, and she flew back into the wall. Robin charged toward Slade and threw a few punches at him. Slade dodged them, and after the last one, he grabbed Robin by the cape and swung him into the wall before tossing him to the side. Slade craned his head towards me.

"What? No retaliation?" Slade said. "You're not even going to try and fight me?"

"I'm not stupid. I'm no match for you." I said.

"Really? How disappointing. You've grown too soft. Too accustomed to the leisures of this world."

Slade cast his eyes over my friends as they struggled to get back on their feet. He stretched his hand out toward them. Tendrils of fires shot from his fingers, wrapped around my friends, and lifted them into the air. My eyes widened as they thrashed in the air, crying out in pain as the fire dug into their skin.

"Struggling will only make it worse." Slade said.

"Stop! Let them go!" I pulled out an energy pistol and shot at Slade. He turned and stretched his palm out, creating a small ball of fire. The laser flew into it, and the fire shriveled into a puff of smoke.

"Now you decide to attack me? Because your friends are in danger?" Slade said. He dropped his hands back to his side, releasing the other Titans. "What is the true meaning behind that anger, I wonder?"

I gripped my pistol tightly. "Nothing you'll ever know."

A large slab of rock slammed into Slade and crushed him against the wall. I looked up and saw Raven standing on the hand sculpture, directly under the beam of light. Her arms, legs, and torso were covered in symbols, with the Mark of Scath on her forehead. The outline of the rock slab glowed red, and it exploded into pieces. Slade dusted off his hands and stepped out of the rubble.

"I told you to leave them alone." Raven hissed as she floated to the ground.

"I thought you ran away. It looks like you mustered up the courage to come and save your friends. But you and I both know you're only delaying the inevitable." Slade said. He raised his fists and they engulfed in flames.

Raven stepped closer to Slade.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot me. Douse me in flames." Raven said. Slade hesitated. "I see I'm not already a pile of ashes. Did your master order you not to hurt me? To keep his gem safe?"

"Wait... what? Does Raven have the gem?" Beast Boy said behind me.

"No... Raven is the gem." Robin said.

Slade dispelled the fire and stood straight. "Fine, then. I'll leave you be... for now. I'll make sure to give him your regards."

The ground beneath Slade glowed red, and he sunk through like it was quicksand. Raven's eyes glowed.

"I'm not finished with you yet!" She dropped to her knees and plunged her hand into the cement. Slade floated back up, his visible eye wide. The symbols on her body glowed. "I have a message for you."

Astral magic covered Slade, and Raven thrust her hand forward and launched Slade back. She waved her arms around, tossing Slade in that direction like a ragdoll. I took a step back closer to my friends.

"Tell your master that he has much better luck destroying me than making me do his bidding." Raven said.

Slade climbed to his feet. "You can tell him yourself. The hour is near."

Raven raised another hand and dropped a large piece of the ceiling on Slade. After a few more tosses, she lifted Slade into the air and closed her fingers into a fist. Pieces of stone slammed into Slade until he was encased in it. As Slade fell to the ground, Raven summoned a large astral raven and threw it into him. There was a giant explosion and a flash of light, and we shielded our eyes. The light subsided. Slade stood up.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." Raven said.

"Maybe so... but look who's now afraid of you." Slade said, glancing over her shoulder and at us. I turned to my friends and met their wide, shocked eyes. I approached Raven.

"Raven..." I said.

Raven sighed. "It's time... to tell them the truth."

I nodded silently.


We returned to Titans Tower. Raven sat on the couch, her eyes focused on her hands, while the others stood around her. I sat by Raven's side.

"The Ancient Order used the name 'Scath' to protect the true identity of their master. They call him 'Scath', but we all know him as Trigon." Raven said.

"You mean that giant demon man we saw when Cyborg and I got sucked into your mind?" Beast Boy said.

"We're up against him?!" Cyborg said. He rubbed his temples.

Raven nodded. "The symbols that have been appearing are a warning. They mean that Trigon is coming. The only way he gets here... is through me. I'm not just a person, I'm his portal."

"Why you? What makes you so special?" Robin said.

"Trigon... is my father." Raven looked up at our friends' flabbergasted expressions. "Bad things are going to happen soon- really bad things- all because of me."

Starfire rested a hand on Raven's shoulder. "We are grateful that you were brave enough to confide in us."

"Is there anyway we can stop Trigon from coming?" Cyborg said.

Raven dropped her eyes to the ground. "No."

A bright light pierced the corner of my peripheral. We turned and saw the sun beginning to rise.

"We should all get some sleep. It's been a long night." Robin said.

As we funneled out of the room, Raven grabbed my wrist and pulled me back into Ops. The doors closed behind me.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. There's something I need to tell you." Raven said.

"What is it?" I said.

"Back when you first started coming here, we were scrambling around to find out more about you. Robin came to me and asked me if I could use my powers to see if I could learn more about you." Raven looked at the wall behind me. "Through meditation, I caught a glimpse of your future."

"You did? What did you see?"

Raven shook her head. "Something... happened. I lied to Robin about what I saw by claiming I came to a dead end."

"...What happened?"

Raven's grip tightened, and she looked at me again. "This prophecy about Trigon ending the world has been written for thousands of years. It's perfectly inevitable. History has lined up in its order so in the end, he can come and destroy everything. Tell me, despite all this... does he still fail?"

I turned fully to Raven and nodded. "Yes. He does. In the end, Trigon falls."

"Why?"

"Because the Teen Titans decided to change the future."

Raven straightened. The stress etched in her face softened. She released my wrist.

"Then... maybe we can change yours, too."

"But what-?" I said, but Raven slipped past me and left the room.