~RavensMind~
Chapter 13: Torment Tournament
"Her tower and his manor held secrets they wouldn't dare face themselves. Raven had done what she could to suppress her father, but even in death, he held some measure of influence in her mind. Robin held the shadow of his parents' deaths deep within his head, and every so often it would surface, he could never truly relax. Driven and tested in ways they could never have imagined, they found an ally in the mind of the other. Bonded by power and time as friends, they could force their inner tormentors to face the combined strength of the other's emotions. An arena too delicate and complex to fully comprehend would play host to the last moments of Raven's father and the murder of Robin's parents. In memoriam of Trigon's victims and the Flying Graysons."
Once, when she was a little girl, Raven was told never to share her mind, never to bond with anyone too strongly, or they will be vulnerable to Trigon's power and influence. She had listened and did her best not to use her connection to Robin too often; it was something she would do in dire circumstances. Today, she would be relying on the power of that connection to purge her depression from her mind. Strange how things change.
After they got back from lunch, Raven went to gather things they would need to for what they were about to do for her mind. Materials for the ritual, a book describing the process, and a scroll with an incantation that would shield their minds from any outside interference – just a precaution, she didn't expect anyone would know enough to try and mess with them during the ritual. As she stood looking around her room for anything she might have forgotten, she felt Despair draw from her powers, preparing to submerge her mind into the doom-waters of unrelenting disorder and unleash another force of Trigon's minions upon her. Wrath stepped in and redirected the power that Despair was drawing upon and focused it against Despair, blocking the chance of anything troubling her from spawning.
They couldn't start getting rid of this any sooner, Raven thought as she put her hand to her head and sighed heavily. She trudged over to her bed and slumped down on it with a tiny groan. Sink, she thought, sink and sleep for the rest of the afternoon. It was counter to what she should do and she knew she only felt it because of what Despair was doing. Crossing her legs, she hovered over the bed and let her eyelids slide down over her eyes. Her mantra came to her lips with ease, and she dipped into her meditation. Collecting her emotions, she examined their connections with Robin's, finding a hint of him in each one, a set of long threads she could follow from every feeling to find his own, subtly imprinted in a space she could access. She didn't know what her emotions had planned; only that Robin knew what to do once this started. What will he do? Why doesn't it worry me? Questions pooled in her awareness the more she considered what was to come.
A nagging tone pulled her from her thoughts, and she grabbed her communicator instinctively. Flipping it open, she was greeted by Cyborg.
"Hey Rae, everything okay?" Cyborg asked.
"Of course. Why are you asking?" Raven asked.
"Cuz I called Robin before you and he didn't answer," Cyborg said.
"He's in the gym, getting a workout in before it gets too late in the day, probably has his music on or something," Raven said.
"Huh, he usually works out in the morning, but okay, just callin' to say 'hey' and uh, we can't wait to get home, it's crazy here," Cyborg said.
"Everyone okay?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, we're good, just tired – it's like we're lookin for damn ghosts here, the second something happens, we get there and it's all over, like there's no way to catch these guys in the act," Cyborg said.
"Need my help? I could come there and-," she started.
"Nah, it's cool, you and Robin probably have your hands full there with just two of you. How's that going by the way, he's not being an ass to you, is he? Cuz if he is, I'll set em straight."
"No, he's been great. Almost like he and I are less stressed without you and Beast Boy threatening to kill each other every other day, who knew?" Raven asked dryly.
"Yeah," he chuckled, "we've had some trouble with that here too."
"I'm shocked," she added dryly.
"Right? Oh yeah, BB and Star say hi, Star says she misses both of you, BB says he wants you to call him later."
"Tell Starfire I miss her too. And what does Beast Boy want?"
"I don't know, just told me to tell you to call him later."
"I'll think about it."
"Gotta go, Batman needs us to check out some bank job, see ya Rae."
"Bye Cyborg."
She hung up and set her communicator down on her bed. Gathering her things, she got off her bed and left her room. She wondered what Beast Boy wanted as she walked to Robin's room. Maybe he was going to try and ask her out again. She'd love to see him try with Robin standing right beside them. It would be all too priceless to watch Robin step in for her, to claim her as his – it smote any negative feelings that lingered in her mind. She had been thinking of the moment after her depression left her head, of what she would feel, what she could be free to do, who she planned to turn to in her new sense of reality. She trusted her emotions; they were true to her in nearly every event in her life. So she trusted in what Passion had made her consider and feel following her Passion meeting Robin's Passion. Thoughts of Robin took on new forms in her mind; her impressions of him were now tinged with inspiration, her memories of him slated in adoration, and her visions of him were coated lightly in lust. She filed the idea away for later, bidding Passion to bring it forward when the time was right.
Out of habit, Raven knocked at Robin's door, feeling stupid when she remembered that he was in the gym. She opened his door and walked over next to his bed, laying out the materials for the ritual and spell. In the center of a circle of dark stones she placed her mediation mirror. Along the circle, she marked each stone with a small red gem. From the mirror to the top of the circle, she set down a black tree branch. Sitting at one edge of the circle, she crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and hovered just off the floor. As she mediated, the mirror floated into the air over the circle and slowly spun. The glass was pitch-black, nothing reflected in the mirror. The gems glowed and sunk into the stones. Lifting off the ground one by one, the stones circled the mirror. She took a few hairs she had gotten from Robin's head and a few she had cut from her own and set them into a powder in a stone cup, which she placed underneath the floating mirror.
Focused on her preparations, she didn't notice Robin enter the room. He leaned against the door after closing it behind him and watched as she used her dark power to turn the mirror on the stone cup. The contents were gradually siphoned into the mirror. As the last bit disappeared into the mirror, a pulse of dark power was released, causing the room to vibrate. The stones and the mirror fell softly to the floor as Raven opened her eyes. She got up and stood, looking over everything, then spun around suddenly.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.
"Maybe a minute," he said.
"Might have said something."
"I figured you knew I was here."
"No, I was focused on the spell, I didn't sense you until I finished."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, everything is set up."
"Cool, I'll shower and get some new clothes and join you."
"It would be better if you didn't and do it when we're done. What we do during this ritual could make you sweat."
"Really?"
"It's not easy to project my soul-self from my body, it's harder to project my mind to one place and even harder to bring yours there too. It all takes its toll in different ways, nothing severe though."
"Alright. You're sure this is gonna work?"
"It had better, for my sake. Do you know what you have to do?"
"Yeah, I need to get you to feel some emotions by feeling them myself."
"Which emotions?"
"I can't tell you."
She frowned and looked back to her meditation mirror. She had never done this ritual before now and wasn't sure what to expect from it, and she couldn't know what she should expect from Robin forcing his emotions on hers. There would be nothing she could really do to prepare for it, she would have her emotional guard down, and that may be the point. It still made her nervous. He would have some degree of control over her mind without knowing every piece of it as she did. He stepped away from the wall and placed his hands on her shoulders, getting her to face him.
"Trust me?" he asked.
"I do," she said, "it's just…I've only ever had control over my mind, with my father influencing it, and you don't know it as well."
"I'll be careful, don't worry," he said.
Nodding and without a word, she led him to the circle of stones and had him sit across from her. She took a lighter and lit the black branch, placing it on top of the mirror. The branch slowly burned away and the ashes flew to the mirror, coating the reflective surface. Once the branch had been consumed in fire and smoke, the stones began to move and circle them, lifting slowly into the air. A plume of smoke released from the mirror. Raven took Robin's hands in hers.
"Don't let go," she told him.
"I won't," he replied.
When she closed her eyes, he tensed, waiting for what might follow. Her eyes were white with her power when she opened them again and his awareness of himself – sights, sounds, smells, the firm grip of his hands clasped with hers – fell away. Time and space eluded him and he lost track of his bearings until the mansion he had seen once before in his mind came into view. He knew then that she was standing outside her own tower. The doors to the manor opened and a Robin in a yellow uniform with glasses stepped out, beckoning to him.
"Cleverness?" Robin asked.
"Very good," Robin's Cleverness confirmed, "come this way, I have who you'll need waiting in the lounge."
Entering the manor, Robin followed his Cleverness from the door through a long hall. Portraits of himself, along with his parents, Batman, Alfred, his friends, and those he had once saved covered the walls. Everything from the lights, the ceiling, walls, to the floor, reminded him of Wayne Manor and Titans Tower simultaneously. A Robin in an orange uniform sat on a stool next to a bar in the open hall, eating a sandwich. He waved as Robin and Robin's Cleverness walked by, Hunger, Robin guessed. Chandeliers overhead lit their way as they turned down a narrow corridor that led to a set of sliding doors.
The doors slid open and Robin was looking at a near-carbon copy of the Titans living room, with a few modifications that suited Robin, some weights, a stereo, an armchair in front of the computer/TV screen/window. Three other Robins sat on the couch, watching one of Robin's favorite movies. The air felt thick, the scent of pizza hung under his nose. Once Robin descended the steps and reached the back of the couch with Cleverness, the three on the ouch turned their heads to look at him.
"I've taken the liberty of informing these three what you shall require of them, and I'm sure you know them, but for the sake of introductions, these are three of your emotions: Passion, Hatred, and Fear," Cleverness said.
Robin's Hatred wore an obsidian uniform, with a red mask, and simply nodded to Robin in greetings. His Passion had a deep-blue uniform and a violet mask, and he grinned at Robin when their gazes met. The odd one of the trio, Fear, sat in a gray uniform, hugging his legs to his chest and staring out the window with a look of dread.
"Of them, only Fear has not met Raven's iteration of your emotion, Despair, and I believe this is appropriate to the situation. I've spoken with Raven's Cleverness. Based on what we discussed, you will meet Raven on the bridge between your minds, she will bring you into her tower so the door to your mind stays open, then you will talk to Raven to keep her occupied in one room as these emotions meet each other in another room of the tower – prepared for this situation. To remind you, your job is to get her to summon these emotions to her, in order, by inspiring that emotion in her, and you will summon yours to match hers. They will not come; they will grapple with each other instead. Under no circumstance do you tell her what you're trying to do, but you must convince her and yourself that you feel every emotion, and it will inspire hers, no lies, no half-truths. Make her want you, make her angry, then get her to feel as awful as you can, and feel it yourself," Robin's Cleverness explained.
"I think I understand, I just wish I didn't have to make her feel worse," Robin said.
"It is only temporary, she will forgive you, her Cleverness and I will make sure she knows that you only did what you had to do," Robin's Cleverness said.
"Alright. So, let's go," Robin said.
"It's about time," Robin's Hatred growled as he got up, "I've had enough of just sitting around here."
"We'll be after you, go meet Raven," Robin's Passion said, "You want to."
As he left the lounge, Robin made note of several doors he passed, as they had his friend's names etched on them, one of which was Raven's. He would check those out when he got another chance to come back here, he thought, continuing out into the hall and making for the door. Hunger had finished his sandwich and moved on to a steak. When Hunger took a bite, Robin could taste the seasoned sirloin and it sent a chill up his spine. There was no mask to conceal what he felt here, and he couldn't shy away from those emotions. Each demanded to be addressed or confronted in some small way.
He left the mansion and walked to the bridge, where Raven stood waiting for him. She offered him a small smile and he took her hand in his when he reached her. Together, they crossed the bridge to her tower, entered, and left the door open. She led him from his room out into the hall, and up a spiral staircase. They went up a few floors and went down a short corridor, passing several hung scrolls and a mural of the team, which Raven had to pull him away from. Opening a large, ornate door at the end of the hall, Raven walked Robin inside, and shut the door behind them.
Standing at the door, Robin glanced around the small room. Stone walls were adorned with mounted bookshelves and tapestries. In the center of the room was a dark red couch in front of a blazing fireplace, the only source of light that only just illuminated their surroundings. Raven sat on the couch, drawing her legs up and curling them beneath her. Robin joined her, crossing his leg over his knee and putting his arms behind his head.
Without warning or asking him, she used her powers and peeled his mask from his eyes and dropped it in his lap. Her eyes sought his.
"Well, umm, here we are," Raven said awkwardly.
"Yeah…You worried?" Robin asked.
"If I said 'a little' I think I'd laugh at myself," Raven said.
"I'm here, that has to make you feel a little better, right?" he asked.
"You have no idea," she said with a tiny smile.
"No, I do," he said with a smirk.
He swept her up in his arms and locked his lips to hers. She slid over him and straddled his waist, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him. He held her hips, his fingers toyed with her belt. She caught his upper lip in her mouth and left a lingering kiss, then she tore away to speak softly in his ear.
"First kiss in our minds, how does it feel to you?" she asked.
"Weird, but in a good way, it's more…real," he said.
"I wish our first kiss had felt as nice, but it can't compare to this now," she said.
"Our first kiss was nice, no one has called me by my name like that in a long time," he said.
"That…wasn't the first kiss I was talking about."
She pulled away from his ear and leaned back, to see him in full view. She wasn't sure how to tell him, if he had no memory of it, it wouldn't be easy.
"Oh…yeah, I should have handled that one better, I shouldn't have done it while I was drunk, I'm really sorry," he said.
"You…remember?" she asked in disbelief.
"No, Passion told me about it, I just wasn't sure how to talk to you about it, so I didn't bring it up," he said.
"Well, I don't blame you…though I tried to. You were drunk, you didn't know what you were doing," she said.
"Part of me did, right?"
"Maybe, but I still can't blame you. It…that part of you probably has something to do with what's happening between us now, and I like it."
"I really wish you would have told me about it the next day."
"Sure," she said with a small laugh, "because that wouldn't have been awful. Starfire was already angry at you, I didn't want to be in the middle of that, you wouldn't either."
"I guess, it's just that…we could have been closer sooner."
"True…Is it my turn to apologize?"
"No, just…let me do something," he said with a smirk.
He reached for the clasp on her cloak and undid it, dropping it beside them, then explored her back with his fingers, until he found the concealed zipper on her leotard, he took it in his fingers and pulled it straight down.
Her eyes lit up and she smirked.
"Robin?" she asked.
"Shhh, no talking, get out of your uniform," he said playfully.
Raven climbed off him and stood before the fireplace, then untied her belt, and slid her leotard off with her boots. Only in her bra and panties, she moved to rejoin him on the couch, but he stopped her as he got up.
"Lay on the couch, on your chest," he said.
She did as he said and stretched out on her chest. He leaned over her and gently traced her tattoo with his finger as he admired it. The dark raven was intricate, yet simple, and was perfectly placed just above her bra hook.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"It's cool. I might get one of my own," he replied.
"Can I go with you when you do?"
"I'd be mad if you didn't."
He ran his hands down the length of her back and then up again, gently massaging her. She breathed in deeply and moaned softly through closed lips. She shut her eyes as he kneaded her back. He moved his hands down to her ass and thighs, then up again, and back down. He knelt down on the floor beside the couch and kissed her at the nape of her neck. He was doing all he could to provoke her Passion. He felt his own trying to get through to hers, kissing, hugging, whispering sweetly, showing her images of the two of them together. She was responding slowly, but it was working. He might have to go further than he was willing to at that point to make her melt in his arms.
Turning her over, he ran his hands along her legs, passed her hips, to her stomach. Her eyes were locked on his when they opened. He couldn't help it, her gaze was tempting, powerful, and he dared. Massaging her sides, he then moved his hands over her chest, cupping her breasts through her bra. He got off the floor and climbed on top of her, planting kisses on her stomach, then her neck, and finally seized her lips in his.
Elsewhere, Raven's Passion coupled with Robin's Passion, falling into his arms and kissing him deeply. Raven's Cleverness appeared from a hidden door in the wall and used Raven's power to put the two Passions in a magical trance, locked in place, freezing the emotions. A black and blue bolt of power struck the frozen pair and a small gem materialized from the spot where the bolt struck, it flew out and Cleverness caught it, placing it in a small box she had brought with her. There was room enough for two more gems.
Robin broke away from Raven and sat up, she rose with him. They looked at each other as though they had just realized they had forgotten something. She looked down at herself and turned red in embarrassment, she got up and put her things back on. Robin passed Raven her cloak and heard his Cleverness in his ear, though he couldn't see him, say, "Passion is done. Wrath is next, then Despair."
Once dressed, Raven sat back down next to Robin awkwardly.
"Why did you stop?" she asked.
"Why did you stop?" he countered.
"I don't know, I…I stopped feeling like I wanted to keep going," she said.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, I felt that too," he said.
"Must have something to do with the ritual, it should correct itself when this is over," she guessed.
"It 'should'?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, it's not like I've done this before."
"That's good, now maybe I lost an emotion thanks to you."
His annoyance was real, but he was exaggerating it to provoke her anger. Deliberate cruelty didn't come easily to him, and he didn't want to push it, but he had no choice.
"Not like you use them much anyway," she said.
"Oh, and you do?" he countered.
"No, but I have a reason not to, you don't."
"Maybe you guys just don't get to me."
"Seriously? Are you trying to say what we do or say doesn't matter?"
"No, just saying you guys can't like, really get to me, you know? It's not enough."
He had felt like the team paid more attention to what he did than to him, and he helped them more than they helped him out with his issues. It was awful to play it up, but he knew if he made it sound like she didn't do enough on his behalf, it would enrage her. Because she had.
"Not enough? I do what you don't have time to, I check in on you during your late nights, I have a bond with you, we talk all the time, I'm practically your girlfriend, how exactly do I not do enough?"
"I just- you know, don't see it happen as much, it's just how I see it."
"That is one of the dumbest things you've ever said to me. No, it's one of the dumbest things I've heard, it's worse than when Beast Boy tries to connect the dots for a case, why are you being so dense?" she asked, her voice rising.
"Oh, I'm dense?! How could you not pick up on the fact that he's had a crush on you for years, Miss Empathic Know it All?" he asked, matching her tone.
"I knew, I just ignored it."
"And how's that working out?"
"Better than how you fucking led Starfire on for months!"
She knew just where to poke a sharp stick and he was doing his best to stay focused on getting her to explode, but that one had caught him off guard.
"I did not lead her on, neither of us knew if it would work out or not."
"I knew."
"Yeah, and as usual, you didn't say anything, because you don't care unless it stops you from meditating or reading your shitty books!"
That did it.
In another room of Raven's tower, Raven's Wrath threw a fireball at Robin's Hatred, who dodged it handily and threw a bird-a-rang at her, which she incinerated in mid-air. A panel in the wall slid up and Raven's Cleverness stepped into the room, putting Raven's Wrath and Robin's Hatred into the same trance, freezing them in place, mid-battle. Another bolt of power struck them and created another gem that bounced once, twice, and over to Cleverness. She put the gem in the box and slipped away.
As if they had said nothing awful to each other, Raven scooted closer to Robin and rested her head on his shoulder. He forgot why he had yelled at her, why she had been yelling at him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me," Robin said.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too…I'm not mad anymore though, but I think I should be," Raven said.
The voice of Robin's Cleverness sprang to his hear from the air, "Passion and Hatred are done. Despair remains."
He frowned and looked down on Raven's head, nestled on his shoulder. It wouldn't take as much effort to get her to feel sad, he guessed, but it would be the worst to put her through. It wouldn't be for long though. Putting his arm around her, he held her tightly to his side. He had to do this. Maybe he could learn something as well.
"Raven?" Robin asked.
"Hmm?" Raven asked.
"What happened to Azarath?" he asked.
"I told you, my father used me to destroy it," she said, "why are you asking?"
"I just don't know much about it."
"Why would you want to?"
"It's something I don't know about you."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"What if I told you about my parents…and Batman?"
She shifted against his side slid her arms around him. It was something she had been curious about, something she knew that always bothered him. If she knew more, she could help him, he could talk to her about it, and he wouldn't have to keep it to himself. She could let someone else know what she had done, and he was always willing to listen or help her. It might hurt, but it could help.
"Okay... I'll tell you," she managed to say.
How Raven managed to get through the whole story was beyond her, she had to pause twice to wipe tears from her eyes. Robin had listened and comforted her as best as he could, though he had some trouble finding how to respond to some of the things she told him. What were the consoling words for someone who had been used to summon doom upon a world? He didn't know them. Her story had gotten to him, so he was already feeling awful, but he still told her about how he felt when his parents died, how Batman took him in, told him not to seek revenge, and trained him. Still, Batman had not been a father to him, as clearly, Trigon had not been a father to Raven. While she had been trained to fight against her father, he had been trained to fight against criminals, neither of them were technically raised, and were deprived of any real connection to family.
In their mutual moment of torment, they were unable to hear the swelling of the storm just outside the tower. The chasm between their minds over which the bridge spanned held water between cliffs. A river raged as clouds formed high above his manor and her tower. Twin lightning bolts chained into one branching arc within the deep gray mounds of cloud and tore the fabric of the perpetual night sky. Thunder rose and deafened thoughts existing outside the memory holdings. A thick fog swept across the lawn of Robin's memory mansion and seeped through the cracks of rock outside Raven's memory tower. Bursts of flame erupted from a place far beneath the surface of her tower. Circus music wiped lingering wisps of thought from the area surrounding Robin's manor. The dreaded hour had come; Raven's Despair had been inspired and in her throws of feeling, summoned the core of depression which so scorched Raven's subconscious. Robin's Fear fed his grief, grown as weeds from the lawn, with tall manifestations of loss as branching vines reaching into the high abyss of cloud over their bonded minds.
Storms sliced up the current thoughts that bustled about in the atmosphere of their minds, paralyzing everything. Their emotions had all been frozen like their Passions and Hatreds, save for Raven's Cleverness, Robin's Fear, and Raven's Despair. Raven's Cleverness took the box holding the two gems and flew from the tower. She found Raven's Courage, frozen in place, and focused the gem that she had gotten from Wrath and Hatred with dark power to unfreeze her.
"Thanks for the assist," Courage said with a cocky smile.
"Certainly. Take this and wait for my signal," Cleverness instructed as she handed the gem to Courage.
"Copy that," Courage replied, taking the gem.
Cleverness shot up into the stormy sky and dodged bolts of red lightning, soaring through the dark clouds until she was over Robin's manor and then she dropped, landing in the backyard beside gravestones. Robin's Fear was poised beside his frozen Confidence. Cleverness took a step forward and Robin's Fear snapped to attention with his bo staff pointed toward her.
"What are you trying to do?" his Fear asked.
"Paranoid? I'm only here to help," her Cleverness said.
"You didn't tell Robin about this part of your plan," his Fear said.
"No, I didn't, and couldn't if I wanted it to work, he trusts Raven, and that should be enough for you," she said.
His Fear lowered the bo staff, but remained at the ready if she did anything out of order. She focused her dark power through the gem she had gotten from the two Passions and unfroze Robin's Confidence.
"Hey, thanks," his Confidence said.
"Don't thank me just yet. I need you to get Fear to come with us; we need to take him to Raven's Courage, then find Despair," her Cleverness said.
"You're expecting trouble?" his Fear asked.
"Not quite expecting, anticipating a possibility," her Cleverness said.
"We'll deal with it, let's go," his Confidence said.
"Maybe we shouldn't," his Fear said.
The ground beneath their feet shook violently. Storm clouds overhead rolled and lighting struck at several points around the tower. …
"It seems we may not have much time left," her Cleverness said, "This ritual can only last for so long."
Taking off for Raven's tower, the three emotions raced over the bridge, through the open door, and met Raven's Courage in the halls. They made their way to the stairs and went down, deep into what Cleverness had dubbed 'the Catacombs.' Here, relics of awful memories were stored and secured. Doors in this place all had elaborate locks. The air was thin, yet it felt to Robin's emotions as though they were being held by the throat and a set of fingers would threaten strangulation. Down here, Raven had tucked away every memory of Trigon, every aspect of him that stained her. Continuing through dungeon corridors, they began to run. Sounds of their footfalls grew louder and they dared not stop.
Busting through a set of double doors, they entered a great chamber where Raven's Despair stood before a cube of red light, cradled in sculpted stone, depicting Trigon's clawed grip. Robin's Confidence and Raven's Courage grabbed Robin's Fear by the arms, dragging him over to Raven's Despair, as her Cleverness walked alongside them. Despair turned and looked at them.
"I hoped you wouldn't make it. He did not expect you to," her Despair said.
"If you are referring to Trigon, he is dead and gone; all that remains of him is locked away down here. Though she cannot forget him, we will make sure that his presence remains here, for all intents and purposes, out of mind, and out of sight," her Cleverness said.
"He isn't gone," Despair said, pointing to the cube.
Cubes like the one Despair pointed to were housed in a few places in Raven's tower, all served to give her visions of the future. This one had been stolen, tainted, and long since hidden away in a place Raven would never think to look. The other cubes are activated by thought and meditation, this one was set to respond to emotions and memories that entered 'the Catacombs.'
"Yes, he is gone, that isn't his, it's Raven's, her father just took it as his, and we're taking it back so can we fix it," her Courage said.
"No. You're not," her Despair said.
A siren-like wailing roar cut through the air and deafened all other sounds. Smoke poured from the glowing cube and swelled about the room. A figure swung on a rope from one end of the room and flew to the other. A second figure joined the first and the pair began to swing together in sync. They performed in the smoke. The emotions sat and watched as the shrouded figures swing and maneuvered, putting on a show. Acrobats.
Robin's emotions stood deathly still, anticipating the next part of the scene to play out as they had seen it play out a million times over in Robin's memories. The shrouded acrobats continued their performance, beyond the part where it normally would have ended.
The smoke thickened and a low blaze of fire ignited from the ground, Trigon's frame was visible to the emotions through the flames and smoke. His body didn't move, but his head followed the acrobats swinging through the smoke before him. In one motion, Trigon seized both acrobats in the grip of his fists and leapt back up by the cube. He squeezed the captured pair.
Without another moment's hesitation, Raven's Courage and Robin's Confidence launched themselves at Trigon. Raven's Despair flew after Raven's Cleverness. Robin's Fear sat and watched on helplessly as Trigon fended off Courage and Confidence with blazing blasts of red flame that shot from his eyes. Cleverness dashed behind columns as Despair chased her, trying to get the box that Cleverness held under arm.
Avoiding the blazing attack from Trigon, Courage and Confidence struck where they could find an opening – Courage blasted Trigon's head with dark power, Confidence landed a crushing blow to Trigon's gut with his bo-staff. Trigon stood un-phased, and tightened his grip, slowly crushing the Graysons in his fists. Robin's Fear looked at the glowing cube and then over to Cleverness, who shot dark blasts back at Despair, who seemed possessed, as she dodged every shot. Walking over to the cube, Robin's Fear reached out and took it in his arms. The action directed Trigon's gaze to Robin's Fear.
"That artifact belongs to me, as the gem belongs to me," Trigon said, "Put it back."
Shaking, but more afraid of what Trigon's success would mean than Trigon himself, Robin's Fear ran off toward the door with the cube. Trigon followed Robin's Fear, with Courage and Confidence at his heels. Cleverness flew up toward the ceiling and went through it using her power, Despair following her closely. Busting through doors, Robin's Fear dashed through the Catacombs, determined to reach the stairs. Trigon tore through the stone walls as though they were paper, storming after Robin's Fear. Courage grabbed Confidence and flung him up to Trigon's head, where Confidence slammed his bo-staff through Trigon's ear canal. Trigon howled and swung to hit Confidence, but missed and slammed his fist into the wall. It bought Robin's Fear some time to close in on the stairs to the upper levels.
A door to the side of Robin's Fear was flung open and Slade leapt out, knocking Robin's Fear to the ground and pinning him to the floor.
"Robin. Getting sloppy. Disappointing, I was hoping for a challenge," Slade said.
"T-try this instead," Robin's Fear stammered, decking Slade in the face with the cube.
Robin's Fear squirmed and kicked free of Slade's hold and continued to the stairs. Hearing Trigon's thunderous footfalls behind him, he tore up the stairs. Reaching the top, he raced through the halls and up the long spiral staircase to the floor where Raven and Robin were lounging. Robin's Fear kicked the door to the lounge open and threw the cube to the couch, catching them off guard. Raven recognized the cube and took it in her hands, she turned it over in her hands and stared at it with a grave look on her face. Robin looked at it quizzically, then over to his Fear, who had crawled over to sit at his feet before the fireplace sweating and panting.
"What's that?" Robin asked Raven.
"A piece of my foresight, looks like it's been corrupted by my father. That explains a lot. Where was it?" Raven asked as she turned to Robin's Fear.
"In the Catacombs…under the…tower. Fix it. Hurry…others in trouble," Robin's fear said, still trying to catch his breath.
Raven nodded and focused her power on the cube, and after a couple minutes it changed from glowing red to glowing pure white like the other cubes in the tower.
Cleverness felt the cube's power change and she opened the box she carried as she ran from Despair. The gems lit up and unfroze the other emotions. Despair jumped on Cleverness and had her on the floor when Wrath blasted through a door into the hall where they were. With a flick of her wrist and a flash of her eyes, Wrath had Despair in chains. Raven and Robin's Passions unfroze and flew down to help Courage and Confidence pacify Slade and Trigon. The Graysons faded from Trigon's grip, back into memory. Wrath imprisoned Despair in the same cell to which she was once confined. Raven placed the cube on a pedestal beside one of the bookcases in the lounge and locked it in place.
"Will you be okay now?" Robin asked.
"No. Better than okay," Raven said, "time to get out of our heads."
