Time passed at random intervals. Minutes seemed like days yet a week felt mere seconds long. The only tell-tale sign of the times was a tree in the distance. It's roots clung desperately to the hardened stone mending its cracks with vines and greenery. A brief time passed and the lovely tree turned orange and yellow before wilting to stand as though it were dead. Small leaves would then begin to grow on its old branches beginning the cycle again. Beyond the tree, the infinite chasm of space was deafeningly silent as it's emptiness was filled with beautiful stars in far off places. In the time it took to breathe in the image it all passed again and the floating rock the tree was adhered to circled a similar platform beneath the very vantage point it was viewed from.
As if becoming self aware within that moment of recognition the young girl looked down amazed by the simple truths of existence. She stared at her thin, pale hands and turned them over as she tried to remember how to use them. In awe of herself she failed to recognize as the darkness swallowed up all that surrounded her till the light of the stars failed her and she stood in the complete void.
A new light began to shine before her coming closer with each passing moment. She felt her feet move beneath her taking her forward though she felt she could not control it. She was being lead somewhere as if she were destined to see something. Soon she heard the crunch of ice beneath her heavy boots as the light began to surround her. Tall winter trees began to fill her vision in the midst of a field blanked by the white wonder of snow. Were it not for the icy chill that began to pierce her light clothes she would have relished the cold beauty.
Her feet continued to lead her through the dawn-lit forest and her pace seemed to quicken with each step. She could feel her heart rate slowly climbing as she stepped through another grouping of trees before coming to a clearing. Her eyes carefully scanned the landscape trying to take in every detail. A park bench next to a long and winding stone path.
Her eyes then saw what was out of place. A large heap of twisted metal lay smoldering on the damp grass. Black scorch marks marred the field the closer to the object they were. As her eyes continued to follow the ground she caught sight of another oddity. Statues. Strange in their placement. Her legs now within her command carried her closer before she realized what she was looking at.
Friends, not statues, encased in stone. The paralytic daggers protruding from their necks. Anxiety rose within her as she tried to understand what had happened. still her feet brought her closer. She approached one of the young heroes inspecting their frozen body and studying the weapon that had brought on their demise. The black steel dagger that impaled them was ancient through well kept. Ornate designs ran along its guard and handle. The pommel held the likeness of a three headed dog.
She placed a hand over her mouth as she recalled the representation and she stumbled backward a few paces. The snow that surrounded her suddenly lost its chilling sensation being replaced with an unforgiving warmth. Fire burst up from the ground cracking the earth and burning the grass. The flames licked at her flesh but she continued to back away from its tendrils. The trees stretched skyward before sharing a likeness to city buildings, burning from within. The cracking ground burned away to reveal scorched stone and asphalt.
As she looked back and forth she found herself home in jump city. Lifeless people filled the streets as they had once done. Encased in stone at the coming of hell. Raven turned to run before knocking straight into something hard and she tumbled to the ground. Looking back up she saw the terrified stone face of what she'd come to know as her brother. Metal and flesh alike had turned to rock and his eyes sat aimed at her bringing an immense feeling of guilt. To his left was starfire in a similar position and beast boy on his right.
Terror struck her immobile as overwhelming fear ran through her blood. Despite the heat that burned her skin she felt unbelievably cold within as if her soul had been ripped from her.
"Raven?"
That voice. It should have calmed her but its inquiry seemed to only force her concerns to all new heights. Despite this she turned herself to see the boy wonder standing before her. He was alive but he wore an inquisitive look, confused by the state of his friends. Just as he opened his mouth to speak a blade burst through the center of his chest.
"ROBIN!"
—-
His body shot straight up throwing the covers from him. A cold sweat dripped from his brow as his hand was held close to the center of his chest. A lingering pain seemed to emanate from there. He could faintly remember his dream but he'd had no control. The last thing he could remember was her voice. . .
Her voice.
His eyes went wide in worry as he turned to survey the room. His fear dropped considerably as he found the beautiful sorcerous safely laying in her bed, a rhythmic rise and fall to her sheets settling his concerns. He closed his eyes and sighed as he tried to collect himself. As he grounded his mind and cleared his head he felt something. A small fraction of an emotion blossomed within him growing in strength but the strangeness of the sensation was that it felt as though it were coming from elsewhere. He felt guilt, shame, sadness and terror all within the same moment. The thoughts seemed ever present but also distant. They were not of his own making and his subconscious could somehow discern that.
Robin opened his eyes and they again fell upon the violet locks of the girl only a few feet away from him. He took time to recognize the speed of her breaths and noticed they came in rapid succession as if she were hyperventilating. Concern writ into his features as he stood and quietly made his way to her bedside. As he approached he noticed that the sheets were wrapped tightly around her. She faced away from him and one hand was firmly placed by her shoulder tightly gripping the sheets as if her life depended upon it.
He sat beside her on the bed and watched what he could of her face. He watched as her facial expressions tensed to mirror each of the emotions he'd previously felt through what he knew had to be their bond. Even with his eyes open he felt the tug of her turmoil perhaps strengthened by their close proximity. Taking his hand he placed it over her rigid one massaging comforting circles into her knuckles. He closed his eyes again trying to tap into their bond to reach her. As the darkness claimed his vision it was quickly replaced with the setting of burned buildings and ruins. His mind remembered the sight from the day the world had ended. Before him he saw one of the hooded men they'd seen so many times. As he stepped to the side it became clear that it was not himself standing there. Behind where the man had stood his own crumpled body lay bleeding out on the hard unforgiving ash. He tried to bring a hand to his chest to inspect the wound he saw but found himself unable to move. Fear began to course through him though again not his own. Looking to each side he found his arms held by the other two men as they lifted him up. He felt the rough texture of wood against his arms and back and then he felt it. Searing pain in his wrists as he watched nails being driven through them. A burning sensation began to rip through his flesh as red runes appeared. The man stepped back in front and lifted his blade preparing for his final blow. Robin fought against his mind to regain control and open his eyes, having been caught in the pale girl's nightmare. He succeeded and began to shake her awake by her shoulders.
Her breathing quickened but the pain he expected to come never did and her eyes shot open as she rolled onto her back. Robin released her shoulders trying not to suffocate her already over-stimulated mind. Her breathing continued to be erratic and her eyes darted from side to side trying to make sense of her surroundings. Robin watched helplessly as her mind worked and he felt a nearly overwhelming sense of worry wash over him. An emotion he noted to be purely his own.
Her rapid eye movement eventually halted as she caught sight of his own blue pools staring back at her. Almost immediately her breathing settled and he felt immense calm through their bond. Robin catalogued the response in his mind, intrigued by the quick and unparalleled comfort the mere sight of him had given her. Acknowledging her attention as well as recognizing what she'd seen in her dream and the trauma that had surely accompanied it he brought on hand to rub soothing circles into the shoulder closest to him and the other to hold her face and caress her cheek with his thumb. He half expected her to slap him or move away but instead watched as she turned her head into his motions accepting them. A new emotion was present and though he could not name it he sensed it was emanating from both of them.
The two sat like this for a long time, her eyes not leaving his for fear they may not be there if she closed her eyes for too long. Raven's breathing and heart rate had returned to normal and despite her fears even her eyes were beginning to struggle with staying open, only her will keeping them so. Robin studied her face taking in the many distinct features. Much had stayed the same through the time they'd known each other. Her hair was still cut around the same length and styled similarly. She still wore her ruby chakra, though hidden through her spells at times. Her eyebrows were still shaped much the same though she now had slits cut in her left brow. From his vantage point with her hair swept behind her he was also able to note a multitude of piercings on her ears.
He refocused again on her eyes. He'd failed to fully grasp the stunning beauty of her irises. Their violet hue was breathtaking even in the dim light of the room, but being so close he could see the very strands that made up their color. They each varied in shade but came together to produce that brilliant almost glowing light in her eyes that looked back at him with so much hope and kindness that many failed to see. Instinct drove his next motion, a natural drive to show his own kindness. He closed his eyes and placed a kiss on her brow. He then rested his forehead on hers for a few moments. He felt as though he never wanted to leave that spot. If their heads were eternally joined in that position he might be alright with that. He forcibly pushed the notion to the back of his mind as he drew back and noticed her eyes remained closed. He smiled down at her, the serenity of her peacefully sleeping form brought him such a sense of happiness he'd not felt before.
He caressed her cheek one last time before attempting to withdraw but found his hand trapped within her own. Her eyes opened and looked back at him with a fear that broke his heart. She looked away from his eyes as she whispered.
"Please, don't go."
Her plea came with a heavy feeling of guilt on her mind. Robin smiled at her before removing his hand. She sorrowfully smiled back before turning away to her side fighting back tears in her defeat and embarrassment. To her surprise though the weight behind her did not leave the bed but instead shifted to be more evenly distributed. She felt her heart stop as the sheets were lifted up behind her and his body moved in beside hers. His bare chest pressed up against the exposed skin of her back offering her warmth and an arm snaked it's way around her waist pulling her in close. In that moment she felt so safe, more so than she'd ever felt before. The tears that had previously threatened to fall down her face retreated and she released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding in a relieving sigh. She closed her eyes as sleep began to take her. The last sensation she felt before she fully drifted off was that of a light kiss being placed on the back of her neck. Then he nuzzled against her as he too settled in for the night.
—
Three sets of heavy metal footsteps sounded through the street. The tell-take signs of trouble lit onlookers instincts to run and hide. The three men that walked down the street carried a sinister aura with them further justifying the motions of the citizens.
"What a lovely town, brother. I feel that it is missing something though. . ."
Jacob lips curled into a terrifying smile.
"Fire. . ."
As the word left his mouth the ground before him shook and cracked. He traced the lines of violet magic back to their source settling his eyes on a young pink-haired girl. His smile continued to grace his face and grew slightly wider and his sharp teeth began to show. A blur shot across his vision before a man stood beside the girl dressed in yellow and red.
"Don't get ahead of yourself there Hot Head. "
The young man smirked back at the dark foreboding figures, pleased with his entrance. The other brothers mirrored Jacob's expression with smiles of their own, excited for another opportunity to fight.
"You 'Heroes' do love to talk. Perhaps you'd accomplish more if you took action."
As if on cue the young man disappeared in a trail of blur and the girl began moving her arms with great purpose. Subtle hand signals tied with arcane meaning gave way to magical hexes being thrown in their direction. Each wave of energy hit something different causing all manor of unfortunate events. The running car to his left switched into gear heading towards him, the asphalt beneath him cracked, and the lamp post above him began to collapse under it's own weight. Jacob recognized each of these occurrences but kept his eyes trained on the young girl, calmly stepping forward. The satisfied grin on the girl began to deteriorate as her attacks proved pointless. A black aura bent the lamppost the other way, the car turned hard and missed him, and the asphalt seemed to reknit itself together with each step he took. She began throwing her bad luck into the ground before him with as much force as she could muster, hoping to strike him with the earth. To her dismay each hex seemed to do nothing as if it never reached its destination. As he got closer to her she began to get frantic throwing a hex directly at him. To her astonishment the purple wave of energy stopped dead in it's tracks with a black aura enveloping it until it dissipated into nothing. Fear took hold of her, realizing she had no means to fight him. She tried to turn and run but she could not move. Upon looking down she found hands made of black energy latching onto her and pulling her body into the ground.
"KID!"
She shouted with Jacob only a few feet away. Kid Flash, whom had been doing his best to fight the other two brothers immediately turned at her scream. Seeing her distress he rushed to her aid unleashing a torrent of light-speed punches against Jacob's armor but found they made no change. Each time his fist came close to his body it seemed to hit a field of black energy. Kinetic energy seemed useless and the demonic man continued to move towards the girl. As soon as he was close enough he took her by the throat and held her up in the air. Kid flash halted his attack as fear immobilized him.
"For dust thou art. . ."
Flash saw the blade too late and Jacob plunged the dagger into her chest.
"And unto dust shalt thou return. . ."
Her skin slowly began to solidify turning into stone. She continued to fight the process kicking and yelling.
"Run! Get the titans!"
She just barely got the last word out before her body fully succumbed to the curse. Jacob balanced the newly crafted statue on the ground careful to ensure that she did not tip over or fall.
"Funny how an old verse written centuries ago can hold such truth."
As the last word rolled from his tongue he looked directly at the horrified face of the young man. Jacob offered his smile in its terrifying grandeur but rather than causing fear the expression seemed to tip the balance to anger. He charged with as much speed and strength as he could muster and just as he was about to make contact with the demons face his entire body was halted by a hand crushing around his throat. He pulled at the mans hands trying to escape but found no quarter.
"I wonder how many daggers it will take to keep you still."
Fear welled up within him. A split second passed before he knew what he needed to do. His body began vibrating with great intensity and the very particles that made him one began to separate allowing him to escape the soul crushing grip he was in. As soon as he escaped he was off running down the street toward the bay and titans tower. Jacob smirked as he turned to his brothers.
"It's time to get ready for the homecoming."
He lifted a hand up and fire lit his fingertips.