Titans: Elemental

Chapter 76; Spellbound, Part 2

It is now the following morning.

Beast Boy and Vic have the GameStation fired up and are playing their favorite racing game, while Dick and Starfire are in the kitchen.

Bryan is napping in a chair as Rose plays with Percy and Blackfire listens to music.

Jack sits at the kitchen table, a worried look on his face. He's obviously worried about Raven.

Raven floats into view, her clothing now pure white.

BB, Vic, Rose and Blackfire turn to look in her direction and instantly lose their power of speech.

Dick and Starfire can't find any words as well.

Jack gasps in shock.

Raven's arms are spread wide to expose the new outfit, she sighs blissfully and hums to herself on the way to the kitchen.

Raven opens the fridge. An apple on the top shelf floats neatly into her hand, and she closes the fridge.

Raven is munching happily away in the kitchen; the other Titans slide up a moment later.

Dick, "um…. Hey, Raven. Haven't seen you around much lately."

BB, "yeah, 'cause she hasn't left her room for a week."

Jack clumps him over the head.

Vic, "I, uh…. Like your new look."

Raven, "thanks."

Jack muttered, "I liked her old look better…."

Raven, "what?"

Jack, "er, nothing!"

Dick, "so, when do we get to meet this friend of yours?"

Raven, "soon."

Starfire zips over, "I am unable to wait! Beast Boy has told us much about the Malchior and how he remains trapped within a book, but-"

Raven, "now how would Beast Boy know something like that?"

BB, "I may have kinda…. Been, ah…. A fly on the wall in your room?"

He turns into the buzzing insect.

Raven, "funny. You look more like a rat to me."

She concentrates for a moment and turns him into a scrawny green rodent. He tumbles to the floor and reverts to human form, ending up on his head and very surprised at the involuntary quick change.

BB, "you morphed me! How did you do that?"

Jack grows an uneasy look as he asks, "Raven, what exactly is this Malchior guy teaching you? I'm sensing something…. Off…."

Raven, "he's been helping me become much better with magic."

Jack, "the good kind, or the bad kind?"

Raven, "what does it matter?"

Jack, "I just-"

A small alarm starts up.

This wakes Bryan up.

The computer console beeps as Dick runs over and does a quick bit of typing, not liking whatever he sees. He then turns to face the team.

Dick, "Titans! Move!"

All but Raven and Jack bolt for the door; the former just floats up off the floor a bit and hums to herself.

The call to action has not disturbed Raven in the slightest. Beast Boy, the last one out, stops short of the exit.

BB, "hey! We gotta go!"

This throws a monkey wrench into her peaceful reverie.

Raven flies by Jack, who gives a deeply concerned look.

….

We see the exterior of an ordinary-looking house in the suburbs of Jump City. It is now nighttime. Inside a house, we see a small girl, fast asleep in her bed and snuggling with a teddy bear. A loud heartbeat starts up, startling her awake in a, well, you get the idea….

The girl, "huh?"

She sits up and looks around with obvious fear. She peeks out her window as the beat is heard, much louder now, and accompanied by the hiss of machinery that instantly marks Kardiak's arrival. Its huge shadow throws itself over her, and she screams.

….

We see a hilltop stretch of road, over which everyone but Raven charges into view: Dick on his N-Cycle, Starfire toting Vic, Blackfire toting Rose, Bryan and Jack on a slab of Earth, Beast Boy keeping pace as a vampire bat. They arrive at the girl's house, whose front door has now been bashed in, and brace for battle: a handful of discs, cannon, laser gun, fire, ninja stars, starbolts. The overgrown heart clamps out of the house, the youngster has been sucked in by those vacuum-cleaner veins; her terrified face is clearly seen through the red atrium wall. The sight of this apparition, and its hostage, paints surprise on the faces of the armed Titans and sparks a small gasp from Starfire and Jack.

Vic, "oh, man!"

Dick puts his discs away, "hand-to-hand. We don't want to hurt her."

Vic lowers his cannon as well, the other Titans all disarming themselves.

We see the girl's face, eyes full of tears, as Kardiak leaps to strike. The reattached blood vessels lance toward the Titans, who scramble to avoid the hits. Beast Boy flies up and resumes human form as he perches on the surface of the heart.

BB, "don't worry! We're gonna get you-"

Her scream cuts him off, and he turns to look over his shoulder. An artery is trying to suck him down; he becomes a hippopotamus, too big to be vacuumed up, but the thing just heaves him out of the way. When he hits the ground, the force of the throw sends him skidding all the way to the end of the block. The dust clears to show him back in human form and badly dazed from this bit of animal abuse. Dick comes up behind him, as do Vic, Rose, Bryan, Blackfire, Jack and Starfire, and all stare intently ahead.

Above the tableau, a black vortex forms and Raven emerges from it.

Raven, "this time when I break you, stay broken", her cloak billows up, "Necronom Hezberek Mortix!"

Jack, "those aren't her usual magic words…."

Dick, "Raven! Careful! The girl!"

Black energy pours from her mouth, and a terrible, grating screech comes with it. We follow the stream as it angles toward the ground and tears a path straight toward Kardiak; slowly but surely, the aura works its way up the massive organ and the innocent little one inside it.

BB, "Raven, stop!"

Raven, "I…. CAN'T!"

Energy starts to pour from her eyes as well.

As she slowly backs up into the air; her energy has now covered the street like pea-soup fog and is about to completely wash over Kardiak. Inside the ventricle, the little girl screams as it starts to cut off the last of her view; overhead, Dick leaps down to the one remaining clear spot.

Dick, "hang on!"

He whips out a folded wingding and stabs it into the heart muscle like an ice pick, trying to hack a way out for her. A black hand begins to form behind him, but a shot from Vic's cannon slices it away, as does a shot from Bryan's laser gun;

Jack charges into Raven, nailing her broadside to drive her down, and Kardiak is freed from her grip.

Dick finally tears a hole big enough to pull the girl free, and Raven moans wearily.

Jack, "what is wrong with you? What did this guy do to you, Raven?!"

Her only response is to drop through the pavement, leaving everyone else to stare in undiluted confusion at her bizarre behavior.

….

Back in Raven's room….

The book that had imprisoned Malchior sits on its stand; he gazes at it as her powers wash over the door. As soon as it slides open, she moves to him in one swift swoop, and her face twists into a look of pure rage.

Raven, "it's dark magic! You've been teaching me dark magic!"

Malchior, "is it dark, or is it simply misunderstood…. Like you?"

Raven, "don't try flirting again…."

Malchior, "... true, the spells I've taught you are very powerful. There are those who fear power, so they call it dark. But for people like us….", he tries to take her hand, "... such distinctions do not exist. Without these spells, we can never truly be together. Enchanted pages or no, I'm still trapped within this book, and you're still alone. Is that what you want, Raven? To be alone?"

Raven, "I have Jack. He understands me!"

Malchior, "but will he ever understand you the way I do?"

Her anger melts into uncertainty, and after a valiant attempt to meet his gaze, she turns her face away and closes her eyes tightly. Tears slide out from beneath the lids.

Raven, "I... I don't know..."

She wipes them away.

Malchior, "sweet Raven, it's time."

She looks toward him, and then walks cautiously up to the boolstand and finds him facing her; he stands within a ring of open volumes on the floor.

Malchior, "the incantation, just as I taught you."

Raven leans over the pages.

Raven, "Hezberek Et Morine…. Gost Wenthen Verbis Nex…. Ind Obrium, Bis Pendrule….", the books glow, "Paran Sic Cortis Rex!"

She finishes the spell. On the last word, thick tendrils of black power stream up behind her, stretching up to the ceiling and nearly the full length of the room, and the light shining from the books intensifies until Malchior is hidden from view. His paper body flies apart within this; as the light washes over the entire room, the book's pages flip madly and Raven gasps in sudden shock.

She sees a picture on one of them, Malchior's black, long-haired silhouette whose white eyes are the only visible feature. It backs up into the frame, hunching over with a moan of pain as white light envelops it, and a pair of long wings sprouts from the back.

Raven, "Malchior!"

She is hurled backward in one split-second flash. When the pages stop turning, the radiance retreats back toward them; lifting her head from the floor, she finds a loose one nearby and picks it up.

A full-page drawing of the wizard and dragon facing off, each labeled with the appropriate name. After a second, though, the two words fade away and switch places; the one we have known as Malchior is actually Rorek and vice versa!

Raven, "you changed it. Malchior wasn't the wizard, he was a….", she leaps toward the book, "no!"

She is flung back by a second blast. Within it, a large, horned, red-eyed silhouette starts to take the shape of the beast she did not name. As she stares in horror at what she has just unleashed, Malchior the dragon extends its forelegs from the maelstrom and digs their claws into the floor. The wings extend as well, their tips digging into the ceiling, and finally, the fire-eyed head emerges to breathe a blistering jet that drives her all the way back to her bed. An instant later, Dick and Jack kick the door off its hinges and leap in, the rest of the Titans close behind.

Jack and Dick, "Raven!"

The entire room shakes; now Malchior has bashed a large hole in the ceiling and is exiting through it. Choking clouds of dust slowly part to reveal a large, black hemispherical shield, which promptly collapses to show Raven kneeling on the floor. She is physically unharmed, but the set of her face says plenty about how torn up she is inside. Her back is to the door.

Raven, "he lied to me. He lied. And I gave him what he wanted…."

Dick starts leading the others to the hole, "come on!"

Everyone jumps out.

Jack and Beast Boy are left alone with the white-clad Titan.

BB, "Raven, are you-?"

Raven, "please. Just get out of my room."

Another tremor hits the place, dropping some debris from above, and BB clears out as a falcon.

Jack stays put.

Jack, "Raven-"

Raven, "just. Go."

Jack didn't move.

Raven, "why aren't you yelling at me? Why aren't you angry at me? I betrayed your trust…. Grew so close to Malchior…. He kept trying to flirt with me…. Why are you still-"

Jack suddenly hugged Raven, who gasped in shock.

Jack, "I don't blame you, Raven. He tricked you. He played into your insecurities. I'm just sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me about any of this. I love you Raven. And I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Raven teared up as she held Jack close.

….

We see the exterior of the Tower; the sky has taken on a green tint. After a couple of quiet seconds, a big chunk of the roof blows out, Malchior climbs out of the structure and belches fire skyward. A cannon shot across the kisser stops it short; here come the others. Starfire throws Vic straight ahead as he lets go with another blast. The shots put the dragon off balance, but that snaky tail soon whips up to smash him away. He goes flying past Dick, Rose and Bryan.

The naturally airborne Starfire and Blackfire now flip their other passengers overhead, then heave them forward. Drawing a wingding with each hand, Dick puts them together to form a long sword and scores a fierce slash against the long snout. Rose does a three-disc throw that detonates on the scaly chest, but Malchior gets in a cheap shot that drops Dick and Rose to the roof.

Bryan shoots at Malchior with his laser gun, but the blasts merely bounce off of him as he thwacks the young man over towards Dick and Rose.

Malchior is promptly peppered with starbolts; the shooter's are on a strafing run and dodging fire. As they keep throwing fastballs, Beast Boy dives past and begins a transformation from falcon form. He comes down as a tyrannosaurus rex, landing squarely on the long neck to grapple with Malchior. The battle is short-lived; a smack and throw, and the huge green dinosaur goes skidding across the roof toward Vic. The collision sends both flying over the edge in a shower of broken masonry.

More starbolts burst on the thick hide, and Blackfire and Starfire zoom past only to get caught in Malchior's snapping jaws. They both strain with every bit of energy to keep those deadly teeth from coming down on top of them. A sick glare washes over them as the creature warms up and breathes fire.

The girls drops into view, screaming and smoking, and splashes gracelessly into the water.

Malchior stands triumphantly on the roof of the Tower, but crackles of black energy and balls of blazing fire lance up to strike the snout. They are emerging out of an intact patch, from which Raven and Jack rise to meet the challenge.

Raven, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The bolts explode across Malchior's skull, and it counters with a roar and jet of fire. She and Jack fly across the roof on a stone slab, staying just ahead of the incendiary stream, and each fire off a shot that explodes against the body. Now a circular section of the architecture is cut away from beneath and levitated so that Raven and Jack can rise beneath it; they dived through the roof to take cover, and they heaved the mass forward. It shatters to dust against Malchior's incredibly robust skeleton, whereupon it retaliates with a fresh blast of fire. Follow this over to Jack and Raven, who have put up a shield of black energy and stone in front of themselves; the flames ricochet downward and disappear in a boiling cloud as soon as they hit the water.

Taking the shield down, they gain altitude to avoid the next blast and send a handful of black bolts and balls of ice straight at Malchior. In an instant, they have wreathed the enormous body from head to toe and gone white and solid; it writhes futilely against the bonds, and they dive in for another go. These beams meet a fire breath, and the attacks cancel each other out high above the roof. Little by little, Malchior begins to overpower Raven and Jack, and then, as Raven groans under the supreme strain, the standoff ends.

Raven, "huh?"

Raven and Jack are seized in both giant fists and held high above the Tower as Malchior drifts slowly away from it. They struggle to break loose. Now, when Malchior speaks, the voice is deep and grating, nothing like the cultured tones we have heard.

Malchior, "oh, Raven. You're not going to cry now, are you? I know it hurts, but you'll just have to accept the truth. It's over. I got what I wanted, and I don't need you anymore."

Jack, "you are some piece of work! You used her for your own gains! And then thrower her away like garbage! Raven is a far better sorcerer and person then you'll ever be!"

Malchior, "quiet, boy! It's over!"

Raven, "it's not over, not yet."

Malchior, "hehe, sweet Raven, you can't possibly hope to defeat me. I taught you everything you know."

Jack, "you monster! She trusted you! And you used her like a dishrag!"

Malchior, "yes, and her pathetic feelings for such a lowly magic user made it much harder to manipulate her. But neither of you are a match for me."

Raven, "you taught me spells…."

Something floats up out of the hole in the roof under Raven's control; as it moves, it is revealed as Malchior's book.

Raven, "but I just learned a curse."

It lands neatly in her upraised hand.

Malchior, "NOOOOO!"

It rears up and unloads an inferno calculated to barbecue her and Jack to kingdom come. Raven and Malchior's power again cancel out between them, and as before, Raven starts to lose the tug-of-war. Raven fends off the fire with one hand and holds the book in the other."

Raven, "Aldruon Enlenthranel Vosolen Lirus-nor!"

The tome glows black as she recites the same spell that imprisoned Malchior ten centuries ago; as she finishes, she thrusts it forward and a wide beam pours from the cover. It plows through the fire, ramming itself down the long throat, and the dragon screams in agony as that dark force breaks out through its thick hide in several places. It hangs in the air for a long moment, then goes entirely black and starts to be pulled toward the open book. Raven is driven backward by the force of this rush, with Jack quickly grabbing onto her to help keep her steady; the last of the demonic creature is suctioned into the pages. Finally, Raven slams the covers together, slowly descends to the roof, and collapses into Jack's arms, utterly spent by the magnitude of this showdown.

Jack kissed her forehead and said, "that's my girl."

Dick takes a cautious step towards them. Raven's white clothing returns to its normal colors, black outfit and wrist guards, blue everything else as everyone else gathers around.

….

We see an enclosure devoid of all furniture and features.

Raven reaches down into view and sets the white book within a chest, pointing up at her. She has just put the thing in here, and now she closes the lid. She is kneeling in the back corner of her room by the receptacle; she locks it and stands up. A knock at the door shakes her out of the deep, blue funk she is mired in.

BB, "Raven? It's me. Look. I'm sorry."

She crosses the room.

Raven, "for what? You're not the one who-"

BB, "no. I'm sorry that…. He broke your heart."

Raven, "I know it was all a lie. He didn't break my heart. He used me. Played off my insecurities. Made it seem like he was the only person who ever made me feel like I wasn't…. Creepy. And don't try to tell me I'm not."

BB, "okay. Fine. You're way creepy. But that doesn't mean you have to stay locked in your room. You think you're alone, Raven, but you're not. You've got us."

Raven, "us?"

Jack, "I'm out here too, babe."

Raven smiles as she raises her eyes a bit.

The door opens, and she catches the boys by surprise with a hug that brings to mind the image of a drowning man clutching a thrown rope for dear life. After several seconds, they disengage themselves.

BB, "uh…."

He gets no further, as something large is thrown into view to squash against the side of his head. Down he goes his supine form hit with that wad of malodorous clothes from the Stank Ball. Vic stands a short distance down the hall, one fist raised with Rose right behind him.

Vic, "whoo-hoo! Stank Ball!"

Beast Boy sits up with a small groan.

Raven plucks the dirty clump free and regards it silently.

Jack smirked in excitement.

This gives away to a wicked little smile, and Raven puts her powers over it, she has decided to join the game and take these two jokers to school.

Vic, "now hold on, Raven, don't- oof!"

He is smacked down by the ball as Raven's soft laughter, his disgusted groan, and Jack and Rose's laughing all overlap.

….

Reviews:

raven 2012: well, you got your wish. Jack helped Raven stop Malchior's, and she knows that he understands her.

Canadude2029: I'm glad you're liking it so far. Things will turn out okay, don't worry. And yeah, Kardiak is one scary mofo. A giant heart that kidnaps villains. Creepy.

Bailey Radcliff: thanks so much.

pokemonking0924: glad you liked all that. Thanks.

….

I made sure that Raven's bond with Malchior comes across as more of a friendship than romance.

But Jack still gets a little jealous of the whole thing!

Also, thank you to everyone who voted on my poll regarding a Ben 10 and Teen Titans crossover.

Thanks to all the votes, I've decided that in the future, (most likely after Alien Rebirth and Titans: Elemental have wrapped up), I'm going to write 2 Ben 10 and DC crossovers.

Ben 10: Titans, which will most likely be a harem story, with the main harem members being Starfire, Raven, Blackfire and Looma, (with maybe a few more added later on), while Robin will end up with Batgirl.

And Ben 10: JLU, where Ben joins the Justice League at the start of the series and ends up with Miss Martian, who will show up in-between seasons 2 and 3.

Maybe I'll do a 3rd story where Ben only ends up with Starfire.