Chapter Sixty-Three: Order over Chaos
…
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"... M…"
…
…
"...Ma… Mate…"
The Beast slowly opened his eyes, shaking its head as he stood up on his two hind legs.
For a moment, he couldn't tell where he was. His superior vision looked blurry, and the images around him kept shifting in and out of focus.
This wasn't Master's mental landscape. Where was he?
…
He kept looking around. And eventually, a scent washed over his nose, turning his head sharply around.
A figure clad in red lay on the ground amidst the swirl of images.
"Mate!" The Beast ran forward on all fours. An eternity of a second later, he was by Rage's side.
"M… Mate…" His massive paws touched her delicately like she was a broken vase. The Beast let out a pitiful whimper when she didn't react to his touch.
He picked her up in his arms. She looked so small. Her four red eyes were closed. Only shallow breaths were coming out of her chest.
"Mate! MATE!" The Beast howled desperately.
But there was no response from her. She continued to die in his arms.
The Beast suddenly fell to one knee. He gasped as if his lungs could hardly get in enough air.
What was happening to them? Why was mate…
"Ahahahahaha!" Looking to the side, the Beast saw a memory hanging in the air. One that was slowly dissolving away.
Klarion the Witchboy towered over their massive form. They'd stood no chance against him.
They'd lost.
'B… Beast…' Master's voice sounded from around him. But it was faint, barely more than a whisper.
"M-Master." The Beast muttered in realization.
Rage was dying. He was dying.
Master and mate were dying.
They'd failed.
He'd failed.
All of them had failed…
He noticed a trail of specks coming from Rage's body then. The same specks were also coming off of his paws and arms.
Their life force. It was slowly ebbing away.
…
The Beast whimpered as he shrunk in size. Yet he cuddled against Rage's side like a lost puppy.
Even though he and Master were dying, he could feel Master hugging Rage/Raven to himself as well. Both of them were more concerned about their mate than their own well-being.
How could they not? She'd always been the most important thing to them.
"Please, mate, wake up." The Beast quietly whimpered.
…
And yet she didn't stir.
…
His face moved into her white hair. Big fat tears rolled from his eyes as his chest shook with sobs.
The two of them continued to fade away from view. Just like the memories slowly disappearing all around them.
"Please… wake up mate. Please."
…
"I… I need you…" The Beast finished his tearful plea…
…
"Ahahaha."
The Beast slowly looked up at the laugh. This one wasn't evil and annoying like Klarion's.
Rather, it was warm, it was familiar, it was… carefree.
The memory showed Raven and Master sledding down a hill together. His master's accompanying laugh followed the sound of Mate's laughter.
The Beast wiped a tear from his eye as he watched with fascination. This had been a moment not long after they'd fled Master's home. When the two had still been adjusting to trying to live with only each other.
"R… Rae…"
The Beast saw them after one of their many earlier fights. The conversation seemed to pass over his head as the guilt from back then flooded through him again.
Some days, even he hadn't known if things would work between Master and Mate or not. He'd wondered if he'd helped too little… or too much.
He saw the memory of Beast Boy abandoning Raven to go after Terra. He then saw the memory of Raven coming back and saving Beast Boy. How they had to forgive each other and work through so many obstacles together.
The Beast watched them moving across the country together. He saw their ups. He saw their downs. The shortcomings they experienced, as well as the things they overcame,
Together.
…
As the Beast watched it all in almost stunned fascination, one memory shone above the rest.
Raven was cuddled up to Beast Boy in bed. The night they'd finally gotten together.
He saw her dream. Her fears of the future. Her doubts about herself and about their new relationship. And then…
'I'll sacrifice everything… my barriers, my past, and my doubts… If it means I can be happy with Gar for the rest of my life.'
Her resolve shone through the memory, which outshined all the other ones slowly fading around them.
Above all, this was her most treasured memory of their time together. A single moment where her fears had gone and courage had put everything into place.
Because she loved him.
…
The Beast's eyes finally looked back down at Rage's calm, relaxed face. He sniffled again at the sight, but for once, peace filled his heart. Even if they were both dying, even if it was all for nothing…
At the end, they still had each other. And though it'd been a bumpy ride, they'd gone through it together.
And he wouldn't have had it any other way.
"My mate… No matter what… should the jaws of hell gape open for us after this… should the world itself try to separate us…
…
…
"... I will always be here for you… my one, my only, and precious mate." The Beast rested his snout on her face.
"I love you."
…
…
The Beast held her in his arms. Waiting for death to swallow them both in its arms.
Strange… he felt so at peace… he never imagined he'd face death like this.
The Beast could see a bright light. He closed his eyes as it continued to grow brighter and brighter…
…
Yet, it didn't feel like death. And the light was…
His eyes snapped open, only for them to close as one of his large hands covered his eyes.
The light was coming off Mate. Her form continued to glow brighter and brighter as her body began to rise into thr air.
"M-Mate?" The Beast stuttered in shock.
Life energy was no longer leaking from her form. And, it wasn't leaking out of his either. He closed his eyes again.
What… was happening to them?
"No…"
The Beast opened his eyes. Then closed them quickly as the light of the memories around them began to glow brighter.
"No. No!"
That voice…
"NO! I REFUSE TO LET IT END LIKE THIS!"
All of a sudden, a burst of energy went across the whole landscape.
The Beast put an arm to his face, trying to protect against the bright light. But… it was so warm and calming. Like a sunset over a clear green forest.
Feelings filled his being with peace and joy. Drowning out all the savagery of the animal kingdom from his soul.
When he was finally able to look up, he was shocked at the dark angel floating before him.
It was Rage with her four red eyes… yet she was different.
"Never, never again!" Rage declared. As she spoke, the red of her uniform slowly began to turn to white. "I reject my heritage and turn my back on hell! I refuse to ever have to go there again!"
"Join me, my sisters! The time of reunion has come at last!"
Another burst of bright light came off of Rage's form. All around, portals formed in the landscape around them.
"Yayyyyyyy! It's finally happeningggggggg!" Happy cheered as she came out of her happy place inside Nevermore.
"Yeah! It's about time!" Brave pumped her fists up as she appeared next.
"Oh great, I'm sooo looking forward to being one again." Rude said, sarcasm dripping from her tone as she flew by.
"Zzzzzzz." Sloth was dead asleep even as she and her other sisters flew through the air toward Rage.
As each one flew through the air, they reached out towards the formerly red emoticlone. And then, with hardly any resistance, they were absorbed into her.
The Beast stared, his jaw slack with wonder.
Knowledge and Wisdom came out of their portal hand in hand. Both of them were smiling widely in excitement. "The damage done to us so long ago is finally being fixed."
"And it is by our choice." Wisdom told her.
"I'll… I'll miss being able to interact with you like this." Knowledge told her sister shyly.
"And I you." Knowledge hugged her close sister as both of them were absorbed into Rage at the same time.
"Beast."
The Beast turned his head. Love, who'd been flying by, paused long enough to hug his head and kiss him on the nose. She gave him a warm smile.
"Thank you, for everything.
"What is happening now is thanks to you."
With that, she then flew on into Rage.
"Hehe, I'll look forward to next time, Beastiepoo." Lust winked as she flew by next.
She wasn't given any time to say more than that, as Rage absorbed her and the others left.
Finally, one last person showed up.
Raven herself.
By this point, Rage's outfit had become white as snow. Her four red eyes were also white. Her red skin had disappeared, and she was surrounded by a faint glow.
Unlike the others, Rage got on one knee before Raven.
It would not be Rage who would be in charge.
After all, she was only a part of a greater whole. A whole that had been smashed long ago.
"Are… are you sure about this?" Raven asked hesitantly.
"... I wasn't sure before." Rage looked to the Beast, giving him a faint smile before nodding at Raven. "But I'm ready now.
"It is time I stopped being what I was born to be, and become what I want to be." There was no demonic undertone in her voice. No ounce of deception.
She sounded just like Raven.
Rage, purified of her demonic aspect, moved forward. She, and all the emoticlones inside her, became absorbed into Raven once more.
The whole landscape was covered in light at the spectacle.
When his mate floated down from the air, the Beast knew what'd occurred had been permanent.
His mate had become whole for the first time in many, many years.
"Hey, dude."
A hand rested on his shoulder. The Beast turned to see Beast Boy had appeared beside him. He was smiling like a dope at their floating angel as she descended toward them.
"Master… I'm sorry that I failed you." The Beast said sadly.
"Nah, I'd say we both failed." Beast Boy grinned at him. "But you know what, we always come back stronger for it."
"I'll make sure we finish it. For all of us."
...
"Thank you,"
The Beast nodded, grinning back at him. And then, just like that, the Beast absorbed itself into Beast Boy, resting deep inside of his subconscious once more.
He had done his job. Master and mate were firmly on the right path together.
The time had finally come for him to rest.
…
As Raven floated down in front of him, Beast Boy grabbed her by the hand.
The two didn't say anything. Even as the area around them brightened more and more.
Here, nothing didn't need to be said.
They knew what was happening.
They knew how they felt about each other.
...
The two smiled one last time and then kissed each other as bright light took everything from view.
"Ahahahaha!"
Nabu held his arm close to himself as he struggled to get back up off the ground from the latest hit.
Klarion's large foot smashed into the ground, sending the Lord of Order flying from the shockwave. He slammed into a large boulder, and collapsed to the ground, breathing jn and out heavily.
"Is that all? Surely you can put up more resistance than this!" Klarion laughed nasally in delight.
Nabu struggled once again to get up. It felt like he had no energy left in him whatsoever. There was no hope. No light in his soul.
Yet… why? Why did he keep standing?
Was it because…
Klarion laughed as Nabu stood on uneven footing. He couldn't even muster up a stance. Yet, despite everything from before, he stood in defiance of his fate.
Just like they had.
"This is the part where Chaos gets to say, so long Order!" Klarion raised his sword into the air as it charged with chaos energy.
Nabu looked up, not closing his eyes. Not preparing for the inevitable. He stared at his impending death in the face, and scowled with all the resistance he could offer.
If he was destined to die, it would not be with regret in his soul.
"DIE!" Klarion brought his blade down.
Nabu stared at the oncoming sword, not faltering in the final moment.
Clang!
Allowing him to see the pure white, large ethereal blade that blocked the attack several dozen feet in the air above him.
Klarion's face twisted in shock. "H-Huh-?!"
KAPOW!
A large, glowing white fist smashed into his face. He reeled back, screaming and cursing in surprise and outrage.
Nabu turned his head, following the fist up its arm all the way to the main body.
It was the Rage Beast again.
Only, its entire body was a glowing white color. Its four red eyes had disappeared, being replaced with one green and one purple-colored eye. All the gashes and wounds on it had disappeared as if they had been completely healed.
This thing also didn't have a name. But if I were to title it with anything, it'd be known as the Angel Beast, and it was wreathed in its full titanic glory.
"H-HOW?! I KILLED YOU!" Klarion screamed in rage.
"Did you forget, when I'm close to death, I fall into a meditative healing trance." Raven's voice said dryly from the large behemoth.
…
Klarion's eye twitched visibly. "Oh, I guess he forgot that was a thing." Beast Boy's voice said next. "Man, it was a really good thing he didn't make sure to finish the job, huh?"
"Round two I guess," Raven said.
The large Beast shrugged.
KaPow!
And just like that, the Angel Beast appeared directly in front of the large villain and uppercut him across the face.
Klarion screamed in pain and rage, but the Angel Beast didn't give him time to retaliate as it began slicing and dicing with both of its long twin swords again.
Klarion took several gashes along his arms before finally managing to get in a defensive stance again. Yet the Angel Beast was moving faster than its counterpart even with its titanic size. It had little to no openings for the boy villain to exploit, and even though he was on the defensive, the Angel Beast kept on landing more and more hits on him.
"YOU THINK YOU'LL WIN BECAUSE OF THIS NEW TRANSFORMATION OF YOURS-" Klarion took a gamble, pushing his shield arm forward while thrusting with his sword.
The Angel Beast got out of the way of most of the attack, only taking a small gash on its right arm. But even as Klarion smirked victoriously at getting the chaos strike in, the gash was covered over in pure white energy, healing the spot and making the chaos energy lingering on it disappear.
Klarion's eyes bugged out at the sight.
"Wow, that didn't even hurt this time," Raven said mockingly as the Angel Beast swung forward again.
"TH-TH-THIS ISN'T POSSIBLEEEEEEEEEE!" Klarion screeched as he charged forward again.
His blunder only left him open to attack, and the Angel Beast took the opportunity to continue leaving one gash after another on his body.
After a minute, it was clear where the momentum of this battle was heading.
Klarion's frustration only mounted with each exchange, making him more blind in his attacks. Yet no matter what he tried, the Angel Beast not only shook it off but retaliated with strikes of its own. Whether using its swords, its fists, or even parts of the landscape around it.
Klarion's wounds weren't healing over fast enough. Order and Chaos energy leaked from him in a constant stream.
And the Order energy… was being absorbed into the Angel Beast!
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Klarion failed to land another massive strike yet again and raised his shield to block the retaliatory one.
KSCH!
The Order Shield on his arm shattered. He stared at his arm in stunned shock as he tried to get another one formed, only to find he didn't have the energy to do it.
"You should know better than anyone else that Chaos and Order aren't compatible with one another," Raven spoke again. "You are a being of Chaos, and your supply of Chaos is unlimited. But without Nabu, you have no connection to Order. And after today, you never will ever again." Raven promised.
"DON'T TALK DOWN ON ME YOU MAGGOT!" Klarion gripped his Chaos Sword with both hands and swung forward.
POW!
The Angel Beast had not only sidestepped the massive strike but delivered a powerful punch to the side of his face at the same time. A large tooth went flying out of Klarion's wide open mouth.
"Nice one Rae!"
"Thanks, Gar."
The strikes inflicted on him after that leaked very little Order Energy. But not only had his Shield disappeared, but his body was starting to shrink too.
It didn't take him long to figure out why.
Because he no longer had Order and Chaos in him, he was losing his ability to bend the rules of magic. He was becoming limited again!
"N-No! This wasn't how things were supposed to work!" He yelled with frustrated tears falling down the sides of his face.
"Dude, you should know that nothing ever goes right when we're around!" Beast Boy said with glee.
"DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Despite it all, Klarion still fought with everything he had. He couldn't allow these maggots to beat him! He was supposed to be all powerful! He was supposed to take over the universe!
He was-
Pow!
The Angel Beast struck the side of his head with the flat of its blade. He whirled in surprise, unable to tell up from down for a moment.
When he was finally able to focus again. The Angel Beast had picked him up off the ground and lifted him high in the air.
"N-No, wait, I-I demand a rematch-"
BOOM!
The Angel Beast smashed Klarion down into the ground in front of it. Kicking up a massive cloud of debris once again.
Despite that, the Angel Beast smirked. The two Heroes knew it was finally over.
…
"U… Urgh…" Klarion groaned on the ground as he reappeared. He was back to his normal size once again. Miniature white Angel Beasts were going in circles around his head.
"Well, now what, Rae?" Beast Boy asked.
"We won. But even with that, we aren't capable of forcing him to take the helmet off." Raven said though the smirk on the Angel Beast's face didn't disappear. "Though, there is someone else here who can do that."
The Angel Beast turned and knelt as it shrunk in size. An exhausted Nabu had been shuffling his way toward them with one arm held to his gut. It was only a moment, but then the Angel Beast was back to its original height.
It was not only white with the power of Raven's soul, but glowing yellow from the Order Energy it'd absorbed during the battle.
"I… … Thank you." Nabu bowed his head sincerely to the creature.
"Don't thank us yet. According to Rae, you have to finish him yourself." Beast Boy said.
The Angel Beast reached out to Nabu, and the Order energy contained in it flowed from its body, going back into its original owner.
Nabu gasped. As his energy returned to him, he was able to stand to his full height again. The injuries on his body disappeared, and when he had it all back, he was glowing with his full power.
"Yes, this… this shall be more than enough." Nabu nodded his head to the Angel Beast again, before approaching Klarion. Who was struggling to get up.
"Urgh… no… I… I will prevail… I will…"
A hand grabbed his hair, lifting him up in the air. The boy let out a gasp of surprise as he was brought face-to-face with his counterpart. An infinity symbol was glowing in his other hand.
"Um… heheh. That was a great prank I pulled there, right gramps?" Klarion chuckled awkwardly.
The Angel Beast stood hulking behind Nabu with a smirk on its face. Even Klarion wasn't stupid enough to not realize what was about to happen next.
"This is the part where Order gets to say, better luck next time, Chaos," Nabu said with an odd smile, before pressing the infinity symbol into Klarion's forehead.
"Urgh…"
Zatanna stood, holding her limp arm to herself. A large gash leaked blood into one of her eyes. She felt faint from blood loss and for pushing herself so hard and so far.
"K-Kcatta mih htiw-"
She didn't even get a chance to finish her chant.
"Ahahahahaha!" Klarion backhanded her away from him. Her body impacted against a titanium wall, and she screamed in agony as some of her back ribs broke.
Energy surrounded her right after that, smashing her up into the ceiling. Her body limply fell back to the ground below.
"n-niohsuC ym llaf." Zatanna barely finished the chant. Her body didn't hit as hard as it would have, which would have been a death sentence for sure. But based on the crack she heard from her other arm upon hitting the ground, she was certain she'd broken that one too.
She tried to stand, but it was a struggle to even breathe. She coughed, and the pain was excruciating. It felt like her broken ribs were poking her lungs. She couldn't move her arm.
With a look of pained shock, she realized her arm hadn't only been broken, but her shoulder had been dislocated. And when the pain of that hit her, it was all she could do to bite her lip and try not to scream.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Klarion laughed as he approached her broken form lying on the ground. "Best sorceress in the world my &^%! Was this all you were capable of putting up against me?!" He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the whole room.
Mento was shielding a very tired and burned-looking Rita with his mental energy. However, one of the demons he was defending against broke through the barrier and hit him hard across the face with one of its large beefy fists.
"Mento!" Robotman struggled forward against the tide, only barely making it to the pair as Rocket tried her best to assist them. The forcefield heroine was covered in burns as well though, and Cliff besides missing an arm and parts of his chest plate was overheating rapidly.
Wonder Woman and Superman barely reached the group in time, blasting the surrounding demons away so they'd have room to retreat along with the other Heroes. But the two powerhouses did not look good. They'd barely been healed enough to fight here at the end, but there was too much to do.
The Heroes were routed to the cave entrance. Where they were trying to protect the others who'd been wounded.
"Nooooooooo!" Zatara, at seeing his daughter on the ground, screamed as he tried to run forward. Superboy and Blue Beetle held him back though.
"We can't! We need to protect the others!" Superboy yelled at him. Just behind them were Young Justice Kid Flash, Artemis, and Jinx, all of whom had been badly hurt at some point during the combat. Green Arrow and Speedy were alongside them, but the duo were having to use their bows at this point as they'd run out of arrows
They weren't doing much though since the demons were much harder to kill.
Hot Spot and Argent were next to Aqualad, Kaldur, Aquaman, Captain Atom, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Mas and Menos, Bumblebee, and others who were trying to get rid of the demons blocking the escape route.
They were all boxed in though. And even if Superman and Wonder Woman managed to break through all the demons in their way, the army as well as their leader would storm out onto the world.
They were all doomed.
Klarion continued to laugh as Zatanna struggled to even look up. Despite the beating and the pure hell she'd been put through, she glared at the boy villain with defiance.
"What a nice look for you. I'll make sure to treasure it forever after I've incinerated you from all of existence!" Klarion smirked gleefully as he prepared a ball of order and chaos energy in his hands.
Despite it being the end, Zatanna tried to muster the energy for another chant. Useless as it would be.
She coughed again. Blood spattered the ground in front of her.
Crap, that definitely wasn't a good sign. Perhaps she'd reached the limits of what her body could push after all?
Heh. Standing for as long as she'd done against the combined Lord of Order and Chaos, she couldn't help but smirk. Maybe she really was the most powerful sorceress in the world after all?
"Hahaha, now, begone, mag-"
…
Klarion went stock still.
The ball of energy in his hands disappeared.
The Heroes didn't notice at first, desperate as they were to survive.
But when the Demons not only stopped attacking them but turned their heads to look at their master, they couldn't help but turn their heads along with them too.
Klarion was not only standing stock still. But the helmet on his head was starting to glow brightly.
"W-WHAT IS THIS!? WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" Klarion screeched in terror. An infinity symbol appeared over the helmet.
Zatanna stared, unable to comprehend what she was seeing for a moment. When her tired brain finally registered it though, she smiled tiredly as she dropped one last spell she'd cast before.
With it, Klarion finally saw all that'd happened inside the helmet. And what was happening now.
His eyes widened in shock and terror.
"H-HOW!?"
"L… Like I said earlier…" Zatanna smirked at the boy villain. "I'm the best damn sorceress in the entire world."
"Oh, and… thanks for showing me how to conceal things from people's minds… boy. Who would have thought… one of your own tricks… would be your downfall." Zatanna coughed up more blood. She was blacking out, but it didn't matter if she lived or died after this.
She'd accomplished all she needed to do.
"NO! NOOOOOO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HE CAN'T MAKE ME DO THIS!? NOT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO WIN!" Klarion tried to hold the helmet down.
To think, he'd come so close, but then, it'd all unraveled thanks to those two brats!
Boom!
The helmet blasted off of his head spectacularly, letting off a shockwave of yellow glowing energy throughout the whole cavern.
After hitting the ceiling and rolling on the ground for a while, it finally came to a stop near where Zatanna lay. Its eye sockets facing up towards the ceiling.
Only a moment later, it glowed brightly, and when the glow faded, Raven and Beast Boy stood in front of it hand in hand. Raven was all arrayed in white while Beast Boy looked like he needed to wear a new uniform.
The former demoness had definitely gotten the better end of the deal.
Raven's eyes looked at the demonic horde, which was now staring at her in shock. Not only had the event with Klarion rid him as their leader, but somehow, the effects of Order had wiped away the Sacrificial spell.
All the demons were back to their puny weak selves.
"M… Mistress Raven?" A Demon General grunted unsurely.
Raven didn't speak. She merely opened a large portal right next to her.
Unlike her usual portals, this one clearly showed the burning plains of hell on the other side. The demons stared at their home in shock.
"In." Raven finally said dryly.
"M-Mistress Raven, are we not supposed to fulfill Trigon's command and take over the-"
Raven spoke again, but this time, it was in a harsh guttural language.
She might have not been a demon anymore. But she was still the daughter of Trigon. And besides that, even Beast Boy shivered next to her as he let go of her hand.
He had a feeling she'd spoken in demonic there. But he was too afraid to ask what she'd said.
All he could see was the closest demons noticeably paling, a feat strange to see from something made of rock and fire. And then, without even a whisper or complaint, they began filing into the massive portal Raven had made just for them.
It was a long process. Some of the demons looked happy to be returning to Perdition. Some looked sad that they wouldn't get to go out and cause more death and destruction. Some carried pieces of their fallen comrades, and others just rushed to avoid the glare Raven gave them as they went in.
The Heroes slowly approached, either awed or confused at what was happening. Beast Boy was smiling next to his girlfriend though, happy as a clam.
"Come on, move along now! We don't got all day!"
"Gar…" Raven said out the side of her mouth.
"All demons aboarddddddd!-" Raven finally jabbed him in the gut, shutting him up. A few of the demons glared at the changeling, but with Raven glaring back at them, they didn't try anything funny.
Finally, the last of the demons left the prison dimension and went back into Perdition. Raven closed the portal, before turning and closing the prison dimension portal as well.
She'd check it later to make sure no more demons were left. But after closing the prison dimension, the massive cave was left with only the scars of battle, the remains of demons, and destroyed tech all around.
"Is… is it all over now?" Aqualad asked unsurely.
"... no, not yet," Zatara spoke calmly. He was holding his daughter in his arms. She had passed out, but she was still alive. Nothing a stay in the WatchTower's healing room wouldn't fix.
Superman and Wonder Woman limped up next to him, nodding their heads. "Let's finish this now."
Superman nodded tiredly to Beast Boy. "After you."
Beast Boy grinned as he changed into the Beast's form. Superman mustered a small grin in response as he walked alongside the Alpha predator.
The Heroes, though tired out, followed beside the powerful Justice Leaguers and the two Teen Titans.
"Ughhhhhhhh…." Klarion groaned. "Did he really have to make me blow the helmet off of my head?" His skin was still charred around his neck where the explosion had occurred.
Freaking Order Energy. It'd be days before the scars faded away and he looked perfect again.
"Meow."
"Oh shut up, Teekl! Like you could have actually done better there!" Klarion snapped at the cat relaxing on his chest.
Teekl simply licked at his paw while refusing to get off his master. After being unceremoniously absorbed into him earlier, it was the least he could do to express his displeasure at LITERALLY being made part of Klarion for a while.
"You stupid cat…" Klarion rubbed a hand along Teekl's back. "If it means anything, I didn't know for sure that you'd be absorbed into me when I put on the helmet."
Teekl's tail hit the side of his face. If a cat could frown at its human… well, Lord of Chaos in this instance, Teekl was definitely doing his best to do that now.
"Come on, you can't hate me forever Teekl!" Klarion said in frustration.
"Meow." Teekl turned back around and didn't move off his chest.
"Urgh, you stupid cat!"
"Ahem."
Just before Klarion could try and push his familiar off, he finally realized all the Heroes surrounding him.
Everyone was there. Battle-scarred, and ready to fight.
Raven and the Beast were poised front and center with Wonder Woman, Superman, Shazam, and Aquaman. Raven's eyes glowed white, and Beast Boy snarled as he bared his long wolf fangs.
"Hey, boy, I think it's about time I stepped all over your *&^." Aquaman grunted.
None of the other Heroes spoke, but they didn't have to.
If looks could kill, Klarion would be dead ten times over.
"Um… heheheheh." Klarion chuckled as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Gee whiz, they really don't make God-bearing helmets the way they used to, huh?"
The Heroes continued to glare down at him.
The boy villain sweatdropped. A red portal opened beside him.
"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I am SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THIS &^%$!" He grinned down at his cat. "Come on, Teekl. Let's find a good place to grab some takeout before Vandal Savage calls to chew us out for our failure."
"Meow." Teekl whipped his tail from side to side in acknowledgment.
"You stupid-" Klarion grinned at the Heroes widely. "Till next time, maggots! Ahahahahahaha!"
With a final laugh, the boy villain and his familiar escaped into the depths of the portal. It closed without another sound.
…
All the Heroes simultaneously drooped or collapsed in relief.
"Man, I am SO glad we didn't have to fight him there!" Shazam said tiredly.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Superman agreed.
"Aw, but I didn't get to step all over his puny little &^%." Aquaman frowned in disappointment.
"Next time." Wonder Woman rested a hand on his shoulder, and the Atlantean King nearly fell over himself.
Beast Boy morphed back into his human form. He and Raven both smiled at one another.
"Is it all over?" Beast Boy asked.
"Yeah…" Raven looked over everyone there. There were a lot of battlefield casualties. And it wasn't only Zatanna that'd need the healing room.
Yet… "I… I think we're finally safe now." Raven smiled.
Beast Boy couldn't have agreed with her more.
The Justice Leaguers had to stay in the cave for a little while, trying to gather what they could from the boy villain's destroyed hideout. But while a lot of the technology had been smashed, a few of the computer hard drives had survived the attack.
It took Blue Beetle only a moment to connect to them individually to download the necessary data from them. And after it was all said and done, the heroes finally began to walk back towards the exit to the large cave.
After months and months that felt like years and years, it was finally over.
Author's Notes:
I hope you all enjoyed the two chapter special today. I'd say I have one more chapter after this (which I have as of yet to finish writing) and then an Epilogue.
You heard that right. It is finally about to end. I started this fic in 2016, and here we are in 2023. Man, how time flies.
I'll look forward to seeing you all again really soon, college willing.
Till Next Time
Allen