Hey, what do you know, I was able to write this next chapter in less than a year after all XD.
To answer a guest, nope, no wife or kids yet. Just college, college, and more college. Damn do I wish I had a girlfriend though.
Sorry for the last chapter's cliffhanger. Not sorry for this chapter's cliffhanger. Oops, spoilers.
Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Fifty-Six: Klarion Revealed
The Balcony of the WatchTower
Raven was dumbfounded.
Beast Boy looked around in confusion.
Zatanna's head was still down.
Zatara was looking in surprise and fear at the laughing villain.
"Purr, purr." And Teekl the Familiar was purring as she wrapped her cat body around the cackling villain's legs.
"I was slightly afraid, you know," Klarion said, dropping the evil laugh for a conversational tone of voice. The heroes around him were too stunned to talk back. "What with everything that's been going on. My deadline for getting Nabu's helmet was getting really close there. Too close if you ask me.
"I was almost afraid this moment would never happen!"
He gave the golden helmet a glance over, then smiled widely at Zatanna. "Thanks again for your help girlie. It sure took you a long time, but you finally came through in the end." Klarion said gladly.
"Wha…" The sorceress slightly raised her head. There was such a look of confusion in her eyes that it wasn't even funny.
"Now, let's see. There was one last thing I needed…" Klarion said as he looked them over one by one...
Beast Boy, Zatara, and Zatanna were suddenly blasted back by beams of red energy into the walls. "Ah, there she is!" Klarion yelled gladly.
A red stream of energy wrapped itself around Raven's arms like a chain and yanked her over to his side. Raven, finally coming to her senses from the jerk, immediately tried to free herself. But with her power restraints on and the chain around her, that was very hard to do. "Let me go!" She yelled.
The laughing villain opened a red portal. He gripped the chain tightly as he smiled back behind him. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid the daughter of Trigon and I have some things to discuss before I take over the world. Until then, Ciao!" His nasally voice said happily before he walked into the portal. Teekl followed right behind him.
"NO!" Zatara and Beast Boy yelled. Zatara because Klarion was getting away with the Helmet of Nabu, and Beast Boy because this pale vampire wannabe-looking freak was kidnapping his girlfriend! The two of them both dived for the portal. Raven's eyes widened in fear, and she reached out for Beast Boy even as her body was being pulled through.
"Gar, help-!" Her voice was cut off as the portal closed.
"Oof!" "Ugh!" The older and younger heroes hit the ground.
Zatara was the first to get back up. "No, this whole time…" He started to say when his eyes widened in realization. "Zatanna!" H turned around and ran back to his daughter.
Beast Boy sat back up. He looked in astonishment at his hands. 'She was just standing there… she was right in front of me... and I did nothing…'
Zatara got down on one knee in front of his daughter and put his hands on her shoulders to shake her. "Zatanna! Z!" He yelled to get her attention.
Zatanna groaned, and slowly blinked open her blue eyes. Eyes that quickly became confused when she saw herself looking into her Father's eyes. Eyes that she wasn't seeing under a helmet.
"D-Daddy, what-" She started to say shakily.
She stopped speaking. Her eyes finally blinked in recognition. All the tiredness from before disappeared, and cold hard shock at what had just happened finally registered to her.
"He… he…" She started hyperventilating.
Zatara's face looked more worried. "Zatanna-"
"He tricked me!" Zatanna's rapid breathing exploded in anger. Zatara quickly backed away as his daughter stood up on her own. "He tricked me! That sly bass slithered into my mind and tricked me by faking to be Nabu this whole time!"
"You... what?" Zatara asked in confusion.
Zatanna focused on her Father again. Any relief she felt at seeing his face again instead of the helmeted face of Doctor Fate had long since disappeared. Her face filled with sorrow. "I thought Nabu was the one talking to me. I remember now. Klarion tricked me. He took my motivation to have you back and used it to his advantage. The first moment I tired out, he manipulated me till I was under his thumb. He used me… he used me for such unspeakable things...
"He even used my own spells to control and influence the other heroes. It's all my fault."
Zatara, at hearing her last phrase, shook his head and hugged her close. "It's not just your fault, daughter. Nabu and I both thought we were talking to you too… I should have realized the scheme Klarion had us roped into. But Nabu was too excited at the prospect of having a stronger, younger host to listen to my doubts. And I soon started to ignore my doubts at the prospect of being reunited with you again…"
He looked her in the eyes. "I'm afraid we were both played for fools." Zatara finished gravely.
Beast Boy had moved to a sitting position, still looking down at the ground in shock. He still couldn't believe it. He couldn't register the father-daughter exchange going on behind him. His eyes couldn't move from the air where she had just been.
Not when her jasmine scent still permeated it so thickly…
"Raven…"
'Mate…'
His head bowed down. The realization was like a brick wall.
He had failed to save her.
Again.
And now, she wasn't on the WatchTower.
She was gone.
"No… please no…" Beast Boy said heartbrokenly.
"What's going on?!"
Zatanna and Zatara looked up at the doorway. A taller, wider, overall bigger Rita Farr stood there. Aquaman was gripped in one of her large fists behind her.
The look on his face said the stubborn hero was inwardly pleading for mercy.
The sounds of fighting were going on behind them. As if the bulk of the fighting had moved closer while this whole exchange was going on. "Garfield?" Rita asked worriedly when she saw her son sitting on the ground in the middle of the balcony.
"We were played."
Rita turned to the sound of the voice. Zatara had spoken, almost to himself. He was examining Rita and the squirming Leaguer in her hand.
"Garfield, what's going on? Where's Raven?" Rita asked Beast Boy again, her eyes cautiously observing the older finely dressed gentleman.
Beast Boy didn't answer.
Zatara's face narrowed in fury. "We were all played!" Zatara yelled furiously. "You, me, and every other hero on this Tower have been played! This fighting needs to stop now!"
He grabbed Zatanna's hand and ran past a surprised Rita with Zatanna in tow. The two completely ignored her protests and ran towards the sound of the fighting.
"Garfield, what happened?" Rita asked again as she turned towards her adopted son.
Beast Boy was still for a moment more… and then he got up. When he turned around and faced his adoptive mom, the look on his face really showed his feelings. And while he was definitely hurting, the fury etched into his features made Aquaman pee his pants.
"First, we're going to help them stop the fighting. And then, I'm going to hunt down the sick bastard that kidnapped my mate and spread his innards across the night sky." He said, his voice dripping with primal rage at the end.
Rita was too shocked to respond. She did, however, follow Beast Boy back down the hallway with the whimpering Aquaman in her still large hand.
Seriously, it was okay to whimper in this situation! He'd make up for it the next time he was near water! Promise!
Zatanna and Zatara ran out of the hallway into the large circular room of the WatchTower. Where everything was nothing but confusion.
All the heroes that had been fighting throughout the Tower had converged here. Mento, who had been fighting Batman before, was having to fight him and Hal Jordan. His fight didn't appear to be going well as the mentally powered hero was having to not only deal with Batman's blows and explosive bat-a-rangs, but also the green physical constructs that Hal Jordan kept on making to batter at him.
The Flash had finally figured out Negative Man's powers. After becoming frustrated with chasing his soul around the Tower, he finally broke off the chase for a few seconds to look up Negative Man's powers on the main computer using Google. Whilst he hadn't believed the first 1,000 random searches that came up that were merely fan theories from couch potatoes, including one weird fellow named Eugene who also went by Control Freak, the video he fast-forwarded through of Negative Man's soul-self leaving behind a defenseless body wrapped in bandages had looked legit enough.
And it had been since Larry had been forced back into his body to keep the Flash from running off with it.
"Come on? You seemed so intent on flying through walls before bandage man." The Flash said mockingly as he cornered Negative Man at the balcony.
"Well, you've made that very hard for me to do." The man said rather calmly. His body laid in the corner, his soul-self bouncing around it forming a black cage to protect it.
"I think our luck is starting to run out," Jinx said.
"My arrows too," Artemis said next to her, firing off another arrow at Kaldur. The Atlantean grabbed it out of the air with one of his water whips.
"Come on. Is that all you've got?" He sarcastically remarked, snapping the green arrow in two.
The fighting continued between other groups. It ranged from confusion, to sad, to bloodthirsty. All thanks to the efforts of one individual...
"Daddy, are you sure we can stop all this?" Zatanna asked nervously.
Zatara looked to his daughter and nodded. "We can. Together." He told her.
His look of determination gave her confidence. The two of them faced the room and spread their hands in front of them.
Their incantation came in sync like two hands on a piano. "Enoyreve Ezeerf!" They yelled.
The fighting all-around came to an abrupt halt.
Blue Beetle was stuck in the air, his sonic cannon pointing at Bumblebee.
Shazam was frozen. The heroine Rocket, whom he'd been about to chuck, was similarly frozen in his hands.
Batman had been frozen mid-punch, his fist mere inches away from Mento's tired frozen face.
Even Rita and Beast Boy who had run in right behind the two were frozen in place.
The two powerful magicians took a moment to study their handy work before they eased into the next part. "Tel eht gniyfirup ecaep fo eht taerg eno elur ni siht moor." They calmly began to chant.
What happened next was so magical, you would have sworn it was a Disney ripoff.
Thin tiny gold beams of light emitted from the two and weaved their way around the room. Soft music sprang from each beam as they entered into each frozen hero. As the softly glowing beams passed through them, their faces unfroze and relaxed. Peace developed on their features. Zatanna and Zatara continued to chant, their backwards voices sounding like a song that soothed the soul.
Miss Martian and her uncle ran into the room alongside Superboy and Superman. The four looked ready to stop the fight from progressing but paused in surprise at what was going on. "What the…" Miss Martian trailed off in shock.
"Is that… music?" Superboy asked in equal surprise.
The Martian Manhunter's normal calm gaze looked past the golden beams of light at the two singing magicians. "I believe they're stopping the fight for us." He pointed out.
Superman peered through the light at the various heroes. Each one of them who had been primed slowly unwound and relaxed. Those that had been fighting in the air settled back down to the floor. "I think you're right." He said in a relieved tone.
Zatanna and Zatara stopped chanting/singing to look at each other. They smiled.
Zatanna hugged her father, then, with a snap of her fingers, the Disney ripoff came to an end.
It took a few seconds, but soon all the heroes were looking around in confusion.
"What's going on?" Kole remarked.
"Why do I feel so, happy?" Jinx would later deny ever saying that to her boyfriend.
"Was that music I was hearing?" Larry asked.
A few of the replies sounded more surprised.
"Yo, what happened? Why do I feel so peachy?" That sounded like Bumblebee.
"Why are half my arrows missing?" Green Arrow remarked.
"What's, what's going on?" Kaldur's voice sounded the most confused of them all.
Zatara looked around and made sure that no one was fighting anymore. "Ehem! Everyone!" He called out.
The heroes, both those who had been influenced and those who had not turned to Zatara. Some of them looked confused at who the older gentleman was. But some of the others, I.E. the Leaguers and members of the Young Justice, recognized him for who he was.
"Zatara?! Is that you?!" The Flash said in surprise. "What are you doing without your helmet?!"
"I am not sure what to think here. I remember Doctor Fate being firm in that he would not give up his host when he put on the helmet." Red Tornado said mechanically.
"Where's the helmet?! Why aren't you in the cool Doctor Fate get up?!" Shazam quickly asked. "I was freaking there when you put it on, and I don't remember Nabu being one to give up control that easily!" He continued his rant.
Zatara didn't look phased at the questions as he looked around at all the gathered heroes. Some of whom were looking curiously at him for answers. "I am afraid…" He started. "That everything that has happened among the hero world the last few months, has all been a deliberate ploy by Klarion the Witchboy. To divide us against each other. And to steal the helmet of Nabu." He paused to look around. "He just accomplished that while you all were fighting." He finished calmly.
Again, some of the heroes looked confused. Others looked like they were starting to understand.
Those that truly understood developed looks of horror on their faces.
However, a select few looked to be shaking off the effects of the peace spell that had just been cast on them. "Don't just stand there! We have the traitors right where we want them!" Nightwing yelled as he pulled out his two eskrima sticks again.
His fiance's eyes glowed viciously next to him, while Cyborg's sonic cannon reextended itself. Batman also looked like he was about to join in on the oncoming fray with a growl coming from his lips.
"Tup meht ni a peed peels!" Zatanna quickly chanted. Immediately, the four heroes fell to the ground unconscious. She then started saying a longer chant directed at the others who were shaking their heads as if fighting with something.
Upon finishing, Kaldur, Speedy, Bumblebee, the Flash, Aquaman (who had been released from Rita's grasp earlier by the peace spell)… almost every hero who had been fighting against Mento and the other heroes looked around themselves as if they were coming to their senses.
"Forget why I'm peachy, why the hell am I in freaking Outer Space!?" Bumblebee shouted in surprise, seeing the Earth down below.
"Babe, why are we surrounded by all these heroes?" Hot Spot asked his girlfriend.
"I… can't remember mate." She said in surprise.
"Wait, are we, on the WatchTower?" Speedy said in surprise as he recognized where he was at.
Aqualad, who had appeared next to him, looked down at himself. "Why are my pants wet if we're on the WatchTower? I'm not allowed in Aquaman's pool…" He bent over and gave his pants a sniff, and his face twisted in disgust.
He didn't dare voice the next question aloud.
He did, however, know why his pants were wet now.
Superman looked all-around at the growing confusion from the assemblage of heroes. Realization at what Zatanna had just chanted came to him. "Did you do this to them?" He asked in shock. Superboy had already explained a lot of it, but he hadn't been sure if Zatanna was the culprit or not.
Zatanna looked guilty for the space of a second. "Only to the first few, I swear the rest weren't my fault-" She started to try and say to defend herself.
Superman's eyes narrowed in anger. Zatanna, seeing the look on his face, gulped. "Do you realize what you've done?! This is worse than what the Light did to all of us!" He said angrily. "How could you possibly do this?!"
Zatanna flushed to a pale color. "It'd take too long for me to try and explain." It was a weak excuse and she knew it.
Superman looked ticked. Superboy had been right after all. Zatanna really had been behind all of this…
"You're right, it would be a long explanation, one that we, unfortunately, have no time for at the moment."
The authoritative voice effectively silenced the room. For some reason, even the heroes who had had no idea of what they'd been doing the last few months turned to the sound of the voice.
It was one that was very hard to miss. One that you couldn't ignore when she was serious.
Superman was quick to turn around. It seemed impossible… and yet walking right past him in her blue, gold, and red-colored armor, sword and golden lasso on her belt, and a shield resting on her back was Wonder Woman.
The room was effectively silenced. The raw power coming off the Amazon warrior was enough to silence even the exvillainous Jinx, who was staring in awe at the woman who became her role model after she quit trying to emulate the villainous Madame Rouge from before.
Wonder Woman said nothing as she walked up to Zatanna silently. Finally, when she was a foot away, she stopped to stare down at the heroine below her. Zatanna was silent, staring up numbly at the calm face above her.
Smack!
The slap Wonder Woman gave Zatanna's face was like a cannon throughout the room. Those heroes closest to the smack flinched and rubbed their own faces in sympathy. Zatanna gripped the side of her face soundlessly, knowing that she deserved what the older heroine had given her and more.
The older heroine still kept a calm face despite the situation. "It's all your fault this happened." She stated clearly. "There is no way for you to dodge it. This was your fault."
Zatanna remained mute. She did, however, numbly nod her head.
Wonder Woman's face then softened. She raised her hand to cup Zatanna's face. "I understand why you did it though." She said softly.
Zatanna looked back up in surprise at the not-so-cold heroine. "My only question for you now is this? Are you willing to fix what you've done?" Wonder Woman asked.
...
Zatanna looked at the others around her. Some of the heroes still looked confused. Those that had finally connected the dots over the last few months were either glaring at her or giving her looks of pity. Those were the ones that knew how close she and her father had been. And while they couldn't accept her actions, they could at least understand why.
Her eyes fell on Beast Boy last. He still looked angry despite the peace spell from earlier. But looking into his eyes, he could see where the anger gave way to devastation. The devastation he was holding back on the chance that she could somehow fix what had happened.
She looked back up at Wonder Woman. She gulped at the weight of responsibility put on her but nodded her head. "Yes, I have to fix this."
It was enough for Wonder Woman, who briefly smiled for her. Showing the magician she had already forgiven her for what she'd been forced to do. "Zatara was right!" She yelled, grabbing everyone's attention again.
"Everything we've done these last few months was all a ploy directed by Klarion the Witchboy to divide and conquer us. And to distract us from his true plans. He not only plans to take over Earth. But to rule the universe with an army of demons at his command as the lord of Order and Chaos!"
She looked each hero in the eyes, letting her words sink into their brains. "All of us, and I mean all of us." She looked at Beast Boy when she said that. "Will be needed if we want to reverse what he's about to do. We have no time to bicker. Either we unite, or we die. The choice is yours."
Her eyes moved from Beast Boy to the dark-prone figure of Batman lying on the ground nearby. She let out an almost indiscernible sigh.
"Men. Useless, like always."
She quickly moved her hands through the air in front of her, and a hologram screen showed up from the floor in front of her. She pulled up a map of Earth and started to zoom in on the Appalachian Mountains near the East Coast.
"Um, Diana. That was a great speech and all. And it's not like I'm not glad you're finally awake… but what the hell are you doing pulling up a map of Kentucky?" Superman asked.
"Screw that. How the hell is she even awake?!" The Flash asked loudly. "I thought she wasn't supposed to be awake until the next full moon?"
"Isn't that supposed to be another couple of weeks?" Black Canary added.
"The curse was broken as soon as Klarion got his hands on Nabu's helmet." Wonder Woman explained simply. "That's all I understand about that."
How convenient author, how convenient.
"Okay, so then why are you pulling up a part of Kentucky on our scanners?" Superman asked. "I thought there was nothing there."
"Because Klarion had to use a direct influence spell to get me to fight two teenagers, unlike some of the rest of you weaklings." She said icily. Some of the heroes in the room who hadn't been influenced looked down at their feet in shame.
Superman was about to defend himself by saying Klarion had done something similar to him, but Wonder Woman continued speaking before he could. "And while he was able to order my actions around that way, he made a mistake not realizing that I could also use the connection to see what he was planning."
She focused the map on the base of one of the Appalachian Mountains. Her eyes narrowed as she enlarged the screen, revealing the entrance to a large cave. Just a few miles away from the main entrance of the very famous Mammoth Cave National Park.
"And where he's been hiding out this whole time while he watched us fight each other." She finished viciously.
"Come, we don't have a moment to waste!"
The scene showed the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky down below. The hills were covered in lush forests. Hikers and backpackers made their way along the paths to various campsites or peaks in the area. The sky was clear on this beautiful day...
"YAHOOOOOOOOO!" A loud, childish yell rang throughout the mountains.
The scene moved into a familiar massive underground cave. The walls were hundreds of feet apart, and the ceiling was lost in the darkness up above. The underground cave was so big, that it would have collapsed long ago had it not had large stone, concrete, and titanium-reinforced pillars interspaced throughout. Orbs of red light floated around them, casting the area down below in a red undertone of evil.
Though the fireworks going off up above was a nice touch.
The red light was intermixed with the light of many computer screens showing various places in the world as well as the light of TVs with news anchors reporting everything going on in it. The floor of the cave was covered in titanium. With a few more complex-looking machines here and there, making for a maze of technology on the ground. The floor had a few more craters in it since the last time. Obviously, more temper tantrums had happened here over the last several months.
But this time, Klarion the Witchboy wasn't having a temper tantrum. In fact, he was dancing while fireworks blew up in the air above him, celebrating the fact that after so long, when he had been coming dangerously near to the end of his time limit, he had done it. He had not only managed to capture the demoness Raven, but Nabu's helmet to boot.
"I DID IT! I FINALLY, FINALLY DID IT! YAHOOOOOO!" Klarion the Witchboy screamed.
Raven groaned in annoyance. She was not only still wearing those damn power-canceling handcuffs, but she was also chained down between a large computer monitor and the machine Klarion had used last time when he was contacted by Vandal Savage. Nabu's helmet was on a pedestal nearby.
His loud celebration wasn't helping either.
"Meow!" Klarion's familiar meowed loudly, expressing its annoyance at its master.
"Put a sock in it Teekl! Today is the happiest day of my life! Don't go ruining it!" Klarion yelled at his cat.
"The heroes are divided against each other, I managed to acquire the daughter of Trigon, and best of all, I've finally gotten my hands on the helmet of Nabu! Everything's finally looking my way on my trip to the top!" He proudly posed on top of an animated pyramid of gold. Showcased on the different levels were portraits of the other members; Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage, Queen Bee, and others. Fireworks went off around the display, only adding to its ridiculousness.
Raven struggled against her bonds again. They clinked like real chains, but that was all they did.
She desperately wished her cuffs could be removed.
"Why did you need me?" The demoness asked, interrupting Klarion's dance.
The pyramid he was on disappeared, and he walked on the ground towards her, Teekl following behind his footsteps. "What did I need you for?" He asked teasingly. "Why, isn't it obvious?! How could I forget about the best part!"
She narrowed her eyes at him and scowled. "If you took me to become some silly little playtoy, then I'm going to be sick."
…
He shook his head and cackled. "Oh, no no no no no no no no no no. I don't have a taste for the dark and creepy daughters of demonic overlords anymore. Heh! That's a mistake I vowed never to make again after dating that tramp Lilith a few centuries ago. Blech!" He made a disgusted face with his hands. "She can hold grudges longer than her own father Lucifer! Is it my fault that I didn't feel any spark in our relationship?!"
Raven, though relieved, also paled as she remembered that Lilith was the daughter of the main demonic overlord Lucifer, who was over even her own Father.
"Why the hell did you take me then?" She asked. "Are you hoping to control Doctor Fate by putting me under some spell before putting that helmet on me?"
He looked confused at that, but after a few seconds, he started laughing so hard it was a miracle no cave-ins happened. Raven wished she could cover her ears because of how stupid and annoying it sounded.
"Hell no! That'd be a huuuuuuuuuge mistake for me to do! You're not going anywhere NEAR that helmet!" He said between laughs. "NO, I'M THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO WEAR IT!"
His words shocked Raven. Could a Lord of Chaos actually do that?!
She thought to herself about what she knew about Lords of Order and Chaos. They were both beings of magic. The Lords of Chaos had had free rein, until the Lords of Order imposed rules on magic. This had limited their power, but it had also limited the powers of the Lords of Chaos.
Theoretically, if one became a Lord of Order and Chaos... they would no longer be bound by the rules of Order, and they'd have access to the power of Chaos. And Klarion, who had an atomic bomb's amount of magic power, who was unable to access all of it thanks to those rules, would finally be able to.
As the realization of the implications crossed her mind, Klarion began to speak again. "No, I just needed Trigon's daughter to give me control of my new army."
"But I don't have an army-"
"You don't, but your father did!" Klarion laughed. "It's time for my other grand reveal! Maestro, take two!"
Klarion then began chanting, fast and quick. Raven couldn't catch all the words, but it sounded like a mix of Azarathean and some other language. When he finished his incantation, a rumbling sound filled the cave.
There was an indentation in the ground, and from it, a blood-red, hellish portal opened up. Klarion began to do a happy dance from how giddy he was feeling.
"Behold, from the depths of the prison dimension I created to hold them! The one, the only remaining grand army of his terribleness, Trigon the Terrible!" Klarion declared triumphantly.
Stepping out from the portal was a large, fiery, rocky demon.
Raven stared, watching as one after the other, her Father's soldiers marched onto the floor in front of them. The portal remained open, and more and more kept on coming out.
"Trust me, there's many, many more where that came from." Klarion laughed happily, clapping his hands together like he'd won the lottery. "It was such a hassle capturing them all. I almost thought I was going to get captured by Superman. Fortunately, he was too busy being distracted by them to notice me when I came from behind." He laughed again.
That laugh was really starting to get annoying.
After a few seconds, a demon bigger than the rest approached Raven. She almost tried to scoot back away from it. But a dozen feet from her, it stopped and got down to one knee in a kneeling position. The demonic muttering of the crowd behind it stopped.
"̴̠͇͗H̵̢͝a̵̳̪͆̄i̴͈͂͠l̷̝̬̔͝,̴̗̹̑ ̷̜̈́̎ȏ̴̗u̴̢̿̀ȑ̶͎̪̓ ̶͉̹́͘l̷̟̋͗ả̶̬d̵̜̋̋y̴̡̋,̶͉̼̓ ̵̊̚͜Ŕ̵̩a̸͉͘v̵̺̗̈́é̴͉͂n̷̡͎̔,̸̪̅ ̵͔͔̓̈́d̸͔̼̉a̷̜̾̇u̴̇͜g̶̣̠̚h̸̨̖̑t̸̓̈ͅė̶̪͙́r̸͓̩͋̅ ̵͙̍a̸̼̎̒n̵̼̑d̷̯͇͂̐ ̶̨͖̉͝c̵͓̽ő̵͗ͅn̵͇̺̾͝q̶̝͒u̶͕̗̔͛ĕ̷͙r̸̩͐̇͜õ̴͕̬r̴͇͗ ̴͔͆o̷̰͓͛͘f̷̘͆̒ ̸͎̿̓T̶̥̚̚r̸̮̱̃͊i̵̜̮͒͌g̶͙͉͠͝o̵͈͑̆ͅn̵̖̰͐͝ ̶͇͔̇t̴͓͒͝h̴̝͝ĕ̴̞ ̷̠̠͘T̵͓̥̊̎e̴̼̣̍̔ř̵̠̙͘r̵̘̰͑̚ị̴̪̓b̴̼̫̿̚l̴͙̀̆ë̶̬͚́.̸̠̆"̵̟͓̀̍
̶̠́̄"̸̰̤̋̚H̴̨͖̓a̴̛̤͉í̶͎͇̕l̸̻̓̀,̶̞̑ ̵͍̥̊̓õ̵͇̐u̴̗̹̓̓r̷̢̤̽ ̴̯̬̔̑l̶̹̅͂ȧ̶̦̰ḏ̶̤͊y̸͕̭̏.̸͖̋"̵̱̄
All the demons behind the general knelt and spoke in unison.
"You see, these troops are loyal to you! And with them under my command, I'd be able to rule the universe with an iron fist! No one would stand in my way! No one! It's absolutely perfect! Nheheheheheheh!"
Oh no, his laugh could get even more annoying.
The situation was looking bleaker by the second, but Raven couldn't let that fact go for some reason. It was likely the only thing keeping her sane, to be honest.
"All you have to do is swear your allegiance to me, and all of them will be mine!" Klarion said, standing in front of Raven. "So, what do you say?!"
Raven didn't even need to hesitate.
"Never."
...
"Come now, there's no need to be hostile. I'm sure I could leave you a world for yourself and that green Beast of yours. You could live in eternal paradise together, all you have to do is this one thing for me…" He let it trail off enticingly. Or at least, he tried to.
That nasally voice of his was really annoying. Was he actually a Lord of Chaos? He was more like an immature brat in her opinion.
"Tempting, buy my answer is still no."
"Urgh! Just join me damn you!" Klarion grabbed the sides of her head. Red leaked from his hands, and Raven felt a presence assault at her mind. However, she rebuffed it almost too easy.
"No, no no no no no! You're not supposed to resist! You're supposed to bend to my will! Bend already!" Klarion started to throw a tantrum as Raven continued to resist his efforts.
Was this really a Lord of Chaos? Raven was left unimpressed.
After a moment, he finally gave up. "Why won't you bend!? What gives you such strength to resist my will?!"
Raven continued to glare. Klarion came down from his tantrum and got to thinking. What could resist Chaos but Order? Yet she was able to resist him, but how…
"Wait, don't tell me, do you actually love that green Protector of yours?" Klarion asked dumbfoundedly.
...
Raven continued to glare. He began to laugh hysterically. What better way to resist Chaos than to focus on a powerful emotion! And one such as powerful as LOVE!
"I can't believe it! Did you really settle for him?! Poor, mangly, scraggly him?!"
"... He might not look like much. But he's the best thing that happened to me in my life. You won't make me bow to him as long as he's around." With that, she did the ultimate move and spat in his face.
At that, Klarion experienced a different kind of LOVE.
Levels Of ViolencE.
Klarion had thrown tantrums. He had yelled in frustration and been scared for his life.
But it had truly been a while since someone had made him actually feel angry.
"You… YOU…"
Raven thought she might have actually taken it too far. Despite looking like a childish brat, at that moment, Klarion truly did look terrifying.
"Fine, be stubborn if you want, I'll just up the ante! After all, it's about time this universe met its new master!"
He turned from Raven, stomping up to the pedestal. Then, gripping the helmet of Nabu firmly with both hands, he put it over his head.
Raven had to look away at the light show that followed.
"Yes, YES, YESSSSSSSSS AHAHAHAHAHA!" Klarion laughed as he was engulfed in a bright gold and red light. It was like looking at the sun, except up close, way too close.
"Meowwwwwwwwww-!" Teekl felt a tug and tried to run away in terror. However, the familiar was eventually dragged across the floor, and her frightened meowing cut off as she was absorbed into the ball of evil power surrounding its master.
Finally, as the light show peaked, Klarion reappeared laughing his head off. His voice didn't sound as nasally as before, though it kept a hint of that. He also looked older and was dressed in a gold and red robe. Only his evil cat-like eyes could be seen behind his helmet.
His pupils had changed color. One was gold, and the other was red. A blend of order and chaos. Yes, it'd been TOO long since he'd been able to access this amount of power! And he was only scratching the surface!
Hmph! That fool Nabu was still resisting the fusion! Oh well, it didn't matter! He was already thrice as powerful as before! Soon, he'd be unstoppable!
He looked at the demonic horde and yelled something at them in demonic. The horde got on both knees and bowed down to Klarion.
Raven, still staring almost in awe at the villain's transformation, caught Klarion's gaze.
"Now, this is your last chance. Even with all this power, I cannot command them unless they're given to me. Swear them to me, or I will make you swear with them!" Klarion's voice boomed through the room.
"Never!" Raven scowled, her awe quickly disappearing and being replaced with resolve once more.
"Then you have sealed your doom!" Klarion gripped the sides of her head once more, and this time, Raven felt like a much more powerful presence invade her mind.
Even braced for it, Klarion easily broke through her defenses. She screamed as she felt him dig inside, batting her feelings for Garfield out of the way like moths with a bug zapper.
Yet she still tried to fight it… tried to… fight it…
"There, I believe this one shall be much more reasonable than you!" Klarion declared triumphantly. "So long, useless daughter of Trigon!"
Raven felt herself sinking… sinking down into darkness…
…
Klarion's hands moved away. After a second, Rage lifted her head, her four red eyes meeting his gaze. The chains and cuffs binding her dropped to the ground. Blackness seeped out from around her.
"My dear darling, would you be oh so kind as to swear yourself as my commander in the destruction of this universe?" Klarion whispered the enticing offer in her ear.
Rage briefly wondered what she was doing here. What had happened to her fellow sisters. What had happened to her mate… but then her mind was filled with thoughts from Klarion.
The destruction of this world. The destruction of the moon. Of the sun, of the planets and stars beyond.
She saw the solar system implode in an instant and a fire unquenchable that paraded throughout the galaxy. Steadily expanding to the outer reaches of the universe.
Destruction. So much destruction… and she was being promised to head it all...
She smiled toothily. Oh, the fun she could finally have! But ma-…
No, the fun she could HAVE! Would she ever have such an opportunity again!?
"With pleasure." She turned to her Generals, her troops.
In a deep, guttural demonic voice, she shouted to them. Riling them into a frenzy.
They would go out.
They would destroy.
All in the name of Klarion, the Lord of Order and Chaos.
Rage finally turned to face Klarion, the same toothy grin still on her face. "And with this, I swear we will follow thee to the end of the universe."
A bright seal appeared between them both, the pact binding.
Klarion laughed joyfully. "Yes, finally! Everything shall be mine! Aha! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Not only did he have the power. He had the army. That stupid Vandal Savage could go screw himself, or screw Queen Bee for all he cared! He was ready to dethrone even Darkseid now!
There would be no more deals with Vandal Savage, or Darkseid, or anyone else for that matter! It was his show now! The universe was his playground!
He opened the portal wide, showing the endless hordes of demons on the other side, waiting to go out and destroy the universe. No longer could the room be considered the same. With the enlarging of the portal, part of the room was still a cave. But the other part was the hellish dimension Klarion had made to hold them captive until the time had come at last.
And indeed, it had come.
"Now, at last, we shall destroy this world!" He screamed, his booming voice heard over the throng. "Your thirst, your blood lust shall finally be quenched!"
He was met with a roar of approval. Klarion basked in the attention given him. Rage proudly hovered near his side. "We shall go forth and conquer all! No one will stand in our way! The time of Heroes and Villains has come to an end!
"Today, a new age is born! An age that will be led by I, Klarion, the Lord of-"
BOOM!
Suddenly, the demons near the entrance of the cave disappeared in a large explosion. Klarion turned, his grand speech interrupted. "Huh?"
When the smoke finally cleared, Wonder Woman was shown, sword and shield in hand. "Come now, boy, you didn't think we'd just keel over and die, did you?" She chided him.
Superman floated down next to her, his eyes glowing red from laser vision. Aquaman appeared on her other side, wielding his golden trident. "No fair, I thought I was going to speak first." The Atlantean grumbled.
"Fine, you may say something." Wonder Woman allowed her friend, now that he was back to his former self, to speak.
"Did we step on your moment boy? Cause I'm about to step on your ^%$ next you little bastard!" Aquaman flipped him off. A geyser of water from an underground aquifer burst up from his feet.
Hell yeah, it felt great to be near the water again.
Actually, scratch that. It felt even better his old self once more. Influenced Aquaman was too timid for his tastes.
Behind them, Heroes of all kinds yelled with determination as they streamed in. Titans East, the Doom Patrol, the Flash gang, everyone who'd been at the Watchtower.
With the exception of Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg, who were still unconscious. And Batman, since he was unconscious, and this battle would have been way too unfair had he been there to help in prime condition.
"Damn! Damn damn damnity damn damn!" Klarion started to throw another temper tantrum.
Even after becoming a Lord of Chaos and Order, it appeared he was still as immature as ever.
"Minions! Here's your first order! Destroy the pests!" He roared at the demons.
The demon generals roared something at their soldiers in demonic, and then the demons charged from hellish landscape to rocky Earth to conquer.
"To battle!" Wonder Woman yelled as she led the charge of heroes against them and Klarion.
And thus, the battle for the fate of the universe began.
Author's Notes:
Ok, wow. I'm getting such epic vibes from this.
Also, the meta. I missed it so much.
No idea how many chapters are left. Just know, whatever happens here, after this battle is over, the story will come to an end. Whether it's a good end or a bad end, well…
You'll have to wait and find out.
Till Next Time
Allen
