Disclaimer: Nothing from Teen Titans is mine.
A couple of random DC demons in this chapter, but they don't play a major role in the story. (Also, they're OOC, I'm basically just using their names...). But they'll be gone soon enough.
"Speech"
Thoughts
Through the darkened forests, two figures ran. Moving swiftly through the trees, they tried to shake off their pursuer, but both knew that he would not be lost so easily.
They traveled as quickly as they could - but behind them, fire rocketed through the forest, propelled rapidly by some unimaginably powerful force. A curiously colored fire, pure crimson instead of the usual orange tinge, stormed through the darkened air - it flew past the trees without burning them, without even so much as disturbing the flow of the wind around it. But there was a disturbing sound that emanated from it as it raced forward, almost like a demonic growl.
One of the figures turned. "He's catching up."
The other, a demon, a female demon, closed her eyes. "I know. We're going to have to fight him eventually." She grimaced. "And the girl's waking up."
"Keep moving."
They continued flying through the trees, but it wasn't long before the pink haired girl in the female demon's arms began to stir. Her eyes opened slightly, slits in the darkness, and slowly, she regained some of her senses.
She made a rapid, frightened movement as she realized where she was. The demon stumbled forward, almost tripping, but managed to regain her foothold before she fell.
"Shh! Be still!" She clamped a hand over Jinx's both before she could speak. "Listen, we're not here to hurt you. We just want your help."
The pair of pink eyes glowed in the darkness, frightened, but not utterly panicked as they had been before. There was a hint of realization, just the tiniest hint, that these two were not going to hurt her.
But they're demons! So is Raven... and she never hurt me, right? There was a hint, in her eyes, that the two demons, at least, were not her enemies.
"Calmer now? Good. My name is Belyllioth, and my friend there is Asmodel. I'm sorry that we had to deceive you with false names, but this was a matter of utmost secrecy. We needed to find someone with a connection to Raven, and you were the only one who was available."
"Ra-ven?" Jinx's voice came out muffled.
"Yes," the other demon, Asmodel, replied this time. "Her. You may not know it, but she is the daughter of one of the most powerful demon lords-"
"Mmph!"
"Yes, yes, I know it's a surprise-"
"Mmm - no - t - th - at - ha- nd-"
Belyllioth moved her hand away from the other girl's mouth. "Oops, sorry."
Jinx took a deep breath, then looked up. "You were saying?"
"Right. Raven is the daughter of one of the most powerful demon lords - and as you might imagine, demon lords can be pretty... controlling."
"Okay. And I'm guessing she's the only one strong enough to fight him?"
"The thing is, she's not. Not on even ground; Raven would probably lose."
Jinx paled. "Even Raven?"
"Yes. Her father, Trigon, is unbeatable under ordinary circumstances. The most we can do is hide. Unfortunately, that's if we can even get away from him..."
Belyllioth looked back at the streams of fire rushing at them. "He's a persistent one."
She glanced at Asmodel. "We're not going to outrun him. The only choice is to fight."
"I thought you said he was unbeatable."
"We must at least try," Belyllioth grimaced. "We're not going to get away."
"But then what was the point of finding me?"
"You are precious to Raven, are you not?"
"I..." Jinx bit her lip. "What would you know about that?"
Both demons turned as the fire in the forest flared up anew. "We can talk about that later," Belyllioth glanced at Asmodel, then toward Jinx. "We didn't mean to drag you into our mess. If you want, you can run-"
"Not a chance," Jinx stared into the rising flames, gulping, but quelling her fear. If this guy's related to Raven, then that means she's probably coming here. And even if she doesn't come... she will, won't she?
Fire rose all around them, winding its way through the trees, bathing everything in a swath of crimson death. The two demons slouched into defensive stances, watching the fiery veil carefully. Tense, the air filled with danger, but still showed no sign of the demon lord. Everything was still, save for the crackling growl of the infernal pyre, which hissed at them as if it were alive.
And then, his voice sounded. It was deeply mockingly, distinctly powerful. "You two... what makes you think it is a good idea to betray me?"
"It's hardly betrayal," Asmodel hissed. "You are a tyrant - you don't even let any of us make our own decisions-"
"Because you are incapable of making good ones."
"We are nobles as well, Trigon. We are entitled-"
"To nothing. In our world, power trumps everything. Those with power make the decisions for those weaker than them. It is more efficient; it also keeps everything from falling to anarchy."
"It also keeps us from wanting to deal with you."
A slight pause. "Did you not hear me? This isn't about what you two want. Until you are strong enough to fight me, you will listen. And you will have to like it. Otherwise-"
"You'll destroy us. Exactly the form of tyranny we were talking about."
"If that is what you wish, so be it."
Through the curtains of flame, a dark shape appeared, first as a silhouette, then more distinctly as it came nearer. It was large, powerful demon with four, glowing eyes and a crown of antlers, filled with a sense of tremendous power. He came nearer, yet closer, and the frenzied tension in the air increased further, bearing with it a horrible, sadistic excitement and the crazed, noise of insanity. And most of all, pure malevolence.
He took one step forward, then another, and as the heavy stride broke through the ring of fire surrounding them, magma burst up from the ground and consumed everything.
Everything seemed so still. To her senses, at least her normal senses, there was nothing disturbing the peace and quiet of the night. It was just any normal evening - it should have been, but there was still the fact that Trigon had appeared. And wherever he went, nothing was normal.
But still, nothing. There was nothing in the darkness, except the cries of the nocturnal creatures and the wind blowing through the budding leaves on the trees. It was quiet, tranquil, still with barely any moonlight, but not unpleasant. She was a creature of the darkness after all, and it might have been pleasant to stay and enjoy the placid ambient, if she didn't have something to do.
With her normal senses, there was nothing out of place. But that's not right!
Of course, she was not wholly human. No, it was a secret well kept, though a few mishaps had revealed it to the person she had least wanted to know about it. She grimaced. She hates me now... probably. Should I have let her know right from the outset? Should I have told her all of the truth? Or was I right to keep it from her?
She sniffed at the air. It doesn't matter. First, I have to find her.
She wasn't completely human. It had its pitfalls, but it had its perks too – enhanced senses, though even with those, she knew that finding Trigon - and thus, Jinx - would not be easy like that. Instead, it was the sixth sense, her sense of the flows of energy around her, that would help her find them.
She could see them, the streams of power, running through the air, the wind, a bright sparkle above her, solid, immutable earth beneath, and the living things as bright dots, lining the night-beset ground. In the sky, the clouds floated around, glowing with the faint lines of static as they passed each other, and the moon, a reflection of the awesome, immense light that radiated from the sun. Nothing seemed out of place.
No. There's something. There was disturbance, right at the edges. She frowned, focusing in on it - then instantly took a step back, staggered by the sheer power compressed into the thin flow of magic. There was so much energy, in so little space that she felt as if it were burning her, even as far away as it was. But, even while so intense, it seemed that it was hard to detect still, a little blurry as it flitted in and out of the edges of her senses. Powerful, but silent, not affection the flows of the natural world around it.
They're there. Close. I should be able to - suddenly, a wave of pain shot through her ribs and she collapsed to her knees, clutching her side. Damn it! Of all times, why is it now that my body won't hold up?
She gnashed her teeth together, trying to suppress the pain in her abdomen, but it only spread further, pinching at her muscles and joints like a swarm of needles. She tried to draw breath, but the expansion of her lungs only hurt her ribs more and she fell to all fours, panting. Damn it all. Move it! She's in danger! I have to go help, I have to-
Her muscles cramped painfully, setting off an explosion of bright lights in her head. Ignore it. Move.
But at the edges of her mind, darkness began to creep in - she knew what it was; her body, trying to recover, trying to go into a healing state as it was accustomed to doing. It was unwilling to take any further abuse - but her mind said otherwise. Move! Stop! I need to save her! I can't get stuck here.
Strength flared within her, imposed by the sheer force of her will. As if rising from the deep, deep abyss, back into the world of the living, she rose back up. No matter how tired she was... somehow, even while already emptied of energy, she still managed to find more… more energy to fight off the growing darkness gnawing at her head, find some center to stabilize herself around and bear the pain wracking her body. Finally, finally, she managed to stand. She took one, tentative step forward, toward the flames in the distance, another... the pain was still there, but bearable. Ignorable.
Summoning up her powers, she cloaked herself in darkness and rose high into the sky, an incarnation of a raven travelling quickly through the night.
Pink light broke through the ring of fire, but was snuffed out quickly by the darkness emanating from the huge figure that emerged. The twin pair of angular eyes darted around for a moment, then another column of magma burst from the ground, incinerating everything above it.
Asmodel and Belyllioth dodged aside, dancing about in the shadows. Trigon frowned, raising his arms. Fire rose everywhere, cutting off their escape paths, pulsing inward as it cornered them again. But pink light flew out, blowing through the fire and the three retreated back into the forest.
"You cannot expect to run forever," Trigon grumbled. "What do you think that will achieve?"
"If you're so strong, why don't you finish us?" Jinx retorted sharply, breathing heavily.
"You, girl, I need for something. The other two, I could defeat at any moment, if I so wished. But," he turned slightly, trapping them in a cage of red light. "It would be better if I did not destroy them outright. Demons are not as malleable as humans, but there are ways to deal with even their pride and stubbornness."
"False words, Trigon. You know you could not destroy us so easily, even if you wished."
"I am many things, Belyllioth, but I am not a liar," Trigon spoke deeply, assuredly. "I know the limits of your power, and I most certainly know the limits of my own. Bringing you two back to my side is not as difficult as you think-"
"Try us," Asmodel spat, summoning up his own powers.
Through the red light, a new swath of crimson energy cut through, but was quickly suppressed. Trigon shook his head.
"I do not see why you two resist. There is no point."
"We have had enough of your golden tongue - you manipulate everyone and everything around you with your prideful trickery-"
"It is not trickery-"
"It is. You do not mean half of what you say-"
"Or perhaps you two just fail to understand." Trigon closed his eyes. "No matter. I do not need to tolerate this. There is no use in trying to educate the blind-"
Pink light spread again, cutting him off as he was forced to focus his aura into defense. In the shadows, a pair of cat-like eyes shifted around for a moment as their owner began darting around behind the trees.
"You talk too much," she muttered. "We're supposed to be having a fight here."
"It is not much of a fight when you three are so outmatched."
"You keep saying that but-"
"Perhaps a demonstration is in order, hmm?"
Suddenly, around the demon lord, the inky blackness of his aura began spiraling rapidly. A wave of attacks, mixtures of demon magic and hexes, flew straight toward him, but all were absorbed handily as the stormy void spread. Above, the moon was blotted out and all around, the plant life began to rot away. In the obsidian void, suddenly, all sensation was gone and Jinx could no longer feel anything around her. It was cold, a touch of death, too cold to be possible for this time of year - even for winter. No, it was chilling enough inside that even she could feel it begin to freeze through her skin and muscles, sapping her energy. Cold, but more than just that... enervation, lethargy... her very life force, aging, and ebbing away.
But then, there was a hand on her shoulder and the feeling was gone. It was replaced by a new sense, one familiar to her - it was a barrier, much like the ones that Raven used.
"Stay close," a feminine voice whispered, and she knew that it was Belyllioth speaking to her. "I'll protect you."
"What's he doing?"
"Simply put, aging everything in our immediate vicinity. I'm surprised you didn't wither away immediately."
Well I'm not exactly a normal human... "Me too."
"Lucky you, I guess. But none of us can stay out in that for long. I'm having enough trouble holding it back as it is. Think you can cut us a path through?"
"Wait. If you can't break through-"
"His powers absorb most forms of energy. Only those dense enough can travel through without being absorbed. And yours seem to be fairly dense, more than mine at least."
"If you say so," Jinx muttered, eyes darting around in the darkness. "Here goes nothing."
Sparks flared at her fingertips and ran out into the black, thin streaks of colored electricity. Streams of lightning, glowing brightly momentarily before they vanished. Jinx tilted her head sideways. "Didn't work-"
She blinked confusedly as a finger pressed to her lips.
"Follow me," Belyllioth said quietly, and clasping the other girl's hand, pulled her through the deep void. "If he doesn't notice us, there might be a way-"
"That's only if," Trigon's voice echoed everywhere. "Unfortunately, I am not blind."
The demoness made a noise of irritation, trying to raise her barrier again, but before she could muster enough energy, the crepuscular gloom pressed in again. This time, it was filled with a different sense, of sheer emptiness rather than cold and lethargy. It was pure obscurity, an oblivion that nothing could penetrate through...
Limbo
Faintly, she was aware that she was no longer in the physical plane. Somehow, he had sent her to a different dimension, probably one of his own, where he dictated the laws governing the world. Somehow aware that she was alone now - both of the demons were gone and apparently Trigon too, though if she had to guess, he was still there in some form.
Alone in the darkness, she could sense that she was floating. But nothing else at all - it was a complete, empty oblivion.
What's he planning to do? Jinx raised a hand, trying to see if her powers would work. There was a fizzle of pink light; she put more juice into it, and then it went roaring through the void, ricocheting in all directions. But as far as she could tell, it was doing nothing productive. Instead, one of them came back toward her and she yelped as it nearly grazed her butt.
Okay. Not doin' that again.
Her eyes flitted around for several moments, but nothing seemed to happen. Still longer... but there was nothing but silence, and yet longer... what's going on... is he just gonna let me sit here and rot or something?
As if to contradict her, something appeared through the vacuum.
There was a flash of light, a figure... her eyes widened.
Raven!
But it wasn't the Raven she knew, or at least, not the one she was accustomed to.
Beneath the hood, her skin was faintly red, rather than its usual pale grey, tinged with the color of bloodlust. Her lips, still small and restrained, somehow had a curve to them that seemed slightly sadistic, curled up ever so slightly, but not enough to be a smile. There was just a hint of danger... and she knew, without even having to see, that there were four eyes beneath her hood.
Cloaked in a deep, malignant crimson, the image of Raven stepped forward and a hand - rather, a claw - appeared, stretching forward toward Jinx's face.
The pinkette froze, breath catching in her throat. Closer and closer - it's just an illusion. She's not real, she won't be able to do anything. Ignore her, she's just that demon dude trying to mess with me... she gasped as the claw grazed her cheek lightly like a gentle caress. They ran along her jawline, so gently that despite the sharpness of the claws, they did not draw blood. The image of Raven drew closer and Jinx could hear her soft, whispery breaths, feel the heat radiating from her...
Face still half hidden beneath the sanguine hood, she licked her lips, drawing yet closer.
Jinx took a deep breath, trying to fight off the fear growing within her belly. She's not real. Of course she isn't. And besides, Raven would never hurt me. Would she?
"Your fear..." Raven's voice was husky, hungry. "It tastes wonderful."
Jinx's brows furrowed, but she said nothing. "Raven" pursed her lips, seemingly a little troubled, and beneath her hood, her eyes gleamed. "Do you think you can just ignore me, girl? Do you think I am just a mere figment of your imagination?"
"I know she's not real," Jinx whispered once, then a second time, more loudly, as if calling out to the creator of the limbo space. "She's not real! So stop trying to trick me! I know you're just trying to manipulate-" she broke off as a hand clamped over her mouth.
"You're kind of noisy, aren't you?" She paused, releasing her hold on Jinx. "Girl, what makes you think I'm not real?"
"Because- because Raven's not here."
"Oh, but I am. I am my father's daughter, after all. There is that part of me-"
"No," Jinx breathed. "No, Raven would never hurt me. She's always taken care of me. She'd never threaten me-"
"And how am I threatening you? Though," she leaned in close, and her hood drew back slightly. Her eyes gleamed wickedly, with some sort of sadistic light. "I intend to enjoy my fun before I finish you."
Jinx drew back a little, biting her lip. "No, no. You're fake. You're-"
The two pairs of red eyes glowed brightly, and Raven smirked as she saw the terror deep within Jinx's eyes. "You don't really believe that, do you? I can touch you..." she placed a hand on Jinx's cheek. A claw ran across it again, this time with the sharp edge, making a thin cut, but enough to draw blood. "I can hurt you. And in here, you cannot get away-"
"No," Jinx whispered. "Raven wouldn't hurt me. There's no way-"
"But that's simply not true. Perhaps in human form, but you forget. There's that other side... remember when you stumbled upon me in the demon grove?"
Jinx paled. "How do you know about that-"
Raven grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp, fang-like teeth. "I was there, obviously. Oh yes, I remember it so clearly. I remember wanting to tear you limb from limb right then... I wanted to kill you so badly... but unfortunately my human side got in the way. Now, however-"
"No!" The pinkette said sharply, taking a step back, but Raven grabbed a hold of her wrist.
She struggled for a moment, trying to break free, but the demoness wrenched her arm back painfully and she let out a soft cry. "Raven, stop! Raven-"
"I am not your Raven, girl. Get over it-"
"That's true-" Jinx whispered. "You're just an illusion-" she cried in pain again as Raven jerked her arm back further.
"Oh, is that so? Shall I convince you? Perhaps you would like to lose this limb."
Jinx squeezed her eyes tightly shut. I'm sorry. I don't want to do this, but... pink light formed in her hands and spread out, forcing the demoness back. Raven growled, eyes narrowing.
"So now do you believe me?"
"No... Raven's... she's not a demon. She's-"
There was a soft, mocking laugh. "So that's what this is, then. Despite everything, you possess that irrational fear of demons that everyone seems to have. Deep, deep inside your mind, you still fear us for what we are... how judgmental-"
"No, that's-" Jinx bit her lip. That's true. I... I can't help it. I can't help but be a little afraid, right? They're demons after all... but this one... she's not Raven! She just can't be!
"Stubborn kid," Raven rasped. "I've let you live long enough. If you are still unwilling to fight..."
I can't fight you. Even if you're not real... she struggled with herself, trying to summon up the will to fight, but her body felt powerless. I just can't do it. Even if she's not really Raven, I just... can't. I can't hurt her. I... not after I abandoned her.
"Very well. Then perish."
Fire spread everywhere, racing toward her in a powerful swath of destruction. Her brows furrowed and she tensed, trying to prepare herself to absorb the brunt of the attack, but before it reached her, a pair of dark wings spread out and blocked the fire, shielding her in a shroud of inky darkness. But, it was not an unfamiliar one, no, not like the emptiness of Trigon's limbo - this darkness was filled with life and emotion, and from it was a familiar being who she could sense.
"Dispel..." the voice spoke, that voice that she had dreamed of hearing again.
It was the person who she had wanted, but not dared to hope to see again.
In front of her, the wings spread further and the darkness vanished, leaving nothing but the great bird of pure, raw black energy -
"Raven..."
The unmistakable figure radiated raw power for a moment, then shrunk back down into the form of a short, slender girl, one who, when she turned, revealed her striking pair of violet eyes that were filled with flecks of flying colors. She turned, glancing at the pink haired girl momentarily, then out toward the darkness.
"Touch her again," Raven's voice shook with anger, "and I swear that you will know the meaning of pain."
Trigon's laugh echoed everywhere. "You could not even beat me the last time we battled, and now you are injured on top of that. Give it up, daughter. Join me. I won't mistreat you."
"Who would believe that?" Raven spat. "You just tried to kill my only friend."
"Not kill," Trigon replied calmly. "You overreact too much, daughter."
Raven's eyes narrowed to slits. "Shut up. Get out of here now, before we destroy you."
"We? You two think-"
"Not just them two," another voice echoed out from the dark forests and Trigon shifted slightly, glancing back.
"Belyllioth. And Asmodel. How nice of you to come back."
"Leave," Raven repeated, power surging out all around her, but it did nothing to deter the demon lord.
"You might be strong," he said quietly, "but take care that it does not frighten those whom you consider your... friends."
Raven's eyes widened slightly and she turned back, coming face to face with a very pale, somewhat disturbed Jinx. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, a mixture between raw fury and discomfort running through her, then let the raging energy ebb away, closing her eyes. She was unable to face the other girl... but it was not good enough. The sense - she could still feel Jinx's discomfort... shock, disbelief, but worse than that, the slight sensation of distrust, and still worse, the potent, almost overwhelming fear lurking in the back of her mind.
"Raven," Jinx whispered.
The half demon shook her head. "Later. I promise. But right now, we have more pressing issues."
"But you said that last time-"
"I know," Raven said quietly. "I'm... sorry. I promise... I swear, we'll talk later."
Jinx stared at her for a moment, then nodded. The two of them looked back into the darkness, where Trigon was hiding somewhere.
"Four on one," Trigon muttered curtly. "You still cannot beat me."
"Try it," Raven retorted, raising her arms.
Fire spread everywhere, illuminating the forests. And, as Jinx noted, it was a shade quite similar to Trigon's own, a crimson tinged a slightly deeper hue, with perhaps a hint of violet in it.
It surged up, revealing the giant, shadowy figure standing in its midst, and went no further - she knew it would not harm him in the slightest, nor would it hurt her at all. They eyed each other warily, though Trigon's gaze was filled with much more confidence than hers, and rightly so - he still had plenty of energy to spare, and she was already exhausted.
But she was not quite out of it yet.
Darkness flashed again from both of them, tearing at each other with frightening speed. It was countered easily on both sides, but behind Trigon, the two other demons attacked as well, providing extra pressure from the other front. Trigon's aura countered swiftly, then spread out again, but Raven reacted quickly. This time, instead of dark energy, pure white radiance flew out from her hands, containing his spreading influence and restraining it. But Trigon pushed harder and soon she had trouble holding him back - the strain showed plainly on her face after a minute or two, then pure, raw blackness erupted as her barrier faded.
She staggered back, her legs threatening to crumble beneath her, but then a pair of arms caught her and she looked back, surprised.
"I've got you," Jinx murmured, keeping her eyes focused on the demon lord, shaking a little as she touched Raven.
Raven felt a surge of alien emotion flow through her body - Jinx's and her own mingling, but for the moment, she couldn't afford to worry about them. Wide beams of red light rocketed forward, slicing across the ground, and everything that came in contact with them began to rot away - she instinctively knew what it was and pushed Jinx aside, ducking under one of the bolts and blocking another with her powers - though just barely; it almost broke through, but she held firm, knowing that it would all be over if she gave in.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Raven hissed, breathing heavily.
"If I were trying to kill you, you would be dead already, daughter."
"Yeah, right," she inhaled sharply, trying to fight off the pain still plaguing her body.
"Why are you so eager to die?" Trigon mused over it for a moment, staring at his pain stricken daughter. "I have no wish to kill you as it is."
"That's right," Raven muttered. "You just want to use me for your own gain. Just like you want to use them," she cast a glance behind Trigon, to where the other two demons were lurking. "There are other demon lords and you can't fight them alone, so you need us."
"What a foolish idea," Trigon grumbled. "I merely wish to lend aid to the misunderstood... us demons, and I wish to punish those who would try to purge us."
"Then why did you go after Jinx?"
Trigon's brows furrowed - his eyes flashed for a second, and then he was calm again. "To get you to listen to me. Admit it, daughter. You are merely being bullheaded right now-"
"Why did you attack her? What did you do to her? Why is she so afraid of me right now?" Raven's voice shook a little as she asked the last question.
Jinx's eyes widened and she looked away, down at the ground. A ghost of a smirk passed over Trigon's features, but it disappeared quickly enough.
"Why don't you ask her? I don't know. If I had to wager a guess, it would be because she thinks that demons are evil or something."
Raven clenched her hands into fists. He did something to her. He showed her something she didn't want to see. That she was afraid of seeing, and now it's made her scared of me. Damn it, Trigon! Of all the people, why her? Why couldn't you just have tortured me instead?
"It's okay," the pinkette murmured suddenly. "You said we'll talk later. So we will." Her hold on Raven tightened a little, but it was not uncomfortable - rather, the warmth from her hands felt solid again, the touch familiar, not afraid, as it had been. "Just.. do your thing. I'll be at your back."
A flood of pink color ran through Raven's irises, but before she could respond, Asmodel and Belyllioth attacked again, forcing Trigon to defend.
But it was all in vain - like before, everything was absorbed easily, then sent out again in retaliation. This time, though, the ground erupted with magma as well, forcing all of them to run as the boiling liquid rushed out from the ground. The two demons ran through the trees smoothly, but Raven's body was still hurt, and as a fresh wave of pain shot through her ribs, she felt her muscles clench painfully, refusing to move no matter what her mind told her to do. She collapsed to the ground again, propping herself up on her forearms, but then the ground beneath her began to tremble, growing warm - then searing hot -
"Raven!" Jinx noticed her predicament quickly and pulled her back sharply right before another column of magma burst from the ground.
They both flew back, landing in a tangled heap of limbs, but both recovered momentarily and Raven got to her feet, if rather shakily, standing against a nearby tree.
"Not trying to kill me my ass," she growled darkly, clutching her head.
"That was a slight mishap," Trigon retorted. "But worry not. Even if you die, you are one of my blood. Your soul is bound to mine - I can reclaim it whenever it is necessary."
Raven said nothing but her eyes gleamed furiously and she rushed forward without thinking.
Instantly, Trigon's hand was at her throat and he slammed her against the ground. She made a strangled noise of pain, cut off as he began choking the air out of her.
"Raven!" Jinx ran forward too, hurling bolts of pink light at the demon lord.
Behind, the other two demons fought furiously as well, trying to break through Trigon's defenses, but it was still all in vain. The darkness surrounding him seemed to be impenetrable, except for when he dropped it to attack. But right now, there was no need - he had his prize in his hands and despite her struggles, he was physically stronger and he could feel her weakening.
Raven kicked up violently, her foot meeting hardened muscle - she got a grunt out of him, but he still did not budge and it was not long before darkness began encroaching upon her mind again. This one was much more potent than the unconsciousness she had fought off earlier; she knew she would not last much longer if he kept choking her, absorbing her energy. But there was nothing she could do.
She could hear Jinx's screams in the distance, quickly fading to faint cries, and then the two other demons, Asmodel and Belyllioth - both of them yelling at her to get up, to blast Trigon away, but even she could feel her own struggles slow down - her strikes at him lacked force and as her violet eyes began to close, she could swear that she saw him smirk victoriously.
Everything faded away. She could feel it – the wind, barely grazing her pale, smooth skin, her own breath, restrained, her heart pounding in her ears, the night cold and unfriendly... in the air, a remote, distant rustle of feathers...
Her eyes flew open again. They've come.
Like a flock of dark angels, they floated down from the sky, their screams mournful, lamenting in the night sky. They dove down, straight toward the demon lord and Raven, their dark feathers sleek in the dim moonlight, soft, and not altogether real.
Trigon drew back, and for the first time, the air of reckless pride about him turned to caution as he eyed the ravens gathering around his fallen daughter. Crimson eyes filled with energy, intense hatred for him mirrored in their dark stares... they were just birds, but not just any birds, and he knew it very well. Sanguine orbs of demonic light, they warned him to step back and he did, wary of what magic they might invoke on him if he drew too close. Here, in the darkened forests, they were close enough to Avalon that the ravens retained most of their power, enough to force even Trigon to be careful.
The demon lord glanced back for a moment, then took a couple steps back into the darkness.
"Lucky you," he muttered. "But next time, you won't get bailed out so easily."
There was no reply, but the ravens opened their beaks and suddenly the air was filled with frightening cries again, distressed warning sounds. He knew what they meant; they were telling him to leave, but part of him was still tempted to try their power, to stay and claim the prize that was his daughter...
Suddenly, an invisible force threw him back violently and he barely regained his balance before crashing against a tree. Trigon shook his head, slightly dazed by the impact, then was forced to quickly defend himself as Asmodel and Belyllioth attacked from nowhere.
He barely managed to block both of them, but then another invisible blast flung him into the air, then slammed him back down -
Trigon growled, surrounding himself with a ball of dark energy, all of his power pouring into a defensive stance.
"Very well, daughter. I'll leave you and your... friend… alone. For now. But take care that you do not forget about the outside world. You cannot hide forever..." his voice trailed off into a hiss and suddenly he was gone.
The ravens screamed again, flying high into the air across the moon. They cast their shadows across the ground below, where Raven stirred slightly, looking up into the sky with a pair of half lidded eyes.
Then above her, her view was blocked out by a familiar, friendly - she hoped - face, and the frayed edges of pink hair, and the cat-like eyes of her only friend... the one who she hoped was still her friend...
"Jinx," she whispered, voice weaker than she would have liked.
A finger touched her lips. "Not now," the other girl replied. "You're hurt," her voice trembled a little. "Talk later."
Raven nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly, then closed her eyes and let Jinx lift her body from the ground.
