Honorary mention: a quote from a review from Bluedog197 in response to Raphael's death: "and for the record that as close as he's going to get to putting a ring on her finger."

L

O

Freaking

L

Now on to the story.

Chapter XXIV - Paradiso

The elevator came to a halt, and I closed my eyes momentarily to take in a breath of air. I felt my hand brush by Gar's, and I drew it back quickly. My lips opened as if to say something, but nothing came out, and I found that I had no words to say. Gar seemed like he was done speaking as well, and merely stood there with a small but seemingly content smile on his face. The light inside the elevator dimly lit his soft green eyes.

At last some words of anticipation escaped my lips, "What happened?"

He brushed his fingers through his hair and answered, "It was strange at first. I walked down the path that Raphael had shown me and kept going and going until I thought my legs would collapse. And then… I came to Jump City."

"Jump City?" I wondered aloud.

"I thought somehow I had gotten out of Raven's mind, thought somehow someway I was back in the real world. But then I realized that I was still in Raven's mind, and that her mind had recreated Heaven in the image of the place she felt most at home—her old home where she and her friends used to live. Jump City was her 'heaven', so the Heaven in her mind took the image of Jump City. I wandered around that place for a long time, searching everywhere for any sign of her, and seemingly hours passed and I couldn't find her at all. But in the end,"

I found myself holding my breath. "But in the end… what?"

"In the end, I never found her. She found me." He smiled. "She had forgotten all her memories and she was lost, but in the end she found her way to me. And so, I decided to help her remember everything one last time by telling her the entire story." I felt my fingers tingle slightly, and I had to hold them together to get them to stay still. Gar turned away from me and pressed a button inside the elevator, causing the doors to slowly slide open. I felt the soft light of dawn trickle in. "There're some people I'd like you to meet," he told me as he led me outside. I gripped my hands and followed.

I first became aware of the warm light that touched my skin, pleasantly complemented by the soft cool breeze that brushed past. The rooftop of Titans Tower was large, and at the very center of the roof I saw a tall rectangular mirror with a bell attached on the very top. At either side of the mirror stood four people with their backs turned towards me. One of the figures turned around and faced me with a smile. He was a man about Gar's age, and had dark brown hair, a moustache, and a beard. His dark eyes twinkled. "Raphael," I instinctively said, surprising myself. I blinked, and he was gone. The man next to him turned around. He was tall, and had dark skin with some light blue robotic parts for human limbs. "Victor," I said from a will that was not my own. He, too, smiled and disappeared. The man and woman from the other side both turned to face me, and I saw that they were a black haired man with a mask and a red haired woman with orange skin and bright green eyes. "Dick," I instantly knew. "Starfire." The man nodded at me while the woman waved, and they then faded.

"G—Gar," I stuttered. "Those people… they were the people from your story, weren't they?" He nodded in agreement. "How do I know who they were?" I asked. "I mean, I know their names after listening to your story, but how did I know exactly who was whom? As if I had always known them… as if I had met them before… in a dream, or a dream of a dream…"

Gar silenced my muttering as he brushed away a strand of my hair that was hanging in front of my face. "Don't you see yet?" he asked me, and gently motioning me towards the mirror. "Look in there," he said. "What do you see?"

I turned towards the mirror and stared hard. "I—I can't see anything," I admitted. "I can only see you."

"Look closer," he urged me. "Open your eyes and see." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself. I felt my hand instinctively touch Gar's. This time, I didn't draw back. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and inside the mirror, I saw a green man holding the hand of a woman in a blue cloak with violet indigo hair. I was that woman. That woman was me. I was…

"Raven," I gasped. My hands left Gar's and I slowly walked towards the mirror, mesmerized by my own reflection. I was Raven. It was me all along. The bell atop the mirror began ringing itself, its sweet sound echoing around the entire world. I stood inches away from the mirror and raised my hand to touch the cool glass, to touch my own reflection. As my fingers made contact with the mirror, it shattered and disappeared in a flash of light. Beyond the disappeared mirror, I saw a small table with two chairs and an older woman standing near.

"Gar," I found myself saying. "You never told me what happened at the end of the story."

His hand found mine as he slowly led me towards the table. "Raven," he said to me in a gentle and reassuring voice. "You are the end of the story."

…

Gar led Raven towards the table, situated with a white table cloth and adorned with a thin, tall vase with two roses in it. To either side of the vase were two wineglasses and next to it was a bottle of wine with a top shaped like a bird. The man and the woman took their seats at the table and turned to face the woman standing near them—Arella Roth.

"Mother?" Raven said to her. "You mean…?"

"Yes," Arella nodded to her daughter. "It was me from the beginning until now. I was the cook who had given you two the body-switching wine eight years ago."

"But why?" Gar asked.

"Many years ago," the woman explained. "As I stood guarding the inter-dimensional prison in which Trigon was entrapped, I was struck with a premonition of the future—a vision in which you, Raven, would be reincarnated as Trigon, and that the only way to stop him was to destroy your body. And to kill you. My heart ached with the thought of you having to die to protect the world from your father. Your life had been so hard, and to give it all up because of him was… just too painful a thought to bear. I wanted you to live on. So that's when I created the body-switching potion. When I saw you with Garfield in Andern Falls, I placed you in something of a trance to lure you deep into the forest. There, I magically created a small realm within that forest—a realm that contained a small restaurant in which I would disguise myself and give you two the potion. I wanted you to live on in someone else's body, so that when the time came for Trigon to take over your body, that other person would die and you, my daughter, would still live. I had no idea that it was the very act of body-switching that would inadvertently allow Trigon to take your body in the first place." She turned to Gar. "I am so, so sorry," she apologized to him. "I am sorry for willingly placing your life in danger to save Raven. This was the only thing I could do to save my daughter."

"It's alright," he replied. "I should be the one to apologize. It was my actions that started all this. Because of what I had done to Raven five years ago… I was the start of all this, Miss Roth, not you."

Arella shook her head. "No. You played your part just as I've played mine. Azar once spoke of a Deep Magic, known even on Earth. There are many names for that magic—Destiny, Providence, Fate, the Plan, the Red String of Fate—but the meaning is all the same. Everything happens for a reason, Garfield; nothing is an accident, nothing is a mistake. It was that very force that guided my actions, your actions, Raven's actions, Malcolm's actions, Raphael's actions, Trigon's actions, everyone's."

"So what you're saying is everything that happened wasn't because of our own will? Are we just puppets playing our parts? Does this 'Deep Magic' manipulate everything we've done and everything we will do?"

Again Arella shook her head. "No, Garfield. You mustn't forget that we all have our own free will. We are guided by that magic but at the same time it is through our own will that we do it. Seemingly a contradiction, I know, but that is the beauty of the Deep Magic—we mortals can never truly understand it. Think about it like this: the legend of the three Inheritors foretold that you, Garfield, would be an Inheritor. However, it would not have come true had you, yourself, not chosen to become one. The Deep Magic works interconnected with our own will, not separate."

"Gar!" Raven exclaimed. "You—you're an Inheritor?"

He nodded in return. "Yeah, turns out I'm the Inheritor of Dante. And Raphael, he was Leon's Inheritor."

"That is the Deep Magic at work," Arella said. "We all had played our parts in this story."

"I think I understand," Gar nodded along. "You switched me and Raven back then. That was what you were willing to do to save the one you love. I was willing to sacrifice my own life to save the one I love. So was Raphael. Malcolm Crowe… he was willing to make a deal with Trigon to save the one he loved. In the end, though our actions may not have been good, our intentions were the same—to save the ones we love."

"Gar," Raven said with suspicious eyes. "What do you mean 'so was Raphael'? What about him?"

"O—oh…" Gar lowered his face to shield his eyes from her. Slowly he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it in his own. "Raven… Raphael's gone."

She was silent with widened eyes. He could almost feel the blood drain from her quivering hands. "H—h—" she stammered, clearly trying her best to hold back tears. "H—how?"

"A Death Curse," Arella explained. "One of the darkest of the Dark Magic—the same kind that the demons used during the First Sorcerer-Demon War."

"Raphael was wearing the Ring of Azar, which would have protected him," Gar continued. "But you were lying right behind him and he knew you were unprotected, so he took off the ring and slipped it onto your finger. He died—sacrificed his own life—to protect you, Raven."

At this, Arella gave a perplexed look. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Raphael died to protect Raven," Gar repeated. "I thought you knew?"

"O—oh…" the older woman understood. "Is that what he told you? Oh, that poor man…"

"What do you mean? Isn't that what happened?"

"My dear," she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't you remember? Wasn't Raven wearing the Master Cloak at the time?"

Slowly he nodded his head. "Right… When Trigon possessed Raven, he wore the Master Cloak."

"Exactly. So Raven was still wearing the Master Cloak, which protects her from death, does it not? Raphael would have known that, so why would he take off the Ring of Azar and put it on Raven's finger if she was already protected by the Master Cloak?" At this, Gar was silent, not knowing how to answer. Raven, too, sat quietly, trying to understand what it all meant. "My dear," Arella said to Gar. "During the battle, your bed was knocked and your sleeping body fell over onto the ground. When Trigon cast the Death Curse, you were lying right next to Raven, but unlike her and Raphael, you were not protected by anything at all."

"What… does this mean?" Gar asked reluctantly, afraid of the answer.

"Garfield," she answered him. "When Raphael took off the Ring of Azar, he didn't slip it onto Raven's finger. He slipped it onto yours. He saw that Raven was protected but you weren't. He knew Raven would be crushed if you had died, so he gave his own life to save yours. Raphael did not die to protect Raven; he died to protect you."

A deafening silence followed, broken by the sound of Gar's heavy breathing. "That… bastard," he cursed under his breath. "Why—why—why?! This… can't be right. No, it can't be right! Raphael, you idiot! You goddamn little…"

"Raphael…" Raven heaved. "Why…"

"Do not pity the dead," Arella said to them. "Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love. Though Raphael's soul has departed, he is now at the place of happiness. He will live on in the memories of his loved ones. But he is not alone. Many have suffered, many have been saved. There are some, however, who are still awaiting their salvation."

"Still awaiting their salvation? What does that mean?" Raven asked.

"You must return to free them from their torment until they are recalled to life. That is all I can say. The rest is up to you." Arella nodded. "Well then, it is time for you both to return." She opened the clasp of the wine bottle and began to pour it out onto the two cups, but was stopped by Raven.

"Wait," she said. "There is something I need to ask you."

The woman placed the bottle back onto the table. "Yes?"

"When I was fighting Trigon," Raven began. "I saw things. Visions. Most of them were memories of my past. But there was one that I… I couldn't understand." She turned to face her mother. "I saw you, holding a baby in your arms." She sensed her mother's tender heart beating. "Who was that baby?" she asked.

"My dear…" Arella answered. "That baby in my arms… who else could it have been but you?"

"No, that's impossible. That can't be," she objected. "You—never held me."

"I did. I did, Raven. I did."

"N—no," Raven insisted, feeling her eyes slowly begin to burn as her voice trembled. "You—were afraid of me. You hated me. You were ashamed of me. You only met me a few times in my life. I was protected and raised by the monks of Azarath. I grew up with my friends. I never knew you. I considered you my mother no more than I considered Trigon my father. You were a stranger to me. I despised you for abandoning me. You've never even touched me before."

Arella knelt down to the ground, got on her knees, and took Raven's hands, holding them firmly in hers. "I am touching you now, am I not?" she said. "When you were born, I held you deeply in my arms and refused to let you go. I was afraid, yes, but above all I was in love with you. Throughout the nine months I carried you in my womb, I was so afraid, but the moment I gave birth to you and laid eyes on you for the first time, I knew that I loved you so dearly." She paused to wipe her tears and continued. "The monks said that the more contact I kept with you, the easier it would be for Trigon to find you. That was why I stayed away. That was why no matter how hard it was for me, I always kept myself a distance from you. Because I wanted to protect you, Raven. Because I wanted you to be safe, my Raven. Because I wanted you to be happy, my dear daughter."

Raven sniffled and wiped away the tears that began streaming down her cheeks. "H—how can I be happy when all my life I believed my own mother to hate me?"

"But you were happy," Arella said. "You found yourself a whole new world. You found a home—a family. They became for you the family I never could have been, and I am so thankful to them for that. And… even though I could not be with you, Raven, I always watched over you. I was always, always so proud to call you my daughter." She squeezed Raven's hands in hers and raised them up to her heart. "The greatest gift and honor I have ever known was to have you as a daughter."

At this, Raven broke down in tears and nodded. "I will always be your daughter," she cried. "You will always be my mother."

"And you will always be in my heart," Arella finished. The two women embraced each other.

Arella composed herself and stood back up, reaching again for the bottle of wine. Slowly she poured out onto the two cups deep red wine that glistened in the light of dawn. She handed it to Gar and Raven. "Take this cup and drink from it. You will awaken and return to life, freed from the clutches of Hell, darkness, and death."

The man and the woman took their glass cups in their hands and lifted it up to their lips. The wine smelled like fresh roses. Together, they drank the wine for the last time.

As they did so, the sun finally broke over the horizon, and the light of sunrise swept over the world. Slowly, the entire place began to evaporate before them. The mirror and the table disappeared, and the image of Arella faded in the red and orange light of the sun. A wave of whiteness crashed into the world, and everything was erased.

"So long, Heaven," Raven heard Gar say. She reached over and clutched his hand.

"As long as we're together," she said. "We'll always be in Heaven."

…

It was when the clock struck the third hour that Raven and Garfield woke, three hours after Raven's reincarnation as Trigon, seven hours after the start of the Second Sorcerer-Demon War. After being heartwarmingly greeted by her friends, she made her way to Raphael's lifeless body, where she held him in her arms and quietly wept for her childhood friend. She later told her friends that Raphael's birthday was next month, and it would have been twenty years exactly since she had first met him in their youth.

She then removed from him the Ring of Azar, the Crystal Sword, and the Book of Peace. Wielding all seven Weapons of Azarath, Raven waved the Solar Wand to construct a portal, beckoning her friends to stay. "I hope you guys don't mind, but there's someone I want to see first." She went in first, leaving them behind.

The sorceress appeared within Malcolm Crowe's hospital room, where she found Dr. Shay Veritas and the little girl Lucie by her side. "Raven!" the doctor exclaimed as she immediately jumped up. "Are—are you alright? Is everything okay?"

Raven nodded contently. "Yes, Dr. Veritas. I'm fine. It's all over now. Trigon is gone."

The doctor gave a sigh of relief. "That is so good to hear. I can finally sleep easy now knowing that the devil isn't going to come and bring about an apocalypse."

Raven turned her attention to Malcolm. "He's awake?" she asked.

"Yeah," Veritas said, explaining to her that Malcolm had just woken up a few hours ago. When asked why Lucie was there, she said that the girl threatened to cry if she couldn't visit the "bandaged man". Malcolm's conditions were just as bad as before—with most of his skin thoroughly burned, he was still stuck in a full body cast for the time being. He has difficulty speaking, and it appears that his eyes were severely damaged by the fire. "His body will heal at its own pace," Veritas said, "but his eyes will not. The only way he can regain his eyesight is if he receives any corneas from donors."

"The fact that he's alive and awake is a miracle," Raven noted.

"The fact that you're alive and awake is also a miracle," the doctor pointed out with a smile. "I've seen two miracles in one day, and that's enough to last a lifetime." She patted Lucie on the back and motioned for her to leave. "I think I should go home now," she said to them. "It's been so long… but now it's all over. It's over, it's done." She stopped at the doorway and turned back towards Raven. "Congratulations on coming back to life, Raven Roth," she smiled and left.

Raven made her way to the bed, where she slowly and gently placed a hand on Malcolm's arm. "Malcolm," she whispered.

"…Anna…?" she heard a hoarse voice breathe. "Is that you?"

"Malcolm, are you okay?" she asked.

"Anna…" came the gravelly reply. "I want to… I want to…"

"You want to what?"

"I want to… be… recalled to life…"

Raven lowered her head and stepped away. "You'll be alright, Malcolm," she said to him. "I promise." She stepped out of the door and teleported back to the safe room where the other Titans were waiting. From there, she waved the Solar Wand and constructed a portal to New Azarath. She led them inside while Victor, carrying Raphael's body, entered last.

Upon their arrival in New Azarath, they were immediately met with cheers and victory cries to greet the return of Raven and the end of the Second Sorcerer-Demon War. The cheers all died down at the sight of their Master General Raphael's body. High Captain Etzel pushed his way through the crowd to greet the Titans, but as he saw Raphael being carried in Victor's arms, he let out a cry of agony and rushed over. "Let me carry him, please," he begged. Victor respectfully complied, and for the remainder of the period Etzel carried Raphael—whom he saw as a son—in his loving, fatherly arms.

Commander Azula emerged from the crowd and approached the Titans, removing his helmet respectfully and bowing to Raven. "The deceased are to be taken to the Final Rest, where Her Holiness Azar shall perform the Sending."

She silently bowed in return and walked with Etzel towards a cliff at the edge of the world. The Titans began to follow her, but were stopped by someone calling, "Nightwing! Nightwing!"

Dick, Starfire, and Victor turned to see Argent, Kole, Tempest, and Jericho walking towards them. "You made it," Argent said. "I guess things are alright now?"

Grayson nodded. "Trigon's gone at last. Raven's herself now."

"Argent, where's Karen?" Victor immediately asked.

"Bumblebee? I haven't seen her, actually… Have you guys seen her?" Argent asked. The other three shook their heads.

"What…? Yo, Flash! Have you seen Bumblebee?"

The Flash came upon the call of his name and scratched his head. "Actually, now that I think about it I haven't seen her in a while."

Kon-El—assisted by Miss Martian—limped towards the Titans, and said to them, "Last I saw Bumblebee she was hit really hard by the dragon demon."

Miss Martian nodded. "She was hit and flew through the air. I have no idea where she went."

"Oh my God, Karen…" Victor began to panic. "Karen! Karen!" he called.

Hot Spot, Arsenal, and Solstice ran towards the gathering Titans as they heard Victor call out Bumblebee's name. "What?" the latter said. "Cyborg, you found Bumblebee?"

"No. You haven't seen her either?"

"We've been looking all over for her!" Solstice returned.

"Oh God. Karen! Karen!" Victor shouted with all his might as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"Victor!" a voice cried out. A dark-skinned woman ran towards him with broken wings trailing behind her. She leapt onto her boyfriend's arms.

"Karen!" the cybernetic man replied. They kissed.

"What's the matter with you, tiger? You didn't think I'd get done in so easily did you?" Bumblebee teased. "Or have you already forgotten how many times I've whooped your butt?"

"Easy, girl," Victor grinned. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear?"

The woman winked cheekily. "Booya," she answered as they kissed again.

Glancing at the couple's embrace, Dick chuckled and turned his attention back to the other Titans. "What's the damage?"

"From what I could see, approximately a third of the world has been decimated," Kon-El answered.

Miss Martian continued. "Azarathean casualties reach about two-thousand five-hundred. That's nearly 20% of the entire army. Eight-thousand one-hundred are injured. Most of the casualties were from when the Azarathean army was basically slaughtered by the demons and obsidian soldiers before we Titans arrived."

"And our own?" Nightwing asked.

Jinx walked towards them, her right arm in a sling. "No Titan casualties… yet, at least," she answered. "But many of us are injured. Most of the others are in the hospital. Pantha, Static, Bushido, and Tempest are in critical condition. We almost lost Jericho and Blue Beetle."

Nightwing gave a sigh of relief. "They'll be fine, then. The healers know what they're doing." He turned towards the crowd of Azaratheans. "And what of them?" he asked. The soldiers had taken off their armor and were examining their cuts, bruises, and injuries. Their faces seemed jubilant, but at the same time worn and wearied. Some appeared to be simply dismal. The civilians who had not been fighting had emerged from the various sanctuaries stationed in the Corpacean City—the capital of New Azarath. Some of the civilians were desperately trying to find their loved ones. Others were positioned near the town criers, who were grimly reading aloud an obituary. Nightwing watched as one family burst into joyous tears as they reunited with two soldiers while another family burst into mournful tears upon being given the sword of their fallen son.

"It's… not easy to say in words," Herald explained. "Of course, they are all happy that the war is finally over, but at what cost? Many lives were lost. That is war."

Starfire wiped away a few tears as she was overcome with emotion. "War," she said with a heavy heart. "War is Hell."

"War isn't Hell," her husband said to her. "War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse."

"What makes you say that, Dick?" his wife asked.

Grayson sighed and closed his eyes. "It's something Batman told me a long time ago. Sinners are the only ones who go to Hell. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them. In fact almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander." He glanced at a young boy no older than thirteen years, given the sword of his father and the wand of his mother. A fair distance away, he watched as an elderly couple collapse in grief, clutching a burnt helmet. "War doesn't just kill the soldiers. It also kills the now orphaned children who have to live without their parents. It also kills the parents who will never live down the fact that their children died before them." He wrapped his arms around Starfire. "It's reasons like these that make me wish we could be normal people, for our baby's sake."

"I know, Dick," the Tamaranian princess replied. "I do, too."

"But we have to keep on fighting, don't we?"

She nodded. "To make the world a better place. Those other children deserve to live in a world without fear just as much as our baby does." Dick Grayson kissed his wife's temple.

Gar watched as all of this unfolded, and suddenly became aware that many of the people began staring strangely and pointing at him, making comments and whispering to each other. He looked around confused to find more and more people noticing his presence.

"Ignore them," a low, gruff voice resonated from behind him. Gar turned around to see a large man like a giant, whom he recognized as the man who directed Raven and Etzel towards the "Final Rest" area. "You've become a bit of a celebrity," Commander Azula said to Gar.

"Seriously? These people know me?"

"They know you as the Son of Dante," Azula nodded. "Shortly after the battle was over, Her Holiness Azar told all of us of the Inheritance, and how you, Lady Raven, and Master General Raphael were the Inheritors of Dante, Azar, and Leon."

"Really, it's not that big of a deal," Gar protested. "I'm just a normal guy."

"Perhaps. But to us, you are our savior. We are greatly indebted to you. Because of you, the lives lost here were not lost in vain."

"Thanks, but I'm not really interested in being a local celebrity."

"Fine by me. Shall we go to Lady Raven, then?"

Gar agreed. "Yeah, could you lead me to her?"

"Her Holiness Azar is about to perform the Sending, a ceremony where the bodies of the dead are given their last rites," he explained. Led by Commander Azula, Garfield made his way around the city and towards the cliff at the edge of the world where the sun was about to set. It was there that thousands of caskets lay, each with the corpse of a fallen Azarathean lying peacefully on it, covered by a silk-like blanket. Gar found Raven and Etzel speaking with a man who was presumably working as a mortician. As the changeling wandered towards them, the mortician directed them towards a grandiose and beautifully designed casket. "For the High General," he explained. He then added, "For the Inheritor of Leon."

Raven shook her head. "Raphael would not have wanted that," she said. She pointed towards another casket nearby, one that was plainly shaped. "He would want to be Sent in the same kind of casket his mother and father were Sent in. He was above all, the son of a poor farmer."

"Yes, Lady Raven," the Azarathean man nodded as he helped Etzel place Raphael onto the small casket.

"Is that… Horatio?" she asked as she recognized the body of her friend nearby.

Etzel nodded sorrowfully. "Horatio, Eren, Armin, Reiner, Bertolt, Ian… they have all been killed."

"Almost everyone in my Magic Duel team…"

"Lancelang and Samuel are still in the hospital. Levi and Ymir have survived."

"Are you alright, Captain Etzel? You were walking with a heavy limp."

The captain softly patted his right leg. "I might have to get it amputated, but I'll be fine."

"I just wish Raphael was fine…"

"The boy's a lot like me," Etzel sighed. "We were both born in poor origins. We both chased after an unrequited love. We both ended up giving them up. But I was always happy because I—because I had him. My boy, ol' Raph." He stopped to wipe away some tears. "He was my son," he said with a shaking voice. "I don't care that I am not his father. He was my son. No one can tell me otherwise."

Raven constructed a portal up to Azar's Throne Room within the Azarathean Palace and assisted her with the Sending Ceremony. Garfield, Commander Azula, and Etzel watched from afar as the void beyond the cliff of the edge of New Azarath transfigured into a sea of lilies, a light contrast to the darkening crimson sky of the setting sun. From atop the highest tower in the Palace, Azar and Raven raised a magical orb of light into the air, which slowly glided across the sky towards the sea of lilies. The caskets were awakened by an aura of soft light, and began moving themselves towards the floating orb. Garfield felt a breeze from behind him, paradoxically gentle but strong, as the caskets one by one followed the light off the cliff and onto the sea of lilies. From there, they drifted through slowly but steadily towards the sunset, coasting towards the edge of the horizon until they became no more than specks in the red setting sun. Then a brilliant collection of lights like stars burst from the horizon, illuminating the darkening sky with a multitude of stars. As the sun began to disappear, the sea of lilies began to float into the air, gently gliding upwards towards the night sky until they slowly disappeared one by one, as if they had merged with the stars. The long day was done, and a peaceful night had washed over the city.

"They're gone," Etzel sighed. "I wonder if they'll be alright."

"They will be," Gar nodded, remembering the faces of the ghosts he had seen entering the Phantom Train. "I've seen them with my own eyes. They'll be alright."

…

After the Sending, Raven spoke with Azar, bowing respectfully whenever she felt it necessary. They spoke of many things—of the aftermath of the Second Sorcerer-Demon War, of the future of New Azarath, of the prophecy of the Inheritance, of the defeat of Trigon, among many other things. After they finished speaking, Raven exited Azar's Throne Room and was surprised to find Garfield in the hallway waiting for her.

"Were you waiting all this time?" she asked in surprise.

He shrugged. "Not like I have anything else to do in this alien planet."

She rolled her eyes. "Mars is an alien planet. Tamaran is an alien planet. Krypton is—or was—an alien planet. New Azarath is not an alien planet. It is an interdimensionary world." Gar teased her that it was all the same thing and she replied that they are two very different concepts, thank-you-very-much.

Garfield laughed. "It's good to be back, isn't it? It feels just like eight years ago when we switched back to our original bodies for the first time."

"You mean the night you molested me in my sleep?"

"I kissed you, Raven. It was a kiss, barely even a peck."

The two walked towards a window at the end of the hallway, both gazing outwards towards the night sky, where New Azarath's two moons alighted the darkness.

"Those are the two moons of Azarath," Raven explained. She pointed towards the one that radiated a yellow hue. "That moon we call Celeste." She pointed at the other moon, slightly larger and with a blue hue. "And that moon we call Terra."

Garfield recognized them as the two moons under which he and Raven kissed the night he and her switched bodies, reunited after five years of separation.

"There's an old legend about those two moons," Raven said. "It was said that sometime after Azarath was first formed, a great and powerful demon rose from the depths underneath. A brave warrior named Terra stood against the demon and defeated it. The first Azar, out of great gratitude to the warrior, granted him an elixir of immortality. However, he did not want to become immortal because that would mean his wife, Celeste, would one day die while he kept on living. Wishing instead to live a good life with his wife, he gave the elixir to her to keep. The demon that had attacked him found out about this elixir and it later attacked Celeste. Knowing she could not let a demon become immortal, Celeste drank the entire potion and floated into the heavens, where she took refuge on the moon. Upon hearing this, Terra went to Azar and begged to be taken to his wife. Azar agreed, but let Terra know that he must give up his humanity and mortality. Terra answered that he when he had married Celeste, he had already promised to give up his own life to protect and make her happy, because that was what a marriage was. Azar then cast a spell on Terra that made him immortal and fly up into the heavens, where he took residence on the other moon. Reunited with his lover, Terra asked her why she decided to take refuge on the moon. 'Because,' Celeste answered, 'the moon represents my heart. Love grows and love fades just as the moon waxes and wanes, but it never disappears. Even at nights when it is a new moon and you cannot see the moon in the dark sky, you know that it is still there. Similarly, when we are separated from our loved ones and we cannot see them, that doesn't mean they are gone. We know they are still there, deep within our hearts.' And so, Terra and Celeste lived on the moons forever, their love continuing to shine bright on New Azarath every night."

"Wow," Garfield said. "That's a great story."

"It's still just a story," Raven shrugged. She glanced down at the Lunar Pandora around her neck and remembered she was still carrying the Seven Weapons. "I almost can't believe it's over. I guess I should figure out what to do with these Weapons."

"It's not over yet," Gar suddenly said. "Take off the Ring of Azar for a second, will you?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just do it," he insisted. As she removed the ring from her finger and handed it to him, he gave a smile and got down on one knee.

"Gar… what are you doing?"

"I know we're already engaged, but we never got the chance to do it properly, you know?" he grinned. "Raven, there's nothing I can say now that hasn't been said before. All my life, I never thought I would be so lucky, as to fall in love with you. Through times of difficulty and through times of sadness, happiness and joy, you were my guiding light that shone me the way. And now, I want to protect you like you've protected me. I want to guide you like you've guided me. I want to always be there for you as your guardian angel. I'll be the Terra to your Celeste."

Garfield raised the Ring of Azar to Raven. "I'll get you a real engagement ring later, but for now this will do. I don't know if I can protect you as well as this magical ring. I don't know if I can keep you from being hurt. But what I do know, so clearly now, is that you've made me happier than I ever thought I could be, and if you let me, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. Raven, will you marry me?"

Raven held her breath and unconsciously glanced out the window, gazing at the two moons once more. For a moment, she imagined those moons were her and Gar, always together, always in love, always happy, now and forevermore. She turned back to him, nodded, and answered with all her heart, "Yes, Gar."

With delicacy, he slipped the ring onto her finger. They kissed with passion, each ignoring the bitter salty taste of their tears. Tears meant nothing anymore. It is said that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. It was at this very moment that all of the hurt had vanished, all the scars had erased, and all the pain had disappeared. In the end, love had always and will always find a way.

~Difficult Words to Say~

Ah, the battle is over! For those of you wondering, Arella is certainly alive and well. She'll be returning to New Azarath and will help the world rebuild. And, of course, she and Raven finally reunite as true mother and daughter.

And YES! The person Gar was telling the story to was Raven all along! It was Raven! The narrator was Raven! Plot twist or naw? Some of you have figured it out a while back already, and I congratulate those of you who did. Those of you who didn't, were you guys knocked off your socks? Haha.

The Sending scene partially inspired by Final Fantasy X, Thor: The Dark World, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. But, you know, the rule is if something is copied from at least three sources, it automatically is considered an original idea. ;) Jk jk.

The story is slowly coming to a close, with the next chapter being the last "main" chapter. And it is of course... THE WEDDING! Stay tuned, my dear readers! :)

Kaarlinaa - Yes, there was a game! I said it at the bottom! :( Oh well... I'd say better luck next time but that was the last game I had. Sorry! I hope you liked the result anyway, though.

JasonVUK - It is starting to wind down. Next chapter will be the last "main" chapter, followed by a few epilogue chapters.

Thebookthief18 - Apocalyptic battle to determine the fate of the world? Of course the other Titans MUST take a role! I really tried my best to incorporate as many Titans as possible, especially the ones in the comics that did not appear in the TV show. Haha, and I'm sorry for the loss of your cup, your chair, and your Raphael ;) but all that happened was necessary for the story. And oh, if this ever went to the big screen (highly impossible, of course) I'd sure love to see it. I feel a lot of the scenes would be so much more better visualized than just typed in words. But oh well, I'll leave all the visualizations up to your imagination. :)

CleoArrow - It's a sin to not have a little Deadpool am I right? He's gotten so incredibly popular lately. And a while back I was really planning on killing off both Raphael and Arella, with the Phantom Train taking Arella away after her conversation with Raven, but I felt it would be just too cruel to kill Raven's childhood friend AND her mother like that.

Bluedog197 - That was my goal in the end, that when he dies, the readers would realize that they don't hate him after all. Because he's a good guy! Or I tried really hard to make him like that. Maybe if he reappears in a future fanfic I'll make him a woman-stealing jerk. Hehehe...

BartWLewis - Yes, sir. Even those not born or chosen to be heroes can be heroes if they choose to be! And please let's not quote Barney Stinson. It brings back memories of what a horrible finale How I Met Your Mother had...

Wonderlander - Ah, that's a good question. Various sources, is the answer I would say. Commander Azula's spell comes from an actual spell Raven uses against the Master of Games in the Teen Titans Go! comics. Trigon's Death Curse is a mix of dragon language (from the Elder Scrolls series) and Gaelic, followed by simply the incantation"Azarath Mentrion Zinthos" written backwards. Trigon the Serpent's quotes are purely Latin if I remember correctly. So yeah, various sources. I believe they added a better sense of mysticism that reinforced the magic of Azarath.

lunae57 - Yes, I did my best to add some instances of foreshadowing throughout the story. That being said, I wish I could go back and add some more because honestly a lot of the content in these last few chapters were made up as I went along. (In fact, the whole Inheritance thing wasn't planned to be in this story at all). And well, now you see why Gar was telling the story alone, right? You were in for a shock, weren't ya? ;)