[Chapter 3 - Med Bay]

Sol was watching with intent as the four continued their work. While there were no outside signs of duress or stress, he knew they must be going through memories that Solor would allow them to see. He wondered which memories of himself would be present. Would he show them the time they went to feudal Japan and learned the art of the sword? Or perhaps one of the trips to England? Sol sighed. He was only fooling himself. He knew which memories would be present.

I have made up my mind! I will NEVER be your heir!

Then fall to the humans. Know that if you kill a single one, I will hunt you down and kill you myself.

Sol winced at the harshness of his own words. Now that he was alone, it was alright to reveal his emotions. To be truthful, Sol wished he could take back every word he said to his son. He saw now how righteous he was, and would give anything to make him the next Grand Light of the Circle once again.. He might make the world even better than any Circle before them.

"Um... sorry, am I interrupting something?" came a young voice. Sol jumped slightly, turning to see Cyborg in the doorway. Sol looked a little flustered, surprised that he was caught off guard so easily.

"No, of course not. Come in." He motioned the metal teen over, and looked down at his son. "In all my years... I have never seen Solor look so peaceful and so weak at the same time. Even when he was a whelp, he always held his head up, tall and proud, even when he slept. Now... he is broken. Earth was wrong about him."

"Well, being violated like that would probably break even the strongest will", said Cyborg. "I should know. I used to be the most popular kid at my school. Then the accident happened and... well, let's just say that my personality changed a lot for a while."

"Understandable. Having parts replaced with plastic or metal... it is not unheard of in Lair. But we tend to avoid using prosthetics. They can lead to complications."

Cyborg looked curious, and Sol smiled. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Well... I gotta admit, there's a lot of things I wanna know. How long have dragons been around?"

"Since the creation of this world. Once the First calmed the elements, and in turn, the elements created us, we knew right away that our job was to keep this world in balance. The first Circle was born just before the dawn of the dinosaurs."

"Wow... so how long do dragons normally live?"

"Around two thousand years, give or take a few hundred", Sol answered, smiling sadly. "My mate lived to be fifteen hundred and forty-one. Needless to say, she was rather young... she grew ill when Solor was only five hundred, and grew weaker with time. She did not tell anyone though. While her body became withered, her heart was strong, and she could not bear saddening both my son and myself."

Cyborg thought a moment, then finally asked what he really wanted to know. "So... what was Solor like as a kid... err, whelp... hatchling?"

Sol laughed a bit, and shook his head. "Sadly, I was not there for his early years. As I am the Grand Light of the Circle, my duties kept me from being a good father for him as a child." He turned to Cyborg, and smiled sadly. "I think it is time someone outside of Solor's blood should know about his past. If you wish, I will tell you about Solor's time in Lair. And if you wish, you may record this."

Cyborg, understanding the honor that was being given to him, silently started recording. Sol sighed once more.

"The story I am telling is that of Starborn 'Solor' of the Light. It begins seven hundred and fifty years ago, in a land you may have never heard of known only to us as Lair..."

It was a good thing that no one else was there. Now Sol could finally make peace with his sins as Edward, the Ravens, and Starfire began their final descent into Solor's psyche.

[Solor's Mind]

As the group traveled further into Solor's mind, it was obvious they no longer were in the happier memories. Bits and pieces of a few memories were found all around them, but claw marks showed that these memories were broken and unrepairable, seeing as they were only portioned.

"I think we're getting close to the source", said Rachel. "Keep an eye out, everyone. We don't know if Solor's defenses will let us go further without a fight."

Edward nodded, as did Starfire. Raven, meanwhile, was keeping an eye on Iilahkun, who was still following them.

"What could we expect?" Edward asked her.

"I don't know," Raven replied, "Judging from the memories that are scarred, it's safe to assume that possibly Solor was drugged. Nothing here is intact."

"Moonlight?" Edward asked, "You knew Solor the best when you were alive, is there anything that you can tell us? How will his mind react now that we're past the good times and the darker times before the Grand Light and Solor had this rift? Will this stay as just a playback or will we have to convince him to help? How dangerous will this be?

"The reason I am asking is my priority is protecting my mate if something comes our way that she cannot handle. I know Starfire and the second Raven will have each other's backs as well."

"The biggest concern I have," Iilahkun said, "Is with Kreinyol. As you've already put together, this Dark Dragoness assumed her form and convinced him that she was ready. They mated and she reverted to her true form. But, the time he spent in their clutches broke his willpower. Earth was wrong."

Edward recalled what the leader of the Earth Clan said and nodded in agreement.

"He was messed with by Mad Mod and Slade as well into thinking that we were his enemy," Raven pointed out. "I wonder if that had anything to do with now."

"It's possible," Edward said, "That's his weak spot, I fear. Get into his head and we're seeing the results. The only difference is that we're in his head to help him, not hurt him. I just hope that things don't get to the point where memory constructs are not just not 3-D images that are harmless and are turned to something a lot harder to deal with. Would he accidentally wipe out part of who Solor is? Or worse, erase his feelings for Starfire?"

"I hope not," was the grim reply, "He hasn't even let me in to see, he's so ashamed of what happened. His pride is shattered and he fears that he is mated to the dragoness instead of Starfire."

"That cannot be!" Starfire said, anger tinting her voice, "Solor is mine and I am his. I will fight this dark being if I must."

"You certainly have the right to the revenge," Edward said after a moment, "I know that neither of you will cheat on the other intentionally, and I would kick Solor's rump if he ever did, and I know Raven here would kick yours if you cheated on him. Then again, Cyborg would act as well, I think. He's just as protective as you two in any universe, looks like."

The scene shifted again, though. This time, the memory looked intact enough to view and digest.

Solor was waking up, it seemed. And he looked rather surprised as he looked around into his surroundings. "The Dark! Where did they-"

"They are gone", said a familiar voice, and everyone turned to see Starfire sitting in a chair nearby. "You are safe, Boyfriend Solor."

Solor visibly relaxed upon seeing his girlfriend, but something didn't sit well with him. Something was saying to fear her, to kill her. And he quelled that thought almost immediately. "Kreinyol... you are here... did you and the others find me?"

"It took some time, but yes, we did", said Starfire. "I was most worried about you. They did not harm you, did they?"

"Of course they did..." Solor said. "I was knocked out during our mission with Brother Blood... they hurt me, tried to kill me... but my scales are too hard, and their flames are too weak." Solor smirked. "They tried, but none can match my might."

"No, they can't", Starfire giggled, whilst the real was fuming. "Now, you are safe back in Titans Tower. And... I must admit, I thought a lot about you while you were missing."

"Oh?" Solor asked. "And what did you think about?"

"Your touch", came the sultry reply. "The way you excite me. I was so lonely those nights... and I swore that I would get you back. And now, now that I have you... I want to be yours, and yours alone."

Solor gulped, noticing that she was swaying her hips as she approached him. A nagging feeling hit him in the back of his head, but he ignored it. "K-Kreinyol, my love... are you s-saying...?"

"Indeed, my love", came the fake Starfire's reply. "I am ready to be your mate."

"B-But what of the others? Surely they will-" His words were silenced by her finger pressing against his lips.

"They are out", said the dragoness in disguise. "It is just you and I. Please... Solor... I need this. I want to be yours, as much as you wish to be mine. If we go through with this... I will never have to fear of losing you again. So..." she said, taking his hand and placing it on her heart, "what is your answer?"

Solor's reply was to crash his lips onto hers, pulling her onto the bed that he was on. She let out a surprised squeak, but soon returned the affection. After a few moments of fumbling, Starfire's uniform was seen flying across the room, along with Solor's shirt and shorts, as the memory began to blur, claws starting to tear through it. An anguished cry was heard in the mind of Solor, shocking the group.

"What is that?" Raven said once the scream was silenced.

"That was Boyfriend Solor!" Starfire cried out, looking around. "Are we close to him?! SOLOR!"

Edward, however, stopped her, and held her still. "Starfire, we can't. If we mess with anything now, while he's at his weakest, we could severely harm him! He may forget pieces of his life, or worse, his emotional bonds to all of us! We have to see this through!"

"No!" Starfire said, trying to pull free. "I cannot! I cannot see Solor go through with this, not while he needs me!"

Rachael used her powers to hold Starfire still, frowning. "I'm sorry, Starfire... but we need to know what broke him."

Starfire wailed in anguish, though. It was clear that Solor was protecting them from an X-Rated porno for some reason that only he knew. Edward's heart broke for his friend as he and his wife were forced to hold a very upset Starfire back.

He started to hum that calming tune again and again, it worked to calm the rage that she was feeling.

Finally, the memory began to focus, just as a cry of pure pleasure echoed throughout the mind of Solor. When it was focused once again, Solor and the fake Starfire were laying in the bed, tangled up in the sheets, and panting heavily, their faces and naked bodies flush and glistening with sweat. The real Starfire could only stare in a horrified defeat, watching the memory with utmost despair.

"Kreinyol..." panted Solor. "That was..."

"... Amazing", the dragoness said. "If I had known... it would be like this... I should have surrendered to you months ago." She then turned to look up at him. "But... you are not done. Do you not need to mark me?"

Solor nodded, and began reaching down with his claw. The real Starfire was watching, silently shaking her head, begging to herself to look away.

Then Solor stopped.

All of the alarms in his head returned with a vengeance.

How did she know I was supposed to mark her as my mate?

How did she know where to find me?

How did she know what a Dark dragon looks like?

Oh no... I didn't...

I did.

Solor began to growl, and his eyes went from green to blood red, showing his utmost rage. "WHO ARE YOU?!" he roared, bringing his claws down and grabbing her by the hair, pulling her up as she let out a pained cry. "You are NOT my Kreinyol! I never told her I had to mark her as my mate!"

The fake Starfire, despite being in pain, grinned in triumph. "Ha! So you're not as dumb as you look, you goody two shoes!" She suddenly lashed out, striking him hard in the nose and actually breaking it. Solor howled as he let her go, falling back into the bed as he held his nose. "Still pretty dumb, though. You should have known I wasn't your precious bitch."

Solor winced, and sat back up, turning into his scaled form. "I won't ask again. Who are you?!"

"Seriously? I break your nose and you still have the nerve to ask the girl you just fucked who she is?" Starfire let out an evil laugh, as her voice began to morph and change, along with her body. Soon, black scales began to cover her body, and her hair turned just as dark as the night sky. Wings sprouted from her back, and a tail from the base of her spine. Soon, her transformation was complete, as Solor stared in horror. "I'm your mate, Starborn. Say hello to Vilea, Heir to the Darkness!"

Solor stared in horror at her, looking her up and down. "A-A Dark Dragoness?! I mated with a Dark Dragoness?!"

"Yep", came Vilea's true voice, an octave lower than Starfire's. "I can't believe you fell for it, you fool! Father told me to watch you two, and I thought that there was no way I could pull it off, but I did! And now, your part in the story is done." Vilea soon placed her hand on her "mate's" neck, beginning to squeeze. "But I suppose you want some answers. I'll give them to you, seeing as you're about to die.

"I'm sure you know of Trigon, correct? Well, with your return and that other Dragon's interference, we've decided the prophecy of the Gem will take too long. So, we're going to fast forward the plan. But in order to do that, we need the birth of the first true Twilight dragon. And we decided that you're the perfect father for such a beautiful abomination." She patted her stomach. "And, as you guessed, I'm the perfect mother. So, it was only a matter of watching you and your alien girlfriend, seeing how you interact, her mannerisms... and now that I have your seed, I can lay the egg that means the end of this world."

Solor was staring, choking, struggling to survive as she explained her story. He closed his eyes, trying to pull her arm away as she whispered into his ear. "Such a shame, though. If only you were a dark dragon... or better yet, a human. Then I could keep you as a toy. In fact..." The dragoness suddenly let him go, leaving him to cough on the floor. "I won't kill you. You're way too good to let go like that... I think I'll keep you. Work on you. Break you." She turned around. "Not that it'll take much. After all... even the Earth crumbles at the power of Darkness."

The door closed, and Solor's fate was sealed.

Day after day, he was forced to mate with Vilea repeatedly. She'd come to him when he least expected it, mainly in his sleep, to the point that he refused to sleep. But then she began to drug his food, and soon his water, until finally, after a week of torture, Solor's will finally broke.

The Light dragon lay there, on the floor, finally broken, when Vilea entered, letting out a disappointed groan. "Aw... have you finally had enough? After only a week?" She walked over, inspecting him. "Yep... you can't even function anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if you withered away." She turned away, and began to speak in the dragon tongue. "What use do I have for a Light mosquito that can't even fly anymore?"

The words struck a cord. Finally, Solor recognized her.

Possess... Raven... Edward... Friend... help... escape... Escape. ESCAPE! NO MORE!

As if a switch was flipped, Solor activated his Blessing of Light. But instead of using it to fight, he used it to run. He blew past Vilea, who was thrown into a wall by the wind he generated. Once she recovered, she let out an angry roar, alerting the rest of the dragons. But she was too late. Solor was loose, and making his way out of their hideout. Before anyone could react, he'd knock them out of the way, not attacking a single one, only thinking of his home, his friend that could help him, his one chance at freedom from this hell.

The scene faded, but the emotions hit them all like a wave, washing over them.

Anger. He had been tricked. She took on the form of one he loved, and insulted her.

Disgust. She was Darkness, and the egg she was going to lay would be an abomination.

Despair. He had given up his virginity to Vilea. He could never take that moment back.

Fear. Starfire... never... love... monster...

Those four words kept echoing as the scenery faded, and finally, Solor's true psyche was visible. He was as thin as he was in reality, and he was murmuring to himself. He was trying desperately to pick up small shards of glass with human hands, constantly cutting himself but too far gone to notice or even care. He had gathered them all into a pile, but still there were tiny shards all around him, and the more he gathered, the more he seemed to fall into despair.

"What have I done?" he said aloud, his voice laced with the four residual emotions. "What have I done?"

Edward spoke up, "Solor?"

Solor looked up and saw the five guests there. His face twisted into rage as he realized his inner mind was breached. What was worse, though, he saw Starfire there and let out a roar.

"YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME!" he screamed.

"Solor," Edward said, "It's going to be all right. We know how bad you are hurting. We want to help you, like you asked us to. The First heard your prayers."

"How dare you blaspheme the First's name?!" Solor snarled, "The First has abandoned me to the Darkness."

"Boyfriend Solor," Starfire pleaded, "Please listen. I am in the love with you. Don't beat yourself up anymore. I am here now and I am real."

"You can't be real, Dark wench!" Solor growled, "You fooled me once, Traitor! You're not going to fool me again!" He moved to attack the group, morphing into his battle form.

Edward thought quickly and said, "Fire a starbolt, NOW! I'm the target." He risked morphing to his smaller dragon form and Starfire quickly realized that Vilea didn't have a Tamaranian's powers anymore than Edward could duplicate Terra's and fired a starbolt into Edward's side, garnering a grunt from the dragon.

Solor looked at the display and looked confused.

Does Vilea know how to use Kreinyol's powers?

Could this be Edward willingly letting himself be hit with starbolts?

Am I seeing two Ravens?

Who is this other woman? She looks like ... my mother!

Edward returned to him human form and looked at the shards and realized something.

"The shards," he said, "Represent Solor's remaining will, I think."

Rachael replied, "I think you're right. The question here is, how do we pick up these pieces?"

"We can't," Raven replied, "He has to do a lot of the work himself. But, we can help put these pieces back together in this sense: Show him that he is still loved. We were shown all these memories for a reason."

Solor was still confused. Was he imagining things or was this a dream? He stepped over to the group and looked at them closely. There was a black scorch mark where Starfire's bolt had hit Edward. He reached over to Starfire and as soon as there was skin to skin contact, Raven pointed at the shards and her jaw dropped!

The glass was starting to mend itself. Pieces were moving around like a jigsaw puzzle and the pieces were starting to come back together.

Solor went to Edward and said, "This isn't a dream, is it?"

"Yes and No," came the reply, "We are in your mind, yes, and to you, this is a dream. To all of us, this isn't a dream. We're only here to help you recover now."

"Where were you all before?" Solor asked.

"We were looking for you," Raven replied, "We're sorry that we couldn't get there in time."

Solor snorted, "Yeah, 'sorry'. That doesn't undo the damage done, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Rachael replied, "I've had my mind and will just as broken before. I did not want the prophecy to come true, but, it did and I had to pick up the pieces to recover."

Solor, however, surprised them as he latched onto both Raven and Starfire. "I... I feel so violated", he said. "I do not know what to do... how to feel... but that week... I..."

Starfire placed a hand onto her boyfriend's back. "We are here for you. It is alright. Let it go."

At the prompt of Starfire, Solor's emotions finally broke the dam. He began to really cry for the first time in his life since his mother died. As the tears from his eyes hit the floor, the pieces of glass began to bring themselves together that much faster.

"I'm sorry", he said, his voice laced with sobs. "I'm so sorry, Kreinyol... I betrayed you. I've been... tainted... I was so desperate to mate with you, I ignored the warnings that my mind gave me...You must think I am a monster. If you hate me, I will understand someday."

Starfire smiled, and soon pulled Solor into a true hug. "It is okay, my love. I forgive you. You were tricked into the mating... and she violated you in ways I would never wish upon my enemies. The only thing that matters... is that you are sorry. You are not a tainted monster, Boyfriend Solor. And I will always love you."

Solor wept more, as the shards of glass soon formed together. It was then revealed that the pieces of glass were actually a part of a picture. In the center of the picture stood Solor, in his prime and standing tall and proud. Beside him were all the allies and friends he had made over the years. And apparently, something was supposed to be watching over them, as there was a shadow at the top of the picture, but no one filling the spot.

"It's not complete", Edward said, "but this must be what he values most. Solor, why did this break?"

Solor had finally calmed down enough that he could talk coherently, and he turned to Edward. "It is... precious to me." He placed his hand on the dragon in the picture. "I have met so many strange and wonderful people... and I feared that they would hate me. I did this to myself because I was so afraid of what my friends... my family would think if they knew I was weak enough to get tricked by Darkness."

Raven took her turn, and hugged Solor, surprising him. "Who told me that love is our greatest weakness and our greatest weapon?" she asked, her voice muffled slightly as she held tightly onto him. "Who told me that it wouldn't be the first time or the last that loving someone has gotten another into trouble?"

Solor thought back and realized it was he who said that to her a while back as he returned her hug.

Edward picked up the picture with extreme care, and saw himself, the Titans from his universe next to their counterparts (well, Nightwing was there, Robin was missing, but with room for him). His mom was there in a hybrid form, and he realized that the shadow was Sol.

By then, Rachael had also gone over and given Solor a hug as well, adding her stamp of approval.

"Please, don't remove these feelings," Solor pleaded with her, knowing that she would try.

"I won't," she replied, understanding why, "Just know that that you have to forgive yourself as well, Starborn."

"I do not know if I can," Solor wept, "I failed to control my baser urges and was raped so many times, I lost count. I've let my father down, again. And insulted the memory of my mother."

"Starborn," his mother said, surprising him, "it's all right. I have to forgive you because you are my son. I want to forgive you because it is the right thing to do. Didn't I teach you that love forgives all?" She went over and hugged Solor and that caused him to break down all over again.

Even Edward was moved and intentionally waited to go last, but, when it was his turn, he hugged Solor and said, "You've been through Hell, my friend. Forgive yourself, and, there's someone else you need to forgive and once that is done, this picture will be complete."

"I don't know if I can forgive him," Solor said.

"Your father cares about you," Edward said, "in our journey down memory lane, you reacted out of anger a few times, right? Words said in anger can be forgiven. Give Sol another chance to apologize. Didn't you tell Robin that he's a big enough Dragon to say 'I am sorry, please forgive my words.'"?

Solor replied, "I did. And he did, in his own way. I rejected that because he would not allow me to mourn."

"It's not too late," his mother said, "Sol cared enough about you to summon your friends from the other universe."

Hearing that brought more of Solor's pain to the surface. And as he finally vented that, he knew he would tell Sol that he would forgive him and tell him that, if he was found worthy again, he would be honored to be the Heir to the Light, the shadow in the picture cleared up a bit to reveal Sol. It wasn't totally clear, but, it was obvious.

[Med Bay]

Sol had spent the time telling Cyborg the story of Solor as well, and, while Cyborg was angry at how bad the conflict resolution failed, he kept his opinion to himself. Both were grieving the losses and for Sol, he knew that he messed up and needed to tell Solor that he was also forgiven. It was time to tear out that root of bitterness between father and son. The thing is: Would Solor want to hear the apology?

Solor's eyes opened slowly and slowly sat up. He saw Starfire, both Ravens and Edward there, still in their trances. Then, he saw Sol there and hung his head, not wanting to look at his father.

"Starborn," Sol said, "Look at me, son. I've made a terrible mistake. I want to apologize to you for all the pain you've gone through. I'm so sorry, my son, and I forgive you for everything."

Solor looked at his father in mild surprise and nodded.

"I am the one who needs to apologize, Father," he said, "I brought all this on myself. Father, I'm so sorry, for everything. And, I forgive you. When I am allowed to return, I would want to be the Heir to the Light again."

Sol nodded, "I would be honored to have you back as my rightful heir. I never heard those words spoken in anger and grief."

[Mindscape]

The picture of Sol fully reappeared as Edward and the others watched. Edward smiled and realized that it was time to depart. The mission was quite successful and that put Edward's mind at ease.

"I think it's time," Edward said, "We've done all that we can here. The picture proves it."

"You are right," his mother said as they found themselves back in the initial cave, but, this time, there was only one route available and that was back to their bodies.

"Thanks for your help," Raven said.

Edward gave Solor's mother a hug and said, "If I am allowed, I will visit your grave and pay my respects."

"I would like that," she said, "But, you need to be going. You all will be needed in the waking world soon."

"Farewell," Starfire said and headed back to her body, the others right behind her as the cave closed up. They would not be going back anytime soon.

[Med bay]

The four returnees opened their eyes and broke the circle.

"What a trip," Edward said with a smile.

Solor looked at his friends and gave a weak smile in return.

"Thank you," he said, "For everything."

"Thank your dad," Edward said, "He was the one who had Rachael and I summoned."

Solor's face paled as he realized that Trigon was coming, and sooner than expected.

"Get Robin and the others," he said.

Cyborg got up to get the others and returned in a few moments.

After seeing that Solor was awake and actually responsive, they were floored with what Solor said.

"Trigon is coming."

"Edward, didn't you say that we had until Raven's 18th Birthday? That's not for another year or more!" Robin objected.

"In my team's history, yes, that's true," Edward replied, "From what we know, when Raven opened the Tear of Oblivion to recover Solor and Starfire, it accelerated someone's schedule. We need to prepare, now.

"Grand Light, I must respectfully advise you to alert the Circle and all Dragons in Lair...Prepare for war. Trigon is nobody to mess around with. I know from experience.

"But, how he will get here, I don't know. I killed him in my universe with my bare hands. No time to ponder that, though. Whoever is about to summon Trigon has a week's head start.

"Rachael, get hold of Nightwing and tell him that we are staying and get the instructions for that safe room they built. Tell them that Trigon is coming sooner than expected."

Sol said, "I will depart for Lair shortly, but, I would like you to accompany me. The Circle will need to get more information and, well, you and your mate are the only once that can be spared, correct?"

"Rachael needs to stay here, Sol, and help prepare the Teen Titans on what to expect. I shall go with you though. I've fought Trigon and got lucky there. But, between us, Sol...I will want something in exchange: Solor gets the Circle to allow him visits home, say, once or twice a year for a couple of days and to not get in the way of his romance with Starfire. I will fight regardless of the Circle's decision, though. This needs not be brought up to them."

Sol said, "I shall consider it, Edward. I don't know if they will agree to this, as the leader of the Death clan was furious. Starborn knows he was lucky he lived after that."

Raven, though, looked frightened for the first time in her life, a fact noticed by everyone.

"Guys," she said, "Just because Trigon was defeated in another universe doesn't mean he can be beaten here. He cannot even be injured."

"Trust me," Rachael said, "Father can indeed be hurt. Edward, would you..."

Edward nodded and said, "Sure."

His form shimmered as he shapeshifted to a small copy of Trigon, minus the horns.

"Edward never saw Trigon with his horns," Rachael explained, "When they battled, the horns had not even grown back. He's vulnerable to attack before he regains his strength." Edward morphed back as the extra set of eyes was disconcerting to him, to say the least.

"Once Rachael gets the information for Raven's safe room, she's going to have to use it. We need to-"

Solor shook his head, letting out a snort. "No. No safe rooms, no protecting Raven. They are not planning on using her... at least, as far as my... attacker, has said." He explained everything as best as he could. "Apparently, my whelp... the one that will be born of both Light and Dark... they are part of the key to summon Trigon. From what I understand, Raven's eighteenth birthday is going to take too long for them. They want Trigon here... now. And I think it will begin as soon as Vilea lays that abomination."

"Vilea?" Sol asked, furious. "So... it was the Traitor's spawn that raped you..."

"Yes", said Solor, finally coming clean. "During Brother Blood's attack on Titan's East, I was kidnapped, beaten, tortured... then one day, I awoke to find myself in what I thought was this very room of our tower. Vilea, disguised as Kreinyol, convinced me that my team had saved me, and that she was ready to become my mate. I may have given her a chance at an egg, but before I could mark her as my mate, she slipped up her disguise, and I found out who she was. She... she visited me many times, until my mind was so broken, I do not even know how I escaped." He turned to his father. "The Traitor... he's still alive, isn't he?"

"He never passed on his title as Grand Darkness", said Sol. "Likely... it is the same Dragon who staged a rebellion millions of years ago."

"Wait, whoa", Cyborg started. "I thought you said dragons don't live for more than a couple thousand years?"

"That is for basic dragons", said Solor. "The members of the Circle... they are immortal, in all meanings of the word. They cannot die until their title has been passed on. Grand Earth and Death are well over Edward's age."

Edward's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me -"

"Yes, Edward, we are the ones who sent you to the other universe," Sol said. Edward found a chair and sat down.

"Are you all right?" Rachael asked.

"I don't know," Edward said. He was floored to know that not only were their other immortal dragons, but, that he was talking to one of those responsible for his entire life in another realm.

"Edward," Solor said, "There's no time for you to process or meditate on this. Vilea will be laying the egg within a week or two, maybe more than one! But, all it takes is one to hatch for a Twilight Dragon to be born. A dragon I will not want and the Circle may insist on it being killed."

"We'll worry about that later, Solor," Sol said, "Edward's right. The Circle must be appraised of the threat.

Solor piped up for a moment, though.

"Father, please, tell Grand Death that I am deeply sorry for attacking him and hope that he can forgive me someday. I know now that my actions were inexcusable. Granted, given how angry he was that day..." Solor rubbed his face, remembering how hot those flames were that day.

Solor nodded. "I will relay your message, my son. Edward... we must depart. I will cast the Tear that shall take us to Lair shortly. I do not know how long this meeting will last... the others may not be so willing to take on this threat themselves. Therefore... you may want to prepare for anything."

Edward nodded, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be. But, if there is time, I do have a personal favor to ask: I'd like to honor your mate."

Sol looked surprised but nodded, "That's doable. But, why?"

"Because the mate of the Grand Light should be honored," Edward replied.

Sol nodded and said in the ancient tongue, "Oo, Diist! Vos mii daal wah kolos faal Dovah lahney! Bex Nu! Luv do Oblivion!" [English: "Oh, First! Let us return to where the Dragons live! Open Now! Tear of Oblivion!"]

As they watched, the Tear opened and Sol said, "Follow me, Edward."

"I'll be back, folks," Edward said, and gave Rachael a quick hug and followed Sol through the Tear.

After they emerged, Edward looked around in renewed awe as the scene he saw in Solor's mind did not do justice to what he saw. Dragons of all sizes were flying around, but, still keeping to their own types. An Earth Dragon was resting in a mountain and, to Edward's eye, it was likely the same one from Solor's memories.

"Welcome Home, Edward," Sol said warmly, "I would like you to follow me to the Circle, but, we'll stop at my mate's resting place first."

Edward went to his usual dragon form and as Sol also went to his dragon form, they took to the air and headed towards a secluded spot.

It took some time, but, eventually they landed at a spot covered with rocks and a headstone that read "In Memory of the Light of the Moon."

Edward knelt down and he said, "You will not remember me. But, I wanted to pay my respect and honor your life. I am a friend of Starborn's from the human world and he has learned to calm his anger, thanks in part to his love for you and for another who could not be here.

"Starborn is still exiled from his home, I regret to say. But, he finally granted your last request and forgave your mate, and Sol has also forgiven him as well. Sol and I have to tell the Circle some bad news, though, but, I will say that I see your son's exile ending one day. Moonlight, you would be so proud of the fine Dragon he's become. And, thank you. I know it will sound weird, but he's learning to channel his rage and to fight for another instead of himself.

"May you Rest in the Peace of the First."

Edward looked at Sol and said, "Thank you."

Sol, who had not visited his mate's resting place since Solor told him where to stick it, nodded and said, "I need to visit here more often."

"If we don't stop Trigon, there won't be another chance, Grand Light," Edward said.

"That serious?" Sol said, the threat sinking in further.

"Yes, it's world ending serious. Pay your respects, Sol," Edward suggested, "I know that you probably did not get to because of your problems with Starborn."

Sol went to his mate's grave site while Edward respected the elder dragon's privacy.

Five minutes later, Sol returned.

"We must hurry," Sol said.

The two dragons took wing and headed for the dormant volcano in the distance for a meeting that would change the course of an entire species that pre-dated the dinosaurs.