Chapter 5
[Titan's Tower - Ops Center]
Edward stepped out of the Tear of Oblivion and was back into his human form, having morphed in transit. He was instantly tackled not by his wife, but Starfire!
"Well, hello to you too," he said smiling.
Starfire said, "Your mission was successful, no?"
"Let me up, please," he said, "There is a lot that I must discuss and not much time, I fear." Starfire let him up and they all sat down at the big couch.
"As Rachael relayed to you all: The Circle has declared open war on Trigon and the Dark Dragons," Edward said, "In the end, only the leader of the Death Dragons voted against war, preferring to defend their homeland. But, after the vote was taken, I shot a full powered lightning blast after Sol announced that they were at war. Next thing I knew, many dragons were approaching me and averting their gaze, as if I were a member of the Circle!
"I'm the commanding general, looks like, of the Dragon's defense as the other dragons said that while I was an outsider, they would want me to lead them."
Solor said, "I am not overly surprised. Remember when I told you we respect strength in the broods?"
"Yes," Edward said, "That's exactly what happened. It was a show of respect. But, there's already been a price paid. Solor, the volcano where the Circle meets is no more. Grand Earth destroyed it when he agreed to go to war by merely standing up."
"Damn," Solor whistled, "He's the largest of all and for him to actually stand up and tear apart the center of Lair..."
"Rachael, did you tell Solor any good news right before I came back?" Edward asked.
"No, sweetheart. That's for you to tell him," she said.
"Starborn, Heir to the Light," Edward said, "I am delighted to tell you: Your banishment is over. Your presence is direly needed in this war as is your experience. This comes directly from Grand Earth himself. You see, the Circle is making an exception to the banishment rules. And, I would be honored if you would fight by my side, along with your brothers in arms."
"I bet the leader of the Death Clan objected to that idea," Solor said, "That old idiot still hasn't forgiven me."
"His objection was noted, but, Life talked him into a grudging acceptance," Edward said, "but, his biggest objection is highly prejudicial. He considers you to be a Breed Traitor as you feared. I suggested he keep that opinion to himself. I do not wish for our alliance to be sunk because Starfire decided to attack that Dragon.
"That reminds me: Star, I know how deep your love is for Solor, but, for the sake of all, when we all visit Lair when we defeat Trigon: Don't take offense if Solor is still seen as a breed traitor. I know it is as offensive to you as being called a troq ... Yes, I know it means that you are called 'nothing' by others. You are far from that in my eyes and everyone here as well values you immensely. I have to ask you to overlook the slur against Solor. Then again, if all goes according to plan, this may be a non-issue."
"I'll try," she said, "But, I do not like that Boyfriend Solor would be called a traitor of the breed."
"Guys," he said, "I know more of my history as well. I am of Solor's species. My mother apparently was desperate to conceive and mated with probably all the clans producing a perfect, one of a kind hybrid. She finally laid a single egg: mine. That's why I have all these gifts."
Solor said, "That's not possible! There shouldn't be any hybrids. I told you that."
"Yet, here I am," Edward replied, "The Circle recognized me as the same hatchling that they sent away. The Darkness tried to kidnap me and the Circle had no choice but to send me there."
"Glorious!" Starfire cheered, "Please, is there a chance for you to see your k'norfka?"
"Probably not," Edward said, "From what they told me, she begged to be sent to where I was and when she was denied...she tried to cast a Tear of Oblivion anyway."
"So," Solor said, "She is either somewhere in the future or another universe."
"Yes," Edward said, "She was about 2,000 years old when I was hatched, so, even if she were alive, she'd be weak. I do want to try to find her, of course. Life said that she...that she..." He broke down then and wept for the mother who gave him his life.
Rachael pulled him into her arms as did Starfire. Both just let him release the tide of emotions. Then, the other Teen Titans who didn't know Edward joined the group hug, especially Robin of all people! The Boy Wonder understood all too well the pain Edward was feeling. It took several long minutes before Edward could speak again.
"She'd be very proud of you," Rachael said, finishing her husband's thought. Edward nodded. Cyborg got up and retrieved something for Edward to drink, which was gratefully accepted.
"Sol has a request of you, Robin," Edward said, "Trigon is not likely to know that Rachael is here and that gives us a tactical advantage. Sol would like her to lead the Teen Titans during this crisis. She's already been through what is coming and can lead the resistance from the human side.
"Rachael, you need to convince allies to join us and within the next two weeks. Go to the Justice League here and make the case that we need them badly. They might not want to help due to your heritage. In fact, be open about it. Tell them everything. Including what I am and that I am on their side
"We may have to bring our Titans over here as well and knowing Nightwing, he will have the guys ready to cross over here regardless.
"I am leading the defense for the Dragons and will be on their front. Sol raised a good point: Sweetheart, during the fight, I cannot afford to be distracted worrying about you. And our link has to stay in either a passive mode or disabled completely. Trigon cannot realize that there are two of you here. We might lose Raven regardless, even though this is ahead of schedule."
"What do you mean?" Terra asked.
"No harm is telling you now: In my universe, Raven became the portal that allowed Trigon entry. She is the gem and once Trigon is summoned, there is a chance that her powers will be stripped from her and she will be reverted to a child of five years old, if we're lucky.
"Another possibility, though, is that they cannot use her, but Solor's Twilight hatchling instead, as he mentioned before. Solor, any idea how many eggs Vilea may lay?"
"She was fertile, Edward," Solor replied glumly, "She could lay either one egg or as many as a dozen. Each one an abomination in the eyes of the Circle. No offense." Solor was aware that for Edward to even exist that he was a blend of all the clans, not just a Light and Dark dragon.
Edward shrugged off the implication, though.
Robin wasn't sure about letting Raven's counterpart lead the team, though. He was conflicted about the whole deal as he'd been the group leader since they started.
"Robin," Edward said, picking up on his hesitation, "Rachael is the best one right now to lead. Even Batman would tell you that the one with the best experience should lead. She won't need to go on any normal missions. And, I would prefer that she not, to keep the civilians from knowing that Raven has a twin here. If the local media doesn't know this, all the better. So, this means that while she is working on getting allies and coordinating with the Dragons to make sure that we're not stepping on toes here, you're still in charge of the regular missions that will come up. Fair enough?"
Robin had nothing to counter that, so, he nodded, "That'll work, I guess."
"Something else," Edward said, "Right now, the general population is not aware of the existence of Dragons. That will likely change if Trigon doesn't petrify the population like he's done on other worlds. Sol told the population that the Dawn of Dragons had arrived."
"You mean that they are coming out into the open?" Beast Boy asked, "Won't that like, freak people out?"
"Exactly, elf," Solor said, "Dragons have, until today, stayed hidden and not interfering in the affairs of humanity. Edward, you must have really sold the Circle to undertake this. I am surprised at that one."
"I am too," Edward said, "I expected to have to do more to convince them. Initially, it did not look that good, but, after I painted a picture of the Earth under Trigon's control, all but the Death Clan voted in favor of maintaining the balance that they have achieved here.
"Well, that and showing them Trigon. I think that helped to convince most of them.
"But, the fact remains that the population will initially be panicked, but, I know humanity will grow and adapt.
"Titans, we are in this until the end. Until this war is over...and believe me, it is a war, rest will come hard. If this is the same Trigon that I defeated in my universe, he will come prepared. He will also have allies and minions to bring to the fight. Vilea and her father have lost their element of surprise and I pray they are not aware of that.
"Rachael and Raven, you both need to be ready at a moment's notice to keep the team from being petrified. Rachael, teach your counterpart, if necessary on how to transfer some of your power to them and how to use that power. Her powers are based on emotion, very much like Starfire's powers are based on her emotions. You will not be able to protect the civilians from being turned to stone, so, do not even try. It might be better for them in the long run."
"You're taking this personally?" Raven asked.
Edward nodded, "I won't deny that, Raven. I just discovered that this is my home...the world in which I was born into and I have a duty to protect it like I help protect my adopted world. Solor would tell you that when one is part of the will of the First...who you all call God or in Star's case, X'hal...one goes along with the plan. That is what I am doing now, friends. If Trigon is the one from my universe, he will have learned from his overconfidence. He won't make the same mistakes twice."
"I will want to get some alone time with Rachael, after tonight, we may not be together for a long time."
"We already have a room ready," Robin said, "it's soundproofed, just in case." Both Edward and his wife blushed heavily. Solor chuckled, remembering when they got it on one night.
Solor, meanwhile, was thinking hard about everything. The war, the offer his family was giving him... so much was changing himself. The question he was wondering about was whether or not he deserved this second chance back into his home... or if he wanted to continue to try to return. After all, he had made his home here. But now he was risking it all because he had fought so hard to protect it. Perhaps it was best to sit on the sidelines...
"Boyfriend Solor?" asked Starfire, looking concerned. Solor looked to his girlfriend briefly, before he lowered his eyes. She frowned, and took a hold of his hands. "I am sorry, everyone... but I need to speak to Boyfriend Solor alone", she apologized, before she began walking towards her room. Robin looked like he wanted to stop them, but Raven put a hand on his shoulder, silencing him.
"It's probably best to leave them alone for now", said the young witch. "They probably need to talk about what we saw in Solor's head."
"Was it... really that bad?" Terra asked, looking worried.
"He was forced to mate with this... Vilea several times a day for a week", Edward responded. "He is in a very emotional state... there is no telling what he will say or do. And there's no way to tell what Starfire will try to ease his pain."
"You mean... she might...?" said Beast Boy, wincing a bit. "Will he be... in the mood, after all of that? I wouldn't if I were him..."
Cyborg shook his head. "It's up to those two. This might test their relationship to its limits for now." He turned to Rachel, sighing. "We might want to get to work. We're gonna need as much help as possible. We'd best contact any heroes we can."
Edward nodded. "Let's get to work then." However, he had to admit, even if only Rachel could hear it, he was hoping that Solor and Starfire would be alright.
"Who should we contact, though?" Beast Boy asked.
"For one your friends in the Doom Patrol," Edward said, "Then, Titans East as I know you have already helped them to get started. I'm going to give you a list of people to contact as well who I think will be of immense assistance. Then, the Justice League and hope that they will want to help. I'll call back home to appraise my teammates of the problem. I'm sure that they will want a piece of the action and our Justice League if yours will not help. Also, I should be able to get a message to my son there as well. Have them meet us at the Tower in two days time"
That said, the team got up to start making calls. Edward asked for one of their communicators that would contact his team and Cyborg handed him one.
"Keep it for now," Cyborg said, "It may come in handy later on."
"Thanks, man," Edward said.
He opened the communicator and said, "Edward to Nightwing."
A moment later Nightwing appeared and said, "Edward! How are things over there?"
"Not good," Edward said, "We helped Solor to recover. He's going to be OK, but, we have a problem here that requires us to remain for an indefinite amount of time. A. Big. Red. problem."
"Trigon," Nightwing said coldly.
"Yes," Edward said, "When we were looking at Solor's memories, it was revealed that the Dark Dragons will summon him earlier than he appeared in our history.
"But, this time, in this universe, we are not going down without one helluva fight. The dragons ruling government, The Circle, has declared open war on Trigon and after I showed the Dragons there a hint of my power, their solders were in awe. They approached me and in their custom, averted their gaze. It is customary that they feel unworthy to look upon their leaders and, well, I am apparently their commanding officer or probably their Commander-in-Chief for the duration of this war.
"Nightwing, please have the team ready to come here, even if it's an advisory role to the heroes we are hoping to gather to the cause. This includes David as well. Tell him that his father may require his assistance. He knows about Solor's visit here, but, tell him that I'm here and what I told you.
"Also, on a side note. I know of my origin. The short version is that I am the only true hybrid dragon with a blend of every sub-species and clan. The Circle thinks that one of two things happened: That the First granted my mother the egg that contained me because she was unable to lay any eggs, or, that she took multiple mates from each clan and the balance was perfect.
"The Circle has offered to finish the training they wanted to do when I was a whelp and that will allow me to reach my full potential. They think with additional training, I might be the most powerful dragon since their original Circle millions of years ago."
Nightwing said, "Congrats, Edward. We know you had to wonder where you came from. And, yes, we stand ready to assist you. The team will be yours to lead when you need us."
"Actually, Rachael will assume that role for the human's side. That's by Sol's request and I want to make sure she's got the best advisors by her side. I will not be there. Sol's right. She would be a distraction if she were literally fighting by my side because I would be worried about her safety," Edward said.
Arella appeared on the screen, "Hi, Edward."
Soon as the native Raven heard Arella, the overhead lights exploded. She was surprised to hear her mother's voice and floated over.
"Mother?" she said, "Why are you there? Shouldn't you be in Azarath?"
"In our universe," Edward said, "Trigon destroyed it. Your mother was the sole survivor of his wrath. Rachael and I traveled there shortly after that happened and brought her back to the tower to treat her injuries. She's been a welcome honorary member since then."
"I see," she said.
"That's why I said that if Trigon is defeated and banished there, you must convince her to leave with you. In fact, I know that you'll want to transport as many out to keep the order alive."
"You mean that the order is destroyed?" Raven asked.
"No, my daughter," Arella said. She didn't care if this Raven was from a different universe, she was still Arella's daughter.
"The order survived," she continued, "There are several locations here that escaped being destroyed."
"That's good," Raven said, "Your Azar would be pleased."
"Edward," Arella said, "Are you certain that this is Trigon coming?"
"Absolutely certain," Edward replied, "I don't know how he survived my attack, but, that's irrelevant now."
"We're packed up," Nightwing assured Edward, "Whenever you're ready, so are we."
"All right," Edward said, "We have to get to work here, though. We'll talk to you soon."
As the next few hours passed, the team contacted as many heroes as they could to gather at Titan Tower in two days time. That would give Edward time to think about the second most important speech in his life as he would be telling this world that there were Dragons and that contrary to popular belief, it was possible for dragons to walk among humans in a friendly manner as well as purely evil Dragons. Unlike his home world, though, Edward knew that he was at a disadvantage. The humans of this world may not be as accepting of dragons, as they certainly killed several if Solor's memories were true. That bothered Edward greatly, yet he took solace in what was said in that meeting. It was possible that the dragons hiding in plain sight were influencing some mortals, maybe in governmental positions. He would have to check on that one, though.
But, his immediate, more personal worry was Solor. He was still recovering from his crushing defeat and not from his foolish attack on a member of the Circle. His will was shattered, his feelings of shame and guilt overwhelming him to the point Edward was afraid that he would try to back out.
Edward, in the time he got to know Solor saw that the younger dragon was honorable and wondered how could he get Solor to fight. What would work, though? Edward did not want to use Starfire as a bargaining chip, but, Edward knew that he would react violently should there be a threat to Starfire and wasn't experienced enough to know to set that aside for the greater good of all.
He'd use Starfire as a last resort, though. Edward thought back to the earliest memory Solor had allowed them to see when he was named Heir to the Light.
There had to be something there that he would be able to use to anger Solor in a good way where Edward could redirect that rage to where it belonged. He had to remind Solor that he is first and foremost the presumptive and forgiven Heir to the Light. He had to remind Solor of his duty in a way that would be kind. Now was the time for the kid gloves to be used instead of a battering ram, he realized. But, he wouldn't hesitate to remind Solor of the stakes, either.
Each of the Circle had made excellent points, even if some of there were currently incorrect, Edward felt that was premature as well. He mentally reviewed what was said.
Grand Death had said that Solor was strong enough to handle and overcome all odds, but would he be strong enough to overcome the insanity of watching the ones he loves grow weaker and eventually die? Edward had seen countless generations come and go. Each one had someone that Edward cared about and he would see them age, wither, and die. He buried his first son and the grief then was crushing. Callisto, the day of the funeral, smacked Edward to the dirt and said that she never wanted to see him again, causing the dragon to put himself through centuries of not wanting to really open his heart.
Life had said that Solor would find a way to make the necessary decisions, while Earth questioned that assessment, but, in the end, approved.
Fire noted that Solor had a fiery temper that would consume those who opposed him, but, would change the world.
All of the Grand dragons all said the same basic thing, Edward realized. They were not just giving a verdict for the short term, but a prophecy of their own that has been sidetracked.
Edward excused himself and went to the roof to clear his head, meditate ... and to pray.
He hit his knees because he knew that there was a power far greater than all the dragons combined.
"Oo Diist!" Edward said, "Hon draan do hin bonaar aar. Vahraan Filkiinro sil ahrk ofan mok mul wah wahl viilt poguk fodos wah hin fen. Bolaav mok ahkrin tol lost kosaan sizaan. Ofan mok rigir fos lost gahrot naal Vulom.
"Ofan mok malz do hin drem, Oo Diist! Zu'u nox hi fah grozein wah aam hi ont zuk. Bolaav zey onikaan wah inaak hin fonaar ol mu luft rut tol fund al hin kiindah. Ofan zey mul wah inaak voth raalik haal ahrk hil wah ulaak fah daar neben dii fonaar."
[English translation: "Oh First! Hear the prayer of your humble servant. Heal Starborn's soul and give him the strength to make the right choice according to your will. Grant him the courage that has been lost. Give him back what was stolen by Darkness.
"Give him a measure of your peace, Oh First! I thank you for the opportunity to serve you once more. Grant me the wisdom to lead your charges as we face a threat that would destroy your creation. Give me the strength to lead with a firm hand and the heart to care for those under my charge."]
Edward looked at Jump City and saw how it used to be. He saw the building that in his universe was blown up by Slade with he and Raven trapped in the rubble and other buildings that he was so familiar with.
Edward wanted to take a flight over the area, but, wasn't sure about taking the risk. He decided not to and opted to meditate for a while. Given the information that he had been given and a de facto command over a lot of dragons, something told him that if he didn't take the chance, it wouldn't come again for a long time.
He sat in his favorite lotus position, found his center after a few minutes and started chanting his adopted mantra.
[Starfire's Room]
Once the two were in Starfire's room, the young princess guided her boyfriend to the bed, allowing him to sit down. She sat across from him, looking into his eyes. "Boyfriend Solor, if you want to talk to me, please feel free to do so."
Solor looked up at his girlfriend, but couldn't keep his gaze on her for long. He wasn't sure what to say, what to do. "Kreinyol... if I accept the Circle's offer of temporary freedom from this banishment... what will you think of me?"
Starfire smiled. "I will not think less of you. I am sure you are feeling the sick for your home."
"That is what is troubling me", Solor said. "I do not know if I want to go back... or if I should be allowed to even stay here." He placed his hand over his eyes. "I... I did something unforgivable. And my actions will now yield terrible results. And Trigon is coming, and it is all my fault."
Starfire looked distressed. "It is alright, my love. You were... confused, and tricked. Vilea is to blame, not you."
Solor let out a sob, and Starfire gently held him in her arms. "It is alright. Take whatever time you need to let it out." It took a few moments, but Solor was shaking in her arms with silent tears. He held her as well, and soon was crying into her shoulder. For several minutes, he silently cried until he had no more tears to give.
Starfire's heart broke for her boyfriend and she was afraid for him. She realized that he was more broken than ever. It would take a strong force to help him get completely through it
Solor was feeling the weight of what happened to him and he blamed himself. He should have been stronger and had the willpower to see through Vilea's deception. Yet, he allowed those same base instincts that he told Koriand'r in the other universe that the mind cound control to cloud his mind because he wanted to mate with Starfire. His hormones demanded that happen and he jumped on the first opportunity.
He didn't deserve to be allowed back into Lair because in his mind, he had done something far worse when anger Grand Death and he no longer felt worthy to be a Teen Titan either.
Starfire put a finger under his chin, lifted his chin and kissed him on the forehead. She wasn't sure how he'd react if she kissed him on the lips, though.
"We'll get through this, Boyfriend Solor," she said gently, "Didn't friend Edward tell us that the Trigon was coming eventually? He's still the furious at Trigon for his acts against friend Rachael."
Solor looked at her and asked, "How can you even bear the sight of me?"
"Don't be a clorbag!" she chided, "You asked me to take care of your heart, remember? I would not be the girlfriend if I did the walking away now. Boyfriend Solor, I forgave you already. Why can you not do the forgiving of you? You have every right to be most angry at all of us. We did not have the back and you were taken from us.
"On Tamaran, we are most forgiving in times like these. You are my boyfriend, I am your girlfriend. Nothing will come between that. I gave the promise to watch out for your heart as you watch out for me. I saw that you were tricked. You are most innocent of the betrayal. I shall take my anger out on Vilea, not you, boyfriend Solor. I swear on the Throne of Tamaran that I shall not stop being your girlfriend."
"What do I do about Trigon's coming? What do I do about the Circle wanting to welcome me back?"
"We can do nothing about the Trigon. You are a fighter, Boyfriend Solor," Starfire said, "You have longed for this to happen. But, do as your heart tells you."
Solor began to think, about everything. He wanted nothing more than to be with Starfire, to fight along her side. But... he also knew that might end badly. If he were to fight alongside Starfire and a dragon manage to hurt her, he'd still react badly to that. He needed a level head in order to fight. Besides, he might actually be sent on a mission to locate Vilea.
The mere thought of Vilea brought his thoughts to a grinding halt. He seemed to freeze right then and there, remembering all the horrible, twisted things that she did. Slowly, he frowned, and eventually stood up. "I will go to Lair. There is no other choice."
Starfire nodded, getting up as well. "Then I shall support you. But before you go..." She blushed slightly, grabbing a hold of his hand. "Will you stay? I want to be with you one last night before this war begins. It would make me... most happy."
Solor looked to her, but instead of nodding, like she expected, he shook his head. "I am sorry, my love... but tonight I must prepare for the journey. And... I need to think about everything. If you wish for me to forgive myself... then I need time to heal, as everything does in this world."
Obviously, Starfire wasn't happy, but she was understanding. "Then take the time you need." She kissed his cheek, which he allowed. "Remember that I will always be here for you."
Solor nodded, before deciding he needed to talk to Edward. Hopefully, the elder dragon would be able to help him think things through. He still had his doubts... but he knew he wanted to go to Lair. He just needed a fighting chance at recovering, and if anyone could help him, it would be Edward.
He entered the living room next, seeing all of the Titans looking busy as they called their allies. Rachel was speaking to the Justice League, and upon seeing Superman on the screen, Solor's pain was temporarily forgotten. He approached Rachel, looking at the Man of Steel with a little bit of admiration. "Is this the Justice League?" he asked, looking a little happier.
"Yes, this is", said Superman, giving a friendly smile. "You are Solor, right? Robin's told us a lot about you."
Solor averted his eyes, and the faintest tone of red hit his cheeks. "I am," he replied, "I hope that Robin spoke well of me."
"Nothing but the highest praise," Superman affirmed, "When you disappeared into that other universe, he had not only the Teen Titans scouring the world, he asked us to assist in searching other worlds. A task we were happy to undertake. We at the League are pleased at your safe return."
Solor blushed heavier. To hear such words of encouragement from the Man of Steel did more for his morale, at least in the short term, than anything else. It did not alleviate his doubts, but, the words salved him regardless. Superman did not hand out compliments easily, but, this was one of those times.
Solor looked over to Rachel, and soon his smile faded. "Has he been informed of... everything?"
Rachel nodded. "He knows that Trigon is on his way. He's going to inform the rest of the League." She then spoke into Solor's mind, since she didn't want to say the next bit aloud. [He does not know about the dragons, or of your involvement. I figured you might want to be the one to share that.]
Solor nodded. "If I may, then I shall debrief him on the finer details." He took a seat, collecting his thoughts as he tried to word his next statement carefully.
"I am... afraid that it is my fault that we must ask for your aid again, Superman", Solor said. "I appreciate the sentiment of at least looking for me, and the kind words you share with me... but that might change." He looked Superman in the eye. "When I was returned a few months ago... it stepped up the plans of some traitors from my home, whom have been aptly titled as the Darkness. They wish for Trigon to rule this world... with the promise that once he has ended all life on it, it shall become their personal playground. In order to do that... they need a portal.
"I am sure Rachel has told you about her role in Trigon's invasion of her universe, and Edward's eventual victory over him. I know not whether this is the same Trigon, or if he will remember if it is. But for him to have a portal... there must be half Light and Darkness. Our Raven was the original choice for the portal. But thanks to my interference... a traitor named Vilea tricked me. She tricked me into believing that she was Starfire, and... and..." At this he could not continue. He had to hold back his tears and sobs, as he relived that horrible week. Superman said nothing, letting him recover. He understood that there were terrible people in the world who would do horrible things to get what they wanted more than anyone else in the world.
Rachael merely put an arm around his neck. She didn't pull his emotions out, though. Edward had taught her that it's OK to let someone work through their emotions as it made them stronger. She only did that for moral support.
Finally, Solor recollected himself. He took a deep breath, before letting it out. "She is pregnant, Superman. And she is planning on using my child as the portal for Trigon. I am sorry that I was weak... I am sorry that I have played right into their hands." He bowed his head. "Please... forgive me."
There was a long silence on the other end. Eventually, Superman spoke up. "It's alright", he said. "We will stop Trigon, and we will find this... Vilea. She won't go unpunished." He softened his expression a bit. "You, on the other hand... while it's probably not what you want to hear, I think you should sit this one out. If you do run into her again... well, there's no telling what will happen. You might become so angry that you'll try to kill her, or become so afraid that you'll freeze up."
Solor nodded. "I understand, Superman. But I am as much a part of this war as everyone else. If they are going to fight, then so shall I." He then lowered his head again. "Although... I may fight on a different front than them. I am not sure I belong on this team anymore... I need to speak to Edward."
Rachel took over, helping Solor out of his chair. "He's on the roof, Solor. I'm sure he's thinking about what you need to hear, too."
Solor headed to the roof as Rachel continued her conversation with Superman.
He saw Edward in the lotus position and hesitated, knowing that Edward was meditating on everything.
"It's all right," Edward said, "I was expecting you, my friend." He opened his eyes and motioned for Solor to sit down besides him. So, Solor complied.
"What should I do?" Solor asked.
"Normally," Edward replied, "I would ask you about what. But, I think I know.
"Take Grand Earth up on the offer to return to Lair. Show them that you have redeemed yourself. Show them that you are regretting that they have to go to war. Show Grand Death that you are worthy of his pardon. Let them see that you're capable of all the compliments they gave you and that you've matured."
"I don't know if I am worthy," Solor said, averting his gaze.
"Believe me," Edward soothed, "You are worthy. You are worthy to fight along side me like you did in my universe. You earned that right the first time we met. That's one reason I forgave you for almost tearing off a wing. At the time, you were ruthless in your rage. You showed me that you will fight for your family honor and I respect that. That is another reason I apologized to you and to your father. I need you by my side, Starborn of the Light. You have nothing to prove to me. You are obviously sorry for what happened and for the events that are coming. But, this was inevitable regardless. Trigon would have arrived after Raven's 18th Birthday. It doesn't matter to me one bit that this is moved up. And, you will either have to start to heal from this now, or you may be useless in the war."
Solor sensed the power behind Edward's words, spoken gently and nodded, "I already decided to return with you to Lair. But, am I still worthy to be a Teen Titan?"
"Absolutely," Edward affirmed, "Don't give up on them, Solor. They will go to Hell for you and back because you are their rock. Didn't I tell you that they would not stop looking for you, no matter how long it took?"
"You were right," Solor said, "But, I was weak, dammit. I should never have let Vilea fool me like that."
"You think that you were played," Edward said, "but, I think that even if you had listened to your head and not the one downstairs, she would have merely raped you from the beginning. She was likely under orders to see that you mated with her by any means necessary and took a sadistic glee in owning you outright. I will understand if you want to sit this out. But, could you look in a mirror knowing that the great Starborn was a coward? Could you go back to Lair and not be able to look even the lowliest of recruits in the eye? Do you want to be Starborn, the Traitor?"
That got the desired effect as Solor's eyes started glowing green, "SOLOR IS NOT A TRAITOR!" he roared in Edward's face.
"Good to know," Edward said nonplussed, "Keep that anger, man. Direct it at Darkness' troops. You let someone else deal with Vilea, though. I do not want you taking her on, hatchling, not solo. On this one, my word is law. Unless you have no other choice, do not try to take her on solo. Someone else shall avenge your tainted honor. On that, I give my word.
"I am going back to Lair in the morning to begin some training of my own. If I need my weapons at their ultimate, I cannot afford the backlash. Sol and the Circle will train me to avoid the backlash. I want you to be ready for the trip."
His tone softened, "Listen, you're a good friend and you have a good heart. Don't let past fears get in the way of what you have to do. Also, I would be honored to have you as my second in command. You, I know. The others, I don't."
"What about Starfire, I want her to..." Solor said.
"Your father gave me some sound logic," Edward said, "If you are fighting by her side, you could be distracted worrying about her safety. Her well-being will cloud your judgment. And, don't bother objecting. I've seen that with my own eyes. You were willing to slaughter Plasmus when he was reverted back to a teenager just because she got trapped in his slime. You scared Dr. Light badly for knocking her down. I was there when you and her went to see Godzilla under a disguise, man. I needed to see how you'd treat her out of curiosity. That is more than satisfied.
"I applaud that you want her to fight by your side. She's Tamaranian, man. She's a LOT tougher than you think. Underneath that soft caring side that we all love about her...she is a brave warrior who has the heart of a dragon. She can handle herself in a fight, even against Blackie, or even an evil twin. She will be fine."
Solor looked thoughtful, "I still feel that if I join this fight, she will be harmed. What will I do if that happens?"
"We both have seen war," Edward said, "Warriors know the risk regardless of their race. I know it's not much of a salve to your concerns, but, that is a fact of war. Personally, I am tired of war and fighting wars. But, if I do not fight, here and now, I will lose the respect of the one person who looks back at me in a mirror. I could not respect myself if your Raven opened a Tear back to my universe and I took the coward's way out. I would lose the respect of my wife and I would lose my son's respect for his beloved father. I would lose the respect of every single person in my life from Xena to Beast Boy. I promise you that Starfire will be taken care of if she falls in battle.
"Be the dragon that your father wants you to be. Show him that you are more than worthy of being the next Light of the Circle. Cast out fear."
Solor had never heard Edward speak with such a passion, even during their long talks in Edward's world. He felt rallied and encouraged for the first time since his ordeal began. His shame became a resolve. His dishonor faded into hope. He was feeling that he was absolved at least on a mortal/Dragon level, but, that there was one who he had not asked for forgiveness from...the First.
"Edward," Solor said, "You guys have forgiven me...Would the First also forgive me?"
"Yes, he would," Edward said, "The First would forgive you. You have a contrite heart and are truly sorry for what happened. I want to believe that the First takes all that into consideration and would rejoice that you came to him, humbled before him. So, yes, you would be forgiven if you ask."
Solor was encouraged enough that he also prayed to the First for his forgiveness and as he prayed, the sky, which was actually cloudy opened up just a little, to allow a beam of sunlight to strike the roof of the tower.
Solor looked up and Edward said, "Behold, Solor. It looks to me that you are forgiven. Now, forgive yourself. That's the hard part, I know. But, going into this with lingering doubts and regrets will not help you or the troops I plan to place under your direction."
"Trusting me with soldiers, eh?" Solor said with a smirk.
"I trust you to lead them," Edward said, "Let's go see how the others are doing, shall we? But, I warn you, Solor...you shall have until the heroes of this world assemble here in two days time to decide if you are a fearsome Dragon worthy of being the next Heir to the Light or a mere footnote in the Circle's history. 'Starborn: Banished for being weak.' Sol would be disgraced and your family line would no longer have respect. You defended your family honor against me and all I did was a flippant insult. You feel tainted and dishonored. This is YOUR chance to regain your honor in your own eyes.
"Solor, you fell for a trick initially. I saw in your memories that you told Robin that if your father were tricked, he would get right back up and fight for what is right. I need you to do that as well. Sometimes, doing the right thing is hard. Walking away might be the easiest route, but, again, would you be able to look yourself in the mirror?
"You consoled Robin and Raven after they were fooled and tricked. Take your own wise words to heart.
"Finally, friend: Don't insult your mother's memory. Listen to her now, Solor. She has not left you. I know that for a fact, so, make her proud. She is the voice of your conscience, and your Light. As proud as my birth mother would be of me." He helped Solor to his feet and they went downstairs.
Edward had thrown down the gauntlet. It was up to Solor to rise to Edward's challenge. And, Edward hit all the right buttons to basically push Solor into the fight.
Solor walked back downstairs and into the beehive of activity that the Tower had become, with all the Titans at various consoles talking to the more experienced heroes and inviting them to the Tower.
Edward looked at Rachael and smiled, "How is it going, sweetheart?"
"So far, so good," she replied, "Superman is probably calling a general meeting of the Justice League and I am faintly hearing J'onn Jonzz recalling other members of the League, even those who left for whatever reason."
[I don't want to alarm the others,] she continued, [I am also picking up alarm from the Dragons of this world. The Circle is already recalling their people from their spots among humanity.]
[Sol told me that they would recall their people from wherever they are. I hope that they are discreet in their departures. Remind me to get an encrypted communicator for Sol's use, please. I want to keep lines of communication open between the dragons and the humans.]
"Contact villains as well," Robin piped up, "explain that there is a common enemy and invite them here as well. They will not face arrest or other reprisals for showing up. If they want to meet without the heroes present, that's fine."
"You sure you want to trust the likes of the HIVE?" Edward asked, "I know we can use Gizmo's genius here, but, the others? I don't know. There's a good chance that they will side with the enemy regardless."
Solor did not look happy and said, "Trusting Darkness is foolish, Robin. They will never side with us and we would be too busy to notice the knife in our backs until it was too late."
Robin reconsidered his plan and said, "You're probably right. We'll leave them out of it. But, I won't turn them away should they realize that Trigon is a much bigger threat then they ever were. Edward, in your universe, didn't Slade team up with the Titans?"
Edward replied, "It was more for his own self-preservation, however, he did help by slicing Trigon's antlers, so your counterpart gave Slade a free pass to leave. He also helped in recovering Raven."
By the time people were ready to eat, the Titans had gotten commitments from many superheroes to at least attend the emergency meeting at Titan Tower.
"Back home," Edward said, "The team let me do the cooking. If you'd like, I would be honored to do that."
Robin said, "Sounds like a plan, chief."
Edward looked around to see what was available and selected a few items that he knew would be delicious.
"Rachael," Edward said, "Would you mind giving me a hand."
The native Titans faces drained of color getting a smirk out of Solor.
"Relax," he said, "Edward taught her how to cook and they do make a great team. Kreinyol and I have eaten her cooking there and we not only survived, but, enjoyed it."
Raven said, "Well, that's good, I guess."
"Why?" Beast Boy asked.
"Because Raven's first attempt to do a breakfast was the day Trigon invaded," Edward said, "According to the guys, it didn't turn out well. She burnt the outside of pancakes, but, the inside was still raw. Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy bravely tried them. Cyborg was like 'Gaaahhh!" and fell backwards. Robin and Beast Boy both ralphed. Only one who enjoyed them was Starfire. They reminded her of some insects from home. From what Raven told me, Cyborg was pouring syrup into BB's mouth and Robin was preferring the taste of his gauntlets."
That got the group chuckling.
"Sure, laugh it up," Rachael said, "I was trying to give the team a final good day. I knew that Trigon was coming and assumed that none of them would survive. It was an instinct that gave them a measure of my powers and protected them."
Edward put his hands on her waist and said, "I'm not trying to embarrass you, sweetheart or your counterpart. I enjoyed teaching you. Let's invite her as well, at least give her some tips."
Rachael nodded to Raven and said, "Come on over, there's plenty of room."
Not only did the younger Raven walk over, but, the other Teen Titans as well. They were all wanting the diversion and it would be Edward's last opportunity to cook for the Titans for a while as he needed to go back to Lair in the morning, this time with Solor in tow.
He whipped up a batch of burgers for the crew, and he found some veggie burgers for Beast Boy's enjoyment.
"You're not going to bother me about being a vegetarian?" he asked.
"Nope," Edward said, "I usually do separate meals for our Beast Boy. It cuts down on the arguing that, as I said a few months ago, tends to annoy Raven to the point she tosses you out the window. We need as much rest as possible and bickering over meat over vegetarian is counter-productive."
Edward then spent the next 30 minutes starting to teach Raven how to cook effectively. He did not have the time to sit down with her like he did with Rachael, though. She became a good cook over a year's time. This younger Raven, he liked as a friend, obviously, and it might be hard to keep from transferring or confusing his feelings between the two.
As it was actually getting late, Edward asked Robin where their temporary quarters were and he gave them directions to a spare room that was actually on the other side of the Tower.
"For added privacy," Robin said, "We figured that you'd appreciate it."
"Oh, we will," Edward said as the dishes were being taken care of.
He remembered something as well and said to Solor, "If you would like, I can start training you in hand to hand combat. There's times when morphing into a Dragon is not feasible or even a hybrid form isn't always a good idea. If you are facing someone wanting to mug you or are in a store or other close combat area where hand to hand combat is the only available option, you don't want to be caught holding your dragonhood in your hands. I'll train you between my own training sessions with the Circle."
Robin piped up and said, "I would be happy to help train you as well, Solor."
"I would like that," Solor said.
"Gotta keep your anger in check, though," Edward said with a smirk, "With your durability, it's not like you're going to be hurt, especially by Robin, and I'll make sure to pull my punches to a more human level. How is your nose?"
"Still throbs a little, nothing I cannot handle," Solor said.
Raven stepped up and took care of that problem saying, "You need to be 100%."
Solor thanked Raven for the healed nose.
Edward stood up and looked at the clock, "If you'll excuse us, it's been a long and eventful day. I'm sort of tired."
He and Rachael went to their temporary quarters and were surprised at how the Teen Titans seemed to have anticipated their visit as the room was more towards how Raven kept hers.
Edward and Rachael spent their final full night together trying to relax, but, they couldn't get in the mood for some reason.
The other Titans were also trying to unwind a bit. They knew that the next few days would be spent making plans. As a result, Robin put the team on partial stand down to get their plans together, how they would explain to the assembles Superheroes about the whole Trigon thing and that Rachael would have to be the leader of the human resistance while appeasing some of the heroes who might have an issue with a half-human/half-demon running the show.
Solor and Starfire spent the night in separate quarters. While Solor would have loved to spend more time with Starfire, he was recovering still, and the mere thought of being any form of intimate with anyone scared him. Starfire understood, and didn't press the matter, but she was still a little saddened by the interactions.
Beast Boy and Terra were taking the time as well to reassure each other that they would come out alive. Terra had heard about what happened to her counterpart and she was worried.
"How can I keep from turning myself to stone?" she asked him.
"Solor's trained you well, sweetheart," Beast Boy said, "I know you can handle this. Just remember what the other Terra said how you will show signs of overtaxing your powers. If your nails turn to stone, it's time to stop for a while to recover."
Terra nodded, "True." That set her mind as ease as they also cuddled next to each other.
Robin, for his part, put his mind to strategy as he laid in bed. He had some ideas, but, like everyone else, had been expecting this to happen later on, and not within the next month or so. And, that depended on how long it would take for a Dragon to hatch and how big this hatchling would be.
Cyborg was working on beefing up the Tower's defenses as much as he could, but, he knew that a lot of his plans for the long term were not going to work, so, he also took the time to program a self-destruct for the Tower. It would be a last ditch measure to at least keep the Tower from falling into enemy hands. If their planning was revealed due to a takeover of the Tower, everything would be for naught.
Also, it would be difficult keeping the media at bay, but Robin and Edward had a similar plan: Let Clark Kent do the reporting. This universe's Superman did not know that Edward was keeping his secret close to his heart, though. In fact, Edward planned on telling Superman that he knew the secret. Edward was also considering a general press conference after the meeting with the heroes.
[Meanwhile – in a dark cave]
As the Titans and the dragons in Lair were in their preparations, Grand Darkness, an ancient dragon older than the Dragons combined, and his daughter Vilea were gloating. She had not only broken Solor's will, but, she knew that she would be laying at least one Twilight egg. It would be a second hybrid Dragon after Edward.
She relished when Solor finally cracked, but, it had taken a lot of drugs to do it.
"It is time, Father," she said, "I can feel the need to nest and lay Solor's egg. His will should be so shattered that even if he could tell those Light fools our plan, no one would believe him."
"Do not underestimate the enemy, daughter!" He chastised, "All it would take is someone to be convinced that Solor is telling the truth and they could convince those at the Circle to take Solor seriously. You underestimated Solor once and he got away."
"He's a disgraced Light mosquito," she said, "Why should they believe him?"
"He was sent to a different universe, yet, returned with that hybrid's help," Grand Darkness said.
There was another Tear of Oblivion opened then and a much younger dragon emerged.
He averted his gaze and reported, "Something's up, my liege! The dragons the Circle have had mixed with the mortal scum are retreating back to Lair. Our sources have monitored a massive amount of encrypted communications from that T shaped building in Jump City."
"Hmmm," Grand Darkness muttered, "This cannot be a coincidence, then. They know something is up. But, could they know about our grand plans?" He scratched his ancient chin and said, "We cannot take that chance. We must continue the Summoning of Trigon.
"I'm going to send you to that universe where the hybrid lived. Your mission is to see if he is still there or not. If he's not there, we'll know. Get that universes' Teen Titans to deploy and make sure that they are all deployed to deal with a threat to their precious city. Then, we will know for certain."
Grand Darkness opened another Tear of Oblivion and the minion jumped through it and into Edward's universe. Had Edward known, a Dark Dragon would not have lived to return, though.
[Edward's Universe]
However, another guest was lying in wait, approaching Edward's tower with sore wings. An old, ancient form slumped against the mountain, finding its way into the cave where Terra had been petrified. However, before it could rest, it noticed it was not alone, as the Dark minion was exiting a Tear. Immediately, it growled, and the minion froze.
"Who goes there?" asked the minion. "State your name so Darkness may take you!"
"So... even here, Darkness infests the land", came the newcomer's voice. Obviously it was female, and the minion noticed the scales on her body. Before he could react, a beam of light shot through his scales, piercing his flesh, as the bronze dragoness hissed in pain. "Stupid servant... making me waste precious energy... I cannot do that again for a while." The minion didn't even get a chance to howl in pain as the beam tore a hole where his heart was. He crumpled like a puppet who had its strings cut, dead before his brain realized it.
She began to curl up, ignoring the corpse of the dead Dragon, but letting a single tear fall from her yellow eye. "Where are you... my child?" She let out a low, anguished cry out, and it echoed from the cave out towards the city. Everyone and their mother could hear it, even the Titans at the tower.
"What... was that?" asked Beast Boy, having finished packing for the trip to Solor's universe.
"Did that not sound like Edward whenever he is sad?" suggested Kori. "Did he come back without telling us?"
"No, this sounded different", said Nightwing. "It sounded... female. We better go check it out." Nightwing turned to Kori and Beast Boy. "Probably best if we keep this small. If it is another dragon, she may be angry and confused. So, it'll be Beast Boy, Kori, and myself to try to calm her down. We're at a disadvantage without Edward or Raven, so be careful." He turned to Cyborg. "Keep a finger ready to contact the League. If she turns out as violent as Solor was during his first visit, then we're gonna need as much backup as possible."
"On it", said the older Victor as the group set out.
It took only a few minutes to get to the cave, and Beast Boy knew that if it weren't for the fact that Terra was freed from her prison a long time ago, he'd be mad about anyone taking up residence here. The three older heroes kept going deeper into the cave, and soon came upon the hulking figure of the dragon, who had their back to her.
All three looked at each other, unsure of what to say, when Beast Boy decided to take action. He stepped forward, calmly, and spoke up. "Um... Hi?"
The effect was instantaneous, and the dragon was suddenly facing him, her eyes glowing yellow. "Human filth! Have you come to slay me?"
The 'human filth' line would have normally been taken as an offense, if Beast Boy wasn't reading her body language. Instead of taking on an offensive stance, she took a much more defensive one. Her head was low, and kept close to her body to keep her neck out of harm's way, and her tail was wrapped around her back leg.
"No, no I'm not", Beast Boy said, holding his hands up defensively. "I don't have any... dragon slaying equipment."
The dragon looked at him with her glowing yellow eyes, the fear slowly fading away. Then she looked at Nightwing, glowering a bit. "He has weapons", came her reply, obviously not in a trusting mood.
"All non-lethal", Nightwing assured, slowly removing his utility belt. He lay it on the ground and backed away from it. "We're not here to hurt you. We're here to help you."
"Help me?" she said bitterly. "I cannot be helped. I am old, nearing the end of my life. My whelp was taken from me. I am bitter and alone in a strange new world, all because he was special." She snorted, laying back down. "All because my whelp belongs to no clan." It was obvious that she had lived a life looking for someone near and dear as a tear fell.
The trio looked at each other, and Nightwing motioned to Starfire. "Call Edward."
The dragon flinched a bit at the sudden movement at first, but soon relaxed as Starfire only pulled out a communicator. "Koriand'r to Edward... I hope I am not interrupting anything important."
Edward opened his communicator and said, "Hi, Starfire. What's going on?"
Kori said, "There's another Dragon in the cave of Terra. She said that she is missing her whelp and doesn't look like she is the healthy. She said the 'whelp' was taken because he belonged to no clan and was the special."
Edward's face paled, "No...It cannot be! RAVEN!"
The roar got Raven teleporting to his room quickly.
"Open a Tear to my universe...NOW!" He demanded.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's his mother," Rachael said.
Raven didn't ask anymore questions and opened a Tear. "Rach, stay here and tell the others what the hell is happening. I'll be in touch."
He stepped through and emerged outside Terra's cave and raced in, heart pounding wildly.
He saw Kori, Beast Boy and Nightwing next to another dragon ... and one that was obviously deceased.
"Mother?" Edward asked, heart in his throat.
The new dragon looked at him and said, "Are you my whelp? Taken from me by the Circle?"
Edward gasped and walked to her, tears streaming down his face.
"I see it, but, I do not believe my eyes," she said, "I can die happy."
Edward looked at her and said, "The hell you will. I'm taking you home, Mother. Can you still morph to a hybrid or to a human form?"
It took some of her remaining strength, but, she managed a hybrid form.
Edward morphed as well and, for the first time that he could remember, made contact with his own mother as he picked up her weakened form and said, "I give you my strength, as you gave me my life." The group, rendered speechless, followed them out of the cave, into the fading light of the day.
Edward set her down and stepped back, activating his healing touch and ramped it to maximum power and his entire body was glowing, not just his hands.
He placed his hands on each side of his mother's body and the power leapt forth, causing her to arch her entire body. Several long minutes later, the glow faded and both collapsed for a moment.
Edward got up and staggered until Starfire supported him. She had the hearts in her eyes, though.
"What did you do?" Nightwing said.
"Transferred some of my strength to her and some of my power," he said weakly, "It won't last long, though. We have to get her to the tower and let her rest. I can't take her back to the other universe, not with Trigon coming."
Edward morphed back to dragon as Starfire picked up his mother and floated onto his back.
"You guys go on ahead," Beast Boy offered, "I can bring Nightwing with me."
Edward nodded and took to the air. There was a flash of light as Edward teleported to the Tower. It actually took some effort as his energy reserves were drained by the transfer of power to his mother.
Starfire floated off with her precious cargo as Edward morphed back and took her to the Med Bay. She would take a while to realize that Edward had transferred some of his own strength to her and that would extend her life a while. But, she would still weaken and pass on at some point.
Edward laid her down on a bed as Cyborg came in.
"Who is that?" he asked.
"You will not believe this," Edward said, wiping his eyes, "Say hello to my mother!"
Cyborg's jaw dropped, "Whaaaa?!"
"It's brother Edward's k'norfka," Starfire said happily and grabbing Edward, gave him a bone crushing hug. "This is glorious!"
"Wow," Cyborg said, "Just...wow!"
"I'll stay a while until she wakes up," Edward decided, rubbing his arms after Starfire released him, "I cannot leave her alone."
Edward suddenly had a crisis, though: Stay with his mom or go back and take charge of the Circle's army.
He figured that he could have some of his own blood transfused, though. It would give her a temporary immortality until it filtered out naturally, but, that would still take several weeks and if needed, he would return in a week or two in order to make sure that they had a few units stored. It meant that someone would stay back, though. That duty would likely fall on Raven's mom since she only had minimal hand-to-hand combat training anyway. The Tower's AI would be able to talk her through whatever she needed.
Edward's mom opened her eyes and looked up at Edward smiling, "I've waited so long for this day. The Circle took you from me. I tried and tried to get them to bring you home or send me to you. The bastards didn't want to do either! I could have raised you...protected you. They tried to stop me from opening a Tear of Oblivion. But, I found you at last!"
"Mother," Edward said, "The Circle did what they felt was best. I've thrived here and met people who guided me and basically raised me. I hold no anger towards them. You shouldn't either."
"You've been ... home?" she asked.
"I just came from there," he replied, "And, I cannot stay here. We're at war, Mom. Darkness is rising and they need me there to lead the solders. I … don't care if you mated with a hundred different dragons or if the First answered your prayers beseeching him to give you an egg. What matters is you are here. Grand Life told me that they didn't believe you were alive.
"Please, mom...for me. Forgive Sol and the Circle for the heartbreak and their not wanting to help you. They saw my potential as did the Darkness. They knew that you hatched the only true hybrid out of all the clans. I shall be forever in your debt. You never gave up hope. And I will do what I can to bring you home to Lair."
"I feel stronger," she said.
"You will for a while," he said, "I gave you a measure of my strength and power. I will give you some of my blood as well. It will allow you to stay here a while longer. And, when you join the First, I will lay you to rest in Lair. But, enough talk of death. I want to get to know you a bit and I know you have so much to ask me and there isn't time." He held her talons in his hand.
It broke his heart to say what he needed to say next.
"Mother," he said, "I cannot take you back to Lair now. Not when we're on the verge of a major war. The Darkness is moving to take over the world and they have a huge ally. Literally. The enemy's name is Trigon and he will destroy everything the First created leaving Darkness to run supreme. You're safe here in this Tower."
Her eyes widened immediately, showing obvious fear. "With the human filth?" she challenged.
"Mother, please," Edward soothed, "I've lived among the humans of this world and they are not all bad. The ones who found you are my family, and I've called many humans family. I know how some humans in the other universe treated Dragons, slaying them for whatever reason. It'll be OK here. You'll be safe."
"That's why I don't trust them, my son," she said, although she did relax slightly, "I saw what they did and sometimes barely escaped."
"You can trust the folks who will stay with you," Edward said, "I trust them with my very life. I feared the mortals for a long time as well, despite my immortality. They were frightened by several religious leaders into distrust, so, I rarely morphed from human to my Dragon form. Only when I met some people displaced from this era in our 18th Century did I start to show others what and who I am and that is because they trusted me.
"My current mate's mother lives here and from a place called Azarath. She's also a close friend and loves peace."
"And how many dragons are here?" she asked.
"You, me, your grandson and that corpse we found with you," Edward replied.
"My grandson?" she asked.
"Yes," Edward said, "He's also a hybrid. Half dragon, half human with reptilian DNA. I'm going to have him come here as well and take care of you, though."
"So, you're a..."
"Do not call me a breed traitor," he asked, "My mate was an honorable woman who loved me as much as I could love anybody. At the time, I was the only dragon on this world and not aware that there are others in alternate realities. I get that you have the Circle's prejudices, but, none of them have called me that. They actually respect my power and abilities."
His mother nodded, "It's all right. I was going to say father." She shook her head. "You are so precious to me... I can put aside my own personal feelings if you feel that way. I think I would like to meet my grandchild."
"That's going to happen soon," Edward said blushing at his error. "I have to contact him anyway, but, he won't be fighting there anyway."
The other Titans watched the interaction and had all smiles on their faces.
"Get some rest," Edward said, "I promise...I will be back as soon as possible. I will let the Circle know what is happening here."
Her eyes closed and Edward motioned the others out of the room.
"I want Arella to hang back here to watch over my mother," he said, "While I could use her knowledge of Trigon over there, we can communicate with her regardless."
He went to the communication board and dialed up his son.
"Pop!" David said, "What's going on? I can sense your emotions from here!"
"David, you best sit down," Edward said, "Nothing bad, but, remember hearing about Solor, the Dragon from an alternate universe?"
"Of course," he said.
"Well, we're all of the same species, son," Edward said, "I just found that out myself. And, you're not gonna believe this one...Your biological grandmother is here!"
"You're kidding me!" David said.
"No, I'm not," Edward said, "The team just found her and the body of another Dragon in the cave where Terra was petrified. She's not in the best shape, though. I had to transfer some of my power to her just to stabilize her. Sadly, though: This may be the only time that I think you'll get to meet her. I cannot take her back to her universe. Not with a war coming that I have to fight."
"I know," David replied, "Nightwing told me what was happening. I take it you want me to hang around Titan Tower instead?"
"Please," Edward said, "I would like that, very much, and I think she would want to know her grandson."
"I'll teleport over shortly then," he said.
Edward hung up and went back to the Med bay where his mother was sleeping. She looked elderly, which Edward expected, and at peace. But, he couldn't believe his luck. He was told that she was likely already gone or off in another universe or the future. He had no doubts that she killed the other Dragon and Edward knew that leaving that body there would render Terra's former memorial useless as the body rotted.
"Keep an eye on her," Edward said to Cyborg, "I have a duty to perform lest a dragon's body stinks up Terra's site. In fact, I think I will borrow Terra for this task."
"No worries," Cyborg said.
Edward went to find Terra and knocked on her door. She answered it.
"What's up?" she said.
"I need your services, my dear," he said, "We have to bury a dragon."
"We do?" she asked.
"Apparently," Edward said, "My mother killed one that just arrived."
"Wait," she said, "Your mom?"
"Long story, kid," Edward said, "But, she's resting in the Med Bay."
"Can I look in for a moment?" Terra asked, "I won't wake her."
"I suppose so," Edward replied.
They walked to the bay and looked in for a moment. Terra grinned broadly at that and they moved on.
She stopped Edward and grabbed him in a hug, "I'm so happy for you, Edward!"
"Thanks, Tara," he replied, "I'm kind of in shock right now, but, I am quite happy as well. I was told that she was likely dead or in some other universe or in the future."
They went to the roof and then off to her old cave.
A teleport later and they were outside.
"You don't have to go in," he said, "I can bring the body out."
"I'll wait, then."
Edward went in and looked at the corpse.
"May the First grant you the peace you might have been looking for," Edward said as he lifted the body up with a small grunt.
He teleported to where he could see the body better and gasped. "What the HELL?! A Dark Dragon!"
The dragon's scales were pitch black from head to tail, with sinister spines trailing from his head all the way to his tail. He looked similar to Malchior, with instead of a purple underbelly, he had a sickly green one. The open eyes were also black and even in death, Edward could see the viscous, unrelenting evil there. Edward closed the dragon's eyes, for they were creeping him out more than Raven ever could.
"Now, why were you here?" Edward pondered, "Maybe a spy mission or something? Have we lost the element of surprise already?"
He saw what killed the Dark Dragon: A hole blasted right through its chest so clean that there wasn't a drop of dragon's blood. His mother must have used up her reserves to do that.
"Where should we dispose of him?" Terra asked.
"Next to Malchior," Edward said, "This is a Dark Dragon, Terra. Probably got here the same way Solor did: A Tear of Oblivion. A dragon of pure evil. He was a young one, looks like."
Terra got on Edward's back and when Edward lifted back into the air, he lifted the corpse and teleported to the base of the mountain where Malchior was buried.
Terra's hands started to glow as her power activated and a large crater formed.
"Deeper," Edward said. The hole widened and deepened as a result and the Dark Dragon was let go. Edward wasn't about to show it any courtesy.
Terra closed the grave and it got treated to Edward's flame breath to seal it tight.
That duty done, they headed back to the Tower where David was waiting for them.
"I would hug you, son," Edward said, "I had to transport a Dark Dragon's corpse to a final resting place. Let me wash up, first."
David said, "Another dragon? What the heck is going on here?!"
"It's a really long story," Terra said as they went down.
Edward washed up real quick. He wanted to get the stink off him. Then, he and his son hugged.
They headed for the med bay and stood outside the door.
"Brace yourself," Edward said and allowed the door to open.
Edward's mother had awakened in the meantime and was sitting up, looking pretty healthy.
"Mother," Edward said, "This is your grandson, David."
She looked at him and smiled, "A grandson...your father must be proud."
"He is," David said and approached her. They hugged tightly, her prejudice forgotten. She had looked all her adult life to find Edward and not only found him, but, a grandson as well.
"The First be praised," she said, tears of joy running down her face, "I looked and looked for my son...What name did you assume?"
"Edward, mother," he said, "But, please, call me Kiinnum. The future Heir to the Light named me that."
"Born Unique," she said, "I love it." She frowned slightly. "I wish that I could have given you such a name. Alas, you were only a few days old when you were taken from me, and I was distracted by the Darkness attack after you hatched."
David took in the scene and was honestly puzzled. His father had a lot of layers and it looked like he was getting a crash course in family history.
"David," she said, smiling at the hybrid. "I want to tell you a story..."