Chapter 14
[Dark Lair]
As Trigon was summoned, the sky turned blood red and he roared "THE EARTH IS MINE!" As the effect spread over the planet, alarms at the BatCave, Justice League WatchTower and Titan Tower started blaring wildly.
With Edward temporarily trapped in Nevermore, Rachael being out cold and only the First knew where Raven was, it was looking bleak for everyone.
Lair was under attack as well, the Dark Dragons being set loose before Grand Earth's children could restore the barrier that was used to isolate Lair from the outside world and keep the Dragons there, but, somehow, they barely managed to do that. And that protected Lair from what was happening worldwide: The petrification of life itself. Luckily, Edward, Grand Earth and his children had been prepared for this eventuality and spent a lot of time to practice the defense of Lair.
But, something happened that would have gotten Trigon's wrath aroused. Rachael and Raven had given a share of their powers to the Titans to protect them should Trigon be summoned during the breaks in the missions. That came in handy as even though everyone was still knocked out, they were still protected. Rachael had protected the Titans and Raven, her Teen Titans the week before. It weakened both girls a bit, but, the fact that the two teams needed to stay un-petrified was vital.
Everything else was petrified. Buildings destroyed, the oceans turned to lava, plant life frozen as well as all animal life. People frozen in mid-step, birds fell out of the air...It was a planetwide disaster that made even Biblical disasters pale.
Yet, Grand Darkness looked upon Trigon and smiled, "Wonderful. Yes, the Earth is yours, Trigon, my son. We have overthrown the Circle at last, for as we speak, they are also doomed. Feast upon their souls! Then, we will take over the universe for Darkness! None shall stand against our might!"
Trigon chuckled and said, "And who are you, salamander, to speak to Trigon in such a manner? Trigon bows to nothing, I let live those I want to live, and those who drink from my cup of wrath only sweeten their souls before I feast. State your name, lizard. For I would know who I devour!"
The leader of Darkness said nothing. Slowly, though, he began to chuckle. Then he began to laugh. "Oh, this is grand, is it not?! You forgot who you are!" He let out another laugh, before lowering his eyes, and giving Trigon a look that made a shiver run down his spine. "You will speak to your father with respect, you half-breed scum. I brought you into the world. I can take you out."
Trigon growled, and soon his gaze shot out pure darkness. Unfortunately for the very old demon, the attack was shrugged off by a barrier, and the demon stared in surprise. "W-What? What is this?! You should be nothing but stone!"
Grand Darkness smirked. "You should know by now, my dear child, that you cannot defeat me. Your powers are a mere fraction of my true strength. I have lived since the dawn of Dinosaurs. I am the first Grand Darkness. And while I cannot unleash my power fully anymore, I can still defend myself from you, Trigon." He reached up, grabbing the demon by the horns, and pulled him down to look Darkness in the eye. "I have seen and done things that would make your 'consumption of worlds' look like child's play. After all... I am the world eater. I am the beginning and the end. Whether a planet has life on it or not is of no concern to me. But only you can destroy my enemies, which is why I used you. And will continue to use you to grow my empire."
"You asked for my name? Surely you remember. The one that made you. I am Oblaan. I. Am. THE END." He roared loudly into Trigon's ear, and threw him off, making him hit the side of the cavern hard. "Now, remember your place, Trigon the Terrible. Or I will eat you and rid this world of the Circle myself."
Trigon stared, in shock and horror. Then he slowly growled. "You... remind me of that one..." He stood up. "There was another one like you... able to protect himself from my attacks."
"You must mean the hybrid", Oblaan spoke, musing to himself. "If that is the case... you made an attempt on his world and failed. So... would you care to know that he is here? You may take your revenge. In fact, I believe he is either in Lair or Jump City. Since you cannot access Lair... I will handle that myself. Their magic is paltry compared to my own. You, Trigon, will attack Jump City, and kill the Titans. Including the hybrid known as Edward Barnes. Now, go! Send your minions to destroy what is left."
Trigon thought about it and said, "I will have my vengeance against this Barnes and upon my daughter. I will eat their souls."
[Nevermore]
Edward was annoyed. He was temporarily stuck in Nevermore for some reason and as he flew over the various areas, they were luckily undamaged and saw the Emoticlones all in a state of confusion.
He landed and after greeting everyone, asked what happened.
"Raven's out, that's what," Brave said.
"I know," Edward said, "I need to find the nearest exit, though. She'll be taken care of."
Timid whimpered, "I don't like Slade."
Edward held out his arms and Timid ran to him. He was one of the few that could reassure her when she was in this state.
"Listen to me, little one," Edward said, "It's going to work out somehow, and, Slade will get what's coming to him for taking over and for his tricking me.
"But, I need to get out of Nevermore to do that. Will you help me?" he asked her.
"Let's go," she said.
"Where's my emoticlone?" Edward asked, noting that his clone was MIA.
"He went to find Rave and wake her up," Happy said.
"Good," Edward said.
He and Timid left to find the exit. It took some time, but, eventually they found a portal and Edward hugged Timid and said, "Go back to Brave, sweetie." He gave her a reassuring kiss on the forehead and she flew off.
Edward stepped through to see the Titans out cold and the Tower half destroyed.
But, what got Edward's attention was the sky and sea.
"We're too late!" he said, sinking to his knees. He had failed in his mission to prevent Trigon's summoning and he blamed Grand Earth for this. If they would have waited to hold their sham trial, they could have gotten those eggs and smashed them. Now, Solor was either dead or a POW, Rachael was out cold and Raven...was likely robbed of her powers and reverted to a child or possibly dead.
He tried to use his communicator to talk to Sol and was further stunned to see Lair burning and dragons fighting for their lives on the viewscreen.
His eyes went past red to white as his entire body glowed as he morphed to his mini-dragon form and blasted out of the wall and teleported.
Or tried to. The barrier around Lair prevented that, but, Edward had a new trick up his sleeve.
"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" he roared and a white dome formed and he phased through the barrier!
He turned off his Blessing of Light, just in case he needed it for later on and turned to attack the Dark Dragons with a vengeance.
He loosed a mighty Godzilla-like roar that got several Dark Dragon's attention and moved to attack.
"You invade my world. You invade the land of my birth," Edward snarled, "This shall not be tolerated. You invade hallowed ground and for that, you shall pay the penalty!"
Edward was ready for the attack, though and loosed a nearly full powered lightning blast that tore through the wings of those who got hit and others that got close were also struck in mid air, crashing down hard and their wings snapped.
A few tried to dive-bomb Edward only to get slapped with a tail strike. Others got body slammed and, the thing is, Edward wasn't even breaking a sweat.
These are not the strongest Dragons for Grand Darkness! Edward realized.
Yet, those Dark Dragons had caused a lot of damage and the fight was far from over. In fact, as Edward watched, a huge Tear of Oblivion opened and a huge Dark Dragon emerged with one that was a bit smaller. He recognized her from Solor's memories.
"So, the hybrid is here, Father," Vilea said.
"I see," Grand Darkness said, "I shall dispose of him first. Let Lair see their Champion die at my hands."
Edward's eyes narrowed, So this is Grand Darkness, eh? Nasty brute and won't be a pushover of a fight. Best play this one defensively for a change. Millions of years old. Hyper-strong and immortal. At best, even I would be an annoyance. But, I cannot back down, either. Teleporting him to this world's distant past wouldn't help. He would bid his time and we'd still be doing this dance. But, where are the members of the Circle? I do not see them anywhere while their people lay injured or even dead.
"So... you are Kiinnum", said Grand Darkness, flying close. "It is an honor to meet a pure hybrid. Tell me... what mortal name did you choose for yourself? In all of my conquests, I have not found it necessary to ask until now."
"Edward", said the three-thousand year old. "And why did you find it necessary now?"
"So I can mark your tomb properly", said Oblaan. "You will not win this fight, Edward. I have many years up against you, and I have powers that, while I am no longer able to use them fully, will cause significant amounts of damage, despite your immortal body." He slammed his tail. "Do you still challenge me?"
Edward only sneered. "You don't have to ask twice."
"Very well." With that, Oblaan roared in challenge, and took to the air, flying straight towards Edward at an almost blinding speed. The younger dragon, however, took the defensive, and quickly dodged the charge.
He didn't expect the Dark Dragon to suddenly turn and shoot pure Darkness at him.
Roaring in pain, Edward glared back at his opponent, his eyes glowing red. He decided to try anything he had, and quickly charged a lightning breath. Upon release, Darkness let out a grunt, but astonishingly, that was all Edward got out of him. The much larger dragon flipped in the air this time, reaching with his long tail and smacking the younger with it, the force of impact practically sending Edward crashing into the ground.
"Is this all you can do, child?" asked Darkness. "How pathetic."
"Oh, I have not begun to fight," Edward said and activated his Blessing of Light. His spine lit up purple this time as he accessed a different weapon. He launched a barrage of starbolts against Oblaan that impacted, getting another hiss from the larger dragon. Oblaan flew above Edward and shot more darkness. But, this time, Edward was ready and teleported away. He emerged behind Oblaan and continued his attack, keeping Oblaan on the defensive somewhat.
Oblaan whipped his tail around, striking Edward and stunned him for a moment. But, Edward was ready for the next attack from Grand Darkness and he grabbed Oblaan by the tail and his Blessing of Light changed! He started to turn to living crystal as the Blessing from Grand Earth kicked in! Edward didn't have the time to ponder what was happening, though as he loosed a roar and teleported with Oblaan in his grasp to a high altitude and then dove at a high speed.
"If I am destroyed," Edward said, quoting the Knight Automated Roving Robot, "SO SHALL YOU BE!"
Both Edward and Grand Darkness slammed into the ground hard., but, due to their shared immortality, neither wad down for the count. In fact, Oblaan wasn't even phased by the impact and laughed.
"Oh, that's rich!" he said, "The light mosquito's ally is down. Time to end this charade!"
It was then a familiar roar entered the arena, and Darkness turned to see the Circle standing upon the mountains nearby, each holding the limp body of a Dark general.
"You step on hollowed ground, Traitor", said Sol, growling.
"Your trespassing will not be tolerated", continued Earth.
"You will atone for your crimes", roared Fire.
"Or you shall be destroyed", came Water's cool voice.
"Atone for your sins", Life set up, glaring at Darkness.
"Or face judgment with the First", finished Death. At that point, all of them activated their Blessings, getting ready to attack.
Darkness rolled his eyes. "Oh please... you are nothing like the First Circle. Do you really wish to challenge me?" A mix of all six Blessings was the response, launching into Darkness as quickly as possible. They roared and breathed fire, ice, lightning, anything they could use against him. And they were at full power as well. Edward could hear Darkness roaring in pain, and quickly activated his own Blessing, but, this time, his body turned gray, the same color as Grand Death! Edward, remembering how Grand Death used his Blessing, roared at such a decibel and frequency that any mortal would have fallen over dead.
After five minutes of relentless attacking, the leaders of Lair finally ran out of breath, and had to relent. Having poured their souls into the joint attack, they could feel the Blessings deactivate, as they stared at the smoke.
"Did we get him?" asked Fire, although he looked very concerned.
Death paled considerably. "Impossible..."
The smoke cleared away, and Darkness stood there, the only evidence of the attack was a gash on his eye, a gash that was healing as they all watched.
"Now you've gone and marked my scales", said Oblaan, glaring. "My turn." With that, he activated his own version of a Blessing. His already onyx scales seemed to absorb all the light around him, and soon, the only part of him that was visible were his insane, red eyes.
Edward gulped. This was not going to be fun.
"Guys...SCATTER! He's too powerful!" Edward roared. For the first time, Edward was more than willing to retreat and regroup. Seven Dragons hit Oblaan with everything they had and they barely made a mark on the Traitor. Brute force was not going to work here. Edward didn't like it, but, they had no other options, that he was aware of and they were seriously outmatched, and he knew it. He was ignoring the pain that wracked him from the fight and he could feel his body repairing itself, but, Edward suddenly realized that even if he took too much damage, he could be taken out before his immortality could keep up.
Darkness growled a bit. "This is getting annoying. Shall we end this?" He took a deep breath, aiming at Earth, the largest target, and roared as loud as possible. A red beam shot out of his mouth, hitting the large Earth Dragon, and suddenly, in a flash of light...
… the Grand Earth became encased in stone.
Everyone stared in shock as Darkness laughed. "Now he matches his namesake. And so will all of you, Grand Circle. I will finish Trigon's work, and end you all myself. And with your children in the mortal realm all petrified... then Trigon himself will eventually break this barrier, and every child that you love will be fed to him!"
Grand Darkness sneered at the rest of the Circle and charged up another attack and struck Grand Water next before she could move and she was likewise petrified.
"NOOO!" Grand Fire roared in grief and anger, not knowing if this was permanent or not.
"GOD DAMMIT! HAUL YOUR DRAGON ASSES!" Edward roared, trying to break the rest of the Circle out of their sudden stupor, all pretense of courtesy gone.
Edward moved closer to Sol and his eyes stopped glowing. He had one play left and it would require nearly perfect timing. Everything they threw at the beast failed and now, two members of the Circle were...gone.
[Rachael, if you can hear me,] Edward said quickly, [Lair has fallen as well. Two of the Circle are petrified and if I can't time something right, we all lose and, I will likely die, here and now. Please, if that happens, and Trigon cannot be defeated either, know that I will always love you. Do not try to rescue us, either.]
There wasn't a response, but, Edward knew the link was still there. There wasn't any backlash from a snapped link.
As this was happening, Darkness hit Grand Life with that weapon. Three members of the Circle were down. in less than a minute. The remaining members shook out of their trances and realized that Edward was right. They started to retreat, only to be struck as well.
However, Grand Death was able to open a Tear and flew through that, his magic able to breach the barrier. That left Edward and Sol and Grand Darkness licked his lips behind his Blessing...If one could call it that.
"The two weakest ones left," Oblann sneered. He charged his attack and fired, only to see Sol and Edward disappear in a flash of light. Edward had teleported to a different area of Lair and before Sol could say anything, Edward said Raven's mantra and they phased through the barrier. Edward teleported once more, putting distance between them and Lair.
"How?" Sol said, "You mean you could have left in the middle of that trial?"
"Sol, do not even go there right now!" Edward said, "Right now, Grand Darkness is the ruler of Lair, all because the Circle just had to try Solor and myself right then and there instead of waiting until we won the war. And get this, he's going to try to track us down somehow. That's why I did not have you open a tear. I have Rachael's powers now and, no, I could not have pulled that trick before. Look around! The balance that the First created is gone and the mission you were entrusted to for millions of years has failed. The Titans are still with us, and so is someone named Slade...He is mine to kill."
Sol looked at Edward in shock. Edward was no longer treating him with any semblance of the respect shown earlier, but, as Sol looked around, he saw what had happened. The Earth, the realm that from the beginning of earth's history was no more. The End had truly come and their efforts to protect the planet had come to nothing. That shocked Sol to the core.
Edward took a calming breath and said, "We have see what is left. I can tell you, it's not much. We have to hope that the Justice League is not petrified, for all the good it will do. We hit him with everything we had, and, we saw what happened."
"You said the Teen Titans are unpetrified?" Sol asked.
"Yeah, they are. Don't ask me how, either. Raven's missing, and Rachael was possessed long enough to lure me in for a rescue attempt. That's why Slade Wilson will die," Edward vowed.
Sol said, "Kiinnum, I know you are angry at all of us in the Circle, including myself. I had no idea that one of Water's children would be eavesdropping. I wanted to break the news to them myself."
"I'm not as angry at you, Grand Light," Edward said with a sigh, "I'm more annoyed at myself. Remember I told you about Raven having emoticlones? Well her inner Rage took control and read me the riot act after Raven told me that you guys cannot afford to have favorites because to you, the big picture is more than mortal/human minds can grasp. She told me why you were enforcing the Breed Traitor law, and my interference, even unintentional, is inexcusable. She told me that at one time, dragons and I suppose, early humans mated and the results were not good. I never expected preferential treatment from you or anyone else in the Circle. In fact, I've grown to not like it when the humans do that to me. I spent hundreds of years just trying to avoid being killed by living off the land, tweaking my appearance and other things. And had anyone in Lair asked, I would have said, 'Please, do not treat me different regardless of my abilities.'"
"It seems like she's done her research on us," Sol sighed as they continued flying.
"Bottom line," Edward said, "You need not apologize. I forgive you all for enforcing something that protects dragons and man. When this is over, and if the Circle can be restored...please reinstate that law. You shouldn't re-exile those you've pardoned, though."
Sol shook his head. "We should not repeal that decision. The first Circle, millions of years ago, already cast the spell that makes it impossible for a normal dragon to have children with a mortal. There is no need to enforce it anymore." Sol shook his head. "We must focus on something else. Solor... you said that a Tear of Oblivion separated you both?"
"Yeah", said Edward. "Why did you stop me?"
"I did not", Sol said, his eyes widening in realization.
Edward's eyes widened as well. "Oh my! Then... Solor cast the spell?"
"We must make our way to the Titans", Sol said. "He must have a plan. I just hope he is alive..."
[Dark Lair]
Solor was, indeed, alive. He had been beaten badly by that General protecting Vilea and the remaining brood but, as he woke up, he realized that something was wrong. For a moment, he thought he was having a nightmare where he was in the same area where he was raped and tortured. He looked around and saw that he was imprisoned and muttered, "Whoever did this will suffer."
"So, the Light mosquito is awake," a familiar voice said.
"Vilea," Solor said, his voice icy, "What do you want?"
"Only to tell you that your plot failed," she said, "one of your babies served its purpose as did Raven. Trigon is summoned and, guess what? Lair has fallen! The Circle is no more, petrified by Oblaan. And, your friend has also fallen. He was so easy to defeat. He managed to rescue Grand Light somehow and managed to get through the barrier protecting Lair. When we find them, they shall share the same fate. Statues in the Dark Lair. In fact, when father gets here, you may join them.
"It's a shame, really. I had hoped for more eggs out of you, but, I still have one precious whelpling to raise up and with the earth under our control, there's no one left to stand in our way."
"So, Kiinnum has evaded you? That's good," Starborn said.
"Not for you, it isn't," she said, "I'm going to enjoy breaking you all over again, and this time, you'll stay broken. I will avenge my first whelp, as there is no way that rock fell on its own. You will tell me what I need to know, plain and simple."
Solor smirked. "Well... I hate to disappoint you. But you cannot break me anymore." His eyes began glowing white, and with an intensity never seen before. "I... AM NOT... AFRAID. OF. YOU!"
With that Solor roared and broke free from his bonds as though they were nothing. Vilea stared in horror.
"Impossible... only a member of the Circle could break those bonds", she said, and Solor only grinned evilly.
"My turn", he said simply. "I underestimated you. I will not make that mistake again."
Vilea, for the first time in her life, felt fear for something other than her father. Quickly, she turned and fled. "KILL HIM!" she roared at the general that was left. "KILL HIM, OR I WILL KILL YOU!"
The general obeyed without question, glaring at Solor. "You will pay for the death of the Twilight whelps!" He roared, and charged.
Only to be met with a beam of light to the face, killing him instantly.
Solor looked at the corpse, then back down the tunnel that Vilea escaped to. "I will atone for my sins", he said. "I will kill that last abomination. And I will end the reign of terror of Vilea." He flapped his wings, taking off down the tunnel.
[Titan's Tower]
The Titans recovered quickly after Edward left for Lair, and the group had to flee before demons of fire could attack them.
"So... this is what happens when an multidimensional demon takes over the world", said Beast Boy. "It's even darker and scarier than I thought."
Cyborg nodded. "So, what do we do?" he asked. "Without Raven, Solor, Edward, or Rachael, we're kinda up a creak without a paddle, right?"
Robin began to think. He remembered Edward telling him about this weeks before. And it took only minutes for him to figure out what he needed to do. "Guys... we're gonna have to split up."
"Are you kidding?" Terra said. "We're two team members and two supporting members short. There's no way we can do anything split up. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find Raven", Robin replied. "Edward said that Raven's the only one that can push Trigon back. I don't know where she is, but she's our only hope. So, I'm not gonna sit here and do nothing."
After a few moments, Beast Boy nodded. "I getcha, dude. I'll do my best to keep Trigon from looking for you."
"As will the rest of us", finished Cyborg. "You get going, man. Raven's waiting for you."
"Wait, how are you going to know where to find her?" Terra asked.
"Call it a hunch", Robin replied before he began walking off.
Shortly after Robin left, Beast Boy surprisingly took charge. "Alright. If Solor and Edward are right, then Trigon was most likely summoned in Greece. We're gonna have to meet him halfway and take him on there."
Starfire shook her head. "The Trigon is very powerful. We cannot face him in the middle of the ocean where one of us cannot even access our powers."
"Then what do you suggest you do?" Terra asked.
Starfire responded by looking up, smirking as she saw the fire demons circling around them. "We wait until he shows up. We will make our last stand here, in Jump City. We must buy friend Robin enough time to find Raven."
"Here's hoping the Justice League is still in the game", Beast Boy said, before morphing into the Beast, allowing Terra onto his back. The four remaining Titans took to the battle, powers ready for the war.
[Watchtower]
Superman groaned, as he stood up slowly. "Everyone alright?" he asked, looking at the other heroes that were around him. Everyone nodded, but they knew they were in deep trouble.
"All signs of life have diminished greatly", said J'onn. "In fact... there are only a few left. Most of our team on Earth is petrified, along with the rest of the planet. There are only eight human signals left and a few dragons. I assume that is the Teen Titans and their dragon friends."
"Most likely", said Green Lantern. "So, who do we got? The founding members of the League, the Doom Patrol, and some of the kids, right? Jericho, Kole, Gnarrk, and a few others."
Batman nodded. "There is a major entity heading towards Jump City. He's almost there, but he's still a few miles from the bay. If we hurry, we can give the Titans support and stop this menace."
With that, the heroes on the Watchtower all got together, ready to depart. The final battle had begun.
[Dark Lair]
Vilea panted as she ran, forced to stop flying as Solor had shot a hole into her wings. She had been narrowly dodging his attacks, and there was little room for her to run in, and even less room for her to run to. She was making a break for the exit, holding the last egg in her claw as she struggled.
How did he get so strong? she asked. How did he recover in the first place?
She was afraid for the first time in well, probably ever as Solor caught up to her, vengeance in his eyes. And he had an advantage. Even two if one wanted to be technical. He still had flight and all four legs to run her down.
But, he needed an ace in the hole...
[Kiinnum?] he projected, [I'm all right, but, need your assistance real quick. Can you meet me at the Dark Lair's opening. Someone here I want you to meet.]
[Starborn! Your father is with me, we'll meet you there, but, we got major, and I mean MAJOR problems!] Edward replied, relief evident in their new found link.
"Sol," Edward said, "Starborn is alive. I think he's chasing someone he knows, if you get my drift. We're teleporting in case Grand Darkness can track Tears of Oblivion, so, you will have to get on."
Sol smiled, "That's good news! Let's go, but, we have to be quick!"
[Rachael? Come on, babe, I know you're there!] Edward called out on his link.
[I'm here, sweetheart,] she replied, [but, the Tower is destroyed. And, we're surrounded by fire demons.]
[Can you guys hold out for a little bit?]
[If you're asking if they are attacking, they are not. It's like they are waiting for some reason,] she replied.
[Trigon's not there, then,] he replied, [Buys us a little time, I hope.]
"OK, we have to make this fast, Sol," Edward said, "The Titan Tower is under siege."
"Understood," Sol said, "Let's go."
Edward waited until Sol got on and took to the air. A few moments later, they were at Mt. Olympus.
Edward looked up at the sky. The spiral of clouds was on the move, indicating that Trigon was on the move.
Edward said, "Wait here, please. I will help Starborn bring Vilea out as well as her hatchling. I want her to see that the remaining member of the Circle is here and ready to pronounce sentence. I know that the Circle usually does this, but, you may have to take unilateral action unless she knows how to reverse what Grand Darkness did."
Sol nodded his assent, glad to know his son was alive.
Edward entered the cave, albeit at a smaller size to fit in easier.
Just in time as he saw a panicked Vilea heading his way.
"FREEZE TRAITOR!" he roared and allowed his eyes to shine a blazing, deadly, dangerous red.
"Try to fire your breath weapon and I will not hesitate to kill you," Edward warned as she tried to turn around.
He lit up his ridges to show he meant business and as the intensity increased, his Blessing activated, filling the cave with a blinding light that even forced the chasing Starborn to squint.
Vilea stopped, mainly because she did not have a choice.
"In the name of the Circle, I place you under arrest, Vilea. You will be charged with Crimes against Dragonkind, Multiple counts of raping the Heir to the Light, Torture, and crimes against the First," Edward said, "as well as High Treason and conspiracy to commit High Treason."
Edward walked over and snarled, "The Egg...now."
She handed it over to Edward who looked at it.
"Please...don't kill it," she pleaded.
"Why shouldn't I?" Edward asked, staying his hand.
"He's a hybrid, like you are," she said, averting her gaze as Edward deactivated his Blessing.
"That's irrelevant," Edward said.
"Isn't it? Aren't you a hybrid of all the clans?" Vilea challenged, "What gave you the right to live and not be labeled an abomination by the Circle and likewise executed?"
That took Edward by surprise and he had no answer. But, she had a point, even in her fear.
So, he said, "We'll have to let the Circle decide...assuming that they can be revived. Follow me willingly or be carried...Your choice.
"Starborn, Excellent work!"
Vilea chose to follow Edward, seeing that there was still a lower level glow in his spine ridges, indicating that if she tried to run, she'd likely be stunned, if not killed.
Edward slowly backed out and to where Sol awaited.
She saw Sol and said, "No! Please don't turn me over to Feylfil!"
"Morning Star?" Edward asked.
"That is the name my mother gave me," Sol said, "I am surprised she knows my name, but, no matter. She's not going anywhere except to her doom. You two go to the Tower."
Solor, however, had other plans. He approached Edward, staring at the egg with an odd, unfamiliar look for a dragon. "Give me the egg."
Edward nearly did a double take at how Solor approached Edward without him noticing. "No, Solor. I promised Vilea I would-"
"She is a Dark Dragon. She is a traitor, a torturer, a rapist, and completely insane. Her word and any promises made to her mean nothing", Solor said simply. "But that is not the point. I am not going to harm it. Just give me the egg."
Edward eyed Solor warily, but could not detect any anger in the younger dragon. So, reluctantly, he gave the egg over. "Why are you so interested in it? I mean, besides the fact that it's yours?"
"Because", Solor said, holding it in his claws, "it's about to hatch."
And just like that, the egg began to crack. Slowly, pieces were clawed away, until a serpent-like head began to poke out. It looked around, it's red eyes very obvious against it's bronze scales and black underbelly. After a moment, it caught eyesight with Solor, and made a gurgling sound before it began to stumble out of the shell. Solor brought the whelp close to his snout, allowing it to crawl upon him and look him in the eye. Eventually, it seemed satisfied, and let out a small coo, before curling up and seemingly falling asleep.
"Did you think of a name for her?" asked Solor suddenly. Vilea, surprised by the question, only shook her head. "Then I shall name her."
"Starborn, that is unwise. If the Circle decides to destroy it-" Sol began.
"-then they will have to go through my corpse", said Solor, snarling angrily. He gently picked up the whelp, still sleeping in his claws, and carried her. She was about the size of a medium-sized dog, so it was easy to hold her. "She is my daughter. I will not kill her." He smiled at the baby dragon. "Now that I see her... how beautiful she is... I cannot feel anything but love for her. Perhaps I could not feel the same about the others, as I did not get a good look at them... but she is mine. I refuse to lose her. And from this day forward... her name is Soskrein."
"Blood sun..." Edward translated, tasting it on his lips. "It fits, considering the circumstances. I figured you'd go for a dusk or a dawn themed name."
"That would be boring. Why would I do that?" Solor said, smirking. "Now... if you'll excuse us, Father, I think it is time we headed for Jump City."
"With that whelp? It will not be safe", said Sol, although he reluctantly opened the way, knowing that either way, Grand Darkness will know they were here.
"I have a safe place for her", he said, smirking. He shot Edward a look. "You're not the only one who has a safe storage for things valuable to you." With that, he flapped his wings, flying into the Tear.
"Sol," Edward said, "She's a beautiful granddaughter. Instead of killing her, I respectfully submit that the Circle allow her to live. You already allowed a hybrid dragon to live and enjoy a full life. Please, I already killed one innocent whelp. Please...Please, don't kill this one." Tears fell from Edward's eyes, revealing the guilt he felt at having to take an innocent life.
Sol was speechless, seeing the conviction in Edward's eyes. "It's not my call to make, Kiinnum. But, if Starborn can accept his daughter and we already spared your life, I think I can prevail upon the Circle to allow her to have the same chance that you got."
Vilea looked at the scene and something changed within her. She saw how guilt-ridden Edward was over killing her whelp, she saw how Solor went from wanting the whelp dead to protecting it and telling Grand Light that they would have to kill him as well. And, she looked up at the blood red sky and realized something. It did not matter how physically strong one is: The true strength comes from within. Starborn could have killed the last whelp, knowing that she would be a reminder of how she was conceived. But, chose to love the baby anyway. She realized that maybe even a Dragon can change. She saw that one of the strongest Dragons still shed tears over having to kill, and, she knew what true strength really was and where it lay.
"I will cooperate with you," she said suddenly.
Edward raised an eyebrow and replied, "How do we know that you will tell us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, Traitor?"
"Because I will plead guilty in front of the Circle and if they say that the Heir to Darkness deserves to die for my crimes, then, I will accept their judgment," she replied.
"Will you renounce your title?" Sol asked.
"I will if it helps convince you of my sincerity," she replied, "Your friends can be recovered. But, you must kill Oblaan and Trigon must be banished or killed. When Trigon's daughter reverts those petrified, those in Lair will be freed."
"You know that if you renounce your title, you can die regardless," Sol said. She nodded, "And I will face the First and accept my damnation.
"Kiinnum...I forgive you."
It was Edward's turn to be picking his jaw up. He nodded, "Thank you."
[Edward!] he heard in his head [We need you! Trigon is close!]
"I gotta run, Sol!" Edward said, "Vilea...If you go back upon what you said, I will execute you myself and unlike your whelp, I will not feel remorse."
Edward chose to teleport as Sol opened a Tear and escorted his prisoner to a location where he hoped Oblaan would not find her until the fight was over.
[Titan Tower]
Edward emerged over Titan Tower and saw the fire demons starting to make their move.
They did not expect to see Edward's spines start glowing blue and quickly charge to full capacity.
Edward unleashed a megablast of superchilled air that snuffed out a fair amount of fire demons as the Justice League arrived as well.
"Am I glad to see these guys!" Edward said with a smirk.
"Superman! Use your breath to get rid of these guys, please!" Edward called out, "Lantern, snuff them out with airtight constructs. Titans, GO!"
As the superheroes engaged the fire demons, the earth shook and as everyone watched, the clouds converged and with a roar, Trigon the Terrible, destroyer of worlds, eater of souls arrived on the scene.
Edward turned to face the demon once more.
"So, you are the insolent beast who defeated me in his realm," Trigon said, "Before you die, I will devour your friend's souls and make you watch as they beg for mercy..."
"I killed you in my universe, you bastard, and I did not have my full capabilities," Edward snarled, "Now, I am at full strength and full power. Prepare to be banished from your home universe, forever."
[J'onn, please relay to everyone that they need to steer clear of Trigon's eye blasts, including Superman. Thanks!]
[That dangerous?] J'onn asked.
[I've dealt with Trigon before and know what he is capable of,] Edward replied, [You'll have to trust me, Manhunter.]
Before Edward could say more, though, a beam of Light shot from the air and hit Trigon in the face, temporarily blinding him and making him howl in rage.
"Hope I'm not too late!" came Solor's voice, as the Light Dragon flew through the sky. "Had a little... guest in my stash." He motioned to his back, where Edward could barely make out the small figures of Robin and a very tiny Raven.
Edward, despite the situation, couldn't help but laugh. "I thought you refused to be a pack mule?" he called to his brother.
"To anyone? No", said Solor. He then smirked. "To my sister and brother? I'll make an exception." Edward thought, Now, Starborn is over his hangup with humans at last.
Soon, the Dragon landed, allowing Raven and Robin to dismount. He turned to Robin. "Keep her safe. Edward and I will take on Trigon the Terrible."
"No!" Raven cried, latching onto Solor's claw. "He'll kill you!"
Solor, however, remained calm, and nuzzled Raven lightly with his snout. "I've faced Death itself and come unscathed. I can survive a little old demon", he assured her. "Now, listen to Robin, and be safe."
Edward said gently, through the link, [It's gonna be OK, Raven. I've defeated Trigon before, and I'll do it again.] He also nuzzled her for moral support, [Go on, please do as Solor asks.]
With that, Robin took a hold of Raven, and allowed Solor to fly into the sky, taking his place right next to Edward. "Now... where were we?"
"I think we were about to kick some demonic ass", Edward said, snarling as Trigon finally was regaining his sight.
"You will pay for that, insolent whelp", said Trigon, growling. "I will end you all, and there is nothing that can stop me!"
"We'll see about that", Solor said, activating his Blessing. Edward did likewise and said, "Ready, Starborn? Do not hold back anything."
Edward's spinal ridges lit up a brilliant white and as the power grew in intensity, it threatened to burst forth. The glow he got was as bright as if there were three suns instead of one as the air shimmered. He opened his jaw and there was a buildup of high energy plasma, that in the Battle of Lair, he didn't have time to use. Not that it would have mattered then, but, now...Edward let loose a blast that outpowered every single blast he has loosed in his entire life.
Solor unleashed a powerful laser like beam of light that struck Trigon at the same time, staggering the demon hard, weakening him, but, it did not put Trigon down.
Trigon stumbled and crashed into the ruined buildings of downtown Jump City.
Solor's blessing faded, but, he stayed in the air. Edward deactivated his own blessing of the light as he flew at Trigon and grabbed him by the horns and started to slam the demon's head through the streets as his scales indicated he had let his draconic rage go and only Raven, Rachael or maybe one of the Tamaranians would be able to calm him now. Not even Sol or Solor would be able to calm him easily until his rage cooled on it's own.
Edward wasn't even fazed when Trigon's eye beams fired, the beams reflecting off Edward's scales. When Trigon was allowed to try to stand, he was missing a horn and bleeding from many cuts.
"You INJURED ME!" Trigon roared and fired the same weapon that he tried to use against Grand Darkness only to see Edward teleporting out of the way and was struck with Edward's tail from behind.
"Oh, I plan on ending your existence!" Edward snarled.
Trigon flew towards Solor and as Solor struck, so did the Man of Steel, and he was not holding back this time. Terra ripped out a chunk of the earth and formed it into a flying fist that smashed into Trigon when he tried to stand. The impact of that fist removing the other horn.
As the battle raged on, though, a frightened young Raven was clutching onto Robin and as she saw her demonic father trying to defend himself against an enraged Edward, Solor and Superman, her memory came back from what her counterpart kept saying..."Trigon can be hurt...Trigon can be hurt." She shook her head.
"You're starting to remember?" Rachael said, kneeling down to her.
"I know you're frightened, Raven," she said, "I was to when this happened. But, you have the power to banish Trigon. You have to reach deep within yourself, because your powers are still there. You've been cleansed of Trigon's evil and your powers are pure now."
"How do I do that, Big Sis?" little Raven asked.
"You'll know," Rachael said, hugging her now child counterpart, "I didn't know either. It just happened when Trigon was about to kill my friends. I was scared, trying to wake them up when Trigon attacked and my powers came back."
By then, the fight had been going a long time, Trigon refusing to go down and suddenly, he realized that he should go for the soft targets and fired, not at Edward, but, at the Titans!
Before anyone could react, a white dome formed that blocked his attack. Little Raven was glowing white and she looked stunned as her powers reasserted themselves.
"You may have retained a trace of my power, but, even now, your friends lived because I allowed it. Now, I will destroy them, then, you 'Daughter'!" Trigon roared.
In a flash, Raven was back to her adult form and she let loose with her own powers, blasting at Trigon saying "You were never my father!" Trigon roared as he was hit, white tendrils forming.
"Fathers are kind!" Another blast. Edward recognized the lines and readied himself.
"Fathers protect you! Fathers raise you!" Two more blasts as she rose into the air.
"I was protected by the monks of Azarath! I was raised by my friends!" Rachael also remembered this and readied her powers.
"THESE ARE MY FRIENDS! THIS IS MY HOME AND YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" She glowed white and she yelled "AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" at the same time as Edward and Rachael chanted the same thing...Three beams of magical energy struck Trigon and with a final scream, Trigon the Terrible was banished from the Universe, not to return. Raven's body let out a huge pulse of magical energy that washed over the planet, reverting everything to as it was prior to Trigon's summoning. The skies cleared, the oceans healed, people were unpetrified and even those broken in the fight came back together she made whole
Raven floated down to her friends as Edward's scales reverted to normal, his eyes following a few moments later. He and Solor landed as Raven went to Robin and with a smile hugged him, then, everyone else in turn. When she got to Rachael, though, they could see a tear in Rachael's eyes as she accepted the hug and she whispered, "You're free, little sister."
Solor had gone to his hybrid form as Edward, for the first time in a while, went back to his human size. Raven hugged Solor and thanked him for the rescue.
But, unknown to anyone...Edward had severely overextended himself and as Raven hugged him, he finally collapsed. Solor, thinking quickly grabbed his honor brother and eased him down to the ground.
"What is wrong?" Solor asked.
"He's overused his powers," came a deep voice, "We were afraid of this, Solor."
"What happened, Father?" Solor asked, seeing that his father joined the group.
"He's 3000 year old is what happened," Sol said, brushing Edward's cheek, "He had a high magical resistance to begin with and, well, they are not sticking. He'll probably not have the weapon backlash, but, everything else will fade in the next few hours. He may even lose the Blessing of Light. I'm sorry, Solor."
But, the fight wasn't over yet. Like a video game where one defeats the minor bosses, there was a BIG boss to contend with. And Grand Darkness was the biggest, baddest boss around. A shadow fell across the sun as Grand Darkness arrived and he was FURIOUS!
"After all the work I went through, all of the time and resources spent on this plan... you just had to butt your heads in, didn't you?!" he roared. "Fine then! I don't care if my powers tear my mortal shell apart! I will END ALL OF YOU!" With a mighty roar, Oblaan activated his blessing, and like that, the sky began to go dark. Soon, the sky turned back to blood red, as the apocalypse Darkness wished for began. The clouds swirled around Darkness, as he picked his target. "And the FIRST to die will be YOU, EDWARD BARNES!" With that, he blasted a beam of red light out of his mouth, and Edward was just able to become conscious to see the attack.
Ohhhhh, shit!
A Tear opened in front of the group, however, and Death jumped in front of them at the last possible second.
When the light faded, the skeletal dragon was completely petrified, holding his wings wide to prevent the beam from going past him at any point whatsoever. His body fell to the ground, and with a loud thud, made a small crater around it as it landed intact.
"Death! NO!" Sol roared. He got up, activating his blessing. "I will handle this! You all run!"
"No! I cannot leave you!" Solor roared back.
"Don't argue with me, son! How will you protect Kreinyol and Soskrein if you're dead?!" Sol roared. However, before anything else could be said he too was hit by the beam, and petrified.
"FATHER!" Solor roared. One by one, every Titan and superhero was targeted by Darkness, who was firing too fast for even the Flash to dodge. Soon, it was only Starfire, Edward and Solor left, as Darkness seethed in the sky.
"Finally, only three left." He glared at the petrified bodies of Raven and Rachael. "What a worthless granddaughter. I am ashamed that she is my grand daughter."
Edward, of course heard that, and snarled, but could not make a move, since he was still recovering from the drain. Darkness targeted him next, but Solor stood in the way. "Starborn!" Edward roared. "MOVE!"
"NEVER!" Solor said. "I am NOT gonna let you die! I won't let ANYONE die!"
"A bold move, but futile nontheless! I will simply take you BOTH out!" Oblaan took a deep breath, and unleashed a blast, that was moving way too fast for either Edward or Solor to avoid. Solor closed his eyes, bracing for impact.
That was when he felt the connection snap.
Immediately, his eyes opened, and he stared downwards to see the love of his life, Kreinyol, petrified. He gasped, and knelt down, holding her petrified body. "Kreinyol! NO! You can't be! You're gonna be alright! Just say something, PLEASE!"
That was when Darkness began to laugh. "Are you serious? You mated with that mortal scum?! That's rich! I suppose you're soulbound to her now? Or should I say WAS soulbound?" He laughed louder, unaware that Solor was shaking. He let the statue down gently, and glared up at Darkness.
His eyes were pure white now.
"That... is the last... straw..." he said, panting with rage. "You come into MY world, and attack MY family and MY friends... you kidnap and lie and murder just for YOUR gains and YOUR desires. YOU HAD ME RAPED!" He took a step forward, and the force behind it practically formed a crater underneath his foot. "And now... you insult my WIFE. That... that is it. I don't care what I have to do, or say, or kill. I will END you, IF IT EVEN KILLS ME!"
Edward knew from experience that insulting Solor's loved ones was a huge mistake and winced.
"Grand Darkness, you really should not have gone there," Edward muttered.
Solor reactivated his blessing, and from what Edward could tell, it was radiating a LOT more energy than ever recorded. The amount of energy output was making his attempt to save all the aliens in Edward's universe look like child's play. Darkness stared, and Edward could see the one expression that no one could imagine on his face.
He was terrified.
"N-No... that's not possible! You can't have HIS magic!" said Oblaan, his voice quavering.
Solor looked up at Darkness. "I am Starborn", he said, his voice practically otherworldly. "I am descended from the very first Grand Light. And you, Oblaan, First of the Darkness... are past your term. You're impeached!" With that, he began to breathe in, crossing his arms in front of his face. Oblaan, seeing him starting to charge an attack, roared in futile rage, charging his own attack.
A beam of Darkness and Light met each other in the air, as both combatants unleashed their weapons at the same time. The pure, raw energy was generating winds at an almost unreal speed, with Edward forced to hang onto a streetlamp to keep from flying away. The Dragons continued to glare, but Darkness began to panic. His own attack was slowly being pushed back, until the beam of Light was forced into his throat. He roared in pure agony, while Solor pushed the attack to its limit, feeling his own scales starting to peel off as he used this power that he never displayed before. Darkness howled in agony as his body was slowly ripped apart, disintegrating into nothing as the Light washed over him. Finally, there was nothing left, and the attack finally faded away.
Upon Oblaan's death, the rest of the Titans began to return to their fleshy forms, along with the Dragons that he had petrified. Solor was standing still, panting, his eyes bloodshot, blood running down his nose, and scales missing from his draconic form. Slowly, he swayed, and fell, just in time to be caught by both Kreinyol and Sol, who gently laid him on the ground.
"What... the HELL was that?" Edward asked, having witnessed the whole thing.
Sol looked to Edward, and smiled sadly. "Solor's proof of his ancestry." He looked down at Solor, as tears filled his eyes. "After all these years... the war is finally over. The Traitor is dead. But... at what cost?"
Kreinyol could feel the link restoring itself, but it was weak. "He is still alive! Surely he will recover?!"
"What he used was a Primal Blessing", Sol explained, letting the tears fall. "An ancient magic that only the First Circle ever had access to. It... it can bypass the immortality that the leaders' have, as you've probably seen... but at a terrible cost to a normal dragon." He looked at Kreinyol. "I'm sorry... but I do not know if Solor will ever wake up."
Starfire gasped, holding her hands to her mouth. "No... you are LYING!" She rushed forward, hitting Sol's chest with her fists. "He promised me! He promised me he would not die! He promised he would give me a mortal wedding! He PROMISED!" When she couldn't hit Sol anymore, she collapsed, sobbing.
All of the Titans bowed their heads as well, along with many of the Justice League. A powerful ally had been taken down today. Not only a dragon, but a founding member of the Teen Titans. Raven buried her face into Robin's shoulder, beginning to sob, as Terra and Beast Boy held each others' hands, silently letting their own tears fall. Cyborg hit the wall hard, holding back his tears as best as he could as he began cursing to himself, wishing he could have done something to help his friend out.
The one who probably took it the hardest, though, was Edward. He couldn't cry, he couldn't curse, he couldn't speak. All he could do was stare at the now broken form of Solor's body, the shock almost keeping him from breathing. He walked forward, falling to his knees. "You... idiot", he said slowly. "You always have to prove your strength, don't you?" He chuckled, as the first tear fell. "Well... I don't think we're evenly matched anymore, Brother." Rachael joined her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. He leaned against Rachael and wept.
That was when a voice barely rasped against the wind.
"Well... that... hurt..." came the soft words. Edward gasped, and looked at Solor's face, shocked to see the dragon's eyes were open, though still bloodshot, as he smiled lightly. "Why are... you crying? I told you... I won't let... you die. I... kept my... word."
Edward looked up and said, "Get a gurney...NOW! He's awake!"
To Solor he said, "That you did, Brother. Rest. You've earned it, Heir to the Light. The long war is over, thanks to you."
Kreinyol gasped and when she saw that Edward was telling the truth, she screamed in utter joy!
Beast Boy and Terra looked up and saw Solor looking around and smiled at the scene.
Rocks were covered in a black aura as Raven looked as well, but, when Robin pointed at the rock and whispered, "You really don't have to use the rocks to show your happiness," she lowered them.
The other Titans and Justice League members also rejoiced, celebrating the fact that Solor was alive. Old issues were set aside as Batman and Robin embraced as father and son. the other heroes of the era stepping aside to honor the true heroes of the day as a mood to celebrate came over the entire group. It would be a day remembered for a long time as the various teams realized that whatever happened, they were all one family of superheroes from now on.
A gurney was brought out in a flash, literally as the Flash and Kid Flash brought one out.
Starfire and Sol moved Solor to the gurney and Edward said, "Sleep, brother. Where's the whelp? She deserves to be with her dad."
Solor whispered, "My cave. There's an area that only I knew about." His eyes closed and they took him into the Med Bay.
Edward told Cyborg how to treat Solor and after that, asked everyone to leave, except himself, Cyborg, Sol, Kreinyol and any members of the Circle.
Then, Edward excused himself and went to the roof. Moments later they all heard a victory roar that echoed across the bay and throughout the city.
Sol looked at his daughter-in-law and said, "Come give your father-in-law a hug." She ran over to him and subjected him to a classic Starfire hug...meaning it was a good thing that Sol was quite durable. She sobbed into his shoulder and he stood there, letting her cry her eyes out. He would never say a word about how she dared to strike the Grand Light of the Circle … for he was in his father mode and that meant setting aside, even for a little while, his status.
"I'm sorry for doing the hitting," she said through her tears.
"I understand, Kreinyol," Sol said with a smile, "You do not have to apologize for that. I forgive you."
The other superheroes watched as they bonded and as Edward walked in, Raven walked over and said, "Rage said, 'You did it. You proved me right. And, I am grateful for that.'"
"Raven," Edward said, "You're free now. Explore all the emotions for you have a long life ahead of you. Let yourself blossom into whoever you want to be and, you're not alone any longer. I did this to help you as well to be the person you were meant to be."
Raven shed a tear and Edward wiped it away. Rachael rolled her eyes, but, in Nevermore; Happy was cheering for her counterpart.
Edward broke the hug and walked to Robin and embraced him. They walked sway from the others for some form of privacy.
"Robin, I know your heart is broken over Star and Solor," he said, "Raven will need a guide to her emotions and someone level headed. I think you fit that bill, and, it will help you both. She's going to be the same basic Raven that you know, but, as time goes on, her emotions will come to the surface more and more. That's when she will need someone that she trusts without question to be her rock. That's what I do with my wife: She knows that she can be herself around me and that we keep each other grounded in reality. Your Raven will want someone in her life to keep her from losing it. Her demon side is still there and always will be, and, that is your challenge, Richard."
He looked stunned that Edward knew his identity. Edward explained, "Your counterpart already told me his real name. It is something that I keep as a deep secret in my world. As protected as Fort Knox. I also know Batman's secret identity as well as Superman's. They know that they can trust me with that knowledge and will take that beyond their graves. I trust them with my life in return. Someday, friend, you should entrust your team with the secret as well. You already know your teammates' secret identities due to this crisis and they know that in public, you will still address them by their hero personas."
Robin nodded, "You're right, they should know. But, not with all the others here."
"You'll know when the time is right, Robin," Edward replied, "That time is not now, though."
Edward excused himself one more time by saying, "There is one who is missing and I think it's time you met her. I know Solor would want to do this himself, but, given that he's down for a while, he won't mind."
He headed outside to look at the sky and after morphing teleported to Solor's cave and listened intently. Sure enough, there was a small whimpering sound and he went over to it.
He carefully lifted the baby dragon and he said, "I'm going to take you to see your daddy, Soskrein."
She cooed in response as they left. Edward saw the dragons flying towards him and the other members of the Circle approached.
"Pass the word to all Dragons," Edward said, "THE WAR IS OVER! Starborn, Heir to the Light, has killed Grand Darkness." The resulting sound of Dragons roaring in happiness frightened the whelp and she whimpered in fear. Edward said, "Hush, little Soskrein, they're not going to hurt you."
Needless to say, their would be a victory feast in a few days in Lair and even in the mortal world.
Edward teleported back to the Tower after making sure the baby would stay warm.
He went back to ops and said, "Titans and friends. This is Soskrein, Solor's daughter."
Kreinyol went over and instantly fell in love with the baby, "Say the 'Hello' to your new k'norfka!" she said, hearts in her eyes. She asked, "May I hold her?" Edward smiled and showed her how.
"My son when he was born, looked a lot like this, just smaller," Edward said to the others, "I guess that spell didn't take hybrids into consideration, Sol."
That got a chuckle out of Grand Light, "I think you're right, and, I'm OK with it."
Edward asked, "Where is Grand Death?"
"I am here, Kiinnum," a voice said.
Edward walked over and said, "You saved my life. I am indebted to you and, I wish to honor that by saying that I forgive you for any wrongs against me. You have earned my trust and my friendship. I am humbled to call you 'Brother'."
Sol smiled as he watched Edward make peace with Grand Death and was reminded that the true strength was not a physical one, but, the strength to say "I forgive." He reflected that it was a common theme in the last week, though.
"All right!" Cyborg said, "Who's up for waffles?" That got a laugh out of everyone.
"I could use some," Edward replied, "Lead the way, tin-man."
Kreinyol, however, shook her head. "I must bring our little bumgorf to Husband Solor", she said. "I shall join you shortly." She then left the room, finding her way to the med bay. As soon as Soskrein saw her father in the bed, she actually launched herself from Kreinyol's arms and landed next to Solor, placing her head on his stomach. He patted her, having woken up, despite needing to recover over the next week or so. "Hey, little one. You weren't scared, were you?"
Kreinyol smiled, and walked over. "She is beautiful, my love."
Solor smiled, but it slowly faded. "She is... and she deserves the best. Which I am afraid she will not get here."
"What do you mean?" Kreinyol asked. "She will not have to go to Lair, will she?"
Solor shook his head. "That might be a death sentence for her. Or at least put her through a living hell. Even if the Circle allows her to live, she is still young, and thus, weak. Many dragons will not see her as equal, thanks to bigoted, old traditions. And as much as I hate saying it... I do not think I am ready to be a father."
Kreinyol nodded slowly. "I understand, my love. But... do we have to give her away? To whom would we even do so?"
Solor gave it some thought, and smiled slowly. "Well... I know Edward and Rachael have been trying for a child. Even if they are not related to me by blood... Edward is still family. If anyone could raise her, it would be him." He looked back at Soskrein. "But... I don't want to give her up. And I don't know how Edward will react to her as well. The only child he had is half human. This, while still a hybrid, is a full dragon. She will develop differently from David."
Kreinyol nodded, understanding completely. She slipped into the bed, and motioned for Soskrein to join them. "Whatever you choose, my love", she said, grunting a bit as the baby dragon laid down on her stomach, "I am sure Soskrein will still love you as much as I do."
Solor smiled, and whispered to Kreinyol, "I hope so, my love..." before he slipped back into unconsciousness, still exhausted from the day.
Sol smiled at the scene, watching as the entire family fell asleep in the same large bed. He turned, letting them rest, as he decided to keep the whole interaction a secret. It wasn't his place to say.
It was going to be up to Edward and Solor now.