I owe all of you an apology. When I began this story, my purpose was to provide Teen Titans fans with a substitute, easing some of the strain we were going through while waiting for news of Raven's fate. It started out well, and I would update on a weekly basis. Then, once I had finished the first half of this adventure, I began to lose momentum. Updates came at two week intervals. Then it was three. I can't help but feel I was letting you good people down.

But NO MORE! The next Raven episode, "Prophecy", airs June 4 (TVTome). As God as my witness, this story shall come to an end long before Cartoon Network gives us our fill! I'm on a deadline, people. And I will achieve it…

Some of you may have read this the first time I posted it, and if so, I am sorry. I was in a rush and tried to post something that could easily be called "unfinished work". Please don't judge me on something I allowed to see the light of day for a forty-eight hour time period. I hope this makes up for it.

We have come so far together in this journey; the end is drawing near. Friends, I beg of you: Please, read and review.

Dedicated to Jurodan, who can take the painful sting out of criticism.

That's the problem with prophecies. They're never crystal clear.

A ball of flame came rushing at Raven and Jinx, being controlled almost subconsciously by their opponent. Reacting quickly, Raven threw up her arms and engulfed the two girls in a black shield, the mass of fire slamming into the transparent wall. Jinx took her turn, leaping into the air and letting loose with half a dozen hex bolts, which slammed into the floor in a circle around Slade. The attack had the desired effect, as a large circle of the roof fell through to the building's interior, leaving Slade standing in mid-air in a very cartoonish fashion. It then proved futile as He took a few steps forward until he was standing on solid ground.

"Nice try, sweetie. I always knew you had potential. I also know you have a habit of bungling up a job…"

Slade pulled back a fist and through it towards the witch and sorceress, sending a stream of fire in their direction. The attack nearly reached its mark before it was shattered against a wall of energy, and to the surprise of all, this shield was not black. It was pink.

Jinx stood with her arms outstretched, trying desperately to hold her concentration. The force field wasn't nearly as strong as one produced by Raven, but it was doing the trick. In the back of her mind, Jinx kept repeating the same three words over and over, doing her best to maintain focus: "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

Raven took only a split second to admire the skill she had imparted upon her student. She had been just as surprised when Jinx had been able to use her mind-clearing words, but then again it probably didn't matter what she said. Karma was karma, simple as that. Trial and error had revealed that song lyrics were also effective, but words that stemmed from true magic were probably more reliable than "Crazy Train" by Ozzy, one of the sorceress's personal favorites. Jinx was gifted with a certain power, and while she had perfected it to her own purposes, a little manipulation and concentration could still go a long way.

Raven took her turn at bat, concentrating on a trick Jinx had helped her to master. Her power was most effective when it was focused through a solid object, but on occasion, she was able to send forth projectiles comprised solely of dark energy. Raven let loose with her own versions of Jinx's hex bolts, which, while quite powerful, had little effect when they struck Slade. He did stagger back a step, however, a sign that allowed the girls a brief sigh of relief. They might actually be able to hurt him after all.

Using the window of opportunity that had been opened for her, Raven rose into the air and turned her attention to a freight crane that hung through a skylight and down into the bowels of the factory below. The machine was engulfed by black energy and with a tremendous crunch, was ripped from its mountings. The mass of metal lifted into the air, hanging suspended momentarily. Raven sensed something wrong; the crane proving difficult to control. Of course it weighed thousands of pounds, but she had lifted far heavier in the past. The machinery remained motionless for what seemed like an agonizingly long stretch of time, while in reality, was only a few seconds. Then, with the momentum of a speeding train, it hurled itself at Slade.

The villain was buried beneath several tons of steel and cable, the floor beneath him sinking from the sudden addition of weight. It held true, however, as the weight was soon removed. With a bright flash of flame, the crane was blown skyward nearly fifty feet, until it came crashing back down through the skylight. Slade stood in the same spot, the only difference being his glowing slightly after the recent expulsion of power. He looked up at Raven, slowly shook his head in a disapproving fashion as he brushed some dust from his shoulder, and began striding forward.

Raven knew she had to slow his progress. If he got his hands on her, it was all over. Glancing over at the beams which had held the crane up until now, the dark-haired girl tried to wrestle them from the spot. They began to glow with dark energy, lifted several feet away from their crossbars, and then fell back into place. When Raven tried a second time, they remained motionless.

A horrifying realization dawned upon Raven. She knew now why Slade had intentionally lifted her spirits. Strong emotions caused her to lose control of her powers, and he knew this. Terra had revealed to him her dangerous temper, but any true feeling would cause her to lose herself. Malchior had been a risk, but he was teaching her new spells, allowing her to strengthen her mind. Besides, that was nothing compared to learning that your soul may not be damned for eternity. This was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. And it was going to get her killed.

Jinx wiped the sweat from her eyes and glanced over at Raven, who seemed frozen in place. She didn't know what the problem was, but the girl had to do something about it. Throwing her arms down at her sides, she drew upon the forces she was gifted with and her hands began to glow. Clearing her mind and concentrating with all her strength, the energy radiating from her doubled in intensity. As if she were wielding a sword or mace, Jinx threw the bolts forward, silently praying for some sort of effect. She did succeed, but not in the fashion she had hoped.

The attack found its mark, striking Slade square in the chest and knocking him off his feet. He didn't stay down for long, however, and decided to turn his attention away from Raven.

"I have to admit, kid. Your little girlfriend is REALLY getting on my nerves…"

Without the flinch of a single muscle, twin serpents of flame burst up from the ground, encircling Slade and ripping up great chunks of concrete as the slithered through the air. A second mental command was sent, and the fiery incantations raced forward, demonic purposes focused on a very frightened mistress of bad luck.

Raven dropped the ventilation fans she was about to catapult and tried to place a shield around her friend, who was too scared to do much of anything but stand in shock. But for the second time that evening, Raven's power failed her.

Only the barest of a shield sprang up in front of the hex princess, and it was just enough to stop the streams of fire. The debris they were carrying were too much for Raven's overstressed mind, however, and the black bubble burst, unable to withstand the onslaught of over a hundred pounds of concrete and steel.

Blocks of stone larger than herself slammed into the roof all around Jinx, missing her by inches. Leaping backwards, a tricky little piece of rebar caught her feet, causing her to stumble. With horrifying slowness, the girl fell over the side.

The distance was too great. There was no way she could span a gap that far, that fast. Raven closed her eyes and willed her very soul into the task at hand. A dark pool of energy formed on the patch of roof recently occupied by the pink haired teen. It continued to form and mutate, taking the shape of a giant claw as it slid along the roof.

Jinx watched in horror as the ground eight stories below came rushing up at her. Suddenly, her descent ceased, and she felt a crisp chill overtake her entire body. Looking down at herself, she discovered the source of her salvation as the Raven's claw pulled her back up to the safety of the roof.

Raven focused all of her being on retrieving her companion safely. She had just lifted her over the roof's ledge and was about to set her down when the punch landed in the middle of her back. With his opponent's attention was diverted, Slade saw an opportunity and took it. Raven was thrown forward twenty feet where she crumpled to the ground. The phantom apparition followed the movements of its mistress, and Jinx was thrown to the side, slamming into a brick wall that had previously housed ventilation fans. The ethereal claw disappeared and she sank to the ground, barely clinging to consciousness.

Raven struggled to her knees and raised a hand to her face, about to brush away a lock of this stupid hair. Her hand stopped halfway as the cold, powerful claw grasped her wrist and spun her around, throwing her hard into the floor. The teenage hero tried to get up a second time when she was apprehended once again.

"I told you, Raven. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter how badly you squirm, your destiny will be fulfilled." Raven was brutally pulled up off the floor. "There was nothing you could ever do to stop it."

Slade held Raven by the throat at arm's length, slowly tightening his grip. Try as she might, the stress was too great; she couldn't gain the slightest control of her powers. Tighter and tighter, Slade increased pressure, slowly crushing her windpipe. The damned tattoos burned forth brighter than ever before, hot enough that they were burning her flesh. This was it. She was going to die. Everyone was going to die.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll tell your Dad you said hi…"

Jinx struggled to an upright position, trying desperately to remember where she was. A cry from Raven quickly jogged her memory. Climbing to her feet in a vain attempt to help her friend, she was forced back to the ground by a jabbing pain in her side. Looking down, she saw the source tucked into her belt. She wasn't sure why she had picked it up that night, but now the answer was clear. It was just like the dreams; it was meant to happen, so they could have a chance at stopping this.

Wrapping her hand around this newly discovered tool of salvation, Jinx ran forward, one thought emblazoned in her mind. God help her, she was going to save her friend…

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That's it for now.

Friends, we have come along way. If we were trying to destroy the One Ring, then this is the part where Gollum jumps out of the shadows and goes to town on us. Let's hope our journey goes a little more smoothly.

Eight chapters down, one to go. Keep the reviews coming people.