Chapter 19

"Raven!" Beast Boy called out, "Come back!"

Trigon stomped on Constantine's body. Every time his foot went it, it would go deep; Constantine would cry out as soon as he felt Trigon's foot. Trigon would chuckle to himself, as if he wanted to see how loud he could get Constantine to scream.

Trigon heard a battle cry behind him, followed by an "Azarath—Metrion—ZINTHOS!" He glanced over his shoulder. In the next instant, Raven's foot landed in his face, and Trigon flew over the ground for several hundred yards. He finally found a home in one of the 'mountains' that he had formed earlier. Raven then telekinetically crumpled the mountain so that it would pile on him – giving her some time.

Then Raven remembered why she flew over here in the first place. She gasped in terror as she looked down at her bludgeoned son. His eyes were shut tight, and his mouth was open.

"Oh God! Constantine!"

Raven undid the whip of yellow light that was tightly wrapped around him. She rolled him over and over until his body was no longer touching the whip. She knelt down by him hastily and lifted his head, his eyes would not open. His additional demonic eyes were still present. She rubbed him slightly, trying to rouse him awake.

"C'mon, Constantine, wake up," she whispered, "C'mon, c'mon, wake up. I'm here. C'mon… Wake—Up—! C'mon! Please, wake up! C'mon, wake up! Please, no! Wake up!"

Raven lifted her son's head to her bosom. She wiped the blood from his silent face, and held him close.

"My son… no… you can't be dead. I'm here… I won't let you die… I made a promise. Don't be afraid to wake up, Constantine. I'm here. Everything's alright now. I got you. Your safe. Constantine… you're my whole world… you're all I have left… you're my little prince… and there's no way a prince can lose to a monster. You have to be alive, you hear me? I love you, and I won't let you die.

"You are my son. You mean everything to me."

Raven held him close and stroked his head. She took several deep breaths. His head rose and fell from the breath that filled her lungs, because it was on her chest. Then Raven's hands glowed light purple, she was trying to heal him.

Raven simply rocked back and forth for the next few minutes.

Then she felt Constantine stir, "Mom?"

She smiled, "Yes. I'm here, Son."

Raven looked down and saw that Constantine's eyes were barely open. She heard him breathe. At the sound of Constantine's groan, she helped him sit up. His whole body shook.

Then he pushed her away slightly, "Wait! Where is Trigon?!"

"It's alright, Son, you don't need to fight him anymore."

"Mom, listen. I want you to leave and get far away from here," Constantine said gravely, "As for Trigon, I'll fight him alone."

"No!" Raven objected, taking hold of Constantine's arm, "Don't do that! You don't want to get killed, do you? I won't let you fight him anymore!"

"Stop it. It's too dangerous for you. I'll finish this by myself."

"What's making you say these things?! I made a promise to protect you! I promised your father that I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I would lay my life down before you do. That's what a mother does. Why do you think that no one loves you? You know that I love you, so you don't need to do this!"

There was a long pause.

"Mom, you are all the family I have left, and I've never appreciated the love you've offered me. Time and time again I was a disappointment and failure to you as a son…"

"Don't say things like that! I know that you love me! Please, tell me what's wrong."

Constantine didn't answer, he simply turned to his mother and hugged her. This brought tears to Raven's eyes. She bit her lip and shut her eyes tight as the side of Constantine's head rubbed slightly against hers. The hug lasted a long time.

"There's one more thing, Mom."

Constantine then looked Raven in the eye, and she looked back at him. There was blood on his right eyebrow that trickled down between the nose and the eye. Blood also trickled out of the edge of his mouth.

Constantine's right fist glowed with the black flame as he slugged Raven in the stomach. She gagged and dropped her knees, clutching her abdomen. The wind was knocked out of her. Raven slightly raised her head to look at her son, as she began to fade.

"Goodbye, Mother."

Then all Raven saw was black as she fell to the ground, out cold.

Starfire carried Cyborg to the spot where Constantine was standing, arriving shortly after Constantine knocked his mother out. Starfire let go of Cyborg, who was now fully 'repaired.' They both stood a good distance from Constantine.

Cyborg finally approached the boy, who didn't flinch or attack. Just before Cyborg picked up Raven, he looked at Constantine. Constantine looked back. Cyborg understood why Constantine made Raven unconscious, otherwise she would go kicking and screaming.

Then Trigon's head stuck out of the rubble, and he shook it violently, wagging the dirt off of him. In one big push, he arose out of the debris, and stood upright, arms fully extended. He growled in anger. The distance between him and the others was pretty far, and Trigon was confident that his victory was secure, so he was not in a hurry. This gave them time.

Constantine eyes moved from Trigon to Cyborg, "Take my mother as far away from here as possible."

Cyborg nodded as he picked up the sleeping beauty. He turned to Starfire, about to leave. Then just before he left, Cyborg looked back at Constantine.

"You know," said Cyborg, "you really are like your father."

Constantine just stared on, then he finally spoke, "There is one thing I'd like to know. Tell me: do think I'll meet him in the next world?"

Cyborg's body was now completely facing Constantine, Raven was still in his arms.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Constantine, although the answer may be difficult for you to hear. I don't know how you've lived your life, and I don't know how Jeff lived his. But for the time that I knew either of you, I've seen similarities and differences.

"Jeff devoted his entire life to Raven. There was never a moment where Jeff thought about anyone else. And even though Raven loves you as much as she loved him, you have not been like Jeff. You have spent your life in pursuit of your own selfish desires, wanting to find a challenge that matched your standards – and you've caused too much pain. You've never shown mercy."

Cyborg was right. Constantine had slaughtered countless innocents in London, Gotham City, and New York – all for the sake of pride. Too much pride. Constantine did not rule his arrogance: it ruled him.

"I'm truly sorry, Constantine," Cyborg continued, "but I don't think you'll get the same reward your father did."

Constantine narrowed his eyes and firmed his lips, "Well, everyone pays for their sins."

"Well, for what's it's worth," Cyborg said, "I forgive you."

Starfire ran over to Constantine and hugged him, "You do not have to do this."

Trigon came closer, humming to himself. Then he stopped a few yards away.

"Me big mad! Who make cheap shot?!"

Constantine turned to the others, "That will be all. Get out of here! Hurry!"

Starfire and Cyborg nodded to each other. She took Cyborg's shoulders and flew away quickly. Trigon noticed them fly off, he pointed to them.

"You stay! Me fight you!"

"Yes! That's right!" Constantine shouted at him.

"Oh?" Trigon turned his head to the boy in surprise.

Constantine lifted and clenched his left fist close to his heart, "Your fight is with me! The others are of NO CONCERN to you!

"Got it?" Constantine continued, tightening his fist, "You stupid sadistic sunburned freak!!!"

Trigon roared in rage, "Naaaargh! Me no like you! Trigon mad!"

Constantine chuckled as he squinted; he lowered his fist.

Trigon was so ticked he had steam coming out of his ears, "You talk mean to me?!"

Starfire carried Cyborg away, who shouted at the other Teen Titan, "Hurry, BB! You have to get away from here right now!"

"Yeah, right." Beast Boy outstretched his arms, they turned into wings, and he joined his friends.

Meanwhile, Trigon stomped toward Constantine, "Me make you hurt bad!"

At the sound of Constantine's continuous chuckle, Trigon was foaming at the mouth, he added, "Me get big bad now me want fight!?!"

Constantine titled his head slightly, still smirking, "I think I finally understand you… Let's go!"

Trigon stopped for a moment, "Huh?"

Then Constantine lifted his right fist, squeezing slightly. In the next instant the black flame flashed, and he was at the heart of it.

Grinning. This was his chance.

---

"What's Constantine up to, Starfire?" Beast Boy asked as he flew with them, "He's crazy! He won't make it! That monster is going to eat him alive!"

Starfire's expression was very serious, "For the first time, Constantine is fighting for someone other than himself… controlling his own fate!"

Beast Boy's animal ears could still what was happening back there.

---

The black flame was gigantic now, and smoke darkened area. The negative energy swirled around Constantine as it expanded larger and larger. The mountains were shattered into boulders, the boulders were crumbled into rocks, and rocks were turned to dust. The area was cleared and leveled. Trigon stood nervously, but was still confident.

"Mmm! You look tasty! I chew you up and spit you out!"

"Hehehe. You are a fool!" Constantine shouted back, "I'm going to crush you! And throw you into the wind!"

Trigon watched as tiny sparks flashed all over his body. The sparks were the beginnings of the white energy.

Constantine was crackling with celestial power.

"Mom, Dad, I do this for you… and yes, even for you, Lord."

For the first time, Trigon screamed in terror, for he saw his defeat in front of him. Constantine's eyes bulged and he screamed as he released every single ounce of power within him. His body expanded as he pushed past all of his limits.

"GrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

100 percent... 150 percent... 170... 180... 190... 195... 198...!

When he finally reached a negative energy mass of two hundred percent, his body could no longer hold the energy inside of him. There was a flash, and Constantine's body exploded into a massive dome of white energy. It cleared and destroyed everything for ten miles. Clouds were blown away.

Trigon howled as he watched himself disappear, molecule by molecule. It started at his fingertips, and then he was torn apart and blown to bits. Constantine's screams continued to echo throughout the area, and they were even heard in places around the world. The energy consumed him too.

On the Earth, Constantine's final explosion looked like a large pimple just popped on the planet, as a mist of light smeared everywhere… and even touched the atmosphere. The whole Earth shook.

Raven was awakened by the tempest, and looked back at the titanic white dome grew so large it covered her entire vision. She pieced it together, and pushed Cyborg away.

"Constantine…?" she gasped in desperation, then realizing, "Con… CONSTANTINE!!!!"

The others shielded their eyes from the dazzling light, but Raven didn't. She let her eyes stay wide open, and drip with tears.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Raven reached out.

She still heard his screams.

They echoed in her ears.

But then… they finally stopped.

Raven recoiled, and buried her face in her hands.

And so, one of the Earth's greatest warriors has vanished in a blinding flash of light…

Having made the ultimate sacrifice, for the sake of his loved ones…

His name… was Constantine… the Son of Raven… and Jeff.