Tendrils of two energies, one a silvery translucent white, the other an abyssal black swirled endlessly, mixing in a manner that both blended and separated the two. Noctis could vaguely hear a voice, but it was faint and far away, the words unintelligible. Glancing around, Noctis noticed the bizarre environment surrounding him, little vortexes of prophetic energy swirling around him, calling him, enticing him…
Noctis sighed. More accurately, he tried to. His body refused to follow suit, and looking down, it became apparent why - he had no body. Mentally groaning, memories flooded back into his head. Memories of his previous trips to the Realm of Prophecy - an unending dimension filled with infinite energy and the essence of each and every prophecy to have ever existed in any dimension.
He was unsure exactly what it was that drew him here, but it had been years since his conscious mind had last visited this strange and mysterious realm that held the roots of the past, present, and future. He remembered his mentor once mention that there were Children of Prophecy and that there were Children of Prophecy. He never learned the difference between the two, though, because said mentor believed that it was a distinction that he would need to learn himself.
Still, he found himself wondering why it was that he was here, surrounded by an endless whirlpool of prophetic energy swirling in a chaotic manner that just screamed entropy. And he was also wondering about that faint voice he was hearing. It was familiar, he knew that much - but he couldn't quite lay his finger on it, to his great chagrin and regret.
He was unsure how long he floated there. Like Raven's Nevermore, time passed uncertainly in the Realm of Prophecy, though the similarity was unknown to Noctis. Deciding that there was a reason for his vacation, so to speak, Noctis settled in and waited for… something to happen. He didn't know what he was waiting for, but somehow knew what it would be when he saw it.
With that expectation, it was with great surprise, then, that his surroundings suddenly and instantly intensified into a blindingly bright light. Had Noctis had a physical body, he was certain that it would have been vaporized by the incredible measure of energy that simply surrounded him. Somehow peering into the brightness, he realized he could make out an image of… a face, it looked like. Sandy blonde hair framed a narrow female face with a thin nose. Dark eyebrows rested above large, dark blue eyes, and a smirk rested on her face below the nose. The only abnormally remarkable detail was the presence of a yellow energy surrounding her face, as well as a faint glow in the corner of her eyes..
Momentarily, the image faded, but Noctis could still see it clearly in his mind's eye. Instinctively, he knew it was a face he could never forget, even if he wanted to. When the vision completely disappeared, the intense light immediately gave way to a crushing darkness. With that blackness came a sensation of weight - of being.
Sensations flooded him - the press of his clothes upon his skin, the force of his back upon the floor. The sound of the miniscule vibrations that exist for unknown reasons, creating a sort of white noise usually too silent to be heard. Cracking open his eyes, he immediately slammed them shut at the intensity of the light around him. Frowning, he raised his hand in search of a lightswitch. When it fell back down with a muffled thud he became aware of its incredible weight.
Concerned, he tried opening his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light in his surroundings, wherever he was. Even opening them just a crack, though, proved to be too much for his sensitive pupils to handle, and they screamed in agony. Groaning, he sat up. As the vibrations of his groan rumbled in his chest, his ears picked it up as thunder and he flinched, though the sound quickly faded to an amenable volume.
"You're awake," a dry, feminine voice said. A familiar voice. One that he knew he should know. But for the life of him, he couldn't place it.
"Where am I?" Noctis asked, buying time in an attempt to recognize the unseen speaker. He was unsure if she was friend or foe, but the calm manner in which his body responded to her presence indicated she was no enemy.
"You're in your room," she answered, a hint of confusion in her voice. "The one Cy was going to reveal to you after training." Cy. Cy was short for something, wasn't it? Cy, Cy, Cy… What followed Cy? He couldn't think.
"Can you turn the lights off? They're incredibly bright," Noctis requested, one heavy hand resting over his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, a frown appeared on his visitors face.
"Noctis…" she began. Something about that name felt right, but something about it felt inherently wrong. Like many things, though, he couldn't quite figure out what it was. "The lights are out," his visitor finished. "In fact, I don't think it could get any darker unless I encased the entire room in my energy."
"Please… Do it," Noctis practically begged. Something about the unknown visitor was comforting, but he didn't know why. Damn it, this sense of familiarity was driving him insane. Following his request, there was a quiet sound of a voice muttering.
"It's done. Try opening your eyes now," his visitor murmured. Noctis removed his arm from his face and slowly cracked his eyes open. Instead of that blinding light, he found himself in a room colored in varying tones of grey. It still seemed abnormally bright, but he could handle the intensity right now. Looking around, he saw his visitor floating above the floor cross legged.
"Great," she muttered. "Now even I can't see a thing."
"But I see you," Noctis commented, his memories returning with his sight. He looked at Raven, whom he now recognized for who she was. Memories flooded back - the Titans, the training room, jumping out of Beast Boy's grip and collapsing on the floor…
Oh. Shit. He had gone full prophet mode, hadn't he. Not just recounting a prophecy, but actually giving his own. Panicking, he ran through his mind, searching for what his mentor taught him, but coming up blank.
Raven picked up on his emotional state. "Are you alright, Noctis?" she asked into the darkness. She could sense where he was, but only through her powers - not with her sight. It was so dark that not even her half-demon eyes could penetrate the blackness.
Receiving no response, she floated over to where he lay on his bed and placed a hand on her forehead. Forcefully, she centered herself and pushed a wave of calming energy over her panicking companion. She felt him instantly relax, the tension leaving his body as he fell into a deep sleep.
Pulling out her communicator, Raven spoke with a tone of worry in her voice. "Guys, we might have a problem…"
The four remaining Titans were soon gathered outside of Noctis's room. They would have entered, except for the seal of black energy preventing the door from opening. As they stood outside the room, wondering what would happen next, a pool of crackling dark energy appeared on the floor beside them, and Raven's figure rose from the inky blackness.
"Based off of preliminary scans of Noctis's psyche," she began in a calm, steady voice that demanded their attention. "I am quite certain that this was unlike any other prophetic event Noctis has had. At least, not recently."
"What do you mean?" Robin asked, actually somewhat concerned.
Raven took a deep breath. This was going to be difficult. "My conclusions are primarily speculations drawn from the short time he was awake and a shallow scan of his mind. However, in that shallow scan I found that he was searching his memories for something. What it is, I cannot say, but it seemed to cause him to panic."
"Furthermore," she continued, "He is painfully sensitive to light right now. Again, I cannot say for whatever reason, but that is why I will not open his door. His vision is incredibly sensitive…"
"How sensitive are we talking here?" Beast Boy piped up.
In response, dark energy surrounded the group, plunging them into a blackness so complete that none of them could see beyond the edge of their noses, with the exception of Cyborg's robotic eye. "Let's just say," Raven's voice pierced through the darkness. "That he could see me clearly from a dozen feet away with this lighting. And I have no idea how."
Cyborg spoke up at this point. "Biologically, it should be impossible for anyone to see anyone here. There are practically no waves in the electromagnetic spectrum within the range of visible frequencies present. I'm actually literally detecting none."
"So what can we do for our friend?" Starfire asked. "Surely we cannot do nothing!"
"Whatever we do, it won't be right now. I'm considering probing deeper into his mind, but I don't like the idea. It's an invasion of his privacy to the utmost degree."
"It pains me to do nothing while our friend suffers," Starfire murmured, her eyes downcast. Raven nodded, though only Cyborg saw, before she disappeared into the floor. The moment she was gone, the energy surrounding them dispersed, and they were once more standing speechlessly in the brightly lit hallway.
It was Beast Boy who broke the awkward silence, much to the surprise of no one. "So… Anyone know what what he said meant?"
Back in Noctis's room, the feeling of hopelessness was even more crushing to the one conscious occupant. Raven floated above a chair that was pressed against the wall of the room, silently meditating in preparation to probe his mind. Though she didn't actually enter Nevermore, she was closer in this state than she normally was to her emotions, and she could hear them shouting out to her.
'C'mon, Rae! While you're in there you should take a look around, see what he's got under the hood!' Brave shouted, causing Raven to visibly wince.
'No,' she firmly stated, hoping to end that train of thought. Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when another voice joined in.
'You know you want to,' Curious added. 'It frustrates you to no end that he's just as mysterious as you are. Now you know what the others feel like about you…'
'I am going in there to find out what's wrong with him and if I can help him. That's all I'm going to do,' Raven coldly informed her emotions.
'That's what you'll tell yourself, at least,' an emotion that she couldn't pinpoint murmured. 'But we're you, and we know that this is something you've been hoping for.'
With a frustrated sigh, Raven opened her eyes. This clearly wasn't working. Like Starfire, she couldn't stand doing nothing, especially when there might be something she could do to help. But at the same time, she was hesitant to intrude so much on his privacy. Groaning, she weighed both sides to the debate.
On the one hand, it was a serious violation of the one thing that should be of paramount privacy - the thoughts within your head and your perceptions of your memories. On the other hand, he might seriously need help with whatever had happened to him, and she was the only one in a position to help him. Sighing, she made her decision.
She could always apologize later.
Raven sat on the edge of Noctis's bed, right next to his head. She placed the palm of her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes. Her mouth moved as she muttered her mantra. Though it wasn't exactly necessary, it still helped to keep her focused. Slowly, very carefully, she felt her connection to her own physical mind thin as she forced her will into Noctis's psyche.
The first thing Raven felt about Noctis's mindscape was that it was different. Different from any single other mindscape that she had been in. Granted, since she tried to restrict the usage of her powers, she hadn't actually been in many mindscapes, but somehow, she felt that Noctis's was unique in more than it being the only one belonging to Noctis.
Opening her eyes, she found herself in what appeared to be a small cabin. There was one window, and a quick glance outside suggested that the cabin was in the middle of a forest. The lack of electrical appliances reinforced that conclusion. There were three doors - one in front of her, one to the right, and one to the left, with the window behind her. Silently, she padded over to each of the doors and tried opening them. To her frustration, the first two were locked.
As she approached the third door, she heard a voice that sounded remarkably like Noctis's. More surprising, though, was that she sensed Noctis's consciousness behind the door. This was no mere dream. Noctis was actually present within his own mind.
Opening the door, Raven strode into the room, causing Noctis to tensely whirl around. He relaxed when he recognized Raven, releasing a sigh.
"I figured you'd show up," he muttered. "Wasn't expecting you so soon, though." Looking around, Raven found that the room was a bedroom. A very tidy bedroom with a large window on one wall. A large bookcase filled with books stood opposite the window, and the bed was in the middle, pushed up against the wall opposing the door. Noctis sat down on the edge of the bed and slumped.
"I'd been hoping to get through a few more memories before you showed up, but you might as well stay since you're already here," he spoke to the ceiling. "But I do expect that you will say nothing to anyone about what you see here."
"Of course," Raven agreed. "Where are we?"
"A sensible question. Obviously, we're in my mind. Not so obviously, we're in my memories. Specifically, memories of my… erm… training." Raven perked up at that. "Judging by your interest, I'm deducing that Robin has already concluded that I've been trained by someone. I ask that, should he ever ask you about them, you refer back to my one stipulation regarding your presence here. That is, if I haven't talked about 'em"
"Right," Raven assured him. "Why are you looking through your memories?"
"I'm… suffering some aftereffects from spouting an original prophecy," he slowly answered. "I'm trying to remember how to take care of them."
"I see," Raven responded.
"If I might ask, what did I say? Normally I would be able to find the prophecy myself, but in my current state I find myself unable to ch…" he trailed off before finishing that sentence, his eyes locked on the door. "Oh good. Looks like I'm coming back with my mentor."
He started for the door, then froze, a panicked look on his face. "Shit," he murmured, almost so quiet that Raven didn't hear. But she did. "Shit, shit, shit."
"What's wrong?" Raven asked.
"Uhh… Nothing's wrong, per se…" he nervously said. "It's just… you're going to hear a name I left behind when my mentor passed away."
There was silence at that statement while Raven processed what he said. His mentor was dead, and Noctis was not Noctis's real name. Of course it wasn't. Who names their kid 'Noctis Umbra'?
"Well, let's go see what I'm learning right now. This is the house in Japan, so it's probably something regarding the Realm of Prophecies… At least, I hope it is." Raven stared blankly at Noctis. Well, more blankly than her standard emotionless gaze.
"That's actually a real place?" Raven asked.
"Well, Kyle, I feel like you're ready to see the Realm today," a soft voice of indeterminate gender and age said on the other side of the door. Raven glanced at the door, then stared at Noctis, the corners of her mouth curling up into a smirk. He returned the stare, though it was much more akin to a glare on his face.
"Really?" a voice remarkably similar to Noctis's responded, though it was a slightly higher pitch. Noctis put his ear to the door, listening intently.
"Yes, though there are some things I must tell you before you try to go there," the first voice said with a chuckle.
"What do I need to know?" the young Noctis asked.
"Some very important things about the Realm of Prophecy. The things that make it dangerous, and how to avoid the danger. So listen carefully, and no interruptions," the teacher said.
"As you know, the Realm of Prophecy is not in this dimension. It is a dimension that is timeless as reality of an infinitely expanding size. Contained within is the energy of every prophecy, no matter how large or impactful it may have been. It's impossible to physically exist in the prophetic realm, and I have heard of none living who have seen it."
"And you'd been alive for a long time," Noctis muttered.
"But," Noctis's former mentor continued, "I will pass down to you what my mentor taught me millennia ago. From the one time he gave a prophecy. He said that the Realm of Prophecy is an unending void with nothing and everything. It grips you, speaks through you, understands you as it lets you understand it. It works itself into your soul. Opens your Mind's Eye."
Raven listened intently to the lesson. This was fascinating on many levels. On the most basic, it was a discussion about something she knew only a little about. On another, more complex level, the Realm of Prophecy was something she had only read about in a handful of ancient texts locked deep within the Azarathian Library. On yet another and even more confusing level to Raven, it was a peek into the mind of her newest teammate.
"Excuse me," the younger Noctis interrupted. "What's my Mind's Eye?"
The teacher sighed, while Noctis pushed his ear further into the door, if that was possible. "There are two primary elements that make you what you are. There is your physical body - arms, legs, chest, head, brain, organs - your anchor to the physical dimension. There is also your mental 'body', or awareness. Your thoughts, feelings, hopes, fears. It's your link to the non-physical dimensions, and endures beyond your physical body."
"Your Mind's Eye is essentially what controls the perceptions of your mental awareness. Under most circumstances, it is closed until your physical body fails you, at which point it opens and transfers to a non-physical dimension. The stimulus of a physical body in a physical dimension overpowers the sensitive nature of your Mind's Eye, and it simply can't handle the overload."
"Which becomes a problem if the Realm of Prophecy forces that eye open. My teacher always wore a band around his eyes and ears that would limit what he saw and heard, but it still caused him great distress. After he spoke his single prophecy, he was unable to close his Mind's Eye for many years. I'd say it was at least a century before he removed the mask, as it were."
"I remember this quite well now," Noctis said to Raven. "I remember what to do, and for that I believe you should go."
Raven nodded, albeit reluctantly. "You know, I don't even know why you let me stay," she said as she prepared to leave. "The last time I had visitors in my mind I couldn't get them out fast enough."
"I know that Robin still doesn't trust me," Noctis said after a minute. "And I know that I freak Beast Boy out almost as much as you. Starfire trusts me, but she'd trust literally anyone who didn't try to attack her or her friends without provocation, so her trust, while valued, seems like a token gift. Cyborg's on the fence about me. He's suspicious of me, but he's still keeping an open mind."
"So why am I still here?" Raven asked, her question still unanswered.
"Because Cyborg trusts you more than Robin does. It's hard for him to trust. This may seem… coldly calculated, but… if I can gain your trust, it'll be tipping over the dominoe to getting Robin to trust me. Not that I don't value your trust or anything, of course. It's just… he's an ass. And I think he'll be far less annoying if he trusts me to go out of his sight and not instantly go over to the HIVE or Slade."
Raven nodded, almost satisfied with that answer. "One question," she suspiciously said just as she was about to leave. "How do you know about Slade?"
"What, you know Slade?" Noctis asked, shock evident in his voice. "How do you know about Slade?"
"I asked first. Don't deflect, it makes you seem untrustworthy," Raven countered, placing emphasis on trust.
Noctis's eyes widened, his pupils flicking back and forth between Raven and the door. A tense silence settled over the room, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Noctis let out a sigh after a minute. "If this is what it takes, then so be it," he murmured, more to himself than anything.
There was a burst of light, and Raven found herself in a new room, though it was quite similar to the one they had just left. Looking around, she saw an identical bed and bookcase, but the wood was a darker tone, and there was a thick carpet covering the floor. A glance at the window showed a frosted windowpane, the lower half covered by a pile of snow pressed into the glass. Suddenly Raven was aware of how cold the room was. It was dark outside.
"This is the night that my mentor passed away," Noctis's downtrodden voice startled her. "The night I learned that Hell is very, very real."
Another quick look around the room revealed Noctis sitting on a chair in the corner, staring at the bed. Following his gaze, Raven found herself looking at a younger version of Noctis, though the resemblance was all too obvious. "Is there a reason that we were hiding behind the door when you and your mentor were discussing the Realm of Prophecy?"
"Yes. I didn't want you to see my mentor. Not yet, at least. But, I suppose that's no longer an option," Noctis explained. "Other than that, this is my memory. Nothing here can hurt you."
It did not go unnoticed that he did not say 'us'.
Suddenly a tremor shook the building, knocking some dust from the rafters. The younger Noctis bolted awake, rolling out of bed and crouching with it between him and the door. A cold draft kicked up, blowing an icy wind into the room through the crack between the door and the doorframe.
"Kyle!" the voice from before shouted, this time with great urgency. "Get out of here! Rendezvous plan C! I'll catch up later!"
In the room, unknown to the speaker, young Noctis nodded, breaking a leg off of the chair that older Noctis had been sitting on. Armed with his makeshift club, Noctis smashed the window open, ducking as the wind knocked a pile of snow into the room. Carefully avoiding the shards of broken glass, he crawled out of the window and into the snow outside.
The older Noctis spoke up. "What you want to see is through the door. What you see while we're inside will be my speculation as to what happened. What you hear will be truth. When Slade throws Shui outside, everything will be true." Throwing open the door, he stepped through and held it open for Raven.
This room was also similar to the room that Raven first appeared in. There was an aged man with snow-white hair standing in front of a man dressed in a suit she knew all too well. "The powers of prescience are not for mortals," he warned in a threatening tone.
"You cannot protect the child forever, old man," Slade's chilling voice responded.
"I can protect him for long enough," Noctis's mentor spat back venomously. "I may not survive this night, but he will remain free because of it."
"You're a fool if you think you can keep him from me," Slade taunted. "Even now my robots will be catching him."
"Slade Wilson," the elder spoke softly. Slade's visible eye widened at the sound of his full name. "It is you who is the fool." With graceful agility unexpected in one of his age, he leapt to the wall and pulled a staff from it. Twisting to face Slade again, he slammed the tip of the staff into the floor. A ring of fire spread outwards from the staff, igniting the floor in a circle around him.
"You're outmatched here," Slade commented, pulling out a short metal stick. Pressing a button, it extended into a full length bo staff.
"You may be correct, but even so. I have fought with the staff for more years than you have been alive, and you will find this to be no swift victory," the determined mentor challenged. Slade growled.
"Here my imagination may have gone a bit wild," Noctis admitted. "I don't know about Slade, but Shui was incredibly skilled with a staff. And if Slade..." he trailed off.
Suddenly, Slade leapt into the air, staff spinning a half rotation as he brought it down to strike Shui's head. The elder stepped to the side, whipping his staff around, using his body as a fulcrum as he smashed it into Slade's side, sending the masked man flying.
"There will be nothing left in the ruins of this building for you to salvage once I'm dead," Shui asserted as the flames swiftly spread to the walls.
"And what makes you think I won't simply suffice with taking you?" Slade asked, clearly trying to distract the old prophet.
"The fact that if you do take me alive, I can and will kill myself," came the response spoken with clear confidence. "And you are not leaving this building unless it's by stepping over my corpse."
Raven's eyes widened at the conversation the two were having. The old man's resolve clearly stemmed from an iron will. It was apparent he cared far more for his student's safety than his own, and it was obvious that he loved Noctis.
"In that case, I shall just have to make this swift," Slade said, his tone dangerous. Lunging forward, he swept a wide swing at Shui with his staff. When the staff came into contact with the elder's and stopped, he twisted at the shoulder and dropped into a crouch. Still spinning, he extended a leg, catching Shui on the shoulder. Upon that contact, he leapt to his full height with another spinning roundhouse kick.
When it connected, though, there was no sickening crunch of bones breaking. Instead there was a metallic shrieking as metal dented. Shui had blocked the kick with the point of his staff, denting Slade's armored boot in the process.
"I believe I established that this will not be swift," Shui smirked.
Slade let out an enraged shout, then followed with a flurry of blows that Raven couldn't even keep track of. Shui just weaved in and out between the blows, dodging most of them and deflecting those he didn't block. Suddenly, Slade punched forward again. When Shui deflected the blow, Slade spun into his follow-through, bringing his other arm around to elbow Shui in the chest. The old man went flying and crashed through the fire-weakened wall and into the snowy night.
Slade stepped ominously out of the building, which had turned into a raging inferno. As he emerged from the wreckage, he spoke in a taunting voice. "Once you were strong, this I can see. Perhaps even strong enough to defeat me. But now, you are old. Your body fails you. The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak. You have delayed me as long as you can, old man."
Pulling an object out from his suit, Slade's eye narrowed viciously. He tossed the unknown object in the snow at Shui's feet. "But now," he continued, "You will die."
Shui laughed. "My time has come," he said. "I have known for many years now that death was approaching. It started with the arrival of the boy." He laughed, mirthlessly. "Those were the happiest years of my life in centuries. It is… appealing… to me, that I die having spat in your face."
An eruption of orange flames burst from the device in the snow beside the old man who had taken Noctis in and treated him as his own son. In the unsteady light of the burning building, a faintly red mist floated slowly and lazily to the ground. Slade's single eye clouded over with rage, and he released a shout of hatred that chilled Raven to the bone.
The memory faded into darkness, and Raven found herself expelled from Noctis's mind.
A/N: Alright. Subtlety is not my strong suit, so I'm just going to come out and say it.
(Pretend I'm giving you Beast Boy's puppy dog eyes transformation and that you're Starfire)
Please review! It makes me feel all warm and cuddly inside! Also, who knows, I might even respond to them.
Silliness aside, I'm not quite sure I like my portrayal of Raven in this chapter. She feels a bit forced to me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have anything amusing and original to say about what the case would be if I did own the franchise.
Now, in complete disregard of what I said about subtlety, follows and favorites are like Oreo cookies. They're nice on their own, but there's something that they go pretty well with: Milk. And can you guys guess what Milk is in this metaphor?
For those of you who guessed 'Reviews', you're absolutely correct, and I'd give you a cookie as a prize; except I don't have any, if my previous requests for reviews are in any way, shape, or form indicative of what the response will be this time. For those of you who guessed anything else, then I'm not the person you should go to for confirmation on whether your answer is correct. I'm going to be biased, after all.
Until next time.