Any new readers I might have picked up… In danger of scaring you away, Remember the Titans is the third part of a trilogy, coming after Asylum and Black Magic (which can both be found on my profile). If you want to have any hope at all of understanding this fic, you will have to read them or you just won't understand a thing.
…And there they all go, running over the horizon to find a nice simple one-shot…
To all who have been waiting… enjoy!
Prodigal Phantasm
Azarath is a place of peace and hope; of love and forgiveness; of prayer and compassion.
Built on these foundations, Azarath has no need for heroes.
Of heroes, there has only been one.
Some call her Arella, sent by Azar; others believe that she was Azar herself in human form.
"Arella" means "messenger angel".
Over seven hundred years ago, she saved Azarath from a terrible evil that consumed it from within; monstrous power untold, that slaughtered and massacred countless lives just to prove its supremacy.
Until this goddess; this warrior came, and she tore that power away and sealed it with a prophecy she never intended to be fulfilled.
She christened the vessel the "Orb of Azarath" and locked it with a key and a prophecy.
The prophecy demanded a Summoner.
And a sacrifice.
She ruled Azarath, then took her leave when it had flourished.
She never came back, but by that point, her people did not mind.
Azarath has no need for heroes.
Even though great evil has been born into their midst, they do not pray for a saviour.
Trigon is an entirely different matter.
But Seth Elliott—
The cataclysm thunders ever closer.
The one Child of Azar who tried to stop him was murdered for his trouble; Jonathon Vaughan tried to be a hero when Azarath has no want for them.
Until now.
The one known as the Avenger is a phantasmal creature; a mere mortal with a destiny too big and too heavy for him.
Richard Grayson may fight a meaningless war, but his destiny is entwined with Azarathian lore, buried long ago and loathe to be fulfilled.
Arella. Azar. Whoever she was, she never meant for this to happen.
She never meant for it all to go right.
Azarath has no need for heroes.
Something which Marcus Vandiver no longer believes as he stands at the window of his office in the Senate House; the office that was once Seth Elliott's.
Azarath is a place of peace and serenity.
But that does not mean it does not have storms.
Watching lightning crack the sky in two, Marcus Vandiver said nothing as he heard the door to his office creak open.
He did not turn around, because he knew he would again be heartbroken to discover that it was not Jonathon.
The pain was still openly raw; Jonathon had met his end at Seth Elliott's murderous hand not even a week ago.
Once the Head Senator of the Azarathian Senate, Seth had betrayed them that same time ago; or, as Marcus now realised, he had never been on their side in the first place.
For the past sixteen and a half years, he had been manipulating the Senate's every move.
And when Jonathon had figured him out, Seth had killed him.
It had seemed the only way of silencing him.
At night, Marcus was not sure of the reasons he cried; Jonathon Vaughan had been his best friend, yet he could have been more.
They had kissed.
Just once, and at the height of an argument – and, incidentally, one over Robin's life – they had kissed.
Oh yes, they could have been so much more…
"Marcus?"
In the reflection in the dark window, Marcus saw Arella Roth step partway into the room.
Sweet mortal Angela Roth, named "Arella" after that heroic goddess; Angela Roth, of Gotham City, and mother of Raven.
Poor, poor Raven; wretched on so many counts.
Arella, having gained Marcus' previous place as Vice-Head Senator, still felt unworthy of the position; a position that should, in reality, have been Jonathon's. And Marcus…
He was only Head Senator by default; because he had been Vice-Head Senator and, with Seth's departure, had automatically been elevated to the top position.
It brought him no joy.
On the contrary, the Head Senator's heart was heavy.
All that he had learned this past week distressed him immensely, and he was unsure if he had the means and power to prevent everything from happening.
Oh, he knew what Seth was doing now. He knew what Jonathon had known; he knew what had gotten Jonathon killed.
On that front, Marcus was not worried; although it was definitely within Seth's power to kill him too, he knew he was in no danger.
Seth was too busy now, working on a tight schedule; as though he would waste time returning to Azarath to taunt and toy with Marcus as he had done with Jonathon.
Seth probably knew he knew, but did not concern himself.
Which only caused to worry Marcus more.
He knew the reason for Seth's confidence was because he was so near to his goal; and time was fast running out for those who might wish to stop him.
Over Jonathon's body – found on the floor of the Senate House Library with his own heart ripped out of his chest and clutched in his cold hand – Marcus had sworn to stop Seth.
But it was not that simple.
As it had been so right from the very start, everything rested on the shoulders of one person.
A teenaged human boy.
They called him Robin; and one way or another – despite the lies and fabrications – he was going to save the world.
"You may come in, Arella," Marcus said finally, his voice quiet.
Arella – dressed in white hooded robes – came all the way into the room and closed the door behind her.
For a long while, there was silence; broken by thunder and the pounding of the rain.
"Marcus-" Arella finally started again.
"If this is about your daughter, Arella…"
"What are you going to do?" Arella asked softly, approaching his desk. "We cannot do… nothing…"
Marcus watched her reflection.
"You speak of her unsettling pregnancy."
"Yes." She bowed her head. "I understand that some prophecies cannot be averted. I know what she was born for, but this… This was never meant to happen. You know it wasn't. Azar help me, Trigon has already…"
The woman took a deep breath.
"I will not allow Seth to harm her as well," she finished. "Please, we must do something."
"I do not know if we can, Arella."
"But you…" Arella pulled down her hood and leaned over the desk. "Through dreams, meditation… you have sought so much this past week, and you have learned so much. Why, this time last week, when Raven, the Avenger and her other three friends left this dimension to return to Earth after the exorcism of the demon… we had no idea of what Seth was up to, or what his motives are. We had no idea that my daughter… was…"
"Pregnant." Marcus' tone was blunt. "I know."
Arella put her head in her hands.
"After what happened to me… I was barely seventeen when…"
"It is not Raven's fault. And before you condemn the boy, it is not his fault either."
Arella looked up angrily.
"Then whose fault is it?"
"Arella, you must not blame them. It is easy to point the finger at Robin, but you must remember… how he was when…"
"Yes, he was possessed by a demon," Arella finished coldly. "Are you trying to say he impregnated my daughter with a monster?"
"I could not call it a monster as of yet, but the child she carries… nor is it normal…"
Arella looked terrified.
"Then it must be destroyed," she said firmly. "Azar damn it, Marcus; Raven has suffered since her very birth, and she has enough looming over her head as it is… I will not allow this to befall her too because her team-mate couldn't control himself—"
"Arella, your thoughts are reckless," Marcus snapped. "Again I press that you still have much to learn of our ways – I appreciate that you were not born into this world, but such prodigal vows are wasteful in this situation. I am afraid that, no matter how much we know, there is, for the moment, nothing we can do."
"Then what do you suggest? That we just sit here and allow Seth to—"
"Arella, calm yourself!" Marcus interrupted, looking over his shoulder at her. "Yes, I regret to say that, for now, we must allow Seth to play out his plans. It's the only way to stop him."
"I thought you said you knew what he was planning?"
"I do." Marcus gave a little nod. "But I do not know how he is going to do it. I cannot foresee the future. Arella, I know this is difficult for you, but we must wait."
"Do you know what he is going to do next?"
"I have a pretty good idea." Marcus dipped his head. "And it pains me that I must allow it to happen when it defies Azar's way so perversely…"
Arella sat on the edge of the desk and clasped her hands.
"Has this become a war, Marcus?" She asked quietly. "There just seems to be so many parties involved. The Azarathian Senate, the Teen Titans, Seth Elliott, and the two going on the offensive towards the Titans from the other side…"
"The one they call Slade, and his apprentice; the geomancer, Terra." Marcus gave a little shiver. "Somewhere along the line, Arella, everything fits together. Slade and Terra are as involved in this as any of us; I just feel that they are ignorant of the most important facts. That, and the fact that they are both being blindly led…"
"By a seer who seems to know more than our own soothsayer."
Marcus sighed.
"I admit that Cordelia Silver had yet to prove her worth. Her prophetic abilities have been very limited… As has her presence, actually…"
"My daughter did not trust her." Arella looked piercingly at Marcus. "And neither do I."
"Your daughter does not trust many people. Perhaps, in her position, it is wise for her to do so. But I would not follow Raven's example, Arella."
"She has been no good to us!" Arella spat.
"Our numbers are down since Jonathon's murder and Seth's departure," Marcus replied in a steely tone. "To dismiss her would be a foolish—"
"Marcus, I just want to save my daughter," Arella interrupted desperately. "Please. It is agonizingly to just sit here when—"
"We can do nothing. I will not tell you again." Marcus stared intently out of the window. "Arella, despite your love for your daughter, you underestimate her. You underestimate the boy."
"Robin?" Arella actually snorted. "He is a mortal, like me. What hope can he have of—?"
"A mortal he may be, but he is not weak. Believe in him; and believe in Raven. The time will come for us to play our parts, but we must wait. We do not have every piece of the puzzle; we must wait for Seth to play his hand first."
Marcus clenched his fists.
"He will be stopped. Both he and the one they call Slade will be stopped. I swear this upon Azar's blood…"
"And the child?" Arella asked. "What of the child Raven carries within her womb?"
"We do not have the power to destroy it."
Arella was taken aback.
"The Senate cannot-?"
"Arella… Angela… It has long since been known that Azarath has no need or want for heroes… But the Earth… the Earth does…"
Arella joined him at the window, worriedly biting her pale lip; Marcus turned to her and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"…And the Earth has them."
To everyone I told that Remember the Titans would be going up on 3rd October… I did not technically lie to you. This chapter and the previous one have been… well, we'll call it "setting the stage". The previous was the prologue, and this…
…Is an "introductory chapter". Just getting you all back into the flow and establishing a few things.
Whee, it's going to be a fun and dandy ride!
And oh, the irony; today is 1st October. I still have very vivid memories of 1st October last year. Last year, on 30th September, two things happened – it was my friend's birthday party, and I also received my first ever eBay purchase: Teen Titans Season Four on DVD (it's bootleg, don't ask…). It was before Season Four had been shown on British Cartoon Network, so as you can probably guess I was very excited.
After my friend's party I came home and watched the lot. All 14 episodes in one go, plus The Lost Episode, which was also on there. Watching a marathon of Teen Titans isn't too bad if you have seen them before, but believe me, when it's your first time seeing those episodes and you watch them all in one go, and Season Four has a very dark, intense storyline, plus bearing in mind it is a very bright and bubbling cartoon…
It's not good for you. It really isn't. I didn't sleep that night at all.
And so, the next day (1st October) I was utterly trashed. I was walking around like a zombie with all these vivid pictures in my head… Stranded particularly affected me, for some reason… I really didn't feel so great that day.
Sooo… the lesson is that too much Teen Titans is bad for you.
But please ignore that health-warning and read my fic!
It's just ironic that I am technically "commemorating" that day…
Remember the Titans will officially start on 3rd October, as promised – that's not too long to wait!
TTYS!
RobinRocks xXx