A/N:
I finally gave in to that voice in my head that kept pestering me to write a multi-chapter TT fiction. You win! Rated T for blood. And that's pretty much it.
Yes, this is based after the Teen Titans comic "Family Lost". Though I regret to tell you that Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Super Boy don't make an appearance. Sorry.
This is for those of you who have read the comics. Any of them. You rock.
Jump City. 5:45 A.M.
The sun was only minutes away from meeting the skyline of Jump City, and no lights were visible from inside Titans Tower. It was likely that Robin would wake soon for his morning training session or possibly Raven for her cup of tea that sufficed for breakfast. However, the tower was silent save for the ticking of a clock, followed soon after by a loud gasp that echoed through the same room.
Violet eyes shot open in terror as they scanned the room. With the sheets twisted in her closed fists, Raven sat upright immediately as the room was filled with a red light that blinked every other second. The alarm.
Already?
When she reached the Ops Center, Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire were gathered around the monitor. She watched as it closed in on a small section of the city as she felt Beast Boy enter the room from behind her, only half-conscious.
"Dude, seriously?" The seventeen year old yawned loudly, stretching his arms until he heard a satisfying pop. "Bad guys just can't respect BB's beauty sleep."
Trying desperately to hold in the many insults that came to mind, Raven settled for a punch in the arm as Robin spoke.
"There's a disturbance downtown." He was focused intently on the screen in front of him.
"Got anything more specific?" Cyborg was practically supporting Starfire as she tried to keep her eyes open.
"No, that's all it—"
"It's demonic."
All eyes shot to the interruption, and Raven gave a cold stare in return.
"Whatever it is, I can feel it's aura from here."
"Demons?" Beast Boy seemed to wake up at the sound of that.
"That's not what I said," Raven snapped. "But it's dark. Evil."
Robin shot a glance towards his other teammates before slamming his fist into his other hand.
"Doesn't matter," He muttered. "We've still got a job to do — Titans, go!"
•
The roads were completely desolate, as if they had been abandoned years before. The buildings were similar — almost all the windows boarded up, graffiti on the brick walls, and trash littering the sidewalks. The sky was dim, though the first bit of pinkish orange light could be seen towards the east.
"This place gives me the creeps," Beast Boy whined as they were walking down the main street. He jumped at every little noise, most of which turned out to be rats in the alleyways.
"Yes, I do agree." Starfire frowned, biting her lip.
"What do ya'll expect?" Cyborg already has his sonic cannon out, watching the shadows with concentration. "Sector 9 — all bad neighborhoods."
"Like I said," Robin walked ahead of the group, following the coordinates in his communicator. "It doesn't matter. We've been through worse than a few bad neighborhoods."
They stopped as they came to an intersection, still devoid of any life, and Robin turned to her.
"Raven, think you can locate it?"
She nodded, closing her eyes as she projected her mind across the small section of the city. With the exception of a few people in their homes, there wasn't even anyone out on the streets. This threw her off, but it didn't stop her from taking a second look.
Yes... a few people walking down an alleyway not too far from here. Without prying into their minds, she didn't really sense anything unusual about them.
Sighing, she looked back up at the team.
"Whatever it is, it's gone now."
Robin glared, though not at her in particular.
"Something's not right here…" His voice trailed off into the silence.
Raven lifted a hand to shield her eyes as the sun peeked over the low buildings in the distance. As she did so, a large shadow covered the ground where the teens were standing, and their eyes shot towards the sky to the sudden noise.
A black mass moving through the sky, the shapes barely resembled the birds they must have been. Gulls, crows, hawks — anything with wings was taking to the sky, flying overhead in a panic.
"What is happening?" Starfire's voice shook them out of their stupor, and all five looked down the street to what had appeared in the wake of the fowl.
Clothed in crimson robes, five figures were walking calmly down the middle of the road, equally spaced apart.
"Guess this is them," Cyborg muttered, aiming his cannon at them.
The team stood silently as they others approached, their low chanting now audible.
"A new blood has risen — the judgment grows near!" The figures stopped moving as the shadows on the ground behind them grew. "A new blood has risen — the time is here!"
"Dude, what is this?" Beast Boy stared ahead uneasily. "Some physco cult meeting?"
"Don't know—" Cyborg raised his arm a little higher. "But I don't like it."
"Wait," Robin warned, holding out his hand. "They haven't done anything yet. We should… uh, see what they want." Even their heroic leader looked a bit unnerved about the sight before them.
Meanwhile, the chanting grew stronger, and Raven felt a sick feeling growing in her gut. This wasn't just a cult. It was something more sinister — more evil…
Though they should have dissipated with the light of the rising sun, the dark shadows behind each cloaked figure seemed to grow larger with each second. From beneath their hoods, their red eyes glowed back menacingly, though familiar.
The Titans jumped when Beast Boy morphed into a bird in their midst without warning. With eyes a deep crimson, he took to the skies without a moment's hesitation.
"Beast Boy!" Starfire gasped with a hand over her mouth.
"Stop him!" Robin shouted, pulling out his staff as Starfire grabbed Beast Boy's talons. "They must be controlling him."
Starfire gave a small shriek as she dug her heels into the ground, trying to keep the green bird from escaping.
"Friends, I believe we should commence the kicking of the butt now," she squeaked as she looked back towards the small congregation down the street.
The five figures stood calmly as the sky behind them exploded with darkness, their chanting weaving through the air like a spell. From the rising shadow at their backs, three shapes emerged, black mist falling from their massive forms. After a moment, their blood-red color shone through, and their blazing eyes stared back at the Titans.
"Um…" The human-half of his face fell in an instant. "…are those what I think they are?"
As if conjured from a horror movie, the three gargoyle-like creatures snarled loudly, baring horrendous fangs.
"Demons," Raven growled in response.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted quickly as the first creature leapt into the air, followed swiftly by its kin.
He threw a few disks at the first, though they could have been nothing but raindrops judging from the creature's reaction. With a growl, it slammed into the concrete where Robin had been standing a moment before.
Cyborg wasn't faring too badly against his own demon, for the snarling monster flew awkwardly in the air and was having a hard time dodging the blue blasts from his sonic cannon.
"What'd you guys do?" Cyborg shouted back at the red-figures. "Rob a cathedral?"
Starfire, though one hand was curled around Beast Boy's feet, managed to keep one of the creatures at bay with her starbolts. The demon recoiled back from the bright green light, though that did not stop it from trying to tear the young Tamaranian to pieces.
With a dark glare, Raven tried to block the demon's strike, though not upon herself. Robin nodded in thanks and rolled out of the way. She tried to send a wave of black energy toward the being, giving Robin a chance to get on his feet, but the monster smacked her away with the back of its palm as if she were a fly.
Propping herself up on her elbows, she watched as the demon advanced after Robin, paying her no mind.
What was going on? None of the creatures seemed to be paying attention to her. Not to mention the fact—
Raven stood to her feet quickly when she felt an odd energy fill the air. Around her stood the five figures, clothed in red priests' gowns and mumbling a chant she could no longer understand. Her eyes narrowed at them as she lifted her hands slightly, pulling her hood back up.
"I don't know what you came here for," she spat, her eyes glowing black. "But I've had enough."
They lifted their hands as she did the same, black energy meeting an invisible shield formed in a circle around the young empathy.
"Azarath…" Raven tried to focus on shaping the energy, giving it strength with her words. "…Metrion, Zinthos!"
A bright flash filled the sky—
Distracted by the battle at hand, the Titans did not notice the white sparks raining down onto the pavement where she had been standing.
•
With a cough, Raven opened her eyes slowly, turning her head to look at the red bricks her head was resting on. She sat up a little too quickly, holding a hand to her head. She could feel a tickle of blood running down the back of her neck, but since she was conscious, she figured it couldn't be too bad.
The sight around her sent her head spinning.
It could only be compared to a dungeon, though the walls were jagged and uneven, like a cave. Everything was bathed in dull torchlight, giving the entire room the look of being consumed in flames. Ahead, standing near what appeared to be a pool of dark water, a young man paced back and forth on the warm stones.
Suddenly, his eyes met hers as she attempted to stand, and he rushed over to where she was kneeling.
"Don't!" She whipped her hand across the air, a black shield forming for a moment before dissipating pathetically. She stood up quickly, though her legs trembled. "Stay back."
The boy's red eyes — though just the iris' — unnerved her. His hair was a pale blonde that was almost identical to his white skin. His attire was odd, comprising of a blue and red jumpsuit, accompanied by a gold cape. His face held the arrogant look of… well, Raven could only compare it to that of a pompous prince from one of her novels.
As she looked at him, he didn't hesitate to do the same, though his mouth was curled into a smile.
"Raven…" he breathed, taking another step towards her. "Do you know how long I've waited to see you?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, taking a step back as he advanced. "Don't—"
"How long I've waited to finally see your face?" He sighed lovingly, sending chills down Raven's spine. "But… under such conditions I suppose you might not be too happy to see me."
She glared at him, wondering what this young boy knew about her.
"Who…" She could feel magic at work in the air, and noticed the fact her strength was not coming back as quickly as it should have. "Who are you?"
His face fell, quickly turning to confusion.
"Not a word?" He huffed, turning on his heel towards the pool. "He double-crossed me, you know? The ancient promise to my forefathers… He was supposed to tell you. We were supposed to meet. Especially before He tried to open the Portal."
"Trigon," she spat, growing more uncomfortable by the second though she refused to show it. How could this… child know about that?
"But…" He turned around, facing her with a smile. "I suppose He had his reasons. Though, I still wonder…"
He jumped down from the small step to the pool with a smile.
"If you had died, how would He keep his promise?" He took a few steps towards her, his smile growing as he folded his hands behind his back. "Marriages don't really work beyond the grave, you know?"
A/N:
Short chapters = faster updates. Hopefully.