I do NOT own Teen Titans
Notes and replies to reviews:
Nothing in the story is meant to have any religious significance. But Trigon is described as a demon, so that's what I've got to work with.
Problem with Beast Boy using Rage's blood to turn into a demon/angel is that she's female. I think that would be a bit too interesting for this story. He would be a female demon. The same applies with turning into a Tamaranian. He can't use Starfire's DNA, and I'm assuming he didn't get any male DNA when he was on Tamaran.
Time: The next morning.
Another Meeting,... Trigon's Makes a Move,... A Circle,... A Fight,... An End to Time,...
It was early morning and the two of them, along with Raven's eight emoticlones, were having another meeting in Happy's forest in Nevermore.
"So just how tough is Trigon?" Beast Boy asked, stretching out on the grass, enjoying the strange view of a yellow sky with pink clouds.
"He's immortal." Knowledge replied, fixing her spectacles.
"Yeah. But according to you and Rage, so are Raven and I. That doesn't mean we can't be killed."
"Unfortunately in his case, that's exactly what it means." Rage replied, her dark tone filled with anger as she spoke of the demon who'd sired her.
"Really?" Beast Boy turned on his side to look at her.
"It does." The red-clad emoticlone replied. "He's the manifestation of evil. So long as one person remains alive whose heart contains evil, then he will exist. He can't be destroyed."
"Scratch plan number one." The shape shifter sighed.
"Which was?" Raven asked, eyes gazing at the teen.
"Summon him again, and then hit him with something big." He shrugged. "Like maybe a nuclear weapon. Or even use a ship for the circle and drop it in the sun. I would've though that would kill him."
"Sorry." Knowledge said. "He can feel pain when good opposes him, but he can't die. Even if his body was totally destroyed, it would just reform from the evil that exists in the universe."
"That's kinda hard to beat." Beast Boy admitted.
"Yeah. Like I said once before, if it was easy Azar would've done it long ago." Raven kept eying the boy, knowing Love was looking at her with a knowing grin. Oh the heck with it. The violet-haired girl decided. Rising from her sitting place, she dropped back to the ground with her head resting against the shape shifter's chest. She knew he wouldn't push her away, but the fear was still there.
Beast Boy froze as the half demon used his chest as a pillow, for a brief second he was unsure of what to do. Then he smiled, and let his hand run through the violet hair that'd always fascinated him.
She froze, feeling the touch, expecting he would push her away. A second later, if she'd been a cat, she would've been purring. Around the clearing there was silence as all eight of her emoticlone closed their eyes and sighed, feeling what she was feeling. Even Rage had a slight smile on her lips.
"If we can't kill him, then what can we do other than wait until one of his plans succeeds?" The very content shape shifter asked.
"Find a ship and run, like you suggested." Raven commented. "That would keep us safe, but he would still be able to hurt people."
"Conquer every world in this dimension, and squash all his worshipers." Rage suggested, quite serious. "That would keep people from offering him sacrifices."
"Now there's an idea." Beast Boy mused. "Wonder how hard it would be."
"We're the good guys." Raven stated. "We don't conquer worlds." She paused. "Though if it worked then I might go for it. But even if you ruled all the worlds in this dimension, some people would still worship him and there would still be evil."
"True." Mused the green-skin Titan. "So no ruling the universe."
'"Bleh!" The red-clad emoticlone replied darkly. "I still think that's the best plan yet."
Raven sighed. "You know, it probably is. It's just not feasible." She hated agreeing with the symbol of hate and rage within her.
"What is the difference between an angel and a demon?" The shape shifter mused. "If I could figure that out, would it keep him from breaking out of that prison of his."
"No." Knowledge replied. "But it would make it a lot more difficult for him since you would be able to fight him head on. He would still be indestructible, and would still have legions of followers."
The shape shifter gulped. "Fight something like that head on. That's impossible."
"No." Rage replied in her demonic tone. "It's possible, for each of you."
"I only beat him before because he was still weak from being in prison." Raven commented. "And he was surprised I still existed, let alone could fight."
"So he's weaker in that prison dimension." Beast Boy asked.
"Yeah. It blocks some of his power." Rage said.
"So if we do have to fight him, then that's the best place?" The shape shifter wondered.
"Maybe." Knowledge mused, pushing her spectacles back up. "But given time it would also block some of your power."
"If the fight was quick it wouldn't though." Rage added.
He ran his hand through the head of violet hair again, hoping it wasn't annoying her. It was irresistable. Around him the emoticlone got dreamy looks on their faces.
"So he can be countered." Beast Boy noted. "That that dimension blocks some of his power proves it. Can we place another dimension around it for double the affect?"
"Sorry." Raven replied, eyes closed. "Dimensions and portals don't work like that."
"Oh." He sighed. "Too bad we can't just stop time in his dimension like he did on earth."
Rage blinked, while Knowledge looked thoughtful.
"That would take an immense amount of power." The red-clad emoticlone commented.
"More than just immense." Knowledge admitted. "But what if it wasn't forever. What if they just froze it for a short time, and then renewed the spell every decade or so?"
"Still would take more power than we got." Rage said darkly. "He's an immortal, and stopping time for him wouldn't be like stopping it for a mortal. You would need to keep him from countering it, and that would take someone with power equal to his own."
"As Raven said, if it were easy someone would've already done it." Knowledge sighed.
"Back to square one." Beast Boy commented, gazing happily at the head of violet hair resting on him. He was more than content, as was the violet-haired girl.
"Morning." Beast Boy and Raven greeted Cyborg in the kitchen.
"Morning." The cybernetic teen replied. He watched as the shape shifter once again put the kettle on to boil, and went about preparing pancakes. "You two are getting along pretty well." He commented.
"Don't we always." Raven intoned apathetically.
"No." Cyborg replied.
Beast Boy shrugged, "How're the repairs going?"
"Security system back to normal. I'll get to work on the holes in the wall today."
"Good." Raven commented impassively.
"Would help, but I would probably break more than I fix." The shape shifter replied.
The cybernetic teen shuddered violently. "Please stay any from anything dealing with electronics." He begged.
"I will."
The sound of pancakes frying filled the kitchen. When they were done Beast Boy split them between two plates, and gave one to Raven.
"Thanks." She intoned, with a slight smile. One day, she decided, she would get him to teach her how to cook so she could do her fair share.
"Friends! News most dire!" Starfire flew into the room, shouting.
"What's wrong Star?" Cyborg asked.
Beast Boy looked up at Raven, who stared back. Both of them started eating as fast as they could, knowing it was going to be another rushed breakfast.
"The Gordanians have assembled another fleet of war." The orange-skinned girl exclaimed. "They plan to sacrifice a whole world to Trigon."
Raven gulped, and coughed out a mouthful of pancakes. "How many on the world?" She asked, going pale.
"Ten billion." The frantic Tamaranian cried.
"That would be bad." Raven sighed, eyes close. "How can they do it without creating a circle."
"I'm not sure. I think they will use beams of lights." Starfire gulped. "We must stop them."
"If they did that ..." The violet-haired girl shuddered. "With such a sacrifice, and such a circle, he would be able to remain in this dimension for a century or more. He would be trapped on that one world, but the harm he could do ..." She shuddered again, face pure white.
"How many ships?" Cyborg asked?
Three hundred."
"Oh." The cybernetic teen replied. "I think that's a bit out of our league."
"For sure." Beast Boy muttered. "Don't whoever they're attacking have any defenses?"
"They do, but Trigon knows all and can they can't fight that." The orange-skinned girl sat down, bordering on crying.
"When will they attack?" Raven asked.
"In two hours."
Raven stared across at Beast Boy, her eyes pleading. He nodded, and smiled at her.
"Starfire, we wouldn't even be able to get to the fight in that amount of time." Cyborg explained, frowning.
"Would they be able to defend themselves if Trigon wasn't guiding them?" Raven asked.
"They would. The people to be attacked are great engineers, and are very powerful. If Trigon was not leading the Gordanain ships they could easily defend themselves."
Raven sighed, causing Cyborg and Starfire to look at her. "In two hours?" She asked.
Starfire nodded. "That is when the fleet of war will reach the Aknarian home world. The battle will begin then."
"Those guys again." Mused Beast Boy.
"We'll be busy for a bit. Don't disturb us." Raven intoned, pulling Beast Boy along with her. His hand in hers was comforting, and she needed that given she was about to commit suicide. The other two stared after them.
"Wait." The shape shifter said. He looked back. "Starfire. How long would the Aknarians need to destroy the Gordanian fleet?"
"Not long. They are not good fighters, but the weapons they have around their world are powerful. Moreso than that of any other race we know of. If Trigon were not leading the fleet of war it would be destroyed in twenty minutes or less." She looked at them with hope in her eyes. "Why?" She asked.
"See you later." He let Raven pull him from the room.
Nearly two hours later they'd talked with the emoticlones, and had made a simple plan. Raven, as the portal, would create a pathway to Trigon's domain. Together her and Beast Boy would attack and keep him busy for a short while; hopefully it would be long enough for the Aknarians to decimate the attacking fleet. If they could, the two of them would try to escape; if not, then they would die together.
"You sure?" The violet-haired girl asked, looking at him.
"I'm sure. But one thing first." He leaned over and kissed her. "Just in case we don't get another chance." He smiled.
Her heart fluttered, and despite the situation she couldn't help but smile back. "Twenty minutes." She said.
He nodded. "And then we try to flee."
She reached out her hand, and focused her power. Unlike the people who worship the manifestation of evil, she didn't need twenty-six people to create a link to that fiery prison of fire. In seconds the air wavered, and a dark passage opened. Looking at it she gulped. "One more she said." And pulled the shape shifter closer for another kiss.
He grinned at her, and she grinned back. Then they walked hand-in-hand through the portal, and into the domain of the ultimate evil.
"Welcome daughter." The towering figure said. "What a surprise."
"He must be getting senile." Beast Boy said to Raven. "I mean he sees everything, so he must've seen you open the portal."
"Yeah." She agreed. "He saw it and forgot. Definitely senile." She stared at the imposing figure.
"You dare mock me?" Trigon roared.
"Just pointing out the facts." The shape shifter replied with a shrug.
"Die." A blast of fire roared down at Beast Boy.
Reflexively he changed into a dragon, and took to the air. He kept two hundred feet from the giant figure, nimbly avoiding the attacks. At that range, with his acute senses telling him how the demonic figure would strike, he was in little danger. He roared back with dragon fire, but as expected it did little damage. What is the difference between an angel and a demon. He wondered as he dodged, knowing he needed the answer now. And how does it relate to my dragon form? He evaded another lance of fire, and threw one of his own back.
Raven waited, knowing the battle had yet to begin. The air changed, and she knew someone was trying to summon her accursed father out of his prison. Reaching out, she used her own power to disrupt the energies forming around them.
"How dare you." Trigon roared down at her, his faced twisted in fury. His focus changed from the shape shifter to his own daughter.
The violet-haired girl dodged, using the animal instincts that came from her other half. Several blasts of fire came at her, and each one was avoided. When she felt the energies that would summon the demon fill the air again, she reached out with her dark magic and once more disrupted them. "Your people will die without your help." She screamed up at him.
"What do I care about pests?" The words were followed with a massive onslaught of red beams of energy.
"You care about the sacrifices they offer you. When they're gone, there'll be no more." She rolled out of the path of an attack that missed her by inches. Her arm burned as if sunburned.
"There will always be those who desire power, and come to me for it." He countered, trying to physically grab her. "A few Gordanians are nothing."
"A few? Three hundred ships worth. How many lives is that in a year that will live? How much power will you lose?" She gave a short laugh. It felt good to see her father in such a rage; too bad she would probably die here.
Beast Boy swooped down close, and exhaled fire at the back of Trigon. At ten feet it made as little difference as at two hundred. No weapon he had could hurt his hated foe, and unlike Raven he had no plans to die here today; nor to see her die. Righteous fury, Rage had told him, yet it wasn't enough. In desperation, he dared to switch to the six-armed alien Torkop and unleash acid. It ran down the back of the gigantic figure as if it was merely water. Back in his dragon form he swooped away, trying to figure out Rage's riddle. It wouldn't be something so simple as one is good while the other is evil. It had to be more fundamental than that.
The violet-haired girl felt the energies build, and reach out to disrupt them once more. Several close hits had made her skin turn red in places, but it was worth it. And if they could hold out for a mere twenty minutes, ten billion lives would be spared. It was worth the cost. She tried to send her power against her father, but it merely washed over his skin, doing nothing. A growl erupted from her lips; it was so frustrating trying to fight something that couldn't be harm. You're harming him. She told herself. Each less sacrifice means less power, and he'd going to lose ten billion of them. See his futile fury. Raven grinned, and felt herself renewed. Moving with incredible agility, she evaded another attack.
"How can you dodge my attacks." The enraged figure demanded, sending down waves of fury as bright red bolts of energy.
The onslaught nearly caught her, but it merely tore through her robe as she ran. Another red burn rose on her leg. "Must be getting slow in your old age." She yelled, laughing hysterically.
Howling, with eyes showing pure madness, the demon lashed down at her. The glowing red earth shattered, and pieces hit her. Need to be more careful. She reminded herself, bleeding from several small slashes. Feeling the energies needed to summon the demon rise once more, she reach out and disrupted them. The crazed scream that came from Trigon was music to her ears.
"If you fail them, they will know you're weak." The panting, violet-haired, girl yelled up. "They will all abandon you."
"Fool." Came the roared answer. "Precious Gem, you shall pay."
The shape shifter screamed in frustration, watching as the one who he treasured above all else fought a hopeless battle; unable to aid her as her skin was burned and slashed. Yet she didn't yield; she stood bravely and fought, as beautiful as any angel. And she is an angel. He though, as he raked his talon across Trigon's back. They left no mark.
Turning, he sent forth his breath again. It flared over the demon's back, leaving it unblemished. Demons and angels and dragons. His mind turned the three words over and over. What was the riddle Rage gave me when I was supposed to gain the dragon form? Not all creatures are real? He whirled away from the fight and flew a short distance off. Standing back he hurled more flame. He blinked, watching the two fight before him. She was an angel, and he was a demon; but what was an angel and what was a demon? How could he decide the difference if he didn't know what he was comparing? I love her; she makes my hear sing; she's an angel. He shook his head. There was nothing mystical in his description of her. Her bravery touch him, her strength inspired him. But to him she was just Raven. He stared at the gigantic figure fighting her. What then is Trigon? He wondered. Dragons aren't real, and angels and demons are just words to describe things. What is Trigon? Calling him a demon is meaningless. Slade was evil, but was he a demon? No. Neither is Trigon. What is he? The thought bounced around in his head.
"Funny you should ask." A dark tone whispered in his ear.
"Rage?" He asked.
"Who else?" Came the demonic reply, touched with a hint of humor. "You asked the question, what is Trigon? Would you like to know?"
"Yes." The shape shifter replied, demanding an answer.
"Ever wonder why all the intelligent races are so similar? Human, Tamaran, Aknarian, Gordanian. They all have two legs and two arms. Every wonder why you can change into alien creatures that were born a million light years away? Given the laws of evolution, any alien should be so different as to be incomprehensible. Yet Starfire can fall for Robin, a demon can breed with a human."
"I have." He admitted, twisting around to throw more fire at his foe's back.
"They all have the same source; were made by the same race. Trigon's race." Came the dark reply.
He blinked, stunned. "What?" He asked.
"Trigon is the last survivor of the first intelligent species to be born in this dimension. When you first saw me, he'd possessed me. But I also heard things from his mind." Rage almost sounded like she was chuckling. "A mere emoticlone was beneath his notice, so he never saw me watching his thoughts."
The shape shifter automatically launched another attack, too stunned to do much else.
"Imagine a race born a billion year before any other, unlocking the natural laws of creation. They would be beyond comprehension. Now imagine they learned how to become immortal, not just living forever, but becoming unkillable. That is the race that monster was born from." Rage's dark voice explained.
"But why is he the last?" Beast Boy asked, tired of exhaling fire but not knowing what else to do. "If they were unkillable ..."
"Greed." Came the reply. "To be immortal, they needed something that was immortal to feed upon. So they seeded the worlds of this dimension with species genetically altered from their own DNA. Each intelligent being was given the capacity for evil, and this was what they based their immortality on. But even in all the vastness of the universe there was only so much evil, and that first race knew greed. They fought over that power, and Trigon, the worse of them, was the last one left. He then claimed all the power for himself."
The shape shifter wondered how that could help them.
"What does the form of a dragon do?" Rage demanded.
'It reflects what's truly in my heart." He replied without thinking.
"Precisely. You know what to do." Her voice faded.
Beast Boy peered down at the demon below, knowing the term was just a word. That the terrifying being was just another creature. Watching, he saw Raven fall, and Trigon prepare to lash out at her.
The violet-haired girl twisted and dodged, disrupting the energies needed to summon the monster when they formed. How much time has passed? She wondered, knowing she was at her limit. Her skin was badly burned in places, and she was red from blood. She had no time to spare to look at her watch. Then weariness made her trip, and her father's wrath was about to fall on her. It never came.
It's just another creature. The shape shifter told himself, and that washed away the fear the term demon inspired in all things mortal. What was below wasn't a demon; it was just another villain. For as long as he could remember he'd tried not to take DNA from the villains he'd fought, afraid it might taint him. But now he knew it couldn't. What he took was just forms, and his heart was left untouched should he so choose. His hand reached out, and gently caressed the back of Trigon. It was just a creature, made of DNA, like all his forms. He was given choice, and he choose to follow Raven, whether it be in darkness or in light.
Trigon backed away, knowing fear, as he faced a creature as powerful as he himself was.
The shape shifter towered above the ground, nearly the same height as the one he'd once called a demon. He had four eyes, but they were merely larger version of his own green ones. His skin was the same pure silver as the hide of the dragon he could become, while long hair of a dark green flowed down his back. His fingers ended with vicious claws, and sharp fangs were visible in his mouth, for he was by nature a fighter. Long ears, much like his human ones, twitched and focused on his prey. He'd chosen to follow Raven, and she was in his heart an angel; so he'd chosen the light. Trigon's people had used evil to fuel their immortality; he'd decided to use love.
"Beast Boy." Raven asked, staring up. "He's a demon how could ..." She gulped and paused.
"There're no angels and no demons." The shape shifter replied, eyes focused on Trigon. "There's just good and evil, and what's in our hearts. And he's just another villain that we're going to put away."
She frowned. "No demons? But ..."
"I'm the same as he is, and I'm no demon. Could I love you so much if I were?"
"If there're no demons then ..." She reached up and wiped blood from her eyes. The violet-haired girl looked at the red stain it left on her hand.
"Then you're blood isn't tainted. You're just you. Accept it."
"I'm tired of waiting." A dark voice whispered in her ear. "Unite us. Become who you were meant to be."
She felt all her emoticlone flow into her, including Rage. "Let's put this villain behind bars." Raven said, a bright light glowing between her hands.
"You think you can face an immortal?" Trigon roared.
"Yes." The two spoke as one.
Beast Boy slashed with his claws, creating four rivers of blood that poured down the monster's back. Unkillable didn't meant he couldn't be hurt, only that the wounds would heal. Another slash left one side of Trigon's face a gaping wound with two of his eyes gone. He stepped forward and slashed again. This time across the chest and stomach.
Trigon recovered from his shock, and sent forth a devastating blast of flame. Not stopping he immediately followed it with glowing rays of red light.
The shape shifter, watching with the instincts of an animals, easily avoided the counterattack. Rushing in, he slashed once more and the other side of the villain's face disappeared in a spray of blood. Already the first wounds were healing, but now it was certain they could contain the so-called demon until the home world of the Aknarians was safe. That, for now, was enough.
She floated in an aura of light, giving the appearance of what many would call an angel. A mistress of magic she chanted and watched. Even if he hadn't been rendered blind, Trigon was too busy to notice what she was doing. And that was fine with her. Around her feet the ground turned to grey stone, and then it started to spread. She changed the spell slightly, commanding it to turn not all mortals to stone, but all those evil of heart. As Beast Boy fought, she did her part. Soon there was silence.
"Lets go." Beast Boy said, back in his human form.
"It won't hold forever." Raven told him, once again wearing a cloak of blue. "There's a lot of evil in the world, and not even love can seal it for long."
"Long enough. In a thousand years when the spell ends, we'll be back." He took her hand.
She nodded, and they took one last look at the stone form of Trigon before they left, hand-in-hand, through the same portal they'd entered in.
They sat in the forest of Nevermore once again. Raven laid with her head resting on Beast Boy's shoulder as they talked to the emoticlones.
"You knew from the time you were possessed how to defeat Trigon." Beast Boy said, looking at Rage.
"I knew." The red-clad emoticlone admitted in her dark tone. Guessing the next question, she continued. "But I needed someone able to carry out the task. It was pure luck that brought you to me. And pure luck that you and Raven were so suited to each other. Without that all my knowledge would've been useless. Especially given the way I was caged."
"Sorry." The violet-haired girl said, now able to look her darkest aspect in the eye without fear.
Rage shrugged. "It gave me time to plan and prepare." She turned back to looking at Beast Boy. "You were so afraid of being tainted by evil that you refused to use the forms of villains, no matter how useful they might be. You had to be led to a point where you could accept using Trigon's DNA."
"I see." The shape shifter said, stroking the head of violet hair that rested on his shoulder.
"And the mirror was a trap." Knowledge added. "I can see that now. He was creating a being second in power only to himself. It was meant to fragment her, and keep her from her true potential. He was afraid of her."
Rage nodded. "He broke her power into nine fragments. Raven herself, and eight emoticlones."
"Whatever." Raven said, looking around. "I like things the way they are, so I'm glad they turned out the way they did."
"Me too." Beast Boy said, gazing at the girl. He wouldn't change a thing.
End of Chapter.
Trigon imprisoned in a way that keeps him from affecting anything for a thousand years.
One more chapter left.
Many thanks to those who read and review.