These Black Eyes Chapter 135: Mortuana part 4, a teen titans fanfic

135. Mortuana part 4

The man paces around the fire in the center of the ring.

The melody circles about as much as he does.

With a smile, the orator twirls, holds up his hands, and says:

"Four friends. United as one within the realm of Mortuana. But did they truly recognize each other? The gentlemen had been through enough trials and tribulations to wear a soul of light down into oblivion. And yet they had pressed on—if not for the salvation of all their kind—then at least for the safe retrieval of the girl. But when they found the daughter of the sacred mother, she had been transformed. As much as they were concerned, she was a different person. Happier. More at peace. And with a sound mind untroubled by her own dark essence."

The man smiles and bows slightly as his eyes thin and he smiles with added emphasis.

"The ultimate question—of course—is.........did she recognize herself?"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Jonas, the Grand Magistrate of Mortuana, had a very modest home. For someone of his stature and leadership, he chose to dwell in a leather tent no fancier than any of the common habitats lining the platforms and wooden stands of the underground city.

Nevertheless, he afforded to have three or four guardians standing and keeping watch outside his tent flap while a good percentage of the gothic population curiously attempted to peer inside at the proceedings.

Jonas, Raven, Cyborg, Robin, Dimitri and I sat in a circle inside Jonas' shack. Surprisingly, it wasn't as cramped as it sounds. Jonas must have been used to meetings in his establishment, and he had the walls of his home fashioned to hang household items that would normally be covering the floor on other occasions.

In the meantime, we had a for our visit.

"Centuries ago on Earth, the very first pacifist to carry the name of 'Azar' gathered the pilgrims under her teaching and led them through the interdimensional rift to settle in a world that was to become known as Azarath. A Temple was erected in Azarath, and there the Book of Azar was first printed. Since then, the ideals of serenity, harmony of controlled emotions, and enlightenment through meditation have flourished among the select few who have graced the hidden dimension. Azar—and all magistrates who follow in her namesake have maintained a universal tranquility the likes of which the blemished Earth has never seen. But in spite of the strongpoints Azar presented, there were still members of the Temple that doubted at least some of the principals presented in the sacred Book."

Robin, Cyborg, and I listened patiently. Raven sat still...a smile on her face every now and then. It made me feel uncomfortable. I noticed Cyborg shifting uncontrollably every now and then.

Jonas continued: "These separatists maintained that the teachings of Azar supported reclusion above benevolence. They could not understand the benefits of meditation in aiding the tranquility of all life if only a select few from Earth were allowed into this ritual dimension. They emphasized the nature of death and its reaping of souls—both Azarathian and not. Many people developed this concern, and they formed a group that broke off from Azarath in favor of pursuing these new concerns."

I glanced at Dimitri. The man was examining his flute while listening. It suddenly surprised me how young he looked. I glanced back at Jonas again.

"The Azar of the time maintained the order of the Book, and when the separatists grew in number she traditionally did nothing to persecute the new 'religion'. After all, it goes against Azarathian doctrine to act upon biases. The Temple was tolerant of all people and beliefs. The separatists were allowed to stay in that dimension...but such is not what they desired. For they maintained that the only way to truly bring tranquility to the world was to manifest the supernatural strengths they have learned and employ them in aiding the mortal world; Earth especially. Well over four hundred years ago, the Exodus took place. The separatists bade Azarath farewell and left en masse. But upon returning to Earth they realized that their numbers were too little and their belief system too radical to survive. In spite of their peaceful ways, they were persecuted and martyred and branded as herectics. In the Middle East they were stoned. In Europe they were tortured. And in the Americas they were burned at the stake. Labels of 'witches' and 'sorcerers' and 'demons' filled the air. And sooner than nought, it looked like the separatists' cause was to be eliminated."

Jonas' face seemed to brighten. His eyes were soft as his smile came wide. He looked like Peace itself.

"But not all hope was loss. Though death was what consumed the separatists, the last remaining few of them realized that the only way they could save themselves—and still aid the world as their doctrine allowed—was to consume death back with equal fervor. They studied the ancient, primordial fundamentals of Azar the First and discovered a way to open a dimension nestled so thinly between Earth and Azarath that it could not be defined as either. But rather, the elements of light and dark were used in summoning the doorway, and the separatists settled into a between-worlds landscape that was identical to Earth....but only was robbed of light. It was in this realm that the separatists discovered two chief things. Firstly: they were not so much separated from the living that they could not assist them in preparing for death. Secondly: they were not so much separated from death that they could not protect the living from their hunger. The dark lands turned out to be a landscape built on the framework of life but possessing the poltergeists, the pain, the hauntings of death. The former Azarathians found their purpose in this world, and such was to coexist in alternate cityscapes of the land of Earth and consume the dead so that their evil auras would not spread to the land of the living. And under this new purpose and plan, the middle-world was named Mortuana...a place defined by death in all of its positives and negatives."

We were all equally startled when Raven's voice dripped in with a queer warmth and vitality: "These people are in essence the closest I have to my former acquaintances." The dark girl smiled warmly and leaned her head to the side. "Separatists or not......they have built Mortuana upon the former pillars of Azar. It is....it is like an undiscovered home to me."

"Did you ever know about it before?" Robin asked. He gestured: "Weren't you taught in the Temple of Azarath?"

"There are many histories explored in the Book of Azar," Raven replied. "So many stories that the casual onlooker would not know the difference between canon and apocrypha. I had heard of the Separatists...but I had never visualized Mortuana. And now that I'm here....and now that I-I can actually taste and feel it...." The girl hugged herself. "It's so....beautiful..."

Cyborg blinked. "Beautiful??"

Robin looked at Jonas. "Do you........know Raven?"

Jonas smiled. "It is difficult not to."

"How so?"

"She is the daughter of the sacred mother, Arella."

"Arella?" Cyborg remarked. "Raven's Mommy?"

Raven's eyes darted to the side and her eyes faded a bit.

I took notice.

"Formerly known as Angela in your world," Jonas explained. A beat. He leaned back and inhaled. "I would tell you more...but such is not my position."

"It is alright," Raven said. "They are my friends. You can tell them all about it."

He looked at her politely. "Raven, as much as I would love to comply...I distinctly remember your opinion upon entering our presence. You felt the need to remain secretive, did you not?"

"............"

"Even now...after your first consumption......I feel it would be best to standby your request. It is my desire to honor you above all else."

"Wait a damn second...," Cyborg half stood up, frowning. "'Consumption'?? What's going on around here?"

Raven smiled. "Soon after I was saved from the shadowed landscape, I underwent a meditative procedure to...t-to free my emotions."

"Free your emotions??" Cyborg retorted. "You've spent well over the greater part of your life repressing your feelings and attitudes and now you suddenly want to free them?? What about your daddy, Rae?"

Interestingly, she did not seem the least bit phased or saddened. Instead...she seemed 'happy'. "It is difficult to explain, Cyborg. Trigon........Trigon isn't with me anymore."

My black eyes widened.

Robin leaned forward. "Raven.....do you mean to tell me—"

"The curse isn't dropped," she sighed. A beat. "But it isn't malignant either."

"I'm afraid I don't understand...."

"I know. It's st-still new to me. Hehehehe," she chuckled. She blinked. "But he is gone. I know it. And now I'm taking full advantage of it."

"Yeah...well...I think something smells fishy!" Cyborg uttered.

I cleared my throat.

"I'm serious!" he barked at me. Frowning, he faced Jonas again. "This whole god damn place is totally upside down! We're only here on account of Dr. Light and already you're trying to make some sort of Mortuanaesque—whatever example out of her?"

Jonas took a patient breath and said: "I'm afraid you're being too hasty."

"We did not force her," Dimitri butted in calmly. "In fact, we didn't even propose it to her."

Cyborg had a twisted expression. "Huh?"

"Cyborg....."

The android looked Raven's way.

She leaned forward and smiled. "It was my choice."

"..............," Cyborg sat down.

I felt a chill run up from my metal arm.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The six of us continued the convesation outside, strolling along the wooden platforms and passing tents and houses of the gothic population alongside, overhead, and beneath us.

Raven spoke as she lead the procession:

"The fight with Dr. Light had taken quite a toll on me. I wasn't very well prepared for a battle this morning in the first place. So when he started defeating all of us Titans one by one...I was helpless to do anything. When the bomb of blackness went off, I was thoroughly dazed and disoriented. A mediator and three guardians found me. They brought me down here to this 'city'. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was recognized...for being an apprentice of Azarath no less. Hehehe...at first I was completely put off, as usual. But then when I realized that the curse of my being had faded down here, I began to see things in a different light—no pun intended. Jonas and the acolytes of Mortuana were receiving me with open arms. I was on the verge of rediscovering the avenues of my emotion, and they were in the right place and in the right time to help me. So I took a brave step. I asked them to consume my repressions. And Jonas and his prime mediators agreed to assist me. They would purge me of my barriers, one by one...and then I could be completely free. Hours ago—before your arrival—I was purged of my repression to happiness. Th-That's why I seem so bubbly now, I bet. Hehehehe."

I scratched my head. I glanced mutely at Cyborg.

He was biting his lip. "So...you're sorta doing a Raven reversal?"

"Exactly, Cyborg! Hehehe! Aren't you happy for me?" she beamed.

He sweatdropped with a nervous simper.

She blinked. "Cyborg??"

Robin cleared his throat. "You......have put a lot of thought into this, right Raven?"

"Of course, Robin. I'm a rational person. Don't you know that?"

"I do not doubt you in the least, Raven," the Boy Wonder replied with folded arms as we walked. "I merely feel......"

"Concerned?" Jonas interjected.

Robin glared at him.

"I understand how odd this must feel," he said. "I am not one to dictate about the daughter of the scared mother. Nor am I one to dictate about your special friend. But you must trust us...we respect her and will only do that which honors her. This was her choice. Her decision. As distant relatives of Azarath, we must honor it. And since you are her allies—as well as innocent members of the world of light—we shall honor you as well."

"You people seem to be experts on dealing with those monsters out there," Robin said. The Titan leader stopped in his tracks and—thus—effectively paused the movement of the group. "Maybe you can honor us by helping us track down the lost members of Downtown, including our friends."

Jonas bowed partly. "More than happy too. However...I must correct you."

Robin raised an eyebrow.

Jonas pointed: "Those creatures out there are not monsters."

"Could have fooled us!" Cyborg uttered.

I nodded.

"It is difficult for you to understand," Jonas nodded. "After all....you are still alive."

Robin made a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dimitri spoke: "Look around you, dear Titans. Describe to us what you see...."

I gazed around with black eyes.

Cyborg's vision darted back and forth.

Robin used his peripheral vision.

"My best guess is the film stage for 'Gangs of New York'," Cyborg suggested.

Raven giggled at that.

Cyborg sweatdrop. "Pity B.B.'s not here."

I smirked.

"What's your point?" Robin asked.

"Do you seriously think that we're alive?" Dimitri asked. "With the conotation that the name of our very land implies?"

"......"

Robin and Cyborg instinctively took a cautious step backwards.

I stood in place.

Raven watched.

"You mean to say.....," Robin's eyemask narrowed. "You're all dead?"

"I was arrested for resisting British conscription in the Napoleonic Wars," Jonas spoke. The seams and stitches across his face seemed all the more real as he explained this. "I was bayoneted to death in a prison at the age of twenty-nine."

"I was shot to death along the rest of my family when my father refused to give up our farm to Soviets," Dimitri said. "I still find it humorous today that nearly five percent of the population of Mortuana owe it all to Stalin...heheheh."

"You.......died......a-and came here?" Cyborg stuttered.

"We were selected by the Sentinels," Jonas spoke. "The Sentinels are specialized mediators of Mortuana that consume the spirits of the dying before they have the chance to truly pass on. Such spirits are chosen for select qualities in benevolence and justice. Of course...no single soul is forced to dwell in Mortuana and perform consumption. If she or he would rather desire eternal rest...they are granted such. When it was my time, I chose to.......well.....'live' on for the sake of protecting those whom I had loved but needed to leave behind." He took a deep, seemingly sorrowful breath...but washed it away with a genuine smile of softness. "I am so...so very honored to have the chance to bless the same members of the world of light that could not give me a chance to do so when I was alive. I joined the ranks of Mortuana gladly...and have been proud of my occupation ever since."

"But.....how can you be dead? You're moving, breathing.....'consuming'...."

"The fundamental laws of existence have their loopholes, Mr. Cyborg," Jonas said. "Please try and understand that—even beyond the threshold of death—there are new questions even far more confusing than the 'meaning of life'."

I hand-signed a '4' and a '2'.

Robin elbowed me.

I rubbed my side and pouted.

Raven giggled.

"Man....," Cyborg ran a hand over the human part of his head. "This is all so heavy. I mean...I always thought of life beyond death....but...."

"Mortuana hardly falls into that category," Dimitri said. "We—in fact—do not know what to call it. We merely concern ourselves with the task at hand...and that is protecting the poltergeists, the very things you call monsters."

"But....you've seen what the 'poltergeists' have done to some of our people!" Robin exclaimed.

Dimitri nodded. "And indeed we do our best to keep them in check. But it is not our goal to annihilate them. They are not here by choice. They are confused and tortured by unfinished and nightmarish things that glue together the gray lines of life and death. Only in the absence of light do they reveal themselves. Wandering aimlessly. Seeking for solace that will not find them. As mediators we consume the death inside them so that—temporarily—they can rest until the aura of death rises in them again. If the aura gets too strong, it will start to attract innocent souls to the poltergeists' suffering nature....even branching into the world of light. Our purpose—in a realm where souls filter through in greater and greater percentages—is to achieve balance. And in such tranquility—mutual instead of the Azarathian personal—we serve our purpose."

I leaned my head to the side, intrigued.

Robin spoke up: "Then you people are...in a sense...superheroes." He blinked behind his mask. "Superheroes of the dead."

Jonas smiled. "Exactly...," he slowly nodded.

"And we will be more than happy to assist you in your searches...," Dimitri said.

"Think you can tell us more about this 'place' so we can have a common footing?" Robin asked.

Jonas replied: "When your infamous 'Dr. Light' destroyed all light in the nearby vicinity, it opened up a portal from Earth to Mortuana. In Mortuana, the City you live and fight in is merely a fascimile. Like a living and breathing chameleon, Mortuana does its best to blend in with the framework of the land of light. But when poltergeists roam the space and spread their sorrow and confusion...the organism that is Mortuana becomes cancerous. Imagine tumors of the structural and geographic metaphor. Buildings turn upside down. Pieces of street and sidewalk fall away. Rooms reflect the personalities of the tortured and agonized dead...."

Cyborg glanced at me. He whispered: "The leather in the banshee's apartment...."

I nodded shakily.

"We cannot supplement an explanation for why these things are the way that they are. All we know is that—the more we consume the poltergeists—the more that Mortuana blends in with the nature and structure of the light world, and that is our gauge for balance. But not always are we successful in maintaining this balance."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

Jonas hung a sad head. He said: "There are times when....the poltergeist gets too strong. Its weight of anguish and souls becomes grand and immeasureable. Sometimes—even—the poltergeist becomes self-aware. It knows of its power and attraction. It hunts after souls and forces them to branch out and bend the world to its liking. When this happens, we have hellion on our hands. And no mediator—no matter how strong—can take on and consume a hellion."

Cyborg swallowed. "Are there....uhm....any 'hellions' in this City?"

Dimitri shifted uncontrollably.

Jonas folded his hands together. A deep breath. "The Lich...," he hissed.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Does this Lich....pose a threat to the people we're searching for?" Robin asked, getting straight to the point.

"It.....might be possible..."

"How can I found out?" Robin asked. "In fact...how can I find out about those whom I'm looking for, period? This place is.....kinda dark, you know."

Jonas smiled. "We have our ways. We built the Tower for that."

Cyborg smirked curiously.

"'Tower'??"

"It was erected in the skyscraper above us...," Jonas pointed directly 'up'. "It is where we look out on the landscape of Mortuana around us."

"How can I.........access this 'Tower'?" Robin asked.

Dimitri gestured. "I shall show you. Would you allow me?"

"I'd do anything at this point," Robin nodded. "Come, comrade."

Dimitri rolled his eyes and glanced Jonas' way. "Last person to call me that was Pierre. I swear, the Jacobin victims are always so cynical." He and the Titan leader walked off.

"Raven....can I......I dunno....speak to you for a moment?" Cyborg asked, nervously scratching his neck.

"Why, sure thing Cyborg...hehehe...," Raven hooked her arm intimately around his. "Lead the way."

".................................ahem," Cyborg politely lead her down a wooden catwalk.

".......," I stood by myself. I glanced at Jonas.

Jonas smiled at me.

I simpered.....and wandered off by myself blindly.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

At the end of a dark, subway hallway there was a vertical chamber of granite that stretched up beyond visible torchlight. A lone young man of pale complexion guarded a set of levers and mechanical equipment.

"Dimitri! Hail to thee!! Have you a lightsider?"

"Indeed, Nathan," Dimtri spoke as he alighted the square black platform of metal at the bottom of the chamber. He leaned on wrought-iron railings as Robin joined him. "We wish to scale the Tower. Who is up there now?"

"Ayane. She's been there the greater part of eight sandglasses."

"Heheheh......quite the trouper she is. Up with us, now, shall you?"

"Only glad to," Nathan pulled a switch.

CHTUNG!!!

CL-CLUNK!!!

VRMMMMMMM....

HTING-HTING-HTING!

The black elevator rattled and shook as it rolled its way up the black platform, carrying Robin and Dimitri. Tiny lanterns were lit every other twenty feet interval. Beams of dim light swam down the shapes of the two individuals.

"For dead people, you certainly are very......cheery," Robin commented.

"Heheheheh...," Dimitri pulled his flute out and polished it some more. "When you live in a world of pure darkness, you learn to make your own light. Consider—if you will—a creative mind with an infinitely clean slate."

"Hmmm....," Robin stroked his chin and smiled a bit. "You know...any single one of you Mortuana people would give the entire planet's philosphers a run for their money."

"Where you come from....I imagine...."

"Why, yes." A beat. Robin asked: "You think Earth philosophy doesn't work here?"

"Oh...it does...but there's a lot lost in the translation," Dimitri said.

"Like what?"

"Well...heart beat for one."

Dimitri laughed...and Robin found himself joining him.

"I'm.....I'm rather surprised...," the Boy Wonder managed to utter.

"At what?"

"If this is what death has in store for us......," the Boy Wonder took a deep breath. "....what is there for the lightsiders to worry about."

"Uh uh uh...," Dimitri shook his finger. "Do not be so quick to leap on upon death."

"Oh?"

Dimitri shook his head. "There is plenty......plenty to worry about....," he breathed. It was almost menacing.

Robin nodded with a sigh. He leaned back against the railings as the elevator rattled its way upward.

HTING-HTING-HTING!

"You are.....worried....," Dimitri uttered.

"I'm busy," Robin pointed at the hidden brain inside his skull as if that made everything obvious. "I've got a lot to be responsible for. Citizens. Teammates."

"Loved ones?"

"................," the Boy Wonder folded his arms and looked aside.

Dimitri leaned forward. "Tell me....who is it? Who has you so frightened on the inside—"

"Never you mind," Robin barked.

"Ha ha ha ha!!" Dimitri nearly dropped his flute.

Robin frowned.

Dimitri composed himself the best he could and said: "So much irony...it never fails to amuse me..."

"What do you mean?"

The pale mediator smiled. "I've been 'deceased' for well over six decades, and still I find that life has more secrets than death."

"..............."

The elevator rattled upwards and upwards....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The subway city was a busy and bustling place, full of wooden platforms and leather tents and flickering torches....not to mention mysteriously pale people of voluminous presence and population. And yet—someway—Cyborg and Raven had found a corner of the underground dwelling place away from everyone. They sauntered about in the shadows of an underground corner. Cyborg stood still against a wall while Raven paced energetically back and forth.

She rambled: "I...I-I just couldn't believe it. The timing and everything. These are my people. A-At least the closest I've met to 'my people' in ages. It's been so long since I left Azarath. With everything the Titans have dealt with, it's become more and more challenging to stay focused and meditate and feed off the words of the Book of Azar..."

"Rae....."

"And suddenly I feel the opportunity to simply let go. To shake off my repressions. To embrace that which I am and can be!"

"Rae.........."

"And now that I'm tasting of it...now that I'm happy for once...I can't figure out why I ever had to be the way that I was. I can't believe that I've been so cruel and cold and—"

"Rae!!"

Raven stopped. She spun about and faced Cyborg. An innocently curious look washed over her face.

Cyborg took a deep breath. "What did you come knocking on my door to say the other night?"

"...........," Raven's eyes fell to the floor. "I....I didn't knock on anybody's door..."

"But you tried to...," he slowly stepped towards her. "And you couldn't bring yourself to do it. You were trying to tell me something, weren't you...Raven?"

She bit her lip. "I......I wasn't getting much sleep that night."

"But why, Rae?"

"It is not important."

Cyborg took a deep breath. "Would you have shared it with me if it were important?"

"Maybe...."

"Because you shared it with Noir."

A pause.

Raven turned and looked at Cyborg strangely.

He avoided her gaze.

She slowly stepped towards him. "Cyborg...," she inquired softly. "Are you.....Wh-what are you trying to say?"

"I just....I just don't understand...," Cyborg rubbed the human part of his head. "You were troubled by something the other night. But you couldn't bring yourself to share it with me. But you could share it with Noir....at least somewhat..."

"Who said I was 'troubled'?" she giggled. A beat. "And who said I shared any of it with Noir? What's the point??"

"The point is, Raven....is that I've clearly let you know in the past that....th-that if you needed anything, we'd be there for you—"

"And I know that."

"But I want to be there for you, Raven!" Cyborg said. A beat. He shook his head and waved his hands. "S-Sorry....that must sound really selfish. I.....I-I don't know why I'm making such a big deal out of it. Everything is going all wyrd and you.....and you...."

"What about me?" she asked.

"You're so different now...," he sighed.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I.....I don't know."

"But what do you feel, Cyborg?"

Cyborg blinked. "Huh?"

"Is the question too vague for you?"

"No....i-it's just that...."

"What?"

A beat.

"Since when was 'feeling' more important an issue than 'thinking'?" Cyborg asked. He pointed. "You're the rational type, Raven. You've always been. It's part of your nature. And now—with Jonas and Mortuana and this whole damn-confusing 'consumption' business...you've been tossing all of that into the wind. And so suddenly, too. Doesn't that strike you as just the least bit impulsive?"

"I may be happy now, Cyborg," Raven smiled. "But I am not impulsive."

"Raven...--"

"If I was impulsive, I would have let my fingers knock on your door," she said firmly.

Cyborg winced at that.

A beat.

Raven sighed and ran a hand through her blue hair. "I-I'm sorry....I wish I could lay all of this out for you clearly, Cyborg. It's so hard getting used to emotions. Even though I'm doing them one at a time...it's still hard. M-Maybe I am not the normal Raven you know. But then again....I don't think I was ever the aware of who I was to 'know' in the first place." Her eyes were round and glistening as she said: "I only wish to find out—once and for all—who and what I really am. Naked, deep down, beneath the curses and supernatural powers and everything. I want to know Raven. Even as much as you want to know her, Cyborg. When Mumbo Jumbo split me apart with his camera, I got a tiny glimpse. But that was at the expense of you and Noir and all of my other friends. Now I finally have the chance—without any lateral threats—to explore myself fully. Think of it this way, Cyborg. If you were given the chance to become human again...and start everything from the beginning in a fresh, fleshly manner...would you not leap upon the opportunity?"

He shifted nervously.

Raven blinked. "You wouldn't?"

"I-I dunno...," Cyborg uttered. "I know that I would give anything to be the way I was again. But also...," and his gaze was firm upon her as he aid this: "...I know that because of what I am, I have had the blessed opportunity to save many people, to meet the Titans, and.....and to meet you Raven...."

Raven took a deep breath. "You....You do not believe I am making wise decisions?"

"I can never dictate to you, Raven," Cyborg said. He sighed. "And lord knows...I've done a lot of that. And each time I've tried to help you out and give you suggestions as to how to blend in with us and be an emotionally well-rounded person...you keep surprising me more and more with the depth of your character and the complexity of who you are and......" A beat. "Heh.....I-I'm not worthy. That's all. I'm simply....n-not worthy...."

A beat.

Raven walked over and leaned against a dark wall. She sighed.

Cyborg looked at her in melancholy.

She managed a brave smile and said: "I suppose I was foolish...no matter how rational I assumed myself to be. I went to Noir instead of you, Cyborg. I went to him because I knew....I knew he wouldn't jump all over me at what I was tempted to tell him. At what I was tempted to tell anyone. And yet...I never did tell it. Noir failed to hear what you failed to hear. There's nothing to be jealous of."

"I'm....not....jealous...," Cyborg walked to the back of her. "I'm concerned, Raven. I'm concerned about whatever it was that tore at your soul the other night. I'm concerned as to why it was so intense that you wanted to share it with me so much that you couldn't...." He gently rested a hand on her shoulder. She didn't resist his touch. "I'm your friend, Raven. You don't have to tell me anything. But I would love to help out....in any way that I can."

"...........," Raven glanced back at him. "You can know, Cyborg. You can know...."

He stood still.

She slowly turned about and hugged herself, deadpan. She resembled the common Raven for a moment or two there. "Last night.....l-last night I had a flashback. You were right in thinking I've been gloomy lately, for indeed a lot has been on my mind."

"Tempest's situation with Slizzath?" Cyborg asked.

"More or less...," she bit her lip. "Atlantis wasn't the first time I've seen a demon take lives away."

"......," Cyborg listened quietly.

Raven breathed: "Trigon has already struck in my life....." A beat. "For he had invaded Azarath when I was barely five..."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SLASH!!!!

"AAAAAUGH!!!!"

"Hahahaha!! Give me your entrailssss!! Give me your bleeding pulp!!! You wastes of FLESH!!!"

People screaming. Torsos rolling back and forth on the stone steps. Arms twitching.

Bloody rags hanging over the antlers as streams fly with the swiping claws.

"NNGHH!!!"

"SNKKTKAAAAAAAUGH!!!"

"Give yourselves UNTO ME!!!! INFIDELS!!!!!"

A river of blood forming around the temple.

A black sphere.

A little girl in an elder's arms.

Screaming inside like a cracked lobster.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"He tore bodies apart and ate Azarathians alive," Raven softly explained. "He killed everyone in the dimension. Every follower of the Book, he turned extinct. Soon, there were only two left. Myself...and Azar, the last elder. Trigon had destroyed my world and my people.....and he only did it as a 'test'."

Cyborg's lips parted.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The girl sobbed.

Inside the sphere, the old woman held her close.

"Heh heh heh heh heh........."

The demon chuckled outside.

His red aura was fading.

He was slowly leaving.

But his voice remained over the blood-stained landscape.

"I will be back for you, daughter.......and I will not be so 'merciful'."

Sobs.

Shaking.

Shivering.....

"For you shall always be mine. As long as you live, my blood pumps through you. Someday...I will consume you as I consumed your mother and we....will...be....one......."

Red fading to darkness.

A face buried into a wrinkled shoulder.

"Mommy............"

Sobs.

Wails.

"Mommmmmmmmmmmy!!!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"From very young....I knew that the horror I had faced was only a taste of what was to come. I was tainted from birth with Trigon's blood. One day he would rise up to consume me...and my flesh would make manifest his power in any dimension he chose. And he chose Earth."

Raven took a deep breath. She smiled awkwardly as she continued:

"Azar knew this. And—as the last surviving practioner of Azarathan teachings, she taught me to repress my emotions. Especially Rage. For Trigon had selected Rage to be the trigger for his powers within me. He killed my people...he killed my elders...a-and he killed my mother so that Rage would consume me."

A beat.

"And all this time, it hasn't," she spoke. "It's had its surfacings....with Dr. Light and with Mumbo Jumbo....but I've survived this long. But....but I knew that—as much as I have to deal with my own pain—I could not deal with Trigon alone. Yes, he is my responsibility. But if Trigon was to get loose, I needed people that I could trust to end him." A beat. She blinked. "By ending me."

Cyborg's fists clenched. "Raven....how could we ever 'end you'?? We're your friends."

"I know," she nodded. "As distant as I've tried to be....," her eyes darted aside. "I've let myself become.....close."

A beat.

She ran a nervous hand through her blue strands. "I almost gave in with Noir. Y-You were right. I....I did feel a connection to him. As much as I tried to deny it, he meant a lot to me. But after Slade was defeated, I made the choice to distance myself from him. Because I knew that getting too close would not only be a bad thing for me and my unpredictable emotions....but I couldn't let someone like Noir hesitate to deal with me in the long run when I might become uncontrollable. And after I distanced myself from him....."

Cyborg folded his arms and looked aside. He grumbled: "I-I tried to comfort you...."

Pure silence.

Raven took a shuddering breath. But she smiled and leaned against Cyborg. "But don't you see, Cyborg?"

He looked at her depressingly.

She swallowed and uttered: "The pressure doesn't have to be on my friends anymore. I......I can change. Just like you've insisted in the past, I can change for once, Cyborg."

"But it has never been your desire to change, Raven," Cyborg said. "I've found that out. And I respect it—"

"And I respect you," Raven insisted. "And all of you. And I'm not going to let you worry about me anymore."

"Raven, we haven't—"

"Yes you have. You've insisted upon it yourself!" she cackled. "You and the other Titans care about me!!!"

Cyborg looked away.

Silence.

Raven hung her head. "I....I take responsibility for my own actions. And that includes what I'm doing now." She looked up again and smiled. "The consumption shall continue. And I shall deal with my past and pains as I see fit. And eventually, Rage itself will collapse and become a thing of yesterday for me. All that matters now is the present....for now I am ready to deal with the past."

"How, Raven?" Cyborg asked.

She inhaled. "Jonas....h-has promised to remove the barrier to my sorrow next....I will learn to cry...."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

HTING-HTING-HTING!

WHURRRRRRRR!!!!

CLTUNG!!!!

"We're here...," Dimitri smiled.

Creeeeeeak.

He opened a gate surrounding where the black platform had ascended. He and Robin walked out of the chamber and through a torch-lit passageway. Wooden steps were erected and wound up along the outside of the tower's summit. There were no handrails on the edge, and Robin had to rely on balance as he slowly followed the casual Dimitri up, up, up the winding planks around the edge of the spire. They reached the top, which was a circular metal ring propped up atop a glass peak with metal, skeletonous supports that formed the peak of the building. Robin gazed at what looked like faded and crumbling satellite dishes on either side of him.

"............," the Boy Wonder's lips pouted. "This is Kobayashi Tower....."

"Is that what you lightsiders call it??" Dimitri chuckled. "Well, it serves us quite well. Doesn't it, Ayane?"

Robin became aware of a dark haired watchgirl standing on the edge of the metal ring. She was staring out with a telescope at the pitch black landscape....as if she could see something. At the sound of Dimitri's voice, she gazed the two boy's way with pale-white almond eyes. "I can't complain, that's for sure."

Robin's insides jumped at her optics. He managed to hold himself and say: "What are you looking for?"

"Dark auras."

"Dark?"

"Darker than 'dark'," she uttered as she gazed out the telescope again. "My eyes are trained for it. I can see well beyond the supposed 'dome' that the Grand Mediator has spoken about. I honestly do not know how the light side of the world could segment a portion of our dimension off and yet manage to keep itself intact on the 'outside'. I suppose life—and death—is full of surprises."

"If you can see into the darkness...," Robin walked up behind her. "Maybe you've seen signs of the very same people I'm trying to save."

"It depends," she shrugged as she gazed out expertly. For such a height as the top of Kobayashi Tower, the dark air was eerily calm and void of wind. "I've been seeing a lot of things lately. Bright bodies wandering in the darkness. Their movements erratic and frightened. Indeed, I must be seeing strangers to this obsidian place."

Robin stepped forward and firmly muttered: "Where?"

Ayane pointed a pale finger. "Northwest. Seven blocks away. The central station of the L-Train track." She turned and pointed elsewhere in the pure darkness. "Due west...the Downtown canal." Another turn and pointing of the finger. "And—of course—east northeast."

"What do you mean 'of course'??" Robin asked with curiosity.

"That's where the Pit is," Ayane smirked.

"Yeah....has it gotten any bigger, by the way?" Dimitri asked.

"Oh, it's always getting bigger. But it hasn't consumed all of the Library yet."

"Why's there a pit in the Downtown Library?" Robin asked.

Ayane looked Dimitri's way.

"Simple...," smirked the flutist/mediator. "That's where the Lich is."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I took a deep breath as I strolled across the wooden platforms.

I turned my head and gazed with black eyes at some of the dwelling places that I passed by.

Men, women, children....families and loners alike....

People gathered all about their homes. Some with fires, cooking pots, pipes and cigars.

Women on old fashioned rocking chairs.

Men teaching their sons how to hold and use archaic tools.

My eyes narrowed.

How can families exist in the land of the dead?

Perhaps they died and were extracted together?

Maybe the dead are capable of.........m-making more dead......

I shuddered and tried not to show it.

I passed by a gaggle of girls. They sat in wilted skirts of brown and red patchwork. They looked up from where they were making a quilt and seemed to smile bashfully at the sight of me. Their pale complexions reddened a bit and they hid their faces behind their hair.

I simpered.

Not too bad......for dead chicks......

I decided quickly to relocate myself. I found a ramp leading up to a lone platform where no immediate tent or shack was erected. The nearest torch was well over twenty feet away. In the darkness of the wooden floor, a chair rested.

Must be a thinking spot......

So I walked over, leaned against a wooden railing, stared down at the multi-tiered city...

And thought.

The lonely tranquility didn't last too long. Not that I was one to complain....

Adult footsteps shuffled to a stand-still behind me.

A beat.

Jonas' voice: "You are built for the land of the dead....are you not?"

"............," I slowly spun around and gazed at him. His pale image reflected off my pure, black cornea.

He gazed at my eyes with interest. He said: "Ayane has a gift much like yours. She can sense things in the dark. But she can sense them from a long distance visually. You—on the other hand—you can sense things without having to use your eyes...can you?"

I narrowed my optics in question....suspiciously.

"Heheheh....do not mind me...," he uttered. "Many of the mediators out on patrol have taken notice of yours and Cyborg's journey. Believe me when I tell you that we would have gladly sent our qualified individuals in to consume the poltergeists you ran into ahead of time—only, we could not accurately predict where you two were going and why you were making such hurried movement. That—and—the poltergeists you encountered were actually quite weak in comparison to those whim the mediators were charged with consuming today. It would not have been easy to call them off. But by the time you ran into the banshee...Dimitri, Victor, and Raphael were well on their way."

I nodded. I smiled as if to say 'thanks'.

"And this brings up an interesting point....," uttered Jonas. He paced around me.

I eyed him.

He leaned on the railing beside me and said: "Those that did keep an close watch on you and Cyborg...they mentioned something interesting. Especially Victor and Raphael." He leaned his head to the side. He uttered with a curious smile: "You....have been consuming monsters yourself, haven't you?"

"......," I slowly nodded. I didn't know how else to respond.

I consumed them......

"On more than one occasion, in fact...," Jonas uttered. "Without any prior experience. How fitting—hehehehe—that you would also happen to be such a close ally to Raven."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You are indeed more fit for this world than you give yourself credit, I imagine," Jonas said. He gestured: "To be able to consume death....to be able to relinquish the power of such spirits that you encountered....it means something? Doesn't it??"

I looked confused.

"But surely you understand," Jonas said. "Before Dimitri died, he murdered two of the Soviet guards slaughtering his family. And after I was tortured in a British prison cell, I managed to stab one of the guards to death. This is something I cannot deny."

"............," I glanced away....then back at him.

He leaned forward. "Mediators.....can accomplish the consumption of the dead....because of experience." The way he smiled made me want to punch his face in. "You have dealt with death before, have you not, Mr. Titan? Most likely you have caused death on more than one occasion...."

My fists clenched.

I took a deep, fuming breath.

My black eyes were menacing for a moment...then softened.

I exhaled....

".......," Jonas blinked. He uttered with bleeding admiration: "You exhibit great....great control, Mr. Titan. It.......it amazes me." A beat. He glanced at Myrkblade. "For someone with so much destruction." A beat. He glanced back at my face. "So much that you're trying in vain to forget."

I closed my eyes. I sighed. I reopened them and did my best—in whatever polite way that I could—to express my deepest desire to be alone.

And as I expected, the Mortuanan Empath sensed it.

"I am not one to pry," he said. "I merely wish you to know that.......you display a unique sense of bravery with how you've been approaching these poltergeists. And if you so desired...my people and I can help you learn how to master that art, whether or not you're a lightsider. But—of course—the final decision would be totally up to you, as it is similarly up to the duaghter of the sacred mother. For we do not force people to grasp our ways...we merely invite them."

I wasn't looking at him anymore.

Jonas got the point. He slowly walked away...but not without pausing at least once to say: "One piece of advice, Mr. Titan. Your friends....the same friends that you fight with..................Do not be so worrisome for their safety." He glanced back at me and smiled gently. "Of all that they face...the least danger they'll ever have to worry about is you."

And he was gone.

I took a shuddering breath and ran a metal hand over my face.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"What do you sense at the L-Train station?" Robin asked.

"It is hard to say," Ayane spoke as she gazed through the telescope. "I've seen what seems to be a new creature."

"A poltergeist?" Dimitri stepped over.

Ayane shook her head. "Inconclusive. It keeps flying back and forth from random parts of the city and the L-Train station. It'd make sense if it was a poltergeist. Then the L-Train station would be its haunting. But there is much speculation leftover..."

Robin rubbed his chin in thought. "And what of the man-made canal? Doesn't that lead into the sewers?"

"Indeed."

"Does that place have a haunt?" Robin asked.

"Indeed. We erected the plaque their as fair warning," Ayane explained. "Similar to how all the other plaques were set up."

"And just what is the poltergeist of the sewers?"

"Why...it's the Bon—"

Suddenly....

A speck of light.

Robin saw it.

"!!!!" he leaned over an edge of the metal ring and leaned forward, staring out into the black mess. "Did you see that?"

Ayane rubbed her eyes. "I do believe so, yes...," she winced.

"Was that a......l-light?" Dimitri's face contorted.

"Far stronger an aura than any of the flashlights your Titan friends were using," Ayane said to Robin. "Perhaps it's—HEY!!"

Robin had snatched her telescope away from her. The Boy Wonder gazed through it towards an area to the North of the Kobayashi Tower.

".................," Robin stared.

He pointed the telescope around somewhat.

"................."

Nothing......

Nothing.......

................a light.

Robin gasped.

A green light......

Robin's eyemask widened.

He lowered the telescope somewhat.

"Star......"

Dimitri blinked. "Star??"

"Starfire....she's out there!" Robin exclaimed. He clenched his teeth. "I'm going. Now."

"But....Mr. Robin...," Dimitri emphatically gestured as the Boy Wonder stomped towards the wooden spiral of stairs. "That light could mean anything!"

"Then I'll find out."

"It could be a poltergeist trying to lure you or your friends in—"

Robin came to a stop and spun around frowning. "I know what it means to take risks. If necessary, I'll go there alone. Cyborg and Noir can check out the L-Train station or sewers. I need...to get...to that light..."

"Then at least let me go with you," Dimitri said as he showed off the flute. "Raphael, Victor, and I....we are especially trained to consume these spirits. If you wish to find your 'Starfire' before the time limit, our assistance shall be crucial."

Robin's eyemask went crooked. "Wait a damned minute....'time limit'??? What the hell is this about a 'time limit'?"

Ayane gasped. "You mean....you don't know??"

"No, I don't know!!" Robin barked. "What am I supposed to know?!?!"

Dimitri took a deep breath and calmly spoke: "It's the 'dome' of darkness that you and the other lightsiders perceive," the young man explained. "There's something about it Ayane has taken notice of and has long since alerted the Grand Mediator Jonas about."

"And what's that???" Robin asked suspiciously.

"The dome...," Ayane gestured. "It's collapsing."