A/N: With Samantha now part of the family, and Tim determined to marry her, Jason and Dick have taken it upon themselves to teach Tim how to please a woman without Bruce knowing about it. Something powerful happens and two brothers are in hot water with their father. Dick and Jason decide they had better keep out of Bruce's way for a while by taking a case that leads them out of Gotham. The case, however, has to be interrupted when word reaches them that Tim has a life threatening illness . . . or is it? And has that case actually come to Gotham?

New Life, Death, and Soul Easters

by

AJRedRobin and JasonToddLover

Part 15: Spirit Orb and Bane of the Soul Eater

"Samantha, I want to know exactly what you did to bring Tim back," Bruce demanded.

"I . . . I don't know. I saw Tim floating around."

"Saw Tim? What do you mean? How was Tim floating around?"

"I didn't actually see Tim, I saw his spirit orb. It contains his soul."

"His spirit orb?"

"Everyone has a spirit orb," Samantha explained. "It contains our soul. When we die, normally our spirit orb is broken and our soul is released. The orb is like our aura that surrounds our body to protect our souls. Not everyone can see it."

"How do you know this?"

"My mother taught me."

"How did you put Tim's spirit orb back?"

"I formed a bubble around it and just pushed it back into Tim's body where it belongs so it could reattach itself to Tim's tether. It was the right thing to do. I don't know exactly how it works, it just did."

"I'm grateful that you did," Bruce replied. "Do you know anything about the creature that tried to steal Tim's soul?"

"I'm sorry, Bruce, I don't."

"I know what that creature is," Damian stated.

"How could you know? You weren't even in the room when that creature attacked," Jason stated.

"I heard you and Grayson talking to Father," Damian explained. "So I went to the library to see if I could find anything.

"Did you?" Bruce asked.

"I found only a small paragraph that describes what the creature is, but it's vague on how to defeat it."

"What is that creature that Dick and Jason were describing?" Samantha asked.

"It is a soul eater," Damian answered. He held up the book showing the title, Obscure Demons of the Underworld.

"It's a demon of some sort?" Jason questioned. "Where did you find that book?"

"I found it in the library," Damian said exasperated. "Weren't you listening Todd?"

"Of course I was, Demon," Jason groused back. "I meant where in the library."

"It was hidden behind some other books."

"Let me take a look at that," Bruce stated.

Damian handed his father the book. Bruce examined it carefully. He had only seen the book once and that was when he was seven years old. His mother received it as a birthday gift. There was no note on the box that it came in, but there was an inscription written on the inside cover. Bruce opened the book to re-read the inscription that someone had written, but did not sign.

"When dark forces are at work, may this serve you well and bring enlightenment."

It was such an odd inscription. He never saw the book, again. Then four months later his parents were killed. It was odd that Damian should find this particular book at this particular time. Bruce turned to the page that Damian marked. He read the four-line paragraph that made up the description. It certainly did sound like the creature they were facing, rather more like creatures. So far there had only been one mentioned.

"Damian, did you find any more on this creature, like how to defeat it?"

"No, Father, I didn't. That was the only passage."

"That does not help us much."

"May I seat?" Samantha asked.

Bruce handed her the book and Samantha flipped through the pages.

"There's an illustration on the back side," she pointed out.

"I didn't see that," Damian said surprised. He was kicking himself for not going any further into the book.

Samantha showed it to Bruce and Damian. It was an illustration of the demon soul eater being consumed by red flames. A small figure was standing off to the left with their arms outstretched. Surrounding the small figure was that same red fire, but the figure was not being harmed. The hairs on the back of Sammie's neck rose. Why did this feel so familiar?

Bruce scrutinized the image with care. "Damian, look carefully at the figure on the left. What do you see?"

Damian looked at the image, his brow creasing into a frown. "That cannot be."

Damian quickly looked at the copyright on the book. It had been written more than 100 years ago. He then flipped back to the illustration. It had to be some kind of trick of the light.

"Damian, what are you looking at?" Jason questioned. "It's just a drawing a possible way to defeat the creature.

"Didn't the text say pure light or fire?" Bruce asked.

"Pure light isn't going to do it," Damian argued, taking his eyes off the illustration.

"How do you know? Jason questioned.

"Pure light will have to penetrate every dark place there is in the world, but it can't reach down in the earth or deep caves."

"Damian's right, pure light in this case will not work," Bruce concurred. "Fire is the only way to defeat these demons."

"Not jut any fire," Damian stated, and he turned to face Samantha.

"What do you mean?" Samantha questioned, her skin suddenly started to crawl. Why was Damian looking at her that way?

Damian showed her the illustration. "It's got to be someone with a red aura that they can project at the creature."

"So . . . "

"So, who do we know who's got a red aura."

Samantha looked at the illustration again, this time concentrating on the small figure to the left of the soul eater. She looked carefully at the face of the figure. Her eyes went wide when she realized just who the person was in the illustration. The person had the face of Timothy Drake-Grayson-Wayne.

Continues with Part 17