The next day, both Raven and Slade returned to earth to battle for the Sphere of Wrath. The rules were simple. Firstly, they had to induce as much Wrath as possible without any help from anyone else. They could make use of tools that were at their disposal but to receive help from any other living being was illegal. Secondly, they only had eleven hours to induce the greatest amount of Wrath possible. Once the clock stopped, Edwindan - the guardian of the Sphere of Wrath - would evaluate who induced more Wrath and the level of intensity of the Wrath induced. He would then decide who would receive the sphere.

The moment the clock started running, Raven got right to work. Since winning the sphere involved inducing intense anger on a large scale, she decided that it would do her good to think big. Having returned to her spaceship, she began devising yet another plan.

"Annoyance often leads to anger, so I'm going to have to figure out a way to do something that annoys everybody to make a whole bunch of people angry at once. This time, I'm not going to role play and think about what each one of the titans would do in this situation." Raven decided as she walked into her library. "I'm just going to do things my way."

"Canta Igna... Canta Interia..." She whispered to herself as she browsed through a shelf of spell books. "Here it is! Canta Irrito!"

With a hint of a smile, Raven sat down and opened the book.

"I wish I had the time to go through this earlier." She mused. "I could've seriously annoyed Slade with some of these!"

Slade was cornered and he was unhappy. Even though the competition for the Sphere of Wrath had already started, he still sat in his old headquarters, frustrated and angry. It was not because he had no idea how to win the sphere. It was because he was waiting for someone to finish a very important task. Being a pragmatic person, Slade knew that his chances of winning even one of the spheres in a fair competition were close to nothing. Raven held all the cards that mattered. She was the most powerful being alive in the universe, she could already induce unlimited Pride, she had Devia on her side, she had a vast knowledge of magic which she had gleaned from Azar, she had a huge library of spell books and she now impounded all of his weaponry and tools in her spaceship. In addition to that, she was also very clever and cunning. So advanced were her skills in trickery that he too had a hard time figuring out exactly what she was up to. Based on everything he had seen, he knew that she was evil yet she described him as a "bother" when she interrupted him and Brutus. She seemed happy enough to work with him before only to suddenly turn her back on him and this confused him. Was she refusing to be his ally because she was evil and evil doesn't share or was she refusing to be his ally because she was good and she loathed evil? He truly had no idea.

"Your highness, it is I." A familiar figure towered over Slade.

"Have you completed your mission?" Slade demanded.

"No, I was not able to find all of the titans." Brutus replied measuredly. Slade made his displeasure apparent with a few choice curses. "But I was able to snitch one of them from Earth." Slade perked up. "The human one with no powers was just wandering around unguarded, so I took him with me. As for the others, I do not know their whereabouts."

"Robin." Slade smiled behind his mask. "What a fool."

Beast Boy tried his best to keep calm and carry on as he guarded the gate of Curatoria. As every single warrior had gone in search of Robin, he and the other titans had taken it upon themselves to help guard several important locations since they were unable to leave the place. By now, the stopwatch indicated that seven hours had passed since Robin first went missing. As he paced the length of the gate, Beast Boy could not help but worry. Aurora had raced to Earth knowing that the Curatorians' Pegasus would have brought him there only to be sorely disappointed. There was no sign of Robin anywhere. With none of their search efforts yielding any results, the future looked very grim for Robin. If the demon who cast the spell on him realized that he had left Curatoria, he could be killed in a matter of seconds.

"What went wrong?" Beast Boy asked himself desperately. "Robin is not a dumb guy and I'm sure he knows better than to just leave and run away like that! Something must have been bothering him enough to make him lose his mind, just like something must've been bothering Raven to make her take her things from our house and leave. Robin and Raven are not people to behave like that yet they did. Something must be up and that something must be big." As the gravity of the situation settled in the pit of his stomach, a highly flustered Aurora appeared at the gate.

"Beast Boy!" She exclaimed as she ran up to him. "Robin was kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" He screeched. "Where? When? How? By who?"

"Earth, hours ago, by a brutal knockout and by Brutus!" Aurora replied hastily as she began running towards the Temple of Curatoria.

"BB! What's goin' on?" Yelled Cyborg as he and the other titans joined the group.

"Wait here." Aurora commanded sternly as they skidded to a stop in front of an imposing flight of stairs. Turning on a dime, she dashed up the stairs effortlessly.

"Robin was kidnapped by somebody named Brutus!" Beast Boy finally answered their questioning looks.

"Brutus?" Asked the three in unison.

"Who is this Brutus of whom you speak?" Asked Starfire anxiously.

"I don't know, Star." Beast Boy replied softly. "I don't know."

Completely unaware of what was going on, Raven sat in her library making a mental list of the spells that she was planning to use. In a sudden brainwave, she had devised one of her largest tricks ever that was bound to incite much anger in the city without actually hurting anyone. Just as she was about to combine two spells to form a mega spell, something crashed on to the roof of her spaceship. Angrily, she stormed up to the roof and faced Slade and Brutus, arms akimbo. Seeing her four red eyes, Brutus gulped and took a step back. He knew Raven was not one to be trifled with and her eyes constantly reminded him of Trigon, whom he feared and respected. Ever since Aurora had taken the titans to Curatoria, Raven had allowed her demonic front to resurface and when she was in that state, she looked truly frightful.

"What do you want?" She growled.

"I think you should be more concerned about what you want." Slade replied smoothly with an emphasis the second last word.

"I know what I want." Raven said confidently.

"Or do you?" asked Slade as Brutus produced a crystal ball. With an air of pomposity, Slade recited a special spell.

"Animate and show me here,

The scene of which I think.

Be it from far or be it from near,

Bring it up the moment I blink."

The moment he blinked, the image of a someone bound up in chains appeared in the crystal ball. Outwardly, Raven remained calm and composed but inwardly, she was freaking out. However, she refused to let herself reel in shock. If there was ever a time she needed to control her emotions, it was now.

"So?" She glared at the pair, feigning indifference.

"Robin has been rigged with a special suit that will detonate on special circumstances." Slade said coolly. "The suit is biologically sealed to his skin which means if you try to destroy it, you will destroy him as well. Not only can you not save him, if you even try to hurt either of us, Robin will be blown up into a million pieces."

"And what makes you think I care?" Raven demanded.

"Because you contacted the Curatorians to take the titans in." Slade replied coolly.

"Are you serious?" Raven chuckled. "Do you actually think that I asked the Curatorians to help the titans? Why would they do anything for me, the daughter of their mortal enemy?" She crossed her arms and stared at them incredulously. "Your idiocy amuses me."

"Because you're Azar's ward." Slade insisted. "They'll do anything for Azar including helping you."

"And why would they do that?" Raven asked. "Azar is dead. They owe her nothing."

"No she's not!" Brutus exclaimed. "You went to visit her on her plane of existence! She's not dead!"

"And I thought mortals were stupid." Raven glared at Brutus condescendingly. "What part of 'other plane of existence' do you not get? The Curatorians live on the same plane of existence as we do! She is dead to them!"

"That doesn't mean she can't contact them and ask them to help you!" Brutus snapped.

"If Azar could contact the Curatorians from her plane of existence, then I would have been able to contact her without having to leave Earth at all because I am more powerful than she is." Raven declared haughtily, pretending as though the pendant that enabled her to communicate with Azar didn't exist. "It's just not possible! Now stop wasting my time!"

"We're losing her." Brutus whispered.

Slade remained calm and composed despite the fact that he now had nothing on her. Raven's argument made sense and he had been busy plotting with Brutus when she freed the titans meaning that he knew nothing about what had happened then. He had wanted to mount security cameras everywhere to monitor Raven but since she had created the spaceship with her powers, she sensed it the moment he did so and had him remove everything. She claimed that she was now so powerful that she didn't need to rely on puny mortal gadgets to keep the place secure.

"Robin is an accomplished superhero." Slade decided to use Raven's demonic nature to bait her. Even now, he still had no idea that she was acting. "I'm sure you want to have the glory of defeating him for the whole world to see." Knowing what he was up to, Raven pretended to be interested. "I have him hidden away where you can't reach him. If you'll give me the rest of the spheres, I'll give him to you." Raven frowned.

"Aren't we fighting for the spheres now?" She questioned.

"I know I can't win." Slade replied quickly. "I know that you'll win everything. However, the laws of the demons say that you can still give away the spheres even after you've won them, so I'm offering you a sweet deal."

"That sounds more like a sour deal to me." She complained. "You're giving me one for ten. I don't like that."

"Okay. I say Robin is worth three spheres." Slade bargained. "If I give him to you, you'll give me three spheres." Raven pretended to think hard.

"He doesn't have any powers, so I'll only give you one sphere for him. Take it or leave it." Raven turned and began walking away.

"I'll take it." Slade replied craftily.

"Which one do you want?" Asked Raven.

"Sloth." He answered without hesitation.

"Alright." Raven nodded.

"First, you'll have to sign a contract." Brutus announced. "You will not back out of deals like Trigon has before."

"How can we be so sure that she won't back out of the deal?" Slade whispered.

"Because if she backs out, Robin will have to pay with his life. Because demons often use mortals as a form of currency, there is a law that says that if a contract between two demons involves a mortal, the mortal can be sentenced to death depending on the circumstance. Don't worry, she will have to honor her word no matter what." Brutus said confidently before nodding to Raven. Wordlessly, she used her powers to create a sheet of paper and a pen.

I, Slade Wilson agree to give Robin the Boy Wonder unharmed to Raven Queen of the Improbus Daemonium in exchange for the sphere of sloth.

Having written this sentence, Raven left some space below it and wrote another similar line.

I, Raven Queen of the Improbus Daemonium agree to give Slade Wilson the sphere of sloth in exchange for the unharmed Robin the Boy Wonder.

"Sign this." Raven ordered.

Slade read through what she had written several times over. When he was satisfied that nothing was wrong, he took the pen and signed his name. Under the watchful eye of Brutus, Raven signed the contract as well. They then made another copy of the contract which both of them signed before parting ways. Slade would give her Robin immediately and Raven would give him the sphere when she had won it.

Slade and Brutus returned to the secret place where they held Robin on cloud nine. As they made their way to his cell, Brutus spoke.

"Plan B went much better than expected." Brutus stated in demonic delight.

"That's because I know Raven." Slade replied calmly. "I knew that it would work. Once the next phase is complete, Raven will be utterly humiliated, defeated and destroyed and all of those birthrights that she worked so hard for would be for naught."

"And the infallible shall fall." Brutus announced with gusto as the pair finally neared Robin's cell. "Robin really lost the battle for Raven."

"He sure did." Slade replied before unlocking Robin's cell door to face a pale and shaking titan.

"Get up!" Brutus ordered as he pulled Robin to his feet. "We're going to move you."

"Where are you taking me?" Asked Robin weakly.

"Shut up and keep walking!" Shouted Brutus.

Robin hung his head and obeyed, mainly because his morale was so low that he didn't have the heart or strength to resist.

"I've lost the battle for Raven." He groaned inwardly. "I have truly betrayed my friend." In a sudden moment of grief, he broke free from Brutus' grasp and slammed his forehead against the wall. Never in his life did the inky blackness of unconsciousness feel so inviting.

"What are we going to do?" Brutus demanded. "I know a spell to make that bump disappear but how do we explain why he's unconscious?"

"We'll tell her that I gave him a jab to make him more manageable." Slade decided.

"You certainly have a solution for everything, master."

"You have no idea."

Robin opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying in a comfortable bed in a dark room. The silence was deafening, mocking him as he lay there still and unmoving.

"Where am I?" He wondered as he peered into the darkness. Cautiously, he got out of bed and tiptoed to the nearest wall. Having traversed the cold wall with his trembling fingers, Robin finally located a light switch. A series of small bulbs mounted into the ceiling cast a soft yellow light onto the shadows of the room. As Robin took in room's many comforts, he noted that he was no longer a prisoner. "This is so weird." He breathed as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Slade said that he was taking me somewhere but why would he bring me here of all places?" He wondered. His curiosity getting the better of him, Robin began going through a chest of drawers in his room. "My weapons! My uniforms! Why would Slade give all of these back to me? Has someone rescued me?" Running to the door, he tried the handle. To his amazement, it opened for him and he found himself staring down a dim hallway. The walls were pitch black but several yellow lamps illuminated the place. "Black and yellow." Robin suddenly jumped to the only conclusion that he could possible jump to. "I've been rescued by Batman!"

"Batman?" He said aloud into the darkness only to be met with disappointing silence. Racing back into his room, Robin put on a fresh uniform and armed himself with his favorite arsenal of weapons. As he dug through his things, he found a handwritten note stuck to the wardrobe.

"Robin, stay put." He read. "Everything you need is in this room. Whatever you do, don't leave this HQ."

"I must avenge Raven's death! I must defeat Slade!" He vowed before taking a swing at the window with his staff. He thought that this method would be easier than finding his way through what he thought was Batman's lair. However, his efforts were in vain as the glass held firm.

"Typical Batman!" He muttered as he stomped down the hall and threw the door open. Much to his surprise, the darkness of night welcomed him with a gust of cold, fresh air. Without a backwards glance, Robin strode out the door and into the unknown.

Angry. Aggravated. Enraged. Furious. Incensed. Outraged. Raven was so upset that she could hardly think straight.

"That Robin!" She fumed. "He had one job! One job! That's it! All he had to do was stay put! What part of staying put is so difficult? All you have to do is stay there and do nothing! Absolutely nothing! The other titans could do it, so why not Robin? How am I supposed to protect him when he himself undermines my efforts to keep him safe?"

Stomping to the door that Robin had used to escape, Raven mentally kicked herself for designing the spaceship in such a way that the doors could only be opened from the inside.

"I should've locked him in his room!" She thought to herself. "I should've remembered that babysitting has never been and will never be my strongest suit!"

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." With a sigh, Raven wrapped herself up in her soul self and went in search of the brilliant Boy Wonder whose inability to follow instructions made her wonder why he was dubbed the 'Boy Wonder'.

Elsewhere in the city, two conniving minds watched Robin leave the safety of Raven's spaceship.

"Capture him!" Slade ordered. "And this time, show him no mercy. The plan has been a great success and he is no longer needed as Raven bait. Capture him and bring him to me."

"Yes, your highness." Brutus bowed before heading out the door. He had no idea that he was not serving the illegitimate child of his master Trigon, but rather a sneaky impostor who simply used him for his own selfish purposes. He had no idea what was actually going on and he had no idea that the real enemy was not Raven or the titans but rather the very man whom he worshipped and served. As Brutus vanished into the same darkness that enveloped Robin, he had no idea that he too was doomed to share Robin's fate.

Robin too did not know of the many dangers that lay in his path. All he knew was that he had to avenge Raven but little did he know that his very life hinged on the efforts of the one whom he was trying to avenge.