XLVI
A Baptism of Tears
Raven stood before Azar, first of Azarath on the shores of consciousness. The old woman's hands cupped Raven's cheeks while her gray hair swayed inches away from Raven's chin. She had been a ghost for so long…
"Trigon will never be defeated, youngest," continued the priestess. "Can you destroy desire? Is lust finally satiated and forgotten? Do we find final resting places for hate to bury it forever?"
"He must be defeated, Azar. He will destroy everything!"
"I was so foolish, so long ago… I cast out our child of malice to be raised by the wolves of despair, of hate. Where was the love in this act of abandonment, Raven? There was no love, only pride. That I could rule the land itself. Do you understand, child?"
"Azarath sought to purify itself. To be free of malice and scorn."
"Purify?... We reduced ourselves to ignorant children. Trigon matured. Do you understand, Raven?"
"Trigon became powerful..."
"There is no Trigon."
"… There is a Trigon, Azar! All of Azarath bore witness to his cruel devastation…"
"Your soul still has two eyes. You are not half-blinded like the fools who raised you. What did your soul see when it viewed Trigon?"
"…Hate. Overwhelming malice. A thousand points of darkness swirling in chaos…"
"You do see, Fate of Azarath. There is no Trigon, only Azarath. Just as you are one-half child-like innocence and one-half darkness, so too are all these fools at the bottom of the sea. There is no Trigon, only Azarath. We are Trigon."
Raven pondered for a moment. "Trigon is eternal darkness only because the light disavowed it."
"Yes, child of Arella. And now the light has become afraid of its own darkness. These waters of the seas of unconsciousness… are oblivion to the souls of Azarath, oblivion they so desperately crave. You must call them back to your shores of consciousness."
"How shall I call them, Azar? My voice will not carry through the abandoned sea."
"If you can see with your soul, can you not also listen? The souls of your kin will listen. Not to words. You must speak to them as only you can."
"…With Emotion. That is the guide of the soul." As one of the most powerful empaths in Azarath, Raven was fluent in the realm of emotion. It was a language she understood well, if not allowed to express. She had smothered her emotions for so long… She had buried Bruce's grief, his hatred, his lust deep within her. And to her deepest regret, she had taken his fears.
She had only wanted them to be happy… Him to be happy.
Just as Azarath had cut off the unwanted pieces of their souls, she had surgically removed the dark bits of her husband's psyche. The followers of Azar and the wife of Bruce Wayne had committed the same crimes.
She should have used her gift to understand her husband. Their feelings could have been shared as no two other lovers had ever shared. They could communicate their feelings, grow, understand and love. Instead, she had only stolen his anger, his fear… To protect him, she had treated him as her child. To protect her marriage, she had stolen his burden.
Moisture fell on Azar's old fingers as Raven could no longer hold back her tears. She could never forgive herself.
"My child," spoke Azar soothingly. "We must forgive. We must ask for forgiveness. Without this, we are destroyed. Trigon must forgive us and we must forgive Trigon… to become whole. You must ask forgiveness of your husband, but there will be a time when you must forgive him… when no one else will.
My time here grows short. Take my rings, the rings of Azar, the stars and moon. Wear these, and Azarath will be with you always. Call out to your kindred so that they may live in you."
As the ghost of Azar disappeared from view, Raven stared at the two rings that remained in her hands and then stared to the heavens above. The weight of the sky drove her to her knees, alone, abandoned on the shoreline while tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She remembered the man beyond her soul and dried her eyes.
The rings fit well and told a story of love long ago.
"Our fate is shared, my love. I will return."