LXII
The Exorcism of Bruce Wayne
Finally in their bed after conversing with their off-world guests, Raven Wayne felt the inner turmoil that pounded against her love's soul like a tempest. Neither could sleep. Laying upon his chest, her hand felt the beating of his heart and the fear that lie beneath…
"You are troubled, my love," she whispered to his muscled torso, not looking into his eyes.
"Big day tomorrow… I asked Alfred to see how your mother is doing."
"She prepares for the final battle. She believes Trigon will follow her to Earth. As frightened as she is, the fear that courses through your heart is even greater, husband." Bruce drew a deep breath.
"…Have you ever killed anyone, Raven?"
"… no, my love. Never."
"Something… is pushing me to do something, tomorrow. The ghosts of my parents... The dead of Gotham…all cry out for revenge... To me. They know… somehow they know. I can give them final rest. But it's so many, Raven. Eleven million people is so many…"
"Your parents are not ghosts, my love…" There was no doubt in her voice. His parents were not ghosts. She would know. "Bruce, would you allow me travel into your consciousness? We will journey together to confront these fears, united."
"You said you couldn't do that anymore…"
"I can not remove your pain, your fear, your hatred as before. But we may still observe the emotions within you, to find the source of your fear."
"How does it work, Raven?"
Suddenly, Bruce Wayne stood upon an endless shore while a cold sea of blackness caressed the sands. Raven floated beside him, her eyes the luminous gold of her demon form once again but her skin was still as pale as soft, pink alabaster. It was all like a dream.
"It works like this, my love. Shall we proceed?" Raven smiled at him.
"Where are we? In a dream?"
"The landscape of your soul on the shores of consciousness," his wife replied.
Although it was dark, Bruce recognized aspects of their bedroom ceiling forming the sky above. Turning to face the island, Bruce saw its center consisted of a… volcano. Eerie red light illuminated the land. There was a great fear to this place. Raven reached out her hand to him.
"Let me guide you, husband. Do not let go." Bruce took her outstretched hand.
Together they floated towards the smoldering volcano at the center of his soul. He could feel its heat now, and hear its angry rumbling. He had always considered himself a sane man… now he wondered. He was obviously a man about to erupt, to destroy his soul.
When they flew near the volcano, he saw the bat. It was enormous now, staring up at them with predators eyes while it lie inside the throat of the volcanic, wedged beneath hundreds of rocks. It seemed trapped. Its breath became the sulfuric winds that burned the air around them. Raven began to descend closer to the monstrous creature.
"What are you doing?" inquired Bruce. The bat's glare remained on him constantly, laced with accusations. He had betrayed himself. Hell itself fed the monster's need for revenge upon those who would kill, those who would steal. He felt its need, but he also felt its fear and destruction.
"Look there, my husband." Raven was pointing to the edge of the volcano's crater. Bruce's eyes pulled away from the dark power of the bat's black orbs and observed what his wife was pointing at. A boulder was rolling up the flank of the volcano until it rolled over into volcano itself. It bounced off the bat monster, agitating it so that it shook the island itself, adding to the pile surrounding the creature.
The figure that had pushed the boulder was now revealed and remained at the edge of the crater to inspect its handiwork. Its ebony hair flowed around its head like a mane of night while its red skin resembled the color of the lava below. He had seen this woman before… It was his wife. Raven guided them directly above the crimson woman while his trepidation increased with every inch.
"You do not belong here!" It was the wife at his side that called down to her own demon below. The demon's eyes were pits of flame when it looked up at them.
"Did you truly believe you could take the man's fears without sharing your own?" she hissed. "Fair is fair, little Raven." Being so close, Bruce felt the fear of this thing, the very pandemonium it encapsulated... Trigon's true daughter.
"All has been returned. And you belong to me." Raven remained firm.
"I belong to your father, pathetic girl." The demon flew upwards so the two halves of Raven could stare eye-to-eye. "And what fun you've had in my absence! You've finally been able to spread your whorish legs for your neglected husband. Perhaps you should be begging for me to remain. We can both have a little fun."
"You do not belong here."
"Nor do you... I have work to do, Azar's bitch!" The demonic Raven flew down to the base of the volcano, selecting another large boulder to roll - a demonic Sisyphus - up the side of the mountain, to enrage the fiery beast within.
Raven also descended to the base of the volcano and landed with her husband in tow, to stand face-to-face with Bruce. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head and drew her lips to his, kissing him full on the mouth while the waves of the dark ocean crashed upon his shores and the land shifted below his feet. Tongues danced in fiery passion while their hands caressed each other like greedy sculptors, creating sensual masterpieces. Minutes passed with neither relinquishing the shared ecstasy.
Finally, with a deep breath, she pulled away from his lips and stared into his eyes with the bitter air of regret.
"I wanted to do that one more time… Before I take her back. I have spent my life learning to control her. She will drive your demon, your very soul, to the breaking point. Can you go back to the way we were, my love?"
"Can you defeat her?" There was a strange concoction of passion and fear within him. Had that thing lived in his wife all that time?
"I am her, my husband. She is me. I would not cast her from myself so that she may wander the great void of space and destroy worlds."
"Can Trigon be defeated?"
"My love, I carry every soul of Azarath within me. After one thousand years, the souls of light must embrace their darkness once more… They are ready. As I will embrace my dark side, so too will they. In this way, Trigon and Azarath will be given final rest."
"It's like Pandora, isn't it?"
"…Pandora, my love?"
"Pandora, in her curiosity, opened the box the gods had given to her for safe keeping. When she opened it, she loosed all the evils the gods had sealed in the box, closing it too late. But one thing remained…"
"What remained in the box but darkness?"
"Hope. That's all I need, Raven. Just tell me there is hope."
"There is hope, Bruce Wayne. I do believe there is hope for us, as I always have." Bruce took her hands in his and smiled.
"I will always love you. I will always be with you. And we will always fight for hope."
This was her husband's pledge to her. His declaration. He would remain by her side to fight for their future together. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was truly blessed by his love.
"Stay here, my love. We will return to ourselves in a moment."
Bruce watched as his wife transformed into what could only be described as a dark, oriental dragon. It was a massive creature of shadow and fire, as frightening as the bat living in the volcano but much more dangerous.
He watched as it streaked across the side of the volcano at great speed, opening its fearsome jaws to devour the demon pushing the boulder up the hillside. The dragon issued a deafening roar as its dagger-like teeth snatched the demon from its evil work, swallowing it whole. The bat inside the crater of the volcano squealed its high pitched shriek in harmony with the dragon's second roar of victory.
And then Bruce was back with his wife, laying in their bed. The bat, the demon, and the dragon seemed like a dream. He was a man who fought to retain control of the bat. His wife was a dragon who fought to retain control of a demon.
"Bruce… What did you mean about eleven million people?"
"That's the population of Kahndaq. God help me, Raven….I was going to kill every last one of them…"
"But you didn't my love. You will not."
"But I would have…I would. It was all set up. Oh dear God, I wanted to…"
"My demon was never yours to bear. Trigon's will is strong..."
"…but I was so close, Raven. For twenty-two years you lived with your demon and never took one single life. I was about to end eleven million lives…"
"Just ask, my love."
"Ask?... Ask if you still love me?"
"No my love. I love you always. Ask me what you need to hear."
"How can anyone forgive me for this…How?" Tears formed in his eyes.
She held him tighter than she ever had. The shame and guilt that had welled inside her behind walls of ignorance broke free to flow out as tears of joy. They were free. Their lives were their own once more and they would continue to fight.
"I forgive you, my love."