Chapter Sixteen
Slowly, Starfire's feet left the ground and she rose through the dust from the imprint Wildfire just left in the wall. Blackfire's hands lit up with purple starbolts as she rested her eyes on Starfire. The young woman stared at her sister with truly sad eyes. She looked around the desecrated hall. Her father had taken his vow in this very same room. Their parents had wed on the platform before the pulpit in the eyes of the new moon. The Ascent was already damaged beyond repair in Starfire's mind. And they all had a hand in the pot for its destruction. They had decimated and dishonored the only thing remaining that was truly and inherently Tamaranean. Starfire felt sorry for herself. She felt sorry for everyone.
"Sister," Starfire held her hands before her as Wildfire peeled himself from the wall and came to hover beside her. "Do you not feel shame? Look what we have done to the Ancient Hall. Generations of Tamaraneans, it is all gone now because of what has happened. I speak to you as your sister, a fellow Tamaranean, when I ask why do you feel this way? What has angered you so greatly?"
Blackfire laughed, lowering her hands to her side. "After all this time, you choose this moment to appeal to reason? It is far too late for that, sister, dear."
"It is not too late," Starfire threw her arms out at her side. "Wildfire is here, Blackfire. The new moon still hangs in the sky. We still have time to carry out The Ascent. We are the last of your family. Why would you do this to us?"
Blackfire's onyx hair fell wildly around the frame of her face as she looked to Starfire with near disgust. "Family? Is that what you two consider yourselves to me? When we were growing up, you two were always the favored children! Wildfire was being groomed and pampered to lead this nation. And you, Starfire, were doted on as the sweet daughter. The only person who ever paid me any mind was Yalfore!"
"I looked up to you," Starfire shook her head, feeling her eyes throb.
"Only because I was more powerful," Blackfire brought her hand up again, her starbolt shaking with electricity. "I was the perfect vision of a Tamaranean warrior, but still, that won me no brownie points with this family. Yalfore cared for me. Yalfore understood my black sheep attitude. I trust him more than I trust either of you."
"Koriand'r..." Wildfire reached for her shoulder, his face grim. "Nothing will change big sister's mind..."
"You're damn right nothing will," Blackfire sneered, a dark lock falling across her rosy cheek. Starfire's eyes shimmered as she looked at her enraged sister. For the squabbles they had with each other, never had she seen Blackfire so blood-thirsty. She was out for true vengeance now. And Starfire was worried what an outcome like that could produce. "This planet should be mine. I know how to get what I like, I'm tired of seeing this festering scar that plagues our people! If I had been born a boy, we wouldn't be here. But you can thank outdated galaxy rule for that, little sister."
Starfire sighed and closed her eyes. In that moment, she saw all the memories of their childhood flood by. Ones of them playing amongst rich flora and fauna. Having grand meals after the men came home from hunting. She remembered the sweet tart wine the family shared during new moons, as was tradition. The plush pillows they laid across as they were read exhilarating fairy tales. She remembered the strong arms of Galfore lifting her thin body up like it was nothing and whisking her into the sky to teach her the magic of flight. Starfire hadn't confronted these memories in quite some time. She had buried them away in her heart after joining the Teen Titans. But she felt like a fool. She could never forget who she was or where she came from.
"As you wish, sister..." Starfire said softly. In the next moment, however, her eyes opened wide, blazingly green, as she shot bolts from them, striking Blackfire and sending her across the room. Starfire's hand lit up and she soared upwards into the rafters. Wildfire darted right. From below, she heard her friends cheering her on. Starfire's heart pounded in her chest as she knelt across a crooked beam, watching as Blackfire sent a barrage of purple shots towards Wildfire. He was deft, though, dodging between all of them. He sent one back, narrowly missing Blackfire and blowing another window out behind her. Her sister's back was to her now and Starfire sighed, bringing her hands together and sending a large wave into Blackfire, who spun down into the wreckage of broken pews.
Wildfire and Starfire lowered themselves to the ground now, watching as Blackfire brushed the debris from her clothes, her eyes lit with rage. Starfire readied herself. From Blackfire's eyes came a dark streak of purple which struck Wildfire just as his boots made contact with the ground. It sent him backwards, skipping off the ground, before he slammed into the wall on his side. Starfire hurled her arm back to throw more starbolts, but suddenly, a purple whip grabbed her wrists, yanking her off her feet. She gasped sharply as she collided with the ground, her eyes spinning as she looked up and saw Yalfore on the platform.
"Yo, you said no outside help!" Cyborg barked across the ruined hall.
"Did you think she was going to play fairly?" Raven asked, pulling her hood up.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, wasting no time to throw electric disks towards Yalfore. The old man braced, releasing Starfire. She then darted forward, colliding with Blackfire as she charged a beam up to strike the recovering Wildfire. The two sisters rolled across the floor, sharp splintered wood pecking into their skin. Blackfire brought her feet in, landing a direct hit on Starfire's abdomen and sending her flying upwards. Blackfire did a back hand spring, landing on her feet, just in time to meet a wall of pew blanks thrown at her by Raven. She held her arm up to deflect a few before they knocked her over. On the platform, Robin now went fist to fist with Yalfore as Beast Boy raced to Wildfire to get him back up.
Starfire's mind was still foggy as she felt herself soaring down. The poison hadn't entirely worn off. She watched the sharp edges of glass pass her by, the crumbled marble flashing past her vision. She knew she was falling, yet she felt she couldn't do a thing in that moment. However, she landed in sturdy arms. She pressed her hand to her temple and lifted her eyes to see a grinning Cyborg holding her. "Let's kick her butt, Star." The young Tamaranean offered him a smile.
Robin ducked, narrowly missing a striking blow from Yalfore. As he came up, he elbowed the man in his ribcage, making him stagger. Robin then leapt, trying to land a decided kick to his jaw, but Yalfore caught him and spun him into the sharp pulpit. Robin's body lit up in pain as he collapsed to his knees, only momentarily, before he caught one of Yalfore's fists and they struggled against each other. "It's like old times, Robin," Yalfore grinned. "Except you're actually fighting back for yourself. Do you think you can defeat me? Do you think you can stop my superior power?" Yalfore's other hand swung out, hooking Robin against the jaw and making him stagger across the platform. New blood now joined the crusted blood that plagued his face. But still, Robin kept on his feet, holding his fists up. "I must say, I'm impressed by your resilience for only being a human. But I'm afraid your time has run out." Yalfore rapidly came forward, grabbing Robin by his cape and flinging him into the rafters.
"Robin!" Starfire bellowed, watching the chunks of wood fall. She leapt into the air, catching him just as he began to peel from the ceiling. She carried him down to the other side of the hall. His face was so bruised and crimson red. As she collapsed onto the ground and cradled him in her arms, her eyes grew misty. Starfire looked around the room, watching as Wildfire and Blackfire darted around each other, trying to get the upper hand. Raven and Cyborg weren't having much luck with sonic blasts or projectiles. Starfire's eyes then laid on the shell-shocked Tamaraneans who had stuck around. "This is what you desire?! To be a nation known only for its blood-lust and systematic mind?!" They looked to her solemnly and silently. "These humans are trying to save your planet! Earthlings are not bad! When will you be able to tell the difference between the truth and the lies Yalfore has been feeding you?!"
"Starfire..." Slowly, Robin regained consciousness, tilting his sore neck forward. Starfire pressed her hands to either side of his poor face, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. "This is... your battle. You know what is right..." He cringed against his own pain for a moment. "You can't... always rely on other people..."
Starfire looked towards the shattered windows around her, her eyes opened wide. My k'norfka... the only person who can help you is yourself... You cannot count on everyone to have the same heart as you... Robin had fallen limp in her arms again and she slowly lowered him down against the cool brick of the floor. She turned towards the scene of mayhem, a fire raging in her belly. Wildfire pressed himself to a marble beam, shooting himself away from Blackfire who only sent starbolts incessantly, uncaring of who she struck. Below, Raven created a shield for Cyborg and Beast Boy as more marble came tumbling down. Starfire's hands curled into fists and she ground her teeth together, her eyes growing incessantly green. She bent her knees for the slightest moment before she catapulted herself forward, sending scraps of wood and debris of marble whirling in her wake. It was all slow motion for her as she glided through the air. Starfire could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she reared her hand back, flying through a plume of carnage. Blackfire's stunned amethyst eyes were the first thing Starfire said as she emerged through the dust. Her hand came around Blackfire's neck and they slammed into the wall.
"You... have ruined... everything!" Starfire wailed as she pinned her sister to the wall. "What use to be beautiful... you have destroyed!" Blackfire attempted to wrangle her arms free, but Starfire reared her knee into her abdomen, pushing her limbs upward. "Why are you this way, sister?! Why must you bite the hand that feeds?! I have tried my best to be patient with you, but I am afraid that patience is gone!" Blackfire still continued to wiggle, but Starfire pushed back with great force. "Answer me!" Her scream echoed through the hall, which had grown increasingly silent. Everyone only stared. "Why do you choose to act this way!?"
Blackfire finally stilled, staring at the intense eyes of her little sister. There were only few times when she remembered a young Starfire so determined about something. Her little sister had always been so carefree, light as a flower petal. Part of Blackfire was reminded of the jealousy she harbored towards Starfire. She rarely had to do a thing to make people like her. Meanwhile, Blackfire worked so hard for that same sense of belonging, but always fell muddled between the lines of wanting to be liked and also wanting to be envied. Their parents were never outright with choosing their favorites, but it was easy to see who they adored most. Between their sprouting heir and their darling little princess, Blackfire felt she was the abstract daughter they didn't know quite what to do with. Though Blackfire modeled the perfect warrior and would no doubt become a rising rank in fighting, she had a feeling that it's not exactly what they sought after in their children. It was the curse of the first born, Blackfire always wanted to blame. When Galfore read fairy tales, they enlightened and delighted young Starfire and Wildfire. But Blackfire always thought there were better things to be doing. Yalfore was the only one who ever shared her sentiment or paid her much mind. He always lifted her into the light, complimenting her true spirit of Tamaran. But her parents always failed to see it.
"You... could never understand," Blackfire finally sneered. "You've always been perfect. It's hard to see blemishes when you're so shiny and new."
"I see no blemishes on you, sister," Starfire was nearly breathless. "All I see is a jaded person, yet there was no one there who made you feel the way you do."
"Like I said, you can't grasp the idea," Blackfire huffed. "You and Wildfire always were the favored ones. Father taking you along to the Ceremony of Flowers while I'm left at home to practice my fighting, awaiting my time to transform into his idea of powerful. Maybe you were too young to understand, but you never noticed."
"But..." Starfire's grip loosened a bit. "I thought the Ceremony of Flowers was just a waste of time to you."
"Well, little sister, that's the assumption when no one asks."
"What you are doing is still wrong!" Starfire shook her head. "We are desecrating the very foundation, the history, of our people. This cannot be the future you had imagined for our people, sister. They are frightened. They are devoid of the true emotions that make us inherently Tamaranean. We are fierce, yes, but our feelings are what make us who we are. We cannot be strong when we are terrified of ourselves."
"And what do you know about being Tamaranean?! You left to play make-believe as an earthling!" Blackfire's dark eyes began to glow again. "You like to play the chivalrous type, the kind who knows what's best, but where have you been recently!?"
"I have been where I belong!" Starfire pushed against her wrists again, her eyes also lighting up. "I have been where you cast me to."
Starfire and Blackfire's exchange washed through Robin's ears in a fuzzy fashion as slowly, he rolled onto his side, running his hands along the cool brick floor. His entire body was radiating with heat, his head absolutely throbbing. He looked over his shoulder to see the scene, before he slowly came to his knees. Robin let out a deep breath, his throat rattling with dried blood. He hadn't felt so rough in quite some time. He hugged his abdomen as he stood, glancing across the room. Yalfore watched the Tamaranean princesses with great interest. Robin's eyes locked on him.
"Oh, Starfire..." Blackfire tilted her chin up. "After all this time, you've really learned nothing at all. Your appeal to reason is greatly lacking." Starfire furrowed her brow. "Such a kind heart you were instilled with... it doesn't make you inherently Tamaranean, though. This does." Purple bolts came from Blackfire's eyes, sending Starfire spiraling across the hall. She crashed through a marble pillar before colliding with the ground. The entire building began to shake.
"This whole place is gonna fall!" Beast Boy shouted towards the unstable rafters.
"We gotta get out of here," Cyborg shook his head. He paused when he looked to Raven's white eyes.
"We can't let this place fall," Raven said coolly, drawing her cape backwards and raising her hands. "If someone doesn't put their blood in the pulpit, Tamaran will never find peace." Black orbs filled her hands and she thrust her arms upward. Immediately, the shaking stopped. "Wildfire must complete The Ascent. It's Tamaran's only chance."
Cyborg backed towards Raven, the mechanisms in his arm revealing his sonic blaster. "I'll cover Raven. Beast Boy, get Wildfire to the pulpit. We're going to have to improvise this." The three Titans eyes shot up as Starfire emerged above them again, coming into combat with Blackfire. Purple starbolts came racing down and Cyborg gasped sharply, cringing away. He paused, though, when nothing happened. Beast Boy had morphed into a T-Rex, his scaly skin smoky. In the next moment, he became his wiry, small self again and raced off.
Starfire darted from the path of more starbolts, shooting upwards to deliver her own. Blackfire was just as deft as she was and the sisters found themselves swirling around each other. As the wind whirled through Starfire's ears, she was reminded of where she was and what was transpiring. Her sister's words stung her to her core. As children, they had visited this hall many times together. Their parents had blessed countless bonds and had heard the voices of concerned citizens there. Now, it was war torn, and it tugged at Starfire's heart strings. She had been apart of it all. How did she let this happen?
"Blackfire, stop!" Robin's voice ripped through the hall. Raven held still with all her might as she transferred beams back together to stabilize the building. Both Blackfire and Starfire came to a screeching stop in the air, hovering side by side. Robin had Yalfore to his knees, his own purple whip drawn around his neck. Robin looked so ferocious with his blood stained face and busted lip. "Tell me now," Robin's raspy voice sneered as he held a vice grip against Yalfore. "If your future of Tamaran is just your own, then I will kill Yalfore now, so your vision can be clear." The Titans looked to Robin with wide eyes, unfamiliar with this side of him.
"Robin," Starfire gasped.
"Tell me!" Robin barked at the disillusioned Blackfire. "Did you put him up to this... or is it the other way around?"
Blackfire lost altitude quickly, landing amongst piles of rubble as she approached the platform. "You won't kill him. That's not in your blood, Robin."
The purple lasso snagged tightly and Yalfore came against Robin's body. "It's gone too far, Blackfire. You can come to Jump City and pull wool over our eyes, but it stops here, tonight, under the new moon of your people. You can't always win."
"Robin," Starfire darted down now, staggering onto the platform. "Please."
"Star, there's nothing more to bargain for," Robin shook his bloodied head. "Blackfire has to make her choice."
The young woman's onyx eyes watched sorely as her mentor choked on air. She remembered in her youth when she'd go for walks by herself, he'd find her in the garden and enlighten her childish endeavors. He always promoted her attitude and way of life. Yalfore always preached how her parent's did not care about her. They only cared about Starfire and Wildfire, their golden children. As Blackfire watched him struggle, she realized in that moment, he had only appealed to her reasoning. He had set her up. And though she desperately desired to lead Tamaran, thinking she was the only one who knew how, Blackfire realized she had lost control of the situation. It was not her own deviation. It had been poisoned.
"Komand'r...!" Yalfore choked out, his arms flailing from his side. "You are... the only hope...!"
Blackfire blinked rapidly for a moment before shaking her head. "Don't kill him."
"And why shouldn't I?" Robin asked darkly. Starfire only stared with shimmering emerald eyes. Robin's eyes remained trained on Blackfire.
"Because," Blackfire slowly raised her eyes to Robin. "I should be the one who does it."
"Sister!" Starfire couldn't help but exclaim. "But you said... he was the only one who paid you mind."
Robin's hands loosened a bit as he watched Blackfire. He was blown backwards, however, as Yalfore broke from his grip. Blackfire leapt away, her hands lighting up. Yalfore smiled at her, standing on the edge of the platform. "Komand'r, do not let these lesser beings change your mind. All we need now is your palm for the pulpit. This planet will be yours."
"So, what happens if Wildfire's blood goes first?!" Beast Boy shouted, standing by Wildfire. "He is the rightful heir, isn't he?"
Blackfire was breathing heavily now, her nostrils flaring. "You were ad interim, Yalfore... after Galfore's death..." She shook her head, her onyx hair flying about. "You implemented too soon! You took away what was supposed to be mine! You did not uphold our agreement!"
"Komand'r, no," Yalfore remained poised, itching at the wound he received from the whip. "I was only laying the trials for you to practice."
"Your trials created an underground resistance," Blackfire surged forward, her eyes glowing brightly. "You led me astray!"
"Was she ever on a path?" Cyborg murmured to Raven, but she ignored it as she continued to place beams together.
"Sister!" Starfire came from the platform now, wrapping her hands around Blackfire's arms. "What does this mean?! What is happening?"
Blackfire shook Starfire's touch away and gazed towards the platform where Beast Boy and Wildfire stood. Her brother's shoulders rose and fell with exhaustion. "Cut his palm. Quickly. While the new moon still hangs in the sky."
Yalfore stepped forward now, raising an electrifying bolt in his hand. "It is meant for you, Komand'r! Are you giving up on what we dreamed for?"
"No," Blackfire slowly pushed her dark hair from her face. "I'm giving up on what you dreamed for."
"Sister...?" Starfire stood meekly by her side, trying to fight the tears away. She had seen her people flounder and collapse. She had seen her people live in fear. She couldn't forget the excruciating headaches, the blurred vision, that still reminded her of the Tamaraneans in need. In a way, they had never recovered from that invasion. But in that moment, Blackfire was suddenly seeing it all behind her eyes. She was realizing cost versus worth. Starfire blinked rapidly.
Blackfire turned to Starfire in that moment, her hands curling into fists. "Yalfore is a betrayer. He betrayed me. And you know how I like to deal with things like that..." She paused, watching as Raven pressed beams together. "Not that it matters, but I was the rightful person to rule Tamaran. Don't let Tamaran fall in the ranks of this galaxy. We have to become something, Starfire."
"You will... leave?" Starfire asked.
"I have to," Blackfire glanced over her shoulder. "Maybe you and Wildfire don't understand everything and that's okay. And maybe I am meant to lead Tamaran at different time. But not with a traitor behind my back with double edged cards. Maybe I'll come back... eventually.
"Where are you going?" Starfire shook her head. Yalfore scoffed.
"You really think I'd go with you willingly?" The bony old man sneered. "I've worked far too hard to let it all go to waste because you're losing."
"Losing?" Blackfire echoed. "Losing isn't really my style, Yalfore. I don't lose. I know when to cut my ties and come back stronger for the landslide. I know how to work smarter. Not harder."
'That's easy for you to say seeing as I'm the one who did the hard part," Yalfore beat his fist to his chest.
Blackfire was still for a moment before she quietly looked Starfire. "Goodbye, sister. Perhaps our paths will cross again one day."
She didn't wait for her little sister's response. With lightening fast reflexes, she bolted towards Yalfore. Her elbow hooked around his neck, squeezing the air right out of him. The old man was stunned, to say the least, as Blackfire catapulted forward through a broken window. Starfire's green eyes were shimmering as she hugged herself while the two disappeared into the night. Could it all truly be over? Had the nightmare finally ended? Starfire was trembling as she looked to Robin.
"It's finished, Starfire..." His voice was dry and hoarse.
"Not completely," Starfire shook her head, looking beyond his shoulder. Robin turned to see Wildfire examining the pulpit. "Brother..." She hugged herself as she brushed by Robin to stand by his side. "We cannot delay any longer. The night will end shortly."
"Will you do the honor?" Wildfire extended the sacred dagger out to her he had found carelessly strewn on the ground.
Starfire weakly smiled as her hand gripped the hilt. "For order, yes, dear little brother."