Chapter 4: True Strength.
More chapters on my (P)atreon at Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
The world's deadliest marksman leaned on a tree. Or rather, hid behind it. Floyd craned his neck and saw the small form of his daughter as she moved about inside her room through the window on the second floor.
He smiled. She was safe, just like the previous 2 weeks. Waller hadn't gotten to her yet. He was arranging for a way to get them both out of the country and start a new life somewhere else. Maybe in Malta. With it having access to Africa, Europe and Asia, getting a steady job offing people sounded much better than messing with the kind of freaks the U.S had.
Floyd rubbed a spot on the back of his head. Somehow the bomb had been deactivated. How? He had no idea. After the cluster fuck that was the mission had failed, he had woken up in a cheap motel in Bludhaven with a short note on the dresser.
"A favor for a favor, we shall be in contact."
The note said. That was all. There was no other information. No update on the status of the rest of the team. For a few days, he had gathered intel, understanding that they had failed. Waller had probably gotten her hands on Raven and Killer Frost. Both were probably languishing in Belle Reve, waiting for the next suicide mission.
Floyd was free. Kinda. His freedom was tainted by the fact that he owed a favor.
Floyd sighed, thinking back on the incident. There was practically nothing worse than owing a favor to a mysterious individual. Especially in his line of business. Oh well, he was a man of his word. When the time came, he would pay his dues. That was just the kind of person...
Floyd stopped. He was a few blocks away from his daughter's school. Someone had been following him and now they had lost all pretense.
"Floyd Lawton."
The voice was like a hiss. Floyd stiffened as red robed figures appeared all around the rooftops of the abandoned street. He sighed, turning around to face the new party.
Someone stepped from the shadows. A man, wearing a red robe with a fanged hood mask in the shape of a cobra, hiding his face away.
"Our Sublime master would like to have a word."
The man informed Deadshot.
"Please tell me it wasn't you fucks that helped remove the bomb in my head?"
Floyd asked in a tired tone.
As if he relishing on his frustration, the Kobra Cultist smiled.
"A favor for a favor."
From behind, stepped a girl with a wild haircut. Half of her head was shaved while the other had long orange hair that was swept to one side.
"It's time to pay up, Deadshot."
Then the world begun to spin. Floyd stumbled as sudden vertigo gripped him. The final thing he saw was the girl, Shimmer standing in front of him with a winning smirk.
(Davian's P.O.V)
I stood before Raven, sword gripped tightly in my hand while eyeing her warily. Raven's eyes gleamed with a dark power that seemed to emanate from her very being. Demonic energy. She floated to the air, her cloak billowing behind her.
It had been 2 weeks. 2 weeks where I had healed completely, having lost the bandages around my body a few days ago. The first week was spent trying to get my body used to calling unto my new power. It was a week spent almost completely alone.
After asking Kent for help, he had locked himself inside the library, explaining he was doing research onto what kind of power I had. He would usually be around the kitchen area at meal times and apart for some late night sessions where he supervised my meditation, Kent was rarely seen. Our previous conversation stuck with me however. He had called my power evil. Or rather it's essence.
I already knew my powers followed a theme. I had been a casual fan of Bleach during my past life. It being basically the only Anime I had ever watched due to one of the most badass anime characters ever created, Yoruichi. While others had been there for the power ups and cool fight scenes, I had been there for the Waifus, or rather Waifu.
I was a horny teen, sue me.
Despite outgrowing that phase entirely, mostly out of necessity than intention, the power system intrigued me. It left a mark due to its...sheer versatility. Spiritual arts could be categorized into what they called Zakensoki.
Zankesoki referred to the principle arts behind a shinigami's power. Basic Shinigami fighting techniques. Zan refers to sword fighting techniques. Ken refers to unarmed fighting techniques. So refers to moving techniques. Ki refers to KidÅ."
It had taken a lot of time to remember the basics.
What were Shinigami you ask? Basically what I wished I was. They were soul reapers. Beings from the afterlife charged with sending errant souls into the afterlife. They protected the souls from creatures of darkness called Hollows, which were basically corrupted souls. Unfortunately for me, I seemed to possess the powers of one.
I was more hollow than Soul Reaper. Infact if it wasn't for my human form, which presented the possibility that I might have simply been a Fullbring, which was a human touched by the reiryoku of a hollow, I might have thought my other form to be an Adjuchas. A humanoid hollow.
It was all a complicated mess. Basically, I had spiritual energy (Reiryoku) and that Reiryoku leaned on the side of corruption more than a normal soul reaper's Reiryoku. The real question was...could I bridge the gaps between the two species despite not possessing the genetic advantages of the main character or a powerful artifact like the Hogyoku?
The second week was spent trying to find that out. For context, Soul Reapers had access to Zakensoki. They were trained in the use of a blade, Zanjutsu, the use of Reiryoku for binding and attacking, Kido, high speed movement, Soho, unarmed combat Ken and finally Kaido, the arts of healing. It was structured.
In comparison, a hollow at the lower levels possessed heightened senses, the ability to instinctually open a portal to Hueco Mundo, which was like the dimension of hollows and maybe cero, a long range energy blast of Reiryoku. That was it. I needed power and that called for versatility. Hollow abilities alone couldn't give me that.
So the second week I tried to adapt my Reiryoku to work in a similar way to Zakensoki. Results had been so far... encouraging. Sorta.
I tightened my grip on the sword, facing off against Raven. Amongst her wide range of her magical abilities, her most prominent skill was darkness manipulation. I knew I needed to be careful. One wrong move could mean my defeat.
"So you can fly. Big fucking deal." I told her with a condescending smirk. It was a little game for us. I would try to antagonize her and she would respond in kind. Or act above the pettiness to show me she was more mature than I was.
"Is that jealousy, I detect?" Raven mused. A dark smile forming on her lips.
"Not Jealousy. No. I merely wonder why you think that will help you."
I lowered my center of gravity, calling onto my Reiryoku. Push and pull.
A purple outline of energy covered my body. Immediately, I could feel the difference. See, Zakensoki didn't exactly work. It wasn't a set of moves that I could recreate from memory. What I could do however was taken inspiration. And the first inspiration I got was reinforcement.
By pulling onto my Reiryoku, I could cover my body with a layer for protection. That protection had led me into knowing how to apply the Reiryoku to strengthen my muscle strands, granting myself a measure of enhanced strength and enhanced speed to go along with the increased durability.
Apart from that, my senses were heightened tremendously. I could feel the small flakes of dust touch my skin. I could hear sound bounce off the walls of the magical room we used for our sparring. It was a subsection under the armory that we were both forbidden from going inside by the way.
The sparring room itself was according to Kent, formed by a mix match of small dimensions layered together. It fixed itself up whenever it sustained too much damage and through magic could be changed into a terrain to fit different battle scenarios.
Of course with Kent poring over ancient texts and Raven being to inept in finesse mystical practices, the sparring room was eternally a wide domed room with brick walls on the sides and a hard sandy floor. The sand got in places that were annoying. Very annoying.
Raven's fists lit up with a dark aura.
"You're the one who's been itching for a fight. Don't blame me for indulging you."
And with that the talk was over. Now the basic rule for fighting any mage was getting close range. I was eager to try some new styles I had been working on and hence took the initiative.
I charged forward, sword blazing with purple energy. This particular skill was basically an extension of reinforcement. This time on an object rather than my body. It was seamless, the weapon itself allowing a steady input.
Raven met me head-on, her darkness twisting and turning into various shapes and forms. The clash of our initial strike, which happened to be the edge of my blade against a shadow scythe, echoed through the air. Sand rose up from our position.
"You're not bad," Raven said, parrying my sword with her darkness, flexing her arm to throw me back. I found myself pushed away, tripping over my own feet and transitioning into a clumsy roll. My face flashed when I heard Raven snicker. A little angry, I got up with the intent to show her...
My eyes widened when an axe blade passed by my head, cutting off a few strands of my silver hair.
"But you're too reliant on that sword of yours. A sword you can't even use."
She stated landing on the ground.
"What happens when you lose it?"
She added.
I tightened my grip on it. That had been close. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as I had initially thought.
"I won't lose it," I growled, pushing forward with my heels. The sand behind me jumped up from a brief flex of my power, a crude Flash Step pushing me forwards at fast speeds.
"And even if I did, I would still kick your ass!"
Raven laughed, evading my thrust by gliding away. Her darkness swirled around her like a cloak. "Is that so? Let's find out. Azarath metrion Zinthos!"
Spikes of darkness erupted between us, cutting me off from pursuit. My heart jumped to my throat as one of the spikes came dangerously close to skewering me. I snarled, slashing out at the constructs while running forward in a stumbling run. My sword felt no resistance. My Reiryoku aura protected me enough that I could leap off the side of a spike and jump towards Raven, sword held above my head.
"You're finished!"
I yelled. There was no way she could evade this.
Without warning, Raven lunged forward as well, her hands forming into claws that seemed to be made of pure darkness. My falling sword was blocked by the dark claws. I tried to react quickly, kicking out at her belly. The world spun around me and I was hurled to the ground.
My back slammed onto the hard floor and I felt breath leave me upon the impact. Reinforcement prevented me from outright dying but the pain was something else. Now I had been hurt before. I consider myself a tough guy. The thing about surviving what should kill you however, was the agony it came with.
I rose up from the ground, fingers patting around for my weapon that I had only let go after the fall. I grabbed the handle but before I could do much of anything else, a black blade was placed on my neck.
"Yield."
Raven ordered, standing above me.
We looked at each other. Our eyes showing determination. None of us wanted to give up. Especially me.
"You're cocky and arrogant."
Raven stated in that annoyingly monotone voice.
I said nothing but an irrational anger started taking over.
"You think you're powerful because you can rampage around like a monster. True strength comes from the mind. Not from how much strength you have. Remember that and control yourself."
She withdrew the sword and stepped away after her brief chastising, leaving me heaving.
I was trying to calm myself down and then...all that anger washed out of me. I sighed, sitting cross legged on the ground. A thoughtful expression appeared on my face. 'She's right', I thought as Raven flew away.
I had a long way to go before I begun acting with arrogance. The game had always been to move in silence. I guess I had forgotten about that...
(General P.O.V)
(1 week later)
"It's done, Mr. Wayne."
Lucius Fox informed Bruce Wayne.
The young Gotham Billionaire stood, looking out into the city with a forlorn expression on his face.
"Tell me something Lucius, can a symbol meant for justice be absolutely corrupted?"
Lucius Fox was an older black gentleman. He was donned in a grey suit.
"Yes."
Lucius wasted no time in answering.
Bruce blinked.
"I see."
"Allow me to explain, Sir."
Lucius cleared his throat.
The younger of the two stood straighter.
"Go on."
Lucius pulled the seat before the desk of the owner of Wayne Enterprises and sat down, one leg crossed over the other.
"I'm assuming this is related to our R & D department's extracurricular activities?"
"Mmh."
Bruce gave a non-committal hum.
"Well, it's not a simple matter then, is it? You see Batman is more than just a symbol. He's an ideal."
Lucius leaned forward.
"However, when an ideal becomes too absolute, it risks becoming corrupted by the very nature of its absoluteness."
"For example, if Batman were to become too focused on instilling fear in criminals, he may begin to employ unethical or immoral tactics to achieve his goals, such as excessive violence or manipulation. In doing so, he would compromise his own ideals and become corrupted."
He paused to gauge Bruce's reaction, before ultimately continuing.
"This highlights the importance of balance and flexibility in any ideal or philosophy. The world is not black and white, and there are often shades of grey in any situation. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a degree of flexibility in one's ideals in order to adapt to changing circumstances and avoid becoming corrupted."
Bruce chuckled.
"Batman does not kill. That is his motto. His one rule. His essence. What does it mean when he causes the deaths of 5 people? Even indirectly Lucius, surely that is unforgivable to a degree."
Bruce turned around from the view and Lucius could finally see the heavy weight in his eyes.
"In that case, I would suggest a vacation sir. Maybe a week in the Bahamas would allow the 'Batman' time to come to terms with his own mistakes, whether he's truly at fault or not relies more on his future actions than the past. Will he take responsibility and make sure their deaths were not for nothing, or will he break down, stop being the ideal that Gotham needs. That is the real battle."
Lucius stood up, looking at his watch.
"Oh dear, I'm afraid the company is in need of my time Mr. Wayne. I best be leaving."
"Of course Lucius, thank you."
Bruce shook his hand with an amiable smile.
"Say hi to Alfred."
Lucius smirked.
"Inform him, I shall avail myself on Saturday for a little golf."
Bruce snorted.
"A chance to shake his old bones? I'll make sure he's not late."
"See that you do."
Lucius replied while leaving.
"Oh and Lucius, the security overview for the Cryogen Mutation Crystals...?"
"I'll have a report along with half of the safe combination code sent over to you later."
Lucius assured and left, closing the door behind him.
Bruce turned around to face the city. Despite being on the tallest building on Gotham, from here he couldn't see the destroyed docks. They were too far away. What he could see was the smog that covered parts of the industrial sector of the city.
Take away that, and the almost tangible aura of danger in the air and Gotham could be considered a beautiful city. It was a complex and multifaceted place, characterized by both darkness and light.
Bruce touched the window.
These days it seemed to be more darkness than light.
(General P.O.V)
Kent looked at the helmet. Dozens of books, lost scriptures and archaic texts laid strewn on his desk.
He stood up, feeling his body protest at the action. Kent was old and he knew it. He also knew his time was coming.
He walked forward, approaching a section of the wall, below a mural of a larger than life man, facing the children of the creature from the stars. Facing, Starro.
Next to the man were two other outstanding individuals. Both with a right to a legend just as illustrious. However, this mural in particular focused on Nabu, son of Marduk and brother to Ishtar.
Kent stopped in front of the mural, looking down at its foot. The helmet of Nabu laid on a stand, spotlessly clean from the regular dustings he gave it.
He lifted it up, running a palm across its face.
His life flashed on its ornate golden form. And what an eventful life it had been. He'd seen everything. Well, almost everything... recently he had come across something new.
Something he needed to wear the helmet for.
"No sense stalling."
Kent told himself, bringing the helmet down to cover his head.
"It will be just like old times."
His voice echoed out through the library.
(Davian's P.O.V)
The third week begun with a bang. Kent was still doing his missing-in-action thing and I was...stuck. See, I had all this potential but without a teacher, anything I came up with was a crude imitation of what I had seen on pop culture.
So my need for a training partner had seen me challenge Raven for even more spars. And she had taken to the suggestion like a fish to water, hungry to lay the beating on me. It was painful but showed results.
Already, I could move through a battle field with an almost uncanny intuition. I think this might have been a budding spirit sense. My strategy was move in, slash or punch then sidestep an attack, roll away from a pincer move (she was handy with controlling dozens of dark tentacles. I wonder where she learned it?) and then buckling down as an area of effect attack hit. I wasn't fast enough yet, to evade such attacks.
More often than not, I had my ass kicked.
Case in point,
She ducked a slash from my sword, disappearing into a portal that appeared on the ground. I immediately looked up, getting flashed accidentally as she disappeared yet again into another portal above me. The next rift had her land behind me on the ground with a resounding bang.
She stomped a foot onto the floor and caused it to ripple in a dark flood of sand and stone. I lost my balance, falling onto my back only to get hit by the wave and launched onto the sky.
My eyes caught a flash of black and I immediately crossed my hands across the chest area. The attack never came. Instead a cold wind passed by my body, causing actual black ice to form around me. My body temperature plummeted as my skin became numb. Breath came out in a mist. The cloak of Reiryoku around me failing to stave off the elemental attack.
I fell to the ground, ice shattering around me as darkness claimed me shortly after landing.
2 days later, I became conscious. I had no bandages on this time but that attack been dangerously close to killing me. I don't even think Raven understood that. Or maybe she just didn't care.
"You have a death wish?"
Speak of the devil. She was sitting next to my bed with an open book titled, 'Applications of dark healing to the physical vessel'. On the desk was another book, whose title I couldn't read due to the angle.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Man, that last attack was vicious. I almost thought you were actually trying to end me."
I told her, swinging my legs out of the bed.
"Wait..."
She had a hand up to stop me from standing and with the sheet covering me falling away, I understood why. I was naked underneath.
Raven's face flushed.
"Jesus Christ Davian! Wear some clothes!"
Then the door banged behind her as she left.
"Hey wait! You left your...book..."
I tried to tell her but she was gone.
I looked down at the book and scrunched my eyebrows.
"Effective counterattacks against close range combatants."
My eyes narrowed.
So that's how she was kicking my ass. I opened the first page, it being the introduction, there was nothing really there to help. The next few pages however, introduced a concept I was kicking myself for not having realized before. I was weak if I couldn't find a way to counter her ranged attacks.
"Beat them up with sustained energy blasts from a safe distance. In cases where an opponent can block such raw energy attacks, switch to elemental, psionic or suppression attacks."
I read out loud, face changing.
That little...
I smirked, closing the book. Now I knew what I needed to work on.
The very next day I spent time alone in the sparring room. If Raven thought, she could one up me then she had another thing coming.
(2 days later)
During practice, another thing had been made apparent to me. The move I wanted to develop as a counter to Raven needed me to be great at Zanjutsu or in simpler terms, sword fighting.
I had a really sharp weapon in my arsenal and not using it properly was foolish. However, Sword training by myself was not really working out. I needed a teacher or a sword user to spar with. Raven was a Mystical practitioner and Kent was unavailable. Which meant I had to get creative and getting creative meant I unfortunately needed Raven's help.
Oh goodie.
(Later at night)
'The old scars are there...but the new ones are gone.'
I thought, looking over my body. Tonight I had decided to complete the meditation exercise earlier, so that I could talk to Raven before she fell asleep.
A little of that extra time was spent trying to spot the differences between this body and my old one.
I had been in this world for almost a month and it was still hard getting used to seeing this young version of me every time I looked in the mirror. I couldn't help but wonder the kind of person he had been and the kind of life he had lived as well.
However, the scars around his body were indication enough. My parallel self-had not had an easy life either. I wiped the steam fogging the mirror, making eye contact with my reflection.
Let's try it one more time. I closed my eyes and imagined a tether of Reiryoku, connecting my mind with my inner space of being, the cemetery. Like it had been for the past 3 weeks, ever since I'd woken up in the Tower of Fate, I couldn't go there. I couldn't access my soul space.
Anger and frustration surged up within me. I felt ready to explode. Only for a shuddering breath to escape my lips. I couldn't get mad. Getting angry brought him out. The negative side. I turned my back on the mirror. I had no choice but to keep on trying.
Chapter 18 Tour.
(A few minutes later)
I knocked on Raven's door before immediately pushing it open.
"Hey."
I waved a hand at her as she looked at me in an expression between anger and surprise.
"You can't just barge into my room like that."
She said in an outrage.
"Sorry, this won't take long."
I placed my hands in my pants pocket, whistling as I looked around. Raven's room was both what I would expect from a goth chick like her and also... not.
There were chains hanging from the ceiling which was just an animation of the night sky, with a bright moon hanging over head acting as the light. The walls of the room were painted with occultist symbols and depicted strange creatures. Oh and also skulls. Lots of skulls.
On the other hand, she had a ton of plushies on the huge pink bed at the corner of the room, an electric Guitar and crazily enough or not crazily enough considering she looked the part, a poster with the band Metallica above the bed.
"Your room is... quite something."
I told her.
Raven sighed in frustration, closing the laptop before her and turning to face me fully.
"What do you want, Davian?"
I leaned on the corner of the desk.
"I need to ask you for a favor."
Raven rolled her eyes.
"Oh really?"
She asked sarcastically.
"Yeah." I nodded, unperturbed.
"But before that, I have a question. Where are we?"
I gestured around us.
That brought her up short.
"What do you mean? You can't be serious. How can you not know that, you've been here for 3 weeks now!"
She asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Exactly. I've been here for 3 weeks. I've not gone outside, and in case you forgot, neither you nor old man Kent really saw a need to answer that particular question."
She stood up.
"You never asked!"
True, that was mostly my fault. However, between everything that had happened and the fact that I already suspected that we were in the Tower of Fate, there hadn't been a need. But to sell the story of not knowing anything, I needed to cover my bases.
"Look, I know I can be... difficult."
I started.
"Understatement."
Raven quipped.
I continued.
"Maybe even unpleasant. Definitely rude. People steer away from me. I usually walk away before that happens. Before the respect turns to fear and the fear turns into hate."
I sighed. Raven had gone silent.
"But I don't have that luxury right now. So you're stuck with my rude, arrogant and unpleasant self and I'm stuck with you and that crazy old hermit."
There was a silence.
"Master Nelson is not crazy."
Raven muttered without too much heat.
"So you admit he's a hermit huh?"
We looked at one another for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.
"Come on then."
Raven told me, getting up and moving towards the door.
I cocked my head to the side in confusion.
"Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Well for the grand tour of course. You said you wanted to know where you are right? So let's go find out."
(General P.O.V)
Self-loathing was a powerful thing.
Raven hated herself. She hated that she couldn't just die because even the escape of death would only bring more problems as she was the only one standing between Trigon and the world.
It's part of the reason why she hadn't tried to escape when Waller had managed to get her hands on her. Raven had reached the point of not really caring. She just went with the flow. Anything to fill the void inside her heart.
Some members of the Squad had actually been fun to hang around with. Killer Frost had been a literal ice queen bitch. She had more than a chip on her shoulder, she had been actively antagonistic towards everyone. Everyone except Raven.
There had been an inkling of respect there. However, the only true reason that she stuck around with the band of murderers and criminals was what Waller had said. That she was putting her up against another monster. Anything to save this fucked up world.
That more than anything had led to her not blasting the heavyset woman to the wall. A bomb at the back of Raven's mind was nothing compared to what she'd been through.
Then she had met the monster and had realized he was nothing like Waller painted him out to be. Davian was a victim as well. The similarities between their fates was as clear as day.
They both carried a burden.
So she chose to save him, creating a portal after being blasted by divine lightning from Shazam's attack, and falling unconscious. The only place she could take him was to Kent's. She had known Kent from a few years back, when he'd saved her.
And that had been how she'd spent the last 3 weeks.
"And finally, this is the armory."
Raven informed Davian.
The older teen hummed in appreciation, looking up at the huge double doors before them. An Ankh symbol was imprinted onto the door. They'd already been through most of the Tower's rooms.
"Armory means he's probably got a few awesome weapons inside, right?"
A black whip formed from underneath Raven's cloak and slapped Davian's hand before he could touch the doors.
"Ow." He looked at her with a frown.
"Mind explaining what that was for?"
Raven slapped her forehead in frustration.
"Don't just go touching everything you see! I thought we talked about it back in the Alchemy chamber."
"The vial had "strength of 10,000 dragon warriors" written on the label. Who would pass up on that kind of power up?"
Davian answered. In his mind, he wouldn't have minded trying out some magical armor to increase his defense.
"There's more to life than power." She rolled her eyes.
"Trust me. There's not."
Davian replied in a moment of seriousness.
"Power allows you to impose your will on anything or... anyone. Its gives you freedom. Life is all about freedom, Raven." He stepped closer to her.
"And power gives you that freedom. The faster you realize that, the sooner people will stop fucking around with you."
Both of them held eye contact. Raven's right hand lit up and a bolt of demonic energy streaked through the air, slamming onto the door. The Ankh symbol on the entrance lit up with a shield of yellow energy that covered the door in its entirety.
"Be careful. Next time you might lose a hand."
She told him before turning around and walking down the hall.
Davian followed her with his eyes. Then he glanced at the armory doors.
"Maybe next time."
He brought his wrist up before he remembered that he didn't have his watch in this world.
"The whole tour is taking longer than I expected."
He commented, catching up to Raven.
She shrugged.
"Every brick making up the tower is individually carved with space expansion magic symbols. It's no surprise that it's so huge. And I haven't even shown you the lower levels."
Davian turned from where he was studying the tapestries on the walls to stare at her.
"Lower levels?"
"Don't ask."
She warned.
"Imagine magic at its rawest form, twisting and roaring upon itself. The tower is sustained by a magical engine. Which in other words is pure mystical essence where all possibilities are within hand."
She trailed the wall with her fingers.
"The core of that magic gives the tower life."
She stopped, grabbed Davian's hand and then placed it flat on the wall. Davian found himself standing very close to her. He absentmindedly noted that she smelled good.
"Close your eyes." Raven told him softly.
"Can you feel her?"
Davian let out a breath and did as Raven said.
He focused on the feeling she was talking about.
'I...'
He gasped, withdrawing his hand.
"You felt it, didn't you?"
Raven smiled from underneath her hood.
Davian wasn't even sure what he had felt.
"It felt like so much...light."
Raven turned around.
"Come, we can raid the kitchen for some fresh cookies before we get back to exploring, Dora."
Davian stopped.
"Wait, did you just make a funny?"
He asked with a disbelieving laugh.
"Ugh, just when I forget how much of an idiot you are..."
The purple clad teen began to walk away.
Davian chuckled, catching up to her again.
"So about the favor I wanted to ask you..."
Raven spared him a glance.
"Yes, what is it? I won't promise to help you though."
Davian waved a hand, lightly brushing his left hand across the pommel of the sword strapped to his hip. He had taken to carrying it everywhere. Whenever he was stressed about something, he would catch himself brushing up against the handle.
"It's not anything bad."
Davian assured as they arrived at the entrance of a maze. A maze of staircases. Davian always wondered how Raven could get from one place to another without getting lost.
'It's the Tower, she leads me where I want to go.' had been her answer. Davian on the other hand always chose to stick to the places easily accessible or use the stairs with Raven. He spent 20 minutes confused a while back, walking up and down while trying to get to the library.
He wrapped his hand around the sword and unsheathed it. Raven frowned. It must have been a trick of her mind but she could swear she saw the air get...cut for a second there.
Davian twirled the weapon while stopping.
"See, I've been trying to learn sword fighting."
He swept the sword across the air, slowly. A glint bounced off the blade owing to the lanterns on the wall.
"With a weapon like this..." He breathed out, running a hand across its flat side.
"It would be a shame if I didn't know how to use it now, wouldn't it?"
He asked.
Raven couldn't take her eyes off the sword. It looked so... unremarkable (except for the symbols on its sheath) yet, a cold feeling gripped her heart. It felt like a guillotine wire was wrapped around her throat, biting into the flesh at an agonizingly slow pace, before it slashed through completely.
"...aven? Raven?"
Raven blinked as she fell out of the trance.
"Sorry."
She shook her head, continuing with her walk, she needed to show him the final place they were allowed in, the observatory.
It was a chamber where you could look at constellations. Astronomy helped in the field of magic a lot. Especially in divination. There were also magical spells that could only be performed according to the stellar calendar. The heavenly bodies movements would increase the spell's power.
"Ok, so what's the favor?"
Raven cleared her throat and asked, stopping before the first step of the staircase leading up.
"Well, I was wondering if you could enchant a few suits of armors, there's one standing around in almost every corner of the tower. The idea was to use them as training partners for sword fighting."
It wasn't a bad idea, Raven mused. She was purely a caster, only moving close range when it was absolutely necessary and was the same. Davian needed...
An explosion of bright light was followed up by a massive golden Ankh forming in front of them.
Raven brought up her palms to shield her eyes, while Davian leapt forward to shield her, holding his sword at the ready.
From within the Ankh, floated out. He was in his full costume, cape flapping behind him as he cast a stern gaze Davian's way.
"Boy, you are not supposed to be here. Begone!"
One second Davian was reeling from the sudden entrance of the lord of Order and the next, a sword made of golden light was passing through his chest. Davian felt heat. His eyes widened as large as saucers. The whole attack had been too fast.
His body was picked off from the ground and thrown back the way they had come, the hallway. He smacked on the wall at the end and felt the concrete give way to his body. Then darkness claimed him.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
A ray of purple light pushed past the darkness, forcefully bringing him back. Then the pain came, blood lurched to his throat and out through his mouth as he coughed. Something sticky dyed his face as instead of following down his body, the blood instead flowed up.
'What the?' He groaned, looking around with the light of the mystical sword still inside his chest. His sight was blurry and focusing through the pain too a major effort.
What he could see however, filled him with more dread. There was a purple magical rope attached to his ankle, making his body hang over...is that Lava?
(General P.O.V)
Raven's quick thinking ensured that Davian hadn't fallen to his death. She had a feeling that Dr. Fate's unprovoked attack, would make the house a little too hostile to them. It was after all his tower.
"Mr. Nelson!"
She yelled, fists lighting up with power. She didn't want to fight but the magical aura wafting off him told her it would be wise to get ready to defend her life.
"Snap out of it!"
In response, the hue of golden energy coating him seemed to get deeper.
"Daughter of Trigon. Another threat to Order. What makes you think Kent is in control?"
Fate asked, floating closer.
Raven's eyes widened, then a furious expression crossed her face.
"Let. Him. Go!"
She warned, eyes turning completely red.
"No."
Fate answered, slapping both hands together.
The distance between the walls on either side of Raven decreased as the concrete collapsed into itself, with her in the middle.
Raven spread out her hands, forming large claw constructs around them that pushed against the walls.
"You're going to try better than that!"
She spat out.
Dust rose up as a roaring phantom of a dark bird rose up from underneath her cloak. The phantom widened its beak and fell unto Fate's position, dark flakes swirling inside. The Lord of Order looked unfazed as he flew forwards. A burst of white light leaving his form and killing the shadow descending on him.
"You stand no chance."
Fate told her. Magical circles appeared on both of his palms. Bigger yet copies of the same circles appeared on the walls and floor around them.
"You're severely outmatched. Did you forget I control everything here?"
The concrete and stone rippled, turning into mud that pulled onto Raven's feet, her ankles sinking down. She looked around, panicking.
'Calm your nerves child. Fear is a tool. Use it, don't allow it to use you.'
Azar's voice spoke up from a memory Raven had of training to stay in control of her emotions. The world was closing in on her but a glint of determination appeared.
"Not everything."
She responded, a swirling dark portal appearing underneath her. She went through it and came out behind Fate.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Raven called out, streaks of black lightning springing out of her hands and carving a path through the dust towards Fate. She poured all her energy into the attack to the point she could feel the strain on her soul self.
A shield of yellow blocked the attack quite easily.
"What?"
Raven couldn't believe it.
"My turn."
Fate pushed forward his hand and his own version of golden lightning jumped out.
(Elsewhere)
A sudden surge of heat assured yes that was Lava. Davian could hear the sounds of battle from the floor above him, through the hole he had created with his body. Knowing that Raven would be preoccupied, he twirled his sword, clutching the handle tightly before driving it onto the wall a few feet below the hole he had crashed through.
Not a minute later, the rope holding him up unceremoniously unraveled. Davian felt immense relief. Had he been a second late, he would be cooking in that red blazing hot soup. He breathed heavily as he looked down and saw the level of the Lava rise up.
"I gotta get out of here."
He told himself, judging the distance between him and the hole above. Sweat dotted his eyebrows as the heat from the lava increased temperatures.
(With Raven)
Raven saw the attack blast past her multilayered shields and streak it's way to her body. Then the ground rose up in a tidal wave of concrete rubble, dust and metal. A crescent arc of purple light smashed onto the ceiling of the very much destroyed hall, causing an avalanche of material to fall unto them.
"*Cough* Davian...are you okay?"
Raven asked out loud as her eyes found the figure of a glowing Davian stand at the front, his back to her. He was breathing heavily.
"I had to break through the floor below us."
He caressed the walls of the tower.
"I'm sorry for hurting you."
Raven stumbled forward,
"What...what was that?"
She wondered, reaching Davian just in time to see the rubble before them tremble, golden light breaking through the mess of debris.
Davian banged the sword in his hands at his hip, bringing Raven's attention there.
"Something I've been keeping as a surprise for you."
"You can shoot energy arcs from your sword."
She said, more as a statement than a question.
"Pretty much."
Davian craned his head to stare at her. Raven gasped.
"Davian you're...
"Don't worry,"
he turned fully to her. On his face, a hollow mask was partially formed, encasing the corner of his left side and eye. The lone eye glowed purple under the white material of the bony mask.
"I'm in control."
He assured with a small grunt, eyes pinched slightly.
The tower trembled before Raven could speak.
"Petulant brats."
Fate stated, the debris blocking the way rising up under a yellow aura. Then each individual piece, from a huge whole brick to a tiny grain of sand begun to combine or rather recombine, reforming the once destroyed hall.
Fate stood in the middle of the lone pathway,
"I can unmake...time."
He announced with arrogance and flair.
Davian stepped back with a nervous expression, hands rising up in surrender.
"Dude is seriously flexing. Bruh chill."
Fate looked at him in confusion.
"Chill? Mmmh. I can sense the false bravado. You need a way out of this so you stall for time..."
He floated closer to the pair.
Raven's feet touched the end of the hall. Past it and the maze of staircases hung in the air. She could fly but Davian couldn't. What were they supposed to do?
"You are not natural boy, you upset things. There's a balance to be maintained here. I can't allow you to cause more ripples."
Meanwhile Fate kept on monologueing.
"Raven, make the strongest shield you can, when I say 'now'."
Davian whispered. Raven gave a short curt nod.
"So I wonder, what hope will you cling to when you can't run anymore?"
"The only reason I endured that speech was to wait for you to get closer."
Davian changed tactics. The fear washed off his face, as a confident smirk replaced it.
'Flash Step!'
Davian shouted in his mind. The crude result was nothing like a Flash step. For instance, too much power was wasted. Reiryoku exploded out of his feet in a flash of white condensed energy, burning the ground and depleting more than a quarter of his full Reiryoku reserves. But Davian achieved his objective, getting pushed forward at speeds close to sound.
In what was like an instant he was behind Fate. Davian, dug his feet onto the floor, using a thick layer of Reiryoku to brake, before spinning on one leg.
Dr. Fate could only stay rooted as Davian slashed out with his weapon. Accompanying the move was a single word. A single word that seemed to resonate around.
"Now!"
Raven immediately took flight, thrusting her hands out.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
A shield of pure darkness layered itself over the entrance to the hall, blocking it fully.
On Davian's side, the minute he roared out the signal to Rachel, his whole focus was on the push and pull motioning happening within him. However, he pulled now more than he pushed, breaking the balance. The mask on his face crept to cover his entire face. He could feel the rapidly rising illogical hate towards life. And the hunger...the hunger was the worst part of it.
None of that mattered now, for in Davian's mind, he was giving it his all. His everything. The culmination of the bare specks of what he had learned.
"Getsuga...Tensho!"
The sword aura eagerly launched out, purple and ominous. Enormous as it shredded the whole hallway apart, swirling with sharp winds that sliced the art and tapestry. The Chambers along the hall were fully exposed in the wake of the attack, the floor of the Alchemy chamber above them dropping on their heads.
was drowned in the light and Raven was left reeling back as her shield cracked and groaned, but held on still. She had never known Davian was that powerful. And to think that sword attack had been created specifically for her.
Finally, things calmed down and she deactivated her shield.
Raven couldn't see what had happened, she did not let her guard down as she floated towards the smoking hole.
Through the dust she saw a form, standing up in rags, scratches and soot covering his body.
"Davian?"
Raven called out, pushing away the dust by flapping her cloak and producing a gale of wind.
"Hey..." Davian replied while struggling to breath. His face was red and puffy.
"I failed..."
He bit out, grasping at his neck. That's when Raven saw the full picture.
was behind Davian, one hand wrapped around the back of his neck, squeezing it tightly. But this Fate was different. Half of the suit was burnt, leaving patches of holes that were covered by mystical light.
"You hurt me. I can feel you trying to take back control of your body, it's futile."
Fate observed. Davian gurgled in response. He could feel the monster just a few layers under his conscious mind. It was hangry. It hungered for the soul of this being that called itself the Lord of Order. Something about him rubbed the monster the wrong way. It was angry because Davian was letting this happen.
'No. I can't let you destroy this place. The tower is part of Kent's legacy.'
Davian was going to find another way out.
That was all before the pain.
Fate's grip on Davian's neck, tightened again, completely cutting off his air supply.
"It's only right I pay you back for the pain twofold."
Lightning washed down the Sorcerer's palm, electrocuting Davian in yellow streaks. The teen opened his mouth wide in agony.
"Stop this! You're going too far!"
Raven warned, ready to abandon all control and really hurt something. Her voice took on a deeper tone. Her eyes flashed a dangerous red.
"Too far?"
Nabu asked, cocking his head in confusion.
"Too far is Kent allowing the both of you to exist in this realm. One, the daughter of a multidimensional demonic entity and the other an error, a mistake that should not see the light of day. I am only doing my duty."
As of to punctuate his words, the lightning took on a darker hue.
'Do something!'
Davian looked deep into Raven's eyes and saw the plea. His palm tightened. His sword was lying a few feet away and Fate was doing something to his body. The lightning not only hurt, it paralyzed him. The only thing he could was call it out. And that was out of the option.
Darkness was creeping on him very quickly.
"Let him go or I will destroy you."
Raven informed Fate, gliding to hover above them, a writhing mass of blackness rising up from within her cloak.
'...name...'
The whisper came into Davian's mind.
'Am...I...am I going to die again?'
Davian wondered to himself.
'...you will if you don't call my name..."
A deeply arrogant voice spoke up, assuring with an air of confidence.
'Your name?'
Davian was losing consciousness.
The response from the voice came after something jerked him away, a blast of blue magical energy that separated him from Fate.
"Enoz gnisserppus cigam!"
"I got you."
Raven swooped in and... Davian was already on his feet, one hand braced against the wall, the other hand rubbed his neck, silently. Raven touched down and walked forward, only for a dark feeling to grip her heart. The energy coming off Davian...it felt like death.
A few feet away, Fate was facing the new arrival.
"Oh dear." Davian's savior said.
"And to think Kent was right about you getting out of control, Nabu."
Giovanni Zatara addressed Fate.
"At least he was smart enough to arrange for me to intervene."
(General P.O.V)
"Zatara, you interfere with matters concerning the safety of the world. Stand aside."
Fate ordered, restrained by blue glowing chains.
"Not until you tell me why you're doing this."
Zatara narrowed his eyes. He waved the wand clutched in a white gloved grip with exceptional grace.
"Answer me, before I tighten the chains to the point you can't breathe, let alone speak."
The eyes behind the helmet of fate flashed golden. With a flex of mystical aura, the blue chain links snapped apart into numerous pieces.
"Did you really think that that would hold me?"
Fate questioned, looming over Zatara.
"No."
The resident Justice League magician smirked.
"I was stalling for time. And now I can complete the banishment spell."
He stepped forward pointing the tip of his wand towards Fate.
"!htreE rehtoM fo seiretsyM what ekovnI I:!noislupxE niosnemiD "
(I invoke the spirit of Mother Earth! Dimension Expulsion!)
The whole atmosphere changed. There was the brief sound of animal calls, the roaring winds across Stony peaks, a freezing chill from the north, the scent of rosemary, rain, soil and wood sap permeated the air. It filled every crevice of the destroyed hall. Zatara had evoked the power of the Parliaments to banish a Lord of Order from the very earth itself.
A large awning dark portal appeared behind .
"No! You bastard!"
Nabu roared, the portal glowing completely yellow on the other side. Zatara could feel gazes on him as entities with Magicka he could not comprehend studied him, judged him.
"You can't do...this!"
Fate spread his hands out, manifesting dozens of golden chains from his limbs. The chains were tipped with blades that pierced through the brick walls and tore in, helping him combat the suction from the portal.
Fate looked up.
"You are making a mistake."
Nabu growled in a gruff tone.
Zatara held his wand loftily.
"Perhaps if it were another time, you could have done something to stop me from sending you back to where you came from, but you're unlucky. I am backed by the planet."
He aimed his palm, holding it flat towards Fate, a small smile on his face.
"kcik esroH" (Horse Kick)
An impact struck the helmet, causing Fate's head to swing back at the force. Zatara knew that the helmet was very durable, so any of the impact would not be transferred to the host. (Hopefully) The helmet slipped off Kent's head, the rest of his uniform streaking away to reveal a brown suit cladding his unconscious form.
The helmet of Fate entered the portal along with the last of the black uniform burning away into pure energy. Zatara was there to hold up Kent before he could land.
"I got you."
He said softly, running a diagnosis spell on him.
Zatara sighed in relief, sagging on his thighs.
"Good. Nothing's broken."
He patted Kent on the hand.
"Just rest old man, everything is fine now."
His gaze swept out at Kent's home.
Zatara sighed in pity at the state of the tower. He had stayed a few nights here, some years back. It was still salvageable. There was little that magic couldn't do. And that little was mostly because of the consequences.
Magic took. It wasn't a free power. There were repercussions and very real danger.
He stood up. There was still the matter of addressing what exactly was going on before his mind begun to drift off, the exertion from casting a high order spell making itself known. Zatara was not as young as he had been.
"Now then, would the two of you..."
Zatara stopped after turning around.
His eyes slowly but surely widened.
There was someone right in front of him. Head bowed down, silver hair hiding the upper part of his face. The whole chamber was dead silent.
Raven blinked her eyes while in the dark. As if hiding in it. It was almost comforting.
"There's so much...hate."
She whispered, wrapping her arms around her body and shivering. Her powers as an empath allowed her to see past the physical, into the emotional and mental side.
The hate within Davian was incredible. It dislodged her own half-forgotten memories. Raven could remember that night. The night she first dreamt of her father. There was a shroud of malice all over Azarath. She woke up sweating and frantic.
This was like that time. But the source of it was Davian.
"Mpmh."
Zatara heard the figure in front of him snort.
"So... this is...freedom?"
He craned his neck, bones popping ominously. The voice sounded deep and gravelly smooth. Zatara stumbled back, as if rousing from a deep sleep.
"What are you?"
He gulped, wand lighting up at the tip, a serious look on his moustached face.
"She asked the same thing."
Davian raised his head, revealing a wide grin over a face with a bony mask covering the top side of the face. His eyes were slit like a cat's, glowing purple.
The thick liquid was conjoining both the upper and lower side, flowing to cover it. The bony material kept dripping to the ground in large drops. Then it would go up in purple flames.
"Yeah well, I can't exactly blame her now can I?"
Zatara looked into the dark, wand still vigilantly aimed Davian's way.
"Hello my dear, are you alright?"
There was no answer. Zatara turned to Davian, studying him some more. He noticed that his left hand was holding a sheath. It was immaculately carved onto. With symbols he couldn't quite focus on. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that it wasn't normal. Something caught his attention. A question. Where was the sword meant for the sheath?
"Looking for...this?" The voice that came out of Davian asked, holding up a normal looking Longsword. Zatara blinked.
"Not really impressed, I see."
Davian lowered his hand.
"That's the point."
A small breeze seemed to pass by Zatara. The Top Hat on his head slightly fell to one side. A part of the right side of the rim was sliced off.
Zatara turned with growing trepidation to his back. Then he frowned in both fear and anger. There was a rumble as stone gave way, falling onto the debris on the ground.
A scar formed in the walls of the tower, exposing the real world. The scar was long, almost 10 meters. That piece of it was entirely shaved off. It revealed skyscrapers cresting over the night sky filled with stars. Zatara was instantly on guard. Davian had done that...somehow.
That attack...he hadn't seen him even wave the sword.
"Yes. That's the expression! The awe, the fear when they first see me in action."
The voice from Davian stated, lifting the sword to aim it Zatara's way, mimicking Zatara's own action with the wand.
"The real him would never hurt the tower."
Raven stated from the dark with resolve. The emotions she was feeling from the monster inside Davian had almost overwhelmed her. However, knowing that Davian was counting on her was enough. She was going to fight and knock some sense into him.
"We need to get Davian back."
She floated to Zatara's side, orbs of black energy covering her fists.
"What is your name, my dear?"
Zatara asked in return.
"Raven."
She answered, her eyes illuminated under the hood.
"And that's Davian?"
Zatara guessed, pointing his chin towards the young man.
"It's not. Think of Jekyll and Hyde. He's Hyde."
Raven told him.
"I see." Zatara sighed.
"We can't fight here then. Kent is sleeping and I do not want to hurt your friend if he is really not in control."
"So what?!"
Raven yelled, her eyes flashing red, slightly alarming Zatara.
"We just let him go?! Scott free?!"
She yelled, her face warping. Another pair of eyes seemed to appear over her normal eyes.
"Calm down."
Zatara said in what he hoped was a gentle tone.
"Hahaha."
Davian laughed.
"Why are you fighting it Raven? Just let the darkness take over. I can already tell you're tired of keeping all of it hidden away."
"What and become a sell out like you?"
She shot back, squeezing her palms onto her face.
"Ouch."
Davian muttered.
"That hurt."
In another instance, Davian was in the middle of both of them, moving faster than they could react. He held the sword in his hand over Zatara's neck while his left hand was placed next to Raven's neck, a clawed finger held up in the air. The tip of it seemed to be holding onto something.
Raven gulped, she could feel the ultra-thin wire/thread around her neck, undetectable to the normal eye.
"What does your empathy say? Am I going to kill you?"
The voice inside Davian questioned, exceptionally polite and jovial.
Raven's mouth dried. She could feel he wouldn't hesitate to kill either of them. Death had never seemed so real before. He would do it before shield could finish her chant. The purple eyes gazing down at her seemed impassive to anything.
"Please..."
Raven pleaded. Her anger washed out of her. She had faced her father's numerous attempts to get her to join his side but this was the only time where she felt like losing her life was only one wrong move away. So she backed down, momentarily letting go of her pride and arrogance.
"Smart."
Davian leaned and whispered in her ear.
There was silence. Even Zatara could barely say anything. There was a heaviness around the young man. It made his knees shake, his back seat and his skin shiver. His aura felt very real.
This close to him and Zatara found it hard to clearly think let alone speak. He was about to cast a spell when the danger disappeared.
Davian withdrew his weapons and turned to survey their surroundings. He whistled.
"I would not want to be the one who cleans this up."
He took a step forward, his body suddenly stumbling on the third step. The heaviness holding Zatara in place disappeared and the magician begun to take in mouthfuls of air.
"Freedom... wasn't too bad. But I like it in the Cemetery. I'm just going to go...back..."
Davian's body shuddered before it fell, like a puppet without strings.
The air of terror disappeared and Raven immediately ran forward.
"Davian! Davian! Can you hear me?"
Zatara calmed down, running a palm down his face.
"Zatara to Console."
He tapped his ear, walking closer to the scar inside the tower, looking around at the debris. There were shattered glass, torn cloth, burnt art and so much more.
"Zatara, I read you loud."
A gruff voice responded.
"Batman, just the guy I wanted to talk to. I need you to make some arrangements. I have a few...persons of interest accompanying me."
Zatara replied, sitting on a block of concrete while watching Raven fuss over Davian's sleeping form.
"Copied and out."
Batman agreed and Zatara clicked off as well. This wasn't how the day was supposed to go. He was supposed to read his daughter a bed time story and kiss her goodnight.
Dealing with inter dimensional entities was never in the plans.