The room was dark and dank, the air musty as people prepared for the mystics to start their summoning circle. The oppressiveness of the atmosphere was stifling as the thrumming magic mixed with the tension that lingered. The guards by the door withheld from fidgeting as the mystics began to draw the circle with steady hands.
Doctor Faustus was on hand for after the completion of the summoning, but could still be heard barking orders from his position hovering over the shoulders of the mystics. Doctor Faustus wasn't the type to give others control of situations, whether he had skin in the game or not.
The mystics did their work silently, however, and without complaint. Finally, the last line was drawn and they got into the correct positions around the summoning circle. They were planning on summoning the mother of demons, Lilith, and if all worked out and went to plan, Hydra would be on top of the world soon.
As the chanting began, despite the overwhelming heat, a light breeze rustled a few clothes and strands of hair. With the light wind came the unmistakable hair-raising feel of something that could only be described as wrong.
The various guards now shifted uncomfortably at the feeling and glanced briefly out of the corner of their eyes at each other before going back to indifference as expected of men of their profession. It didn't mean, however, that they could tell something very bad was being summoned.
The chanting got louder, and magic more tangible and physical than before. A deep red wave of magic was pouring into the room through the summoning circle. At the color, Doctor Faustus narrowed his eyes in consideration, but didn't stop the summoning circle.
As time went on through the summoning, it became more apparent that they were not summoning that which they were expecting. Rather than the woman Lilith was, a larger being with horns, hoofs and a deep red color began to be summoned instead. The air around him was dark, so evil it could be felt physically. The demon was translucent, still being summoned, but it was impossible to ignore the difference. Doctor Faustus, while knowing there was potentially something wrong with their summoning, was curious despite himself. While not the mother of demons, they certainly were summoning what looked to be a strong demon.
All of a sudden, the large red demon screamed in pain as purple magic weaved its way around him, transforming into dark purple chains that lashed around his figure and dragged him to the ground. The demon, still translucent but getting clearer, fought against them with a roar of rage. It shook the ground and caused the mystics to pause briefly before continuing their chanting with encouragement from Doctor Faustus.
A female voice was screaming as well in pain, not one in the room. It was unfamiliar with a guttural noise that said she was in excruciating pain. An echo of words met the ears of the people in the room: "No! I will not let you loose!" the voice of the screaming female managed before devolving into another agonizing scream.
The chains around the demon tightened causing the demon to cry out louder.
Suddenly a burst of the purple magic exploded as the screaming voices hit a loud crescendo. The purple light pulsed white, and the oppressive magic halted immediately. The evil presence disappeared and various people flew back from the explosion into walls, doors and onto the hard concrete ground.
When they looked up, instead of Lilith or the red demon, in the place of them stood a young woman in a black cloak, the hood sitting on her shoulders as she panted with wide eyes staring at her surroundings. On her head sat a red jewel and her complexion was an abnormal gray, although she appeared to be very pale currently. From a slight glimpse of when she moved, a black leotard could be seen underneath her cloak.
Doctor Faustus came to his feet quickly upon the sight of the girl, many thoughts traveling through his mind. He was fascinated by this young woman and the appearance and subsequent disappearance of the demon.
Raven was confused. Scratch that, she was terrified. She felt her father being summoned from her jewel in her head and jumped inside her head, following the tendrils of magic to where he was being summoned from and fought back. She didn't know how anyone was summoning him from inside her, it should be impossible. She was the portal. There shouldn't be another.
She dragged him back into the jewel in her head, however, she had come face to face with the people who had summoned her father from her jewel and what looked like a criminal organization that was trying to summon demons. She was not in a good place. As much as she should investigate, she had the sense she was in a lot of danger right now.
With one last look at the guards, the mystics and the man in the white doctor coat who was approaching her like a science project, she threw a hand out, opening a portal and jumping through as she felt the last of her energy disappear from her body.
She'd attempted to go back to Titans Tower, but as she fell to her hands and knees, she realized she was nowhere close.
She heard startled shouts around her as she tried to push herself back to her feet, gathering what little energy she had left after fighting off the summoning. A pair of boots entered her vision and she looked up to see a man with black hair, silver stripes on each side, enter her vision and reach down for her. He was dressed strangely with blue robes and a red cloak on his back.
"Hey!" the man shouted at her. "Are you all right? How did you get here? Was that a portal?"
She groaned as she finally managed to push herself up off the floor with the help of the man. "Where am I?" She moaned as she tried to climb to her feet.
"The Sanctum Sanctorum in New York. Now, where did you come from – was that a portal?"
The words didn't make sense to her. What was a Sanctum Sanctorum? She didn't mean to go to New York, she meant to take herself to California – to Jump City with the Titans. She wasn't in any condition to be traveling, either, she could admit, if she made such a mistake. Still, it wasn't safe.
"Gotham," she murmured. She could go to Gotham. That's not too far depending on where she was in New York. She could probably fly there.
"What?" The man asked, his voice rising in confusion.
"Batman – he'll help me. I need to get in touch with the league." She continued as she tried to push the man off her while still getting to her feet.
"Wait, hold it." The man started in a frustrated tone. "Who is this Batman?" That caught her attention and she stopped fighting against his hold and looked up at him, trying to fight back the dread pooling in her gut.
"Batman, from the Justice League. He works in Gotham. I need to get to him immediately."
The man shook his head at her. "Based on the name, I'm guessing he's a vigilante. There's a lot of vigilantes around here, but there isn't a Batman, a Justice League or a place called Gotham, from what I know."
"No," Raven hissed, "You're mistaken. I need to go."
"You're injured," the strange man said harshly, but not unkindly. "Stop fighting against me. I'm a doctor, and I'm a sorcerer. I can feel your magic. It's lashing out and you're tired."
"No," Raven snapped back. "You don't understand –"
"Then tell me what I don't understand." The man replied in an insufferable tone.
Raven held back a derisive snort. "I don't know you; how can I trust you? You just said you have magic. I've never heard of you before."
The man finished pulling her to her feet and dropped his hands to behind his back as he straightened his posture at her words, pulling himself to his full height. "I am a sorcerer of Kamar Taj. My name is Doctor Strange."
Raven held herself back from rolling her eyes too obviously. She didn't have time for this. She had to warn the Justice League. Before she could say anything, a glowing portal appeared in her vision and another man came through, his posture stern and serious.
"Strange, what was that power surge? And who is this?"
"I believe this –" he gestured to Raven, "would be your power surge."
The new man's body pulled itself up tighter and he adjusted the front of his robes before approaching Raven with purpose. "I am Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme."
Raven blinked in surprise. That sounded important, and yet, she still didn't know what a Sorcerer Supreme or Kamar Taj is.
Strange was looking at her with a considering look on his face, an unconcealed look of fascination blanketing it. When he spoke, it was said with deep understanding. "You're not from this universe, are you?" He asked knowingly.
Raven jerked at that question while Wong made a low, almost unheard groan at Doctor Strange's words.
"Not another one," He murmured before looking up at Raven. "Who are you and how did you come to be here?"
Raven shifted her body into a more defensive position and stared Wong down. If she took into consideration what Doctor Strange had said, there wasn't a Gotham here, nor a Batman or Justice League. Not only that, this was a different universe. She was possibly summoned to a different universe by a group that wanted her demon father. It also sounded like they had experience with this kind of situation.
Seeing Raven's mistrusting face, Doctor Strange lowered his voice, putting a hint of concern into it. "Whatever's going on, you can trust us."
"It is the Sorcerer Supreme's job to safeguard the dimension and reality." Wong inputted with care.
Raven gave him a long look. "Are you telling me there's actual buildings where you have large groups of…sorcerers?"
"Yes, Kamar Taj is a place of healing." Doctor Strange explained. "We heal through the use of the mind. Through the mind arts, we gain understanding and wisdom."
Raven hesitated then, her empathy telling her they were telling the truth and that she could trust them. If it was true that she was in a different universe and there was a group of mystics or cultists out after her and her father, she needed help.
"I'm Raven. I am a…sorceress in my universe. I work on a team of superheroes named the Teen Titans. I trapped a demon in the jewel in my head; I am his warden you could say. I felt him being summoned from the jewel and I followed the tendril of his soul back here. I was able to contain him again in the jewel, but the people who summoned him might still be after him."
"Do you know who summoned him?" Doctor Strange asked, his body pulled taut and the air becoming thick with tension.
Raven thought back as hard as she could. "I wasn't around long. I didn't know who they were or where they were, but I knew they were dangerous. I saw what may have been a skull with octopus tentacles connected to it."
Wong and Doctor Strange shared a dark and searching look for a second before turning back to her. "How did you come to be in the Sanctum?" Wong asked, the tenor of his voice stern and cold, but not upset.
"I tried to portal back home, but I was weak from forcing…the demon back in the jewel. I stepped through, but landed right here rather than home." She glanced around now, taking in the dark look of this mansion-looking building. Many different mystical artifacts sat on tables, shelves in glass cases and hung on the walls.
"How did the demon come to be in the jewel and how did you become his warden?" Doctor Strange asked her curiously. Raven stopped herself from flinching at that, a scowl barely being stopped from pulling at her lips.
"I put him in the jewel after he came to my world to conquer it." She said simply. "He's my responsibility now."
The look Doctor Strange gave her was considering and a bit understanding.
"Who were those people who summoned him?" She asked this time, turning to Doctor Strange fully.
Doctor Strange frowned. "They're called Hydra. They were created back last century, but no matter how much the Avengers try, they can't cut off all the heads."
Raven looked at him in confusion. "The Avengers?" She wondered aloud.
"Earth's Mightiest Heroes," Wong interjected. "I'm guessing you don't have those there?"
Raven shook her head.
Doctor Strange is the one who responded aloud. "No, you have something called the Justice League, correct?" She nodded slowly at him. "With completely different heroes, I'm guessing as well?"
Raven gave a half shrug. "Who are the Avengers?"
Doctor Strange gave a snort. "Who isn't?" He shook his head but responded in full. "Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, amongst others."
"No," She said slowly. "We don't have any of those heroes in my universe."
"You have people like a Batman, you said?" Raven nodded back at him. "And this Justice League must be made up of superheroes other than the Avengers." He was talking more to himself now, which took the pressure off of Raven for now.
"What would this Hydra want with the demon?" She asked Wong this time as Strange seemed very much still in thought.
Wong shook his head. "I'm not sure. I am aware they have used mystics in the past and have dabbled into the supernatural, but it's not their usual way of doing things." He clasped his hands together. "For now, we should keep you here. It would be the best place for you."
Raven frowned. "I need to get home. I have a city to protect, friends who need me." She insisted.
Doctor Strange and Wong shared another look. "We might be able to get you home in time, but we need to investigate things first. Especially if they can just summon demons from other universes, how do we know they won't keep trying to summon your demon until you can't fight them off anymore?" Doctor Strange suggested.
That was a disturbing thought for Raven and she tried to shake off the chills she felt at it.
"For now, you need to rest," Doctor Strange reminded her. "I'll show you to a room. When you wake up, we can talk more."