Thump, thump. Thump-thump.

Inhale. Exhale. Hold.

The arena floor was still. The only stirring of air was from the man moving beside her. The beating of her heart was thunderous, drowning out the stomping and shouting from the stands. She heard only the pumping of her blood in her veins and the sound of her breath leaving her nostrils.

Darkness was her vision. Eyes held tightly shut as Raven tried to center herself, to find the balance within; she dared not open them to face what lay before her. The conflicting voices in her mind were banging against her tries at peace. She felt the eyes of everyone, waiting for her to choose. To make the right choice. The obvious choice.

She felt Slade beside her, poised and ready to spring into action.

She felt Zatanna and Constantine glowering at her from the stands.

She felt Robin and the Titans worried for her, wanting only her safety.

Raven tried to focus on that, on the warmth of her found family, but the chill of everyone else was overwhelming.

She felt Scarecrow. She felt Bane. And their hatred, their anticipation was most powerful of all.

And then it began. The sound of the horn blared, and all of the noise and chaos of the arena came rushing to Raven as her eyes flung open.

Slade was moving before the last echo of the horn. He shot with two pistols straight at their counterparts, but Bane and Scarecrow anticipated and dived to opposite sides. Bullets collided with the stone wall behind them, spraying dust and flecks of rock. Slade stalked ahead of Raven, his body blocking hers as he tried to spot movement on the other side of the arena. The arena was almost a copy of Bane and Scarecrow's first fight, but this version was more open, offering less cover and, to Raven's dissatisfaction, fewer shadows to dissolve into. The crowd was jeering as Slade scanned the opposite side of the field while Raven clenched and unclenched her fists.

"I can't make the choice to live for you, girl," Slade snapped at her, not even glancing back. "Either stick to the plan or stay out of my way!"

Raven watched Slade's back as he strode away from her. With quick, practiced motions, he flung himself onto the top of a dilapidated stone structure. Raven hesitated behind him. She didn't see either of their opponents, but without Slade's presence, she suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. Her foot crunched on the sandy ground beneath her soles as she took a slow step in Slade's direction. Just as she moved, Slade spun on his perch, firing to her right. Raven turned, her eyes following the trajectory of Slade's shot. She just caught the flash of a man in a black outfit taking cover.

Raven let power flow into her hands. She hadn't decided if she would help Slade win, but she was certain of one thing: she wasn't dying here.

She knew Zatanna would be disappointed, and Raven looked forward to it.

Bane didn't stay hidden for long, emerging from his spot for a single throw of his arm before leaping away as Slade fired again. Raven watched the object Bane threw skitter on the ground before coming to a rest below the base of what Slade stood on. She saw one flash of a red light before an explosion rocked the arena, sending stone and dust flying into the air and tossing her off balance. Her back slammed against the ground as the force of the blast sent her backwards.

Dust clouded her vision and lungs, and a hacking cough racked her chest as she tried to find her footing and stand. Her ears were ringing, and she felt a hot stream of blood dripping from the back of her skull.

Stupid, stupid, she scolded herself. She should have raised a shield! She cringed as the noise of the crowd came through the ringing in her ears. The villains were laughing and cheering, and she guessed it was at her expense. Through that noise, though, she could just make out the cries of the Titans.

"Raven, get up! Move! Raven, watch out!"

A black shield appeared around her, her hands shooting from her sides just as Bane's large figure descended upon her. A baton slammed against the shield, and Raven felt the force through her shield so strongly it pushed her backward, causing her shield to drop and Bane to push his advantage. Dust was still heavy around them as Raven pushed herself into the air and away from him, but Bane was fast. Faster than she expected, and faster than she could recreate another shield. Bane struck with his baton and then followed it with a kick. Raven managed to dodge the baton, but the kick hit her square in the stomach. She doubled over, losing concentration on her flight and dropping to her knees on the ground.

Pain coursed through her body, and she struggled to breathe. She was sure at least one of her ribs had been broken, but she didn't have time to process as Bane's baton came straight for her head. She saw the movement from the corner of her eye, and with all the strength she could muster, she summoned her magic to swallow her whole. Shadows sprung from the ground, pulling her body into the ground. Through the darkness she stepped, feeling a searing pain in her torso as she maneuvered through the shadow realm. The longer she stayed there, the worse her pain became as if it was radiating over her whole being. Unable to maintain her shadow self, Raven crawled out of a shadow cast by one of the covers close by where she saw Slade last.

When her hands touched the ground, Raven coughed again, blood spattering in front of her. Villains booed and groaned at her reappearance, but cheers from the heroes of the crowd were louder. She looked up, searching the stands, trying to find a friendly face. Instead, she saw Zatanna, the Leaguer's face a smug smirk. Raven's head fell as she felt rage boiling in her, the pain subsiding from the intensity of her anger. She knew her eyes were red, but she also knew if anyone saw the demon in her face, Zatanna would use it against her. With a grunt, Raven raised her hood with one hand, making sure it covered her face completely.

Using the wall she appeared by for support, Raven struggled to her feet. She clutched her ribs with one arm, scanning the arena. The dust cloud caused by Bane's explosion was lingering in the air twenty feet away. She squinted into the dust, searching for movement but saw nothing. She saw no sign of Scarecrow or Slade. Her reluctant partner must still be alive or else the round would have been over, but whether he had managed to avoid injury from the blast, Raven didn't know. Steeling herself, Raven's hands filled with magic. She saw the remains of the building Slade had stood on, the debris had created a clear boundary from where he had been and where Raven had stood. Bane had come straight for her after the explosion. Raven had little doubt Bane would try again. Slade had been right. She was their target, and if she had been a second slower, she would be a corpse.

Raven took in the rest of her immediate surroundings. She was standing near the middle of the field among a scattering of concrete blocks just large enough for one person to hide behind. A larger structure was thirty feet towards the opposite side of the arena from where she currently was. A set of three stone blocks that formed a sort of stair was in the other direction and much closer to her. The field was quiet, and she still saw no sign of anyone. It was only the jeering of the crowd that confirmed she was still in the Master's game.

Sucking in a deep breath, Raven made for the steps, hoping she could get a vantage point. With all the strength she could muster, Raven leaped into the air, wincing as the pain in her ribs radiated with the motion. Her boots made a soft click against the concrete as she landed on the highest block. From there, she could see the whole arena field. Movement nearby caught her eye, and Raven thrust a blind spell in its direction. Stone and dust flung into the air as her magic caught the edge of a concrete block below. She squinted, trying to catch the source of the movement again, but it was gone. Sweat beaded on her brow as her skin began to feel clammy. She was certain she had seen someone move.

Bang. Bang.

Raven spun on her heels, her eyes honing in on the settling dust cloud as two shots rang out. She still couldn't see anything inside of it, but the sounds of a fight were clear.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos," Raven hummed, her hands encasing in darkness, her eyes glowing white as she raised her arms towards the cloud. With one smooth motion, she summoned her magic to create a wave that pushed through the dust, clearing the arena and revealing what lie within.

She wondered how many of the heroes saw her shoulders sag in relief seeing Slade, unharmed and able-bodied, in a martial standoff with Bane. Raven hopped off the stones, landing lightly on the balls of her feet below as she advanced towards the two men. She ignored the stinging in her sides as she stalked in their direction, channeling power to her fingers and preparing a spell that would subdue Bane.

Slade and Bane were trading punches and kicks, violent strikes that would've shattered bones on lesser men. Both were moving faster than any normal human could, and it was almost enchanting to watch the way they parried and countered each other's attacks. At some point before Raven had cast aside the dust, Bane had disarmed Slade's weapon which lay on the ground a few yards from where the two fought, and Bane's baton was similarly unavailable near that. As she watched the two, a thought occurred to her.

If Bane won this fight… if Bane managed to subdue Slade without killing him, Raven could yield the match. Slade said he would never yield, but Raven made no such agreement. The power in her hands began to fade as she considered it. There was no guarantee, but Bane was vicious. He was fighting with a fervor she had rarely seen from anyone. Slade was keeping up, but how long would that last?

Through the rhythm of their fight, Slade managed to catch Raven's eye. He gave one strong kick to Bane to give himself space, and Raven felt that blue eye burning into her. He yelled out to her over the noise of the arena.

"Make your choice, Raven!"

Then, Bane was on him again. Slade ducked and punched, catching the man in the side. Bane countered with an elbow to Slade's jaw. Neither seemed to notice the hits at all. There was power in Raven's hands, but it was fading the longer she waited. She had a chance, now. She could finish this fight with one spell. It was powerful. One she used rarely and selectively. It was painful for the target, but based on how Bane hardly seemed to notice Slade's strikes, Raven wondered if he felt pain at all.

Slade and Bane moved in on each other, tying themselves up in a close-combat game of strength when Slade's eye went to Raven again, as if looking for her answer, but when his blue eye found hers, it widened. Slade disengaged from Bane, rolling out of the way, straight for his gun. Raven watched in confusion as he grabbed the weapon and turned quickly on his knees, aiming the gun straight for her.

Raven realized too late.

Red filled everything. Her vision, her nostrils, her lungs. She spun, coughing, struggling for air as the gas seared her throat. Everything shifted. And shifted again. The earth was uneven beneath her feet, and she fell on her side, writhing as she clawed at her throat. Her skin peeled beneath her hands, and when she looked at her nails, blood and gore dripped from them. She screamed, but she heard no sound. She tried to push up, to run, but her hands sunk into the ground as hands, demonic, horrible hands burst from the earth and grabbed at her, pulling her down and making her body as heavy as lead. The hands peeled more and more of her skin away, leaving behind blood and bone. She yanked away but the demons' hands never stopped coming. They were dragging her down, back to hell. She looked at her skin, where skin should have been, and saw the pale flesh dropping from her body revealing the red demonic tone of her father. Sigils were on her again, burnt into her bones, inescapable. She was screaming, crying, but her voice was wrong. It was deeper, more powerful, as if the lungs it came from were charred by hellfire.

A familiar and horrible laugh came from the red storm she was trapped in. Raven snapped her head back and forth, searching for the source, wanting to crawl away, but the hands held her. From the red came a monster.

Its face was wrong. Contorted and melting, leaving behind a mockery of Trigon's visage. It was mocking her as it loomed closer. Its singular claw in one hand was gleaming metal. Raven scrambled on the ground, ripping herself away from the hands gripping her. She crawled backwards away from the… thing advancing toward her. She tried to think, to summon her magic, but everything was tilting and warping. Her mind was stretching and twisting with it, unable to find her power as terror crushed her.

In a flash of clarity, Raven recognized the flash of steel in Scarecrow's hand as a knife as he lunged for her, the blade's tip aimed for her heart. She raised her arms to protect herself and felt the sharp slice of her skin, hidden to her eyes by the gas, as the blade slashed her forearms. Scarecrow's weight crashed onto her, and Raven thrashed beneath the liquefied face of her father.

She stretched her hands out again to block the claw stabbing towards her face when the crushing mass was gone. Raven's eyes widened as a flaming ghost barreled through the creature on top of her. She cradled her arms to her chest, hot blood flowing through her fingers and disappearing into the red smoke that was everywhere. The floor was a river of blood now, faces of people she loved surfacing to haunt her. She saw Robin and Starfire, their faces grey, eyes gone. Cyborg's mechanical features were ripped away, leaving only dead flesh and wires. Beast Boy was stuck between two shapes, half the green boy, the other a ripped-up semblance of a tiger.

Raven fumbled in the blood, trying to find her footing as more Titans appeared. They floated toward her, skeletal hands bursting and pulling at her cape. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she searched in vain for a way out of the red mist. She refused to look down, knowing what she would see crawling over her body. Raven just barely got to her feet, stumbling around, wondering where the nightmare ended. It was impossible to find her bearings with the sounds of pained screaming and mocking laughter echoing everywhere she turned. Visions of death and destruction and horrifying specters met her at every turn.

She spun again, the noise of bones breaking drawing her attention. From the red shadows, a hunched figure darkened the scarlet background. Raven's throat was tight as a memory tickled her brain. Slade moved through the mist, his form distorting with each step. She saw Trigon's mark on his forehead as his fists engulfed in fire. All around, demons materialized in the mist, their blazing figures dominating her vision.

"Raven," Slade's gravelly voice said, a deep command that brought her wild purple eyes to his encroaching body.

Look at it.

"Raven!"

The message must be delivered. This will come to pass.

He was practically on top of her now, but Raven's knees were weak, and her arms were leaden. She collapsed to the ground as she saw her beloved city in ruins again, Trigon in the distance sitting against her destroyed home with a sadistic smile on his face.

"No," she muttered, covering her eyes with her hands, "not again."

"RAVEN!"

You're going to destroy the world, Raven.

"No, no, no, no," she cried, her fists tearing her hair away.

It's written all over your face.

Raven's eyes welled with tears as she peeked through her fingers to look at the ground. The river of blood she waded through was like glass, and she saw her face. Red eyes stared at her with a red sigil glowing prominently on her forehead.

"NO!" she screamed, and with her voice, a wave of darkness exploded. Tendrils of magic lashed out, shaking the earth. Cries of pain and surprise responded to her as she let all of her fear and horror rush out at once.

She couldn't control it; she just wanted everything to go away. She didn't want to do it again.

A wall of fire and muscle tackled her to the ground, pinning her, drowning her in the blood. She fought beneath the weight, but each motion felt slower than the last. She looked wildly for her assailant, only to see Slade's skeletal face above her, his hand reaching for her mouth.

Screaming, she tried to push him off, but he was faster. His hand slammed onto her face, smothering her with a dark metal object. Raven's anguished shouts echoed in her own ears in the metal as a green vapor filled the mask.

"Breathe!" Slade demanded.

Raven immediately stopped her inhale, afraid of being left vulnerable with the villain in this hellscape.

Through the mask, she could still hear Slade's groan of frustration. "For fuck's sake, Raven, fucking breathe!" When she didn't obey, she felt a powerful punch to her gut that forced her to release her held breath and suck in another.

Her left eye stared up at Slade, the green vapor inside his mask mostly gone. She saw his surprisingly boyish face outlined by red from Scarecrow's gas.

Slade…? Raven's thoughts were hazy, unfocused, but as she looked at him, everything began to rush back. Slade's my partner. The arena. Scarecrow… it wasn't real. None of it. It was the gas.

Beneath Slade's grip, Raven relaxed. Her head was pounding, and her arms stung horribly. She felt blood all down her forearms and remembered the monster that had attacked her with its claw. She lifted a hand to remove the mask, but Slade stopped her.

"Keep it on," he ordered, helping her to her feet. "Breathe any more of this gas and your mind will break."

"What about you?" Raven asked, her voice hoarse.

Slade glanced at her with a bemused and curious expression. "I'll be—get down!"

Not that he gave her a chance. Slade shoved Raven aside as Bane leaped through the fog. He landed right where Raven had been a moment ago, and his eyes were teeming with rage. His torso had been lacerated in several places and there was a nasty gash on his temple. Slade used those wounds to his advantage, punching at one of the injuries on Bane's torso and eliciting a furious response. Bane was a whirlwind of punches as he and Slade battled.

Slade was keeping pace, but even to Raven's available eye, she could see he was struggling. His teeth were gritted and jaw clenched. His blue eye was bloodshot as the gas absorbed into his body. The vein in his temple twitched rapidly as his heart raced.

Bane laughed, landing a punch to Slade's jaw. "You're a strong man, Slade, but even you are not free from fear."

In response, Slade kneed Bane's side as he dodged another blow. "No," Slade said, his voice dark as he circled Bane, "I know fear. Real fear. Better than you ever will. At least in this life."

Bane tsked. "You know nothing of it, but I… I will show you."

The two leapt at each other again, ferociously trading blows. Raven struggled to keep track of them through the one eye slot available and the haze of the gas. She clambered to her feet, ignoring the lightheaded feeling, and took aim at Bane. Just as she was saying her chant to release a spell, the sound of running feet to her left caught her attention and she redirected.

Scarecrow was taken off his feet by her magic, landing on his back with a bloodied knife in his hand. Raven positioned herself to keep him in her view, using her magic to try to disarm him, but Scarecrow maintained his hold on the knife. Annoyed, Raven cast a spell that flung him aside.

As the scrawny man landed hard again, he hit the ground with his fist like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "Gah, Bane! Help!"

Raven scowled. With both hands and new determination to beat them, she started bringing up the earth to bury Scarecrow in the dirt. He screamed as the ground began to swallow him up, and for a moment, Raven savored in it. Then, she was grabbed by the neck and lifted off the ground. Her concentration dropped and Scarecrow was released from her magical grip. Raven's fingers went to the bulky, gloved hand choking her as Bane squeezed her neck.

"Now!" Bane shouted.

Raven's eyes bulged as she tried to use her magic to open Bane's hand, but before any pressure was released, pain exploded in her side.

Her scream, a real, pained cry, bounced around the metal mask as Scarecrow's blade pierced her flesh. She felt the knife digging in, serrating her ribs as it made for her heart. In that second before its tip ended her life, she let her eyes shut, imaging the faces of her friends, seeing them happy in their home. She wanted that to be the last thing her mortal eyes saw. She wanted to drift off with visions of her family. Of Robin and Starfire. Beast Boy and Cyborg. Of all the Titans from all over the world. All the people she had come to love and know.

But Slade had other plans.

Raven felt the pressure in her side vanish. The knife was still there, but it no longer traveled closer to her heart. Then, she was on the ground again as she felt Bane's fingers on her throat shatter. There was a roar of pain, and Raven blinked open her eyes. Through that small slit Slade spent every day looking out of, she saw him fighting above her, guarding her broken body like a beast of legend. Bane's hand was red and misshapen while Scarecrow howled in pain on the ground, one of his femurs sticking through his skin. Even with one hand weakened, Bane wasn't letting up.

For the third time, Raven watched the two men fight. As her vision darkened, she lifted her hand, pointing at Bane, and forgoing any boundary of spell, she let out everything she had. Power exploded from her palm, finding Bane and Scarecrow and encapsulating them fully. All of her pain and torment they had put her through. All the doubt the other heroes had put in her mind. All the conflict and anger that had been torturing her ever since she arrived here. She let it all out on them.

When her hand finally fell to the ground, she didn't see either of their opponents. Slade was standing above her, looking down as the sound of a horn blasted through the arena. He reached towards her face as the red gas quickly vanished, removing the mask from her and putting it on himself. As darkness descended on Raven, the last thing she heard was his voice.

"I knew you'd make the right choice."

A/N: I know everyone has been waiting a long time for this chapter, and I'm sorry it's taken so long to update! I hate leaving people hanging like that, but life got in the way. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are still reading and looking forward to the next one! I'm hoping to have some additional time to write this holiday season to get the rest of this story out. As always, thank you so much to everyone leaving comments and interacting with the story, it helps keep me motivated and excited to come back and write for you all.

I hope you guys enjoyed the heavy action focus of this chapter. The fear gas sequence was especially fun for me to write so I hope it was fun to read too!