Authors notes: Updated 01/September/2020.

Chapter 75

The Bad Guy

Raven felt alittle nervous when she knocked on the door to Russel's house. His mother answered the door first and tried to invite the teen in. But Raven declined, insisting on seeing Russel at the door. Raven's tone was calm and level and maybe sounded a little too much to the point. Russel's mother could sense some kind of low tension. Like bad news. The older woman shot her a suspicious look that actually struck fear into Raven's heart, though the goth girl did not show it externally, she did momentarily hold her breath.

Russel appeared, charming as ever, but even he could sense a change in Raven.

"Is something wrong? Is your dad okay?"

"My… the Doctor is fine." Raven said, matter-of-factly. "I… I've found out where the monster will appear next."

"Where?" Russel asked.

"At the church, we need to be there quickly if we're going to defeat it."

Russel looked at her like he wasn't sure if this was good news or bad news. Clearly the change in Raven was putting him on edge. "You need me? What for?"

"I need to preform a ritual to banish it from this realm. I can't do it on my own." Raven said trying to sound more natural.

"Alright," Russel said, turning his body to point away from Raven, a brief silence came before he spoke again. "I'll just get my coat."

Despite the unease Russel followed Raven with obviously false determination. Some part of her felt guilty for what was about to happen, but she had to keep reminding herself that this little rat had kept a secret from her too. That he'd been manipulating her this whole time. Did he really have affection for her, or was it all fake? Some part of her hoped it was all fake. It would make what needed to be done easier.

"What's the plan?" Russel asked.

"We need to get into the foundations of the old church." Raven said, "It's a psychic hub. That's where it will manifest next."

"How do you know that?"

"Magic shit, just shut up and follow me." Russel lagged behind a bit, clearly a little put out by that comment.

"Jeez, sorry. I won't ask such a stupid question." They approached the ruined foundations of the church and very slowly they climbed over the barrier, through a rusted gate and down into the ruins, the sun slowly vanishing as they descended.

Antonia, Lisa and Sarah were not here, not yet anyway. Or where they, and they were just well concealed? There were plenty of cracks and splits in the stonework and foundations that were large enough for a person or two to hide in. No, there weren't here. Raven couldn't sense them. What were they doing?

As Raven reached the centre of the foundations something strange began to happen. It was like she was being caught in a swirl of clouds. Had Russel found her out? Was he attacking her? Fear, she felt great fear. Terror even, and power, great power.

"Destroy him!" The mist cleared and she could see a man in red robes, a pointy beard and thinning hair who radiated malevolence and power. "Then you will give your power to me?" The man stood in the shadow of a humanoid creature nearly three times the size of a normal man. Red, slanted eyes, bushy beard and the legs and horns of a goat, like it was a demon. Azal?!

"I shall pass on my power!" Azal echoed.

"Oh, thank you Azal, thank you!" cried the smaller man.

"But not to you!" Azal shouted and instead pointed to a new man who formed from the mist. Hooked nosed, wavy white hair and frilled shirt. The Doctor in his third incarnation. So he did have something to do with it! "I shall give it to him!" Azal announced.

The third Doctor looked up in utter horror. "NO! No I don't want it! I don't want it! I don't want it!"

The mist cleared and Raven snapped out of it. She'd fallen over into Russel's arms and the teen was now gently shaking her back to her senses. She'd just walked into a psychic tear and felt this buildings final moments before it was destroyed.

"Raven, are you alright? What happened? Wake up!" When she was finally back in her right mind she instantly pushed herself out of his arms and stood up, brushing herself down. She just shot Russel a dirty look. "Well, sorry." Russel snorted, "thank you, Russel for catching me when I fell."

"Drop the damn act." Raven said, her eyes glowing. "I know what you've been doing?"

Russel, at first, looked clueless. "Alright, I admit it, when I draw cartoon characters I tend to trace. I'm not proud of it." Raven wasn't interested in his stupid jokes and so made her point very clear when she used her power to grab his throat.

"What? What are you doing?" Russel choked. Raven was on her guard, waiting for any attack from him. "Am I to be some human sacrifice or something?" He tried to fall to his knees, but Raven kept him suspended by his neck, his arms trying to pull at an invisible force which constricted him.

"Drop the act." Raven said again, "You know full well what that creature is, it's your creation!"

"What?" Russel said, clearly faking clueless-ness.

"You have an anger management problem." Raven said, "You hide it well, but only because you've found a useful outlet for it, in your own powers."

"Powers? What powers?"

"That creature only appears when you are near. It's not a real creature, but a manifestation of someone's will. Your will. Your anger." Raven accused. "I'm going to disconnect you from your power, and then the girls have some bruises they want to repay you. Make this easy, hold out your psychic limbs and I'll make it quick."

"Raven, that's just rubbish and you know it." Russel gasped. "Wait, what girls?"

"The ones you torment! Antonia, Lisa and Sarah." Raven said.

"Oh for god sake, why can't they leave me alone?" Raven braced herself to hear the lies.

"You're the one terrorising them." Raven said.

"They showed you that video didn't they? When I was thirteen." Russel asked, Raven nodded. "Alright, I admit it. I had an anger management problem, now will you please stop gripping my neck. I can't breath!" Raven relaxed her grip and dropped him, but was ready in case he made a break for it and she'd have to drag him back. "I said I 'had' an anger management problem. Past tense."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I admit when I was little I had a problem with my anger. I make no excuses, I didn't know how to control my anger. But…" He held up his hand to emphasise the point. "If I was left alone I was peaceable. All I wanted was to be left alone. Unfortunately some people couldn't leave alone. Some people saw my anger as an opportunity." Raven was listening. "They'd seek me out, poke at me until I got angry and lashed out. Then they'd run home to mummy, or to teacher, crying about how I was the bully. Even if I had more bruises, nobody saw them, they only witnessed the reaction." Russel shrugged, "From their eyes, it probably made sense to them. So I was punished, given detention, or I got a clip around the ear from people. Which just fed into my anger and frustration."

"You shouldn't be so emotional."

"Oh yeah, easy to say from the ice-queen." Raven actually felt the sting in that. "I didn't want to get angry. I just couldn't control it. At some point I just wanted to scream at the world that I was hurting. But no one saw it, they just saw a bunch of girls playing tiny violins and they all fell into line. I was the 'big bad bully boy', they were the 'helpless, little girls'."

"You must've done something." Raven insisted. "to them."

"Must I? Bullies don't need a reason. No, in fact, I'm wrong. I know why they do it. They're used to getting sympathy from people, whenever they feel like getting some attention, they poke me, hope I run after them and then disappear into a public place and stop so everyone can see." Russel's voice became low, "The worst thing is, I can see them smiling as I'm about to lose it. I know their game, but I'm in so much pain I needed to make them feel pain in return."

"You're not building a good case for yourself." Raven insisted.

"Raven, why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?" Russel asked.

"It's not what you did to me, it's what you did to the girls." Raven insisted.

"What? When I was thirteen years old? Four flipping years ago?" Russel shook his head, "I'll gladly say I'm sorry. I couldn't control my anger back then. But the girls wanted me to get angry in the first place, don't you get it? They wanted me to lose my temper, getting me to hit them was the whole point, and they'd keep at it until I exploded. They needed a bad guy so they could get sympathy from everyone. If I stopped losing it, they'd have no villain to point to. I had to hide in public places so I was always watched. But whenever I found a way to be alone somehow they'd find me, they'd follow me, and irritate me. Sometimes they'd even record me so they had 'evidence' to show people."

Raven's face frowned more as she remembered Russel's face in that video. Raven thought it was just because of the low quality of the video, but no, she was sure now. Russel was crying. It was the face of someone hurting, someone who knew that any reaction was 'the wrong one'. Raven could understand that.

"That doesn't make what you did right." Raven insisted.

"I know!" Russel said exasperatedly as if he was tired of hearing it. "That's why I did something about it. I knew if I carried this into adulthood then I was going to get into serious trouble. So I learnt to contain my anger. Through meditation I could silence the part of me that wanted to hurt. I could lock it away so Antonia could poke me all she wants and I won't get mad. It's still difficult, because Antonia really needs a villain, and if I know Antonia she'll up the ante in order to get that reaction."

Raven just stood and stared at him.

"Raven, honestly, I don't get mad or violent anymore."

"You still need to be punished for what you did." Raven insisted.

"Punished?" Russel shook his head again, "I was punished, every single time I lost my temper. I've been verbally talked to, I got detention, banned from activities in the village, I've been clipped around the ear-hole, kicked out of my own book club. I say I've been punished every single time. But no one's taught Antonia not to pick on people! No one punishes her for being a stalking, cry-bully."

Okay, that was something Antonia never mentioned. From what Raven remembered the girls made it sound like Russel attacked them, but they never got any real justice for it. Raven didn't know who to believe.

"Raven, please. I know what their game is." Russel pleaded, "They're around here, aren't they? They want to poke at me, make me angry."

"I thought you said you could take it." Raven asked.

"Would you freely let people poke at you with sharp sticks hoping they'll get bored and go home? Or run away." Raven considered for a second. She was still suspicious, it could all be a lie after all. What if Russel hadn't mastered his anger at all? He'd just figured out through his meditations how to summon an avatar, and used it to get revenge.

Why hasn't he summoned it already? Raven's mind asked, If he's in danger, he could summon it now.

Perhaps he thinks he can persuade me.

Perhaps he fears I can easily beat his avatar.

Why get it to stalk us through the orphanage if he knew Raven could affect it?

But he didn't know about my powers until afterwards.

But perhaps...

Perhaps...

Perhaps he doesn't even know he's doing it. That hadn't occurred to Raven before. Could Russel be totally ignorant that he even has abilities? Could he just be funnelling his anger and forcing it somewhere within his mind, only for it to leak out through some unknown abilities? Raven's face began to fall as another idea cropped into her head. It was discussed in magic theory, but it was possible for someone's pent up and buried emotions to find a way out in someone's psychic abilities. Like when Raven's emotions get out of hand power manifests, but she'd never seen pent up emotions create a full manifestation before, not like this.

Or Russel was aware of it all, and was just bluffing. Raven couldn't tell. So just in case, she was going to go ahead with this plan, for the good of everyone.

"Raven, I'd like to go home now, please." Russel said flatly. Something about the way he asked made a crack form in her steeling demeanour. "I just want to go home. You never have to see me again. Nor will Antonia or her friends. I'm returning to Uni in a few weeks. Soon I'll be gone and none of you will need to see or hear from me again."

Raven felt herself being tugged in all kinds of emotional directions, but she fought to maintain her grounding. She ground her teeth, took a deep breath, and dropped her powers, freeing Russel.

He just stared at her, a disappointed look in his face. "Goodbye, Raven."

Raven looked up, wide eyed and reached out to him with her long fingers. But before she could say anything, and before he could make a move the boy collapsed to the floor in a heap. Behind him was Antonia who had snuck up behind him and whacked him over the head with a piece of old pipe.

Raven watched as Russel was dragged over to a wall. Antonia had produced some handcuffs and cuffed Russel to a loose loop of a pipe. The cuffs were apparently the reason they were late. They needed to steal them from Antonia's dad, who it turned out was a member of the local police force. Raven was still not proud of what had to be done, but she needed Russel to use his powers so she could disable them. It would be like reaching out a hand so she could cut it off, she needed Russel to use his psychic limbs, as it were, so she could isolate and sever them.

As Russel came too, a little groggy at first, he then looked around like a panicked animal, but seemed to settle down as his mind came back into focus. His face became dark and he just stared at Raven. A twinge of guilt came over her, but she pushed it aside, this needed to be done. This needed to end.

The girls laughed, and Sarah produced her phone. Was she really going to record this?

"We've got you now, you misogynist." Russel just produced a snorty-sigh. He didn't speak, he just stared. "Go on, deny it." Antonia prompted. But Russel just crossed his legs and adopted the lotus position as best he could with his arms behind his back. "His silence says it all." Russel closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Raven waited, he must be about to use his powers.

"Your mum is such a horrid person." Lisa said, "for allowing you to get away with what you do to people. If you were my kid, I'd have aborted you! Dug you out with a coat hanger." Okay, Raven felt disgusted at the description. It was far too much information.

Russel's jaw twitched, but he remained still and none-reactive. No sense of power came from him. Antonia looked to Lisa, then they both looked to Raven and Sarah. The brunet girl remained timidly quiet and uncomfortable, but held the camera steady.

This is necessary. Raven told herself. It seemed like they needed to do more to make Russel use his powers. Usually, Raven would want to do this dirty work alone, but she felt the girls deserved to get some licks in.

Antonia smacked Russel across the face. "You're a horrid boy."

Whoa, they went from insults to assault fast!

This is necessary. Raven reminded herself, and the girls deserve to get revenge. Right?

"You're an autistic piece of shit!" Lisa said, Russel still remained silent, even when Lisa threw dirt over him and spat on his hair, it was like Russel had just retreated into himself.

Russel did open his eyes and Lisa stared at him in a creepy way before she reached up and scratched at the side of her own head as if the action was in some way mocking him. Russel saw it, Raven felt frustration mount, but still he did not react. He just closed his eyes and began to mutter something under his breath. The power should be flowing, he should be about to strike!

But nothing was happening. He just withdrew back into himself again.

Why wasn't Russel using his powers to escape? It could be that he knew Raven was going to cut off his powers, so was fainting ignorance. That had to be it. It had to be. Raven insisted as Lisa hawked back and spat onto Russel's head again, this time rubbing the spittle into his head. He's holding back, that had to be it.

More insults, insinuating that his mum was deranged, his dad was evil. No comments about his brother, weirdly. Russel felt uncomfortable but did not react. How could he be so calm and collected when under this kind of pressure? Raven wouldn've exploded by now. He had to be suppressing his power. He knew what would happen if he lashed out. It was the only explanation.

Indeed, he does know what would happen if he lashes out. Said another thought in Raven's head. But it's because the girls will run away and say Russel went crazy. He knows he'll get punished by the community if he reacts in any way that they can spin as 'unjustifiably aggressive'.

Okay, that made sense too. But he could be acting cool and none reactive because he wants to keep his power. So why doesn't he use his fists, his legs, his strength to break free and hurt them? Raven felt her face drop. If the village comes for him then he has the power to force them back, he could defend himself and escape consequences anyway.

There had to be a reason why he wouldn't lash out physically either. Maybe he has a reason for keeping his powers a secret?

Or maybe he's ignorant of what he's doing. He doesn't know he has those abilities at all.

No, that can't be right. There must be another explanation.

Must there be? Or is it because you don't want to admit the possibility that you're wrong; he has to be 'the bad guy' in this situation. Otherwise you're standing by and just watching someone you cared for be savagely beaten, and it could be for no reason at all.

No, that can't be true.

You don't want to admit the possibility that…

That I... I... I... I've become like Gallrick… Oh no...

He didn't talk much, that's the first sign Raven felt when Gallrick walked with her. He didn't speak. He looked on edge. But it wasn't anything to do with her, right?

They went down, down, and deeper into the temple. Gallrick said he needed help. But what with?

They stopped in one of the small rooms in the foundations. Raven wasn't allowed to be in here, she was too young, those were the rules. Gallrick could come in here, but not Raven. But the young girl trusted Gallrick. He wouldn't hurt her.

When the door behind her shut with a clang, and not because of any psychic powers, little Raven was horrified to see Andra, Cal and Maphalle standing behind her, blocking the only exit, all three were tall and intimidating in there long cloaks and shadowy, hooded features.

"Wha… what's going on?" Raven asked.

"We want to play." Said Andra, "you like to play don't you, Raven?" Raven did not like how she said that. It was more like intimidation, a threat.

Raven retreated to Gallrick, expecting protection, but he looked at her with a detached, cold look. He made no move to protect her, or to stop what was about to happen as Raven was pulled off her feet and dragged along the stone ground by invisible hands until she was between all four of them.

"You know, in the olden days, to punish a witch they used to dunk them in water." Andra parted her cloak and from the darkest interior of the robe flowed a large amount of water. Enough to fill a reasonably sized goldfish bowl.

"Leave me alone." Raven cried and turned to Gallrick, who just pushed her back. "I said I was sorry." She said, "I didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident!" Gallrick didn't look like he cared. There was just utter contempt in his eyes.

Whatever Raven was about to say next was drowned out as a sphere of water formed over her face, she barely had time to hold her breath, some of the water trickled down her nose before she stopped breathing, and she had to fight the instinct to cough.

The bubble was removed. Her hair clung to her head as she gasped for breath.

"Admit it, admit to being a witch." Andra smiled a creepy, sadistic smile. 'Witch' was a slur among Azarathians. It meant an evil, ugly magic wielder, a caster of dark magic. Raven knew that it didn't matter if she admitted it or not, they'd just do it again regardless, so she tried to remain defiantly silent.

They did it again. After what felt like an hour but in reality was only half a minute they released her. Raven turned to Gallrick, almost pleading for him to do something to help her. But he remained silent and still.

"I thought you were my friend!" She screamed.

Gallrick looked at the three that were mobbing her, and without looking Raven in the eye said just one thing. "We were never friends. Grow up."

Raven felt something inside her break. Followed by the cold shock of water forming around her head again. Another few seconds and it was removed.

"Admit to being a witch!" Andra teased.

"What did I ever do to you?" Raven screamed, "What did I ever do to any of you!"

"Admit it!" Andra said.

"Leave me al...!" Again, Raven had to hold her breath. She struggled and tried to crawl away, but she was being held down by powerful psychic forces, too powerful for her puny abilities. She didn't know how to teleport, or pass through walls. She hadn't figured out how to do that, yet.

Why won't they leave me alone? They hate me because I'm different. I'm odd. I don't want to be the same as everyone else, I like being odd, I like being me. Why won't they just let me be me?! What does being me do to hurt them?

"Why are you doing this to me, why?" Raven screamed again when she could though a coughing fit.

"Admit your crimes, witch." Said Gallrick. Raven tried to turn to plead for mercy, but a sharp pain entered her scalp as Gallrick took her hair and pulled on it.

"Stop it, that hurts" Raven screamed. She thought he liked her long hair! Why was he doing this, why?

Gallrick let go of her hair, but only so Andra could use her own abilities to wrap Raven's head up in it all so tightly that Raven felt her face being squashed.

"Leave me alone! Why are you doing this to me? Why?"

The three smiled down at her. "You're weird, and you make everyone feel uncomfortable."

Raven's face just fell again. What could she say to that? Her 'oddness' made people 'uncomfortable'? So that meant it was okay to hurt her? What kind of crap was that? She was born odd. How can being born odd mean she deserves to be tortured like this? It was so unfair! Or she would've had those thoughts, had water not closed over her mouth again halfway through them. Instead all that screamed into her mind was, I hate them, I hate them! I HATE THEM! I'LL KILL THEM!

That was when the demon struck.

To the four kids it was like someone had ripped a hole in reality and allowed a twister to kick up inside the whole room blasting them off their feet. At the centre of it all was Raven, eyes glowing blood red and darkness around her at her command. Her cloaked body elongated like a long telephone poll.

Raven had never experienced this kind of power before. It was invigorating, it was empowering, it... it...

Raven reached out and took Andra, Cal and Maphalle by their legs and flipped them upside down so they dangled from the darkness above them. They attempted to use their powers to break free, but Raven's fury was too great, this new power overshadowed them. They were like mice dangling from their tails between her fingers.

In the swirling darkness Raven imagined the most horrific images her child like imaginings could conjure, and they came to life. Really nasty stuff that H. P. Lovecraft would've adored. Decaying skulls with putrefied flesh hanging off. Head's on spikes. Sulphuric pits. Raven's dark, staring eyes. Ghosts, vengeful spirits. You name it, Raven could conjure it; and the three were terrified. Raven even surprised herself with the gruesome stuff she could create. They were afraid. They feared her, and Raven loved it. Fear meant respect, fear meant they would leave her alone, fear meant she could command them, play with them, break them!

"What's the matter Andra?" Raven's voice wasn't her own, it was like she was possessed by a demon. "I thought you liked to play!" They screamed. "So lets play!"

With a flick of her wrist the three were folded into a pocket of darkness to remain until they knew their place.

Raven then turned to Gallrick. Of the four of them she was angry with him the most. The betrayer! She floated up to him as he feebly tried to place a psychic barrier in front of her, one she smashed down with little effort. She bared her pointy sharp teeth and hissed one thing to him.

"Why?" Gallrick didn't answer, so she gripped him by his throat. "WHY?!" Raven screamed, but he didn't answer. "Tell me! Or I'll snap your neck. Then I'll bring you back, and snap it the other way, and I'll keep doing that until you tell me WHY!" Raven's eyes were wide and utterly crazed.

"You… you're not a witch." He stammered, it was too late for that kind of apology. "You're a demon!" He said, but not in an accusatory way. More like a realisation. What did he mean by 'demon'? No matter. It still didn't explain why he did it. Either way, he was about to pay for daring to pick on her. She was going to tear him into such tiny pieces the worms won't have to chew.

That was until she felt another presence grip her and force her to the floor. Raven snarled after Gallrick as she lost her grip on him and he ran for the entrance, his face a mask of utter terror as he fled from the enraged Raven and into the arms of an elderly woman, presumably his mother. But with her were two other people, two people that Raven did not want to see while she was in this emotional state.

Kelisha, the old crone was holding her down. Next to Kelisha was Azar. Raven's tutor. An old man full of so much wisdom and knowledge, with infinite patience and kindness. Raven's stomach dropped out from under her. She knew what this looked like from their perspective, and she knew she was in big trouble. Big, big trouble.

Azar, the frail old man approached, and with a whip of his fingers the dark storm dissipated, and from a corner of the room dropped Andra and her two cronies. The colour had been drained from them and they were paralytically terrified.

With the storm passing, so had Raven's power and fury. Only now was Raven realising what she had done, and the fury was replaced by terror. This did not look good for Raven.

"You dare to attack the son of the Witch Hunter?" Kelisha said. Son of the Witch Hunter? Is that what Gallrick thought he was doing? Literally hunting a witch? How could he think I am a witch?! She'd been so nice to him! The bastard!

"It was their fault!" Raven tried to say, "They dunked me in water!" They turned to Gallrick, who turned to look at Raven with a cold stare.

"I don't know what happened to her." Gallrick said while looking straight into her eyes, "She just barged in here and went crazy. She's a demon."

How could he do this to her?

"LIAR!" Raven snarled, power mounted again and Raven reared up, but Kelisha never even gave Raven a chance as, with a flick of the older woman's wrist, and before Azar could stop her Kelisha sent a blast of power at Raven. The small girl was knocked from the conscious world and dropped to the stone floor.

As the memory faded and Raven was brought back into the present, and she thought she now understood why Gallrick did what he did. Why he'd betrayed her, and now the circle had closed and she had become the very villain from her own story. It didn't exactly rhyme perfectly, but it echoed enough.

I've become Gallrick, Raven thought as she looked down at Russel as Antonia smacked him across the face. Oh no. What have I done?

To Be Continued...

Authors notes: In the original version it was supposed to only echo that Raven went through in the Land of Fiction when her friends betrayed her. But it felt so far removed that I think the impact was lessened. This way, with the flash backs to Azarath, it brings that echo a little closer and rings a little more sharply to Raven's past history. It also means Raven came full circle from being the victim in one story, to being the heartless villain in another.

If the next chapter hasn't been updated since the 01/September/2020 then it won't make narrative sense with the rest of the arc.

Cheers