A/N: Hello, my dear readers! It has been a long few months, but at long last, welcome to Part IV! For those of you who have stuck with this story through all of my delayed updates and the unpredictability of my life, thank you so much! I'm glad you're so patient, and I'm thankful that you are still reading! :)

I was hoping to update "Firelight" in September as well as in October, but this story got away from me. Not only am I back in college and working part-time, but I also do volunteer work, and on top of that I just got my own place. Living by myself is a big adjustment, so that alone has halted the production of chapters. Thankfully, Thanksgiving Break is approaching, and my college instructors haven't been assigning homework. Because of that, I took the time to get started on Part IV.

This chapter focuses a lot on Adriel. Nevertheless, Speedy and Damiana are still included. Splitting this chapter between Earth and Dabnod was necessary, because I didn't want to leave the rest of the group in the Metropolis Mines never to be seen again. Hopefully you're happy with me for not forgetting about the characters I left on Earth.

Well, that's enough rambling from your humble author. Enjoy the story! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, but I did create the planet Dabnod.

Part IV: Unraveled: Chapter Thirty-Five

The Metropolis Mines

"You lost Speedy and Firelight?! How did that happen?! You reported a solid lock on their coordinates!"

"We had a solid lock on their coordinates, but now we don't. Speedy and Firelight's coordinates met, and then they both disappeared! Something happened to them!"

Robin and Starfire stare into Bumblebee's wide, horrified, eyes through the tiny screen. The Titans East leader is known for being calm, cool, and composed. In the face of danger, Bumblebee is fearless. For the first time in the years that they've known her, she is unnerved. Beast Boy's frightened voice can be heard in the background. "Beast Boy calling Firelight", are the words he repeats ceaselessly. Mas y Menos are also heard, Speedy's name mingled with frantic Spanish.

From the sound of it, Firelight and Speedy are not answering their calls.

Meanwhile, Robin continues. To anyone else, the Boy Wonder would sound reprimanding. All the Titans hear, however, is fear.

"Have you tried locking back on to their coordinates? Maybe they aren't in a position to respond right now. They could be in the middle of battle, and if that's the case, we need to get to them fast!"

"We've been trying to lock back on to them, and it's impossible," says Raven from off screen. "Aqualad and I have tried everything from reactivating their communicators to advanced tracing. Nothing is working. It's like they vanished into thin air."

"The odds are that the battle with Black Shadow already happened, and he defeated them. You either need to try finding Speedy and Firelight, or you need to alert Cyborg and Frostbite and get out of there. You're the leader, so I'll let you make the call on that one."

He, too, is off screen. Yet, Aqualad's concern couldn't be more tangible. Green eyes filled with desperation, it is Starfire who responds.

"Please do not give up, friends! I beg that you continue in your efforts to locate them! Robin and I shall search for friend Cyborg and Frostbite, and then we will discuss our plan of action."

"We aren't leaving here without Speedy and Firelight. That's a promise."

The terror in Bumblebee's eyes triples at their words. "We'll do everything we can to help from Steel City. Just be careful, okay? We don't want to lose any more members of our team."

What sounds like pounding drums echoes through Adriel's ears. So thunderous is the thudding that he can barely hear his own thoughts, or his footfalls as his heels meet stone. This deafening thudding comes from his chest. Adriel's hearts rarely beat in unison, but today is the fifth of April. The fifth of April should allow him to experience at least a little panic. Adriel is supposed to feel relieved that the events of April fifth fell so perfectly into place, but he doesn't. A bitter taste is left in his mouth by what circumstance forced him to do.

Beneath his button-up-the-front shirt, on the left pectoral of his chest, Adriel feels a sting. The charcoal-colored crescent that stains pale flesh burns like hot coals.

"I didn't send her alone. I sent her with Roy. That should make a world of difference." He confesses, this time out loud, "I hope she makes the right decision."

The hallways of Black Shadow's lair are a never-ending labyrinth. Nevertheless, he is able to navigate them. This is partially due to his rock-using abilities, and partially due to memory.

The Titans don't trust him. His best friend doesn't trust him, either. When Adriel rejoins the rest of the group only to explain that Roy and Damiana were sucked inside a rift torn open by Black Shadow's machine, their mistrust will only increase. This is especially true considering how Adriel was supposed to be with Roy that entire time. Since Adriel escaped while Roy and Damiana did not, the Ground Badger will be in for some severe questioning… If only his plans would have gone beyond getting the two of them through that rift, then perhaps he could help himself somehow…

Meanwhile, as Adriel sprints through the rocky corridors, a voice is heard. He knows that voice all too well. One of his biggest regrets is that he came to know it in the first place.

"If it isn't the sad lost alien who brought me the Titans. I would say thank you, but it looks like you're in a rush to leave."

The Ground Badger doesn't stop running. He responds while dashing ahead at full-speed.

"You don't have to thank me for anything. You're manipulative and conniving. The Titans would have ended up in your grasp at some point either way."

Black Shadow laughs from his unseen place in the darkness. "I'm manipulative and conniving? What about you? You betrayed the Titans along with your alien friends. You helped me send two of them through a rift! For a long while, I thought that the sad lost alien was on my side."

"Are you saying that you don't think that now?"

The criminal doesn't laugh this time. Rather, he sounds an odd combination of baffled and offended. "No. I don't. Someone changed the settings on my machine, and it wasn't henchman Jonas. Four billion years into the past was changed to five years into the past, and the coordinates for the ancient Geodian galaxy were changed to the coordinates of a recently extinct planet. I don't know why or how you did it, but I know that you did it."

Adriel quickens his pace, his ponytail flying behind him. "I did change the coordinates. You're right about that. It couldn't be helped. I needed access to your machine."

Another laugh comes from the recesses of the blackness. "You're really a piece of work. I don't know what to make of you. You betrayed the Titans by bringing them to me, and now you're betraying me by messing with my machine and running off. Whose side are you on?"

Adriel grimaces. "The side I'm on is something that you could never even begin to fathom."

Black Shadow sighs. "I tried to understand you, but I still don't. Oh well. At least I tried." Frustration vanishing, the criminal continues in almost a cheerful manner. "I'm not sure what you're doing or what your goal is, but I'll give you a fifteen-minute head start on reaching the Titans. Not because I'm nice, but because I want to prep my robots. Since the fiery death goddess is gone, I want to give them another try. See you in fifteen minutes, my red-eyed frenemy."

With that said, Black Shadow vanishes completely. Once alone, Adriel sprints faster than he has in years. Hopefully he will be able to convince Saeran and the remaining Titans to get out, and quickly. He doubts it will happen, of course, but at least he can hope. If only he had planned ahead better!

"You got Damiana and Roy through that rift," he says to himself. "Even if nobody trusts you, and even if you're in for the fight of your life, the primary goal was accomplished. The only thing left for the time-being is keeping the remaining Titans alive."

Meanwhile…

"This is Dabnod; my home."

Roy doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know what to do or how to react. All the redhead can do is gawk at violet hills that stretch into oblivion. All he can do is raise his eyes skyward and watch as enormous birds soar past. All he can do is inhale the sweet-smelling air, which reminds him of mint. Damiana's words are unfathomable. They were supposed to get sent to an ancient galaxy filled with black holes. Instead they wound up on Dabnod of all places. The archer isn't sure if he should feel lucky to be alive, unlucky because of this planet's inevitable doom, or if he should continue feeling shocked.

Eventually Damiana continues speaking. Elated tears stream down her cheeks in torrents. The girl's eyes are soft pink, and her hair is red. Roy can't help being mesmerized by the vivid, neon, hues. The shade of red shifts between rose red, pale red, and bright crimson, making it impossible to look away from the dancing colors. Even as she talks, Roy struggles to avert his gaze from Damiana's hair to look her in the face.

"This is…crazy. Black Shadow said that we would get sucked inside a black hole and die. Instead he sent us to my childhood home. This is cruel and unusual even for him." Laughing in disbelief, she adds, "I'm trying so hard not to be happy. We could blow up at any second…but…I'm too happy to care."

Until now the archer had been sitting, far too astonished to make the smallest attempt at standing. However, he suddenly gains the strength. This strength comes from the moment he finally decides to look at Damiana's face. She looks happier than he could ever fathom; like a child on Christmas morning who received that single gift they'd been wanting since June. Yet, the girl appears in the deepest pit that despair can conjure, because she knows that this gift will be short-lived.

Agony overwhelms him. Roy closes the four-foot gap of space that separates them without thinking. One large hand grips each sweatshirt-clad shoulder tightly. This is not intended to hurt the girl, but rather, to let her know he is a reality; along with their situation. Damiana's posture jolts, clearly surprised by his touch. Luckily, all it takes is a few brief seconds for her to relax. Before he knows it, she is leaning against him. Roy returns to sitting once she calms, the top of the girl's head brushing against his chin. The archer doesn't know when it happened, but at some point, one hand on each shoulder transformed into an embrace.

"You know, part of me wishes that I hadn't met back up with Saeran and Adriel. That same part of me wishes that you weren't on this planet with me. If I was alone, I would probably stay and enjoy my home until the explosion comes." Shifting just enough so that they can make eye contact, she continues with a small smile. "The funny thing is that dying with Dabnod isn't an option anymore. For once I actually have something to live for."

The archer regards her curiously. It is truly strange, but despite their current circumstances, the past couple days come to mind.

"What is it that you have to live for exactly? The Titans, getting back to Earth to defeat Black Shadow, or is the only thing on your mind Saeran and Adriel?" Emerald eyes glint with hurt. "We opened our home to you. We made you a member of Titans East. You said you would fight by our side and wouldn't give up until Black Shadow was beaten. All of that changed when your brother and Adriel showed up. You left without saying goodbye."

Damiana's features immediately shift. Her hair turns the color of manure and her eyes the color of pea soup. As she replies, the colors become more appalling.

"Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg found out that 'Frostbite' and I are Dabnodians; our planet got destroyed in a war with Tamaran. We thought that they would tell the group in Steel City, and that everyone would team up and kick us out. Saeran and I didn't want to wait around, so we left with Adriel. We figured we'd get ostracized by the Titans anyway, so we didn't think we had anything to lose."

The archer's eyes widen in surprise. He doesn't attempt hiding astonishment from his voice.

"You really think that low of us? We did have a conference with the rest of the group, but not everyone jumped on the 'Dabnodians are evil' bandwagon. Raven and I defended you, and we actually managed to win over Cyborg and Aqualad. Even Starfire wanted to give you a chance." Smirking ironically, he states, "You and Saeran jumped the gun big time."

Mucky hair and eyes shift again, this time to neon green. "Starfire wanted to give Saeran and I a chance?! Really?! But she's the Princess of Tamaran!"

Roy nods. "Yes, she really did. The only people who were outright against you were Robin and Beast Boy. Bumblebee, she was just in shock. If you and Saeran had stuck around, everything could have sorted itself out."

The Dabnodian girl laughs dryly. "Once we get back to Earth, I'm slapping Saeran upside the head. He's the idiot that gave me the 'we'll never be accepted' speech. Adriel said back when we first met that I should tell the Titans. He said that you'd probably be more supportive than I thought. It turns out he was right."

A smile crosses his features. "Are you saying that you didn't want to leave?"

"No, I didn't. The only reason I left is because I thought it was necessary."

The archer's smile morphs into an inquisitive frown. When she left the second time, he should have known that it was Saeran's doing. Even in the short time he has known the man, Saeran has proven to be the easily-angered, unstable, sort. Whether or not it was preplanned, Roy isn't sure, but he wouldn't be surprised if Saeran's initial goal was finding his sister and running off.

Unfortunately for the water user, running off with Damiana and their shifty friend didn't turn out well. If anything, it had the worst result possible. The result, the archer knows, is no coincidence…

*Flashback*

"How are we getting to the mine? I hope you don't plan on using the same route that you took with Frostbite and Firelight. If you do, Black Shadow will have us before we can put up a fight."

Adriel answers as quickly as Robin asked.

"Don't worry. We're not using the beach this time. We don't even have to exit the studio. I'm taking you to the studio's basement, and we'll travel to the sewers from there. From the sewers, I should be able to use my rock-moving abilities to create a path to the mine. If you compare any modern map to an old one, you'll see that the sewers and the 1760's mines run side-by-side."

Robin narrows his eyes beneath his mask. Speedy can sense it.

"We're lucky we have you. You seem to have a lot of useful knowledge about the mines."

The belly dancer shrugs his shoulders. "I have useful knowledge about a lot of things."

*End Flashback*

Roy has no doubts that Adriel lured all of them down there; especially now.

There is no question that Adriel knew Black Shadow was going to attack them. Adriel knew about everything from the location of Black Shadow's hideout to the rift the maniac planned on opening. In fact, knowledge of the rift is probably why he ran off.

*Flashback*

"Roy, you have every reason not to trust me. My actions until now have been questionable. In your position, I wouldn't trust me either. Just know that I have a reason for everything I'm doing." He pauses to look the archer in the eye. "I told you to be a pillar for Damiana. The pain she's about to experience is something that she can't survive alone. This might be confusing, but it's very necessary. This isn't about whether you can trust me. You're wrong about that. This is bigger than you could ever imagine."

Speedy's reaction is an odd mixture of anger and bewilderment. "You got Damiana captured by Black Shadow and dragged the Titans down here, and this isn't about trusting you? Then tell me what all of this is about!"

Even in the darkness of the mine, the archer sees it. Adriel's eyes transform into a color unlike any he has seen. Cherry red becomes a blinding, monochromatic, mixture of obsidian and sapphire.

"This is about the Dabnodian people. Dabnod is gone, but we are not."

*End Flashback*

Roy runs that final snippet of conversation through his head multiple times. It almost makes him wonder if Adriel was more the just aware of the rift. The more he thinks about it, the more it seems like Adriel tore open that rift himself. If he hadn't seen Black Shadow do it, then Roy would be tempted to argue that Adriel was the person pulling the strings. When he thinks back farther to their conversation at the museum, the shifty belly dancer gave more than enough evidence to incriminate himself.

…

"Listen to me, and listen carefully. Something is going to happen to Leila. What happens to her isn't going to be small. It will be big, and it is going to shake her to her core. Everything Leila has ever believed to be true is going to come crashing down around her. Reality is going to slap her across the face, and it is going to hurt."

…

"The only thing that should matter to you is the only thing that matters to me, and that's Leila. When she is shaken to the core, she is going to need a pillar to hold her up. I'm not going to be able to serve as that pillar for a variety of reasons. Because of this, I'm entrusting her well-being to you, Roy. A person never truly knows what is at their core until their entire reality comes unraveled…"

…

Black Shadow isn't the person that sent them here. By now, Roy is certain of that. Damiana did just say that sending them to her childhood home is cruel and unusual, even for Black Shadow. Not to mention, the criminal planned on sending them to a dimension filled with black holes. He wouldn't change his mind and send them to Dabnod at the last minute. The person who sent them to Dabnod is none other than Adriel. Roy just wishes that he understood why.

"Roy, I really am sorry for leaving the Titans. I didn't know that this would happen."

The sound of Damiana's voice causes him to jump. For a lengthy minute, Roy nearly forgot that he was embracing her. The girl's eyes are pea green once more, and her hair is the color of manure. A remorseful frown seems to permanently bedeck her mouth. As a result, Roy strengthens the hug.

"You don't have to apologize. What's done is done. If the Titans were unforgiving, we wouldn't have tried rescuing you."

A smile lights up Damiana's face. "I guess that's true. I didn't think of that."

Roy doesn't return her smile. Rather, he makes a comment. The comment he makes causes her features to turn gray long before they have a chance to shift to pink and red.

"I just think it's weird that we ended up on Dabnod. Black Shadow wanted to send us through a black hole." Pausing, he adds, "It's also odd that Adriel managed to conveniently avoid getting sucked through the rift, especially when he wasn't supposed to leave my side during our search for you."

Rosebud lips quirk into a distraught pout. "You're right. That is odd. When we were together, Adriel deserted me, too. He left me for dead while I got captured by Black Shadow." The girl takes a moment to look out at the scenery, watching as violet grasses wave gently in the breeze. "You don't think that Adriel has something to do with us being here… Do you?"

Forest green eyes narrow. "I think Adriel has everything to do with us being here. Adriel gave me hints about sending us to Dabnod in the past, but he was always vague."

Damiana's jaw drops in shock. In the meantime, her hair shifts to green. "Adriel told you that he'd send us here? What did he say?"

Roy's brows furrow. "It's hard to explain. Like I said, he was always vague. The man spoke in riddles." He said that you're going to experience a tremendous amount of pain.

Her hair turns brighter still. "Can you explain one of these riddles to me? Even if they were vague, they must have given you some sort of clue."

"They didn't at the time, but now they're starting to make sense." Reality is supposed to slap you across the face. Everything you thought was true is supposed to be a lie… I think…

"What is starting to make sense exactly?"

The boy's brows are knit together so tightly that he almost appears to have creases. "Before he ran off, he told me something about the fate of the Dabnodian people. This is supposed to be a learning experience." The pain you're about to experience is brutal, but Adriel also said that it's necessary…

Damiana sighs. "I wish you remembered more of what he said. If Adriel really is the one who sent us here, the clues he gave you could really help." Pursing her lips in bafflement, she continues. "I don't understand why Adriel felt the need to send us here. If this 'learning experience' is that important, he could have told me everything he knew, or better yet, he could have come with me himself." It is here that she scoffs. "Dabnod is gone. It has been gone for years. I don't know why that moron would risk sending us back in time and blowing us up for a 'learning experience'!"

Dabnod is gone, but the Dabnodians are not. He said it's bigger than we could ever imagine…

"I don't know either," says Roy. "No offense, but I think Adriel is a nut job."

She shrugs. "None taken. Personally, I'm starting to think that Adriel is crazy myself." She sighs once more. "Of course, nut job or not, we're still stuck on Dabnod. If we were sent back ten-thousand years, I wouldn't be overly concerned with time constraints. The thing is, I don't know how far we were actually sent back."

It's Roy's turn to scoff. "If Adriel thought sending us through a rift to Dabnod was so important, I doubt he would be kind enough to do it millennia before the planet's detonation."

"I know," Damiana replies with an ironic smirk. "I was just being hopeful."

Silence lapses. Not a short moment of silence, but a practically endless one. During this time, the two Titans release each other and stand up. They observe their current setting from every angle, wanting to move but not knowing which direction to take.

At long last, Roy makes an inquiry. "What's our plan? At this point, we don't seem to have one."

The girl nibbles her lip in thought. Her hair shifts from red, to pale blue, to lilac, and back to red. He watches in awe the entire time. The archer doesn't think that he will ever overcome being so easily hypnotized by the colors.

Eventually Damiana responds with bright, red, hair. "First things first, we're going to have to find a town. We can figure out the month and the year and learn how much time we have to work with."

"Alright. That can be our plan. We can't do much beyond that right now, anyway." He looks out at the scenery once more, met with nothing but violet grasses from every direction. "Which way should we go? Do you know where on Dabnod we're at?"

Damiana shoots him an expression that is sarcastic as much as playful. "Absolutely! We're surrounded by grass, flowers, and the sky. I also saw some phoenixes. With the wealth of information surrounding us, I have narrowed our location down to the middle of nowhere."

Roy doesn't know if he should laugh or stick out his tongue. "Your powers of deduction are amazing. I couldn't have figured that out without your help."

The girl smirks. "I can't wait until we make it back to Earth. I hope we land in the middle of a valley with nothing but grass, the sky, and a few woodland critters. When I ask where on Earth we're at, since you're the Earth expert, you'd better know."

The archer chuckles. "Alright. Fair point." Gesturing straight ahead, he asks, "Do you want to go that way?"

Damiana nods. "That way is as good as any other direction. Let's go."

With that said, the duo starts down the hill. Before they can make it to the bottom, however, they catch sight of a strange object buried beneath the purple grasses. It is at the foot of the hill, almost hidden completely. The only reason they spot it is because of the metallic glint created by the light of the white, Dabnodian, sun. Roy and Damiana exchange astonished glances, rushing in the object's direction with vigor. Damiana crouches down amongst the foliage, shoving flowers and blades of grass aside. Dusted in a fine layer of dirt, they can see as clear as day, is the machine.

Silver buttons gleam at them, as does the keypad. The royal blue stripes running down either side stare at them along with the machine's black top. Exchanging glances yet again, Damiana picks it up. She brushes off the dirt using the sleeve of her sweatshirt, noting that the buttons and the keypad seem to be intact. The only part that isn't intact is the black part at the top that separates in order to create rifts. It didn't come back together once the rift closed; half of the black top is missing.

Broken or not, Roy smiles at it. As does Damiana.

"It looks like there's more to our plan than finding a town after all," says Roy.

"Yes," says Damiana in agreement. "Adriel helped us more than we thought he would."

The Metropolis Mines

Saeran has felt it in his gut before. The beginning of the end. When Saeran felt it the first time, he was thirteen years old; his father, a seasoned Knight, sacrificed himself in the line of duty. A messenger from the Palace arrived on their doorstep. That used to be the worst day of Saeran's life. The second time Saeran felt it was the day Dabnod was destroyed. Right now, Saeran is feeling it a third time. The beginning of the end. Somehow, a new awful day always appears to replace the previous worst day of his life.

"Frostbite! Cyborg! Thank goodness we found you! We have a situation!"

Black Shadow appearing out of thin air with an army of shadow creatures would be better than this. Starfire trying to annihilate him, along with Blackfire, the Grand Ruler, and a battalion of Tamaranean soldiers, would be better than this. Sweet fates, Saeran would rather attend his father's funeral and re-experience the destruction of his home all on the same day. Anything but this.

He was previously walking alongside Cyborg, the two of them selecting corridors at random and shoving open the occasional door in attempt to find his sister. The metal man and the Dabnodian exchanged few words, their entire focus being on the search for Damiana. When Robin's frantic voice pierced the silence, as well as the echoing thudding of his footsteps, their search was immediately brought to a halt. The firm set of the Boy Wonder's mouth and the terror in Starfire's eyes told Saeran and Cyborg all that they needed to know.

As they loiter in the center of a dim corridor, the Dabnodian man's tresses are blacker than the night.

"You're telling me that the Titans in Steel City were tracking us, they had a lock on Damiana and on Speedy, and their coordinates suddenly disappeared?!"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Speedy's coordinates and Firelight's coordinates met, and then they vanished. Raven, Aqualad, and Bumblebee haven't been able to lock back onto them, and Beast Boy, Mas, and Menos haven't been able to make contact. Starfire and I tried contacting them on our way here, and we didn't have any luck either." Posture tense and jaw locked, Robin seethes, "None of this can possibly be a coincidence…"

Saeran merely stares, soot-colored eyes wider than disks. "Robin, please don't say it. Damiana is the prodigy of the Fire Phoenix clan, and even if it gags me to say it, Speedy is a capable combatant. The two of them together must be alright; especially if Adriel is with them."

Cyborg regards him with a concerned, hazel, eye. "Frostbite, we've fought Black Shadow before. The guy is unstoppable. Speedy, Firelight, Adriel, and I had trouble stopping one shadow dragon back at the museum. If four of us had a hard time stopping a shadow creature, how do you think three will hold up against the dude himself?"

The Dabnodian man grimaces. "Then what do you suggest? That we walk away and leave my family and your teammate to their demise? We came here to save one person, not lose three!"

"Actually, walking away is impossible. Black Shadow knows we're here," says Robin bluntly. "Even if we did have the option to leave, we can't sacrifice our teammates. Our best option is going to the spot where Speedy's and Firelight's signals were last found. They could still be in the middle of a fight with Black Shadow, and if they are, they'll be happy to have backup."

"What if they are not battling Black Shadow? What if battle has already happened, and what if they have been taken captive or harmed?!"

For once, Starfire's words reflect his thoughts perfectly. As do Robin's.

"We'll have to go see for ourselves, take action, and hope for the best outcome."

"My sensors aren't picking up any vital signs. No heartbeats, no heat detection, no nothing. Nobody is inside that cave-in!"

"Then where are they?! This was Dami's last reported location, and there is no way out of there! People don't just disappear!"

"Oh no! Our friends have not…met Xal in the afterlife…have they?!"

"No. Speedy and Firelight aren't dead. My sensors would still be picking up small traces of body heat if they were dead. They're just…gone!"

Adriel can hear them from the other side of the earthen heap. This is how loudly the Titans are panicking. In the center of the cave-in is a tiny pocket of space where Damiana and Roy vanished courtesy of the Ground Badger. More than anything, he wants to tell the teen heroes that their teammates will be alright. He wants to tell Saeran that his sister will return. Not immediately, but soon. It is only too unfortunate that he doesn't get to tell them anything. The fifth of April is truly full of excitement. Not good excitement, but the bone-chilling variety. The sort of excitement that Adriel hasn't felt since his final month on Dabnod. Alien energies already surge through his second set of veins.

First, frightened bickering is heard from the remaining Titans. Next comes unstable ground. One moment it is solid beneath Adriel's feet. Solid in a way that only strong, unmovable, rock can manage. A mere instant later it feels like he is floating. At first the Ground Badger thinks that he truly is floating. Gazing downward is all it takes to debunk this assumption. The browns and grays of the ground have transformed to pure ink, and along with the colors, all forms of stability have vanished as well.

Finally, Adriel hears an otherwise silent Robin.

"Unless I'm hallucinating, we're about to figure out where they went! Brace yourselves!"

Floating becomes plummeting. Adriel's body slides through the cold, solid, ground as if it is no thicker than jelly. As he falls, it comes to Adriel's immediate attention that the stones from above don't follow. Black fades back to brown, the floor only vanishing long enough to allow himself and the remainder of the group to pass through. The former Dabnodian Knight should scream, but Adriel doesn't have it in him. He has never had it in him to scream. Instead, he summons a large boulder. Adriel lands flawlessly on both feet. The world spins for the briefest second, but then he gains his bearings.

From the levitating rock, cherry red eyes gawk at a gargantuan cavern. The surrounding walls glitter the coppery brown and mint green of zenotrum. This abandon mine only containing trace amounts of zenotrum appears to be nothing but a faulty claim on Black Shadow's part. A single cave wall has enough of the mineral to power Metropolis for a century! As for the cave floor thirty feet below, steel tracks and iron carts are piled high with gleaming, green, metal. There is also a small stream winding throughout the cavern, no doubt a souvenir from the nearby ocean.

Also beneath him, something that forces Adriel's eyes to shift to lime, is a metallic army. Robots. Hundreds of them. Silver arms, silver legs, black torsos and black heads. Each robot also has a dark blue stripe trailing up each side. Their eyes do not glow red like a person might expect, but instead, they glow obsidian. Somehow, the machines' obsidian eyes unsettle Adriel more than red. Solid, black, eyes make them look soulless and psychotic, much like their creator. Behind the robots is a line of exactly ten men, every henchperson wearing royal blue and charcoal-colored jumpsuits with full charcoal masks.

On the ground with Black Shadow's forces is Saeran. He stands rigidly in the center of the stream, water encasing his body to the neck. The liquid armor, Adriel knows, is one of Saeran's advanced techniques. It absorbs attacks, rendering projectiles useless and freezing limbs during physical fights. The armor also operates defensively, enabling Saeran to shoot an infinite amount if ice daggers without pausing to conjure more water. So long as Saeran is within twenty feet of a sizable water supply, his armor should remain intact. The water user's hair is already starting to frost from the amount of heart energy that flows through him.

Robin and Cyborg stand a short distance away from the creek, much closer to the robots than Saeran. Cyborg's arm cannon is equipped, and so are Robin's bird-a-rangs. Starfire hovers above the machines, starbolts forming in both hands. They are more than ready to attack, yet they do not. Saeran, Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire remain where they are, as if waiting for permission. Truth be told, Adriel doesn't blame them for waiting. A fight can never proceed without Black Shadow getting the first word.

Adriel levitates near the ceiling, undetected by the Titans as well as his friend. Slowly, the Ground Badger descends. The boulder he floats on lowers, eventually meeting the earth with a soundless thud. He leaps to the ground equally silent. Now that the robots are at eye-level, they seem much more frightening. It is for this reason that Adriel keeps a grip on the boulder with his heart energy.

What exactly they should be expecting from Black Shadow, he isn't sure. Either a lengthy monologue about what happened to Roy and Damiana, or a single, blunt, statement about destroying the rest of them. Adriel would prefer the latter as not to reveal himself. If anyone is going to explain to Saeran and the Titans that he played traitor, it should be the Ground Badger himself. He has reasons for doing what he did, all of them completely feasible.

"If it isn't my favorite group of young heroes. First I find the fiery death goddess poking around here, and now I've found all of you. Geesh, I though this mine was supposed to be abandoned!"

In the center of the cavern, appearing directly in front of his robot army, is Black Shadow. Beady, hazel, eyes bore into them as the villain morphs from shadow to flesh. Despite sounding miffed at finding the Titans here, he wears an expression that seems pleased.

"I would ask about the dark girl and the green one, and I would also ask about the rest of the spunky redhead's team, but I'm just going to assume that they'll pop in later. Once I destroy all of you, I'm sure they'll dash here in some sort of attempt to stop me." He unleashes a sinister chuckle. "It's funny how you heroes never give up, even when it's safer for everyone. You came here to rescue the fiery death goddess, and instead you lost her and Speedy! Getting sucked through a rift is the point of no return. It's not a good day to be Speedy and Firelight, let me tell you."

Adriel notices as Saeran's liquid armor falters for the slightest moment. Black Shadow also sees this, because he smirks psychotically.

"Actually, it's not a good day for the Teen Titans in general. Without Firelight's lightning powers getting in the way, I can use my robots! Isn't that great!" The villain's smirk broadens. "No one in this room has fought my robots before, so this makes it even more exciting! I get to test my new robots and test my rift machine all in one day!" Smile faltering, Black Shadow huffs, "Just don't be too rough on them. I already lost my best machine because it got sucked inside of its own rift. I can't have my new robots getting destroyed on top of that."

Saeran's armor doesn't falter this time. Rather, it glazes over with a thin layer of frost. "I give my word that I won't obliterate your robots. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you by setting you back on android production." The water user adds with biting sarcasm, "Then again, what is the word of a Dabnodian Knight worth? Duty Not Honor: that was our motto."

Black Shadow's piercing gaze bores into Saeran with something akin to sadistic pleasure. He vanishes from the center of the cavern in the form of a shadow. An instant later he appears by the side of the stream, less than three feet away from Saeran.

"The poor, homeless, alien, seems a bit on the grouchy side. Are you upset that I did away with your sister? She didn't put up much of a fight for an all-powerful alien species. With the help of my rift machine, I was able to destroy her like an insect."

His hair instantly shifts to a deep shade of midnight blue. No one in the vicinity has time to do as little as blink. A torrent of water launches from Saeran's fingertips, sending the villain clear across the room. Black Shadow's physical form shoves a wide path through the robots and sends his henchmen scurrying. A second later, he is frozen against a wall of rock and zenotrum. Otherwise beady eyes are the size of saucers.

"You didn't 'destroy' anyone, you pompous windbag! My sister and Speedy went through a rift to some far-off place, so they might be alive! We're going to destroy your hideout, send you back to Swarzberg Prison, and then we're finding a way to get them back!"

Although the attack clearly surprised him, Black Shadow recovers quickly. His physical form melts into inky formlessness as he slithers away from the icy prison. Once freed, he doesn't transform into flesh. Rather, he blends into the shadows.

"Assume whatever it is that comforts you. Just know that Speedy and Firelight are gone. In a few minutes, the rest of you will be gone the same as them." His voice reeks of exhaustion. "If you want to end our banter and meet your demise early, then I'm game. Robots, attack mode!"

The machines, previously as still as statues, immediately leap forward. As for the small group of henchmen, they dash in the direction of the zenotrum-filled carts. They lay hands on the carts' metal rims and disappear without a trace, the rare mineral going with them. Neither the Titans, nor Saeran or Adriel, has an opportunity to reach them. They are far too busy blasting and pummeling their way through robots. Starfire and Cyborg act as a team, the Tamaranean knocking them down with starbolts and Cyborg by use of canon fire. Robin fights solo, using his bo staff to mow down five machines at once. As for Adriel, he ends up beside Saeran. To say the least, the water-user is baffled.

"Adriel? Sweet fates, you're alive! I was certain that Black Shadow destroyed you."

Saeran doesn't look at Adriel directly. A robot attempts a kick to his stomach, freezing over completely as it makes contact. Once it is immobile, Saeran grabs it by the foot using a stream of water and hurdles it into an additional group of pursuing robots. The frozen machine crumbles apart while the other five short out as they crash into the stream. Meanwhile, Adriel splits his massive boulder into three large rocks. He crushes three separate groups into shrapnel; one team of four that comes from the left, a team of two leaping at them from above, and a trio rushing them from behind.

"No, he didn't get me," says Adriel vaguely. "He got Roy and Damiana, but I promise that they're safe. It doesn't look like it, but they're alive. Trust me."

The water user creates a massive wave, freezing four machines on the ground and three in the air. He cracks the ice with one swift motion, the robots coming apart along with it. Somehow, he still manages a bitter scoff.

"Considering how you escaped twice while Damiana never escaped at all, it's difficult to trust you. Incredibly difficult."

At some point Adriel ended up in the creek beside Saeran, the two Dabnodian Knights standing back-to-back. Black Shadow's mechanical men surround them from every side, at least a dozen of them ready to tear into the duo with pointed, metallic, claws. Many jump high into the air, intent on killing. Saeran coats the leaping robots in a layer of frost prior to launching the sharpest icicles he can conjure. Meanwhile, Adriel opens a large crevice beneath the robots that remain on the ground. The crevice swallows them like a monster consuming its prey. As Adriel closes the gap, earsplitting crunching can be heard. Limbs and torsos from Saeran's obliterated machines fall into the creek, electric buzzing accompanying metallic screeching.

"After everything I've done, trusting me is impossible. I know. Roy told me the same thing before he got sucked through the rift with Damiana." Despite the intensity of combat, Adriel glances at his friend. Cherry red eyes aren't cherry red, but rather, are blinding sapphire. "I promise to explain everything to you and the Titans once we get out of here. Once you know where that rift sent them, everything will make perfect sense. I would never do anything to hurt Dami, even if it looks like it."

Saeran's features are the fiercest shade of midnight blue that Adriel can ever remember seeing.

"If you're supposed to be confessing right now, you're lucky I don't destroy you where you stand! If we live long enough to hear about your involvement in Speedy's and Damiana's disappearance, you'll be coming to the base in Steel City wearing hand cuffs!"

Another onslaught of robots comes their way; two-dozen, to be exact. This time Adriel doesn't have to lift a finger. Icicles rain down like armor-piercing bullets, holes peppering them like Swiss cheese. The robots topple over and crumble apart before either man can breathe.

Saeran continues, "If you sent them through that rift, you'd better explain yourself like your life depends on it! Winning the Titans over will be hard, but winning me over will be harder! There can't possibly be a good reason for shoving your best friend's baby sister through a rift!"

Criminalization and death threats. This is exactly the reaction he was prepared for. Nevertheless, Adriel doesn't have time to dwell on this. Black Shadow's robots come at them like an immortal army, their numbers hardly shrinking despite defeating so many. Adriel and Saeran are no longer in the creek's center, but rather, are being pushed toward the shoreline. As for the Titans, they are being overwhelmed. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg stand together in one group, two robots seeming to appear for every individual robot that gets destroyed.

The Ground Badger opens a wide crevice, engulfing nearly twenty robots that approach from the opposite shore. Saeran knocks those that escape into the abyss using a stream of water. Adriel seals the earth shut as quickly as he'd opened it, the crunching of metal echoing throughout the cavern. Afterward he pulls a boulder from the mine's distant corner, taking to the air. Additional robots are already approaching Saeran. However, this problem is minimal compared to the terror the Titans are facing. Cyborg's cannon cannot seem to keep up with the machines' speed, nor can Robin's weapons. Four of them leap into the air, one catching Starfire by the ankle.

Starfire's piercing shriek is cut short by Adriel, who knocks the machine away from her with a massive stone. Following this, he opens another crevice and swallows the entire attacking force. The robots are decimated in a mere instant. More, however, seem to crawl from the woodwork like cockroaches. It is here that the Ground Badger makes a loud command.

"Starfire, grab Robin and Cyborg and fly higher! Saeran, make a wave and use it to jump up here with me! You do not want to be on the ground ten seconds from now!"

The trio of Titans take a lengthy moment to gawk. Not at Adriel, but at the earth where the metallic army disappeared. A second later they raise their gazes to him, as if just noticing his presence. When one of the heroes finally speaks, it is Cyborg.

"Why should we listen to you? You should've been helping Speedy and Firelight, not leaving them to fight Black Shadow alone and showing up to rescue us!"

Adriel is prepared to answer. Luckily, he doesn't have to. Despite midnight blue features and a lethal bearing, Saeran creates a towering wave. He glides upward with ease, propelling himself off its crest and into the air. The water user is airborne for a full five seconds, landing flawlessly aside his fellow Knight atop the floating platform. He scowls down at the Teen Titans. When hair and eyes shift to rust-colored brown, Adriel feels the slightest bud of hope blossom.

"Do what he says. Adriel might be a traitor, but he's also the strongest person we have right now!"

Starfire, although she appears hesitant, dives down and picks up her teammates. Numerous robots leap after them. Fortunately, they are unable to make contact. Only after Starfire is hovering near the ceiling with Cyborg and Robin in tow does Adriel act.

"Hold on tight! This is going to be intense!"

Saeran freezes his feet to the platform. The fact that he has this level of respect for Adriel's abilities even in the midst of loathing him is almost enough to make the Ground Badger grin.

Shoving this observation aside, Adriel forces a massive amount of heart energy into his veins. It has been more than five years since he has raised his energies to such enormous levels. Tingling crawls across his skin like a hundred insects. After this, a burning sensation takes over. It starts in his vessels and slowly oozes out of his pores until the pain is felt from the inside out. Silky hair suddenly has the texture of sandpaper, reddish-brown dye crumbling away. Hair shines the color of copper, as do his eyes. The glow is practically blinding. As for the ground below, it is a sight to behold.

First, trembling. An amount of trembling so scarce that it is hardly noticeable. Adriel keeps his feet planted firmly and his arms spread wide, his hold on the cavern strengthening with each passing second. As his grip intensifies, so does the trembling. Just as Adriel stated, it takes ten seconds. One moment the shuddering is light. Next, the earth is cracking apart in a horrific fashion that can only be described as apocalyptic. A deep ravine tears across the center of the cave from wall-to-wall, swallowing every machine in sight and dismembering the stream into nothingness. The walls shake violently, large chunks of zenotrum coming loose and plummeting into the monstrous crevice. Other, smaller, crevices form, swallowing each of the few robots that remain.

Adriel brings his arms together in a sweeping motion a second later, the massive ravine and the small crevices slamming shut. As the fissures are forced back together, the rocky earth shifts and toils. It reminds everyone of an angry sea more than solid ground. What was previously a flat surface is suddenly a chaotic mess of boulders, piles of rock, and immense slabs of stone.

Saeran does everything he can to keep his footing while the Titans gape in awe. When Adriel strengthens his grip on the cavern to bring down the entire back wall, along with part of the ceiling, they gape more widely still. Not only does the scene look apocalyptic, but it also sounds that way. Gargantuan stones plunge downward like an earthen waterfall, the roaring louder than that of a jet airplane. The robots might have been able to vanish from the crevices and regenerate before. With the cave floor transformed into an avalanche site, however, regeneration is made impossible.

The storm of falling rocks becomes too much for Starfire to handle. A stone the size of a bowling ball strikes the Tamaranean in the shoulder, causing her to lose her grip on Robin and Cyborg. Luckily, the trio doesn't fall more than four feet. Adriel catches them with a floating boulder, immediately pulling it closer and connecting it to his own. They lay tangled in a pile, momentarily jarred by the impact. A minute later, however, the Titans are standing. Robin gawks openly at the wreckage below, as well as at the falling rocks. Only after gaining his bearings does the Boy Wonder gape at Adriel. His exclamation gains a response that is astonishing.

"Adriel, you have to stop! The robots are gone! If you don't stop, you're going to destroy the whole mine!"

His eyes and hair retain their copper glow, the Dabnodian man keeping his hold. "That's my goal. My powers are telling me that this cavern is the foundation for this entire mine. If I take out the walls of this cavern, the mine is going to collapse, and Black Shadow will lose his base." Pausing slightly, he adds, "But don't worry. I can take out the back wall and the front wall and leave two walls standing. Instead of collapsing all at once, that should give us five minutes to get out of here."

With that said, he expands his grip to the wall across from them. That wall begins crumbling as well, the roaring of crashing rocks intensifying. Robin stares at the sight wide-eyed.

"You're destroying the mine?! Are you crazy?!"

At long last, Adriel releases the grip he has on the cavern. Copper hair shifts to a shade of orange brighter than the setting sun, and copper eyes shift to the color of sapphire. They don't spend a moment longer in the cave. The Ground Badger enlarges the gap in the ceiling, pivoting the boulder in that direction. He clears away the boundaries of hallways and rooms, getting them away from the mine as quickly as possible. In the meantime, he responds to the Boy Wonder.

"I'm not super crazy. Just a little bit crazy. That isn't a bad thing, though. Sometimes a little bit crazy in necessary."

The corridors that Black Shadow's goons spent ages constructing and that they risked their lives sneaking into are torn through as if they'd never existed. Rumbling is heard from dozens of feet beneath them, and no matter how high Adriel guides them, the mine's walls can still be seen shuddering. One hallway that they break through is filled with fleeing henchmen. None of them are harmed, neither do they stop in attempt to harm the Titans. They continue running, many of them screaming frantically.

When a member of their group speaks, just as Adriel anticipated, that person is Saeran. He is well aware that Roy and Damiana are safe. Yet, his friend's inquiry causes both hearts to shatter.

"What? We're leaving? Adriel, we can't leave! We need to go back for one of Black Shadow's machines! We have to find a way to reverse the rift so we can save Dami and Speedy!"

Normally a pair of Dabnodian eyes would shift to gray. Instead, sapphire blue grows brighter. Their native language escapes the Ground Badger's lips in earnest.

"We don't have to reverse the rift. Dami and Roy are safe. More than that, they'll come back to us. Please trust me, Saeran! What I'm saying is true!"

"They're safe and they'll come back?! How can you know something like that for sure?!" he exclaims loudly in English. "It's not like you're there with them!"

Adriel crashes through their ninth earthen ceiling, this time with more force than necessary. He scoffs in a manner that is both frank and mysterious.

"Naxdath. You'd be surprised."

Adriel doesn't say anything more. The boulder that they stand on ends up in the center of a massive corridor. He grips the earth above them, expecting to break through it with a single motion. When locking onto it with his powers, however, Adriel makes a debilitating discovery. Breaking through is impossible. They are on the upper-most level of the abandoned mine. Above them is not a fifteen-foot leap to another hallway. Rather, there is fifty feet of solid ground and quite possibly the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, he allows the boulder to crumble apart.

Saeran and the Titans are surprised by this, each of them losing their footing. Meanwhile, Adriel presses his hand firmly against the cave wall. Behind them, the Ground Badger senses a web of tunnels leading deep underground. In front of them is an exit to dry land. If they can run fast enough, they should be able to reach it. If not, Adriel might be able to use his powers to keep the cave stable enough for them to get out. Unfortunately, they are pressed for time either way.

"I can't go up any farther. If I do, we're going to drown," the Ground Badger states. "The exit is about a thousand feet in front of us; maybe more. We can make it out, but we'll have to run fast."

The cavern's shaking intensifies. It nearly causes the Ground Badger to topple. Rocks the size of baseballs rain down from above. Fortunately, the Titans don't protest and Saeran doesn't attempt to continue their conversation. The five of them leap forward in a full sprint. Stones pelt them relentlessly and the ground quakes violently, yet, they manage to stay balanced enough to run. Five-hundred feet later, a cave-in almost halts the heroes entirely. The only barrier between Saeran, Robin, and a storm of bone-crushing boulders is Adriel, who creates a stone platform sturdy enough to keep the rocks suspended. He does this several times during the final stretch of their journey, each of them tasting death more than once.

Eventually, a span of one-hundred feet is the only thing separating them from the exit. The corridor slopes upward, leading to an entryway that is sealed off from the outside world. A stomp of his foot is all it takes for the barrier to crumble away. Blinding sunlight pours inside as a result. Along with sunlight come a massive downpour of bowling ball-sized stones. Adriel infuses every ounce of heart energy he has into keeping the tunnel stable, the Dabnodian man praying to the Fates for strength. Hair and eyes shine such a gleaming shade of copper that they appear more blinding that the midday sun. Saeran, dashing mere centimeters beside his childhood friend, shouts out in panic at the sight of him. In this moment, Adriel thanks the water user.

"Run faster! The only thing holding this cave together is Adriel! Any second now he's going to lose his grip, and it's going to collapse!"

Starfire's reaction is immediate. She grips Robin in one hand and Cyborg in the other, taking to the air. The Tamaranean moves in a blur of orange and glowing green, making it out the exit to safety while Adriel and Saeran are left fifty feet behind. By this point Adriel can feel the strain of the tunnel in every, individual, muscle. He does his best to keep the two supporting walls in place. As he works desperately to keep them upright, the walls try equally hard to collapse. So intense is his focus, and so unbearable is the pain of straining muscles, that Adriel's sprint is slowed to a jog. Saeran was directly beside the Ground Badger a moment prior. He is suddenly several yards ahead.

Saeran glances over his shoulder while moving like lightning. The expression he regards Adriel with is truly frightening. A rust-colored ponytail and eyes, and a twisted pout. It's as if he is honestly considering leaving his best friend to be consumed by the collapsing mine. Even through the intense glow of copper-colored eyes, the Ground Badger's fear is plain. When Saeran faces away from Adriel, quickens his pace, and leaves him behind, fear transforms into horror. Saeran sprints into the sun. Forty feet of space still separates Adriel from the warm embrace of daylight.

When Adriel pours the last drop of heart energy he can spare into supporting the left wall, it gives way. All sunlight is instantly cut off. Massive boulders rain down, blocking Adriel's only hope for freedom. The other wall crumbles apart thirty seconds later, causing rocks to descend from every side. He manages to keep the ceiling directly above him suspended, his aching body cooperating just enough to create a tiny pocket of space. Adriel's hearts thud in unison as overwhelming panic sets in. Copper vanishes as eyes turn to charcoal and as silky follicles transform to soot.

"No!" he shouts helplessly. "I haven't been making plans for the past five years to die here! If I die, sending Dami through that rift was useless!"

The response his shouting earns is almost enough to frighten Adriel into the afterlife.

"The sad, lost, alien seems to be having a bad day. It looks like the Titans and his alien friend have deserted him."

Adriel grants the unseen villain a frown. "You shouldn't mock a man during his untimely demise. A dying man deserves some respect."

Black Shadow laughs. "Don't jump to conclusions so fast, my black-eyed frenemy."

What happens is an experience that Adriel can only think to describe as surreal. One second his body is straining, aching, and a single loose stone away from being crushed. Next it feels as if his entire body has turned into jelly. Rocks, which could have crushed the Ground Badger a mere instant ago, pass through him harmlessly. Adriel isn't sure if he should feel grateful or leery.

"This is much better than dying, isn't it? Good thing you aren't one of the others. I would let anyone else in this mine die without a second thought. Even my own henchmen! You, on the other hand, get to live. You're far too interesting to get squashed."

A jarring, upward, tug, sends the Dabnodian man's stomach into his chest. What should feel like rough, grating, stone tearing through flesh passes through him harmlessly. Phasing through solid objects is an odd sensation. It is not painful, but rather, a tingling sensation is felt. Besides the pins and needles that dance across his blackened skin, Adriel senses a hand on his formless shoulder. Black Shadow's hand, no doubt.

About a minute pass. As do fifty feet of soil, earthworms, and solid rock. When Adriel can finally feel his full body again, he finds himself on the jagged shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. As he gazes out at the water, the side effects from using Master's Level abilities for an extended duration suddenly seem minimal. Although the stinging of his veins is unbearable and each muscle throbs, it is as if the pain doesn't exist.

Standing in the exact location where he once walked with Damiana seems more surreal than his entire being turning into black jelly. As he stands here recalling the moon over the inky sea, as well as Damiana's uncertain hop from boulder to boulder, Adriel can't help but wonder what it will be like once Damiana comes back. Will she and Roy be willing to hear him out? Will they help him?

Meanwhile, standing a short distance behind the Ground Badger is Black Shadow. The villain balances on the top of a rock with effortless precision. His smirk is devious, and his beady, hazel, eyes are incisive. When he speaks, shivers run the length of Adriel's spine.

"This place looks familiar to you, right? This is the beach you walked down the night you lured the fiery death goddess inside the mine. I can tell that being here triggers you."

The Ground Badger's jaw locks. "A lot of things trigger me. Nice try, but mental torture doesn't work on someone who has been through as much as I have."

Black Shadow's devilish eyes ignite with amusement. "It's funny of you to say that. Wherever you sent the spunky redhead and the fiery death goddess, I'm sure they're suffering more."

Adriel's back-length ponytail turns darker than the depths of the ravaged mine, and his eyes blacker than the rift.

"You have no idea."

A/N: That's all for now, folks! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Truth be told, I really enjoyed writing it. It has been a while since Saeran and Adriel have used their powers, and I wanted to do a fight scene with them. I also love writing chapters that include Black Shadow. Black Shadow is mentally unstable and completely insane, and I have such a fun time writing his character!

As much as I love Saeran, Adriel, and Black Shadow, I will probably put more focus on Speedy and Damiana in the next chapter. I will either include Earth minimally or not at all. Writing Dabnod is going to be an exciting challenge for me, and I'm looking forward to it! :)

Anyway, thank you all for reading! I will see you in the next chapter, which will hopefully be posted in the near future.

Forever and Always,

~OCQ