Hello everyone! Welcome to the next chapter in the "Key of the Titans". Once again, I have to thank you guys for reading this story and for letting it go on for this long. I really wish I could high-five you all but were all so far apart, so air-fives. Anyway, I will be skipping a few episodes again and continue on the main story of Season 4. I hope you guys are okay with that choice and that you enjoy the chapter. Now onto the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Teen Titans.

Chapter 48: The Prophecy

The bright moon illuminated over Jump City as the citizens began to turn in for the night or running last-minute errands. It would be logical for even the superhero team of the town to be getting some shut-eye as well.

But not tonight.

Ever since their encounter with Slade, the Titans have spent nearly every waking moment looking for any information about how the masked criminal returned from the dead and had acquired powers beyond their own capabilities. Each Titan were doing their part to assist in the search: Robin and Beast Boy were studying the video of Slade beating them from security cameras nearby; Cyborg and Ravager were searching through the databases for the symbol on Slade's forehead but ended up with nothing; Starfire was looking through books from Tamaran that she brought home, and Raven was pouring through all her novels and texts for any possible answers. Sora and Stitch were currently going through his room, looking for Jiminy's journals.

"Anything Stitch?" Sora asked. The blue alien was digging through a shelf, tossing out each book and toy in their before poking his head out.

"Nada," He replied, making Sora groan in annoyance.

"I wish Jiminy was here right now. We could use another look through his notes," Sora said, walking over to his bed where the Keyblade book laid. He opened it up and flipped through the pages only to come up with nothing again. "Ugh, I wish something useful just popped up in here. I want to help everyone but…I don't know how," Sora said, sitting on the ground with his hands in his hair. Stitch crawled over and hopped onto Sora's shoulders for support. Sora lifted his head and smiled in response.

"Thanks, Stitch. C'mon, let's go see if the others found anything," Sora said. He got up from the ground with Stitch and made his way to the door and towards Raven's room, knocking on it. "Hey Raven? Any luck with the symbol?" Sora asked. He heard a little shuffling around before she replied.

"No. It's not in any of my books," Raven said.

"Ah, well I couldn't find anything in that book and all the notes that I had on my previous enemies are with my friends back home," Sora said. The door then opened slightly, revealing Raven on the other side. Sora smiled until he noticed something off.

"Is everything ok? You look…paler than before?" Sora asked, worriedly. Raven smiled and took his hand to calm him down.

"It's nothing. I just haven't been able to meditate lately. That's all," Raven said. Sora still looked worried at the toll this was taking on her. "I'm fine Sora. Don't worry," She said.

"I still can't help it. I mean I know we're going to find Slade but I can't help but think about the toll this is taking on you," Sora said. Raven nodded and hugged him in response, with Sora returning it.

"Slade doesn't concern me," She replied.

"Raven?" Sora asked confused. Suddenly, the alarms and red flashers went off, startling them.

"Friends! Come quickly!" Starfire's voice echoed across the Tower. Stitch climbed down from Sora and headed towards the Ops Room, leaving the two there.

"We should uh-" Sora said but was interrupted by Raven kissing him.

"Go, I'll catch up," Raven replied. Sora nodded and headed towards the Ops Room. Her smile faltered when he was gone as she turned towards the closed books lying on her bed. She used her powers to move them under her mattress before heading out to the Ops Room. She walked in to see the team standing around a large copy of the red S draped over the kitchen counter. Her face adopted a look of fear as she walked closer to Sora, who gave her a comfort side hug.

"Cyborg and Rose were correct. This symbol is not of the Earth. And what I have discovered is most disturbing," Starfire said. Raven tried to stay calm but her eyes could not stop widening in worry. Starfire extends a pointer and aims it towards a red spot on the upper left of the S. "Please, give your attention to this quadrant. In the folklore of the Zargac nomads, markings such as these were used as a prelude to the Goulding," Starfire continued, explaining a group of alien warriors and a ritual that involves eating worms. However, she is interrupted by Beast Boy pulling the small spot off and holds it up to everyone.

"It's tofu calzone. My bad," Beast Boy said, tossing the small piece over to where Silkie and Stitch were, making them fight over it. The others roll their eyes while Raven let out a breath of relief.

"Oh…never mind," Starfire said, deflated.

"Well, good to know that my father isn't a part of worm eating rituals but we still have to figure out-" Rose commented when suddenly the alarms went off again and everyone turned to the screen to see Slade's insignia next to a glowing spot in a part of the city.

"He's back," Sora said.

"Let's not disappoint him. Titans Go!" Robin yelled as the team ran out. Raven stayed behind and looked down at the S before following her friends.

(Later, down in an abandoned part of Jump City)

The Titans landed on the road to see Slade further up ahead as he shoots flames at the nearby buildings.

"What is he up to?" Sora asked.

"Dunno. Lets go find out," Ravager said. Robin nodded and the team ran down the road. Slade was about to shoot another fireball but was interrupted by Sora shooting a spell of water at him, putting out the flames.

"Vandalism? I'd say you hit an all-new low, Slade," Robin said, summoning his keyblade, along with Cyborg, and Starfire.

"The Teen Titans. Nice of you to drop by but as you can see, I'm right in the middle of something. I'll deal with you in a few minutes," Slade replied.

"Not happening Slade. We're not letting you get away," Sora said, while Ravager pulled out her swords and beast Boy turned into a grizzly bear.

"You can't always have what you want, Sora," Slade answered. He then re-ignites his fists and bangs them together, shooting a huge fiery fissure towards them. The team dive for cover while Slade takes off towards the buildings.

"Titans! Split up and take him down!" Robin said. The team nods and takes off after Slade, who continues to destroy one building from another, setting fire to the streets that he passes. Cyborg stops after a burning stone column crashes in front of him.

"Doesn't Slade know this whole block is already slated for demolition?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy lands on a nearby ledge in human form.

"Since when did Slade need an excuse to wreck stuff?" Beast Boy replied before becoming a cheetah and taking off. Slade then lands on top of a roof and fires two jets of flames at other buildings before leaping towards the ground. Suddenly, Sora tackled into him in midair before crashing down onto the pavement. The two quickly recovered as Sora clashed with Slade's flame empowered staff. They struck at each other a few more times until Slade kicked Sora away while the keyblade wielder fired a burst of ice right in Slade's face, knocking the two back.

"How did you come back? And where did you get those powers?" Sora asked.

"You want to know about this, don't you?" Slade asked as he stalked towards Sora, leaving behind flaming footprints in the ground. "How many sleepless nights have you had, trying to uncover its secret? Dreaming that I would steal Raven in the night while you slept? Well, let me put your mind at ease. It's called the Mark of Skath. And it's about to become very popular," Slade answered.

"What are you planning? And why does it involve Raven?" Sora asked, pointing his keyblade at the masked criminal.

"I'm not planning anything. I'm simply providing a valuable public service. Illumination," Slade said while drawing the mark in the air, turning it into a giant fireball. "And as for Raven, you best ask her," Slade said before launching ball towards him. Sora quickly puts up a shield but the ball easily punches through it and sends Sora crashing into a nearby wall. He lets out a pained breath and looks up to see Slade standing over him with another fireball at the ready. Suddenly, multiple knives fly by and explode, pushing him back while Ravager lands and swings her swords at her father. He easily dodges the strikes before wrapping his daughter in a flaming whip and throwing her into a destroyed car.

Slade was about to take off again when Robin and Starfire flew in and barraged him with exploding discs and starbolts from their keyblades. When the smoke clears, Slade emerges unscathed and jumps towards a construction crane overlooking the part of the city. The crane buckles under his weight and falls apart, sending the wrecking ball hanging from the crane flying and knocking into Robin and Starfire. Slade continues onward until Cyborg and Beast Boy slow him down, with Beast Boy distracting him as a flying squirrel while Cyborg shoots out the ledge Slade was standing on, making him and a bunch of rubble to fall to the ground. Beast Boy takes off while Cyborg takes cover from the burning rubble while Slade lands on his feet. The masked criminal takes off while Beast Boy saves Cyborg from the rubble as a brontosaurus.

Slade eventually stops in front of a building while reigniting his hands when Raven's soul-self emerges in front of him and changes back to herself.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Only what any messenger wants, Raven. For their message to be heard. It's time your boyfriend and the others learned the truth. And if you don't tell them, I will," Slade threatened while Raven lowered down to the steps.

"Leave them out of this," Raven demanded.

"I didn't bring them into this. You did, the day you came into their lives. Tick-tock, Raven. Time is running out," Slade said before raising his hands and summoning a fire tornado around himself. The flames move towards Raven, who quickly creates a shield to protect herself, before dissipating it as the fire died down. Meanwhile, Robin was standing in the middle of the flames with his communicator in hand.

"Titans! Do you read me?" He asked while dodging a falling beam.

"I read you, but I don't see you!" Cyborg answered.

"We need to put out these flames quick!" Ravager answered back.

"Sora and I see you all, and something else," Starfire said in the air with Sora.

"Oh my…goodness," Sora said shocked. On the ground, the flames seemed to be nothing but senseless violence but up in the air, the flames created a trace of the Mark of Skath, only on a bigger and terrifying scale, forever marked onto the Earth.

(Later)

After putting out the flames and Sora giving everyone a Cure spell, the team now stood in the barren part of the city before the only remaining building that survived Slade's attacks, Jump City's first library.

"Everything in a three-block radius has been destroyed except this. Slade left it standing for a reason," Robin deducted.

"I wonder why," Sora said. Cyborg accessed his forearm panel and looked into the history of the building.

"According to the city's master plan, this is the original town library. But it's been abandoned for decades," Cyborg said.

"No wonder. This place is a dump," Beast Boy replied, kicking a nearby column. Suddenly, it fell apart, scaring the changeling away, as the decaying stones fall apart. The Titans wave the resulting dust away, revealing the Mark of Skath etched in red on the wall.

"Well that answers that question," Ravager said.

"The Mark of Skath," Sora said, surprising everyone, especially Raven.

"Mark of what?" Beast Boy asked.

"That's what Slade called it. Though he didn't say much else," Sora answered. Robin nodded and began to walk towards it.

"Wait!" Raven said, stopping everyone. "We shouldn't go in. It's probably a trap," She said, concerned.

"It's also the only lead we have so far. We'll have to chance it," Ravager replied. Robin nodded to Starfire, who forced the barred doors open. Sora was about to walk in when he felt Raven grab his hand to stop him.

"Sora please! It could be dangerous!" Raven said. Sora smiled and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Your right, it could be. But we need some answers and this is all we have. C'mon," Sora said. Raven reluctantly walked in while still holding his hand as the two followed the team inside. Cyborg activates his shoulder flashlight to see what laid inside the decrypted building as bats flutter above them.

"Dudes, even without the creepy librarians, I'm not digging this place," Beast Boy voiced out. The team continued through until they came to a blank wall.

"Dead end," Robin said as Cyborg turned off his flashlight.

"There's nothing here. Can we go now?" Raven said, huddling closer to Sora. Suddenly, without the team noticing, the Mark appeared on top of her forehead for a flash before disappearing. Then beams of white light pierce through the darkness before forming into the Mark, causing the wall to fall apart, revealing a stairway passage while also scaring Beast Boy yet again.

"Uh…I mean…cool! Heh, heh, he. Secret passage! You go first," Beast Boy said to Cyborg, who activated his flashlight.

"That was really convenient," Ravager said, suspicious. The group continue down the stair case before reaching the bottom, revealing a huge chamber where big, cloaked, hooded, skeleton sculptures loomed from the walls.

"I did not realize your libraries housed such unpleasant sculptures," Starfire said, looking up at the figures. Cyborg looks to his panel again to figure out more.

"They don't. This part of the building is old. I mean, old old. Like before the city was built," Cyborg said.

"Skath must've built this long ago," Ravager said. Sora and Raven were the last ones down the steps but as soon as Raven set foot on the floor, the Mark again appears on her forehead as more red runes spread across the floor and chamber walls in rapid pace. The team looked around in shock at the runes as suddenly the sculpture's empty eyes flare white and several spirits emerge from the stones.

"The gem was born of evil's fire. The gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim. He comes to sire. The end of all things mortal," The spirits chant. As they speak, the marks and runes appear all over Raven's skin and clothes, making her break grip with Sora and cover herself with her cloak. Sora turns to face her and see her scared face.

"Raven?" He asked confused. She wraps the cloak tighter and runs back up the stairs. "Raven!" Sora yelled, catching the attention of the others. She continues running until Sora catches up with her. "Are you okay? Those…marks," Sora asked. She turned to him as she kept the cloak around her.

"This place…it's…I shouldn't be here. It's all wrong," Raven said worried.

"What's going on, Raven? You can tell me, please," Sora said, taking her hand again but she quickly broke free.

"I can't explain. I just need to leave. I can't go back in there," Raven said while turning into her soul self and disappearing through the ceiling.

"Wait!" Sora yelled, reaching out to her but was too late as she vanished out of sight. Sora let out a breath before walking back down the steps to see the others analyzing the spirit's chant.

"It appears to be some kind of…prophecy," Starfire said.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good," Cyborg said.

"This is some serious evil, even for Slade," Beast Boy said.

"Not Slade. Whoever he's working for," Robin replied.

"Skath," Ravager answered. Sora then walked past them as they took notice.

"'The gem shall be his portal' right? Then that means he's coming and that gem is how he gets here. I don't care who this Skath is or what he is up to but its threatening us all and hurting Raven the most. So, we need to find it and destroy it," Sora said, summoning his keyblade and cutting through the stone rock before them, creating an opening.

"Um, Sora, where's Raven?" Ravager asked. Sora de-summoned his keyblade before looking down in worry.

"She left," He replied before running into the darkness. The others shared a concerned look before running after the keyblade wielder. As they left, the spirits began to chant again.

"Once he has taken this world, the love between the Guardian of Light and Gem of Darkness will destroy him. They have arrived to save, they have arrived to protect…the end of the Demon's reign," they chanted, though went unnoticed.

(Meanwhile, back at the Tower)

Raven teleported back into her room as the candles reignited themselves. The marks have since left her body as she takes the book from under her bed before clearing the floor.

"You might be able to stop me from meditating…," She said as she used her powers to pour two flasks of sand around her into a complete circle. "…but you can't stop me from leaving!" She continued while sitting cross-legged in the circle as candles arrange around her. She then places her fingertips on the cover of the book as she begins to chant with her eyes closed. As she chanted, flecks of blue light began to rise from the sand and created a barrier that covered the ceiling before forming into a swirling vortex. Raven looks up into the vortex with eyes glowing white as she is pulled into it while scraps of paper fly around and fall to the ground as the barrier closes in a flash of light.

(Meanwhile, in the Library)

The team made it down the passage before walking into a huge circular shaft where those was no sight of the bottom and the walls were lined with a spiraling staircase. The team looked down from the far as Ravager whistled in shock.

"How far down do you think it goes?" She asked and the team shrugged in response.

"Only one way to find out," Beast Boy said before suddenly snorting in all the air he could take as the group backed away from him in disgust as he shot a loogie out and let it fall straight down the shaft. Everyone peered down trying to hear the splat but it wasn't until a few seconds pass that they hear a splat at the bottom. Cyborg could only comment about the how far the shaft goes.

"Then we better get started. I'm willing to bet that gem is down there," Robin said, walking down the steps.

"Yes but what else is down there?" Starfire asked. Sora then walked past everyone as he created a ball of light in his hand.

"It doesn't matter. The sooner we get this done, the sooner Raven will get better," Sora said, leading everyone down as they shared a glance. Ravager walked beside Sora before tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey, is everything ok between you two?" She asked concerned.

"Hhm, oh yeah everything is fine. It's just…" Sora stopped before taking a breath. "Ever since Slade came back, she's been quieter then usual, like she's hiding something. I get why but we trust each other to keep secrets and share whatever is bothering us and now she's kinda back to her old ways. I've never seen her this scared before, except for the time with that scary movie but never like this," Sora said.

"So, you're kinda hoping that destroying this gem will help her?" She asked and Sora nodded in response. "Well, until we do, I think the best thing you can do is trust her and hope that she can handle it. She's strong and doesn't give up that easily," Rose said. Sora nodded and took another breath before continuing on with the others. They made their way further into the shaft when a low distant moaning began to echo across the space, putting them on alert.

"What is that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Sounds like company," Robin replied. Everyone looks around for the source of the noise before taking a look down the staircase in the darkness, where a blue spot suddenly flares up and flies towards them. Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy let out screams of fear as the blue forms turn out to be skeletal, beaked, specters with wings and scythe weapons. Robin goes to punch one of them but his fist flies straight through the ethereal body.

"We can't hit them!" He alerted. One of the specters charge past Cyborg, nearly sending him over the edge but he manages to right himself.

"But they can hit us!" He said before being bomb rushed by more specters into the wall. Sora manages to dodge a scythe swipe before swinging his keyblade at the specters, managing to land a hit and drive it back.

"Use your keyblades! You can hit them with it!" Sora yelled. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg summon their keyblades in a flash of light and manage to ward off most of the specters.

"Ravager, Beast Boy, stay close! Everyone else form up and hold them off until we get to the bottom," Robin yelled out. The team continued fighting off the specters as they continued down the staircase when suddenly a bunch of ghost hands reached through the stairs ready to grab at their feet. Cyborg was the only one to notice and screamed before shooting down at the staircase with his sonic cannon, destroying the section of steps before them.

"Oops," Cyborg simply replied. The team stopped and looked back towards the specters.

"Uh-oh," Beast Boy commented.

"Now what?" Ravager asked, dodging a charging ghost.

"Follow me!" Robin yelled before running towards the center of the shaft and jumping clear off the staircase and into the darkness below. Sora quickly follows after him with Ravager, Beast Boy, and Starfire soon after.

"Uh, maybe you didn't get the memo, Robin? You, me, and Rose can't fly!" Cyborg yelled down to them. But he turns around to see more specters rising from the walls and stairs, so he takes a breath and cannonballs into the darkness with the ghosts flying after them. The group fell for a good few minutes when Sora spotted the Mark of Skath on a wall further down from where they were.

"There!" Sora called out before casting an Aero spell below him, propelling himself up. Robin and Ravager pulled their grappling hooks and fired them at the staircase above the Mark. Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl and flew to the mark while Starfire grabbed Cyborg and hauled him up. Once everyone was back together, Sora pried the Mark off the wall, revealing another passage.

"This way! Let's go!" Sora said as everyone ran into the passage with the specters right on their tail. Robin shoots a couple of discs from his keyblade while Sora creates a shield to hold them off. The discs detonate, warding off the specters for a minute but the team comes to a stop in front of several darkened corridors.

"Which way is the gem?" Ravager asked. The team looked at the high-arched ceilings marked with symbols until Sora finds the Mark of Skath on one of them.

"Follow the Mark!" Sora said, leading the way as they run down each corridor with the Mark before coming to a stop due to the next corridors not having the mark.

"There's no mark! What do we do?" Beast Boy asked.

"Pick one!" Robin asked as the specters caught up to them, forcing them on the defensive. Beast Boy randomly picked one of the corridors and runs down it but not a second later, he comes running back with a another army of specters right behind him.

"NOT MOE! NOT MOE!" Beast Boy screamed. Ravager quickly fired a grappling hook around Beast Boy's waist and pulled him forward before throwing an explosive knife at the roof of the pathway, causing it to cave in. But that didn't stop the specters as their hands slowly phased through.

"We need to hurry!" She called out. Sora quickly destroyed one specter before shooting another with a beam of light while looking towards the corridors. His eyes then landed on a corridor with the dragon keystone.

"This way! Quick!" Sora yelled out as the team retreated from the specters as they gave chase but were blocked by a huge stone slab, stopping them.

"Is everyone okay?" Sora asked, casting a cure spell on everyone.

"Better now. Where are we?" Ravager asked. Cyborg activated his flashlight, illuminating the chamber they were in.

"Not sure," Robin said. Starfire walked back to the slab and tried to move it but it wouldn't budge.

"It appears we cannot get out," She informed them.

"Yeah but at least those things didn't follow us in," Cyborg said, turning off his light.

"Uh, guys? You kinda need to see this," Beast Boy said. Everyone looked and shock fell onto their faces to what they saw. The ledge they were standing on overlooked a large stone pillar topped with a hand, palm facing upward and fingers splayed out in the center of a chamber. A pillar of white light shot up from the palm and large arched structures were arranged around the walls.

"I'm getting a serious déjà vu vibe here," Cyborg said.

"Not only that, but something about this place seems really familiar," Beast Boy commented. Starfire flies closer to the structure and sees that it resembles Raven with her hood up, the face had no details.

"Yes. It looks like…Raven," Starfire said. Sora looked up at the structures with worry.

"Sora?" Ravager asked.

"Why? What does this all have to do with her? Why is Skath targeting her?" Sora said, worried. Ravager placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he took a breath. Everyone eventually made their down from the platform until Robin notices something missing.

"The gem! It's gone!" Robin said. Everyone looked to see nothing in the pillar of light.

"No," Sora said.

"You must be disappointed," Slade's voice echoed across the chamber and everyone looked to see the criminal standing atop one of the fingers. Sora summoned his keyblade in response.

"Where's the gem?" Sora yelled out in anger.

"Not here. But much closer to you than you think," Slade said, jumping down from the fingertip.

"Who is Skath? Tell us who you're working for!" Robin demanded.

"Mmm…I'd love to introduce you but unfortunately, you won't be around that long," Slade said before reading his powers and charging at them.

(Meanwhile, with Raven)

After passing through the magical vortex, Raven found herself standing on bare rock under a sunny, orange-tinted sky. She looks around in worry before her eyes turn to lays before her: a gigantic floating monolith with a massive city built on to the upper surface with an tall, imposing tower in the center of it.

"Azarath. My last hope," She said to herself as she floated into her previous home. She began walking around looking for anyone but not a living soul was around.

"Hello," Raven said, the word echoing across the empty city. She stares at her reflection in a nearby red plate-glassed window. "Not like I expected a parade but…" She said when suddenly a dove flies past her. She runs after it and after passing a few buildings, she saw the dove fly all the way up to the peak of a Tower. At the top of the building was a huge, gold, bird with wings spread toward the sky and on the high balcony stood a woman clad in a white cloak with the hood up, short blue hair, and a red gem on her forehead. The dove lands on the woman's hand as she walks away while glancing toward Raven, who begins to fly up to the balcony.

"Arella!" Raven called out as she landed while Arella kept her back to her. "No, wait! I've come back. Mother, please help me," She begged.

"You always had a home here, my child. But help we could not give," Arella said as she turned to face her while doves fluttered by the balcony. Raven held out the book to her mother, hoping for an answer.

"The prophecy…it's happening. You have to tell me how to stop it," Raven said.

"Nothing could be done. The promise of your birth was absolute," Arella replied in a gloomy tone. Raven's grip on the book tightened in response.

"I don't believe you! There has to be a way. I don't want to be this. I don't want to help him," Raven said in anger before turning her face away. "Mother…I'm…afraid," She admitted, her eyes dropping.

"You forever had the love of your people, Raven, even knowing what you would become, and what that would bring. Now you must confide in the Guardian," Arella said.

"Guardian? Who's that?" Raven asked.

"You'll learn. Just as you'll learn that it was too late for Earth, just like it was too late for Azarath," Arella said. Suddenly a flock of doves scatter in front of Raven, blocking her view of Arella but as soon as they disappear, all she was the city of Azarath lying in utter devastation and smoldering ruins under a blood red sky. She could only look on in wide-eyed horror at the sight.

"No," was the only thing she could whisper as she stood on only a beam of the once great Tower, now nothing destroyed monument. She suddenly heard a deep laughter echo across the city and she looked up to see four, red eyes staring at her through the smoke and haze. She glared back at them with eyes glowing white.

(Meanwhile, back with the Titans)

"Struggling only makes it worse, and how I hate to see you suffer," Slade said, smirking behind his mask, as he ensnared the Titans in fiery tendrils. They all tried to break free but the tendrils only tightened around their abdomens, making them groan in pain. "This won't hurt a bit," He said, while readying another fireball in his hand.

"Wanna bet?!" Raven's voice suddenly yelled out across the chamber as a huge slab of stone rams into Slade and crushes him into a nearby wall, freeing the Titans. Sora gets up from the ground and looks up to the pillar to see Raven standing in the shaft of light, the red inscriptions all over her body and eyes glowing white with anger. Suddenly, the stone explodes, freeing Slade while Sora created a shield around everyone to protect from any fragments. Raven floated down from the pillar while Slade walks towards her.

"I told you to leave them out of this!" Raven said in a menacing tone.

"How sweet. You've come back to save your friends. But you're only delaying their pain…and yours," Slade said, readying his powers, though strangely not attacking her.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Raven asked while walking past the Titans and up to the villain's face. "Aren't you going to attack? Reduce me to ashes? Or did your master forbid you from hurting me? Did he order you to keep his gem safe?" Raven asked, while Slade slightly recoiled from the response.

"So Raven has the gem?" Cyborg asked, rubbing his head.

"No. Raven is the gem," Robin said, putting it all together and surprising everyone.

"What?! She is?!" Sora asked. Meanwhile, Slade put out the flames in his hands and relaxed.

"I'll be sure to give him your regards," Slade said as he began to sink into the ground before disappearing.

"I'm not finished yet!" Raven yelled, dropping to her knees and reaching into the ground with her powers. She then got to her feet and levitated Slade right out of the ground, a look of shock coming from his lone eye. "This time, I have a message for you," She continued as her eyes blaze and her powers extend over Slade's entire body. She then throws him all across the chamber's ceiling, each throw getting more and more vicious. Raven floats past her friends as they stare at her, silent and dumbfounded.

"You tell him that he'll have to destroy me before I help him!" Raven yelled.

"You can tell him yourself. The hour is near," Slade replied, sounding weak. Suddenly, another huge stone falls down on top of him. She swings her arms again as Slade goes flying out of the mass and into more walls before holding him steady. She then closes her hand into a fist, making tons of fragments crash into and encase Slade in midair. She then manifests her soul self behind her, making Slade's eyes widen in pure shock, before launching it straight at him with a primal scream. The resulting hit causes a huge explosion that rocks the whole chamber and hides half of it in smoke while the team tries to stay still. When the smoke clears, Slade is left standing in a huge crater in a wall, his head twisted at a grotesque and unlivable angle but with a few cracks to the vertebrae and it's back to normal. Raven then floats down in front of him.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" Raven said.

"You might not fear me but look who's afraid of you," Slade commented. Raven looked over her shoulder to see her friends while Slade takes the opportunity to disappear through the wall. Her eyes widen in shock as Sora walks up to her while the others remain still in shock.

"Raven?" He could only say. She couldn't answer and looked away from them, scared of what they might say. Sora simply embraced her, though she didn't return it..

(Later, back at the Tower)

The team now sat on the couches in the Ops Room after the whole event, with Raven and Sora sitting next to each other with Stitch on her lap, Beast Boy to the other side, and Robin, Rose, Starfire, and Cyborg scattered about.

"The ancient order used the name "Skath" to protect the true identity of their master. We know him as Trigon," Raven said, shocking everyone.

"Are you serious? That's who we're up against? Oh, man!" Cyborg said, rubbing his head.

"His cruelty is legendary, even on my world," Starfire said.

"I remember reading about him at one point. I never thought he was real," Rose said.

"So, what makes you go all glowy in the dark?" Beast Boy asked.

"It's a warning. It means Trigon is coming, and the ay he gets here is through me. I'm not just a person. I'm a portal," Raven revealed. Sora could hold her hand for comfort.

"But, Raven, why you?" Robin asked, the question on everyone's mind. She took a breath in response.

"Because…Trigon…is my father," She revealed, shocking everyone to their cores.

"Y-you mean…He's…?" Sora asked, pointing to her head and she nodded in response. She began to get up as Stitch moved and she walked over to the window.

"Bad things are going to happen soon. Really bad things. And it's gonna be my fault. I thought I could handle this alone. I tried…but…I was wrong," Raven replied. Starfire flew over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"For confiding in us, we are most humbled," Starfire replied.

"I only have one question. How do we stop him?" Cyborg asked.

"We don't. The only answer I could find was someone called the Guardian but I don't know who they are or if they're even around. My book doesn't even say anything about them," Raven said.

"Well, that doesn't mean we can't find them or stop your dad," Beast Boy replied. All of them could only remain silent as the sun began to rise.

(Meanwhile, with Slade)

Slade was kneeling on a small bank surrounded by lava in an underground cavern.

"The prophecy has been revealed. The portal has accepted her fate," Slade said.

"DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT THE GUARDIAN?" The voice of Trigon echoed across the cavern.

"No, she does not," Slade replied.

"HMMM. YOU SERVE ME WELL, SLADE. CONTINUE TO PLEASE ME, AND I SHALL HONOR OUR DEAL. I SHALL RETURN WHAT YOU HAVE LOST," Trigon replied.

"I am depending on it," Slade said, the Mark flaring from his forehead.

(Later, back with Sora and Raven)

Sora and Raven were walking down the hallways holding each other for comfort after all that has happened.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about…all of this from the beginning. I just…," Raven said but Sora silenced her with a kiss on the lips.

"You don't need to apologize. You had every right. I mean, I can never imagine being in the position you are Rae. And…I wish I could do more to help you," Sora said. Raven could only smile and hug him again.

"You're doing enough, being here to comfort me. Also, sorry if I scared you back there," She said.

"Heh, you're fine. It was actually pretty cool seeing Slade get tossed around like that. I'm also happy that Robin figured out that you were the gem, otherwise I would've-" Sora said before going silent.

"Sora?" Raven asked.

"When you left, I was…ready to destroy that gem, hoping to help you but now knowing this, I'm glad I didn't," Sora said. Raven nodded.

"Me too, Sora. Me too," She said. The two eventually stopped at Raven's room.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," Sora said about to walk away but was stopped by Raven holding tightly to his hand. "Raven?" He asked, confused.

"Could you…could you stay with me? For tonight?" Raven asked. Sora's eyes widen before smiling and nodding. The two walked into her room and got comfortable as they both laid next to each other.

"Thank you," Raven said before closing her eyes. Sora nodded.

"Your welcome," Sora said, closing his eyes as well, holding her close. Unknown to the two, a white-cloaked figure watched from a corner while stroking a dove in her hand.

"Please protect her, Guardian. You must, especially for what's to come. Please," Arella said, before disappearing in a burst of dove feathers.

And that is the end! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Sora and the Titans learning more about what Raven is and the great evil they will have to face. I'm kinda glad to say as well that this didn't take me so long to write. Luckily, I wasn't as busy as I used to be so hopefully that won't change. Along with that, I hope everyone is staying safe from this "delta variant" or whatever they're calling it nowadays. Now onto the reviews from the previous chapter:

Kegeto: Glad you liked the idea. It's been on my head for awhile so I thought it would be a good idea.

UmbranKeyblade: I understand your confusion and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Wlyman2009: That's fair. I am going to age them up a little bit. If you want more info , than you can always PM me about the decision.

Shobu556: Thanks, glad you liked the chapter. And I do plan to expand upon the whole idea.

Darkmaster1000000: A pretty big effect for the Vanitas reveal. Yeah, I can't wait to write about everyone going "WHAT!" And yeah, at one point Xehanort would've been introduced to Sora.

The Ultra Bloodedge: Yeah, I like that theory too. But I don't know, sometime ago, it sorta clicked with me. And yeah, I'm going to age them up a bit more.

NinjaFang1331: Thank you and I'm happy that you like the twist.

Perturbedork: You and me both. Glad you like the idea.

Althea Sirius: Huge plot twist and I'm glad you like it.

Black prowler: Uh, I probably won't make that chapter but there's nothing stopping you from writing it my friend.

Crazzytony: I understand why its weird and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Guest: I believe I already showed it in the "Birthmark" chapter.

Khy Dragon: Yes it does and yes it does.

3bodyjaa: Thanks!

Khy Dragon: I know! Or at least got some answers to what happened next! Anything!

Once again, if you guys ever need someone to talk to or rant about anything, you can always PM me at anytime. If you wish to see more, please favor and follow to stay updated on new chapters and stories! If you have an idea or opinion to share, please PM or leave a review. Thank you guys for reading my stories and I will see you in the next chapter! Peace, guys!