Meanwhile, Beast Boy had been tracking Terra's scent for hours. A scrap of her torn clothing from their earlier fight had given him enough to go on. His wolf form followed the trail through the outskirts of the city, his heightened senses guiding him toward an old, crumbling building on the edge of town.
"This is the place," he thought to himself as he reverted to human form, creeping closer to the structure. His heart pounded in his chest, but his focus was sharp. He had to find Terra, no matter what it took.
As he approached the building, he noticed figures lurking near the entrance—Tamaranean soldiers, their golden armor gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Beast Boy's eyes widened in surprise. "What are Tamaraneans doing here?"
Something didn't feel right, and the presence of Blackfire was starting to make more sense. He shifted into a small rat and scurried his way inside, sneaking past the soldiers undetected. His tiny form allowed him to slip through a crack in the wall and into another room.
That's when he saw her.
Terra was inside a large, transparent pod, floating in some kind of strange liquid. Wires and tubes connected to the pod, pulsing with energy. Her face was peaceful, but there was something wrong, something eerie about how still she was.
"I've got to get her out of there," Beast Boy thought, his heart racing. He was about to shift into something stronger, ready to break the pod open, when a voice echoed from behind him.
"Like what you see, Beast Boy?"
Beast Boy froze, his blood turning cold. He spun around to see none other than Blackfire standing in the shadows, her wicked grin cutting through the darkness.
"When that pod is finished, she'll be her good old self again… except this time, she'll be helping me conquer the universe."
Beast Boy's breath caught in his throat as he realized the full extent of what was happening. Blackfire wasn't just holding Terra captive—she was turning her into a weapon.
His hands clenched into fists. "I won't let you do this to her," he growled.
Blackfire smirked, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I'd like to see you try, little boy."
The tension between Beast Boy and Blackfire reached its breaking point as the dark Tamaranean princess stepped closer, her malevolent grin only widening.
Beast Boy's body tensed, his muscles readying for the inevitable clash. Without warning, he shifted into his gorilla form, charging at her with full force. His massive fists swung through the air, aimed at her with everything he had. But Blackfire was no ordinary foe.
With a swift motion, she dodged the attack, her dark energy flaring as she countered with a blast of purple energy straight to his chest. The impact sent Beast Boy crashing into the wall, rubble scattering around him as he growled in frustration.
"Come on, little boy," Blackfire taunted, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. "Is that all you've got?"
Beast Boy shifted quickly, turning into a wolf and leaping at her, his teeth bared. But Blackfire was too fast—she sidestepped again, spinning and kicking him hard in the ribs. The force of the blow knocked him into the center of the room. Beast Boy winced in pain but quickly turned into a cheetah, darting around her, looking for an opening. Despite his agility and newfound strength from months of training, Blackfire's experience and raw power gave her the edge.
The battle raged on, taking them into the open section of the old building. Blackfire was relentless, her fists glowing with crackling energy as she launched blast after blast, while Beast Boy tried to evade and counter. But it was clear—she was stronger, more ruthless. Beast Boy was running out of steam.
Desperation welled up inside him, and Beast Boy knew he needed to shift the tide before Blackfire finished him off. With a low growl, he called upon his most fearsome form: the feral wildbeast.
His body morphed and expanded, bones cracking as he grew into the hulking, savage creature. His eyes glowed with primal fury, and with a deafening roar, he lunged at Blackfire. This time, his blows connected—he was faster, stronger. He swiped at her with brutal force, knocking her back. For a moment, he had the upper hand.
Blackfire's grin faltered, her eyes narrowing in frustration. But she wasn't about to let Beast Boy win so easily. With a sharp whistle, she called forth her Tamaranean soldiers, who appeared from the shadows, weapons drawn.
Beast Boy's heart sank as the soldiers surrounded him. He fought fiercely, tearing through them with feral strength, but the numbers were overwhelming. Blackfire seized the moment, hitting him with a blast of energy that sent him skidding across the ground.
Things were looking grim. Beast Boy, panting and bleeding, could barely hold himself up.
Just when it seemed like the end, the sound of footsteps echoed through the crumbling building, followed by a familiar voice. "Need some backup?"
Beast Boy looked up, grinning through the pain. Robin, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire stood at the entrance, ready for battle.
"Told you I wasn't lying!" Beast Boy quipped with a weak smile, always the joker, even on the edge of defeat.
Robin raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off, quickly assessing the situation. "Save the jokes for later. Titans, go!"
The Titans leaped into the fray, engaging Blackfire and her soldiers. Starfire immediately clashed with her sister, their violet and green energy blasts lighting up the sky as they traded furious blows. Cyborg and Raven tackled the Tamaranean soldiers, while Robin moved with expert precision, taking down enemies with his staff.
Even with the team fighting at full force, the numbers were against them. Blackfire's soldiers fought viciously, and Blackfire herself seemed more than capable of handling the combined might of her sister and the rest of the Titans.
Just when it seemed like the battle might turn against them again, a rumble shook the ground. The debris around them began to rise, swirling with power.
Terra stepped forward from the shadows, her eyes blazing with determination. Without a word, she raised her hands, sending waves of earth and stone crashing into the Tamaranean soldiers, sweeping them off their feet. The ground cracked beneath them as Terra tore the battlefield apart, tipping the scales in the Titans' favor.
Beast Boy, still in his wildbeast form, looked at her in awe, a surge of hope rushing through him. Terra was back—really back.
Blackfire's smug confidence faltered. She growled, her eyes flickering with fury as she realized she was losing control of the fight. "This isn't over!" she hissed, her hands crackling with dark energy.
With a flick of her wrist, Blackfire activated a device on her armor. A high-pitched beep echoed through the building as small, red lights began blinking across the walls. The building was rigged to blow.
"Titans, retreat!" Robin shouted, realizing what was about to happen.
Blackfire gave one final sneer, launching herself into the air and disappearing into the night with her soldiers.
As the building began to shake violently, debris falling from above, Beast Boy had a sudden, chilling flashback to when Terra had sacrificed herself in the volcano all those years ago. He wasn't going to lose her again. Not like that.
Without a second thought, Beast Boy shifted back into his human form, rushing over to Terra, who was still controlling the crumbling earth beneath them.
"Hold on, Terra! I got you!" he shouted. As he scooped her up, he couldn't resist adding, "Although technically, shouldn't you be the one holding it together? You know, with all this groundbreaking work."
Terra looked at him, confused, but before she could say anything, Beast Boy scooped her up into his arms, grinning despite the chaos around them. "What? I told you I'm not losing you again."
Terra rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept onto her face. "You're such an idiot."
The building began to collapse, but with Beast Boy carrying Terra, they bolted toward the exit, the rest of the Titans close behind. As they burst through the crumbling doorway, the entire structure detonated, a massive explosion lighting up the sky behind them.
The Titans landed in the grass outside, covered in dust and debris but alive. As the shockwave rippled through the air, Beast Boy set Terra down gently, still panting from the escape. He glanced at her, his heart pounding in his chest.
The rest of the team gathered around, breathless but victorious. Starfire looked to the horizon, her eyes still filled with concern. "My sister will return. This is not the end."
Robin nodded grimly. "No, it's not. But we'll be ready."
Beast Boy and Terra exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them. For now, they had won the battle. But the war? The war was far from over.