(one year ago)

"Beast Boy! Go! Stop…whatever it is! Make sure the devil isn't about to appear!" Red Robin commanded.

"On it!" Beast Boy called back, morphing into a jaguar and charging into the chaos. He weaved through the frenzied cultists, their screams and war cries echoing off the stone walls. Beast Boy had seen some weird stuff before—the Light, aliens, the Reach—but a cult worshipping some guy named Scath? That was a new level of creepy.

He skidded to a halt in front of a massive stone tub brimming with thick, dark liquid. Blood. The realization and scent hit him hard, and his stomach churned.

At first, the surface was still. Then it began to bubble.

"Uh…guys…something is happening..." Beast Boy said, unease creeping in as his fur stood up. "Red? Miss M? Anybody?"

Suddenly, a pale hand shot out of the blood and gripped the side of the tub. "Guys, someone is definitely coming!" Beast Boy yelped, his voice cracking as he stumbled back as another hand appeared.

A figure slowly rose, limbs trembling. Bald head. No nose. No mouth. Only enormous violet eyes and a jewel embedded in its forehead.

Beast Boy's breath caught. "Guys!" His voice pitched higher as the figure crawled out of the tub. "I don't know what I'm looking at."

"We're…ugh…on our way!" Red Robin grunted, the sounds of a fight echoing in the background.

The figure continued rising. Female. "Oh," Beast Boy looked away, flustered by her naked form.

That was when Red Robin and Miss Martian burst into the room, followed by the rest of their team.

The girl stumbled out of the tub, struggling to use her arms and legs. "Who is that?" Kid Flash asked as Red Robin slowly approached the naked female.

Seeing Red Robin's approach, the female scurried back, curling into a ball. She then began grasping at her face. With a guttural scream, a mouth and nose tore through her skin, twisting her face in raw agony. A second pair of eyes appeared, as red symbols appeared on her skin, and she grasped her head, screaming in pain. Miss Martian appeared beside her, trying to calm her.

Beast Boy could only stare, wide-eyed and frozen.

(Present)

"So, what do you think?" Garfield grinned, bouncing on Raven's bed as she stared at his show's newest promo poster.

Raven blinked at the image of two bald, mouthless figures—one male, one female—with oversized, vibrant eyes. "So... you took how I looked when I first arrived and turned it into a character for your TV show?"

"Yup!" Garfield beamed. "We're calling them the Azaranians."

Raven's expression didn't change. "That's... interesting."

"The directors loved my out-of-the-box thinking."

"Well, I'm glad to have… inspired you," Raven said, deadpan, just as Garfield's phone buzzed in her hand. "You've got a text from Princess Perdita." She handed him the phone with a knowing, barely there smile.

"Oh—um—it's—uh—" Garfield's cheeks turned pink as he scrambled off the bed. "I need to... respond. And—uh—I'll see you tonight!"

Raven shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips, watching him retreat. She was so happy he was finally over his crush on her.

Her gaze drifted to the graduation cap and gown hanging neatly on her closet door.

Four weeks. Four weeks since the whole Enchantress ordeal. Four weeks since she'd last spoken to Tim.

Raven sighed and shook her head. No. This is for the best. She moved toward the closet, running her fingers over the silky fabric. I can't believe I'm graduating from high school. It felt surreal. And... college?

A quiet laugh slipped from her lips, but it quickly faded.

I wish... I wish...Her shoulders slumped. She wasn't even sure what she wished for.

Raven let herself fall back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Wondering. Just... wondering.

Enchantress gripped the sink with trembling hands, her breath ragged as she stared into the mirror.

She was falling apart.

Sweat slicked her pallid skin, and clumps of her dark hair clung to her face, shedding in brittle strands. Her body was betraying her, crumbling under the weight of the magic eating her alive.

But none of that mattered.

She would kill that sorceress bitch if it was the last thing she did.

Her lips twisted into a snarl as she raised a shaking hand, placing her palm on the cool glass of the mirror. Dark words slithered from her tongue, a guttural chant dripping with venom. The mirror throbbed beneath her palm. "Show me the sorceress called Raven," she hissed, her voice scraping like broken glass.

"So?" Dick called from across the garage. "You coming to Raven's graduation after-party? I convinced Bruce to rent a place in Aruba," he added smugly. "Well…I begged Alfred, who convinced Bruce. Same thing."

Tim didn't look up from his bike, tightening a bolt with more force than necessary. He then shot Dick a dark glare.

Dick's grin widened. "You want to hit me, don't you?" Tim grunted. "So a girl turned you down. Big deal."

"She didn't turn me down because I didn't offer her anything. We weren't even in a relationship."

"But…you kissed."

"Yeah. That's it. We kissed."

"Then why've you been brooding like someone stole your best algorithm and claimed it was theirs?" Dick leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

Tim exhaled sharply but said nothing.

Dick's eyes lit up. "Oh man. It is a big deal. It's a big deal because you like her. You really like her."

"Shut up," Tim snapped.

"You really like her."

"I will hurt you."

"Did you tell her?" Dick asked.

"That's none of your business," Tim tried ignoring him.

"See, that's why things didn't work out with Arianna, Zoanne, Stephanie, Bernard—and what even happened with Tamara?"

"Tamara was a onetime thing." Tim paused. "Okay, maybe twice. No…three times. But that was two years ago. She's in a relationship now." He narrowed his eyes. "And what do you mean, 'that's why things didn't work out'?"

"You never tell people how you actually feel. You just skirt around it and hope they figure it out."

"Oh, and you're an expert now?" Tim scoffed. "You're fourteen."

"And you're turning twenty-one," Dick shot back. "I'm just saying. And Cassandra agrees."

"What?!" Tim spun around to see Cassandra sitting silently in a shadowed corner, legs crossed. She gave him a slight nod. "Thanks, Cass. Real supportive." Tim sighed, mussing his hair. "Look, Raven's only been on this planet for a year. She's been through… a lot. She needs space. She doesn't need me messing things up with my feelings. She asked for space. I'm just respecting that."

"But I thought you weren't in a relationship?" Dick raised an eyebrow.

"We weren't."

"Then why'd she need space?"

Tim hesitated. "I guess… we were getting too close."

"Oh."

Tim opened his mouth to say more but froze when Cassandra shot up, her body tense. "Cass?" Tim asked, straightening. Dick moved beside him, alert.

She pointed toward the open garage door.

A figure was strolling up the Wayne driveway.

"Why didn't the alarms go off?" Dick murmured. "Why didn't they hit the intercom?"

"How did they get past the front gates?" Tim asked, eyes narrowing.

Cassandra nudged him. Tim activated his HUD lenses, scanning the figure. His breath caught. "Holy crap," he whispered.

"What?" Dick asked, tension rising.

"It's Jason."

"All right, seniors," the teacher droned, sounding as bored as ever. "Is everyone ready? This will be your last time walking through these gymnasium doors—at least until the reunion. Anyway, if you need to use the restroom, now's the time. You'll be seated on the football field in 15 minutes."

The students scrambled. Raven waited until the last girl exited the restroom before stepping inside. She stood before the mirror, adjusting her graduation cap. The reflection staring back at her felt…off. Graduating high school, preparing for college—these were things she never imagined for herself. It should have felt like a second chance, a fresh start. Yet, something gnawed at her, something she couldn't name. "It's okay," she whispered. "I can do this."

"All seniors, please make your way to the field! All seniors!" a teacher's voice echoed from the hall.

Raven gave herself one last look before exiting the bathroom. But she froze. She wasn't alone. That signature—dark, decaying, and bitter—was all too familiar. "Enchantress," she growled. Slowly, Raven turned to face the cloaked figure standing behind her.

"Raven," a crackling voice greeted. Enchantress lowered her hood, and Raven instinctively stepped back. The sorceress looked... awful. Her once thick, dark hair hung in limp, patchy strands. Hollow cheeks, sunken eyes—her entire presence radiated death.

"You're dying," Raven stated, voice flat.

"I am," Enchantress replied with a brittle smile. "So," she said, looking around, "this is where you hide when you're not playing hero."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here? Do you really want to waste what's left of your strength fighting me?"

Enchantress's smile didn't falter. "Yes. I do."

Tim, Cass, Dick, and Stephanie – who just arrived - stood in the Batcave, arms crossed, staring at a semi-arrogant, semi-sheepish Jason. "So," Jason began, "I'm guessing you're wondering where I've been all this time."

"Not really," Stephanie replied flatly, arms folded.

"You spent six months in Central America," Tim said coolly. "Then crossed into South America, where you stirred up trouble for eight months. From there—Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Russia, India, back to South America. We lost track of you in Argentina, but you resurfaced in Chile a week later. You worked your way back to Central America. We figured you hit the U.S. this week and assumed you'd skip town and head straight for Canada."

Jason scoffed. "You guys were tracking me this whole time? How? I did a full sweep for bugs."

"Yeah," Dick cut in, smirking, "and Bruce has, like, ten satellites and knows Constantine."

"I wasn't talking to you, circus boy," Jason snapped instinctively.

Dick's smirk faded, his mouth snapping shut.

"And there it is," Stephanie muttered as Cass glared at Jason, taking a protective step in front of Dick. "Nice to see nothing's changed."

Jason paused, then sighed, holding up a hand. "Wait. I'm sorry. I—I'm trying."

"Clearly, your soul-searching trip was as productive as we thought," Stephanie shot back. "You're still just the foster kid with a chip on his shoulder who thinks the world owes him something."

Jason's jaw tightened. "I'd like to think I've matured a little."

"You snapped at Dick within fifteen minutes of being here," Tim deadpanned. "Which, to be fair, is progress."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Jason?"

The 16-year-old's expression grew serious. "When I left, I thought I knew everything—who I was, what I was doing. I thought I knew better. But if I've learned anything over the last two years, it's that I've been a terrible friend…" He hesitated, glancing at Dick. "...and an even worse brother. I'm sorry."

Silence.

Tim, Stephanie, and Dick slowly turned to Cassandra. "Is he telling the truth, Cass?" Stephanie asked.

Cassandra blinked, saying nothing.

"Do you want to believe him?" Tim pressed.

Cass frowned, narrowing her eyes.

Tim sighed, glancing at his phone. "Bruce is tied up in a meeting at Wayne Enterprises. Alfred's with him. We'll wait to tell him you're back." He smirked, thumbs flying over his screen. "Until then… Kate's going to love this."

Raven's arms absorbed the brunt of Enchantress' attack, her body crashing through the gym doors and skidding into the hallway. Gritting her teeth, she rolled to her feet and bolted. She didn't take flight until she sensed Enchantress closing in behind her.

Raven planned to fight—but not here. Not near the graduation ceremony. She needed to lead Enchantress away.

But Enchantress didn't share that concern.

A cold, slimy grip coiled around Raven's ankle. Enchantress' magic.

Before she could react, Raven was yanked off her feet, slammed into the lockers, and hurled through a wall. She crashed into a bathroom, her head smacking against the sinks.

"Ow," Raven groaned, pushing herself up. So much for clearing the school. Her vision blurred, but the cuts on her face tingled as they slowly healed.

Enchantress sauntered towards her. "Leaving so soon?" she taunted.

Raven didn't answer.

Without warning, Enchantress raised her hands. Dark green energy crackled and swirled violently. The mirrors exploded, glass shards hanging in the air, spinning like jagged razors.

Raven's instincts flared. A dark energy shield snapped around her, and the shards clattered harmlessly against it, dissolving into dust.

Guess we're doing this here. With a sharp gesture, Raven hurled a wave of dark energy at Enchantress.

But Enchantress vanished in a cloud of smoke.

A searing bolt of chaotic magic struck Raven square in the back, sending her flying into a urinal. She landed with a wet thud; her face scrunched up in disgust. Really? Of all the places she could have landed. Trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all, she pushed herself up, glaring at Enchantress. Her graduation cap was long gone, her gown was in tatters, and her hair was a wild, wet mess. She'd suffered a lot at the hands of Enchantress, but being tossed into a urinal? That was the worst thing the Enchantress had done to her.

Slowly, Raven rose. Her glowing eyes locked onto Enchantress. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" she snapped.

Enchantress laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally as the bathroom walls dissolved. Shadow and flame twisted reality, morphing the space into a nightmarish realm. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Enchantress purred.

Raven's eyes blazed white as she felt a gentle nudging in her mind. "Oh, no," she growled, summoning dark energy to her hands. "I'm not doing this with you."

With a guttural shout, she unleashed a devastating spell—dark spears entwined with pure energy tore through the false reality, shattering it like glass.

The magic detonated, obliterating the section of the school around them in a violent explosion of darkness and fire.

Garfield and M'gann sat in the stands, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Garfield, clearly a celebrity with quite the following, was waving and taking pictures with the younger crowd. "Garfield," M'gann elbowed him. "Cut it out. We're here to support Raven."

"I can't disappoint my fans," he smiled, waving to a group of freshmen.

M'gann rolled her eyes and elbowed him again. "It's starting," she said, as the first seniors took their seats on the field. So engrossed in the moment, M'gann and Garfield nearly missed John Constantine rudely pushing his way through the crowd.

"'Scuse me. Pardon me. 'Scuse bloody me," he muttered, shoving his way through before collapsing into the seat next to them.

"John?" M'gann raised an eyebrow. "You actually came?"

"Yeah, well, Rachel's my daughter," he said, eyes narrowing. "And I've got an image to maintain, haven't I?"

"Did you sneak alcohol in here?" M'gann asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll 'ave you know, Zee already gave me a thorough frisk," he replied with a wink, "and she was very thorough."

M'gann sighed, rolling her eyes before turning back to the field. The final senior took their seat, and the ceremony began. It wasn't lost on the three heroes that Raven was still missing. "Where is she?" Garfield asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

"Bathroom, maybe?" Constantine suggested with a shrug.

"Hang on," M'gann said, closing her eyes. A moment later, she opened them again. "I can't reach her." She turned to John.

John shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist. She's probably off meditating or visiting her mum and lost track of time. She'll be fine." No sooner had he spoken than an explosion rocked the air, smoke rising from the school. John's face hardened. "Or," he said, "she could be in a world of trouble, and we should probably get our arses over there."