A/N: Hello world! Ready for the next chapter of this story? Me, absolutely. Let's floor it. Now, you can skip the next long part of the note, or not, it's your call, but it is just me rambling about the chapter. Oh, and before I forget, on top of the prior chapter warnings, some strong language is sprinkled here and there. Italics are internal monologue, "quotes are spoken dialogue" and, that's it. Enjoy!

So even though life happens, (I know, this is late, late) I'm glad this came along now. Chapters are revised! And it is time for an update. I'm even more excited because this is it. This is where everything starts to make sense to her, where she begins to understand herself and dare I say, where her 'healing journey' begins, to an extent. I don't want to give anything away, but if you have read 'Running Out Of Time', you know, it hits the fan in other ways in her future.

Anyway, I think this chapter is pivotal because it fundamentally changes Raven's mindset. She discovers, learns, recognizes, and confirms a thing or two. So, of course, because this is fanfiction, I am going to fanfiction the life out of the possibilities. I struggled a little bit with the worldbuilding aspect, because what could it possibly feel being fragmented? Like in her soul, in her mind. How can I represent it? What are the ramifications to her character? Basically, tackling the 'who is Raven' and 'what is happening to her' questions (at least for me and my current writing project).

Now, I don't think this chapter will fully answer both questions, but I'm sure it can satisfy (for now at least) and raise an eyebrow or two. Mostly because, after copious hours of pondering, I think I managed, for mostly everything, to make sense (at least in the plot-building scenario). So, bear with me and try to just go with the story.

And, yes, before you mention to me that Raven is out of character, I think Raven could act like this if she is pushed hard enough. And she has been dealing with this 'thing' that is happening to her for months, at least, maybe years. Slowly building in the back of her head. I don't think it is something as out of character as first glance could assume. But we can differ. Okay, I'm shutting up. Now enjoy the story!

Her senses became immediately alerted. The sky was completely black, the lone red stars long gone from this place, and only one red orbit of light in the atmosphere. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness. The energy she had been worried about from the start was revolving around her, the pulse becoming ever more intense. The source must be around here. I'm going to have to take it on as is. Fuck me.

As she inspected the scenery, she found that the rough mountainous scenery that plagued Nevermore was distant. She was in a deserted area, standing right in front of a massive abyss of nothingness. This is the edge of my mind. Rage's realm. As soon as she thought of her, she could feel Rage's presence nearby. Speak of the devil. Her demonic aura was there, her signature unmistakable, but it felt different from the pulse of uncanny energy. If it isn't Rage's, then it can actually be Father's. I should have written a goodbye note, I don't think I'm making it out.

Rage's presence wasn't overpowering or controlling this energy, it was being smothered by it.. What are you? Before she could figure out its nature, she needed to know where it came from. Raven breathed slowly, trying to ignore Rage's presence and focus on the other energy. Dark, massive, chaotic, wild. She walked with her eyes closed, feeling drawn to it. Suddenly, she felt Knowledge's hand on her shoulder once more. Raven opened her eyes; she was walking straight to the edge. It comes deep within the abyss. She couldn't see much into the darkness, but that is where Trigon could be. Father? Knowledge breathed in deeply and shifted part of her weight onto Raven to stabilize herself. She must also feel this, why is it harder on her?

"I will find Happiness. Now you two, talk." Knowledge grabbed enough air to manage to grasp that statement.

"I refuse to talk to her. We have nothing to talk about." Raven said firmly, swallowing her fears over the possibility of Trigon actually being there. Just like the old days…right? "Let's go Knowledge, I don't want you to be so close the abyss." The yellow emoticlone shook her head in disapproval. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She could feel Rage behind her. A red cloak approached them at a slow pace.

"Liar. You are the one scared of the dark. Not her." A deeper monotone voice resounded through the land. "How hypocritical of you." The remark landed on Raven. She turned slowly to meet Rage's stance. She couldn't see her face yet, but she could guarantee it was her Father's. "Welcome to my personal hell. The one you banished me to." Pointing the statement, Rage tried to walk up to the duo, but the length of her chains prevented her from doing so. Is she still chained? No…no, this could be an illusion. I won't fall for it. Gathering enough bravado, she put herself between Rage and Knowledge, acting as a human shield for her already weakened emoticlone.

"I will excise you. There is no place in my life, in my mind, for a demon. You deserve it." Raven spat, remaining far away from her reach. Knowledge's apologetic face peaked out of Raven's figure, imploring Rage to find patience.

"Do we really hate ourselves so much?" Rage made the comment looking at Knowledge, who in turn nodded. With that, she made an exit to look for the pink emoticlone. Rage shook her head and sighed. "This is also my fault." She muttered under her breath.

"What did you just say?" Raven instinctively got closer to Rage, trying to comprehend what the demon said. A spell? An insult? Hopefully the latter.

"I said, this is my fault for not contacting you earlier. We have lost so much time, and now we are on borrowed time." Raven, decided to ignore Rage's comment. She won't fool me like the others. I know her.

"Don't get this wrong demon. You are the reason I can't think. I can't sleep without experiencing terrible nightmares. I can't fight without fearing ripping someone in half, and why Happiness is missing. That is not me. That is you. Where is she?" Rage's four eyes began to shine behind the shade of her hood and Raven steeled herself, ignoring her instincts screaming at her to exit Rage's vicinity.

"I never touched Happiness. Why would I? I'm you. She is me too." Rage said as close to her face as she could. In her rich voice, Raven could discern a hint of hopelessness and sadness. Almost as if she was hurt by my words... What the hell am I saying, she is a master at deception. Manipulation at its finest.

"Lies." Purple and red eyes held their own, until Rage closed her eyes and held up her hands.

"Fine, have it your way. Kill me. Excise me. Burn me alive at a stake. That is what you always have done." Did… did Rage give up? Just like that? Raven couldn't, wouldn't, think too much about the development. She pushed down the conflicting feelings her attitude arose and threw her with all her might into the ground. A cracking noise could be heard, and she suddenly felt the pain also extend to her. The wound had mirrored into her. What…? No…

Rage lay on the floor, not moving too much, and breathing shallowly. Raven clutched her side, the pain almost unbearable. I punctured her… my lungs with that broken rib. She is me. Fuck me sideways. Now what? She shook her head slowly and approached her.

"I fucking told you." Rage's lower tone stated as her breath rasped in her chest. Four red eyes intently looked at her. An idea crossed her mind to confirm what she now feared to be true. She closed her eyes and began to heal her as best as her volatile state would allow her, just enough for her to not have any major internal wounds, but not enough to be pain-free. That action also mirrored on her. I can't kill her without killing me in the process…

"Change of heart?" Rage's deep range teased and even though she seemed furious, as always, it felt… contained. In control. Even Rage has control over herself? What the hell is happening to me? Without responding yet, she looked right into her eyes. All four eyes didn't appear as threatening as she remembered, something indeed had changed after Trigon's defeat. But the real question was…

"Is he here?" Raven spoke in a hushed tone. Still afraid of him. Rage's eyes softened, and somehow, like they were old friends, she reached out, taking her hand in hers, trying to offer some support. Raven's mind reeled on the spontaneous gesture and tried to not let it show on her face. The almighty demon she was taught to adamantly hate because she was a literal demon spawn, was sincerely consoling her. Is this a trap? Can she feign emotions this well?

"No. It is just us." Rage mentioned, matching her volume, in her deeper tone.

"How do I know for sure?" Raven wasn't sure of her intentions, motives, or ways. Rage was behaving like… Starfire. Did I just compare my best friend to her? Oh, Azar. Something is definitely wrong with me. Is this the spell Knowledge fell for?

"Do you feel him? His energy? His signature?" Raven didn't know if she should even be talking to her, but she felt her being earnest. Fuck it. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. If Rage attacked her, so be it. She would be also offing herself in the process.

She felt herself in every way, and yes, she felt a demonic presence next to her. The energy she had felt since her bedroom remained underneath, but she could confirm it was completely distinct from Rage's presence. Hers was first and foremost demonic, deep, dark, and dangerous, like a bottomless ocean. The other energy was still dark but overwhelming, suffocating, wild, and… it didn't have his father's usual signature. So, what is this thing? She opened her eyes to find Rage in the same spot as before, not taking advantage of her vulnerability. I…I expected her to.

"No. But…how can I…" Raven was at a loss for words, and Rage merely nodded. She put down her cloak completely. She inhaled deeply and place Raven's hand over her temple.

"Know for sure if it isn't my doing? Read my mind." Raven was bewildered, in utter disbelief. What is she doing! I can kill her with my hand there. And is she giving me permission…can I even do that? Raven's thoughts raced, her mind trying to assimilate that this being in front of her was Rage. Is this the girl I banished to the edge of my mind? No, no! Rage plagued me with violent nightmares, stole control out of my hands and pushed me, tempted me into evil every single day. Rage continued immobile, waiting for her to do something. Her mind couldn't wrap around the gesture, and guilt began to swarm her. Someone who is pure evil doesn't do this. They just don't. Her hand trembled slightly backwards, but Rage gently put it back in place. Her rich tone surprising her even more. "Do it, so we can end this." Fuck, what if I DON'T know her?

Raven comprehended the double edge sword she was just given. Rage was trusting her. She could either see through her psyche, try to discern her motives and actions, or kill her, and in so kill herself. After years of coexisting, both options were tempting her. Raven took a deep breath and focused on the silence etched into the cliff, all noise dying out as she entered Rage's psyche.

She could feel the hurt, sense intense fear, and braveness, but above all she could feel Rage being sincere. She tried getting deeper into her, and sure enough, gruelling fury laid behind a very thin veil, the depths of it unknown. But, somehow, anger wasn't the main force behind her decisions; it appeared empathy made its way, suffusing every decision she had recently taken. She could see her other encounters with her emoticlones, and felt rejection, deep frustration, and apprehension, but there was twinge of hope remaining in her mind. How on Azar does she have such a deep range of feelings? Isn't she supposed to only be my demonic desires? Fuck that, isn't she supposed to be only evil? Confused about her findings, Raven retreated from Rage's psyche, not wanting to delve any further. They were wrong… I was wrong about her. She laid her hands on her sides as Rage put her cloak back up.

"I'm really losing my mind then. Knowledge was right." Raven voiced her concern with a frustrated tone, and now she knew that Rage had similar feelings on the subject, even if she did not know why. There was an undeniable physical bond between them, and their emotional frameworks were surprisingly similar. She is more similar to me than I could have ever thought of.

"Obviously."

"Then what is the other energy I feel?" Raven asked and Rage left her eyes to turn her head to the abyss uncertainly. Inadvertently she retreated farther. She is scared of whatever that is.

"Impending doom. A ticking time bomb?" Rage mentioned after some time reflecting on how to describe what she was seeing. Raven was caught off guard by her admission. Impending doom for her? What is going on? The face she put must have clued Rage in to keep explaining. "Our mind is breaking in half, to put it bluntly."

"What?"

"I can see all the way until there. As you can, or you should." Raven made a mental note to add to Rage's abilities. She couldn't see it but after everything, she thought she could take her word for it. Conflicting feelings began bubbling up in her surface once again, she didn't know how to reconcile this Rage to the one she had fought against years of her life. Guilt rose up again to her throat, threatening to confront her with a hurtful admission. She preferred to change the subject.

"How are you so calm and amicable? I just attacked you." Raven said, trying to dissuade Rage from their comfortable encounter, but she couldn't avoid her own thoughts. Was everything I did to her justified? …yes, surely. She is a demon.

"I'm not calm, I have a steady tone. Like you. You have forced meditation down our throats since we learned how to speak." Rage told her in playful terms, not taking the bait Raven flaunted on her face, expertly avoiding talking about her rushing to comfort her when she brought up Trigon. Did…she deserve everything I did? Raven started to feel the weight of her actions against her.

"I was taught that was the best way to control you." Raven replied softly, adverting her eyes from her red-cloaked counterpart.

"How's that working out?"

"Terrible." She conceded. A deep rich chuckle got out of Rage's mouth, but with the injury, it transformed into an ugly cough. Raven looked at her, wondering seriously if Rage was more than the bloodhungry being she was taught to fear. She had never seen Rage chuckle or cough. She had never seen her display any humanity. I never coexisted with her. I avoided her at all costs, how could I know?

"We are dangerous, now more than any time." Stated Raven looking into the nothingness in front of them.

"We have always been dangerous." Retorted Rage.

"You are the most." Raven said matter of fact, and Rage slightly smirked.

"Thank you." Rage said as if she was receiving a touching compliment. Maybe she was. Who is Rage? Raven couldn't wait anymore to decipher Rage's character, and even if she had to drown on remorse and torment herself with guilt, she needed to get to the bottom of it.

"Why?" Raven asked softly, looking at her four red eyes.

"What?" Rage's brows furrowed, trying to narrow what her counterpart could possibly refer to.

"Why did you do all of those things to me? All the nightmares? All the incidents? Why did you were complicit with Trigon?"

"Oh. I thought I was saving us. Obviously." Rage answered earnestly, not looking away.

"From whom?"

"Our captors. Azar and the convent."

"Azar, the convent, mother…they were the good ones. Trigon was a literal demon, the king of hell. You knew that." Raven confronted her quietly.

"I don't know about that first thing." Rage adverted her eyes once more and an almost comfortable silence made its way around them.

Rage seemed to not blame Raven too much for her predicament. Raven, on the other hand, was trying unsuccessfully to not get swamped by the guilt and remorse of her actions. She… doesn't seem to deserve this. The thought flashed on her mind for a quick second, but she caught a glimpse of the four red eyes, the fang that showed over her bottom lip, and the blood colour cloak. She steeled herself to for a physiological throwdown with Rage, who merely looked down at her chains.

She was suddenly transported to a memory she never knew she had. She was back in Zinthos, around seven years old, sitting on the floor of her room listening to how destructive she was. Over, and over, and over again. She had startled and broken a vase. She was in the exact position Rage was, head down, resigned to her , the furious monk who was lecturing her, got abruptly close to her, his voice louder than ever. Raven shook her head before she could see the end of the memory. She and was once again in Nevermore.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked.

"Sharing what happened to us. You can't blame me for wanting to get out of there by any means necessary." Rage replied, making a mental note. Raven couldn't finish seeing the memory.

"I don't remember any of that." Raven tried to keep her composure, but her mind was all over the place. She was confused over the revelation and the being in front of her. She had never quite talked to Rage, at least not like she should have. Did…did I send her running right into Trigon's arms? Because I didn't explain to her that the monastery was doing what they did for a reason? …And, as a response, what she did to me was because she was fooled? She winced but tried to remind herself that at the same time, she couldn't forget who she was talking to. Her darker desires, her darker urges, her demonic part. What she had actively fought against every day of her life.´

"I know. It is locked deep inside of us. After all, we are the masters of compartmentalization, or rather, suppression. I think we can beat Robin on this, you know?" Rage said bittersweetly, her eyes far gone, and flinched suddenly when she drew a deep breath.

Raven shook her head, assuming she was going to regret it, but caved in and placed her hand right where she had hit her. She could feel her rib getting into place and repairing the damage to her other organs. Rage looked at her, somewhat bewildered by the kindness of someone who came to kill her. She didn't say anything, but the atmosphere changed back to that of Nevermore, the red stars gave more light for her to see into the abyss. Raven appreciated the implicit change. The energy persisted and her attention was caught once again on the abyss. As she focused her vision, she could see something. There it was. Raven could see a white fracture on the horizon. Rage was being truthful. My mind is breaking in half. I'm really going to lose my mind. She turned her head to look over at Rage, who was still focused on her chains. She looks…small. Fuck, Coman, how many times?

"How many times did that happen?" Raven inquired softly, not wanting to rummage too much too soon.

"How much do you remember about our childhood?" Rage came back with a question that made Raven think. She remembered the temple. Azar. Arella. Gayla. Coman. The monks. The meditation sessions. The praying. The lectures. Her fourteen-ish years felt like a homogenized blob of memories comprised of waking up, praying, meditating, reading, practicing spells, and occasionally eating something. She wouldn't let that much information to Rage… Or does she already know? The silence made her look away, and once with the answer, she found Rage looking at her patiently. She already knows.

"Not a lot." Raven conceded and Rage didn't look away.

"Invert it. That is how many times scenes like that happened." She said directly, as she had rehearsed this bit for hours. Maybe she had.

"No. Azar was good to us. Arella was too. Gayla too. Coman, well. They were good to us. Most of the time."

"That is some Stockholm Syndrome if I have ever seen any." Rage said incredulously, smirking at her with her fang showing.

"They never touched us." Raven came back at her, her voice as strong as it could. The mere allusion to smear their names made Raven respond forcefully. Rage had struck a nerve.

"There are more ways to hurt a child than physically, particularly one so emotionally vulnerable as us. And I'm not even saying that it was intentional or in bad faith, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Maybe they did their best, or…" Rage let the word hanging, and Raven was quick to cut it off.

"No, no or."

"…or we are just collateral damage. But that is fine, don't believe me, again. Search then." Rage said casually.

"Where?" Raven demanded, bothered by Rage's allusions.

"If I tell you, you have to give me something. Get these chains off me."

"No."

"Deal. Go to where it all started. Azarath. Find out about Azar, Arella, Coman, in particular. But not the washed-up heroic tale, the real one. Find about the dissidents, and meanwhile yes, much of their spiel is delusional, hear their recounts of us." Mentioned Rage looking right into Raven's eyes, a glint of mischief shining through the four of them. There it is, she is trying to fuck me over with something.

"How do I know you don't have some sort of trap there?" Raven scoffed, relieved that the being in front of her was beginning to act like she used to. But then Rage shook her head and put her hand on her shoulder, gently. Her deeper voice following suit.

"Do you want to know why we're like this? Why we keep having trouble after defeating Trigon? And what the hell is that crack over there? Go out there and find the truth." Raven sighed and buried her head in her hands, slouching over, her back burning from trying to keep a rigid posture in her conversation with Rage. Rage's hand moved to her back, moving in circles, providing support and warmth. She is confronting me, again! I'm the demon here…

"It needed to be you. You need to be my problem." Raven said her emotions clashing between each other aggressively, shell shocked by Rage's amicable behaviour and in retrospect, Raven's utter cruelty towards her. Rage stopped the motion and gave her space to recompose. The emotional burden Raven was carrying was too much and she tried to lessen it.

"You are supposed to be mine, but you aren't. We aren't each other's problem. That is our problem." Rage said gesturing towards the source of the eerie energy that brought her to this moment, deep within the abyss.

"Now what then? How do we move forward?" Raven asked, not sure even if it was wise to hear Rage's opinion on the matter, but her present behaviour made her trust her.

"To live, we become one. We fuse." Rage said slowly and Raven narrowed her eyes. There it is. Same as knowledge, but…fusing would be merging with her. Is she… truly evil? Can I… do I want to fuse with her knowing that?

All at once, Raven remembered every little memory she had with Rage throughout her youth, all the manipulation, nightmares, abrupt takeovers, paranoia, the compliance with Trigon. As much as she had changed, Rage had a past with her. Her guilt finally receded. Anger began simmering, for every time she had called her weak, a hindrance on her powers, an undeserving heir. She remembered when she offered herself as a vessel for Trigon to destroy her within her mind. How much she fought her to make her lose control and be the one to make decisions. Years of fighting, even if the instances themselves where brief, didn't just cease to exist just because today Rage tried to be a decent being.

"Why would you want that? Didn't you consider me a hindrance? If we fuse you will be all of that." Raven stated sharply, straightening her back and looking at her with seething fury. Rage smiled sadly, feeling how Raven's mood had shifted, but hoping that a seed of trust had been sown into her.

"It seems that what you learn today hasn't really dawned on you." Rage said reflexively, holding her own, but being careful not to provoke her.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Raven frowned. I do, but I won't give you the pleasure.

"Deep down you have always known who you are. Who we are." Rage decided it was time to start retreating. She wasn't going to advance any more if she overwhelmed her, but she needed to finish their encounter saying something that would make her think long and hard. She knew exactly what to say. "You are what you fear of yourself… but, granted, it also depends on what you do with it. Don't worry, we have been brainwashed for years, I don't expect you to see the truth now."

"I'm no monster…you are. You treated me horribly." Raven was fast to answer.

"So did you, and then again, I'm you." But Rage was quicker.

"I need to go now; Happiness is still missing." Raven mentioned, completely drained emotionally and more confused than ever. She began to walk slowly towards the mainland, she needed time to recompose herself. A long flight over Nevermore sounded appropriate.

"She isn't lost. I bet she is with Love."

"We will see. If you did anything to her…" Raven trailed off, but at the distance, Rage looked at her incredulous. She couldn't stop the words that would come of her mouth.

"I would be more worried if you did something to her."

"What?" Raven came back to face her, fear and anger, two of her most volatile emotions mixing within her. Is she going to blame me for this? Rage, still in disbelief, almost failed to contain a laugh. She realized; Raven hadn't got it yet. She breathed deeply.

"You have neglected yourself. Happiness, is just collateral damage to your actions."

"Explain yourself demon." Raven said with a look that rivalled Rage's, so she decided to pass the responsibility over to the yellow emoticlone.

"Ask Knowledge instead. You won't believe if I told you that your own way of being has her like this. I guess you have already seen her realm. If it is as they told me, I would be quick, she doesn't have a lot of time in here. We are already pretty much apathetic." She said, giving out enough clues to get her started.

"I have to be like this to keep you in line." Raven retaliated, and Rage smiled, proudly showing her fangs.

"Too bad I'm not the real problem here. You are."

Raven made no move to indicate she had heard that last comment Rage made. She turned her back on her but couldn't resist looking back once again. She didn't seem like the monster Raven often thought of her as. She wasn't as imposing as she once was. Of course, she was still dangerous, and she needed to tread lightly. But she looked like her. She sounded like her. She felt like her, in many ways. Was she just like any other emoticlone? Did Azar lie to me about our souls being different? Is she me…and I her? No. Surely not...

Raven levitated and began to left Rage's realm behind, but her words kept running through her head. I'm the real problem? I have only just tried to do good, even at my expense. Is that such a bad thing? Did I do something to Happiness? As she kept reflecting, the sound of something erupting came from the void. She turned to look at the horizon and a white light blinded her temporarily. She closed her eyes and only one thought ran through her head. Is the fracture getting bigger?

She slowly opened her eyes, squinting, and effectively she confirmed her worry. The crack had opened more. The impact was delayed, but the expansive wave reached her, the force so enormous it made her go down into Rage's realm. As she was falling, she saw Rage defencelessly trying to get away from the cliff into the land but not getting far because of her chains. The ones I put on her many years ago. It didn't matter how much effort she put into it; she couldn't get to safety. She is also suffering. Fuck.

Without much of a second thought Raven plunged right at her. The expansive waves kept crashing into her, and she had to put all her effort to continue her path. When she reached Rage's side, she covered the chain's padlock and crushed it. The force of the fracture inversed, now having a different effect, instead of deflecting, it was sucking everything into it. The chains that fell from her hands quickly got sucked in. They ran to higher ground as parts of the edge of Nevermore succumbed to the fracture's force. They dug themselves into the terrain of Rage's realm, helplessly trying to resist the force the fracture had relinquished.

It all happened so fast, and Raven couldn't fathom what was happening and why suddenly Rage was grabbing onto her for dear life. The fracture was a physical feature on her mind. It was that what was causing havoc within her. She had acted on instinct with Rage. Here she was, and instead of letting the fracture get her demon, she reached to protect her, risking her own safety. Some things never change. Raven thought, in the face of adversity she would protect. That was who she was. A warm feeling made its way into her chest. The pull from the void began to weaken as it was reaching a balance. Somehow, she could hear on her mind, Rage's voice. You could've let me struggle. Thanks, hero. Raven had saved her without a second thought. There was still hope to fuse someday.

As the force subsided, they began to relax their stances. Raven laid down and rested for a few seconds. Rage imitated her, effectively letting go of Raven's arm. Soon the fracture stabilized, and it resulted in a brighter crack on the horizon of Nevermore. The deafening silence encompassed both of them, and neither made an attempt on each other. Rage looked down at her now free hands, and seized the moment, rubbing her hurt wrists.

Raven eyed Rage from her spot. Her eyes, now down to two, and with her cape down and her guard down she could see her very same purple eyes, with some red freckles. She truly is me. She breathed once more and got up from the floor. She even offered a hand to Rage, who took it. Once up, Raven didn't immediately let her hand go. She looked directly at her now two purple eyes with red freckles over the iris and spoke steadily as she tightened her hold on her hand.

"Don't. Make me regret this. Demon." Rage, unfazed, tightened her grip by just as much. A pact had been reached.

"I will try, dear old me." She said in her lower tone, earnestly. Raven nodded and let go of her hand but didn't break eye contact.

"All I ask." Rage nodded in agreement and placed her hood up, her eyes returning to her signature red glowing proudly through the shade it provided her face.

Raven floated once more outside of Rage's realm, ready to go to Love's and try and find Happiness. What if Rage is taking me for a fool? I just unchained her. Will she behave? Did I just make a horrible and stupid mistake? Raven's concerns grew on her, but there was something that strangely calmed her anxiety; a good feeling she got from Rage. Good faith? As if they were both on the same page, for the most part. Is that even possible with someone like her?

As she was flying over the realms, she managed to spot three cloaked figures. Yellow, pink and purple emoticlones were together in what she assumed it was Love's realm. She touched down next to them, and her presence made them interrupt their conversation. Knowledge looked at her from the corner of her eye, a smug smirk making its way to her face. She could feel that her plan had worked.

"Happiness, I couldn't find you in your realm. Why are you here?" Raven turned directly to Happiness, both relieved and curious to find her right where Rage told her she would be. She knows more about Nevermore than I do…

"Oh! Well, it is behaving weirdly. I prefer to be here with Love." Happiness replied casually, ignoring everything that her disappearance triggered. Ignorance is bliss.

"She has been staying here for a while. The noises, are those from Nevermore breaking in half?" Love butted into the conversation, ready to explain her pink's emoticlone behaviour. Raven held out a hand, conceding to her.

"I'm afraid so." Raven turned to her yellow emoticlone; their smug smirk now accompanied by a vindicated look. "Knowledge, you are right."

"Tell me something I don't know." Raven breathed deeply but began to lose her balance. Her emoticlones hold onto her, making sure she didn't fall over. Their concerned looks spoke volumes.

"So, what now?" Asked a dazed Raven, her vision began to get blurry, and everything began to circle around her.

"Fusing, Raven. That is, if we want to live. Otherwise…" Knowledge and Love moved to give her space, as Happiness looked nervous. Raven closed her eyes, trying to overcome the bout of nausea from having Nevermore spin out of control in front of her eyes. Dizzy. Way too dizzy.

"Mindless me, like in Warp's reality." She spat as she slowly held her head between her hands. Too much. This is too much.

"Should I begin the preparations?" Knowledge inquired softly, as Love shot her a disapproving look. This wasn't the time to ask this.

"I…I don't know. I have conflicting feelings on the issue. Can I, can we, trust her?" Raven swallowed the bile that threatened to come up and breathed through her mouth. With some effort she managed to open her eyes, as they slowly focused on the three worried emoticlones in front of her.

"I think so. We have been trying to make amends with her since we thought she was causing all the problems. She wasn't..." Love was the first to answer, but stopped mid-sentence as Raven held her hand up once more.

"Who else is in agreement with you?"

"I think it's smarter to count who is in disagreement, Timid and Brave, particularly. I can understand Timid, but not Brave." Said Knowledge, recalling their previous encounters. They were the only emoticlones that refused to talk to Rage.

"Brave is close with Timid, since this started. She must influence her." Happiness mentioned, trying to be useful in the conversation.

"Oh. Misguided bravado rooted in fear." Stated the yellow emoticlone. Makes sense, I rushed into here fearing the worst.

"Love, try to make Timid understand." Raven asked the purple emoticlone, who nodded. The episode of nausea and dizziness subsided, and Raven began to feel better. But, before she could investigate more on the issue, Knowledge interrupted her.

"Right. Now get out of here, we don't know if your presence is the one to accelerate the fractures in your mind."

"Do you think I…?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I wasn't expecting another incident in another week. Whatever the reason, we have less time than I anticipated."

"How much do we have now?" Raven asked, the pit on her stomach growing by the second.

"I don't know if we are going to make it to twenty if we don't-." She dejectedly looked at the floor.

"That is less than six months from now. That is too soon, Knowledge."

"I know. Go."

More feelings of grief encompassed on her but nodded and complied with Knowledge's order. She bid goodbye to her other emoticlones and go ready to leave Nevermore as soon as possible. As she got closer to the exit, a complex feeling composed of wariness, confidence, tragedy and relief accompanied her. She crossed the last arch to exit her mind and reached the floor of her bedroom. After a few seconds, she finally came back to the physical plane. The energy she had felt from the start eased up. It was still definitely there, but it seemed to have declined after the fracture got wider. The pressure released, but it will keep building, until another incident, and so forth.

She got up, and swooned, but managed to grasp the edge of her vanity. Struggling to get up, she looked at her in the mirror. The reflection that greeted her had disheveled hair, bags under her eyes, and a light trickle of blood ran down her nose. She had been in Nevermore too long. She quickly wiped her nose and fixed her face and her hair, but Knowledge's, Rage's, Love's, and Happiness's words kept making rounds in her head. A deafening migraine began to build on her.

She sat down on her bed and stared into the carpet of her room. Azar had helped her to divide her mind. She taught her everything she knew. Raven was here because of her. And her mother, Arella. Even Coman helped her with what he could. They did the best they could. She did the best she could. But now she needed to do something else. Her mind was splitting. Ripping in half. If Knowledge's calculations were right, she had less than a few months to decide what path to take. Could there be another option than fusing? Is there any? Coexisting with Rage had changed her impression, but she wasn't going to drop every belief she had about her. Right?

Rage's clues about her past began to bother her. How bad could Coman's reprimands have been? She didn't remember much of them. Why did she include Arella in this? Or Azar? Can I even trust Rage with that? She did tell her the truth about the fracture. Rage had effectively given her doubts about… a lot.

Too many questions clouded Raven's mind. She settled down and adopted her meditation stance, her mantra repeated over and over in her head to no effect. Her head began to pulse from the pain. She stopped and looked out her window. It was already nighttime, and the rain was pouring. She got up to open her window, the smell of rain invading her senses.

She inhaled it in deeply, and instead of repeating her mantra, preferred to intone her breath to the rain's sound clashing in her window. That seemed to help.

A/N: There you have it. So now, before I delve into more little notes, I want to give you context about the characters Rage introduced to the story. Azar, as we know, was the spiritual leader of Azarath and mentor of Raven.

Arella, her biological mother.

Gayla, Raven's nanny when she was an infant.

Coman, the High Magistrate of Azarath, aka number 2 on Azarath, just below Azar. Not as involved as Azar, with her upbringing, but present.

Was it worth the wait? I definitely hope so. This is where I would say, next update soonish, and of course, I will try, but life is busy, as always, but now a little bit more so. So no promises on the timeline, but don't worry, I will update in the future. K? K. Bye-bye, until next time!