Onebyonechapter1 - Tumblr Posts
Midnight Decisions
Preface: https://middleinthenight21.tumblr.com/post/618878723765256192/one-by-one
Chapter 1: Midnight Decisions
***
In Azarath there was a story about a monk who lost his loved one and his family as a result of a plague that punished the dimension. He was determined to reunite with his loved ones, but the spirits wanted more for him, wanted him to impart hope, and his story was a warning to others.
He was going to be their pilgrim.
Regardless of what the spirits told him and the will that was imprinted in a prophecy for his life, the monk could not bear it and ended his life on a hill outside the temples. He cursed the cruelty of the spirits, his life that for a few years was brilliant and the purpose devoid of empathy that they brought him.
"Damn them all!" He exclaimed.
He raised a dagger skyward, the abode of the spirits, and buried it in his neck, right in an artery.
His death was slow and lonely, there was no one to mourn him and the blood was still fresh on earth.
The spirits had not allowed the monk's blood to dry and be absorbed by the earth after decades.
"Do you know what it means, girl?"
Raven was small when she looks at the blood on the hill. The temples of Azarath behind her, the warm wind kissed her skin and the grass is damp under her bare feet, when she observes the blood is invaded by nostalgia, anxiety, hopelessness, helplessness and sadness; she never expected to feel so many emotions and at her young age she was stunned.
The monk's happy years were a dream that is now a nightmare, chasing him in the dark moments and plucking his joys from the roots. You can see him at the top of the hill with tears in his eyes, invaded by sadness and anger with a bright dagger in his hands, ready to end his life.
Think of it as a sad story.
"The spirits have a purpose for everyone." her teacher says, observing the blood without compassion, like something unclean. "This happens to the arrogant, who believe they can cut their lives without consequences. We are not withered leaves and if we think we are dead we can still recover.'' there is a note of contempt in his voice.
Currently, she thinks he is cruel.
The monk's words had intended to teach her a lesson, wisdom, but there is no mercy in his speech.
In her childhood she had been intimidated by her teacher, the man criticized her harshly and supervised her days, as if she were an object.
She sees herself standing in front of her teacher. She is back in Azarath when the leaves of the trees are green, the sky a bluish canvas, and the temples with their gold-plated domes shine in the rays of the sun, just as it was before she summoned her father and destroyed everything.
The dimension is still active in your head, it will never leave you.
His eyes run from head to toe in disapproval, as if he really saw her, and his gaze is the dagger she drives into her neck.
Her mind travels to that battle in the tower where she lost everything, to her friends leaving perhaps forever, to the empty eyes of Damian when they killed his brother in front of him and learned of the fall of Gotham. Then, Damian was also going, but this time she did not accept to accompany him, and her father's voice is a curse. She thinks that her existence does not have a purpose, she looks for anything to start her life by the roots, even if she knows that she will not, because her death cannot be easy to achieve. Everything was taken from he, so she would not live to end the tragedy.
She looks like a girl in her memory, but all her experiences are intertwined, and she is not the same. She can't be.
Raven is angry at the monk, she is furious at his cruelty and remembers the times when he intimidated her, which pushed her beyond possible as a child. She goes back to that afternoon when he had yelled at her mother saying that something is wrong with Raven, that she does not belong here, and he thinks she should go.
"Fuck you and your stories." spit.
The man looks up in surprise.
***
The plane lands in a field in Tibet and a car with a small group of masked people is waiting for them.
The men are masked, their white garments shaken by the wind that is camouflaged by the snow, seem to be part of the landscape; they move like blades, they are firm and fast. From afar she feels the formality, the lethality of their swords and their sharp eyes, they have a deep and dangerous look.
When Damian gets off the plane, he looks like someone else. His shoulders square and he walk with his arms clasped behind his back, puffing up his chest, like a bird showing off the colors of his plumage.
Raven feels alien in her pants, her boots and the jacket on her shoulders is Damian's, she seems like a little girl compared to these people. One of them is a man with broad shoulders, heavy feet and a thick voice. When he gets out of the car, he tilts gratefully for the lack of weight and she sticks her back to the seat holding on to the dog feeling the serious aura that surrounds the man; the others act as if they have a position and are respected.
She watches the exchange from the plane window.
The pilot had barely observed her, acted like she was an invisible entity in the back seat of the plane throughout the trip. Now he adjusts the controls and prepares to appear in front of the bigger man with a bow.
There is tension in Damian's shoulders when the man speaks to him.
The wind blows over their bodies, the air is icy like all these people, it's as if even the weather will adapt to the League of Assassins. Her fingers tighten on the jewel that belonged to her friend, like an amulet, and she wishes she wasn't wrong.
There is a nod from the man and Damian is accompanied by four other hooded men towards the plane, there is a conversation in another language, she is surprised by the tone of her friend when he gives him an order, he is authoritative and full of harshness.
The door opens.
The men freeze when they see a girl sitting in a seat, next to a dog and Damian growls. People enter picking up the few things that belonged to their leader; as well as wooden boxes that are stacked in the hold of the plane.
"Come." He takes her hand, helps her up. She appreciates it because her legs tingle for the number of hours she was sitting and for a few moments, the world turns in a dizziness. He does not abandon her until she can walk on her own.
Titus stays by her side all the time and growls when strangers position themselves next to her, even a few meters away. The animal acts as if she will need protection, it causes tenderness, since she has only seen him act like this with children and caresses his head to relax him.
The grass under her boots is frosty and creaks with every step, the cold is a painful whip and she is soon hugging her body, holding back the chills.
Damian is ahead of the group; he has his gaze fixed forward and listens to what the big man says.
During the rest of the trip she only sees his back, his rigid posture and she remembers that hug in the middle of the night when she was about to collapse, he seems like another person now, more distant and disciplined.
Damian's jacket is light, it would protect her from the coastal cold, but not from the winter of the Himalayas.
They follow the group through hills and rugged terrain.
She observes the snowy mountains, she has never seen higher ones and they are like frozen towers, they are eroded by the furious wind. There is an ethereal beauty in the landscape. It reminds her of those images from remote places. Those that inspired tales in which people lived who drank hot chocolate and melted goat cheese in their wooden cabins, where nature is dominant, an unpredictable force and winters could kill.
This is not Jump City.
Raven walks with her head down, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair. This is her first day away from the city, the pain still follows her. She doesn't want them to see her puffy eyes, red nose and turquoise lips from the cold.
There are no emotions in the air, they are stealthy, and the men's steps seem measured. There here are no chills or tiredness in their bodies. These people float, like they have wings and behave like soldiers. There are no jokes or conversations, only submission and obedience.
She wonders what it would be like to grow up in a place like this. Surrounded by people who do not allow themselves to feel emotions, who barely exchange words and agree to any request from their leader, knowing that all these people belong to them. She is not surprised by Damian's attitude when he arrived at the Titans.
Her teeth chatter and she has to bite her lips to make it not noticeable.
There is a growl.
One of the men pushes folded clothing in her direction, it is black and thick, covered by a wool cape. Raven is surprised when he insists that she receive it. Titus growls and she quickly wraps her body in the jacket, now the cold seems like an idea.
For the first time since they landed, she can stop shaking.
"Thanks." she murmurs.
The man shared a look with his partner, as if he could hardly believe she was thanking him.
Raven reaches into her pockets when she feels more glances at her figure, they stop for a moment. She thinks she has done something wrong. Maybe they misunderstood her, since they seem not to speak the same language and she has insulted them without knowing it.
The big man says something to Damian, he is ignored, and he barks an order; the men return to their activities and nobody gives her a glance at what remains of the trip.
***
The ground is steep, full of pebbles that crumble with their steps and the wind is dry and cold. From the distance she observes hot springs. The water of a river gives off a steam that rises like a cloud, around it there are green grasses and moss. It looks like an oasis in the middle of a desert and she realizes that this is not like the cities and landscapes that had painted her life, it does not compare with any.
The men continue to climb, barely aware of the height, but Raven begins to suffer from headaches and knows it will only get worse.
She looks back.
To see the mountains covered with snow. The grass and the trees shaken by the wind, the rivers of warm water, the greenery that covered them. The animals are wild spots that play hunter and prey.
Maybe the view is worth the migraine.
***
The first time Raven is in the height of the mountain, she holds back not to vomit. She knows that her body is stronger than an average human and over time she would develop resistance, but her stomach is a whirlwind of food and gastric juices. She is still half human and not used to height.
She feels like she might pass out at any moment and every step is like walking in the mud, it's laborious. It is more exhausting of her energies than in a spell, or the process of healing a wound.
Her head hurts, her legs are shaken by the wind, and her insides don't help at all. The biggest man growls that they must get to Narba Parbat as soon as possible for that they must walk kilometers in the middle of the snow and, wind and try not to think about the cracks hidden under the ice.
When the sun hides behind the mountains, dyeing the peaks in a pretty pink shade, they decide to rest, since the night could be dangerous. But she doubts that they do it for them, but because they observe her face, covered in sweat and clear signs that she will get sick if they continue.
Raven doesn't want to be the weak one in the group. She has a feeling that the league wouldn't appreciate someone who could become a burden, but Damian orders the construction of a tent.
The men gather in different positions observing the sky with apprehension. Their swords in their sheaths and they seem to be sentinels in the middle of the snow. The flakes fall from the clouds and flood the earth settling in the cracks. Their suits cling to the shadows, when the darkness is present, they are not scared, but act as allies.
She looks at her whitish fingers, too pale for even a person like her, and her nails begin to turn turquoise.
Damian offers her the shelter when the moon is a blur between the clouds and the cold has claimed her bones, aching in the joints and limbs, as if she were an old woman.
She follows him like a sheep to a shepherd, everything seems very familiar to him. They had shared missions in inhospitable places, not staying long enough for temperatures or weather conditions to be inconvenient. Yet they had gravitated around each other for years, following each other. She is not surprised that at the end of the world they had also stayed together, but they are marked.
He no longer looks at her with the same eyes, he seems remote and speaks formally. His face is familiar, but his body language and the cold voice is foreign.
The shelter is small. Inside it seems that they live in another environment, because it is lukewarm, and the fabric blows with the wind. There is a sleeping bag, a lamp and a lot of armful of fabric folded in one corner.
Titus leans on top of the sack, as if waiting for her to do the same.
Raven watches Damian after entering the shelter. One part of her expects him to stay but knows he will not.
"Rest." he said with an empty look before disappearing.
So, she is alone and wraps her shoulders around a heavy blanket over the sleeping bag. She had checked the blankets, they are made from animal skins, hides and pieces of fabric.
The lamp casts a dim golden light. Raven watches the orange flame dance in the air and it's her first night outside of Jump City; since the planet was invaded and the heroes lost the battle.
Questions pop into her head, like ads on a commercial break: Had she given up too quickly? What was in store? Her mind projects the face of her Amazon friend arriving at her island, exhausted and hurt by the deaths. She wishes that the Kent’s are alive, thus it would return some light to her friend's eyes.
Thoughts and memories attack her, she cannot fall asleep. She sees fire, death and screams, but she is invisible, and she is silent, they are in her head. She is alone in a tent, Titus rests his head on her legs and stays there, she feels that the dog is afraid to move from her side.
Everything seems so unreal.
She does not feel like a teenager, but rather like someone much older. Who would fill the pages of a tragic book and make the reader want to look away from her story, there is nothing admirable in her life. No victory feels enough, and the ghosts of her life visit her in solitude. She still returns to Azarath, her mother is a recurring figure bringing and taking memories, like she is a criminal. Her friends scream when she closes her eyes, they materialize when she is unprepared. She thinks that she will finally be able to sleep the hours that correspond to her, but she doesn't.
Raven is alive, but she is not a winner.
She covers the dog with a blanket, it is a piece of cloth made from animal leather, she knows it only by feeling the texture. Damian probably does not approve of it; he would growl and solve the problem. Damian Wayne does not sit around waiting for the problems to resolve on their own, he runs into danger and attacks it looking it right in the eye.
That line of her thoughts is much better than the previous ones.
She looks towards the entrance of the shelter; the fabric returns through the air leaving a fine opening to the outside and she observes Damian's back. He is wearing a thick coat and buries his hands in his pockets. His eyes are fixed on the sky with a frown, the big man is gesturing, he seems lost in a subject, but from a distance she sees that the young man is immersed in his own world, absent.
How can he be so strong?
She strokes the dog's head, as if to remind herself that he is still here and still has comfort. The animal lets out a groan of satisfaction when she strokes his ears and he rub his head against her legs to warm her up. Titus was a shy puppy, he trembled when she held him the first time. With Damian he was disciplined and barked at the right times, he is a good boy. But when Raven is around, he becomes a completely spoiled baby and she thinks of how difficult it would have been being away from the dog, of not accepting Damian's offer.
''Lead the League of Assassins with me.''
Even with Damian in her life she doesn't feel like she's doing something right. She walks straight into a society of murderers with anxiety and fear of the unknown biting at her soul. The world is still under attack. Millions are dying and the only thing that mattered to her is that she would be left alone, that she would look at the corpses and think that her existence never made sense.
She came to the world in rape, for evil reasons and a foreign purpose running through her veins. Perhaps that was her punishment for who she is. Karma to pay.
She deserved the pain.
''You are weak, you filthy witch. There is no safe place for you.''
She looks at her trembling fingers, and her shoulders drop slightly. She feels that her body is betraying her, makes her helpless, and subordinate. And suddenly she only thinks of vomiting, of mutilated bodies, the roar of the wind is parademons, tearful people and sharp points.
She feels like she is drowning.
She squeezes her head, wanting to silence her father's annoying voice.
A sound interrupts her.
A figure makes its way into the tent, emerges from outside and Raven looks up, her eyes fixed on Damian when she recognizes him. The young man's face shows dark circles like black bags under his eyes. His features create shadows and lights in the golden light of the lamp, his body is covered by his coat, and they look into each other's eyes.
They are observed in depth, as if they knew everything of the other.
Raven feels that her emotions are molecules that feel attracted to him, gather around him and cannot help but show his state. She understands that he has not been able to fall asleep either, Damian has lost his family and friends; they both lost too much.
Now they are two ships in the middle of a hurricane, but Damian Wayne would always be safer, and would take to a port much faster.
Damian stands at the entrance, saying nothing and everything freezes around him.
She spreads her blanket and he understand that she is inviting him to sit next to her. He hesitates for a few moments but sits next to her and Raven spreads the blanket over his shoulders. Her hands tremble when she momentarily touches him, but she quickly disappears when she turns her hands towards the dog that now closes its eyes fighting against unconsciousness.
They are sitting in a corner of the tent with a blanket around their shoulders, with the golden light and she feels accompanied. Her interior feels a little fuller, this has become after days of being ignored and carried among the mountains as baggage.
She feels that even though they are next to each other there is still a great distance between them, it is a bridge that cannot burn.
"I shouldn't have brought you."
Raven's thoughts shake and her insides scream. She wants to think that she has not heard it. That it is a product of her restless imagination, but she concentrates on the echo of his words in the shelter and on the mocking laugh of her father. What has already been said and the hurricane turns, devouring whatever existed between the two.
The door is closing.
Her shoulders sag and she looks down, her lips twist into a grimace and she doesn't want to look at him. She doesn't want to observe his face and he is walking away forever. Unconsciously, she looks for places where she could stay. One far from the mountains and the height, and she would not be in a remote corner, but all the shelters are sad.
Her heart is breaking right now.
She thinks it was a mistake and his proposal with the stars shining in the sky, during death and destruction, when they had clung and thought of his arms as a safe place, is now soaked by this confession.
Raven was too dumb.
''Go, daughter. Run away to another place as always, anyway, I will end up getting out and...''
"The League of Assassins has divided into factions." Damian's voice separates her from her mind, he sounds tired and he clenches his hand into a fist. "The most important families are fighting for power." he frowns at the tent floor. "It is no longer what my grandfather struggled to maintain for so many years." he growled.
She feels how her interior is consumed by a sense of relief and then by silent disappointment-That is not her-. Damian is now a bluff of negative feelings and that wrinkle between his eyebrows deepens, it is a hidden groove. She is shaken by the emotions that came from the boy, he was too exposed, without the armor that he usually puts before the feelings.
It affects him more than he can admit.
He closes his eyes and murmurs." League of Assassins is broken and even if I return, I will have to fight to take possession of the head and return it to its former glory", he explains. Raven's stomach adjusts and rearranges her thoughts, farewells are left behind, and she is replaced by alertness. Damian looks away. "I shouldn't have asked you to come." he confesses.
Damian fears for her.
A warm sensation envelops her interior and her eyes soften: The person in front of you. The future in front of you, sings a voice inside.
The future is now uncertain, full of bloodshed and tension. They were moving away from one war to enter another. Raven had tried to keep her head above water all her life, forces had forced her to go back to hell. She returned from dark places so many times that what will happen later seems a path of roses, even if something bad happened to her it would not be so bad.
There is no glory in one more body on the battlefield, but Damian need not know.
She rests her head against his shoulder, "You'll manage to lead the league."
His closeness is a scorching force. She breathes in his scent permeating her sense of smell. He smells of woody lotion and his clothes are wet in certain areas from snowflakes that melt from the heat. She could take his hand, but she doesn't know if it will be appreciated. Instead she pats the dog and tries to offer him some comfort, even if she was at a loss for words.
Raven wants to offer better advice, speeches about what he could achieve and praise his ability to overcome challenges. In the past, she had thought of Damian as a survivor. A boy who fought tooth and nail for what he believed belonged to him, with clear and marked ideals, even if they were not his own.
He is now a hopeless child, searching the ashes for a new purpose and longing for the old glory.
After all they went through it doesn't surprise her that he taking this attitude, she just wants him to be more open with his pain, so she wouldn't have to guess what he going through. She wouldn't constantly wonder if it hurt him as much as it hurt her.
Damian leans his head against hers, she feels him slipping in comfort. The tension leaving his shoulders and he sighs against her scalp, it's an overwhelming breath. The blanket seems warmer, the wind shaking the tent no longer causes chills and the feeling that the construction would collapse on her body. He crashes his shoulders against hers and Raven watches the trembling of the flame of the lamp, while her body relaxes.
"It won't be easy." he whispers.
Keep talking, she thinks, but her lips are sealed. His voice is like a dance guided by a soft melody, it leaves her thirsty and little drinks are not enough, it calms her nerve. She can listen to entire speeches from her friend who slowly turned into something else, earned a place in her heart and Raven knows that for him she would give her life, but it is more than that, for Damian she would stay alive.
This is the most stable thing she has ever had in her life.
She sees the risk, the fire in the assassins' eyes and the edge of their swords in her throat, but it's worth it.
She feels the drowsiness claiming her body, the fatigue falls and catches her. Her legs ache from the intense journey to the Himalayas, her eyes are heavy, and she struggles to stay awake, but the atmosphere pulls and is too strong.
Damian sighs and keeps his eyes on one point in the distance. He does not move away, neither of them wants to end this moment. This is like an island surrounded by dangerous reefs, comfort will not last forever and they have to put on their armor for the future that awaits them.
Even clinging to the other, she wonders if she has made the right decision and was not guided by feelings. Maybe she walked blindfolded, she doesn't want to be a burden, someone to worry about.
She knew the silence before uncertain dawns.
This is an illusion.
She wonders what would have become of them without pasts full of pain. Without layered heroes and enemies with the ability to destroy the world. Perhaps they could sail in a sea full of possibilities, like the lovers in the old stories of Azarath. Perhaps they would never know each other, or would, but they would not have this and focus on their own affairs.
For Damian she would only be a few more eyes, and Raven would consider him as a passing object that would not leave a trace.
They are all sad futures.
***
A bark rips her from her sleep, there is a canine tongue licking her face. When her eyes open, she is alone lying in a thick pile of blankets and a diver serving as a pillow.
Has she slept all night? The thought is alien to her, because weeks ago she has not been able to fall asleep for more than a handful of hours.
Titus growls and there are sounds from outside. It is still cold, Raven struggles to wake up, runs a hand through her hair wanting to remove any mess and feels the presence of more people.
There are new voices.
She sits on her bed, still dazed by the memories of the night before. Still struggling against the idea that this is not the tower. The concrete of the roofs is replaced by a thin cloth, where few rays of the sun pass through it like lasers and the sounds that come from outside are not familiar voices. They do not have the words or the faces that she would have liked to find.
Her cheeks turn pink when her mind travels to the night before, clearly recalling every scent, touch and detail. His confession had ignited her unease; He let her know that The League of Assassins is more dangerous than he thinks. They had both taken refuge under the covers, as if the cold was a plausible excuse to be together and he left her gently lying down.
Where's Damian?
She wonders what it would be like to wake up next to him. That his green eyes are the first and the last thing she will see when the sun hides behind the Himalayas and believes the idea that he leaves before dawn to go to the ridiculous, but in this existence, both coexist with pain. Sacrifices and death haunts them like a hound to a bone.
The only thing that seems ridiculous to her is that she will stay, but it is still possible for them to rest from their battles and calm each other's wounds. Her heart raises questions about Damian's absence, hurt that he's not here and beats with the idea that he cares about her.
Would he be able to ease her pain just by staying by her side?
Raven thinks it is a very happy and idealistic concept for people like them.
***
When she leaves the tent after breakfast will be brought to her, the snow falls on a soft curtain and a chill run through her figure as she is struck by the sudden temperature change.
Her back bristles at the sight of a whole contingent of people, they comb the area and keep the area under surveillance. Raven can feel the gaze of more than one on her figure, but they do not detect her as a threat, possibly they already have knowledge.
The League of Assassins were considered high-profile criminals, a terrorist organization that subjected the world to an extremist ideal of justice. They saw no people, but soldiers ready to indoctrinate for their cause. Raven didn't think any differently, judging from Damian's initial behavior, he just ended up confirming it.
Boy, things have changed, she thought.
''They are just rotting meat sacks. They will fall just like your porcelain heroes.''
"Shut up." she growls.
One of the men gives him a sharp look, but he doesn't say anything, not that she expects him to.
They act as if she were an invisible entity, she is transparent with the snow and she does not matter.
There are more people than expected and Raven doesn't know where to go. The one that most catches her attention is a tall, muscular woman in a red suit that leaves little to the imagination and reminds her of those warriors who appear in video games that Garfield and Jaime liked so much, that their suits can hardly be considered armor. The woman's hair is short and dark, she has a rough beauty, it is as if she is carrying a heavy armor and her eyes have experienced more than she lets on.
Damian stands near a row of cars and talks to the warrior. What she hears doesn't seem good, since his eyebrows are wrinkled, and his arms are crossed on his chest. He is shorter compared to the other warriors, but somehow manages to stand out. If she did not know him, she would think that he is the undisputed leader just by observing the dynamics of the group.
You don't need powers for that.
The woman is the one who sees her first. Her dark eyes protrude through her eyeliner and makes her look like a feline that is about to jump on a defenseless mouse. She gives her a hard look and Titus sticks his body to her, ready to protect her from anyone.
She does not know what to do, her feet struggle in the dirty snow and she is torn between approaching or not.
There is an order floating in the air and her tent is being taken apart. The pieces transported in the trunk of a car and Raven watches as the hooded figures hands are agile, they advance in seconds and she knows that their swords are extensions of their bodies, with one movement they could amputate arms and stop hearts.
The woman is the first to approach.
Titus groans, but he doesn't hurt, and she has to lift her chin to look the murderer in the eye.
"Good morning, Raven." she says, her tone is formal and devoid of emotion. Her short hair dances to the Himalayan wind. "I am Lady Shiva" leaves no room for her to continue. Her breath freezes in a cloud. "We will leave for Narba Parbat in a few minutes. Get in the second car." She moves forward and has to run to catch up with Lady Shiva. The woman clasps her hands behind her back, not looking at her, but supervising the others. "Do not ask questions, you will not speak to men, nor will you move if we do not order it. When we reach the fortress, you will be given further instructions".
She opens the car door.
Raven grimaces, the woman's orders and her tone echo in her head, and she feels out of place. She is a foreign figure to these people.
''Is that how your story begins, daughter? The boy will not give you happiness. You, daughter, are not worth it.''
Are you wrong?, Asks a voice fed by her father.
"What are you waiting for? " Lady Shiva opens the door, the interior is empty, and she can feel the heating from outside. The woman's eyes itch on her figure, it is to transport her childhood where instructors and teachers treat her like a girl who needs direction.
A stirring rise inside her, it is as if a snake crawls inside her and is confirmed when the dog bristles, looking towards his surroundings with suspicion.
Something is happening, her senses are alert, and she knows that something is coming.
"Why…"
Lady Shiva's irritated voice is cut off as a growl resounds from a distance and the small birds resting in the trees flutter and fly in different directions, she hears their squawks and the churning in the wild. Of colossal and dangerous animal origin, Raven is ready to cast a protection spell on these people, but the killers think differently.
Her initial thought is that this is not a parademons, but an entire horde. She can anticipate danger, trust her predictive powers, even if she have ignored them before.
Damian growls orders, draws his sword and runs to the front position, he would be the first target.
She does not know if they have a knowledge of what they are facing, and she wants to warn them. Whatever was coming towards them is bigger than parademons, and it has a self-awareness. It may not be a thinking being, but it has emotions, it has a beating heart, and it is not a creation of a new god of anti-life.
It is millennial, like a creature taken from a fairy tale.
SHE NEEDS TO TELL THEM.
Before she knows it, Lady Shiva pushes her into the car and closes the door. Titus begins to bark, jumps to the height of the glass and scratches it with his nails, but it is useless.
She is a little stunned by the turn of the movement, she realizes that she is faster than she thought, and her training had to be hard, beyond human capabilities, it reminds her of Kory's speed. In a second, Raven is already in the car.
She tries to open the door, but it is locked.
She must go.
The warrior in red runs into the ranks with her saber in her hands, positioning herself at Damian's level and adopting a defensive pose. The assassins gathered around her have bows and arrows pointed skyward. The leader probably thinks it is the Darkseid army that had defeated the league, took his father perhaps forever, finished off his family and she know that Damian will have no mercy.
Not after what happened.
Titus is barking loudly.
Raven is angry, she is not here to be locked up and banished from battles, she does not want to be cared for and overprotected. She had enough when she was a girl, that did not save her from the disaster and over the years she realized that the best thing would always be to fight.
''Do you really think you will be happy?''
She had promised her father that she would fight him step by step. She still wouldn't let her father be right, but the doubt is implanted in her head and she wonders if these murderers know about her identity as a heroine (surely yes), but does that matter? When there is no world to save and each of the figures she admired were smashed to pieces before her eyes, her father's contempt and hatred speeches still linger.
He had played with her head when she was a child. Promised love and the hope of building a heritage, where she would be more than his assistant, she would be his beloved daughter. The hand that he would hold when he would achieve victory, paternal affection in exchange for worlds.
Raven did not want destruction, she just wanted to find love. The kind that looks at you with good eyes, holds your hands in times of adversity and hopes that you become a good person. She wanted a father who would help her when she fell and a figure that could hug her. But when she found him, she had nothing of that, but a being who could not love anyone and absorbed misfortune as food. He was not the loving father that she had wanted when she was little, someone who would help her understand herself. She would ask and Trigon would answer, he just used her, so he forced her to hate him, she ran away and found what she wanted so much.
She did it by herself.
She searched for love all her life, but it was also lethal.
Raven watches the dog's face through the car window and the assassins gathered around Damian scanning the skies and the stir in the air. It is as if nature knew they were in danger or maybe she will collaborate with the assassins.
She was not outside, but locked in a car, acting like she is useless.
''As I said ... You are weak, daughter.''
She needed to focus on something else, anything, except her father's mocking laugh echoing through the air. She focuses on the expectant and excited auras of assassins imagining their prey's head hanging on their walls, like a trophy, in the upright posture, and Damian's narrow eyes scanning the skies. She was watching him take his first steps as the Demon Head. The swing of his sword and a death.
Raven closes her eyes, glued her back to the seat and regulates her breathing, assuming the lotus position.
Inhale and exhale.
It is a simple exercise. It was the first thing the monks taught her. She had been a quiet girl and pride hit when they restricted her. She could be full of excuses and turns, for people as obedient, strict and helpful as the monks of Azarath, she could be a problem. Her bad mood and tendency to back away was a collective complaint. Raven could be empathetic, but she didn't connect with people, until they taught her astral projection.
It wasn't always a raven. Before it was a smaller and more elusive thing, an invisible ghost of itself.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the colors of emotions, feelings, energies and the color of life in her hands. The world was never so full of colors, she learned about the rhythm of the heartbeat, the souls bathing the earth. As the flowers and the trees breathed the oxygen from the air, it was like another universe.
Everything was full of color, but years later she would do it again not as a student, but to save the lives of her teammates and catch criminals. Their purposes were painted with heroism.
She no longer saw the world in bright colors like a painting, but in shades of gray and knew that it was more than astral projections, energies and feelings, but what is beyond people. The world was not that perfectly working machine that she imagined as a girl, but it is full of small bumps and loose ends. Those spaces where energy escapes and should not be approached, however, here it was.
It was like looking at a scene from above. When her soul came out of her body, she was a raven. She saw evil and revenge in the heart of many of these shoulders, they were vines that tied her feet to the ground. Others had their eyes covered by the honor and the speeches of Ra's Al Ghul, there were complexities like Lady Shiva, whose heart is cold as the ice accumulated in the mountains but continued to beat for an unknown purpose.
The snow had a bluish color, it caught on like lightning when the flakes fell, as if it embraced the frost and the sky was a crystalline soup. She looked at Damian, but quickly looked away, it would not be her who saw his heart without his permission. She was once in his head and she promised himself that it would be the last; it was an invasion of privacy.
''If you do it more than once it's not an accident, Raven.'' a monk's voice chided. ''You have to set a limit. You only look inside a house if the owner gives you permission.''
She felt Damian's heartbeat like a drum in her ears, a melody of war and seemed to throw it away like the force of gravity exerted by the earth, but she was not here to spy.
If it was Darkseid's army, she would be the first to know.
The trees stirred, stunned by the approaching colossal figure. She felt the snort of it's breath and the beating of the wings raising gusts of wind. It could not be a Parademon, she confirmed this being had a heart and knew that it was more than just an animal.
It seemed to have the charm of a puppy, only a very large and deadly one.
She forced her projection to meet the creature. Suddenly, she traveled the landscape in a hurry and was above the trees, perched on the top of a tree as the leaves stirred and the little monkeys with golden fur jumped between the branches fleeing from whatever was approaching.
It was a red dot that grew bigger and bigger, until it formed heavy wings and looked like a giant bat with blood-colored fur. It was larger than she had thought, it reminded her of the stone statues that adorned French cathedrals, but none inspired her as much confidence as it did.
She noticed his black claws, his muscles, and his sharp jaws perfect for tearing flesh, but there was no evil or bloodlust in his eyes.
The animal flapped its wings and headed straight for the base of the mountains where they were waiting with bows, swords, and arrows. When it flew over her head, she swallowed as she realized how massive the creature is up close. He didn't notice her presence but seemed focused on reaching its destination.
It screeched and pushed to get there faster.
He seemed… excited?
She thought she saw Titus in that creature. Once Damian had been away for two weeks on a mission, the dog had pushed Raven to visit the tower entrance every night waiting for the return of his master. By the time he arrived he knew it and life returned to his eyes. She had never seen Titus run so fast and be so excited than when Damian emerged from the elevator.
Only that the growl of this creature was also tinged with sadness and nostalgia. As if it had been plucked from something for a long time and was thirsty for affection. It was like a cry laden with hope, it was like observing an abandoned animal that responded to the promise of affection.
She knew she had to stop everything.
***
When Raven returned to her body, she was barely able to breathe and her limbs ached, as if she had exercised a lot. Sweat covered her forehead, a thin drop trickled down her cheek and she didn't mind in the least because she needed to get out.
Titus continued to bark.
"The projections are motherfuckers." she growled, wrapping a hand around her stomach to hold back the nausea. Projecting at a long distance always left her exhausted.
She had no time for regrets.
''You have no energy, useless. You will pass out.''
She extended her hand and transported herself outside. The portal was small, but it is enough that her body will land in the wet snow a few meters from the car in a purple flash.
She fell onto the snow, as Titus swirled barking and licking her face, as if asking if she was okay.
Don't betray me now, she begged as she tried to stand up.
"What are you…"
Lady Shiva watches her from a distance with disapproval, but she doesn't care because she must save that creature.
Even from a distance she can feel the beating of his heart and the sweetness of his emotions, only compared to a loving animal, she realized she did not want it to die. She is sure that Damian would not allow a defenseless animal to be killed, but she does not know how he will behave in front of his men.
Would they consider him weak for leaving an animal alive?
Raven stands up with a growl, her legs are two boards and she must push herself to try to stop Damian. She staggers with a pounding heart in her chest and urgency running through her veins.
A figure perches in the treetops, its red fur contrasts with the frigid surroundings, its wings spread out in the shape of a bat in a carmine to black gradient and it growls at the sky, like a coyote to the moon, and see’s how Damian opens his mouth, surprised.
"Catch the beast!" Lady Shiva commands with her saber pointed at the creature.
Her father laughs like a madman, mocking that her attempts and all her effort have not been worth it.
Something lights up inside Raven, as if she had lit a fuel with a match and she screams looking for them to stop. The creature continues to growl, spreading its wings, like the dance of a bird and she feels the emotion pulling in her soul, perceiving the same as the animal.
One of the assassins tightened the string of her bow ready to fire ... 1,2, 3 ...
"NO!" She exclaimed, and his power stopped the arrow as it was about to hit the creature. The black raven flew through the skies flapping its wings killing any threat, arrows, shots and darts.
Lady Shiva growled.
"Enough!" Damian shouted, extending one of his hands. The scene froze, the assassins stared at him paralyzed and her raven flapped its wings at one point in the sky, doing nothing. The creature watched him directly from the trees and Damian frowned, but didn't back down. "Goliath?"
The beast growled like a tiger and they both looked into each other's eyes. The boy's posture relaxed, and she felt something inside her shake when Goliath tilted his head to the side, his eyes soft and she almost felt like he was about to run to hug him, if he knew what that was.
Goliath spread his wings and landed in front of Damian. He continues with a raised hand to stop his men in case they wanted to attack the creature. He looks small compared to the animal, but somehow Damian manages to prevail.
He stretches out a hand when the wind begs like this animal and the snow falls on their bodies, they are ethereal points, which turn the scene into a fantastic painting. When Goliath closes the distance with a sigh against his hand, she knows that his connection with Damian was closing and they are intertwined, like two souls linked by a bond and it is something beautiful.
She can breathe, relieved.
The raven returns to her body in an inhalation, like breathing oxygen and feels the weight of exhaustion in her body, it is consuming her little by little making her a submissive slave and her eyelids begin to weigh on her eyes.
She doesn't want to pass out, but her legs tremble and the impact of the difficult days begins to leave a mark on her body, her tendons and muscles hurt. On the chest where her projection had returned it was as if she had been hurt. It was slowly burning her, absorbing any other sensation and standing is a punishment.
She falls against the snow.
Titus barks, the dog tries to get Damian and the others' attention, asking for help.
All she can hear is her father's teasing, his voice is her constant torture consuming everything, as he did in Azarath.
It looks like her head was about to explode.
''Let me out, Raven.''
''No, no, no.'' she squeezes her head with her hands and denies repeatedly. ''I will never let you out!''
She hears a rustling inside her, it's like a branch snapping forcibly and her ribs are now alight with pain. She's so loud she growls and twists, like a worm on the snowy ground. Her mouth is full of blood, because she has bitten her tongue.
"Raven!" She hears a male voice.
Suddenly several eyes are on her figure, but all she cares about are green ones, who look at her with concern.
Damian does not know whether to touch her or not and grimaces, as if sharing her pain. Raven can hardly hear, everything is a crop of colors, smells and dizziness; they are lost flashes.
There are strong arms around her, a tattered suit with a green insignia and sharp metal in her hands. Everything is hers, but at the same time it does not belong to her; somehow, she knows it's not her story, she shouldn't be here.
What is that?
"Raven." Damian brushes a lock of hair from her face. The tips of his is fingers stop for a few moments on her forehead, as if he wanted to tear out her wrinkles, all her past and his emotions are now strong. It reminds her of the night before when he was opened before her, like a book waiting to be brought to life by a writer's pen. That's Damian Wayne to her, someone who can bring her back. "Raven… " he calls her softly.
Keep talking, she thinks.
Her father's voice and the memories they bring are muffled and she breathes the icy air of the Himalayas. She back.
But everything is wrapped in a black canvas.
***
When she opens her eyes there is a burning incense in her room leaving a trail of smoke with a scent so strong that it makes her nose itch. The sheets are delicate and soft, like butter and the wind is strong.
Her tongue is heavy in her mouth and she fights against unconsciousness several times. Her eyes feel like heavy spots and each limb hurts. There is something light about her clothing and her torso is tight, as if a boa was compressing it.
"Did you wake up?" Asks a soft voice with a heavy accent, the English is so hard that she has to process the question several times to understand.
Where am I located?
Where's Damian?
She distinguishes two faces of women dressed in colored robes, their tan skin, small, slanted eyes, and dark, ink-like hair. They are young and they walk around the room, she feels their souls light as feathers, they walk opening some curtains being careful when one agrees to the question.
Raven tries to make sense of where she is.
Oh Azar, her ribs are killing her.
Her forces have abandoned her, and it seems that this bed is eating her little by little, because she cannot straighten up.
"Good morning, Lady Raven." One of the girls leans in, her face showing a beaming smile. "You must be confused…" The other elbowed her and there was an exchange of glances, finally the girl smiled. "Welcome to Narba Parbat. "