Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - Dreams
She was exhausted. Days of running from place to place, with barely any food or clean water was starting to catch up to her. She needed rest. But she couldn’t risk being found. Not by them. Every minute she had was sacred, every step one of importance. She needed to put as much distance between them and her as possible, find a way to cover her tracks and mask her presence. Did she know how to do any of that? No, of course not. The only alternative that left was for her to keep moving.
Her thoughts were getting foggy. She knew that the rest of her life was going to be spent looking over her shoulders, that her father’s followers would stop at nothing until she was captured and returned to his feet. Raven couldn’t let that happen. A whole dimension, a whole universe counted on it, but she knew that if she kept up like this with no food and sleep that it was only a matter of time before they found her. She was getting too weak, she wouldn’t be able to fight them off. It was a fluke that she was able to escape in the first place, and she knew that people had paid the price for her to do so. If she were to honor their sacrifice, then she would have to do everything in her power to evade her father’s minions and her own siblings for the rest of her life.
Sighing, she looked around Central Park, the vast forest in the middle of the city. She knew she couldn’t stay there, but without at least a nap she knew she couldn’t hope to continue surviving. She walked off the trail into the expanse of woods, stumbling with exhaustion. She was looking for somewhere secluded, somewhere where people wouldn’t randomly happen upon her. At least for a few hours. The sun was starting to set and the crowds of people were starting to dwindle. Seclusion and safety were her mission as she continued her trek, the shadows of the trees dancing around her as she pushed herself forward.
She tripped over a tree root and landed hard, getting a face full of dirt in the process. Groaning, she turned to her side and weakly spit, trying to clear her mouth of the disgusting taste of earth. She rolled to her back and wiped her black sweat-soaked hair from her face with a moan. What was she even doing? Could she really survive like this? She was barely surviving right now. Tears started welling up in her eyes as she pulled her purple hoodie over her head and curled up into the fetal position. She was too exhausted to continue on, and the couple berries she had found had done absolutely nothing for her appetite.
As the tears started falling from her face quicker now, she pondered her situation. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn’t she have had a normal life, with normal parents and a normal family? She refused her so-called destiny, but would she even live long enough? It’s been less than a week and already she was on the brink of death. What hope of surviving did she have if she were alone?
Raven of course had no answers, but she didn’t have any other options either. It was depressing, and no matter how she looked at it it seemed like she was doomed to die one way or the other. That didn’t seem like a life worth fighting for in her eyes.
Her sobs faded into the wind, like whispers from a world already slipping into a shadow. In the background, the city still hummed with activity, oblivious to her inner turmoil. Having no other options, or the strength to keep going, she drifted off into the realm of unconsciousness. Apparently, the dreamworld would offer no respite from the waking one on this night, either.
~
The hellscape that appeared before her caused her to seize up in fear. Was she back in her Father’s realm? Panic swelling up in her chest, she ducked behind the nearest boulder, her heart rate picking up by the second. How was she back here? He shouldn’t have been able to interfere from a dimension away.
As she looked around, though, she noticed the distinct lack of fire that was all too common in her father’s home. While the ambient heat was noticeable, and the stench of fear permeated every orifice, she slowly realized that whatever hellscape this was, her father’s it was not. Still though, why was she in another hellscape to begin with?
The faint sound of metal clanging in the distance caught her attention. She appeared to be on a cliff of some sorts, and the sound appeared to be coming from right below her. Very cautiously, she peeked her head over the ledge and had to stifle a gasp at the sight below her.
Monsters. Real monsters and not demons permeated the landscape below. She had never seen so many in one place before, nor any that looked like these. Mounds of massive black fur with glowing red eyes prowled the landscape below. There were giants with black clubs and one circular eye, all cheering as they stared at the center of a circle the monsters had formed. There was even a wingless dragon that appeared to be made of bone overlooking all of the creatures from a ledge above the mob, as if it were guarding them. Even more bizarre creatures made up the mob of monstrosities below. But perhaps the strangest thing, were the two humanoid figures in the center of the circle, and the subjects of the creatures' monstrous cheers.
One of the beings appeared to be ten feet tall. He had long, black hair that was braided down to the small of his back. His vibrant red eyes a match for his surroundings, his bronze armor also had a faint tinge of red to it. He was wielding a sword against the much smaller man, trying to back him up into the crowd of monsters that surrounded them. It was the other man, however, that had caught Ravens attention.
Standing at around 6 feet, she guessed, with shoulder length, messy, windswept raven hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed in years. He was wearing a brown jacket that looked like it was made out of fur, and black cargo pants. It appeared he was around her age, but she really couldn’t tell from the distance she was at. He didn’t seem to have any armor on his person, but apparently that wasn’t going to stop the man. He was dual wielding swords, one a bronze that was glowing faintly, the other a deep, midnight black that seemed to have gold going down the middle of the blade on each side. What really stood out to her though were his eyes. A vibrant, glowing green that seemed out of place in this hellish environment, and the maniacal grin that adorned his face. She could tell the man was breathing hard, but from her vantage point it seemed like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. How, she couldn’t even fathom. The man was surrounded by all manner of hellish beasts, but he didn’t appear to be backing down in the slightest.
All of a sudden, the man’s gaze quickly jerked in her direction, causing her to yelp and leap back from the ledge of the cliff. Had he seen her? She brought her hands up to inspect them, and like every dreamscape she had ever been pulled into to, her hands and arms were vaguely transparent, which meant she was invisible and no one should have been able to sense her, much less see her. Her heart rate quickened and she contemplated her options. Why was she here? Was escaping one hellscape not enough? She had to figure out a way out of here and force herself back to the land of the living. Usually when she was pulled into a dreamscape, there was a reason but she frankly didn’t care to stay long enough to find out.
As she was about to get up and run away, a booming laugh echoed throughout the realm, one she could feel in her spine as it caused her to freeze up. She chanced a peek back down at the bizarre scene below, and she saw the giant standing over the green-eyed man, him now on a knee and looking up at his foe. The grin didn’t leave his face, but the giant didn’t seem to care, as now he too, seemed to be in a good mood. “Did you honestly think that I wouldn’t catch you? That you could escape your confines, unpunished? Honestly, every single retched sea spawn is the same.” Sea spawn? What did that even mean? She didn’t get a chance to reflect because it was the green-eyed man’s turn to laugh.
“Come on, Perses. Did you really miss me that much? What makes you think you can even capture me?” He seemed to be oddly at ease with his current situation, much to her dismay.
The giant’s grin didn’t falter. “I caught you before.” He stated simply.
The green-eyed man’s smile dropped just a little, but never left his face. “That was just a fluke.” The giant seemed amused at that statement and raised his eyebrow.
“Just a fluke, you say? And what will it be when I bring you back this time? An accident? A coincidence? A lucky break, perhaps?” The giant was taunting the man, but he didn’t look all that fazed, but she could tell that the look in his eyes was a lot less manic now.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you today, Perses, but I have a date with the Doors.” The giant laughed again, and again she felt that freezing sensation curl up around her spine.
“Why are you so sure you will find them? They haven’t been seen in ages! No one knows where they spawned, or if they even spawned at all.”
The man lifted both of his swords in front of him and shrugged. “Something is different in the air. And I will be the one who finds them and ascends.” With that ominous statement, the man thrust both swords into the ground with a yell, and the ground started shaking violently. Cracks appeared at the epicenter and spread out, snaking their way every which way. Unfortunately for her, they started climbing up the cliff face she was on and started separating the very land from beneath her feet. She stumbled back and turned to run away. She was not about to be caught up in whatever mess that was, and she needed to find safety. It was hard to run though, as the very ground she was running on would not stop rumbling, as if the solid ground had turned to liquid. She heard a shout that shook the very air as she tried to escape, not helping her matters at all.
“Find the boy!” Perses screamed, the force of his voice causing her to go flying. She didn’t have a chance to react as she landed face first against a black tree, and immediately her world went dark.
~
“Excuse me miss, you can’t sleep here. Do you need me to call someone?” Raven groaned as she grabbed her head and squinted to block the sun from her eyes. Her head was throbbing, and she had to take a second to remember where she even was. Central Park, she thought to herself. She had fallen asleep on the ground out in the open like an idiot. She looked over her shoulder and a policeman on a bike with a helmet and shorts that looked way too small was just a few feet from her. “Are you okay, ma’am?” The officer asked as he dismounted his bike and made his way over to her. “I can get an ambulance over if you need-”
“No!” She interrupted him, forcing herself to her feet. She looked down at her clothes and realized they were filthy, covered with sticks and mud. She made a show of brushing herself off as she continued. “No, I’m sorry. I was with some friends last night and I got lost and tripped. I guess I hit my head and passed out,” she forced a laugh, trying to make herself seem like a normal, human teenager to the officer in front of her.
He didn’t look convinced. “You got lost? The path is just right here, though?” He gestured to the very obvious path his bike was on. Raven never wanted to strangle a mortal more than she did in that moment. “It’s only 30 feet away, surely you would’ve seen it, right?”
She forced a smile and a laugh. She needed this man to get away from her. “I didn’t have my glasses on, and we were exploring last night. My friends probably just thought I went home, which I should definitely do, actually. Excuse me.” She waved at the man as she made her way to the path and tried walking in the opposite direction, but the man didn’t seem to want to let her walk off.
“How about I call your parents and we have them come and get you.” He said as he turned his bike around and tried following her. “Surely they are worried.”
It took everything in her not to smack this guy upside the head. “No, they went out of town for work. I’m okay, sir. Really. Just an honest mistake.” She really hoped that he would buy it, because she did not want the added stress of this world’s police force finding out that she technically didn’t even exist. That would only draw more attention to herself, and that was what she was trying to currently avoid. She looked the officer in the eye as she stopped, causing the man to slow down beside her. “I get that you are just trying to do your job, but please, I’m fine. Really.”
The man seemed to hesitate, but after what felt like an eternity, he nodded. Raven let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. The man reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a card and handed it to her. “Okay. If you ever need anything though, don’t hesitate to reach out and I will help in any way I can. She nodded as she watched the man turn his bike around and continue up the path. She rolled her eyes and crumbled the card up, not even bothering to read it, and tossed it in the trashcan to the side of the trail.
“As if,” she muttered to herself as she continued down the trail. Now that she was fully rested, she needed to find a place that could serve her food. She absentmindedly rubbed her throbbing head as she walked, deep in thought. What was that place? And who was that man? He didn’t look like he belonged there, and it reminded her of her time living in her father’s realm, an outsider in an hellscape. She shuddered as she realized that she had finally made it to one of the park’s entrances. She looked at the massive skyscrapers towering before her, and with a deep breath, continued into the city. Blending into the crowd as if she were just another New Yorker.
She hated the city. It was too noisy, too chaotic, which was ironic, considering the hellscape she had just escaped from. There, though, there was a certain, horrifying order to things. Here, though, it seemed like chaos made manifest. She didn’t like that. After absently walking for almost an hour, she found herself in front of St. Bartholomew’s Church. She usually tried avoiding churches, but the sign in front of her read Free Food, and considering she had no money, this was probably as good as it was going to get. She looked at the large, medieval structure looming in front of her and shuddered. For a church, it looked pretty intimidating. Would she burn up if she went inside, she wondered. She internally shook that thought from her mind. That was ridiculous. Right?
She steeled her nerves and walked up the steps of the massive chapel, determined to get some food in her stomach. No point in trying to go into a business that took currency, seeing as she was lacking any to begin with. As she opened the massive doors, inside there was an arrow that pointed to the left. It read Free Meal, so she decided that was the direction she needed to go. As she came into the cafeteria, she had to catch her breath. For a church, the cafeteria looked like it belonged in a fancy restaurant. Ambient lighting lit up the whole place, and lines of food covered three entire walls of the room. Chairs filled up the center of the room, each with tapestry that looked way too fancy to be in this room. She briefly wondered how they could afford this when a woman donned in black religious habit walked up to her.
“Would you like a meal, miss?” The lady asked. Raven nodded and the woman lead her to the beginning of the line of food, where plates and silverware were. “My name is Sister Cathy, who do I have the pleasure of welcoming into the Lord’s house?”
“Rav-Rachel,” she quickly corrected, not wanting to give anyone her real name. At least, not yet. The women didn’t seem to notice, though, and just smiled and gestured to the food.
“Well, Rachel. Thank you for joining us. We have free meals every day around lunch, and feel free to take what you want. You are always welcomed in the House of the Lord.” Raven smiled as the lady bowed her head and walked away, disappearing down a corridor. She turned to the food and grabbed a plate and silverware. She wasn’t going to be picky, her stomach was literally yelling at her in protest at this moment, but she couldn’t decide on what she wanted to eat. Sandwiches of all kinds, pastas and soups all spread out in front of her. She hadn’t eaten in so long, and now that she was literally surrounded by the stuff, she couldn’t figure out where she should even begin. After some contemplation, she decided on several turkey sandwiches and some potato salad with some punch. She had finally found a place where she could seemingly let down her guard and fill her stomach. It wasn’t long before she forgot about her dream entirely.
~
She didn’t know how long she was in the church for, but when she finally left she didn’t really care. The Sisters who she had met were really nice and they had let her get as much food as she wanted. It made sense, not many people had showed up, but she wasn’t complaining. As she walked down the steps of the chapel, she felt content for the first time in a very long time. A slight smile adorned her face. They had even given her some money and an extra change of clothes when they realized how dirty her clothes really were. They pointed her in the direction of a laundry mat, and that was where she was heading. If she could wash her clothes, that was a win in her book. Even she was starting to smell herself, and it was gross. The clothes they gave her were nothing special, just some grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, but she didn’t care. The simple act of compassion had made her happy.
She was trying to make her way to the laundry mat when a scream broke her out of her thoughts. She looked over and across the street were about half a dozen men in masks, all armed with weapons, making their way up the steps of a bank. She froze as the men started shooting the air, threatening to shoot anyone who got in their way.
She shook her head and looked in the direction she was heading. Could she really leave if she had the power to help? “No matter where I go, Chaos seems to follow,” she muttered to herself. After contemplating the situation, she rolled her eyes and pulled her hood over her head. She would help, but if she could stay hidden then she would do so.
She willed the shadows to obey her command, slithering out from her feet and snaking their way towards the men, silently stalking their prey. As they closed in on their targets, one by one the shadows sprang to life, taking each of the men by surprise and strangling them unconscious. Their weapons started flailing about and firing randomly, and Raven willed her shadows to pry them from the men’s hands, flinging them away and onto the sidewalk. One by one, the men dropped, no longer a threat to anyone. She smirked, that was surprisingly easy, and no one seemed to realize it was her who did it, if the confused crowd frantically looking around for their savior was any indication. She didn’t really care though, as she turned and continued making her way towards the laundromat. She had more pressing issues to deal with, like where she was going to sleep tonight. She continued on, all while still silently pondering the green-eyed man.
~
Watchtower
Batman had been having a relatively quiet shift. There was a distinct lack of world ending threats, and Bruce silently appreciated that. He didn’t necessarily like fighting beings who treated destruction on a massive scale as if it were nothing, and a night away from Gotham couldn’t hurt. Alfred had his number on speed dial in case anything happened, and he knew that Barry could be here in a Flash if he needed him to be.
On the giant monitor in front of him were several news stations, every couple of seconds being replaced by another. He was watching intently for anything that may be of interest, but over the past couple hours there was nothing that required the League’s attention, as was the case most nights. His phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen to see a message from Black Canary.
The Team is getting restless. They think you guys set them up here to keep them out of the way.
Bruce was about to respond when a news broadcast caught his attention. He clicked on it to enable the audio and the woman in front of a bank was in the middle of a report. “-appears to have been an unknown meta-human that thwarted this bank robbery. Witnesses claim that ‘shadows’ defeated the would-be heisters, but who those shadows belonged to, nobody seems to know. This is the video from the scene, viewer discretion advised.”
He was watching intently as the screen switched to a video showing shadows manifesting from the ground and quickly strangling the men. The tendrils of shadows moved with a purpose, but they were rigid, volatile. The shaky tendrils snatched the weapons from the hands of the criminals and flung them away as they slowly squeezed the men until they passed out. Bruce scanned the crowd in the video, droning out the reporter. Sure enough, whoever was filming didn’t seem to catch anything suspicious. He looked at the name of the bank. Manhattan National Bank. He sat up and plugged a USB drive from his utility belt into the Watchtower’s computer system, and within seconds, a virtual environment of his own Bat Computer sat displayed before him. He didn’t waste any time. Within a few moments, he hacked his way into the security systems of the bank. They really needed to upgrade their security, Bruce thought to himself. Maybe he would have Wayne Enterprises reach out and try and strike a deal.
Pushing that thought to the side for now, he accessed the footage from earlier in the day, from around the time of the attempted bank robbery. Sure enough, it caught way more footage then that grainy cellphone camera. He hit play and watched the scene play out, watching the shadows strangle the men. He wasn’t worried about that though, as he kept rewinding and scanning the crowd. And then he found her.
He zoomed in on her face, a girl around 17 or 18, standing nonchalantly across the street in dirty, torn up clothes. She was the only person in the sea of people who didn’t seem concerned with masked men with weapons only a few yards away. And then she pulled up her hood and stared intently at the men. He watched in fascination as everything timed up perfectly. The shadows sprang to life just mere moments after she pulled up her hood. As soon as the men were unconscious and unarmed, she walked away. He found her, the meta-human.
Pulling up his facial recognition software, he started scanning his meta-human registry that he had discreetly created. After a few moments, nothing.
“Hmm.” He sat forward and tried running her face through every government database in the world, perhaps she was someone who was in a system somewhere. Within a few moments, the same result showed on his screen. He scowled under his cowl. So either someone who stayed off every government radar conveniently got powers, and over shadows, of all things, or something else was happening here. The girl looked homeless from the video, and he watched as she made her way up the street, turning into a laundromat and walking inside. Bruce had a suspicion that his hunch of her being homeless was correct. He looked at the time, Hal was about to arrive any moment now for his turn to take watch. He saved the video to his personal files and stood up, getting ready to meet them. He then replied to Dinah.
I have a reconnaissance mission for the team. Meet me at Mt. Justice
CHAPTER 1 REWRITE
I am going to rewrite all the chapters of this story to make things more cohesive. I started with my most controversial chapter, but now I am going to do the chapters in order. Here is the Chapter 1 rewrite.