Cold Land, Cold Heart

Chapter 1: How It All Began

In the dead of night, cold winter winds howled through the forests of Sweden. Tall trees that defiantly stood against the wind, like they had done for countless years. Winter had its harsh grip on the land, and so nothing but snow lay like a blanket across the landscape. Far from civilization, there was naught but wildlife making a living out here. However, there was one sign of human life present; a small cottage, situated atop a small hill, with light coming from inside.

"Förbaskade väder. Hoppas det går över till imorgon," the elderly man living in said cottage crumbled to himself as he poured up a cup of coffee for himself, his faithful dog standing by his side.

"Nåväl, det är väl knappast som om jag har bråttom någonstans," he added to himself as he sipped his coffee while absentmindedly scratching his dog behind his ears, a gesture most appreciated by the furry creature. But their small moment of contentment was abruptly ended by the dog. Animals truly possessed an ability to sense danger with far more ease and swiftness than us dull humans. And it was these superior senses that alerted the dog of imminent danger and brought out a threatening growl from its throat.

"Vad är det, Luffsen? Är det någon därute?" the old man asked cautiously, having learned long ago to put faith in his animal companion. When Luffsen continued to growl and even began pacing around the cottage in agitation, the old man knew that trouble was abroad. And so, he walked over to his fireplace, nervous eyes darting towards every conceivable entrance, before he grabbed a double-barreled shotgun hanging on the wall.

A quick inspection showed that it was loaded, and so he waited with his dog at his side. Nearly five minutes passed in silence, apart from the howling winds outside, and the old man began to think that Luffsen had been wrong just this once. But the dog was still growling, and so he remained vigilant just a bit longer. Then, he heard it. Footsteps, treading softly outside his door. Barely audible over the wind, they paused just on the other side of his door.

With slow and deliberate care, the door handle was lowered, and the door slowly creaked open. The old man tensed, shotgun at the ready, as a clawed hand holding a contraption he had never seen before poked inside. But the old man guessed from its shape and the way it was held that it was a weapon. And so when its owner swung the door fully open and stepped in, the old man squeezed the trigger. Whoever the intruder was, he was thrown out of the cottage by the blast, to land somewhere out in the snow. His unmoving form was barely visible out in the darkness.

With the danger apparently over, the old man finally released a breath he had been unknowingly holding and stood back up. But his moment of relief proved to be short-lived, for the dog was still growling.

"Är det en till därute?" he asked as he peered out into the darkness outside. It proved to be something far more terrifying to the old man than a second culprit, for it was in fact the first intruder who still spooked the dog. He took a bird shot at near point blank range straight in the chest, a shot that would have killed anyone. But in defiance of that statement, he was standing back up again as if nothing was wrong with him.

"Vad i helvete!" the old man screamed in terror as his assailant walked back inside, hunched over. He instantly fired his last shot into the intruder, and he fell over again. But this time, he did not rise again.

"You're empty, mister," a dark and menacing voice suddenly spoke up behind the old man, causing him to accidentally drop his weapon in fright as he whirled around. He was met with a fist to the face that shattered his nose and sent him to the ground in a daze. Meanwhile, the dog, angered from seeing its master struck down, barked loudly and lunged at the assailant. It proved to be its undoing, as the assailant easily grabbed the dog around its neck, and snapped it in half with a single hand.

"Luffsen!" the old man screamed in anguish upon seeing his closest companion get killed. He tried to stand back up, but the assailant threw Luffsen's body straight into him, knocking him back down. Before he even knew it, the mysterious assailant was towering above him, a boot keeping him firmly pressed down on the floor.

"You probably don't understand a word I'm saying to you, but I'll let you know that your death will help me bring about the end of my enemies at last," he spoke, right before he grabbed a strangely shaped firearm from his belt and aimed it at the old man's head. The last thing he saw in life before a yellow beam ended it however, was a single cold eye glaring at him from behind a half black, half orange mask.

"Who wants tofu waffles?" those were the first words that greeted Robin when he stepped foot inside the living room at Titans Tower. And if he was to be honest with himself, he was not all that surprised to find Beast Boy and Cyborg bickering over the usual stuff at this hour, namely breakfast.

"Forget it, grass stain! That stuff barely qualifies as food in the first place! Bacon and egg, now that's a real breakfast!" the cybernetic teen argued fiercely, to the great dismay of his green little friend.

"Dude! I've been those animals! It'd be like cannibalism for me!" he protested vehemently, causing Cyborg to merely shrug his shoulders.

"Your loss," he simply said while serving himself a generous portion, purposely ignoring Beast Boy who was making exaggerated gagging gestures at his food. Seeing this little spectacle, Robin shook his head in amusement. 'I guess some things never change,' he thought to himself as he strode inside.

"Morning, guys," he greeted cheerfully as he made his way to the kitchen, seeking to make some breakfast to himself.

"Morning," they both greeted back before they returned to their own breakfasts. Robin soon joined the duo at the table, his own breakfast done.

"Hey, has either of you seen Raven this morning?" he asked curiously as he took a seat next to Cyborg. It was nine in the morning and yet there was no sign of her as of yet. Normally, he would have expected Raven to be one of the first to be up and about.

"She came by about an hour or so, made some herbal tea and then went back to her room. Said there was an urgent matter she needed to look into," Cyborg answered, right before he gained a sly grin on his face. "By the way, you've been in your bedroom for quite some time now, and you didn't bother to ask where Starfire was," the not so innocent observation brought an embarrassed shade of red to Robin's cheeks.

"I don't know what you're implying," Robin tried to defend, but neither Cyborg nor Beast Boy believed him.

"Uh huh, so you don't know that Starfire's been sneaking into your room in the night when she thinks everyone else is asleep?" Cyborg asked with a knowing tone, leaving Robin sputtering in abashment. It brought out gales of laughter from both Beast Boy and Cyborg.

"Dude! It's only been two months since Tokyo, and you're already going at it like rabbits!" Beast Boy managed to get out before he devolved into uncontrollable laughter again. At that moment, Robin wished he could just crawl into a hole and die. Well, he supposed he should be grateful that it was only those two making fun of him. Heaven forbid if any other Titan found out as well, he would never hear the end of it.

"Robin, what does our friends find so humorous?" the ever sweet voice of Starfire suddenly asked as the redheaded alien walked inside the living room.

"Nothing, they're just being immature," Robin hastily explained, sending a discreet glare of warning at the pair along the way. While they at least managed to contain their laughter, there was no way to hide the twinkle of mirth in their eyes. 'And they're supposed to be the role models of this city,' Robin lamented to himself. Any other thoughts were put on hold when Starfire joined them as well, carrying… something. Honestly, none of the boys had any idea whether that was real food or whatever one could scrape up from the sewers. It sure smelled like it.

However, none of that matter to Robin, who had to endure it more than his friends since Starfire had seated herself right next to him. She was his girlfriend, and he would willingly endure any manner of torment or teasing as long as she was by his side. It may have sounded quite sappy, but Robin did not care. She was the love of his life, that was all that mattered to him.

"Robin, would you like to taste some?" Starfire suddenly asked as she held out a spoonful of whatever the hell it was she had prepared. A Tamaranian dish, no doubt. Definitively not anything healthy to eat then. In fact, Robin could have sworn that the bloody thing just moved.

"No thanks, Star. I'm sure it's delicious, but I got my own," Robin politely explained with a smile on his face, all the while fervently praying that she would relent. Thankfully, she did just that, as she merely shrugged her shoulders and ate it herself. None of the boys managed to stop a chill of revulsion from going down their spines at the sight. Small talk then followed among the four of them, with Robin and Starfire making not-so-subtle flirting with each other, spurring the two boys present to make some teasing comments at the pair's expense.

And it was at that moment that the fifth and final member of their team finally joined them. At first ignoring her friends, Raven made her way over to the kitchen with the intent of preparing another cup of herbal tea, something she felt that she really needed at this hour.

"Hey, Raven. You alright?" Robin asked curiously, prompting Raven to finally turn and fully face them. Her hood was down, so they could see her haggard face clearly. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot, there were bags under them, and her hair looked like a bird had tried to nest in it. Needless to say, her friends were instantly concerned about her wellbeing.

"Tired, and drained," she answered tiredly as she poured her tea up.

"What's happened?" Cyborg asked worriedly. Having essentially adopted the girl as his little sister, he was very concerned about her. At first, Raven was silent, obviously having an inner debate with herself, before she let out a resigned sigh.

"I've been having some problems with meditating lately. There's been some mystic disturbance in the air that keeps distracting me," she answered truthfully. While she remained calm on the outside, she was a bit worried herself about it. Meditating was her most effective way of maintaining control of her powers. Having it being disturbed so often these last few days made it a bit harder to keep it in check.

"Is it anything serious?" Robin instantly asked suspiciously. He would not claim to be very knowledgeable about the mystic arts, but he knew enough about them that they could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

"Don't know, but I'm not the only one troubled. I was contacted yesterday by Doctor Fate about this, he informed me Etrigan and Zatanna were having similar problems. Even villains such as Klarion and Circe have been reported to be acting a bit more agitated than usual," she explained in that usual monotone voice of hers. That did not alleviate Robin's worries in the least. That old paranoia of his instantly kicked in as he worried what this might entail. But, he had to concede defeat before he even got started on this one. As stated earlier, he was no expert on magic. For now, it was better to leave it to those who were experts.

But the so far tranquil morning was promptly shattered when the alarms went off in the Tower. Forgetting all about their food, the Titans all rushed over to the computer, anxious to learn what was going on this time. As usual, Robin was the one setting to work on the computer as his fingers seemed to fly over the keyboard.

"So what's going on?" Beast Boy asked worriedly. Understandable, given how the last villain they had to face was that strange creature that could turn itself into any material it touched. No matter how many times they fought and cornered it, the creature always managed to slip away.

"Someone's hacking into our systems. I can't stop them," Robin announced as he furiously typed away to no avail.

"But who is it?" Starfire wondered.

"Something tells me we're about to find out," Raven predicted ominously. No sooner had she said that before an image appeared on screen. An image of a man the Titans all loathed with utmost intensity.

"Slade," Robin snarled out with hatred burning in his eyes.

"Good morning, Teen Titans. I hope I didn't call at a bad time," Slade greeted, completely unaffected by the literal wave of anger flowing out of the gathered Titans. Needless to say, none of them were all that thrilled to be seeing that madman again.

"What do you want, Slade?" Robin demanded of his nemesis, glaring daggers at the one eyed man. He received a light chuckle in return.

"Why the hostility, Robin? Am I not allowed to call an old friend to say hi?" Slade asked mockingly with dark humor dancing in his lone eye.

"We're not friends," Robin stated bitterly, disgusted by the very notion of it. His statement only seemed to amuse Slade even further.

"Of course not, my mistake," he admitted in amusement, whether he meant it or not was up for debate. "But enough chit chat, let's get down to business. Our little feud has been going on long enough, and I believe it's time we brought it to an end. I am currently in Sweden, exact locations will be sent once we're done talking, and I have with me twenty hostages which I will kill in 48 hours. Of course, should the Justice League or any of the honorary Titans appear, I'll kill all the hostages at once. I want you all to come and try to thwart me," none of the Titans looked all that pleased at the ultimatum, Robin least of all.

"It's a trap," he stated without feeling a single doubt about whether he was right or not.

"Without doubt, Robin. But can you really sit back and wait with innocent lives at stake?" Slade asked rhetorically, for they all knew the answer to that question. Heroes did not let innocents suffer the cruelty of villains.

"Remember, 48 hours, and you five alone. I'll be waiting," those were the parting words of Slade before he disconnected. Silence fell over the Titans, all of them lost in their own dark thought regarding the one-eyed madman that had haunted them for years. Finally, Robin brought them all back to the present when he slammed his fist into the keyboard.

"Prepare the T-ship for launch, make all the preparations needed for this. We're ending this now, one way or another,"

It was a mostly quiet affair for the team during their flight across the Atlantic Ocean, with each Titan making mental preparations for the battle to come. From Slade's challenge and Robin's order, they all knew that this would be the final battle with the madman; either Slade would finally be brought to justice, or the Teen Titans would be no more.

"We're approaching the coordinates," Cyborg announced from the pilot cockpit. The anticipation mounted among them, adrenaline was already pumping through their veins. All were ready for battle. But there was one in their midst who felt a sense of unease. Raven had felt it all day long, that which disrupted her meditation. Up until now, it had been more of a mild annoyance rather than anything dangerous. But as they drew ever closer to their goal, Raven felt its power grow stronger.

Whatever it was that had disturbed the magical community, it was somehow linked to Slade and his diabolical scheme. And this power, it truly unnerved Raven. As their path brought her ever closer to its source, Raven could feel just how wrong it was. But at the same time, it somehow felt so right to her senses, and it scared Raven more than anything else.

"You okay, Raven?" Robin suddenly asked in concern, having seen his teammate's apparent discomfort from his own cockpit.

"Yes, I'm fine," Raven answered, swallowing her discomforting and putting on a confident façade. Robin however did not look all that convinced.

"You sure? If it's something that could distract you, maybe you should…"

"Robin, I can handle it. Focus on the mission instead," Raven interrupted him. Robin hesitated for a short moment before he nodded his head in acknowledgment. But despite her reassuring words, Raven herself did not feel overly reassured. Something terrible was about to happen, she could feel it in the depths of her soul.

"We've arrived," Cyborg announced as the T-ship slowed down and hovered over a clearing. Seconds later, the ship had landed on solid ground again, the snow covered forests of Sweden surrounding them on all sides.

"Dude, didn't expect it to be this cold," Beast Boy complained as the Titans disembarked their transport.

"It's winter, what did you expect?" Raven deadpanned, relieved that she had possessed the foresight to suit up in her winter clothing.

"I know that, just thought I'd be a little warmer, that's all," Beast Boy defended himself, shivering in the cold. In the end, he simply morphed into a polar bear, solving the cold issue.

"Alright, let's move out," Robin declared, before marching resolutely into the forest. Daytime still held its sway over the land, but it only provided a small amount of help. Deep in these woods, were few to no man lived, the snow piled up in such amount that one could hide a tank in here. It did not help that each step taken led to one sinking into snow up to one's waist. Raven and Starfire were unaffected, as they merely levitated above the snow.

"Show offs," Cyborg grumbled quietly to himself as he waded through the snow, bringing out a light giggle from Starfire and a miniscule smile of amusement to Raven's lips. In the end, a formation was worked out, with Beast Boy at the front as a bear and plowing a way through the snow. Cyborg and Robin worked from behind to assist him whilst the girls kept watch. It was a slow affair, and many times were they forced to backtrack as their plowing uncovered large rocks or hidden pits in their tracks. All the while, Raven felt that malicious energy grow stronger on her senses. But there was also something else troubling her now.

"We're being watched," she said monotonously, eyes never straying from the path ahead of her. She could not see who it was, and she could not sense their presence, but she could feel their eyes upon her.

"I know," was all Robin said, sounding completely at ease despite their predicament. But the others had apparently not been as observant, as they tensed up in preparation, casting nervous looks out into the forest. Raven tried casting her soul-self out to scout, but she halted her plans before she could do it. The dark energy she felt flowing out, it was beginning to scare her. It felt too chaotic, too malicious, too much… like her father. Now that she was close enough, there was no mistaking the daemonic essence pulsating out from this chaos magic.

Raven feared what it might do to her soul were she to let to let it soar into the world without her physical body for protection. Already, she could feel the daemon in her soul desiring to suck this energy up like a sponge sucking up water. But she wrestled this almost primal urge under control. She was no daemon, she was never going to feed upon such a tainted essence.

"How far away are we?" she asked out loud, trying to sound unaffected by that which tainted the land. As she saw it, this was no longer about stopping Slade alone, but also to put an end to whatever devilry he had unleashed. And not once did Raven doubt that Slade was the true culprit.

"Not far," Cyborg answered as he glanced at the GPS built into his arm. But at that moment, all hell broke loose. Beams of yellow lasers struck out from the forests and impacted around the team. Raven reacted quickly and formed a shield around her friends, blocking the barrage of lasers coming at them.

"I can't hold it up forever," Raven warned as more and more fire slammed into her protective dome.

"Starfire, take to the air and provide suppressive fire! Cyborg, I need a barrage of missiles to the left to flush them out! Beast Boy, turn small and sneak up on them! Raven, give them a target to shoot at!" Robin ordered out in quick succession. His friends all gave quick nods of understanding before they sprang into action. Raven opened up a hole in the top of the dome for Starfire and Beast Boy to fly out of. A wild spray of starbolts then proceeded to rain down all over the area.

"Raven, now!" Cyborg shouted as his shoulder plates opened up in preparation. Raven instantly lowered her shield long enough for over a dozen rockets to soar out and explode in a cacophony of fire and noise. Once it was done, the shield came back up again to soak up more fire from their so far unseen opponent. But the plan seemed to work, for out of the snow covered trees did their attackers finally reveal themselves; Sladebots. They began advancing on their target from all sides, but those on the right flank were taken by surprise when a green mammoth literally fell out of the sky and right in their midst. Roaring in rage, this prehistoric creature proceeded to wreak havoc on the hapless bots, crushing them left and right with impunity.

Those with more distance from the animal brought out their energy guns to bring it down. They completely forgot about the airborne menace that had flushed them out, but were swiftly reminded when they began falling one by one to pinpoint starbolts to their heads and chests. But while the right flank suffered from the duos attacks, the left flank advanced uncontested. But not for long.

"Raven, drop the shield and engage those bots! Cyborg, provide fire support!" Robin quickly ordered, seconds before their protective dome disappeared and Raven took to the air again. The Sladebots spotted the danger and tried to bring it down, but a trio of aimed sonic blasts smashed the three at the front to bits and forced the remainder into cover.

"Come on, you second-rate tin cans! Show me what you got!" Cyborg roared in challenge as both his arms transformed into sonic cannons and let loose with a withering barrage. However, more Sladebots joined the fray and their combined fire almost overwhelmed Cyborg. Raven chose that moment to make her presence known from up in the treetops. With a wave of her hand, she sent a crescent-shaped blade of dark energy soaring towards the front ranks. Pinned down by Cyborg and hampered by the snow, dozens of Sladebots failed to get out of the way and were sliced in half, along with any tree that got in the blade's path as well.

But those destroyed trees were put to good use by Raven, as she encased them in her dark energy and levitated them into the air. She then proceeded to play baseball, with the Sladebots serving as balls. Those Sladebots still standing proceeded to combine fire on Raven, who merely created a shield of dark energy to protect herself. She had already done her part, for those Sladebots were now in the open with little to no cover to speak of, something Cyborg was all too happy to take advantage of as he resumed firing with increased vigor and the bots fell in droves.

Back with Beast Boy and Starfire, things were going very well. Morphing back and forth between animals, he was sowing chaos and dissent in their ranks. One minute he was a mouse scurrying over the snow, the next he was a giant bear and crushing metallic skulls with each swipe of his paws. The Sladebots tried to encircle and destroy this green menace, but they were hampered by Starfire as she dived in and out, strafing their lines with starbolts and felling them by the dozens.

Finally, the Sladebots' ranks began to thin, as they fell like wheat under the Titans' teamwork. In the end, the last Sladebot tried to make a hasty withdrawal, but was crushed to bits under a tree, courtesy of Raven.

"That's the last of them," Raven called out as she regrouped with the team.

"If that was the best Slade could throw at us, then this should be a piece of cake," Beast Boy confidently boasted, clearly believing that victory was close at hand now. Robin however, was not as confident.

"This wasn't his main attack, it was simply meant to stall us," he reveled darkly. That worked just fine to dampen the mood among his friends.

"We're wasting time here, let's move," he ordered before setting off again with his team following, leaving behind a forest area strewn with uprooted trees and mechanical body parts.

"Stay together, don't spread out too much," Robin ordered as he drew his Bo staff, for up ahead, they could finally see an opening in this so far endless forest. Cyborg's right arm transformed into a sonic cannon, Starfire's eyes began glowing green, Beast Boy turned into a wolf and Raven's hands became encased in crackling dark energy. With a quick look over his shoulder and an appreciative nod to his friends, Robin charged out of the forest, his friends hot on his heel.

"Robin, how nice of you to finally join us on this beautiful day," Slade mockingly said from where he was standing in front of a cottage with his hands clasped behind his back, giving off an aura of calmness that had no place in someone about to engage in a mortal combat with his enemies.

"Where are the hostages?" Robin demanded of his nemesis, already preparing to leap at the madman and beat him to a bloody pulp. Slade merely chuckled at him.

"Come now, Robin, can't you figure that out by yourself? After all, you were trained by Batman himself," he taunted Robin, causing the aforementioned to grit his teeth in fury. He never liked to be reminded of his old apprenticeship to the Dark Knight. During this, Raven hardly paid attention to the two bickering males. She could feel it. Whatever the hell Slade had unleashed it was so close now, its daemonic force caressing her senses. It sent chills of revulsion down her spine. But even when assailed by such vile energy, Raven was still able to note one important thing.

"There are no hostages," she revealed, drawing everyone's attention to her, "The only people I can sense in the area are us and Slade, no one else," her empathic powers sure were very useful in sensing people and their intentions, saved her the trouble of looking for someone. The revelation left the Titans dumbfounded, and brought out an exasperated sigh from Slade.

"Should have known better then to try to fool an empath," he spoke out loud, mostly speaking to himself.

"You lied simply to draw us here," Robin deduced as he glared accusingly at Slade, who looked completely untroubled by the accusation.

"Correct, and now you've walked right into my trap," he declared, right before brought his hands back into the open. One of them was grasping a knife, which he used to cut the palm of his other hand, spilling his blood on the snow beneath him. At first, nothing seemed to be happening, and so the Titans thought whatever he had tried to do had failed. But Raven realized the truth when she felt the malicious powers that permeated the air begin to grow in strength and violence. Too late did she understand what they had walked into.

"Get back!" she shouted, throwing up a shield over herself and her friends. Just in time too, because seconds later, blasphemous symbols that had been hidden beneath the snow sprang to life. The unholy energies pulsating from these symbols caused the snow to melt as multicolored fire and lightning danced through the air, slamming into Raven's protective dome like sledgehammers.

"Smart move Raven, but you're only delaying the inevitable. These symbols will not cease until you're all dead," Slade spoke smugly as he watched Raven struggle with all her might to save her friends.

"Where… did you… learn this… strong a spell?" Raven managed to ask as she strained under the relentless onslaught. As strong as she was, there was no denying that whatever was powering these symbols were far greater than her. Already she could feel her concentration slipping.

"As it turns out, serving an interdimensional daemon grants you greater boons than simple magical powers. If only you knew the wealth of knowledge in the dark arts that used to be stored in your father's realm. Alas, with him gone, those secrets will be remained lost forever. But at least I managed to memorize some of the more powerful spells and rituals," Slade revealed calmly, thoroughly enjoying the entertainment he had been provided with. The Titans on the other hand were not as entertained, as they futilely glanced around to find an escape route.

"Raven, can you get us out?" Robin asked urgently as he saw cracks beginning to form in the dome.

"No use… the moment I drop this shield… we're all dead," she managed to answer as her body began trembling from the strain. Sweat bathed her brow as she put more strength behind her shield, but the relentless assault would not give up. She could not deny it, they only had a few more minutes left alive at this rate. But it was not only a battle on the physical plane for Raven, it was also a mental fight. The accursed energies fueling this dark magic thrown at them was still flowing freely in the air, clawing at her psyche and demanding entrance.

Even now, she was struggling with all her might not to give in to temptation, for a part of her own soul was also trying to draw this power into her. It was pure torture, fighting to protect her friends while at the same time fighting her own daemonic urges, and she was rapidly approaching her breaking point.

"Please hold out, Raven, we'll figure a way out of this," Robin urged her on, seeing her strength waning in the face of this onslaught of foul sorcery. Raven barely heard him, so focused was she to maintain her dome just a little bit longer. Over the roar of chaotic sorcery, Slade's mocking laughter drifted across the area.

"Struggle all you want, it won't change the outcome. This is the end, for all of you," he spoke with twisted amusement, savoring every moment of what would soon be his greatest achievement. "At long last, the Teen Titans are no more," but Raven was not planning on giving him the satisfaction of watching their demise. No, she would never allow that monster to win. So she endured, put more strength behind her shield, even though she knew it was a losing battle. Or was it?

"It isn't over yet," she said with a strained voice, drawing Slade's attention to her.

"Your bravado will not save you, girl. You will all die here," he stated, sounding like a teacher lecturing a particularly thick-headed student.

"No, we will not, for you forgot one crucial part," Raven countered, steeling herself for what she would be forced to do. 'If I even survive this, I just know I'm going to regret it,' she thought to herself grimly. 'But at least my friends will survive,' that was the one comfort she drew in this.

"Oh? And that would be?" Slade inquired curiously, and for once, Raven allowed herself to smile at him.

"This is daemonic energy you're using, and have you already forgotten what part of the family gave me my powers?" she questioned, right before she dropped her mental defenses and gorged herself upon the tainted sorcery. To a normal human, the experience would no doubt have been quite excruciating, but to someone like Raven, it felt like her power blossomed. The human in her was disgusted by this chaotic energy suddenly fueling her, but the daemon in her reveled in this power. That was, until the pain came. The blood of a daemon in her veins aside, part of her was still very much human, and that part was never meant to draw such manner of power into itself.

With newfound strength, she dissolved her dome and began draining the foul symbols of their energy, forcefully drawing it into herself. Eyes glowing a hellish red, she fought with all her might to wrestle this foreign power under her control, watched on by her awestruck friends. Taking control, even though she felt like someone had suddenly set her veins on fire, she forced the energy back to whatever hellish pit Slade had managed to drag it out from. But there was one present who was not all that pleased by the sudden turn of events, who was in fact absolutely livid. With his single eye aflame with anger at being foiled, Slade began to advance on Raven with a murderous intent, the knife still clutched in his hand.

"I will not have my victory be stolen by you, witch!" he snarled, right before he lunged at her with the intent of cutting her throat wide open. Her eyes widened in fright, for Slade was moving too fast, and she could not defend herself whilst struggling with this sorcery.

"Raven!" someone shouted in alarm, before she felt someone tackle her from behind. It was the worst thing he could have done. 'No, no, no! I can't let my concentration be broken like this!' she thought to herself in a panic. But the damage was already done. Her concentration was shattered, and with it, her control over the dark magic. While she was sure that the following explosion of energy would have been awe-inspiring to anyone watching, she herself only experienced a sudden and powerful agony in her head, along with a slithering voice.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," those words, spoken by undoubtedly the most insidious voice Raven had ever heard were the last things her mind registered before everything turned black for her.

Cold, that was the first sensation she experienced once her senses began to return to her. Cold and pain. Her body was telling her to stay where she was, sprawled out on some snowy terrain, to stay and wait for the pain to pass. But her mind knew better. Pain or no pain, if she stayed like this, she would die. So with great effort, she forced her eyelids open and managed to get herself up in a sitting position, letting out a moan of pain along the way.

"By Azar, it feels like I was run over by a truck," she complained as she finally managed to get herself back up on her feet. But then she felt it, the same foul energy Slade had unleashed upon them. It was all around her, it flowed through the land as if it belonged there. With increasing alarm, she realized that this was not the land that she had been in mere moments ago. Tall and imposing mountains rose on all sides, a violent wind was raging through the air. And the forest itself, covered in thick snow, but that alone could not hide the gnarled and deformed trees, no doubt warped by long exposure to whatever daemonic energy that existed here.

What manner of land was this? It was colder than any place she had ever visited, causing her to wrap her body tighter into her cloak. And the foul sorcery corrupting the land, never before had she seen something like this in her life.

"Where am I?" she asked herself in confusion, shuddering not only from the cold, but from the tainted magic that still demanded entrance into her soul. But she was not about to draw upon it again. She had already exposed herself to its touch once, and she was never doing it again.

"Damn you…" a weak voice suddenly cursed her from behind, causing Raven to whirl around wide eyed and with her hands encased in dark energy. What she found was not a pretty sight. For what she saw was Slade, impaled upon a sharp rock straight through his guts. Some of his entrails had ended up stuck on the rock, and so had been torn out of his body as gravity had apparently done its work of dragging him further down the instrument of his death. They now hung and fluttered in the cold wind like disgusting mockeries of banners. The sight made Raven nauseous, and she struggled with all her might not to throw you.

"You… ruined… everything. This was supposed to be… my hour of triumph. And then you… did this… to me," Slade managed to force out, hatred burning in his sole eye. Raven was close to running away and throwing up in a bush from this horrible sight, but she steeled her nerves and glared back at the dying madman with equal amounts of fury.

"You brought this upon yourself, Slade," she spoke with anger. It was he who had called upon these twisted powers, it was he who had tried to kill the Titans, and it was he who chose to attack her in the one moment where any distraction could prove disastrous, as it just had done. Slade meanwhile still glared at her with hate, but then his eye softened and he let out a gurgling mirthless laugh.

"I suppose… it doesn't matter now… does it? You're all alone… in this godforsaken world… and you will soon die… all alone," he said humorlessly before another fit of laughter wracked his body. He looked at her one last time, hatred and amusement mingling together in his eye.

"See you… in hell," those were his last spoken words in this life, for then his eye glazed over and he passed away to whatever hell was reserved for him. Raven meanwhile remained standing at his impaled body, still looking more than a bit queasy. But over time, her expression turned more neutral as the truth set in. As a hero, she mourned the loss of a life, having been taught that all life, even those of villains, were precious, and should never be taken by anyone. But as a person, Raven could not care less about Slade's demise. In fact, there was even a small sense of satisfaction at seeing the monster that had haunted her and her friends for so long finally paying for his sins.

"And may you finally stay there for good," Raven spoke monotonously to the corpse in front of her. But it was then that her mind finally grasped one important thing Slade had said. "You're all alone," he could not possibly mean that…? With newfound desperation, Raven swiftly brought out her communicator from her belt and tried to contact her friends.

"Robin, can you hear me? It's Raven," she called, trying to keep her voice level and plain. She was only met with static. It worried her greatly, but she was not about to give up just yet.

"Beast Boy, please answer. It's Raven, I'm alright," she called again, but was meat with the same result, nothing but static. Now she was starting to panic as her grip on her communicator hardened, as if it was her last lifeline.

"Starfire? Cyborg? Bumblebee? Herald? Kid Flash? Melvin?" she tried again and again, with every name she could think of. Each failed attempt making her voice sound more desperate and her attempts more frantic. "Anyone?" she finished with a dejected whisper. All she received was static. At that moment, it was as if all her strength had left her, as she collapsed to her knees in the deep snow, a dejected look frozen on her face. Slade had been right after all, she was alone here in this hellhole. Never before had she felt so lost and powerless. Not even when her father had invaded. Back then, she still had her friends, standing with her to the end. And with her friends by her side, she had done what she thought was impossible; she vanquished her father.

But now? She was all alone here. None of her friends were here to help here. And it was only now, standing by herself in this frozen wasteland, that Raven realized just how important her friends had become to her. With them by her side, she felt like she could do anything. But with them gone, Raven no longer felt so confident. Slowly, she could feel a tear growing in her eye, but she forced herself to hold it in. she would not break, she would not be weak now of all times. But despite telling herself that, despair still burned deeply in her soul. Standing alone here, what chances did she have of surviving?