==============PROLOGUE===================

Gotham City was not quite as bleak than Dr. Light had expected.

It had long been dubbed the role model of nightmares, the source of the worst crazies in the world, the only city with a population decline. But ever since the passing of Bruce Wayne and the departure of the Justice League, that had started to change.

Mr. Wayne had left his company to Mr. Edward Nygma, formerly known as The Riddler, but now reformed, using his mind to help the company create more jobs in the city. The Wayne Estate was left to Miss Selina Kyle, who used her new wealth to clean up the more undesirable parts of the city. Furthermore, due to an incident involving his daughter, Commissioner Gordon was now pushing for Arkham Asylum inmates to receive the death penalty. As a result, Gotham's crime rate was finally on a steady decrease. Not as much as the rest of the world, but it was still worth bragging about.

But there were some crazies that still lurked in the shadows, and Dr. Light knocked on an alley door to meet one of the worst.

"Come in", said a deep voice from inside. Dr. Light obeyed, and found a room dimly lit by jack-o'-lanterns. Against one side wall were books on psychology, phobias, and gothic literature. Sitting in the middle of the room was a velvet leather coach. Next to it was a slender figure in a chair, strongly hidden by the shadows.

"Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable. Oh, and close the door."

Dr. Light obeyed, and laid down on the couch with his hands folded together. The spooky psychiatrist clicked his pen and started looking over his notes.

"So, Arthur Light, you decided to take up a life of crime in Jump City. The place has ranked in the top 10 lists for both safest cities and best places to raise a family in America for the past six years. So, what exactly from a place that boring possibly frighten anyone enough to come here?"

Dr. Light tried to answer, but just the thought of the response began to make him quiver.

"It's … her."

The other doctor softly hums and began jotting down on his notepad. "So, please talk about … 'her', and don't be afraid to start at the beginning."

"Well, I moved to Jump City for those reasons you said. It seemed like an easy place to get some extra cash and be taken seriously for once. But then a band of costumed heroes came to town, the Teen Titans, but they were just kids, so they seemed like easy pickings at first."

"Wait," interrupted the doctor. "Did you say the Teen Titans?"

"Yes, surely you've at least heard of them? They rescued Tokyo from an ink monster just last year."

"Sorry, I don't watch the news, nor have I heard of these Titans."

But his predecessor had. A while back, a mysterious man calling himself Slade, whose presence was disturbing even by Gotham City standards, had commissioned for one of his masks to be doused with a toxin that could be released via radio transmission. In return, Slade had promised a wealth of juicy data on the psychological upsetting of metahumans.

His predecessor provided the toxin, and sent the transmission at the appointed time, but he never got to evaluate the data. The government finally discovered that he began his work developing chemical weapons that were used to commit war crimes in Khandaq and was given a life sentence in Belle Reeve.

So, like a noble apprentice, this new Scarecrow took on his mentor's identity, and sought to be a better villain. He had tried cutting himself a check by offering his improved toxins to a powerful villain immune to governmental power, but the seemingly-transformed Lex Luthor went back on his word, and he had been in hiding ever since. He desperately needed to make a name for himself, and these Titans had peeked his interest.

"Anyways, please continue."

"Well, you see, there was one, just a measly teenage girl, and I just ticked her off a little, and then … she showed me what she really was."

"And what was she really?"

Dr. Light started shaking so hard he was starting to make the coach vibrate.

"So … so dark. The darkness from her came into me, and I saw ... a hell spawn, pure evil, enough despair to drive one mad … a living nightmare."

Now fully interested, the psychiatrist took off his fedora and leaned forward. One would have clearly seen the burlap sack covering his face, colored in such a way to appear as a greyish skull with eyeholes, as well as the noose around his neck and the dark green plaid shirt tied onto his body, not to mention the straw popping out of his costume around his neck and wrists.

"I'm going to need you to close your eyes, take in some slow breaths and relax."

Dr. Light did so, and just when he could feel his heartbeat slowing down, he felt a needle plunge into veins on his left wrist. As the orange liquid entered his bloodstream, he started shaking and sweating even more profusely.

"Go on," asked the Scarecrow. "Tell me more about this nightmare … about these Titans."