Into the Depths – Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty
Retaliation

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:13 am.

White light surrounded Dick as he walked down the wide pathway. There was something ethereal about the area around him. Darkness surrounded him, except for the pathway leading into an end. The air was different than the hot caverns from before. What it was, though, Dick couldn’t place his finger on it. The ground felt soft, yet hard at the same time – nothing like the loose, rocky surface of the earth.

Once Dick reached the end of the pathway, light shone brightly for a moment, disappearing altogether. Another door appeared, at the end of the pathway, and slammed shut, taking away the light that had directed Dick’s pathway. Dick took a few quick steps forward, his hands touching the door to look for an opening, when there was a surge of heat through the metal door. Dick recoiled.

“Hey, hey, where d’you think you’re going?” demanded a cross voice.

Dick whirled around; his eyes widened in shock, having not seen anything more than simply light and door. A young man was sitting behind a crimson desk. He was leaning back in his chair, his long legs extended over the desk. He looked to be in his late twenties and his short, crimson hair was spiked upward. His green eyes were bright against his dark tanned face.

“Who’re you?” asked Dick, unsettled to even see anyone here – let alone anyone alive and normal looking. Well, sort of…

“Hey, hey, I’m the one asking questions here,” huffed the young man. He pointed his finger at Dick, waving wildly at the door. “Just what are you doing here? You can’t go in there.”

Dick inhaled, drawing up his chest to look a little taller.

“I’m trying to get my father’s body back, if you don’t mind,” said Dick. He folded his arms and glared his best. “Trigon stole it from him and I’d like it back.”

“You can’t just demand things like this! That’s against protocol,” said the young man, sounding thoroughly annoyed. He dropped his legs and drew his chair up to the edge. He rapped the surface of the table firmly. “There’s a proper order in which we do things around here, you know!”

“Proper?!” cried Dick. “The entire world has been destroyed! Or do you not get out much?” The young man puffed up indignantly, but didn’t get a chance to interject as Dick continued to rant. “I don’t care what ‘order’ you people think you’re on about, but all I want is my Dad’s body back. I defeated the gate guardian and I’ll defeat you if I have to!”

Dick huffed, furious at even the thought of being stopped now.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up,” said the young man, his eyes narrowing. There was a pause as he watched Dick. “You defeated Apep?”

“Uh… what?”

“Apep!” snapped the young man incredulously, as if repeating the name cleared all confusion. “You know, the big, burly guy at the front door? He sometimes carries a giant axe thingy?”

“You mean that double sided scythe?”

The young man looked thoughtful for a moment. “Is that what that is…?”

If this was an example of the residents of the underworld, Dick had little hope for them.

“Look,” began Dick, coming to the desk and slamming his hand onto its surface. The young man pulled back with a baleful expression. “I just want my father’s body back. Trigon stole it, now give it back!”

“We don’t do returns!” snapped the young man. “Go away!”

The irritation inside Dick peaked. He flourished his rapier and pointed it at the young man; the tip of the blade tapped against his chin. A dark light entered Dick’s eyes; the young man swallowed nervously, his thin Adam’s apple bobbing once.

“Today, you do,” whispered Dick, the dark determination oozing through his tone. It poured through him, his fury. His arm trembled slightly. His jaw was tight. There was a long moment where the two of them stared at the other. Then, the young man let out a low, longsuffering sigh.

“I am not paid enough for this job – ah, heck, I’m not paid at all!”

Dick raised an eyebrow; the tension lowered in his muscles.

“Would you put that thing away!” snapped the young man, pushing the rapier away from his neck. “You’re going to poke an eye out! And those are painful to regrow, you know!”

Well, now Dick was thoroughly confused. This young man didn’t look a bit intimidated by him, not at all – and while that didn’t fully bother Dick, it was a bit strange. Whoa, hold up…

“Regrow?” repeated Dick, frowning. “You can’t regrow eyes.”

Slade was obviously proof of that.

“Says you, you upstart!” snapped the young man. “Just because you mortals can’t regrow things, it doesn’t mean we can’t.”

Maybe he should’ve brought his father with him. Slade probably could’ve convinced this idiot to give back his body.

Dick took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He could do this. He was smart. He was raised by Batman; he was trained by Deathstroke – surely he could convince this young man to give back Slade’s body. Obviously threats weren’t going to work here and Dick wasn’t desperate quite yet to beg – not yet, anyway; not after punching this idiot in the nose first.

“Look, kid—”

“Dick.”

The young man’s expression darkened.

“You wanna run that by me again, punk?”

Dick rolled his eyes. “My name, not you. My name is Dick. And yours?”

The young man watched him, as if gauging the truthfulness of Dick’s name. Hey, it wasn’t his idea of a nickname. No changing it now, though.

“Styx,” said the young man, pointing to himself. It took Dick a moment to realize what he meant.

“You mean, Styx, as in the River Styx?”

A vein pulsed in the young man’s forehead. “Yeah, yeah, everybody thinks I’m a river,” he snapped, rapping his fingers on the desk. “But it’s my first name. It’s not that crazy, what with you people naming your munchkins Blue and Apple. News flash, folks: I ain’t a river!”

Styx let out an exasperated huff, before leveling a glare at him. Dick thought it wise to be silent. This young man seemed a bit volatile. Styx leaned forward onto the desk, resting his elbows. He looked over his clasped hands, staring at Dick with unearthly bright green eyes.

“You say you defeated Apep.”

Dick nodded, keeping his questions to himself.

There was a long moment of silence; then, there was another exasperated sigh.

“Name of recipient?”

Dick frowned, confused. “What?”

“The name! The name of the owner of the body, you dolt!” snapped Styx hotly. He growled slightly, before muttering under his breath, “Stupid kids nowadays and their lack of vocabulary. Google it, for crying out loud.”

Dick flushed. “I know what recipient means,” he said, folding his arms. “It’s Slade Wilson.”

Styx hummed noncommittally. He pulled back and grabbed something on the table. Dick was startled to see that it was a laptop, nearly perfectly concealed by a matching crimson color as the table. Curious in spite of himself, he leaned over the table to get a close look. Styx lifted a hand and flicked Dick in the nose.

“You wanna lose your nose?” asked Styx, not even looking up at him. Dick scrunched his nose, rubbing it slightly. Dick did nothing to protest this treatment. There were the sounds of keys taping swiftly. Dick settled back on his heels and waited, praying everything would turn out fine. Then, there was a final tap on the enter key.

The second door opened. There was a flash of light, before it sped the way Dick came. It disappeared a moment later.

“There you go,” said Styx, shutting the lid to the laptop down and sitting back in his chair. “But don’t blame me if something is missing, though. There’s something weird about it, especially since a soul didn’t go with it.”

Dick held back a laugh, thinking about Slade’s eye.

“I think there is something missing,” said Dick, smiling. “But I’m sure Dad’s not going to have a problem with that.” Then, his expression softened. “Thank you. I appreciate this a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can go now.”

Dick nodded, lifting a hand to wave, before turning away. It was heartening to Dick; everything seemed to have been going wrong. To have something going right for a change was wonderful and slightly worrisome. With a smile of his face, Dick hurried back the way he came, unable to wait to see if Slade was whole again. However, he barely took a few steps when the young man called him again. Dick turned slightly, glancing back.

“Oi, kid. Best be careful out there,” said Styx, leaning an elbow onto the table and resting a chin in his hand. “I’d hate for a spry young’in like yourself to come back here, not as a demanding upstart, but as a resident.”

Dick laughed. “I’m not coming back anytime soon. Not unless, of course, Trigon steals Dad’s body again.”

Styx narrowed his green eyes. They shone brightly, the light beyond a color which had been seen before. The dark pupils changed suddenly, narrowing like a cat’s; then, they expanded to nearly the entire size of the iris. This lasted a moment, before they returned to their original state.

A chill like no other rippled through Dick’s entire body.

“Don’t get cocky, brat,” said Styx, his tone serious. The color in his eyes glimmered. “Your timeline is short – way shorter than what’s normal for a kid your age. Mmmm… From what I see, if you’re not careful, you’re not gonna get through this nonsense alive. You will die.”

There was something ominous about hearing those words, but more so because this young man had been the one to proclaim it. There had been hundreds of times, if not thousands of times, where Dick had heard a threat on his life – mainly from criminals. At first, hearing a death threat from someone like the Joker was pretty frightening for a child. However, as Dick grew older and aged with more confidence through Robin, such threats no longer worried him as much.

Sure, they were disturbing sometimes, especially when certain enemies and criminals enjoyed describing how such a death would come about, but wisdom came with age, as did the confidence.

But this was something much more.

“I’m not going to die,” whispered Dick. His lips lifted into a smile. “I made a promise, after all. I won’t die until Slade has a family who will never leave him.”

No, there was no way he was going to die. He had too much to do. He had a family to have. He couldn’t bear to leave Slade without a full home with endless noise upon laughter. He couldn’t let the man go back to who he’d been before.

No.

“I’m telling ya, you brat!” shouted Styx, as Dick turned away and stepped forward. He didn’t look back. “I better not see you back here soon, if you know what’s good for you! Don’t come crying to me when you’re dead!”

Dick continued walking, restraining himself from looking back. As he stepped forward assuredly, light began to form ahead of himself. In a moment, the light had developed into a familiar figure. Dick tensed, as the guardian, the very one he’d defeated not moments ago, stepped forward out of the light. However, the guardian simply nodded to him, before passing him. This time, Dick couldn’t stop himself from looking back, just in time to see the young man berate the guardian.

“Oi, Oi, Apep, you got your butt kicked by a snot nosed brat,” snapped Styx, slapping the table heatedly. “That’s so bad for paperwork, you know!”

“He battled a fair fight,” said Apep, his voice low in his approval. “I have been defeated. I like the lad. You shouldn’t have been so mean to him.”

“It’s protocol!”

Dick laughed to himself, smiling at the arguing two guardians. He turned back to his purpose and walked back out, swearing to himself that he wouldn’t be back for a long time. After all, that warning didn’t have anything to worry about. It was just another person in his life telling him to be careful. There was no need to even think about it again.

Right.

Dick came out of the doorway, the fresh, yet not so fresh, smell of the fiery earth in his nose. The air once again suffocated his breathing. The door shimmered behind him, then disappeared altogether. But he ignored his surroundings, his eyes seeking out the one man he had done this all for.

Slade was on his feet, taking deep breaths. He flexed his hands, flexing his arms as well. He lifted a hand to his mask and slowly pulled it off. Dick couldn’t hold back the broad grin from nearly breaking his face.

There, beneath that horrible mask, was the face of his father. Ageless for eternity in his thirties, a black eye patch still covered that one eye. Pure white still decorated his goatee, eyebrows, and curly hair. A grey blue eye was surrounded by true flesh and blood. There was no residue of the old horror that been his face before. Everything was perfect.

Dick couldn’t be happier.

“Dad!” shouted Dick.

Slade glanced up and smiled. It was more than just a smile – it was filled with pure affection. Dick bolted forward. Like a shooting star, he landed inside Slade’s welcoming arms. Then, those warm, oh wonderfully warm, arms enveloped him. The man held him tightly, beyond anything Dick had yet to experience. It was alive.

“Dad, you’re all right,” whispered Dick, feeling tears rush to his eyes. He pushed his face against the man’s suit, the scales rubbing against his skin. He felt the man tighten his hold on him. Then, Dick pulled back slightly, much to the reluctance of those arms, and grinned up at Slade. “I’m so glad.”

Slade didn’t say anything, but pulled him back into a crushing hug. His hand carded through Dick’s hair, his other hand pressing against his middle back, as if trying to live the warmth once again. For a moment, everything was forgotten. The only thing Dick knew was the life and warmth of his father. There was something vulnerable to the embrace, something that couldn’t be crafted, something that couldn’t be forged – it was real; it was truth; it was forever.

It was love.

Then, there was a delighted shriek as Slade’s hands attacked his sides. Dick wriggled in the man’s hold, laughing hysterically as he was tickled. Before he could find his voice to protest, he was lifted in the air. The man’s arms held him up by the upper legs. Dick grabbed the man by the shoulders to steady himself, as Slade held him in the air. Dick smiled again. The man’s face softened.

“Thanks to you,” whispered Slade.

Dick relished in seeing the emotions across Slade’s features. It was the face of his father. And while there was still a part of his heart that was pricked by the recent events, all Dick cared about was having this man in his life, the one who swore to protect him – the one who loved him; the one who carried him like no other; the one who filled with void.

Then, a pit of worry entered Dick’s stomach, as Slade’s expression darkened. There was a warning tap against his lower back.

“You have some nerve just entering that door, like it was the front door to a grocery store,” said Slade, his grey blue eye widening in warning. Dick smiled sheepishly.

“Well, it was a door…”

“Idiot boy!” snapped Slade. Dick hunched slightly, putting on the air of a remorseful puppy, complete with the eyes. Slade’s eyebrow twitched in response. “Do you have any idea what you just put me through?! You might not have come back, did you ever think about that? That was the door to the blasted underworld. You know, in my day, we avoided the underworld. No one in their right mind would walk through the front door!”

“You actually thought about entering the underworld?” asked Dick cheekily. He squirmed in Slade’s arms as the man leveled a darker glare onto him.

“This isn’t a joking matter!” snapped Slade. “You could’ve been killed!”

“But I wasn’t and I saved your body,” said Dick, trying to wheedle his way through this. “So, really, we should be thanking me.”

“Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t you dare try to worm your way out of this one,” said Slade, shaking his head and sternly glaring at him. “You are in trouble, young man.”

Dick sighed exaggeratedly. “Just how much trouble?”

He was dropped suddenly. He gasped, shocked by the sudden movement. Those strong arms surrounded him, wrapping him into yet another warm embrace. Dick sighed, smiling, and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. There was something more desperate about this hug and for a moment, Dick felt the same. He always believed he would never lose Slade, after learning of his immortality. But this had been the first time when he truly realized nothing was permanent. No matter how much he wished it or believed it, even Slade wasn’t infallible.

“Thank goodness you’re alive,” whispered Slade. Dick inhaled, breathing before releasing it, letting go of all his previous worries and fears.

His father was back.

All the while, two violet eyes watched their gentle scene with confusion and curiosity in her heart.

Two small hands pressed against Dick’s legs. He withdrew from Slade’s hug and glanced down to see little Raven looking up at him. She patted his leg and motioned for him to kneel down – which he did so. Then, as she looked at him, she glanced at Slade, before leaning into herself shyly.

“What’s wrong, Raven?” asked Dick, noticing her change. It took a moment, before she spoke.

“Are all fathers like him?” whispered Raven. She sneaked a peek at Slade, who was amused by her. Dick felt a pang in his heart. He took her by the hands, wrapping his around her small ones.

“No, they’re not.”

“Why?” asked Raven.

“Not all fathers are good fathers,” whispered Dick. “I’m sorry.”

Raven seemed to consider it. She continued to look between Dick and Slade, as if trying to understand them.

“He sired you, right?” asked Raven, tilting her head in question. Her violet eyes became clouded, before they narrowed. “Wait… He didn’t…”

“Dad adopted me,” said Dick. “Remember, Raven, blood doesn’t mean everything. Yes, it can sometimes. But love isn’t based on blood. It’s based here—” Dick put a hand over his heart. “—right here, that’s where my feelings lie. I don’t have to be related to Dad to truly be his son, nor does he have to be related to me to be my father.”

Raven looked down at the ground, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. Dick pulled her into a hug and he felt her respond to it.

“And just because you’re related to someone,” whispered Dick, tightly wrapping his arms around Raven’s small frame. “It doesn’t mean they have any hold on you. Trigon might have ‘sired’ you, Raven, but he’s not your father. And you don’t have to answer to him, ever again.”

There were soft sniffles. Dick only held her close, hoping Raven would understand someday. He wished she had realized this sooner. Dick’s true feelings were more towards the fact that they could’ve prevented this disaster if they had fought against it. But, in a way, Dick knew that Slade was right. They couldn’t really stop Trigon. But they could defeat him now. There had to be a way. And Dick was going to stop him and make him pay for harming his friends and family.

Saving the world was just an added bonus.

Suddenly, there was that all too familiar sound of fire sizzling. Dick groaned and pulled out of the hug. He pushed Raven behind himself and stood up, pulling out his rapier. Slade withdrew his broadsword from his back.

“You getting back in the game, Dad?” asked Dick, making sure to be extremely cheeky.

Slade smirked. “Do try to keep up.”

Dick grinned and readied himself. However, as they waited for the onslaught of fire demons again, something different happened. The usual fire demons which they had fought so many before did not show up. Fire formed into more humanoid fire demons. While the previous fire demons didn’t have legs, these did. Their arms weren’t long, but more human like, and their heads were rounded, like the shape of a human. They stood on the ground with an air unlike the previous fire demons, who had seemed to have no mind nor way of strategy in fighting.

These, however, had a more form of intelligence.

And they were vaguely familiar to Dick.

Rushing forward, Dick began the fight. Slade joined the fray at his side. Instantly, Dick knew these demons would be more difficult to fight. They dodged and moved with expertness and while they weren’t quite a huge threat, they were a nuisance. Then, he recognized them completely.

“Dad,” began Dick in a long, annoyed drawl. “Why do these demons look like the one you raised by tricking Thunder and Lightning?”

“Mmmm…”

“Daaad.”

“Well, I might’ve dabbled into some dark magic for a time…”

“Might’ve dabbled?!” repeated Dick incredulously, narrowly missing an attack. “You messed with dark magic – dark magic that was connected with Trigon? Are you insane?”

“I’ve had my moments,” said Slade, almost amiably. “And mind your tone.”

“You probably alerted Trigon to yourself! You basically lit up a neon sign that said, ‘Come mess with me!’”

Any onlookers – even though there were none save Raven – would’ve been amazed by the elegance and precision both Slade and Dick had during a fight which was two against countless others, all while holding up a conversation at the same time.

“I had my purpose,” said Slade. “And my purpose had been to get you to notice me – which I succeeded, if I may mention.”

Dick’s jaw dropped, before he let out a low shudder. “Dad, don’t you dare ever say that in front of Cyborg.”

“What?”

“His imagination is already damaged; I seriously don’t need you giving him any more weird ideas.”

Slade halted, stabbing a fire demon in the head. Fire exploded, splattering the ground with sizzling flames. He turned and stared at Dick, an eyebrow raised.

“What would he be imagining from such a thing as that?” asked Slade, though there was something in his tone that suggested danger. “Obviously my intent, shall we say, as a criminal was to test you in a number of things before choosing you as my apprentice – all in hindsight, of course, but nonetheless this should be apparent by now, even if things have changed.”

“Uh,” began Dick, slightly amused. Then, it faded, far too quickly, as he formulated his words. “Well, Cyborg had got some… different ideas about us.”

The light in Slade’s eye darkened; another demon met its death.

“Such as?”

Dang it, the man was going to make him say it out loud.

“Something about us not being father and son…” said Dick, keeping his attention diverted to fighting, as to not look back at Slade.

“What else is there?” demanded Slade, his tone rising. Dick sighed and stopped, slicing through nearby demons before looking back at Slade.

“Ah, Dad, don’t make me say it out loud,” said Dick, huffing in annoyance. He shuddered. “Even him suggesting it in the first place is gonna give me nightmares.”

It appeared to take Slade a long minute to digest that statement. Raven glanced curiously between them, her attention flittering from man to boy while both continued their conversation – as if they weren’t being interrupted by quite a few fire demons. She appeared to not fully understand what was going on. Then, a chill entered the air. Dick had to leap backwards; Slade’s movements changed.

It was a fight Dick had rarely seen before. Slade put all his energies into literally obliterate nearby fire demons. Every second, two fire demons fell by the man’s blade. The fury raged through every slice and stab; it permeated the very air around the man.

Finally, there was a lull within the ranks of the fire demons. The ground sizzled with their fiery remains. Slade let out a low, hissing exhale.

“I’m going to kill that boy.”

“Dad…” whispered Dick, still holding back. The man’s stance was downright nerve racking.

“I swear it.”

“Well, you’re not allowed,” said Dick. He sighed. “I know he’s being an idiot and a jerk, but he’s not normally like that. Something’s bothering him.”

Slade did not look amused in the least. Dick smiled. The lull in the battle didn’t last and, together, they continued to fight. They didn’t speak for a number of minutes, countless fire demons destroyed in the process. Then, that overwhelming desire to prove himself to Slade once again rose inside Dick.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” whispered Dick. “This time, I’ll get you to notice me. And I’m gonna make you prouder than you’ve ever been.”

There was a pause; the response was just as soft.

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 8:59 am.

The plan had been going well. They were actually winning, shockingly – not that Starfire ever imagined a defeat, but they were giving Trigon, the most feared being of not just her planet but countless others, an actual fight. Actually causing him pain was something of substance.

However, everything was going wrong now.

Trigon roared, the very sound of his voice ringing in every ear in the vicinity. Its waves sent those in flight to the ground. Joey, Beast Boy, and Starfire crashed into broken stones, rocks and debris shattering in all directions. Cyborg’s cannon was redirected, the blast throwing lava into the air. Splatterings of falling lava landed on nearby areas, causing those on foot – namely Cyborg and Rose – to dart around to avoid them. With a cry of fury, Rose slashed her arm forward. Power surged from the slice, blasting the falling lava apart. She raged at the beast, shouting every insult imaginable at Trigon, only to make their enemy even more furious.

Cyborg’s cannon wasn’t effective. Rose’s psychic powers weren’t effective. Joey’s levitation wasn’t effective. Beast Boy’s shape shifting wasn’t effective. Starfire’s strength and starbolts weren’t effective.

Their enemy seemed invincible to their attacks, even if he raged and roared in pain. No marks landed on him. Nothing was permanent. Even with Raven, Dick, and Slade at their sides, could they defeat such a being?

Starfire groaned in pain and sat up. Rose was a number of yards away, with Cyborg at her side. Joey was nowhere in sight. Beast Boy was nearby, having landed on his back, with his feet in the air. He moaned in pain, his legs flopping down in front of himself.

“Uncool. No powerups allowed,” said Beast Boy, slowly sitting up. He rubbed the back of his head, wincing in pain.

“You have the face only a mother can love!” shouted Rose. She dodged, as Trigon sent a wave of lava after her. “And even then, I’d have to worry about her sanity!”

Beast Boy snorted.

“Oh, yeah, make the giant demon who is already kicking our butts even madder. That’s just wonderful, Rose.”

“Shut up, kid!” snapped Rose, rushing to him and grabbing him by the arm. She pulled him to his feet, pushing him forward to fight again. “Rule of thumb, when you’re pissed off, you use less brain power.” She smirked. “Not that he has much to go on, anyway.”

“Language, Rose,” said Joey, giving her an admonishing look. Relief crossed Rose’s face as he walked up to the group. Cyborg fired his cannon again, catching Trigon and causing the beast to lose his balance.

Then, Rose looked affronted. “I didn’t swear.”

“Saying ‘pissed off’ isn’t very ladylike,” said Joey, although it appeared as if he’d had this conversation before.

“Since when was I a lady?”

Joey dropped his forehead to his hand.

Starfire smiled slightly, happy to have Rose among their number. The girl seemed to have this spontaneous way about her and it relieved a part in Starfire’s heart. However, even with the emotional relief being provided, there were still issues. Starfire glanced at their group, seeing the wounds they all obtained. It wasn’t much, but the scratches and cuts were just the beginning.

The earth trembled, just as Trigon stepped forward.

“What annoying little vermin,” hissed Trigon. “I know what you are trying to do and it will not work. You have failed in your puny little mission.”

Despair entered Starfire’s heart. The one thing they were supposed to do, the one thing they needed to do for Dick and Slade to succeed – was it really true? Had they failed? Every one of them had wounds of some sort, while Trigon remained visibly unharmed. If they couldn’t do this, what would happen to Dick? Had they found Raven already? Was she all right? Were they still alive?

“Only death awaits those who enter my depths,” said Trigon, a waver of smugness entering his tone. His red eyes gleamed with satisfaction – as if he knew all the secrets of the world, as if he were only playing and teasing them, like a feline with its prey.

Starfire’s eyes burned with glowing green.

She flew into the air, her speed like a bullet. With a fury her heart had never before experienced the like, a starbolt formed in her hand. She threw it with all her might, putting every single feeling of her heart within its devastating light.

A second later, it met Trigon in the chest.

The sound was deafening. The roar rattled the ears. There was the sound of a large body crashing into the sizzling lake of lava. Trigon’s roar gurgled.

The anger fled from Starfire’s chest. She floated in the air, waiting and praying with her heart that she had truly caused great harm to their enemy.

Then, there was another raging roar; lava exploded, just as an enormous body burst forth from its depths.

And then, Starfire only knew fiery pain, which was immediately followed by blackness.

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:13 am.

We have got to get out of here,” said Dick, slicing through another fire demon. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“We might have to battle our way out of here,” said Slade, grunting beneath the weight of five fire demons. With a strong shove, he slashed them apart with a single swipe. “Trigon must be aware of our efforts now.”

“Well, I’m getting sick of this!” snapped Dick. He whirled around, slicing all the remaining fire demons in his area. “We gotta run for it. I’ll get Raven.”

With a nod, Slade battled with the other fire demons. They were rising faster than before, over and over again new demons formed out of the rocks, like an endless army of ants. Dick stabbed another fire demon. He grabbed Raven, her small arms wrapping around his neck, before he stood up and he raced forward, avoiding all attacks from the fire demons.

“Let’s go!” shouted Dick.

As Dick forged ahead, dodging attacks and holding onto Raven, Slade battled demons from behind. The man kept up with Dick; however, it seemed with every demon killed, four more would rise within their ranks. Dick barely made much distance along the pathway, when the number of fire demons became overwhelming – thus, he couldn’t avoid them any more.

The demons didn’t attack, but began to corner them. No matter how many Slade took down, he couldn’t keep up with the intense volume that poured out of the ground. They couldn’t plow their way through, especially with just the two of them.

Then, the air changed around the fire demons. It froze, it burned; it choked, it freed; it contrasted everything, yet most of all, it bore an element of darkness that had nothing to do with how much light was in a room.

The fire demons parted, forming a blank hole within their ranks. Something crawled up Dick’s spine, like a bug racing along his skin – it was slimy, it was dark, it was horror on his soul. Raven shivered, never stopping, in his arms. Then, black sludge pooled at the ground, slowly rising to shape another humanoid body. The sludge formed fingers, hands, arms, a body, legs, feet, before finally a head appeared at the top. Though it was completely black in nature, it glowed with the element of fire. Then, fiery veins slowly appeared through the black sludge.

“Dad,” said Dick, slowly drawing out the word. Slade didn’t move, alarm filling his grey blue eye. “What is that?”

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” whispered Slade.

Then, features formed in the head. Fiery eyes blazed open against the mimicking features of a face – yet it was far too chilling to be a true human. A wide frightening smile spread across its newly formed lips. Fire red fangs were displayed.

“Master won’t let you leave this place,” whispered the black fire demon, his tone wispy, yet the very nature of its sound when it entered the ears made all shiver. It smiled even wider, a sinister light flaring within its red eyes. “Your dear companions struggle for their souls.”

There wasn’t a human who didn’t shudder.

“Oh, that’s not creepy at all,” drawled Dick, his eyes widened. His heart pounded against his chest. All thoughts flew to his friends and lastly on Starfire.

Please let them be all right. Someone, anyone, I beg of you, protect them.

He stepped backwards, only to meet the wall. Raven’s arms nearly choked him, they were so tight around his neck. He pried her off and lowered her to the ground. He pushed her behind himself, feeling her small hands clutching his hip.

“There’s no hope now,” whispered Raven.

Well, this was just peachy. They had an army of semi-intelligent fire demons who were now just a little more annoying than the first – and now, it seemed, they had a leader of sorts; one who looked much smarter than the others. They were trapped beneath the earth, a river of lava above them, and no possible way of really knowing where they were going. And, of course, mustn’t forget that Raven had now lost all hope, too.

Perfect situation right there, no doubt.

Dick swore off dark magic at that very moment – like he could actually use the stuff in the first place, but it was still the thought that counted, right?

The new black fire demon lifted his hands. Razor sharp nails extended instantly from his hand, to the length of six inches. He lunged forward; Dick drew his rapier again and rushed to meet him, without combining an attack with Slade. The demon slashed once, ribboning Dick’s rapier into pieces. Metal clattered to the ground.

“Dick!”

Before the demon could slash Dick, much like his rapier, there was a loud mewl. That single, almost gentle sound, rose above the loud commotion of the fire demons, piercing all to the heart. The black fire demon froze, its unnatural eyes widening, before he turned his head towards the source.

Suddenly, a black streak darted through the fire demons, who parted the way for it, as if fearing to touch it.

The ground shook. Raven screamed. Dick pulled back, grabbing her and covering her head. Another body curled over his own, arms protecting his head. Rock and earth groaned. Dust flumed into the air. Then, the wall which they had been cornered to crumbled away, opening a new pathway.

Dick lost his balance and fell forward into the new cavern. Raven cried out as they rolled together. Before Dick could gain his balance again, Slade grabbed him by the arm, jerking him forward. Dick landed on his knees, with Raven still safe in his arms. Slade let out a low huffing exhale, before crouching on the ground. He left a supporting a hand on Dick’s back.

Then, there was a loud mewl, followed by a hiss.

Dick glanced up; his heart stopped at the sight.

The fallen rock had created an arching doorway. Outside, where they had been moments ago, hundreds upon hundreds of fire demons were gathered. Their leader was out of sight. A white layer of light shimmered like a barrier in between the fire demons and the little group. One fire demon reached forward; his fingers touched the barrier. It howled a second later, retracting his sizzling hand.

And all the while, one lone, tiny figure stood strong against the army.

Raven slipped out of Dick’s arms. She stood up and watched the fire demons, confusion on her young face. “How is this happening?” she whispered. “No one can stop Trigon’s power.”

But Dick couldn’t take his eyes off her – no, not Raven. He didn’t hear her young voice as she asked such an important question. All he could do was stare at the bundle of fur with bright blue eyes – eyes which nearly glowed with an unearthly light, which was now familiar, not unlike a pair of green eyes, which belonged to a strange young man in the underworld.

“Kuroi?” whispered Dick. She mewled pleasantly and padded up to him. His hand automatically lifted and she wormed her way beneath his hand, arching her little bottom into the air as his hand stroked her body. She was soft. She was warm. She was alive.

What on this devastated earth was she doing down here?

She pulled back, blinking her intelligent eyes at him. The loss was felt in Dick’s heart – he wanted to pet her more, to feel her soft, warm fur beneath his fingers. She was the first living thing, besides his friends and family, he had seen since the destruction of the world. And no, he wasn’t counting those crows.

But he didn’t have much time to think about it. Kuroi pulled back even more, blinking again. She turned around, her tail lifted high, before she glanced back at him.

Then, the kitten darted out of sight and rounded the corner.

“Kuroi!”

And with that single shout, Dick bolted after her.

“Dick, no!”

But the cries of his father didn’t stop him. If Kuroi was alive – actually alive, well and breathing, unlike every other creature on the planet now – then nothing was going to stop him from getting to her.

Thus, no thoughts were given for the frantic father left behind.

Slade wanted nothing more than to vent his absolute frustration on something. That stupid boy! He was going to get himself killed! And not only that, he left Slade behind with the skittish Raven. He glanced over at the little girl. She looked at him. Slade blinked. Raven blinked back.

When this is all over, that blasted boy is going to be in so much trouble for the sheer number of heart failures he’s given me.

Schooling his emotions, Slade knelt down and opened his arms in beckoning. Raven stepped back nervously.

“Come,” whispered Slade, keeping his tone gentle. “That silly boy is going to get hurt if we don’t catch up to him.”

The little girl watched him warily. Her soft eyes were filled with such suspicion for a seven year old. Though they still contained a glow of innocence, it was apparent she had already seen much in her young life.

Just like Dick.

“Trust me, child,” whispered Slade.

For a moment, she didn’t move. Slade mentally counted to ten, hoping the girl would be faster than the depletion of his patience. Then, in the gentlest of moments, the little girl slowly took a step forward. Each step was taken with hesitation, her bright violet eyes warily watchful for any startling movement. None came. When she finally reached Slade, she gingerly put her arms around his neck. Slade wrapped his arms around her waist, noting her size.

So small.

As Slade lifted her in his arms, standing up a moment later, he was struck with another note.

Good grief, she weighs practically nothing!

An unearthly scream sent shivers down Slade’s spine. Raven whimpered in his arms, tightening her own around his neck. Slade glanced back. The black fire demon, the one most dangerous of them all, raged at the white barrier. He hissed and spat at the door. He slashed his hands, trying to bring it down. When that didn’t work, he pointed to the surrounding rock of the doorway.

Before Slade could consider getting up, the fire demons had attacked the walls next to the doorway – only to find more white barrier. There was a scream of rage at this. It shrilled against the walls, making rock and stone tremble, as if the very Earth itself feared this creature. The echo was enough to stop the heart, for no creature sounded anything like it. If there was ever a time to feel fear, when Slade never felt such a thing – except in the case of losing loved ones – it was at that moment.

And yet, that white barrier protected them from such a being.

There was no more time to think about it. Slade quickly started down the path Dick had disappeared along. After a moment of being sure of the terrain, Slade broke into a run. He had only gone about ten to twenty feet, before the pathway twisted and opened to a high ceiling cavern. Dick stood in the middle, staring at something.

Slade took no notice at what stole the boy’s attention and instead ran to the boy’s side, before grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him. Dick wouldn’t move, however. Thus, Slade tried a different tactic.

“Idiot boy!” shouted Slade. The girl in his arm shivered from his tone. He patted her on the back. “What do you think you’re doing, running off like that! You could’ve been killed—what happened to always obeying me?! Do you not see what we’re up against?”

The boy wasn’t listening to him. Slade had an overwhelming desire to grab the boy by the shoulders and give him a good shake. Why wasn’t the boy listening to him—blast it!

But then, Slade took in the direction Dick was gazing in. He followed the line of sight, only to suck in his breath in surprise.

It was a woman – a woman was standing, alive, in front of them. Her form shimmered, as if she weren’t fully solid. Yet, the kitten trotted right up to her without fear. The woman smiled and knelt down. Her hand brushed against the kitten’s back. She gazed upward at them, her green eyes dancing with warmth.

Dick’s expression was the most unsettling, however. He looked at the woman as if he were seeing the most welcomed sight of all. But it was the whispered response that threw Slade off balance completely.

“Mama.”

What?!

ooOOOOOoo

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