Chapter 20: Raven - Part 1

We spent quite a good time with Raven. The first day of our joint training was a bit... awkward. Well, Raven didn't have experience in providing knowledge, so I suggested she simply demonstrate her skills in practice first, and then provide detailed information on how to do it.

"...You can create a mana barrier by focusing your desire on protection," she said, folding her palms together, and her body was enveloped in a light purple film. It took me five minutes of sitting on my fifth point in a meditation pose to create it, and she was extremely surprised by this fact. Well, I didn't tell her that the system itself provided me with information on creating a new skill, did I? My barrier was only different in color and was green.

I wanted to continue our exciting training, but an otherworldly voice appeared in our room. It was the terrifying sound of Raven's hungry stomach, from which she shyly covered her head with her hood and lowered it.

"I think we can take a short break. I'll prepare something delicious."

"You know how to cook?.."

"Yes, and quite well. I never thought about something as simple as cooking before, and I was just too lazy to learn this art."

We left the room, and as we were about to exit, we met Dick Grayson.

"Oh, it seems I'm just in time. I just wanted to inform you that the training will be in an hour. Before that, I wanted to ask: does anyone have any business to attend to?"

We just shrugged. What could we possibly have to do? I think he just asked out of politeness or didn't want to interrupt our training.

"Great, then. I'll be waiting for you in the training room."

"We'll be in the cafeteria. Do you still order food, and is the kitchen just for decoration?"

"Well, Starfire once... used it for 'research.'"

Judging by your tone, it seems that the research had some terrible failures.

"Not everyone has to be talented in everything."

"That's true," I agree, and head with Raven to the previously mentioned place.

To be a successful cook, it's not enough to know special recipes and cooking skills. You also need good ingredients, spices, and sauces. Fortunately, I had all of that in my inventory, and I decided to impress my young teacher. I was just curious to see her reaction. After all, I didn't want to be too pushy, as our partnership might undergo some changes. People might misinterpret my intentions as something more than just ordinary. So why was I paying such close attention to her? I think it's obvious. I liked her. Strong, beautiful, mysterious. It's as if a guy liked a girl. Raven is too afraid of losing control over her inner demon, and judging by her reaction to my subtle flirting, she thinks I need her for something more.

Paranoia is when you see a hidden meaning where there isn't one.

I took a handful of potatoes from my inventory and a regular fresh piece of meat. Just to be sure, I turned my head to Raven, who was sitting at the common rectangular kitchen table.

"I hope you don't have any objections to meat?"

After all, Garfield, aka Beast Boy, is a vegetarian. The guy can transform into animals but doesn't eat meat. Her response was a negative shake of the head.

"Great."

"You shouldn't go through all this trouble for me. We could have just ordered pizza."

"And who said it's for you? I enjoy cooking for myself and others. Don't take it too personally, but it seems like someone is just trying to find transparent hints..."

There was no response, and I merely chuckled at this. It's so easy for her to give in and avoid arguing in such situations. Unbeknownst to her, she's much more interested in me than just as a "partner" and sees something in me that piques her curiosity.

The baked potatoes with fried meat looked simply fantastic. For a more pleasant taste, I added a special brown sauce. I gazed at her slightly as I sat at the opposite end of the table, my palm under my chin. It was nice to see her soft, bright smile hidden behind that indifferent facade. Realizing that she had been caught in her "weakness," she immediately put on a serious expression, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her face with it.

"T-That... it was quite delicious. Thank you."

"You're welcome. You still have a bit of sauce left," she was about to clean her face with another napkin when I cheekily leaned forward, rested my body on the table, and with the tips of my fingers, scooped up the sauce from her cheek to finish what she started. It was amusing to see her slightly pink cheeks and a brief glance aside.

"Is this enjoyable for you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just cleaned your cute face, Raven," I spread my hands out, shrugged, and put on a smile-mask. "Since we have some time before the training... I got curious about what you meant by the consequences of killing an Aura."

"Every living or non-living entity has an Aura, and the fact that you exist without one surprises me. Something or someone is keeping your presence in this world, as you're still standing here without it."

"I have some theories about that..."

I couldn't say with complete certainty, but it's likely that either the system or Chronos has bound my soul/essence/identity to itself. Personally, I can't get rid of myself by killing my Aura, or else I would have been erased right after my impulsive action. But if someone else tries to intervene through spatial magic or temporal manipulation?... Most likely, neither the system nor Chronos would help at this point because it's against the rules to protect a player from all threats. Although, Chronos did help me once, didn't he?... Oh well, there's something mysterious and inexplicable about it.

"Will Aura come back?"

"With time. Living and non-living beings you interact with see and remember you, so when this 'World' finally forms an opinion about you, your aura will naturally return. It can take anywhere from a couple to several decades."

"So, Mother Earth records all my good and bad deeds and then forms an opinion about me? Funny. Well, shall we go to the training room?"

The Teen Titans' training room was an ordinary 20x20 metal box capable of projecting various scenarios or enemies. These projections could actually inflict minor damage as in some sort of... "game." Participants didn't experience any real physical harm, but rather a mental one. The special waves in the room allowed sensations of the damage received to be transmitted to the brain. It was inappropriate to ask where such equipment came from, as the answer was always the same - Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. The costs and connections were on him, with Dick Grayson only promising to prepare his teammates for various situations. It seemed that he wasn't just a mentor but also a parent to them. Although, most likely, that's exactly what he is. After all, what kind of adult would help train, provide their money and connections for a young person's prosperous future? Right, only someone very close.

"Alex?... 'Al'!"

Before entering the simulation room for training, Starfire noticed me and hugged me in mid-air. So much so that my sturdy bones were forcibly subjected to a strength test.

"It's good to see you too, 'Kori'."

"Have you finished your journey? Do you have any interesting stories, things, or weapons?!..."

She practically glowed with curiosity.

"Kori has quite... a strange passion for cold weapons," added Dick Grayson, scratching his temple. Well, I'm not particularly surprised, considering that her race consists of warriors. Beast Boy also greeted me with his customary grin and buried his nose back into his tablet. For him, the World Wide Web and social media seemed to be a second home.

The only person in this group I didn't know well was the "Blue Beetle," with Jamie Reyes as its host. As far as I know, the blue scarab on his nape is some kind of alien weapon prototype. He's concerned that his scarab can, at times, take full control of his body while in suit mode, guided by the belief that the host needs protection. In general, even though the scarab has a simple task - to protect its owner - it still struggles to understand Earth's culture. To be more precise, the scarab doesn't have a moral code of "do not kill" and is willing to go to any lengths to protect its host. Plasma gun at point-blank range?... Consider it done. A rather unpleasant sight, I must say. It happened only once, and after that day, Jamie didn't appear in public anymore. Dick Grayson helped him with his depression and didn't rush to send him to a superhuman prison. Instead, he explained that it was the scarab's fault, not his. He explained this to the "public" and promised that such incidents wouldn't happen again. I'm glad that unlike the Dark Knight, he doesn't rely on blind justice and is willing to make difficult decisions. How did I know all this? Well, even though I'm not personally acquainted with him, as I mentioned earlier, I dug into the database and watched eyewitness videos.

I was less interested in the training in the room because it was aimed at teamwork for the purpose of saving/eliminating various targets. So, I asked Dick Grayson to allow me to evaluate Raven's abilities through a little sparring.

"Just take it easy with her, okay? I understand that you can heal..."

"Do you actually have a thing for the female gender, Nightwing? Oh, and you were talking about a lack of female attention."

"It's not about that..." he sighs wearily and covers his face with his hand. "Well, forget it. I think you already know it."

"Trust me. I know you much better than you think. I just want to know the limits of her abilities. If I get close to them, that's when I'll stop this spar. It's that simple."

We entered the room, and I casually stretched, working my neck a bit to the pleasing sound of my spinal vertebrae cracking.

"Shall we put on a little show? Try to give it your all."

"I could say the same to you."

I raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise. Apparently, she's also somewhat curious about my abilities. Nevertheless, we both have no idea about our capabilities, so I'll try to gradually increase the tempo of the battle. This will allow both of us to enjoy it more.

Why didn't I do this during my sparring with Starfire? Well, her abilities are relatively straightforward and there was no real need to study them. But here?... Will she be able to fight someone like me without involving time manipulation?... I was simply consumed by curiosity.

I decided to start first, as usual. Swiftly blending into invisible mist, I simultaneously created a spectral dagger of Talos in reality and silently made my way towards Raven.

"Azarath!" A violet sphere of mysterious magic recreated a special spherically-shaped impulse that engulfed the entire room. As I rapidly reduced the distance, my stealth mode simply vanished, and my dagger was blocked by her spherical shield. An obvious message appeared in front of me, indicating that my invisibility was disabled.

"Hah?... I didn't think you had a spell that could remove the invisibility camouflage."

"Without this spell, this battle wouldn't make sense."

"True!" I chuckled, deciding to take an instant ethereal step back because a black lightning bolt was coming right at me. "Phew!" I comically tilted my head away from the dangerous projectile. "Yikes!" I also jumped comically, performing a split to let another projectile pass underneath me. "Do better!..." I slid to the side.

With an almost inaudible whisper beneath my hood, my left hand, in a clawed form, drew a symbol in the air and pulled it towards me. The very lightning bolts that had missed me turned into three dark violet streaks. They struck me at supersonic speed, wrapping around my arms, shoulders, and waist, and quickly formed chains of the same color. Pulling them towards her with my left hand, I created a regular ethereal blade of purple color with my right hand.

"Quite a dire situation. Just don't forget that you're not the only one skilled in magic," I said, making the standard snapping gesture with my palm and sending an invisible subsonic magic pulse, "Invisible Grasp." It's a versatile ability, and with it, I could become a sort of Jedi or Sith. I used this trick to send Raven on a brief flight. She hit the wall with her back, and my invisible giant hand aimed to fix her to that very wall. However, her body was shrouded in black energy, making my attack pass right through her.

"Do you prefer long-range combat?" I created a revolver named "Hunter's Friend" in my left hand. It was essentially a standard version of a silver six-shooter with a long barrel. The peculiarity of this weapon was that it could take on some "attributes" from the other hand's weapon. The revolver began to emit a bluish phantom smoke and took on the property of firing spirit-type bullets. Furthermore, Hunter's Friends don't require manual cocking. I had exchanged some "loot" obtained from the Minotaur's Dungeon for this. Our characters had different specificities; his was of the strength type, and mine was more agile. Therefore, this weapon would have been utterly useless for him. You could say I got lucky because I was the first to respond to his offer, although there were other competitors. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

I fired three shots from the revolver. Small blue bullets were sent at near-sonic speed, hitting a rectangular barrier. It cracked but withstood the attack. I threw the Talos dagger, and she dodged, moving her head to the side. I had anticipated this. I teleported behind her with the dagger and aimed to shoot her in the back. However, when my bullet hit her, her body turned into five black crows. They scattered throughout the room and took positions around me, all taking the shape of Raven and preparing to perform some sort of magic trick. At the same time, using my "Recording" ability, I created a recorded copy of myself in the past. We simultaneously fired. I with the pistol and she with a violet-black beam. All the duplicates dissipated, leaving just the two of us.

"What about close combat?..."

I applied my Acceleration ability and closed the gap rapidly. A leap and a downward slash with the Talos blade forced her to create a sort of black staff. She blocked my attack, but due to the force of my strike, she had to crouch on the floor. What I quickly deduced from the battle was that she couldn't maintain her intangible state for very long. That's why she was forced into close combat with me. I deflected our crossed weapons, landing a swift kick to her abdomen. The force of the blow made her roll back several meters, and in the meantime, I switched to the Scarab dagger. I was curious to see how it performed in action.

The wicked red blade shimmered with black and crimson tones. Near my consciousness, I realized her abilities through our connection. A light cut on my palm caused the blade to melt and take the shape of strange and grotesque tentacles or tree roots. I lunged, and she blocked, but the tentacles continued their movements, piercing her body. Shoulder, abdomen, arm, knee. I swiftly extended my arm with the dagger, noticing that the dagger craved Raven's life energy, but depleting her of such a precious resource wasn't particularly in my plans.

"I... won't lose. Argh!..." She threw me with her hand, and a powerful subsonic red-black pulse sent me flying. It slammed me against the wall and pressed me with an invisible force, immobilizing me. A brief glance at Raven revealed that I had awakened her terrifying neighbor. An extra pair of eyes and their bloody hue clearly indicated an unfavorable legacy. I would have continued to play with her, but unfortunately, I didn't want her potential friends to start fearing her or asking unnecessary questions.

"Raven!" My voice quickly brought her back to her senses, and she abruptly released me, hiding her face even more in the shadows using her magic. In the worst case, I would have had to call someone from my entourage to "shut her down" thoroughly if she didn't calm down. Most likely, it would have been Asta or Robin because with her level of power, regular soldiers or mages would have been no more than minor obstacles. Why "shut down"? Well, Dark Sides that usually reside in one's mind become much more dangerous if you try to play or fight with them. Besides, this was probably no longer a training spar.

"Sorry. I lost control," she said, her fists clenched, and her body seemed to tense up even more. I could sense fear of rejection, anger at herself, and insecurity. Still, this ability was useful. Empathy.

"It happens. It's okay," I replied, offering a slight smile and placing my hand on her hooded head.

"Why? You saw what I'm capable of if..." she began, but I interrupted.

"I don't care. Everyone has their dark sides, issues, and imperfections. You know, it's nice that I don't have to explain everything with words. After all, you can feel people's true intentions, can't you?"

I removed my hand and happily waved at the armored, mirrored glass behind which the Teen Titans were observing us.

"We're done!"

I couldn't say exactly how much time we had before Trigon's minions would come for our souls. What I knew was that Raven was the key to everything. She was the "Conduit," the one who allowed Trigon entry into this world. If Trigon could enter this world, he wouldn't have to be so fixated on her. Could I prevent the invasion? Possibly. I didn't know the potential of Raven's brothers and sisters, so I couldn't judge. I was strong, but brute force couldn't solve everything. You couldn't predict all events, and if you could, life would be too boring. Let's suppose I could protect Raven, but Trigon wouldn't stop trying to reach her until she summoned him into this world. In that case, what should I do? Right, defeat a god. Well, in the worst-case scenario, I'd rely on Raven and her friends. She most likely had a backup plan in case he truly invaded this world.

Days went by, and Raven found a close friend in Starfire. Starfire's hyperactive and positive personality complemented Raven's quiet and modest demeanor. I was pleased to see her smile more often, although she still tried to conceal it.

Training sessions with Raven proceeded as usual, almost. I enjoyed teasing her, mainly because I couldn't understand her fear of revealing her emotions—or I pretended not to understand. Maybe I was being a complete idiot and playing with fire, but I couldn't resist an opportunity to play a prank. In the best possible sense of the word!

"Teaching her to feel..."

"So, you're saying that by releasing mana and giving it the right shape, you can create anything you want? You don't need to memorize formulas or words. Convenient," Starfire commented.

I was in Raven's room at that moment. Over the past few days, she had managed to make herself quite comfortable here. Most of the decor was in shades of black and purple, and the room was lit by violet torches instead of regular lighting. In the center of the room, there was a pentagram on the floor, and the windows were covered with black curtains. Her bookshelf had gained a few books on magic, demonology, and her personal book about her home world, Azarath. The latter book piqued my interest, and I wanted to learn more about her world, but I was immediately met with a stern, tense voice as she pulled the book to her chest.

"Please, do not touch my books without permission," she said, as if trying to protect the most precious thing she had left from her past.

Raven had knowledge beyond her various magical abilities; she was quite well-versed in runic magic and alchemy. I made a mental note to learn more about these disciplines once we were done with magic training. Unlike traditional magic, like casting spells, creating fire or water, or spiritual magic, runic magic was often underestimated. It allowed the creation of barriers, shelters, immobilization, weakening, and more. The drawback was the time required for preparation and the specific conditions of usage. For example, a rune trap might only work if the opponent was inside it and could only be activated after the rune's effects were completed or the conditions met. Another drawback was the relative strength of the opponent. Sometimes runes were useless because the enemy was too powerful.

"Supreme Rune Magic — Creating Rules. Even I will need five or maybe ten more years to create a single weak rule," she said.

What were these "Rules"? Just a spell that couldn't be reversed or undone. You could create a unique rule. As an analogy:

"I cannot be killed as long as ***** exists; in return, I dedicate my life to this world."

The condition of the rule was that everyone must be on equal terms, and the one who created it had to be strong, both in spirit and body, to accept any consequences from the "Supreme Being." This being had no name and didn't require a language. However, even this entity had followers, and according to Raven, we should never come into contact with them. When asked why, she explained that this "cult" was completely detached from human morals and laws. All that mattered to them was the will of their master, and they were incredibly powerful. She had met one of them in her "father's" home, but she didn't know the details of their conversation, as they had spoken in private.

While one hand was shaping a blue sphere, my free hand gently ran through her soft hair, as if I had acquired a domesticated cat. Hmm, that's an idea! I mean, I could offer her an alternative. Peace and quiet for her in meditation, and a pleasant image of cat-like black ears near her head for me.

Why hadn't Raven stopped me yet? I didn't know. Hovering in mid-air in a meditative pose, exuding a light-violet aura, I had no idea what was going through her mind.

"You're seriously disrupting my meditation," she mumbled without opening her eyes. "I don't want to be rude, but could you move away from me?"

"Don't you like it? I just decided to 'study' your hair. There's no substitute for practice here."

"You're not lying, but you're definitely not telling the whole truth," she responded with a heavy sigh as she slowly opened her eyes. "If I lost my concentration, both of us would have an unpleasant experience."

For a brief moment, I wanted to know exactly what she meant, but judging by her stern and weary look, it was better not to ask.

"I have no romantic or sexual intentions, I promise."

"You're lying."

"Alright, maybe just a little?"

"You're still not telling the whole truth."

"Life would be boring without secrets," I shrugged and decided to withdraw my hand. "Maybe then, after this, I can give you a light massage. I know that sometimes after meditation, your body can get a little stiff."

She responded with a heavy, tired sigh. It was as if I were the cause of her troubles. Ha-ha, well, maybe I was.

"Alright."

After her meditation, I asked her to sit on my bed and remove her eternal cloak. My palms rested on her shoulders, making simple, progressive motions while periodically massaging her neck. For a moment, I noticed a shiver and how her gaze drifted away once again. I remained patient and not insistent. We just sat there and enjoyed each other's company. Sometimes, people didn't need words to understand each other, and Raven was one of those people.

"Everything alright?" I asked quietly near her ear.

"Yes," she replied in a hushed tone.

Once during my small journey, I encountered an experienced masseur. For fun, I decided to learn some of his "techniques." Amidst regular massage, he managed to instruct me in the methodology of a "special" massage. To be more precise, it was an erotic massage that slowly transformed into sex. I don't have the opportunity to try it out yet, but I noted it as a cunning trap for Raven. I knew that she could sometimes read my thoughts and intentions, but at the moment, I didn't emit anything suspicious. I simply... enjoyed touching her. It's quite eerie. I was starting to look like some sort of obsessed person. Did she cast a spell on me?

"No, I didn't use anything like that. It's all your abnormal interest... Ahh!" I pretended to be annoyed and made a slight motion with my palms, producing a loud crack near her spine. Her moan was more from relief than pain. Now she'd know what it's like to have someone invade your mind without permission. She seemed to have an unhealthy curiosity of her own, considering she delved into someone's thoughts just like that.

"That's all for now. If you want, we can always repeat this procedure."

This pattern continued for almost a month since Raven's arrival. I learned a couple of new magical tricks while we had a new addition on the way. Damian, the son of Bruce Wayne, would soon visit our tower. Dick Grayson wasn't thrilled with the news, but he didn't oppose his enrollment because it was Bruce himself who requested it. It seemed that our stern old man had grown tired of being with him and had more important matters to attend to. I just hoped Damian wouldn't do anything reckless.

In the end, everything happened exactly the opposite...