Max flew up and hovered at the top of the skyscraper where Nina, Terra, and Thena were. Just as he was about to speak, Thena cut him off.
"Wow! What was that jutsu, Dad? You gotta teach me!"
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home sleeping?" Nina asked.
"Well, I was… until I wasn't. Now I should be asking you what you're doing here with the kids, no less," Max replied.
"Well, I thought it was about time they got some actual combat experience,outside of simulated situations," Nina said.
"How long has this been going on?" Max asked.
"At least a month for Thena. Terra only decided to tag along today," Nina replied.
"Told you she knew," Terra muttered to Thena.
Max went silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing before he finally spoke. "They're your responsibility, then."
"Don't worry. They'll be fine with me," Nina said.
"Righhhht," Max drawled, then vanished, leaving them there.
"I really thought we were about to get chewed out," Thena said.
"Me too," Nina admitted.
"Now what?" Terra asked.
"I have an idea," Nina said, grinning at Thena.
---
Max appeared outside the barrier surrounding his home and was about to pass through when a dark, inky substance suddenly poured out of the ground and began crawling up his feet.
"What the-" Max muttered, grabbing at it and tearing it off like fabric.
More of the substance surged up, wrapping around his body and fully engulfing him. It forced its way into him through his nose, no matter how hard he tried to rip it away. His struggle slowly ceased as the darkness sank completely into his body.
His Rinnegan turned blood-red.
Max stared at his hands as they twisted and reshaped into clawed forms. A dark grin spread across his face as he turned away from the house, preparing to take off.
Suddenly, his body seized up.
His right Rinnegan faded back to its usual lavender color as his right hand involuntarily formed a black rod. The sharp tip slowly turned toward his chest, inching forward with lethal intent.
His left hand shot out and grabbed his right wrist, stopping it mid-motion. The right arm trembled violently, resisting, pulling back—then suddenly surged forward with terrifying force.
The rod pierced straight through his chest, bursting out the other side. Blood splattered onto the ground as Max dropped to his knees with a groan.
Dark smoke poured from his mouth, swirling together and forming a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. The entity let out a silent shriek before flying off into the distance.
Max coughed up blood, then calmly reached up and pulled the black rod from his chest. The gaping wound rapidly regenerated, sealing itself shut as he stood back up.
A dark expression settled over his face. He clenched the rod tightly in his hand until it shattered into fragments.
He had almost been possessed. No,he had been possessed. He had only managed to break free in time by stabbing himself.
He knew exactly what had tried to take control of him.
"Trigon's goons…"
Which meant Trigon himself would be making an appearance soon. And with these recent developments, Max couldn't help but worry about Thena and Terra's safety.
Still, with Nina with them… they should be fine.
But to just in case,Max decided to take precautions. If he could be possessed, then so could she, and that would make her a real danger to the kids if it ever happened.
Max created a single shadow clone, which immediately took off into the distance. He then yawned, his stomach rumbling loudly in hunger.
He really needed to eat and sleep to recover his strength. Soon enough, he might be forced to face Trigon himself. Hopefully, nothing would disrupt his rest now.
With that thought in mind, Max turned and walked into his house.
---
Jump City
"This is not what I had in mind when you said we were headed to Jump City," Terra said, slurping on her slushie.
"Yeah, I thought we were here to bust some criminal gang… but I can't say I object," Thena added, licking her ice cream.
"I didn't actually plan this," Nina said while munching on cotton candy. "I thought we'd get to stretch our legs and help out the League, and when that didn't work out, I figured,why not have a girls' night out? We can always bust a few criminals afterward. And what better place to start than a carnival?"
"So, let's have some fun."
----
The bright lights of the carnival flickered overhead as music and laughter filled the air. Nina led the way through the crowd, with Thena and Terra trailing behind her.
"Alright," Nina said, cracking her knuckles. "First game is on me."
They stopped at a ring toss booth. Thena stepped up first, narrowing her eyes in concentration. She tossed the rings one after another, barely missing the bottles—until the last one landed perfectly around the neck.
"Yes!" Thena pumped her fist.
Terra rolled her eyes playfully. "I know you were holding back." She stepped forward next and, with careful precision, landed two rings in a row.
The booth worker stared for a moment before handing them their prizes. Thena chose a small dragon plush, while Terra picked a stuffed bear nearly as big as her torso.
They moved on to the shooting gallery next. Nina took one look at the fake rifles and smirked. "Let's see how accurate you two really are with these."
Thena went first, hitting all the targets with surprising speed. Terra followed, slower but steadier, landing clean shots one after another. By the time Nina took her turn, the score was already high—but she still managed to beat it by a narrow margin, earning herself a large fox plush.
"Show-off," Thena muttered, though she was smiling.
They grabbed snacks next,churros, popcorn, and more slushies,before finally hopping onto the Ferris wheel. From the top, Jump City stretched out beneath them, glowing with lights.
"This ain't bad at all," Terra said quietly.
"Told you," Nina replied with a soft smile.
After getting off the ride, they wandered deeper into the carnival when Nina suddenly froze mid-step. Her eyes locked onto a familiar figure near a food stall,a tall, orange-skinned girl with long red hair, dressed in casual civilian clothes, waiting at the back of the line.
Nina blinked. "No way…"
She raised her hand and called out, "Kory!"
The girl turned around, her face lighting up instantly. "Nina?! What are you doing here?"
Nina laughed. "Didn't expect to see me here either, huh? What, Titans night off?"
"Kind of," Kory replied. "I thought we could have some fun and blow off some steam… forget all that has transpired recently."
Nina gestured to the two girls beside her. "I see. Well, since we're running into people anyway… I want you to meet my nephews."
"Thena, Terra, meet Kory—the leader of the Titans," Nina said.
Thena's eyes widened. "Hi-"
"Nice to meet you," Terra added casually.
"The pleasure is mine!" Starfire said brightly. "Where are the other Titans? I am sure Thena over here would love to meet them. She is quite the fan," she added with a small laugh.
Thena lightly elbowed Nina, a faint blush appearing on her face.
"Is that so?" Starfire said cheerfully. "Well, they are all here enjoying themselves. I can help you look for them."
"No, there won't be any need," Nina replied. "You're here to have fun, not become our guide."
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the carnival. The base of a Ferris wheel in the distance was blown apart. The massive structure groaned before collapsing as people screamed and ran in panic.
"I apologize but i must go now" Starfire said as she then immediately took off toward the chaos.
Nina turned to Thena with a teasing grin. "You ready for your first fight alongside the Titans?"
"No," Thena said flatly, crossing her arms.
"Well then, we're leaving," Nina said, placing a hand on both girls' shoulders, ready to teleport them away.
"Wait,I'm kidding!" Thena blurted out.
Nina burst into laughter. "I knew you'd come around. Alright, let's go check it out."
Thena muttered something under her breath.
"I never knew the idolization went this deep," Terra said with a smirk.
"Shut up," Thena snapped.
Terra laughed as the three of them sprinted toward the destruction.
End of Chapter.
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