They arrived at the scene to find the Titans already engaged in battle with strange creatures,red-skinned humanoid monsters with four glowing eyes.
One of the creatures suddenly broke away from the fight and flew straight toward them. It was intercepted mid-air by a bright green blast that slammed into its chest, sending it crashing into a stack of crates. Starfire followed up immediately with another blast, making sure it stayed down.
Before the trio could react, a red magic bolt came out of nowhere and shot toward them. Thena and Nina, with their sharper reflexes and heightened senses, leapt aside just in time. Terra, however, stomped the ground, causing a thick wall of earth to erupt in front of her. The blast struck it head-on, exploding the wall into dust.
Terra's hands began to glow yellow as jagged slabs of stone ripped themselves from the ground. With a sharp motion, she launched them forward. The creature narrowly avoided the attack by diving out of the way and immediately charged at her.
But before it could reach her, the ground beneath it liquefied and swallowed it whole. Terra clenched her fist in a crushing motion. A sickening crack echoed through the air as the creature's bones shattered. Moments later, its body dissolved into black smoke.
Nearby, Thena backflipped through the air, narrowly dodging a bolt of lightning fired by another demon. She formed a single hand sign, her cheeks puffing up as she spat out a massive fireball that roared across the battlefield.
The creature raised a glowing red barrier, blocking the flames. When the fire finally died down, Thena was nowhere to be seen.
Too late, the demon realized its mistake.
A lightning-coated hand burst straight through its chest. Thena appeared behind it, her arm embedded deep inside its body.
She yanked her hand free and jumped back just as the creature violently twisted around, swinging a backhand toward her face.
"What the hell are these things?" Thena muttered.
Before the creature could attack again, black flames suddenly erupted around its body. It screeched in agony before dissolving into smoke.
Nina landed beside Thena, surrounded by a partial Susanoo ribcage. One massive spectral arm was gripping another demon, which it promptly crushed into nothing.
"They're demons," Nina said calmly.
"What? Are you serious?" Thena asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, I am. And it seems they're here for something," Nina replied.
"Do you think it's related to Dad? Since he went to Hell recently?" Thena asked.
Nina shook her head. "I don't think so. Let's join the others. They might know more."
Nina, Thena, and Terra walked up to the Titans as the last of the demons faded into smoke. Blue Beetle spoke first, looking around the ruined street.
"Alright… where did those things come from?"
"Who cares?" Beast Boy said with a grin. "All that matters is that we kicked some demon ass."
"Beast Boy, this is serious," Starfire said firmly before turning to Nina. "Thank you for the help. All three of you."
"No problem," Nina replied.
"It's cool," Terra added, seconding her.
"So these are your nephews you're always bragging about?" Beast Boy said as he walked up to Terra. "I'm Beast Boy, by the way. You must be Terra. Nice to meet ya." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
Terra rolled her eyes. "Yeah… nice to meet you too."
Blue Beetle stepped toward Thena and extended his hand. "I'm Blue Beetle. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Thena. Um… nice to meet you too," she said, shaking his hand.
Starfire turned toward Raven. "Raven, would you mind telling us what is happening?"
"They were emissaries sent by my father," Raven said quietly. "They were here to retrieve me."
"I thought you said you didn't have a father," Starfire said.
"I said he was gone," Raven replied flatly.
"That's not the same as dead," Robin pointed out.
"Well, he is to me!" Raven snapped.
"What does he want you for?" Beast Boy asked.
Raven looked away, her expression darkening. "You have no idea…"
Raven raised her hands and summoned a glowing purple sphere that expanded outward, engulfing everyone. In a blink, the world around them warped and vanished.
They reappeared in a desolate landscape filled with ruined ancient structures, resembling the shattered remains of Rome. Cracked pillars stretched toward the dark sky, broken statues lay half-buried in dust, and in the distance, a massive shattered moon loomed ominously overhead.
"Suffice to say… we aren't in Jump City anymore," Beast Boy muttered, looking around.
Thena and Terra stared in awe, especially at the rare sight of the broken moon hanging in the sky.
"Where is this place?" Starfire asked. "It is no starfield I can recognize."
"Somewhere my father can't see us," Raven replied.
Robin crossed his arms. "Alright. Let's hear your story."
Raven took a breath and began explaining everything. When she finally finished, silence hung in the air.
Beast Boy was the first to speak.
"So… your mother did it with Satan?"
"His name is Trigon," Raven replied flatly. "But yes."
"So they totally did it," Beast Boy and Thena said at the same time,though Thena's voice was much quieter.
Nina immediately elbowed her.
"Garfield, that was inappropriate," Starfire scolded.
Robin cleared his throat. "So you're half human… his gateway into this world."
"Yes," Raven said softly. "Maybe if I had stayed, things wouldn't be like this. But I wanted a family. A place to call home. So I left."
"And you have found it," Starfire said warmly.
"We're your family," Beast Boy added. "All of us."
"…Thanks," Raven said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Nina scratched the back of her head. "Hate to ruin the moment, but we're kind of feeling left out… so can you take us back now?"
"Oh. Right," Raven said.
She opened another portal, violet energy swirling as it stabilized. Without hesitation, they stepped through.
---
Max woke up with a wide yawn, stretching his arms as he sat up. Oh, how he had missed sleeping without keeping one eye open. That was something he had been forced to do constantly in Hell, just to avoid being caught off guard. He hadn't trusted Neron's security… nor the food that had been provided to him.
Rising from his bed, Max walked over to the window and pulled the curtains aside. Another day began in the world of DC.
Though this universe was different because of his presence, the sequence of events had remained mostly predictable so far, with only minor changes here and there. The biggest difference was that many of the antagonists were crazily buffed up,but that hadn't really been a problem for him. If anything, it had been an advantage, pushing his templates and abilities to grow faster.
Darkseid was a looming threat as well. However, the fact that his other self had managed to defeat him during his return gave Max some confidence that he could do the same.
What truly worried him was the ever-present shadow of the Anti-Monitor.
The fact that he hadn't managed to locate him yet meant that he is still playing it safe. Max didn't even know how to properly prepare for something like that. But maybe, if he could learn how the fight between the Anti-Monitor and his other self had unfolded, he could come up with a plan.
He inwardly cursed himself for not sticking to DC comics in his past life instead of Marvel. When it came to Marvel, there was little he didn't know. But DC?,he only knew the movies and a few series.
Still, he knew someone who might be able to tell him exactly what went down back then and that is Lucifer.
Finding him in this universe, however, wouldn't be easy. His other self had likely used the Time Ring to jump across timelines to find him,something Max doesn't possess yet.
But even so… it would be worth a try to check.
End of Chapter
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