After riding the Tower's elevator, a wide metallic corridor opened into a spacious, well-lit room. The entire wall facing the sea was made of glass panels, revealing the distant city bathed in moonlight. At the center, a large semicircular red couch wrapped around a glass table, with smaller tables, shelves, and even a huge blank screen scattered around the room.
Beast Boy was the first to enter, throwing himself onto the backrest of the couch with his usual carelessness.
"I'm here!" he announced—far too loudly. "And I brought company."
Starfire, who had been sitting in one corner, immediately stood up. Her crimson hair shimmered under the light as a warm smile spread across her face.
"Friend Ethan!" she exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.
"How magnificent!" She clapped her hands together, nearly taking off into the air toward him. "On Tamaran, unexpected guests always a reason for joy!"
Across the room, Raven remained seated with an open book resting before her. She lifted her gaze slowly, and the moment her eyes met Ethan's, her fingers faltered on the pages. The cold concentration she always carried shattered instantly, and a faint blush rose across her cheeks.
Beast Boy flashed a mischievous grin but said nothing, waiting to see how things would unfold.
Starfire stepped closer, radiant as ever.
"So, Ethan, what brings you to the Tower today?"
Ethan drew a deep breath, running a hand over his jacket as if searching for the right words.
"I… actually came to talk to you, Raven."
Her eyes widened ever so slightly.
"To me?" Her voice was almost a whisper. She closed the book slowly, unable to hide the faint awkwardness in her expression as she looked at him. "And what… do you want?"
Beast Boy craned his neck, intrigued.
"Oooh, this sounds important!"
Ethan let out a small sigh at the boy's playful tone but pressed on.
"In a few days, there's going to be a charity ball in Metropolis. It's tied to my family's company. My brother was supposed to attend, but… he won't be able to. So I have to go in his place."
He looked away for a moment, as if weighing each word carefully.
"But there's one catch… I can't go alone. I need someone to accompany me."
Starfire took a step forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"A ball?! Oh, how wonderful! On Tamaran, we also have such celebrations, filled with dances and songs!"
Beast Boy smirked slyly.
"So what you're saying is… you came all the way here just to invite Raven?"
Silence fell for a moment. Raven froze, staring at Ethan. Beast Boy's three words seemed to echo louder than they should have.
Ethan finally spoke, his voice steady:
"Yes. Raven… I wanted to know if you would go with me."
Raven lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening on the cover of the closed book in her lap. The mask of indifference she always wore seemed to crack little by little.
"I…," she began, her voice softer than usual. "I'm not exactly the kind of person who… goes to balls."
Beast Boy, of course, couldn't miss the chance.
"Oh, come on, Rave! It's gonna be great—just imagine you dancing in the middle of the crowd!"
She shot him a withering glare that instantly made him morph into a rabbit and shrink into the couch. But when her eyes returned to Ethan, her tone was no longer the same. There was something softer there—almost hesitant.
"But… if you really need me to go…" Her voice faltered for a moment before she finished,
"Then… I'll accept. After all—" she tucked a strand of hair lightly behind her ear, "I still owe you since last time."
Starfire clasped her hands together, radiant.
"Oh, this is magnificent! I wish you both a night full of joy!"
Beast Boy raised his eyebrows with a sly grin.
"Would you look at that—the guy pulled it off!"
Ethan kept his posture steady, but a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Thank you, Raven," he said simply—yet his tone carried more meaning than the words themselves.
Raven quickly averted her gaze, hiding her face behind the cover of her book.
"Hm… don't mention it."
Ethan allowed the faint smile to linger as his eyes moved from Raven, to Starfire, and then to Beast Boy.
"So… can any of you give me a ride?" Ethan asked casually. "I got here hitching a ride on a passing fishing boat, and before that, some guy on a jet ski… but I think I'm out of options this time."
Beast Boy broke into a wide grin, laughing at the explanation.
"Dude, you really know how to improvise!"
Starfire stood up enthusiastically, already raising her hand.
"It would be magnificent to accompany you back to your home, Ethan!"
At that very moment, Raven lifted her eyes from the book, staring at Starfire for a few seconds. Her face remained nearly neutral, but the faint furrow of her brow betrayed an irritation she herself seemed unwilling to admit.
Beast Boy noticed right away. He coughed on purpose, drawing their attention.
"Ahem, ahem… relax, Star. I'll take my buddy Ethan home."
Before anyone could reply, Beast Boy was already heading toward the exit.
"Come on, man. These guys still have a few things to take care of."
As he walked past Raven, Beast Boy gave her a discreet wink.
The sorceress's cheeks flushed faintly; she quickly looked away, reopening her book as if nothing had happened.
Ethan raised an eyebrow but didn't refuse. He said his goodbyes to the two Titans, relieved he wouldn't have to use Shadow Exchange in front of the others.
Then, with Beast Boy shifting into a pterodactyl and gripping Ethan by the shoulders, the two of them took to the night sky, leaving Titans Tower behind.
…
The night sky stretched wide over Jump City, its reflection cast on the ocean below like a dark mirror.
Cold wind lashed against Ethan's face as the firm body of the pterodactyl carried his weight. Beast Boy's massive wings sliced through the air, each beat lifting them higher until the city appeared in the distance, glowing with scattered lights.
"You know…" Beast Boy's voice echoed, distorted by his reptilian form, but still carrying that ever-light tone, "Robin's not gonna like this. He's kinda… you know… wary of you. Always Grumpy, but deep down… he's a good guy."
Ethan kept his eyes on the city lights, his tone cold.
"And you? Don't you feel the same suspicion about me as he does?"
Beast Boy let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a reptilian growl.
"Let's just say… I've got a pretty good nose for people's character." His left wing beat harder, as if to emphasize the point. "Call it animal instinct, haha."
Ethan turned his head slightly, surprised by the unexpected sincerity. A short, almost ironic smile slipped out.
"Hm… fair enough."
The silence lasted only a few seconds—until an explosion tore across the horizon. An orange flash lit up the industrial district north of the city, followed by a spiral column of smoke.
Beast Boy stopped flapping for a moment, hovering midair, eyes locked on the blast.
"What the hell was that…?"
Ethan, without hesitation, spoke quietly but firmly.
"I wouldn't mind making a little detour."
Beast Boy looked at him, and a knowing grin spread across his green face.
"Now you're speaking my language, bro." Without waiting for an answer, he tilted his wings and dove straight into the chaos.
(....)
The night sky over Jump City burned in shades of red and orange as they drew closer. From above, Ethan and Beast Boy could see the devastation: the old toy factory was partially destroyed, its shattered windows reflecting the flames that consumed its interior. Towers of black smoke rose like macabre spires, and every gust of wind carried with it the stench of burning plastic and blood.
The surrounding streets were pure chaos. Police cars lay overturned, some still ablaze, while sirens wailed out of sync, blending with the distant cries of terror. Wounded officers dragged themselves across the asphalt, groaning, struggling to reach cover. Others lay still, bodies already shrouded in white sheets stained with crimson.
Those were the images that pierced Ethan. His gaze narrowed when, near the sidewalk, he spotted a woman collapsed to her knees, clutching at the sheet covering one of the bodies.
"My husband… my.. my husband...oh God, WHY?!" she screamed, her voice torn apart by despair. Her wails echoed through the turmoil, joined by other cries of families trying to break past the police barricade.
Ethan clenched his fist, his brow furrowing. Then, as Beast Boy descended from above, he saw them through the smoke billowing inside the old building:
Twisted figures moving along the factory's perimeter. Deformed robots—tall, with limbs far too thin, like wind-up toys grotesquely enlarged to monstrous size. Some bore cracked porcelain doll heads, others resembled metallic puppets with glowing red eyes. They marched like mechanical abominations, tearing through everything in their path, crushing police cruisers and firing incandescent blasts.
No sign yet of whoever was behind it all. Only his metallic servants spreading terror.
Beast Boy slowed his flight, the pterodactyl's wings slicing through the thick smoke as he began descending toward a point where a group of officers struggled to hold the defensive line.
"Down there…" he muttered.
Ethan didn't answer. The moment they dove, he raised his hand, and shadows unfurled around him. The black overcoat wrapped tightly to his body, melding with the dark armor that covered his chest and arms, and finally, the helmet sealed over his face. All of it happened within seconds.
Beast Boy noticed it out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. He understood—this was Ethan's way of protecting his identity.
The pterodactyl landed hard on the cracked asphalt. Beast Boy shifted back into human form, sprinting toward the group of officers still holding their ground. The eldest among them, likely the precinct chief, had his shoulder hastily bandaged, but he still stood tall, giving orders with unshaken resolve.
"What is going on here officer?" Beast Boy asked.
The man lifted his eyes, his expression weary but resolute.
"Toyman…" he spat the name like venom. "The police tracked him down here. We tried to bring him in, but…" His voice faltered for a moment, and he glanced toward the bodies covered in sheets. "He was ready."
Beside him, Ethan remained silent, his coat whipping in the ash-laden wind. His eyes glimmered beneath the dark visor, watching everything with the cold composure of someone who already knew the worst was yet to come.
The chief drew in a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Chaos still roared all around them, but for a brief moment, the officers looked to him, waiting for instructions.
It was Beast Boy who stepped forward first, steady despite his usual laid-back demeanor.
"Listen, you've already done enough here," his voice rang clear. "Fall back, get the wounded out of here, and keep the civilians away from the perimeter. From here on out, we'll handle it."
The men hesitated for a moment, but no protest came. Everyone knew who the Titans were — and after the losses they had already suffered, there was no strength left to argue. The chief simply nodded, signaling to his officers. One by one, they began moving out, carrying the wounded and pushing families back.
Before leaving, the chief cast a wary glance at Ethan, who stood silently at the side, his trench coat and helmet radiating an ominous presence.
"And him?" he asked in a low voice. "Who's the rookie?"
Beast Boy flashed a mischievous grin, patting Ethan's shoulder.
"Relax, he's just… an intern," he said playfully.
Ethan only gave a slight nod, not uttering a single word. The gray gleam of his eyes beneath the visor was enough to show he wasn't there to play games.
The chief frowned but didn't press further. He simply turned his back and joined the others, leaving the field clear.
Ethan glanced around once more, trying to analyze the old factory and figure out the best way to act while Beast Boy finished helping the officers retreat from the line of fire.
In that moment, the world seemed to slow before his eyes.
All he could focus on were the motionless bodies scattered across the ground, the screams tearing through the air, and the desperate cries of the families shattered that night.
Deep within his soul... an untamed fury began to awaken, burning like a wildfire ready to consume everything around it.
__________________________________________________________________________
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Por: OrderNerd
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