In an empty alley, space seemed to crack as the shadows quivered. The ground trembled as a powerful portal tore through reality—one capable of traversing not just space but entire realms.
A black portal opened up, as the girl fell through the portal, her white cloak flowing around her pale jade skin like a shroud.
She staggered out in disarray, her eyes red and glistening with unfallen tears. Yet, despite the rawness in her gaze, her face remained eerily stoic—emotionless, as if forcing herself to suppress what she had just endured.
She was in complete disarray, her suppressed emotions starting to come up to the surface. Her white cloak gradually shifted to a deep purple as she surveyed her surroundings with a vacant, despondent look.
Raven didn't know what to do next. She had lost everything, and it was all her fault. If only she stayed curious, her mother wouldn't dead, her teachers slain, her world destroyed—and she would have never learned the truth
Guilt clawed at Raven's insides, threatening to unravel her control. She felt the surge of emotion rise, and instantly, she dropped into a meditative stance, floating a few inches above the ground. Closing her eyes, with practiced ease, she focused inward, fortifying the mental barriers that kept her emotions in check.
The people of Azarath had taught her to lock away her feelings, for if she failed, her power could hand the universe to her father—a fate worse than death. Her father would gain a foothold in this universe, and so she would be at fault again for destroying another world.
So it was paramount that she gets her emotions in check.
In the midst of her trance, the sound of stumbling footsteps pulled her back. A disheveled man lurched toward her, the stench of cheap alcohol and unwashed clothes thick in the air. Raven's eyes snapped open.
"Hey, girl, what're you doin' out here all alone?" he slurred, his steps unsteady. "Didn't your parents teach you not to wander into dark alleys?"
He was too intoxicated to notice the girl levitating off the ground. His muddled brain fixated instead on her delicate, ethereal features. She looked fragile, beautiful—unlike anyone he'd ever seen.
Raven's voice was soft but firm. "Go away. It's not safe here, I'm not safe."
Her face remained calm, but her body trembled. Misreading her reaction, the man took it as fear and grinned, his mind reeling with twisted thoughts. He moved closer, his bloodshot eyes roving over her, lust saturating his every breath.
"Let's have some fun," he whispered, a sick smile spreading across his face. "Don't worry—you'll enjoy our time together."
Raven fell to her knees, clutching her head, struggling against the dark urges threatening to break free. The man moved closer, oblivious to the danger, but suddenly froze when Raven looked up.
Her face had transformed—no longer just two eyes, but six glowing red ones, each radiating pure malice. Terror gripped his soul, surpassing anything even Scarecrow's fear toxin could conjure. Her eyes seemingly looked into the depths of his soul. An ability from her fathers side, one she tried her best to stop from coming to the surface, but failed.
"M-Monster!" he shrieked, stumbling backward and landing hard on the filthy ground. He tried to crawl away, but Raven's cloak seemed to expand, shadowy tendrils creeping out like living darkness.
He tried to scream, but the sound caught in his throat as the tendrils latched onto his limbs, lifting him off the ground. He thrashed wildly, grabbing onto a metal pole with desperate strength, but the pull of the shadows was relentless. His grip slipped, his arm nearly wrenched from its socket.
"Help! Somebody help!" he cried, his voice raw with panic. "Please, don't kill me!"
No one came. The tendrils dragged him across the grimy pavement, his nails scraping the ground, leaving bloody trails as he was pulled into the gaping void beneath Raven's cloak.
Silence fell. Slowly, Raven floated back down, her cloak returning to its normal size. Four of her eyes closed, leaving only her human pair. Realization hit her, and guilt surged through her chest like a tidal wave. She had just sent the man into a place where no human should go.
No matter how evil he was, the void was not what he deserved.
Opening a portal beneath her cloak, she released the man. He tumbled out, landing limply on the ground. His face was vacant, his mind shattered, rocking back and forth with wide, unseeing eyes, murmuring incoherent words.
Raven's heart twisted. She pitied him, despite everything. Walking closer, she remembered a spell her teachers had taught her.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted softly, her eyes turning white as her hand glowed with purple energy. The man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into unconsciousness. Raven lingered for a moment before stepping back into the night, unsure of her path but knowing she couldn't stay.
As the man slowly woke, a splitting headache greeted him, pounding in sync with his heartbeat.
"What… what happened?" he mumbled, holding his head.
Fragments of memory flooded in. He remembered drinking at the pub, taking a bottle for the road, and wandering into a dark alley after hearing a noise. Curious, he had approached a pile of trash bags, only to be startled when a group of rats scattered, making him trip and hit his head on the pavement.
Groaning, he struggled to his feet. "Damn… I really gotta cut back on the booze. Worst hangover ever."
Still dazed, he staggered out of the alley, determined to get home. Just as he got up, he winced at the wounds on his fingers.
"Aah, did the rats bite at me"
"Better get this checked out before it gets infected"
Meanwhile, Raven wandered the dark streets of Gotham, expressionless on the outside, but turmoil brewing within. The city's raw emotions bombarded her senses—rage, fear, despair, lust, death—all blending into an overwhelming cacophony.
Azarath had been so different—peaceful, serene. A world where people had learned to strip away their emotions for the sake of harmony. Here, every emotion seemed amplified, raw and unchecked. Raven pulled her cloak tighter around herself, trying to block out the chaos.
She had no idea what her next step would be, but one thought burned in her mind: she needed to find a way to defend this world from her father, TRIGON.