Gone to the Place of Foggy Dreams

Nightmare's Herald

Trigger Warning: Graphic and Disturbing Imagery

"Raven, what was Azarath like?"

Robin and Raven sat together in the living room of the Tower, while their three friends slept soundly in their rooms down the hall. Outside, darkness had fallen, the stars softly twinkling over Jump City, which had been finally rid of the Titans' biggest antagonists a few years after they had vanquished the demon Trigon from the face of the Earth.

Raven blinked in confusion and warily inquired, "Why are you asking?"

He shrugged and told her, "I'm just curious, that's all."

"Fine then."

Raven glanced at the evening sky outside their window and sighed wistfully, a faraway look on her face as Robin waited for her to begin.

"Azarath was...it was paradise. A realm where war never harmed anybody, where peace was the law of the land. Nobody got sick, nobody tried to resolve conflicts with hatred and violence. It was a refuge for those of us who were weary of the horrors here on Earth. From what the monks told me, our first leader, the first Azar, gathered many people with that outlook on life centuries ago and took them to this new home where they could finally be granted that which they had craved for so long."

"You should've seen it. All of the buildings there were made of the purest metals, like gold, bronze, silver, and even marble in some areas. The City was filled with these massive skyscrapers that were our homes, and made us feel as if we were never alone...almost as if the buildings themselves were looming over us protectively. These pillars were built in clumps around the City, and in between them, if you looked hard enough, you'd be lucky to find a small, winding path between the buildings that could be used to find some alone time for a while. I guess you could say that these paths were like some of the alleyways here in Jump City."

"And...one of the biggest traditions back on Azarath was to pray and meditate, three times a day, at dawn, noon and dusk, for our peace to touch Earth, for all wars to cease. When it was time to pray, this soft, soothing prayer horn could be heard resounding throughout the city, its clarion call gathering us all to the city's center to meditate together."

Robin nodded along as she spoke, and asked her when she finished, "What was your mother like? I've never heard you even mention her."

Raven muttered back, "I...I don't want to talk about it."

She suddenly bolted from the room, her cloak whirling about her feet as she fled down the corridor and out of sight. Robin looked down the hall at her direction in confusion.

"Well, that was...weird. I guess she really doesn't want to talk about her Mom."

A wave of exhaustion hit Robin, forcing a yawn and a stretch out of him. He headed towards his own room, taking a quick glance at the Titans' group portrait nesting on the table.

Each Titan in the photo wore their typical look, Robin coolly glancing at the camera, Starfire bouncing up and down with exuberant joy, Beast Boy and Cyborg both goofing off with their facial expressions, and of course, Raven solemnly gazing at the camera, devoid of emotion.

In his room, Robin collapsed on his bed, rapidly drifting off to sleep as he dwelled on the mystery of Raven's past.

***

In his dreams, Robin found himself standing alone in a place blanketed in a thick, white fog decorated with softly falling snow. All around him, massive buildings made of bronze and marble loomed into the grey sky above, their heights exceeding that of the Empire State Building. The streets were paved with a smooth granite-like material that showed no signs of wear. Not a single person was in sight.