With Or Without You (fourth in Destiny Series)

13) A Vision of War

Raven continued to walk the streets of the city. It was midnight. The same vision plagued her exhausted brain every time she blinked. There were two people fighting.

A woman with purple hair, like Raven, with the same scarlet marks up and down her body. She looked more or less like Raven the Titan.

But Raven the apprentice wasn't sure how she knew that. The girl in the vision was crying, but Raven was not allowed to cry.

She had a silver sword in her hand and she was fighting an emerald man her age who was clad in lightweight armor.

 The young man was also crying; black tears from red eyes. He must have been poisoned or cursed, and was dying, ever so slowly.

The man held a flaming sword in one hand, and the woman's fist in the other.

The two people clearly did not want to fight each other, but some unseen outside force was driving them into conflict.

If only she could remember who she was, or decide who she was meant to be.

-Scene Break-

Back at Slade's lair, the traitor and the villain were discussing the missing young woman.

"This isn't good," Terra stood with her arms crossed. "She's remembering who she is too fast."

"I did tell you my dear," Slade said, lazily leaning against the wall.

"Without Jinx, it's all but guaranteed that she'll remember who she is." Terra grumbled.

"True," Slade shrugged. "However, the Titans don't know that. They'll destroy her."

"Then everything will go back to normal," Terra grinned. "With Raven gone, I can finally take back what's rightfully mine."

Slade blinked at her. "You can't think that after everything you've done that he'd return to you," his tone was mocking.

"If the Titans destroy her, he won't want anything to do with them." Terra was confident.

"Still," Slade leaned closer to her. "What makes you think that he would choose you after everything that you've done?"

"I will have him back!" Terra's fists clenched. "He belongs with me!"

"I'm sorry to say this my dear," Slade actually sounded sorry. "You will never have him. You will never be together." Terra looked up at him, her face blazing with fury.

Raven entered the room at that moment. Slade looked up with barely controlled anger, "And where have you been, apprentice?"

"Just wandering the city," Raven admitted.

"That was highly irresponsible and unprofessional of you. That will never happen again, do you understand me?" And with that, Slade zapped Raven with yellow electricity.

She fell to the ground, shaking.

"Did you meet anyone while you were out?" Slade demanded.

Raven shook her head solemnly and lied, "No."

"Do not lie to me!" Slade brandished his yellow taser at her again.