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The team moved in silence, skirting the jagged cliffside path toward the eastern wall of the fortress. The old stone was cracked with age, moss clinging to its surface, a ghost of its former menace — but none of them were fooled. Whatever this place had been, it was still dangerous now.
"There," Dick pointed ahead, gesturing to a half-collapsed archway half-swallowed by ivy and stone. A narrow tunnel yawned beyond it, old iron bars long rusted away. The air seeping from it was cold and metallic.
"That's the path Ra's used to smuggle Lazarus shipments during the Gotham siege," Damian explained grimly. "It leads straight to the lower sanctum."
"Of course it does," Gar muttered, brushing a hand through his hair. "Creepy-ass murder basement."
"Would you rather knock at the front door?" Raven arched a brow.
"Nope."
They advanced cautiously, weapons ready. Marceline kept close to Damian's side — her shadows writhing under her skin, restless, sensing what was ahead. The deeper they pushed into the tunnels, the heavier the air became, thick with dust and rot.
Old torches lined the walls, untouched for years.
"I hate old temples," Jaime muttered through his comm.
"Stay sharp," Dick warned. "They'll have defenses."
And they did.
A sudden click beneath Jaime's foot triggered a volley of iron darts. He ducked just in time, the darts embedding themselves in the wall behind him.
"Classic Ra's," Damian sneered. "Traps from a century ago."
"Still sharp enough to kill us," Raven deadpanned.
"Let's move." Marceline's voice was tight, her hand flexing as the shadows at her fingertips rippled.
She didn't mention how her chest ached. How every step felt heavier, like something inside her pulled her deeper into the dark. But Damian saw it — his gaze lingering on her face before turning back to the path ahead.
They reached a large iron door — ancient runes carved into its surface.
"This is it," Dick said, voice grave. "Beyond this, we hit the sanctum."
"And Ra's," Kory added.
Marceline felt the cord inside her chest tighten violently.
"Then let's finish this."
The iron door groaned open, revealing a massive chamber beyond — an ancient sanctum cloaked in shadow, ringed with flickering torches. Pillars lined the walls, their surfaces carved with symbols too old to decipher.
And there, at its heart, stood Ra's Al Ghul.
Clad in deep green robes, the artifact cradled in one hand — a grotesque obsidian relic crowned with a blood-red gem. Its surface pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
"Welcome, Titans," Ra's greeted, his voice cold and smug. "You're right on time."
Dozens of League assassins emerged from the shadows, blades drawn, faces masked.
"On me!" Dick barked, the Titans fanning out.
Chaos erupted.
Kory's starbolts cut through the darkness, Raven's magic crackling through the air. Jaime's suit unfolded into weapons, blasting through enemy ranks. Gar shifted from tiger to bear to wolf, snarling and tearing through attackers.
And Marceline... froze.
The artifact's pulse matched the thrum in her veins. A sharp, unnatural tug seized her mind. Shadows poured from her, uncontrolled. Her body convulsed as her black eyes met Ra's.
"Obey," Ra's commanded softly, raising the artifact.
And she did.
Her shadows lashed out, slamming Gar against a wall. Jaime barely dodged a strike. Kory cried out as a tendril of darkness nicked her shoulder. Raven's barrier cracked under a hit.
"Mars—! Fight it!" Dick shouted.
But she couldn't.
Not yet.
"Marceline!" Damian's voice cut through the madness. He fought his way toward her, slicing down two assassins. "It's not real! It's him — you have to fight it!"
Her head twitched toward him, black eyes glassy.
"Obey me," Ra's snarled again, the artifact flaring.
Ra's raised the artifact, his voice venom-soft.
"Obey me."
The glow surged. Marceline's eyes darkened further — her body twitching, tendrils of shadow lashing out like they belonged to someone else.
Damian froze — not in fear, but heartbreak.
"Mars..." His voice dropped to something almost gentle. His blade lowered. "Don't let him take this from you."
The others were calling her name, shouting, moving — but for him, time narrowed to just her.
He took a slow step forward, heart hammering.
"You remember the Tower, don't you?" he whispered. "That night after the breakdown. Mozzarella sticks. Fries. Your stupid mess of fries drowning in five kinds of sauce because you couldn't choose."
Her hands trembled. Shadows fluttered like broken wings.
"You said you felt safe. You told me..." he hesitated, his jaw tight, voice cracking. "...you said I made you feel like you weren't a monster."
He stepped closer.
"You're not," he said, firmer now. "You never were. You're not his weapon. You're not a curse. You're Marceline — my Marceline — and if you go, if you disappear into that thing again, I—" He swallowed. "I can't lose you. Not after everything. Not when I... when I—"
He didn't need to say the rest. Not fully.
His eyes held it. Raw and real and too much for someone raised never to need anyone.
"I care about you more than I've ever been allowed to admit."
The words hit her like thunder. A flicker of light in the suffocating dark.
And then he grabbed her shoulders.
"You stay with me, Mars — don't you dare leave me now!"
A scream tore from her throat. Pain seared through her head, like fire peeling away at her mind. She dropped to her knees, shadows whipping violently.
The artifact's glow faltered.
Ra's hissed, retreating toward a hidden exit.
"No!" Dick shouted. "He's escaping!"
"Let him," Kory growled, blasting a path through assassins. "Mars is priority."
Marceline collapsed, hands clawing at her head. "Make it stop — make it stop—"
Damian knelt beside her, gripping her face. "You're safe. He's gone. I've got you. I'm not letting go."
Her black eyes flickered... then returned to blue, glassy and wet.
Ra's was gone — artifact in tow. But they had her.
The room fell still, the last assassin downed.
"We're clear," Raven panted, helping Gar to his feet.
The Titans gathered around her, watching as Damian held Marceline tight, shadows retreating at last.
The battle was over — but the war was far from done.
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⭐️ Eternal Shadow 🌙 Damian wayne ~~~~complete
FanfictionShe controls the shadows. He was raised by them. Fifteen-year-old Marceline "Mars" Dawn has spent years trying to outrun the past-the night her world was shattered, and the darkness inside her woke up. Now a quiet but powerful member of the Teen Tit...
