"You don't seem to have any physical wounds." Cyborg said, staring at the screen. Danny nodded silently, still processing what he'd been told. Robin had debriefed him on what he'd... done.
What he'd been forced to do, he reminded himself. Shaking his head, Danny slowly worked through the information. Who he'd seen in his subconscious had been almost accurate to what he'd looked like in reality. Except for the crown. Robin had been extremely suspicious when Danny had been so insistent on knowing if he'd worn a crown, of all things. It was because of this that Danny knew he'd need to be careful. He almost...trusted the Titans, no matter how much he'd tried to deny it since his rescue. He couldn't risk losing them because of his future. And, maybe, just maybe he could avoid becoming that monster.
"It seems like Alpan's control is completely void now." Cyborg continued, a pained look on his face. Danny had to hold back a wince.
"Cyborg!" Robin barked, rushing into the room. "The League needs our help." Was all he said, but the order was clear. He then turned to Danny. "You up for it?"
"Are you sure?" Danny asked, hating the concern in the boy wonder's voice. "I mean, I was just-"
"That wasn't you, Danny." Despite his words, shame washed over Danny. He knew he had to make up for what he'd done under Alpan. And he knew there was only one way to do that.
"I'm in."
~~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~~
"Star! Behind you!" Danny shouted sending an ectoblast towards one of the more stubborn soldiers. Danny had to admit, Robin's description of the army didn't quite give the irritating things justice. Honestly, why wouldn't they just stay the hell down.
"I give you my thanks, Danny!" The Tameranien called back sweetly, though Danny couldn't respond at the moment, with the one fire beast he'd taken down being replaced by three more. Danny was sure that they'd asexually multiplied since he entered the battle field. The half ghost chuckled at his own joke pitifully. He was well aware that sarcasm and humor were his coping mechanisms, and he couldn't fault himself for it at the moment. Anything to ward off the guilt of being the one to lead these things in the charge. To keep him from thinking of how he'd been the one to give orders. The one that helped to orchestrate the Titans' demise. The entire fucking world's demise.
Danny was doing a terrible job of keeping these thoughts at bay.
"Danny!" A Titan, Beast Boy, he realized a while later, shouted. The halfa whipped around to see a wall of fire being hurdling towards him. On pure instinct, he shot ice towards it, knowing it wouldn't be enough. Until it was. Rather than the small beam he'd become accustom to, it was instead an explosion of his icy core being shot towards the quickly fading flames. Physically, Danny's body kept going, running purely on extinct. Internally, however, he was paralyzed. Even after training with the Titans, he hadn't been this powerful.
Alpan had given him this strength.
How the fuck was he supposed to use his powers when they'd been given to him by that demented fruit loop?!
Deciding to shove his pain and guilt to the deepest parts of himself, he allowed his anger to the fully surface. Something he hadn't done since his bastard of a future self. Danny was quickly reminded why he so often refused to do so. Danny ripped through the enemies like butter. His ectoplasmic blasts multiplied, in both frequency and power; fueled by his seemingly unending anger. He heard the other Titans call out to him, but he didn't listen. His repressed fury took over, guiding his fatal movements. He only stopped when he ran out of enemies to maim.
"Danny!" Robin shouted, rushing over to his side. It was only then that he'd realized that he'd sustained injuries during his flaming massacre. Burns covered his arms, some deep enough to bleed. Danny had already been panting, but his voice was now filled with pained gasps. He all but collapsed against Robin, pain rushing to his limbs. After a few moments of ringing in Danny's ears, he was finally able to process that Robin had been speaking too him.
"Danny? Are you alright?" Robin's voice was almost panicked, a rarity for the boy wonder.
"I'm fine." Danny gasped out, attempting to get to his feet. Attempting being the key word.
"No you're not." Robin's voice was flat, a bit of irritation on his face at Danny's blatant lie. "You need to rest." Catching the halfa just before he could collapse again.
"Shit!" Came the voice of Cyborg from behind. And, upon looking up, Robin shouted the same. Danny, while being supported by the boy wonder, saw the sky turn green. Shouts of pain came from Raven and Beast Boy from where he assumed Cyborg was. Raven, for her sake, was rather quiet, though Danny somehow knew she was in pain. Beast Boy on the other hand let out pained and desperate whimpers. The half ghost didn't need some sixth sense to know how much pain he was in.
A portal opened, larger than any natural one Danny had ever seen. It seemed to rip into the fabrics of the dimension, tearing holes that should never be ripped into. And from the unnatural, almost revolting thing stepped the cause of so much pain. The cause of stirred memories in Danny's head, doubts he had thought he'd finally left behind. A black dress that flowed from her nearly white skin, ebony hair dark as oil, falling like the thick liquid. Her fiery eyes were bright with rage, glowing though the curtain of hair.
Alpan stepped from the portal.