Candles were illuminating an otherwise dark room in a bad condition, in this very same room, a ritual was taking place.
But not a ritual as such, but the attempt of a lunatic at one
... My dear Brethren, we are gathered here in honor of the true father, for he shall take us to salvation
This voice belonged to a man called the Deacon Blackfire, a religious fanatic that is believed to have lived a hundred years or more
Wonder what could he be doing far from Gotham
Blackfire was known for having a small group of followers that were generally brainwashed, but still, followers nonetheless
They were currently performing a ritual, about to sacrifice an unconscious, young girl
That was of course until two people interrupted said ritual
... That was lame
I know, right? Mate, no intention of being mean, but... Are you even trying?
They all turned around to see Raven and you leaning on the doorstep, or what it's left of it at least
Blackfire: This is sacred ground, heathens, you do not belong here! How did you access the door? It was sealed with magic!
Raven:... We just opened it
You: Magic? You mean like this?
With a snap of your fingers, all the fire in the candles died immediately, but when you raised your right hand, it appeared again
You: Or do you mean that poor man's attempt at a spell?
While Raven snickered at this, Blackfire was glaring at you with clear hatred and desperation
Blackfire: Impossible! Offsprings of Satan!
Raven: Not quite- Now, it was you who couldn't help but chuckle at this answer
Perhaps Raven is a cold person, but with you around, she is a little more open
The Deacon pointed at you two, the rest of his cult got ready to attack you with rusted daggers
Deacon: My children, prove yourselves against these demons!
Without further due, they rushed at you two, furiously
Raven was about to act, but you stepped forward
You: I've got this
You raised your other hand and the wind began to blow stronger, quickly disintegrating their weapons
Watching their reactions was just hilarious, they say to be part of a cult but they are so scared when they see real magic
Raven: Hey, what about...- She leaned in and whispered something in your ear, earning a grin from you
You: Great idea!
Then, you looked back at the cultists
You: You said something about demons, didn't you? Have at it, then
Your eyes began to glow as a red circle with glyphs appeared in front of you
You: "Venite ad me aranea"
A growl was heard before spiky legs emerged, one, then another and yet another one
You had successfully summoned a demonic spider
You (In mind): Huh, it actually worked!
The monster began to toss them around, incapacitating the minions rather quickly and in a brutal way, but fortunately, it hadn't killed anyone just yet
You made the same red circle appear below the spider and it went down again, but leaving a smoke cloud in its place
There was silence, the old man was genuinely scared of you. Hundred years alive and yet, he has never seen anything like this before
But then, while the smoke was still in effect, energy in the form of a raven was thrown at the Deacon's direction, exploding close enough to send him flying against the wall, knocking him out as a result
The smoke didn't take long to disappear, allowing you to walk in and set the girl free while Raven made sure the enemies had been incapacitated
You: See? I told you it would be fun
Raven crossed her arms, but the hint of a smile appeared as well
Raven: I hate to admit it, but you're right. It was kinda fun
You: Then I should bring you to these things more often, then
You picked up the victim and motioned your companion that you could leave now. And so, you left the "abandoned" building
But then, Raven's communicator began to buzz
Raven: Hold on, got a call from Tim
You: Take your time
She nodded before activating the device
Raven: Yes?
While she attended her call, you used a portal and just put the girl to lay in a hospital bed, at least she should know what to do after that
Once that was done, you stepped back to meet Raven, who had just stored her communicator back
You: That was quick, everything alright?
Raven: Tim wants to test you
You were not sure what was that all about, but Red Robin was the leader of the Titans for a reason, so better go along with it
You: Alright, let's get going, then
You began to conjure another portal until the pale goth stopped you
Raven: Portals?- She asked with a hint of boredom
You: Got any better ideas?
Rave: ...What about flying?
While Raven smirked at her own suggestion, your eyes widened the moment she said that, and you could already feel yourself getting nervous because of it
You: Nuh-huh, flying is pretty damn risky, we might fall and break our bones and-
She put her hand on your lips in order to shut you up. That was unexpected from her, to say the least
Raven: Trust me, this will be great
She offered her pale hand to you, and you decided to stop hesitating and just accept it
Shortly after, she began to float and so did you, soon enough you could see everything from above
You: Woah, that's bloody amazing!
Raven: I know- She smirked
She was right, flying over the city was something incredible. You would try that more often if the levitating spells weren't so difficult to learn
You two arrived at the tower in no time, quickly figuring out that everyone was in the main room since they weren't anywhere else to be seen
And indeed, they were. When you entered the room, you saw everyone gathered at the sides, except for Tim who was in the center
You: You wanted to see me, boss?
Tim: I do, today's going to be your day
You: Come again?
Tim: Today you will be tested, Y/N. You might have impressed Batman enough to be on the team, but I want to see what you're capable of with my own eyes
You: Alright, when do we start?
Wally: First you should go change, dude. These things are more physical, you know
He handed you a standard Titans training outfit. It was not the big deal, but it wasn't bad either
Tim: Once you're done, meet us in the training room. It is at the end of the hall
You nodded and without further due, you went to change into something more comfortable, just in case you needed to do something more than just the usual spell casting. You got out of the room and headed to the quote spacious training room, where everyone was waiting for you and... Was Rose checking you up?
Anyway, you walked up to the leader, pretending to do some warming up
You: So, what's it going to be?
Tim: You have a lot of experience manipulating energy, so your first test shall be how much can you protect yourself from it
You: Huh, fair enough
Once that was said, the two remaining members of the Titans showed up, the ones you had not been introduced to just yet
One of them was a female, well-defined body but orange skin and bright red hair that might be a little too large for comfort
The other was a male, he looked like a younger version of Superman. He might as well be his son, but better not make any questions you don't want to know the answer to
Tim: Y/N, these are Conner and Koriand'r, also known as Superboy and Starfire respectively
You shook hands with Conner as a greeting, then this Koriand'r girl stepped in
Kori: A pleasure to finally meet you, Y/N. You can call me Kori, if you wish
You: The pleasure is mine, luv
Kori: Luv?
Tim: It's a British term of endearment, Kori
Kori: Oh, interesting!
This girl appeared to be intrigued by the way you talked. She was probably not from around here, so you better be careful with how you talk to her to avoid any confusion
Kori herself floated towards the area Tim assigned, with her being at a considerable distance from you
Kori: I shall be the one to test you, Y/N. If you wish me to hold back, tell me
Her sweet, yet somehow taunting attitude gained a smirk from you
You: Well, that's so very nice of you
She nodded, giving you a smile
Tim: Are you ready?
You raised up your hands, regulating your breathing in order to concentrate
You: Bring it
Tim nodded at the girl, whose hand got surrounded by a green light and without previous warning, she raised it up and pointed at you, releasing a strong beam
Blue figures with inscriptions all over them appeared around your hands.
The moment Kori's blast hit you, they activated by absorbing the power with no problem at all
Raven: He is ready for more
After hearing that, Kori opened her hand all the way, intensifying the power she was letting out and thus, making it harder for you to control
Your shields were starting to break, so you tried to focus more energy into the constructs, forming more in front of the ones you already had, effectively reinforcing your defense momentarily
Kori noticed that you could withstand half of her blast, so she decided to go forth and she intensified the blast by using both of her hands
This act impressed the Titans and even worried some of them. Starfire was a powerhouse on her own, but she has always held back in order to not obliterate everything
Sure, she was still restraining herself. But barely so and even worse, you were taking it the best you could
You summoned another row of shields, but these were incinerated in a matter of seconds, then the next row followed and the last one until you were left defenseless against her
But it was then that her blast reached you, creating a small explosion, alarming everyone
Raven: No!
Rose: Holy fuck! Wally, the MediKit!
Wally: On it!
He rushed out of the room in order to get the equipment. However, when the smoke cleared, it revealed you still standing, the gloves you were previously using had been completely destroyed, but your hands were okay for the most part
And floating on your hand, was a small section of the power you had absorbed from her blast
You: So... T-That's why they call you Starfire...
You were still regaining your breath, but then noticed everyone staring at you in amazement
You: Am I that ugly or something?
Tim: You withstood Kori's blast and still are conscious.
Rose: You are one tough motherfucker
Some of them nodded in agreement with her
Kori herself then approached you with concerned eyes
Kori: I am so sorry, Y/N. Are you hurt?
You: Tis but a scratch, Kori. I'm fine
She sighed in relief but after that, she surprised you with a hug
You: Not that I'm against hugs, but what are you doing?
Kori: Hugs are used to try and make people feel better, right?
You looked at the others, who just shrugged in response
You: Well, I do feel better now, thank you
She broke the hug and smiled at you
Kori: You are very welcome, Y/N
Tim: Do you want to take a break?
You: Nah, I'm just fine. What's the next test going to be?
Before he could say anything, Conner stepped in
Conner: I'm going to test how well you do in a fight using raw strength
He stated while hitting his fists together. The boy sure was eager to fight you
You: Alright, I'm in
Garfield: You sure you don't wanna take a break?
You: *Sigh* I'm alright, seriously, I've taken worse
The green one shrugged with his hands in the air
Garfield: Alright, just sayin'
You got in position and adopted a fighting stance, as for everyone else, they gathered around to see the encounter
Perhaps you were rushing it, but you just wanted to get over with it so you could go mind your own business
Tim: Alright, begin.
Conner threw a punch at you, but you sidestepped and hit him on the back. He tried to punch you while turning around, but you managed to jump over and land a hit on him
He groaned in annoyance, then he jumped using his powers and tried to hit you from above. The speed he used to come back down was so fierce, you barely managed to get out of the impact zone
Then, you rushed at him but this time, you went for his feet. He fell down easily, but when he got up, he tried to punch you again
He was someone that got angry quite easily, so you were just taunting him enough so you could get the upper hand, and so far it was working
Using some of the tricks you learned with the Amazons, you caught his fist, pulled him towards your right so his back was facing you and struck him on the shoulder blades while still holding his arm, forcing Conner to go down
You: So, who's the next opponent?
Tim: I am
Tim appeared with his eyes covered and his staff in hand, slowly walking towards the area, standing in front of you
You: Huh... Well, guess it's only fair for me to do the same
Tim: You don't have to do it
You: Nah, I want it to be a challenge for both of us.
He nodded after that, then Wally came in
Wally: Here, let me help.
In a matter of seconds, you had your eyes covered and a staff in hand
You: Thanks
Cyborg: Three minutes to duke it out, guys
Tim: Are you ready?
You put your staff in front of you, getting ready for the next act
You: Let's do this
Victor: In 3. 2. 1. GO
You rushed at him, swinging to the left, he dodged and spun while attacking you, you stepped back, taking the chance and landing a kick on Tim
You knew it worked because you felt his body being impacted by you and the gasps of the others
Tim: Not bad
You: Right back at you
You heard him charge at you, you swung down for him to fall, but he jumped and kicked you away, you thrust your staff forward as you stepped back, clashing against his without giving him any chance to breathe whatsoever
You two kept going at it non-stop. It was hard for you to guide yourself using only your hearing and the wind, but you got used to it just in time to put up a fight
You swung back at him, Tim dodged easily but he barely dodged the real hit you tried to give him on the side. Taking advantage of this, you spun your staff, landing a hit on him but quickly being blocked by the guy
He then spun his own staff, but changing sides each time, trying to learn this made you take a couple of hits from him, but you managed to back away just in time to avoid a kick from him
Tim swung his staff, spinning it from time to time, his patterns were hard to analyze, but if he hadn't beaten you yet, then so where yours
You came up with an idea to end this, so you stepped back just enough and when got the chance, threw your staff straight at Tim
He was caught off-guard by this, but he rolled out of the way. However, this time he was not able to hear you and thus, you managed to sweep his feet while making it to the other side of the area, getting seconds to pick up your weapon again
When you reached it, you got back up while turning around and swinging the staff straight back at who you thought was behind you
However, before you even had the chance to attack, the sound of a clock reaching an alarm interrupted you two
Kori: Oh my!
Rose: Alright boys, time's up.
Victor: None of you move, I want to take a picture of this!
Both of you had your bandages removed by Raven just so you could see the fact that not only did you have Tim's staff inches away from your face, but he was also in the same situation
It was a tie
Garfield: Dude! That's so awesome!
Wally: I know, right!?
After that was done, both of you lowered your weapons and gave each other a handshake as a sign of respect
Tim: So you were trained by Amazons
This statement caught you off-guard. Nobody was supposed to know that
You: How did you know that?
Tim: Read your file, Wonder Woman herself reported it- He explained casually
You: Oh, makes sense... I guess
Rose: Well, you put one hell of a show, no denying that
She patted your back as she made her presence known once again to you
You: Thanks, luv.
Then, you looked at your leader
You: So, how did I do?
Tim: I have to admit it, I'm impressed
The speedster then joined the conversation
Wally: And he doesn't say that to anyone
Tim: Victor, did you record his performance?
Victor: I sure did
Then, the Robin looked back at you
Tim: Well then, I guess that would be all for today, you can rest now
You thanked Tim and did not hesitate to leave the room, immediately arriving at yours and just lie in bed for a moment
Finally
You served yourself a glass of cold water and then decided to go ahead and read something
As you stood up from the bed, the glass floated, following you while you inspected your options
It was not as easy as some might say, it took you about half an hour to come to a logical conclusion to your dilemma
You: Hmmm... I've got nothing to read
You said looking at the bookshelf in front of you that was, indeed, filled with books, some of them you hadn't even started
But of course, you were not done with your duties for the day just yet, your cell phone reminded you of that
You: *Sigh* For fuck's sake
Then, you answered the ringing device
You: Allo?
???: H-Hello? Y/N Constantine?
You: Who's talking?
???: Jennifer Hill, you umm... Saved me from a demon recently
You: Oh, right, the singer. How's the fame doing for you?
You took a sip of the glass of water you had on your nightstand while you heard her talk.
Jen: I quit that life.
You: Hm? Well, that's unfortunate. I heard you have quite the fanbase
Jen: I... That doesn't matter. I need your help
You: What for?
Jen: I-I believe something is wrong here in the metro station. Too much people are committing suicide at the same hour and time of the day, I feel something's off
You: Yeah, you ever heard of something called Monday? It's truly horrific
Jen: Y/N I'm serious! Something very bad might as well be happening now and the only one that I know who can stop it is you
There was a brief silence between you two until you sighed
You: Fine, I'll go
You ended the call, facepalming for trusting someone like her. But guess it wouldn't hurt to go take a look
You stood up from your bed and snapped your fingers, and with that, you had your attire back on:
F/c colored shirt covered by a gray vest and a black tie on top. Dark gray pants and black dressing shoes.
However, this time you grabbed a coat with you, it was night time after all, and it might as well rain today
You adjusted your tie and once you got ready, perhaps that case could be something interesting to solve
You: Alright, time to work
You opened a portal to where she said she was when she called you, revealing the always crowded streets of the city
You stepped through the portal. Fortunately, your portals had some magical properties, meaning no one could see or hear you appearing out of nowhere without your consent
It took a while, but after following certain traces, you were able to track down Jennifer, it wouldn't be that hard if it weren't for the number of people present
However, when you did find her, you were confused. Jen looked... different
Her aura suggested that it was a particular girl standing next to the stairs for a train station
Is that Jen?
The girl now had dyed black the tips of her normally blonde hair, which was straight, but messy enough to give her that"rocker" look
She was wearing a mint shirt under a thin jacket as well as black denim pants and boots
When she noticed you standing there, she was noticeably relieved.
Jen: You're here, finally
You (In mind): So it is her, huh.
You ignored her comment and went straight for the first thing that came to mind about her. It was natural considering that the last time you saw her she wasn't in the best conditions
You: Huh, you changed your style?
She looked at herself in confusion, but then she cleared her thoughts. Whatever this was, clearly got her distracted
Jen: What? Oh, right. Yeah, do you like it?
She stroke a pose so you could have a better look at her attire
You: Well, it doesn't look bad on you
You: You brought me to a bloody train station? What? Is a train haunted or something?
Jen: What? No! It's just that... I have this feeling, it's kinda hard to explain...
You: Try, don't worry. I won't judge (much)
Jen: If you say so... *Sigh* Ever since you saved me from that demon, I started to see things that weren't there before, a-and I think I felt something very strange in that station it felt... Cold
She saw how quiet you were about her statement, which only made her more worried about the situation
Jen: Am I... Going i-insane?
Without changing your expression, you looked at the girl
You: Worse, I think you might have "The touch" as I call it
Jen: What is that?
You: A connection to the realm of the hidden, the supernatural things that most people believe are fiction
Her eyes widened when she acknowledged this, she even took a step back
Jenn: I... I don't know what to say
You closed the gap by putting a hand on her shoulder, still, it startled her lightly
You: Let's focus on this for now, alright?
Jen: R-Right. There have been reports about many people that died the exact same way. Some of them were already suicidal, some were not
It didn't matter, they all met the same fate
You: Do you believe some evil bastard is doing this?
Jen: ...Pretty much, yeah
You: And you called me at night because it's the time most of the suicides take place? Clever, very clever
Jen crossed her arms in annoyance by how you said it, which was a little upsetting considering how you were not being sarcastic
You: Learn to take a compliment, damn it
Without further due, you used the stairs to get into the train station and preferably, solving the problem as fast as possible without raising any suspicion
But Jen was not kidding. As soon as you arrived there, you felt the temperature dripping critically, not physically, but in your soul
It was hard to explain, but there was no denying the feeling
By looking around, you found out that everybody was losing what little happiness they had, some of them were already "dead inside" and ready for the taking.
What made it slightly worse, was an old man in the corner, apparently, he made a mark on the wall every time someone died. The current number was twenty-nine
Jen: Do you believe now?
You heard her arriving at the scene as well
You: I never said I didn't
Then, you noticed something was wrong with her, she was indeed, trembling
You: Here
You gave her your coat, which was magically enhanced, like the rest of your clothes, to act as a shield against any type of spells of this nature
The girl regained her emotion the moment she put it on, the cold was no longer bugging her
Jen: Thanks
You: Don't mention it
Jen: What now?
You walked up to the edge of the station and the moment you peaked out to take a look, something hid back underground
That clears any doubt
You: You have two options: You stop the train from coming here, or you make sure nobody here tries to become a feast for those things
She was surprised when she heard you talking like that, not the sarcastic usual
Jen: You mean that-
You: Yes, there is something hidden in here
Jen then got the public's attention by starting to yell
Jen: BOMB!! EVERYONE GET OUT!!
Without hesitation, the people ran out of the station, some screaming for their lives and some others even broke out of the trance
You: A bomb? Really?
Jen: Hey, it worked.
You (In mind): Now I have to make it look like a bloody bomb exploded here...
You returned your attention to the creatures, time to put an end to this
You: Alright you wankers, come out already
You took out a box of matches, ignited one and threw it down.
Right after that, about three black ghostly figures emerged from the ground shrieking in horror
Then, they looked at you, realizing you were the one responsible for this
Jen: W-What the fuck is that!?
You: Calm down, Jennifer. Do NOT dare to listen to them!
Some of the ghouls went straight to you, but one of them went for her
As for you, you simply grinned, your hands were soon engulfed in fire and without hesitation, you jumped to attack one of them and incinerated immediately
The others pushed you away, letting out some dangerously sharp claws and they began their assault on you
However, these monsters were faster than anyone else you have faced before, sometimes you could block their hits, some other times you weren't as lucky
Fortunately for you, you still had an option left. So you made a small fireball and threw it at the spirits to gain some distance when you did, you proceeded to call your weapon
You: To me, Hunter
You extended your hand and through the concrete walls, the sword came bursting in just in time for you to chop off the fingers of one of the monsters
In pain, the being let out a deafening cry that could easily put that Black Canary chick to shame.
This not only was annoying but was slowly bringing back the corpses of those they had consumed, great
You: S-Shouldn't the train be here already?
You asked Jen, but she was currently fighting off the hypnotic powers of that single monster. She was out of the picture
You: Great. Absolutely. Bloody. Marvelous.
You chopped the head of one of the minions and tried your best to hold them off as best you could, taking at least thirteen with you, but they were too much combined with the ghosts that brought them there in the first place
The ghouls pinned you against the wall, keeping you from moving at all using just their sheer numbers
You tried to do something but failed miserably, even your sword fell to the ground after that.
You: JENNIFER, ARE YOU GONNA STAY SITTING ON YOUR ARSE OR ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING!?
Hearing your loud yelling made her snap out of her trance. She screamed when she saw the spirit trying to kill her, but she somehow managed to punch it away and even scratch it with her nails
This was not much, but it was enough to weaken their grip on the ghouls temporarily. You kicked one off you, punched another one and grabbed your sword back just in time to slice through yet another one
You: Hey, lass! Take out the box of matches I have in my pocket!
She complied and took one of the matches from the box, igniting it right away
Jen: What now?
You: What do you think!?
Jen: Right
She threw the match at the small crowd fighting in the rails, however, she used another march right after that and threw it as well
You: No! Don't use more than-
Before anything else could happen, the combined power of the matches created a greater explosion than what she had anticipated
Well, now you wouldn't have to worry about making it look like it was a bomb what caused this
Once the smoke was cleared, Jen saw you using your sword to stand up and immediately rushed to your side, helping you walk
Jen: I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know they were that powerful and-
Jen was rambling on how sorry she was about what just happened but then, you spotted one of the ghouls was still there, and it was coming for you
You (In mind): Great...
Jen: I-Is something wrong?
You pulled her to the right and kicked the ghoul in the process, immediately using your sword to dispose of it
Jen was frozen in place and for once, quiet. You managed to regain your breath and looked at her
You: Let's just get out of here
You used a portal to move you two out of the station and into a safer zone away from the mayhem. When you looked at the sky, it was midnight
Jen: I-I... I screwed up, didn't I?
You: Well, yeah.
Then, you put a hand on her shoulder, much to her surprise
You: But you still helped with those undead bastards and located a demon that I would have otherwise ignored so... You did okay
She gasped after hearing you say that, getting excited at your approval
You: However, you still have much to learn, kid. I'll take you to Zatanna
Jen: Is she your mother?
You:... You could say that. Anyway, for now, just try to get some sleep
You were about to walk away, but she then remembered something
Jen: Oh! Almost forgot
She was taking off your coat, but you stopped her, much to her confusion
You: It works as a shield for most spells that change your state. You might need it more than I do
Jen: And what about you?
You snapped your fingers and your outfit was changed for the same one, but without any harm done to it
You (In mind): Damnit, I'm running out of these.
Jen: Oh.
You: See you around, Jennifer.
Without nothing else to say, you turned around and began to walk away into the night
You were going to use a portal to get back to the Tower undetected, but for now, you were just going to take a walk
What a day it was, Manhattan was truly a home to the paranormal. Not like those fake programs about white blankets floating, but actual demons and ghouls
With things like this happening all the time, it was no surprise life put you someone that you could use to help you against the many foes you deal with on a daily basis
Let's just hope it turns out alright