Fighting My Demon

Chapter 6: What's the Truth?

"Ma'am, could you please tell our viewers at home, what you saw?"

"It's just... it's so scary to retell... but the world needs to know, Robin. One of the teen heroes of Jump City cold-heartedly slit a man's throat!"

"There you have it folks, live from the crime scene where our victim bleed to his death as the supposedly 'hero' who supposed to protect us ended his life. Who can we trust, if we can't trust our own so-called heroes, to value life? This is Valerie Roade, reporting for Jump City's News-"

The large television screen in the Titans Tower's common room was clicked off as Dick slumped down on the large sofa, resting his hands on his palms. "It's everywhere," Dick grumble as he told Koriand'r who gently patted his back.

"There's must be something we can do for Damian." Kori added softly.

"Bruce as Batman has tried talking to the media, and he even has gotten some Justice League members to vouch for Robin but with no actual footage evidence, no one wants to believe any of them." Dick sighed heavily as he leaned against the sofa, "For now I suppose it would be best not to let Damian out on patrol for a few nights."

Raven had been crouched behind one of the counters as she heard her mentor and the Titan's former leader converse about her boyfriend. Dick had ordered everyone to stay in their room since morning, Damian locked himself after Raven had regained conscious. When she had awoken, it had been a little past 3am, Damian had been sitting at the foot of her bed with a somber look. He smiled at her, happy to see she was doing well but she could tell something was eating his very soul. When Raven had tried to ask him, Damian suddenly stood up and left her room to lock himself in his. It didn't take long till her teammates explained to her what had happened, morning came and all over the media were headlines of Robin being a menace.

All day, Raven tried contacting Damian, but he never once answered her nor was she able to link their minds in order to see for herself what had happened. She knew Damian very well, he is kind, he protects, and he's her Damian. There had to be some misunderstanding of what had transpired last night. As night fell and everyone had gone off to bed, Raven took this chance to cast a sleeping spell and teleport herself into Damian's room.

When she walked through her portal, she found Damian in a deep sleep, he looked very tired, but Raven could feel his mind was troubled. The young empath winced, as she could feel his aura was not the same, she could detect, something else mingling with his energy. Something evil. Being very careful, Raven walked over and kneeled next to Damian's bedside, gently running her thump across his temple.

"Why must you feel you need to handle everything on your own, Damian?" Raven whispered softly as Damian continue to slumber thanks to her spell. Keeping her hand on his head, the young sorceress of Azarath closed her eyes and chanted her realm's name.

Raven entered the depths of Damian's mind, as she found memories locked behind closed doors, continuing to chant Azarath' s name Raven was able to summon the door that would lead her to last night's event. Carefully she opened the door and saw all the memories that had transpired. Raven saw them ambushing the cultists, getting them to exit the building and fighting them off. She saw how her teammates rallied and took down the cultists when she fell unconscious.Then she followed Robin, as he chased the man that had shot his fellow member. The memory started becoming very dark, making it hard for her to see clearly and make out anything in Damian's mind.

Perhaps even Damian wanted to subdue this memory deep in the depths of his mind. Raven watched, as Robin had taken down his enemy with ease, he was furious but kept his emotions in check and walked away. Raven couldn't help but smile, her boyfriend wasn't the same hot-headed kid she met years ago. In the memory, Damian turned around and reported back to the team. Raven studied him when suddenly a thick dark grey mist appeared around them, it consumed Robin and the rest of his memory. Raven had only ever experienced this kind of mist when she had entered Terra's mind, a mist to blur memories not wanting to be seen. Though this mist's aura felt much different than Terra's, whoever was working behind this mist wasn't Damian.