The Rider of Young Justice Season 2: Invasion

Prologue: Dream or Fate

A.N: Hey readers. Just for context if you are a new reader, please read the previous story to this one, The Rider of Young Justice Season 1: Beginnings. That will bring you up to speed of what is going to happen in this chapter and later on this story. Thank you.

Location: Unknown. Time: Unknown

P.O.V: Rachel 'Raven' Roth

"Raven."

"Wake up."

My eyes shoot open when I hear a woman's voice. I gaze my eyes around and see that......I'm not in the Tower, no sign of anyone that could have spoken to me, nothing. I sit up and try to get a better sight on where I am but I see only blackness, just an endless void all around. I go get up but a wet feeling touches my hand as I look down and see that I'm laying on what appears to be black water. Raising my hand, my eyes widen as my breath starts to quicken.....it's not water......it's blood.

I get up to my feet in shock at the sight of the blood, the blackness of the water starts to turn to a crimson red. "This isn't real.....this isn't real." I say to myself as I use every calming technique that I know and try to wake myself from the dream. "Is it?" I hear a soft but still heavy voice question as my heart sinks into my stomach. I know that voice, dread starts to well up within me as I shudder, turning slowly......I shudder when I see four red eyes glowing in the dark void. "This isn't real.....you're not real!" I shout as I turn away but stare shocked when the eyes appear directly in front and above me, illuminating the void in a fiery red and orange. "I am real...... Daughter." The voice says as the blood starts to swirl around me, almost like a whirlpool. I shield my eyes and ears from the blood and the voice as I fall to my knees, praying and pleading. "This isn't real, this isn't real.....this isn't real." I whimper to myself as I feel the blood crash against me.

I hold my breath under the thick blood as I try to even myself from being ragdolled by the liquid.......I manage to find the surface, only to fall to a heap on some concrete. I open my eyes slowly and see that the scenario has changed. The void is now a ruined city. Smoke is rising from hundreds, if not, thousands of fires burning. Buildings appear to be broken, near collapse. Hundreds of bodies line the streets, rubble crushing most of them but others are shriveled, like the life has been sucked out of them.....a look of terror plastered on their faces. "Rachel." I hear a different voice call out to me, with my real name, as I turn but see no one. "Rachel." The voice calls out again as I turn and see a completely different scene than before. Gone is the ruined city but now is an open field, greenery that stretches to the horizon, flowers sprouting from the soil......a complete 180° compared to what was here before. "Rachel." This time, I turn and see Matt standing before me. I was going to say something, question him about what is going on but I see the withered look in his eyes.....I gaze at him from head to toe and see just how bad he looks. His hair is completely grey, wrinkles are showing along his eyes and his stature is hunched over......the Matt before me is a far cry to the one that I know. "Why did you leave?" He says to me, a soft, sad tone in his voice as I stare at him with confusion. "Why did I-I don't even know what is happening? Why is this happening?" I demand out of him but he simply gazes at me sadly. "You could have saved us. Could have saved us all. Why did you leave? What could I have done better?" He asks as I start to pace in front of him.....anger and frustration is starting to get the better of me. "I don't understand. Speak plainly. Why am I here? Why am I seeing this? Why was he here?" I question as he nods sorrowfully. "To understand.....you must see." He says as he reaches forwards and places his thumb against my chakra. His eyes glow with a dim blue glow as my eyes roll back as I collapse against the ground.

As soon as that happens, my eyes open up and I hop back up to my feet. I'm in the ruined city again, only this time, I can hear the sounds of combat....the roar of a beast and the sound of gunfire. I dart through the maze of rubble and bodies.....my eyes widen when I found that some of them are very familiar. I see the body of Nightwing, impaled on five steel beams. Rocket, with her neck twisted 180°. Black Bolt's body sitting nearby, his right hand almost reaching out o her but.....his legs are missing. As I walk, I recongise more and more....some of them are even villains. Blade, Wonder Girl, Captain Atom, Aquaman, the Hawks, Martian Manhunter, Lagoon Boy, Robin, Mal, Bumblebee, Guy Gardner, the Penguin, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Gorilla Grodd, Sabertooth, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Lex Luthor, even Ra's Al Ghul. Hundreds of bodies....heroes, villains, civilians....it didn't matter.....whether they were men, women or children......they lined the streets.....the brutality in some of them, of how they died.....nearly brought up the contents of my stomach.