Shatter | The Boys

sixteen

Raven drifts through the shadows of the city, a phantom in the night, her presence a whispered rumor that sends shivers down the spines of those who dare to speak her name. She's a fugitive now, hunted by those who seek to bring her to justice for the chaos she's wrought upon the world.

Everywhere she goes, she's met with wary glances and whispered accusations, her very presence a stain upon the fabric of society. She moves with caution, slipping through the cracks of the city like a ghost, always one step ahead of those who would see her brought to heel.

But no matter how far she runs, she can't escape the shadow of her past, the weight of her sins bearing down on her with each passing moment. She's the Destroyer of Worlds now, a title that hangs around her neck like a millstone, dragging her down into the depths of despair.

In the darkness of her hideaway, Raven finds little solace from the demons that haunt her mind. The walls close in around her, suffocating her with their oppressive weight as she struggles to make sense of the chaos that swirls within.

She never wanted this life, never asked to be burdened with the weight of the world on her shoulders. All she ever wanted was to make a difference, to use her powers for good and leave behind a legacy of hope and inspiration.

But now, all she sees when she looks in the mirror is a monster—a creature of destruction and despair, consumed by the darkness that threatens to consume her whole.

The days bleed together in a blur of pain and regret, each moment a reminder of the lives she's destroyed and the dreams she's shattered. She's haunted by the faces of those she's hurt, their accusing stares burning into her soul as she struggles to find redemption in the wake of her sins.

But try as she might, she can't outrun the truth. She's the Destroyer of Worlds, a pariah in a world that once hailed her as a hero. And no matter how hard she tries to escape her fate, she knows that she can never truly be free.

So she hides, cowering in the darkness, a broken soul adrift in a sea of despair. She never wanted this life, never asked to be burdened with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

But now, it's all she has left—a never-ending nightmare from which she can never wake, a living hell from which there is no escape. And so, she resigns herself to her fate, a fugitive in the eyes of the world, condemned to bear the weight of her sins for all eternity.

Raven stands before her mother's grave, the cold marble marker a stark reminder of the woman who had once been her everything. The wind whispers through the trees, carrying with it the scent of freshly turned earth and the weight of unspoken words.

For a long moment, Raven simply stands there, her gaze fixed on the name etched into the stone before her. Christina Duke. Beloved mother. The words are a bitter irony, a cruel reminder of the life she once knew and the shattered dreams that lay buried beneath the earth.

"I never wanted this," Raven whispers, her voice barely more than a breath as she reaches out to touch the cold surface of the gravestone," I never asked for any of it."

Her fingers trace the letters of her mother's name, the touch a fleeting connection to a past that seems like nothing more than a distant memory. She closes her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the depths of her pain, to let the floodgates of her emotions open wide and wash over her like a tidal wave.

"All my life, I tried to be what you wanted me to be," Raven continues, her voice trembling with emotion as she struggles to find the words," I tried to live up to your expectations, to be the daughter you always wanted me to be. But it was never enough, was it? I was never enough."

Tears spill from her eyes, mingling with the dirt beneath her feet as she lets out a choked sob of anguish. The weight of her grief bears down on her like a physical force, threatening to crush her beneath its weight as she struggles to make sense of the pain that threatens to consume her whole.