Raven sprinted through the overgrowth. Unseen forces clawed at her clothes, tangled in her hair. She wasn't sure if branches were assaulting her or shadows.
The realm of woods ended. Raven found herself in a meadow of white lilies. Suspended on their long necks, the ivory petals shuddered in the wind, murmuring in the unquiet.
A hooded figure knelt still among the valley of whispering lilies.
Raven slowly stepped towards the shrouded figure. They looked solemn. Their hidden head was bowed low, unmoving. A robe of white masked their identity.
"Hey," Raven called out to them, but her voice was too soft. No matter how hard she tried, she barely made a sound. Even when her lungs burned, only a whisper escaped her lips.
The sky above them was a sea of black, in which a crimson moon waded among the ebony depths. There was a scarlet tint to the darkness, making it impossible to tell how long night's reign lasted. Raven wondered if time even existed wherever she was.
Beneath the somber rays of the moon, she neared the stranger. Their hidden head was bowed low, unmoving.
When Raven stood behind the figure, she hesitated. "Hello...!"
Her voice was still suppressed in her lungs. It was hardly heard in the valley of unrest. The lilies swayed like golden trinkets meant to hypnotize.
Raven reached out with her fingers, and lightly tapped their cloaked shoulder. Their hidden head was bowed low, unmoving.
The hooded figure vanished.
She was alone in the meadow of murmuring lilies.
Something lightly tapped her shoulder.
Raven turned. They stood before her, hooded and still. They were dressed in familiar black robes.
It was Raven.
Familiar amethyst eyes gazed back at her. They were identical. Not a single hair out of place. Even the clothes were positioned in the same manner. The only difference was that this Raven had a white gem glistening on her forehead.
"It wasn't me," the other Raven pleaded. "It wasn't me...!"
"What are you talking about...?" The breeze buried Raven's uttered words as it passed through the meadow, caressing the lilies.
"It wasn't me...!"
Raven's eyes strayed from her doppelgänger. She scanned the lilies, now mute and unmoving. Her heart tore itself apart as she inspected them closer. Faces appeared amongst the lilies, motionless. Damian, John, Kory, Zatanna—every Titan, every face she ever knew. They were still and silent amidst the murmuring meadow.
She clutched her arms close to her chest, trying desperately to breathe with the large wound where her heart had been.
"Who did this—?" When Raven turned back to her twin, she was gone.
The valley of lilies and faces twisted in agony vanished.
Raven stood in the center of a city on fire. Flames consumed towering buildings, darkened the sky, poisoned the air. Raven's burning lungs now matched her surroundings, falling apart before her.
When Raven stepped forward, glass crunched beneath her feet. She glanced down, and gasped at the face that back at her in the broken shards.
Her robes were ivory, matching the murmuring lilies. The jewel nestled right below her hairline was black and shining, like obsidian.
"Wh—"
The words died in her inflamed throat. She studied the buildings nearby with scrutiny, trying to ignore the terror that rose. A cracked sign on the cement caught her eye. Poison Chai.
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LOVE + FEAR
FanfictionOf all emotions, love and fear are at their core. This story is told by the one Raven who won't croak "nevermore". A hero visits with tales of apocalyptic dreams, who deems these visions true. Between impending doom and family feud, will the Raven c...
