EUPHORIA

The Breaking Point(Part 3)

It had been a week since the incident. Damian had spent every waking moment trying to prove himself to Raven, to make amends for the damage caused by Talia's manipulation and the trauma he had inflicted on her. Raven had been patient, loving, and understanding, but something inside him still felt broken. Stil, they had each other. Their daughter, the one pure thing left in this shattered world, was their bright spot.

But that peace, that fragile moment of hope, was about to come to a devastating end.

It was late at night. Damian had just returned from a long patrol, exhaustion weighing on his shoulders, but when he stepped through the door, it was not the silence of an empty house that greeted him-it was the sound of something worse.

A struggle.

Damian's heart stopped as he rushed into the living room. He froze in the doorway.

Raven was lying on the ground, blood spreading across the floor beneath her. Two masked figures were standing over her, moving to bind her, their faces hidden. But what caught his attention was the figure on the couch-their daughter. She was gone.

"No!" Damian shouted, his voice a guttural mix of fury and fear.

In the split second it took for him to reach Raven, one of the assailants turned, aiming a gun at him. Damian didn't hesitate. His body moved on instinct, his training kicking in as he took down the man in seconds. But his focus never wavered from Raven.

She was barely conscious, her breathing shallow. The blood staining her shirt, the pale look on her face-it was clear that she had been severely injured.

Damian moved to her side, his hands trembling as he checked her pulse. It was faint, but she was still alive. Barely. His heart thundered in his chest as he tried to get her to speak.

"Raven," he breathed. "Please, stay with me."

But Raven's eyes fluttered open for just a moment, and the words she spoke shattered his world. "Damian... our daughter... she's gone."

He blinked, disbelief clouding his vision. "What... what are you talking about? Where is she?"

"They took her," Raven gasped, tears pooling in her eyes. "Trigon... he..."

Damian's vision blurred as he processed her words. His daughter. Gone. Taken. He didn't have the strength to think, to feel. He moved to get up, to search, but Raven's hand gripped his arm weakly, pulling him back.

"Damian... she's..." Raven's voice trailed off, and her eyes fluttered shut once again, her grip loosening as her body went limp.

Panic surged through him. He needed to save her. He needed to save their daughter. He had failed her before-he couldn't let it happen again. But Raven's blood continued to pool around her, and he knew she wouldn't survive much longer without help.

With no other choice, he took her in his arms, moving as quickly as he could, his mind a blur of rage and helplessness. He had to get her to the medbay, but he couldn't leave their daughter behind. He couldn't.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn't care. He had to save Raven. He had to find their daughter. He couldn't lose both of them.

He couldn't lose the one thing left that mattered.

---

The Aftermath

The hours that followed were a blur of desperate phone calls, frantic searches, and unanswered prayers. Raven was barely hanging on, her pulse weak but steady in the medbay. Damian never left her side, watching as the medical team worked to stabilize her, but no one had any answers. No one knew where their daughter was.

And then, the worst of it came.

As he sat in the cold silence of the medbay, waiting for any word, a familiar voice spoke from the doorway.

"Damian," Bruce said quietly. "We... we couldn't find her."

Damian's eyes burned with unspoken fury, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. "I should've been there. I should've protected them."

Bruce shook his head. "You did everything you could. But this... this was Trigon's doing. It's not your fault."

Damian's gaze hardened. "She's my daughter, Bruce. Raven is... Raven is..."

His voice broke, the weight of everything pressing down on him. He couldn't form the words. Raven, the love of his life, the woman who had given him a second chance at happiness-she was slipping away. And his daughter? She was gone. Taken by the very thing they had fought so hard to keep away from her.

"I won't lose her," Damian said, his voice tight, low. His eyes flashed with determination. "I'll find her. I'll find them both."

---

The Unthinkable

The days that followed were nothing short of a nightmare. Damian was consumed by his rage, his guilt, and his sense of loss. But even in his darkest moments, there was one thought that refused to leave him. He had to protect them. He had to find his daughter. No matter what it took.

But before he could even begin his search, tragedy struck again.

Raven's condition worsened, despite every effort to save her. The doctors did all they could, but Trigon's influence was too powerful. It had seeped into her body, poisoned her from the inside. She was slipping away, and no matter how hard Damian fought to keep her alive, he couldn't stop it.

He couldn't stop her from dying.

---

Raven's Final Moments

Damian held Raven's hand as the life slowly drained from her. Her face was pale, her body weak, but her eyes still held a glimmer of recognition as she looked up at him one final time.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I couldn't protect her. I couldn't keep her safe."

Damian's chest tightened with the ache of losing her. He didn't know how to respond. How could he? She had been his everything-his anchor, his strength.

"Don't apologize," Damian whispered, his voice hoarse. "You did everything you could."

Her fingers squeezed his weakly as her breath slowed. "Promise me... you'll protect our daughter. No matter what happens... you'll keep her safe."

Damian nodded, tears blurring his vision. "I promise."

And with that, Raven let out a soft breath, her hand going limp in his. Her eyes closed for the final time.

Damian sat there in the silence that followed, his world shattering around him. He had lost her. And now, he had to find their daughter-no matter the cost.

---

In the aftermath of Raven's death, Damian was left broken, alone in a world that had taken everything from him. His rage and guilt were all-consuming, and as the days turned into weeks, he fell into a dark place. His promise to protect their daughter was the only thing keeping him going.

But even that wasn't enough.

He didn't know how he could ever face the world again. The love of his life was gone, and the daughter they had both fought so hard to protect was missing. Damian was left with nothing but the shattered remnants of a life he had once known.

And in the end, nothing would ever be the same.