A Different Life

New Beginnings

Raven had had enough. A land that preached non-violence and acceptance, all kinds of virtues, disowned any sort of vice was beginning to show its very own hypocrisy, in the months after the encounter with her father. But it wasn't just their fault in the matter - Raven's own demon had a part to play too. She had struggled against wanting to inflict violence on others, and found herself questioning more of what she was taught than ever.

Previously, she could accept whatever she was taught without any resistance, but now, the lessons...the lessons were becoming harder to apply in a reality that wasn't quite as kind to her. There was always a voice, a voice that seemed to spit poison into her every thought, and she had to consciously ignore it, shake it off and move on as if nothing had happened. She had to keep up an appearance in Azarath, and conceal her difficulties. She finally understood the reason for all her training being emotion-oriented, when she never understood it prior to the Great Door incident.

She stared blankly at her bedroom wall as she levitated, cross-legged, mulling over her options. She was sure of leaving Azarath, but where should she go next? The Vegas Galaxy? Nah, far too chaotic for her liking.

Earth? She had been forbidden to leave Azarath for Earth until she was of age - until she could fully contain and control her powers.

All the other dimensions looked dull and uninteresting to her, except Earth. Worse still - other dimensions were prone to fall to Trigon should he know of her presence in them. Earth was untouchable - that particular galaxy was special. So special that she, Raven, is required to act as a conduit for her father to enter it.

And if she refused to acknowledge anyone from her past, lead a life that wasn't hers, she could very well live to 80 years old without having to think about being a portal to her father and just die, nicely and naturally, at about 85. (Ah, the wonders of modern technology!)

It sounded like a great plan until she realized being on Earth required a passport, a citizenship and everything else that came with leading an average civilian life. How exactly was she going to do that? And where on earth (literally) would she settle in?

It took her one week of meticulous planning before her plan was fully concrete. Step by step, with sub-plans for each step should it go wrong.

First of all, the easiest citizenship to obtain in a developed country would be the USA. Nordic countries were good, but their administrations far too efficient and detailed, due to a smaller population to manage. No, she would need a place that already has monsters and heroes emerging and fighting, but live in a place untouched by them, at least not yet.

San Francisco, Jump City. Not too bad a place, with no record of any hero or well-known villain frequenting it. Sufficiently developed, and decent employment opportunities.

She knew she had to act fast, and on that very night, Raven took off, silently bidding a farewell to her homeland that never welcomed her. All would know of her disappearance, but none would know how to find her. The only person she regretted not leaving a proper farewell was her mother, for being the only person in Azarath who truly and unconditionally accepted her, despite her fears.

Raven didn't exactly enter Jump City in a very pretty way. A 10 year old's abilities isn't as defined nor as elegant as a matured adult's, but she probably wouldn't have any need for powers once her plan was complete.

The gaping portal spat her out into a dark alley way near the harbor of the city, with the only indication of its location being Pier 41.

It was deep in the night, but Raven didn't know what time it was exactly. She had forgotten to account for timezones, something which she cursed under her breath for neglecting.