We had a pretty good time with Raven. The first day of our training together was a little... awkward. More precisely, Raven had no experience in imparting knowledge, so I suggested that she simply demonstrate her skills in practice and then provide detailed information on how to do it.
"...You can create a mana barrier by focusing your will on defence," she said, placing her palms together, and her body was enveloped in a light purple film. I was able to create it after sitting in a meditative position for five minutes, and she was extremely surprised by this fact. Well, I couldn't tell her that the system itself had given me the information on how to create a new skill. My barrier was only different in colour, being green.
I wanted to continue our exciting training, but then an otherworldly voice appeared in our room. It was the eerie sound of Raven's hungry stomach, which made her shyly cover her head with her hood and lower her head.
"I think we can take a short break. I'll make something tasty.
"You know how to cook?
"Yes, and quite well. I never really thought about something as simple as cooking before, and I was just too lazy to learn the art.
We leave the room and meet Dick Grayson on our way out.
"Oh, I'm just in time. I just wanted to let you know that training will be in an hour. Before that, I wanted to ask if anyone had any plans.
We just shrugged. What could we possibly have to do? I think he just asked out of politeness or didn't want to interrupt our training.
"Great. I'll see you in the training room.
"We'll be in the dining room. Are you still ordering food, and is the kitchen just for decoration?
"Well... Starfire once... used it for 'research'.
"Judging by your tone, the study was a terrible failure.
"Not everyone can be talented at everything.
"That's true," I nod in agreement and head with Raven to the place she mentioned earlier.
To be a successful chef, it's not enough to know special recipes and cooking skills. You also need good ingredients, spices and sauces. Fortunately, I had all of that in my inventory, and I decided to impress my young teacher. I was just curious to see her reaction. Still, I didn't want to be too pushy, because our partnership could suffer some changes. People might misunderstand my intentions, which were quite normal. Why was I paying so much attention to her? I think it's obvious. I liked her. Strong, beautiful, mysterious. Just like a guy who likes a girl. Raven is too afraid of losing control of her inner demon, and judging by her reaction to my little flirting, she thinks I want her for something more.
Paranoia is when you see a hidden meaning where there isn't one.
I took five potatoes and a fresh piece of meat from the inventory. Still, just in case, I turned my head towards Raven, who was sitting at the communal rectangular kitchen table, and asked:
"I hope you don't mind meat?
After all, Garfield, or rather Beast Boy, is a vegetarian. A beast-shapeshifter doesn't eat meat. She shook her head in response.
"That's great.
"You shouldn't go to all this trouble for me. We could have just ordered pizza.
"Who said it was for you? I enjoy cooking for myself and others. Don't take it personally, but I think someone is trying to read between the lines...
There was no answer, and I just smiled slightly. Ha, how easily she gives up and doesn't like to argue at times like this. Without realising it, she is interested in me much more than just a "partner" and sees something in me... something that arouses her interest.
The baked potatoes with well-done meat looked simply delicious. I added a special brown sauce for a more pleasant taste. I stared at her for a moment, sitting at the table opposite her, resting my chin on my hand. It was nice to see her soft, bright smile hidden behind that indifferent mask. Apparently realising that she had been caught in a moment of weakness, she immediately put on a serious face, grabbed a napkin and wiped her face with it.
"Um... that was quite tasty. Thank you."
"You're welcome. You have some sauce left," she was about to wipe her face with another napkin when I cheekily stood up, leaned over the table and used my fingertips to wipe the sauce from her cheek, finishing what she had started. It was funny to see her slightly pink cheeks and the quick glance she gave me.
"Do you enjoy this?
"I don't know what you're talking about. I just cleaned your pretty face, Raven," I spread my arms wide, shrugged my shoulders and put on a fake smile. "Since we still have some time before training... I'm curious, what exactly did you mean by the consequences of Aura's murder?
"Every living or non-living creature has its own Aura, and the fact that you exist without one amazes me. Something or someone is keeping your presence in this world, since without it, you're still standing here.
"I have some theories about that...
I couldn't say for sure, but most likely either the system or Chronos has bound my soul/essence/personality to itself. Personally, I can't get rid of myself by killing Aura, otherwise I would have been simply erased after my rash act, But what if someone else tries to use spatial magic or temporary intervention? Most likely, neither the system nor Chronos will be able to help, because it is against the rules to protect a player from all threats. Although, Chronos already helped me once... Eh, there is something mysterious and inexplicable about this.
"Will the aura return?
"In time. The living and non-living beings you come into contact with see and remember you, so when this 'World' finally forms your position, your aura will return accordingly. This can take anywhere from a couple of years to several decades.
"Old Mother Earth records all my good and bad deeds and then forms an opinion about me? That's funny. Well, shall we go to the training room?
The Young Titans' training room was an ordinary 20×20 metal box that could project various situations or enemies. These projections could actually cause minor damage, as in some kind of "game." The participant did not suffer any real physical damage, only mental damage. Special waves in the room allowed the sensation of damage to be transmitted to the brain. It was pointless to ask where such equipment came from, because there was only one answer: Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. He was responsible for the connections and expenses, while Dick Grayson was only promised that he would prepare his partners for all kinds of situations. It seems that he is not just a mentor to him, but also a parent. Although, most likely, that is the case. After all, what adult would help train someone, provide them with money and connections for the sake of their future? Only someone very close to them.
"Alex? Al!"
And before I entered the training simulator room, Starfire spotted me and hugged me in mid-flight. So hard that my strong bones were forcibly tested for strength.
"I'm glad to see you too, Cory."
"Have you finished your journey? Any interesting stories, things, weapons?!"
She was practically glowing with curiosity.
"Cory has a rather... strange passion for cold weapons," added Dick Grayson, scratching the back of his head. Well, I'm not particularly surprised, considering that her race is warriors. Beast Boy also greeted me with his usual smile and buried himself further in his mobile tablet. For him, the World Wide Web and social media seem to have become a second home.
The only one I didn't really know in this group was "Blue Beetle," played by Jamie Reyes. As far as I know, the blue scarab on the back of his head is some kind of prototype alien weapon. He is concerned that when in suit mode, the scarab can completely control his body at any moment, guided by the belief that its wearer needs protection. In general, despite the fact that the scarab has a simple task — to protect its owner — it still does not understand Earth culture very well. To be precise, the scarab does not have a moral code of "do not kill" and is willing to do anything to protect its wearer. A plasma gun pointed at a robber? Take that and sign for it. A sight, I tell you, unpleasant. It only happened once, and after that day, Jamie never appeared in public again. Dick Grayson helped him with his depression and didn't rush to turn him in to the superhuman prison, explaining that it was all the scarab's fault, not his. He explained this to the "public" and promised that it would never happen again. I'm glad that, unlike the Dark Knight, he is not guided by blind justice and is willing to make difficult decisions. How did I know all this? Well, even though I don't know him personally, as I already said, I dug around in the database and watched eyewitness videos.
I wasn't very interested in the training in the room because it was focused on teamwork to rescue/eliminate certain targets, so I asked Dick Grayson to give me a chance to assess Raven's abilities through a little sparring.
"Take it easy on her, okay? I understand that you can heal...
"Are you really that weak for women, Nightwing? Oh, and you were talking about some kind of lack of female attention.
"That's not what I meant..." He sighed wearily and covered his face with his hand. "Never mind, I think you know what I mean.
"Trust me. I know myself better than you do. I just want to know the limits of her abilities. Once I get to him, that's when I'll stop this sparring. It's simple.
We went into the room, I warmed up playfully, stretched my neck, so that the crunch of my spine echoed with a pleasant pain."Let's put on a little show? Try to give it your all.
"I could say the same to you.
I raised my eyebrow in surprise. Apparently, she was also somewhat curious about my abilities. After all, neither of us had any idea of our capabilities, so I would try to gradually increase the pace of the fight. This would allow us both to enjoy it.
Why didn't I do that when sparring with Starfire? Well, her abilities are fairly easy to understand, and there was no particular need to study them, but here? Could she really fight someone like me without using the power of time? I was simply bursting with curiosity.
I decided to start first, as always. Rapidly dissolving into an invisible mist, I simultaneously created the spectral dagger Talos in reality and quietly made my way towards Raven.
"Azarat!" A purple sphere of mysterious magic recreated a special spherical pulse that enveloped the entire room. As soon as I made a sharp leap to close the distance, my stealth mode simply disappeared, and my dagger was blocked by her spherical shield. A message appeared in front of my face, clearly stating that my invisibility had been blocked.
"Hah? I didn't think you had a spell that could remove invisible camouflage.
"Without that spell, this battle would be meaningless.
"Right! — I grin and decide to take an instant ghostly step back, as a black lightning bolt is fired at me. — Phew! — I comically dodge the dangerous projectile. "Yikes!" I jump up just as comically, doing a split to dodge another projectile. "Try harder!" I slide sideways.
Barely audible under my hood, my left hand forms a claw shape in the air and draws a symbol, pulling it towards me. The same lightning bolts that had passed me turned into three dark purple stripes that hit me at supersonic speed with a kinetic blow, wrapped around my arms at the shoulders and waist, and instantly formed a chain of the same colour. He pulls me towards him with his left hand, while his right hand forms a dense, violet-coloured spiritual blade.
"Quite a scary situation. Just don't forget that you're not the only one who can use magic," I made a normal snapping gesture with my palm and sent an invisible sonic pulse of Asty's magic. Invisible Grip is a multifaceted ability. With it, I can become a kind of Jedi or Sith, so I used this trick to send Raven into a brief flight. She leaned her back against the wall, and my invisible giant palm wanted to pin her to it, but her body was covered in black energy, causing my attack to simply pass through her.
"You like long-range combat, do you?" I spun around and created a revolver in my left hand, named "Hunter's Friend." Outwardly, it looked like a regular silver six-shot pistol with a long barrel. However, its special feature was that it could take on some of the "properties" of the weapon it was taken from. The pistol was enveloped in a blue haze and took on the ability to fire spirit-type bullets. Revolvers are also famous for the fact that they must be cocked manually. This weapon did not have that feature. Where did the weapon come from? I was able to trade the "farm" I got from the Minotaur's Dungeon for it. Our characters are very different. His is a power type, while mine is a dexterity type, so this weapon would have been useless to him. You could say I was just lucky, as I was the first to respond to his offer, because there were other competitors, but that's not the point right now.
Three shots from the revolver send small blue bullets flying at near-sonic speed. They hit the rectangular barrier, which cracks but withstands the attack. I throw Talos' dagger, dodging by moving my head to the side, just as planned. I appear teleported behind her with the dagger and shoot her in the back, but her body turns into five black crows upon contact with the bullet. They scatter around the room and take up positions around me. They all take the form of Raven and prepare to perform some kind of magic trick... at the same time, I use my "Record" ability to create a recorded copy of myself from the past, standing back to back with her. We fire simultaneously. I fired my pistol, and she fired a purple-black beam. All the copies vanished, and only we were left.
"How about close combat?
I used my acceleration ability and quickly closed the distance, jumping and swinging Talos' blade downwards, forcing her to form a kind of black pole. It blocked the blow, but the force of the impact forced me to drop to the floor. The first thing I realised from the fight was that she couldn't remain in an intangible state for long. That's why she was forced to accept my close combat. I knocked our crossed weapons aside and delivered a light kick to her stomach, the force of the blow forcing her back several metres, while I switched to the Scar dagger. Still, I'm curious to see it in action.The crooked red blade shimmered with black and red tones. I began to understand her abilities through our connection. I made a slight cut on my palm, and the blade seemed to melt and take the form of some strange and terrible tentacles or tree roots... A lunge, a blow is blocked, but the tentacles continue their movements and pierce her body. Shoulder, stomach, arm, knee. I quickly pull my hand back with the dagger, because I notice that the dagger is hungry for Raven's life energy, and depriving her of such a valuable resource was not really part of my plan...
"I... won't lose. Argh!" A hand is thrown at me, and a powerful, sonic red-black impulse sends me flying. I am pinned to the wall and pressed down by an invisible force, unable to move a finger. A quick glance at Raven told me that I had awakened her terrifying neighbour, as the extra pair of eyes and their bloody hue clearly spoke of an unfortunate inheritance. I would have continued toying with her, but alas, I didn't want her potential friends to start fearing her and asking unnecessary questions.
"Raven!
My voice quickly brought her back to her senses, and she abruptly let go of me and lowered her head slightly. She used her magic to hide her face even more from prying eyes. In the worst case, I would have had to call someone from my entourage to "knock her out" with something strong. Most likely, it would have been Asta or Robin, because with her level of power, simple soldiers or mages would have been nothing more than a minor obstacle. Why knock her out? Well, the Dark Personalities that usually reside in the mind become much more dangerous if you try to play with them or fight them. And it would hardly be a training sparring match.
"I'm sorry. I lost control," her palms clenched into fists, her body seemed to tense even more. I feel... fear of being rejected, anger at myself, and insecurity. Still, this thing is useful. Empathy.
"It happens. It's okay," he smiled slightly and placed his right hand on her hooded head.
"Why? You saw what I'm capable of if..."
"I don't care. Everyone has their dark sides, problems and flaws. You know, I still like the fact that I don't have to explain everything with words. After all, you can feel people's true intentions yourself, right?
He removed his hand and waved happily at the armoured mirrored glass behind which the Young Titans were watching us.
"We're done!
I can't say for sure how much time we have before Trigon's servants come for us. All I know is that Raven is the key to everything. She is the Conduit. She is the one who gives Trigon the right to enter this world. If Trigon could invade this world, he wouldn't need to be so obsessed with her. Can I prevent the invasion? Maybe. I don't know the potential of Raven's brothers and sisters, so it's hard to judge. I am strong, but brute force doesn't always help. It is impossible to predict all events in advance, and even if it were possible, everything would be too boring. Let's suppose I can protect Raven, but Trigon will not give up trying to get her until she summons him into this world. What should I do in that case? Right. Defeat God. Well... in the worst case, rely on Raven and her friends. It's unlikely that she doesn't have a backup plan in case he really invades this world.
Days passed, and Raven found a close friend in Starfire. Her hyperactive and positive personality complemented her quiet and modest demeanour. I was glad that I could see her smile more often. Even though... she tried hard to hide it.
Training with Raven went as usual. Almost. I loved teasing her because I didn't understand her fear of opening up her emotions... or maybe I did, but pretended I didn't. Maybe I'm a complete idiot and playing with fire, but I just can't pass up an opportunity to be a jerk. In a good way, though!
"Taught her to feel..."
"So, by releasing mana and giving it the right shape, you can create anything? No need to memorise formulas and all kinds of words. Convenient.
I was now in Raven's room. Over the past few days, she had furnished it quite nicely. Most of the room was decorated in black and purple, and instead of the usual lighting, it was illuminated by purple torches. There was a pentagram on the floor in the centre of the room, the windows were covered with black curtains, and the bookcase had been replenished with several books on magic, demonology, and her personal book about her home world, Azarat. The last book was interesting because I wanted to learn about her world, but I didn't want to pry into her past. I only managed to find out the title of the book before it was snatched from my hands.
"Please don't touch my books without permission," she said in a very restrained and constrained voice, covering the book with her hands. It was as if she was trying to protect the most precious thing she had left from her past...
In general, Raven, in addition to her diverse knowledge of magic, was quite well versed in runes and alchemy. She would have to learn these things after mastering magic. Unlike ordinary magic, such as gestures, creating fire or water, or spirit magic, runic magic was the most underrated. With its help, one could create barriers, shelters, immobilise, weaken, and so on. Its only drawback was the time it took to create and the specifics of its use. For example, a trap rune could work if the enemy was inside it and could only get out when its effect ended or its conditions were met. Another drawback was the enemy's level of power. Sometimes runes were simply useless because your opponent was too strong.
"The highest magic of runes is creating rules. Even I will need five, maybe ten years to create at least one weak rule."
What is a "rule"? Oh, right, just a spell that cannot be reversed or destroyed. You can create a special rule. Here's an analogy:
"I cannot be killed as long as ***** exists, in exchange I devote my life to this world."
The condition of the rule is that everyone must be "equal," and the one who creates it must be strong. Both in spirit and body, to accept any consequences from the "Higher Being." This entity has no name and does not need language, but even this creature has followers, and according to Raven, we'd better never encounter them. When asked why, the answer was that this "cult" is alien to human morals and laws. All that matters to them is carrying out the will of their master, and they are very, very powerful. Where did she get this information? She managed to meet one of them in her "father's" house. She did not know the details of this meeting, as he spoke to her father alone.
While I was shaping the blue ball with one hand, I gently stroked her soft hair with my free hand. It was as if I had got myself a pet cat. Hmmm, that's an idea! I mean, I could offer her an alternative. She would have the peace and quiet of meditation, and I would have the pleasant image of black cat ears by her head.
Why hadn't Raven stopped me yet? I don't know. Floating slightly in the air, in a meditative pose and emitting a kind of light purple film, I had no idea what was going through her mind.
"You're seriously disturbing my meditation," she muttered without opening her eyes. "I don't want to be rude, but could you move away from me?
"You don't like it? I just decided to 'study' your hair. I need practice.
"You're not lying, but you're definitely not telling me everything," she sighed heavily and slowly opened her eyes. "If I lost my concentration, we'd both have an unpleasant experience.
For a moment, I wanted to know what kind of experience, but judging by her stern and tired look, I decided it was better not to ask.
"I have no romantic or sexual intentions. I give you my word."
"You're lying.
"Okay, maybe... just a little?
"You're not saying everything.
"Life would be boring without secrets," I shrugged and decided to take my hand away after all. "Maybe afterwards, a light massage? I used to meditate myself and I know that afterwards your body feels a little stiff.
A heavy, tired sigh. It's as if I'm the cause of her troubles. Ha ha... um, that's probably true.
"Okay.
After my meditation, I asked her to sit on my bed and take off her eternal cloak. My palms rested on her shoulders. I made simple, steady movements, periodically massaging the back of her neck. For just a second, I noticed a rush of goosebumps and how her gaze was fixed to the side again. I was still patient and not insistent. We just sat there and enjoyed ourselves. Sometimes people don't need words to understand each other. And Raven was one of those people.
"Are you okay?" I ask quietly in her ear.
"Yes," she replied just as quietly.
Once, on a short trip, I met an experienced massage therapist. Just for fun, I decided to study his "techniques." Among the usual massage techniques, he managed to teach me a "special" massage technique. To be more precise, it is an erotic massage that slowly turns into sex. I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet, but let's make a note of it as a cunning trap for Raven. I know that she can sometimes read my thoughts and intentions, but right now I wasn't giving anything suspicious away. I just... liked touching her. It's pretty creepy. I'm starting to sound like some kind of obsessed stalker. Did she accidentally cast a spell on me?
"No, she didn't. It's all your abnormal interest... Ahh!" Out of feigned anger, I made a slight movement with my palms and caused a loud crack in her spine. And the moan that escaped her lips was no longer from pain, but from relief. Now you know how to read minds without permission. You have an unhealthy interest yourself, getting into someone's head like that without any ulterior motive.
"That's all. If you want, we can always repeat this procedure.
This went on for almost a month after Raven's arrival. While I learned a couple of new magic tricks, we were expecting a new addition. Bruce Wayne's son, Damian, would soon be visiting our tower. Dick Grayson was not thrilled with the news, but he did not stand in the way of his enrolment because Bruce himself had asked him to do so. Apparently, our stern father had grown a little tired of sitting with him and had more important things to do. I just hope he doesn't do anything rash.
In the end, everything happened exactly the opposite...
***
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