The Next Generation

Fade gave another nod as Wonder Woman gave the compliment of saying that both himself and Nova held themselves well and would likely be great heroes one day. There was the possibility of her being nice, but he hoped that she was wasn't saying it just for the moment. Fade couldn't imagine anything cooler than actually working with the higher ups of the Justice League. It would be more than a dream come true. It would be more than anything he could have ever hoped for!

Fade turned to Cyborg as he spoke. "Don't worry, this time we'll crush him like the insect that he is. He won't get away with insulting us a second time. We'll make sure that Raven gets home safely", he said. He wasn't sure if the words would mean much to Cyborg, but Neal really did mean them. He wasn't sure HOW they were going to accomplish this but he was going to try his best to make sure that it happened. After all, where would they be without a bit of hope in a situation like this?

Fade gave Nightwing a nod and moved over to get on Flash while leaving some room for Nightwing to hold onto as well. "Any idea where he is based off of the signal? Anywhere specific?", Fade asked curiously.

"Not sure exactly," Nightwing said, as they started to get ready. "Looks like some kind of abandoned subway station. I guess we'll find out exactly once we get there."

"Just make sure to hold on tight, you two," Flash said, cracking his next from side to side one more time. The fliers were already on their way, but they were sure to get their first. In the blink of an eye, the Flash sprinted from his spot and followed the signal. Within seconds, they were standing outside the entrance to the abandoned subway station, where Blood had apparently taken Raven.

Zatanna was already there to greet them. Magical teleportation did beat super speed, after all. If only barely. The others arrived a few minutes later, landing gently and quietly. Sarah had gotten used to landing by now.

"Alright, be on your guard everyone," Nightwing said as he took the lead, holding his tracker out in front of him. "No telling what's waiting for us."

"Fair enough, let's just get going and make sure that we get Raven back", Fade said as he made sure to hold on tightly to Flash. They were going to be moving really fast after all, a good grip would be important.

As they arrived Neal let go and felt his feet wobbly. Despite having not moved an inch he felt like he just ran several marathons. And he had a killer headache for sure. "Oh my god that was fast", Fade said as he took a deep breath and made sure to clear his head. Thankfully they had a few minutes before the others showed up who had chosen to fly to their destination.

Fade moved forward, right behind Nightwing who was taking the lead. He decided to not draw our any of his weapons, as Brother blood would most likely not even flinch at them. Fade's power would be his best use right now, so he moved carefully and kept his eyes peeled.

The group moved along through the deserted tunnels of the subway station. Nightwing led the way, using a flare to illuminate thins enough for them all to see. The others followed single file, all on guard and keeping an eye out for any sign of their enemy. After a while, the beeping on Nightwing's tracker started to get louder and more rapid. They were getting closer. He raised his hand and gave a silent command, leading them around the bend of a side tunnel.

The new tunnel led to a large underground chamber. There was no telling what it had been used for, since the place had long since been abandoned, and whatever equipment had been there had been moved out long ago. But what was there was exactly what they were looking for. Brother Blood stood with his back turned to the Titans. His arms were raised high and opened wide, as he channeled the energy from the giant soul well near the back of the wall. Behind him, and closer to the Titans, was an altar, and on that altar Raven lay, writhing and squirming, her eyes shut and forehead sweating.

"Blood!" Nightwing shouted, his voice echoing throughout the chamber.

Brother Blood slowly turned around, glaring. "Titans... you're too late to make a difference. I gave you a chance before, but now you choose to oppose me here? I'm afraid this time I will have no choice but to kill you."

The moment he finished his sentence, a red blur rocketed towards him and delivered a punch so hard that it sent him flying backwards and slamming into the wall.

"I don't think so, Blood," Flash said, cracking his knuckles.

Donna stepped forward next, already preparing her golden lasso. "You pay for your crimes now."

Fade continued to move forward, looking around as the darkness seemed to completely engulf them. It figured that Blood would use a place like this for a hideout, it was dark and creepy as any typical villain would have. The fact that Blood could pop out of anywhere just served to raise Fade's heart rate, he had no idea what was going to come or what Blood was capable of anymore. Faust had been hard enough, and it seemed like Blood was even stronger now.

Soon though, they entered upon a room with a bit more light, Blood's image clearly shown as he seemed to be far across the room near the soul well that Faust had acquired. So many dead, now being tormented to serve the purpose on an insane man. They needed to set those people free, they didn't deserve this kind of a fate. They might already be dead, but this just seemed like agony. Of course, Fade's eyes more focused on Raven who was laying on an alter that was closer to them than Blood was.

Fade looked up as Blood spoke, grinning as he saw that The Flash punched him directly in the face and sent him flying back. It sure didn't look like he was going to kill them anytime soon! Fade gained some confidence, his eyes drifting back towards Raven now that Blood was so far back.

"I'm going for Raven, cover me", Fade said before sprinting off towards the alter. He was certain that Blood was going to get up soon, so he hoped that everyone else would be able to help him while he went to get Raven off of that wicked place. Assuming that Fade even reached her, he quickly tried to shake her shoulder. "Raven! It's us, we're here!"

Neal wouldn't be shaking her awake for long, as a surge of energy suddenly formed around her and exploded to force anyone nearby away. It was clear that Blood didn't want anyone taking Raven from that altar... but for what purpose? With an annoyed growl, Brother Blood stood back up, showing no signs of injury from the supersonic punch he'd just received.

"So, the former Titans rejects make an appearance," he said, staring at them. "How quaint. I think you might be the most difficult to deal with, Wally. So allow me to-"

And suddenly Flash was on him again, speeding forward with another series of attacks. However, these ones had little effect, as all they struck was a mass of blood. Brother Blood had deformed his body into a weird jelly-like blood substance that took no damage when hit. And then, the mass of blood started to take hold of the Flash, sticking to his arms and legs, slowing him down.

Suddenly, a blast of sonic energy sent the blood splattering in all directions, freeing Wally. Sarah fired another shot, spreading the blood mass around more. Starfire joined in with her starbolts, firing one after another, until finally the mass of blood was forced to reform into Brother Blood.

"You think you're smart," he growled at them, breathing heavily. "You think you can defeat Brother Blood?!"

And then the golden lasso suddenly wrapped around him and tugged tightly. "You will go no further, Blood," Wonder Woman said sternly. "What is it you're trying to do here?"

Compelled by the lasso of truth that bound him, Blood blurted it out. "The souls are an offering. They're meant to break the barrier between our world and the nether world. There, my Lord Trigon awaits to be released into this world. But he cannot enter this world in his true form. The demon lord must use his daughter, Raven, as a conduit into your world. Then, he will wipe it clean and turn it in into his new domain, where I will rule under him with Raven as my bride."

Donna glared at him. "Fiend," was all she got out before Brother Blood was able to turn back into the mass of jelly blood.

Nightwing was ready, however, throwing a device that landed center mass, sending a charged electrical current through it. The blood fell into a quivering puddle, where it slowly half formed back into a weakened Brother Blood. "

You can't stop it," he said, trying to push his way back up. "The ritual is nearly completed. Trigon will enter this world in mere moments."

Zatanna hurried forward to Raven, trying to discern a way to break her free. But she had bad news. "He is right... there's nothing I can do to break this ritual. This magic... it is unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"Ahh", Fade said as the surge of energy seemed to appear out of nowhere and knock him back. Thankfully it didn't hurt him that badly, but it still got him to move away from Raven who he hadn't even been able to touch. Why was Blood using power to protect her so badly? Was he just crazy enough to think that she actually meant something to him? Given that he was insane he supposed that he couldn't be that surprised with that kind of information. Still, it was a problem that he couldn't break through the soul well in order to get her away from Blood.

It meant that they were going to have to defeat Blood completely before the magic that was surrounding Raven would be removed. No problem right?

Fade watched as the other Titans each used their attacks on Blood, each one trying to take him down. Very little of it seemed to be working though, as he could merely form into a mass of blood and appear to take no damage from the attacks. How were they supposed to defeat a guy that didn't take injury from their attacks? Fade didn't know, but he'd have to try to give the Titans an edge.

After Blood's plan was revealed Fade felt his fist curling up. Like Hell they were going to let this guy succeed! He needed to be stopped now. Fade stared right at Blood as he was reforming. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind, using the meditative practices that Raven had taught him. He focused all of his power on Blood, trying to distort his senses by flipping his vision of the world upside down. It was a complicated illusion to hold in place, but Fade knew it was the only way that he'd be able to help the group. He physically wasn't strong enough to defeat Blood, and none of the gadgets Nightwing had given Fade would help him either.

"Trigon... will burn everything," Blood uttered, still trying to reform himself into solid mass. The subway station started to shake, dust and debris falling from overhead. Something was definitely happening. "You will all perish beneath his hand!"

Just as Brother Blood was starting to stabilize, though, everything suddenly flipped upside down. He was falling, falling... and then splat. In his condition, he couldn't accurately determine what was real and what was just a figment of his imagination. Every time he tried to further reform his figure, the mass of blood started rippling in a different direction, until finally he dissolved into a mere quivering puddle.

Nightwing was on this opportunity in an instant, pulling something out of his utility belt and tossing it at the blood puddle. Instantly, a large orb of energy formed around it in the form of a solid container, trapping him. "That containment field should hold him for a while," he said. "But we need to do something about Raven. Now. If Trigon uses her as a means to get into our world, it's over, everything."

Sarah looked carefully over at Raven, squirming and groaning on the altar in pain. She had no idea what any of this meant, who Trigon was, or what it would truly mean if this supposed demon lord came into their world, but if Nightwing said it was bad news, then it was bad news.

"She is struggling with Trigon's influence," Zatanna said, holding her hands over Raven's forehead. "I can feel it... she is trying to resist his hold. But all those souls have made him too powerful, she cannot resist for much longer. I can think of only one way to stop this."

"What do you suggest?" Nightwing asked.

"I can open a portal into Raven's soul self," Zatanna explained. "That is where Trigon battles his daughter for control. If you can stop him there, then you will stop him for good."

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"

Zatanna let out a small sigh. "I can only hold the portal open for a short time. If you take too long, you will not be able to return; you'll be trapped there in Raven's mind. Or if Trigon wins and gains control of his daughter, you won't be able to escape."

"It's a risk we're going to have to take," Nightwing. "Do it."

"One more thing," Zatanna said. "No more than four may enter the portal. Anymore than that may overload Raven's soul self and cause catastrophic results for all those involved."

"I see..." Nightwing said, thinking. "In that case, Wally, Donna, you two will go if you have no objections. Starfire, too. You three probably have abilities best suited against Trigon."

"No objections here," Flash said with a nod. "I'm ready."

Donna nodded. "And I, as well."

"Of course," Starfire replied. "I am ready."

"And lastly..." Nightwing stated, turning toward's Neal. "Fade, you'll be the fourth. You've spent a lot of time with Raven, in each other's minds; you have a connection with her, I believe. If Raven turns, if Trigon controls her, you have to break through to her, somehow. And help her find the will to keep fighting."

Nightwing then reached down and unclasped his utility belt, handing it over to Neal. "Take this; should come in handy."

Fade's eyes gazed upwards as he saw that dust, debris, and all manner of things seemed to be falling and crumbling. Damn, was this guy's very presence enough to do this to the world? Blood talked about how he was the apocalypse, was that really the case that was going to happen? Fade had no idea that Raven was the daughter of someone like this, he had never asked about Raven's family. She hardly opened up about anything, so why did he think she'd open up about something as personal as that?

Fade watched as Blood was too dazed and confused in order to determine what was real and what was not, it worked perfectly as his own mind forced him to live the pain of actually falling and hitting the ceiling head first. He wasn't able to reform himself, and Nightwing took advantage to make sure that he'd be locked up for several moments. If that was something else developed by Mr. Fox than perhaps they'd have some time to figure out what was going on. For the moment Blood was locked up though, and Fade's attention turned towards Raven.

Fade's eyes remained upon Raven as Nightwing and Zatanna spoke about strategy. It was going to be a large risk to save Raven, but they were going to have to enter into her very soul in order to save her from Trigon. Nightwing said that if they didn't stop him it would be the end of everything, he sounded like he'd be an extremely tough opponent to deal with. His gaze only slightly moved towards Nightwing as Fade was addressed by him. He saw the logic, but a mind connection was definitely not the same as going into someone's soul. Still, he had no objection. He gave a quick nod, showing that he would go.

His eyes glanced down as Nightwing offered him the utility belt. "I'll make sure to deliver it back to you personally", he said as he reached his hand out to take the belt. He clasped it on and adjusted it so that it would fit upon him nicely. There were quite the array of gadgets, Fade was certain that something in there would come in handy.

"I'm ready whenever everyone else is", Fade said as he glanced towards Zatanna. He wasn't quite sure what the step of traveling into Raven's soul would be like. He was ready for the challenge though, he needed to save Raven before it was too late.

Zatanna took in a small breath and raised her hands, then uttered the words, "Nepo eht yaw!" A crackle of lightning and sound of thunder roared throughout the chamber for several moments before a swirling portal opened up in front of Raven, the way into her soul self. "The way is open, go now! Time is previous here!"

And with that, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Starfire all went through the portal, with Fade presumably right behind them. When they emerged through the other side, they found themselves in what appeared to be space, just space. Stars, nebulas, planets, all manners of cosmic things swirled around them overhead, and off the ledge of the massive floating rocky platforms they stood atop. These platforms were spaced out like a path that led throughout the cosmic space, all the way into the distance. Somewhere out there they would find Raven, but they had to be quick.

"Let us find Raven and save her," Starfire said with a nod. "She needs our help."

Fade watched as Zatanna performed her magic, opening up a portal that lead directly to Raven's soul. Fascinating that such a thing was possible, even for someone as powerful as Zatanna. Still, Fade didn't have any time to think about it as time was going to be a key factor in their fight. As soon as the others moved through the portal, Fade quickly brought up the back and followed them inside.

For some reason, being around in space while standing on top of floating rocks didn't seem to bother Fade. Perhaps it was because of the connection that Nightwing spoke of with Raven, or maybe his illusions just didn't make him freak out about such things anymore. Either way, he almost felt more comfortable being inside Raven's soul. He gazed at the area for only a moment before Starfire interrupted his train of though.

"Right! Let's get moving!", Fade said before taking off at a run. Obviously Flash was WAY faster than Fade, Starfire could fly, and Wonder Woman was probably in better physical shape than Neal. He was happy to bring up the back though, he still went as fast as he could though as they needed to fight Trigon together to have a chance of winning. "Man I need to get into better shape", he said to himself as the other superheroes probably easily passed him.

"Daughter, you are weak," the booming voice of the demon lord, Trigon, spoke. "Soon, you will be mine."

Raven was on all fours, breathing heavily and sweating, her arms shaking. She could barely hold herself up, her body felt so weak... She didn't know how much longer she could resist her father's will. Try as she might, she could feel her strength slipping. Trigon was far stronger than he'd ever been, and she could feel the difference beginning to overwhelm her.

"No..." she uttered, swallowing. "I will defy you... as long as I live, I deny your hate."

"Your voice lacks conviction," Trigon snarled. "Your strength wanes, while mine grows!"

Raven tried to stand firm, but her head bowed, arms collapsing. She could no longer hold on... Trigon was right, soon she would slip away and her father would have control. Suddenly, though, a loud boom erupted in front of her. She looked up to see multiple green explosions rip across the towering figure of Trigon. The demon lord roared in anger, staggering.

"What is this?!" he growled.

Starfire appeared in the air, launching a barrage of starbolts at the demon. "Raven does not struggle alone! We will defeat you, demon!"

A moment later, a swirling tornado appeared around Trigon's feat, scattering rocks and debris around him and forcing him to shield his eyes. The Flash was running in supersonic circles around him, and when he finally stopped, Wonder Woman was flying straight at the demon like a rocket. By the time Trigon managed to get his bearings again, a titanic fist met his face, sending him falling backwards.

"Your evil ends here!" Donna shouted.

"Get ready," Flash said, zipping back next to the others. "I think that just pissed him off."

They could see Raven and Trigon fighting from quite some distance away. Thankfully, Trigon was focused too much on defeating Raven to appear to notice that anyone else might be approaching in order to intervene. He wasn't sure if Trigon was looking this way, but Fade tried to make everyone appear as darkness and stars rather than their actual forms. Due to the dark nature of the area it might give them an advantage, at least for the sneak attack approach.

Their approach seemed to work, as he had no idea that Starfire was about to hit him with the starbolts before she did. That attack along with The Flash and Wonder Woman's attacks ended up knocking him over. It wasn't a victory but it was definitely a good start at least. Fade had a feeling that running towards the guy and beating on him physically would be a bad idea. Right now they needed to see how Raven was doing.

As Fade moved over towards Raven he kept his eyes on Trigon, waiting to see what he would attempt to do next now that he was outnumbered. They had taken certain victory from him and pulled the carpet from under his feet. His retaliation would probably be extremely swift. As he moved he reached into the utility belt and removed a few explosive discs that he had seen Nightwing using before. He held onto them for now, ready to use them should Trigon approach though.

"Raven!", Fade said as he came to her side. "We're here to help you defeat him", he said as he looked towards the others who were still ready to fight. "Starfire, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and I are all here", he said seriously. He wasn't sure how she was doing, so he just stood by her side. He'd help her up if need be though.

"Neal..." Raven uttered, barely able to hold herself up. She was half kneeling, half lying on the ground. "You shouldn't be here... it's too dangerous. Trigon, he's too strong... it's all those souls. I cannot resist him much longer."

A thunderous boom ripped suddenly through the air. Trigon arose back to his feet in an instant, holding an arm out and blasting Starfire out of the sky with an energy blast of his own. Wonder Woman tried going in for another hit, but Trigon swept his massive arm across and struck her down. Fortunately, they recovered shortly after, but it was clear that this demon wouldn't be going down easy. Flash attempted another cyclone, but Trigon sent a blast down in front of him, which forced him to sharply change directions to avoid damage, sending him tripping off to the side.

"You cannot save her!" Trigon shouted, causing pillars of flame to burst up from the ground. "It is too late!" He squinted at his enemies, suddenly confused as they seemed to blend into the background of the cosmic sky. What trickery was this?! He slammed the ground with his fist, cracking the ground and spewing waves of lava everywhere. "You only delay your demise!"

Fade took a knee next to Raven as it was evident that she could barely hold herself up. "Don't talk like that. Giving up is what leads to a tear in us, we have to stay focused on our goal and see that it is always done. Isn't that what you told me when you began my training?", he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We might lose, but if we do than we're going to give this guy one hell of a fight before we do. We're here for you, and we're not leaving", he said before pushing himself up and turning to look towards Trigon again.

Fade watched as the others went in for their attacks, all of them ultimately being sent back for one reason or another. Things weren't looking good, physically he was far too powerful. They needed an edge, and Fade hoped that he could give it to them. "Holy cow that's lava!", Fade said as he moved in order to avoid a blast that nearly hit him. His armor was good, but he didn't want to test to see if it was lava proof!

As he got back to his feet he tried to recast the illusion to hide everyone once again. Having to dodge that attack made him lose his concentration, he needed to regain it if he was going to trick Trigon again. He tried to summon up several starbolts from Starfire to come from two different directions. He hoped that the distraction might be enough for one of the others to hit him with something that would actually hurt him.

"The only inevitability here..." Donna said, flying in again, ducking below another of Trigon's strikes. He was having trouble seeing them now. She managed to land another powerful blow that sent him staggering. "...is your defeat!"

And then the starbolts came in again, forcing the demon lord to cover his arms and absorb the repeated impact. Then it was the Flash's turn. he came speeding in again, this time running straight up the demon's body in an instant. He weaved around and dodged Trigon's attempts to swat him off, then found his way to the giant's face and delivered a supersonic kick to one of the demon's eye. Trigon roared angrily, falling back with a hand against his eye. Flash jumped off and back to safety.

"Fade!" Donna called. "Use the promethium binder! Nightwing keeps it in the back left pouch!"

The promethium binder was a series of four emitters that sent a signal to each other, creating a band of rope made of pure energy, capable of binding and locking down even the most powerful foes. When thrown, it would whirl around in the form of a webbed net, to catch the target.

Fade continued to watch as everyone else came in to strike at Trigon once again. Thankfully Fade had improved his ability to use illusions, and it didn't seem like Trigon was able to see through them as well as Faust or Blood could. He couldn't help but smile, feeling like he was truly contributing to the group.

Fade snapped his attention towards Donna who yelled for him to use the promethium binder. What the hell was that!? And how did she know where on earth Nightwing kept it? Still, questions for another time. He quickly reached into the back left pouch and pulled out four strange devices that were connected to one another. It looked simple enough, but with a name like Promethium biinder it had to do something useful right?

Fade closed his eyes for a minute before looking over at Trigon. He took the individual illusions off of everyone and instead focused on merely making Trigon's vision pure black. He didn't want the demon to see what was coming at him. Right when Fade was certain the illusion had been cast he quickly threw the binder, watching as it began to form into the webbed energy net that it was supposed to be.

"Wow......that is cool. I need to get me one of those", Fade said to himself as he watched to see what effect it would have on their enemy.

The webbed net flew through the air and spread to the massive size of its target, falling down and pinning Trigon to the ground. The demon lord roared angrily again, trying to break free, but even his mighty strength could not break the bonds. Starfire, Flash, and DOnna returned to Neal and raven's side, watching intently.

"That should hold him for now," Donna said. "We must strike him down while he is weakened. Wally, I'll need your help." With one swift motion, Wonder Woman drew the sword at her hip, holding it outward. "This blade cannot pierce the demon's hide on its own."

"On it," Flash said, holding out his hand. It suddenly started vibrating so fast that it became transparent. he then touched the blade, which took on the same effect. "Alright, that thing's molecules are vibrating so fast you could cut through a mountain. Though I would advise against that. Rock slides and such, bad business."

Donna took the vibrating blade and flew up and over the ensnared Trigon. Then, she plummeted downward in a straight line, driving the blade through the demon's chest. Trigon howled in pain, writhing and screaming, as the light of his eyes flared brightly and then died. Soon, he was still.

Removing the blade, Donna flew back to their side. "That should be it... though not the demon's physical body, his presence here should be no more."

Wow, Fade definitely needed to get himself a few of those! The webbed net downed Trigon down like it was nothing, he was unable to dodge to the illusions that Fade had created combined with his fatigue due to the others attacks. He was downed quickly, struggling against the bindings that now ensnared him completely.

Fade turned his attention towards Donna and the Flash who seemed to be coming up with some form of plan. He watched the Flash's hand go all vibrating, only to wonder what it was he was doing. Flash touched his hand to the sword, and it seemed like the sword took on the same effect. "Cut down a mountain? Are you serious?", Fade asked. Of course, Donna only took a moment to leap up and jab the weapon through Trigon's chest, killing him on the spot as his body lay still.

Fade listened to what Donna said, hearing about how Trigon wouldn't be here any longer. With nothing else to worry about Fade turned to Raven again. "Did you hear that Raven? He's gone", he said as he knelt down once again to try to look at her. She hadn't said much since the battle began, but he hoped that with Trigon gone that she might speak up a little bit more now.

As Neal knelt down closer to Raven, she slowly shifted her position on the ground. She seemed to have regained most of her strength, no longer breathing heavily or shaking. She took in a deep breath and then turned her head to look at him. But from beneath her hood, he wouldn't see her normal face. Through the shadow of her hood pierced four glowing red eyes, the same eyes as Trigon. Her skin, too, had gone red, and face twisted to look more demonic.

"Raven isn't home," she said, her voice deeper and distorted. Raising a hand, she cast Neal away with a blast of her soul magic. Before the others could react, they too were grabbed and thrown around by masses of black energy. "There is only Trigon!"

Dark Raven arose from the ground, levitating and holding her arms out. The cosmic sky around her began to shift and crumble, stars and planets exploding in the distance. "At last, I have control. This world is mine!"

Yeah....that was not a good sign. Before Fade could even react to the new appearance that was brought on by Trigion he was knocked away. But how did this happen!? They had defeated him hadn't they! How could he have taken control of Raven when they had done so much damage to stop him, they rammed a sword through him for God's sake! Fade landed and rolled a short distance before coming to a stop. He looked up in time to see the other's getting knocked away as well.

He heard what Trigon said, claiming that the world would be his. Fear gripped at Fade, but he knew that this is what Nightwing sent him here for. He and Raven had shared minds, he needed to use that now to convince her to keep fighting against him. He couldn't believe that it was over just yet.

Fade pushed himself up, but moved to sit down and cross his legs. It was the same meditative stance that he and Raven always took when they trained together. He needed to focus as hard as he could if he was to get through to her. He didn't actually speak, but he used his power to protect a voice directly into Trigon/Raven's mind. "Raven, if you're still in there than you need to hear me. It's Neal, your friend. If you can still hear me than you HAVE to keep fighting. You can't let yourself believe that it's over yet. Everyone is depending upon your now, including myself", he said before pausing to think of what else to say. "Please Raven, you need to keep fighting against him. We came here to help you, you can't give up yet. We believe in you. I believe that you can defeat him"

The moment that the voice came into her head, Dark Raven glared down at Neal and floated to him. She raised a hand, causing him to levitate up into the air along with her, arms and legs bound to his sides and unable to move. "I told you, Raven isn't here," she said, frowning. "There is no one left for you to reach."

She then gestured up to the heavens around them, the cosmic sky that was breaking apart. "Look around you. Raven's soul self shatters. This is my domain now, and soon your world will be mine. There is nothing that you can do to stop it." Turning back to him, she floated over and held her hands to his cheeks, tightly, fiercely. "Raven is gone."

The moment that the Dark Raven looked over to him, Fade could tell that he might not have approached that as best as he should have. Still, he couldn't think of what else he was supposed to do. He had to hope that Raven was in there somewhere. He felt his hands and legs stick together, not able to fight against the magic that Trigon was using. This was where Neal's power wasn't the best, once caught there wasn't much he could do to help himself.

As Trigon spoke through Raven Fade just continued to stare forward, not even bothering to look around at what he was gesturing towards. "Fuck you Trigon", he said simply as they were face to face now. "I refuse to believe that this is over, Raven is still stronger than you; she'll defeat you soon enough", he said as he stared right into the demonic eyes of Trigon. "I've seen you fight, so far I'm not impressed you stupid, bastard, son of a bitch asshole"

Dark Raven chuckled at Neal's response, letting him go and floating backwards. "Your human insults amuse me. So vile and aggressive. Even when you know you've lost, you still find the motivation to spout your useless words, words that cannot save you. You humans truly are worthless." Floating up higher, Dark Raven stretched her arms upward. The sky began to shatter faster. "At last, I have won!"

Fade tried to fight against the magic that was controlling him, feeling that he couldn't even move an inch. At best he could turn his neck a few inches but that was it. He couldn't reach anything in the utility belt, and casting an illusion on Trigon would be pretty pointless without having anyone to back him up. Still, Trigon was right about one thing. Humans often didn't give up despite how dangerous the situation was, at least the heroic ones never gave up.

"Raven!", his mind practically shouted into Dark Raven's mind. "I need you to hear me and fight! If you don't everyone is going to die! I'm sorry but I am desperate here, if you can't fight against him he'll kill everyone, starting with me and moving on to all of our friends", he said as he focused the voice with all his energy. "You can't give in! We need you to fight for all of us! Help us!"