Inner Demons

Raven is missing.

The incoming evil is palpable.

The Titans know Trigon is coming.

In the fight against Trigon, Raven’s mother, Arella, served on the front lines it is through her that we see where Raven is.. walking a column of rocks and bodies writhing in eternal torment.  Arella catches up to her daughter to try to prevent what has already occurred, but it is too late.  Raven is now Trigon’s daughter, body and soul.

Wonder Girl flies from New York to Titans Tower to join her teammates.  In Raven’s room, Nightwing is gathering clues including Azar’s rings that have been left behind by Raven.  She always wore these rings, and now without them, the last of the remnants of Azarath are now gone.

Cue Lilith Clay to enter the story.  As the earlier Titans’ precognitive Lilith offers her assistance in order to help the Titans locate Raven.  Azar’s rings go to Lilith and the world goes fairly mad for a bit.  Raven’s quarters attack the assembled Titans and it is only through the evil energies dissipating that the Titans escape the room.

Lilith offers to do a seance to contact Raven using the rings as the contact point for her soul, however Lilith needs the connection point to Raven’s heart, and for that, she needs Kid Flash.   In Blue Valley, Wonder Girl and Nightwing come for Kid Flash, despite the protestations of Frances Kane.  Both Frances and Wally are done with the hero game and tired of Raven driving a wedge between them, however given the circumstances Wally is forced to go even though his powers are killing him.  He knows from his gut that he may have a chance to reach the real Raven.   Before Wally and Fran part, Wally does say that he does not love Raven anymore and hopes that Frances will understand.

Back at the Tower, the Titans are assembled in Raven’s room and the seance commences.

“Don’t be frightened Raven.  Its safe here.  Please… come to us.  We’re your friends.

Oh no.. The light.. its a False Light… Its Dark, Evil.. My god.. So Evil…  Its’ coming for us.. I can feel the evil sweeping across my mind.  Its coming closer.  My God— I can taste the blood!”  — Lilith Clay

The room again erupts.  Raven’s image appears and she warns the Titans that she cannot save them and encourages them to take what time they have left to save themselves.  Raven leaves but Azar’s Rings, on Lilith’s hands begin to glow and the voice of the Arella comes through summoning the Titans to Azarath.

Before Azarath was in space with black clouds.  The clouds and space have been replaced with yellow, orange, and red crackling energies.  The Titans attempt in vain to save those that they can, but the pacifistic Azarathians are not fighting back against Trigon’s will.  Kid Flash is forced to use his powers even though he is killing himself when he does so.  Lilith has entered a trance and moves ever closer to the Temple of Azar.   Kid Flash sees Lilith, Arella, and the remaining Priests of Azarath praying and screams in horror as the flying demons of Trigon’s minions come and kill them all with their fiery breath.

Back on Earth, Raven appears over Titans Tower, she has changed.  She is now a red skinned, four eyed woman, truly her father’s daughter.  Raven’s job is now to prepare the way for Trigon to claim the Earth.  Her soul-self now red and crackling with energy alights on Titans Tower and transports Trigon the Terrible through.

Trigon begins his takeover of Earth while the Titans and Arella remain in the now still standing ruins of Azarath which consists of rocky debris and nothingness in the form of white as far as the eye can see.  It is clear to Wonder Girl and Starfire that Lilith is now acting as an agent of Raven since the rings are on her fingers.  Lilith explains that Azar’s rings protected the Titans and Arella from death and will transport them back to Earth, where they encounter a nightmare.

Everyone on Earth has been swallowed in a nightmare.  Twisted into rocky visages of what their souls are experiencing, which has to be a completely hellish experience.  The Titans begin to feel the battle is hopeless, this is magnified when the Titans see Raven transformed for the first time.  Raven takes a special pleasure in picking off Kid Flash first and then begins to take out the other Titans.  When Jericho attempts to take over her body again, Raven puts him into a psychic coma and as for the other Titans she picks out special hells for each of them.

• Nightwing is placed in a nightmare where he failed to save the Batman who is impaled on an alien ship.  At Batman’s feet is the new Robin, Jason Todd, who is saying this would not have happened had Dick still been Robin.  The evil Nightwing taunts Nightwing mercilessly until Nightwing lashes out and begins attacking him.
• Cyborg is confronted with a horrified Sarah Simms who is frightened of Victor’s usual appearance.  In this nightmare, the evil Cyborg is Victor Stone prior to his transformation, a perfect looking athletic man who Sarah obviously prefers.
• Wonder Girl awakes to find herself at home witnessing her evil self crush the neck of Terry Long, the man she just married.
• Changeling is a witness to a slaughter as the evil Changeling begins to turn into amazingly fantastical animal creations only to kill his family and friends.
• Starfire sees her home world of Tamaran and evil Starfire offers her a simple proposition.  Become a slave again or watch her family and people be re-enslaved.
• Kid Flash witnesses himself making love to Raven.  When Kid Flash gets his costume on and turns to Wally, he has four eyes.