Several hours later, Titans Tower.
Raven slowly opened her eyes, awakening on a soft bed.
She looked around, her expression puzzled.
She found herself in a rather simple room, with scarcely any furniture. There was a worktable that resembled an experiment station, but the room seemed a bit too small overall.
The floor was spotlessly clean, without a trace of dust, let alone any scattered rubbish or clothes.
The only lock on the door displayed the name "Yuri Sotos." This meant only Yuri could open this door, without using teleportation, phasing, or violence.
As for why Raven was placed in Yuri's room, it was because Conner's room was slightly less neat, and Tim had the sort of "enter and die" attitude. They couldn't access Cassie's room. Starfire and Beast Boy had been taken directly to Star Labs due to their severe injuries, which would also allow for a check-up on Bart's condition.
The remaining vacant rooms at Titans Tower were bare and unattended, so they had no choice but to use Yuri's room. After all, he was always immersed in Star Labs. A room he had just tidied up wouldn't be inhabited for a short time, so it was surely clean.
Clang!
At this moment, the room's door suddenly opened, and Yuri walked in, holding a plate of food—a vegetarian sandwich and a cup of hot milk.
Superboy and Robin followed Yuri into the room.
"I figured you'd probably wake up around this time, so I prepared some food in advance. By the way, I'm Yuri."
Yuri stood by the bed, extending the plate to Raven.
"You must be quite hungry. I know you probably have a lot of questions, and we do too, but you'd better eat something first."
"Gar, that guy, is a serious animal rights activist. The fridge at Titans Tower is full of various vegetables and some Tamaran specialty ingredients that we don't even know if they're edible. There's not a trace of normal meat to be seen. So, this is all we have that's edible."
Yuri explained with a hint of resentment. Though he didn't voice it, being someone who enjoyed meat, he found it hard to bear several all-vegetarian meals at Titans Tower.
Back when he was poor, he could still manage to get some meat. Now that he was prosperous, there was no meat. Wasn't this just ironic and rage-inducing at the same time?
The second reason for Yuri's frequent presence at Star Labs was the fact that the cafeteria there gave him a sense of never wanting to leave.
"Thank you, Yuri."
Raven spoke in a barely audible voice, her gaze somewhat flustered. It wasn't out of fear or embarrassment; rather, she didn't know how to react.
Her upbringing, which resembled that of an ascetic monk, meant she had never experienced a normal human life from the beginning. She was unfamiliar with human customs.
Raven picked up the sandwich and started eating it vigorously. She knew there were important matters to discuss later, so she finished the sandwich as quickly as possible and downed the cup of hot milk in one gulp.
She completely disregarded appearances.
"I am Raven. I can sense that all of you are good people, and your souls contain very special powers. May I ask if you are the Justice League?"
After finishing her meal, Raven was the first to speak.
"Do you know about the Justice League?"
Yuri blinked and asked. It turned out that the fame of the Justice League had spread to alternate dimensions; even the daughter of the malevolent deity Trigon knew about the Justice League.
His worldview felt refreshed once again.
"No, I don't know. I only learned about the Justice League on my way here while fleeing."
Raven shook her head. "Almost every city's people are singing the praises of the Justice League. I thought they must be the protectors of Earth. Is what people say about the Justice League true for you?"
"No, we are the Teen Titans. Earth has numerous superhero teams; the Justice League is just one of them." Conner interjected.
"Superheroes, is that what you call the protectors?" Raven asked curiously.
"... More or less," Yuri was momentarily speechless. "Raven, it's your turn to answer our questions now."
"Who are you really? Who is Trigon, and does that guy have any weaknesses? And what is the Church of Blood? What are their intentions concerning Earth?"
Raven bowed her head in silence for a moment and then lifted it with determination. "It's probably better if you don't know."
"Thank you for providing me with food, but I can't stay here for long. Otherwise, you might all end up harmed because of me."
Saying that, Raven was about to get off the bed, but a sudden wave of weakness swept over her.
Yuri reminded her, "While I don't know magic, I can tell that you've used up all your strength. You won't be able to get far if you leave."
Raven could only sit back on the bed helplessly.
"We've already fought against members of that Church of Blood. If you still have the idea of not involving us, then I have to tell you, we are already involved."
Yuri laid his hands on Raven's shoulders, making her look directly into his eyes.
"You said we are all good people, right? Then you should trust us and tell us everything."
Perhaps Raven realized that she had indeed drawn Yuri and the others into this mess. The Teen Titans were completely exposed to the Church's sight. There was no escaping this quagmire. (A/N: Giggity~)
She turned her head away and then slowly began to speak, "Trigon is the most powerful and evil demon God across multiple universes. He has destroyed countless universes and ruled over numerous dimensions, all to satisfy his lust for conquest."
"Earth... no, more precisely, this universe, is also one that Trigon plans to conquer. Once he descends upon Earth, everything in this world will be destroyed."
"The Church of Blood is enticed by Trigon. They fanatically worship him and willingly become his minions. Trigon has cultivated similar followers throughout the infinite universes."
"And what about you? Are you truly the daughter of this Trigon? You don't seem anything like a demon." Yuri asked Raven.
"I... It's true that Trigon is my father, but my mother was human."
Raven slowly recounted her mother's story.
A rebellious runaway girl was lured into the Church when she was eighteen and eventually sacrificed to the demon Trigon.
Only after the girl successfully conceived Trigon's child did he reveal his true form.
It was then that the girl realized she had given her body to a demon.
Upon learning the truth, the girl fled the cult and luckily encountered priests from the magical dimension of Azarath. They took her to Azarath for protection.
Ten months later, a half-demon child was born who retained a human appearance but inherited the demonic power perfectly.
That half-demon child was Raven.
°°°
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