Yuri led Raven to the training room in Titan Tower. The area was spacious with ample room for what lay ahead.
"Raven, let me explain the situation first."
Yuri recounted his experience in Conner's soul space, where Jericho seemed to have infused a small amount of Trigon's power into his own body.
After listening, Raven's expression grew serious.
"The power of Trigon is filled with malevolence and destruction. It gradually corrupts and taints those who come into contact with it, warping their souls and minds, making them eternal slaves to Trigon's will."
"Even I would be susceptible to the influence of Trigon's power. That's why the priests of Azarath taught me how to control my emotions. Only by maintaining inner tranquility can we shield ourselves from the malevolent influence of Trigon."
Raven spoke, her tone carrying weight. Then, her brow furrowed, "But just now, I didn't detect any presence of Trigon's power within you. In theory, even if it were an incredibly faint trace of Trigon's power, I shouldn't have been completely unable to sense it."
"If you couldn't sense it just now, how about now?"
Yuri activated the omnitrix and directly transformed into Four-Arms.
At a towering height of nearly four meters, well-defined muscles, deep red skin, and those iconic four arms with yellow irises for eyes.
"Ah! Trigon!"
Raven trembled all over, letting out a cry of surprise. Fear was evident in her eyes.
However, that fear soon transformed into determination.
"Trigon, I won't allow you to corrupt innocent souls! By the authority of all things in the universe, hear my command—"
Raven began to chant an incantation, and black soul energy overflowed from her hands, coalescing into a sphere that enveloped them.
"Um... what are you saying?"
Seeing Raven looking so defensive, Yuri scratched his head in confusion, his own nervousness growing inexplicably.
"Did you sense Trigon's power corrupting my soul?"
Hearing Yuri's question, Raven cast a skeptical glance at Four-Arms, circling around him as she conducted a thorough inspection.
After a moment, Raven's eyes widened.
"How did you do this?"
"What do you mean? Transform from a human into this form? This is technology, something not uncommon for you mages to not know about." Yuri puzzled.
"No, what I meant was that I sensed an extremely faint trace of power from Trigon within your body. It's so faint that it's almost negligible, but it does exist. What's odd is that when you were still a human, I couldn't detect it at all. This is the first time I've encountered such a situation," Raven marveled, then continued, "Moreover, your soul hasn't been affected by Trigon's power. I'm not sure what's happening, but it's as if some kind of barrier is protecting your soul, keeping Trigon's power at bay and preventing it from invading your soul."
Saying this, Raven began to circle around Four-Arms, meticulously examining him.
"The power of Trigon has fully integrated into your body, becoming an inherent part of you. This means that your attacks on others won't just affect their physical bodies, but also their souls."
Finally feeling relieved about his concerns, Yuri nodded. It seemed he didn't need to worry about Trigon's power twisting his psyche. Plus, there appeared to be a passive ability somewhat akin to true damage?
"Raven, if what you're saying is true, does this mean I'll be directly erasing enemies' souls in the future?"
"No," Raven shook her head, "Trigon's power within you is too weak. It's highly unlikely to cause actual harm to souls. It's far from being able to erase souls. So, you don't need to worry about accidentally harming others' souls."
Yuri nodded understandingly. In layman's terms, the proportion of this true damage was quite low, taking up only a small fraction of the physical attack's potency.
Overall, it wasn't bad. Better than nothing.
Now that Yuri had gained insight into the origin of Four-Arms' transformation, he reverted back to his normal self.
"Raven, how about I help you organize your room now? Titan Tower has many available rooms. You can choose any you like. It'll be your home from now on. If I may suggest, the rooms on the third floor facing the north side are great. They have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, with a fantastic view. You can even see the Tamaran garden that Starfire built on the island."
Yuri smiled at Raven, feeling that since she had helped him with his inner turmoil, it was only right to do something helpful in return.
"My home...?" Raven's heart warmed. The word "home" hadn't appeared in her thoughts for a very long time.
Only she knew how much she longed for a stable place to call her own.
However, whenever she considered her identity, her potential to lose control over her powers at any moment, Raven couldn't help but voice her concern, "Can an inherently evil entity like me really have a home of my own?"
That's how she thought, and that's what she asked. She didn't know why she had asked, maybe she did yearn for an answer deep within.
"What kind of talk is that? While I can't say there aren't people inherently evil in the world, you're certainly not one of them."
Yuri furrowed his brows. He sensed that Raven had a tendency to self-loathing, which wasn't a healthy mindset.
"You don't understand. I'm different from regular humans. From the day I was born, I've been imbued with Trigon's malevolent power. If I can't control my emotions well, I can't be certain what I might turn into." Raven shook her head slightly.
"Have you ever lost control?" Yuri asked.
"The priest of Azarath has taught me how to control my emotions since I can remember, and I have never slack off..."
"In other words, you haven't lost control, right?" After receiving the affirmation from Raven, Yuri continued: "Some things in this world are indeed destined, but there are always some things that can be changed. Even if they cannot be changed, they cannot be accepted blindly."
"You have been resisting the temptation of power every day for more than ten years, and you have not degenerated into an evil demon, nor have you succumbed to your father's will. Believe me, there are not many people in the world who dare to resist a great demon like you." Yuri said with a serious expression.
He had seen Jericho when he gained the power of the Trigon. Just that little power made the mentally gifted Jericho completely lose himself. The mental pressure that Raven endured was almost unimaginable.
"Whether you admit it or not, in the depths of your soul, one of the most dazzling brilliance of human nature blooms, and that is courage."
"True courage is not to be fearless, but to still dare to resist despite fear. As long as you don't give up the courage in your heart, Trigon will never affect you."
As soon as Yuri finished speaking, Raven was stunned for a long time without saying a word.
°°°
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