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SM/DC Chapter 54 : Fractured Control
🕑 Added 2025-03-10 21:48:17 +0000 UTCArthur Blackwynd walked toward the titans tower as if he belonged there.
His strides were slow, casual, almost lazy. But beneath the nonchalant exterior, every step was calculated. His senses stretched out like invisible tendrils, brushing against the energies around him, taking in every detail. The wind, the city’s distant hum, the faint heartbeat of the Tower itself, and naturally the meditating Raven on top of it.
And then
Above.
Before he could react, violet eyes snapped open. The air shifted.
FWOOSH
Raven moved. One moment, she was floating in the night, legs crossed in quiet meditation the next, she was right in front of him, standing mere feet away, her cloak billowing slightly from the sudden teleportation.
“You’re a long way from Gotham.”
Her voice was even, controlled but there was a sharp edge to it, like a blade just barely concealed. She wasn’t surprised to see him. She had felt him coming.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly. “Raven...” His voice held neither fear nor hesitation. Just acknowledgment.
Her gaze studied him, searching. She wasn’t foolish enough to assume he was here on a friendly visit. The last time they saw each other, things hadn’t been peaceful in the city.
But instead of pressing him immediately, Raven tilted her head slightly and...surprisingly...said, “Relax. I don’t share everything with the team.”
Arthur’s lips curled into a faint smirk. “Keep it that way. I really don’t want to make an enemy of you.”
A flicker of blue light ran through his irises, something deep and untamed stirring beneath his skin. His power thrummed beneath the surface, coiled like a beast waiting to be unleashed. He wasn’t suppressing it, not completely. And Raven could feel it.
Her expression barely shifted, but the tension in the air thickened.
“You’re stronger.” Her words weren’t a compliment. They were a fact. An observation made with quiet, unwavering certainty.
Arthur, ever the smooth-talker, feigned mild surprise. “Naturally. And how’d you figure that out?”
Raven’s violet eyes bore into him, unamused. “Because you feel even more wrong.”
“Ouch.” Arthur placed a hand over his chest mockingly. “That’s harsh.”
Raven didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, she elaborated in that calm, measured tone of hers. “Before, your power felt… unsteady. Like it wasn’t fully yours yet. Now, it’s different. Denser. Colder. Like something has shifted inside you.”
Arthur rolled his shoulders, as if shaking off the weight of her words. “I just had a good training arc.”
She didn’t respond. Didn’t need to. Her expression made it clear she wasn’t buying his deflections.
Then, Arthur did something bold.
He walked past her.
Not aggressively, not threateningly just casually, like she wasn’t even a roadblock. Like he had every right to be here.
Raven’s eyebrow twitched slightly, and she turned, watching him. “You do realize you’re not exactly going to be welcomed with open arms.”
Arthur didn’t stop. “I had a feeling.”
She took a step forward, voice as calm as ever, but with an unmistakable hint of warning. “Robin came back with a broken leg and bruises all over.”
That made Arthur pause for half a second.
Raven noticed.
“You’re after something, aren’t you?”
Arthur turned his head slightly, his sharp blue eyes meeting hers. The way she phrased it...it wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
Arthur smirked. “What if I ask nicely?”
Raven exhaled softly, crossing her arms. “Somehow, I doubt that’s going to make a difference with the others.”
Arthur chuckled, his gaze flicking toward the Tower’s entrance. “Guess we’ll find out.”
A deep rumble filled the air as the ground trembled beneath Arthur’s feet.
Before he could take another step, massive slabs of rock shot up from the earth, rising like a barricade, standing tall between him and the Tower. The movement was precise, controlled...this wasn’t some casual warning.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. Then, instead of looking annoyed, he just… smiled.
With a flick of his fingers, a pulse of invisible force rippled outward.
CRACK—BOOM!
The barrier shattered into dust, the massive chunks of rock hurled away effortlessly as if they weighed nothing at all. The debris didn’t even touch the ground...they simply vanished, erased from existence by Arthur’s Ruler’s Authority.
His gaze flicked to Raven, his smirk widening slightly. “Really? That’s how we’re playing it?”
She didn’t answer.
Instead she attacked.
BOOM!
A bolt of dark, crackling energy shot toward him with terrifying speed. Arthur barely had time to tilt his head as the blast roared past his face, searing the air where he had just stood.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise. No warning. No words. She was pissed.
And she wasn’t holding back.
Another blast, then another, then another.
The night lit up with purple streaks of energy as Raven unleashed an onslaught of shadowy projectiles, each one precise, deadly, and filled with something more than just power.
Arthur exhaled, his smirk fading.
SHING!
A sleek, black promethium blade slid free from his system inventory, gleaming under the dim moonlight. His grip was effortless, almost relaxed...until he moved.
CLANG!
The first blast met the sword’s edge and split in half, the raw energy scattering harmlessly to the side.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
He deflected each strike with ease, his free hand casually flicking his fingers, redirecting, stopping, erasing the stray energy bolts mid-air with Ruler’s Authority. It was as if the very air bent to his will.
But as he parried, something caught his attention.
Her attacks weren’t just fast they were furious.
Raven’s face was still a mask of control, but her eyes they burned.
Not with their usual violet glow. But with something darker.
Arthur narrowed his eyes, watching her closely. Something was off.
She sent a final, larger blast straight at him, but this time—he didn’t dodge.
Instead, he closed the distance.
FWOOOSH!
His body blurred through the air, shadows twisting around his form as he shot forward like a bullet.
Before Raven could react
GRAB!
Arthur’s hand caught hers mid-air, his grip firm but not crushing.
They hovered above the ground, the wind rustling around them, tension thick in the air.
“What is going on with you?” Arthur’s voice was low, edged with something that almost sounded like concern.
Raven’s eyes flickered, her expression unreadable—but she didn’t pull away.
“…Let go, Arthur.” Her tone was calm, but it lacked its usual cool detachment.
Arthur didn’t move, his face close to hers. “You’re keeping something to yourself. What’s wrong?”
For the first time, she hesitated.
Then just for a split second
Her eyes snapped red.
Arthur noticed.
His grip loosened instantly, and she yanked her hand away, clutching her head.
A sharp gasp left her lips as she staggered, her fingers pressing against her temple like she was trying to silence something.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed. He had seen it. Just for a moment. But it was enough.
“…Raven?”
She didn’t respond. Didn’t even look at him.
Arthur exhaled slowly, stepping back as they both landed on solid ground.
He watched her closely, analyzing her every movement.
Raven barely had time to steady herself before
GRAB.
Arthur’s hands clamped down on her shoulders, firm but not forceful. His eyes burned an eerie, glowing blue, cutting through the darkness between them His gaze wasn’t just piercing it was searching. Understanding.
And when he spoke, his voice carried something Raven hadn’t expected.
Certainty.
“It’s your father Trigon, isn’t it?”
Raven’s breath hitched.
‘No.’
‘No, that wasn’t possible.’
Her eyes widened slightly, her entire body going rigid under his grip. “No… Wait...” She shook her head, confused. ‘How did he...’
Her voice dropped to something almost defensive. “How did you know that?”
Arthur’s expression didn’t change. He just kept staring, his grip not loosening. His voice was even, almost casual, except for the razor-sharp edge beneath it.
“You were attacking me out of frustration about something,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “But your attacks got a little too lethal.”
Raven flinched at that.
“If I were some random thug...hell, if I was weaker I’d be dead right now.”
“No,” Raven protested quickly, as if trying to dismiss the idea. “I wouldn’t—”
Arthur cut her off, his tone growing just a little more pointed. “Are you losing control over Trigon?” He let that sink in before adding, “That’s… a little bit serious, don’t you think?”
Raven clenched her jaw, looking away.
“Is there a reason for that?” Arthur pressed. “You’re someone who’s always so composed. Always keeping your emotions in check. So why now?”
She said nothing.
But the way her eyes started darting everywhere avoiding his gaze, avoiding the question told him everything he needed to know.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly. His grip on her shoulders tightened just a fraction.
And then he said it.
"Don’t tell me this is about me."
Raven’s head snapped up so fast it was a miracle she didn’t get whiplash.
Her entire face erupted into deep, burning red. Not just a little blush—full-on, fire-alarm-level embarrassment.
“NO!” she blurted out, way too loud, way too fast.
Arthur just… nodded.
A slow, deliberate, knowing nod. “Yes.”
Raven groaned, her hands flying to her face. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She groaned harder, facepalming herself with a level of exasperation that could probably crack the multiverse.
Arthur just smirked. “Wow. You must really hate being this predictable.”
Raven sighed deeply, like she was about to throw herself into another dimension just to escape this conversation. But when she finally spoke, her voice was low.
“I’m not allowed to feel deeply,” she admitted. “Anger, frustration…” She exhaled, shaking her head slightly. “And even… jealousy.”
She hesitated for half a second before forcing the last word out, as if saying it physically hurt.
Arthur just watched her, his smile fading slightly.
“These are things he feeds on to weaken me.” Her voice was quieter now. Not weak. Not scared. Just tired.
