The street was deathly silent. Only the distant hum of flickering neon signs and the occasional gust of wind rolling through the alleyways broke the stillness. Moonlight cast jagged shadows across the asphalt, stretching like reaching claws.
Liam stood alone. The remnants of his last battle clung to him—torn clothes, stained with blood and gunpowder. His hands hung lazily at his sides, but his muscles were coiled and ready.
Then, without warning, the air twisted.
A black portal tore open before him, swirling like a gaping wound in reality.
Four figures emerged: Robin. Cyborg. Starfire. Raven.
Liam's eyes flicked between them, his heart rate steady—but his mind fully alert. The Teen Titans.
But his biggest concern wasn't Robin's tactics, Cyborg's firepower, or even Starfire's raw strength.
It was Raven.
The weight of the moment pressed down like an iron chain. Tension hung thick in the air. One wrong move and it would all explode.
Robin stepped forward, his voice sharp and unwavering. "Is this the guy you were referring to all this time, Raven?"
Raven's violet hood cast deep shadows over her face as she nodded. "It's him."
Liam exhaled slowly, forcing a smirk. "The Teen Titans… my favorite group of heroes. An honor."
Robin didn't flinch. "Cut the crap. We're not here for autographs." His hand hovered near his belt. "We've got some questions."
Liam tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Why the hostility? I didn't do anything wrong."
Raven's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Funny. We just arrived, and I already know what you did to those cultists."
The smirk faded.
She took a step forward, her eyes glowing faintly. "Didn't some of them beg for their lives? And you killed them anyway?"
Liam's expression darkened. "Did you see what they did? They worshipped a demon. The number of human sacrifices they made? What I did was justice."
Robin's stance shifted, tightening. "It's not your place to decide who lives and dies."
Liam let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, and who does get to decide? You? The Justice League?" His gaze flicked to Cyborg. "Because last I checked, heroes kill when it's convenient."
Cyborg's cannon hummed with rising power. Starfire's hands began to glow, emerald light crackling between her fingers.
Raven remained still. Her voice was steady. "You're in no position to talk. Who—or what—are you?"
Liam inhaled slowly. "I think we're getting off on the wrong foot here. I'm not your enemy."
Cyborg scoffed. "That's for us to decide." His cybernetic eye glowed bright red. "Start talking."
Liam raised his hands slightly. "Alright. I'm just a guy cursed by a demon. That's it. I'm not evil."
In his mind, Sparda's voice dripped with amusement.
"Listen to you. Begging for your life to a bunch of high schoolers. Pathetic."
Liam clenched his jaw. Shut the hell up, old man.
But Raven wasn't fooled. Her eyes flicked to the chain around his neck.
"That's no ordinary demon you're carrying," she murmured.
Liam tensed.
"Show me," she said, voice low and firm.
"Might as well," Sparda chuckled in his mind. "You're not talking your way out of this."
Liam hesitated, then reached for the cold metal chain around his neck. The moment he touched it, it unraveled—twisting and shifting in midair.
With a crackle of energy, the chain transformed into the Sparda sword. A massive, dark greatsword radiating demonic power. The air grew heavy under its presence.
The moment it appeared—
Raven attacked.
Her soul-self burst forward, a massive shadow lunging toward him.
Liam barely reacted in time.
The battle erupted into chaos.
Raven's dark energy lashed out like living shadows. Liam raised Orabos' gauntlets just in time, the impact rattling his bones as her blast slammed into him. He skidded across the pavement, boots scraping hard.
"Shit! Can we not do this here?!" he shouted, dodging as Robin's staff swung at his ribs.
"Not an option!" Cyborg shot back. "You won't last long anyway!"
BOOM!
A plasma shot tore through the air. Liam twisted, letting it graze his coat. He retaliated by absorbing the energy through Orabos and releasing it in a concussive blast. Cyborg threw up a shield just in time, but the blast sent him crashing into a parked car.
Liam spun—and saw Starfire above, glowing green with power.
"Oh, hell no—"
She fired.
A storm of energy blasts rained down. Liam darted between explosions, fire licking at the ground around him.
Holding back's gonna get me killed, he thought, gritting his teeth.
"Fine. You want a fight?" He holstered Orabos and drew Satanus and Blaze.
Gunfire erupted.
Robin blocked the bullets with his staff and closed in fast. Liam barely blocked the strike with one gauntlet.
"Tt. You're fast," Robin muttered, twisting the staff for another hit.
"You should see me when I'm actually trying," Liam replied, smirking.
He feinted left, then kicked Robin in the gut, sending him stumbling.
Sparda's voice echoed again.
"You're fighting like a rookie. Just kill them."
"Not happening," Liam muttered, rolling under another plasma shot.
Cyborg was back up. Starfire hovered, ready. Robin recovered, eyes sharp.
But Raven…
She hadn't moved. Just watched.
That unsettled Liam more than the others combined.
"Guys, seriously," he shouted, firing at Starfire to keep her back. "I'm not your damn enemy! Let's take this somewhere else before someone gets hurt!"
Robin's jaw tightened. "You kill people. That makes you our problem."
Cyborg added, "No point movin'. You won't last long."
Liam's temper snapped. "You mean cultists? The ones sacrificing people? Yeah, real tragedy."
"That's not your decision to make," Raven said quietly.
Liam exhaled. This is getting nowhere.
He needed space. He needed an exit.
Twirling Satanus and Blaze, he fired a spread of bullets, forcing the Titans back. In the same motion, he drew Chantinelle.
BOOM!
The shotgun's blast shook the street. Robin and Cyborg dove for cover. Starfire barely dodged in the air.
But Raven—
She didn't move.
Her chakra crystal flared violently.
Liam's eyes widened as she clutched her head, breath catching in her throat.
The shadows around her thickened unnaturally.
Then she looked at him.
And he knew something was wrong.
Robin stepped forward. "Raven?"
No response.
She raised her hand—
And the world snapped.
Black tendrils shot forward, wrapping around Liam's limbs. Crushing. Dragging. Suffocating.
He struggled. Orabos flickered with power, but Raven's magic was too strong.
Her voice came, low and ancient. "That sword… it should not exist."
Liam's breath hitched.
"Pull the sword. Now," Sparda commanded.
He hesitated.
"DO IT!"
Gritting his teeth, Liam grabbed the chain and yanked.
The Sparda sword reformed in his hand.
The moment it did—
Raven screamed.
Her crystal pulsed violently, threatening to shatter. Shadows convulsed around her, warping the street.
Cyborg and Robin scrambled toward her.
"RAVEN, STOP!"
But she couldn't. Or wouldn't.
Her power exploded outward. Tendrils surged toward Liam again—
This time with no restraint.
The Sparda sword hummed in his grip as her crystal cracked with a deafening snap. A chilling wave of dark energy surged out, spiraling into chaos. Raven's breath came in sharp gasps. Her eyes flickered between indigo and something deeper… something ancient.
Liam braced himself.
That crystal… it doesn't like Sparda.
Sparda's voice rumbled low.
"Now you've really pissed her off."
Liam barely had time to react—before Raven unleashed hell.