The Sixth Titan | Teen Titans

Chapter Fifty-Two - The End, Part Two

    I never thought I'd use a rock as my pillow again, but here I am.

    Grumbling under my breath, my eyes turn brown and the debris lifts itself off me, and I shoot it across... wherever I am. My eyebrows knit together as I realise I don't know where I am, the knot already in my stomach tightening when I realise I'm alone.

    The thoughts in my mind run rampant, soon becoming overloaded with the conflicting feelings that ensue. The traffic jam in my mind is sounded not with the honking of horns, but the flood of overlapping words that I can't ignore nor get rid of. It's there—whether I like it or not—like white noise.

    I latch on to one thought, and quickly wish I hadn't as I am reminded of the events of either today or yesterday—I'm not sure which one. Either way, it's in the past, and I have to deal with the consequences it brings.

    I decide to deal with each thought in order of severity, starting with the dream I had on the last day. What I can see around me isn't what I saw; there's no fires, and if I squint hard enough I can see figures at the end of the street.

    "HEY!!" I shout, jumping to a stand. "OVER HERE!!" When I get no response, I traipse toward them before hastily breaking into a run. "Hello?"

    I immediately stop myself when I realise it's a statue, not a person. I begin to scold myself for not coming to this conclusion sooner when I look down the street. Dozens of 'statues' line the footpaths, and I'm certain none of them were there before. My heart leaps into my throat when I see a mother and her daughter, who must be no older than five. She clings to her mother for dear life, smiling brightly in the darkness that is this new world.

    I shake my head and look away. I need to focus.

    The next thing on my agenda is the new world I'm in, though I move on to where my friends are when I come to the same answer as before. Last I remember, we were all together, but I vividly remember Robin letting out my name in a chilling scream as his hand let go of mine. I refuse to believe that was the last time I saw him; the last time I will ever see him or any of my friends again.

    Movement catches my attention and I spin around quickly, fire lacing my fingertips. As far as I know, I am the only living being on this world besides Trigon. I'm sure Raven's not here anymore—I watched her turn into a portal. Did I survive because of my powers? That would mean my friends were all dead, and I am by myself once more.

    What I see is a black bird, perched on a sign from a taxi. Even the sign is void of light, as if it had been sucked from it. My gaze lingers on the bird, long enough for me to realise it's a raven. It has to be.

    I muster enough energy to mumble, "Looks like it's just you and me." My voice is croaky and strained with a lack of use. The bird cocks its head before flying off. I look back at the street, though I don't know what I'm looking for. This is my only lead. I've found nothing else, and maybe it's not a coincidence that it's a raven. Maybe it's trying to show me something. 

    The bird leads me to what is the tallest building in Jump City, now that everything else is collapsed. The tower I stand before is still damaged beyond repair, but it fares better than most others. Slowly, I rise into the air, heading towards the top.

    "It led all of us here... almost all of us," the solemn voice of Beast Boy sounds through my ears, and I don't focus on the content as much as the fact that he's alive, and he's talking to someone, which means someone else is alive, too.

    "Ember," Robin says. Thank goodness he's alive. "Why isn't she here? Where is she? We have to find her! If we survived, so did she."

    I grab onto the concrete at the top. My knuckles turn white and I begin to swing myself until my knee lands on top of the material. My foot follows, and I use it to haul the rest of my body up.