Titans Tower
The sun rose, casting pale gold light across the main hall of Titans Tower. Dust motes danced in the filtered rays that warmed the polished floors, yet the warmth didn't reach Raven's bones. A tremor ran through the air around her, so subtle it was only a shift in the ambient hum of the Tower, unnoticed by anyone but herself.
She sat stiffly at the long breakfast table, untouched tea cooling in her hands, a wisp of steam still rising from Cyborg's untouched mug beside her. Her robe clung to her still-damp skin; sweat from another night of torment had soaked her sheets. Her face, paler than usual, bore deep-set shadows beneath her eyes, and a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of dark energy pulsed at the tips of her fingers, causing the silverware to subtly vibrate.
Beast Boy paused mid-chomp. "Whoa, Rae, you look like death had lunch and picked you for dessert."
Raven didn't respond.
Robin looked up from his tablet, the blue glow of its screen reflecting in his concerned eyes. "Raven, what happened?"
She hesitated, then forced the words out through a clenched jaw. "It wasn't a dream. It was... a ritual. A woman was chained—helpless. There were runes. Blood. A demon took her soul like it was... nothing."
An uncomfortable silence gripped the table, broken only by the distant hum of the city beyond the panoramic window.
Miss Martian frowned. "You think it was a vision? Or someone sending it to you?"
"Both," Raven said quietly. "It didn't feel random. It felt... like something wanted me to see it."
Robin stood. His voice, usually so precise, held a rare note of genuine worry. "Don't push yourself too hard. There's no pressure—go for a walk, get your head clear. Starfire, M'Gann, join her."
Raven didn't argue. For once, she just stood and followed without a word, the subtle tremor in the air fading as she moved towards the elevator, her shoulders still hunched as if under an unseen weight.
***
City Park — Late Morning
Raven walked, flanked by Starfire and Miss Martian, her mind still reeling from the nightmare's aftertaste. The park was busy—the cheerful shouts of children, the rustle of leaves, the distant honk of a taxi—soothing, but not enough to banish the lingering chill in her soul.
A young man strode their way: long crimson coat, well-cut black V-neck, gold eyes warm and confident beneath black hair. As they almost collided, he raised his hands with a good-natured smile, his movements fluid and almost mesmerizing.
"My apologies. I suppose I forgot how easy it is to lose yourself in a city like this."
Starfire's usual direct gaze softened, and she beamed, charmed. "No harm done! Is this your first visit to Jump's gardens?"
Wildcard shrugged—with practiced grace, already scanning them for opportunity. "Not my first—but some days you need a reminder to look up instead of ahead. You three have the right idea."
He lingered, making easy, comfortable eye contact. Miss Martian, usually so perceptive, found her analytical mind momentarily disarmed by his effortless charisma, a small, uncharacteristic smile touching her lips. "You're alone? Most people bring someone to enjoy the sunshine."
He smiled, just a little mysterious. "Solitude has its virtues. Besides, you never know who you'll meet if you stay open to the unexpected." As he spoke, his hands moved naturally—gesturing, slipping just close enough to brush Starfire's wrist as if steadying her, then patting Miss Martian's shoulder with a conspiratorial "between us, half the fun is in people-watching."
Raven watched him closely. There was no obvious malice, no overt threat, yet she sensed something off about him, a strange blankness in his psychic aura, like a void in her perception. It was an absence that felt less natural than a deliberate cloaking. He caught her gaze.
"You look like someone who sees the city very differently from most." His tone was warm but speculative, his golden eyes lingering on her.
Raven, a bit caught, only offered a nod. "I prefer not to be watched."
Wildcard's lips curled with understanding. "Fair enough. Everyone needs a little space to think." His hand, courteous but light, passed over the strap of Raven's satchel as he withdrew, tucking something away with impossible finesse.
He excused himself with one last, subtle bow. "Hope the rest of your day is as interesting as this encounter."
He walked away, the three girls left in a moment of faint confusion—and a strange, lingering impression.
A minute later, Starfire reached for her communicator. Starfire's eyes grew round as she fumbled at her now-empty belt. She gasped, checking her belt. "My communicator… it's gone!"
At that moment, Miss Martian's hand instinctively went to her pocket, pressing gently—but then stopped. Her fingers lingered in a brief, stunned hesitation as she realized the familiar weight of her wallet was gone. She looked up, confusion and alarm flickering across her face. "He took my wallet… How did I not notice? We were standing right here."
Raven's eyes shadowed as she checked her satchel, fingers searching for her familiar, leather-bound book—only to close on emptiness. She drew a sharp breath, her aura flaring with a flash of cold anger before she reined it in. "We were robbed. While we were standing right here."
The words were soft, but edged with a chilling intensity, the shame and shock momentarily eclipsing the dread of her nightmare.
The three spun back, but the red-coated stranger was already lost in the park's shimmer and crowds. Not a trace remained—no name, no memory, only a fleeting brush.
"This wasn't random," Raven muttered, her voice low. "He was good—almost… too good. And there was something about him... a void."
Starfire looked between them, shocked disbelief melting into frustration. "But he seemed so polite! Why would he steal from us?"
Miss Martian shook her head, eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of the crimson coat. "We didn't even sense him. Whoever he was, he's not just a normal thief. And Raven's right, his mind… it was like a blank wall."
Raven's cloak tightened around her like a shield. The cold from her nightmare seemed to seep into sunlight itself. "Right now, he's a stranger—and a problem. We let our guard down." Her voice was soft, edged with shame. "Let's not make that mistake again."
The park, meant to offer comfort, now felt smaller—strange and uncertain, shadows blooming where the nightmare left off.
He slipped away into the city's flow—a ghost with no name, leaving only questions in his wake, and a chilling sense that their vulnerabilities had just been cataloged.
***
H.I.V.E. Tower
Jinx Navigates Her New Place.The newly rewired felt nothing like the chaotic lair Jinx once knew. Every door shimmered with cryptic sigils, every corridor pulsed with a digital intelligence that watched as much as it warned. Gone were the reckless little accidents and cheap tricks of the old crew. Now, each trap felt intentional—artful, almost respectful. The air hummed with concealed power, the cooling metal of the walls a constant presence under her fingertips.
Jinx padded through a section marked with glowing turquoise glyphs, her boots silent, senses prickling. She sidestepped a faintly buzzing threshold just as a fox-faced hologram winked into being, its blue light outlining every edge of the corridor.
[Trap zone 7-B is still armed. You're nimble, but let's keep our file on you sprain-free tonight.]
Jinx grinned, hands ghosting over a locked panel. She tapped a code out of habit—nothing happened but a turquoise flash.
[Access denied. Good effort, though.]
She huffed. "You never get bored watching me try, do you, Sage?"
[Only slightly more bored than when you don't try at all.]
Something about this AI—snarky, sharp—made the Tower feel less like a cage, more like an opponent. Jinx pushed on.
The lounge was still, monitors flickering with streams of encrypted data and city maps. She dropped into a casual lean, thinking over her last attempt to ping an old H.I.V.E. contact. Nothing. Even the underworld had gone quiet; no one was foolish enough to cross Wildcard, it seemed.
He emerged, as quietly as always—gold eyes sharp, crimson coat flowing like a ripple of dark wine. Jinx leaned on one hip and smiled.
"Out charming tourists again, Wildcard?"
He gave a one-shouldered shrug, as if the world's hazards deserved little more than a casual nod. "Had to test signal range. And lift a few trinkets."
"How very... rogue of you." Jinx eyed him up and down, a little longer than necessary. Her usual sneer flickered, replaced by a glint of genuine curiosity. She almost mocked his theatrics, but a different impulse, a desire to see what he'd do, held her back. "You always this dramatic, or just keeping me entertained?"
He offered that infuriating, subtle smirk. "Would you stay if I weren't?"
She didn't answer, letting the silence hang heavy—teasing, measuring. Their exchanges had grown sharper these past days, each one a step further over the invisible line between hostility and something... far less predictable.
Kairon moved closer, his presence quieter than his coat. Jinx felt her attention drawn in: the easy way he occupied space, the restless intelligence in every glance. She'd tested every door in this tower, found every lock changed. But he, somehow, was even less predictable.
[You two trip more alarms than the last ten infiltration teams combined. Shall I arrange popcorn or backup?] Sage's voice hovered with dry amusement.
Wildcard—Kairon—sat, reclining with careless confidence. "Ignore her. She gets chatty when the perimeter's quiet."
Jinx just let herself smile, genuinely, for the first time all day. No, she didn't trust him. Not even close. She'd already tried to reach out, to find some old ally, someone less dangerous. All she got was silence—and the realization that, for now at least, her world was reduced to this Tower, this AI, and the man who'd turned both into puzzles she was dying to solve.
She watched him watch her, cataloguing every expression, every pause. Each banter, every open challenge just made her want to see what would happen if she pressed a little harder. Kairon wasn't just a leader—he was a locked room. And Jinx, for all her old instincts to run, found herself wanting to pick every lock, to see just how clever he really was.
He caught her gaze—steady, curious, almost amused. Unspoken: Are you still chasing escape, or is it something else you're after?
Jinx shrugged, letting her smirk soften for a moment. Maybe trouble was worth a second look.
End of Chapter 33
Author's note :
Hey everyone,
Just a quick heads-up about a little change to our upload schedule! To make sure I can give both stories the attention they deserve and keep the quality high for you all, I'm adjusting how chapters will be dropping.
Starting now, you can expect new chapters of
"The Gale of Becoming " every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
And for those of you following : "Shadowbound Dreams: The Sailor's Path – A Fairy Tail Adventure" ,every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
This new rhythm will help me deliver more consistent and polished chapters for both books. Thanks so much for your understanding and continued support – it means the world to me!
Check Out My New Story!
Title:" A Scarlet Blooms in the Rain"
Pairing: Erza x Juvia (Fairy Tail)
Type: Wholesome F/F Fluff One-Shot.
Your thoughts and feedback would mean a lot! Please check it out and let me know what you think.
Happy reading!