013

— ot zelds, in death —

July 19, 2019

IT HAD BEEN FIFTEEN DAYS SINCE TERRAN AND RACHEL ARRIVED AT PARADISE ISLAND, THE AMAZONS GLADLY TEACHING THE PAIR THEIR WAYS IN CULTURE AND TRAINING. Both girls had been forced out of their more comfortable gothic clothing into pristine whistle dresses and armour, fitting in with the other girls on the island. And for 15 days, neither Terran nor Rachel had succeeded in even beginning to help Donna.

Terran was wandering along one of the beaches, looking out over the water. She had just come off hours of training with two of the younger girls. Terran was new to this training for a fight concept; she ended up defending herself against the girls until they wore themselves down. One of the elder ladies congratulated Terran on outsmarting the pair, but then chastised her for taking the hard way out of an easy situation.

Terran stretched the muscles of her back and looked further down to the beach where the tall fortress walls began. Rachel was a few metres ahead of her, fussing around a bunch of flower bushes by the long stone wall. Terran walked up to her, stopping behind the demon girl. Terran's eyebrows were furrowed as Rachel's hands fumbled around. "You lose something'?" Terran asked, squinting at the sun.

"Do you see any pomegranates?" Rachel asked, barely sparing a glance at Terran.

Terran furrowed her eyebrows, "The fruit?"

"The flower!" Rachel huffed. "It's her favourite, I thought maybe if I attach some magic to it, I could send her a message, maybe show her I care cause the last couple weeks I've been a mess." Rachel took a breath and stepped from the bushes, walking over to Terran. "It's July 19."

"Thank you human calendar," Terran teased, raising her eyebrows.

Rachel rolled her eyes and slapped Terran's arm. "It's Hazel's birthday," Rachel explained, taking a soft breath. "I thought maybe I could send her a flower as a happy birthday gift, to start making up for being a bitch." Rachel turned back, her hands on her hips as she looked over the greenery.

Terran nodded and held her hand out, a light orange pomegranate sprouting from her palm. "Rache," Terran called. Rachel turned back, taking the flower as Terran plucked it from her palm. "Say happy birthday from me."

Rachel quickly thanked her and sat against one of the large rocks, the flower floating in her palms. "What's your favourite flower?" Terran asked, watching Rachel's magic bleed into the flower. Rachel responded with a confused hum and Terran sighed, taking a seat beside her. "Flower. What's your favourite?"

"Oh, uh Dahlias I guess," Rachel mumbled, keeping her focus on the soft red leaves.

Terran hummed, "Duly noted."

November 17, 2020

Terran had never explored the limits of her powers, sticking close to what she had discovered naturally but as Lydia continued to tell Terran stories of her family, confirming Hazel's suspicions of who their father is, Lydia also pushed her. Terran's sound manipulation had grown stronger, tearing apart buildings and shattering swords, her vines grew quick and strong, holding back anyone that faced her in training.

Her walking, as Lydia called it, was weak and unpredictable, fuelled by panic and dread. Terran needed to walk through limbo as strong and confidently as she did in the real world. It led to Rachel secretly watching over Terran while she trained. She had two amazons watching her, but Rachel couldn't help but keep a close eye on her.

Terran wandered a world void of any colour, just shades of grey. She stepped through the thick woods, a mist just as heavy swallowing the snowy ground. Just as she stepped over a large log, the sickening snap of a branch made her spin around. Her eyes scanned the woods, watching the mist settle from where the branch hit the snow.

Suddenly, a shape emerged from the mist ahead, its form indistinct and shifting like smoke. Terran's heart skipped a beat as fear coiled in the pit of her stomach, her instincts screaming at her to flee. Her feet were firmly planted in place, frozen as she watched the terrible figure stalk closer. Its features were lost in the dark smoke, spilling over the edges of his demonic mask.

With a trembling breath, Terran summoned all her courage and forced herself to face the demon. As she drew closer, her power boiling beneath her skin, the figure dissolved into wisps of shadow, leaving behind only the echo of its chilling presence.

Terran took a breath, her nerves settling slightly. She turned to continue the original way she was wandering, but when she turned, she came face to face with several of the demonic mist creatures, their heads tilted as they stared at the young girl. All the panic raced back into her body as the beasts began to stalk closer.

"Terran!"

Terran's eyes snapped open, her hands fumbling to grab the hands tightly holding her shoulders. She was at a loss for breath, her skin clammy and hot. Terran looked up at Rachel who looked both relieved and concerned at once. "Rachel? I-"

Terran stopped as her hands drifted to her face, collecting the blood that had begun to leak from her nose and down her skin. "Hey," Rachel took Terran's hand, her thumb running soothing lines across her knuckles. "You're okay Claire."

Terran took a breath, her shaking hands stopping. "Did you just call me by my last name?" Terran repeated. "I thought we had moved on to a first name basis." Rachel cackled, her head dropping as she laughed at Terran.

March 30, 2021

Terran and Rachel stood shoulder to shoulder with a dozen other girls, each channelling power deep within them as they looked upon Donna's body. It was like she had been frozen in time, her skin still a fair pale, her long black hair flowing behind her. Both Terran and Rachel kept quiet, both keeping their eyes on Donna, but Rachel had started to grow antsy.

Rachel's fingers begin to tap and Terran didn't have a chance to stop her before her eyes and diamond ignited a bright red as she focused on Donna's body. Lydia sensed the shift and her eyes snapped up toward the girls. Terran gently slapped Rachel's hand and Rachel willed the power away, she and Terran stilling once again.

Once the ritual came to close, everyone slowly walked from the golden room. Rachel walked off with an older girl as Valoria, a girl just months older than Terran, caught up to the demi-god. "Are you up for some training, Terran?" She asked, looking at Terran with expectant eyes.

"I suppose I don't really get a choice," Terran groaned. She followed Valoria down to the beach, unclipping the long coat from her shoulders and tossing it aside. Valoria unsheathed her long sword and faced Terran with her weapon raised. "S'pose you won't go easy on me?"

Valoria slashed right at Terran, and she barely had time to dodge it, her feet kicking up sand. Terran shouted in surprise, but Valoria continued her attacks. Terran focused on the light sound of the sword slicing through the air, waiting for Valoria to swing again. When she did, Terran caught the sound making the sword crash into the force.

Valoria tossed her sword, catching it in her opposite direction to continue attacking but Terran flicked her hands, vines sprouting from the ground to create a wall to block the attack. Valoria switched back to her other hand, striking at Terran but she quickly dodged the slashes, ducking and side stepping the swings. At her final swing Terran threw her hand out, the vine spinning to grab the sword and pull it from Valoria's hands.

"Okay," Valoria panted throwing her hands up, "Kinda mean."

Terran laughed and straightened, taking the sword from the mess of vines. "Sorry," Terran apologised, not very sorry. She handed the sword back to Valoria who spun it in her hands. They trained until the sun felt like it was melting their skin, both exhausted but refusing to let up until one collapsed. Only when Terran sent a shockwave across the beach did Valoria surrender, collapsing into the sand. Terran did the same a second later.

"Finished practising?" Lydia questioned, walking toward the pair. Valoria quickly scrambled to her feet, but Terran remained splayed out on the sand, her hand pressed against her chest as she tried to calm her racing heart. "Good, you need to continue your training with-"

"Riya ditched me weeks ago," Terran said through short breaths. "Something about... I can't remember."

"You were rude and scared her off," Lydia reminded.

"She was treating me like crap," Terran snapped, remembering the long argument she had with the woman. She took a breath and stood, brushing the sand from her clothes as she finally looked at the older woman. "I'll train with my wandering crap, but I'm doing it alone."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Valoria asked.

"Only if I screw up."

Terran walked through the snow lands, following a long winding road toward a familiar energy. The air was still, quiet, almost eerily so as she searched beyond the fields, she normally stayed close to. She stopped and stepped off the road, standing on what could've been a sidewalk and she stared up at the grey sky, snow falling onto her nose.

Her attention was torn away at the sound of an approaching engine, a car stopping just metres from her. "Fuck are you?" Terran shouted. Terran furrowed her eyebrows, watching as a man opened the door and stepped out; Terran's jaw dropped when she recognized him. "Hank?" Terran questioned, her voice almost squeaking.

"Hey kid," He greeted with a large smile. "You goin' somewhere? Or are you wandering the snowland of fuck knows where we are." Terran couldn't help but laugh as she walked to him, stopping just by the car. "You want a ride?"

"You're dead." It was meant to be a question, but her tone was so stern it became a statement.

"Long story," Hank said with a shrug. "We'll circle back. Where are you going, kid?"

Terran shook her head and walked around to the passenger side of the car, sliding into the seat and Hank did the same. "I'm following Donna's energy," Terran explained, and Hank's eyes widened. He started the car, continuing down the snowy road. "The past couple of months it's been stuck and I haven't been able to track it, but the last few days..."

"You think you and Rachel found her?" Hank questioned.

"That is the hope," Terran said with a nod.

Hank followed Terran's directions until she noticed two figures speeding by. She shouted for Hank to stop, and the car skidded into park. Terran jumped from the car, stepping into the thick snow as Donna and a young boy raced towards her. "Donna! Car!" Terran shouted.

Donna's steps faltered for a moment before she grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him towards the road. The misty demons that had been following them stopped once they turned the corner. Terran focused on the sound of the rushing wind, and she hurled large shockwave at them, making them burst into black mist. Terran jumped back into the car, Hank speeding off once again.

"Oh my god," Donna cursed as her eyes focused on Hank.

He looked back at her through the rearview mirror and smiled coyly. "Looks like we got some catching up to do," Hank said with a chuckle. They drove for a little while more before Hank finally sighed. He looked in the mirror once more before positioning it to see Donna. "I think we lost 'em."

"We've been good for a while, but the extra distance helps," Terran mumbled. She twisted, looking over her shoulder as the boy who had passed out, slumping against the window. Terran's eyes drifted to Donna and she looked up. "Who's he?" She questioned.

"I don't really know. His name is Tim," Donna said, shrugging softly.

"Is he okay?" Hank questioned.

"Probably still got the Fog," Terran shrugged. "Did you know that God's call it Dri'es Nul?" Terran questioned looking around. "It's a way to make people's decision to let go easy. The whole process itself is called Arrp-klotow." Donna raised her eyebrows and Terran shrugged, "It pretty much means releasing."

"What language are you speaking?" Donna questioned.

"Veman, god's language," Terran explained, twisting around in her seat properly. "Hank knows, but you've been dead, so, tdlr, Hazel and I are Demi-gods." Terran looked at Donna through the mirror with a smile. "What were you doing in the woods?" Terran asked, stopping Donna from questioning Terran.

Donna stammered for a moment before motioning to the sleeping boy "Um... he jumped off the train, freaked out or something, so I followed him," Donna relayed in a rush. "What the fuck were those things back there?"

"Ghouls," Hank answered. "You gotta fancy a name for those too?"

"No..." Terran muttered under her breath. "Boa'kd Zur'batk, Mist Demons. They chase people trying to escape death."

"Yeah, I gathered that," Donna huffed.

"It's kind of a no man's land out here," Hank continued and Terran nodded. "Your soul's up for grabs. Ghouls will steal your soul if they get close enough, and if they get you, they take you down. All the way down. To Hades. To Hades, right?"

Terran shrugged, "Of sorts. And uh. . . the other thing?"

"What other thing?" Hank questioned.

"Well, I don't know. You're dead!" Donna butted in.

"Oh!" Hank laughed softly. "That thing. Yeah."

Terran raised her eyebrows expectantly, "What happened?" Terran asked.

"Jason. Fucking. Todd," Hank cursed.

"What?" Donna and Terran spoke at once.

"I know, right?" Hank scoffed.

Donna paused for a moment, trying to make sense of Hank's words. "I mean, Jason's always been fucked up and had problems, but why would he kill you?" Donna questioned.

"Oh, you think I know?" Hank scoffed, throwing his hand up. "He started taking some fucked-out drug, started dressing like Deathstroke meets the Gimp, calls himself Red Hood, whatever that means," Hank listed off. "Next thing you know he went batshit nuts, strapped a bomb to my chest and... Kaboom!"

The others jumped and Tim scrambled awake as Hank started to laugh. Hank smiled, laughing at Terran who had begun to curse out Hank in every way she could think of. Hank looked back through the mirror at the boy who was looking around in shock. "Just wanna make sure you're still kicking back there, kid," Hank justified.

"You're still an asshole," Donna muttered as Terran finally caught her breath.

"He's with us. You're good. Take a chill pill," Hank rambled looking at Tim through the mirror. "Anyway, classic Gotham bullshit."

"My God. I'm so sorry, Hank," Donna apologised and Hank hummed. Donna's eyes widened and she gasped softly, "Oh, my God. Dawn. She must be devastated."

"She better be," Hank snapped. Terran glanced at Hank before back at Donna. "I know what you're thinking Little Ivy," Hank hummed and Terran's eyes snapped up to him. "Kiddo stuck around the whole time. She's... well y'know." Terran nodded softly and kept her gaze ahead as Hank continued to drive.

He stopped the car outside a large, fancy motel, a large sign reading Twilight Owl splayed on the front. Terran furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she and the other stepped out of the car, but they all followed Hank through the oak doors. "Malcom?" Hank called and a young Asian man walked out from the hall to greet him.

Malcolm observed the group, his eyes pausing on the door before looking up at Hank. "You on your own?" Malcolm questioned.

"Uh, my friends and I had a little run-in, but we left them on the road," Hank relayed. "My friend here shot 'em away." Terran waved softly and Malcom gave an appreciative nod.

Malcolm took a breath and smiled brightly before motioning around himself, "Welcome to the Twilight Owl. My name is Malcolm. Pleased to meet you," Malcolm greeted. "Now you folks look like you can use a little pick-me-up."

"This one's gonna need some food," Hank added, looking at Tim. "I will take the drink."

"Wait, I thought you and Hazel made a deal to stop drinking?" Terran questioned, stepping closer to Hank.

"Hazel started drinking?" Donna asked.

Hank looked down at Terran and she shrugged. "She died nearly 100 times in four days, killed a lot of people and then you died," Terran recalled. "Fucked her up a bit."

"She started drinking and one day she went too far, and she wound up in DC," Hank added. "She stayed with me for a while, we promised we both stop fucking ourselves up. And was a good deal when I was alive." Hank sighed and looked over the tables. He looked up at Donna and motioned them on, "We need to talk."

"Grab a table," Malcolm nodded. He turned to Tim and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Let's get you fixed up," Malcolm encouraged.

"I gotta get home," Tim called, looking over at everyone.

"We'll figure it out okay Tim, me and my friends are working on it," Terran reassured, and Tim nodded. "You just get something to eat, take some time to catch your breath." Tim nodded and followed Malcolm to the bar. Terran looked back at Hank and Donna. "I have to get back, tell Rachel about everything, she might have something."

"We'll be here," Hank teased.

Terran sneered at him before smiling properly, "Hold fast you lot." 

— rage —