016

— half a god, half a corpse—

SHE FELT LIKE A PUPPET TRAPPED TIGHTLY IN STRINGS, FOLLOWING COMMANDS OUT OF HER CONTROL. Hazel's feet carried her forward, her entire body burning, screaming to run back to the others. Every instinct begged her to turn around, but her body refused to listen, driven forward by the demonic magic. It was as if her brain had been scrambled, like an old TV signal, static-filled and disconnected, any thoughts or commands blocked by a magical barrier. Red and orange warning lights flashed blindingly before her eyes, yet she couldn't even squint, her body completely under Brother Blood's control.

The loud clang of her shoes against the metal grates of the staircase was the only sound that pierced through the blaring sirens, each step echoing through the empty space. She reached the top floor, her hand automatically pushing the emergency door open to reveal a long, darkened hallway, dozens of generators filling the space. The freezing air seemed to thicken as she moved forward, her body propelled towards the dozen soldiers standing in formation, their rifles trained on her.

"Gentlemen," Brother Blood's voice crackled over the loudspeakers, cold and commanding. "Allow my guest to pass."

Without hesitation, the men stepped aside, their faces expressionless as they cleared a path for her. Hazel walked through the massive metal doors, her heart pounding against the freezing cold grip that held her prisoner in her own body.

The Titans scrambled through the halls and emergency tunnels, their focus split between searching rooms, checking employee exits, and racing toward the upper floors. But it seemed no matter how they tried, there was no sign of Hazel— as if she had seemingly vanished into thin air. The panic that had begun to seep into Cole's mind had turned into desperate fear, searching for any sign of Hazel. Cole sprinted to a nearby power board and yanked it open, his hands shaking as he twisted and melded the wires with small electric shocks, connecting them to his phone.

"What are you doing?" Gar hissed, his voice filled with frustration and fear.

"If I can hook this up, I can tap into the camera system and find her," Cole said in a rush, his words tumbling over each other as his fingers quickly moved across his phone's screen. "Better than running around like headless fucking chickens."

The grainy, lagging camera feed from the building's system sputtered to life on Cole's phone, a pixelated mess of blue and grey. But it was enough—barely. It felt like he was trying to hack into his old Atari, but it would have to do.

"Nightwing! I see her!" Cole shouted, his voice a mixture of relief and urgency.

Gar immediately peered over Cole's shoulder, his heart pounding as he watched the flickering image of Hazel walking through a set of doors. The gunmen on the screen shifted back into position as the doors closed tightly behind her. Without a second thought, Gar snatched the phone from Cole's hands, his eyes locked onto the feed.

"She's outside the Icarus Lab," Gar said quickly, turning to Dick as he rushed over. "But there's a metahuman assault squad guarding the door."

Dick's expression hardened, taking a deep breath as he looked at the footage. Cole took his phone back and bolted down the hall, catching up with the others who were already sprinting toward the fire exit. They flung the doors open and charged up the staircase, fear pushing them faster with each step.

"Why would he bring her up there?" Kory questioned; her breath heavy as she climbed. "She's Videl—she could kill him."

"Not if he's controlling her," Gar suggested, his voice filled with dread.

"Why not put a spell on all of us?" Tim asked, his tone laced with confusion.

"Because he needs her for something," Cole answered grimly.

"Oh my God, Dick," Rachel suddenly gasped, her eyes wide as she froze mid-step.

Dick turned to her, and in that instant, everything clicked. "Hazel's not his problem; Videl's his solution," he realised, the words rushing out as he broke into a sprint, Gar close on his heels. "He's gonna try and use her to power the Gate."

Hazel's footsteps echoed as she stepped into the near empty, unfinished lab. She stepped around the tables and equipment covered in sheets and plastic coverings. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, the lab having absolutely minimal use. Hazel stopped in the centre of the room, her glazed white eyes staring up at the glass dome built into the wall. It was alive with a red light, flashing and coating the room in its crimson colour.

The demonic power left her body in a rush, almost like it was trying to pull her skin apart. She stumbled, her head spinning as she tried to catch her breath. "Hello Hazel," Brother Blood spoke up, his voice echoing through the lab, his tone low and threatening. "I must thank you for letting me in." He stepped from the shadows and Hazel narrowed her eyes at him. He stopped just a few metres from her and grinned, "I bet you wish you killed me when you had the chance."

"I can kill you now," Hazel hissed, taking a brave step closer, glaring at the demon. "And you weren't a psycho 2 weeks ago."

"I was weak," he hissed, his voice almost shaking. "You liked me better when I was weak."

"I didn't like you at all," Hazel snapped, stepping closer again. "I still don't."

Sebastian shook his head and walked towards a computer, the data running quickly to create the wormhole to Vema. "Look. Earth and Vema will finally meet," he cooed, his voice almost filled with childlike wonder. "When the gate is fully charged, I am going to send this garbage-covered excuse for a planet hurtling through space to destroy perfection."

Hazel shook her head softly, chuckling softly under her breath. It made Sebastien turn to her, his eyes darkening. "You're pathetic," she scoffed, a small smile on her face that made Sebastion's body fill with anger. "You couldn't even make your own game, so you used daddy's power. Now you can't even make an original plan," Hazel argued. "Poor bastard boy too afraid to disappoint daddy."

"And aren't you?" he questioned, stepping into her space. "Fixing your fathers mistake?"

Hazel nodded softly, "Yes but the difference, people will remember me." Hazel shrugged at the demon and smirked. "The Demi-God of Existence, creating pure light, forever young. You?" Hazel tilted her head. "You're nothing. An excuse of a boy who has no ideas of his own."

Sebastian began to circle around Hazel, eyes her closely, watching the runes on her skin begin to burn through the fabric of her armour. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. When you murder someone and drink their life's blood from their beating heart, you really get to know them," Sebastion smiled at her and it made her skin crawl. "It turns out, my father's deepest fear was that one day you would be too powerful to stop, like your father." Sebastion stopped in front of her, staring deep into her eyes. "I won't let anyone have power over me. Never again."

"Icarus Gate targeting computations complete," The computer announced.

Hazel glanced at the gate to her right, feeling the light building bright and burning harder. "You're thinking of destroying it, aren't you?" Sebastian hummed, walking around to peer over Hazel's shoulder, his breath fanning across her face. "Or maybe. . . Maybe you're thinking of sacrificing yourself to destroy me. Either way, it doesn't matter. Any power you release in this room will be instantly absorbed by the Gate's power coil, bringing it to full capacity."

To prove his point Sebastion grabbed Hazel's arm, and her body sparked a red flare in defence. Before it could even push Brother Blood away all of her light shot into the dome starting the power up. Sebastian leaned close again, grabbing Hazel's other arm. "It's waiting for your energy, Videl. It's hungry for it. And you're the only person on Earth who can feed it. . ."

Hazel whipped her head back cracking the bones in his nose. She elbowed him and as he keeled over in pain, she grabbed him by the arm and flipped him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground. Hazel was quick to run and kick him in the jaw. The anger and adrenaline in her veins set her light off again, burning through the sleeves of her suit.

Hazel hissed through her teeth and stepped back, trying to settle her breath as Brother Blood stood. "Then that's your end, isn't it?" Hazel scoffed, her anger still very much there. "I use my power, you die. Earth goes into the wormhole, and you die. You. Don't. Win."

Sebastion shook his head, "Gods don't die. You should know that."

Hazel scoffed, "You're not a God."

"I am a God!" Brother Blood shouted, his voice booming off the walls. "My whole life— My whole life, all I ever wanted was love and acceptance, and all I got in return was cruelty and pain."

"You're not owed anything," Hazel snapped. "You want a fair world. It doesn't work like that."

Sebastian sighed, "It took me a long time to realise that cruelty and pain are the only true principles of existence. And you either suffer them, or you inflict them," Sebastion stepped closer to Hazel again, watching as she tried to keep her light from igniting her eyes. "It's time for other people to suffer. I'm done suffering." Sebastion turned to stare at the dome of red pulsating light. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Hazel laughed to herself shaking her head. "I won't help you destroy my family," Hazel snapped. "Either on one of them."

Brother Blood turned to her, his eyes black and red with demonic power. "Yes, you will." He flung his hand out, demonic magic racing towards her, but she managed to block it from hitting her, but not a second later all the light was absorbed, initiating the gate's power sequence. Hazel turned to fight Brother Blood, but he was already in front of her, driving a bone dagger deep into her stomach.

Hazel cried out in pain and before she even had a chance to catch her breath Brother Blood flung her across the room. Wires, cables poles twisting and reaching for Hazel, driving deep into her skin and pulling her back into a machine. The machines started up, powering the gate and pulling at Hazel's power. Hazel screamed out in pain, her power pulling from her body, burning like someone had begun tearing at her skin.

The computer beeped, "Power is at 11 percent."

Tim hid himself behind the generators, pulling a pair of heat vision goggles, scanning over the dark hallway bathed in dark red light. "12. Armoured. Riot gear," Tim listed off, as the others crowded closer.

Dick turned to Rachel and motioned her out, "We're gonna need some cover." Rachel nodded quickly and she quickly ducked behind the generators on the other side, Gar and Kory following her. Tim stepped back and Dick crouched down, pulling a trio of smoke bombs from his utility belt. He nodded and tossed the smoke bombs out, the ringing sound catching the attention of the gunmen. The smoke bombs went off and the men began to fire wildly. Rachel quickly jumped out, shielding herself and the others as they ran forward.

Kory ran around the generators and slammed her powers into the ground in front of the gunmen, melting their riot shields and blinding them for a few moments. They quickly dived for cover as Cole rushed forward and shot bright purple light at the gunmen, forcing them to drop their weapons.

Dick and Tim ran forwards handling the closest ones, pushing and forcing back into the corner and into defence. There was a familiar sickening sound cracking of bones and then a green wolf leapt over Tim, knocking over the group of men. Beast Boy pulled one man to the ground, tossing him around carelessly, slamming the man into the floor without thought. Cole spun around one man, discharging a large blast of electricity as he did that took him down quickly.

Robin spun his staff, fighting off a pair as Kory held back another three, her blue power sparking with each punch. Rachel quickly sent a blast of pure golden demonic energy at the three men, knocking them over and spreading them around the hall. Nightwing and Poison were quick to take down the dazed trio, making use of Dick's electric batons and charging them with Cole's power.

Robin dodged a punch and kicked a man to the ground, following up with a powerful swing with his baton to the man's head that knocked him out cold. Tim didn't even get a moment to look at the other man as Raven created a hell portal beneath the gunman. Golden demonic tentacles emerged from the portal in the ground, wrapping around him with an eerie grip. He screamed as tentacles pulled him down, dragging him into an unknown hellscape, the ground closing up behind him as if he had never existed.

Gar growled at the men in front of him and leapt towards them. But before they even realised it, Beast Boy transformed from a wolf onto a large bear, knocking the man knocking and cracking his skill into the floor. Not a second later he was a man again, joining Dick in a fist fight with a taller burly man.

A gunman had ducked away from the fight and re-armed himself with a large flame thrower. He locked eyes with Cole and sent a flame bellowing towards him. Cole quickly rolled out of the way, the flames bouncing off the back of his jacket, but never burning or melting the fabric. Cole spun and spun his eyes burning bright red and sending one thought in his mind, sleep. The men fell face first to the floor, the flame throwing slipping from his hands.

The final three men of the assault squad composed themselves and faced the Titans re-armed with their guns. Starfire and Raven glanced at each other, sharing a knowing smile. They quickly charged their power and shot them at the men, the blue and golden energy twisting into a hurricane of power. It smashed against the men, exploding in a bang of bright colours and sent a small shock wave through the hall making them stumble for a second.

Once the residue energy faded into the air, Tim and Cole were racing to the lab door trying to open the doors regularly. But when that didn't work Tim connected Cole's phone and used it to override the security systems, by breaking all security laws known to man. There was a groan of metal, and the doors slowly began to open, screeching along the metal tracks. Cole stepped in front of the door and took a deep breath, his hands powering up with bright lightning, hoping to see that ugly demon bastard and beat him senseless. 

— legacies —