Nightmare and Healing

There was nothing but pain and darkness.

And flames.

It was strange. He could see the flickering motion of flames in the darkness but there was no light coming off them. Only the faintest change of different hues of black and the wild movement gave any hint of them being there.

He craned his neck from on side to the other, trying to see anything at all. Nothing but the dark flames. Until, it, arrived.

It was there before he realized, just standing there outside the odd ring of dark flames around him. There was no shape or color difference, but just a feeling, a pressure that told him something was there. A large feeling, as if someone was sitting on his chest, demanding attention, demanding something.

The darkness was finally broken when two very different colors appeared where the figure was. A set of white sharp teeth, and a single fire red eye. All around him, more teeth and eyes appeared from the darkness. They slowly approached as the ring of black flames grew closer.

He screamed.

---

He was in a bed, sitting upright, panting hard and covered in sweat. Then the pain caught up to him, making Cole grip his side. His hand making a weird crackle noise as he felt at his body. Looking down, the man saw a large mass of medical tape and padding attached to his side.

"That explains that…,” Cole thought as he fought to clear his head.

Was that a dream? A vision? What had he just seen? Cole wracked his brain but came up with nothing. Simply that he had been scared of something. Enough to shock him into waking up. Probably something to do with the Golem…

“That’s right what happened…” Cole grumbled as he tried to get up.

His right arm didn’t really respond though, making it hard for him to get up. His legs weren’t helping either, and the rush to get up made his head dizzy. Cole had to content him self to processing where he was.

Once his mind caught up and he got his bearings, Cole realized he was in the book shop’s hidden hero room. And rather than a bed, the Boxer was resting in well… he wasn’t sure. It looked and felt like a cross between a Hospital bed, a gurney, and an operating table. Was oddly comfy though, the building’s minor magic helping with that no doubt:

"Raven must have been able to drag me back here." he thought as his mind drifted to the event.

As he had been halfway to accepting his ****, he saw a flicker of movement above the Golem’s head. It had been Raven, in some weird new costume. At the time, he’d hoped to pass the info off to her about how the Golem worked. Raven probably could have brute **** it given her abilities and skill. He just felt like giving her a head up, masked as the angry last shot comments towards Slate, would be helpful.

Maybe it did, maybe she didn’t need it. Honestly last thing he remembered was Raven turning the Golem into a pincushion. After that was just pain followed by darkness, and then that dream. Ugh, trying to remember it made him a little queasy thinking about it.

"Where was Raven anyway?" he muttered as he looked around more.

As if waiting for the question, a shadow appeared near his bed, shaping into a bird like visage before Raven stepped out. She held a tray with a bowl of soup and a cup filled with what looked like tea, along with a few pills off to the side. She quickly put the tray over his legs while she frowned at him.

“I see you’re awake now.” came her voice with an air of annoyance.

“Yeah I’m up, still kinda sorry but doing okay. I think.” Cole offered up, not looking in her eyes.

“Good.”

Slap!

Raven’s hand flew out faster than he seen punches come out: and stung a lot harder than he expected. He ran a hand over his cheek while tried to blink away the stars.

“Ow what was…” he paused, his mind catching up to his mouth before holding up one hand, “Okay I deserved that.”

“Oh?” She asked, holding her hand up again, “I thought I was going to have to do this a few times.”

“No… no…, I was dumb and almost got us both killed if that life pact actually does work. If you want to slap me again, I feel it’s your right to.” Cole said as he braced himself or another hit.

It never came. Instead, he felt a soft small pat on his head. He opened up his eyes to see Raven giving his head a small affirmative pat. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

“You did good.”

“Bruh?” Cole could only stammer out.

“Well, no you did poorly, but the end result was good.” She said with a glare, as she pulled a seat close and motioned for him to eat, “Though you beat two criminals, the fact you just left me without knowing I could track you, and not choosing to retreat…, I can see why you didn’t.”

“Before you ask, yes the mother and daughter are okay. I doubled back to check after I dragged your stupid ass back here.”

“That’s good.” He said with a sigh before taking a spoonful into his mouth.

He ate slowly, alternating between some soup here and some of the tea there. Raven explained the tea was one of those herbal healing mixtures, and given Raven had made it, probably was helpful. He stared at the pills on the tray before Raven told them it was standard pain relievers. If she thought he need them, it was probably a bad sign.

“Gonna hurt like hell when the treatment wears off.” He grumbled before swallowing them before giving her a hard look, “So what’s the damage.”

“Your left arm was basically shattered, a broken bone in your right. Numerous cuts and lacerations. Deep cut in your temple, and damage to your right eye. Legs didn’t have anything broken, probably due to you going flying but also had a number of cuts. Three broken ribs and a length of rebar pierced in your side leanding to massive blood lost and tissue damage.” She answered with skipping a beat.

He stopped eating, almost dropping the spoon he held. That level of damage was..., akin to getting into a car wreck. How was he still alive, Hell how was he still able to move like this? At best he sounded like he should be crippled, in a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

“….how…”

“Are you still alive?” She finished, moving the tray as she saw his hands trembling. “A good question. Part of it was due my own healing abilities, but if I had to guess, that potion had something to do with it. While you were out, I reread the info pamphlet. It did mention increased physical abilities and that faster healing was one of them”

“Though I was hoping you’d tell me.” She thought as her mind drifted.

---

It had been a rush last night.

She had called security before teleporting back to their ‘hideout’, taking on a moment to wipe any trace that would allow the police to track them. Once inside the 'hidden room', Raven quickly got to work.

Tossing Cole onto a treatment bed, no doubt out in place by the house dragged out of storage by some reflex, Raven started grab medical supplies while her mind raced. How to stop the bleeding, what tools to grab, how long could he live, what magic could she use? All this and more filled her mind as she ran back to Cole, quickly starting to strip his bloody clothes.

“….Raven…..”

She cracked open the med kit she had grabbed, the contents spilling onto the floor. She hurried to grab anything useful.

“Raven…”

In her haste she cut herself on some of the scissors, ignoring it as she made a reach for…

“Alight would you?”

Slap!

Her face stung as she processed the slap to her face…, and who had hit her.

Before her stood…, herself. Clad in the same attire she wore, only green with forest camo, thicker boots and armor, and heavy gloves. A hand came up and patted her other cheek a little hard but no where near as hard as the slap.

“You Good now?” the green figure asked with a big grin on her face.

“… I… wait… where… why…”

“Focus Raven.”

She turned her head. Standing next to her was another clone; this one wearing a version on her work outfit. Only in yellow with a longer dress and glasses. Oddly she had the same hair color as the work disguise too. Several books floated around her.

“Wait…. Knowledge..?” She spoke, looking at the reflection of herself that stood for all her brilliance and intelligence, “and… Courage… why are you outside…”

“Outside? Look around, you’re inside.” The Green Raven said with a wide gesture.

Raven blinked. She hadn’t even processed that she was inside her own mindscape. The white blank void along with all the 'holding cells' of her different selves were around her. But how did she get here without even realizing it?

“I brought you here.” came a voice.

Zen’s shimmering form came into view giving Raven a warm smile and a hand. She took it and stood up, once more not realizing that she’d been sitting.

“Look I don’t know why or how but I can’t stay here, Cole’s dying as we…” Raven fought to say, trying to not freak out from all the processing she was trying to do.

“It’s fine. Zen did something.” Courage spoke up as she put an arm over Raven's shoulder.

“Essentially, our perception of time is faster here. Minutes can go by but outside it’s only a few seconds.” Knowledge explained after cracking open a nearby tome that floated nearby.

“So why drag me in here?” Raven asked, her voice starting to lose it's shakiness.

“You are panicked, worried, confused. I figured it would be best to center yourself here, lest you lose everything. And with these two, and another, I believe they can set you on the right path.” Zen explained to her

“Another?”

“Me.” came a voice.

Raven whipped around sending her cloak twirling. Before her stood another clone, this one just a little smaller. Clad in a deep blue, with swirls on her cloak, she looked up at the taller prime form. Her eyes shining brightly. Raven gave a small weak laugh at the sight before her.

“…. I wasn’t sure you were still around Hope.”

“You’ve been through a lot. And that Zen thing had to dig me up… out out. Was kinda a facet Joy…, but need something a little more focused. Look I like Joy… but she’d break down or put colored bandages on him.” Hope offered with a smile.

“Alright… questions for later…, what is the plan now.” Raven said as she started to focus back the important thing, "We have to save Cole to save ourselves."

“The plan is this,” Zen started with a clap of her hands before passing beside each clone,“When you return back to yourself, these three shall be with you in ****. No cage, no barrier, fully linked to you."

“Courage for a steady hand, Knowledge for the needed information, and Hope to push forward.” Zen explained.

“Hmm. You can seal and unseal my emotions as needed. We’ll have to talk later. Saving Cole is first.”

The four figures nodded in agreement. Raven focused and opened her eyes. She was back beside the bed, tools scattered around her, and Cole’s in the middle of dying. Only this time, there were hints of three other colors in Raven’s violet eyes.

She stood and waved an arm towards the side. Yellow energy gathered around several tools and quickly lifted them into the air, leaving them floating nearby. Green shackles formed and removed what was left of Cole’s clothing before pinning him down firmly to the bed. Blue envy covered his nose and mouth, acting as a breathing mask.

“Let’s get to work.” she said aloud more for herself. Only for her voice to sound like four voices spoke at once.

It was a long process. Knowledge had to keep researching topics and solutions, some either by searches through medical books(in the store or on the web), or deep inside her own mind. Raven’s skill with healing magic had waned in the last few years. Mainly due to her own disuse of it but also because of her demonic heritage. Demons were good at healing themselves, not others after all, so as her demonic powers flared she lost some of her supportive abilities.

In essence, Raven was operating like a surgeon, with three assistants mentally connected to her. Pressure and cleaning here, drain and set there, a healing ward to disinfect over there; having access to three sides of her working in harmony was quite useful. Usually she'd only fuse with them as a whole and that tended to be a brief moment. Maybe Zen was more useful than she thought.

The only real problem was how much blood Cole seemed to have lost and was still losing. It wasn’t like she could materialize new blood for him. How would the house even react to such a request...., start with BBQ sauce?

“What is his type anyway?” Rave thought as she worked to stop more bleeding.

“Raven. A moment.” came a voice inside her.

Raven took a sharp intake of air as she focused on Knowledge. The other two could take over for a second. This better be important but she gave Knowledge the go ahead to continue.

“Humans usually have about 8 to 12 pints of blood, at least the kind we commonly think of, the circulating kind. By my guess, Cole has lost about thirty percent or more of it.” came the rather know it all voice.

“And your point being?” Raven asked with a growl, hoping she’d get on with it.

“First, he probably should be dead already given the numbers." Knowledge simply put, "And second, for all the blood he’s lost, his blood pressure isn’t going down.”

“How’s that possible?” Raven shot back, as another voice grabbed her attention.

“Hey Uh, look at his arm.” Courage spoke up.

She didn’t see anything wrong with it. That was until some prodding from her other selves to look inside. Using a spell to see within, she was treated to a weird sight. Black web like strands had attached to his shattered bones, and were slowly pulling them back together. As she watched, two pieces attached together as if they were parts of a vase glued back together. As the black mass dissolved away, pristine bone was left behind.

“He’s regenerating. How is that… the potion? The one that gave him his powers?”

“Accelerated healing was something listed on the handout.” Knowledge said, pulling up a mental picture of the handout that came with the potion.

It was risky, but worth it. Raven summoned forth the box containing the bottles and cracked one open. Removing the mask around his face, she poured the liquid into his mouth and worked his throat to make sure he swallowed it. The liquid eventually made it's way down.

His body tensed up as the potion took effect. The black substance spread across his body, quickly regrowing or attaching parts damaged or severed. Grunts of pain came from his mouth as Raven could hear his bones being knitted back together and skin sewed closed.

“His temperature is spiking.” Knowledge spoke up, a small poke in the back of Raven’s mind, “You might want to check on that.”

“Right… got it.” she muttered, shaken out of her trance.

As Knowledge had said, his temperature had massively spiked. Whatever was healing him made his body cook like a baked potato. Most of Raven’s power was spent trying to keep him from cooking himself. She wasn't sure if his strange healing would outpace the damage of the high temperature. Besides it seemed like whatever was actually healing him was only focusing on the most drastic injuries first. This left Raven free to deal with the smaller and more numerous wounds, like the rock shrapnel.

Finally, at the end of it, Cole was back in one piece and soundly sleeping. He wasn’t fully healed; bruised ribs and a couple torn muscles were left behind. But nothing life threatening to him.

There wasn’t even that much to clean up either. Raven thought she would have to get a mop but it looked like the blood had just ‘burnt’ away. Dissolved by the same black substance that healed him. The way it moved reminded her of flames.

“Raven, you’ve done enough. Get some sleep yourself.” Hope suggested, snapping Raven out of her thought.

“I’m… fine. Someone needs to watch him.” Raven muttered as she wiped some sweat from her head.

“Oh hush, we can do that.” Courage said, "It's not like we just sit there while you're sleeping."

“I agree. We expended a lot of energy in healing him and haven’t eaten in… hours now.” Knowledge said, holding up a watch. It had been several hours now.

“Fine…, just…. Lust doesn’t do anything understand.” Raven said with a sigh, giving up fighting well, herself on that subject.

After how she had woken up that morning, cuddled close to Cole, she was worried by what that side of her would do. Let alone three more ‘active’ emotions. Even if they were the more reasonable ones. She was just too tired though to really fight them about it.

“That is… a discussion we’ll have to have later at some point. But believe me, we shall keep her in check.” Knowledge answered.

“Besides, even she’s isn’t horny enough to jump a man who almost died.” Courage added.

“Alright Alright…, just don’t make this a Normal thing.” the prime Raven said with a yawn.

Not wanting to be too far just in case, and to and it easier for her emotion selves to watch over Cole, Raven made herself comfy on the big computer chair. One quick meal of water and an energy bar(which was all she really felt up to grabbing), Raven summoned up a blanket and settled down for a short rest.

---

“And so when I woke up, I checked you over. You healed up a bit more with sleep but you’re still a bit dinged up. I figured food would maybe help so went to the kitchen to make you some soup. And grab something for myself.” Raven finished her tale of what happened last night.

“I’ll be honest, thought I’d wake you up when my stomach tried to impersonate Beast Boy.”

“So the potion put me back together. That’s some pretty potent stuff.” Cole muttered before digging back into his bowl.

He’d settled down about halfway during Raven’s retelling, and his growling stomach had interrupted it. So he had asked for his tray back to eat as she talked.

“Unless you want to share something else with me.” Raven asked, tapping a finger against her arm.

“Besides stories and tall tales not really. Think I told you, my world is bland. Or the weird, strange stuff is just so hidden we haven’t seen them.” Cole replied.

Sure they had myths of vampires and werewolves, the wire cryptid like Mothman or Bigfoot, not to mention Loch Ness Monster; but nothing concrete. No supers, or magic, no strange creatures from space. At best were the ghost stories and spontaneous combinations. And those were dubious at best.

“Hmmmm.” Raven thought as she took in the info, “Have to run a deeper scan on him later.”

“So what happened to the woman and her daughter? What about the thugs?” Cole asked as he set the tray to the side.

“As I understand it, security of the mall found them, after I made a call.” Raven said turning on one of the screens.

It showed the news. Just chatting away.

“Missed it. They were talking about it when I was in the kitchen.” She took the tray from him and sent it back to the kitchen.

“But the short version is that the pair are in police protection, the trio are in jail for their crimes and questioning, and the only thing they have on the ‘saviors’ are a pair of vigilante mages in animal masks.”

“That’s good.” He muttered. And then his mind caught up to what she said. “Wait hold up Mages?”

“I told you this place was magically active.” She said with a sigh as she pulled up a book.

“I didn’t dig too deep into it thoroughly I should have. Other things on my mind after-all. Everyone is magical but very few can do anything with it. Think of everyone being a battery; at best, most people can power one of those little key ring flashlights.”

“Those that are above can be grouped into three categories; Utility, Marauders, and Guardians.” Raven explained as she popped open the book to a page.

Print on the page were a few figures. One posed next to some trees rapidly growing. Another was plugged into a machine of some kind, while another saw someone rapidly building a highway. All very messy and colorful. He wondered if she grabbed a kid’s book about it.

“Utilities are easy to explain. They are people that are put to work for the betterment of the people or state. Like moving earth for construction or helping at hospitals. Some of the stronger ones even work at or as power plants.”

The page was flipped. Now it showed people in robber masks chasing others around or breaking into banks. A few others laughed as they took out info from computers, literally pulling out the 1s and 0s from the screen. Still others followed around a big fat cat like mobster who looked like it was ordering them around.

“Marauders are the criminal element. Most of them awaken to their powers away from cities or in the underworld families. So they aren’t scooped up for one of the other categories that easily. Hire themselves out to do work or make their own heists. While Guardian are basically law enforcement.”

The next page showed fights between the crooks and other characters, usually in suits or trench coats. A few others a looked to be acting as rescue workers, saving people from disasters.

“Okay so they have their own set up for mages. Seems pretty cool.” Cole said.

The furrowed brow on Rave told him otherwise.

“Alight what’s on your mind about it?”

“It’s just while I’ve looked up all sort of benefits to sign as a ‘Utility’ mage, I haven’t seen anything about someone not becoming one. There doesn’t seem to be a record of some being…”

“Independent?” He offered which got a nod.

“You either work for the state, or you’re a criminal. There doesn’t seem to be an in between.” Raven said as she got up, “There’s also the fact while the public knows of the Guardians, few of their records are freely available.”

“Grand… I come to a new world with a beautiful gal at my side and new powers, and it’s a place with **** work and magically empowered secret police.” He muttered as he leaned his head back onto the pillow.

“Only for a little while. So long as we lay low, we should be fine.” Raven said with a clap of her hands.

Her outfit shimmered for just a moment before being replaced by her work disguise. Cole cocked his head to the side, eyebrow raised. She said nothing as she summoned up a mirror to fix her hair.

“So uh…, what are you…” he started to ask.

“I am going to open the shop of course."

"Hold up what?"