Raven

At Sebastian's command, Raven had -- unwillingly, but quite literally -- unleashed hell.

Trigon had destroyed his own dimension, sacrificing it to give him the power to free himself and corrupt his daughter. His death hadn't changed that. Thousands of worlds had burned, billions of souls had died, and all that dwelled there now were demons, bereft of their master.

They had a new master now -- Sebastian Blood. And Raven was the portal from their world to this one. Her power tore a hole between dimensions, and now they poured out of her, ( howling in blood-thirsty rage. )

[OOC: Preplayed with the wonderful blondecanary, furnaceface, glacial_witch, justwantsquiet, longislandiceme, not_a_parakeet, sith_happened, and weetuskenraider. NFB, but OOC is happy!]
 

Going with Dinah's knowledge of where main Church of Blood was located in her world, Karla had arranged for a portal to the dimension that was home to Raven's Earth and handwavily gathered people to help.

The front entrance to the church in Buzzard's Bay looked normal enough -- except for the armed guards lurking by the doors. But before they'd even had a chance to consider their approach, a faint tendril of black energy that felt distinctly of Raven to anyone who was sensitive to such things wrapped around Warren and seized control of him again. "Raven belongs to Brother Blood!" he said before launching up into the air and flying for the woods behind the church. They had to scramble to follow as he led them to a secret entrance there in the form of a hidden cave in the side of a hill.

Raven's power left Warren then, but her message was clear. This was the way to go. The passage into the hill led to steps and a hallway that ended in a set of closed double doors, ( behind which murmuring voices could be heard. )

[OOC: Preplayed with the fabulous blondecanary, furnaceface, glacial_witch, justwantsquiet, longislandiceme, not_a_parakeet, sith_happened, and weetuskenraider. NFB, but OOC is happy! I take no responsibility for much of the dialogue. GOD, canon.]
 

When Sebastian's power had pulled her back to the church, Raven found herself quickly bound to a tilted stone wall beneath the church, leaning over a pool of blood, the very one she'd been resurrected in. More blood dripped from the ceiling, both from sacrifice and the willing donation of Brother Blood's followers. It sickened her, but she didn't have the strength to try to teleport again.

She'd been so close. She'd wait and regain her strength and try to escape again. She had to get back to Fandom. The looks on her friend's faces when they saw her -- how long had she been gone? What did they think of her now? She had to apologize for how she'd hurt them....and stop Sebastian from succeeding with his plans for her and unleashing hell on Earth.

( ''She's beautiful,'' Sebastian said. )

[NFB, but OOC is welcomed!]
 

She remembered.

There were still things her mind shied away from -- Trigon and New York chief among them, for they were things she was not yet prepared to face -- but slowly her memories crept back. Azarath and her mother. Fandom. Jono. Karla. Anakin. All her friends and the time she'd spent with them and the things she'd learned. And Sebastian, who and what he was.

Drinking her blood gave him her powers, she'd deduced. Not permanently, but long enough for him to keep her emotions muddled, compelling her to love and obey him and accept the adoration of his followers. Some feared her, some loved her, and all bowed in her presence. She'd been given handmaidens who brought her food and drink and clean clothing, a white dress and cloak that Sebastian wished her to wear. She'd timidly asked for black at first and he'd refused, telling her that was her old life and she must embrace the new. Then he'd brought his power -- and what he'd stolen from her as well -- to bear on her mind, and she'd had no choice but to agree.

But she kept her returning memories locked away, not wishing him to take those away from her as well. She remembered her lessons with Anakin and how to shield herself. Slowly she began to rebuild those shields to block out Sebastian's will. And as she began to become herself once more, she made her plans to escape. She still felt too weak from her resurrection to teleport, so she had to come up with alternative means of sneaking out of the church. Her white cloak made her stand out among the red-robed followers of "Saint" Sebastian, but she was able to "convince" one of the cultists to switch clothing with her. She didn't feel good about manipulating the woman's emotions like Sebastian was playing with her own, but she was desperate. Her own revulsion at Sebastian's attention aside, she knew what he had planned now, and he had to be stopped. Her father had a contingency plan for Earth, it seemed.

She waited until nightfall to slip from the church and into the cold darkness, though she didn't get far before her ruse was discovered. Voices sounded in alarm, and she could hear the sounds of pursuit. She had to force herself to teleport. Concentrate, step between dimensions, feel her friends, let love guide her to them. Will herself to Fandom. ( Home. )

[Preplayed with furnaceface, glacial_witch, justwantsquiet, and longislandiceme. This is for broadcast but NFI, and OOC is always welcomed!]
 

She was floating in light, feeling nothing but peace, warm and golden and free. The passage of time had become meaningless; she had no idea how long she'd been like this. A week? A year? Longer?

The first few days/months after Didi had left had been almost unbearable. She just was. There was nothing for her to do or see but think about what she'd done. How her father had ripped her soul from her body and replaced it with his own power. Azarath's fall. Twisting the world with Trigon's power and reveling in the suffering she'd caused. Attacking her friends with words and pain and their own fears. Dying at their hands.

The last bothered her the least; they'd stopped her. She'd always said she'd rather die than serve her father. But she hadn't been strong enough to resist him, and that failure tormented her with visions of the damage she'd done. Blessedly, the memories of her former life had slowly melted away before they drove her mad, allowing her serenity she didn't think she deserved.

But they weren't completely gone. At times she could feel something tugging at her, a faraway call that brought momentary confusion and the wish -- the need -- to respond. She'd follow the fragile thread but recoiled from the pain and sorrow she felt. Pain she had caused. Guilt and shame overwhelmed her, and she fled. It was safe here, why should she leave? No, she had to leave -- she did not truly belong here. Didi had told her that; it wasn't her time. She remembered that much. And as tempting as it was to stay here, and as frightening as the prospect of going back was, she wanted to return to what she'd left. But she didn't know how or when.

Ultimately that decision wasn't hers. Everything suddenly turned red and hot, swallowing the light. She struggled against the pressure she felt, like a giant hand clenching around her spirit. She tasted blood and screamed. She wanted to fly away, but the wings of her soul were wet and heavy now, and the hand was squeezing tighter and tighter, ( pulling her down. )

[ooc: Oh, my canon. NFB, of course, but OOC is welcomed!]