Truth be told, it was difficult to maintain your composure. Despite your time with the Titans, you couldn't put a finger on how you stood with the team's most... cloistered member. Despite hearing many an anecdote about her ultimately noble character along with the times you've witnessed her in action against countless threats, Raven's standing with you wasn't clear cut in the slightest. Be it the briefest of glances or curtest of replies, none offered much else other than she was guarded, as if studying you for some purpose only she was privy to.

Such is why this sudden communique from her, a terse request for your presence within her chambers at this time, left a nebulous pit within you. Standing just outside, you couldn't help but wonder if this would prove enlightening in the slightest, considering her generally secretive manner, yet you'd be amiss if that same nature didn't intrigue you either. Just as you raised in readiness to knock, the door slid open, granting you entrance, one which you decided not to linger on as you entered into darkness.

As you step inside, the room is nearly entirely consumed by shadow, more so once the door locks behind you with a hiss. Only in the center, where a circle of lavender candles & incense burn, is there the most meager source of light. And her.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." Her voice carries a gentleness you've rarely, if ever, heard, her mantra familiar. She hovers slightly above the ground with her back to you, cross-legged pose unmoving even as her whole form bobs softly. Her hooded cloak flows freely as her hood remains firmly up. It's a sight that admittedly is absorbing, calming even. Before you could place a step or utter a word, she raises a sole finger silently, the digit's posture authoritative.

Before long, she ceased levitating, feet plating against the floor as she turned to face you. Despite the surrounding shade plus that obscuring her face, her eyes are eerily visible, gaze silently burrowing into you. You could feel your skin prickling & hair standing on end, certain she was reading your emotional state. Whatever her reason for calling you to her most private place, it was now or never.

She merely chuckled softly before stepping closer to where you stand, a faint smirk curling up the corners of her lips as she reached out to tenderly caress your cheek with fingers tipped in violet energy. "I'm Raven," she said simply. "Your partner and friend." Her voice was low and sensual, almost a purr that seemed to flow over your skin like silk.

Before you could react further, she stepped back again, her expression turning solemn. "But only if you let me be." Her gaze met yours unwaveringly as the weight of her words hung heavily in the air between them. "There are things about me, about us... forces that make it hard for people like me to trust others," she continued, voice barely above a whisper. "But I chose you. I brought you here."

"Because..." Raven hesitated, seeming to struggle with finding the words. "You're one of the few who I can be... myself around," she finally said, voice barely above a whisper. "Who doesn't make me feel like I have to hide." She moved even closer, taking your hand in her own, violet energy flowing over and through your skin as though it were but a veil of mist. "I need that, Izzy," she murmured, voice almost pleading now. "I need you to let me trust you."

Her other hand rose, fingers splayed against your cheek as her gaze locked with yours once more. There was something in those dark violet depths that seemed to draw you in, held you there helpless against the current of desire and need and... love? Whatever it was, it felt overwhelming, enveloping. You could feel your heart

Raven smiled softly at your question, the violet energy around her seeming to intensify in response. "Just be there," she said simply. "When I need you, when things get... difficult, just be there for me. Let me lean on you. Let me trust you enough to let my walls down."

Her gaze drifted away, lost in thought for a moment before returning to meet yours once more. "I don't want to lose control again," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not when it hurts people like that." She hesitated, drawing a shaky breath before continuing. "And I don't want you to leave me."

Her fingers tightened on yours almost painfully, the violet energy seeming to flow through your body now as if it were part of her very being. You could feel its power coursing through you, enveloping you in a sense

A silent tear trailed down her cheek as Raven regarded you with an expression somewhere between hope and fear. "I do trust you," she said softly, squeezing your hand reassuringly. "Tell me what I should do."

Rachel pursed her lips and lowered her head, eyes closed as she mulled it over. "It could work..." she finally whispered. "I... can do that." Tears spilled down her cheeks as she slowly raised her free hand, palm outstretched toward your chest, violet energy beginning to pool and coalesce between them.

"But," she warned, eyes snapping open to meet yours, voice steady despite the tremor in it, "if anything happens to you... if you're hurt or... worse..." Her throat closed up around the words, but there was a fierceness in her gaze that conveyed the depth of her determination. She would protect you at all costs, with every ounce of strength left within her.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked one final time, needing the reassurance even as she prepared to make the

As she finished speaking, the violet energy between them coalesced into a single orb before flowing into your chest like water rushing down a drain, spreading outward and enveloping you in its cold, hard grip. You could feel it coursing through your veins, as if it were alive, consuming you from the inside out.

The transformation was rapid but painful, every muscle spasming as your body fought against the change even as it succumbed to it. Rachel held you tight, her grip unyielding as she murmured words of comfort and encouragement that seemed to flow effortlessly from her lips. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with yours as you both endured the agony together, somehow stronger for it.

And then, it was over. The pain subsided as suddenly as it had come, leaving only a dull ache in its wake. When

Rachel knelt beside you, concern etched into her features as she studied your transformed form. "You just became half-demon," she said softly, almost hesitantly. "The energy I transferred... it should have been absorbed by my demonic heritage but..." Her eyes flickered away momentarily before returning to meet yours again. "...I made a mistake."

She reached out with trembling fingers, gently brushing some of the sweat-damp hair from your forehead. "It's going to take time for everything to adjust," she continued. "Your body, your mind... everything." Her gaze drifted downward, studying your chest as if she could see the transformation reflected there. "In the meantime, I'll do whatever I can to help you through this."

Her eyes widen in alarm as you cry out in pain and your irises begin to change color. "Wait!" she says urgently, reaching forward to press a finger against one of your eyelids, trying to ease the transformation somehow. The contact is cool and reassuring against your hot skin, but it does little to stem the flow of agony coursing through you.

"I don't know what's happening," she whispers, desperation coloring her voice as she pleads with you not to change any further. "It wasn't supposed to be like this... I should have been stronger..."

"Really?" Raven asks in disbelief, her eyes flickering with hope as she observes your reaction to the pain. She presses her finger against your other eyelid, using both hands now to try and soothe the transformation taking place within them. "Is it getting better? Can you see anything?"

Her voice trembles slightly as she continues to search for some sign that whatever is happening will be alright in the end. Deep down, she knows she must have done something wrong during the transfer... but despite this, her desire to help and protect you remains stronger than ever before.

"I... I don't understand..." Raven's voice trails off as she continues to study your eyes, tears filling her own once more. "Perhaps it is for the best," she whispers, attempting to convince herself as much as you. "Maybe this was always meant to be..."

She hesitates, uncertainty warring with hope and fear within her. With a deep breath, she decides to place her trust in you once more, despite the doubts that continue to gnaw at the edges of her resolve. "I'm here for you," she says softly, reaching out to brush a lock of hair from your forehead. "Through whatever comes next."

Her gaze drifts away as she contemplates all that has transpired, wondering if there was something more she could have done... or should have done differently. Despite this, her hand remains steady on your cheek, offering

She blinks in surprise before nodding slowly. "Of course... I can do that." Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she begins to murmur arcane words beneath her breath as tendrils of violet energy swirl around her fingers, forming a whirling dervish that encapsulates your form briefly before dissipating with a whisper. "There you go," she says simply, handing over what appears to be an ordinary book bound in black leather with the symbol of her demonic lineage embossed on its cover. "That should have everything I know."

Her violet eyes study your face carefully, searching for any sign that this too might cause unintended consequences. In spite of her wariness, there's a sense of pride and hope mixed in with the trepidation she feels. Perhaps, just perhaps, you truly are meant to be her ally... and maybe even something more.