Angel among Heroes

Chapter 13: Scarlet Mist

Shortly after returning to the mountain, most of us using a nearby Zeta tube to get back, we discovered that the League had not yet returned. The mansion being dark and empty, Dick told us all to rest and he would handle the debriefing once the others returned. Feeling a a set of eyes on me, I turned around thinking it was Wally. The hallway outside my bedroom door being barely lit. 

"Wally?" I asked out to the dark, the quiet space making goosebumps rize on my arms. The dirty sweat feeling causing me to feel in desperate need of a shower. The others heading off for an 'after mission training session', quickly telling me to sit it out and get some rest since it was my first mission. Though something told me they were hesitant to fight me, but why?

Opening my bedroom door, I almost screamed when I saw Jack and Raven both casually floating above my bed. Their faces turning to meet mine, I couldn't tell if I was about to get scolded, tested, or royally screwed. Come to think of it, I didn't see them outside the training hall either. 

"Uhm, what's up guys?" I said, bouncing on my feet with a smile to try and cheer up the atmosphere. 

"You didn't tell us, why?"

"Wha-," 

"Don't try lying, we saw it for ourselves. There's no need to act like you don't know what we're talking about either, unless you don't even truly know yourself." Raven said her eyes narrowed, her line of sight carefully examining me.

"I honestly have no idea what you're even talking about." I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

"Really?" Jack scoffed at me, his eyes rolling in annoyance. 

"You mean to tell us, you didn't know about your shadow half?" Raven cocked, her eyebrows ow raised. My eyes wandering as I looked at my hands, attempting to understand what she was talking about. Then it clicked.

"Oh, you mean the darker magic in me? Like the one that's fighting the brighter one?" I said, my eyes imagining seeing us all do fistbumbs or something instead of awkward staring.  

"Yes, its what we were warning you about before. The magic, whatever it is, is whats causing all of your issues. Using it could have terrible results of unknown repercussions. Yet, you used it against Harlee in what? A bitch off?" Jack explained, his wands waving as if trying to catch invisible spiders in the air. 

"Wait, I did?" I asked, thinking back to the fight. My head starting to hurt at the thoughts, almost as if the harder I tried to think about it. The more it hurt. 

"Yeah, remember what ever magic you used that was red instead of your normal blues and purples? That was your shadow half, a more violent and lethal form of magic all magic users have. Though usually instead of being a different magic entirely, it's usually only brought about when you have evil intentions." Raven spoke, her finger whipping in front of Jack's lips. Cutting him off at the start of whatever else he had to say before. 

"Okay, so whats so bad about using it?" I asked, my eyes growing confused at why using a more powerful magic would be bad. 

"For starters, in your case, the magical entity here has a life force of it's own. If it were to ever take over you, you would die. Kaput, zip, null, what have you." Jack snarked back, his chin resting on Raven's now frost covered finger. "It also means, that using it will increase the rate at which it takes over your body."

With that I felt my heart flutter, the door opening behind me causing me to turn in circles. Wally standing in the doorway like a deer in headlights, I turned back and both Jack and Raven had disappeared. Damn them. My body spinning for a third time as Wally came up to hug me, catching me off guard.