Chapter 18

The dim light from the kitchen illuminated the small apartment, casting long shadows across the room as the three of them—Remy LeBeau, Cassandra Cain, and Raven—sat around the dinner table. The air felt thick with anticipation, and the usually playful glint in Remy's eyes had dimmed as he watched Raven, who sat quietly, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her teacup. The weight of her presence, the mystery surrounding her sudden appearance, hung over them like a storm cloud waiting to break.

Remy cleared his throat, leaning back in his chair, his hand absently twirling a playing card between his fingers. "So," he said, breaking the silence. "You gonna tell us what's goin' on, or are we playin' the quiet game?"

Raven looked up, her violet eyes glowing faintly in the low light. Her expression was calm, but beneath the surface, Remy sensed a depth of emotion—pain, regret, determination. She set her cup down gently, folding her hands on the table in front of her.

"I am Raven," she began, her voice soft yet filled with an otherworldly resonance. "I come from a world unlike any you've known. My father… he is Trigon, a demon lord of unimaginable power."

The mention of her father sent a chill through the room, and even Cassandra, who rarely showed any emotion, stiffened slightly. Raven continued, her gaze fixed on the table as if recalling memories she'd long tried to suppress.

"I was born in a realm called Azarath, a peaceful dimension, where I was raised by monks who sought to teach me how to control the darkness within me. My father's blood runs through my veins, and with it, his hunger for destruction, for conquest. All my life, I have fought to keep his influence at bay, to prevent him from using me as a gateway to this world."

Remy leaned forward, intrigued despite himself. "So, you're tellin' me your old man's a demon, and you're tryin' to stop him from takin' over?"

Raven nodded. "Yes. But it's more than that. I've seen the future, Gambit. I've had visions of what is to come, of what will happen if we do not stop him."

She paused, her eyes flicking to Remy, who sat up straighter, sensing that this was the moment she'd been building toward.

"In one of those visions, I saw you, Remy LeBeau. I saw you standing before my father… and killing him."

The words hung in the air, thick with their impossibility. Remy blinked, caught off guard by the weight of the revelation. Cassandra's sharp eyes darted between Raven and Remy, her face an unreadable mask.

Remy let out a low whistle. "Me? Killin' a demon lord? That's a new one." He smirked, trying to break the tension. "So I got a secret admirer, huh?" He winked playfully at Raven.

Before he could enjoy his joke, Cassandra's hand shot out, smacking him upside the head. "Focus," she said in her usual blunt tone, her dark eyes narrowing at him.

Rubbing his head, Remy shot her a mock glare. "Alright, alright. I'm focused. Jeez."

Raven, unfazed by the brief exchange, continued. "I've been watching you ever since you became a hero, Gambit. You have the potential to stop my father, but…"

Remy leaned in, genuinely interested now. "But what?"

"But you're not using your powers to their fullest capabilities," Raven said, her voice steady and serious.

That gave Remy pause. He'd always been proud of his abilities, the way he could charge objects with kinetic energy and turn them into explosive projectiles. But now, Raven was telling him that there was more—much more—that he hadn't even begun to tap into.

"What do you mean, not usin' my powers right?" he asked, his skepticism evident.

"In my vision," Raven explained, her gaze unwavering, "you created a massive construct of yourself, made entirely of kinetic energy. You… detonated it, using that explosion to kill my father."

Remy and Cassandra stared at her, both shocked by the enormity of what she had just said. Remy leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, his playful attitude evaporating. "I did that?"

Raven nodded. "Yes. You did."

For a long moment, the room was silent as Remy processed the information. He'd never even considered the possibility that his powers could be used in such a way. He always thought of them as simple tools, a means to an end in a fight. But this… this was something entirely different.

Raven's voice softened slightly. "You have the ability to create anything out of kinetic energy, Remy. You've only been using a fraction of your potential."

Remy glanced down at his hands, which had so often held cards charged with explosive power. The idea that he could create something as large, as powerful, as what Raven was describing—it was almost too much to believe.

"Alright," he said, his voice low and thoughtful. "How do I do this?"

Raven rose from her chair gracefully and gestured to the floor. "Sit. Cross your legs. We'll start with something small."

Remy shot Cassandra a questioning look, but she only shrugged in response. With a sigh, he got up from his chair and sat on the floor in a meditation pose, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees.

"Now," Raven said, her voice calm and measured, "close your eyes and focus. I want you to create something simple. A playing card."

Remy closed his eyes, concentrating on the familiar feel of a card between his fingers. He focused on the energy within him, the power that had always come so naturally to him. But as he focused, his mind began to wander. He couldn't help but sneak a glance, cracking one eye open just slightly to peek at Raven, her legs crossed gracefully in front of him.

In his head, a thought flashed: Yup, every woman in this universe is hot.

He quickly closed his eye again, shaking the thought away and refocusing. He pictured the card in his mind, every detail, from the red diamonds to the smooth surface. He concentrated harder, willing the kinetic energy in his body to form it.

And then… it happened.

He opened his eyes and stared in awe at the glowing, translucent card hovering in front of him, crackling with kinetic energy. It wasn't just a charged object—it was made entirely of energy.

"Holy… I did it!" Remy shouted, his voice filled with excitement. He grabbed the card out of the air and threw it at a dartboard on the wall. It struck the board with a satisfying thud… but didn't explode.

"Huh. Thought it would blow up," Remy muttered, slightly disappointed.

Raven, watching him with calm amusement, said, "Maybe you can make it explode."

Remy frowned, concentrating again. He pictured the card bursting into flames, detonating with the force of his power. And then, as if in response to his thoughts, the card on the dartboard exploded, sending shards of the board flying across the room.

Remy's eyes widened in shock. "I… I can make 'em explode just by thinkin' it?"

Raven nodded. "Yes. Your control over kinetic energy is much greater than you realize."

The next few hours passed in a blur of discovery. Remy sat in the middle of the apartment, experimenting with his powers, creating objects out of pure kinetic energy. Cassandra, ever the pragmatic one, stood nearby, challenging him to create increasingly complex things.

"Make a pizza," she ordered, her arms crossed.

Remy smirked and focused. A moment later, a large, glowing pizza, made entirely of kinetic energy, appeared in front of him. He laughed and tossed it in the air, watching it disappear in a flash of light.

"Alright, what else?" he asked, grinning.

"Try a chair," Cassandra said, her expression as serious as ever.

Remy concentrated, and soon enough, a chair materialized, its form shimmering with energy. He grinned and sat in it, amazed at how solid it felt.

As the hours passed, he created more and more objects—a Batarang, a Bo staff, a sword, each one crafted with increasing precision. His confidence grew with each success, and even Cassandra, who rarely showed her approval, seemed impressed.

All the while, Raven sat on the couch, reading a book, her calm presence a stark contrast to the energy and excitement filling the room. But even she couldn't hide the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips as Remy's powers continued to evolve.

Eventually, Remy flopped onto the couch beside Raven, exhausted but exhilarated. He grinned at her, his usual playful demeanor returning. "So, when's your old man supposed to show up and ruin all the fun?"

Raven set her book down and looked at him with a serious expression. "Four months."

Remy raised an eyebrow. "Four months, huh? That's plenty of time for me to master these powers."

Raven nodded. "Yes. But you won't defeat him alone. There are others who will fight alongside you."

That piqued Remy's interest. "Others? Who?"

Raven's eyes flicked toward the window, her voice taking on a distant, almost reverent tone as she began to speak.

"There's a speedster," she said, her voice soft yet filled with certainty.

As she spoke, the scene shifted, revealing Wally West, the Kid Flash, running through the streets of Central City, a streak of red and yellow lightning trailing behind him as he darted between cars and buildings at impossible speeds.

"A man who is half human, half machine," Raven continued, and the image shifted again, this time to Victor Stone, Cyborg, who was working on a car in his garage, his mechanical arm whirring softly as he tinkered with the engine.

"A green man who can transform into animals," Raven said, her voice steady.

The image shifted to show Beast Boy in an arcade, his green skin unmistakable as he laughed while playing a game, his body shifting briefly into that of a gorilla before returning to his human form.

"An Atlantean," Raven added, and the scene changed once more, showing Aqualad, Kaldur, locked in a fierce battle with a group of pirates on the open sea, his water bearers slicing through the air with deadly precision.

"And a man in a black and blue costume, skilled in combat," Raven continued, her voice carrying a hint of admiration.

The image shifted to Blüdhaven, where Nightwing fought off a group of thugs in an alleyway, his escrima sticks whirling through the air with lightning-fast precision.

"And finally, a female Kryptonian," Raven said, her tone softening slightly.

The last image was of Supergirl, soaring through the skies of Metropolis, her cape billowing behind her as she flew at incredible speeds.

Remy leaned back, a wide grin spreading across his face. "So I'm gonna have a team, huh? And me as the leader, of course." He winked, his usual cocky demeanor returning. "Things are gettin' interestin'."

Raven smiled faintly, but there was a seriousness in her eyes as she looked at him. "It won't be easy, Remy. Trigon is a threat unlike any you've ever faced. But with time, and with the right allies… you may stand a chance."

Remy nodded, his grin softening into something more thoughtful. "Well then, looks like I got a lot of work to do."

And with that, the chapter ended, the weight of the coming battle looming over them all.