At the disappearance of CoolPikaaa and The Sommelier at the hand of Fade, Raven began to calm down. It did not take her long to decide she did not want to be in this place. Pax, was it? She couldn't really remember. Didn't really care.
So she decided to leave. It took her months of planning, and almost killed her, but Raven tore a hole in the dimensional fabric and escaped from Pax. If not for a certain potion she'd brewed, she would be dead. However, Raven was the Evil Council's Second in Command! She was needed where the Evil Council was, and that was Blackstar. No matter what the cost.
Of course, once she found Blackstar... well, she found what was left of Blackstar. She didn't know what had happened, where everyone was. The whole world was in ruins, nothing alive. Not even undead. Her home was gone. Not having to keep up appearances, Raven wept.
Days past on the dead world as Raven visited various landmarks and places, looking for some clue as to what happened. There was nothing, not even a whisper. Her only hope was that other people were transported elsewhere in a similar fashion to her and the others who arrived on Pax.
She grasped at that slim hope. The hope that her family, the other residents, were alive somewhere.
Raven encountered many things in her travels, learned new tricks and forgot old ones. She fought a dragon and won – if only just. She trained, gave up her ability to fly and matured into her demonic form.
Her humour remained, but her appetite for carnal pleasures dissipated. No one seemed worthy. Of course, that was because she'd entered the adult stage in life. No longer was she looking to simply ravage anyone she could.
She scoured dozens of worlds, listening for rumours and whispers of her fellow members, of people suddenly appearing in flashes of light. Anything that could lead her to them.
And lead her to them it did. It led her to their graves. It seemed not everyone was so lucky to be sent somewhere with a group. Many had been transported alone, and died in unfamiliar territory. Each time she mourned. Each time she picked herself up to try again.
It took her two an a half years until she finally found someone alive. Even then, they were on the brink of death. They had only survived so far with help from someone they'd met. Raven could do nothing for them, except bring them to the closest thing to home. The only place left.
Raven decided to return to Pax.
It took another eight months for her to get to the tear she'd made. She knew it would seal as soon as she went through, but with one look at her dear friend and his condition she didn't mind. She'd done it once, she'd do it again.
So after allowing her friend and his aid through the portal, she stepped through. Closing it forever.
The trio landed in the middle of a forest, and unsure of what the situation on the planet was Raven decided to scout ahead. She wouldn't let any harm come to her last link. Yes, he was dying... but he would die in his own time.
She traveled through the thick forest for over an hour, before finally the forest began to thin. The ground sloped up, and she pressed on. A high point would be good for reconnaissance.
What she saw when she reached the edge of what had turned out to be a slight cliff made her fall to the ground. There was a village built. The rabid wilderness that had been before was still there, as shown in the forest, but the people – her people- had survived. They'd made something for themselves.
They'd made a new home. A peace settled on Raven's heart. Yes, many of her companions were gone from this plain of existence. Yes, Blackstar was destroyed.
But there were people left. She was left. A smirk formed on her lips as ideas flitted through her mind. She would make this place her home, too.
(( I've wanted to write this story for awhile, and I drew this picture today with a sudden bout of inspiration. I called it "Homecoming", and it seemed as good a time as any to combine the two! Hope you guys like them.
))