Robin sighs in frustration. 

He is currently in the evidence room ('all-nighter room', as dubbed by Beast Boy,) the simple reason behind such being that Robin had spent many nights here doing detective work in order to track down criminals.

However, this time he is not tracking a criminal, but rather attempting to find out more about this mysterious guy.

Even though there had been only one occasion when the Titan's leader had met him in person, it had been during times when they were more concerned with fighting against an army of robots.

Therefore, he had not had the opportunity to learn much about him, safe what Raven had told them about her very brief conversation with him.

Robin drains the bottom of his mug of coffee and returned to typing at the computer. He skims through the archives of the Jump City Herald from the time that the hooded guy had first been spotted but finds nothing that he didn't already know.

The Hooded Guy P.O.V

There it is, the soundtrack of my life. 

It's early in the morning, the rain came as a million soul fragments in a chorus together, the sky is a woolen grey shawl upon mountain peaks.

Millions of droplets fall from a limitless sky, the wind howls in a low pitch. Icy cold water, perfect spheres, sitting briefly before forming tiny rivers of their own. The aroma of rain, sharp and fresh, enters my nostrils as I breathe.

Every person with their head down and moving at maximum speed. Those with umbrellas take wider berths of one another, the rest take care to duck when the spokes come their way.

The sound of feet on wet paving stones is almost lost against the splashing of the traffic, only the click of high heels still clear. The smell of the fumes is dampened by the hazy drops and every face is on the blank-stressed spectrum, something that is quite predictable upon a wintry day.

I trudge along the pavement at a sedate pace, my mind focused on the gentle footsteps that seemed to echo throughout a desolate street, each new step rewarded with a small splash. 

And I see my reflection underneath...a reflection of a monster--

AHHHH- HELP PLEASE SOMEONE!

The scream is primal. It had a raw intensity to it that told of urgency, of desperate need!

In an alleyway, there were wrecks all around. And not the kind you fix up for a weekend project. There were wrecks you cross the road to avoid.

When I get near the mouth of the alley, I spotted something. I saw a middle-aged woman backed against a wall by burly menacing men.

"You know no one will save you. Give us what you got, lady, and no one will get hurt."

Y/n: "Leave the woman alone." 

"Well, well," One says, approaching. "What do we have here? Who thinks he will save this who-" 

Y/n: "Leave. Now." 

One of them picked up a piece of pipe, holding it in an attempt to intimidate. "Listen here now, she's ours and you can't do a thing about it. If you back off, nobody's gonna get hurt. So scram!"

Y/n: "I will no longer ask politely."

I never came looking for a fight. I am a pacifist by nature, but no one stands back and watches what's going on without interfering.

He makes his way to me and swings, I narrowly miss it before I lift my foot to meet his face. 

The impact sent him flying backward onto his back, knocked out. They look at their fellow's status, when I see angry eyes like a laser seeking its target.

They growled "Oh you just dug your own grave now!" and charged at me.

I dodge the first and in a split second, my fist crashed against his face, knocking him to the floor with the sound of his skull cracking pinballed around the alleyway.

Two came in both my sides, trying to attack me, I sidestep backward and with ferocity, I grab the back of their head and banged together their skulls, it sounded like a train crashing into a plane. They lay there, their breath wheezing and eyes closed.

I look over my shoulder and turned to the woman, she is looking at me with a mix of awe, and uncertainty.

Y/n: "Did they hurt you?" I ask concerned and she shakes her head, hand clutching her chest, breathing in relief--

"Mommy!"

I turn to the voice, and I see a small girl rushing to the woman I just saved, little girl was as scared as an adult would be in the forest at night. 

The mother yells her daughter's name as she crashes into her mother's arms, tears falling from her eyes. She then trains her sight at me.

"Thank you, you're a true hero." The woman said. I stare at the ground, and slowly shook my head in denial.

Y/n: "I'm no hero." I raise my head to meet her gaze. "Just avoid going on the empty streets," I said coldly and was made to leave...

"Excuse me," a very sweet voice addressed me.

This made me stop and slowly turn around. It was the little girl, she's... smiling at me.

She approached and took my palm and gave me a small piece of crafted wood, written on it. 

Not all heroes wear capes. 

Raven P.O.V

As I uncover my eyes from underneath the covers, I heard the gentle tapping of raindrops against my bedroom window. These were my favourite kind of days where I didn't have to feel bad about not leaving the tower. 

I get up and rub my knuckles onto my eyes. I make myself a hot chocolate instead of tea, with whipped cream and small glittery marshmallows. I take a book with me to the warm living room and I plop myself down on the couch right across the giant panoramic window. 

Seeing the drops trickle against the window brought a sense of calmness within me. 

This was the time I could be alone and be myself. I read away and let every moment sink in as it was not going to last forever.

Third-Person P.O.V

The title of the book has been catching her attention so much it intrigued her to read it, the pages begging to show the words it consisted. 

Flip Page.

Flip Page—

Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again...

Thoughts of that mysterious person with the hooded jacket occasionally suddenly cross her mind.

She closes her book and goes over the small details about him that she already knew, though it wasn't enough to come to much of a conclusion.

'It looks like he's a few years older than me, he wears dark clothing, jaded and cold. He hardly talks, he's not easily intimidated and he displays little emotions.' She was muttering with a frown. 

He has all the height of a man but none of the bulk. There were muscles under his jacket, but not the bulky kind men can get from years of weight lifting. From behind he could be anywhere in his late teens to early thirties, but when he turned around it was hard to tell, just like her, his hood also covers his face.

Dark, dangerous, that sense of the untamed just barelysuppressed below the surface.... with haunting dark eyes. 

'Maybe he's that silent killer type. All broad and untouchable, and pounces when pushed.' 

Raven sighs, brushing a strand of her hair from her face and folds her right arm beneath her breasts, shaking her head slightly in disapproval. 

Her efforts were in vain. Despite her talents for the deduction, she'd hardly have a chance of finding out more of him without at the least seeing him closer, once again.

But one thing for sure, her senses always had been cautious and prudent when he was present.

There is something dark within him...

Y/n P.O.V

I feel the shivering cold seeking to reach my very bones. 

It's so cold. My jacket gave up on keeping my body dry a while ago and now my backpack is as wet as my clothes. 

I was alone in a place full of people. Each one of them chatting and laughing in groups.

There are faces and busy bodies but not one is familiar. Some are kindly, most are robotic, and the air is punctuated with laughter as those with groups have tales to tell.

Two girls walked past me, talking about the sleepover they had and how fun it was... 

All these keen emotions around me and none of them to me or about me.

My heart felt empty as I longed for someone to talk to.

Friends.

Never in my life have I had any friends to talk to, to share my problems and secrets with.

I feel my inner self mirthlessly laughing - a little at the crazy daydream and a little at my own silliness. 

This is my eternal winter; I never wait for spring and the chattering of the birds. I have and always will have no sense of belonging...

I'm all grown up. I learned the hard way how to hide the pain, how to look normal. I know what to do, this is familiar in a way that is traumatic. I swallow down the pain, eat it up into my belly and wear a passive face.

They say there is a rope ladder out of this gloom, one you can use to climb out of it, the problem is that I just can't find the will to reach out for the first rung, let alone try. 

I deserve this, after all.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After some time, the next bus arrives. Doors squeaked open like the sound of grain on the glass. 

I was about to step in—

"That's right! Get the hell outta here."

I heard gunshots and laughter. I look to my side, people were terrified, running with their lives.

Armored thefts distribute fear within the citizens' lives.

I drop my gaze to the floor before my hand comes out of my pocket, only to find myself staring at the crafted wood I have been keeping all this time.

Not all heroes wear capes.

I grip it tight before I drop my backpack and turn my head to the scene. 

"What's the matter? Doesn't anyone have any balls anymore?" He laughs.

Y/n: "I suggest you disappear, quickly."

I take a step forward and become aware that all eyes are now on me.

"Hey boss look, someone is having a death wish!" One of the crew says as they all turn their attentions to me.

Maybe he's right, it might have been stupidity, insanity, or maybe both. But before I knew it I was back taking insane risks.

I might have written the book on bad ideas, but I wasn't afraid to quote from it.

I clench my fists, red electricity showing in my arms as I position into my fighting stance, meaning that their skulls need to soften up before they harden.

Their smug smirks fade away. "After him." Said the leader sternly through narrowed eyes.

The heavy rains have carved a miniature canyon in the path. The water rises up and runs between my feet as I run towards them.

I am their target now.

-----------{ TimeSkip }-----------

Raven P.O.V

The sight laid in front of me had sent shockwaves across my nerves.

People were not scared, they were happy. We also saw police cars, carrying the...unconscious thugs? What in the world just happened here?

Cyborg: "What the hell?"

We were watching in puzzlement. The only thing I can see is a street, littered with unconscious men. 'Who is the one behind this?' I thought with curiosity.

Beastboy: "Then we're no needed here, let's go home already! I'll catch a cold."  

Third-Person P.O.V

Before the last one is put into one of the cruisers, Raven tells the officers to hold him back so she could interrogate him.

Raven: "Tell me, what happened here?" she demanded.

"To hell with that! I ain't tellin' you a thing!" 

Raven places a finger on his forehead and concentrated. 

She delves into his recent memories, despite the little mental resistance he offered. She can see the scene of him and the other thefts crashing into the jewelry store and pointing their guns at the people, ordering them to get down. 

She speeds through these, focusing on finding the moment that she was looking for. 

His mind then comes to when they were driving off the street. 

Through his eyes, to her surprise, she saw a familiar person countered against all offense they threw at him as he skillfully dodged their attacks and bullets.

Though she can see the man running away- he got pulled back and spun around and his vision after the event was blurred; She assumes he was knocked out. 

She breaks the spell after reaching the moment when they were beaten to the ground. As she was done, the criminal is now taken away—

Cyborg: "What'd you find out Rae?"

The young lady's face twitches a little at the name, but she refrained from doing anything more.

Raven: "Let's... go home," She sounded kinda confused, and timid. 

Despite the question being avoided, they nod in agreement.

Y/n P.O.V

I found myself staying in a cheap hotel. 

The environment wasn't too kind this day. So it's natural I find a place to spend the night until I purchase the next bus ticket and leave this town at once. I caused enough problems and attracted attention.

As soon as I enter the room, I step into the shower, feet slightly flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. My mind was in shreds; I would never get that picture of this day out of my mind. 

I turn the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of lukewarm drops, darkening my hair, trickled down my back. 

My eyes fell closed over and over, each time showing me images like photographs—

*—I have no reason to assume you're doing this unless you have something in mind.*

That lady...

Raven P.O.V

We never saw him again, he was nowhere to be found. But I had to wonder.

Among the civilians, there were rumors in the past, of a 'Winged Human' seen roaming in the nighttime, the streets of Jump, Gotham, and Metropolis; a creature they called the Devil Incarnate.

I have to know what or who that creature is. 

Third-Person P.O.V 

Still not giving up, Robin continues his research early in the morning; He continues pushing further back in his search. 

Then, a short article pops up—

 'Surrounding villagers spoke of seeing and hearing unearthly things; of cries and howls that filled the nights and hearsay of mysterious men roaming the hollowed grounds aimlessly.

They say there is so much gold that eyes could lust for! But the people who dared enter its walls were simply never heard from again.

Even after hundreds of years, these stories remain, much like that house itself.

Among one of the people who dared to go there, he wrote in his journal entry: 

''Their symbols are everywhere as we see, The ritual areas, like the Pillar room, All throughout their stronghold are sacks, hanging from the ceiling, where the heat rises. What's inside? Human bodies, curing like hams in a smokehouse?  

What the hell happened here? Are people really that sick?

Why did I decide to come here? Screw that gold! I just want to go back home.

The cries of desperation are so palpable and terrifying that simply escaping this living hell sends the hair on my forearm arching towards the ceiling. 

I scribble my notes in this ledger -- my final entry -- as there are no longer any numbers to add or deduct, just these words of warning. 

For if you are reading this, then you are surely doomed to know...

We are not alone.''

Robin briefly debates the possibility of the hooded guy must or has to be involved in this. He figures that his elusive nature might fit in with what he reads from the article.

However, he was dissuaded from such thoughts when he opens up a few photos from the day of the incident— 

There was a shot from a blurring camera showing the figure, displaying a creature as if It spent its life in a perpetual shadow... walking out through a giant hole in a wall, even though the smoke generally obscured the view.

But another one-shot from elsewhere showed some of this creature's face. 

The structural composition is oddly human match, along with some weird markings on the forehead and the cheekbones as if written by some divine hand, and something that looked like a gemstone on his forehead, somehow similar to Raven's.

The color of the eyes are entirely icy-gold, glowed through the haze, a malefic expression on his pale face as white bones were pushed through its hair. Curling horns grew out of his head, their points fixed towards the camera. A head surrounded with a blended aura of black and purple energy and a flurry of dark feathers spun around him that are taking the shape of wings. 

The look on his eyes and the position the picture was taken as if... he is staring dead into Robin— 

"If you're looking for him, I don't think that qualifies."

Robin turns his head and came face to face with the Titan's resident sorceress. 

Raven: "What's that about anyway?" she asks in a monotone voice.

Robin: "Just a shot attached to an article from the Herald, about the mystery behind the men who went missing within the forest four years ago. I thought it talked about him somehow... until I saw those." He referred to the photos.

Raven P.O.V

Raven: "Looks set aside, it doesn't fit." 

Robin: "It's been a week since he showed up and none of us or anybody else has seen a trace of him."

Raven: "Maybe he doesn't feel comfortable with people approaching him, even us. You should just settle down and wait."

Robin: "How will that work exactly?"

I didn't have the answer to that question.

Raven: "We hope, that he doesn't leave town yet." 

Robin seems unwilling to simply abandon his search so easily. I sigh and fold my arm beneath my chest, shaking my head slightly in disapproval. "You still haven't found anything about him that we didn't already know. Just give over for once, and things will work out, okay?"

A look of doubt crosses his face, and from that look, I could tell something is in his mind, just waiting for his tongue to spell it.

Robin: "I want you to see this." 

I gaze my attention toward the LCD screen while he types something on the keyboard. The footage shown is a recollection of the video files of the security cameras.

What I see next, unsettled me.

Third-Person P.O.V

On the sidewalk of an almost empty street in the City. Raven sees a young man in a black jacket with red sleeves and with his hood on, carrying a backpack, walking peacefully by himself, until a richly dressed couple passed by. 

The woman stuck up her nose and sneered with a clear 'Yuk!' to be heard, while the man scoffed and looked as if the young man was but a piece of trash and said. 

Man: "Hey, buddy, whose funeral is it?" He mocks. "You seem to be all by yourself, is it your girl's?" The couple burst out laughing. It was a sound like a fork scraping a plate.

The hooded guy kept walking despite their insults, but a short moment afterward, he abruptly turned around and saw the same two people surrounded by a half dozen men, obviously with ill intentions. 

A deep calm voice spoke solemnly, stopping the muggers in their tracks—

"I would suggest your next actions, very, carefully." 

They looked around in confusion, until noticing the former steadily coming towards them. 

Thug: "I got this one," the largest one said; then advanced towards him. They stopped at a short distance from each other. 

Y/n: "Let them go," he ordered in a calm stern voice, pointing to the quivering couple.

Thug: "Hey, I know you." He scowled, scrutinizing. "You're the #1 trend in Jump City, everyone is talking about you. You're one-man army pal, I'll give ya that. But you're really gonna risk yourself for two pricks like them?" 

The only response he got was a voice of silence and a pair of fierce eyes staring at him under his hood. 

Thug: "Pff, your funeral." 

The thug reached for a hunting knife at his belt, the hooded guy simply remained immobile, readied himself, and entered his fighting stance. 

As the thug started towards him, his fist collided with the thug's cheek like a baseball bat, shattering a tooth. 

Thug: "ARGH!" Blood filled his mouth, the pain blinding. "Why you piss-soaked ramen noodle!" 

He seemed to sway, dizzy, then, he received a well-placed kick to the side of his head, helping him to sleep.

The five others stood shocked at this, more so when they realized that they were frozen in place. And before they know it, they ran away, knowing their fate if they were so much a step in his direction.

The couple's protection no longer necessary, the hooded guy dispersed it. 

Y/n: "You're safe." The young man turned his back on them and left.

Raven P.O.V

Robin: "Ring any bells?"

I thought he went away.

Before I can form a proper reply, a crime alert suddenly echoes throughout the tower.

Robin: "Trouble!"