Hikaru stood alone in a chamber of infinite reflections.
Mirrors stretched endlessly in every direction—floor, ceiling, walls. Each surface showed him staring back. Not identical, though. Every reflection revealed a dark reflection of himself.
His reflection had red eyes, black feathered wings instead of white, curved demon horns protruding from his temples, teeth sharpened to points.
"You could rule them," his evil reflection said, voice distorted. "They're so weak compared to you."
Another reflection laughed. "Why play hero when you could be king?"
"With our father's blood and our mother's power, nothing could stop us."
The voices multiplied, overlapping, echoing. Each reflection spoke variations of the same temptation. Power without restraint. Dominance without morality. Lucifer's legacy twisted into something darker.
Mad Mod's voice crackled through unseen speakers, dripping with theatrical mockery. "What will you become, boy? Angel or devil? Light or darkness? Your very existence is contradiction!"
Hikaru's fists clenched. Light flickered around his knuckles.
The demon-horned reflection grinned wider. "Fighting won't solve this. We're part of you. Your potential. Your truth."
"Denying us is denying yourself."
His jaw tightened. Every instinct screamed to blast these twisted versions into oblivion. To prove he was nothing like them. To—
He stopped.
Closed his eyes.
And took a breath.
These are just fears, he thought. Possibilities. Not reality. Every person contains potential for both good and evil. But I'm not defined by what I could become.
The reflections laughed harder. "Cute philosophy. Doesn't change what you are."
Hikaru opened his eyes.
Calm. Resolved.
"I'm not angel or devil. I choose who I am. Not my blood. Not my powers. Not my father's legacy or my mother's expectations."
Light blazed from his body.
Pure. Brilliant. Blinding.
"This was a neat trick, old man."
The mirrors exploded.
Glass shattered into a million fragments, dissolving mid-air into digital particles. The nightmare room glitched, pixels corrupting reality around him. A door materialized where solid wall had been moments before.
Hikaru spread his wings, shaking off glass dust.
About to leave—
A scream cut through the false reality.
Distant. Muffled. Terrified.
"HELP!"
He froze.
That voice.
"Terra?!"
Hikaru strained, focusing his enhanced hearing past Mad Mod's distortion effects. There—fainter now, but unmistakable.
"...don't want to die..."
His blood turned to ice.
The others could handle themselves. Robin, Raven, Starfire—they were strong. Experienced. They'd break through their nightmares.
But Terra was still new. Still struggling with control. Still fragile beneath the confident facade.
And she was dying somewhere in this twisted maze.
Hikaru ran toward her voice.
Reality shifted around him as he sprinted through Mad Mod's corridors.
Walls stretched and compressed. Floors tilted at impossible angles. Gravity reversed without warning. He ignored all of it, wings propelling him forward with single-minded focus.
Terra's voice grew closer.
Sobbing now. Broken.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"TERRA!" he shouted.
No response. Just continued weeping.
The hallway ended at a seamless wall of wood that hadn't existed seconds before. Mad Mod's reality warping, creating dead ends to trap them.
But he could hear her on the other side.
Muffled. Barely audible.
"...don't deserve to be saved..."
Fury ignited in Hikaru's chest.
"Like hell you don't!"
He began to charge up photon energy, light coalescing into a single attack.
"TERRA, GET BACK!"
He unleashed everything.
The photon blast hit the stone wall with the force of a small explosion. Rock vaporized, dust erupting in massive clouds. The corridor shook, chunks of ceiling raining down.
Hikaru burst through the opening, wings spread, entire body glowing like a miniature sun.
The dust cleared.
His heart stopped.
Terra was collapsed in the corner of a tiny room—walls less than six feet apart on all sides. Still moving inward. Closing slowly, ready to crush her to paste.
Her hands were bloodied, nails broken from clawing uselessly at stone. Eyes half-closed, consciousness fading.
She looked up weakly as light flooded her prison.
"You came..." she whispered.
Hikaru rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside her. The walls continued their relentless advance—four feet apart now. Three and a half.
"I've got you!"
He pulled Terra into his arms. She was limp, exhausted beyond measure. No resistance left.
"Hikaru..." Her voice was barely audible.
The walls groaned. Three feet.
Terra's arms wrapped weakly around his neck. Her breathing was shallow, rapid. Shock setting in.
Hikaru stood, cradling her against his chest. Two and a half feet of space remaining.
With Terra held tight, he shot through the narrowing gap, arriving in the corridor outside.
He set Terra down gently against the wall, kneeling to check her.
"Terra, are you okay?"
She was coughing, tears streaming down her face, body trembling violently. Her hands shook as they gripped his shoulders.
"The walls... I couldn't... my powers didn't work..."
"It's okay." Hikaru kept his voice calm, steady. "You're safe now."
Terra looked at him through tear-blurred vision. "I thought I was going to die."
"I wouldn't let that happen."
"Why?" Her voice cracked. "I'm just—"
"You're not alone anymore," Hikaru said firmly. "You're one of us now. A Titan. And we don't leave teammates behind."
Something broke in Terra's expression.
She collapsed forward, sobbing uncontrollably against his chest. All the fear, all the trauma of the nightmare trap pouring out in wrenching gasps.
Hikaru pulled her into a proper hug, holding her steady while she shook.
"I've got you," he murmured. "You're safe. I promise."
They stayed like that until her breathing steadied.
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Robin appeared first, tactical gear dusty but intact. His mask was slightly askew, evidence of whatever trial he'd faced.
"Seraph! Terra!"
The others followed—Raven floating silently, expression neutral despite clearly having fought something intense. Beast Boy morphing to human form, relief obvious on his green features. Cyborg's sonic cannon was still smoking slightly. Donna's armor bore fresh scratches, though she looked otherwise unharmed. Starfire's eyes were fading from bright green back to normal. Kid Flash skidded into place, still wired with residual adrenaline.
"Dude, you found her!" Beast Boy rushed forward.
Terra was still pressed against Hikaru's shoulder, arms wrapped around herself now instead of him. Shaking subsided to occasional tremors.
Robin approached cautiously, reading the situation. His eyes—visible between mask gaps—held concern.
"What happened?"
Raven's gaze went distant for a moment, sensing emotions. "She's terrified. Her fear is... overwhelming."
"What did Mad Mod do to you?" Robin asked gently.
Terra's voice came out small, fragile. "Walls... closing in... couldn't breathe..."
Beast Boy dropped to kneel beside her, expression anguished. "Hey, Terra. It's okay. You're out now."
She looked at him, trying to form a smile. It came out stiff.
"Thanks, Gar."
Donna crouched down as well, "we all faced something. Our worst fears made manifest."
Starfire nodded, floating closer. "But we overcame them."
Hikaru stood, offering Terra his hand. She took it, letting him pull her upright. Her legs were unsteady, but she managed to stay standing with his support.
"Now let's end this."
Robin's expression hardened. "Mad Mod's going down. Hard."