Chapter 28: One Last Choice

The Titans Tower med bay quaked with aftershocks as Kai slumped on the cot, blood seeping through fresh bandages on his chest and arm where stitches strained from relentless battles. His shoulder throbbed from Slade's graze, and the morpher flickered a dim green on his wrist, its cracked crystal humming a faint plea: "Host critical, Grid unstable." Raven knelt beside him, her own cuts bandaged, cloak torn and draped loosely over her shoulders. Her pale face held shadowed eyes, but her hand gripped his with a steady urgency. "You're slipping, Kai," she said in a voice low and tight. "We can't stay, Eclipso's circling back."

Kai sucked a ragged breath, throat raw, forcing himself up. Pain seared his side, he clutched the cot's edge, and his vision blurred briefly. "He won't stop," he said with a voice roughened by strain. "The Chalice is patched, not fixed, red's still leaking. We've got to move, find him." Nightwing's sacrifice pressed heavy on his chest, Kaelric's echo whispering "You held" as a spur to keep going. He squeezed the morpher, cracks glowing faintly.

Donna staggered in, ankle brace creaking as she leaned on her staff. Her braid hung loose, eyes fierce but weary from the fight. "Tower's finished, rift gutted it, we're wide open. Where do we go?" Gar trailed her, green skin bruised and his usual spark dimmed, though he nodded faintly. "You're the anchor, dude, lead us out."

Slade stood near the shattered wall, trench coat bloodied and sword sheathed. His one-eyed glare swept the room, voice cool and clipped. "He's right, this place is a coffin. Eclipso's shard is cracked, not broken, he's desperate, next strike's all in." Kai locked eyes with him. "Then we take it to him, force the end."

Wonder Woman stepped in, lasso coiled at her hip. Her armor gleamed despite scuffs, voice firm yet warm. "Sensors are dead," she said. "Grid's unstable, red's growing, he's near." John Stewart followed, ring pulsing faintly as he frowned. "Chalice is holding, barely, threads are snapping faster."

Dr. Carter lingered by a flickering console, tablet clutched and glasses slipping with hands trembling slightly. "Morpher's fading, Kai, sync's dropping. You tapped the Chalice, it's draining you." Kai's stomach dropped as he tapped it. "Show me, now."

"Memory sync requested," it buzzed in a faint voice. "Core data accessed, host critical." Green light flared, blinding him, and the med bay melted away. Kai stood in the Grid's void where the green web pulsed weakly, the Chalice looming with red cracks widening and bleeding steadily. Kaelric faced him, armor pristine and sword glowing, eyes sharp with urgency. "You mended it halfway," he said in a crisp tone. "Threads snap, fate's unraveling. One choice remains, bind it or break it."

The void shifted, Kai gripped the Chalice, green surged with burning pain—Nightwing fell, Raven screamed, Donna bled—red pulsed—Kaelric seized him. "Bind it to you, anchor it, cost is steep, threads sever, or break it, end the cycle, chaos wins." Red flooded as Eclipso's shard loomed—"He's here!"—Kai jolted back.

He gasped, the med bay slamming into focus as Raven gripped his arm. "What'd you see?" Donna leaned in, Gar perked up, Carter stared with wide eyes. "The Chalice," Kai said in a rough voice. "Choice, bind it to me, anchor it, costs lives, or break it, let chaos loose. Eclipso's hitting now." Raven's eyes narrowed. "Bind it? What cost?" Kai swallowed hard. "Threads, fate, people."

A rumble shook the Tower, lights died, the morpher flared. "Grid breach, proximity zero!" Kai staggered. "Here!" Green flooded as a rift tore open—Eclipso emerged, shard blazing red and black—Seekers swarmed, thirty strong, black gear glinting and rifles barking. "The Chalice falls!" Dark energy blasted outward—Raven shielded with cracks spreading fast—she grunted—"Out!"

Kai roared. "Tiger shift!" Green surged—claws slashed—he charged—Seekers fell with blood spraying—Eclipso parried—"Weak!"—dark energy knocked—armor cracked—he hit concrete—Raven blasted shadows that lashed out—Donna swung her staff to smash through—Gar shifted into gorilla form with claws raking—Slade slashed with his sword cleaving Seekers down—Diana's lasso snared—"Yield!"—John's ring flared—construct crushed—Eclipso broke free—shard pulsed—rift widened—red surged—"It's mine!"

Knights stepped through, ten strong, Kaelric's face twisted on each—Kai slashed—ichor pooled—Eclipso blasted—Raven fell—Kai roared—"No!"—morpher dim—"Sync failing!"—green flared—Chalice pulsed—he grabbed—green burned—he stood—"Bind it!"—power surged—green lashed—Seekers flew—Eclipso staggered—"No!"—dark energy cracked—Kai slashed—Eclipso bled black ichor—shard pulsed—red flooded—rift grew—"You'll pay!"

Raven rallied—shadow dome sealed—"Hold!"—Donna smashed through—Gar tore into the fray—Slade parried—John's ring dimmed—Diana braced—Eclipso roared—"Mine!"—red pulsed—Kai lunged—green surged—Chalice flared—Eclipso slashed—Kai grabbed—shard cracked—red pulsed—Eclipso screamed—"No!"—green lashed—rift spasmed—he flew—Seekers swarmed—Kai slashed with blood spraying—Slade barked—"Move!"

"Van!" Donna yelled—Gar shifted—hawk flew—Raven dragged Kai—blood trailed—Slade covered with his sword cleaving—Diana's lasso snared—John's ring pulsed—green faded—Tower shook—Seekers swarmed—Kai staggered—"Bind…"—green surged—Chalice pulsed—he roared—rift flared—red flooded—Raven pulled—"Now!"—van roared—Tower crumbled—Seekers fired—Slade slashed—"Go!"—they peeled out—dust rose—silence fell.

Kai slumped—blood pooled—morpher cracked—"Host failing"—Raven gripped—"Stay!"—Donna drove—Gar panted—"Dude…"—Slade sat—"Tough kid"—John scanned—"Grid's shifting"—Diana gripped—"He's regrouping."

Kai gasped—"Bound it… cost…"—vision swam—Grid pulsed—Kaelric stood—"You chose, threads snap"—red pulsed—Raven's face flickered—"He's not done!"—Kai jolted—"He's coming!"—darkness crept—van shook—red pulsed—a shadow loomed—watching.