The change in the green beast's behavior was immediately noticeable, an intimidating transformation from vapid fury to something much more calculating and predatory. The wild energy that had emanated from its scaled incarnation now beat with a chillingly intent fury, and the evil intelligence smoldering within its emerald eyes was unmistakable. It no longer was simply a debased version of Conner but a different being altogether, a usurper of the same chaos Umbra had attempted to control.
Umbra felt the move in power, pulled back in a blend of shock and dawning terror. The golden gaze of the green predator narrowed, and the low growl that vibrated within its chest now held a clear note of dominance, an icy claim of its new mastery over the raw energies that tied them together.
"What… what are you doing?" Umbra stuttered, her confidence earlier giving way to a quiver of fear. The power she had attempted to control had now turned against her, the chaos she had welcomed now looking for its master.
The emerald beast stepped forward slowly towards Umbra, its massive body emitting a stifling aura of raw power. The wild energy around it crackled and squirmed, no longer flowing towards the sorceress, but spreading from the beast itself, as if the beast had cut itself off and absorbed the wild energies into its own being.
Aqualad, observing this dramatic change of events from the vantage point within his aquatic realm, experienced a glimmer of dark hope among the despondency. "It's… it's turning on her."
Robin, his logical mind comprehending the ramifications, supplementing, "The chaos is unstable by its very nature. It cannot be controlled. It appears Umbra's move to weaponize it has had the opposite effect."
Wally, his own terror briefly overcome by a grim interest, whispered, "Guess the apprentice just got taught by her own monster."
Zatanna, her weakened magical guard still intact, observed the drama with guarded unease. The reversal of the power structure provided a possible respite, but the emerald monster, now apparently autonomous and even more formidable, was still a major threat.
Michael, his eyes upon the quiet standoff between the usurper of chaos and its previous master, had a bitter taste of defeat. Their effort to rescue Conner had been unsuccessful, creating an even worse entity in the process. Severance had come at a much higher cost than they had ever expected.
Umbra, seeing the magnitude of her error, lashed out with a desperate blast of wild energy, trying to reassert dominion over the emerald beast. Emerald tendrils of unshaped power burst forth from her hands, slamming into the creature's scaly hide.
But the creature did not move. The wild energy swept over it, not as constraining force, but as a gentle familiarity, a greeting to its own natural being. With a sudden, savage motion, it slashed a massive, scaly claw, striking Umbra with incredible power.
The sorceress was knocked back, slammed into a mound of wreckage with a terrible sound. The shadows that had wrapped around her dissipated and faltered, showing a battered, bruised form, the green glow in her eyes faltering with shock and pain.
The emerald creature focused once again on the trapped heroes, its radiant eyes no longer burning with the raging fury that had driven it before, but cold and calculating intelligence that was even more frightening than its previous blank fury. It was no longer acting on instinct; it was thinking, planning.
"It's… thinking," Robin breathed softly, a shiver running down his spine.
The creature made a slow step into Aqualad's aquatic domain, its eyes lingering on the Atlantean king. A low threat growled in its chest, one that seemed to threaten a slow and agonized death.
They were out of time, Michael realized. Their desperate ploy had lost Conner and instead released a more powerful foe. Buried under mountains of debris, with a potent, cunning foe forged out of the corrupted darkness facing them, their survival looked more unlikely by the second. The orchestra of conquest had been played, and the acrid sting of defeat lingered over the crushing darkness. All that remained to them now was a desperate, last-cast gamble, a mad risk against impossible chances.