Cavern of Silence

[Vereshin]

t H e M e​

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In the caverns beneath the Sith Academy on Bastion, Vereshin portended in darkness. A vast hall lined with unlit torches soared above a small throne nestled at the end of the wall. Seated on the throne, the Sith sorcerer wrote by the light of two candles on either side table. He compounded a spell while awaiting a potential protege, having sent instructions to the Acolyte Kilrys to meet him below the academy. A hardcover notebook rested on the armrest on the throne and his pen scratched listlessly beneath the limpid silence.

The arrival of a presence drew Vereshin's gaze away from the page and above his glasses, unable to see the approaching Sith through perpetual darkness. The light of the candles drew Kilrys further down the hallway to meet his instructor sitting on the dark throne, his presence in the Dark Side seething unhindered. "Come closer, Acolyte." The sorcerer cooed. He squinted beneath the darkness to make out the numbers, having grown accustomed to writing in poor lighting. "Closer..." Vereshin repeated, his lilting tone trailing away.

An array of rubble and boulders lined the sides of the hallway next to the pillars, which Kilrys would not be able to see. As he motioned towards Vereshin, the sorcerer flicked one finger and sent them tumbling in front of his stride in order to trip him over where he walked. The rocks tumbled over in the darkness and Vereshin giggled jovially in anticipation of the Acolyte's annoyance. He determined to test his control over his emotions and his ability to harness his anger efficiently, rather then becoming a slave to his instincts.

"It is terribly dark in here, Kilrys." Vereshin mused while setting his pen inside of the notebook and folding it close. He rose to his feet and placed it on the seat of the throne. "We must light some of these torches." As he gave the Acolyte his first test, Vereshin retrieved a cigarette from his coat pocket and set it between his teeth. "But first, come here and light my cigarette." He offered a more simple task for Kilrys to demonstrate his abilities in manipulating energy.

"Control your anger. Feed your impulse into reach and allow it to extend your will." Vereshin instructed while allowing the Acolyte to gather his strength. As he approached, the sorcerer waved a hand and the two candles beside the throne were extinguished abuptly in flickers of smoke, leaving the two Sith in perpetual darkness.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys had been contacted by a Sith for training. It was going to be interesting, he was finally going to learn more about dominating the Force and bending it to his will. The meeting point was deep underground the temple based on Bastion. He had his Lightsaber, one with a crystal he taken from a Jedi Padawan during their attack on Anzat. It had cracked during his breaking of it to his will. His Lightsaber hilt was longer than standard with a vent at the bottom to allow excess heat be spent. There was a slight gold to the outer casing, he was proud of his saber, it was a symbol of his own strength in combat and competence against the Jedi.

Heading down the steps into the dark room, he saw the man that was going to be his potential Master. It all came down to whether or not Kilrys could impress the Sith. Stepping into the room, he could see a little more than a standard species could in the night but it was still poor that he couldn't see much. Once he got closer there was a rumble of rocks, it stunned him that the Sith would plan a trap for him. If he didn't have such keen senses it could have lead to his demise, however, that could be the purpose. Ensure only the strong stand before him. Kilrys grabbed the boulders with the Force, it was a difficult job as they were heavier than he thought. However, sheer determination and his fear to fail held them in place before he sent them back. Sweat coated his brow as he moved in closer and fell to one knee.

The Sith wished to test him further. He felt his nostrils flare with annoyance, he did not wish to be tested more but to learn. He had proved his powers already in his mind. Able to take life and defeat opponents, sadly it seemed this was not enough. He felt the anger burning within him, he wanted to strike at the Sith prove his strength through combat. However, Kilrys stayed his blade and turned his anger into a weapon within his mind. He reached out with the Force, feeling the energy around him, he wasn't sure how the Sith wanted him to create the ability to cause a fire to light his death stick. He had seen many Sith use lightning and he believed that this could be the energy needed. Harnessing his anger, he sent lightning from his fingertips on his left hand. The lightning struck the death stick and set it alight, unfortunately for Kilrys the lightning blacken his fingertips as it burnt his flesh as well. Gasping in shock of the pain, he suppressed his rising anger, he shouldn't have suffered from the attack, he should have been stronger.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

Vereshin relished in the anger radiating from the determined Acolyte. He watched intently amidst the candlelight as he tried to move the boulder to no avail. The Sith sorcerer chuckled at himself over the reckless pride of the upcoming Sith, beckoning him over the test his powers even further. As Kilrys tried to light the cigarette, the sparks from his fingers illuminated the space between them and caused Vereshin's skin to glow white amidst the darkness. The Acolyte snapped his fingers and to create a spark of electricity and lit the cigarette according to the order of his tutor.

"My name is Vereshin and you are Kilrys, I take it? It is a pleasure to meet you, you may call me Vi if you like." Vereshin introduced himself properly as Kilrys succeeded. Extending two hands, surges of lavender fire erupted from the space between them and ignited two of the torches on either side of Kilrys and Vi, allowing them some much needed illumination. "Very well done for your first try." Plucking the cigarette from his mouth and holding the cylinder, he inhaled deeply and blew smoke in the opposite direction of Kilrys.

"Now, light the rest of these torches." As Vereshin had displayed, he left the remainder of the torches throughout the hall for the Acolyte to practice his skills. Seeking to challenge him either ways, he did not expect Kilrys to be able to light all at once. "Feed your anger into your reach, wrap the Force around the particles of heat and aggravate them. Fuel them with your instinct." Vereshin instructed as he backed away and gave his student some space. He noted that Kilrys had not said a word and rather only listened. He appreciated that as opposed to the student verbally confronting his teacher.

"Don't be shy, Acolyte, you are allowed to speak. Ask questions if you need too." Nonetheless, Vereshin invited him to talk out of courtesy. With the torches illuminating the room, they revealed Vereshin's appearance and attire, a black, flared coat with a standing collar and loose, black pants tucked into boots with pointed toes and many silver buckles. A silver pin glistened on the breast of his scarf was was tucked beneath the buttons of his coat.

"You are stoic, which is good, but you are hindered by your fear of failure. Use it to your advantage, lest you lose your control and fall victim to an enemy who might use it to their advantage. Emotion is the fuel of a Sith, but they must be contained and utilized efficiently, rather than be allowed to rule you." Vereshin combed Kilrys' mind for any vulnerable emotions, noting the anger seething from him as he tumbled over the boulder. Reckless pride and a loss of control over the slightest failure, his teacher advised him on the control necessary for a Sith.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys remained silent during Vereshin's introduction. While he had been given the right to ask questions or speak, Kilrys was a man of few words and there was nothing he could think of that was important to ask. Instead, he nodded his head and listened closely to what was being said to him. Kilrys had been ordered to light more torches, he wasn't sure how many torches that meant, but it was a task for someone beneath his skill. This task was for a slave or prisoner, someone to mock with pointless tasks. This rose the anger in Kilrys's mind, he was pleased as it was the anger necessary to complete the task. To prove that he was above this.

Reaching forward to the nearest torch, Kilrys used his anger to boil the particles, make them jump around with energy before them spontaneously combusted. The fire was larger than necessary, leaving scorch marks on the pillar as well as lighting the torch alight. From there Kilrys moved to the next one, allowing the task to annoy him more, adding fuel to his fire. There was slight concern, the Sith had read his mind a lot easier than he thought possible, from an early age Kilrys could communicate telepathically, as could all Anzat. It made him think that he had a strong barrier against others attempting to comb through his thoughts. Sadly, this meeting proved him wrong, something that he had to change.

Fear was something Yuroic thought was part of the Dark Side, he had heard it mention that fear lead to anger, anger to hatred, hatred to suffering and suffering to the Dark Side. It was why he openly expressed his emotions, to do so allowed him to harness the power behind them and use the Force. But then, he was the one learning to use the Force here. He had to keep reminding himself that, even at nearly three centuries, Kilrys felt like he knew best compared to younger races. Another habit that he must kick if he wanted to dominate the Force.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

The torches came to light one by one and gradually illuminated the room. With one hand holding the cigarette to his mouth, Vereshin held another behind his back and watched, satisfied as Kilrys made adequate usage of casting fire. "Stop, Acolyte." The magus called out and splayed a hand against the air in a gesture of command. "Light them all at once." He ordered following a pause. "Just as you would conjure electricity, enhance the voltage and current to produce heat." Vereshin instructed as he had demonstrated previously. The task was indeed possible with the right focus, Kilrys needed to learn how to contain his pride.

"Pride has been the downfall of many a Sith." Vereshin said as he inhaled on the cigarette filled with cloves, sensing the anger Kilrys felt towards completing the mundane task. "Repress your pride and focus your energy into separating the trajectory of where you cast the fire. Split your focus into each point and release the heat through funnels. The emotion fuels your power, but you must the conscious decision as to where it is directed." The sorcerer explained how Kilrys would complete the task. He did not expect him to succeed at first and merely sought to challenge him.

"Should an enemy Sith sense your emotions, they can be twisted and used against you." While Kilrys attempted to light the torches, Vereshin explained the importance of shielding one's feelings and remaining stoic. A lesson he determined to teach the Anzat following the present task. He bit the cigarette between his lips and extended both palms. A fury of lavender fire erupted across the walls beside them and two rows of four torches ignited at once. Vereshin left the rest to Kilrys once he had demonstrated the that the task was possible. As Kilrys practice his skills, he would demonstrate yet another skill the Acolyte ought to learn.

Reaching through the Force with his sheer mental capacity, Vereshin penetrated the walls of Kilrys' essence and combed through every emotion and vulnerability he felt. He would experience a rush of deep shame and the shattering of his pride, paired with a sensation of chilling terror. Whether or not he used the emotions to his advantage when lighting the torches remained to be seen. "Erect a barrier through the Force between your mind and my own. Shield your emotions from those who may toy with them." Vereshin said as he discarded the cigarette onto the ground and stamped out the end. He reached forward with a hand and grasped Kilrys' mind through the space between them.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys listened and watched as the Sith split his flames in different directions and perfectly hit his targets. There a small amount of Kilrys that was impressed by this, but he refused to allow the Sith Knight to know this from him. No, Kilrys kept his emotions well hidden, at least the Anzat thought he had until the Sith attacked him mentally, combing through his mind as easily as one would comb their hair. Gritting his teeth, he could feel his anger rising, the false emotions pressed on him did not deter him. Kilrys was too alert to know that they were not his true feelings, but pushed on by the Sith. If this had been done in a few days time when he was getting hungry for soup, then he would have been much weaker mentally and unable to distinguish his own emotions from the ones that Vereshin was implanting.

The two challenges set for him made it tricky for him to ensure that he would be able to successfully light the torches as demanded. Kilrys growled lowly, "Why would a Sith attack me? We are on the same side, are we not? Surely it be more likely a Jedi attacking me." He was not familiar with the Sith infighting as others were, he had been isolated with his own people for most of his younger years. His mind started forming barriers, pushing the Sith out of his mind. The barriers were initially strong and solid, encompassing his own mind. Unfortunately when he attempted to focus on the other task, they started to weaken, his concentration unable to multitask. Fortunately, he was able to spread out the flames from his palm in different directions, however they were nowhere near their targets. Frustration built up within Kilrys.

"This task is ridiculous and stupid! How is one meant to focus on lighting the torches when you are going through my head?!" Kilrys growled angrily at the Sith, his fist clenched tightly. "You demand miracles from me, I barely used the Force!" Frustration blinding Kilrys's thoughts, he used it to shield his mind. Enforcing his original barrier with one of hatred. His anger then powered his connection to the Force and he sent flames once more at the torches, this time barely lighting the torches, most scorching the pillars. His eyes glared at the Sith, who seemed to remain unnaturally calm.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

Vereshin chuckled slightly in response to Kilrys comment regarding the Sith attacking one another. He sensed the fury of building emotion within the Acolyte and relished in every frustration he suffered. "Some Sith attack other Sith as a means of gaining power. Others utilize more insidious methods." The teacher explained as he relaxed his grip through the Force and released Kilrys' mind, allowing the Acolyte his own thoughts once again. The Sith means of infighting was not an aspect Vereshin engaged in for the most part and chose to keep his lot alone, isolating himself from plays of power and influence.

"Power comes in many different forms. Many Sith seek to rule individuals and defeat opponents. Others pursue mastery over the arcane and the understanding of the Dark Side." Vereshin explained the many paths a Sith might take and offered Kilrys the chance to contemplate his own future. Disappoint curled into the sides of his mouth as Kilrys abandoned the task of igniting the torches and lashed out in anger. "Misdirected passion, such a waste." Shaking his head slightly, Vereshin stood unmoved and glared downward in disapproval. He extended both hands and released surges of lavender flame from each side, directing the energy to all of the torches and igniting them at once.

"Kilrys, I have a task in mind for you, one which requires control over your emotions and a tight seal on your mind." Vereshin explained following a pause. "I am going to enter your thoughts again and I want you to create a barrier through the Force to block out my influence and shield your thoughts." The sorcerer raised his wrist and continued the process, combing through every nuance and memory for any trace of vulnerability he could target. "Sit down if you must, do not think about lighting torches. Focus all of your energy into blocking out my assault." Vereshin explained and allowed the Acolyte to prepare himself.

Vereshin transported Kilrys within his memories to the depths of his past. He would return to the events which transpired in his village and witness the massacre of his village. A child, he stood and watch as his relatives lost their lives, too weak to help and not strong enough to save them. Vereshin enhanced the anger and guilt and presented him with the image of the Vigho-Anzati displaying the remains of his family as trophies. The vision began to wane as the Acolyte tried as hard as he could manage to defend his mind against the repeated imagery of his trauma.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]