The weeks to pass were difficult to say the least. In the time that Madalena had been preparing to enter her new body, Cardinal had been working to discover the truths of his heritage. He'd learned much over the past few weeks, but at the same time there were so many questions left unanswered. When he returned, he was excited yet reserved. He kept his expectations in check, knowing that if he invested too much of himself into this single moment, it would destroy him. He'd made his way into the lab, holding a silent expression. When Cardinal walked in, Scherezade was working to position the prisoners in the room. He gave her a brief wave before running a hand over his bearded chin. What could this day bring? The Force was eerily silent to him, something that always caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise.
Scherezade's warning caused Cardinal to exhale a bit. He wanted to speak, but for now he had no words that would contribute to this day. He could not help, not truly, and it was something that agitated him. How many years had Metus trained him to become a Master of the Force and now he stood, as helpless as a newborn babe. It was karking infuriating, but he kept his anger in check, there was no time for it. Stepping back under the doorway, the man could tell Scherezade was about to begin. He bent down, falling to a knee as the woman began the ritual. His eyes slowly closed and he fell from the corporal world. He could feel the gods wrapping him in third embrace. They'd been so silent for the last hundred years, still, perhaps he was merely not listening. Scherezade had asked Cardinal to turn but it made no difference. With his eyes closed and his head bowed, seeing Madalena in her glory was the least of his worries. He could hear the faint sounds of Scherezade's voice, calling over the room and drifting to his own ears.
The song halfway aided his meditation, though he was still quite conscious of the world around him. When the room shifted and the power of the Dark Side filled the room, Cardinal's eyes fluttered for a moment. He exhaled, focusing on his own meditation and allowing The Force to flow through him freely.
Hours would pass, and still nothing had transpired. Cardinal had long since deepened his meditation, giving him some purchase for the gods to hear his voice. Though he was in meditation his lips moved softly, almost as if be was chanting. When Madalena rose, Cardinal did not budge. He could sense Madalena. His hands which were fastened over his knees tightened. He wanted to run to her, comfort her, and protect her from this damning Galaxy. However, what he felt was pure and abstract at the same time. He'd seen the faint signs of The Force wrapped around the soul, but still it was so foreign to him that focusing on it would have shattered his meditation. The blood ritual that followed impacted the flow of the Force in the room. The Dark Side swelled, begging to be fed, and Scherezade saw it well fed. He did nothing, even when the screams lashed out into the room. They were a small price to be paid. Prisoners, sentenced to death, if their lives would pay for Madalena's then they could die a thousand deaths. It made no difference.
It was all progressing, Cardinal had taken note of Scherezade and how she reacted to the events, it seemed to be going as planned until…
Darkness. Cardinal's eyes shot open and he was met with an endless pit of nothingness. His chest began to burn, causing his hand to rush to it. It hurt, this feeling, it reminded him so much of that empty pain in the deepest part of his soul. What was this?
Cardinal stood, gazing at the darkness with a silent expression. “Scherezade... Scherezade?! MADALENA!” His hands came forward, washing over the darkness as if it did not exist. It did not impede him nor allow him access. Cardinal glanced over the darkness before reaching out to Scherezade. Nothing. She said nothing about a darkness, what was this? What could he do? He clenched his fists tight before stepping back from the doorway. He clapped his hands together, clenching his eyes closed. There was one thing he could do, bring clarity. Cardinal exhaled, before once again throwing himself into the realm of meditation. It was only a few moments later, the darkness came to rest, causing his eyes to open in surprise.
What he saw was not what worried him. It was what he felt. Madalena. He stepped into the room, warily, as if the dangers it could hold were already known to him. He could see her, sitting up on the table, brilliant green eyes glowing up at him. Cardinal felt his eyes grow wet as he placed a hand over his mouth. “Madalena…” He said, stepping forward. He could hear her voice touch his mind, it was a scream, a call that shocked him from his stupor. Her emotions flooded into him and her worries became hers. When Cardinal looked to Scherezade on the ground, he moved before his mind gave his body command. He cursed lowly, bending down by the woman. He wanted to be selfish, go to Madalena, hold her. He could not abandon Scherezade, she did not deserve that.
The man lowered himself to the woman's, listening for the beat of her heart. She was breathing but it was labored. Her body was covered in a number of deep cuts, many of them on her legs, staining the floor in streaks of blood. “Damn it.” What could he do?
He paused, before glancing back to Madalena. She had saved her. She had saved her sister. He owed her a debt he could not begin to repay, but he would try. He ran his hands over the woman's shoulders to pull her into his arms. “Scherezade.” He spoke softly, closing his eyes as he gathered the Force to him. “Listen to me…Hear my voice.”
It had been so long. So many years. He focused, causing a shift in the room. It was as if the Force was suddenly still. An immovable object had met an unstoppable Force and created a half in the flow of the Force. Streaks of blue electricity flew from Cardinal's hands. No, not just his hands. They flew from his arms, his shoulders, and his legs. These things wisps lashed out at Scherezade. They washed over her wounds, slowly causing the flesh to repair itself and mend the damage that had been done. The pain in Cardinal's chest magnified, to the point where he gasped, but he continued. In his mind Cardinal saw Scherezade through a new eye. One that The Force and gifted him with. She was not a woman, not a body, she was merely a set of thin white lines. No shape, no form, just lines. Many of those lines were broken or cracked.
With hands woven from the nether, Cardinal worked to mend those lines, repairing the woman to proper form. The lights flashed and lashed out for several minutes, until Madalena was healed of her wounds and cuts. Cardinal, his eyes still closed, lowered the woman back to the ground as carefully as he could. He was tired. His breathing was labored and his muscles tightened uncontrollably. Only a few minutes had past, but it felt like hours. When Cardinal opened his eyes, they had changed. The Dark Side had corrupted them into orbs of pure crimson storms. They were not a milder shade of sunburnt orange, no they were crimson red with streaks of black. Cardinal pressed his hand to his forehead, trying to abate the headache that was beginning to show itself. Cardinal tried to stand up, hoping to turn to Madalena's side. Instead he ended up half walking, half crawling as he leaned against the woman's table. His hand reached out, grasping hers tight as he looked up at her with a weary smile. “Don't ever leave me again.” He said, before pressing his free hand back to his brow for a moment. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around the woman and drawing her into a warm embrace.
[member="Madalena Antares"]
