Private Destined to Darkness

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery remained steady, her fiery gaze unwavering as she absorbed the unfolding chaos around her. The room pulsed with the dark energy radiating from Serina, but Valery's presence stood as a radiant beacon of calm, unyielding against the storm. The words from Aadihr and Ran reached her, but her focus remained firmly on the Padawan who had gone too far.

Her voice, calm but laced with steel, cut through the charged air. "Ran, Aadihr — ensure no other Jedi enter this room. I don't need Padawans or, Force forbid, younglings stumbling into this fight."

She turned her head slightly, her fiery eyes flicking to both Jedi. "Do what must be done. Protect them."

Without waiting for confirmation, Valery reached for her second hilt, the identical twin to the one already ignited in her hand. The hiss and hum of the violet blade splitting the air was sharp and commanding, casting twin glows that illuminated her features in stark relief. She raised both sabers, their energy crackling faintly as she brought them into a defensive stance. The twin lightsabers seemed an extension of her resolve, a physical manifestation of her unshakable will.

The Force surged around her, tangible in its strength. It rippled outward from her core like a steady pulse, a silent declaration of her power and readiness. The air seemed to grow heavier, charged with the contrast of light against the oppressive darkness that Serina wielded.

Her expression softened for a brief moment, the weight of the moment settling into her words as she addressed the wayward Padawan. "Serina," Valery began, her voice steady but tinged with sorrow. "I'm sorry it has come to this."

Her gaze locked onto the former Padawan, piercing through the chaos swirling around her. "But you've left me no choice."

With a sudden step forward, Valery's stance shifted, the twin blades humming as she brought them to bear. Her presence in the Force flared brighter, sharper — an unmistakable challenge, and a promise. This would end here, one way or another.

"Come," Valery said, her voice carrying the weight of her conviction, a final offer wrapped in the fire of her determination. "Let's finish this."

Ran Serys Aadihr Lidos ​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Restricted Archives
Tag: Aadihr Lidos Ran Serys Valery Noble ​

The violet blaze of Valery's twin sabers cut through the crimson glow of the restricted archives, their hum steady, resolute. Serina stood opposite her, the pale aqua of her lightsaber casting a ghostly light over her features, accentuating the madness in her smile and the shadows beneath her eyes. The Dark Side whispered to her, wrapping itself around her like a lover's embrace, cold and intoxicating. The whispers no longer frightened her. They didn't drive her mad—they were her.

This is it. The prophecy moves forward.

Her breathing slowed, her body unnaturally still for a moment. The whispers of the Dark Side grew louder, not in words but in a chorus of temptation, power, and inevitability. The prophecy had always been there, lurking in the corners of her mind since the moment she had died on Rakata Prime, struck down by Imperius. She no longer needed to fight it. She was the prophecy. She was the Dark Side's will made flesh, and here, in this room, she would give it form once more.

With a flick of her wrist, Serina brought her blade up in a Makashi salute, its refined and serpentine movements almost mocking. Her lips curled into a smile, her voice dripping with dark mirth and cruel allure. "You've always been a force to reckon with, Valery. A paragon of light, standing so tall, so sure. But even you can't stand against what's inevitable."

Her aqua blade dipped slightly, the tip trailing an elegant line in the air as she began to circle Valery. Her movements were precise, every step deliberate and calculated, her stance a masterful execution of Makashi's grace and control. Yet, behind her poise, her body thrummed with unnatural speed and strength, bolstered by the Dark Side puppeteering her limbs. It was no longer Serina fighting—it was something far greater, far darker, using her as its instrument.

The first strike came fast and serpentine, her blade slashing in a tight arc aimed at Valery's left side. It wasn't a strike meant to land—it was a feint, a test of the Grandmaster's defense. Her movements flowed seamlessly into the next, the blade twisting and flicking with unnerving precision as she pressed her assault. Each strike was a duel of wits and form, Makashi against the twin blades of Valery Noble.

But as the exchange intensified, it became clear that Serina wasn't seeking victory. Her attacks, as elegant and refined as they were, carried a recklessness that spoke of someone resigned to their fate. She wasn't trying to win; she was letting the Dark Side revel in the fight, letting it burn brightly before the inevitable end.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's fiery eyes stayed locked on Serina as the fallen Padawan circled her, the air between them charged with tension. She saw through the dark mirth in Serina's smile and felt the chaos simmering beneath her poised Makashi form. Serina's movements were fluid, calculated, and deadly, but Valery stood unmoving, her twin sabers steady in her hands.

"You speak of inevitability," Valery said, her voice calm but edged with the fire of her conviction. "But you've lost yourself to whispers, Serina. You let the Dark Side make promises it can never keep."

As the aqua blade slashed toward her left, Valery shifted with precision, her twin sabers catching the strike effortlessly. The clash sent sparks scattering in the dim light of the archive. Serina flowed into her next attack, each movement refined and calculated, but Valery remained unshaken, her twin blades swatting away the strikes with almost dismissive ease.

Valery pressed forward, her movements deliberate and unrelenting. Each step she took meant to force Serina back, her twin blades cutting arcs through the air with a ferocity that belied her calm exterior. Her strikes came faster, her footwork tighter, driving Serina toward the edge of the chamber.

"You've given yourself to something that cares nothing for you," Valery said, her tone unwavering as she parried and countered each strike. "The Dark Side doesn't guide — it consumes. You think you're in control, but you're just a pawn."

Serina's movements were quick, but Valery's were faster. The Grandmaster's connection to the Force was a torrent of power, steady and controlled, her presence a radiant storm against the encroaching darkness. Serina's strikes became more erratic, the Dark Side urging her to lash out, but Valery was relentless, her twin sabers flashing in controlled arcs that forced the fallen Padawan to retreat further.

"You can still stop this, Serina," Valery continued, her voice cutting through the sound of clashing blades. "This doesn't have to end with you consumed by darkness."

But her words were accompanied by a fierce overhead strike, her sabers crashing down with enough force to hopefully send Serina stumbling back. The fiery determination in Valery's gaze burned brighter as she pressed her advantage, her movements a masterclass in precision and power.

Ran Serys Aadihr Lidos ​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Restricted Archives
Tag: Aadihr Lidos Ran Serys Valery Noble ​

The clash of blades echoed through the vastness of the archives, the violet glow of Valery's sabers chasing the flickering aqua light of Serina's. Each step backward brought Serina closer to the ventilation room she had cut open, her body moving as though it were being guided by invisible strings. The Dark Side thrummed through her veins, urging her forward, but her feet betrayed her—retreating, faltering, giving ground under Valery's relentless onslaught.

The bridge stretched wide before them, the narrow path connecting the grand chambers of the archive to the dark recesses Serina had forced open. The air was heavy, laden with the tension of the duel and the lingering whispers of power that clung to Serina like a second skin. Her movements were still fluid, precise, Makashi's serpentine grace in every step, but they lacked the conviction they once had. The fight was no longer about victory—it was about prolonging the inevitable.

As Valery's twin sabers crashed against hers again, sparks rained down, illuminating the shadowed hollows of Serina's face. Her expression was no longer cruel, no longer licentious or mocking. Instead, it carried the weight of something deeper—a sadness that seemed to stretch across lifetimes.

Her voice, when it came, was soft and hollow, like the whisper of a child long resigned to their fate. "I always knew it would end like this," she said, her words barely audible over the hum of their sabers. Her eyes, glowing faintly with the Dark Side's touch, lifted to meet Valery's. There was no hatred there, no rage—only a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.

Step by step, she was forced further onto the bridge, the narrow walkway confining their duel to a linear dance of survival. Serina's strikes, while still elegant, began to falter under the Grandmaster's relentless precision. Valery's sabers arced and cut with unyielding power, forcing Serina back, her boots scraping against the durasteel floor as she stumbled toward the edge of the ventilation room.

"You're so lucky," Serina murmured, her voice tinged with something that might have been envy if it weren't so tired. She parried another strike, the clash of blades sparking like fireworks in the dim space. "You have free will. Choices. A life that's yours to live."

Her blade dipped slightly as Valery's relentless assault pushed her further back. "Do you know what it's like… to never have that? To feel like your every step is guided by something else, something bigger, something you can't escape?"

The whispers of the Dark Side swirled around her, urging her to strike, to fight, to resist. But Serina's arms felt heavy, her movements slowing as the weight of it all pressed down on her. She deflected another blow, her aqua blade shivering under the impact of Valery's twin sabers. Her voice cracked as she continued, the tone no longer one of defiance but of quiet acceptance.

"I was chosen," she said, the words falling from her lips like an accusation. "Not by the Force. Not by fate. By this." She gestured to the darkness surrounding her, her saber flickering in the dim light. "I never asked for it. I never wanted it. But it's me. It's who I am."

The room seemed to darken around her, the whispers of the Dark Side growing louder, feeding off her despair. Her steps brought her to the edge of the bridge, the ventilation room yawning behind her like a gaping maw. She paused there, her back to the open doorway, her blade lowered but still ignited. Her gaze turned to Valery, her eyes shining with a mix of regret and sorrow.

"You won't understand," she said softly, her voice trembling with the weight of her admission. "No one does. Not the Jedi, not the Sith. They all think they know the Force, that they can bend it, shape it, control it. But they're wrong. They're all wrong."

Her chest rose and fell with a deep, shuddering breath, her exhaustion palpable. "I am the Dark Side. It is me. It's not something I wield. It's not something I can reject. It's in my veins, in my thoughts, in my soul. I didn't choose it. I didn't choose any of this."

Her blade wavered, the light casting faint shadows across her face as she stepped backward into the ventilation room. The darkness swallowed her for a moment, her form barely visible against the dim glow of her saber. She paused there, her voice breaking as she spoke again, quieter this time, as though speaking to herself.

"I'm tired, Valery. So tired." Her head dipped, her voice trembling. "I never wanted to fight. I never wanted to be this. I just… wanted to be free."

Her hands trembled as she raised her blade again, the Dark Side flaring around her like a dying star, burning brightly but unsustainably. She straightened, her expression softening into something almost peaceful, her voice laced with finality.

"I know how this ends. It was always going to end this way." Her eyes lifted to meet Valery's one last time, a faint, tired smile playing on her lips. "Just… remember me. Not for what I am, but for who I could of become, if I had the choice. Please."

Valery, in her passive perception of the Force, could of felt Serina's guard break. Inside her was an infinite blackness. The truth, as painful as it was, became completely evident, something Serina still hadn't learnt herself. Serina was a creation of the Dark Side of the Force, no redemption was ever possible, no conversion even attemptable.

She was it, it was her. If anything, killing her was the ultimate mercy.

Her mind began to wander, slipping away from the chaos of the present into the comforting embrace of a life that never was. She was home—Chandrila. Her parents never sent her to the New Jedi Order. She was seated at the dining table, playing Pazaak with Mother and Father, their laughter filling the air like a song. Dominic, her brother, walked through the door, his uniform crisp, his expression proud as he returned home from military college.

The vision flashed again, and she was snug in her bed, the soft sheets wrapped around her as Mother leaned down to kiss her forehead. The warmth of that kiss lingered as the door closed softly behind her. She waited, her heart light with anticipation, until Father entered the room, his familiar presence bringing a sense of safety and love that wrapped around her like a shield. He wished her goodnight, his voice calm and steady, and she lay there in the quiet of her room, in the embrace of everything she had ever wanted.

These weren't real memories. They were fragments of a dream, the fantasies she had crafted in the cold halls of the Jedi Temple. They were her refuge, the life she clung to in her mind when reality became too harsh, too unforgiving.

It was what she had always wanted, what she had fought so hard to feel—if only for a fleeting moment.

Back in reality, Serina's movements faltered, her body dropping as if weighed down by the enormity of her exhaustion. Her blade hung limply at her side, the light flickering faintly, barely holding its shape. Her lips parted, and she began to speak, her voice soft and hollow, her gaze distant.

"I am so tired... father... I am so tired... father... I am so tired... father..."

The words repeated with a haunting precision, each syllable carrying the weight of a child who had never truly known home, who had been torn away from the life she might have lived. It was a good thought, a nice thought, to cling to in her final moments. The whispers of the Dark Side grew faint, eclipsed by the aching longing in her heart.

For a brief moment, Serina was not the embodiment of the Dark Side, nor the wielder of its power. She was just a girl—a tired, broken girl who wanted nothing more than the warmth of a father's embrace, the safety of a life that could never be hers.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's fiery eyes stayed locked on Serina, her heart tightening as the fallen Padawan's words cut through the air. The clash of their blades lit up the dim archive chamber, the sparks briefly illuminating the sadness etched into Serina's face. Valery could feel the storm raging within her — the despair, the exhaustion, the acceptance of an end that Serina believed was inevitable.

"I understand," Valery said softly, her voice carrying through the hum of their lightsabers. Her strikes never slowed, but there was a tremble of pain beneath her calm exterior. "I know what it feels like to be lost, to feel like you don't belong. Like you're nothing more than a tool for something greater. I've been there, Serina."

The bridge beneath them creaked as Serina's retreat brought them closer to its edge. Valery's strikes were relentless, yet controlled, each movement precise as she pressed forward. The whispers of the Dark Side swirled around them, feeding the tension, but Valery's presence burned against the cold darkness, an unyielding flame in the storm.

"You think the Dark Side gives you purpose, but it's a lie," Valery continued, her voice sharpening with conviction as their blades clashed again. "It only takes. It's taken your choices, your hope, and now… it's taking your life."

Serina's movements faltered further, her guard breaking as the weight of her despair crushed her spirit. Valery stepped forward, her twin sabers spinning in an arc that disarmed the aqua blade from Serina's trembling hands, sending it clattering to the ground.

Valery paused, her sabers glowing at her sides. Her fiery eyes softened, and for a moment, she didn't see an enemy in front of her. She saw a broken girl, trapped in a nightmare she never chose. The weight of that realization pressed on Valery's heart, and she swallowed hard against the lump forming in her throat.

"I know," Valery whispered, stepping closer. "I'm sorry, Serina."

The Dark Side surged around them, a final, desperate scream as if it knew what was coming. Valery's movements were swift and fluid, a single blade rising in a blur of violet light before piercing through Serina's heart. The strike was precise, quick, and merciful. Serina's body stiffened, her lips parting in a faint gasp. Valery's eyes searched for Serina's gaze, hoping to hold onto the dimming light for just a moment longer.

"I hope you find peace, Serina. You deserve that much," she said, her voice low and trembling,

The light in Serina's eyes faded, and her body began to slump backward, so Valery stepped back, extinguishing her blade as she watched Serina fall. The broken girl's body tumbled over the edge of the bridge, disappearing into the darkness below.

Silence filled the air, broken only by the distant hum of the archive's systems. Valery stood there, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, her fiery eyes staring into the abyss where Serina had vanished. The echoes of the fight still lingered in the Force, but the oppressive weight of the Dark Side had lifted.

For a moment, Valery said nothing, her hands trembling slightly at her sides. Then, she closed her eyes, bowing her head as a quiet, mournful whisper escaped her lips.

"Rest now."

Serina Calis ​