Private Fruit of knowledge

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Lower levels of Coruscant

Tag | Serina Calis

As of late the lower levels had become ridden with cults, and like an seemingly unstoppable plague they continued to spread. And it would be this looming darkness that sang to many, be they Jedi or not. Her's was a siren call, alluring and promising. The raven haired lady, eyes red as rubies... The dreamwalker had visited Serina, shaping and molding their dreams into a wonderful thing. You couldn't remember much, yet to this day the depths sang to you.. Something or someone desired to take your hand and drag you into that seren black.

Even as a padawan you would here all sorts of rumors about these cults, it was wise to monitor such activities. You were looked at with sceptical eyes, treated differently. Something was off about you, your elders unsure if you needed to go down there.

Perhaps it was the wit of your fleshy tongue, perhaps you had snuck out to satiate your curiosity.. At the end of it all it matters not, you were being watched the moment your foot stepped into that elevator.

It was a long ride, going down let you watch in real time as the infrastructure became soured, and the smells of undercity life punched into your nostrils.

And in those quick flashes of light, you could swear your eyes had seen the dark silhouette of a woman watching you. Her eyes ruby red.. Her mouth twisted into a devilishly impish smile.

As the elevator finally stopped the flickering lights kicked in, the automated system letting you know just how far down you were... The number of levels perhaps flew right over your mind as you were now in a world very different from the one you knew best. Some of the first things that greeted you as you stepped out from the worn machinery would be rows of effigies down the street, hanging talismans made from anything from bone to scrap metals...

And strangely? No shootouts, no gang crimes.. No police were in sight of course, they hardly ever went this far down.

Citizens watched you and anyone else with you closely, your tools and garb seeming to set off a primal response in their eyes.

Your light, even if dim.. Was not welcome down here.






​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: Level ????, Coruscant
Tag: Adeline Noctua

Serina Calis stood at the threshold of the undercity, her senses attuned to the pulsating energy that permeated the air. The descent in the creaking elevator had been a silent journey of anticipation and subtle fear. As the doors slid open with a mechanical groan, she stepped into the dimly lit world below, her Jedi robes stark against the backdrop of decay and darkness.

Beside her, Knight Taron Vel, a figure of rigid discipline and unwavering conviction, scanned the surroundings with a frown. "Stay close, Padawan. This place is a den of shadows and deceit," he murmured, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his lightsaber.

Serina nodded, though her attention was drawn not by his warnings but by the eerie calm that enveloped the area. The usual undercity chaos of crimes and clashes was conspicuously absent, replaced by an oppressive silence that seemed almost expectant.

As they moved through the narrow streets, flanked by rows of strange effigies and hanging talismans that clinked softly in the stale air, Serina felt the weight of watchful eyes upon them. The locals, their faces marked by life's hardships, watched from the shadows and doorways, their gazes sharp and assessing.

The siren call of the dreamwalker echoed in the back of her mind, a haunting melody of promises and revelations. Serina felt a tug, a whisper in her soul, guiding her deeper into the heart of the undercity. She resisted the urge to follow that call, focusing instead on the mission at hand.

Knight Vel stopped suddenly, his gaze fixed on a dark alley to their left. "The Force is disturbed here," he said, his voice low. "There are echoes of pain and loss that cling to these walls."

Serina felt it too—a palpable sense of despair that seemed to seep from the very stones. "The missing... they might have come this way," she suggested, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the somber quietude.

Knight Vel nodded, and they proceeded cautiously, Serina's hand drifting to her own lightsaber. The ruby-eyed specter of her dreams seemed almost a reality in this place, where every shadow held potential danger.

They had been sent to investigate, to bring light to this darkness, yet Serina couldn't shake the feeling that something down here didn't just want to be found—it wanted to be understood. Her curiosity, driven by her deep connection to the Force and her relentless ambition, whispered that perhaps there was more to be learned here than what the New Jedi Order had surmised.

As they ventured deeper, Serina's mind replayed the fleeting vision of the woman with ruby red eyes, her smile both inviting and menacing. With each step, Serina felt the divide within her widening—a chasm between her duty and her desire to explore the forbidden allure of the dark mysteries surrounding her. Deep down however, she knew the truth.

The light had left her long ago.

She lusted for the darkness.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Lower Levels of Coruscant

Tag | Serina Calis

His warnings were correct, the very air was thick with a profane presence. The area so polluted by her corruption that you could taste the poison deep within your lungs, and yet? There was something else here, something both primordial.. It felt nothing like either of you had ever felt before. This strangeness, this pull, to even try to understand it would cause a straining of the mind.

Before the both of you appeared a door, looking rather out of place as it defied all known logic. Standing with no wall frame, wood black as the void. Had it always been here? Within the blink of an eye it was there, did your senses just simply miss such an obvious thing?

The longer you gazed upon it the more you desired to open it, the strange pulling sensation felt as if it came from whatever this could really be.

Reality itself seemed to bend around it, the squinting of the eyes letting you see the ground quiver or liquify, the buildings behind it faded or turned to pillars of obsidian stone.

Despite your eyes seeing it over and over again, you could only remember it as some dark and formless mass of wood. It was as if the door was casting a shadow, but the shadow was all you could ever remember of it.

As it pulled you closer to grasp the handle, the cold metal felt as if it pierced your mind. The turning of the knob echoed throughout the body and made your stomach do somersaults... And just as you both became tempted to push forward, the door opens and you both are pulled into an inky abyss.

As you both fell for what seemed like an unknown amount of time, your soul almost felt unstitched as the pitch black around you had almost enveloped you whole... That was until you found yourself in a fancy little office. The rhythmic ticking of a clock causing your eyes to open, before you sat the raven haired woman from your dreams. Her ruby gaze watching you both closely as a primal fear would sink its fangs deep within your guts, you were in another place, another reality.

"And if you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

The strange woman says with an impish smirk, seeming to delight in having guests..











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[Serina Calis]

Location: Level ????, Coruscant
Tag: Adeline Noctua

As the disorienting sensation of falling subsided, Serina and Knight Taron Vel found themselves abruptly seated in an unexpectedly mundane setting—a stark contrast to the undercity's grim decor. The office was neat, the ticking of a clock filling the space with a rhythmic grounding that seemed to anchor reality back in place, however tenuously.

Knight Vel, looking markedly pale, struggled to his feet, his hand gripping the back of the chair for support. His voice, when he spoke, was tinged with both sickness and anger. "What sorcery is this? Who are you, and what have you done to us?" His questions were sharp as his gaze locked onto the raven-haired woman, his instinct to confront and control the situation clear despite his physical unease.

Serina, however, remained seated, her eyes wide not just with shock but with a deep, undeniable intrigue. The woman before them—the dreamwalker with eyes like smoldering rubies—was both terrifying and mesmerizing. She exuded a power that Serina felt drawn to, a force of personality that called to the darker, hidden corners of her own ambition.

"Knight Vel, please," Serina interjected softly, her voice calm but firm, a stark contrast to her companion's agitation. "Let's not forget our teachings about understanding and patience. She might be able to help us." Her gaze returned to the woman, her expression one of cautious respect. "We're grateful for your hospitality," she continued, choosing her words carefully, her diplomatic skills coming to the fore. "We find ourselves far from familiar paths. Might we understand where we are, and why?"

Knight Vel shot Serina a look of disbelief, his skepticism clear. "You cannot seriously be considering parleying with this... this entity. We know nothing of her or her intentions!"

Serina met his gaze with an unyielding serenity. "And we will learn nothing if we close ourselves off to the potential of understanding. Our mission is to investigate and resolve, not to condemn without insight." Turning back to the woman, Serina's posture remained open, an embodiment of diplomatic grace under pressure.

Her fascination was not merely with the woman's potential answers but with the very essence of her being. Here was a figure who seemed to embody the very secrets Serina had always been compelled to uncover. Yet, the caution instilled by her Jedi training reminded her to tread carefully, balancing her thirst for knowledge with the wisdom to recognize danger.

As the tension in the room thickened, Serina was acutely aware of the dual paths before her: the Knight's rigid adherence to order and her own, ever-growing compulsion to explore the unknown reaches of power and darkness. Her decision at this moment could very well define the course of her journey, whether towards the light of understanding or down the shadowed paths she found so enthralling.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | Serina Calis

Despite their obvious plight, it seemed as if this strange woman drank deeply from their dispute.. Impishly poking a tongue out a little at the frustrated knight.

"You are here, aren't you? You feel into nothing, see nothing.. And yet it is everything."

Before one could question her unhelpful words, they all found themselves resting in the gardens of dead Yalara. A world rumored to be taken over by undeath and all sorts of black magics, home to a shadowy academy and ruled by a twisted mistress.

The gardens were peaceful... Even if the plant life was withered and tainted. Adeline sat atop a massive metal gate, its material unknown and black as night, with the peek of the archway holding an imposing red eye.

Gently kicking her heels in the dead air, she would give a short applause, her laughing allowing the pale moonlight to shine down upon the woman's impressive set of fangs.

"Oh but you desire answers, seek to pick and prod your nails into every scrap you can get. So go ahead, you may ask your questions.

She then points a blackened claw at the duo.

"Ask me your deepest burning questions...."








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[Serina Calis]

Location: ???
Tag: Adeline Noctua

Surrounded by the eerie tranquility of Yalara's gardens, Serina felt a chill not from the cold but from the thrill of the unknown that enveloped her. The scene before them was like something drawn from the darkest of fables, yet here they were, standing in its midst. As the being kicked her heels against the air, her presence felt as commanding as the landscape itself, a stark contrast to the tainted beauty around them.

Knight Vel, visibly disturbed yet resolute, clenched his fists, his voice tight with restrained fury. "This is no place for games, witch! Tell us how to return to our world at once!" His demand echoed slightly, a testament to his frustration and his unwavering stance against what he perceived as dark forces.

Serina raised a hand, gently motioning to the Knight to yield. "Knight Vel, please," she urged with a soft yet firm tone, her eyes never leaving Adeline. Turning her full attention back to the mysterious woman, Serina's expression was one of fascinated inquiry, her stance open yet cautious.

"Thank you for this opportunity," Serina began, her voice reflecting her genuine interest and respect for the power Adeline wielded. "My question is not just how we might return, but why we were brought here. What is it that you seek from us, or wish to show us? There are no accidents in the Force, only paths that we are meant to explore."

Her question, laced with a seeker's genuine curiosity, also served as a bridge, trying to draw out not just answers but a deeper understanding of the dark tapestry they had been thrust into. Serina's eyes, bright with a mix of caution and a palpable allure to the power before them, sought to connect with this being, to glean not just knowledge but the wisdom of the paths she tread.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | Serina Calis

She paid little mind to the insults or threats thrown her way, if anything the strange woman seemed to drink them in with a delighted satisfaction.

"Such a curious little creature! No wonder they look at you with side glances, know you don't fit in."

Adeline vanishes into a dark smog before appearing down next to the two, tapping her chin as she inspected her visitors. She seemed to take a prolonged stare into Serina, the woman's impish smile growing.

"I can see it.. Taste it.. There is a blackness smudged upon your very soul. Have you the will to feel it? You must, else you wouldn't have sought me out... Do you seek to break free? To snap the chains locked around you?"

With a quick snap of a finger the woman summons forth a contract, the infernal page morphing into existence from embers. The ink of fine handwriting declaring that if she sought to break her chains, she must be willing to pay the toll. A demand of flesh and soul it would seem, yet nothing seemed to state where this price had to come from..

The devil offers to the curious one a selection of knowledge forbidden, but it was always the forbidden fruits that were the sweetest- Were they not?

A fancy onyx pen floated next to the hellish page, yet anyone could snatch the contract if they so desired... Adeline let the tension hang within the air, taking in the emotions. There was nothing stopping the knight from wanting to save his own hide.. It was indeed a game to her.






​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: ???
Tag: Adeline Noctua

As the contract materialized from the embers, Serina's gaze was transfixed. The pen hovered tantalizingly close, its invitation as clear as the dark promise scrawled upon the page. She could feel the pulse of the darkness within her, a rhythm that had been a mere whisper now swelling to a symphony of seductive power.

Knight Vel, standing rigid by her side, was a stark reminder of the path she was poised to diverge from. "This is madness, Serina! You must resist this—reject it! Do not be fooled by her tricks!" His voice was desperate, edged with the raw urgency of fear, not just for himself but for his apprentice.

Serina turned towards him, her eyes alight with an eerie glow of revelation and desire. "Oh, Knight Vel," she began, her voice dripping with a newfound boldness and an intoxicating allure, "your fear... it's palpable, delicious even. But it's not for me." She turned back to the dark being, stepping closer to the floating contract, her movements deliberate and unashamed.

"Dark Being, your offer tempts me not just with knowledge, but with the very thing I've craved—freedom. Freedom to explore, to dominate, to truly own the darkness within and around me." Her voice was a caress, each word wrapped in the velvet of absolute longing, her eyes locked onto Adeline's with an intensity that mirrored the dark contract's promise.

She reached out, fingers grazing the onyx pen as she continued, "But I am no fool to sign without understanding the exact price. What is this 'toll' you speak of? Flesh and soul, but whose? What is the true cost of this liberation you offer?" Her inquiry was sharp, her intellect piercing through the haze of her desires, demanding clarity even as she swayed to the seductive tune of the dark power before her.

Serina's demeanor had shed any pretense of the disciplined Padawan. Here she stood revealed, a creature not just of curiosity but of a deep, voracious hunger for the dark. Her words to Adeline were both a flirtation and a challenge, as she indulged in the darkness with a fervour that had always simmered beneath the surface, now unleashed and unbridled.

"Tell me, dark being," she purred, her tone sultry and commanding, "convince me why I should bind myself to your shadow. Make me yearn for it, make me need it. If I am to embrace this abyss, I wish to do it on terms that thrill me to my very core."

As she spoke, Serina's presence seemed to expand, the shadows in the garden curling around her like adoring suitors, her potential alliance with the darkness not just a pact but a union of deep, intoxicating desire.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | Serina Calis

"You already yearn for it, I can taste your hunger for knowledge.. For it smogs the very air."

This was but the truth, was it not?

"Speak with me not in such a tone, lest I devour your tongue."

All the while she still kept a little grin and smug tone, yet those words were laced with a potent seriousness.

"The words speak as plainly as they are written my dear, in order to grant what you seek I not only desire a sacrifice but also to see if you have what it takes. I care not who's flesh and soul, I only care about my own satisfaction."

A blunt enough truth if there ever was one to escape her lips.

"Jedi, it isn't too late to try and save your own skin. What is the more noble approach? Death within this cold void? Or making sure you live to fight another day? Is it really so craven to desire such? You cannot deny what your primordial emotions scream into you..."

There was to be no mercy or favoritism it seemed, for the path to power was never without risks...

"Time is ever ticking~"

She gleefully chirps before the very landscape around them shifts, molded and meshed into a twisted form of the Jedi temple. Stairs leading to nothing, halls twisting into blackened voids.. A liminal space where this game was to take place, the contract now dangling from a chain above the two in the center of the temple room.

Atop a dark spire sat Adeline, crossing her legs as she watched the two of them. Eyes watched from the shadows above, voices laughed in a symphony of mockery... For a new soul was to join their flock of the damned.







​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: ???
Tag: Adeline Noctua

In the twisted simulacrum of the Jedi Temple, Serina stood facing Knight Vel, the transformed surroundings heightening the surreal nightmare of their predicament. The dangling contract, an emblem of forbidden power, hung tantalizingly within reach, its promise now a palpable force in the charged air.

Serina's gaze shifted from the contract to Vel, her eyes hardening with resolve. The Knight, sensing her intent, shifted into a defensive stance, his hand tightening around his lightsaber hilt. "Serina, think about what you're doing!" he pleaded, his voice a mix of command and desperation.

Ignoring his plea, Serina's mind was clear, her purpose sharpened to a fine point by the stakes before her. "Knight Vel," she began, her voice cold and steady, "you taught me to understand the Force in all its aspects, to seek out truths hidden in shadow. This is my path now, one you cannot follow." Her hand hovered over her own lightsaber, her intent unmistakable.

"I do not desire your harm, but I will not let you stand in my way. The power to reshape destinies, to liberate oneself from shackles—old and new—is within my grasp. You of all people should understand the weight of such a moment." Serina's words were a blend of justification and warning, her eyes briefly flickering with the internal conflict of betraying her mentor.

As she ignited her lightsaber, the blue blade casting eerie shadows on the distorted walls, Serina moved with a precision and grace that belied her intense emotional turmoil. Her attack was not just physical; it was a declaration of her new allegiance to her deepest, darkest desires.

To the prophecy.

Knight Vel, reacting with the trained instincts of a seasoned Jedi, parried her initial strike, the clash of their lightsabers echoing ominously through the twisted halls. "Serina! This is not the way! You're being consumed by the darkness!"

"Consumed? No, enlightened," Serina retorted, her voice a haunting echo in the void-like temple. "I am not losing myself to darkness but finding my true self within it!" Her attacks grew more fervent, driven by a wild, desperate hunger for the power that dangled just out of reach.

As they dueled, Serina's mind raced, calculating each move with cold, dispassionate precision. She knew that overcoming Vel would require more than just physical prowess; it would require tapping into the very depths of the dark strength she sought to claim.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | Serina Calis

"Ohhohohoho!"

She exclaims, clapping her hands in a rather satisfied manner as the show began to unfold before her.

The ground began to shift, forcing the two of them to remain steady on their feet. It was clear this arena set for them was just as chaotic as the woman who was gleefully watching them from up above.

The shadowy corners around them began to come to life, long and spindly arms black as night reached out as the laughter grew louder around them.

The chain holding the parchment jingled, reminding the two that it hung above them... It was the key, its destruction, or signing could end this madness.

But would either of them pay it any attention? She was quite content with gaining two souls over one, and with time ticking and the shadows growing closer... It was to be a feast perhaps.








​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: ???
Tag: Adeline Noctua

Amid the chaotic shifts of the ground and the encroaching shadows, Serina's focus honed in on the suspended contract, the physical representation of her darkest desires and potential liberation. Her duel with Knight Vel intensified, driven not just by her ambition but also by the rising peril around them.

Each clash of their lightsabers sent sparks flying, illuminating the twisted arena with brief flashes of light that made the shadows retreat momentarily, only to surge forward again with increased voracity. The laughter and jeers of the spectral audience crescendoed, feeding on the tension and desperation of the fight.

With a tactical retreat, Serina baited Vel, leading him into a particularly unstable section of the shifting ground. As he struggled to maintain his balance, Serina seized the moment. "I am sorry, Master," she whispered, not out of genuine regret but as a farewell to her former self and the path she was abandoning.

With a fluid, serpentine motion, she feinted an attack that drew Vel's defense to one side, exposing his flank. She struck not with lethal intent but with precision, using the flat of her blade to push him off balance and send him sprawling onto the shifting ground.

As Vel grappled with the disorienting effects of the ground and the encroaching shadows, Serina leaped toward the chain holding the contract. With the grace of a dancer and the precision of a huntress, she sliced through the chain with her lightsaber, catching the free-falling parchment in one hand as she landed.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | Serina Calis

The monster's eyes widen, the excitement on her face was easy to see as she watched this duel unfold. Her grin only growing and twisting further as the shadows around them grasped ever further, the hands of the many were all too eager to take a firm hold of the Jedi knight..

"Time is of the essence my dear."

She says in a smug fashion, for if the only other flesh and soul was to be taken away... It would be her own that the contract demanded.

"Break your chains little one, and let your mind and soul receive the kiss of the stars."

If there was ever a time to grasp that pen and sign, it would be this very moment. The shadows on the other side reaching out to try and grasp Serina, it was hard telling what might happen if one was to be pulled into that vast nothingness filled with naught but broken souls and tormented dreams.






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[Serina Calis]

Location: ???
Tag: Adeline Noctua

Without hesitation, Serina unrolled the contract, the ink glistening ominously in the dim light. She grabbed the onyx pen that floated next to her, its dark allure mirroring the depth of her newfound convictions. As she signed her name, each stroke of the pen felt like a declaration of her emancipation from the constraints of her previous life.

After all, hesitation is death.

The moment the pen left the parchment, a palpable shift was soon to occur. Serina stood up, her expression one of triumph mixed with a profound realization of the path she had chosen.

She turned to face Knight Vel, her eyes glowing with a dark fire. "It is done," she declared, her voice echoing with the weight of her actions. "I have embraced the darkness fully, and it has welcomed me."

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | Serina Calis

The hands freeze before slinking back into the darkness, the contract fades away just as the final drop of ink is applied to the infernal page.

"Then it is done.."

The visage of Adeline vanished within an the blink of an eye, and soon the darkness above would be pierced by an intense blood-red light. Focusing on it your surroundings open, letting both you and the knight see the true form of Adeline. A vast shadowy horror, she spread her wings as the monster leaned her head down closer to the two mortals.

"A worthy sacrifice, anointed flesh and a foolish soul."

A large monstrous hand reaches out, cupping the knight within the palm as dark tendrils burrowed forth to wrap around their limbs.

Moments later the draconic maw would open, a vast red tongue of reaching limbs would envelope them.. And soon the knight disappears as the devilish maw shut.

"All power comes with a price, little one."

The beast speaks inside Serina's mind, reaching out a claw it would cast a hex upon the once Jedi. You would feel a strange coldness within you, and the gaze of the red beastly eye when your eyes would close.

"I place upon you my mark, in hours of need when you desire further power... You need only desire my presence."

The twisted maw opens, the eldritch tongue reaching out close to you before stopping.. As your eyes focus you could make out something upon the tip of the tongue, a skull? It carried a sense of familiarity, and after a moment your senses tell you this was the skull of your once alley you sacrificed.

"A gift.. Take it so that you may remember this day, and channel your hatred from the remains of one who tried to keep you chained."

It would be thanks to the monster's touch that your inner self felt alive, the darkness that infested your soul seemed to be invigorated... And within your mind you felt as if new knowledge had been placed within.

A deeper understanding of fear had been given as per their pact, teaching the curious little one on the basics of force fear.






​

 

[Serina Calis]

Location: ???
Tag: Adeline Noctua

As the monstrous visage loomed overhead, Serina's heart raced—not with fear, but with an exhilarating rush of power. The knight's fate, sealed by her decision, seemed both a distant tragedy and a necessary step on her dark path. The horrifying spectacle of his consumption did not deter her; instead, it ignited a deeper, more primal understanding of the dark forces she now commanded.

The blood-red light that pierced the darkness and revealed the creature’s true form bathed Serina in a glow that felt oddly welcoming. She watched, transfixed, as the knight was enveloped and then vanished within the eldritch maw, a sacrifice to the dark pact she had willingly entered.

As the beast spoke directly into her mind, Serina felt the cold touch of a hex being cast upon her. It was a sensation that crawled across her skin, seeping into her very soul, leaving a mark that she sensed would forever alter her presence in the Force. The beast's eye, a haunting red that flickered even behind her closed eyelids, was a constant reminder of the dark covenant she had forged.

When the eldritch tongue extended toward her, bearing the skull of Knight Vel, Serina reached out without hesitation. Her fingers brushed against the cold bone, a macabre token of her ascension and the price paid. Holding the skull, she felt a surge of dark energy pulsate through her, each wave infusing her with knowledge and power.

In the silence that enveloped the twisted temple, Serina stood alone, her former ally now reduced to a relic in her grasp. The teachings of force fear that whispered into her consciousness were not just lessons; they were invitations to explore deeper, darker manipulations of the Force.

She understood now with chilling clarity that her path was irreversible. The darkness did not just surround her; it was within her, a part of her as much as the Force itself. Each beat of her heart seemed to echo through the void, a drumbeat of newfound power and purpose.

As she turned away from where the creature had vanished, Serina felt no need for words. Her commitment was sealed not just by the contract but by the visceral reality of her actions and their consequences. She was alone, empowered, and unbound by the moral shackles that had once restrained her. The future was a dark expanse waiting to be shaped by her will, and she stepped forward, ready to explore the depths of her new domain.

-END-​