Legacy

[Darth Abyss]

"Darth Bane."

Darth Abyss stopped as master and apprentice reached the point he meant them two. The tomb was fairly large but only one part really mattered: The grave of the the man who might was the greatest sith lord to ever live. He turned around, his eyes locking on the slightly large alien in front of him. His apprentice was raw, yet he felt a desire inside him, one that wasn't unlike his own. A desire to devour any knowledge, to learn anything that could lead him to power.

"Our order is ancient. Far more ancient than this grave. More ancient than most things one can encounter in this galaxy. There had been many that called themselves Dark Lords, Darth or simply Sith, but only few of them really ever reached what they claimed. One of the few who did was Bane, and maybe the greatest of them all. He was born in a time when our order was poisoned by ideas like equality and peace, with many following an order so far away from what it actually means to be sith. Not Bane, he saw that peace was a lie, and that equality was nothing but a wish inside the minds of the weak. He singelhanded slaughtered them all, and reformed the sith to greatness once more."

[member="Phar'ra"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

A god of death for gods themselves. Underneath the mask Phar'ra wore, a small smile formed. So this was a height he could achieve, if he clawed his way there. A god among gods. A sense of raw power thrived in the back of the mind of the acolyte, clearly coming from the room itself. Even dead after all this time it seemed Bane's power would never truly diminish. A simple nod was given to [member="Darth Abyss"] in understanding. Once more the larger alien went silent, letting his actions and movements speak for him. It was clear he wasn't too much of a fan of chatter.

 

[Darth Abyss]

His apprentice, unlikely himself, wasn't a man of many words. While he quite enjoyed to hear his own voice, and enjoyed a good mental sparring with an equally eloquent and knowledgeable opponent, he could also see the value in the mans silence. Many gave away to much of their intentions in what they said, and even Abyss, a skilled actor and deceiver had given away more than he meant to on more than one occasion.

"Darth Bane reinstalled a rule in the order, one that many do not believe in anymore. The rule of two. There should always just be two sith, one with power, and one that desires power. A master and an apprentice. Once the apprentice feels like his power overshadows that of his master, he had to challenge him or her, in a fight only one of them will survive, so only the strong will become sith. These days many follow the rule of one, the believe that sith should coexist and work together under the rule of singular dark lord, one that is stronger than anyone else. I for my part do not see anything of worth in the rule of one, so you will be taught in the tradition of bane. You understand what this means?"

[member="Phar'ra"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Ah unda'stand." That he would be alone in his learning from [member="Darth Abyss"] . That he would have to claw any knowledge he could That one day, Phar'ra would have to kill Abyss. To become the god the Kaleesh intended, he would have to slay this one. A sliver of excitement shot down his spine at the thought, but was quickly beaten back into the recesses of his mind. Delusions of grander were a quick way to die. That he learned in the ring. The memory almost surfaced, but like the feeling of excitement it was squashed. He was not here to relive the past, but make a new future. Of course, with Abyss still in his head the thoughts would all be clear to the master.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"The past, my apprentice can be the greatest asset you have, but it can also be your most dangerous weakness. I see you that you found a bit of wisdom in yours, yet you fear the see it. To become sith, you have to leave behind your past, and who you were before. That does not mean that we hide from it. We accepted it. We draw our strength from it. We make it our tool, a tool to make our passion burn brighter than a thousand starts."

His eyes pierced through his apprentice once more, a hint of disdain visible in his stoic expression. The warrior had be quick to adapt if he meant to survive that challenges that were coming for master and apprentice. Abyss wasn't here to teach, [member="Phar'ra"] was here to learn.

"Many of use a take on a new name when they become part of our order, a symbol that they left their live behind. But the decision is up to you."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

This was the first hint that [member="Darth Abyss"] was in his head. When the master spoke of a thought the Kaleesh thought he kept hidden, his eyes narrowed. No, he wasn't found of the idea of someone rooting around in his head. But, instead of lashing out or trying to push the Knight from his mind, Phar'ra listened. Wisdom, truth. Both where there. Yes, Phar'ra was to become a new person, but all he had learned would still be of use.

"Phar'ra. Ah chose da name when ah came to da Sith." Not even the memory of his old name would surface for Abyss to see. The only way to learn that would be to root deeper, and painfully, into the Kaleesh's mind.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Under his mask there was a hint of disappointment, in his otherwise emotionless face. His apprentice had already took on another name, before he even reached the position of acolyte, like Abyss had done himself. Yet other than the kaleesh he often had revisited the memory of his darkest hours, but not with regret but thankfulness. Only the personal tragedy of the man he had been before he became Abyss made him what he was.

"You can not hide from the past, apprentice. If you do not want the reveal it to me, I will break your mind and rip out what I need to know."

Darth Abyss moved towards the slightly bigger man, yet his presence in the force far overshadowed the one of the other. His mind had been like a fog, that filled the mind of his apprentice, subtle and unseen, but now it was time to unleash the chaotic power that he was capable of. Like a million small daggers his mind was shoot at the barriers his apprentice had build in his mind, in an attempt to find the weakest point and pierce through it.

[member="Phar'ra"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Phar'ra never regretted his old name. He had chosen the new one to become the one many would remember, and fear. He chose his own name in a sense of arrogance, the first [member="Darth Abyss"] would see. But through sheer denial the Kaleesh stood to withstand the mental assault. At first, he held firm, his mind never once showing any weakness. Now that he was aware of a mental intrusion, he tried to block it out.

But he didn't know what he was doing. Soon his mind wandered here and there as he tried to focus, and quickly fractures formed on what seemed to be his best defense. His wall crumbled, and the man let out a hiss of pain as his thoughts were forcibly ripped out. Abyss got what he sought after, the true name of the Kaleesh that stood before him. Kar'thal, son of Kar'thun. High chief of the Kaleesh.

The taller man fell to his knees as his thoughts flooded out uncontrolled, and his mind felt like it was shattering. How far would his master go? How deep would he root into the Kaleesh's skull and past?

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss mouth twisted into a cruel but satisfied grin, as he continued his movement forward, both in the physical world and in his apprentice mind. As he had said, he would break apart the mans mind, shatter it into small little pieces and let him relive his darkest memories. If he wouldn't be able to recover from it, than he was unworthy of the sith, and his punishment would be an early and painful death.

"Kar'thal, son of the great Kar'thun. Surprising how little I have heard of you before. It feels like the galaxy has already forgotten."

His voice sounded as mockingly as the words were meant, and following them was a single, inhuman laugh. [member="Phar'ra"] saw him as a god, but Abyss himself saw himself more as a demon. A cold, dark entity whispering in ears and poisoning minds with offers of power and greatness, only to punish those foolish enough to believe them. While he spoke his mind was unleashed once more, continuing the pressure on the mans mental barriers.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

The spoken name was more of a knife than the illusionary ones digging into his mind. Down to all fours he went, almost writing in pain, yet some how keeping himself awake. The memories flooded back, of slaughter and pain. Of betrayal and purposeful ruination. His father, brothers, sisters, all of them, slaughtered by one who would become known as a living god. A man without a name, who transcended the need, ripped the heart of Kar'thun right from his chest. Kar'thal was the only one left alive, only because of his cowardice. Instead of fighting with his family, he chose not to. He hid.

It was then that he was sent to the ring, stripped of his titles, his legacy, all of it. He was ten, just a child, but he was trained as a warrior. He had been expected to fight as such, and failed. For the next seven years of his life he was forced to fight for the Living God. His body was scarred, broken, but he wasn't allowed to die. Eventually he learned to fight back, but it took him, a child, seven years to break free.

Phar'ra was curled on the ground by this point, tortured by memories of his cowardice and his years of violence. Of the men who broke him, of the boys he had to kill. Of the tormentors he finally got his revenge on, of the captor who locked him in a cell. All these memories, all these that he wanted to forget, he remembered. He had no choice but to, with [member="Darth Abyss"] in his head. Phar'ra hated how weak he was, unable to defend these memories. Of these memories themselves. He hated Abyss, who made him relive it.

He never once allowed himself to fall to unconsciousness, forcing himself to remain awake. Defy. It was the only thing he had left now.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss devoured the fractured parts of his apprentice mind, not only making the man relive them, but also learning the mans part himself. His expression showed disappointment once more as the memories of [member="Phar'ra"] reached the time the warrior watched the death of his father and the rest of his family. How greatly disappointing to have a coward in front of him, a man who was to weak to do what he had to. Sure he had been older than the kaleesh when his father had been killed, but 10 or 18 was no difference in the eyes of the dark side.

"Disappointing. Before I saw a great warrior in front of me, now I see a coward to weak to stand against his enemies. You have tried to force out this memories because you fear that inside you are still Kar'thal, the broken and scared child."

Once more he laughed, as he slowly began to walk circles around his apprentice, his hand clasped behind his back as his master always did. In this moment he felt very close to her.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"No."

It was uttered as just a whisper. The broken form of the Kaleesh struggled back up to all fours. His mind ached. His body felt as if all seven years of hell in that ring had just seared on his skin. He hated his past. He wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. He wanted it to be a forgotten memory, erased by time. Erased with his new name. But [member="Darth Abyss"] didn't allow that. Wouldn't allow that.

Why?

Why must there be such endless torment?

He just wanted to be strong. To kill this usurper who called himself God. To reclaim his family. Would he always have to fight? Would it always be an endless struggle?

"I will not give you the strength to tear your mark into history. You have to take it for yourself. That is the way of the sith. If you really fear to be forgotten, than take that fear and let it drive you. Let your fear become anger, and let your anger become hate. "

His masters words rang through his mind, and in that moment something clicked. The path to power would never be given to him. The path to his revenge would never simply be paved before him. He would have to carve his way through on his own.

Take that fear and let it drive you.

Visibly struggling the Kaleesh forced his way to his knees, fighting through the pained memories. The pain of his head being cracked open and the memories being forced out.

Let your fear become anger.

Kar'thal stood, forcing his mind to harden. No longer did he fear these memories or try to push them down, instead he focused on letting them through his mind. He relived each of his own accord, until the last memory, of when he was hiding, was before him. In his head, who he was now stared down at the child who whimpered and cried as their family was slaughtered.

And let your anger become hate.

Phar'ra reached down to this child, and without any hesitation, any mercy, snapped Kar'thal's neck. Outside this memory the acolyte stood rigid, staring down at his master with eyes of blood red. Hate overwhelmed him, anger too. Part of him, a large part, wanted to lash out then and there. But, he felt a new power within him. Untouched before. A power that would never have been achievable without [member="Darth Abyss"] . And for that, he remained complacent. A single thought burned through his mind, blocking out the rest.

When the day comes, I will kill you.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss watched as his apprentice struggled with his past, how he fought with it, trying to not be consumed by the pain and misery he had to live through. He still was a little disappointed that the man had to be broken to reach this point. Not that this was uncommon, but Abyss had seen a bit of himself in his apprentice, and had hoped that the kaleesh might shared his complete dedication to the way of the sith, something he had possessed himself from the day he began his training under Darth Ophidia. Sure she made him relive his past like [member="Phar'ra"] had today, but Abyss had already left behind the sadness and sorrows and instead accepted that the force had decided his fate.

"Good."

A single word of praise, more wouldn't leave the mouth of the sith this day. His apprentice hadn't done something exceptional, but he made his first real step of the path ahead of him. He just wanted to make sure that the warrior understood that. Then his mind, still clinging to that of his apprentice showed him what the kaleesh had thought. A cruel smile formed in his face, this time visible to see on the outside.

"Do not fear apprentice, one day you will be foolish enough to raise your blade against me. Then I will remind you why I am the master, and you are the apprentice."

Abyss made a step forward, his right foot swinging at the head of the man that had struggled to stand on all four of his limps. He would make sure that his apprentice wouldn't forget how far he still was from killing his master, how he was nothing compared to Darth Abyss, the Ascended, the last knight of the One Sith.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

A crack sounded off as foot connected with bone, signifying a break. Phar'ra's head turned with the movement, and a shiver of hate rang through right to his core. An emotion that was controlled. Blood dripped from his chin to the ground, and as he turned his head back to face his master [member="Darth Abyss"] could see why. The bone mask had cracked, and a splinter bit into his upper cheek.

Once more the Kaleesh moved, but this time not to stand. Instead, he knelt before the Ascended, his head bowed. Yes, he was no match for the Knight yet. But he would take all of the knowledge he could from Abyss, and use it to one day kill him. His path was set. To achieve his revenge, to get the power he needed, he needed to be complacent. He needed to listen and work for his master and take what knowledge he could. And when the day came, he would become the master.

Slowly the now red gaze looked up to the hooded man.

"Ah be yours to command, mah masta'."