Private Through Suffering It Shall Bleed

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


Her Mentor seemed to take her flood of questions in stride, patient with her as he almost always was. Revna kept her eyes on him, occasionally looking at the path before her to make sure she wasn’t going to run into anything, before returning her attention back to him as Strosius answered each of her questions in his own way.

Of course, his first answer about the purging of a Force-imbued crystal was vague, though he answered it in such a way that it made her even more curious - but she would have to wait until they were in the workshop to hear about these details. Just as he had become used to her hounding him with all her questions, she was accustomed to the masked Sith being vague in his answers to her at times. She had picked up fairly early on that her questions which were more involved with certain matters or topics, he would answer in a vague sense and later show her more in depth through lessons and instruction. Such teachings stuck with her more than simply being told all the answers she sought after. And the Sith Lord seemed to pick up on that part of her nature as well.

Even if it did drive her nuts that she was forced to wait on lessons from time to time. A lesson in patience for her as well, and one she wasn’t always fond of going through.

Revna nodded as her High Priest informed her that she would learn how to construct and deconstruct her saber using only her mind, though the process behind this seemed daunting to her as she tried to mentally work out how it would even work.

“You know me; I look forward to anything you have to teach me or show me.” Revna replied to his comments in regard to the saber. And ever eager she was to learn all she could - even to the point where she had to be forced to take breaks or eat or rest.

The conversation then shifted to the thing that her Mentor seemed most eager to tell her about, judging by how he perked up with her question in regards to his revelations. As was per her nature, Revna gave him her utmost attention for she never wished him to feel that what he had to share with her wasn’t important to her.

She did take note of the fact that he would entomb himself inside this Oubliette at rather regular intervals; she figured that perhaps once in a while, she could disappear and go venturing out on her own while he was otherwise occupied. It was a risky thing to consider, but she knew that if she wanted to go see her new Jedi friend, then doing so when her Mentor was in the Oubliette would be the best time for such adventures. Of course, that ran the risk of her being caught and her little secret exposed, but that rather thrilled her if she was honest with herself.

The little woman offered a playful smirk when Strosius mentioned that entombing himself in such a way allowed him to be free of distractions. “No distractions huh? Like an annoying little Acolyte who talks your ear off when she can?” she said playfully. She knew there had been a time or two where she had ambushed the Sith almost as soon as he made his presence felt in the Cathedral.

She nodded in recollection of a previous time when he had told her about his desire to commune with the Force, and she found his process to do so rather fascinating. It made sense to her why he would go about his communion in such a manner; lack of distractions, of pressing matters, of responsibilities - even if for a short time - could prove very helpful and useful with such attempts. But the further he went on, the more she really focused on what he was sharing with her.

The fact that his most previous meditative state yielded rather exciting results was amazing, though she caught where he said that he had yet to achieve a proper, deeper communion with the Force. As she pondered this, a thought slipped through her mind, almost like a whisper and she found herself speaking before she really recognized that she was doing so. “Perhaps the Force does not feel you are ready for a deeper communion with it. Maybe there is something within yourself, your nature, that is preventing you from achieving that which you desire in this.” she murmured as they left the steps and finally reached the main area of the Cathedral. Revna looked around herself for a moment, simply feeling and basking in the renewed energy of the place as Darth Strosius told her what he had been clearly shown by the Force, and it made her whole persona shift to one of dawning excitement.

As she considered the man before her in silence however, she felt the same aura around him that permeated the entire structure, both above and below their feet. There seemed to be almost no difference between the presence and majesty of the Dark side revealed in their place of worship…and the Sith Lord himself. The words of Exarch Salneva returned to her in that moment, about the High Priest being one of the few Sith she felt were truly in touch with the Force’s will, even divine in his own right - and Revna tilted her head at the Sith, looking at him with a more critical, almost piercing gaze even as he continued sharing with her, and mentioned that he knew of the solution to move forward.

…was it possible that this man, her Mentor…had been chosen as a Champion, an Avatar, for the Dark side itself? Could such a thing even happen?

The doors to the Cathedral swept open at the bidding of the High Priest, and she continued to listen in silence as he shared more with her. There was a sense of energy, of zeal and fervor that his works seemed to evoke, especially when he revealed that he had seen the source of the power the Force had shown him…and beyond that, she was to share in that power as well.

For a few moments, the little Acolyte was reflectively quiet as she processed everything. What he had shared with her was no small matter - it was life changing and frankly profound. After a moment, she lifted her face to gaze into his own masked visage.

“You know that you have my dedication to you and to your vision. I will do whatever you require of me to help you bring this to fruition, so how can I best aid you with this?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Distractions more like breathing, blinking, eating, and other such bodily functions and needs. If anything pointed questions could potentially help find better avenues of communion even quicker. Perhaps." He wasn't exactly sure, they did only have the one Oubliette after all. Or only one that was outfitted and modified specifically for such purposes at least. It did make him wonder if group meditation to such an extreme could lead to greater results. Something to attempt at a later date he supposed. "And how dare you, none of my Acolytes are annoying."

Revna's murmur and suggestion most certainly caught the masked man's attention as they walked, his head tilting to glance back at her out of the corner of his visor. "A rather...sobering possibility. But one that does hold merit as a potential blockade to my goal. The question that arises from it is natural yet the answer is decidedly lacking. I do have one more physical solution in mind but that will take time." Darth Strosius wasn't one for introspection very much.

He had never been even before his time in the Sith. He always knew exactly what it was, exactly who he was, and in his mind that was all that he needed to be. There was no sense wasting time attempting to delve into himself when there was a whole universe out there. Which meant that all of his solutions to such a problem involved more physical means. He may not change his intents and desires but he could earn the attention and acceptance of the Force if he was determined enough.

"I will find a solution if that is indeed the issue, but the exact cause of my lacking communions is still unknown to me. For now." Despite the vagueness and lack of clarity in his most recent visions they were still far more revealing than any had been before, at least in the most overt sense, so he couldn't have been that far off whatever path or intent that the Force desire for him. He was close but not close enough. Steps would have to be taken and preparations made to rectify such an issue.

When the Acolyte asked about her role in his revelations he quickly refocused his attention back to the task at hand, back to what he knew now rather than what he would need to know later. "For the moment all that is required of you is what you have already been working on. Improving yourself, honing your skills, becoming a proper Sith Acolyte. This lightsaber will be another step towards our goal as it will empower you to greater feats. Should you be able to wield it well of course." He had no doubts that Revna would learn the finer intricacies of her new weapon quickly, it was simply her style.

"There will come more direct missions and courses of action in the near future that I will entrust you with. Relics, artifacts, and rituals which must be recovered and then put into usage in order to fulfill their divine purposes from my visions." Darth Strosius spoke low and covert, his words meant only for the woman at his side as they strode through the Dresuoti. "In the past the Sith of old employed many methods to build mighty armies and empires, forged from nothing into powers that could rival and even pierce into the Core Worlds in their ancient struggle against the Jedi. If these were used once then it is only fitting that they be put to use again, to repel the corruption from our Order and bring about a new golden age for the Sith."

Some of them were naturally a bit more distasteful than others of course but he was confident that even the cruelest of rituals could be made to fit their righteous goals with a bit of tinkering and particular circumstance. With enough time and study perhaps the Lorekeepers and himself would be able to craft rituals of their own which would serve them just as well, but time was rarely their ally and they would need more knowledge about existing techniques before any experimentation could begin in any meaningful sense.

Which was where Revna would come in, the first of his Disciples and the one that would be tasked with expanding their operations in the Outer Rim. Not that she knew any of it just yet of course. In time she would come to know and accept her purpose in his plans, of that he was certain, but for now there was no sense in laying everything out so early in the planning process. "When you are ready and we have the necessary components and knowledge in our grasp, then we will be able to grow our army of faithful exponentially. Our security shall be assured and our goals will finally be within reach."

Soon enough the familiar streets would give way to the familiar path that arced up towards the spaceport and Squire compound, with noticeably more activity at the landing pads than usual. "I have already began preparing for an expansion of our existing recruiting efforts as well." Sure enough more shuttles full of recently liberated slaves and other downtrodden peoples could be seen, but also more Legionnaires and even some Squires moving about as well. They were clearly making preparations and assembling for deployment. "Were it not for your absence and your new weapon, you would be among them. But you've proven that your capabilities are more unique and thus you'll need some additional training beforehand."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


Revna chuckled, her amusement glinting in her eyes at the Sith’s statements. Oh she dared, she mused to herself. “So…what I’m hearing is that I should step up my game, and find more ways to annoy you. I’m going to make this my life’s goal: annoy my Sith Mentor into an early grave.” She would say master, but he had not announced himself as such to her, not yet anyway. But he didn’t seem too keen on finding a replacement or another master for her, and she wouldn’t leave his side anyway if he had. She knew that in time, he would inform her of his decision either way. She paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes in thought: “...would that count as a way for a Sith to overcome their teacher?”

Something she did pick up on, though she didn’t voice her thoughts aloud, was the fact that he had mentioned eating a distraction. Truthfully, she’d never seen him eat anything with the rest of the gathered at meal times. It made her wonder from time to time if he maybe made his own food in his own quarters, but she figured it really didn’t matter. Yes, it was…odd, but not something she would pester him about.

Revna was intrigued to hear his thoughts on the statement she had made about the Force’s lack of willingness to communicate on a deeper level with him. His responses gave her a little bit of insight, and despite the more serious nature of the conversation, she felt a small smile turn the corner of her mouth. The man was prideful, even if he didn’t want to see it with his own eyes or acknowledge it within himself, and she had a sneaking suspicion that even if he was the one holding himself back…he wouldn’t accept that as the truth. And that was something he was going to have to face on his own.

The Sith Lord seemed to ponder briefly on her question of how she could aid him in his revelations, before informing her that all she needed to do was continue as she had been - working at improving herself, and building and honing her skills. Her attention became more sharp and focused as Strosius’s voice dropped low and he shared more with her in a manner that was meant for her ears alone. Questions bloomed in her mind and she wanted to press him further for information, but she had since learned that she couldn’t force him to tell her anything unless he wanted to. He undoubtedly would sense the surge of deeper questioning within her, but she restrained herself, saying instead: “Of course; I know you will direct me where and when you need to. So I will wait on you and continue to do my part.”

After a few steps, she turned her face to him with a slightly raised eyebrow and sly and devious expression on her face. “...Though it almost sounds like you’re planning on trying to build your own empire, despite the one we are a part of now.” She paused for a few moments longer, a conspiratorial smile dancing on her face. “I can’t speak for how the future may unfold, as it hasn’t happened yet. But as long as I remain in your favor and in your graces, you will have my support and my aid. I will do whatever I must to help you see this come to pass.”

And of course she would. She was not fixated on power or gaining a place of influence…but that did not mean that she would turn down the opportunity should it present itself. If the Sith who had her loyalty wanted to make his own empire, then she would be there with him through the victories and the struggles to get him there, as she knew she would have her own place of power and influence in that as well. It may never come to pass, not in this life, but one didn’t know for certain unless an attempt was made.

Little did she know as she walked beside Darth Strosius, that her loyalties would be tested and tried, and she would continually be forced to make decisions and sacrifices to keep this vision alive.

She dipped her head in acceptance of his words; she was the student, the Acolyte, afterall. Only her Mentor would know when she was ready for more responsibility, more challenges. It would be up to her to step up when the time came. “Of course, my Lord.”

Their journey led them through the now very familiar pathways of the settlement and up towards the spaceport and the compounds for the Squires. Revna noticed how busy the area was - something she hadn’t really noticed when she had returned. Clearly, while she had been away, her Mentor had been busy getting the foundations laid for his revelations and visions to come to pass. Her gaze lingered on the newest arrivals - the freed slaves and disheveled poor and broken. A motley crew, and in the sight of most Sith - those who were too weak to amount to anything. But to her, she saw potential in each face. Some would stay, some would leave…as was the usual cycle.

The activity of the Legionnaires and a handful of Squires pulled at her curiosity as she noticed they seemed to be preparing for departure, going some place for some mission, no doubt. This raised probing questions in her mind but the Sith Lord with her seemed to anticipate her questions and curiosity and answered them before she had even spoken.

So…had she not gone on her little adventure, then she would have been sent out on a deployment with the others. Revna had mixed feelings hearing this: while she looked forward to serving alongside her Brothers and Sisters, she was also thankful that she was here and able to learn more under his guidance.

“Well…with the training I shall receive from you with my new weapon, I will be better equipped to serve alongside the others in the future anyway. But out of curiosity…had I been deployed with the others, what would my mission have been?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man scoffed and shook his head, as though the notion was utterly ridiculous. "If you can find some way to 'annoy' me into my grave then you've more than earned it. I am nothing if not an attrition expert, you'd have an easier time making Coruscant into a jungle than outlasting me." He chuckled and dismissed her jest with a little wave of his hand. Given the more serious tone he had taken thus far it was a bit of a departure but one that he slipped into without any issue at all. And one that was abandoned just as quickly as the topic of conversation shifted.

That was something noticeable about the High Priest in his current state, there was just a hint here or there that his usual composure was lacking somewhat. The occasional twitch of his head in no particular direction, the way that his fingers would clench and unclench in succession, how tension seemed to stiffen and relax his shoulders. All of which increased ever so slightly as they passed by the spaceport and idly observed the preparations taking place. To some such quirks might imply some sense of anticipation or even trepidation.

If there was any of the such to be had then the Sith Lord himself certainly made no comment about them nor did he portray anything of the sort in his words. "I don't seek to build my own empire young Acolyte, I seek to reclaim the ones lost to Sith long since past." A part of him was tempted to chastise Revna for such a remark. Had it been made so brazenly in any proper Sith space then he had no doubt that some eavesdropper would have gathered a little council to declare them renegades in short order. But they weren't in 'proper' Sith space at all.

Darth Strosius was the sole master of Formos and as such he needn't bother with having to hold his tongue at all. Instead he chose to correct rather than chastise. "Both the Brotherhood of Darkness and the New Sith of the past ruled and held sway over vast portions of the Outer Rim and Wild Space. The criminal and degenerate factions that keep the people of the Rim in poverty and suffering today were nonexistent then, instead the Sith brought prosperity and order to all. They managed to make a power in the Outer Rim that could challenge the Core, that is what I seek to reinstall again. If those in the Sith Order look down upon my designs then so be it, when our armies of the faithful break the backs of the Alliance then they shall regret that mistake." A grand dream, but one that he very much intended to pursue if the shuttles full of soldiers was any indication.

His gaze returned to Revna as she asked her question, his head cocking to the side slightly as though it confused him. "Is it not obvious, Acolyte?" He gestured towards where Squires were being assigned to squads and shuttles by the handful of Battlemasters directing everything at the spaceport. "You would be at the front of our efforts, bringing death to slavers and liberation to our brothers and sisters in chains. As well as assisting in the reclamation of the relics and knowledge that I saw in my visions."

Knowing Revna she would probably take both duties in stride with her typical eager attitude, but she would have to wait for a short time before she could be unleashed to do so. Her victory over a Jedi would mean some additional training in order to ensure her place as one of the higher levels of Squire, even if there technically wasn't such a ranking among their number. Those that had managed to fell a Jedi, or at least had earned the right to forge a lightsaber of their own, were indeed a level above the rest of the Squires. An unspoken rule but one that was very prevalent.

"Now that you've proven yourself capable of more...delicate tasks though, you'll have some additional responsibilities once your training is complete." Of course he had no intention of telling exactly what said responsibilities would be just yet. There were other details and pieces that would need to fall into place before he could properly lay out her future duties. "That isn't to say that you won't be fighting alongside and sharing in the missions of your peers of course, rather that you will find yourself with a greater share of them. It won't be easy but I have faith that you will be more than able to handle what I have in mind for you."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius



The mirth still danced in Revna’s eyes, even after her Mentor waved off her playful jabs at him. While their work and relationship was serious, it didn’t hurt to jest now and then - at least, that was what she believed.

As they continued onward, the little woman noticed the almost agitated twitches and movements of the Sith Lord; it captured her curiosity, and she debated asking him why he was so…twitchy, as it was unusual for him, but she decided against it. She figured it had something to do with the revelations he had been given, and she mused to herself that she would be twitchy too if she was in his situation.

She also noticed her comment about building a different empire was met with a swift correction, which she accepted quietly. She was wise enough to know that such statements, if they fell into the wrong ears, could see them in trouble. But she knew Darth Strosius had made efforts to make Formos a safe place to talk about anything, and thus she wasn’t too worried about repercussions of what she had said. But it did help her understand a little better about his goals, and what he wanted to do. Sometimes getting him to explain such things was difficult, and using baited statements could pull more answers from him that he otherwise kept vague.

Revna mentally went through her gathered knowledge about the Brotherhood of Darkness and the New Sith, and she narrowed her eyes at Strosius. “You seek to bring such Sith rule back to the Outer Rim, but even these Sith had someone to rule and guide them. Someone at the top, a Dark Lord, and even their own Council - like with the Brotherhood. And the New Sith were their own empire. Again…if you spearheaded anything that resembles or is inspired by such ancient organizations, then you are building your own empire. And if you are at the top, that would make you its sole authority. Unless you felt you could entrust that power and vision to another. So…my statement still stands. I want to see Sith authority and power in the Outer Rim as well. But as I stated…I will aid you in whatever way I can, and accept whatever you lay on my shoulders to help this vision come to pass. If we want to lay waste to the Alliance, then we will need to be stable and strong and able to hold our own. United and unified under the same banner, with the same desires at heart. Something that is damn near impossible with the Sith as they are right now.”

The acolyte paused for a moment, looking away from the man to pay attention to where she was going. “...that being said, I know that such thoughts or talk would bring the wrath of other Sith down upon our heads, something we should avoid at all costs if possible. They would destroy your vision in a heartbeat, and set you back many years if given the chance. So know that what I speak of here, remains here. Outside your authority, your domain…I am just a loyal member of the Order, like everyone else.”

Revna felt a touch of heat to her cheeks when her Mentor pointed out the obvious with her question of him. Of course, why hadn’t she put that together? The thought of missing the opportunity to destroy slavers and liberate the oppressed and bring them into the arms of Wonosa did bring a twinge of displeasure to her, but perhaps next time she could have her vengeance on those who deserved it.

But, further training to prepare her for whatever Darth Strosius had in mind for her, was wise and she would not complain about it. She would rather be prepared and equipped than not; she would do him no good if she was injured, or dead.

The little woman bowed her head as she took what the Sith Lord said in stride. Knowing that more responsibility was headed her way did bring a level of unease, but that was more due to her own insecurity than anything. “...you’re not going to tell me what these additional responsibilities will be, are you?” Revna asked with a dramatized sigh, though her tone of voice indicated that she was jesting more than she was complaining. A moment later, she had returned to being more serious on the topic at hand.

“I agree that perhaps more training is in order; I can’t be what you need me to be if I am lacking skills or knowledge or experience. But, in the short amount of time you have known me - you know that I have no problem with learning more things or picking up new skills.” Revna paused once more, before her gaze shifted back to her Mentor. “And I will do anything to get myself to where I need to be, to best serve you in this.” Of course, it went deeper than that. While she served his vision in this…it was also beneficial to her. She may not have been power hungry like most Sith in the Order, but she certainly wouldn’t spurn or turn away a chance to have a place of power and authority with her Mentor.

The acolyte fell silent for a few moments as she walked with the Sith, getting ever closer to the workshop where she would learn more about the saber that dangled at her hip. Her hand reached down to graze against the hardness of the metal hilt, still in a state of awe and disbelief that it was hers. Well...almost.

“I still can’t believe I have my own lightsaber now. I am eager to learn more about it…and figure out how to turn the damn thing on. And…how to actually use it. Though I assume using it is similar to how I use the Sith sword you gave me at the start of my training.”

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man clicked his tongue at her rebuttal in regards to his insistence on the nature of what he was planning for the Outer Rim. "I see your point." She wasn't wrong, already the simply systems he had put in place to manage his Inquisition were straining. The Order of Wonosa alone had already outgrown Formos, with them having to look into establishing other bases of operations on worlds of interest and on stations in the near future. Faldos and the handful of other bases in Sith space were similarly starting to show signs of needing better control and command systems.

Thus far their efforts and work had been efficient due to such small areas of operation and control, but now with two whole worlds and various scattered outposts to look after and preside over the need of a proper system of governance and hierarchy was starting to become all the more apparent. Darth Strosius wasn't one to desire a throne. He didn't want to be an emperor, his positions as High Priest and Lord Inquisitor were simple necessities to keep his followers in order and ensuring that they functioned as was needed for their goals to continue.

It wasn't meant to be anything more than that, but Revna did indeed raise the exact argument that he had been having with Salneva for so long now. If he was to have a unified and united force and state in the Outer Rim then it needed a proper authority at the head of it. Perhaps not an emperor, but certainly something more than a High Priest or even Lord Inquisitor. "'Impossible' is putting it lightly. We are rife with internal divisions due to old grudges and old powers, neither of which have any place today."

He did give her a small chuckle at her assertion that beyond their borders she was simply another Acolyte among the many in service to the Sith Order. "We are loyal members of the Order young Revna, regardless of whether we are on Formos or not. We are loyal to the Order itself and to what it should be, not who is in power or who claims to have a position of authority." It was an odd sentiment to wrap one's head around but one that he had worked to instill into every one of his followers. At the end of the day they were loyal to the Sith Order to a fault, just not to those within said Order.

Darth Strosius inclined his head slightly at her exasperated sigh and gave a small shake of his head. "Nope. Not until you're ready to know of them." As one might expect there was a hint of amusement in his response. The signs of a smile in his words that meant his vagueness, at least in this instance, was intentionally meant to inconvenience the Acolyte for his own entertainment.

"Oh I have no illusions nor doubts in my mind that you'll be able to rise to the challenge of learning your new weapon and responsibilities. Especially now that you've proven yourself to be beyond the basics, it's about time that I give you some real lessons." The path to power was different for each person and Revna was no different. Clearly she had already excelled at what he had put in front of her so there was no reason to bother limiting her to beginner lessons and training simply because she was newer to his ranks. "It will be difficult, but you've already overcome far worse."

Soon the Squire's compound was in sight and they were well on their way towards it. There weren't many signs of activity to be found aside from the occasional movement of crates from the large warehouse by some crews from the spaceport, most of the Squires were being sent out into the galaxy at the moment after all. "Similar yes, but with many subtle differences. Differences that could mean the life or death of you or your opponent, but we'll go over the specifics once you get it working."

The High Priest led the way into the largest building in the compound, moving down the hall where the armory was. The sparring arena would be another familiar area along the hallway, and one that took up the majority of the building as it also contained a smaller obstacle course, but it wasn't their destination either. Instead he led the way to the last door at the end of the hall and opened it with a simple passcode. One that he allowed Revna to see as he typed it in to the keypad.

The door slid open to reveal a small room composed of shelves, drawers, and work tables all around a central stone circle that was engraved with Sith runes. Tools and lightsaber parts littered the workstations but Darth Strosius paid the slight mess no heed as he gestured towards the stone circle. "Have a seat, I'll retrieve what you need to pry open that lightsaber. First we must extract the crystal so that it can be properly claimed and exorcised of the Light Side."

He moved to take some tools from drawers and off the top of tables, getting a handful of various kinds that were seemingly simple in their intended function and purpose before he turned back to Revna. He laid a black cloth on the floor and laid out the tools on top of it, leaving room at the bottom so that the lightsaber could be set down beneath them and worked on. "Disassemble it. And don't worry about breaking anything or being too forceful, nothing aside from the crystals is irreplaceable and even those can be replaced in the future if need be."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


Revna was pleasantly surprised to hear her Mentor actually agree with her statements made in regards to his goals for the Outer Rim, though she kept herself composed so as not to reveal this to him. Something she prided herself on was her insight into situations, be they past, present, or future. But she chose not to flaunt this pride, choosing only to reveal such things when she felt it was needed. She also respected her Mentor’s vision and authority, and did not seek to undermine him, especially before others, unless again it was something she felt was absolutely necessary. She would not remain silent on matters such as this if she felt her voice would be heard.

And it had been.

Revna dipped her chin slightly as she listened to Darth Strosius’s words about strife and internal divisions within the current Order as it was, a small smirk dancing over her lips briefly. He was one of the few who let his voice be heard loud and clear on such matters before others, with no regard to anyone else’s rule or authority. She both revered and internally sighed with his boldness and audacity; in the little time she had been an Acolyte of his, she had come to form her own thoughts and opinions on matters, authority figures, and the Sith Order in general - a lot of which shifted with more information and knowledge that she gained. Most of which she kept from the man who walked beside her, as she knew he would not approve of a lot of her opinions.

“I would agree with you on that statement. I do feel that things within the Order must change to some degree - at least, from my limited observance and understanding from what I’ve seen and heard thus far. But these issues - divisions and grudges and whatnot - will pass in time; history has proven time and time again that they will. How it changes, and who initiates that change though, is yet to be seen. We can play our part, certainly. And I have no doubt that we will, one way or another.”

She glanced at the masked Sith for a moment, her expression more serious and guarded than it had been moments prior. He may or may not have suspected already - but she did not share his entire view of the current leader of the Sith Order. She knew he had his issues with the Emperor, issues that she had never been a part of, and therefore could never truly understand. But hearing what he said made her a little bit on edge.

“Yes, we are loyal members of the Order and what it upholds, what it was founded upon. I do not, and will not, dispute that.” Revna replied more quietly, though she chose not to voice the rest of her thoughts or opinions on the matter, as she knew the Sith Lord would not agree with it at all. That could be a discussion for another time, she decided.

Revna rolled her eyes, a bit dramatically, and kicked at some rocks at her feet with his denial of telling her more, before she flashed a playful smirk at him. She had expected him not to tell her anything, and played into the amusement for a bit to take the edge of the more serious topic from earlier.

She raised an eyebrow with his next statements about her proving to be beyond the basics that he had been teaching her thus far, though it did feel good to hear him say that he had no doubts or illusions that she could rise to any challenge that faced her regarding learning about her new weapon, or the future responsibilities he would lay upon her shoulders; it told her that he was truly taking notice of the hard work, the loyalty, and the faithfulness she was pouring into everything she did for him, Wonosa, the Sith, and for herself.

“‘Real’ lessons huh? Are you saying that you were taking it easy on me before this point in time? Now that I really think about it…I think the only time you really pushed me was when I was going through my more physical training…when you and Battlelord Ninzos forced me to my limit and beyond to get me in shape and combat ready. So yeah, I guess you could say I’ve overcome worse.” She gave an involuntary shudder at those memories; they had been exhilarating and eye opening, revealing just how deep her tenacity and iron will to succeed truly ran, but she had never been so sore in her entire life.

Eventually the Squire’s compound came upon them, and Strosius briefly stated that Sith swords and lightsaber, while similar, had enough differences that could mean life or death for either her or her opponent, and he would go into more detail on such matters once her new weapon was functional and working for her.

Revna followed the Sith Lord into the compound and down a long hallway, passing the sparring arena and coming to a halt before a door at the far end of the hall, one that was locked with a passcode which her Mentor allowed her to see and memorize for later entry. Once inside, the little woman was able to cast her eyes about and take in the sights that surrounded her, but the thing that drew her attention the most was the central stone circle inscribed with Sith runes. The High Priest directed her to sit there, and she moved to take a seat without hesitation before watching as he gathered up various items and tools, and listening as he told her what was to be done next.

Excitement truly began to build within her as the Sith laid down a black cloth before her on the ground, then laid out various tools she would need to use to break open the lightsaber hilt in her possession, and she pulled it free to lay it down on the empty space on the cloth when he told her to disassemble it and encouraged her not to worry if something should break in the process.

Revna took a deep breath as she examined the hilt again; she’d done this before in the ship on her return trip back home to Formos, but she was still a bit stumped on where to even start. She noticed various grooves and plates along the handle and upon closer inspection in better lighting, she noticed what appeared to be thread lines where the pommel was. Frowning a bit, she flipped the hilt over so that the emitter was facing the floor, and she gave the pommel a twist to see if it would give. There was a strain of effort, but with a touch of added aid from the Force, she was able to break the seal and the pommel piece itself gave way, twisting counter-clockwise with a metallic, grinding sound that made her wince in discomfort as grit and dirt had managed to find its way into the grooves of the threads themselves.

When the pommel was twisted free, she turned it over and gave it a firm shake…and out popped a cylindrical piece wrapped in some kind of insulating material (the power cell and inert power insulator) into her hand. The sense of the Light side grew far more intense and powerful as this piece was removed, and upon closer inspection, she noticed a faceted crystal nestled neatly into a smaller metallic cylinder, which itself was attached to the larger piece. Revna’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing the crystal for the first time, in awe at its natural beauty. The Light pulsed from this particular golden (Solari) crystal with incredible strength and its aura within the Force was nearly blinding.

“Well, I think we found the source of the Light side…” she muttered as she glanced up to the Sith Lord, lifting the piece in her hand for him to look at for himself. She had no idea about the various crystals or their function, so she looked to him for guidance and further understanding. “I don’t know what kind of crystal this is…maybe you can tell me?”

She set the entire piece aside on the black cloth to allow Darth Strosius to look at it if he wished, before she turned her attention back to the rest of the saber, as there was still more deconstruction that needed to be done.

Picking up various tools, Revna spent some time simply fiddling with the hilt, before resorting to more direct methods of break down - prying off the plates on the outside…which revealed a carefully and cleverly concealed metal sliding piece that revealed the ignition button itself. It had fit so seamlessly with the rest of the hilt that she had never even noticed its location beforehand. Once the plates were free, she was able to remove a couple of what appeared to be screws that held the entire outer metallic piece together, and once that was pried free, she was able to get a look on the inside for the first time.

Revna noticed a small chamber that held two other crystals (Dantari and Kasha crystals) within, and from there it appeared that there was circuitry that connected these together with the now removed power cell. Everything connected beautifully to the emitter itself, along with knobs that seemed to function as adjusters and tuners for the blade itself.

Proud of her accomplishment, she smiled and looked over to Darth Strosius. “Took me a bit, but I finally got it open. There are a couple other crystals in here…not sure what they are either. I…didn’t realize that a lightsaber was so intricate on the inside. It’s…beautiful. But now that it is open, what am I to do next? You said something about…purging the Light side? How do I do that?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

"I wouldn't say 'taking it easy' exactly, more pressing your limits. Now I simply see that those limits are far greater than initially anticipated." That as something that Ninzos was far more adept at than he, the Battlelord had a talent for pushing those under his tutelage right to the edge of their capabilities without ever threatening to break them. A skill that Darth Strosius himself struggled with, but such reason was exactly why Ninzos was the one tasked with training Squires at all.

Revna had been treated no differently than any other in that regard. She was put through her paces and allowed to struggle and strain but not enough to ever really damage or harm her. Now it would change though, now she had proven that she was capable and strong enough to best a Jedi in equal combat. Now she would have to be put into proper training, the kind that ended with scars if one were too sloppy or prideful in their skills and abilities. Bleeding her lightsaber and purging it of Jedi influence would be the first of such advanced lessons but far from the last of course.

He watched as the Acolyte examined and began working on the hilt of the blade, her disassembling careful and with all the usual curiosity that she displayed in her learning. The masked man offered no help in return, as though he could, instead allowing her to work as she pleased. It was to be her weapon in the future after all. There was a very noticeably reaction when the first crystal of the lightsaber was revealed however, a very unexpected and unforeseen reaction.

Darth Strosius recoiled as though struck once the crystal was removed from the hilt. He put up a hand and turned his gaze away despite the blinding aura only existing within the Force rather than in front of his eyes. If one were to listen closely one might have even heard a hiss escape him, but not from his mask. "It's an abomination." He growled and summoned a container into his hand, using it to scoop up the crystal and seal it within a shell of metal so that its radiance couldn't be seen or felt. Runes lining the surface of it lit up and dampened the crystal's presence until it was completely gone, with the masked man letting out a sigh of relief as he set the container on a nearby table.

"I don't know what it is, but it is too potent to be bled. Its existence...offends me." He seemed content to toss it into the compactor later but for the moment he simply turned away from it and back to watching Revna. Thankfully the two other crystals hidden within were far less vibrant and insulting yet still clearly aligned with the Light Side. He still kept his distance from them but at least this time he wasn't actively avoiding them. "Lightsabers are ancient weapons, improved upon with each generation and evolving with the individuals that wield them. A complex beauty is to be expected."

He reached out and gently pulled the cloth away from Revna, leaving her and the crystals alone in the circle. "Yes, now comes the difficult part. The Bleeding." He outstretched a hand and summoned an incense burner from one of the tables and lighting it with a simple press of a button. The scent of wood smoke and salt billowed from it as he raised and hung it on a hook right above the circle, crossing his arms behind his back as he circled back around to face the Acolyte.

"To purge the crystals of the Jedi's taint, you must use that which gives you strength. Your emotions. Raw and unfiltered." Darth Strosius gestured to the crystals before her. "Focus on them and let your power loose so that it has no choice but to obey and bend to your will. Burn out the Light Side and fill it with the darkness in your own heart and mind. Bleed it dry of its corruption and replace it with the Dark Side instead." He paused and nodded towards the door. "I can leave if you would like, this process will be intensely personal and it isn't something I can or will aid in. Just as when you destroyed the Jedi, you must accomplish this alone."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


Darth Strosius was quiet and observant as Revna worked to break down the saber hilt; not once did he step in to aid her, nor did he interfere at all. His only help had been to give her the necessary tools before directing her to disassemble the hilt. Beyond that, he was a shadowed statue, watching her with a stare that she could feel, but not see. It had long since been understood that while she did greatly benefit from more personalized instruction from him, she seemed to learn best by either figuring something out on her own while under his watchful gaze, or by having a little guidance from his side. If she had questions, she knew she could ask him.

In fact, the Sith Lord was so still and quiet that she momentarily forgot that he was even there with her to begin with - so intent was she on her work. That was until she freed the power cell with the beautiful golden crystal attached to it. His reaction startled the little woman, making her jump nearly out of her skin as he recoiled sharply, away from her and the crystal as she mentioned her finding the source of the Light side.

His reaction…perplexed her. Sure, the aura coming off the crystal was not exactly comfortable for her either, but she wasn’t acting as if it was melting the flesh off her bones! Revna sat staring at her Mentor with a look of confusion and mild amusement as he hissed that the crystal was an abomination to him, and he quickly sealed the crystal away in a container that dampened its raw strength in the Force, telling her that it was far too potent to be bled as he set it aside.

She couldn’t help herself from laughing a little bit at his dramatic reaction, though she was very curious as to why he had such a strong reaction towards it.

“Sorry for laughing I …I wasn’t expecting that sort of reaction from you. You know, if it’s too strong in the Light side, I can just give it to the next Jedi I see in passing…” Revna replied, a glint of mischievous mirth in her eyes as she smirked at him before returning to work on the rest of the saber, eventually revealing its internal parts along with the two other crystals.

That was when the High Priest stepped forward and gently pulled the black cloth with the disassembled saber on it away from her, leaving her with just two crystals in the palm of her right hand, informing her that the next task would be the difficult part - “bleeding” the crystals. She watched as he summoned an incense burner to his hand and set it above her and the stone circle she sat within, lighting it as he did so. The scent of burning wood and salt filled the small room, and she recognized it as one that helped ease one into deep meditation.

The little Acolyte kept her eyes on the Sith as he circled back in front of her, listening as he explained what she needed to do next, and that he could leave if she wished him to, as again he wouldn’t be able to help her with this next task. His words…confused her a bit, and she frowned as she looked at the rocks in her hand. He spoke as if they were almost…alive, able to be conquered like any being made of flesh and blood. That didn’t seem possible to her, and she didn’t understand. But what she did understand was the idea of filling something up with the Dark side.

She could do that at least.

“I’d like for you to stay. I understand that I have to do this alone and will not have any aid from you, but you weren’t there to bear witness to my victory. But here…you can be.”

Revna took a deep breath and situated herself into a posture of meditation, and after staring at the dual crystals in her hand for a moment, she exhaled and let her eyes drift shut. She’d done this many times by this point, but being away from the powerful aura of the Cathedral made this a little more challenging for her. But she knew this was on purpose; these crystals would be “bled” by her own strength, unaided by any outside influence.

In but a few short moments, the space of a few breaths and heartbeats, Revna had let herself fall into the shadows. Further she slipped, until all she could see and feel around her was the chill that she had come to know almost intimately now. Whispers of unknowable voices echoed around her, drawing her deeper still until it permeated nearly every part of her being - until she could not tell where the Darkness began and she ended.

Only then did she hear a Voice that she had not heard for some time.

-My child, you have returned to me. And to think you once were so afraid of My Voice, of My Touch-

She did not respond back to it, but she acknowledged the familiar presence as it seemed to circle around her in the void, and when she looked - she saw a shadow within the shadows, and two vibrant glowing orange eyes staring back at her.

-Such a faithful vessel you are…as I knew you would be…-

The glowing eyes shifted, and Revna’s gaze followed obediently, only to see two small pinpricks of light far below her that danced with one another, and wherever they went - the Darkness fled from their reach.

-Darkness and Light cannot coexist together in the same vessel. It is My will that the Light be purged by the Darkness. You will do this, but it will not be easy…-

Revna felt herself sink like a stone, and for a brief moment fear squeezed her heart as what appeared to be a solid surface suddenly raced up to meet her - only for her to land on its surface, light as a feather.

The young woman blinked as she gazed about herself, the scene having changed drastically. She stood in a room that looked strangely familiar, though most of what she saw seemed almost ghostly. Cautiously, she turned around in a circle to take in her sights, every part of her aware and on edge now. As she came full circle, she saw a small figure standing not far from her - one that made the blood drain from her face as an icy chill fell over her.

It was one of the children she had murdered.

Light radiated from and around the small figure, who stared at her with a gaze that made her skin crawl. His innocence reminded her of a time when she had been innocent too - but it hadn’t lasted forever. Bitterness and something deeper surged its way through her and up her throat like bile; seeing that figure of innocence made her…angry. Made her want to choke out its existence.

-If you ever wish to escape this place…then you must purge everything held sway by the Light. Only the Darkness will set you free from this place…-

Came the faint whisper of the Voice from somewhere on the very edge of her consciousness. Seeing what was before her, and hearing what the Voice had said, made her understand what needed to be done. A scoff escaped her lips; how cruel the Light was, to place this before her. To feed on her own memories and make her relive that which brought her so much pain.

There was only one way to be rid of it, truly.

As if sensing the shift within her, the image of the boy warbled and vanished from sight, but Revna could still feel the touch of the Light. It fled, like a frightened creature, and the predator within the Acolyte came to life. So she stalked after it, hunting it down, seeking after its destruction…

She was blindsided then, the proverbial wind knocked from her as Light surrounded her in its burning intensity, seeking to burn her out. There was sharp pain as she felt it needle its way into her, trying to drown her own essence with its own, with innocence and purity. Something she had long since lost, and knew would never return to her. Childlike laughter and the sense of joy and comfort and safety seemed projected into her mind, and when she tried to shield herself with the Dark she discovered that it struggled to reach her - almost as if it was hampered or hindered somehow, and just beyond her reach.

That was when Revna realized she was going to have to dig deep… deeper than she ever had in her whole life, in order to come out of this situation. There could be no hesitation from her side at all - or she would lose this battle of wills. With a snarl of resolve, the small woman reached into the darkest part of her being and propelled it forward and out like a blast, and the Light around her shrieked and recoiled just enough for her to wrestle the Light down. A rather significant struggle ensued between them, each fighting for dominance over the other’s will, to gain the upper hand and force the submission from the other. It was agony for the young Sith; not in a physical sense, but on the emotional and spiritual side as she was battered from all sides by the essence around her which wanted her to get out. The voice of the little boy she had killed only days prior, was taken and morphed by the Light to pull at her soul, and he screamed into her mind, begging her for mercy, for freedom, and begged her to leave the Darkness and embrace the Light that surrounded her.

The only thing she could think to do was to force it into silence, to corrupt it and pour her own pain into it - and as she finally regained the upper hand in their struggle, that was exactly what she did. She reached deep, opening herself to the flood of the torment she had endured for so long, the trauma of the guilt she had felt in killing such innocent children, of the immense grief of being the one who caused her own mother’s death, of the rage and indignation at being used and tossed away like garbage over and over again - at vengeance towards the Light for doing nothing to help her - and let the flood burst forth to try and drown the Light’s innocence with it. It screamed, wailing in all her senses, and her instinct was to flee from it but she knew this was what it wanted. Instead, she dug deeper, gritted her teeth against the lashing and howling, determined to see it snuffed out and silenced forever.

The Light around her bombarded her with images of a life she could have had - one where her mother was still alive, with a family made whole, the image of a father there with her - even a sight of her being surrounded by others her age, as a Jedi herself. She felt peace, tranquility, and warmth as it seeped into the darkness she was projecting, and felt it slowly devour it like an invasive cancer. For a moment, Revna was frozen by the beauty and gentleness of what she saw and felt. What the Light showed her was…beautiful. It showed her things she thought had long since died, but suddenly seemed so close at hand. And she wanted that so badly-

NO.

Rage coursed through her, so hot and white that she felt herself burn from its intensity. The tranquility and visions she was shown dulled her senses and weakened her. And she refused to be weak ever again.

That was all the Light was…weakness. Chains to be cast off and broken wherever it could be found.

Hate, black and savage, surged to intertwine itself with her boiling fury. She hated the Light for how it dared to try and lull her into a false sense of security, for how it tried to undermine her and show her things that she knew were impossible. It screamed deeper and louder as the acidic burn of her loathing poured into it. For a moment - the strength of her emotions outshined that of the Light, encompassed it…suffocated it as all she wanted to do was make it suffer.

The shrieks reached a crescendo, then slowly began to die down and taper off into a whimper before falling silent completely - and all that was left behind was the thrum of Darkness, beating all around her with the surge of her own pulse. She reached out her senses to it, and felt it respond to her in kind - it was fractured, but compliant.

Revna felt the familiar chill presence wrap around her once more, as the ember eyed wraith seemed to reappear for a moment before it seemed to seep into her being, and as if splashed with ice cold water, the small woman sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes flew open, gazing about herself in some confusion until she noticed the small room around her and the familiar form of Darth Strosius.

Golden eyes that were slowly losing their intensity locked onto his mask as awareness returned to her bit by bit. She felt drained, and she could feel sweat on her skin, but more than this she felt pain in her palm, so tight was it clenched. She could say nothing for a few moments, only suck in deep breaths as she tried to calm her pounding heart.

 

[Darth Strosius]

At the first hint of laughter due to his entirely justified disgust regarding that awful glowing crystal, he fixed her with a small glare and a hum of disapproval. "I'd rather leave it floating in space. Or thrown into a planet's core. Or crushed to dust in a compactor." There was any number of ways that a lightsaber's crystal could be damaged or destroyed permanently, but he was only familiar with Kyber. Whatever that crystal was it certainly wasn't Kyber, or if it was then the Jedi had clearly invented their own abhorrent version of Bleeding to try and combat Sith.

Both possible explanations were horrible really, with implications that left far more questions than answers. Regardless he knew that he'd have to find a more permanent solution to the crystal other than simply containing it and locking it away somewhere. Not only would such a thing despoil the Dark Side that he had worked so hard to cultivate on Formos but it could also serve as a very potent weapon against himself if it were discovered. He could allow neither to occur.

"As you wish." Darth Strosius grew silent and still once more as he watched Revna begin to slip into a meditative state, offering no distractions and even pulling his presence in the Force back to himself so that she had nothing but her own aura and the crystals in her hands to focus on. If he hadn't then there was the chance that she might rely upon his strength to aid her without even realizing it, such was the reason why they had this workshop far away from the Cathedral after all. Bleeding was personal, individual, and that was how it was meant to be.

He did however allow himself to peer into her with some brushing sensing, nothing that should be detected nor too prying but just enough to give himself some idea about what progress she made. But it quickly became apparent that there was something he didn't expect. Something that seemed tied very closely with Revna but was most certainly not her. It was far too dark, too potent and different. It almost reminded him of how some of the Lorekeepers and Sorcerers described the Cathedral's aura in regards to him, but this thing with her wasn't an extension of herself like the Cathedral was with him. It was individual and intentional.

How very curious.

How very concerning.

Whatever it was it seemed to be slightly, either intentionally or not, blurring what he could sense from Revna at the moment as she attempted the Bleeding. He could still detect the spikes of strong emotion of course but everything else and even the finer details of such spikes were covered and obscured as though by a shroud. If he desired then he could potentially force his way through this interruption but he chose to stay his hand for now. It was far more interesting to see what it would, and indeed could, do than simply try and swat it aside like a pest.

The primary sensation that he could feel rising above the cloud and other emotions radiating from the Acolyte into the crystal was that of pain. Of pain both taken and inflicted upon oneself and others alike. The sort that scarred mind, body, and even soul. It made sense, a life of slavery was indeed a life of pain. A life worth nothing more than whatever labor or whims one was bent to by the will of their owner, and the life of a Sith was one that inevitably caused pain. Righteous vengeance of course but no matter how honest and just a punishment might be it was still a punishment. There was always someone left to suffer, whether it be victim or instigator alike.

Then pain gave way to struggle which gave way to rage, the cycle of violence so perpetual and self-sustaining that it practically ran the galaxy itself. A natural cycle that Revna seemed to be using to her advantage from what little he could tell of her internal war with the crystal. Despite the shroud he could tell when it reached a crescendo, when the crystal submitted and the Bleeding ripped it away from the perversion of the Light and into the cold embrace of the Dark.

Her eyes opened, frantic and seemingly still lost in whatever battlefield she had just won in. When her gaze returned to his expressionless visor however he saw clarity return in kind, her burning yellow gaze beginning to dim to their usual simmering. Silently he stepped forward and knelt down before her, slowly reaching out and resting his hand atop her right one despite it being so clenched and guarded. With firm but gentle movements of his gloved fingers he slowly pried open her fist to reveal the crystals within, one of which now shone with a crimson glow.

"Congratulations Sister Revna, look upon your hard work and embrace your pride in this moment."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


The dark haired woman was silent as she watched the Sith Lord kneel before her quietly, blinking as he reached forward to gently pry open her clenched right fist. At first, she kept her fist tight - but then she relaxed and watched as he revealed the two crystals in her palm, their edges having dug in painfully into her skin.

A soft gasp escaped her, when she beheld the deep blood red crystal sitting in her hand which exuded a faint reddish glow - almost as if infused with her own blood. Awe crossed over her face as she glanced up at her Mentor as he congratulated her on her victory, smiling in triumph.

But after a few moments it slipped into a small frown as she beheld the crystals again, noting that only one was red. The other - was still a faint golden yellow color. One seeped with the Dark side, and the other still pulsed with the Light.

“I…I’m going to have to do this again…aren’t I?” She murmured, more to herself than to the man before her. Revna inhaled deeply to steady herself as she glanced back at the High Priest. “Can’t leave a job half finished…” And before he could have a chance to give her further direction, the tenacious young Sith went back into another meditative space - this time more prepared for what she might have to face next.

Though drained from her previous struggle, Revna was able to reach deep into the very dark core of her energy, her power. She sensed the entity there with her, just on the fringes - watching and aware of her, but this time offering no words to guide or encourage her. Again, the darkness she saw and felt around her was familiar; and as she deepened her focus, she found the pulse of Light within the Force. Without hesitation, she reached out for it to snatch it - and this time she found herself standing on a familiar hill, with a familiar dead tree and grave site.

And standing there before her was the figure of a man, his back turned to her. Light radiated out from around his form, gentle and serene. A sense of calmness and harmony seemed to reach out to almost lovingly embrace the Acolyte, and she felt it trying to seep into her mind, into her heart and soul. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Get out of my head.” she growled, a wall coming up between her and the unwanted intrusion of the Light.

“Yet you come here into my domain, and expect me to leave?”

“You will.”

“No…Sith. I don’t think I will.”

“Then I will force you out.”

“You have no power here. The Light will always triumph over the Dark.”

Revna took a step closer to the being, her gaze still narrowed in a glare. “Shall we test that then?”

“I will offer you that which you turned away once already, and I can feel the pain that decision has brought you.”

The young woman stopped moving abruptly, tilting her head to the side. What kind of trick was being played on her now? Sensing that she had stopped, the figure turned around and she sucked in a breath as she saw the face of the man she had murdered. And standing in front of him with his hands over her shoulders - was the young Force sensitive girl she had killed, that she had sacrificed. Again, a stab of pain filled Revna, and she was reminded of the guilt that had consumed her for killing the entire family, for killing two children...innocent children.

“You don’t have to do this, Revna. This Darkened path has brought you so much pain already. Why choose more suffering for yourself? What will that accomplish? You will only destroy yourself in the end.”

Revna’s gaze flickered from the man’s face to that of his daughter’s. There was no fear, no recognition, in those big eyes. Just an image, a projection, taken to be used against the young Sith. How cruel the Light was, indeed, to prey upon her weakness.

“You had the chance to show compassion, to show mercy…then. You chose not to. But now you have that chance again.”

“...and what must I do to show mercy? To show compassion?” Revna heard herself asking the figures quietly, her voice echoing with the pain she still felt. A pain she knew would persist and a guilt that would eat her alive, if she allowed it to.

“Simply leave. Turn away and go back. You will find -”

The figure abruptly stopped speaking, a look of shock passing over his face as he looked down to see the Sith Acolyte with a knife of what almost looked like pure darkness - buried deep into the sternum of the figure of the daughter. Revna poured her energy from her core into where her hand was, and she watched with a wicked smirk as shadowy tendrils began to writhe and seep into the heart of the apparitions.

“No! Please! Have mercy! Don’t do this…” the Light seemed to screech, flaring up against her, against her mind and her soul, seeking in another desperate bid to push her out and be rid of her.

“There is no mercy. I killed you both once - and I’ll do it again.” Revna hissed as she mentally shielded herself against the worst of the light. “Darkness and Light cannot coexist together. And I will not tolerate your presence here.”

For the second time, another struggle ensued between the Light within the crystal, and the Darkness of the Sith Acolyte as she sought to pour it into the vessel. The will of Mercy and Compassion was powerful - but the tenacity of Revna’s own need to overcome and achieve victory, was just a little bit stronger. The essence of the Light cried out through the Force, battering the young Sith with everything it could to stop her from smothering it - and yet she kept pouring more of herself into it, forcing it into silence, into submission.

The Light flickered and slowly faded, consumed by a dark hunger and an iron will to do whatever was necessary to achieve her victory. In the end, the two figures faded from her sight, their visages cracked and filled with the void that drained them dry, and Revna was left to stand alone on the hill beside the dead tree and the lone grave - as Darkness crested the distant horizon, and the world around her turned to blood.

The legacy of the Jedi Master was no more, as the last remnants that were connected to him had been brought into Darkness. Pleased with her work, Revna pulled herself from the meditation and opened her eyes, utterly drained as her shoulders slumped. Tiredly, she opened her palm once more, and smiled upon seeing two faintly glowing red crystals.

But something else captured her eye as well, and her smile faded into another frown as she took a closer look at them.

“...the red glow…its seeping from tiny fractures in the crystals.” she murmured as she looked at Darth Strosius. “Are they still going to work?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

"It would appear so." The masked man nodded with a small hum, his gaze fixed on the crystal still in need of bleeding for a long moment. Right as he was about to suggest that she take a small break, or even just put off such a task for another day, he glanced back up to see her eyes closed and knew that his words would fall on deaf ears. He allowed himself an amused but quiet chuckle as he slowly stood and stepped back to give her space. "Ever the eager one aren't we?"

Of course Revna wouldn't be satisfied with exhausting herself only once today, when was she ever? It was almost as concerning as it was impressive but Darth Strosius supposed that it was fitting. She was a child of chains after all, a life lived in bondage hardened all who were subjected to it. In such a situation one was either bent and twisted until they grew strong enough or they were broken or cast aside. Revna clearly had grown far stronger and far beyond whatever initial limits she might have had, thus it only made sense that she would choose to struggle and strain now.

To further strengthen herself no matter the hardship that she had to undergo first, something that they had in common. The difference being that the masked man could break as many times as was needed of course. A process which he committed time and time again in order to gain new insights and power alike. One that it seemed she would have no issue following his footsteps in, even if her recovery ability wasn't quite up to par with his own.

Again he couldn't peer into her mind and struggle with the crystal properly given the presence of whatever it was that seemed just as keen to observe the Bleeding as he did, not without disturbing her anyway, but he could still gleam some few hints here or there that slipped free. Such potent emotions could hardly be contained that tightly after all. This crystal seemed far...lighter in mood and tone than its companion was. More hopeful almost, to a disgusting degree if he was honest.

Thankfully it wasn't long before the Light was snuffed out and the steady hand of the Dark rose in its place, albeit not without some lingering scars it seemed. He blinked in surprise and leaned in slightly as Revna came back to her senses, studying the newly bled crystal with his head cocked to the side and his hidden gaze full of scrutiny and curiosity. "Fascinating..."

It was a long moment before Darth Strosius straightened up and met the Acolyte's concerned gaze, as though he was deep in thought or focus. "They should work just fine. Sometimes damaged crystals can make a lightsaber's blade more...unstable, however there are plenty of means by which to rectify and account for such. And with two of them it shouldn't be too much of an issue." Additional vents or blade emitters were the two most common solutions from what he knew, although there were a few other potential fixes that he could think of.

Perhaps Sith Alchemy could mend them? Something to test later on for certain, just in case Revna or another Squire was in need of course. He cleared his throat as he started drifting off into his own mind once more and crossed his arms behind his back. There was still so much to do after all. "They will serve you fine I'm sure, you poured your own strength and will into them. They are meant to heed and obey."

The masked man extended a hand out and summoned forth a drawer from one of the shelves nearby, one full of differently sized parts and pieces that Revna would somewhat recognize as the innards of a lightsaber. The more mundane and mechanical parts that were no less integral to how the weapons functioned even if they didn't glow or were infused with the Force. "Now comes the physical aspect, the construction."

After setting the parts down in front of her, as well as returning the hilt itself of course, he actually sat across from her and began laying out the tools that she would need as he spoke. "This hilt is meant to make use of three crystals, not two, so some modification is recommended. You'll have to swap out the crystal mounts and most of what is connected to them if you don't want any complications." He pointed out the piece that she had removed the crystals from earlier, tapping it with one of his gloved fingers.

"The power cell and activator may need to be tweaked or swapped out as well to account for a lessened output, the circuits could potentially overload since they'd be using more power than they usually would. Not a necessity by any means but definitely a potential issue to address." After pointing out the parts he spoke of he began reaching into the drawer to procure alternatives, holding them up to see about matching the existing pieces as best as he could. There was plenty of variety to be found, but digging through it all to find fitting parts was another matter. "Most of the upper half shouldn't need to be modified unless you'd rather modify it for a better grip or aesthetic, although the power adjuster might need to be swapped out just in case."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


For a long few moments, Darth Strosius didn’t respond to her question. Though he seemed to find the twin red crystals still in her palm to be fascinating, as he put it. She glanced back down at the crystals, her eyes roving over the lattice like microfractures that adorned the surface of both before looking back at the Sith Lord as he straightened himself and looked down at her.

She was relieved to hear that they would still work, though he did inform her that there might be the risk of having an unstable blade, whatever that meant - but of course there were ways around that issue.

“It…is strange to think of a crystal ‘heeding’ or ‘obeying’. Until a little bit ago I assumed they were just normal, albeit pretty, rocks. Clearly that isn’t the case…I didn’t expect a fight with…whatever was within. The Jedi’s spirit or the Light - I’m not entirely sure what that was. But it doesn’t matter now. It’s gone - replaced by…that which destroyed it.” Revna murmured, her voice trailing off slightly as if in thought or perhaps reliving a memory, though her attention was quickly pulled back to the present when she heard a drawer be summoned to the High Priest’s awaiting hand.

Upon peering inside, she could see various parts and pieces that looked familiar to the inner working parts of her disassembled hilt. Her curious nature returned to her as the drawer with its parts was set before her, as was the hilt, and to her pleasant surprise the Sith Lord sat opposite to her. She hadn’t expected him to involve himself in such a process, but she was nonetheless very excited to work on her lightsaber with him; for some reason it just felt…special to her.

Revna listened closely as he set various tools down and began to explain the next process to her, advising her as to what might need to be changed or modified to adjust for the lack of an extra crystal. She peered a little closer at the inner parts of the hilt as he continued onward, connecting what he was saying to the various parts and pieces he mentioned.

“So…one of these crystals is going to have to take the place of the main crystal, and then the other one is going to have to do the work of two crystals?” she questioned, frowning slightly as she attempted to mentally process everything. “Maybe at some point I can track down a third crystal, so maybe I should leave room for that in here in case I want to add another one. Complications don’t sound very fun to deal with in the middle of a life or death battle.” she muttered sardonically before falling silent again to focus on what the Sith explained next.

Changing out the power cell to account for the lessened output sounded smart, in her opinion, and she nodded along in agreement. “I think a different power-cell is wise. The less issues I have to deal with in a fight, the better. At least until I can procure a different lightsaber or…build my own from scratch. I think this one will make a good starting saber for me though.”

The young woman paused for a moment, tilting her head as a few questions flashed through her mind and she fired them off. “Why did these crystals crack like this? Is it because of how I forced the Light out of them? Do all Bled crystals crack? Why do they turn red? Can they turn into other colors? Does a Sith have to have a red lightsaber?” Something she wanted to know for the next time she inevitably had to Bleed a crystal for a lightsaber.

 

[Darth Strosius]

"You recall the aura and presence of the Cathedral, yes? Think of something akin to that contained entirely within a crystal." It was far from a proper explanation or even one that was entirely accurate, but it would serve nonetheless. A point of reference that could be expanded upon and clarified later. "Some materials simply serve to contain and express the essences of the Force far more than others. I think it is only fitting that the weapons wielded by servants of the Force should be blessed and influenced by it as they are, don't you?"

Of course he'd much prefer that the Jedi's perversion of the Force wasn't included in such crystals given their potential, but such things were simply expected. Until their Order and methods were purged from the galaxy and all history then there was little one could really do to stop them in that regard. Thankfully the ritual of Bleeding was more than able to serve as a means of fixing their corruption until then.

"It's not ideal to strain crystals in such a manner, but only an extensive overhaul of the existing systems would mitigate that particular issue." Having one or even two crystals pulling the weight of three was obviously far from ideal, but there were some ways to account for that. The main solution was one that the Acolyte herself actually spoke of, right before he could do so, which drew a chuckle from the masked man. "Already planning on having a collection from your slain foes are we?" Simply getting another crystal was the wisest course, aside from just tossing out the existing hilt for a new one of course.

The power cell would thankfully be easy enough to swap out without having to disassemble and reassemble the whole hilt from scratch, a good enough solution to the missing crystal issue. Darth Strosius picked through the drawer for a moment before plucking out a couple of power cells and idly measuring them with his gaze before settling on one that should have been roughly the same size as the already present one. It would work well enough, at least for now.

"Given that it might be somewhat unstable even with some modifications, I would recommend adding some additional vents or exhausts as well." His main concern was the cracked crystal, knowing their reputation for needing extra care when it came to lightsaber construction. If not handled properly then one could overload and blow apart the lightsaber while it was ignited. Which he absolutely refused to allow to happen, especially to one such as Revna.

As he scoured through the drawer for exhaust pieces she posed a couple of questions that made the masked man perk up, his gaze and hands still fixed on digging through the parts and pieces in front of him as he replied. "Not all bled crystals are cracked no, typically they only do so when a Bleeding is particularly...potent. Some are simply corrupted by the Light more than others and thus that corruption must be carved out by the roots as it were, often times resulting in cracks due to how integral the corruption became to the very structure of the crystal."

As for why the crystal that she bled cracked in particular, he couldn't say. There were a dozen guesses that he could make off the top of his head and few of them would be accurate while the rest were not specific enough to apply. It was simply an answer that Revna herself would have to find, given that she was the one to bleed it. "I'm not certain why they turn red specifically, but I do have a few theories and possible explanations." He paused as he held up a small vent, turning it around in his hand before clicking his tongue and setting it back down in the drawer.

"The Sith of old, the 'Pureblooded' as most texts would call them, had red skin naturally and their connection to the Dark Side was inherent. Given how our Order evolved from them and their practices, I would hazard a guess to say that Bleeding and other such rituals still bear the influence of their practices. So perhaps they turn red because the process was meant to turn them red from the very beginning." It was a simple explanation and theory but one that fit as well as any other in his mind.

"There is nothing preventing a Sith from having any color of lightsaber they wish I suppose. Synthetic and bled crystals are simply always red it seems, however that might be due to their creation. If you were to find a natural crystal that was free of Jedi influence and attuned to it yourself then it could become a different color I suppose, there would only be one way to find out." He picked up another exhaust piece and fiddled with it for a moment, adjusting it slightly, before offering it Revna alongside the new power cell.

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


The light of understanding dawned on Revna’s face as her Mentor attempted to explain how the Force could end up in a rock, which in turn allowed it to do the bidding of a Force user.

“That…does make a bit of sense. And I imagine for me to use anything attuned to the Force, like these crystals, I have to align it to the side that gives me power. I can’t use an item that has the Light side because I don’t use or channel that type of energy or power. So it is not really the crystal itself that is obeying me…it is the energy of the Force within it carrying out my will.” She offered to the Sith Lord, hoping that her own explanation with her thoughts was correct.

She nodded along with understanding as her Mentor explained that the increased strain on the remaining crystals was not ideal, but there were ways around it, and she couldn’t help but smile slightly with his chuckle and his amused statement.

“I don’t see why not…not like my enemies would need their weapons anymore anyway. Better they have a better use than falling into the hands of another Jedi.” She replied with a smirk before she turned her attention back to the task at hand.

Her ever curious gaze followed him as he picked out a couple of power cells and seemed to eyeball them briefly before setting one back, speaking further on how her new saber might be more unstable even with the modifications and adjustments made, and that made her frown a bit as he suggested she add vents or exhaust ports for the saber too. “Unstable?” she questioned, unsure of what he meant by that as she watched him search through the drawer some more as he answered her questions, revealing to her that not all bled crystals cracked like hers did, and tended to only do so when the bleeding ritual was more intense, offering that the Light was sometimes so deep within that forcing it out could produce such fractures. That did make a bit of sense to her, especially in light of what she had to do to turn these crystals.

Her question into why they turned red made him bring up some theories he carried on the topic, pausing briefly as he seemed to ponder a piece from the drawer before setting it back and searching further as he pressed on with imparting his knowledge to her about the ancient Sith Purebloods, how the Order itself was derived from their culture, and that perhaps the ritual of bleeding turned the crystals red because it was meant to.

“I…suppose that’s possible. Hard to say one way or the other I suppose, since we don’t have someone from that time period to confirm that or not. But if that is the case…then I suspect that even if I did get my hands on an untainted crystal and aligned it to myself…it would still turn red. Though like you said there is only one way to find out. Maybe that is an experiment I can do in the future…” Revna said as she trailed off in thought as she was handed another piece and the power cell.

The young woman took a moment to study the inner workings of the saber, a deep frown of concentration etched into her face, as she slowly began to adjust and reconfigure the saber. She placed the non fractured crystal into the main crystal port, before adding the fractured one into its original place and reworking the wirings to allow the crystal to exhaust through the added vent provided to her. Her delicate and small hands worked with precision and gentleness, and though she made mistakes here and there, she learned from them and allowed herself to be corrected as she went along. At some point, the young Sith paused and tilted her head left to right as she examined her handiwork. It was far from perfect, but it would do for now. The more she practiced and tore down and rebuilt a lightsaber, the more familiar she would become with the process.

“...maybe a failsafe measure would be wise? I feel like the mechanics in this will overheat after an extended period of use, or short out completely and render the blade useless. Is there a way we can include a sort of internal timer that cuts off the power source to allow it to cool down? I know that is risky and probably not advisable…but at the same time it would also give me an idea of just how long I have to use the blade in a fight; could help me learn to put my opponent down as fast as possible before the blade turns off.”

She glanced up at the masked visage of her Mentor. “What do you think?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Yes, that is a good way of looking at it." He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her personal explanation. "There is a bit more nuance than that of course but for the most part and for this intent and purpose you are correct. Items imbued with the Dark Side have a habit of needing to be...dominated as it were. They make their user prove their worthiness to wield them. Thankfully bleeding takes care of that as well as purging the Light corruption." A phenomenon that he was all too familiar with after all his ruin delving and artifact recovery.

"Instability can be contained and accounted for, have no fear." It was a rather simple remark of consolation of course but one that he hoped would work in easing any tension that the Acolyte might have gained from the unstable remark. So long as they were aware of it and made the efforts to fix it then it would be of llittle concern. "Just a few extra tweaks and it won't be any issue at all. Perhaps you'll even prefer the additional style of it."

Darth Strosius hummed in agreement as she suggested the idea of testing an untainted crystal sometime in the future. He knew of a handful of worlds where Kyber and other such crystals could be found of course but he also knew that those worlds often tended to have a strong Jedi presence to guard access to them. The black market was another matter entirely however, although sifting through synthetic and fake crystals to find genuine ones was a hassle that he had dealt with in the past. "Something to keep in mind if you get the chance I suppose." He mused with a small nod as he watched her work.

While he did mostly let her work and figure out the wiring and whatnot herself, he didn't hesitate to make small remarks or subtle noises of affirmation or dislike whenever she twisted or connected something a certain way. For the most part she thankfully only needed minor corrections as the wires themselves were mostly untouched aside from simple rerouting for the vent and power cell and reconnecting with the newly added crystals. "Not bad at all Acolyte. Remind me to insert a lesson on lightsaber construction into your schedule for next week, I'll work on some new parts for you to peruse before then."

Her question on a failsafe made the masked man idly reach up to his hidden visage and stroke it as if in thought, his gloved fingers briefly toying with the twin prongs jutting from its chin before he responded. "If you'd like I suppose we could add a sensor and power limiter to the internals. They're typically used on droids and power systems in order to keep them from overheating and overworking their systems so it shouldn't be much of a stretch." It wasn't perfect of course, such limiters could be bypassed and overloaded anyway, but it would do what Revna wanted without having to overcomplicate the hilt with additional systems and features that themselves could only lead to further problems.

"We can probably use the ones in the training droids just down the hall actually. You remember the ones I used to teach you how to deflect blaster bolts with? Theirs might be small enough work." Such droids were easily replaced, such was the reason that blaster bolts were batted back at them after all. If their limiters didn't fit though then they'd have another problem on their hands but he was fairly confident that with the extra space from one less crystal he could be able to fit them in there. With a bit of careful welding anything was possible.

"Essentially the power limiter does exactly what you might think, serving as a spare sort of battery for excess energy output which can be tuned however you wish. The sensor with it however would sense when the limiter is about to overload or fill up and would then cut off the power supply in order to drain the limiter, shutting off the device before it can damage itself. A simple little mechanism but one that's been used so frequently for a very good reason." They were almost a requirement for droids with built-in weaponry after all, there was little use in a battle droid that could only fire one shot before it fell over and needed a recharge. "Not the most secure failsafe but it'll do better than most other options."

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius

Revna appeared to be somewhat eased at the reassurance that any instability could be contained and dealt with, and she nodded in thought to his statement before settling in to actually piecing the saber hilt back together. Though she was left alone to work most of it on her own, her Mentor had no problem interjecting when he needed to, providing feedback when and where she needed it. She relaxed her guard as she worked, her aura spreading out unconsciously from her to surround the two of them, appearing content and almost peaceful. When she had finished, the Sith Lord examined her handiwork and seemed rather pleased with her efforts.

“Hey, here's your reminder: don’t forget to add lightsaber construction lessons to my schedule.” Revna said with a small smirk, playfully reminding him as soon as he had made his remarks.

Her question about adding a failsafe measure to the hilt seemed to make Darth Strosius ponder on it for a moment, and she watched as he stroked the twin prongs on the chin of his helmet thoughtfully - almost as if it was his actual chin. The sight brought an amused look to her face, while she waited for him to share his thoughts on her idea.

She listened as he explained that such things were typically found in droids, and nodded when he mentioned the small training droids she had practiced with in her early training days when learning to deflect bolts away from herself. She still recalled the painful zaps she had received when she miscalculated.

Still, it had been a rather fun training exercise, one that brought a small smile of remembrance to her face. “Yes, I do remember which ones they are. I know right where they are, or where they should be.”

Revna pondered on what he had to say, weighing her options. She wasn’t entirely sure if the saber would even need it as she hadn’t really tested it out yet. She chewed her lip in thought and consideration before sighing sharply as her decision was made.

“I think…for right now, I will forgo the failsafe. I don’t even know if I’ll need it. I kind of just want to test the saber out first and go from there with any adjustments that might need to be made. I can always add it in later on if I really need it. But, it is good to know where I could find such power limiters. Unless you think I should add it.”

 

[Darth Strosius]

The 'reminder' remark made the masked man cock his head at Revna, a pause as he rolled his eyes and shook off the little jest with a sigh. He made a mental note to save her further lightsaber construction training for a few weeks in the future rather than later on in the current week like he intended. She could be patient for a few more days after all, it would give him extra time to get some additional parts and materials for a more thorough lesson later anyway.

"A test run couldn't hurt one way or the other, either it'll prove necessary for a failsafe or the lightsaber will work fine without it. I suppose there is only one way to find out isn't there?" Technically they could forgo proper testing, but Darth Strosius saw no reason to do so. Better that, if the blade were to fail, they put it through its paces here and now rather than later on in a real engagement. "We can also see if your reflexes against the training droids have improved since your last session against them."

Typically the training droids were only necessary for the first few weeks of Squire training as after that they would be deployed and would gain real experience against blaster bolts and the like, but Revna was a bit of a special case. Her training had been somewhat more gradual and focused on the Force rather than the blade. Not that her skills were lacking of course, as evidenced by the trophy in her grasp, but they were still not quite up to the usual standard that the High Priest preferred for his Sith.

Something that they would rectify today.

"Reassemble the lightsaber then, let's ensure it activates properly at all before we worry about stress testing shall we?" With how delicate and complex the weapons could be at times it wasn't too uncommon for first time assemblies to wind up as failures. It had taken himself quite a few hours to craft his own lightsaber when he was an Acolyte after all, the mechanisms and machinery being foreign to him at the time. Now though he could, and had demonstrated many times, disassemble and reassemble his blade with his eyes closed and with only the Force.

Darth Strosius allowed her to finish the assembly without too much additional input or remarks, mostly just watching to ensure that she didn't make any obvious errors or mistakes. The last thing they needed was for all her hard work to be wasted with a crossed wire or a loose cable getting out of control once blade was ignited. Another common occurrence for first time assemblies.

Revna

 

[Revna]

Darth Strosius


“True - only one way to really find out if it works or not. And I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see if I’ve improved since the last training session.” Revna replied with a sigh as she sat up to stretch out her back, wincing in pain as her still healing rib protested against the movement. She grimly realized that whatever training sessions that lay ahead were going to be a bit more rough than she would have liked - but it wouldn’t have been the first time she had trained with still healing broken bones.

“Yes sir.” she replied as she was directed to begin reassembling the saber. She was glad that she had a sharp memory, and after a brief pause and recollection, she began to place the pieces back into their rightful place, taking her time as she went to ensure she didn’t miss anything. Darth Strosius watched on, only correcting if he felt it was necessary, and soon enough the hilt was pieced back together on the dark cloth between them.

Now for the true test of her work: to see if the darn thing ignited at all.

For a few moments, all she did was stare at the lightsaber hilt; she didn’t move to touch it or pick it up - almost as if she was unsure about it. Taking a deep and slow breath, she reached out and actually grasped the hilt, her eyes glancing over it as if she was looking at it for the first time. It didn’t exude the presence of the Light side anymore; instead, there was a steady aura of Darkness that had replaced it. And almost intuitively, she knew where the hidden ignition switch was - as if the crystals themselves within seemed to tell her where to go.

“Here goes nothing…” she muttered, making sure the emitter was directed upwards and away from herself and her Mentor, before depressing the switch.

Bright red light accompanied by an angry sputtering hiss filled the space between the two Sith, and Revna startled slightly as the blade snapped to life, its fiery glow shining off of her pale skin and reflected in her eyes, which widened slightly with almost childlike wonder and awe as a smile spread across her face. All that tedious work, all that energy poured out, had paid off.

Unbridled joy exuded from the little Acolyte as it dawned on her that in her hand was her own lightsaber, and it was beautiful. It hummed and crackled with barely contained energy and the red blade flickered ever so slightly as she gazed upon it for a few extra moments before shifting her eyes to the Sith Lord on the other side of her.

“Well…I think it works…” Revna said, a happy albeit cautious grin on her face - her excitement clear in her voice as she disengaged the saber and vanished with a hiss, leaving behind the faint scent of heated air and warm metal. “At least…it turns on and off. I suppose testing it further will really determine just how well it works. Hopefully this wasn’t too bad for a first construction.”

 

[Darth Strosius]

Her hesitation was understandable yet he felt it rather unnecessary, given that he would have corrected her if any serious mistakes had been made during the reassembly. He wouldn't just let it blow up in her hands simply due to some mechanical mismanagement. Perhaps his warnings about potential instability regarding the crystals had been heeded a little too well, or her own nerves were simply getting the better of her for a few moments. Regardless when she did finally raise up the hilt and prepare to ignite it he did lean forward slightly to observe the ignition in closer detail.

Darth Strosius was unsurprised to see the crimson blade spark to life, his hidden gaze focused more on the actual emission itself rather than the result. It clearly held a particularly wild element, no doubt due to lacking one crystal of the three that it was intended to operate with, but it held its form and ignited easily all the same. It pulsed with energy and power, roiling like a beast of war just barely held back on its chain. A rather harsh dichotomy from what it must have been in the hands of the Jedi. A fitting transition given its new purpose.

From an Instrument of the Light to a Weapon of the Dark.

"It works indeed." The masked man confirmed with a nod as he crossed his arms behind his back and shifted his gaze to the younger Sith now that her blade had been extinguished. "I'm sure that it will serve you well Acolyte. So long as you know how to wield it properly of course." There was a hint of amusement, of challenge even, in his words but he quickly continued before it could be dwelt on. "Now, shall we?" With two long strides he had crossed to the exit of the room and slid the door open, idly glancing back at Revna to ensure that she was following along before moving on.

Their destination would be right across the hall through a larger set of doors, ones more akin to cargo shutters than proper doors. The atrium of the building was mainly comprised of a slightly raised platform and the benches that were arrayed around it, as well as a small bundle of consoles on a dais near the rear of the room. The platform in the center served as a stage for duels, sparring, and other such combat training routines. It sported a series of simple devices meant to simulate standard battlefield conditions and obstacles, such as raising platforms and deployable walls and the like.

Revna and the other Squires would be intimately familiar with the stage and all of it's usual regiments, being employed in everything from blaster training to being the focus of training droids just like it would be now. The harsh bright lightning of the atrium would hum to life as the pair entered, eager to be put to usage once more just as it was every day. "Take your position on the platform and remember your forms, I'll let you have a quick little practice session to yourself before the droids come out. Wielding a lightsaber feels a fair bit different from a typical blade."

Revna