Lucid Insanity

[Sreeya]

It was coming. She would die. She expected her life to flash before her eyes, but it didn't. Nothing happened. She simply saw Vereor coming in with the blade, and that was it. She couldn't help it. She closed her eyes the last second, but she felt nothing. Nothing! Was this what death felt like? It was incredibly underwhelming. She opened her eyes and was greeted with an angry Vereor.

"I.."

She was promptly raised off the ground, her eyes wide. Her armor clanked loudly as he vigorously shook her. His words resounded within her mind and her face quickly contorted in sadness. Within seconds, she burst into tears. It was completely and utterly uncharacteristic. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she appeared as a small child. Once he set her back on the ground, she sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"You..you wanted to kill me..."

She looked up at him, obviously upset.

"I..I really like you and you.."

She sniffed and gasped, barely able to speak while choking back tears.

"..You just wanted to kill me. I was going to make it easier."

There was no doubt that this abrupt change in demeanor would be enough to floor Vereor. Andraste was completely and utterly blinded from her destiny and the massive amounts of power she possessed. For now, she was a simple, frail young girl way in over her head. She finally quieted her sobs, wiping her sleeve on her face.

"I'm...sorry. That just made me sad. I will p-pay attention now.."

 

[Rom]

Looking down into Andraste's tear streaked face as she sobbed that she had heard him thinking of killing her, the reptilian Sith Lord tried to ignore the slight twinge in his chest as he stood their awkwardly. In the past when he was on Barab I and the younglings were distressed, he had taken them out on a physical activity to distract them from their woes, and then did his best to give them the guidance they needed. Deciding that even though the human was not nearly as athletic as a young barabel training to be a Hunter, Andraste did have the Force and that's all she should need. Cocking his head to the side, Vereor blinked in the heavy light and hissed, “Run with me.” Turning away, trusting that she would follow, he began at a light jog, calling the training saber and clipping it to her belt with the Force.

Growling at the slippery purchase of the sand, Vereor led the way into a rocky valley a few miles from the Dome, broadcasting calming thoughts through his connection to Andraste as they ran. Spotting a pair of flat stones jutting out of the ground, Vereor smoothly came to a halt and leaned against it, waiting to see if Andraste had calmed down any at all. Not bothering to push down the twinge of concern that he noticed that she was still looking forlorn and had thoughts of her supposed impending death weighing on her mind, staring down at the rocky ground and wringing her hands. Palming his face and sighing, Vereor's tail looped out from behind him and slid up her body, the tip curling up under her chin and pushing her eye up to stare into his own, her tear streaked and sweaty face visible reflecting in the sanguine eyes of the Reptile. “This one has no intent to kill you, Niphredil.” Noting her look of confusion, Vereor chuckled and murmured “It's Barabel for snowdrop flower. They were a valued product brought in from Onderon to some of the more aesthetic clan leaders.”

Digging down deep into his mind, he pulled the memory of the powerful Force prescense he had witnessed before they began to fight and then his vision from the Hungry One and suddenly pushed it without a word of warning into Andraste's mind, cycling through the flashes of the future quickly and coming to stop on the memory of the two of them standing on a rise looking over a field of battle, the muddy ground churned up by the clash of soldiers and the fall of bodies, a legion of storm troopers and black cloaked beings standing at their back. Their inner robes fluttered in a powerful breeze with their lightsabers activated, Vereor standing with his double blade in one hand and his single blade in another with a wicked grin spread across his face, and Andraste stood with what could only be described as an insane smile on her head as she stood with her own saber held across her torso. They stood side by side as equals.

Not taking his eyes off of hers, the reptilian Sith Lord chuckled and dropped his tail back down to the ground. “Do you understand now?”

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste simply blinked in confusion as he abruptly turned away. She was still sniffling and wiping the snot from her nose when he abruptly started running.

"Hey wait!"

She began jogging behind him to catch up. She had no idea what he was doing or why he suddenly began running. Her curiosity pushed her immediate feelings aside, forcing her to think of the situation at hand. She struggled to keep up, not built to be as athletic as he was. She wanted to ask a thousand questions, but each one died at her lips. She felt him open up a mental connection that relayed calming thoughts into her mind. It was as if she were in a trance, her legs traveling of their own accord. She was suddenly lost in the Force, swimming through its vast oceans without a care in the world.

She had completely lost track of time by the time he had stopped. It took her a few seconds to realize they were done running. She stopped and panted slightly, sweat lining her skin. She had no idea why they had jogged so far, and a tiny bit of her thought perhaps it was to isolate her so killing would be easier. Like taking a dog out to the woods to shoot it. However, she was surprised when his tail slithered up to make her face him, something she had been avoiding. She sniffled, feeling rather small.

His words were far from what she had expected. His voice lacked the usual sarcastic hissing, his tone genuine. She simply blinked, staring into his reptilian eyes. She searched for the truth there. However, she didn't have to search far. In a second, she was flooded with images and vivid glimpses of what could be the future. She was almost doubled over, shocked by the revelation. She did not know if it was a trick of the Force, but it looked too vivid to be a mere concoction by Vereor. On top of that, he could have easily killed her by now. She simply looked up, eyes wide.

"M-Me?"

She did not know what to make of the situation. She simply inaudibly mouthed off words. However, she immediately thought back to his nickname for her and it made her heart swell with joy. Her usually odd behavior returned. Without warning she jumped on the Barabel and flung her arms around him with enough force to tackle him.

"YOU WATCH! I'll be the best Sith ever!"

After a moment, she hopped back as if nothing happened and grabbed a training saber from his waist. She walked a few steps away from him and ignited the saber, rolling it in her hand like she had seen Casimir do.

"All right! I remember the kata. Try me again!"

 

[Rom]

Nodding in the affirmation to her inquisitve "M-me?" Vereor could only hiss in laughter as she gaped about like a eviscerated Mon Calamari, her lips clearly forming words but no voice coming out. His mirth was cut short however, as he was suddenly lying on his back with an excited young woman's arms wrapped around him in what the reptilian Sith Lord could only assume was either a show of gratitude or an attempt to jostle his ribs into deflating a lung. Spluttering, having no idea what to say or how to react, Vereor patted Andraste on the back until she got off of him.

Getting to his feet and coughing awkwardly while adjusting his robes and kama, Vereor grinned at the declaration of becoming the best Sith ever before allowing a predatory grin to cross his face as she grabbed the hilt and walked off with it, rolling it between her hands as if she was familiarizing herself with it before activating it with a snap-hiss followed by a beam of red flame. Activating his own blade, and going slower than usual to make sure that she wouldnt attempt to let the blade impale her, he started in on the Offensive reverse of the defensive kata he had taught her, wanting to see if she really remembered the steps. All the while, he kept his eyes on her feet, legs, and arms for any errors in her pose and form.

 

[Sreeya]

She watched him coming in for an attack for the second time. She watched his every move, this time much more prepared and planning ten steps ahead. She took in a deep breath and exhaled again. She muttered quietly to herself.

"Six steps..."

She matched up his first motion with the first defensive step of the kata. As he slashed, she quickly parried, then twisted the saber for the second parry. The motions were choppy, and she would have likely failed if he moved faster. However, she remembered the steps. As he backed up, she stepped forward to close the distance between them. He swiped again, and she met his saber with hers, parrying once again. She was not paying attention to her feet, which were randomly shuffling about as she struggled to remain engaged. After the next parry, he launched a straight jab. She circled the saber to parry once again, but in her attempt at casually pulling it off, she lost her footing and quickly plopped down into the sand.

Andraste quickly rose to her feet, spitting out sand and acting as if nothing happened. A flush rose to her cheeks, as she had appeared to have seemingly fallen for no reason while standing around. She knew he would laugh, he always found amusement in embarrassing situations for her. In a way it relaxed her, instead of having him drilling holes into her with his eyes. She waved her saber around excitedly.

"Again again! I blame the sand.. it's um..messing with my footing.."

 

[Rom]

Hissing in laughter as she fell, Vereor nodded at her request to continue and backflipped onto the smaller of the two flat stones, gesturing for Andraste to get up onto the taller one. Waiting until she was on it steady, Vereor started to lecture again, his eyes still roving to make sure she was distributing her weight evenly and keeping her feet in their necessary ready positions. "The point of the kata is to eventually conform it to others - the first melds into the second, the second melts into the third, and it continues on this cycle. For example...."

Leaping backwards and igniting his saberstaff as he landed in the sand, Vereor moved in what could only be described as a whirlwind, the Force lending him more stamina and speed as he moved through the defensive kata's from first to the thirteenth without pause, looking for all the world as if he was involved in a deadly dance with a foe only he could see. Looking up to see if Andraste had been paying attention, the reptilian Sith Lord nearly smashed his head into the canyon wall at his own stupidity for not slowing down enough for the human to observe. Repeating the six count motion of the first form, he continued into the second form seemlessly, moving slow enough to show her the eight counts of quarter turns and foot slides that aided in the reactivity of Soresu.

"Try to mimic what this one doez, we'll fix anything you make a mistake on afterwardz."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste scowled at him, using the Force to throw sand on him while he laughed. She didn't have the chance to catch his reaction as he swiftly backflipped onto the other rock. She grumbled to herself about damn lizards and their flexibility. She herself was already having trouble maintaining posture on a rock elevated only a few feet. For all her power, she could not have felt like more of an idiot.

"Next you're going to have me walk a tightrope.."

She watched him break into a blur of motions, the sight causing her eyes to widen. She watched his every motion, or whatever she could catch without blinking. She watched him approach a canyon wall and almost yelled out a warning. However, she felt it fitting to exact revenge for him constantly laughing at her failures. To her dismay, he stopped himself the last second. She gaped when he asked her to mimic the form.

"That's impossible! You're doing some lizard voodoo magic!"

She simply grumbled as she prepared to oblige. She followed his motions once again. She was lost halfway.

"Again!"

He showed her the steps again. Once again, her eyes were glazed over, mouth hanging open.

"Um.. again.."

He demonstrated yet again. After a few more times of asking, she could tell he was getting frustrated. She finally prepared her stance and swung the saber around a few times to prepare for the motions. She began to count out loud, performing each motion slowly. She began to get the turns down and was lost in the movements, counting. Her movements were mechanical, not fluid like his. Finally, she walked right off the edge of the pillar. After pathetically flapping her arms, as if it would somehow make her hover in mid air, she fell right into the sand. She once again spat out sand and climbed back onto the rock, gazing at him reproachfully.

"Don't you say a word!"

With that, she attempted the count again. After several attempts, and a few more comical falls, she finally managed to at least get the beginning of the kata down to where it was seamless. She was beginning to look like she knew how to wield a blade instead of messily brandishing it everywhere. At some point, she called out to him during the kata.

"I bet your tail helps with balance! Not fair.."

 

[Rom]

Grinning at Andraste as she fell for what had to be the fifth time, Vereor noticed with satisfaction that her movements were loving the monotonous and robotic quality to be replaced by something approaching fluidity. Jumping up so he was standing on the very edge of her pillar, the reptilian Jedi smirked and kept himself standing on his clawed toes with the aid of the Force, his tail standing out straight behind him. Ducking low and spinning on one foot, he went to sweep her off her feet with a easy strike from his tail that ended with a rising strike that would have cleaved her in half had he not switched the blade off at the last instant. "It's a better weapon than it iz a balance beam, but it servez it's purpose rather well."

Standing on the very edge of the pillar to give her the most room to stand on, Vereor powered down his saberstaff and grabbed a second training saber off of his belt, activating the violet blade with a snap-hiss. "Defend yourself!" With a cry of warning, the Barabel sith lord began to attack her using the kata forms, sliding from form one to form two seemlessly. If one of them were struck, it would only feel like a mild shock.

Grinning as he kept the movement up, using the Force to keep himself balanced, the barabel allowed an admission that he never would have told anyone else outside of the Emperor. "For a Jedi training technique, thiz one isn't half bad..... allows for close quarterz combat and balance and use of the Force to be taught all at once." Allowing a moment for that to sink in, Vereor pressed the attack when he thought she might be distracted, raining blows down on her in a different order than kata 1 but with the same basic premise, curious to see if she was able to improvise in battle.

 

[Sreeya]

Needless to say, she had landed on her bottom as soon as he swept her feet from underneath her. She quickly rose to stand, picking up the last few bits of her pride. She watched his feet, attempting to work out how he had so much balance. Normally, she wasn't this clumsy, but she could never hope to compare to his agility. She prepared herself as he warned her to defend.

As his barrage of attacks began, she could tell which forms he was using. She was beginning to recognize the movements and matching them up with the respective counters. Soon, she had defended his initial few slashes, though the last one grazed her shoulder. She began to back away, completely forgetting that she was supposed to step forward to keep him engaged. As he mentioned the Jedi teachings, she simply stared at him in surprise.

"Jedi training--?"

And he attacked again. This time, she acted fully on instinct, not even pausing to think about the kata. She collided her saber with his, at a slanted perpendicular. She felt the Force course through her then. Using that connection, she abruptly sprang into the air. She kept her saber engaged with his and suddenly flipped clear over his head and landed behind him in a crouch. She turned to swipe the blade horizontally at his back.

"I've got yo-"

Before she could even begin the swing, she disappeared off the edge, toppling backwards into the sand. She had severely misjudged landing the jump. She emerged on the platform moments later, spitting out sand and letting out a beautiful string of profanities. It was clear she was beginning to get frustrated now.

"Do I have to learn the saber?! I can use the Force to knock enemies back.."

She was drenched in sweat, and she knew her question was useless. She prepared her stance as she uttered the words.

 

[Rom]

"Of course you need to learn how to use the Saber! That iz like asking this one if he really needs to have a tail - it iz simply a factual requirement of life!" Leaping down off of the rocky platform, Vereor landed with a flip in a crouch on the canyon ground before darting forward, his saber running low on the ground beside him before coming up in a diagonal sweep that would require all of the young human's strength to block – the reptilian Sith Lord was hoping that she had reached an understanding of the initial forms enough to build an instinct of misdirection rather than straight on blocking. Ducking low and twirling around so he was behind her, Vereor moved almost too fast to see and leaned forward to whisper in her ear “Surprise.” before pushing her down onto the ground.

Hissing in good natured laughter, Vereor offered her a hand up and began to walk back up the canyon towards the Dome, muttering under his breath that it was getting close to night-fall and he didnt feel like being trapped in a canyon when the tuk'ata decided to come out and play. Looking over out of the corner of his eye at the sweaty human, Vereor allowed his thoughts to trail off before shaking his head in confusion as a few particular thoughts echoed out from the dark corners of his mind, not wanting them to be broadcasted to Andraste. Sighing as he considered the ramifications of his admission, Vereor shrugged and decided to use it as a test, to see just how different from her peers this human acolyte really was.

“This one waz raised among the Barabel Jedi and spent most of my life in their tutelage before being sent to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be trained with an actual master. This one was having a final duel with hiz master before he had to face the trialz, and that was when I was consumed by the Hungry One and became a servant to his will. This one killed his master and fled, stealing a ship and set off into the Unknown Regions following the siren call of the Hungry One. It iz there that this one encountered the Sith Empire and joined their rankz.”

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste was huffing and puffing, completely out of breath. When he abruptly attacked her, she was caught off guard. She somehow managed to bring up the training saber right in time to barely catch the tip of his saber. Any more of a slip and she would have been cleaved in a real fight. She barely had time to privately congratulate herself before he abruptly ended up behind her. She had no time to think before she was on the ground, staring up at the sky.

"How did you.."

She was cut off by his laughter, something she appeared to invoke quite a bit. She grumbled to herself as he helped her up. She dusted herself off, wiping the sweat from her brow. She quietly followed him for a while, tired and hungry. Andraste had no energy to speak for a while as the stars began to dot the skies. She had no idea how long they had been walking for, but he broke the silence. She had to pause, surprised at his admission. Andraste almost admitted about her own time with the Jedi, but bit back from it. She sighed, looking up at the night sky.

"This one is very exhausted.."

She grinned at him, using his own manner of speech. Without warning, she abruptly plopped backwards into the sand. On the way, she grasped a hold of his tail and yanked him back to lay down beside her, much like the first day they had met. She did not pause before speaking, looking up at the stars.

"Everything is about Jedi or Sith.. what about individual? What about Andraste? What about Vereor? We weren't born Jedi or Sith. Why do we pick roles and labels? For me.. I.."

She looked away. How could she explain? How could she talk about her pains? She looked back at him, smiling.

"This one doesn't think you should be a servant. The Force can be tamed and manipulated. Ultimately it does our bidding, not the other way around.."

As she spoke, the very air around them appeared to curl and circulate between her fingers, as if she were wafting her hand through smoke. She absentmindedly moved the air around, conjuring the Force around her fingers.

"What is your name?"

She spoke quietly, not expecting him to answer.

 

[Rom]

Letting out a strangled hiss of surprise, Vereor fell back on the ground cursing in Barabel after she had pulled his tail, having landed awkwardly on his leg. Looking over and glaring at Andraste, Vereor grumbled under his breath in Barabel before cocking his head to the side as he listened to her musings. "This one iz a servant of the Hungry One. This one iz the Warmaster of the Sith Order; there'z no time to worry about how people feel about my individuality because there iz too much to do." Hissing in laughter, he paused a moment as she told him that the Force was to be mastered.

"This one haz to disagree, Acolyte. The Force is everywhere - it iz a powerful ally, and a comforting prescence. It grants you with the power to do thingz beyond the ability of the mortal coil, and it iz all directed by the Hungry One. The Hungry One willz our rage, our hatred, and our power into existence. Without the Hungry One, the dark Side could not exist. It iz because of the gifts that the Hungry One gives us and thee simple commands he expectz in return that I consider myself hiz Servant."

Freezing, Vereor turned and looked at the young human as she asked him what his true name was. Clearing his throat and staring up into the settling dusk, Vereor muttered, "This one doez not have a name besides Vereor; it iz dread personified, and that iz all that I am." Looking over at her, he hissed in quiet laughter and bet her; "If you can learn all fifteen kata's of the first beginning form, and hold yourself up in a five minute spar, this one will tell you his birth name."

Standing up and brushing off his robes, Vereor gestured towards the exit of the canyon and the temples rising up into the sky on the horizon. "Time to go, this one can already hear the tuk'ata on the prowl."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste groaned in protest as he told her the test she had to pass in order to learn his name.

"But that's impossible!"

She pondered over his previous comments regarding the Force. She hadn't addressed that yet, though it was tucked away inside her mind. Although he had risen to his feet, she remained on the ground, gazing up at the slivers of blue and red. She spoke quietly to herself, too soft for even him to hear.

"...but I am the Force.."

----​

Andraste did not try to hide the fact that she was concerned. She had been training with Vereor for some time now, but she had never seen him truly in his element. The image of him brutally murdering another acolyte vividly remained within her thoughts. Though Fawn had been brutal herself, Andraste had never seen that side of her master. It had sent a chill up her spine, reminding her exactly why he held his title.

She also sported various injuries from her training with Azool. He rarely eased off on her, punishing her for his own slip ups. Though there had only been one or two incidents, the abuse remained clear within her mind. He had deliberately pushed her to death's doorsteps in their last meeting. There was anger welling up within her chest, as she realized that every last person here was the same. At least the higher ups. As an acolyte, she was still a new face, possibly not as robotic and methodical as the others. The abuse she went through and seeing what Vereor had done to Fawn had shaken her beliefs on how genuine everyone was.

Andraste unclipped her training saber from her hip, rolling her wrist as she often did while holding the weapon. Her movements had become much more graceful lately. She did not look up at Vereor, anger emanating with a hint of fear so pronounced that he would be able to smell it. Andraste glared holes through the sand, her knuckles white from gripping the hilt so tightly. Every last one. All of them were the same. Her rage at Vereor was born from a sense of betrayal, of believing that he had been lying about who he was. This was an act, and the Barabel in the Valley of the Dark Lords was the true Vereor. How could she have believed him? He didn't even trust her with his name. She finally glanced up, scowling.

"Ready...lord Vereor."

 

[Rom]

Peering curiously at Andraste as he felt her rage welling up in the Force, something he previously had to encourage the whimsical human to stoke into a towering flame. Reaching out through his link curiously, he froze in place as the smell of blood wafted up from her robes as she moved to raise the saber, scent of wounds old and new. Moving forward furiously, reaching out with the force to deactivate the training saber, Vereor growled under his breath "Who?"

At the word, he felt through their connection her mind begin to race and images leaked through their bond; memories of violent confrontations in the an alchemy lab and what felt like mortal fear driving her deeper and deeper towards despair. Sorcerer Azool.... growling under his breath, the Barabel silently promised to himself that the alchemist would pay for his transgressions before continuing to sift through the deluge of thoughts and sensations. Along side the continued pain of the lesson, was what felt like loss, a breach of trust that left a deep wound in the young woman's life echoed through his mind.

"Acol...Andraste. What haz happened to you?"

 

[Sreeya]

She glanced up at him as he asked 'who'. What did he mean? She met his gaze, noting the change in his eyes. It was that murderous gaze she had seen before, though she did not shrink away from it. She returned it with a glare of her own. The Force raged within her like an inferno, her blood boiling from anger. She looked down at her deactivated saber.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Her features softened at his question. However, it was instantly replaced with fury, realizing that she was falling for his false show of concern. It was most likely a part of Sith training to weed out those too weak to see past a facade. She ignited the saber again, remembering all the katas he taught her. She began to walk in quick, practiced steps that took her slightly to his left diagonal. Andraste finally chose to answer his questions. Her words were seemingly spat at him, and she pointedly ignored his display of concern.

"What has happened to me? I am becoming a Sith, master. I am being molded into exactly what you want of me. I am being rewarded for my actions. Isn't this what you want? For me to be a monster?"

Her voice dropped to a whisper, a memory threatening to overwhelm her.

"..isn't this what you all wanted..from the very beginning.."

Without giving him time to think on that, she burst into action. She swung her saber in a horizontal arc going from his right to left. It came in from his left flank, aimed for his upper torso. She put her entire body behind the motion, prepared to meet his saber and engage him in battle. Though the swing was precise, it was obvious she was blinded by emotion and unaware of what she was doing.

"You called me by my name! Are you going to punish me for it?!"

 

[Rom]

Looking on with a blank face as Andraste screamed at him about how he wanted to turn her into a monster, and how that was all they wanted as a Sith before she lashed out with the training saber in a clean horizontal arc that, had it been a real saber, would have bisected him where he stood if it connected. Waiting for the last moment, Vereor did something that would most likely shock the enraged young woman. Reaching out a clawed hand, the reptilian Sith caught the flame colored blade and gripped it tightly, the only sign of the pain he felt being a slight narrowing of the eyes and the crackling sound of his scales actually blistering and cracking from the heat.

Stepping forward, still holding onto the training saber's blade, Vereor pushed his hand up causing the blade to fly up with enough force to leave Andraste's hand before dropping into a low sweep, using his tail to unbalance the human acolyte. Keeping his left claw clenched shut, Vereor jumped forward and tackled the acolyte to the floor, using his superior weight to pin her down, his arms bent over hers to keep her from grabbing for another weapon.

"Becoming a monster iz not what this one, or any master, wantz. We all have a monster inside of uz.... our duty iz to cultivate that monster into a powerful warrior, to become capable of controlling it and turning it into a weapon against our enemiez. A monster is like that acolyte, completely unthinking and uncaring - a force to be reckoned with, but one that inevitably fallz apart because that inner monster was not refined and focused and trained.. This one doez *not* which to see that become your fate!"

Looking down into the young woman's face, Vereor bit back a frustrated growl and instead asked, "Why would you think that this one would wish to punish you for calling you by your name, Andraste?" Staring down at his apprentice, the Warmaster of the Sith Order truly felt at a loss to what he could say or do to get the young woman to understand him.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste expected her saber to collide with his, but that tell tale hum never came. Her eyes widened as he simply lifted a hand and caught her saber. She was off balance, having put all her strength behind the attack. As his tail swept in, she toppled backwards, the saber yanked from her hand. She felt his weight on her immediately, right as she attempted to reach for another saber to launch a new attack. Andraste breathed heavily, anger boiling over. She glared at him, her face mere inches away from his. She sighed at his words, looking away.

"I'm not what you think I am. I was born with a purpose. I was born to leave a trail of destruction at my wake. I.."

She faced him again, gazing into his fiery eyes that vaguely reflected her own shadow.

"I'm a tool to be used by the Sith. I am a weapon. I'm realizing what must happen.."

Pain dripped from her voice, weighted heavily on her chest. The clouds began to churn above them, an extension of the Force that was both serene and chaotic at once. Small drops of rain fell on them, and she watched them gently slide off his scales. He was shielded, always guarded, against everything. Andraste remained silent for a moment, simply lost in thought. There was a rumble above them, the wind causing the sand to brush over them like a powdery fog. She still said nothing, staring past him and up at the sky.

"I must die and be born again. I cannot be Andraste. I cannot smile. I cannot laugh. I cannot love. I cannot hate. I must be exalted..I was born for it. I have to shed away everything that makes me who I am. This is all a shell. I am a shell. I need to empty it so the Force can manifest itself within me. I must become what was foretold. I must become that vision, the one that you and the others see. I see it so clearly now.."

Rain drops slid down her face and it was difficult to tell whether it was rain or her tears. She did not struggle to push him off, and she withdrew into her mind, pulling into a dark cavern far away from him. It was a realm of despair, the weight of destiny almost crushing her.

 

[Rom]

Poking the young woman as she seemed to fall into a catatonic state, Vereor cursed under his breath in Barabel and hoisted Andraste up into his arms, carrying her bridal style as he decided on a course of action. On one hand, the acolyte needed a brutal lecture to remove the fatalist streak in her and make her realize the folly of her chosen path... and on the other, part of the Sith Lord didn't want to do what was needed to ensure that she was ok, knowing it would hurt the fragile sense of acceptance the Acolyte had for her Master.

Making up his mind, the reptilian Sith Lord gathered the force into his limbs and started to run for the canyon, occasionally taking great leaps through the air and landing crouched in a pile of warm sand before continuing on, the dark side filling his limbs with energy and speeding him on his chosen path. Entering the box canyon he had discovered the previous month from above, Vereor slid down the rocky wall towards the ground before using the Force to stop himself mid-fall, hovering in front of a nearly invisible cut in the canyon wall.

Ducking into the thin natural passage, the Barabel had to struggle to not scrap or bang Andraste against the wall, though a part of him felt that even if he had done so she wouldnt have noticed. Finally clearing the passage, Vereor looked around as a glowing green light seemed to illuminate his dark scales. The cavern he had entered was beautiful, natural red and white crystal formations growing along the banks of the underground lake and along the walls surrounding the small waterfall. Beneath the lake, more crystals rested in the bio-luminescent waters, teh refracted light filling the cavern with a soft green and white light.

Resting the still catatonic woman on a bed of moss near the waterfall, Vereor laid a scaley hand on her forehead and reached out with the Force, the spray of water cooling his rage as he slowly pushed his consciousness into her mind, seeking to draw her out of the state she was in and find the root of her self defeating beliefs.

 

[Sreeya]

It was music at first. It exploded within his mind, filling every last corner of his psyche. It was a mournful tune, and it echoed gently, soothing to the ears. The image was blurred, and it was a hill that slanted upwards. The world was gray, the clouds meshing together, swirling in a vortex with a hill of green. At the apex stood a figure. It was a young girl, her hair flowing upwards, brushed by the natural tug of the surreal gray chasm on the other side of the hill. The girl did not turn around, but the scene edged closer and closer. The journey up the hill was slow, a wind circulating from all sides. It encompassed the strange reality within her mind.

The girl on the hill finally turned around, her eyes sunken and her skin pale. However, there was a smile on her face. She looked as if she had expected him, and had been waiting for him. Her smile widened and she spoke, but her voice came out in shards, broken noises that were lost within the vortex behind her. Her lips moved, but her words were multiple colors blended together, and instantly washed away. The girl came closer and closer, her eyes reflecting his own visage. The girl reached out her hand and grasped his forearm. Without another word, she fell backwards, her eyes locked with his. They fell into the void, a cold chill embracing them both. The journey was seemingly endless, but she never let him go, the shadows slowly swallowing her up. It fell over them like a cloak, pulling them into its bosom.

There was darkness.

The sound of rain exploded everywhere. The rumble of thunder jolted the realm, and a single streak of lightning illuminated a field of corpses. Of blood. Amidst the corpses were two particular ones, with the girl standing next to them. She had a doll in her hands, one drenched with blood. She did not move, but there was a shadow behind her. It was the shadow of a man, one far taller than her. His eyes pierced through the darkness, and he had the aura of a demon. He remained a shadow, lifting a hand and resting it on the girl’s shoulder. The doll fell from her hands, splashing into blood. She was in a catatonic state, staring ahead. The man turned her around and she followed him, disappearing into the shadows.

There was blood everywhere. Blood and laughter.

She was painting, smearing the blood on the ground. The blood was her own. It was blood she had vomited. She was laughing, and it was the laugh of chaos, of insanity. She furiously painted, the eerie music from before once again resounding all around her. The shadowy figure was there, watching, always watching. He made no motion to aid her, and he reveled in her pain. It was intoxicating to him.

More blood.

The fine point of a knife cut smoothly into her pale flesh, neatly cutting a line till rivulets of crimson pooled from the gash. The blood slowly seeped out, running down her arm in an endless river. That river became a waterfall, and then an ocean. That ocean became a churning whirlpool of crimson. It formulated into a red flower, one that she snatched up and held within the palm of her hand. The shadow took the flower and crushed it, the remnants of the petals falling like droplets of blood.

There was screaming.

It was the cry of a child, one that was chilling to the bones. It was the Force that was being torn, a rip through the soul. It cut in deeply, clawing and scratching. The girl fell to her knees, amidst a sea of crushed flowers. She was covered in blood, and the pain that emanated from her throbbed within the alternate dimension. It was crushing, choking inwards from all sides. The world was a monster and it had lain dormant for a prey.

Light. Blinding light.

It was sudden, abrupt and pure. It was sickening, blinding and the smell of flowers was overpowering. She stood within a garden, a faceless figure standing before her. He gave off an aura of purity, of a Jedi. He was the embodiment of virtue, the image of righteousness. It wasn’t long before darkness crept into the image. She turned away from him, once again guided into shadow. Once again in a catatonic state.

Glass flowers.

She was smiling again. She was on the hill again, twirling a glass dahlia between her fingers. They were back where they had started, on the apex of the hill. She tilted her head to look at Vereor, blinking. She suddenly looked alarmed and once again spoke, but the words blurred together. She tossed the flower into the vortex. Her face began to blur, and then the rest of her body. She became the paint of a canvas, and the hill’s green amalgamated with the shades of her colors. The vortex swallowed everything and a storm erupted.

The beast.

The beast realized its domain had been discovered. Infiltrated. It was furious. There was a shadow, and it was the Force manifesting itself in its most malevolent form. The beast tore the world apart, clawed through the canvas, ripped apart the blurred remains of the girl. Everything was in chaos, the beast crushing and causing immeasurable pain, agony, suffering. The beast fought to expel the intruder, letting out an almighty roar, one that was enough to tear through the soul of a fragile being. There was blinding white light, the beast destroying all evidence of the hill, the blood, the paintings.

Back in the cavern, Andraste’s eyes flashed open and she screamed. It was a scream that echoed throughout the cavern, bouncing off the crystals. Her eyes were devoid of color, glowing white. She bolted upright, holding the scream in one long note. She turned over so she had knocked Vereor back, her hand at his throat. She had a vice grip, her body atop his. The self mutilated cuts on her wrists had been ripped open, the blood flowing freely from every last cut. Within moments, Andraste loosened her grip, her eyes returning to normal. She found herself once again face to face with Vereor. Her eyes were wide with shock, and she was shivering.

“W-What…”

Without a word, she abruptly hugged him, her face pressed against his chest. She continued shivering, tears and blood freely flowing. She said nothing else. She was not a Sith at that moment. She was not a warrior. She was not someone burdened with destiny. No, at that instant she was a young girl completely and utterly terrified. She clung onto him in a way that was enough to make him believe that she would die if she let go. She never stopped shivering.

 

[Rom]

Gritting his jaw at the sudden influx of sensory emotions and pain associated with a stream of violent memories following the Acolyte's life, Darth Vereor slammed his shields down tight around his mind to protect himself as a great roar echoed down the probe into his thoughts with mind rending power, the feeling of claws and fangs digging and snapping into flesh being the only comparable sensation he could fathom. Suddenly, he found himself on his back looking up into blazing white eyes, a fierce grip on his throat trying to pin him down. Reacting instinctively, he reached out with the Force, his own red eyes slowly fading to an inky black as the Hungry One overcame all his senses and went to destroy the being who dared to lay a hand on him and attempt to hold him low.

Lightning sparked and flashed inbetween curled claws and just before he went to blast out with a torrent of lightning, Andraste seemed to drop out of her trance and fall ontop of him, shivering and sobbing while trying to hug him, seemingly to death. Pushing down the rage and power that was attempting to break through, Vereor could only awkwardly pat the young woman's back as she sobbed into his robes and armor. Brushing aside the memories that had burst forth from her mind, Vereor looked down at the trembling mass of flesh in his arms and could not believe that she was such a threat. Surrendering himself to the dark will that roiled within him like a tempest, the reptilian Sith Lord fell deep within the embrace of the Hungry One, seeking guidance in what path he should take.

After severla moments of meditation, the Barabel fell out of the trance state only to find Andraste still hugging him and shaking ontop of him. Coming to a decision, Vereor nodded to himself and went to reach for a datapad hanging on his belt only to get his arms squeezed tighter to her body. Nudging her off of him, Vereor handed her a datapad and simply said "The instructions on there are necessary for you to continue training. Read them now and follow them to the letter. We will continue on from there."

Getting to his feet, the Sith Lord looked down at her and hissed softly "You know where to find me, Acolyte" before walking off into the gloom of the cave, leaving Andraste with a training saber and the datapad, hoping she'd be able to pull it together enough to understand and act.