Star Wars: the Old Republic

Lingering Darkness.

Intro:

Master Ffon had his eyes firmly shut as he sat on his knees, facing one of the many calm waterfalls on Tython, he had achieved a trance of clarity, which as always, was quick to be disturbed. He sensed his Padawan coming. Mya Greyfax, a young human always burning with emotions and questions, which was undoubtedly a bad trait for a Jedi to have, but again, Ffon could count the Padawans who weren't like her on one hand. As always, she had come with questions, however this time the subject felt a lot more 'Dark' in the sense that Ffon knew he was going to have to answer questions no Padawan should ask.
The young Padawan had forced her way through an unfortunate group of Initiates that were trying to get into the Jedi Temple in order get to him. Before Master Ffon could even turn his head and acknowledge her Padawan, a question was asked. A question Master Ffon never hoped to answer. Even beyond his wildest fears for whatever his Padawan stumbled upon, not this question.

''Who is Darth Victious?''

The young Padawan gasped for air, the very name somehow having made her lose breath. Or so it felt. She held a data slate, stolen or 'loaned' from the library. Master Ffon sighed as he shook his head, tapping the ground besides him, indicating for the woman to sit next to him.
''I won't ask you how you even know that name, and I know you are probably having huge expectations and over exaggerations about this Sith or my involvement with him...'' Master Ffon fell silent for a brief moment before quickly continuing: ''I will tell you under one condition.'' Master Ffon turned his head towards Mya, slowly opening his eyes. Mya nodded eagerly: ''Of course Master, what is it?'' Mya wore a smile on her lips, perhaps she doubted the seriousness of the situation, Ffon was not as amused as he answered:
''Don't look for him.''

Mya frowned slightly as she fell silent for a second before nodding her head: ''Of course Master, I won't! It's just that, I did a little bit of digging and I fou-'' She was swiftly interrupted by Master Ffon, as he didn't want to know exactly how his troublesome Padawan even found data about Dark Lords of the Sith.
''I understand Greyfax, I'll tell you. Just be patient. As long as you promise me you won't develop a sense for heroics afterwards.'' He slowly took a deep breath and fixated his look on the small pond in front of him.

Star Wars: the Old Republic

Lingering Darkness.

Part: 1

There are many Lords of the Sith, yet Dark Lords there are few. Many claim to be eternal yet few are powerful enough to remain to this day. One of those few is named Darth Victious. Arkanian, Pureblooded through and through. Whereas most of Alien birth were shunned by the Empire, Darth Victious has been regarded with utmost respect and loyalty by the Purebloods of the Sith, it is surprising yet very telling about the characteristics of this man. It was said that he has been gone unnoticed for all his existence, to appear into our records from nowhere, yet this isn't entirely the case. For the Dark Lord had two Apprentices. Lord Maliox and Lord Odronis, both pureblooded Sith of high standing, wielding immense strength and dedication to the Dark Side. But one of them has shown up in a single record of ours. It is a record about the single encounter the Jedi have had with Lord Maliox. proof that no matter how powerful the Darth may claim to be, no one is invisible.

Jedi Knight Ffon and Jedi Sentinel Vai'Drak were send to Alderaan, after reports of a creature wrapped in the robes of a Dark Jedi, obscuring his entire body, was standing in the courtyard of Castle Organa. The shrouded creature demanded to be met by the most competent of Jedi, and so the pair of Jedi were send out on a mission to meet him, partially to assure House Organa that the Republic will rush to defend their ally. It was later confirmed by Jedi Knight Ffon that the creature they were meeting was indeed a Sith. He was a male Pureblood under the name Maliox. He was tall, and that was the only feature that the eye could notice. There was no doubt on Ffon's mind that the creature was actively trying to blur his mind, to conceal himself from the Force and to the naked eye. It didn't take long for Maliox to speak with a thick, heavy accent. It was obvious to Ffon that the creature spoke Sith as a native tongue. ''Jedi, I hope for all our sake you are what I demanded. Had this not been a time more dire than ever before, I would not have come. So spare me the pretentious speech of turning me to the Light.

I come to kill a Dark Lord.''

Ffon blinked as he turned to his friend and fellow Jedi, Vai'Drak, unable to mask his surprise and clearly so was Vai. Before either could speak, Maliox continued.
''You have never heard of Darth Victious, and it is best that you have not. I ask that you give your life to to kill a creature with such raw power, it bloats him. He is a heretic, wielding power he should never have sought after. He is a heretic in my eyes, and would you have known him, a threat in yours. So our interests align. Collect your most capable Warriors. Expect my arrival in your Temple when the night is Darkest, you will know when that is.''
The moment Maliox quit talking, he was already half outside the room. Ffon was just barely in time to ask wich temple Maliox was referring to! Maliox only scoffed however: ''Don't pretend Jedi, Tython is your only safe heaven. For now.'' And with that he was gone, leaving Ffon and Vai'Drak to immediately seek contact with the Jedi Grand Master, Satele Shan, and arrange a meeting with the Jedi Council.

Lord Maliox had adored his Emperor as a God, a pure incarnation of the Dark Side. The Sith'arri through and through. And had Maliox been younger, he had seen his Master, Darth Victious, as his chosen Champion.
The Arkanian had been highly regarded amongst his family, amongst his Pureblooded Culture, his church, his community, for as long as he could remember.
The man was ancient and beloved. Only a pure connection with the Dark Side of the Force could sustain a man for that long, however that was speculation, everything about his Master was speculation.
How could he, an alien, make even the highest, purest Lords of the Sith bow? How could he, an alien, infiltrate the Sith species and become a part of their culture, become the perfect example of how an alien should become if it hoped to join the Empire?
Maliox bought into his mystery, his power, when he was young. He had trained himself viciously, had joined countless crusades, sought out and killed multiple Jedi. He even accompanied a Inquisitor to find and kill a heretica Sith. He did all this to gain recognition from his family, and more importantly, from his Master.
Maliox felt chosen when he was granted an audience with him all those many years ago. He could still remember feeling his red, leathery skin twitch with excitement and passion, only to have the sensation of freezing at any second.
The Dark Lord asked for the names of the Jedi Maliox had slain, and was quite disappointed when Maliox had to admit that he never knew or sought after the names of his slain foes and he hadn't even considered lying about it.
Maliox sighed, scratching his cheek, of course he had disappointed him in their first meeting, perhaps a sign of everything that was to come. Maliox was surprised he was chosen as Apprentice none the less, he remembered hearing about the many hundreds of Apprentices and Acolytes that were chosen to have a meeting with the Dark Lord and never returned, there was only one other, one other Sith that made it to his Master's side.
Maliox shook his head, the past did not matter, not to him at least. Only the future, and the road to it. And as Maliox recently discovered, Victious was a road down to damnation. A road that would lead him away from his Emperor, and his Empire. And Maliox would rather die than become the heretic he so viciously hated and hunted.
However simply diverting his path was not an option. Simply walking away, ignoring his Master's plans, ambitions and legacy. It would shame him for his entire existence, and besides, his Master would kill him as soon as he tried.
Even if his Master would be forgiving enough to let Maliox go, the other apprentice and thus Maliox's biggest rival, Lord Odronis, would never allow it. Out of all his servants, none are as indoctrinated, powerful and ultimately, loyal to his Master as he was.
To bring the death of Darth Victious meant that Lord Odronis should have to meet that very same fate. For if Odronis survives, the legacy of Victious does as well. And thus the blight that is Darth Victious would only linger in the Darkness, and grow once more.
Lord Maliox slowly stretched his neck, looking over the cold sands of Korriban, he knew he needed help, and he knew none would support him, for no one would be crazy enough to stand in his Master's way. None but the Jedi. For everyone knew the Jedi were the largest lunatics of all. Maliox couldn't help but slowly grow a smile.

He had an idea.
He turned around, quickly heading to the nearest shuttle. For whatever he needed, he wouldn't find it on Korriban. And thus he left the cold deserts behind, for a planet far colder. Ziost.

Lord Maliox found himself alone on a balcony in his Master's estate on Ziost, looking over a massive canyon. As he stood there alone, observing the snow fall down in tiny flocks.
He noticed he felt strangely at peace. His Master lived in the most perfect location in the entire Galaxy, at least he certainly seemed to think so.
The Grey Mountains of the Ziost rested eternally to the west, whilst the Imperial Capital city almost managed to dominate the entire sky line to the North.
Had his Emperor not resided on Dromund Kaas, Maliox would have considered Ziost the true Sith Capital.
He could find himself appreciating his Master carving his own land outside the massive capital city, none dared take it from him.
Maliox could recall back to the days of old, when his Master merely lived in a Mansion near the massive canyon, that Mansion slowly turned a Temple, that temple then grew into a Fortress.
A fortress large enough, impressive enough, to attract many a Sith.
Around Darth Victious' Fortress, cottages were build. And of course, those cottages turned into houses, and slowly grew into a village. A village that slowly turned fully self-sufficient with the full support of Maliox's Master.
A church of Imperial faith was build, massive statues of the Emperor began to surround a large open plateau where Sith could get together, train, socialize and whatever else the folk of the population did on their regular day.
Maliox had no idea what the regular man did, he was proud of it. He would never steep so low and live a commoners life.
Darth Victious' community grew much attention amongst local Sith, so much so that three entire Sith bloodlines allied and joined together under his Master's banner. These bloodlines brought decades of culture, entire households and oh so much more.
Darth Victious had eagerly accepted them and, in his arrogance, began to live the life of a Sith Pureblood. The life of nobility.
Maliox had been from one of those bloodlines, that was no surprise, it was fate afterall. Maliox was sure of it.
Neither was it a surprise to Maliox that his rival and fellow Apprentice to Darth Victious, Lord Odronis, was from one of the other bloodlines. His Master only desired to choose his champion amongst his own people, and they had not disappointed.
Whatever the name of Maliox's bloodline had been once, Maliox did not know. His Master had it erased, leaving only the name of his own.
Everyone was from the Victious bloodline now, everyone was his flock.
Maliox was as disgusted as he was impressed by his Master's powerbase. He knew very few Sith that could claim to hold a small Empire of their own.
his Master's powerbase might not be planetary, but it was an Empire in its own right, and thus, heretical.

Maliox was unsure why he was thinking back about the past, perhaps it was a sign. A sign that it was time for Darth Victious to end, to become memory and nothing more.

Loud shouts and the sound of clashing lightsabers disrupted Maliox's trance and he swiftly turned around, looking at two small groups of Sith gathered on the plateau opposite of each other.
Two Sith were openly fighting each other in between the two groups.
two clans trying to prove superiority over each other no doubt. Not that it mattered, whatever social status these clans were trying to reach, they were still slaves to his Master.
And nothing could change that. Nothing besides himself.
A shiver down Maliox's spine instantly notified him of another presence.
Not even a second later, Lord Odronis stood between the two fighting Sith. He was a creature completely surrounded with the Dark Side of the Force. His presence was so powerful and overwhelming yet so hard to sense until it was far too late.
Maliox had heard many rumors about Odronis, but he knew the truth. He knew his true nature.
Odronis was basically a living corpse. His mastery of the Dark Side being the only thing that keeps him alive, despite having been killed more than once.
If there was any doubt to Odronis' skill despite his multiple deaths however, he always was eager to prove anyone who thought so wrong.
The two Sith slowly backed off to their own groups, not daring to engage with Odronis so abruptly in between them for they knew possibly striking at Lord Odronis to get to each other is to invite death to you and everyone you knew.
Maliox chuckled, he had almost forgotten one major character flaw of his rival.
The man is raving mad.
His mind is so fixated on the perfect society, the perfect Sith world. He will completely destroy anyone who dare cause a ruckus in that strange vision of 'paradise' and Sith infighting certainly didn't fit in his vision.
Odronis hadn't as much as moved a muscle, yet Maliox could hear the rattle of lightsabers fall onto the floor. They had let go of their lightsabers and soon afterwards the two Sith fell on their knees, clawing at their heads as they became utterly silent.
Maliox sighed as he swiftly stepped forwards:
''Stop this. You will defile the Dark Lord's grounds with the stench of an dishonorable death.''

Every face abruptly turned to him, including Odronis as he released whatever hold he had over the squabbling two Sith. Maliox blinked once, only to find Odronis right in his face when he opened his eyes.

The Dark Side Presence of Odronis was almost so overwhelming that Maliox had to fight the urge to violently shove the Sith away however he managed to hold his ground, letting his burning crimson eyes meet the cold, deadly pale eyes of Lord Odronis.
Whereas Maliox's eyes betrayed the fiery passion of the Dark Side within him, Odronis' eyes betrayed the polar opposite aspect of the Dark Side.
The silent cold of the Void. The complete nothingness of anything but raw power.
Odronis spoke in fluid Sith, not caring for Basic unless he had to: ''Oh on the contrary Lord Maliox, I will finally cleanse our Master's home of these petty fools. They hold no power, why would I allow them to do anything more than simply exist? They definitely crossed the boundaries by attempting to spill blood. Only I or the Master Is allowed that privilege. Will you stand in my way?''
Maliox looked over at the two Sith, they were being carried away by their clan. At least they were alive, for as much as that's worth.
He shook his head and scoffed: ''I shan't stand in your way Lord Odronis. I merely wish to remind you that the Dark Lord would prefer his people alive.''
Lord Odronis clacked his tongue before replying:
''I have left many alive.''
Maliox again shook his head:
''Perhaps I worded that wrong, He'd prefer his people actually sentient after you've come across them.''
Odronis smirked as he took a step back:
''Don't worry about me Old Friend. I won't leave my Master wanting like you did. I am devoted. In the fire of that devotion, I am more powerful than you will ever be. And the Master rewards loyalty and power well.''
Maliox snarled as he shook his head:
''Don't speak to me about fire. You know nothing about fire. You only know the cold void of Death. Whatever that has done to you. Some Sith compare you to Darth Sion, the Lord of Pain. Immortal through the pain of his every wound. It sustain him enough to keep walking even when destroyed, just like you are now. However that comparison between you and him is laughable. For at least the Lord of Pain felt just that. Pain. You feel nothing. Thus, you are nothing.''
Maliox cared not for petty insults, but neither did he care for Odronis attempting to degrade him, Maliox knew he might have touched a nerve there. However Odronis didn't seem to care for it, for he had disappeared as swiftly as he had come.
Leaving Maliox alone once more.

Maliox sighed as he walked back to his spot on the balcony, left to his own plotting and thoughts once more.

*(Hello all, thank you for reading my first fanfic! Please feel free to write a review and tell me your thoughts! If you liked it, do tell me and I'll try to be extra quick to write the next chapter!

Have a nice day further!)*