Chapter 8

The estate was a strange place, one of those places where you would probably need a map to get around. With its strange hallways that possibly lead to know where, or maybe the strange labyrinth which I found myself in.

It reminded me of the academy on Korriban where me and the Sith created our new home. But there was a difference between those places, Korriban was full of darkness, a desert of ancient Sith corpses and monsters born from the dark side.

While here there was something else. I could sense peacefulness and tranquility, but I could detect something else here.

The twins, they were a threat to me. Now as I sat down on that table, I could feel their emotions as they set out there plates of food. There strange and nonchalant ways of answering freaked me out, though the blue one was the strangest.

Anger, she wanted me dead. I could feel it coming to me in strange heatwaves, though I had never seen her before she wanted me killed. It was a strange feeling, of wanting to kill…Jedi rarely pick up on feelings like that, most of the time Jedi can only sense feelings that are on the surface.

Feelings that even a non-force sensitive could not detect by just reading body language, maybe because I was trained by both of my masters to view under the surface of these feelings then maybe I could detect them.

Or maybe worse it was because I remembered sharing such feelings before, the feeling of wanting to cut the flesh of the one that angers you, the way you want to see them broken by your hands as they slowly lose themself.

Though when I was a Sith killing them wasn't the best part, it was making them…

"Roswell!" the girl said

A strange man, very tall and was wearing a very strange outfit. A painted face that reminisced one of the jokers that the huts would have for their entertainment.

He took a seat at the center of the table as both maids went to remove his thick jacket. Even sitting down, I could feel the power radiating from him, a strange power. Even if I were still a Sith and still had both of my lightsabers, then even fighting him would be a hard task.

Though he was strong I could feel that his power was not coming from the force, rather stemming from something else entirely.

"Thank you for saving little Emilia. She really is the pride of this house." He said with a faint smile

The silver haired girl with the strange ears…Emilia formed a blush as she began to stare down at her plate, right before mumbling a thank you.

My head snapped to attention as I tried to figure out anything to say. But my thoughts were clouded, and my throat felt strange.

"There was no problem" I replied

Though he did not look satisfied, he stared at me or rather at parts of me. My face and my hand, or maybe more accurately the missing eye and the false arm.

"Sure, but I doubt that not just anyone would have helped her find her insignia. Heck you even travelled around the whole city just trying to find it for her…even saving her during that encounter with that assassin."

The girl's eye dipped between me and the food as he mentioned the assassin.

"Thank you, Isaac…I never got to thank you for what happened. Losing the insignia would of have caused issues." She spoke

"What issues?" I asked as my eyes darted between the two

That was when they began to explain to me the world which I was living in. A world which there king was killed and there was no one that could continue the royal line.

So now there was a royal election taking place. The girl was one of the participants in this election to decide the new queen for this place and having said insignia allowed her to participate in it. So, losing it was really a big deal.

Maybe even more important than my lightsaber.

"So that's why we chased around the city for a whole day, too find a little rock?"

"If the future queen can't handle holding onto a rock, then how can they be able to lead a whole country on their own." Roswell said as he stared down the girl

But she did lose it I wanted to scream, if I were not there to warn her about that building with that assassin then god knows what could of have happened.

A brief thought of her body lying limp on that floor, her white and purple dress stained red as the moonlight shined down on her.

I could not have let that happen, even if I were not a jedi or a Sith I could not had let her die.

"Now for thanks for saving the girl, I will offer you one favor…anything you wish or ask for then I will offer, you did save little Emilia's life."

I saw the pink and blue haired girl's body shake for a second or rather tensed up. The blue haired one quickly opened her mouth and shut it back quick.

Anything…maybe I could ask for money or maybe transportation to get out of here. Or maybe I could gain more knowledge about things in this world…I could not understand the writing in this place, and I was bound to get in trouble one day if I did not learn.

Though there was something else…Revan, my old master that was responsible for me falling to the darkness and giving me this false arm.

I hated him, but I had to know why in this world where the force is unknown. Why somebody like him would be infamous in a place like this.

"I wish to know about Revan…and the witch."

The room was completely silent, but I could feel the tension. I could detect their anger, the way the twins acted sent shivers down my spine, but their anger was not what scared me the most.

It was the way they were acting, they stood still and calm like nothing even happened. Emilia was riddled with confusion, though the only two people's emotions that I could not read were the strange creature and the man.

Though they were both looking at me curiously, not suspiciously but rather like they were staring at a wild animal in the forest. A peculiar curiosity to see what the animal would do next; would it charge into them…or rather show something interesting.

"The masked one…you would of have just been a boy around the time he came to this world. Though not many like to speak about him in fear."

The masked one…during the beginning of the war Revan brandished a Mandalorian mask. It was sort of an oath, for he would only remove it when the war was over. But he never removed it, he kept it on during the civil war to force the Jedi to remember who he was.

Though Roswell also mentioned that he came from a different world, just like myself.

"Revan or the witch doesn't scare me." I replied

His eyebrow went up and a smirk spread across his face. "For a boy that possibly went through what you did…I doubt that anything would truly scare you."

I peered down at my arm and rubbed the metallic fingers together. My hair was up fully showing the sealed eye, and the arm was proudly shown with the short sleeve.

"I guess you're right, very little things scare me anymore."

He sighed and leaned down on his chair, he was a huge man and the chair even made a loud creak from the sudden change of weight.

"Rom can teach you more about the masked one and the witch. She could even teach you other things if you wish." Roswell said

My hand went to my fork, and I lightly began twisting it around with my metallic fingers. Ran taught me how to do this, the trick was to get the perfect timing of the spin, then you could spin for as long as possible.

Though the man seemed kind I could detect something off about his demeanor. Without even using the force I could read what he was saying with his body.

He was not scared but even a man that powerful, so powerful that I could even feel without using the force would still refer to Revan as the masked man because he was afraid?

Sure, Revan was powerful…though he…

I could remember how merciless Revan was when he became the dark lord of the Sith. He broke me and turned me over to the darkness, though I was not special…Revan did that to many other jedi after me.

No matter the relationship that we had before the civil war, Revan did not care anymore about my wellbeing. He sent me on suicide missions to take out jedi masters and capture their apprentices, though I would always come back holding one by the neck.

I could still remember that throne room, the blood red walls and those scary paintings from the Sith artist. I could remember the way my mechanical hand twisted as I tossed the broken padawan at his feet, how I held onto their master's lightsaber and presented it to him.

Each time I killed a master, I gained more power than ever before. It was a strange feeling that could not be ignored, it was like I was leaching off their power…draining the force from them.

Though I may have been stronger than Revan, I was nothing…to him I was a toy. Something that was useful for only a little while until another usurped me.

Though nobody ever did, well maybe someone did…after I left the Sith. Back then I did not want anything with jedi, or dark jedi, or the force. Just a place where I could forget the horrors of war, and maybe myself.

But what was I doing now? I reconnected to the force and before I was thinking about my lightsaber, what did I think I was?

A jedi…I have fallen so far, that it would be disgraceful to brand myself with such a title. But did I want to be a jedi anymore?

Sure, the Sith were evil, but the jedi were different. They were not evil but there was something off about them.

We were peacekeepers, but we let worlds burn to the ground. The council mediated and evaluated the threat for years while we died on strange planets by the hands of the Mandalorians.

Me, Desaryna, and Ran were only children…Ran did not even live to be sixteen. And Desaryna died on a dead planet.

Now I am the only one, a false and failed Jedi. An outcast and a coward that could not handle the guilt, and horrors of the war.

So, I took the easy way out and embraced the darkness, and I became a slave to Revan…

"Well for all that you done; such a simple request wouldn't be fit for one that saved our Emilia. And recovered her insignia…so how about you stay in the mansion while Ram educates you."

There was a sinister smile spread wide across his face, like he knew something about me. That clown makeup made him look like one of those jokers you see on old playing cards.

Though I could tell that this man should not be taken as a joke. The pink haired girl shook for a second, violently and too quickly for one except me to see.

Did that girl hate me so badly that she could not contain herself for a second?

What did I do to them?

We ate breakfast, rather Emilia and Roswell both ate while I stared at my plate. I would lightly spoon little fragments of food into my mouth, a part of me was being careful because I thought that maybe they would try and poison me.

When they were done eating and the maids continued back onto their business, I followed Emilia once again through the long winding hallways. It was a strange feeling being here, I was at peace being around nature…though I could feel the anger that those girls were emitting.

When we came back to that familiar spot, I found something vaguely familiar. My satchel? It was there with its usual worn cloth, but now there was a strong leather strap attached to it.

They repaired it.

"Oh Rem, she must of have repaired it for you. She is very good with her hands and leather working." Emilia said

"I can see that." I stated as I adjusted the strap onto my body

It was good quality; they even were able to get the same color for the strap. Though the real question was how they were able to get it done so quickly?

"Emilia, why didn't she give this to me before. This sort of work takes a while, so why didn't she give it to me earlier?"

She turned around to me, her bright silver hair getting tangled in the winds. She was indeed very beautiful, though there was something about her.

Hesitation, worry, sadness…those were emotions that she felt often. Though without feeling it through the force, one would not be able to detect such a thing.

It saddened me to see how a girl like her would have to hide her emotions. Though there was something strange about her presence…like the time we were in town and all those people feared her.

Or how all those times I mentioned Revan, every time she would shiver a little bit. Like a cold breeze just traveling through.

There was something off about her, maybe she was connected to him. Though I did not want to say or ask anything just yet.

I needed to observe and evaluate the situation so I could create a compound answer to my next actions. Though there was something obvious going on here, those maids wanted me dead.

So the plan had to be to leave as quickly as possible…

"Isaac are you listening…she is able to use reconstruction magic, that's why your bag looked near identical than before."

"Magic?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You do know what magic is, right?"

I shook my head causing a groan to come from her. That was when that thing came out from her side, it was that strange cat thing that I saw before.

We both stared awkwardly at the other. My eyes on its snow-white fur as my left hand began to awkwardly scratch my head.

"Emilia I could take it from here, maybe I could observe the gate that…Isaac has." The little beast said

Gate? What was this damn thing talking about? I sat down on the cold blades of grass and uninvitedly the girl and the beast sat down in front of me.

"Your gate, it's what allows you to cast magic. I could check it for you if you mind." He said

"Puck can help you find your preferred magic. If you want to?" the girl asked

She had a reassuring smile that told me that everything was going to be okay, though I did not trust the little beast…or Puck I found the girl more trusting.

Though what did trust mean in this relationship? I had only known this girl for maybe two days, and there talking about gates and such.

Puck was the thing that made me the most anxious. I could not read his emotions the first time I met him; I could not even detect his power ether.

It was not like this creature had no emotions and no power, it just felt like that thing was able to mask its power and emotions very well.

That is what scared me the most, if Roswell did not care or could mask his power. Then why did something like this choose to mask its own strength and emotions.

"Okay." I groaned

The little beast hovered over to my forehead and rested its little palm over my chest.

"Wow your very soft." I chuckled

Even for having a short paw it was like being wrapped in a warm blanket, it was a strange but comforting feeling that made me feel protected and safe.

"So, this is your..."

ThOsE WErE ThE LASt WorD's I HeaRD

I was lying down somewhere; the warmth was gone and replaced with a bitter cold that could freeze hell over.

The snow was all around me as I struggled to break free and move away from it. But I was not cold, it was like the snow was surrounding me and the darkness was trying to consume me.

Trying to drag me deeper into the snow to the point where I could not move forward anymore. It was a dark and desolate place, but I could make out a certain shape.

I pressed on through the never-ending darkness, my boots clapping through the mushy white snow. Until I arrived, it was a massive gate.

A gate created from a strong oakwood, on the sides were thick stone pillars that made it stand upright. It was huge, huge enough to see in this strange darkness…the size of those massive buildings on Coruscant.

I rested my hand along it, and I felt something. I gazed down at my right hand; it was…back. I lightly rubbed my fingers over my palm feeling the soft sensation.

It was back, my hand?

My eye too, I could see clearly again. I looked down seeing my familiar brown jedi robes that I wore on Dantooine.

"Puck…where am I!" I screamed out

But the storm did not ease, rather it worsened as time continued.

"Puck…Emilia!" I cried out again

I turned around to stare back at the gate, though something changed. It was smashed up and destroyed. Bits of wood and stone oddly poked out through the snow.

"What is this place." I said to myself

I began walking again, it was a strange place. I was not hungry or thirsty rather I just felt confused, what was the meaning of this?

Was this some sort of Jedi test? I had heard stories of Jedi that would unwillingly go through trials through there minds, but this felt different.

There was something off and corrupted about this place, something warped and wrong. That was when I saw him again, in this strange and desolate place.

His robes were blowing around in the breeze, his raven hair flowed gracefully in the air, and he did not sink in the snow.

"Ran." I said as I began to push through the snow

I fell over, as the snow began to surround me once again. But I clawed through it as I struggled to be by his side.

"Isaac…it hurts" he whispered

In a second his robes began to burn; embers began to blow into the snow as I saw him get consumed by the flames.

"Ran!" I screamed out as I tried to claw my way out of the hole

"Help me Isaac…I don't want to die here, not like this!" I heard him say as he began to cry

I clawed my way out, my fingers red and bleeding as I ran to him. His robes were nearly burnt showing only his destroyed scalp and bits of exposed skin.

He began to collapse but I grabbed him halfway, I held him to my neck as I felt his weight shift.

"Ran I'm sorry, I was too late, but we can still fix this…I'm so sorry."

He did not say anything. I rested his head on my lap as his bloodshot eyes began to scan the surroundings around us.

Why?

I had a second chance, to save my best friend…he was so close, but he died in my hands once again. I held onto him, cradling him to my chest as I began to cry…I could never save anyone.

Ran…and Desaryna, why am I forced to experience these feelings here.

"I'm so sorry…please forgive me." I begged as I held onto him tightly

I heard the crunching of snow behind me.

"Who would want to ever forgive you…a miserable piece of crap Jedi that failed to save the ones he loved."

My hands rolled into a fist, so suddenly and with such force that I could feel the blood began to form. I turned around seeing him.

His black battle robes were long, they were so dark that I felt like they absorbed any light coming from them. His chrome and metallic gauntlets and boots sparkled from the very little light, and his chest plate…held the insignia of the Sith.

His toolbelt was decorated with over nine lightsabers, many from numerous jedi masters, knights, and apprentices that he was ordered to kill or turn over to Revan to be broken to the dark side.

His brown hair was a dark silvery grey, his tanned skin tone was now as pale as the snow by his feet. And his one eye broke through the twilight…an orange eye that used to be green.

"Me." I said as I got up and stared at him.

He smiled at me, a smile so malicious and cold that I was scared to even move.

"Where is Desaryna." I commanded

The words came out of my mouth without hesitation, if Ran were here than maybe I could save her...

"She's safe. You do not have to worry about her. You never did, really."

He ignited his sabers. A crisp blue one, and a red one that broke through the twilight.

"Do you know how long it's been ever since I killed a Jedi. You get a taste for it you know, I slaughtered so many mandalorians that killing non-force users don't appease me anymore."

My hand went to my lightsaber. The blue blade ignited breaking through the darkness, I would kill him and go back to Desaryna…it was a race against the clock, just like Malachor.

"Killing a false jedi like you should hold me over until the next one comes along. They always do you know." He twisted the sabers in his hands

The sabers were outstretched towards the ground causing the snow to get burnt from the lightsabers.

"Listen Revan doesn't care about you..."

"Oh really, don't make me laugh. As long as I have jedi to kill…that is all I need." He chuckled as he began to advance towards me

He prepared himself, ataru…the form that Revan taught me. The warped one that the Sith marauders perfected.

"I already lost what mattered to me. I wanted to protect her, to save her, to laugh and cry with her by my side. But you were too weak to protect her when she needed it the most…fine."

"Listen…Desaryna wouldn't want this, for us to fall. We shouldn't have let Revan warp our mind while we were grieving…"

He slammed his right hand out causing me to lose my posture and fall into the snow.

"It doesn't matter, not anymore." He said as he began to walk towards me

I got up, readying myself as I gripped my lightsaber with both of my hands.

"Ready to die, Isaac…"

"No, I won't fight you." I commanded

He stopped for a second. And I swear that I thought that he was going to give up, that maybe I finally made peace with myself.

"I don't care, I just want you to die."

He leaped at me, our lightsabers connecting as sparks erupted all around us.

He bombarded me with his lightsabers, countless times I would have to dodge or guard against his blows.

He tried to impale me, his left hand extending the blue lightsaber towards me but luckily, I was able to parry.

"Maybe if you were stronger, then you could have saved them!" he yelled as he slammed both lightsabers down on me

The force of the sabers colliding with mine caused my knee to buckle. My right knee supported me as I collapsed onto the snow, the sparks of blue and red dancing along the saber blade.

I thrusted my left hand out, I force pushed him away as he fell into a pile of snow. I got up as I leveled my blade in both of my hands, his single orange eye gazed up at me.

"Stop…you can give up the darkness. Together, we can…"

"No…we can't. It's been too late for us; can't you see or are you so blind?" he yelled

He jumped up from the pile of snow, force pulling back his lightsabers into his hands. "I'm a monster, I have killed so many that redemption is impossible."

"There is always a chance for redemption Master Vroo.."

"SHUT UP…if our master knew about the monster he created, he would kill us on his own." He said

He leaped, he still held onto force jump but I was quicker this time. As he leaped, I force pulled one of his sabers on his toolbelt.

I ignited it; a green blade erupted from the saber as we once again clashed. He tried to cleave through me with both of his sabers, but I dodged it.

My fist struck him in his nose causing his head to jolt back. He force pushed me away, and I knew what he was going to do so I got ready to block.

A torrent of lighting spread across his arms and through his fingertips. A beautiful spray of light came towards me as I tried to block it with my lightsabers.

Both single bladed sabers struggled to hold out against the purple streaks of lighting. I could feel it though, the anger…I had to finish this soon.

I can save her…I just need to get to her before anything happens to her. He stopped using force lighting and once again leaped towards me, but this time I was ready.

He tried to parry the first hit but the green lightsaber went through his right shoulder first, he coughed as he gritted from the pain. I ripped it out as I narrowly dodged the second saber as I thrusted the second saber into his chest.

He tried to strike with the other hand, but I quickly slashed his hand. And I saw what remained of his right hand and the lightsaber twirl around in the air.

Finally, I quickly stabbed both blades into him, causing a violent groan. His eyes were bloodshot, just like Ran right before he died.

Both sabers were imbedded in him, he looked kind of pitiful. With his missing hand and missing eye, but he was a sith, a monster…

"…monster."

The voice wasn't my own. Instead it sounded feminine and in pain, I looked up from the sabers to see her…

"Desaryn!" I yelled out as I pulled the sabers from her

She screamed out as I grabbed her and pulled her closer.

"Isacc…why?"

"Desaryn…I didn't know, I thought that you were…I thought…"

I tried to say something, but the only thing that was coming from me was sobs as I began lift her up and carry her.

There had to be a way to treat her, what was this?

Why was this happening all over again?

Was this some sort of jedi trial, or maybe it was some sort of test?

But why them. Ran…me as a Sith…Desaryna, why did I have to be reminded of all my failures. Desaryna, why…why was she there.

I fought him, I knew what I was fighting but I was fighting her all along. How, what sort of sick trick was this?

She was gone, gone from my arms…I stared at my empty hands to only see snow accumulate in them.

"Why…what is this!" I screamed out towards the sky

The only thing that happened was the snow, it was the endless snow and darkness that was beginning to overtake me.

"What is the point of this…why am I being reminded of this."

I slammed both of my palms out, the wood from the destroyed gate began to swirl and slam into random snow piles.

"What do you want from me…what is this, a trial…a test?"

I slumped into the ground, my knees buckling under me as the cold snow began to overtake me. I coughed up blood as I examined my body, half of my vision was dark and painful. And my right hand was gone.

"Isacc…you have failed this test."

His voice was power and death, his will was strength and destruction. I turned around to see the man revolve from the darkness, like he was being crafted from the cold snow.

His black robe covered his legs and his body, so the only thing I could see was his face. Though it was hidden behind of a mask from a dead Mandalorian.

"Revan." I mumbled

My whole body shook in fear, I slumped back into the snow as he began to approach me. His long reddish robes began to absorb the snow and the darkness.

Revan grew too an inhumane height, like he was a building and was towering over me. His red and metallic mask scanning me.

"You have failed me young apprentice."

His voice boomed throughout the area; the snowstorm wasn't even able to hide his voice as I struggled to cover my ears.

"No…you're not real." I whispered as I began to run away

"You can never escape from me apprentice; you will always be my slave." He said as his footsteps boomed and his shadow consumed everything he left behind.

No…he does not exist.

"Even if you run away to a different planet, to a different galaxy, or even a different universe…I will always find you."

He caught up to me, and he was massive. His long red clock shook the earth as my eyes finally closed, and I could not see anything when I tried to open them back up. Only oblivion.

Awaken

"…gate"

"DON" T TOUCH ME!" I yelled as I slapped the beast away from me

"Isaac" Emilia said as she began to walk over towards me

I got up as I felt the sweat on my scalp, my eye twisted and scanned the area around me as I looked at the familiar trees and the estate.

"Emilia…is this real?" I asked as I grabbed both of her shoulders

She quickly nodded her head, her own eyes scanned me in fear. God I must of have looked so deranged.

I looked back and forth as I slouched onto the ground.

"I'm sorry Isaac, I should of have asked you if you had anything bad happen to you in your past." He murmured

I did not say anything as I pressed my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

"Those that go through traumatic experiences, sometimes their gate may be broken, and they may experience certain discomfort…"

"Certain discomfort!" I yelled as I tried to grab the beast, but it narrowly dodged my grasp.

"Though I never seen anything like that before. It was strange, for one to be placed in such a state. It was like you weren't there…"

"How long was I in there for." I interrupted

The beast pressed a thumb to its chin as it stared at the dirt. "Maybe a couple of minutes."

I got up and began walking through the estate trying to find my room, I needed to sleep and get my thoughts in order.

"…Monster."

I know Desaryna…I know. I know that what happened on Malachor and after, I am a monster…and I can't hope to be ever forgiven for what happened on that day.