Learning About The Darkness.

Aiur, the Protoss home world. It was a beautiful planet, and it showed of the Protoss amazing craftsmanship. Even the buildings of Coruscant pales in comparison. This planet was also very powerful in the force, with all Protoss having some connection to it, even though not all of them could use it. This was also the planet where Leah was sent to after her emotional out burst on Alderaan. Leah was not to thrilled of having to be sent away from what felt like home, but after everything that happened, it was clear she needed special help.

Right now, Leah was meditating in one of the Protoss' meditation chambers. She was wearing traditional Protoss clothing as she needed to respect their customs. These clothes did not cover as much as her jedi clothing, so she assumed modesty wasn't as big of a deal for Protoss. Still, some exposed skin wasn't a big deal for Leah, as she tried her best to focus on her training. But it wasn't easy. Every time she tried to focus, she felt some scratching in the back of her head. And now she knew what it was, and it scared her.

"Leah" She jumped a little when she heard a voice behind her.

She turned her head "Master Tassadar?".

"I can sense you unease. And so can many others. It's starting to worry them" Tassadar said.

Leah looked down "Sorry...".

"No need for apologies, Leah. I explained you situation to them and they knew what to expect" Tassadar said.

"I can sense how they feel... Makes me believe I am not welcomed here" Leah said.

"I will confess, you are only allowed here because of my word. But no need to worry, young one, no one will try anything. They know you are here with my blessing, and any offense towards you would be an offense towards me" Tassadar said.

Leah smiled a little "Your people must really love you".

"They trust me. A trust I wear with pride. And they trust that I am doing the right thing by allowing you to train here. Speaking of, have you felt anything new?" Tassadar asked.

Leah closed her eyes "I keep feeling an itch in the back of my mind. The dark creature who spoke to me back at the jedi temple on Alderaan... but I have no idea who or what he is".

Tassandra sits down in front of her "Can you describe him?".

"I..." Leah said as she was shaking a little.

Tassadar took her hand "Leah, I understand this is hard. Every jedi has faced the dark side at some point in their lives, even Grandmaster Satele Shan herself. And some jedi has tragically allowed the darkness to seduce them and turn them to monsters. It takes strength to resist the dark side, strength not everyone possess. But I believe you do. You will need help, but you need to allow people to help you".

Leah looks at him and took a breath to calm down "Alright master. It's hard to describe him as I couldn't really see him. But he spoke in a dark voice, like an dark beast. His words felt like I was being injected with poison".

"Many Sith fits that description. Did you get any visual look of him? Anything at all?" Tassadar asked.

Leah thinks, forcing herself to endure the painful memories "Yes... he looked like a monster... like a demon. And he also told me I am the child of Terror".

Tassadar narrowed his eyes, that did narrow it down a little, but there were several sith who's appearance matched what they were on the inside. However, he had a feeling Leah was speaking of someone very specific, and maybe there was a way to figure out who it was "Come with me Leah. I believe I know a way to put a name on the demon you saw".

Leah wondered what he meant, but followed him all the same. On their way, Leah looked around at all the Protoss. She had learned some of their history during her stay. According to their history, the Protoss weren't always this proud and unified race. They used to be a tribal people, who waged a bloody war against each other, a war that was slowly killing their planet, and with it, their entire race. It wasn't until a mighty being showed up and granted them wisdom and guidance, that they finally became one people. Ever since then, unity has become a core part of the Protoss belief. Though sadly, not all of them joined in that unity and left Aiur to form their own cultures.

Leah was a little surprised that the Protoss could be so unified, yet still so divided. But she knew better than to poke around. Soon they finally arrived at what looked like some kind of vault. And it had a very strong security.

"What is this place?" Leah asked.

"This is where we keep the rarest and most dangerous knowledge. Had it not been for my high position in the Protoss culture, I wouldn't be allowed anywhere near it. And you wouldn't even be alive" Tassadar answered.

Leah looked at him "Huh?".

"See those mechanical beings, guarding this place? They are called Immortals. They are powerful war machines that stem from an earlier war machine called dragoons, both of which are piloted by fallen warriors who still has enough life and will to continue serving our home. Their pilots live in a sterile nutrient solution saturated with microscopic machines, which helps preserve their mangled bodies. The machines repair aging tissue, destroy any foreign matter that might penetrate the cockpit and regulate the pilot's heart rate, brain activity, and biological functions. They are some of the most advanced hardware ever devised by my people. Upon transplantation, immortals are consecrated in the name of Adun, as he was the one who best understood the meaning of self-sacrifice. Allowing them to serve an retain their honor, and the respect of our people" Tassadar explained.

"Wow..." Leah said in amazement. The protoss really do serve their home and people until there is nothing left of them. She herself would never be able to handle something like this.

"Had you not been here with me, they would've killed you before you could even get a good look at the entrance" Tassadar said.

Leah gulped "Understood".

They walk inside and Tassadar lead her deep within the vault... which looked more like a hidden temple. And finally, they entered a large room where scary looking statues were located. Only some of the statues were of protoss, the rest where of several different species. Leah looks around, impressed by the detailed craftsmanship, but confused by their purpose.

"What are these statues, Master?" She asked.

"They are statues of the deadliest darksiders through the eras" Tassadar answered.

Leah looked at him in surprise "Why would your people build statues of our sworn enemies?".

"Because they help reminding use what we could become if we ever allowed the dark side to consume us. If we lose our way, we could become the very monsters you see before you. The dark side is powerful, but power always comes at a price. And for most of these people, that price could be their very soul" Tassadar explained.

Leah was impressed by how aware the protoss aware of their own fallibility. They even made great statues of their greatest enemies just to remind them of what they could become... what anyone consumed by darkness could become. Tassadar keeps leading her further and further in until they reached the end of the large chamber. Once there Leah saw three demonic looking statues, each of them looking like they could come alive and kill her at any moment. And she had a feeling she knew why Tassadar would bring her down here.

Still she had to ask "What are those things?".

"They are called the Primes. They are not sith lords, they are something far worse" Tassadar answered.

"Worse?" Leah asked in worry.

"The Sith may use the dark side. But the Primes... They Are the dark side. Millena ago, long before the jedi and sith began using lightsabers, it was said the Primes were physical manifestations of the dark side's corruption. Mephisto, Lord of Hatred; Diablo, Lord of Terror; and Baal, Lord of Destruction. Each of them being the embodiment of the dark side's worst qualities. Their power were far beyond even the most powerful siths' understanding, and try as they may, no sith will ever be able to truly master the darkness like these monstrosities did... even I feel fear when I imagine what would happen if they ever returned" Tassadar explained.

Leah grew more and more worried "Master Tassadar... what are you trying to tell me?".

"I want you to look at them and tell me if any of them match what you saw" Tassadar instructed.

Leah did as she was told. She looked at all three statues several times... but only one of them truly caught her attention, so she lifts her finger and points at it "That one...".

"Diablo..." Tassadar said in a tone that made it clear he was really concerned.

"Master?" Leah asked, she was beginning to get scared.

"The Primes are all dangerous... but Diablo, The Lord Of Terror is by far the most dangerous of them all. His mastery over terror makes him immune to fear, and he is said to be the most cunning out of all of them... and out of of the Primes, Diablo is the one with the best chance of making his return" Tassadar answered.

Leah thinks about this and gasped "Wait... if he was the one who spoke to me, and called me the child of terror... does that mean...".

Tassadar put a hand on Leah's shoulder "Do not give up hope, Leah. We know nothing for certain yet. And even if what we dread is true, you can not be forced to turn. Even if the dark side tries to corrupt you, you can still choose to reject it. In the end, only you can choose what path you want to walk. And even Diablo can't stop you".

Leah smiled as she calmed down a little "Thank you master. I refuse to let any dark side monster take a hold of me. I will walk my own path".

Tassadar smiles with his eyes "Good. Let's leave this place, I believe we've seen enough".

Leah nods and was more than eager to leave this place. As they began to leave, Tassadar looked at Diablo's statue. If the Lord Of Terror was plotting his return... the whole galaxy would be in grave danger. If this is the case, they will all need to be ready for it. And with that, Tassadar leaves with Leah... unaware of just how justified their worries really are... because the dark side always finds a way to make life hard for anyone involved with it.

Elsewhere, deep within the darkest place of the galaxy, a great evil was slowly gathering his power "You believe you can reject me, Leah... you have no idea what you are trying to fight, child. You believe your life is your own... that you can decide what your destiny will be. Misguided, foolish, and you believe in the words of weaklings, you have allowed yourself to be held back from your true destiny. You can try to reject it, you can try to run from it, and you can try to resist it. But in the end, destiny will always catch up with you." He lets out a dark chuckle "You belong to me, Leah. I am who you are meant to serve, the one who is you true destiny. In time you will realize this... and time will always be on my side".

Red glowing eyes open, which also revealed a sinister grin. Soon, the galaxy would once again know true... Terror.

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