The Dark Side of the Force was strong in the Sith Emperor Vitiate. Stronger than anything Revan had ever faced before.
But Revan was strong, too. Stronger than the Emperor anticipated. He used that to his advantage.
Behind him, Meetra Surik and Lord Scourge battled the remaining Imperial Guards, Meetra desperately trying to get to Revan.
The Emperor was capable of destroying entire worlds and dominating minds with his will. If he was to be released upon the galaxy, it would be destroyed.
Revan wouldn't let that happen. If he had to die to stop it, so be it. If he could never see his family again, so be it. Whatever he could do to stop it, he would do.
Vitiate's resolve proved just as strong. Casting an unending stream of lightning at Revan, he made sure he would not be defeated. But Revan stood strong, absorbing the lightning at the palms of his hands.
He could feel Scourge having second thoughts about all of this behind him. The Sith Lord would never admit it, but he was afraid. The Emperor would use that fear. Scourge was a liability.
The Emperor stood with his arms raised, confident in his ability to achieve victory. He knew no one could challenge him, not even the Jedi Master called Revan standing before him. But the Emperor wasn't omniscient.
Revan stood his ground, the energy dissipating at his palms, the balance within him quelling the darkness within Vitiate. Neither would allow themselves to lose.
The Emperor felt surprised at Revan's unbreaking resilience, and he grew fearful as the Jedi stood his ground, no matter how much hate Vitiate poured into his lightning. He would not - nay, could not - die.
Vitiate feared death. He feared nothing else, but his fear of death was greater than that of any other. This was why he has reigned for a thousand years. If he lost, he lost all of the power he had accumulated. This was why he would not allow himself to lose.
Revan feared for his family. His priority was the preservation of life, and his beloved wife and now three year old son reminded him of that daily. If he lost, his family and all others either died or became slaves. This was why he would not allow himself to lose.
Vitiate's calm demeanor grew more fearful as he saw Revan resist the outburst of dark power. Vitiate bent his knees and gritted his teeth as he intensified the lightning. But Revan continued to hold his ground.
"One thousand years!" the Emperor shouted. "One thousand years of building my infinite power! One thousand years of ensuring my unending reign! And you believe you can defeat me!?"
Revan didn't respond, but he did do what the Emperor thought impossible: he took a step forward.
Meetra and Scourge, having finished their battles, looked on, both knowing better than to get too close. Scourge's armor shuddered and Meetra's layered robes flapped as this exchange continued before them.
Revan took another step forward as the Emperor intensified his lightning, intent on achieving victory. He would not be stopped. He would not allow it.
But Revan would.
As he took a third step forward, the lightning began moving from the palms of his hands to directly in front of them.
Slowly, the lightning distanced itself as Revan called not on the Light Side, or even the Dark Side, but the Force itself. He could feel his robes singing and his mask burning, but he persisted.
The Emperor unleashed the Force in its darkest form. Revan unleashed it in it's purest. The clash of the Force between the two was cracking the floor beneath them. The Emperor's lightning was now closer to himself than it was to Revan.
"Impossible," the Emperor muttered as he sensed his defeat.
"Then you spent a thousand years honing nothing but fear!" Revan responded as he focused his strength for one, final outburst. "And now your weakness shall be made manifest."
There was an explosion of blinding, bright light. Meetra shielded her eyes, but she felt no pain. If anything, it was soothing. She felt the Force flowing strongly within her, and she felt peace, strength, harmony, and most of all, balance.
When she could see again, she looked. The Emperor was gone. She looked to her right. So was Scourge.
She had a satisfied smile on her face as she got up, using T3-M4, who was beside her, as support.
"Did you have to kill Scourge, Revan?" Meetra questioned. There was no response.
Meetra's smile faded when she saw that Revan wasn't there. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. She looked up. She looked behind her.
"Revan?" she called out, but there was no answer. "Revan!? T3, where's Revan!?"
She looked all around her. There was nothing.
"He's gone..." she lamented. A tear fell down her cheek as her mind raced. What would she tell Bastila? Carth? Mandalore?
This couldn't be happening. How could it? How could he be gone?
Vitiate was defeated, but at a terrible cost. All who knew Revan would take comfort in knowing he didn't die in vain. But it still hurt.
Little did she know what had actually become of him.
It is often said that the Force works in strange and mysterious ways.
This may be the finest example of that.
STAR WARS: SHADOW OF A NEW AGE
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I know it was pretty short, but they tend to start getting longer later on, so stay tuned!