-16 years later-

Korriban

"Kehel, you must attack if Telo falters. Don't hesitate!"

"Yes, Mentor Seyje."

The two acolytes side-stepped around each other, their movements choppy and unbalanced. Seyje refrained from rolling her eyes and sighed.

"Stop."

Her two trainees paused, their heavy breaths filling the silence. Kehel was a dark-skinned, medium built male with an oval-shaped face and high cheekbones. He appeared older due to the fuzz mustache growing on his face, but was actually the younger of the two. Telo was a light-skinned, somewhat thinner built male with an egg-shaped face. Both had dark brown hair, Kehel's parted on the side while Telo's parted down the middle. Kehel wiped the sweat from his brow, hunching over to catch his breath.

"That was like watching a bantha drown," she snapped irritably. "Go again, and this time, focus."

"Yes, Mentor Seyje," they replied in unison.

The sounds of their training sabers echoed in the upstairs room of the Academy. Seyje's mind soon wandered away from her students. She had been raised in the Sith Academy on Korriban ever since she had been brought here as a six-year old girl. Lord Veshta had taken it upon herself to raise and train the child, noting her remarkable connection to the Force.

Being on Korriban was all about survival. Sith were as cold-hearted and merciless as they appeared, and it wasn't uncommon for apprentices to turn on their masters. Seyje had learned how to best observe her surroundings rather than race blindly into every situation. She was a calculative and agile combatant, and knew how to channel her emotions into her technique rather than letting them take control. Her appearance was deceptive, however. Pale skinned, blue eyed, and red hair, the young girl looked more like she belonged on the stage of a cantina than in the Academy of the Sith. Seyje was just as smart as she was stubborn, and she quickly learned what it would take to stay alive. Anyone who thought otherwise quickly learned what a mistake it was to underestimate her.

With time, Seyje had become one of the most advanced fighters among her peers, acolytes and apprentices included. She was granted the right to train others in small groups after besting Overseer Rance in a duel. Darth Acina of the Dark Council acknowledged her accomplishment, and granted her the rank of apprentice. However, she failed to assign her to a Sith Lord, simple saying Lord Veshta would not suffice and left her lacking a true apprenticeship. Instead, she was stuck in her role as a mentor.

Not knowing the reason behind Acina's choice tormented Seyje to no end. Why would they not assign me a master? I've more than earned it, or so she said. Why would they not follow through?

The Dark Council couldn't have figured it out. She hadn't told a soul, except for Lord Veshta, and nothing had happened that would have given it away. It was impossible for the Dark Council to have sensed it.

A grunt of pain broke through her thoughts, and she turned her head to see Telo standing triumphantly over Kehel as he lay on his back, grasping his left bicep and grimacing in pain. This time, Seyje did roll her eyes.

"Enough. We're done for the day."

Kehel groaned as Telo helped him to his feet. He all but cowered under Seyje's piercing gaze. "I expect more from both of you tomorrow. The Overseers won't give you the same chances I do." Her students bowed and left the room with a slight limp to their steps.

Seyje went out and stood on the walkway overlooking the main hall of the Academy. Everything here that wasn't a red imperial flag or an imbedded wall light was gray – gray walls, gray doorways, gray probe droids. It was a harsh and uninviting atmosphere, and a sinister feeling hung in the air like a choking fog. There was never a moment to let her guard down in the Academy's halls. That was a fact that Seyje had accepted a long time ago.

Twin stairways led down to the middle of the room where a rune covered obelisk stood with white wisps swirling around it. The strange carvings on the four flat sides each represented a part of ancient Sith history. Two sides had the remains of ancient text inscribed on them. The other two had the faces of the Sith Lords Ajunta Pall, Tulak Hord, Marka Ragnos, and Naga Sadow, whom the tombs of Korriban were named after. Guarding the main entryway were two towering hooded statues, the very same design of those stationed around Korriban.

"Mentor Seyje!"

She turned to see her youngest student, Nataya, running towards her. Nataya was light-skinned with dark hair, a strand of it being tightly bound in two places as it hung by her face. She wore the same purple robes as all the other acolytes, though her small frame made the clothes hang loosely off her body.

"What is it, Nataya?" Seyje asked calmly. "Speak quickly and quietly."

The apprehension was radiating from her student as Nataya took a moment to catch her breath. "Lord Veshta said you must meet with her immediately. She has something of the utmost importance to tell you."

Seyje eyed her suspiciously. Veshta didn't normally summon her with such urgency. "I'll be there shortly," she spoke curtly, sweeping past her student and heading towards the Sith Lord's office.

Veshta was the one person in the Academy that Seyje held any inkling of trust towards. Given her circumstances of growing up on Korriban, it was minimal, but the bond between them was something Seyje did not take for granted. Lord Veshta was more like a parental figure to her than an Overseer.

Upon stepping into her office, Seyje immediately sensed something was wrong. Veshta was leaning over her desk with a grim expression. "What's going on?" she asked as she approached, her tone laced with worry.

The thinly built woman pulled a strand of blonde hair away from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. Tension and traces of fear were rippling from her. "There is a Darth on the planet by the name of Baras. I have heard he is searching for an acolyte to groom as his apprentice."

Seyje's eyes narrowed. That wasn't uncommon. So what was so special about this circumstance? Veshta glanced up, her brow creased with worry.

"He heard about your role as a mentor and came here to investigate you."

Seyje drew in her breath sharply, the air catching in her chest. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Does he know?"

"I don't know…I don't believe so, but we must take extra precautions to ensure that he never finds out."

A cold sweat broke out on the acolyte's forehead, and she exhaled shakily. If there was one thing the Sith Empire could never discover, it was her ancestry. If they did, she would be killed.

Veshta had received a datapad from an unknown source years ago, when Seyje was only six years old. The encryption that came with it was programed in a way that would cause the datapad to self-destruct if the incorrect codes were entered more than once. Once unlocked, Veshta had learned that it contained information about Seyje's ancestry and bloodline, which hadn't been found anywhere else in the galaxy. Her history before she turned four years old was missing, however, and Seyje herself didn't remember any of it.

The datapad had contained information about Seyje's father, Derrik Davire. It revealed that Derrik had died – supposedly murdered – some years after the Sacking of Coruscant. The details of his life between the Sacking and his death were missing, but it was known that Seyje was born sometime during that period.

The most important part of the datapad had been the text at the very end that read…

The Davire Curse:

A human with Davire blood, when overwhelmed with dark side emotions, will change into a sentient with claws, fangs, and pointed ears like that of a shistavanen. Their claws will absorb the power of lightsabers, making the actual wielding of the weapon unnecessary, and their skin will become nearly impenetrable. When under the power of the curse, a Davire can only be killed by another afflicted Davire. Likewise, a Davire will only return to human form once their instinctual bloodlust is fulfilled. All attempts to find a cure have failed.

At first, Veshta had chosen to ignore the Curse, believing it to be a myth. But on the first day of her training, Seyje had been exposed to a Dark Side holocron, and Veshta sensed something was...off. She had met with Overseer Rance in private, expressing interest about investigating Seyje's Force sensitivity further, and was granted permission to train the girl.

Seyje was still required to attend training with the other acolytes, as per Academy rules, but she received specialized sessions in private. These sessions were brutal on her physical and mental strength, and she was trained in more than one type of lightsaber combat. On seldom occasions, Seyje was exposed to a few Light Side techniques that would help her maintain control.

That control was now being threatened by the presence of this Darth Baras. Standing to move beside her, Veshta placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Seyje, listen carefully. If Baras discovers this Curse, he will try to use it to his own advantage, whether it's to eliminate his enemies or to enforce his will upon others." She looked down at her student, pouring as much urgency into her voice as she could. "You cannot let him enslave you like this, no matter what."

Seyje took a deep breath, burying the discomfort in her gut. "If Baras thinks he can use this curse to put me on a leash…he's going to be very disappointed," she snarled.

Veshta tried to force a smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "I need to prepare you for when he calls for an audience with you, which I have no doubt he will." Placing her hand on Seyje's back, she guided the girl to the antechamber of her office.

Stopping in the middle of the room, Seyje took a deep breath. She wanted to speak, but didn't know where to begin. Sensing her hesitation, Veshta spoke up first. She went to the edge of the room and retrieved the datapad from a security box she had hidden in the wall.

"Before we begin, let me make certain things clear to you. Despite my best efforts, I still don't know who gave me this information. Whoever it was knows more about your past than either of us, but you cannot allow that knowledge to distract you from the present."

Veshta brought the datapad to place in Seyje's hands. "In order to fully protect you from Baras, I would have this destroyed, but I leave that decision up to you."

Seyje nodded. "Get rid of it. I don't want to take any chances."

"Agreed."

Veshta moved to the center of the room, purposefully entering in the wrong codes two times in a row. Immediately, the datapad began beeping rapidly. The two Sith quickly backed away, and ten seconds later, it burst into fire and smoke. The explosion caused a small tremor in the room and in the hallway outside. A few passing acolytes stuck their heads inside, curious to see what the sudden commotion was about, and were met with Veshta's spitfire voice.

"Don't just stand there, you incompetent fools! Alert the Academy's Guards of this attack!"

They dashed away, leaving the two women alone. Veshta was swift to pull her personal datapad from her belt and slice into the cameras in her own office, changing the recording to make it appear that the adjacent chamber had exploded the moment her and Seyje walked inside.

The young redhead cast Veshta a confused glance. "You're drawing attention to yourself. Why?"

"I'm protecting your secret, Seyje, nothing more. The Academy must not know the truth behind what has transpired in here."

Hurried footsteps could be heard from the hallway, and a pair of red-robed guards entered the room with a technician at their heels. While the three of them went into the antechamber to investigate, Veshta pulled Seyje to the side. "I do not know when you will be called to have an audience when Darth Baras, but when you do, remember your training. Do not, under any circumstance, let your guard down. Ever."

Seyje nodded. "I understand, my lord." She left Veshta's chambers, leaving her to deal with Academy's personnel, and headed to her quarters for the night. Seyje had a lot to think about, and not a lot of time to figure out a solution.