"Release us, father…"
The memories of Arcann's time under Valkorion's spell were fleeting as the young man was about to finally become one with the force. All he remembered was pain, agony, and a sense of loneliness with nothing but the void surrounding him. The void that was his father, the one who wanted to bring Arcann to his knees for months, and now, by the Outlander's grace, he finally succeeded at it.
But Arcann did not remain alone for long. Even from the limbo, he could feel his sister's rage and fury; she broke her chains and attempted to annihilate Alliance's base on Odessen and destroy their father. It was a valiant effort, but the one that ended in a catastrophic defeat and her life stolen away by one of the Outlander's allies. Of course, Father absorbed her spirit as well. It was only a matter of time before he would wake them up.
They became his thralls and fought against the Outlander when Valkorion attempted to claim his mind. This was supposed to feel far more triumphant, far more invigorating than it did…Arcann wanted to feel joy at making Cassian suffer; he wanted to enjoy slowly burning his spirit away. He wanted to avenge his mother. Yet, at the same time, doing it while being under the control of a monster that played all of them would not grant Arcann any satisfaction. He wondered if Vaylin felt the same. The Outlander was like them, desperately fighting Valkorion every step of the way; he had an unbreakable spirit that would not surrender even before a being of his father's mind.
He deserved respect for that.
"Arcann, Vaylin…You're free."
Arcann remembered those words as well. It was rare to hear compassion in a Sith Lord's voice, yet there could be no mistake now. They were all on the same side, united by a hatred of one man.
And it was time to strike back.
"There is no escape."
They fought together, Arcann, Vaylin, and Cassian, finally getting an opportunity to bring down the monster that had manipulated them for many years. Arcann always wondered if his father could feel something, anything at all…When he saw fear in Valkorion's eyes, the answer became clear to him.
"Before I graced you with my presence, you were nothing but motes of filth drowning in the chaos of the void!"
He groveled, pretending to still have power, pretending to be a god, all while on the brink of getting consumed by darkness and becoming nothing.
"The pain only feels like it lasts for an eternity."
He wished Thexan could be here to celebrate such a wondrous occasion. He deserved it, just like the rest of them, yet even so, seeing Father disgraced made the prince smile behind his iron mask.
A wife manipulated by a god using the ghostly facade of a nobleman who was long gone.
A son raised beneath the shadow of his uncaring, cruel father, desperately craving approval and getting nothing but disappointment in response.
A daughter whose innocence and humanity were torn away by a demon who, for the first time in centuries, felt fear.
And an executioner, a manifestation of Valkorion's sins that spanned an eternity, a pawn he created and who now brought justice on behalf of the galaxy.
It was over, and when his father's spirit was obliterated, the time had come for Arcann to become one with the force at last.
But that was not his fate.
Instead, the lone prince heard echoes coming from beyond. Echoes of a celebration, of a conqueror's speech, of a new Emperor coming to claim Zakuul's throne. Cassian Narok, Jacques Elias, Lana Beniko, Theron Shan…Names of those that opened a new chapter of Zakuul's history, the first one that would be written without the bloody legacy of the Eternal family, at least in their eyes. Arcann remained adrift in the void; it felt much more soothing without Valkorion's presence. There was nothing that controlled Arcann and forced him into; not even his own will drove him. The prince surrendered to the darkness, patiently waiting for the moment when oblivion came for him.
Alas, that moment never came, no matter how long he waited. As Arcann listened to cries and tears of victory from members of the Alliance, them celebrating their arisen leader, sensing the echo of hope for the future restored in their hearts as life without Eternal Empire loomed ahead of them. With each whisper he heard, with each new connection he established, Arcann felt the world around him restoring…The frozen mountains and the distant shadow of the eternal fleet re-emerged, as did the labyrinths that Valkorion created in Cassian's mind.
Arcann was stranded in the void of the Outlander's mind alone, even if he was free from his father's chains. As he walked through the ruins and witnessed stalking shadows that lured in the distance, Arcann could only come to one conclusion: that he was in the Wrath's mind, and there was no apparent way out of there. The only phantom road that Arcann discovered was the one that led to the same isle he battled against Valkorion. The lone isle was covered in ice, completely drained of any life and essence by this point. A barren stair led to a mockery of the eternal throne, a stone seat Valkorion created to chain Cassian to, standing atop the platform where Valkorion met his end. There was no trace of his father, yet Arcann still could feel that he wasn't alone. A pair of eyes watching him, a silhouette emerging in the darkness. Arcann ignited his lightsaber, feeling the dark presence manifesting.
"And here I thought that you didn't stay behind…" A playful yet sarcastic voice echoed in his head, making the clearest of realizations strike Arcann. Of course, Vaylin would stay behind, too; Valkorion forced them to share the same fare in this cold, dark limbo. Her silhouette emerged in the darkness in front of Arcann, slowly gaining form and turning from a chaotic spirit made of dark force to a familiar human.
"Sister…"
"You can hear me, good. As happy as I am for not having to look at either of our parents' faces, I'm glad you're still here."
"Have you found a way out? It feels like an endless labyrinth…"
"I haven't tried yet, and I am not about to start searching now, not when my metal-faced traitor of a brother showed up without anyone to interrupt us." She said with spite, immediately letting Arcann know of her intentions. Even after both of them were dead and far removed from their parents, Vaylin still wanted revenge.
"You still care enough to try and kill me?"
"Do you see anything else to do in this dull place? Seeing you squirm would at least give me six minutes of fun." Vaylin smiled maniacally as she ignited her lightsaber. Arcann realized that he had no way to avoid this confrontation. It was time to defend himself.
"If I remember correctly, it was you who ran away from me the last time."
"That was before I broke Father's chains," Vaylin said confidently. "I freed the power that even he was afraid of. Do you think you stand any chance?"
"I'm willing to find it out." Arcann entered a defensive stance. His sister did not hesitate as she raised her hand and unleashed her favored force of lightning, but this time, it was thrice as powerful as before. Arcann's defenses were brought down mere seconds after his blade collided with the lightning, and the prince was forced to jump back. Electrical currents pierced his armor, making Arcann clench his teeth as he desperately attempted to resist his urge to scream.
Vaylin's next move was to attempt to strike Arcann while he was weakened, but she made a mistake by relying on her lightsaber combat. Arcann was able to block her attacks the moment his sister approached, but the crushing pain he felt in his bones made it harder to react in time and immediately made Arcann reconsider the attitude he decided to take on. He was not going to win this fight.
"I thought…That father's death would bring you a measure of peace…He was the cause of our suffering, and he was the one to pit us against each other!" Arcann tried to reason with her, but Vaylin wasn't willing to budge.
"Wrong again, big brother." She made a snide remark. "You left me alone, and it had nothing to do with Father!"
"Yet I came back to you. I wanted us to be a family again!"
"Going to blame me for not welcoming you with open arms? So much like a mother, never willing to accept responsibility…"
"We all make mistakes, Vaylin…You forgave me once already; all I ask for is one more chance."
"Very, very wrong choice of words," Vaylin said with a tone of quiet rage before unleashing an array of purple lightning that forced Arcann to the ground once again. "Everyone has their limit, Arcann, and I've reached mine!" Vaylin said with spite as she raised her lightsaber and drove her blade right into Arcann's heart. "How does it feel? It wouldn't be your first time, but I hope it still stings!"
The iron-clad prince had no time to let out a single sound before he felt control over his body slip away. As he fell on the icy ground, Arcann felt the mindscape's chains finally eroding and allowing his spirit to finally be free…But only for a moment. Seconds after, the chains not only returned but grew stronger, dragging Arcann's spirit back to the limbo. The wound Vaylin left healed in mere moments, restoring his soul to its original state and restoring the prince's strength. As he stood up, Vaylin stared at her brother with shocked eyes.
"How…?" The woman said quietly and with festering anger.
"Seems like we aren't the ones who dictate the rules here, sister."
"I…Aargh, it doesn't matter!" She leaped towards Arcann once again, and before he could retaliate, she pierced him once again. The same exact process followed, a moment of downfall and an illusion of looming freedom before Arcann's tired eyes, but in the end, he rose again, even if he didn't want to. His wounds became obsolete once again. "You must be kidding me! Why. Won't. You. DIE?!"
"How about you finally calm down and put your lightsaber away?" Arcann said confidently.
"And how is any of that going to help you finally shut up and perish?"
"It won't; I won't give you any advice on that; it's up to you to guess why."
"Very funny…"
"Look around us," Arcann said and gazed at the endless mindscape that both of them were now confounded to. "This is where our father tried to imprison us and destroy the Outlander's will."
"Yes, before the latter took control away from him and forced that old windbag to play by his rules," Vaylin said, not missing an opportunity to mock their father.
"And do you realize what would be beneficial for both of them? To have us be able to rise from the dead no matter how many times we are killed." Arcann explained, making Vaylin pause and ponder.
"He resurrected us once, right before the Outlander freed us…"
"Exactly, and I have no doubt that the Wrath would take as much of an advantage from this opportunity as father would."
"Are you saying that…Even though they aren't here anymore, the boundaries still apply to us?"
"Do you have a better explanation?"
"Then I will claim control!" Vaylin declared proudly. Father already did, and his power pales before mine!"
"I doubt that's a possibility…"
"So you're a coward now, as well? You're falling lower in my eyes with each word you spit."
"I heard the echoes of those outside, they're celebrating their victory and planning their future. You must have heard them, too."
"Perhaps…"
"If the Outlander had the slightest idea that our spirits are in his mind and especially if we had any measure of control of influence over him…Do you really think he would be so calm about it and not tell anyone at all?" Arcann said, noticing Vaylin looking down at the ground in utter disappointment."
"So, after all, I've been through…I have to indefinitely stay inside Outlander's mind with your unkillable spirit winging and groveling for forgiveness, slowly driving me insane!?"
"Not the way I would've put it…" Arcann said with a sigh. "But essentially, yes."
"AAAARGH!" Vaylin screeched, letting out a powerful surge of lightning around her, though it did not reach Arcann this time. "I will find a way to break away from here, even if it takes years! And if you dare to stand in my way or worse, annoy me…I will kill you. Three times. And then three more." She said with spite and turned around, not even giving Arcann a single glance. The prince tried to reach out but quickly put his hand away. Now was not the time…It would be better for both of them to focus on breaking free.