At last, Nathema was within Vaylin's reach, leaving no more time to deny or avoid the inevitable. Despite her initial bold suggestion, a part of Vaylin desperately wanted to avoid seeing this world again. A part of her that would let out a silent scream every time the word was even said, a part that materialized in her nightmares, the one that still wanted to terrify her into avoiding it at all costs.
Alas, there was no point in running from fate. As Cassian landed the ship on Nathema's soil, Vaylin wondered if she was always destined to return here for one reason or another. All those years spent trying to defy her past, master her own destiny, make a choice, and choose anything but what she wanted for herself, everything circled back to the world that broke her. Not only that, but her goal was not unlike what Tenebrae did generations ago when he consumed all his life on Medriaas. And now she had to become way too similar to him, and this didn't sit right with her. The best Vaylin could do was to avoid thinking about it at all and simply continue on her thorny path.
"We're here…" Cassian's grim voice echoed as he left the bridge. "If Lokin's coordinates are correct, the facility should be around here. It won't be a long way."
"Yeah…Sure." Vaylin said quietly, still looking at the floor.
"Are you alright?" Cassian spoke with concern and put his hand on the back woman's shoulder. He spent all the time until their ship left hyperspace with her, allowing Vaylin to relax in his arms and brace herself for the coming ordeal.
"Yes, I…Sorry, I'm just a little sleepy. Let's go." Vaylin reassured him, and they walked towards the exit. Once they stepped on Nathema's surface, Vaylin stood frozen and opened her mouth in awe, unable to look away from this twisted beauty. Was this a lawn? A valley? They landed on a small plateau, and to Vaylin's surprise, it was brimming with life. The grey soil was covered in grass and even some pink flowers, making it seem as if the world was never dead in the first place. Of course, this perception was quickly shattered when Vaylin looked away and saw swaths of withered land with little or no green at all.
"It changed even more since the last time." Cassian smiled.
"You mean since when you first found Zildrog?"
"Yes. There were some plants back then, but I never expected them to grow this quickly…As they say, life always finds a way."
"And now we're here to destroy it once again…" Vaylin said with a quiet, somber voice.
"This world is already devastated, I doubt it will ever house a civilization again. A small sacrifice compared to what Jadus plans to do."
Of course. Vaylin saw the holos of the devastation that befell Zakuul, but the first blast was far more terrifying. The Voidcaller purged life from Zakuul, rotted its connection to the force and the fabric of reality, forever made it a barren wasteland, another Nathema. A gruesome weapon left behind by her father, a few bright minds, some luck, and a fanatical leader, that was all that it took to create one of the most devastating terrors in the galaxy's history.
"Cas."
"What?"
"You should stay behind."
"We've been over this already."
"I know, but…It's just my task; I need to consume as much of this planet as I can to get power, and you say you've seen how this ritual works. Was it Ziost, right? It killed everyone indiscriminately, I…"
"Don't worry, I promise to leave before you start the actual ritual."
"You might as well just escort me to the gates and be done with it."
"We will have to find the machine, figure out the tech, and set everything up. That's more time and effort than you think, and it'll be quicker together."
"But…"
"I will be alright, I promise." Cassian chuckled. "Come on, do I look like a man who wants to die as soon as possible?"
"Hey, you looked confident when you jumped off the top of a Zakuulan spire, too."
"That was all calculated, and it's not any different now. To be honest, I don't think I ever felt more alive." His smile and confidence eased Vaylin's heart a little, allowing her to let out a faint smile, too.
"Thank you…" She looked up. "Sometimes, I still forget just how lovely kindness feels. Thanks for reminding me." She said and held Cassian's hand.
"Any time…I sometimes need those reminders, as well."
After the matter was settled, the two finally followed the trail left to them by Lokin, stepping towards the gate hidden underneath some of the taller hills. It took some time before the two found a gateway, as it was colored in dark grey and made of stone that resembled the architecture of old Medriaas ruins, but with coordinates in their hands, the search was far quicker.
"This must be the place." Cassian announced as him and Vaylin stepped towards the gates, hidden beneath multiple layers of growth and the shattered statues of the ancient Sith that once ruled this world. "Don't think Lokin gave us any codes or instructions for entering this place, I wonder if…"
"Who cares for the codes?" Vaylin raised both of her arms and focused her powers on the gates before her. She had destroyed obstacles like this many times before with no effort, and some of them were far sturdier than this ancient wall. Countless cracks emerged on it, one after the other…However, she couldn't quite shatter it. Every time Vaylin tried to focus, she got distracted by thinking about what lay beyond this door. The last remaining ruins of the weapon that annihilated the world, the source of misery and galactic wars…Before she could drown in those musings, Vaylin heard the wall finally cracking as Cassian lent a hand and his own force powers. The gateway was shattered, uncovering the way inside.
"After you," Vaylin said quietly, trying to replicate her usual sarcasm but coming off as far fainter and weaker than before. Cassian took a step forward, and so did Vaylin. The two slowly descended into the darkened cavern that Jadus and his allies used for research, the place where they discovered ways to manipulate the void, to turn it into a substance that they would use to annihilate the galaxy once and for all. And while the Galaxy's forces were too busy fighting each other, they allowed those fanatics to bring their plan way too close to a conclusion.
"Be careful," Cassian said as he looked at Vaylin. "We don't know what kind of traps Jadus left here."
"Even if it's Voidcaller, what can it do to us when there isn't anyone to finish us off?"
"Perhaps that's what he wants us to think."
The couple made their way to the central chamber, the heart of Jadus's laboratory. This was when they saw the machine that took the central spot in this hall, making Cassian open his mouth in awe and Vaylin staring at the marvel before her.
"Is this what Lokin meant?" The woman wondered, looking at the ancient computer connected to a ritual opening at the heart of the place, surrounded by countless tables, mechanisms, and notes. The computer was still operational judging by the yellow glow at some of its spots, it only needed someone to activate it.
"Just like Zildrog. A smaller version of it." Cassian said. "Could Jadus have found some sort of backup technology? Another of Vitiate's inventions?"
"I remember something like this…" Vaylin said as she approached the computer closely, still watching its static existence, simultaneously horrified and enamored by it. There was some similar technology in the Sanitarium, the kind that could alter and affect the brain. Vaylin remembered it being used on her, though not even Jarak was allowed to handle those rituals or technology. Only the zealots were Valkorion's perfect pawns…Hollow, broken people, forever tainted by their experiences in this barren world. They wanted to make her just like them, and in some ways, they even succeeded. This was her father's tainted legacy, the source of grief and despair of countless generations.
"Vaylin, look." Cassian pointed to a few devices he found on one of the tables. "Holorecorders, and those are operational, too."
"And? Anything interesting there?"
"That's what I'm trying to discern. There are a few messages here, or at least, copies of them." Cassian examined the holo recorder closely. "Hmm, this is the longest one. Shall we listen? There might be some clues as to how to use this machine."
"Be my guest." Vaylin nodded, allowing Cassian to activate the recorder. Almost immediately, a hologram of a familiar man emerged. The one-eyed Sith with pale skin and worn out, grey robes, not unlike those of a Nathema Zealot.
"Ninth Siren. I hope this message doesn't prove to be a distraction. I know you're busy on Alderaan, but you must know about those findings as soon as possible. Dr. Lokin and his teams reached a rather disappointing discovery, but I believe it is one we can turn in our favor with enough work. In every Zildrog part that we salvaged, every ancient piece of technology, none of us could get it to operate. It required huge amounts of pure, unreserved force, the kind of raw power even I do not possess. This was Vitiate's design to make sure that those weapons could be activated. And now he is gone, erased from existence and this galaxy forever…But I believe there is another way. The samples of pure void that we extracted before Valkorion's demise, one of our first experiments, there are ways to replicate it. At first, I was skeptical that this could be done with the substance that represents the purest form of nothingness, but then, some of the research results convinced me. We will have to do it the difficult way, but it is worth it. When you're ready, come back to Nathema and see the first results for yourself. I am sure they will prove to be most impressive."
So that's how it was…Vaylin paused and looked back in silence at the ritual machine before them. A creation made in Zildrog's likeness, the kind that the ancient Sith imbued with the power to consume entire worlds and spirits. And all that was stopping it from activating was the lack of power.
"Surprisingly simple…" Cassian said quietly.
"Only my father could use the machine."
"Only someone as powerful as him." Cassian corrected her. "And you are that and much more."
"I don't know, this is…" Vaylin closed her eyes, trying to imagine how the ritual could go. It would be nothing but absolute destruction and chaos, and she would be at the heart of it. The dark corruption will run through her veins, erasing the line between humanity and monstrosity.
"Hey, if you don't want to do this, I understand," Cassian reassured her, but Vaylin shook her head.
"No!" She suddenly shouted. "I…It's too late to go back now. I have to do it, I will do it, I just…" She knew what word exactly was on her mind, yet she desperately tried to avoid saying it out loud. "I…I'm just scared. I don't know what will happen if I try out the ritual; I…What if my powers aren't enough? What if something goes wrong? What if…"
"I know you can do it." Cassian put a hand on Vaylin's shoulder. "Among all the people I saw, among all who I thought, you were the most powerful and dedicated. You were much like a storm that could consume everything in front of you; you had incredible power under control, and I know you can control whatever Valkorion has built. He was afraid of you for a reason! Now, you have the chance to finally surpass him. It's up to you whether it matters to you or not, but there's one thing I have no doubt about…You can fulfill this ritual, and whether you do this or not, your power will be invaluable when we fight Jadus." As always, his words made Vaylin's heart brim with newfound hope and resolve. "And whatever you choose to do, I'll be there for you, Vaylin…Because I love you." He pulled Vaylin closer towards himself, an embrace that the woman eagerly accepted, and soon the two were entangled in a passionate kiss. After they separated, Vaylin looked up at Cassian with a pleased smile.
"You know, you've gotten very romantic in the last few days…Having a bit of a second wind in your old age?"
"If I managed to sweep you off your feet even in my 'old age,' what does that say about me?" Cassian responded proudly, making Vaylin giggle.
"He-he…At least no one's seeing us like this." She remarked before looking back at the ritual technology. "We shouldn't waste too much time. They have probably already begun the party, and I don't want to miss it.
"Fair point. Come on, try to activate this thing; once we make sure it's ready for the ritual, I'll leave and wait on the orbit."
"You make it sound way too simple." Vaylin shook her head and walked towards the machine. "Now, let's see…" She approached the computer and looked at its systems, all of which were unfamiliar to Vaylin, yet some elements were plain and obvious. The main panel was just large enough for the hand to contact. Once Vaylin put her hand on the panel, she could feel the inner energy flowing towards her.
"CONTACT ESTABLISHED. LARGE QUANTITY OF THE FORCE DETECTED."
She could unleash her power at any moment, allowing this machine to activate. Vaylin took a deep breath as she gathered her dark strength. Just a single push will be enough to break its chains. She could feel the device activating, powered up by her might. The light grew brighter, the engines of the device had energy stream through them like blood streams through veins. Eventually, the device spoke in a heavy, mechanical voice yet again.
"FUEL RECEIVED."
"Good." Vaylin smiled. "Now, tell us more about your…"
"SUBJECT: IN SIGHT. ENACTING THE FINAL ORDER: POSSIBLE."
"What are you talking about?! What the…" Vaylin heard additional systems activate as the ground underneath her trembled.
"PROCESS: BEGINS."
"No, wait!"
Vaylin raised her hand and attempted to absorb her own power back and deactivate the engine, but she was too late, establishing a bond was no longer possible and the process was already in motion.
"No, no, no…FUCK!"
"Vaylin!" Cassian raised his hand and rushed towards her to help, but the device unleashed a powerful wave of dark energy that engulfed the whole room. It immediately annihilated all tables and logs, pushing Cassian back to the nearby wall. Vaylin, however, felt an incredibly strong pull that forced her into the very heart of the ritual circle. She felt a dark aura pulsing from it the moment she entered this room, but now it became ten times stronger. A purple whirlwind swirled around the place, dragging Vaylin into its very core.
"THE RITUAL: STARTED. LIFE: ABSORBED INTO THE SUBJECT"
It has begun the ritual that Jadus wanted to use it for, that Valkorion once used Zildrog for, a perfect sacrifice, taking all life away…And Vaylin became the heart of this transformation, completely powerless and unable to stop it.
"No, no, wait! CASSIAN!"
All she could do was to go along with the transformation, the ritual that consumed every ounce of her being. She felt the energy of the entire world gradually absorbed into her soul, the power pulsing through her. Nathema was not a world rich with life, at least not to an outsider who had only recently witnessed the depths of its vibrancy. It all started with the core that was restored when Valkorion's essence returned to the life it once consumed.
This was when the first few plants emerged, finding their way amidst the ash. They have grown surprisingly quickly, perhaps meaning that they were not a new species. Even when dead, the land itself remembered its roots and the life that it once held within. Now, all those memories were consumed once again, making Vaylin feel much like a plant amidst a barren world. She felt a desire to live and fight within her, a desire to protect Cassian and a few others that she genuinely cared about. Even after all those years, she was still driven by what Jadus and her father would call simplistic desires, yet she was happy when pursuing them. Most determined and hopeful…Praying that her resilience would be enough as she became one with the whirlwind and the all-consuming ritual.
There was nothing that she wanted more in this moment than for Cassian to be safe from this nightmare, no matter how impossible the odds were. Not so long ago, the prospect of seeing all of her enemies, including Cassian, die a horrible death would be enough of a motivator for her to dabble in this power, to force it to annihilate everyone who would dare to oppose her, but those days were over, perhaps for longer than she thought. When Vaylin joined Jadus, she wanted to think that this was what she wanted, an opportunity to get her revenge on Zakuul and the Alliance, even if she would have to join forces with a bastard like that old fanatic. But that was now what she wanted, not why she returned from the dead.
She remembered the unexpected kindness Cassian showed her even when she was about to annihilate him and all his allies. No sane person would try to reach out to her, especially not a Sith. Ever since then, Vaylin's curiosity has been piqued, so much so that she has decided to take a step and return. To give life one more chance, and maybe, just maybe, she would find a reason that would make all the pain and agony she went through worth it. In the end, that's exactly what she found. A man who was willing to go out of his way to make her happy, whose own happiness was intertwined with hers. Illogical to an extreme, just like she was.
And then, there were others. Vaylin closed her eyes and saw a spitting image of Kaia, a lonely girl on Zakuul who saw her family fall apart and then bore witness to her planet being annihilated. Her life has become a never-ending cycle of pain and loss because of Vaylin's callous cruelty. Kaia despised her for this, and Vaylin made her peace with it; the girl had every right to. And still, she wanted to help. To save her from the gruesome fate of having to live in a void that Vaylin was imprisoned in for many years. She and countless other children were on the brink of witnessing a calamity that would tear their lives apart. Most will die, and the few that survive will remain traumatized for life, never knowing the joy of the galaxy they once knew again. They did not deserve it…
Vaylin saw an image of Jadus. A conniving schemer watched his weapon as it was getting ready to fire. He knew exactly what kind of damage it was about to unleash on the innocent people, and yet he smiled. He found this sensation cathartic, even 'enlightening,' as he would call it. He wanted to start a cycle of torment that would last thousands of years, just like Valkorion once did. And herein lay Vaylin's reason to persist and endure. To save countless children of the galaxy from having to experience the loss and suffering she once experienced. There was a time when Vaylin acted selfishly and believed her life to be broken beyond any repair. She was alone, left in the dark, with no one saving her in time, and in her eyes, all others deserved to have a taste of it. Yet now, as she realized that her life was not as hopeless as she once assumed, Vaylin's hatred waned.
Perhaps it was arrogant of her to only consider the fates of others once she felt like her own could still be saved, but Vaylin did not care. Whatever the galaxy might think of her, the opinions of anyone besides Cassian meant nothing to her. All she knew was what she wanted to do now, and that was to unleash her wrath upon Jadus and stop his weapon from firing.
Vaylin looked at Cassian again, this time with a proud, relieved smile emerging on her face. The whirlwind around her subsided; it was no longer the overwhelming force that consumed her; it was her essence, the one Vaylin could control, and she knew they would fight together. An aura of protection and an instrument of salvation, she will make sure Cassian survives this ritual. With him safe and secure, there was nothing left to fear.
It was time to embrace her fate.
…
Cassian felt uneasy ever since stepping down to this laboratory, but when his fears came to pass, it was too late.
The ritual was automatic, and there were additional commands. There was no interface, at least not any that Vaylin could find. The power insurgence was the only trigger it needed to begin the ritual. Perhaps Jadus and his team already set up the necessary programming, and the machine simply waited for an opportunity to activate it. Now, it saw everything and everyone around it as fuel to the fire.
The explosion created a powerful vortex that even Cassian was utterly powerless against. He fell on his knees by the wall, trying to resist the overwhelming wave of destruction, but the more he tried, the more pain there was in his body. It was as if every bone was being squashed.
But his pain was nothing compared to the cataclysm that the machine unleashed. The violet whirlwind quickly arose far beyond the reach of the lab, slowly engulfing the entire world. Cassian couldn't see it, but he felt it every moment. Felt the death spreading, the poison and waves that absorbed every swath of life in the nearby regions, perhaps the entirety of Nathema. Cassian resisted, using all of his force to protect his spirit, but of course, it was a futile battle. The void already danced on his body, making his skin wither and tearing apart his entire body. Cassian's eyes paled as everything before him turned into a violet wave of darkness. Never before has he been so close to the embrace of the void, the final agonizing moment…
Until something shielded him.
The overwhelming withering finally stopped as another aura covered his skin. The soothing, beautiful, and rejuvenating power. It reminded him of force healing, the kind that Jedi sometimes used but many times more powerful. And then, Cassian saw Vaylin's silhouette at the very heart of the violet waves. The nexus of the force was a powerful soul that no longer succumbed to the power in the device but controlled huge portions of it, slowly gaining more and more. As powerful as she was before, now her powers have gone beyond anything that one could imagine. She grappled with the power of the void, forcing it to submit to her will, growing more powerful by every single second. She has gone a long way, stared into the void so many times that it would no longer break her, no longer terrified her. Instead, it would be Vaylin that breaks all of its power. Cassian spoke those words to her, and he meant every single one.
He knew she was more powerful than to fall.
Eventually, the vortex reached its natural climax, finally blinding Cassian. Nevertheless, he did not feel even a shred of pain, quite the opposite…Cassian felt empowered and rejuvenated, as if Vaylin's life essence shielded him and empowered him with her purest love and support. At this moment, he felt like nothing at all could stop him, not even the darkest storm, not even Tenebrae's ritual. He was undefeated, unbreakable, eternal.
In the next moment, Cassian felt a powerful wave pushing him away from the vortex. It was a guided push, the one that forced him to the tunnel which he used to descend to it and then finally outside. This was when the Chiss felt a magnanimous earthquake, the world itself trembled because of the ritual. Now all of its power belonged to Vaylin.
When his sight finally returned to him, Cassian witnessed a shocking picture. The laboratory in front of him was utterly destroyed and annihilated, and the hill itself was turned into rubble, which buried everything Jadus built underneath it. The surroundings changed radically, as well, as any traces of life around Cassian have been erased completely. It was much like during his first visit, a world devoid of life and hope, a dead husk that made chills emerge around his entire body, the place that the force itself had abandoned. And then there was her…A silhouette of a lone woman kneeling in front of him, pulsing with power which could rival that of the Emperor's. The ritual was successful…It must have been.
"Vaylin?" Cassian took a few steps and reached out towards her, praying that Vaylin could hear his voice. He did not have to wait long to receive his answer. The woman looked up and opened her eyes. They were pitch black, just like those of Tenebrae Cassian who had fought in Satele's mind. And yet he wasn't scared nor had any doubt that Vaylin was in control of this newfound power. It must have been her smile…Playful, determined, perhaps even a bit sadistic, but always, unquestionably human.
"Let's go…I want to kill them all."