The Veil of the Past Torn Asunder

[Asinine Soup]

Dantooine - Dusk

​

A tomb sits in silence. A wound in the Force resides. Energy long forgotten within the ever-flowing currents of time slowly begins to ascend from its ancient slumber ...

Ruins that are ancient beyond what the word ancient can describe sits beneath the moons of the early night sky of the wilds of Dantooine, wildflower and wind-wavered grass seeming to kiss the stars up above. Ancient masonry and durasteel walkways are overrun by nature's sentinels, trees and vines, roots and grass cloaking what was a marvel of technology a millenia ago. Corridors and courtyards that spanned beneath the open sky were wrought with rubble, and the structure itself subject to cave-ins within its lower levels.
The entrance had been ambushed by erosion, and flora cloaked what had been centuries ago an open walkway where Jedi - Master, Knight, and Padawan alike - and any manner of merchants, visitors, politicians, and workers all congregated within an area blessed and cloaked by the Force. It moved through the people, and the people through it like fish through water.
But these things are lost in time, for time being but a part of nature cares little for what happens within it, its indifference - it's only saving grace - misunderstood more often than not.

A gentle wind whistles through the cavernous ruin, the steady hum rendering this massive construct now lost within the wilds of the plains as well as time but a simple part of the planet itself.
That is, until the soft sounds of bated weeping could be heard.

The Force could tell many things, for it is cognizant of all, and is all - space and time bow to the will of the Force, for it alone is not held aback by such misunderstood concepts. This all-knowing energy held many goals and purposes that rendered it on the level of omnipotence, and yet it moved through individuals with plenty of space to spare...and still it chose to show a young Ysannan woman lingering memories of the past and what brought such a place to ruin; whispers of what brought a place once vibrant with both the Force and of life now bent backward with silence and the lingering pain of despair and agony.
A single tear drops from the cheek of a modestly robed, young Ashanna as semi-gloved fingertips trail the chair of what was once a Jedi councilman's honorable throne. She could hear the screams, and she could feel the fear, and she could taste the blood.

"Why are you showing this to me?" she whispers into the air, not expecting an answer as her sadness fills the ruined area, giant slabs of rock having caved into this bottom floor of the Academy section of the establishment, one mildly preserved in a way that the remnants of the past were still hardly recognizable to eyes alone. Slowly, the lonely Jedi stands to her feet and wipes her cheek and moves onto the next part of her tour, silently shuffled boot steps and the mild swish of her robing the only sound of her venture into a dark, anger-filled remnant of a training hall. The energy within the room would only be impressed upon by her own lingering sadness - she longed to comfort the spirits that had been lost so long ago. Was her empathy her weakness?
What did she see? What was she shown? The fall of this temple and the death that accompanied it was for a single purpose, and that single purpose was a recurring trend across the galaxy: lust for power. Finite things and priceless lives in exchange for relative power - power in the shape of something as small as a trinket. Nothing more than a blasted piece of --

In a sudden instant, she's broken from her reverie and spiritual journey by the presence of another. Their energy was murky, though she could tell it wasn't as it seemed - it's true intent was suppressed in a manner similar to hers. As she stands within the middle of the hall, her hands remain at her sides; she turns toward the only entrance and lifts her chin, the emotion she shows unable to be traced within the commanding tone of her voice.
"Whoever's there, show yourself." Her deep, dark eyes remain pressed upon the doorway, then, in wait of who - or what - was to come.

 

[Ma'hal Vel]

It wasn't a what out in the darkness. Not even really a who... It was Ma'hal, And he had a distinct interest in the kind of temporary power trinkets sometimes held. Even more so than that, the young sith believed strongly in the power of the past. The power of learning from the mistakes of those who came before. And he would have been happy to wander the dusty, musty halls of the ruins for quite some time... If he had not felt a disturbance. After all, strong emotions left ripples. Like a stone in a pond.

Ma'hal stepped around a toppled support pillar and came to a stop, leaning against the rubble and eyeing the woman in the darkness. While his presence was suppressed in the force, it was pretty clear he was no Jedi. His robes were black, and accompanied by a black vest rather than the usual cloak. And as he leaned there judging her, a smile played across his face. A smile full of unnaturally white teeth. Even starker than the brilliant silver of his eyes. A second conclusion could be made... He was not human.

"You should be more careful. Letting yourself fall into the tides of time like that... It's a slippery slope. Never know what sort of person could be lurking around some dark corner... Are you lost, Little Bird?"

His voice was honeyed venom, Polite. With his lilting imperial accent and Relaxed mannerism... Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was a threat or just incredibly annoying.

"Because this...?" He gestured around them, glancing up at crumbling foundations with a sad sigh. "Well. There are worse places to be lost."

 

[Asinine Soup]

A cloaked figure stepped out beyond a crumbled sect of ruin. The lone Jedi had come to accept that what one sees with their eyes is simply an illusion, for in matters dealing with the Force, beings and truth worked spiritually.
"You should be more careful. Letting yourself fall into the tides of time like that... It's a slippery slope. Never know what sort of person could be lurking around some dark corner... Are you lost, Little Bird?" As the soft amber glow of Ma'hal's eyes could first be seen, and then dark cloak of shadow he wore second, Ashanna's poise straightens all the more.
"Well, if you must know," she murmurs, taking a defensive step forward, her voice radiating a calm commandment that spoke of her experience despite her assumed ignorance, "I don't fall. I allow the Force to flow through me and guide me on predetermined tours such as..."

She pauses, peering about the room once more. Remnants of ancient training tools, swords, and staffs crumbled beneath what were once weapon racks remain decently preserved, but there was something else within - there was a foreign power tainting the very walls and flat-cut ceiling.
"...this. So."
The residue of what was not-so-light-side-of-the-Force clung to her like blood on a fresh kill; it was then that she opens herself to the Force, the sea of energy that resided within her enough to fill the room not with emotion, but with spirit. As such, her jaw tenses briefly before the softness of her grin overcomes her terse visage.
"If I'm not lost, and you're not lost...one could assume that we were meant to cross paths. And so I'll ask you this, Ma'hal: what relic of power is it that you're sniffing out this time?"

The pair had a brief history, and mutual understandings had come to pass. Ashanna had a tendency to slow-dance with fairly dangerous things and dangerous people - she couldn't help it, for she enjoyed the music. He knew as well as she that the pair were powerful within their own realms of the Force, but as she'd expressed in the past...her blade was righteous, and her will even more so - she'd defeated Sith before, as this individual had surely defeated those of her own Order (an Order that she was slowly slipping out of reach of), so an agreement had come about.
A partnership, if you will. Still. It didn't mean she couldn't have her fun.
"Because I already know. I've been lost in far worse places and found my way back." She pauses and cants her head to the side, hair cascading down her shoulder as she adds a soft, "...chirp." Her smile had become as radiant as her carefree sense of humor. With a gentle wave of her hand, a control panel at the entrance of the room - one roughly a meter away from Ma'hal - lights up the darkness with a flickering, aged glow. It was obvious that things weren't supposed to work here, and yet a small stand had illuminated its position. She doesn't reveal what the console commanded, only watches with a set of deep, calculating eyes that seemed to weigh every action of the Sith across the way. Her expression said 'give it a look'.

Chirp.

 

[Ma'hal Vel]

The Vahla made a soft huffing sound as he stepped fully into the room, moving over to the console and waving a hand across it to remove the thickest layer of dust and debris. Delicate fingers concealed under black woven gloves. Not for warmth, mind you. No... Ma'hal had once again singed his fingers having to rely on the old sith fallback of Lightning for everyone. Oh how he hated that inelegant solution... But boy was it effective. As his fingers traced their way across the console the Sith offered his jedi counterpart a lifted eyebrow. His next words sounding almost hurt. Almost.

"You wound me, Little Bird. As if I wouldn't take time out of my busy schedule to check in on my friends. Well..." He turned his silver eyes back to the monitor and shrugged a little. "If I had friends, that is. Besides, Im not always after power... Sometimes I even have hobbies. Like Archaeology."

As he spoke, the Console flickered and shifted to display a small Index of topics. Ah, there was something to be said about ancient ingenuity. A properly built and maintained computer system could remain intact for millennia. He tapped idly through a few commands before turning his head back to the Jedi. As he looked, Ma'hal plugged in his datapad before Pressing one final button and displaying a confirmation screen. Did he really want to do that? Why yes. Yes he did. Time to download everything he could get his hands on.

"If you must know... Its Not really a Relic. More of a... Diary. A Very old tablet that was once kept in the vaults here, alongside an even older necklace... Useless to you. Unless you recently brushed up on dead dialects of the Ancient Sith? But perhaps not. Which begs the question... Why are You flitting around here, Little Bird?"

 

[Asinine Soup]

"I came as a messenger," the Ysanna retorts to the query, the soft light of the console emitting a haze of dust that cloaked the otherwise obscure vision within the ethereally dark training room. Her bootsteps were light and hardly audible, but as she strafed this way and that, her poise slowly gathers closer as the Sith's eyes remain upon her - her own dark irises fail to back down.
"The message might not be in Ancient Sith, but it still needs to be translated. I spent a little time communing with the Force before you arrived."

She ceases speaking for the time being, a semi-gloved hand resting on the command console that would have ultimately held student accounts of the fall of the temple. The final waking moments would give glimpses into what occurred here, and by far, the texts certainly wouldn't reveal how bloody it was. It had been so long here that even bone had decayed into dust as best as it could, subtle reminders of death littered here and there - here beneath a pillar and there piled against the wall where someone surely met their end.
Ashanna's voice turns somewhat dark as she nearly demands the ears of her associate - of someone that she could possibly consider a friend...likely in another lifetime.
"The necklace you're after is the single item that led to the death and turmoil in this ruin," she starts, canting her head a bit closer so that her senses could feel if the Vahla truly understood what that meant, an appraising eyebrow lifting. "Would you like to take a journey, then?"

Her grin re-appears. Journey? What could she be talking about? Her hand extends over the console as she walks around it, extending for it to be held.
"Take my hand and I'll lead you into a story where every nuance is a lesson. Interested in history?"
If one would feel open to the Force, they would notice that all the energy in the room was radiating from this...girl, but not only radiating from her, but moving through her and cycling upon itself. One might ascertain that she was a part of the Force by the amount that it radiated about her.
But she was but a fish in the sea. Or a little bird in the sky.
"Fly with me, Hal. This little bird has something to show you. But I warn you - if I be the bird, you be the worm." Her grin brightens and her final words on the subject aren't emitted by her tongue, but by her voice appearing within the young Sith's mind: "The story is for you. Not for me."

 

[Ma'hal Vel]

It was very difficult for the sith not to roll his eyes at her flowery words. He was all for being over the top and dramatic with his language and mannerisms... But this was just a bit much. Even so, she was good at using the force to feel out what was.... Just as his domain was the force as it existed in the moment. Even so, he couldnt pretend the promise of knowledge did not intrigue him. After all, he was only a sith. And Power was quite literally their reason to exist. So the Sith reached out and, with a deep breath, took the Jedi's hand. The cloak in the force dropping around him and allowing his own power to wash out in chill waves.

"Show me."

On some level he couldnt help but to wonder what had brought him to this point in his life. Consorting with the enemy. Wandering dusty halls with someone who, in another day, he may very well have simply electrocuted and moved on... But that was the sort of day and age it was. And, as a sith, it was much more socially acceptable for him to break rules. After all... He never once compromised his own nature. Not truly... He was who he was. This... Jedi... However... Had potential. The Potential to realize something else. To educate herself.

Naturally, all of these things were buried deep in his psyche. No need to let the Jedi know he felt anything but contempt and greed. What would the world come to if the Jedi learned the sith were more than two dimensional hate machines.

"Show me, Little Bird. Show me what you've learned..."

 

[Asinine Soup]

"Show me, Little Bird. Show me what you've learned..."
"How could I possibly begin to show you the Force itself?" she teases in response.
Hands touch and energies connect, and in that moment, a spark emits that connects the psyche of the two as they become one; their senses merge and the incredible warmth and joy of what Ashanna felt comes to pass with the inquisition and greed-oriented nature of Ma'hal. Emotions fuse, and for perhaps a fraction of a second before everything changed, the pair would find themselves able to empathize and understand their opposite...and in truth, the moment was beautiful.
Ambiguity ceased to exist in that moment, and every emotion ever felt between the two come to clash and merge, spiraling into the depths of the lesson that the Force had to offer.

For this journey, the two would become one.
Their spirits meld and finally spiral into a light centered between their contacting hands, and in that same little instance...there was nothing.

***
A white light fades into obscurity, and the view sets itself into play - a Dantooine of the distant past presents itself, and as vision comes true, the spell of the illusion of eyesight displays a lovely and warm summer's day...
A chirping of a bird begins to ring, and then the wind joins the fray of noise. A soft murmur of sidebar conversation indicates there are others present, and finally?...The voice of a Master's wisdom trickles into the fray. The scene played by history had been set. The numbness of obscurity fades, as you now find yourself experiencing life through the eyes of another.
You feel the wind on your face.
***
​

"Where did your journey lead you, my Padawan?" inquires Master Trevas, his warmth and loving nature visible on not only his brow and smile, but in his energy and spirit as well. It melded beautifully with the Temple and with Dantooine, and in this early afternoon as the sun and wind smile upon their very existence, I couldn't help but to grin at so small of a question. Master Trevas grinned back as if he knew the silly little reasons as to why I was smiling in the first place. The sun was high and cloaking its amber grace upon the plains and hills of the area, rolling clouds as far as the eye could see kissed the horizon, and the Force was brimming with the potential of what a beautiful day this could become. A soft wind flows like water through my hair and robes, Master Trevas' free-flowing possessions mimicking the dance of the air. What was this feeling I couldn't shake?
"Well I don't mean to brag, but..." I begin, slowly shifting my prized possessions out of my bark-and-field colored robing, "...I told you I wouldn't fail you, Master!" In my scar-adorned palm were a pair of items from my recent journey off-world. The tasks given were rigorous and opposition of the spirit had been faced, but it had been done; my trip to the caves indicative of the remnants of the Infinite Empire civilizations led me across several continents, and after my journey had come to an end, I stand in front of my Master with a handful of crystals...and an ancient necklace that absolutely radiated with a power never before felt by me. It was wonderfully preserved, but the strangest thing happened as I gazed upon my instructor, teacher, and friend's face.

His eyes widen with awe, and then his expression settles; his warmth nearly dissipates as the twinkle in his eye resembles that most closely relative to greed.
"Ahh..." he began once more, his grin returning, hand hovering over the items I beheld, "I knew you could not possibly fail me, Anton. You are among the brightest here, and have done the Jedi a great honor in finding this relic."
I felt my own grin dissipate. What was happening to the Master's disposition? I've never seen him like this before, and as he takes the crystals and necklace - archaic adorning materials I've never before touched and symbols I've never before seen - almost seemed to pulsate with misery. I realized, then, that I didn't want to give it up...but I mention nothing and suppress my feelings as best I can. If Master Trevas noticed, he certainly seemed too engrossed within the requested items to mention.
"Come, my Padawan. You have all the components you need to craft your lightsaber, now - and it would be an honor for me to show you the way, but first, I must speak with Master Silica regarding this...necklace." His grin almost seemed to turn sour, as though even mentioning the Councilwoman brought distaste to his tongue. I mention nothing of his ill-will; he had his reasons, I supposed, but...what was this sudden change of character emitting from my Master? He turns and begins down the pathway, merchants and diplomats, Jedi and prospect hopeful alike sharing these very same courtyards as trees span above the path. Even when nature had its way of reminding man that it was within its domain, not the contrary, I couldn't bate the feeling that something was about to change...and that this change would not bare good fruit.

"Coming, Anton?"
"Hm? Oh...sorry, Master." I rush up to keep pace with the man, forcing a grin. "I got lost in thought again."
Master Trevas chuckles, his ashen robing flickering as he turns once more and places his newly acquired inventory within his vest, then reaching over to pat me on the shoulder. His touch was cold.
"No worries, my boy. We all have to stop and reminisce sometime." He pauses as we start up the path again, the expression on his face that I dare not mention one appearing to be that of...greed and excitement. His eyes were strange.
"Everything we know can change in a heartbeat, after all..."
I feel a wave of energy spiral past me as I realize that the Master's wisdom spoke true.

And so we began our venture into the temple, aiming to make it to the central courtyard - adorned with a large, thick-based tree with blooming flower - that ultimately led toward the training and sparring rooms, the archive libraries, and of course the Temple's Council chamber.
I keep my mind busy with thoughts of finally constructing my lightsaber.

 

[Ma'hal Vel]

Stepping into the flow of another's thoughts was something which came easily enough for the Vahla Sith. After all, that was one of the core tenants to performing battle meditation. You had to connect yourself with every aspect of the people you were helping... Linking them more completely than if they were parts of the same organism. That said... There was something warped and perverse about touching minds with a Jedi. It caused him a great deal of discomfort on a primal level. Perhaps because he was so used to touching the minds of Schemers and outcasts. To touch the mind of someone so... Warm. It burned the cold hearted Sith to his core. He couldnt help but to touch snippets of what it was to be her at her core. And, in turn... She would no doubt catch snippets from the deepest recesses of the Sith's psyche. Memories buried deep. Even further than the very first days as a sith, back when he was still relatively innocent. Great sadness... The ultimate wellspring of his rage.

And then it was over. He was no longer Ma'hal... Not really. He was experiencing the past through the Jedi's gifts. Touching what had once been and, ultimately, breaking the veil of the past. However, through the same natural gift that he employed battle meditation... Ma'hal compartmentalized some small portion of his mind off from the rest. Sealing the deep dark of who he was within and allowing him to act as an observer. His voice echoing through their shared vision.

"I see... That's it. Well, one half of it in any case... The Amulet... Or Necklace... Or Locket... Depending on the translation you use... Forged on Korriban by a Sith Sorcerer... One who poured all his knowledge of the Darkside and lust for power into it... Very much like a Holocron. No.. More of a Key... We need to press further... Hold on to it... I'll help you hold on to it."

Even as the words echoed and the vision wavered, Ashanna would feel a new influx of power. The pure, scorching power of the dark side. Not tempered by caution, just raw force. All directed at maintaining their connection to the image. Latching on to the emotions of everyone they were connected to in that past. For Emotions were the domain of the Darkside. Greed. Lust for power... Sorrow and Fear. All focused on the scene. And Ashanna, if she were not careful, may very well find herself overwhelmed by the very emotions Ma'hal was binding them to.

"We need to see where the artifact rests..."

 

[Asinine Soup]

What was and what is are all part of the same vast picture. Even as the two specs named Ashanna and Ma'hal Vel would experience their tininess in comparison to all. As their minds and histories fused, their spirits did the same.
Ah, so one's energy locked within a physical body...this is the concept of a soul? Not only would the pair feel what it was like to step into one another's shoes - happiness, warmth, and an ocean of knowledge that one would not and could not surmise was there simply from looking at the simple face of a simple girl; angst, greed, a past cloaked in despair and the only hope but to embrace the darkness and use it to thrive and survive, all rought with the vast knowledge of Six, number, history, alchemy, and the Force - they would feel the contradictions of emotion and experience from past lives and future lives as well.

The Force is all. It took place in a small segment of time and beheld such a massive amount of information that neither of their physical bodies could have possibly retained...yet their spirits would remain impressed forevermore. Meditation following this moment would grant them access to what they'd seen of one another - be it beauty or despair was up to the spirit.
And as quickly as it began, it was over...and the story had begun.

***​

A gentle wisp emits from the shared vision, and as all was part of the Force, Ashanna - too - would mimic the act, her own voice separating from thought not that of her own. In a way, her spirit was walking beside the ancient Jedi padawan and Master rather than experiencing the situation through his eyes alone, though as the echo of Ma'hal's voice comes true, she could only shake her head. As she remained, the Sith's forwarding of her power enters Ashanna, though her spirit was not affected. She'd felt more sinister energies, though in all of the same, their surroundings within this...plane of existence didn't work the same. But our actions ripple through time itself.
She understood before this began what had happened to this temple, though she remains silent. It was a lesson to be learned. "I'm sorry, Ma'hal..." echos in return, "...you'll get your wish."

You always would.

***​

"Maybe I could help you hold onto it, Master?" I decide to ask - I don't know. It was strange. I was thinking of how to construct my lightsaber, but then..it's like the Force moved and I realized how important the necklace was for Master Trevas. He almost lusted for it...and now that I knew, I couldn't possibly allow him to waltz around and claim what I had found for myself. He could hurt someone, or...
Hold onto it.
"Hm? Oh, worry not, little one. It's quite safe with me, I can assure you," the Master grins, and as he grinned, I felt my heart sink. What could this mean for me? I can't lie - I know what I felt in the caves. It was a power like none other, and it was dark. It was the Dark Side. Is that what the Jedi were so afraid of?
We enter the council's room, and I couldn't help but shake a feeling of envy, but I suppress it beneath my layers of the Force - Master Sriya always told me I had a knack for hiding my presence and intent within the Force, even Masters couldn't determine what it was I could do next. I'll use it, I determined, when the time was right.

We found ourselves in front of a council of three, the other Masters likely elsewhere within either the compound or the Galaxy. I can't say I remember the discussion between the Masters and Master Trevas, though I do remember heated exchange had begun as mention of the amulet came to pass. I stood in a stupor as no one of the four seemed to even notice I was there, yet...all the while, I could feel my anger growing. They sit here and argue for what feels like an hour as to the merit of a simple piece of jewelry.
How could he possibly be so passionate and adamant about something he didn't even find, let alone understand the true power of? I needed it. I needed to hold onto it - that's what the Force had told me. It was mine. And mine it would be...but.
I needed help. I'm but a little Padawan in the presence of Masters. How could I take what I want for myself - what is mine by right - from beings so powerful within the Force?
I'll help you hold on to it.
And then I felt it. It was anger, lust, greed...it was pure power, and the Force had given it to me on a whim. It trusted me to do what needed to be done. Without a second thought, I reached over and took my Master's lightsaber from his belt for myself and activated it without hesitation. It's yellow glow escapes the hilt, and hisses and sears through robing, flesh, and bone alike. It had emitted through his torso, and his terse yelling had ceased immediately, both items falling unto the grown - my crystal and my necklace - as, a moment later, so did Trevas. The weakling.

The other Masters didn't even react in kind, leaving themselves open to my newfound, raw power. Trevas was alive to see it all, but I could feel his pain and his surprise. I could feel his fear, and the Force showed me how to use it to bring down the other Masters in the room. They would not help steal what was rightfully mine.
I throw my hand out and the Force runs through me...right unto the Master Councilman's chest. I don't know what happened, but the Force had hit him stronger than I could have ever done myself - was I chosen? I could only scoff with pride as the Master Councilman's head slammed against the wall, and he slumped, the other Masters leaping into action to attempt to flank me from both sides, lightsabers activating into the closeted room with righteous fury.

They were fast. But I saw them with perception much keener than that of any living person I could have ever known in this life.
What was this power?...It was consuming. It was wonderful. It was a blessing.

And I would use it to secure my amulet...as well as my destiny.

 

[Viabuck]

Curo Kaal's eyes would abruptly open, his body covered in a thin layer of cool sweat which laid upon him, having accumulated over the course of what could only assume was a very restless bout of sleep. Though he was not in the immediate vicinity of Ashanna, there was something at the very core of the Togrutan that had taken hold of him and thrust him into a place and time of which he was not a native to and then abruptly ripped him from his 'dream' and brought him back to the waking world, a profound sense of concern and uneasiness welling up within him. It had been as if a giant had taken the Togrutan by the throat and thrown him back into reality completely eliminating the usual round of post-awakening disorientation through the means of inducing a fight or flight response.

"Ashanna." he murmured, his legs swinging over the edge of the bed, a sleeveless open robe and his utility belt being thrown on followed by a pair of boots and without a moments hesitation he would depart from the ship, his boots treading quickly across the steel floor of the ship before touching down upon the soft grass of Dantooine. His eyes wide as he surveyed the immediate area for any threats, little pause would be given before setting off, his body moving as if on autopilot, his gaze set intently in front of him as he sought out his partner.

There was something dark radiating from Ashanna or at the very least near her.. This was not the pure entity that he had come to recognize in the force and perhaps that was what had shaken him or perhaps it was something else, in any case, the disturbance was a call to act and so he would. With the ruins in view, there would be very little inhibiting him from finding the Ysanna, his essence reaching out through the force and attempting to find her own, beckoning him down the path. Just when he finally felt that he could reach out and touch Ashanna, the woman coming into his sight as he entered the room, something happened.

What had once been long abandoned, ill maintained grounds were suddenly an intact council chamber. He could see it all as if he were there and he could -feel- it. All of the confusion and anger that had welled within him during his time with the Sith Holocron, he could feel it.. But it was not his own emotion. It was strangely detached from him and yet so profoundly present which only served to add to his own true confusion in the moment.

"Ashanna?" Curo called out, his own voice reverberating, seemingly incapable of penetrating into the realm of existence he currently found himself in, being little more than a telepathic call out through the force. "What is... all of this?" he staggered, the vision of the defeated council leaving him somewhat shaken in the moment. In truth he could barely comprehend what he had been drawn into and how. He could tell that this was a memory and that it was in the past... That much was clear. For all of his failings with comprehending the echos of the force he had always been much stronger in regards to prophecy, future proving much more connectable oddly... This.. This was just inescapable and nauseating in a way. The compounded feelings being battered down upon his own... It was almost too much to handle.

 

[Asinine Soup]

"Ashanna?"
Her voice is called, disembodied as it echoes through the flow of the scenario. The spirit's eye merges with that of the past, linking those not physically there in an array of unknowing; the presence of the Togruta could be felt, but was it truly him?
"What is...all of this?"
So it was true. He was here. As the images of the Padawan slaying his council members and the retaliation of two masters en route remain present, Ashanna's voice enters the realm as the depths of darkness resonate in feeling and thought. This was not her journey - in essence, she was but the beacon to bring back those traversing. In the physical realm sat three individuals in a meditative poise, though the one cloaked in ebony - though his eyes were closed - had begun to shiver and shudder aggressively. A light seeps through behind the veil of his eyelids and, like a lightbulb's chain being pulled, the light suddenly recedes and pulls him from the past that he had ultimately affected. The sad reality was that Ma'hal Vel was the first pillar to this temple's destruction, enticing the padawan to pursue power within the depths of instant satisfaction and intrusive darkness. What became of the Sith?
As he hits the floor in a topple, body slumped and eyes remaining closed, it would be hard to discern whether he was sleeping...or if death had taken him. His spirit was lost within the currents of time, perhaps eventually they would find their way back, Force willing.

"This..." Ashanna's voice echoes about vibrantly as though amidst an amphitheater, "...is a stream of time, Curo, that you have fallen into the deep end within. Quick! Latch unto my presence so that you do not fall beneath the waves!"
There was something strange about the voice that one could compute was surely Ashanna's - but it was ethereal firstly and certainly changed. There was an air of knowing about her essence that perhaps signified what it was like to experience a reality beyond what the mind's boundaries could fathom. Her Togrutan companion would experience this in-full as well, and as he swam within the Force, she hoped he'd arrive to her call and seek her warmth.

***​

"What is...all of this?"
The voice in my head grants a test as the Masters bellow forth, and with a tight grip on my former master's blade, I evade and respond aloud only to find that my voice had deepened beyond what my vocal chords could have possibly produced:
"This. Is. POWER." A pillar of Force is respondent to Jedi Master Kro - Zabrak. Alien. Weak. His momentum is countered by my display and he's sent barreling toward the left of the chamber, though I hadn't the chance to hear his body crunch against a wall for the beautiful Master Silica's brilliant blue blade impacting the golden weapon I adorned myself. She was...powerful, for though her frame was even smaller than mine, her swing sent me to my back and skidding by several meters. A deep rage enveloped me, then, as I re-balanced in slide - both masters once more pursuing me, though Silica staying back, for the Temple knows her not to be a duelist - and I yelled:
"I will hold onto it! Feast on my POWER!"
"Kro!"
Impulse drove me to raise my fingertips and call upon the passion swirling within me. Angst. Deep primal disgust and contempt for life itself and the just concept...of using my passion as a strength. Lightning cackles as it's summoned and expelled, and in an instant, it was upon the surprised Master Kro. The Force told him to prepare himself, so he did, and with his green lightsaber, my lightning struck him and halted his progression. He skids and grunts as the sheer power of this miraculous lightshow held back a Master of the temple. A Master! Surely this amulet would be my enlightenment.

"Weak. Weak!"
A second wave emits from the first and a storm ensues as Silica works to contain it...and the Zabrak lords his defense as his only salvation. Lightning chirps and skips from his weapon and arcs back, lashing at his back and ultimately feeding me the pain I need to demonstrate a third wave. As my fingertips singe and smoke and scar, my teeth grit and I summon my courage!...
And a tidal wave hits me in my side. The trailing streak of lightning continues and breaks apart duracrete and a pillar holding firm the room within - the current of energy came from Silica and perused me through the room at breakneck mach speeds...emptying my journey into the courtyard where a single tree stood within the center. I strike the ground. Hard. I ricochet into the air and flip about, hitting a limb of the great tree and spiral back toward the ground...my left arm crunching beneath me. I recall silently screaming in agony, though as I'm urged to get up and preserve myself, not a sound save my panting escaped my lips. The swift footsteps of the Masters were coming, and surely those within the Temple grounds would be responding to the havoc I'd caused.

And so I journeyed unto my knees, latched closely the lightsaber and the amulet in my right hand as my left arm hangs loose and crooked at my side...and I dash out toward the side doors.
"We need to see where the artifact rests..." says the voice in my head. My gut leads me toward the direction of the setting sun.
Toward the tombs.

Toward my rebirth. Or my ultimate death.