Abandoned and forgotten, the ruins of the Dark Temple have slowly succumbed to the erosion of time. In the central chamber the walls have crumbled, the ceiling has caved in, and the jungle now flourishes within the once pristine halls.

Green light filters through the temple, mixing eerily with the dark, violet hue of Dromund Kaas’ sky. Lightning flickers overhead, the raw energy of the Force clashing high above. The floor is overgrown with large plants and grasses that have swallowed the old stone. Wild creatures roam freely, skittering away from the presence of intruders while vicious predators hide just out of sight.

The main hall is lined on both sides by towering statues, heads bowed in supplication. They stand in deference to the sculpture of a pure-blooded Sith, which towers over the chamber with outstretched arms. The sculpture has been split diagonally down the middle, as if cleaved in two by a rusted blade, but the majesty in the stone still echoes to the past.

On either side of the main hall, remnants of branches to inaccessible parts of the temple remain. One might tilt their head to take in what is left of the mezzanine—the balcony overlooking the chamber—still held aloft by the great pillars standing behind the statues. Several of the pillars have fallen, providing a pathway up to the mezzanine for those willing to take the risk for higher ground. Spirits of the Sith are rumored to still haunt the grounds—waiting for poor, misguided fools to walk blindly into their domain.

“I don’t like this Evie- Mrs. Anderson,” Dusa grumbled under her breath as Evelyn's sharp eyes snapped towards Dusa when she had said the nickname that she despite.

“There had been recent spikes and the Envoy Corps wished to know why. According to my findings-”

“-more like obsession-" Dusa muttered under her breath.

Evelyn ignored her as she continued, “There is a relic here. Yes, the temple was made by the Siths but there may be a Nightsister’s imprint or hidden temple underneath it.” Dusa scoffed and raised her hands in surrender as she lowered the ship. A soft hydro hissed as the ramp opened to the lush greens below.

“Fine. It’s your funeral Ev- Mrs. Anderson,” Dusa said sarcastically as Evelyn had already left. Then Dusa had noticed a blip on the radar screen, “Ev- Oh, the schutta already left. Sheesh. She’ll find out later.”

Thirteen was right by Evelyn and started to whirl and beep in its language of its findings in the jungle until-

“Hush.” The pair of them ventured further.

“Are you sure about this? Didn’t we already explore here?” Jaz questioned as Vincent considered his thoughts about this man. That kind of question could get him killed but Jaz had proven himself to be a useful tool and accessory for him.

For his own selfish desires. The Warlord did not answer as he left the ship’s ramp and started to trek into the jungle’s deep with Frank silently following behind him. When they had arrived at their destination, his cold grey hues behind the menacing helmet glared at the split statue by the entrance.

With a simple shrug, he continued on-

“Sir, I detect a life form along with a droid.”

Well, now that was interesting. Was someone else going to try to take the relic away from him? Over his dead body. The relic was his and it will grant him the power he seeks.

“Sir, the life form had seemingly disappeared. The droid did not move.” Vincent raised an eyebrow. A Force User? Or someone who was rich enough to hide their readings from scanners and droids?

“Leave the life form to me, destroy that droid.” Frank set out to find the droid.

Evelyn’s breathing was slow and steady. She made sure that the surroundings weren't going to be disturbed by every step she takes closer towards the entrance. She watched the droid set towards Thirteen. Not long after, there were frantic beeping sounds from Thirteen and sounds of blasters. Thirteen was going to be okay, it was good that the distraction had work and she didn’t have to worry about the pair of them. She leisurely turned her head to keep watch on the armored individual-

Then his helmet raised to look exactly where she was. How!? He couldn’t unless-

Her blood pounded in her ears as she held her breath-

“Gotcha,” She could hear the smirk behind the cold voice. It sent ice down in her veins.

The Force pulsed- no- it screamed as Vincent and Evelyn were both overwhelmed by the sudden intrusion of it.

Evelyn held back her cry as a memory emerged. A woman screaming and crying, begging for mercy. Crunching noises and she felt the warmth of the crimson liquid- Evelyn winced and the Force was no longer surrounding her and keeping her hidden.

Vincent saw glimpses of a brown haired female-

“No-” He snarled.

Without warning, the ground had given away underneath them and dropped them down to the depths below.

The aged old torches blazed to life as the pair of them landed what looked to be an old lobby. Dust and dirt kicked everywhere. There were Nightsisters’ Runes engraved on the stone walls, faded over time by age and nature’s grasp. Dead ivy were given a breath of life as they slowly started to retreat, revealing more of the runes. The pair of them quickly scrambled to regain their footing.

“State your name and reason why you are here,” Evelyn demanded. Her hand slowly slid back to grasp the grip of her blaster.

Then another pulse. The runes glowed slightly and it was gone as fast as the pulse had disappeared. This time, it was rejuvenating. They both felt powerful. She felt the surge and shivered at the sudden loud noises of the Force surrounding them.

For the Warlord, it was a kiss from the War Goddess herself. Power. Pure unadulterated power. Then Vincent laughed, watching the woman in front of him grab hold of her blaster and aimed right at him.

“How cute,” he purred maliciously. He sensed the Force warning as she squeezed the trigger, his hand went up and the bolt was frozen in mid-air. His cackle got more hearty as it echoed into the deep. Was this the power the relic would grant!? He had to have it. The relic was to be his. It will be his.

The Sith simply stepped out of the way as the hilt of his lightsaber had hovered to his hand before the snap-hiss and glow bounced off the walls. The bolt hit the wall behind him. He had to suppress an eye roll at the woman. Was that the best she can really do? After such they both had been granted by such blessings of Siths and Nightsisters of the past? What an insult.

How pathetic.

She was a waste of life.

“How about you stop being a coward?” He spat. Every battle, they all ran. Even the karking Jedi-

That seemed to spark something in her as she unsheathed her sword. He can tell there was alchemy at work around the sword to help her against lightsabers.

Evelyn steadied her breaths. If he wants a fight, then she’ll be the one to finish it. She would be unable to find the history and relic of this place if this being was so determined to hunt her down for whatever reason. They both clashed midway, Vincent shoved forward as Evelyn gracefully slid to the side with an attempted slash down towards his waist. Vincent blocked the slash and moved his lightsaber upwards to give him the opening. He got his second lightsaber-

Snap-hiss.

Clang.

His second lightsaber had been blocked by a Sith Dagger. Being close to her, he can see her face more clearly. She was determined. Her emerald eyes seem strong. Good. His grin only spread wider underneath his helmet. She wasn’t worthless after all.

The runes glowed and there was another pulse as two shadows shimmered in and out of view. A weak pillar had given way and started to fall downwards towards the two of them...

The whole room rumbled as the stones began falling from the pillar and what remained of the floor above the two. The Force screamed at Vincent to move. These feelings… this connection with the Force was like nothing the Warlord had ever experienced. Truly, they were in the presence of something more powerful than even Brujah had imagined.

Using all of his strength, Vincent shoved Evelyn backwards and out of the way of the falling pillar. She careened backwards, her back slamming against the opposite wall. He wouldn’t allow this fight to end except under his own conditions. No mere stone would take his glory.

The Warlord turned, impossibly quickly, throwing a hand into the air toward the falling pillar, but then he saw the vision again. He tried to assure himself that it wasn’t real. That this was some trick from the witch that he was fighting… but no… he had never met this woman before… she couldn’t possibly know…

“There’s my special boy!” the thin, brown haired woman wearing plain, worn clothes said to Vincent with a warm, comforting smile. “Let’s go home and I’ll make you a nice dinner.”

The Hand of the Empress ground his teeth together under his helmet. He could feel the pure, unadulterated anger growing within him.

“YOU AREN’T REAL!!!” he shouted, but the woman turned noticing the debris falling towards them both. A horrified look covered her face as she turned back to the Sith.

“Vincent! RUN!!!” she screamed as she scuttled away from the falling pillar. He would have sworn that he could hear the sound of a TIE fighter crashing down towards them.

The world was in slow motion. A second had passed, maybe two, but it felt like an eternity to Vincent. He was too smart for these tricks, but the vision felt so real. He couldn’t help himself.

“Mom! No!!” the Warlord yelled as deactivated his sabers and lunged in towards her.

The pillar fell and just as Vincent reached the woman that wasn’t really there, she vanished. Growling with anger and hate the Warlord threw up a barrier at the last possible second, taking a knee and instinctively covering his head with his arms. The pillar made direct contact with the barrier and rolled off, sparing Vincent from an untimely and unfortunately similar death to that of his mother. As the stone hit the floor with a loud crack and rolled to a rest, the Sith felt another warning.

Turning, the Warlord reignited the fiery, crimson lightsaber in his right hand and batted away a downward slice from Evelyn’s Ichor sword as she jumped in at him. Before her feet could even touch the floor she felt a tight grip around her throat as she was lifted a meter off the ground. She reached for her neck, but nothing was there except pain. She kicked and fought, but with a raised left hand the Warlord held her in place.

“Listen, and listen well.” Brujah spat. “You were dead the moment you stepped foot in these ruins. The prize here is mine, and I will not allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of me taking it home to the Empire.”

His breathing was heavy and wild. His rage was beginning to take full control of him.

“Mark my words; if you are responsible for these visions… this doesn’t end here. You don’t get off that easily. The pain doesn’t end with you.” the Warlord snarled. “I don’t know who you are, but I will find out. When I do, I will hunt down and torture everything you have ever loved. I will make them beg for mercy and before I send them to their creator, I will let them know that their suffering is a result of your stupidity.”

The Shaevalian let out an angered scream of her own. She fought and struggled to free herself from the invisible hand around her throat, but he was so powerful. He was fueled by rage and hate and this grip felt like a vice slowly tightening on her voice box.

Without warning and near instantaneously the flames rising from the torches in the room grew to twice their size. They broke away from the torches, combined in the air just above the Warlord and then dropped down at him. Vincent had no choice but to release his hold on Evelyn and instead contort the flames as she fell to the floor.

Evelyn looked up at Vincent as she scuttled backwards and away from him, trying to regain her footing. As she did she saw a circle of fire surrounding her opponent. Her eyes widened as his armor spontaneously lit aflame and the circle of fire in front of him spread apart giving him a path forward and towards her. A sickening laugh exited his helmet.

“Don’t you get it yet?! You can’t hurt me! You are nothing!” he roared as he jolted forward at her with his saber drawn back to attack.

Evelyn swung her ichor sword to block his saber’s swing. Vincent’s orange flames flickered and bounced off the walls in combat with the torch’s yellow. She could feel the fierce heat radiating off of him.

Despite his strength, Evelyn managed to hold her block. Her emerald eyes stared at the visor where Vincent’s eyes would be. Then, starting at her feet began a growing and glowing of green flickers. The weak damsel act was over. She had learned enough about her opponent and he made a mistake when he threatened her family.

Her life was one thing. She had been tortured for decades.

Her family? Her controlled anger brought the flickers into roaring green flames surrounding her body, clashing with Vincent’s own orange. She could feel the heat radiating off of his fire. Vincent ground his teeth; any more pressure and it would surely break. Her flames were starting to overwhelm his own.

“I am flattered that you think I am strong enough for those visions,” Evelyn’s voice was cold. She infused herself and with the help of the Force shoved him backwards and slashed her sword towards his midriff. He countered it with his saber and went for an aggressive strike.

Just like the dance of the flames between the pair, the pair clashed in a waltz of passion, rage, and, unknown to both of them, growing grief.

Then the Force screeched from below. A barrier formed between the two of them, crackling and glowing maliciously in Sith red and Nightsister green. Static filled the air.

Vincent paced at his end of the barrier, his eyes never leaving the prize. Orange flames continued to burn with intensity. Today will be a glorious day. To spill her blood and take the artifact that clearly belonged to him. The power, that pure power, it was going to be all his.

Evelyn did not watch Vincent. Instead, she looked at her surroundings, anything to help her-

“Vincent!” his mother called out. Evelyn didn’t recognize that voice and glanced towards the brown-haired female illusion, only to be surprised at the familiar figure that appeared next to her. “Kill her!”

Vincent saw a woman by his deceased mother that carried the same tanned beauty as his enemy but with midnight black hair and eyes dark as the deep ocean. She had dried blood and a wound right in her chest where she had evidently been messily stabbed straight down. It was barely covered by the sheen white cloth.

“She killed me!” the woman howled. Evelyn fought back the bile at the back of her throat.

Vincent scoffed. He had planned to kill her but it was not going to be for anyone. He’ll watch the life leave her eyes and the blood stain her white hair. The rage of these visions trying to distract him from his kill was enough for him to lift a broken piece of a rock and hurl it towards the black-haired woman. But when he looked back, he realized something. The barrier was gone and so was she.

Vincent snarled under his breath. He had no time to play these measly hide-and-seek games! What a child- then sounds of a blaster from Frank frantic beeping from Thirteen as he rolled right into Vincent’s knees.

“Move!” he yelled, pulling on the Force, raising his leg and kicking the blasted droid away. “I told you to take care of it!”

There was a sudden surge of energy in the air as Evelyn spiked an ichor bolt towards the ceiling above Vincent’s head. The hairs on the back of his neck and arm rose as he turned and stopped from the rocks falling from above. He froze them all in the air with the Force but this was enough for Evelyn to take her opening. And she took it.

Vincent’s body screamed with warning but he didn’t have time.

From the front, a huge boulder crashed right into Vincent’s chest, then he was on his back with the boulder crushing him and Evelyn’s boot on his neck. His ears rang, but not as strong as the rage that pumped thumping blood to his ears. He could feel his armor slowly attempting to fix itself.

“I want you to remember that this nothing,” Evelyn hissed as she put more pressure on his neck with the help of the Force. A copper ring formed around her pupils and brought out the green of her eyes. The pressure was enough to start to shift and crack the armor’s weak spot underneath the sole of her foot. The flames around her foot intensity blazed, smothering his own fire, he could feel the heat of hers reaching to his skin, threatening to burn, “can hurt you.”

Vincent growled at first, seething yet started laughing in a way that would send ice to anyone’s blood. This did not deter Evelyn but he had a surprise for her. There was a scream of fury that did not belong to either of them. Evelyn’s bloodied mother screeched and hurled herself at the pair of them. Evelyn staggered back, tripping on a fallen rock, and landed onto the ground as she attempted to get her frenzied mother off of her.

Evelyn tried to attack her but nothing went through. She wasn’t even getting burnt by her- that’s when it hit her, it was an illusion that Vincent had summoned. He used what the relic had shown to them as an advantage.

“Enough!” Evelyn growled through gritted teeth.

A sickening sense engulfed their body as their support was gone. The wind howled at their ears while they fall. They landed into a pool with a splash and the water extinguished their flames. Thirteen’s frantic beeps echoed from above desperate to reach Evelyn below while being chased by Frank.

Evelyn gasped for air as they resurfaced, both immediately swimming away from the other. Vincent’s helmet helped protect him from the water but Evelyn was sputtering still. There was a few seconds of respite as the pair ensured this new arena was safe to continue the fight.

It seemed to be a pool made long ago by the Ancients. At one end, a long forgotten altar had been embraced by nature.

The relic rested on the altar, pulsing and brimming with the Force. Evelyn’s hand went for the blaster again and Vincent’s hand rose to stop it, only for them to notice their limbs felt heavy and they were moving very slowly. It did not take long for the trespassers to realize they were close to the relic’s location.

The Relic’s song gently pulsed into the room. It was all Evelyn could hear besides the pounding in her ears.

The song hummed from the pool, soft and beautiful. It felt soothing. A mother’s embrace. When Evelyn looked over, Vincent had too noticed the song. His shoulders dropped and his breathing had stilled. What a sweet lullaby.

An embrace Evelyn never experienced in her life. An embrace Vincent missed. The feeling grew stronger. It was love. No void, no emptiness. Just pure unconditional love.

And it hurt.

Vincent did all that he could to shake off this feeling, one that he had not felt since childhood, but the relic was too strong and the emotion had a tight grip on him. In a sick way it felt comforting. It made him feel like everything could be okay again; as if every mistake he had made in life didn’t matter in this moment. On the other side of the spectrum his stomach turned and his heart hurt. This wasn’t physical pain. This was emotional manipulation that felt like a torture worse than he had ever committed on any of his enemies. While a big part of him had missed this feeling, so much so that he had spent a decade hunting down and eventually killing the one who had stolen it from him… in this moment the feeling was useless and as fake as the smiles he put on for Clan meetings.

For the first time in a long time, he felt fear. Fear that this relic was too powerful. Fear that he was in over his head. Fear that it wasn’t affecting his opponent in the same fashion and that any moment she would attack. His eyes began to well up, but fighting off the tears was the one fight that he could win in this moment.

He slowly lifted his head looking in the direction of the white haired woman that had caused this whole mess. If only he had been an hour earlier this would have been an in and out mission, but no, she had to get involved. She too seemed near frozen in time; the sweet lullaby of the relic forcing her to relax her guard. Slowly the Warlord turned his head, and then he saw it; the altar. Upon it sat a blackened pearl. It emanated a soft violet light that he hadn’t noticed until this moment. The light pulsed with the song and the waves of emotion. One second the violet light seemed dim, the next moment it was near blinding. It was then that Brujah realized that when the light was dimmer, so was the power.

Just as the light dimmed again, Vincent heard the frantic beeps and whirrs of his opponent’s BB unit above them. Evelyn seemed to notice as well, slowly lifting her head to look up at the droid. Brujah had to act now, before the power overwhelmed him again. Slowly but purposefully he raised his right hand. Using all the power he could muster, he grabbed the droid and yanked it over the edge of the floor above. It crashed down to the level the two fighters had fallen to, landing in the pool of water close to where Evelyn had crawled out of it. The droid screamed out as electrical current spread through the pool. Smoke rose from the metallic being before the top of its head caught fire. With one final agonizing beep, it sank completely into the water.

Evelyn screamed out: “THIRTEEN!!” but it was too little, too late. The droid was now nothing more than further ruins in this long forgotten temple.

The screams and pain of the woman fed the relic. No longer were there dim moments in its illumination. Instead the room was filled with bright, blinding lavender light. Then Vincent heard the familiar voice once more.

“Vincent, my lovely, come to your mother… let me help you with your wounds.”

The Warlord looked toward the relic and there she was again, smiling warmly, her arms outstretched begging for the embrace of her long lost son. As if he was being controlled by someone or something else, the Hand of the Empress slowly marched towards her.

“That’s right, son. Come here. Let me help you. I’ve missed you so much.” the brown haired woman said.

Vincent complied. He wasn’t sure if it was his own decision to move towards her or if the relic was forcing him to, but move towards her he did. As he reached her, he stretched out a hand reaching for her. Just as he would have touched her shoulder, again, she disappeared. The momentum of his movement was too much to stop. Instead of embracing his mother, his armored hand came into direct contact with the pearl.

From across the room, Evelyn looked up from the pool where her fallen droid had sunk just in time to see Vincent grab the pearl. The armored maniac seemed to go nearly limp, but then began shaking wildly. The shakes quickly turned into convulsions. The violet light dimmed, and with it, she regained her strength.

–

For Vincent Brujah, the world suddenly shifted completely. No longer was he in a dark, destroyed temple of the past. Instead he was near blinded by bright sunlight. Looking up he saw a blue sky and two suns. Surrounding him was sand and stone buildings. The air was thick with sand. He could taste it.

Turning his attention downward and towards his immediate surroundings, he quickly realized exactly where and when he was; the outskirts of Mos Espa at the market stalls. In this distance, his mother stood at one of the stalls, handing the vendor credits in return for the plucked and headless body of a duck. As she finished her transaction, she turned, looking for her son. Then she spotted him. She approached with a smile.

“There’s my special boy!” she said, repeating her words from earlier. “Let’s go home and I’ll make you a nice dinner.”

Vincent could no longer fight the pain. A lone tear ran down the face of the Sith beneath his helmet. He walked towards her, but as he did he heard the unmistakable sound of an incoming TIE fighter. They had found him, the Jedi that came to test him this morning. Vincent turned and looked as the Jedi stood in the middle of the sandy street. He pulled his brown hood down, revealing his long black hair pulled back into a high tail. His gray eyes looked upwards towards the TIE just in time to see it fire a single shot from its laser cannon. The eyes of both the Jedi and Vincent widened.

In an instant the Jedi had pulled a lightsaber hilt into his hand and with a snap an emerald blade emerged. He braced himself and as the shot from the TIE neared him, he spun 360 degrees to his right and smashed the shot upwards and back towards the TIE. This was no mere blaster bolt, and the Jedi knew it immediately. The sheer kinetic force of the laser being deflected sent him stumbling backwards until he landed roughly on the street, his lightsaber flying out of his hand.

Vincent’s head turned and his eyes shot upwards to the TIE just in time to see the laser make contact with the right wing. An explosion of metal and fire rang out as the wing fell to the ground below and the TIE spiraled downward completely out of control. As it neared the ground, the TIE smashed into one of the few tall buildings in the area, causing the entire upper half of the building to separate from its lower half. The top half of the building fell towards the people below. Vincent and his mother were directly in the path of damage. His mother turned looking up and then quickly returned her horrified gaze to her son.

“Vincent! RUN!!!” she screamed.

Run he would, but not away from the danger. Instead he would do what he knew he was capable of. He would save the both of them. He leaned back to steady himself for a Force enhanced dash, but before he could move he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He moved quicker than he had ever moved in his life, but this wasn’t of his own doing, and he was moving away from his mother. Looking up he saw that it was the Jedi from before, pulling him away and out of the path of the falling building, but he couldn’t! His mother was still there!

As soon as they were out of the path of danger, the Jedi stopped and released his hold on Vincent. Turning, they both looked back just in time to see the stone come crumbling down on the frail body of Vincent’s mother, crushing her. She had almost made it out of the way and out of the edge of the rubble laid an outstretched arm, bloody and damaged beyond repair.

“NO!” Vincent cried.

The Jedi embraced him, doing what he could to comfort him but Vincent shoved him away with unnatural strength.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!! YOU DID THIS!! I COULD HAVE SAVED HER! I’LL KILL YOU!! I SWEAR, I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

Then Vincent felt something that wasn’t in line with this memory. His stomach filled with a sharp pain. Looking down he saw an Ichor sword impaling him.

–

Evelyn couldn’t be sure what had come over her opponent, but she knew that this was her opportunity. Jumping forward she jabbed her Ichor sword into the weakened spot on the abdomen of Vincent’s armor, running him through. The Sith’s hand released the pearl and with that, he seemed to be back in the present with her. He stumbled backward, coughing up blood into the inside of his helmet. He found himself on the ground just in time to look up and see Evelyn reach for the relic.

“No… don’t… you don’t understand…” he said, but it was too late. She grabbed the pearl and her eyes rolled back into her head as she began to shake.

--

The young Evelyn walked between dark blue marble pillars with gold inlay. The floor was also made of marble, but white. Swirls of richness with silver and gold were evident in the material.The tall floor to ceiling windows were lined with pillars. They were all open, the sheer white curtains with carefully meticulous golden threads in the shape of the stars gently flowed in the breeze. Music was playing, bouncing off the walls full of various artwork adorned with golden frames. Evelyn stopped walking and looked at her hands. They were stained with blood and she was holding an intricate dagger. It was meant to be ceremonial, but as the blade was covered in blood, it did the job she wanted decently enough.

Then she could hear it. Sobbing, combined with rage screaming over the music. In the darkness, with only the moon to guide her, Evelyn walked towards the sound.

There was a man, tied to a chair, his skin so pale that the moon light reflected off of him. His head was backwards, blood spilling over his neck and onto his bare torso. Empty silver eyes pointed to the ceiling, but there was no life left in them.

The woman next to him had long black hair, her eyes so full of fear that her pupils were dilated and fully black. Their eyes met and the woman angrily screamed at the young girl.

“Evelyn, please!” The woman sobbed, “Let me go, we can start over-” Evelyn’s jaw tightened. She knew that was a lie. ”I am sorry.” The words were empty. Not after everything the woman had put her through. Her father didn’t do anything to stop it but he didn’t participate. And that was why he was the first to die. “Evelyn, I will give you credits? The artwork? Maybe even the title? We can work something out!” She sobbed between her snotty tears.

This woman’s husband was dead next to her. Murdered by her own daughter.

And all she could think about was herself.

“Finish it.” Evelyn turned to the shadows where the voice came from. There was a hooded figure and yet, she could not see him fully, she knew who it was.

“Who was that? Do not listen to them, let me go, let us strike a deal, Ev-” The dagger was plunged into her upper sternum. The woman started howling, her body converse as she tried to get out of it but she couldn't. She was tightly tied against the chair.

“No! Please! Mercy!” Evelyn tried to pull the knife down but her hand slipped out of the grip. It was slippery. Her eyes widen at the view of her mother’s body with the dagger sticking out. Blood started to pool out of her mouth as she started to choke on it. Evelyn stumbled back, her stomach twisted. Was she making the right decision?

--

Vincent crawled back to his feet, ignoring the pain. This was his chance. To kill her. She was a perfect, sitting porg. His anger had subsided enough to hear the Force whispering and beckoning to him, to show him something…

Vincent was yelling in pain, his skin had painful, glowing red cracks, as if lava was going to pour through his pores. He had wielded the pearl. The pearl’s power was within him. He started to complete so many of his goals. He had gentle visions of people wearing the Clan of Scholae Palatine on their armor as they ran into battle. Flashes of many slavers dying and slaves being free. As each flash passed, the lava skin had grown. It was painful to the point where Vincent could not move. It was enough to make him drool from the lips. No. He had more! There’s more to destroy! No! NO! His body erupted….

Vincent’s nostrils flared as he removed his Sith Dagger from the sheath and slowly got up to stand in front of Evelyn…

--

“Finish it, remember everything she did to you.”

And that was enough. Anger rose in her as she grabbed ahold of the hilt with both hands and with everything she could muster, started to pull downwards. The sickening sound of the bone splitting as more blood started to pull out. Then the death rattle had stopped.

Evelyn stumbled back, panting heavily, her hands and arm covered in blood. Her clothes were too soaked with the crimson hue.

“Good, now about our deal-”

Evelyn felt a burning sensation in her shoulder. It took everything she had not to scream.

--

The pearl had fallen to the ground as she gritted her teeth. She stared at the visor, but he made no move to harm her more. There was a moment of understanding and silence. Their gaze rested on the poisonous pearl. It wasn’t worth it. Before Evelyn wanted to give it a chance to launch another attack, she pulled Vincent’s sith dagger out from her shoulder, used the Force to hold the pearl in place, and struck downwards.

It did not make contact. There was a barrier as it was trying to self preserve. Evelyn’s jaw tightened and with the guidance of the Force to her arms, she was getting closer but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t until a pair of hands wrapped around hers. Then electricity cackled from his hands.

Evelyn braced herself as electricity spread from the handle towards the tip of the blade but also to both of their bodies since they were still soaked from the pool. It took them everything they had, all their anger, sorrows, and pure need to survive, to not flinch away from the horrendous pain of being cooked inside out.

It worked as the barrier gave way and the pearl broke underneath it.

As fast as it was, the power was gone. The flames in the torches died out. There were no sounds, not even crickets, save for the heavy breathing from the pair.

“It’s all your fault!” Vincent screamed, tackling her, pinning her down, and wrapping his hands around her neck. The Force was quiet, so be it. He had his hands. If she had never arrived, he would have found a way to wield and control the power! Make everything he saw come true except his inevitable death! How dare she! He squeezed harder.

Her body went limp and he continued to squeeze just for good measure. After enough time had passed, he got up, and roared in anger. With clenched fists, he had made his way out of the ruins.

It was unknown how much time had passed. The pearl was in shambles save for one big piece. It faintly glowed. Once. Twice. Then in the same rhythm as a heartbeat.

Evelyn’s heartbeat.

Grunting from the pain in his abdomen, the Warlord watched as Evelyn’s shakes became full blown convulsions. Is this what had happened to him when he touched the relic? No wonder she was able to stab him so easily. The white haired woman began to scream, but Vincent had no way of knowing for sure what it was that the relic was showing her.

He forced himself up to a knee, and then grabbed the Ichor sword by the blade as close to his own skin as possible with his armored right hand. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in before he yanked the blade out of his guts with one horrific pull. Blood sprayed from the open wound and splashed onto the nearest wall and the floor below him. He winced at the pain, but with his opponent holding the pearl, the violet light had dimmed and his powers had returned. Concentrating as deeply as the pain would allow him to, he did what healing he could to the wound. His skin stitched itself closed, but the underlying damage was more than he could fix in the heat of the moment, even with his powers amplified by the relic. His armor automatically began to close the hole the sword had left behind. He looked at the white haired woman and hissed.

“I should kill you for that! I should kill you for all of this!”

The words fell on deaf ears. The woman was in her own world of pain and misery and there was nothing that Vincent could say would bring her out of it. Then, the Warlord heard the same voice he had heard before.

“Yes, kill her!” said the woman with the white dress, jet black hair, and open chest wound.

“Shut up…” Vincent replied.

“Do it, you coward! Kill her!” she commanded.

Vincent reached to his side, pulling his RSKF-44 and aiming it directly at her hideous wound.

“I said shut up!!” he shrieked as he squeezed the trigger.

The blaster screamed as a ruby bolt darted towards the dead woman, but just like every time either fighter had tried to interact with the visions before, as the bolt got close she vanished, leaving behind only a haunting laugh. Instead of hitting the vision, the bolt made direct contact with the hand of the white haired woman. She screamed out as she released the pearl, raising her hand to eye level to see a smoldering hole running through her palm. She snarled at the Sith.

“I killed you! I saw it with my own eyes!”

The Warlord scoffed.

“You wouldn’t be the first to think so. I doubt you will be the last. Be thankful. Today is your lucky day. It is only my intervention that stopped you from being completely consumed by the relic.”

“I could say the same!” she spat back at him.

The Warlord chuckled ever so slightly.

“You could. Perhaps that’s why I am going to allow you to live.”

A look of pure confusion crossed her face.

“Or perhaps it’s because of your insignificance. I have found a greater enemy. One worth my time and effort.” the Warlord finished.

Lifting his right hand, Vincent pulled the remains of her BB unit out of the pool surrounding them. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it upwards and back to the floor of the room they had first entered. They both listened as it clanked off of the floor, followed by the voice of Vincent’s IG unit Frank speaking.

“Master, it seems that I can no longer destroy this unit… you appear to have already done so…”

“Shut up, Frank!” Vincent replied

He turned his head back to Evelyn.

“Ready to leave yet?”

She growled wildly.

“Not until I have finished the job!”

That brought a smile to the face of the Warlord, though she couldn’t see it through his helmet. Perhaps he had judged her too harshly. This was a woman full of grit and determination. He couldn’t help but kind of admire her. Nevertheless, he had a plan and he intended to stick to it.

“Are you sure about that?” the Sith taunted.

Before she could move or say another word a thermal detonator jumped from a pouch on Vincent’s belt and into his hand. Pressing a button to activate it, it whizzed to life. Her eyes met the explosive and then moved back to the soulless eyes of his helmet. She didn’t say a word.

“That’s exactly what I thought.” Vincent said smugly. “Now listen… I do not know if I have the power to get you back up there and still have enough to save myself… so if you wish to live… if you feel as I do and you want to finish this battle at another time… on the count of 3 I will throw you up to the floor above. Any assistance you could provide would be most helpful to ensuring you can escape.”

“What?!” she answered in shock.

The Sith didn’t respond. Instead; he counted.

“1…”

“No! I’m not done with you!”

“2…”

She yelled out in frustration.

“This isn’t over!”

“3!”

With that, Vincent grabbed her with his invisible hand. She felt the tight, but unthreatening grasp and bent downward using what power remained in her system to start the jump. As she reached about the halfway point to the floor above, Vincent swung his arm wildly upward and her slowed momentum gained a huge boost that shot her upwards and to the floor next to the carcass of her droid. The battle was over. Now it was time to finish the war.

Vincent slowly stepped towards the altar. The thermal detonator still beeped in his hand. He carefully placed it next to the pearl, making sure not to touch the relic again. Satisfied with the placement, he looked upward. He couldn’t see what was above him, it was too dark, but he knew he had to get up there and fast.

He prepared to make his jump, but then he heard her one last time.

“V-Vi-Vincent…”

He turned and saw the mutilated body of his mother crawling out from beneath a pile of fallen stone. It looked like every bone in her body had been broken, yet somehow, she pulled herself to feet that Vincent knew her broken legs and back couldn’t support. Blood ran down her face and arms, covering her plain, peasant clothes in crimson. She stepped towards him, each step accompanied by the sound of broken bones crackling as the weight of her body pressed down on them.

“It’s not too late, my special boy… we can still be together… turn that explosive off and let me show you the way..”

The sight was almost more than Brujah could take, but he had to push through it.

“Mom, if any part of you… the real you… is in there. I’m sorry. I tried, but I couldn’t save you… one day we will meet again in another realm, but today is not that day…”

She howled in anger.

“YOU FAILURE!! YOU COULDN’T SAVE ME THEN AND YOU CAN’T SAVE ME NOW!!”

Without another word, Vincent crouched. Closing his eyes he put all of his concentration into the jump that he had no choice but to attempt. He shot upward as if he had been fired from a cannon, but as he neared the top floor, his momentum slowed. It wasn’t going to be enough. He reached out and latched onto a stone, but felt it immediately begin to give. The piece of floor unlodged itself and Vincent felt his weight shift as he began to fall back towards the beeping death below. Before he could fall a metal hand clasped around his wrist. Before he knew what had happened, Frank pulled him up to the floor above. As his feet cleared the hole in the floor the detonator’s timer ran out. The whole world shook as a deafening explosion occurred below them. Orange flames shot out of the hole first, followed by violet flames and the howl of what sounded to be an ancient Sith Lord.

And then it was over. The dust began to settle. Vincent breathed shakily on the floor. He looked around as best he could, but his opponent was nowhere to be found.

“Where did she go, Frank?”

“She disappeared quite quickly, sir. Her and the remains of her droid were gone before I could target them.”

The Warlord laughed. He reached to his belt, pulling a comlink from one of the pouches attached. He pressed a button and spoke.

“Jaz… help me…”