At least this little creature is telling the truth... to a degree, she relented, remember what the Dark Lord had told her about his earlier misadventures behind the Black River.

In the Valley of the Dark Lords. In the presence of the Eternal Flame.

In that most mysterious of places where what had to be her own offspring had finally undertaken the rites and ritual necessary to bring the Sith back into the realm of the living.

Did that have anything to do with what Phalomir had experienced? If so, to what purpose?

No, that made no sense. There had to be someone else, someone... other, this "Him" of which the imp chortled in so round-about and confusing a manner.

Taking a little breath, she emboldened herself to rise gracefully to her feet. Her hair, tangled into flaming knots, danced about her face, reflecting the soft light of the Glyph into a circle of small radius, the only light in this terrible, dismal place.

Smiling, she stepped forward, reaching out a calm hand to the little imp.

"How special you are, you must be, to be entrusted with such secrets," she said softly, taking another step forward and yet another, each one bringing her closer and closer to the demon. It didn't move, but rather eyed her warily, seemingly poised to dart off at the slightest provocation.

She resolved not to give it such; a gentle smile still upon her face, she stopped mere feet from the creature, her hand stretching out toward it.

"But yet, how strange... to feel the need to hide such secrets from one as puny as myself."

Now she let her hand drop in front of her, where it met with and clasped its partner. Standing in this unthreatening aspect, she continued to smile, continued on with her gentle comments.

"With such power, such strength that you obviously have, thus to be privy to the secrets of this 'Master' of yours, how odd to feel afraid to speak to me of them--"

--------------------

“My son,” he said. “It is time for you to come home. Your lady awaits you.”

Phalomir’s eyes darkened, piercing even through the portal.

“I will come now,” he said, hate filling his face. “And will leave nothing of your realm in my wake.”

The Master widened the portal to allow Phalomir passage, his own smile widening as well. It was soon dampened, however, as Phalomir was dragged away but unseen arms. The Master sighed, and the portal collapsed

The imp hopped back a step.

“I not afraid to tell you,” he beamed. “I know where you go, and why you go. Time is funny, you think? Master forgets sometimes, but me does not. I not tell, not spoil surprise, but me tell this: you and the son, you happy. You even say, it all finally behind you, you happy. For a while, then you die.”

--------------------

"We all die, little one," she finally said, now taking another step toward it. It skittered back another few feet, still eyeing her warily.

"Death is nothing; what is of account is how one lives, whether the time given to one is long or short."

She paused, cocking her head to one side as she watched the imp, who only remained silent and still before her. Her smile broadened, grew even softer still.

"I am not afraid of death, nor am I afraid of your Master. For all his supposed power, it would appear that He is the one who is afraid--

"Else he would not have imprisoned me here as he has, or would not be seeking his son as he so desperately does.

"I pity you both; there could be so much more for you, little imp."

With that she fell silent, letting her hands once more enfold themselves into a loose knot in front of her, her Glyph shining, every aspect of her being radiating calmness and serenity and yes, something approaching even love.

[ 07-04-2005 11:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

--------------------

“You thinks us evil!” he exclaimed. “Master tells me of this, this ‘evil’. I not knows really why, but he says folks from the light will thinks this. No, me nots evil. Master nots evil. I serves, I thinks, I feels, like you. Like him. He loves the son, loves him enough to make the big-big sacrifice to fix the universe. You should loves him, too, cuz the son is wanting to make the big-big just for you, not even knows that he saves us all. But not to worry none, cuz I knows where you go, with the son. Master does not know, only me knows how to play game of time, and all that is.”

--------------------

Other.

Swallowing then, she calmed herself.

So that is it, then....

"Games can have more than one ending, little one," she replied as she firmed her resolve, strengthened herself, softened her demeanor and took another step forward.

"But it is difficult to play the game when one does not know the rules of play; come now, be brave. I need no surprise, and I fear no death.

"Tell me the rules, the part I must play. For indeed are there games afoot, this I acquiesce. I merely deny the outcome being preordained. For, as some have said:

"Always in motion, the future is."

With that she stopped, casting a glance all about herself once more, before returning that gaze to the little imp in front of her. She held her arms out to it, beckoning it to come to her, as proof that she too believed it was not as evil as some would think.

Two sides to every coin, and there was always a Greater Picture after all.

--------------------

“So many things is happened to you,” it said through a grin. “I watches, I sees. Friends, lovers, enemies, sisters – how you do it all and not go loo-loo? Why you care about rules? Big big plans, they has, now all big big plans done. What left for lady? Dark ones, ones close to her, all gone. Dead, betrayed, or just up and left. What has she now?”

The imp moved a step closer.

“She has future,” it beamed. “She has knowing of big picture. Sith all thinking they are big big, Dark Lord this, Dark Lord that. Who wants ruling of galaxy now, who wants who dead, who care? Do Lady care?”

The imp tapped its clawed foot on the soft ground, a strange click coming from the impact.

“So, asks me, what she say? What left for Lady? Do Lady have paths in front of her to follow? What Lady want?”

--------------------

"My, but you do ask a lot of questions," she said softly, crooking her lip.

"Why do you wish to know so much about me?"

With that she began to move around the room, reaching out, sensing out, testing...

--------------------

The imp looked to the ground and smiled again.

“Cuz choices I can gives.”

--------------------

"Oh, I think not," she breathed, then dismissed the little demon for the moment. For what more could it possibly be other than a watchdog for the one who had entrapped her here? From prior experience she knew these demons were nothing but the embodiment of evil themselves, burst into creation whenever the merest of evil whims, the tiniest of evil actions, came into play in the dimension that she called home.

A thought struck, and she paused, turning back to the hideous little creature once again.

"Unless you are not what or who you appear to be," she finished firmly, staring into the imp's pupilless, red eyes for a long moment before closing her own and concentrating fully on her predicament once again.

[ 07-11-2005 03:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

--------------------

The imp backed a little, standing slightly straighter.

“Who appear I to be? Only imp? Only evil? Help it I cannot, looks are looks. You looks frail, pale, helpless, weak. One snap of bone and you breaks. But frail you are not, strongs and full of powers you are. So tell to me not of how I looks. Tell me instead what Lady wants.”

[ 07-25-2005 10:02 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

--------------------

They were anything but ignored, however, no matter how she appeared to be.

The quiet in the room stretched on, interminable seconds seeming to roll into minutes, into hours, perhaps days; how can one deduce time in a place where such simply does not exist?

"Yes, there is something I want," she finally said, breaking the silence and her immobility as she got quickly to her feet. She let her hands fall to her sides, and directed a calm, level look at the little fellow.

"I wish to be taken back to my compatriots, back to the ship from which I believe I was taken, before any of my friends come to harm in trying to rescue me.

"For I know they would do this for me, if they are able. However--"

She paused, her eyes slitting a bit as she considered further.

"Perhaps they too have been taken, and are being likewise held against their will; if this is the case, I wish to be taken to them, and then the lot of us freed back to our own dimension.

"But," she finished, unable to stop the small sigh that wafted from her lips.

"This is something you cannot give me, I fear. Neither choice is open to you, no matter what you say.

"Not if the one you call 'Master' is indeed that to you... for I believe it was he who brought me here."

For a moment she paused.

"But you can tell me why you persist so in trying to help me, in wanting to learn so much about me. Tell me why I am so important to you, I who have never met you before in my life other than mere moments ago."

--------------------

Occisor dragged himself through, fortunantly into the hall where he had left from, and shut the gateway, painfully slowly, feeling his now dead tail twitch and spasm, it's stinger now gracing the floor of the temple of the warriors.... along with the head of the same warrior who'd removed it.

--------------------

The imp did not wait to see if the Dark Lady comprehended, and continued.

“Master comes here from his land of light, where Sith come from. Same land of light as you. He wants power, he wants to live forever. He gets power, granted to him by Lord of this realm. But what Master not know is who Lord of this realm is, only what he wants. He wants son of Master – Phallymire. Son must come here, on own will, and take rule of this realm. Why? Me not knowing. But me do knowing Master failed. Master become master of time, moving back to here to make it better for him in future… is difficult, but true. Phally-mire also taken back, tricked. Too far back. Others take Phally-mire for dealings in land of light. False ideas, memories given. Phally-mire is toy, puppet on strings. But toy is not playing fair, not doing what intended anymore. Think false things in head are real, thinks lies in head are true. Toy is meant to come here, take rule of this land, not run all over time and be with Sith. So luring him, Master is. Taking advantage of false memories and feelings.”

The imp clicked in the back of its throat.

“So what me ask is how does Lady feel about Phally-mire, thinking if what I say is true? If his feelings for her are not being real, how cans they last? I gives Lady choice. I sends her home now, I takes Phally-mire. Master stops when he has son, Lady forgets about Phally-mire. This I do to save Lady… save her from pain of knowing son cannot love her.”

--------------------

Graysith closed her eyes, bowed her head, fighting against the instinctive rush of grief and pain the imp's words provoked within her.

Again.

Remaining absolutely still, she pondered what the little demon had said. Fought to find truth in what she believed in her heart of hearts to be lies....

Yet again. It was her fate.

But were they lies? Of what use were such words to her? What could be gained by the Master if she believed the demon, if she took it on its word and left the Darker Realms?

Phalomir would be gained.

But why?

Strange it seemed, to rule in a place of evil. Where Lord of Evil was indeed the hideous entity Entaris, aided now perhaps by Dark Lord Roan. Strange too, all this talk of false memories. How frail the mind, to be subject to the whims of others, to be warped and twisted and changed in a manner so subtle the owner should be unaware of it.

But such things were possible. Hadn't she seen this happen in her lifetime as the Chosen Daughter? Had she not herself used her powers to change the thinking of others, although perhaps in a manner more blatant?

Which then led to another truth, one she firmly believed in:

False thoughts might be introduced into one's mind... but once that mind continued interacting with life around it, those thoughts of course could in turn change. While Phalomir had indeed showed her puzzlement in some aspects of what he believed to be his past, he had never once swayed from the solidity of his feelings for her.

If they were false to begin with... certainly would they not now be as true as what she was feeling more and more strongly with each passing day? Surely there were some things that remained central to one's being, the ability to govern one's own continuing feelings being one of them...?

But what if this too was erroneous?

She bowed her head, opened her eyes, contemplated her hands which lay clasped together like quiet birds in front of her. Raised her head then, and stared the imp directly in the face.

"I take you up on the offer," she said evenly.

"Send me back into the realm of light, to my Adept and my friends. If the love for me by the one I care for most is nothing but purported, then I must divorce myself from it.

"I wish to do so quickly.

"Send me there -- now."

--------------------

“I sees what Lady wants,” it said flatly. “Lady wants all nicey-nicey things. Even when Phally-mire gives all to her, I watches. He takes loads of poodoo from Lady at beginning, still wantses her. He help fight beast, make big booboo and drive Lady insane, but takes madness into himselves. Still she give poodoo, but still he wantses her. He offered rule of more than he or Lady knows, he chooses love. He given Finger, knows it will makes him strongest of Sith-things, but chooses life with Lady who still give him nothing but poodoo.”

The imp extended a single claw towards Graysith.

“Whether you full of poodoo now, I not knowing. But we finds out. You tell Phally-mire youself that trade made. When he come, I lift Blood of Temple from you and you go through.”

The claw raked the space before the Lady, sending forth a shriek of pain that seemed to come from the very air. A dark slit appeared, growing in size until it filled a crack in the room nearly seven feet tall. Before the Dark Lady, in a gloom that rivaled the darkness of the cell she now occupied, stood a very startled Phalomir.

[ 08-06-2005 05:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

--------------------

Remained quiet yet as he moved to rush to her, nearby imps be damned.

Raised a hand to halt him in his tracks.

"I have been promised my freedom in exchange for you, Phalomir," she said, her voice calm and quiet and quite matter-of-fact.

"I wish to be with my friends, your father wishes you to be here. I have been told you harbor false memories; if this is true or not, I dare not linger to discover."

She paused, her eyes filling with what was in her heart. Quickly she masked the look, before the imp could see it. Calmly then, she went on.

"There has been too much pain for me; I wish the solace of my station and my adept, who I shall ask to remain with me in K'eel Doba as my advisor. The Warriors will be led by a Lady only, for there are none other who ever could be their Dark Lord."

With that she stiffened, and fell silent, strengthening her resolve to withstand what she was certain to follow.

Which, logic told her, was nothing more than the betrayal of the imp. Being what it was, how could it honor the promise it had made her?

This she realized fully, even as she turned to it.

"Remove the Blood from off me, that I may return to those I love..."

--------------------

Her words were not what he had expected to hear at all. This had to be some sort of ruse, lies to make him abandon his senses and come rushing in to save…

But that was what he had planned on doing, and if this was a ruse then it would have deflated that urge. Just as it had now done.

But no, this was not a thing he could accept. This could not be Jharmeen, it was another deception. Another doppelganger, this time set forth by the Master to make him abandon love for despair. He would not allow this ploy to work either, his life for hers indeed, but on HIS terms! The fire within him swelled, and even as he seemed to hear a strange gravelly voice shout it is done, he willed his body into action.

“NO!” he cried, diving for the tear in the fabric of space. As his legs pumped forward, his eyes caught the movement of a claw next to Jharmeen, the shimmering glow of a forming slit, and the dissipation of the red around her as she was shoved through the other portal.

Phalomir entered the dark room as the other portal began to close. His eyes sought the eyes of Jharmeen, the rage on his face turning instantly to doubt, then to shocked sorrow. All he could do was stand, his hand outstretched to Jharmeen, as the portals around him diminished.

--------------------

--------------------

“The son returns,” came a raspy voice from behind Phalomir. He lifted his head in response, not yet turning.

“He brings light to a darkened realm,” the voice continued. “He brings strength to a weakened land. Long have we waited for the return of the son, long have we struggled.”

Phalomir sighed and turned, the pain of loss now prevalent upon his face.

“What do you want of me, Mast--”

His words stopped with the surprising realization of who – or rather who was not -- standing in the room with him. Instead of the smug, towering form of the Master, Phalomir faced a small imp resting on its haunches.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“No-one of consequences,” croaked the imp. “Unless you wishes me to be. Choices I gives, no more, no less. You are here by your own will, as she has gone by hers. Surprising is the lady, no?”

--------------------

“This is a deception of some kind,” he growled. “The Master is a master only of lies, he has no real power. I am weary of his interference in my life, and I will destroy him and all associated with him, beginning with you, demon.”

Phalomir flung his hands out from his side, feeling the powerful magicks within him rising to his command. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the silent demon before him, envisioning the horrid flesh bursting into flame and charring to cinder. The thought brought Phalomir a sinister pleasure, and he prepared to leash out.

“That is what I had hoped you would bring with you, my son,” came the voice of the Master from behind. “Your anger permeates us all, it makes us stronger. Can you not feel it?”

Phalomir whirled to face the being he once called ‘father’. The magick was at its ready, and he felt it biting at his mind, wanting to be unleashed.

“I can feel the rage, the fire within you, my son,” the Master continued. “Let loose your fury, strike me down. I shall bring you only suffering and pain, you know this to be true. Do it, end the game and win your freedom!”

Phalomir wanted nothing more to oblige him, but something was not right. The Master needed to die, and Phalomir’s magicks were ready to the task, but yet some strange niggling in the back of his tortured mind held it back. His eyes still blazed, but the sneer on his face had turned to a look of uncertainty.

“Do it now, or I shall kill the human whore of the Sith whom you hold so dear and throw her body to Roan!”

Phalomir looked the Master directly into the eyes, and let loose with the fury of his magick. Bright red lightning flew from his fingertips, burning itself into the Master’s body. The Master’s head threw back in a long, loud scream that filled the small room and trembled the living walls. Phalomir felt as if his whole life force was in that blast, and every ounce of power was directed into the one purpose of destroying the Master.

The Master’s scream intensified, then broke, turning into several shorter blasts that became a cackle. He brought his head forward, showing his fangs in a toothy grin that brought Phalomir to a stop. The lightning subsided, leaving Phalomir standing in bewilderment in a cloud of smoke.

“You see,” said the Master, “hate is the strongest emotion of all. Could you not feel the power? You shall come to hate me as you have never hated before, my son. And you shall love me for it.”

Phalomir felt drained beyond comprehension, and even if he had heard the shuffle behind him in time, he could not have reacted quickly enough to avoid the blow from the small demon. As the world slipped away from him, his mind wrapped around thoughts of Jharmeen, mingled with the echoing laughter of the Master.

[ 08-09-2005 11:03 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

--------------------

He blinked a few more times, the fog lifting somewhat. His head still throbbed, and his mind felt like a blanket of mist had covered it. One of the shapes moved towards him, and he felt a hand press against his forehead. He became aware of a metallic taste in his mouth.

“Phalomir,” came a voice, sounding more distant that it should. “Awake, my son, there is much to discuss.”

Phalomir tried harder to focus, the whites of his eyes rolling about as he fought for control of his vision. He suddenly felt cold, and strained his sight on his arm. He followed it up to a blurry picture of his hand, seemingly tied to a tether. He flopped his head to the other side and saw the same image. He pulled upwards and felt something pulling at his feet and realized his legs were held open. He was being held in place, suspended upright inside some sort of frame, unable to move anything but his head.

He turned his attention to the shape before him. Blurred horns projected from the top of the shape.

“There is nothing to discuss,” he tried to say, but the words were slurred. He worked his jaw to try to clear up the lack of control.

“But there is,” the voice replied. “Jharmeen has forsaken you, trading herself for you. You see, she knows as well as I that you were not meant for her. I have tried to tell you, my son, the memories in your head are lies. They are falsehoods meant to lead you to a preordained end. Some are there to protect you, but most are there to steer you in a particular direction. I tried to save you, to bring you to power. But there were those who worked against us, stole you away from me for their own nefarious purposes.”

Phalomir blinked more. “What insanity are you speaking?”

“She does not love you, how could she? She is a human, my son. She is a tumor upon the flesh of the Sith. She has whored her way into power, using the lust that is inherent within our race to her advantage. She can no more love you than a stone that slips within your boot. She is a snake, a leech.”

Phalomir shook his head in large swoops. “I will not listen to your lies!”

“Search inside your heart, my son, but listen also to your head. She has bewitched you, but your mind holds the key. Listen to its reason! Think, my son. How long have you known her?”

“I have always known her,” he replied. “She was my wife, the mother of my son. My heir.”

“And when did you meet her?”

Phalomir stopped. The answer did not leap to him, and he frantically searched his memories. He recalled walks along the sand, picnics in the dark woods, carrying her in his arms across the steaming rocks of the geyser lands. He remembered passionate nights in their chambers, the birth of their son, and the roars from the crowds on the day they together introduced the infant to the Sith.

But he could not recall where he had met her.

“What have you done to me? What sorcery or drug has taken my mind from me?”

The shape before him seemed to turn and walk away.

“I shall leave you to think, my son. He comes soon, and we shall have much to discuss.”

Phalomir let his head fall, weariness pressing in on him. He closed his eyes and thought of Jharmeen.

Lovely Jharmeen. All he had lived for, all he had ever wanted in his life. The mother of his son, the child named…

Named…

A blankness came over him as he tried to now remember the name of his own son. He opened his eyes and stared at what he could only assume was the blurred image of the ground below him. He felt very tired.

Very tired indeed.

[ 08-14-2005 04:39 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

--------------------

But his arms would not move. He struggled to reach her, but his arms were pinned above him. A sharp pain shot through his lips, and Jharmeen pulled away with a broad grin than dripped blood. She backed up a few steps, posing her naked body in a provocative stance. She laughed as her eyes flashed red, the glyph on her forehead blurring and fading.

“You want this body, Phalomir,” she said seductively. “As all have wanted it. Get in line, my lord.”

She threw her head back and laughed, and in doing so transformed into a creature of pure black skin. Wings sprouted from her back, and long fangs grew from her mouth. She smiled again, and walked back to Phalomir. She brought her head close in again, and as Phalomir fought to pull away, a long forked tongue darted out. It licked its way from his chin to his bottom lip, picking up the trail of blood that ran down his face. The she-devil brought her head up to meet with Phalomir’s eyes.

“You belong here, my lord,” she said, her voice wafting softly across the short space. She pressed in, kissing his cheek, then moving her lips across his face until she breathed hot breath into his ears. “You are destined to rule here, my lord. We are your family, your servants. Rule us.”

The demon nibbled Phalomir’s ear, drawing blood, then moved to his neck. He fought his revulsion, wishing he could free his hands to repel the beast. She moved to his chest, leaving a trail of bite marks and bruises.

“Leave me!” Phalomir shouted. “My life belongs to one and only one, my love!”

The demon stopped, bringing her head slowly back to Phalomir’s.

“Then why did she abandon you, my lord? Why did she save herself to leave you with us? She knows she cannot use you to achieve more power, my lord. She has left you to your destiny. Feel for it, my lord, feel for your destiny. You know it to be true, He has waited for you. He shall come to us soon, and you shall give your body to him to save us all. You shall be invincible, more powerful than anything in this realm or any other. It takes only your consent, my lord, and it shall be so. Forget the whore, leave your false past buried.”

Phalomir stared at the demon, his eyes lost somewhere between disbelief and horror.

“Go away!” he shouted. “Return me to my love, or I swear upon my very heart I shall destroy you and all you know!” A streak of energy ran between his hands, but it died quickly. He felt suddenly drained once more.

The demon flinched but recovered in an instant. She smiled and backed away, blood dripping from her mouth.

“Think of her, my lord. Think of where you met. Let it come to you, and you shall see your destiny. In the meantime…”

The demon held her arms up, indicating the mass of shapes that until now had gone unnoticed. The dark shapes writhed and bobbed around her.

“Feed, my sisters.”

The shapes descended upon Phalomir, tongues lashing and licking all over his body. The touch of the barbed tongues was painful to the point of erotic. Phalomir fought the sensation, trying desperately to not yield to the desire of the demons. He threw his head back and roared, trying to draw on his magick to throw these she-devils from his body, but he was magically drained.

Soon, he was physically drained as well. The demons left him hanging where his was, dripping blood from the hundreds of small bite marks that ran across his body.

[ 08-14-2005 11:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

--------------------

How he longed to torment him, to mock him and his stupidity, but since his return he had been forbidden to speak, and as such became more and more hateful of this wretch who was given the opportunity to rule the realm.

--------------------

“Oh, my son,” he said softly. “What have they done to you? How could it have come to this? Why must your stubborn love for that tramp cloud your mind so? Release your grip on this foolish myth, my son, let her go. She can bring only pain to you, can’t you see this? Look into your heart, see what she has brought to you thus far. What is it? Love? Understanding? Devotion? No, my son, she has thwarted you at every turn, betrayed you, and left you alone in your most desperate hour.”

The Master stroked Phalomir’s head and brought his face closer.

“No, only I am here with you now. I do what I can to keep them away from you, but they know you are the chosen son. The vessel for Him. They know you are destined for greatness, and they fear what you shall become. You must accept your fate, open yourself to Him. All of your life you have prepared for this, every ability honed to accept Him into you. Fear Him not, my son. Take His power and save the galaxy. Save the Sith.”

Phalomir opened his eyes and stared deeply into the Master’s. A long moment passed, and Phalomir’s intense stare did not alter.

“Father…” Phalomir croaked faintly. The Master smiled and leaned even closer. Phalomir fought to bring words to his mouth, and settled instead on a spray of spit directly into the Master’s face. The Master drew back, matching Phalomir’s bloody smile with a grimace. He wiped the spray from his face and licked it from his fingers. The Master turned and left Phalomir to his labored laughter.

---

“Skarwael,” said the Master from behind the demon. It jumped and whirled.

“Phalomir must accept the Great One’s spirit of his own free will. There is no room within his mind for this, not with that wretched witch in his heart. Free him of this nonsense, convince him to forget her. If not through words, then through actions. Leave him intact, but break him down if need be.”

The Master grabbed the eager demon by the shortened tail.

“But do not be carried away, we need his body and his spirit whole.”

The Master released the Imp.