BOOK OF THE PYRE
On the Nature of Fire
The work is exhausting. I retire from the heat of the forge to close my eyes in rest, only for the stinging smoke to return in my dreams. I see faces when I sleep- the Sith Eternal on Kesh, the Bryn'adul. Raef. The Twice-Emperor. Haxim and Thesh. Maliphant. The Ring. The flames. I awake. I return to the forge.
About a month ago, I became sick. My mind had become nothing but The Ring. My thoughts, always of its creation, destiny, flaws, perfection, obsession. An illness had begun, which could only impede my work and growth. To combat this, the Tnikatah insisted I begin to train with them in Kro Var Fire Shaping. I resisted their entreaties, but the matter was not put up for debate.
I have discovered Fire Shaping to be an enjoyable pastime, and my health has more than improved- my body seems stronger than it's ever been. The Shamans of Kro Var saw the Force as a means with which to commune with the elements, and the various disciplines are viewed as counterparts. But only Fire Shaping reaches out to the Force to ignite an exothermic reaction where previously none existed. The other schools of Shaping merely use specialized telekinesis to manipulate a dedicated form of preexisting matter. Fire is not matter. Fire is the realization of potential energy, the release of stored power inside a combustible fuel.
Fire is the blaze of a blasterbolt that transforms a young soldier into a corpse in less time than it takes to blink. Fire is the heat of a thousand stars, nourishing life on thousands of planets and moons across the galaxy. Fire is the mark of a slaver's brand that persists for decades after its placement. Fire is the volcanic destruction that makes way for new life and ecosystems, and in doing so dooms entire species and cultures to extinction.
I believe I have begun to understand why I have always been drawn to flames, and where my gift in pyrokinesis is rooted. The Path of the Sith is a path of flame; the release of stored power in a violent and dangerous reaction that can be a most useful tool if handled properly. (A brief aside: on the topic of the idiot heretics of the Maw... if handled properly is the relevant qualifying phrase.)
This is why those who seek the strength to enact vengeance and change are drawn to the Dark Side; because the pull of the Bogan does two things- it gives the initiate a glimpse of their own potential, and triggers the realization of that potential. Like a single detonator going off in an industrial plant, one explosion leads to another, the fire accelerating, growing in heat and expulsion of force. The Jedi follow the Tyrant Destiny, serve at its pleasure, and wield its power as extensions of its tyranny. Meanwhile, a Sith's power is fully his own.
If I am to be a Knight of the Sith, I must realize my own potential. My growth is not the rapid detonation of an explosive, it never has been. I have had to nurture my own fire in small increments to keep it alive. But the birth of a star is not a quick and brilliant flash of flame, either. It is a smoldering glow that expands its reach and power over millennia... and so shall I.
I return now to the forge. The Ring draws nearer to completion each day. The time fast approaches when we will be done hiding in the shadows. Very soon, the Eastern Systems are going to catch fire.
