Aenigma

[Darth Abyss]

It was easy for Abyss to slip into Republic space, almost to easy. Not that it really mattered for the sith acolyte, he did not came to Umbara to fight against soldiers or tear down the local government. The only reason for him to be here was rumor he heard years ago.

A rumor about an ancient sith lord that remained hidden in the history of the galaxy,
a man of great power and knowledge, knowledge Abyss wanted to find. Darth Aenigma. Abyss had read trough every book and sources but the few mentions of the dark lords were dead ends. A dozen different sources suggested a dozen different planets to the question were Darth Aenigmas grave was build. He had given up to find the final resting place of the man long ago ... Until a few days ago.

As his father, Abyss was well known by those who sell and buy artifacts and relics of old times,
and it was not uncommon for him to receive messages about new found objects or dig sides that might interest him. Most of what people tried to sell him was garbage, useless trinkets that only the rich and decadent would be able to appreciate. Not this one: Abyss had meet his contact in run down bar on Nar Shaddaa, and after a few credits and drinks were exchanged he finally got what he came for. It was nothing more than notes on flimisplast, scribbles and notes without any order. The sith only had to skip over the notes to know that this was not a trick. What he had Jjust bought was the answer on how to find the Darth Aenigmas grave. According to his contact, these notes were what was left of the work of a historian who took it on himself to discover the secrets by following the hints the Dark lord
left behind. One day the man disappeared and was never heard or seen again. Since then most of host colleagues stepped down from further investigating the topic.

Abyss was sitting on the ground, a variety of books and notes scattered around him. He had followed the coordinates on the notes exactly but all that was there was the ruin of a small building. The design of the ruin was not that of a sith tomb, looking more like a place were the jedi would gather to meditate about the light. Behind a smashed fountain, in front of a mosaic on the groun was a stone plate, telling the rules those who lived there followed with words graved in stone:

"1. To see the secrets of the light, one has to remain silent and static, both in body and mind."
"2. Only these who know their place will find true enlightenment."
"3. These who......"

The following rules were weathered and unreadable, all besides the last one. It took Abyss a moment to realizes what was strange about the last sentence in the stone. Other than the rules before it was not written in basic. At least not entirely. Some of the words were weird combinations of sith, basic and serveral other languages he had no knowledge about. With the help of the books he had brought to the place, the sith was able to slowly translate the words, placing the puzzle together he came to solve. He was disappointed when he finally finished his work, just to see that the dark lord did hide one riddle in another:

"9. To know what was forgotten by the galaxy, you need to trust the enemy."

He was unsure what the words meant, reading trough the books and notes around him, looking for an answer in what Darth Aenigma left behind. His mind was completely focused on the riddle, unable to sense that another presence was on the way to seek the same knowledge he desired with all his passion.

[member="Kai Arias"]

 

[Kai Acheron]

Nearly twelve years had passed since Kai last voyaged through the Ghost Nebula, his engrams still scarred by the vivid memories that had lurked beneath the experience. He’d come with a mission, left to explore alone by his master at the time on a solo assignment. No light escaped the region — he’d been forewarned about the stellar phenomenon, with the area bearing only natural ultraviolet radiation. Something that most humanoid species were incapable of witnessing with the naked eye. Oh how he wished that were true, and both of his parents were human. It had been nearly as bad as his stay on Tatooine, with his vision scorched by the blazing twin suns.

He’d since learned to accommodate the weakness, after treading through the Silent Desert of Tython blindfolded and later developing a purpose-built set of goggles to inhibit his sight. Like most everything else the apprentice had learned through the years, it came with a cost. His senses, or at least his own view would be dulled to the point that he’d have little to no peripheral vision. Things would be hazy in the perspective at best.

As his ship set down upon the planet, which lurked in a permanent state of twilight, Kai found himself donning an extra layer of protective garments than he typically wore, in addition to the goggles. The exterior was dense, foggy even. Difficult to see more than a few meters in front of you, if you were lucky — and that was with infrared filters. Aeons ago the Sith had used the world as a place of learning and conquest, or so the texts claimed. He’d never personally bothered venturing beyond the vast cave networks that littered the layer beneath the thick earthen surface. Even worse, he had little desire to go back into the place, having encountered a Terentatek the first time he was there, narrowly escaping with his life. Nearly a decade later Kai had wandered upon a duo of the creatures on Ossus, managing to slay them with the assistance of a Jedi master — one of the view non-hostile engagements he’d personally experienced with the order while he was alone.

It was perhaps a bit ridiculous to think that all of the cultists were adamantly behind the philosophies that their religions preached. As with any group, there were always outliers. Sometimes even exiles. He’d yet to have crossed paths with any. Considering his own stance with the Jen’saarai, that was a bit of a stretch. Not banished, yet also not welcome. Due to their own rarity, and near extinction they couldn’t afford to turn away any of their own. Not completely. There was always knowledge to be passed down, and secrets to carry on.

Scoffing at the matter, he stepped off the outer staircase that rescinded back into the Defender’s Errant. Mysteries of the Force were exactly the reason he was here, on this begotten planet. Whether by the draw of eldritch masteries or otherwise, Kai had once more found himself wandering the labyrinth of fog. Sometimes he could sense that he was being stalked — it was a safe assumption, given you never really knew what lurked just beyond the gloomy haze. All he had to go on was a contact, and a set of coordinates based off the positioning system rendered by his ship.

Eight hours had passed before the blip on his heads-up display radiated potently enough to indicate that he was in the spot. Ruins, though very little was left of it. A wisp of mildewy air breached his nostrils, ignored by the fact that he witnessed a disturbance against the dust. Someone had been here recently. Or quite possibly was even now. Nearing the outer columns that supported what remained of the walls, he could visualize etchings across them. Ones that found themselves burnt in a different spectrum, likely invisible to the naked eye. It wasn’t Aurebesh. Had he been able to get a closer look, Kai might have interpreted them as Kittât, or perhaps Massassi. Due to the weathering it was difficult to analyze, though it had been clear he was in what could be considered a sacred shrine.

“What the kark?” he whispered underneath his voice, abruptly turning about as auditory glances vibrated off his eardrum. Footsteps. Someone was here. His rightmost hand immediately jumped to the ready for his Lignan saber, unholstering it for to defend himself if needed.

____

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss was focused on the book in his hands, as he wandered trough the ruin aimlessly, hoping that the walls around him or the words in his hand would show give him the answer he was looking for. He had not even heard the footsteps of the man that entered the shrine after him, his mind was completely controlled by his wish to solve this puzzle. The muttered words sounded like an echo from far away, slowly getting closer as the siths mind slipped out of the trance like state his search put him in. It was like he had just awoken, suddenly the sith was fully aware of surrounding, feeling the unknown presence in close proximity. He reaches for his lightsaber, walking around as quietly as possible to find the source of the presence. The ruins were not spacious enough to miss another person in it, so it only took the sith a few moments to spot the other man. At first he thought that whoever came here would have to be a jedi, but both the presence and the attire of the unknown man suggested otherwise. The force that flowed trough him was neither that of light or dark, but that of someone who followed the path of the twilight. Abyss had meet witches before, grey jedi and untrained forces users that all wandered between light and dark, but the man was different. It was a guess, but the armor and presence suggests allegiance to a old and rare cult, one that was rarely mentioned by the books he read.

"What's your bushiness here Jen’saarai?"

His lightsaber was still in his hand, but it was not activated yet. Other than most sith, Abyss did hold an interest in the other force cults besides the jedi and the sith, as the techniques and philosophical ideals of them allowed him to learn about the force from another viewpoint.

"This place belongs to the sith, so I would advise you to not interfere with my work."

[member="Kai Arias"]

 

[Kai Acheron]

Instincts paying off for once, Kai found himself immediately pacing the outermost ring of the ruin as a wave of words questioned his presence. Umbara was known for its spectres and phantoms, ones thought to be a living part of the force albeit long since forgotten. The dark figure at the centre of the remains of the building that had once stood proudly hear wasn’t of ethereal nature, however. It was also armed, which the apprentice took quick to note.

Circling around, keeping his distance, he hid a scowl beneath the surface of his goggles, glowering down. Questioning a Jedi would have been one thing. Knowing of the existence of an order that was all but gone was something entirely different. Jen’saarai were beings of myth to most these days, all but forgotten and thought to be a story that masters told of the danger that lurked on discarding the vigilance of other cults beliefs. The Sith tended to be the worst in that respect, from what he’d witnessed and read. It was only fair, given his society’s origins.

“If you knew anything about the Jen’saarai, then you would know they’re nothing more than a folks tale. You’d also know that their roots came from what are considered to be the most pure of Sith in origin, down to the very language. Try finding someone else better at deciphering High Sith or Massassi, that’s still alive.” Alternate hand at the ready, he raised in a claw like manner, ready to protect himself if necessary. “I have my own reasons for being here, every bit as legitimate as yours.” It was atypical for Kai to snap in such a manner, but the hostility that lingered in the air was not one of resentment between the two, but that of a warning. For the other to tread carefully — something both of them had shared with one another. A courtesy often forgotten, since the state of chaos broke out in the galaxy.

It had lost what little remained of his people their home, now living aboard a massive vessel that bore some twisted cross between a capital ship and a star base. Fitting in a sense, given it was constantly on the move, lurking in the deepest recesses of the corners of the galaxy. Where everyone dared not tread, or simply failed to recall about because it didn’t appear on many star charts. That, and the dangers that lurked beyond the furthest ring of stars. Failure to navigate in one direction would result in being lost forever, with no point of reference to find their way home. Lost, amidst an endless void of blackness.


______

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"You can't fool me Jen'saarai. Not many could find this place, and you are no sith. You are no grey jedi, no dark jedi and not a follower of the way of the nightsisters. The only reason you were able to find this place was because you searched for hidden knowledge ... a hidden truth."

Abyss watched the other man carefully, ready to draw his weapon if he should make an attempt to attack him. He had no intention to make the first move, his search was far to important to waste time by fighting an unknown opponent that followed a force tradition he had barley any knowledge about. Also the man could be useful. Abyss disagreed with his understanding of what was considered "true sith" yet he knew that the Jen'saarai were knowledgeable about the ancient languages. While the dark council might hold individuals that were more skilled in the old tongue than even the Jen'saarai, Abyss sith was still fragmentary.

"I am not here to fight Jen'saarai."

The young acolyte hangs his weapon back on his belt, showing the man his now empty hands. He knew that the Jen'saarai could still attack him, but it was worth the risk if he could continue his work without a fight. While he had no sympathy for the followers of the twilight, he also didn't perceived them as enemys. The man could help him with finding the knowledge he seeked, if he could bring him to from a temporary alliance with the sith.

"Do you have any knowledge what this place is Jen'saarai? Or has fate brought you here?"

[member="Kai Arias"]

 

[Kai Acheron]

Studying his opponent with scrutiny unmatched, Kai paced for a moment before holstering the lightsaber that had naturally found its way into his hand. “Umbara is on the star charts, and while navigating the Ghost Nebula is no easy task, it’s not unheard of…” the man droned off, a sense of distaste lingering within his voice. The hostility had faded, but it was clear that there would be no immediate display of trust while the two were near one another. Or encountered at all, for that matter.

“Funny. Because that’s all the Sith really seem to do these days. No better than the Jedi.” Re-centering the focus of his goggles, the blade warden paused before making a step forward with caution and hesitation. In fairness, the counterpart hadn’t attacked him yet, however the other cults weren’t known for their fairness. Or honor, for that matter. One of the few things that set his beliefs apart. If they saw an opening, they used it.

It was with disparity that he found his way towards the pillar that guarded the nearby pool that had perhaps once been a fountain. Maybe a shrine, or reflecting glass. “I’ve only been to Umbara once before. This ruin, however, was not amongst my odyssey. The caves far below us, however…” Looking up with a smirk on his face, disdained with a great degree of gloom upon his eyes. “Another story entirely.”

Tracing his fingers across the pillar, Kai paused momentarily about halfway where the etching had since faded. His efforts had only been half focused, the remaining attention diverted to the awareness of the man behind him, should he decide to use his distraction to an advantage. Satisfied, for at least the bare moment, he continued, until he had poured through once more. Repeating the very same effort, in full, yet another pause broke the silence.

“Tik pro vik’dytae j’us ss’hornuas stotikas sekleti tu’saen xauti tauve qo,” the Jen’saarai spoke aloud, whispering it to himself and reflecting upon it. Speaking up to clarify the translation, he bit his lip. “Only through honoring your ancestral origins shall one find the path.”


______
[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The young sith watched the other man with a mix of curiosity and distrust as he examined the words carved into the stone. He had the piece of flimsiplast he used to translate and note the words on the plate in his hand, writing down the words of the Jen'saarai as he spoke. Even with what he had just written down, Abyss was not entirely sure what Darth Aenigma meant with his riddle. After all the man was a ancient dark lord, so the finding the right answer was possible a trap to kill those who managed to get close to his secrets. Someone who made a great effort to vanish from the galaxies history would not simply protect his grave with such a simple riddle, would he? Or was the answer so simple, so obvious that those who searched for it would reject the possibility of it being the right one?

"I think whatever is below is will only open if one of us meditates on the mosaic while following the rules of this place."

The words were spoken reluctantly, but Abyss knew that the Jen'saaria would stand a better chance than him to open the grave, as part of Aenigmas riddle involved meditating on the light. Also should the dark lords riddle just be an elaborate trap, it would hit the other man, allowing the sith to get closer to the truth without risking his own life.

"You are better suited for this Jen'saaria, my ability to connect with the light is ... Limited. "

Abyss knew that if the other man was smart, he had already figured out that whatever was hidden underneath this place could be a trap. The little interaction he had with the man suggested that the Jen'saaria had no clue what he stumbled on, and Abyss had no interest in telling him as long there was no other way to find the knowledge he so deeply desired.

[member="Kai Arias"]

 

[Kai Acheron]

A wary gaze met the words of the Sith, eyes lingering for a moment. “It’s never as simple as meditating with these sorts of excursions. If I’ve learned one thing when traipsing into ruins, it’s that nothing is ever what it appears to be.” Looking back down across the stone tablet that held the engravings upon it, the blade warden ran his hands along it once more, searching for any further clues. No hidden notches or levers that he could detect, but such a discovery wasn’t particularly surprising.

Rudimentary defenses weren’t the sort of emplacement one would expect in a shrine dedicated to the force. Particularly so for one that could be considered an extremist religion. Learning through pain, and the hard route. Smirking as the follow-up statement reached his audible distance, Kai cackled for all but a brief second. “And you think someone that walks the Grey is any better?” Rolling his eyes, he returned his attention.

“There are more commonalities than our language that our ancestral backgrounds share. Sacrifice is one of them,” the Jen’saarai acknowledged, procuring a minute blade from his pocket. Slicing down the inner top-most portion of his index finger, before the crease he smeared blood onto the pedestal laid before him. Not quite satisfied, he replaced the knife into his pocket once more, and kneeled.

An eery silence fell about him, with no hint as to what his meditations were reflecting, save for a vague shimmer of translucent energy surrounding him. A defensive field of some sort, drawn from the force, erected by the man just in case the institution went awry. Kai sat still, reflecting quietly for nearly twenty minutes before any sign of movement found its way about his body, save for the ever-faint crackling of silver encompassing his figure.


[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss observed as the man kneeled on the ground, eager to see if he had found the solution to open the grave. The minutes passed by, and the patience of the acolyte slowly started to fade. Maybe he was wrong and the answer that would open the grave was hidden in the long unreadable remains of words carved into stone. He had stayed silent for the whole 20 minutes the Jen'saarai meditated, his mind wandering trough the force in the hope to hear an echo of what the dark lord left behind. After a few more minutes Abyss was about to give up, convinced that whatever was hidden here was forever lost to the galaxy. With slow steps he walked towards the Jen'saarai to tell him to leave this rotten place, the frustration inside him slowly forming a burning desire to shred the shrine and the ruins around it into pieces.

As he stood above the man he could suddenly feel it. It was a slight shift in the force, almost unnoticeable for those who did not knew how to listen to the echoes that haunted the cold, dead stones around them. Something had happened, the door was still closed, but whatever was guarding it had heard them knock.

"Seekers of the truth, welcome. I am Darth Aenigma, but I figure you already know that. I know why you here, but I am sorry to disappoint you. The only ones that found their final rest here are those who seeked my knowledge."

The words echoed in the force followed by a laugh that lacked any amusement, inhuman almost demonic in its nature. The door they just knocked on, was kicked in by blast of dark energy. Abyss could feel the power around him, but before he could react the ground he stood on crumbled under him, dragging the sith and the Jen'saarai down into the darkness.

Abyss opened his eyes, his vision was blurry and his head hurt, but he forced himself to rise from the ground. The cave was dark, only illuminated by a red glow that was emitted by a red mosaic embed in the ground. The rubble that fell down with him was gone, so was the hole he just fell trough. The acolyte ignites his lightsaber to light the area, looking around to find out if the other man survived the fall.

[member="Kai Arias"]

 

[Kai Acheron]

Even as he meditated, Kai had been thoughtful upon his past experiences delving into the ruins of locations known to be attuned with the Force. Most were derelict. Nearly all of them were dangerous. If there was one tenet shared between the Jedi and Sith that littered the galaxy, was their uncanny similarity in leaving behind ‘lessons’ for future explorers. Some were more direct than others, but very few of them were forward in nature and required the use of your brain. More than that, it wasn’t as simple as pushing a button or slicing a terminal to open a door.

For the time in which he kneeled reflectively, silence had filled into the reach between the Jen’saarai and his counterpart, a growing tension of impatience and flare of anger could be sensed faintly. Unsurprising, though the man couldn’t blame the other. Had it been him ten years ago, Kai would have likely been in the very same situation with not all that different a reaction. Patience wasn’t his strongest suit of cards, and were it not for this being a practiced experience for him, he wouldn’t have treated it with the respect due.

The pondering reflections didn’t save him any, however, from the blast of dark energy that had thrown itself around the two. Absorbing the blunt of the force, the protective field around him dissipated in a groaning crackle, pushing Kai backwards just as the floor caved below them. As he fell, little was visible around him, and uncertain of what lurked below or if there was even stable footing, tracing thoughts of what to do fleeted through his mind. What he would have given for a jetpack, bulky as it was. Granted, this would have been one of only a handful of times it would be useful.

Crashing into the ground, the unsettling crunch of his boots pulverized the stone floor below him, leaving branching splinters of pebbles everywhere. Wonderful. Those were going to be next to impossible to repair, and he’d be lucky if he got out of here without any injuries. All of a half minute passed before the telltale frequency of a lightsaber igniting blared through his ears, prompting him to do the same with his own twins. Shrouded between a vermillion and sea green ambience, he waited before tossing a remark. “Your turn, Sith. That mosaic doesn’t look as if it will accept anyone less than someone walking the line purely of the dark side.”

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss eyes wandered trough the darkness until he could see the two blades of light wielded by the Jen'saarai. He still felt slightly disoriented and confused from the fall, but when he heard the words of the man his focus returned in a split second. With slow paced steps the acolyte walked towards the red glowing pieces of glass in the ground, ready to react any moment should this be just another trap. Every step that brought him closer revealed a little bit more of the dark energy that pulsated trough the cave. With a deep breath the sith sets his foot on the red mosaic. The second he touched the ground he could feel darkness flowing trough him like electricity. Abyss slowly sits on the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes to meditate. As his master told him he tried to focus on the fire of passion inside him that was fueled by the energy of the place.

With every minute he could feel the power grow inside him until his body felt like it was about to burst. Suddenly he could not hold the power back, as he released it into the mosaic in from of a telekinetic blast followed with a scream of frustration. To his surprise the mosaic wasn't broken, not even slightly damaged. Instead the glow inside the glass became brighter and brighter.

A flash of red light. For a few seconds Abyss was blind. When he finally opened his eyes the room had changed: The darkness was gone, replaced by the glow of mosaics embed in the walls. Once again he could hear a voice in the force, not just whisper like before, but a shout so loud and clear as if spoke by Abyss himself.

"Ahhh truthseekers. I am pleased to note that you are still alive. Allow me to tell you a little bit about this place before you join me in the eternal darkness."

There was pause, the words slowly fading from the force, before Abyss could hear the ancient sith Lord talk to them from beyond the grave again.

"This was once the place that should have been my grave. But as you might noticed the security measures I installed are ... not perfect. So I decided this should become a grave for those who seek my power."

Once again Abyss could hear the demonic laugh of the long death sith, while the mosaics in the walls started to become brighter, changing colors into a variety of reds, blues and greens.

"Do not worry brave seekers you don't have to die ... yet. But remember the only options are success or death.
Riddle me this: Those who can see are blind to what the blind can see, there has to be darkness were the light will be."

With a sudden sound the walls opend for a second, releasing several skeletons on the ground shrouded both in robes of sith and jedi and very few even in clothes the sith could not place. The mosaic slowly start to move towards one point in the center of the cave.

[member="Kai Arias"]

 

[Kai Acheron]

Mildly unsettled by the radiating light within the chamber, Kai held his stance, continuing to recuperate his energy and ensure there were no lasting injuries from the fall. His greaves had seen better days, but at least the man had survived intact…mostly, at least. There was but little hesitation when he saw the mosaic flash across the brilliant ruby spectrum, blinded by the sheer force of the light, allowing his secondary eyelids to adapt and overcome the sudden shift in illumination. Peering into the darkness, for once he was thankful for his heritage — a trait he couldn’t often say was the case it was beneficial. More often than not he found trouble in the corners of the galaxy, despite his human appearance.

Technology had advanced, and with it the screening measures. But still, at times one had only to remember that diversity was one of the best options to overcoming the pitfalls where others struggled. He hoped such would be a case here, meshed alongside a Sith. A cult he wasn’t particularly fond of, but at least for the time being they weren’t openly hostile towards one another. Untrusting still, most certainly, but their lightsabers had only been drawn for illumination rather than what could have easily been expected as a duel amongst each other.

Pouring over the voice’s choice of words, he nigh inaudibly sighed, pacing as he eased himself upwards to his full height once more. Armor permitted less maneuverability than did robes, but at least it shielded him from what could have been a disastrous event, and he had no doubt within his mind that despite the current state of it, it would continue to offer shelter. In some form, or another. Still, he knew in the back of his mind that treading forward would need to be done carefully. And cautiously. Outstanding vigilance, as his previous master had always warned him.

The blind cannot see anything, Kai reflected inwardly. Unless the voice meant the Miraluka, which were inherently blind, though had the ability to see beyond in other spectrums. The force, if the legends were true. Perhaps auras. Darkness couldn’t exist without the light, either. Both were necessary. He wondered if the voice was simply leading into the fact that they couldn’t progress alone, and would need to rely on each other.

Pausing, he scanned the faint distance as the walls extruded an opening, releasing the previous victims of the shrine. Jarring, but not unexpected. But also grouped alone, and separated. No doubt a hint towards their next trial. “I’m not the best with riddles, but I’d wager a fair bet that we need to work together. Much as our kind might look ill upon it.”



[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss was puzzled about this new riddle, as the were multi possible answers. He looked over at the other man, the question in his face was clearly obvious. With no idea what to do, Abyss watched as the glowing mosaics moved closer together until they would combine into one bright light. It was almost to obvious that they were a vital part of this riddle to be true. Still he had to do something because he guessed that they were not only part of the riddle but a visual representation of the time they had left to solve it.

He took a few step to his side, touching one of the jedi robes. The echo in the force was calm and peaceful like a little river in a mountain. His hand moved down over the cloth until it reached the cold dead bone under it. Suddenly the feeling of peace was gone, replaced with a corrupted scream born of hate an anger. That was it. What the blind can see. Or at least those who are sensitive to the force. Without words he began to collect the bones from inside the robe, moving towards the point were he assumed that the lights would meet.

"The robes are just disguises, you need to feel the bones within the force. Bring all darksiders over here."

What would have he given to have a miraluka with him right now, that could had solved the whole riddle in a few seconds. As it was they had to rush, finding all darksiders before the light would meet. He moved away to another skeleton, grabbing the bones under its black robe and dragging it to the light.

[member="Kai Arias"]