Private Along the Path of Giants

[Liliane]

Tag: Viers Connory

The Academy loomed over Jutrand like a jagged crown of stone and iron, its silhouette carving the sky in cruel, sharp angles. It had always been there, distant, towering, inescapable. For as long as she could remember, Liliane had known it only by rumour and shadow. The place where the worthy went to kill or be killed. The place she would never belong.

Until now.

She moved quietly across the vast antechamber, boots tapping lightly against the blackened marble floor. Around her, the air was thick with cold discipline, sermons of violence etched into every stone, every shattered monument to long-dead lords. She had come alone. Her crimson gaze lifted toward the far reaches of the vaulted ceiling, tracing the banners that hung like funeral cloths: symbols of war, blood and triumph. Once, they had terrified her. Now, they stirred something different, something she had only begun to feel since her talks with Darth Anathemous, and the wordless teachings of her Lady.

This thing that the Sith harnessed — this Dark Side — did not feel like a weight here. It moved around her. Through her. Not the crushing despair she had lived under all her life within Jutrand’s lower shadows, but a cold river she might one day command, if only she learned the shape of it.

She touched that awareness gently, like brushing her fingers across the surface of a blade. It was faint, uncertain, but it was hers now. Something she could reach for, instead of merely survive beneath. Liliane walked further into the heart of the Academy, passing training chambers lined with black-armoured initiates, instructors whose mere glances could peel back illusions. Every step was a lesson in restraint.

Move with purpose, not fear; exist, but not as prey.

Trust in the Empress.

The thought gave her spine the strength it needed to remain straight beneath the gaze of this harsh place. It was strange — deeply strange — to walk here not as a servant, not as a shadow, but as a student. A fledgling among predators. But she had come here to change the course of her very fate, so that perhaps one day — as Anathemous had told her — she may even conquer death itself.

 

[Viers Connory]

//: Liliane //:
//: Uniform //:

Classes were finished for the most part for Viers. She had taken a lighter load this semester with her time at the academy winding down. Time passed quickly, and while she was convinced this was all probably a dream, the girl enjoyed the time. She had learned new skills and was able to hone already known powers.

Still, she baffled the teachers as to why she didn't ever feel sith. In reality, the plucky Corellian was barred from being light or dark, but she didn't know why or any of her teachers.

No one bothered her as long as she remained loyal to the Empire.

It also helped that she was ranked 7th out of all the students that attended. She never bothered to climb, but she maintained her position. She found no use in becoming the best in her stature. In her mind, once they left the academy, none of it mattered. This was just a moment in time for her, a detour from her usual duties as a hunter.

Viers removed the hood, mask, and sword from her face and side and shoved them into her locker. She hated that part of the uniform; they added weight to her body that she wasn't used to having. The rest of the uniform flowed easily, reminding her of the simple silken tunic she wore at the monasteries.

She missed her life back then, but the times she had delved into the network, wanting to feel a connection to the others, she always found silence. Viers had been lost for decades, but it had only felt like a day or two. It was already difficult enough to wrap her mind around all of it, yet to think that everyone she knew was old or dead—that was too much. Viers kept it simple, letting her mind adjust and fill in the gaps.

For her, no time had passed except the four years that had been lost. Stopping, she looked towards the sky, the bits that poked through the high city skyline of Jutrand. She wondered what Lucy was doing and if she ever thought of the little monk. Sighing softly, Viers pushed the thoughts of her princess from her mind and continued down the long hallway.

Her footsteps muted as she watched a figure creep along the path. Whoever they were, their mind was lost to their thoughts, and Viers kept walking. No sounds from the stealth prodigy until she stood behind the cloaked figure.

"Hello! Are you lost?" Viers cheerfully inquired about the figure. She remembered when she was one of the newer students, wanting to watch her back at every turn. At Jutrand, it was kill or be killed if you tried to be powerful.

"I can help you find your dorm if you need it; I'm not here to kill you or anything - you're too small." Her attempt to disarm any worry was daft, but she tried.