Nolan was fighting a battle on two fronts, and he was losing both of them.
Blue crashed against green in a blur of motion, the weightless impact and resistance the hallmark of lightsaber combat. Disengaging with his opponent, Nolan slashed his blue lightsaber through the air, pushing his foe back to give him breathing room. The Twi'lek did not hesitate, leaping forward and batting aside the younger man's weapon. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the ancient, cavernous chamber. Each strike of blade against blade sending light flashing, illuminating text that had not been seen in countless centuries. Blocking a decapitating strike, Nolan was too slow to avoid the booted foot that slammed into his chin, sending him flying backwards.
The Shadows circled him, their laughter taunting him in his agony. They lashed out at him, invisible claws raking across his body, doubled over in the only light source in the pitch blackness of his mind. Every strike, every blow, and the light shrank further. Tears streamed down Nolan's face, aged and withered far beyond what it truly should have been.
"Give in to us." The first shadow spoke, its words slithering through the air, invisible claws carving across his back to emphasize it.
"We can save you." The second shadow said, its words falling across Nolan's shoulders, a weight he could not see or escape.
"Do you wish to die?" The final shadow said, a fresh flair of pain crossing his throat, sending Nolan into a spasming cry of agony.
Nolan slammed into the wall of the ruined temple, ruined marble crumbling around him. His eyes opened, so recently turned yellow, to see his former friend, his former instructor, marching towards him. Pushing himself to his feet, he leveled his blade before him. "Nolan, please, let it end. It's not too late." The soothing voice of Master Opal echoed in the ruined temple. For the briefest moment, the Twi'lek Jedi lowered his green lightsaber, his guard dipping as he offered Nolan one last chance, a chance to escape the torment. The agony would end, and all would be well again.
Nolan closed his eyes, preparing himself for the end.
"DO YOU WISH TO DIE?"
Nolan sat up, the claws tearing into his mental body withdrawing. He stared into the darkness, disturbed every few moments as the shadows that circled him began to descend on their target. Glowing red eyes centered in empty skulls gleamed in triumph as they moved in. They came to a stop, three points of a triangle surrounding the kneeling form before them. Finally, their chance had come. They would be free from this hell they had endured for so long.
The first shadow reached for Nolan, white claws extending from the shadowy form to wrap around the former Jedi's throat...
Nolan's hand shot out, grabbing the shadow's arm before him. The creature shrieked in rage and fear as Nolan dragged it towards him. Yellow eyes stared into crimson orbs, before Nolan opened his mouth. The shadow screamed as it was drawn in to the man's body, its cries echoing in the pitch black chamber that was his mind. He felt the claws of the other shadows raking across his back, but they meant nothing to him now.
He turned to face them, his wounds healing, his mind hardening, and his will renewed.
Nolan had closed his eyes, ready to meet his end at the hand of his old friend.
Darth Revellian opened his eyes.
The lightsaber strike descending towards his neck was deflected with a flick of his wrist. Shocked, Master Opal stumbled backwards as Revellian surged forward, a fury of strikes barely visible to the naked eye crashing against the Jedi on all sides. Sections of the wall were carved out by the lightsabers as they arced through the air, showering the two combatants in debris as they moved through the ruined temple once more.
Revellian deflected a final strike from the Jedi Master, before severing the mans hand with a quick slash. The Jedi did not cry out, the air knocked out of him a moment later as Revellian slammed his free hand into his chest, sending him flying backwards. The Awoken Sith Lord watched as the green lightsaber fell into the darkness of the bottomless pit that surrounded the temple they were in. Turning his head, he watched as the Jedi slowly pushed themselves to their feet, clutching the severed stump of their hand to their chest as they locked eyes with the Sith.
"It could have been different, Nolan." The words were barely out of the Twi'leks mouth before the blue lightsaber severed his head, sending it and its former body tumbling into the darkness after the lightsaber.
"No, it couldn't."
Blue crashed against green in a blur of motion, the weightless impact and resistance the hallmark of lightsaber combat. Disengaging with his opponent, Nolan slashed his blue lightsaber through the air, pushing his foe back to give him breathing room. The Twi'lek did not hesitate, leaping forward and batting aside the younger man's weapon. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the ancient, cavernous chamber. Each strike of blade against blade sending light flashing, illuminating text that had not been seen in countless centuries. Blocking a decapitating strike, Nolan was too slow to avoid the booted foot that slammed into his chin, sending him flying backwards.
The Shadows circled him, their laughter taunting him in his agony. They lashed out at him, invisible claws raking across his body, doubled over in the only light source in the pitch blackness of his mind. Every strike, every blow, and the light shrank further. Tears streamed down Nolan's face, aged and withered far beyond what it truly should have been.
"Give in to us." The first shadow spoke, its words slithering through the air, invisible claws carving across his back to emphasize it.
"We can save you." The second shadow said, its words falling across Nolan's shoulders, a weight he could not see or escape.
"Do you wish to die?" The final shadow said, a fresh flair of pain crossing his throat, sending Nolan into a spasming cry of agony.
Nolan slammed into the wall of the ruined temple, ruined marble crumbling around him. His eyes opened, so recently turned yellow, to see his former friend, his former instructor, marching towards him. Pushing himself to his feet, he leveled his blade before him. "Nolan, please, let it end. It's not too late." The soothing voice of Master Opal echoed in the ruined temple. For the briefest moment, the Twi'lek Jedi lowered his green lightsaber, his guard dipping as he offered Nolan one last chance, a chance to escape the torment. The agony would end, and all would be well again.
Nolan closed his eyes, preparing himself for the end.
"DO YOU WISH TO DIE?"
Nolan sat up, the claws tearing into his mental body withdrawing. He stared into the darkness, disturbed every few moments as the shadows that circled him began to descend on their target. Glowing red eyes centered in empty skulls gleamed in triumph as they moved in. They came to a stop, three points of a triangle surrounding the kneeling form before them. Finally, their chance had come. They would be free from this hell they had endured for so long.
The first shadow reached for Nolan, white claws extending from the shadowy form to wrap around the former Jedi's throat...
Nolan's hand shot out, grabbing the shadow's arm before him. The creature shrieked in rage and fear as Nolan dragged it towards him. Yellow eyes stared into crimson orbs, before Nolan opened his mouth. The shadow screamed as it was drawn in to the man's body, its cries echoing in the pitch black chamber that was his mind. He felt the claws of the other shadows raking across his back, but they meant nothing to him now.
He turned to face them, his wounds healing, his mind hardening, and his will renewed.
Nolan had closed his eyes, ready to meet his end at the hand of his old friend.
Darth Revellian opened his eyes.
The lightsaber strike descending towards his neck was deflected with a flick of his wrist. Shocked, Master Opal stumbled backwards as Revellian surged forward, a fury of strikes barely visible to the naked eye crashing against the Jedi on all sides. Sections of the wall were carved out by the lightsabers as they arced through the air, showering the two combatants in debris as they moved through the ruined temple once more.
Revellian deflected a final strike from the Jedi Master, before severing the mans hand with a quick slash. The Jedi did not cry out, the air knocked out of him a moment later as Revellian slammed his free hand into his chest, sending him flying backwards. The Awoken Sith Lord watched as the green lightsaber fell into the darkness of the bottomless pit that surrounded the temple they were in. Turning his head, he watched as the Jedi slowly pushed themselves to their feet, clutching the severed stump of their hand to their chest as they locked eyes with the Sith.
"It could have been different, Nolan." The words were barely out of the Twi'leks mouth before the blue lightsaber severed his head, sending it and its former body tumbling into the darkness after the lightsaber.
"No, it couldn't."