Monstrous Reflections

[Xilo Gale]

Finally after everything else that goes on in the galaxy, with the constant wars, and who knows what else Xilo has returned. Returned to the place where he had started over. Started over by killing his first jedi and slaughtering his best friend in cold blood. Standing on the hill overlooking the rolling planes of the Naboo countryside Xilo breathed in a large breath of air and upon release he felt a cold shiver retreat down his spine. There it was... His old home, the home where his father had kept him locked away and tortured him from his childhood till he had grown into a man. A man that had became the end of his father. Yet even knowing that the man was dead Xilo feared the house. He felt a darkside aura radiating from it with such an intensity that he felt it across the hills. All the horrors he had seen down in the lab, the wild animals that had been tortured, his own mothers preserved corpse. The memories were like a fresh wound that had been reopened just by being near the house.

A cold sweat began to pour down his brow as he looked at the house. The memories bombarding him all at once, the pain of being constantly electrocuted by his fathers use of lightning. Being cut open and then healed back together on a daily basis or even being slammed around the cell by his fathers use of the force. The physical scars that remained even seemed to ache as the memories played through Xilo’s head.

No... Fear is meant to be used for power! Not against you! Xilo reminded himself as he broke the trance and shook his head. The fear would make him stronger, would give him the strength he needed to confront his demons. To figure out his fathers true goal. Why had he needed a new vessel? Why Xilo out of everyone else in the galaxy. His own son.

 

[Xilo Gale]

Standing at the doorstep Xilo felt his breathing grow labored as the darkside of the force threatened to engulf him. The house was literally steeped in it after all the experiments that had taken place in the home it wasn’t surprising. Hang lingerring over the door knob Xilo struggled to open the door. He had no clue what he would find, maybe everything had been taken and destroyed or put into lock up by the local law enforcement... But that would be impossible since Quell and the jedi were the only ones who knew about it... And all of them were dead.

Battling the chill in his body, the urge yelling at him to run Xilo opened the door to be bombarded with nothing but stale air. Death almost seemed to float on it. The house was just as he had left it months ago, except for the excessive build up of dust and cobwebs that covered the furniture. Closing the door as he crossed the threshold Xilo felt a chill retreat down my spine once again and almost a faint voice calling him deeper into the home. Crossing the living room he saw the picture of his mother and... Jaken holding him while he was still a newborn. His mother looked down at him like he was the apple of her eye yet his father had a different look. A look of hunger and excitement. From the picture no one would have ever guessed what Jaken truly had planned or had done in his free time. IT was all a big lie, Xilo had been born as nothing but a vessel, a way to extend Jaken's life and he didn't hide it during the years he kept Xilo captive. Reaching up Xilo knocked the picture down so he wouldn't have to see it again and he made his way for Jaken's lab.

 

[Xilo Gale]

There it was still open as Xilo had left it when he had first made his escape. The long winding staircase that was pitch black almost seeming as if it would absorb him. Yet from the depths the smell of corpses made Xilo’s eyes start to water due to the overpowering scent. It was obvious no one had been here in the meantime. So he descended the staircase. Into following the stairs by keeping one hand placed upon the wall to guide him. It felt almost as if the doors would trap him between them, but up ahead he saw the bluish glow of his fathers lab... He was here.

Entering the lab the strong was stronger then ever, and Xilo now knew what it came from though he always had the suspicion. Jaken had been experimenting and torturing animals as well, but without him there they had starved to death inside their cells. Flys still hovered around the decayed bodies. It was sickening. Continuing past them Xilo came across his cell. The seven by seven foot cell that he had been held captive in for years. Dried blood was still caked on the walls and burn marks from when Jaken’s lightning had went wild scorched the floor. Holding onto the wall as a wave of dizziness filled him Xilo almost through up as the memories assaulted him. But he had to push on, and he did. Past the cell and onwards into the lab where the operating table lay. Blood was caked upon the operation table as well, but other then that the rest of the lab was pristine. Besides the dust that had built up of course.

 

[Xilo Gale]

Then almost calling out to him from across the room was what looked like a ordinary journal. It sat upon an empty desk all by itself besides a feather and a bottle of ink. The cover felt like some kind of leather, but much thicker. As his hand glided over it goosebumps appeared on Xilo's obsidian skin. His eyes widened as just touching it reminded him of his father. It was almost like Jaken was there again breathing down Xilo's neck. Pushing for him to open the book to read what secrets Jaken had kept hidden from his family. Even the temperature seemed to have dropped by a large degree. Breathing outwards Xilo's breath left a mist behind. But there was no more time to waste. Grabbing the cover Xilo opened the book to the first page where he was welcomed by a paragraph with no specific date telling when it was written.

Its finally happened! I have been welcomed into the leagues of the Sith. No longer would I be a meager slave running and fetching water for them. No longer would they use me as their toy or tease me... No I am finally one of the elite. Of course I am older then most apprentices, but they made an exception for me... Maybe it was after I showed one of those accursed Red skinned bastards just how mortal they were. Just because they're of pure blood does not put them above me. They are as mortal as I am. They bleed, they eat, and they need to breathe just like me. Or maybe it was after I proved myself capable of using what they call the force as I killed my father... He was weak, he had no clue what power was. He was more then content with his life working as a slave beneath the Sith. Not me, I took fate into my own hands. Hahaha Oh the way my father struggled as I used the force to choke him. It was brilliant, exciting, breathtaking. Everything I could've wished for and more. Now I start a new chapter in my life. A chapter where I take charge of my own destiny.

 

[Xilo Gale]

...Red skinned, Sith? Just what was his father rambling on about? Brow furrowed as he read the first page of the journal, Xilo scratched his stark white hair. Just what was his father talking about? Sith purebloods? Biting his lip Xilo took a seat turning on the light that sat just above the desk. Of course he could just take the journal with him, but this was technically his home anyway. So he made himself comfy even though he was sure that when he stood he'd have like three layers of dust painting his black suit. This was becoming to hard to believe. How had his father met them? They were supposed to be long dead. Xilo could barely contain his fear as his right hand shook. What was his father into? How was he a slave to them? Was this possibly someone else's journal? A journal that he had found traveling or stumbled upon. Beads of sweat began to bead on Xilo's obsidian skin as his eyes dilated. Though he still turned the page.

My first day at the Sith academy was absolute torture. Only then did I see how far I had to climb to be noticed. Students all over exceeded my skill in spades making me seem like a child. I was even forced to be taught the ways of the force with the ones that had been admitted to the temple. Most were three to four years my junior. Even the Masters looked down on me. I heard their whispers, their conversations of me never becoming a proper acolyte. Yet these are the ways of the Sith, they doubt me, and their doubt gives me power. It feeds my hate of them. This was their mistake! When I rise to power they will be the first to see how wrong they truly were. Remember these words! "Peace is a lie! There is only Passion!" These are the words of a true Sith and only take in a portion of the meaning of the force. Sith do not hide from their emotions like the weak jedi! We embrace them! We acknowledge that they exist. Our passions, our greed our hate. It is all real and only a Sith can use them to their full potential.

 

[Xilo Gale]

For every one thing that the journal answered numerous more questions filled Xilo's head almost to the point where he thought his head would explode. His mind just couldn't grasp what was truly happening. What had his father truly been into? When had he joined the Sith academy? Was this even his father? Biting his bottom lips Xilo scanned the page for any exact dates yet none were written. If this was Jaken's just when had it been written? How long ago? Would any of the masters at the Sith Temple know? Xilo then scolded himself for such an ignorant thought. Of course they wouldn't. He hadn't even seen one pureblooded Sith at the temple. Who knows how they would react if they found out his father had studied beneath the Sith? So he turned to the next page hoping it would answer more of his questions.

I feel it, I'm getting stronger. I can feel my hate purging the weariness from my body. Each day I awake and go to the training pavilion where me and numerous others are taught the basics of lightsaber combat. They started us off with the very first form called Shii-Cho. The way of the Sarlacc. A form that is full of flaws. Even I noticed them, the wide sweeping slashes left to large of openings for others to take advantage of. Wielding the saber in this way seems clumsy and extremely simplified. Yet there are more then enough good things about this form that makes it suitable as a fall back. It lets you feel your emotions letting them flow through you. You can almost feel them clutching at you and drawing you in. For us Sith this is perfect as we can give in to our emotions and follow through with the form. Its unpredictability will also be a great asset in many battles.

As Xilo reached the end of the page at the bottom were extremely crude drawings of what he could guess to be the stances for the form, and target zones showing where one was to attack. It seemed extremely simple on paper but he was sure it would take more than that to actually learn to effectively use the form.

 

[Xilo Gale]

The Force may be infinite, but our abilities to use it aren't. It's almost like a muscle that you're forced to work out and grow. I learned this during our training in using the force to move objects. Even the lightest objects were a struggle for me to lift at force. Almost as if the force wasn't responding to my actions, but I soon realized my mistake. It wasn't me lifting the objects. It was the force, I was merely the master controlling the force to lift the object. Weight means nothing to the force, only us as sentient beings seem to think of weight as a hindrance. Through this way of thinking it became easier to manipulate the pebbles and boulders that they set before us. Even then it was still a struggle as every bone and muscle in my body ached.

For once a question Xilo needed answered had been given to him. He had always had a problem practicing the telekinetic aspects of the force. Even a simple wine bottle was near impossible for him to move without intense focus and extreme amounts of effort. So it wasn't only him that suffered these problems but most force users. Nodding his head Xilo took a mental note to try the tips that his father had written down. Maybe it would help in his progress. Even the simple page on combat could be used for future training.

 

[Xilo Gale]

I have been neglectful. I had become so engrossed in my training I had forgotten all about recording my progress. My memoirs. I now understand the true meaning of the paradoxical phrase Through Passion I gain strength. Us as sith feed off our emotions to fuel our power, but when one becomes to engrossed in their own emotions or gives in completely they become simple minded, they loose their path to power. So in turn you must use such things in moderation or else it can lead to ruin. I saw it happen to one acolyte during training. She was being beaten by her opponent... Horribly, being knocked around with the force and stunned with the practice saber. It was fun to watch. I enjoyed her suffering, but when she lashed out I saw the truth. She blaster through her opponents defenses and killed him. Strangling the pure blooded Sith to death. Killing was forbidden in the temple, but this one time they let it slide. One must remember to restrain themselves. Mercy is a worthless emotion, but killing for the sake of killing makes us no better than animals.

Blood boiling at reading the page Xilo's fist collided with the table as he stood from his seat causing the chair to fall over. Out of all the things for his father to write this was the most hypocritical statement Xilo had ever read. From the man who took pleasure in experimenting on his wife. From torturing his child, and trying to take his body. Yet he talks about not killing for the sake of killing? What made him any better than a wild beast? Xilo still had the scars to prove what Jaken had done to him. Absolutely fuming he closed the journal and pinched the bridge of his nose trying to calm himself.

 

[Xilo Gale]

Nostrils flared and eyes wide all his attempts to calm himself had failed. Xilo could barely contain his rage as his arm flew across the table and everything upon it hit the floor or flew across the room. Jaken's journal hit the wall before slinking down to the floor open for all to see. When the terminal hit the ground a loud shattering sound filled the room, but Xilo didn't care. It was his anyway, if he needed to replace it he would. The scars and burn marks upon his body burned as his anger urged him to go further. To destroy more things, to let loose. Finally Xilo had a glimpse of control and seized it channeling his hatred and turning it outward. He planned on burning himself out. So pulling out his lightsaber, Xilo went to work. He started with the desk bringing the saber down in a overhanded slash that bisected the table completely. The metal that had been touched by the saber glowed a bright orange still hot to the touch. Even then Xilo continued to hack at the desk till there seemed to be nothing but a pile of molten scrap on the ground before him. His knuckles grew white as he clenched the lightsaber tightly and the veins on his arm stood out among his obsidian skin.

 

[Xilo Gale]

Less then an hour later Xilo stood sweat pouring down his body almost causing him to sparkle. His shirt sat off to the side in the lab, and the only light illuminating the room was what the blue lightsaber provided. Everything else had been destroyed. The operation table was nothing but a pile of scrap metal and the bars to the cage that had at one point held Xilo no longer existed. Scorch marks covered the walls and deep holes had been plunged into the durasteel. The goal had been achieved as Xilo no longer had the strength to do anything but collapse to the floor. Deactivating the saber Xilo let the darkness absorb him, almost blending in due to his dark skin. The only visible part of him were his bright yellow eyes that shined like stars as he basked in his anger and rage.