Nothing Binds Me Now

[Nikolas Faselli]

(ChrisCold)​

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A dark night it was. Just like when the Arx Mortis citadel saw its end a long time ago. The presence of such evil still corrupted the skies above the ruins of the citadel and one could easily smell the burnt flesh's scent. Air around the once powerful building was still full of chaos and a Jedi who had decided to visit it was able to tell there were whispers around the place. But the Jedi did not feel sadness nor hatred. Only something a person walking the road of Light should never feel.

Joy.​

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She did not take a deep breath before opening the door which led to the inside of the ruins. Most of the citadel had actually been safe from the fire. Made from quite a fireproof material, there was no reason for the whole castle to burn down. Fire which had once been started in this place were not made to destroy the whole place, but to keep the ones inside it right where they were. Inside the building.

All around the Jedi, there were remainders of her former life. Even some features a typical Zambrano house had - the walls of it were full of cruel things, even though most of the paintings which had decorated the place and kept it beautiful had been 'eaten' by the flames.

The Jedi didn't need the paintings anymore, either.​

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A few more steps and she was already able to see the throne room. Not that the room would have been far away from the entrance, no. Seeing the chair she had once sat on and ruled over the place now looked quite a lot less majestic. It had been taken down from its pedestal, crushed into a few pieces, the cloth which had once covered it was all around the place - it was broken into strands - and the corners of it showed marks of the cloth having been burnt.

The woman sighed, but not from sadness. Her face featured an emotion of slyness and inside, there was nothing which would make her worry.

But as soon as she turned around, she saw another figure. It was most likely a man, but it was hard to tell who it could have been. Most of his clothing was chaotically destroyed and burnt, his face was not recognisable due to having been in contact with a lot of fire. No hair covered his head anymore.

"You. You're a monster," the man said.​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"While I am no longer able to tell who you are by your look, I can say I know you by just hearing your voice..."​

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The Jedi remained where she stood, didn't move a centimeter closer to the man, even though she would have wanted to. A dark blue cardigan covering her white T-shirt and skinny black jeans around the legs of the man, she looked a whole lot better than him, even though it had been the exact opposite a long time ago. She had been ruins, a complete disaster because of her depression. The man, however, had been one of the best-looking members of his citadel.

"What does my voice or appearance mean anymore? You should be worrying about what you have done, but you find time to only discuss looks."​

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"Well, what else should I be talking about? You wouldn't want to hear about the fate of your friends, would you?"​

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"Don't talk about that! They are alive, I know that. Only I stayed here in the citadel, all others escaped."​

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"I admire your ability to think. How bad of me that I didn't know you were able to think of a way to leave a burning citadel with no way out..."​

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Her voice sounded really sarcastic, nothing like a Jedi's should have sounded. Her way of talking amazed the man. A person who was nearly a murderer, a mass murderer, should have never talked like that, but this one did. During all of his years as a slave or even before that, during his years of being a soldier, he had never ever heard anybody being so emotionless and selfish. Even though he knew he is no longer able to use the Force and that the Jedi could probably destroy him with a single blow, he started walking towards her, her feel as confident as possible.

"You, indeed, are a monster."​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"A monster? I'd say I am more like a... victim."​

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"How so?"​

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"You were the ones who made me do it. Your oppression made me feel sad, all what you did to me made me unstable and that was the only way out."​

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"What? You could have just set us free!"​

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"Most of you were born as slaves. You don't know how to live as a free soul. I, however, had to become free again. This was the best way to do it. And the most good way. I could have hired a professional to make you able to live a free life, but-"​

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"NO!"​

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"I will not let you tell such lies!"​

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The man started walking towards the woman faster, with much more aggression. Deep inside, the Jedi was feeling hesitant and maybe even a bit afraid of the man, but she didn't show it out. With the former slave having lost his Force-sensitivity, she knew he couldn't sense what was inside her and that is why she gained a bit more confidence.

"All of your life has been a lie. But as you say, I shall no longer keep lies..."​

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The man stopped. And he was frightened of what could have come next.​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"My life... a lie? What would you know about my life? I was born as a free soul, served most of my life in the army, and only recently were brought to you! You know nothing of me."​

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"Having been born as a free soul doesn't make your fate, neither does having been born as a slave. Only the one a person bows to can tell what will happen. We are bound to be dependent on others, on people who are on a higher position."​

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"What do you mean with that?"​

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"It's just as simple as I told you. Nobody has control over their own fate, only others can choose your future for you."​

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The man was still confused, but decided to shake it off. No, he thought. He wouldn't let the Jedi tell him anything like that. It was not true. It would never be true, he was sure about it. But something still irritated his insides and made him... sad. The realisation of what had actually happened in his life made him understand. For his whole life, he had depended on others, he had had to bow before them, do everything they wanted.

"With that having been said, I am sure you wouldn't mind if I told you what really happened a long time ago."​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

The man was in ruins.​

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"Your philosophies are stupid. Just like you yourself. We are free to do what we want to and nobody decides our fate."​

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"Who gave you the permission to call me stupid?"​

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The Jedi spoke with confidence and her eyes moved to the wristband which was still around the man's wrist. The green light on it still shined as bright as it had shined many months ago. The man's eyes followed the woman's and only then did he understand what was really going on.​

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"Now sit silently and let me tell you the story of how I met your father."​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

The man had to sit down and listen, and that was due to the wristband from the days of the Arx Mortis citadel. The only one who could ever take it off was most likely the Jedi, and that's why the man had not removed it yet.​

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"You are such a young soul when compared to me. My Epicanthix heritage has given me a little bit of an advantage over you. And the advantage is what leads the way in the story of who you are and what is going on. It happened more than thirty years ago when I was about to really start my life. I was looking for slaves. In secret, of course.​

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My path lead me to somebody who was then a powerful man in the armies around the planet of Crystalsong. He had started a united front against all opponents of the Crystalsong planets. Now you can easily tell who I am talking about, can't you?"​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"That was my father, right?"​

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The man started to breath fast. His heart beat even faster than his breathing and all of that compared made him feel ill. His true destiny was about to be revealed and even though he didn't want to believe in what the woman was about to tell, he had a feeling like she wouldn't lie.​

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"Yeah, it was your father. And now you may understand what happened next. But indeed, I went to him and asked for a little favour with a price he couldn't just decline of."​

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"You gave him what, exactly?"​

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"It was my request to gain his son, you, as a slave, but what I gave to him in return was something you would never believe."​

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"What? No way you did that!"​

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The man seemed rather surprised and that was for a reason. It was normal to react to what the woman was about to say that certain way. She had never had to tell anybody that in the past, but she believed everybody else reacted to that the way the man did.​

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"I gave him a sensation! I gave him the child I had asked for. He didn't love him at all. He had no chance to love him. And that him were you."​

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The man fell on his knees. It was all too much to handle.​