Suffering For Her (Julian's Past Training)

[Julian Viles Priest]

queen black filled the room, keeping Julian from seeing any further than the tip of his nose. There was no noise, no light, no life save that of the little Vahla strapped to the chair. He assumed it was in the middle of the room he awoke in, if it was a room. The darkness made him believe he was probably still dreaming. He felt as though he was spinning, but only his head felt like it was spinning.

If he thought hard enough, he remembered that he had been praying to the Goddess, Vahl, listening to her whispering in his ear of his destiny to live for her. Julian believed life was nothing but for the Goddess' amusement, for her pleasure. Life was Vahl, Vahl was life. This was the doctrine of the Ember of Vahl, one of the few Chosen, a blessing. The next thing he realized, he was in this dark room.

Stepped began to echo all around, filling his hearing with loud thumps of feet casually taking their time. They got closer, and closer, till they suddenly stopped, and Julian began to fear it was all in his mind.

 

[Julian Viles Priest]

Burning light flashed on quicker than his eyes good adjust, blinding the boy without the ability to shield himself. Chains kept his arms from coming up any higher than an inch, thus causing a shaking sound from the chains that bounded him. When his eyes adjusted finally, there was no bright light anymore, just flickers of flames from torches lit around the room, and down a long hall he faced in the middle of this room. But, Julian saw no one around him, no one that had turned on the lights, or lit the torches. No one to cause the foot steps he had heard earlier. He was still alone.

"H-h-hello?"

He whimpered like a pup.

Suddenly, a cracked sound, and his body jerking in pain as lighting coursed through his body. Smoke rose from his skin from the lighting literally roasting him alive, the smell was both good, and disgusting. Julian could not cry out, only feel his muscles strain forward without the ability to flinch away from the blue electricity coming from no where.

Then it stopped.

Tears fell from his eyes as he still could no make a sound. His hair stood in places from the static, while his body still smoked. When his tears fell on his arms, they sizzled away, there was no relief from it, the pain stayed, like a thorn under the skin.

 

[Julian Viles Priest]

"I must admit, you took it better than I thought you would, child. I figured you to scream in pain, attempt to run away from the lighting, and yell for your mother. I am impress, for now."

A woman with white hair, and violet eyes walked into his view from behind him, a smile creepily etched into her face. She made Julian's skin crawl as he began to feel cold, and hollow inside. Something about her presence made him obedient, despite himself.

"I couldn't run from the pain, and I couldn't scream. I had but only to take it, and hope it would end."

He once more whimpered, the boy unable to help the tremble in his voice. Julian knew how the Ember of Vahl was in it's practice and belief. Pain, self sacrifice, and total devotion was expected of every member, every able body. They were to obey without question, without hesitation.

"Then you suffered for her name, Vahl smiles on those who suffer for her. Only the Chosen of Vahl should suffer more than others. You have the greatest gift..."

She turned her head away from his gaze that was both scared, and curious. This woman, someone Julian had never seen before, seemed to be in deep thought.

"Who...who are you? Why are you doing this?"

Julian asked in a sterner voice, finally getting his feeling back in parts of his body.

Lighting coursed back out of her finger tips, racing into his body, and bringing back the terrible pain he just started to forget.

"You will not forget this pain, forever will you suffer for her glory Julian! Forever!"

 

[Julian Viles Priest]

Weeks Later​

​

What felt like months, years, forever, Julian sat in the chair slumped over in a near death state. His hair had grown some, falling over his face with it's hot red color hiding the gashes in his face. She had cut him, shocked him, lit him on fire, and everything in between that one could imagine. The pain had become forever locked in his head, even though he was not being tortured at the moment, he still felt it, his nerve endings still processed something was attacking him.

At first, she had turned off the lights, and the next day, turned them back on. He had flinched. This caused her to punish him with a knife to his rib cage. To break his fingers, and beat his face with some wooden club. He was swollen all over. But, after days of this, he no longer reacted to the light going off, and coming on. Julian was only twelve, his memories no longer went to playing with kids his age, sleeping in a warm bed, and meals that were tasty. Here, he only had water, and just enough to keep him on the brink of life.

Once more, the lights came back on.

Julian sat there, slumped, as if dead. It was probably accurate to say he was dead to the world. Only the darkness caressed him in a tight embrace. Only hate gave him the energy to keep going, and to savor each breath for as long as possible. Only pain let him know he was still alive, and that Julian had once more suffered in her name.

"Are you awake Julian?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel?"

"Alive."

"Do I need to punish you more, Julian?"

"If the Goddess wills it."

Each word came out as monotones, and dead as the last. Julian was fully obedient to the cause, a instrument to be plucked, and played how his master wished.

"I think, Julian, we can remove those restraints. I think, you have shown your worth to the Ember, you have suffered so long, all for her, and yet, you can suffer even more if she wanted you to. But you have shown her your strength, your resolve. Julian, come."

The chains around his wrist, and ankles loosened, and fell off his limps. Slowly, without failing, he stood up, his head still directed to the grown.

"Let the pain, and the hate fuel you, my child. The Darkside is your ally, your weapon, your power."

Julian's head lifted up, his hair moving gently out of his face, his once beautiful violet eyes glowed a hot red orange color.

 

[Julian Viles Priest]

Some months later​

​

Grueling training had been set forth before Julian ever since then, exercises on reflex, strength, agility, and on the Force. Particularly in the use of Julian's new found rage. She had bested him over, and over again in hand to hand combat. Nearly removed each of his limps with a lightsaber, and forced the knowledge of Vahl deep into his skull. Niomi at the moment, sat before him, crossed legged, and with her eyes closed. Meditating.

Her use of her own rage was sorry, but Julian, Julian was mastering it faster than she had ever hoped for.

"The Jedi drove us out, Julian, killed our kin. Murdered them without hesitation. They call themselves Guardians. Protectors. They are nothing more than evil with a mask. We had a homeworld, a planet that we called home, and because of them, we lost it. Forever gone in the maws of space."

Julian himself, saw across from her, crossed legs, and closed eyes. Taking in each word with a grain of salt, his anger rising up inside, though he wasnt for sure why this was the case. This history was old, very old. Was it maybe something embedded in his genes?

"Because of them, Julian, you are alone, but fret not, I am next to you, always. Because of them, you are a vagabond, a nomad, but again. Fret not, I will walk beside you. Because of them, you are nothing, a shell, empty, and void. But fret not, the Goddess will make you into something,"