Private Whispers in My Head

[Darth Feira]

Ordo.

A man, a god, a vessel for the Dark Lord...her father. She blinked, rising from the chair in the centre of the bridge, the chain links of her jewellery clinking gently as she moved close to the viewport, staring down at the shimmering ochre planet below. Handmaidens knelt in a circle around the edges of the room, the ships operators sunk unto the floor beneath them.

Ordo, a planet.

A planet from which a call had come, a plea for help, for civilians under attack, civilians that were irrelevant. Feira was not here for them, Feira was here to follow curiosity. The man who had sired her, who had been a vessel to the Dark Lord was supposed to be dead, but she had seen him. She had seen him in her dreams, Isolda had seen him in her visions. So when a planet called Ordo was whispered through the Malsheem...

Feira closed her eyes, reaching out across the planet, searching for the one who had called, for the one they called Malum. She passed over smaller towns, pausing to satiate her hunger, snatching souls, leaving unexplained husks as her mind swept over the sands. She could have had them all, but it was a distraction.

Malum...

Malum...​

Heir to the House of Marr.​

Whispers ran ahead of her rippling through the force as she found his mind, latching onto it with a barbed hook. "There you are." She vanished from the bridge. The sand was hot beneath her bare feet as she appeared in front of him, yet also behind each of his shoulders. "Lord Marr." The one in front spoke first.

"Are you sad for the dead?" the one at his right shoulder spoke.

"Or are you sad for your failure?" the one at his left spoke.

The one before him tilted her head, she was curious to know the answer.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum sat kneeling on the ground.

He had spoken so often in the back of his mind, that he would never kneel again, that of all the three immortal tyrants he had kneeled to, one was dead.

And the other two were all that remained of his inferiority, of his servitude, of his subordination.

Yet here he was kneeling upon the dirty ground.

Around him, the corpses of Iron Wolves, Moridini- Mandalorian, and civilians alike were strung around, in death, all differences they held in power, in rank, in station, mattered little, and little else.

They all would be sentenced to the same eternity.

Here he was, upon his knees, a husk of a settlement.

There was none else, but the dead.

The civilians made refugees had been evacuated.

The Iron Wolves were gone.

The Moridini- Mandalorians had left, once their vengeance was complete.

Here he was, only alive because Jasper Ordo had not considered him a threat.

Because Mia Monroe had vouched for him.

Mia... they had made a pact that day on Zanbar, was it all null and void? What was the point of such a promise if one's own brother held the capability to turn his anger, not towards those that had burned your home...

...But to those who simply had made home here?

The burned-out husks of constructs were to be the constant reminder for him, as the sand and ash fell across all over him, Ali- Darth Strosius and Zachariah Conway had long since left, their concern had been palpable, but they had too succeeded at the goal, despite the casualties, most of the civilians had been able to be evacuated.

They did not know why his heart pained so.

In times like these, he would have turned to Elise Ahana-Gwyneira , yet... after what had happened on Moridin- Mandalore... after what he had almost done...

...After this confession...

...How could he face her?

It was easier to feel the cold winds, to allow time to pass, to be stuck within his own mind.

It was comfortable.

It hurt so much.

And in an instant, he was no longer alone with his thoughts.

A beautiful woman was before him, tall even taller than him by his estimation if barely, lithe, her skin was bare, pale, but adorned in darkness, tattoos or otherwise, all leading upwards to raven locks, and red eyes, not so dissimilar to his own.

Yet this was no Marr.

And she was not alone.

He was reminded of that day on Alvaria, when he had met with Gerwald Lechner and Srina Talon , he was no stranger to the use of doppelgangers.

From others, or even himself.

Surprise gave way to narrowed eyes.

And in a moment, waves of darkness flowed out, concealing the kneeling Darth Malum, the darkside made manifest and real pulsing out of the epicentre as if the beginning of an earthquake, the emotions of hatred, of loss, of depression, of anger, all made real and felt, as the street in which they stood became covered in the black of smog and ash.

Before it was all suddenly gone, and he was standing on both feet, gazing dangerously at all three women surrounding him, with three darkshears ready and waiting for an order, to strike right through those that dared approach him.

"The better question," He ground out, "Who are you?"

Darth Feira

 

[Darth Feira]

Feira let out a low throaty chuckle, the expulsuon of darkness from Malum reminding her of a startled octopus masking their escape from their predators. He might have been her prey... maybe, if she was less interested in whatvhad transpired here...

The thought of consuming his soul woke a yearning hunger in her, her eyes drinking in every inch of him as the darkness evaporated and he stood before her, his midnight spears glittering in their threat. She clicked her tongue. Had her hounds been here, they woild have attacked him for such a slight.

Each visage of her took two steps to their left, leaving two more doppelgangers in each of their wakes. Nine Feira's now surrounded him, each ilusion as perfect and pristine as the next, utterly indistinguishable from one another.

Slowly then began to circle him, their chains clinking softly as they moved. Some of the watched the spears some of them watched him. All of the had a soft smile on their face, kike everything about this situation provided them some form of amusement.

"I am the daughter of the Dark Lord."

"Child to the Weaver of Nightmares."

"Raised by the Eye herself."

"An Ember of Vahl."

"The Seed of Rage."

"You, Lord Malum."

"Heir to the House of Marr."

"May call me Lady Feira."

They stopped moving, turning full to face him palms open towards him to show him the she bore him no ill will...

For now.

A blink, and the doppelgangers were gone, leaving only her, standing behind him.

"I ask again. Is it your failure, or their deaths that sadden you?"

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Her chuckles only incensed him further, making him ever so sorely tempted to launch his Darkshears straight through the... very beautiful woman before him... hesitation broke his brow, guilt came over him, bile rose in his throat, red eyes of two different bearers came over his sight, and the Darkshears almost dispelled all by themselves.

He was sick.

Unseasonably pale.

All the stress, all the injury, of the past few days, coming over him all at once, as the blood drained out of his face.

Yet.

He was a Sith, there was no opportunity for weakness.

Especially as she looked towards him... with eyes that may have intrigued him when he had been a younger, unattached, man.

The guilt whirled over him, for the fact some part of him was intrigued even after that fact.

It was as she took a step, as more doppelgangers appeared, that he was fully able to focus, his heart constricting, his eyes narrowing, the nerves before battle fading to the absolute certainty of battle present. As she took step, to make even another, nine beautiful women, of the same face surrounded him.

Malum eyed them all waringly.

Before as out of the present darkshears, darkness made full bloom.

Nine darkshears stood pointing, emerging out of three already present.

Her smile was as attractive as it was dangerous, her clinking chains, all about him, making eyes erratic, as he considered all angles.

Her near bare form, a distraction any other time... still a distraction now.

A low growl made what he considered of her amusement evident.

And then she spoke, her and eight copies.

Daughter of the Dark Lord? Which one?

Child to the Weaver of Nightmares? A title granted to many in their history.

Raised by the Eye herself? Narrower... but still many who had been called the Eye.

An Ember of Vahl? Had they not thrown in their lot with the Kainites?

The Seed of Rage? A title self-referential, and one he did not recognise.

A mystery quirked the lines of his forehead, a daughter of Darth Carnifex ? Yet... though he did not know of his consorts or concubines... had any been called the Eye? The Weaver of Nightmares?

He... did not know.

Yet what other Dark Lord fit?

He... also did not know.

Frustration was mounting by his brow, even as the last of her words struck him... Lady Feira?

That much settled it, he had no idea who this woman was.

And troubling, she knew exactly who he was.

And the one contained to the back of his mind, was morosely silent.

He narrowed his eyes at the one he faced, all of their palms opened, if she thought he would trust thi-.

The doppelgangers faded.

And her question asked again.

Nine darkshears coalesced, pointing towards the one left behind, as now curiosity, with much else, negative or not, burrowed within him.

"Impressive use of doppelgangers... for a novice," Malum sneered, cloak billowing in his wake as he turned away from the strange woman, off to where he knew the Lochris to be, "However, I have no interest in answering the questions of those who failed to arrive on time, begone, or stay to bare witness to your kind's failure to protect your own people, good day Lady Freia" If she was, in fact, a Kainite, he knew he should have been far more polite.

However, after these last few days.

For all the Kainites had done, and had not done.

He could not bring himself to care.

But he did know, he certainly would need to look into this woman.

She promised trouble.

Darth Feira

 

[Darth Feira]

Another sith might have become enraged at the insult he levelled at her, how ever petty, but Feira's smile only grew. For her it was like receiving an invitation to the most prestigious party of the year. Excitement ran up her spine and lifted goosebumps on her bare flesh. She was already in his mind, she'd dug her claws into it the moment she'd found him wallowing in his sorrow, securing her entrance. Now?

Now he gave her reason to play.

"So be it." She vanished from his view, as did the broken city around them giving way to a vast unending sea of nothing. It wasn't darkness, it wasn't light it was simply nothing. "You know, I had every intention of playing nicely with you Lord Malum." her voice echoed from everywhere around him. "I can pluck the answers I want from your brain with ease, but such invasion of privacy can leave one...missing pieces of themselves."

Another throaty chuckle.

Then she was everywhere, occupying every space he could look, her smile gone, black ichor swirling about her many forms, eyes glittering with malice.

"Lets get a few things straight." chains began to snake up malums legs as she spoke, the same chains that hung from her body, coiling rapidly up his body. "Firstly, I am not interested in the politics that seem to govern this pitiful nation of sith. You are all, as far as I am concerned, the most disappointing iteration I've seen. All of you so concerned with raising your own standing, with your internal bickering that the whole galaxy mocks you. The One Sith were exactly that. We were one. One people, one mind, one purpose. One true Dark Lord. So whatever preconceptions you seem to have about me and mine, I strongly suggest you re-evaluate them, less you find yourself in a less than favourable position than you are already in"

The doppelgänger the stood directly in front of him trailed fingers down Malums cheek, coming to rest beneath his chin, tipping it up to look directly into his red eyes. Her lips unmoving with the words that bounced around him.

"Secondly, I do not like to repeat myself, so when I ask you questions, I expect you to answer them. Failure to do so will result in a punishment of my choosing."

"Finally, I am not here to answer your desperate plea for help. That failure falls to the Malsheem and its ruler. I am here for one thing, and one thing only. To establish the truth of the rumours, that my father walks the land of the living once more."


Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He should have known matters would not have been so easy.

To some degree, he knew it very well.

When had he ever been allowed to simply leave when he desired?

Yet as the first of her words struck his back, he allowed himself to believe, believe that he might finally have some peace.

How naive he ever still was.

One blink, one step, he was still in the ruins of the colonial city, his feet feeling the gravel of what was left of the road.

Another step, another blink, there was nothing.

But a sigh.

And growing panic.

Red eyes narrowed, trying to identify the location of where her voice emerged, yet that much could certainly be considered impossible when the voice seemed to be coming from all directions. That much made a certain sense, if one of his theories was correct. For after all, as narrowed eyes gazed, the mind was in overdrive, picking up what pieces of her words could be used, and disregarding the rest.

She quickly confirmed many a thing.

This was no physical place, they were still upon Ordo.

He had simply and forcibly been transferred to another perspective entirely, all within his mind.

"You might certainly try witch, but my mind is a fortress, can you afford a war of attrition?" Malum snapped, trying to find the source of the laughter, with very little success.

He did not fear her, even as his hair stood to attention, even as his breathing grew heavier, yet he did not fear the threat. He who had fractured his own mind to keep secrets, he who had delved into the depths of the mind arts under his Mistress, he who had learned true wonders with his cousin, Lily Rhodes .

He who even now, in a world that was not real.

Was not alone, as she, Darth Ophidia finally stirred from her slumber, finally befitting that her presence was warranted. As an amulet burned hotly against his chest, ready, to respond to any intrusion that would cause any harm.

Malum let out a gasp, as cold chains travelled up his leg, his breathing growing erratic, as sweat emerged upon his brow.

Her words were hardly more comforting.

The One Sith?

...That narrowed things down, it seemed that his search of eligible Dark Lords had indeed been far too narrow.

Darth Sortis or Darth Molior...

Had either had children...?

He supposed it mattered little, the one before him certainly believed she was the daughter of one.

And he... they... she... had killed one of them.

It would not be something to mention, if he cared for his own wellbeing, clearly.

"Be far from I to look down upon the Sith of the past, but what did your singular purpose, singular mind, singular people, achieve? Say what you will with so many words, unlike us, the One Sith fell, the One Sith failed." Malum snarled, as he felt his eyes cloud over in an orange hue, emotions brimming, burning out of him, "And I, killed Darth Sortis."

Malum blinked.

The orange disappearing.

She had stirred... but...

...She had not moved...

The shock of what he had said, left him without resistance, as she appeared before him, his breath caught, as her fingers trailed his cheek, reaching his chin, his throat dry, rubies meeting amber. Her voice rang in his ears, even as she stood looking at him unmoving. It was impossible for the pink to not dust his cheeks, in this compromised position, in front of a beautiful, bare, woman.

The guilt of it all, of flashes of red eyes of two different bearers.

Was almost enough to bring him to his knees.

The last of her words was at least confirmation that she was not part of Kain- Darth Carnifex infinite brood.

Indeed.

That her father still walked among the land of the living.

Darth Sortis...

Jasper Ordo ...

The very same man that had brought ruin to a city of civilians, and no defences.

The man, that he should have killed upon Moridin- Mandalore.

His muscles became taut, as he struggled against the chains, gritting down on his teeth, as sense gave way to emotions.

Of course, it was his fault that he was here.

That she was here.

"It is both..." He finally admitted, gazing deeply into her eyes, barely more than a whisper, "That I failed to protect this city, and that I allowed so many to lose their lives." He continued, drawing her attention to his words...

...As his fingers snapped.

A great flash of light erupted out of his fingers, as his orbs closed themselves to the world, a distraction he hoped would catch her unawares.

As the inky invisible tendrils of his Consume Essence shot out of him, attempting to look for where her true form, perhaps not physically, but the essence of her was.

As he prepared Force Slow.

To bring her mental powers to their knees.

Darth Feira

 

[Darth Feira]

The blinding flash might have worked had she been anywhere near him amidst the many doppelgängers that now pressed close against him playing into the pink that dusted his cheeks. They vanished in the flash of light leaving him still entwined by chains but utterly alone. Save for a figure that lay crumpled a few feet in front of him.

The figure sobbed quietly, lifting her head to reveal familiar red eyes.

It had been so easy to pluck Ansisa from his memories, so easy to have her come to the front of his mind. She appeared crumpled in pain, her hand clutching at at stomach. "Malum...please..."

Feira knew she had to work quickly, she could sense the hungry tendrils searching for her, and she would respond in kind when they did, but first, first she had to make him understand that this was not a battle he would win. Better to cooperate then to fight her.

Another doppelgänger of her appeared next to Ansisa, gently stroking her dark blue hair. "You failed her too, didn't you?" the copy said softly, watching Malum, empathy heightened to every shift in his emotion. For a moment, she said nothing, before her hand jerked upwards and Ansisa was yanked from the floor lifted to hover above it, her body slowly contorting and twisting, her screams rendering the air.

"I will make you live through your worst nightmares if that it what it takes, Malum. You cannot keep me out. I am designed to turn the tides of an entire battlefield by breaking the minds of those upon it. You are but one man." Another twist of her hand and Ansisa's screams grew louder.

"Yield."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

His blood froze.

His entire body was struck still.

Kara...

No...

No...

...It was...

Impossible...

His eyes were shaking, his breathing was ragged, all sense, all coherence dragged out of him, the fact that he remained ever still on an impossible space gone away, as the memories that he had sought not to forget... but so sought to repress back in the depths of his mind came pouring out forth.

Csilla.

He was back upon Csilla.

One of the worst days of his life.

...Perhaps the worst day of his life.

He fell to his knees, a great cacophony as blood filled his ears, tears pricking his eyes, his throat and mouth dry.

"...Kara..." His vision was as red as his eyes... reaching out... to...

...

It was that day.

That horrible day.

When he had lost his child.

When he had lost... her.

The fulfilment of their relationship, the creation of something so beautiful that would have drawn them so much closer together, the visions of a child with blue skin, of red eyes, of raven locks, that formalised all the...

...Love.

He felt for her.

Turned to ash.

A dream, a promise...

...Broken.

And the Force mocked them so.

With a curse that bound them together, after their greatest tragedy.

The same bond, which opened without his control.

The same bond that flowed all that he felt.

He could not breathe, his head was shaking, a pounding as if a hammer was cracking his skull.

And then she reappeared.

"No..." He whispered, both an answer agonising at the question and a demand... that she stop...

His eyes widened, as a cry released out of his lungs, as rapidly he was upon his feet, her words meant nothing, only Kara's cries, as her body, shifted, broke, twisted.

As bloodcurdling screams echoed across the nothing plain.

As the hiss of Sith steel echoed across the air, and blindingly fast, it aimed to slice Feira's head clean off, as anger, as rage, as despair, fueled every tortion in his muscles.

Darth Feira Ansisa

 

[Ansisa]

Despair slammed into her, snatching away her breath, the glass in her hand falling to shatter across her parents kitchen floor as she clutched at her chest. It overwhelmed her senses, blinded and deafened her to her mothers calls as she sank slowly to her knees.

"...Malum..." she managed to choke out, blinking away the blinding haze to look at her mother, a frown creasing the old chiss womans face. "Its Malum." Her whole soul felt like it was burning, his scream echoing in her ears. "I have to go."

"Karan'sis'atrob that man has caused you nothing but pain, do not go to him." her mother hissed in response, helping Kara to her feet.

"I know, mother. Watch Aureus for me."

Before any argument could be made, Kara stepped out of her mothers grip, reaching back through the bond to him.

Hold on, Malum, I'm coming.

Time and space folded around her, as she focused on him, the connection while strong was a great distance away but she didn;t care. She had promised him that she would cross all of hell for him and even after everything...after Csilla... her promise would always stand.

The cool crisp colour of her mother kitchen faded from the edges of her vison. She felt the heat of the planet before it began to form around her, a city in sand resting beneath a burning sun. Pain racked her body, her knees giving way beneath her, blood pouring from her nose as the corruption tore through her body. The cost of travelling so far with the force, she spat the blood aside and groaned, pushing herself upright.

Malum was on his knees in a the middle of a hours old battlefield, bodies littered the ground around him. "Malum." she called as she staggered towards him, but he didn't answer, he didn't even seem to hear her and she dropped in front of him, taking his face in her hands, his eyes were glazed, his body twitch occasionally like he was caught in a waking nightmare. "Malum!"

"Fascinating."

The voice sent a trill of dread up her spine. Ansisa spun, coming to her feet with Malum at her back, her lightsaber snapping to life, cracking and spitting as Ansisa found herself looking at a pale skinned woman, adorned with tattoos and chains, her glowing eyes studying Ansisa with what she could only pin down as mild amusement. She extended herself in the force, feeling out their surroundings wondering who else was with this sith witch.

"What have you done to him?"

"I am teaching him a lesson in manners."

"Bullshit. Let him go."

The woman only laughed. "He will be released, when he yields. Get comfortable, Karan'sis'atrob, it may take a while, he is stubborn. But then you know that already."

Before she could ask who she was, or how she knew her name, she vanished like smoke. Ansisa didn't move, holding her breath in anticipation of a strike that didn't come. She could hunt the woman, her training with Vazz had taught her to locate the source of doppelgängers and illusions, but to leave Malum alone and so vulnerable?

The lightsaber hissed as she deactivated it, turning again to kneel in front of Malum, taking his hands in hers, she opened the bond fully to him. "Malum, I'm here. Whatever she is showing you is not real." Thumbs caressed the back of his hands. "I'm here."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Feira]

Malum's sword cleaved through smoke, scattering the illusion of Feira from his sight as he passed through her and past the image of the twisting and contorting Ansisa. The smoke reformed behind him her laughter ringing across the nothing plain.

"No?" she echoed. "How much will you make those around you suffer for the sake of what? answering a question or two about a man you have no loyalty to?"

She titled her head, another form appearing to her other side, that of Elise Ahana-Gwyneira , her red dress marred with grass stains, her makeup streaked by her tears she opened her mouth to speak, only for her eyes to bulge in a panic as Feira fingers curled, force constricting her throat and lifting her slowly from the ground.

"Or maybe you do have loyalty to him?" her hand jerked the sound of snapping bones reverberating around them and Elise began to scream. "Such weakness, so easily exploited."

Another jerk, another snap of bone and another blood curdling scream.

"Yield."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Hold on, Malum, I'm coming.

That voice.

His Sith sword slashed straight through the demonesses' body, leaving nothing but smoke, and the lack of a bloody carcass that would give him the satisfaction.

The relief, that he so desperately needed, as she burrowed ever deeper into his mind.

He had known that form was not her, could not be her.

But Bogan had he hoped so dearly.

And now.

He paused.

That voice.

Ever so familiar.

Ever so haunting.

She who had stolen in his heart so long ago.

The first woman he had ever loved.

Who he still loved.

The betrayal that her voice strummed in his mind, the betrayal that she spoke to him, the betrayal that...

...The betrayal that he committed now so needfully.

His breath was returned to his form, as tears fell down his cheek.

The laughter of the demoness provided ill comfort, as instinct drove him, turning his face, and then whole body towards the horrid sound to his eardrums. His grip on the beskar hilt tightened, guarded, grievous point sharpened and directed towards his foe.

"There is no man at this moment I hate more than Jasper @Ordo," Malum hissed out, a hiss that was as much serpentine as it was human, as he prepared himself on the souls of his feet, as he felt his arms flex in anticipation, as he breathed out heavy, heady breaths, "But at this moment, I hate you so much more."

An advance stalled, as red eyes followed her own.

And he almost dropped his blade.

As tears filled his eyes again.

"Elsie..."

"Malum."

He blinked the tears out of his eyes, steadying his breath, gripping upon the beskar for deal life.

The voice again...

Elise Ahana-Gwyneira was safe... she was... she was safe upon Mo- Mandalore... Malum knew... he had delivered her to Mia Monroe himself...

This was a trick.

It was a convincing trick.

His feet carried him quicker than his mind, with the advancing strength and speed of a hurricane, as she... she had looked so beautiful on Naboo... Despite all her doubts, despite all her fears, he had told her, that he had said so honestly, so truthfully, that there was none in the galaxy more beautiful than her. That there was none... he desired more than her.

...And... Kara... Ansisa ... had been there too...

Malum gave a cry, as he saw her eyes bulge, as the woman he had only hours before confessed his love to began to scream.

As the woman, he had only days before almost killed.

Let out a scream that stopped his blood cold, that shook his mind, that near made his ears bleed.

And he was too powerless to stop it.

Just like... on Mo- Mandalore.

His feet stopped.

It was agony to stand.

The weight upon him manifested with such zeal that there was no other option but to kneel.

"Malum!"

But for her, the voice...

...That should not have been heard.

Yet he could not live without it.

As he stared... at the crumpled form of the woman that he had given his heart to. The woman that despite all that they held that separated them... had found each other. That through their own free will, despite all that was against them... tried... and succeeded.

Would this be her fate?

Never.

Not while he breathed.

Her command echoed across the nothingness, a faded memory crossing his mind, a memory not so recent to be his, a memory not so recent to be hers, a memory so old...

It was ancient.

The lightsaber hissed as she deactivated it, turning again to kneel in front of Malum, taking his hands in hers, she opened the bond fully to him. "Malum, I'm here. Whatever she is showing you is not real." Thumbs caressed the back of his hands. "I'm here."

His amulet burned.

An aquiline, noble face, framed by long raven locks, and eyes of pure rubies, burned with all the intensity of magma flowing out from sulfurous rock.

A mask appeared.

A mask all too familiar to him.

A loud hiss erupted across the plain, as it brought itself as one with his face.

"It is you who are weak, Feira," A voice born from his throat, but a voice not... entirely his, masculine, powerful, ancient, as the Sith Sword was swung, pointed at the demoness that opposed him, "I am not. I will not yield."

The Sith Sword hissed, as red plasma was ignited, as the Force coiled around his fingers, and strummed up the blade acting as if it was a lightning rod, the white lightning of another entirely.

As with a short, electrifying hum.

A great cacophony went out, a veritable lightning storm striking the sky, as with clouds, without rain, the rumble of thunder was heard across the pavillion, as from the sword, the lightning swelled ever higher, and higher.

With each strand.

Attached a twist.

To make her suffer, like he had been forced to suffer.

To avenge... to avenge...

...The two women he loved.

Darth Feira

 

[Ansisa]

Heat pulsed from the amulet about his neck, fear crept up her spine as she withdrew, scrambling back from him, knowing the power that could explode from the amulet if he was pushed to far.

"Malum!" she called again, desperation clinging to the edges of her voice as the sky above them began to darken, lightening erupted from him streaking upwards into the clouds and Ansisa swore under her breath, shielding herself as it began to snap down around her, scorching the earth with each strike, leaving behind a lingering dark energy.

"MALUM!" She screamed over the cacophony of noise made as each strike fell down around her, skittering across her shield. He was firing blind, desperate to strike whoever this woman was. She was powerless to stop him and there was nothing she hated more than being powerless, she let her anger course through her channeling it as she closed her eyes and stretched her mind across their surroundings. If she could locate Vazz when he was hiding behind phantoms, she could fid this woman.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Feira]

To watch him, in both his mind and the reaction externally was fascinating. Breaking him would take time, would need a more controlled environment, one where chiss couldn't appear to aid him. She could feel the woman searching for her but her power was nothing in comparison the her onw, even if she did find her, Feira would break her easily.

She could taste the anger from Malum, palpable on the air as his attack erupted, the power lying just beneath the surface, so much untapped potential. such power shouldn't need to be pushed from him. Feira had to remain focused, remain fixed on her goal. Thus far, she'd established the Jasper Ordo was most definitely alive. That was a starting point, now she just had to understand how close he walked to the dark side. Could she reach him? Could she lure him back to his purpose could the Dark Lord be restored into such a vessel again?

So many questions.

She let herself become distracted, she allowed her excitement to take hold for a beat too long and his attack found its ways through her defences. Pain exploded across her mind, shattering the illusions and breaking her hold on him. The plain of nothing vanished as she screamed, her true form appearing as she buckled briefly.

The chiss reacted first, a chakram released with surprising speed towards her, that she barely twisted aside to escape, its honed blade scoring a thin red line across her mid-riff. Feira graced her with a snarl, before she vanished from site from both of them teleporting out of sight. tucked away inside on of the broken buildings she gathered herself, gracing the pair with a moment before she would bring them both to their knees.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"Malum!"

"MALUM!"

Her voice haunted him, haunted him ever since that day their love so eternal, was broken in two, haunted him ever since that day she had come to Alvaria, and forever, stolen his heart.

Yet now it guided him.

Despite all the guilt, and there was so much guilt, guilt for needing Kara... Ansisa ... guilt for needing another when he had already confessed another love, a love that burned ever bright in his chest, a love as strong.

A love.

That should have been stronger.

"I'm sorry Elsie..." He whispered.

An apology he had whispered in his mind, again, and again, and again, a hundred different times, a thousand, these last few days.

It would never be enough.

He truly did not deserve Elise Ahana-Gwyneira .

The storm broke, as he felt her presence, as he found her, as with all his strength, he brought agony.

And the illusions broke.

And he breathed.

He fell upon his knees, through bleary eyes, he found Lady Feira, yet his arms were weak, he felt the Sith Sword fall out of his fingers, as he breathed out a great heave of air.

She disappeared as something struck her.

Something so familiar.

"...Kara..." He whispered... as red eyes... found red eyes.

Hauntingly familiar red eyes...

A need filled him, a need for comfort, a need for warmth.

Yet despite the aches in his skull, despite all he felt in his heart, he knew, they were both not safe.

He gazed about through tear-filled eyes, commanding the Force to his will, demanding it obey his need, as the invisible tendrils of his Consume Essence burst out of him, searching for his query, all the while, with a great groan that echoed across the ghost held buildings, he pulled himself from his servitude, standing atop both feet, as fingers firmly, if barely, wrapped themselves around his Sith Sword.

As his eyes turned.

And found themselves to her.

He was suddenly hoarse.

Darth Feira

 

[Ansisa]

The chakram snapped back to her hand, its edge lined with glistening red, triumph flashing in her eyes that she had been able to strike, but the victory was short lived as she vanished again.

Ansisa let out a low hiss, eager to guve prusuit, but she felt his eyes upon her. He needed her first. Clicking her tongue in annoyance she turned to meet his gaze and the world around the seemed to freeze for a heartbeat. He seemed almost broken, so close to a breakdown, had the witch done this to him, or was this an accumulation of events? He'd been emotional, reaching through their bond whether consciously or not for the last few days.

She moved forward closing the gap between them with a few steps, her free hand checking him for wounds, only barely satisfied thatvhe was at least physically fit. She settled her hand on his chest, over his heart.

"Don't trust what you see, Malum. Only what you can feel in the force." Cautiously, she opened the bond between them, reaching for him through it. If they stopped shying away for it, for just a little while, they stood a chance of beating.

"Who is she?" She whispered, desperately wanting to be closer to him but holding back. She made no effort to hide this feeling.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

The invisible inky tendrils were still sent wide out, looking for their enemy, all the while Malum attempted to breathe, attempted to settle himself, it was clear despite everything he had done, all the exertion he had made, most had been in his mind, apart from the tiring of all that he had commanded of the Force, he was physically, mostly, fine.

Yet, his mind was not yet fully accepting of that case.

His mind could hardly tell the difference between reality, and what seemed reality.

And with his heart beating a mile a minute.

Survival was the only thing that mattered.

Survival and the utter annihilation of any threat.

All until she came next to him.

As her hand trailed across his skin.

As her hand rested upon his heart and chest.

As he... felt her.

Felt all that she felt, that oh-so bond between them that went far beyond simple love to something that the Force itself had ordained that they be connected. The very thing that had poisoned what had stood between them, born between them the moment that what should have been born between them had... had...

Tears swelled in his eyes, as he reached out, both through their bond, opening the floodgates, as his hand reached out to her cheek, listening to her words, but only having a simple question leave his lips.

"Are you real?" He whispered, breathing so heavily, their distances closed that it was impossible for her not to feel the hot air, feeling the desperation in his words as real as the grip upon her, as the emotions that poured through the bond between that should never have existed.

But... could have only existed between them.

She was the only one that kept him standing.

The only one that kept him sane.

Ansisa Darth Feira

 

[Ansisa]

The well of emotion that rose between them almost drowned her, it had been so long since they had been this open, since they had closed the gates between them. Ansisa drew in a deep shuddering breath. Deftly she hooked the chakram to its sheath and the small of her back, placing her hand over his and drawing closer still.

"I'm real," she answered with a whisper. "I felt you're despair...I knew you needed me."

She had told him once, that she would walk through hell for him and despite all they had been through, despite all the pain her had caused her, the statement remained true. She leaned closer wanting to kiss him, but holding back, resting her forehead against his instead.

"Malum," she bean, her voice a little firmer. "Who is she? And what does she want?"

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"I've missed you..." He whispered, knowing he should not, but any protest died in his mind, as their foreheads connected, her warmth, an instant balm to any wound, as it had always been. For all that had gone wrong between them, all that had been his fault, all that Fate and Destiny had done, dancing upon the precipice of his life, to tear them entirely apart.

Was there anyone else that had more shared in his struggles?

That held his heart at the palm of her hand?

Selfishness won at the end, feeling her blue skin at the tips of his fingers, a shiver through his spine, as she laid hers atop his.

He should stop.

He needed to stop.

He never could when it was her.

The bond supplied all this, all this and more, the bond which he had so hated, that he had shut as a parasite upon his soul, he laid bare.

There were no more secrets.

He needed her.

He leaned forward.

Only to stop as the full paramount of her question struck him.

As his breathing quickened.

Pulling away from her, desperate eyes gazing about them, his tendrils still on the prowl yet having found nothing.

They needed to leave.

They needed to leave immediately.

"Lady Feira," He answered, a feverish whisper, "An Ember of Vahl, nominally serves Kaine yet seems to have no love for him, claimed daughter of Darth Sortis, once Sith Emperor." Which he certainly knew did not bid him well, considering part of... him... part of... them... had killed Sortis.

Ansisa

 

[Ansisa]

The world melted away for just a moment, as they lost themselves in the swirl of their emotions as he leaned in, her heart hammered in her chest.

Then he pulled away.

Cold immediately filled the void he'd left as fear crept through him, Ansisa couldn't help the pang in her chest, her jaw tightening as she released him and took half a step back, nor bothering to hide the hurt.

"She said she was teaching you manners." She tilted her head "What did you do to piss her off?"

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He felt her hurt instantaneously, whether it purposefully travelled their bond, or she had been unable to hide it like he knew she hid many things it did not matter, he felt it.

And though he was not the wounded party.

He faced it.

The pain of rejection made itself a poison that was injected straight into his heart, as his breathing turned heavy, turned hollow.

He pressed forward, instincts winning where sense should have triumphed, an all too familiar dancing, as an arm wrapped itself around her waist, as the other hand took hers, as he leaned back forward, his eyes glassy, and altogether...

...Needing.

"Please... I am so sorry." He whispered feverish, desperate, as he pressed his forehead against hers, trying to impart to her, his need for her warmth, his need for her, as his mind remained clouded, and his eyes, hard to see.

"I..." Memories were hard to uncover, to try to pull on any thread was to invite agony or entry into a maze that would have no exit... and quickly would become apparent, had no entrance, "...I refused to answer her questions." Yes, yes, that was right.

But what questions?

His mind would not answer.

As he pressed himself ever closer to her, in his betrayal.

Betrayal that he had never before had so needed.

Ansisa Darth Feira