The Prodigal Son [Raphael]

[Slade Xandir]

Blood walked through the crowds of terminal pedestrians, humanoids all cordially walking to get to where they desired on this frigid planet. Arkania - planet he hadn't expect himself to go back to after what had trespassed through the many trials he had faced on this planet. It was a trip through memory lane, surely. Today however, he had no quarrels. A cape of darkly shimmering scales flowed behind him, a hood of the same sinister pearlescent skin covering the top of his crown, his mane of ebony locks pouring out in an inkfall past broad shoulders, shouldered protected by a thick hide of scaled skin covering his entire body in an assortment of garments. Trimmed and majestic, the Lord strode through the pale crowds of Arkanians and others who ventured to the icy planet, his mind intent on finding one being; his son.

It had been a relative minute since he had seen the teen. It was a mess since Mercy had gotten a hold of Lilith and secreted her away, and with her being Dastan's new Right and Left hand, he couldn't exactly string the traitorous broad up and destroy her slowly until her confession- Dastan was their new Alpha. And until he had the might to overthrow the Agent, there was nothing he could do. The two estranged pair of secretive Sith were tight, and not even he could rip apart their cohesion. Not yet, anyways. This was why he had to build his own power, and grow in his own might. Once his true prodigy rose, there would be nothing stopping him from getting Lilith back.

Through the deep sense of attachment he had with the 17 year old, Blood snaked through the terminal with intent set in his crisp sun-hued gems. And not too soon after his clawed orbalisk and steel boots hit the base of the metal, the Z-95 Headhunter propped itself onto the landing equipment, and docked. Within this ship lay his own essence, a piece of himself.

And he was all too willing to reclaim it.

[Raphael Xandir]

A small Z-95 Headhunter landed in the docking bay of Arkana. The ship glass windshield of the ship slowly clicked open releasing air from inside. An arm reached out to push the glass up as he unbuckled himself from the restraints of the pilot seat. He was vastly inexperienced with flying so the ship mainly flew on autopilot.

The young mans boot stepped out onto the ladder leading down to the docking bays surface. He removed his helmet, two silver eyes glared out onto the surrounding area. His long thick black hair began to flow down his shoulders, partially covering his eyes. He wore a long black shirt with a pair of pants that matched.

His boots stomped on the ground as he stepped from the ladder of the ship onto the surface. His silver eyes met the worker who looked a little defensive. A smirk rolled off of his face as he tied up his hair into a bun, revealing the sides of his head was shaved. Below that revealed an interesting amount of tattoos around his neck, a fascinating being to the worker.

His right arm extended to the man standing before him, it fell on the workers left shoulder. His alluring gaze met the workers as he smirked and moved passed him. Moving around to the front of the ship he began dusting himself off. Workers from around the docking bay seemed fascinated with the young man as he casually recovered from his trip.

Looking up to see his home, he examined this new planet that he had just landed on, it was fascinating. A larger man in the distance met his gaze. The long black hair of this tall older man made it hard to miss him. He knew exactly who that was and began strolling towards him.

“Father…” he calmly said as he looked up at the man.

[Slade Xandir]

Striding through the mass like the prince he was, Blood watched his son part the sea of civilians with more regality than any species he had come to tame. It almost hurt how deeply the emotion of pride etched in his bosom, but he held it down hard enough for the response to pass his lips, that very pride laying undetected in the timbre of smooth baritones.

"Son..."

It was almost unreal. Eternity seemed to pass as he recollected his thoughts, mind racing as he passed the time backwards. Four years changed the youth he had barely known into something, someone he knew even less. But this was his genes, so if there was one who knew him the most, it was he, the Wolf, himself. Those platinum coins lay collected, reserved in those unreadable sockets, and it was clear how long he had left to catch on his spawns history. He had sent his son away to study Sith texts, to familiarize himself with the scriptures of the old, to learn the language. As a single test, one of the many to come, that deeply aged voice called to him over a turning shoulder,

"Tapti'; ilsir savaka kia buti dary."

[Raphael Xandir]

The young teenager used his silver eyes to look over the man standing before him. He hadn’t seen this man in quite some time; it felt like eternity him but he still felt a sense of comfort in his presence. It was as if everything is how it should be, father and son, master and student, lord and acolyte. Everything was finally falling into place for the teenager; he would soon resume his training.

Many things had changed with his father; he didn’t seem as big as he did when Raphael was a young teenager. He hadn’t quite caught up to his height as he still had to look up at him, but he was close enough.

Raphael was eager to see what his father had in store for him. But first he had to recall all those years of studying; the countless hours spent reading ancient Sith texts. He had picked up a language that very few fully understood; he was proud of his work.

In a confident yet quiet tone, Raphael spoke up.

“Threx tave ipros...”

A quick smirk appeared out of the corner of Raphael’s lips, but it was fleeting. He would follow quickly on the heels of his father as he waited to see what he planned for the two. This was the beginning of their long journey together, as father and son.

[Slade Xandir]

The release of pressure came from the subtle and confident reply; his son was meant to be a strong one. It was confirmed within the eased reply. Raphael had in fact been studying, and that only gave the Wolf more insight of how far his training would test the youth.
He had earned several steps prior to this day, but the path was a long one.

Walking back from whence he arrived, the Sith Lord left out of the terminal, bypassing the several civilians that were on either side of them. The trek was a long one as Blood led them through the city, the wide expanse of Imperial owned ground, the city of bioengineers and Arkanian scientists. The city of diamonds, and dragons, but without both. Today, they were going to get them both.

The city landscape quickly molded to wilderness at the pace Blood kept. It was determined as he followed the instinctive pull of the Force. Despite him not having have been here in quite some time, he still recognized many of the threads here. A few wisps in the Force web on this planet were new to him, but in comparison, they were doing fine. Youths, adolescents, newborn dragons lay scattered in the caves under the permafrozen crusts. He could feel them, this planet brimming with life. And amongst the planet, an expanse of colors and dexterities of threads, Blood felt a spark of something foreign, something he hadn't felt in so long. That crisp blaze of...potential.

Turning to the teen, he restored the memory around them, the frosty and ice covered trees surrounding them as they forwarded themselves, but after seeing the teen face to face, he stopped.
The Wolf spoke, his words a whisper as his hand rose in the direction of his prodigy.

"Svajone darytis rajidona, ir rajidona darytis... midwan..."

The air seemed to still as he took in the little clearing. The snow sheathed land, the ice trees, the silence of simple life, the babe's breath of breeze. The hush shielding the mass from the madness that coiled and raged in the world. So much like his own lessons...in fact, his first lesson. With Tormentous. Just as it felt, his words melded into that of his own Sire, his fiery gaze meeting the cool monochromes of his Son.

"Vykti is sis ziurti, sis vetasa sahbia, ir liepti nun ilsir tiesanu nwűl. Dormancy..."

In a more tempered tone, he continued his lesson, the same lesson that drove the entirety of life. "Domancy is a lie, peace is a lie, and anything that revolves around stagnation will only get you killed. You, Siarbras Akute, are more worthy than the taint of death."

A pause crucified the silence, as it shivered in wait. Waiting for the words to seal the innocence from the world, and truly unleash the animal caged within the spirit of his son.

"Take in this world, and explain your feelings, Siarbras Akute. Tell me the degree of your vexation as it whispers lies to you about serenity."


---Begin Force Sensitivity App--100 WC--

[Raphael Xandir]

Walking through the bustling city, Raphael walked tall next to his father. He was proud of who he was and where he was from, and to finally be reunited with a powerful man thrilled him. He enjoyed the hustle and bustle that cities provided, the blind wandering of civilians. Raphael was a quiet one, one who tended to watch and listen; acting carefully on each of his actions. Cities provided him with a way of watching, dissecting individual personalities.

Quickly, he followed by the pace of his father; a pace that seemed to be growing faster and faster the farther they got from the docking bay. They moved deep into the wilderness, an environment covered by frost and ice. The branches of the tree were bare duo to the intense cold and the ground was covered in white as far as the eyes could see. It was quiet and calm, nobody around to disturb anything the two were up to. The duo came to a complete halt as his father turned to advise the young man.

Raphael nodded in acknowledgment to his father. He took in the sights, the calm frozen wilderness didn’t move much at all. It all seemed so peaceful, and dormant; yet with what his father was teaching it seemed otherwise.

Was true peace and dormancy a lie? Was there a false mask that this wilderness wore, pretending that it was calm and peaceful?

Raphael closed his eyes to understand the lesson being brought forth by his father.

At first there was nothing, nothing but darkness and empty feelings. This almost frustrated the young student, as he couldn’t feel anything. He concentrated and all at once though, it came flooding through; like a door that had finally unlocked. Raphael stepped through the threshold of the door, out of the darkness that was dull and ordinary. Suddenly he could feel everything, the web that connected every single thing in life. It was the force, he could finally feel it and he could feel everything that was truly disrupting this environment. What seemed to be a peaceful environment was actually very chaotic, movement was all around them. He could feel the snow trickling down from the branches of the trees as they landed on the palms of his hands, light as a feather. He could hear the icicles that snap off of those same branches when they become too heavy crashing down to the surface. There was something else though, something massive lying nearly still on this planet, but it rocked the ground they stood on. They were dragons, sleeping deep within the caves underneath the crust. He could feel the heavy slow breathing of all of them as they rested. Raphael was seeing everything finally in its true light, chaotic.

-End Force sensitivity App- -Word Count: 211/100-

Flicking open his eyes, he revealed to his father the unique silver glare.

“No…. There is no true peace or serenity…”

[Slade Xandir]

"Quite so," he confirmed with the pupil. He was met with those heated mercury irises, his own passionate golds distinguished but similar in their own manner. "And using this ability to search and define the madness, crease the mystery by describing what you come across in this unsettled world, Raphael. This world harbors much, very much. I've been throughout all of it, and experienced it all. Nothing hides from my Senses, here. Tell me you can too Sense the world on the same page as I do, Siarbras Akute."

Blood turned from his son to look up at the sky. It was not yet time for dragons to take the sky. Through the centuries of seeing their kind pulled from the sky, disappearing within the intricate cities of Arkania, the dragons kept their selves hidden. Occasionally coming out to dispute territories and such, to find mates and the like, but in the ends, they all returned to their caves and tunnels to guard either themselves, or their cache of diamonds.

Blood wanted Raphael to come across the Arkanian Dragons, and familiarize himself with diamonds as well. Both had their own threads in the Force. One group had life, while the other did not. But both were readable, and Blood had his own plans dealing with Raphael and the two most precious inhabitants of this plane.

[Raphael Xandir]

“I will do my best to see as you do Jaarvek.”

Raphael closed his eyes, not feeling much outside of the freezing temperatures. He didn’t really plan for such weather ahead of time. He knew what he was meant to look for but the attempt was relatively unsuccessful. Braving the cold, the young student knew what to do.

Raphael knelt down to the ground, one knee within the harsh cold of the snow. He placed his hand down as well; snow covered it up to his wrist. The silver eyes of the students were shut as he began to concentrate on the dragons. Feeling through the force he attempted to find what they were looking for. Using the webs that connected everything he tried to see the lack of serenity in the environment within the force. A chilled feeling came over him, the cold breeze moved through his hair covering it with white snow crystals. Blocking out the pain his hand began to feel underneath the snow he could feel the heavy feeling of large colossal beings breathing in such a contained space came to him. He could feel the crust of the planet moving underneath the snow. A blurred image of the beasts underneath him came within his mind as the vibrations shook the crust. He became unnerved as he felt their heavy breathing.

As he too began to breath heavy, opening his mouth revealed a bitter taste in the air. Something foul was floating around in the vicinity of the two. Then using his sense of smell, he followed that bitter taste as the foul smell led him to a place not to far away. The trail became more and more prevalent as he moved closer to the smell, the web of the force pulling him closer. This place was an opening in a random cave upon the frozen tundra of Arkania. The opening was large enough for the two to slip in, if they were to venture forward. Daunted by the cold dark opening, he had to push through mentally within the force.

He then came to an impasse visually within the cave as there were multiple paths leading down into the depths of the crust. Which one was the right one? There were so many to choose from and it seemed not all lead to the same cave that the dragons hibernated in. Frustrated and distraught with an impossible decision, Raphael began to regress. The pain from the cold flooded back to him, almost completely disrupting him trying to sense the beings.

Quickly, he had to calm himself, reverting back to his senses. He truly had to use them all to find these beasts. Then it came to him, just within the entrance of that lead to multiple pathways. He could hear the beasts breathing, they were muffled but it was there. Using his hearing, he followed the labyrinth moving deep down through the miles of pathways to the massive opening that held the beasts. At first the sight of the beasts frightened him but then he began to calm himself.

It was exquisite; the beasts and the caves they guarded. He could finally see them; he pinpointed exactly where they were. Dragons were everywhere; newborn, adolescent, and mature ones all around. The elegant scales and horns of the massive beasts guarded the beautiful diamonds that were scattered all around the caves. Diamonds everywhere; no wonder they stayed hidden beneath the crust of the plane; they wanted to protect what was theirs from the invaders of their world.

-End Sense Level One App- -Word Count: 534/400-

Raphael moved his hand out of the snow, bright red as he tried to warm it next to his body. He looked at his father acknowledging he too sensed the world like he did.

[Slade Xandir]

Almost like a sensor which could sense the other sensor's waves, Blood felt exactly which direction, how far, and how immersed his Son was in the not only the Force, but in the task at hand, as well. He was dedicated, focused, and fully invested in pleasing him through precise work. As he flexed that unused muscle, Blood kept his composure. Inside, pride crescendos at a pitch only a sonar could catch.

The Sithian kept visual contact on the youth as the next trial made itself known. "I feel your potential; I know it well. It is now ready to be accuracized and made to hone in on a specific target."

Blood walked a ways north, left of where they had arrived on the planet, just slightly. His cape gently lifted in the bare winds of Arkania, as he tasted the air of the Force, himself.

"There is a dragon, a mother, who guards a gems of her own. Both are for you. But first, you must find them."

Turning back to prodigy, he issued the command.

"Iezkon savimi del."


---Begin Life Sense---100 WC---

[Raphael Xandir]

Raphael sought out that specific cave once again, this time looking for a specific dragon. There were many different types hibernating in this cave, it could be any of them. He could see the dragons all around the cave, but he could not tell which one was the mother. A calm came over him as his tireless search brought a new idea. There were plenty of dragons guarding their own diamonds within the cave, but the mother would be guarding something much more precious to her.

Within the force he began to feel the dragons individually, seeing the webs that connect with them. He could feel their life force, and they weren’t alone. Small creatures in fact lived in the cave with them, their life forces faint and barely noticeable. Focusing on the dragons around the cave he began to feel their different life forces, some in a deeper hibernation than others. Smoldering ash sat deep within the soul of the dragons. He could feel the faint heat that it gave off and with it carried clouds of smoke that covered their essence. The deeper in a sleep the dragons were the lighter the cloud covered them. But the ones who were nearly awake had blackened smoke all around them, their ash burning more and giving off more heat.

Beginning to focus on his search for his mother brought him to a dragon whose essence burned a dark coal black. This dragon held a life force that was very strong; it was just barely asleep. It was guarding an unborn dragon still within its egg, burning coal black just like its mother. The young dragon was nearly ready to hatch as its life force said it was nearly awake. The ash of these two dragons burned heavy within the cave of dragons, this must be what he is searching for.

-End Sense Life App- -Word Count: 224/100-

Raphael’s concentration broke as he turned to his father in confusion. Surely he didn’t mean that the massive egg that sat underneath her was his. It would almost impossible to somehow manage their way into that cave but to be quiet enough to steal it from its mother.

“How is this possible?” Raphael spoke to his father. Questioning why the egg was his and how they were going to retrieve it.