SithLore

Blood had finally had a moment to be done with the many tasks he had been made to deal with under the watchful eyes of the trio, and was given just a minute of absence. It took no waste of time for the draconian to slither to Sojourn, and summon Raven. The Miraluka hybrid appeared in her typical helix of amethyst and ebony Force energy before the disgraced king. Silent, and to some, ominous. But Blood knew her, knew of her, had brought her in and given her respite from her sightless plight through time and effort, so much that he had become almost fatherly to her.
Blood had never been the best parent, tearing apart one of his spawn limb from limb in front of the other, then immediately attempting to murder the one who'd been forced to watch. The traitor, and Raven knew well what happened to those who'd betrayed Blood. They would have their due, either by saber, or by teeth. Blood had told her the story, but it didn't matter to her what their fates were. They had nothing to do with her. Raphael and Lilith were just mechanics in Blood's machine which had failed, thus he removed them. If you saw it this way, Raven noted, it wasn't personal. Just business as usual, per Sith Standard.

Blood began his silent rant, and she listened, his hisses and emotion swelling as a hurricane within the Force in the chamber on Sojourn. It bailed and blasted against her, visibly pluming her indigo cloak behind her revealing her usual black longsleeved bodysuit, belted by a flash of scarlet gems hanging loose around her waist. Even her hood fell back, violet sharply bobbed hair snapping hard with every eviction he surged forth. However the girl herself remained unmoved, standing still and watchful of his movements. Indigo irises never left his dual own golden infernos, alight with lividity and scalded tantrum. Her peripherals caught his darkly clawed grip tightening on the stone seat's arm rests, the slick crippling snaps lightly warning the uncaring king that he was destroying yet another piece of furniture that he owns. Replacable. Everything was replaceable, Raven mused. Everything and everyone. The goal, was to not be. This was why she remained.

Once his storm had finished, the roar within the Force ceasing to a whisper, then to nothing but soft radiation of his usual warm embers, her clothing settled, and hair fell back into place. In no attempt to catch the hungry eye of the predator within the man before her, she used a light flick of telekinesis to flip her cloaks hood back over her head, sheathing her face in shadow, once more. Remaining silent, she waited.

"Find someone you trust, and set a meeting between us. I need a new advisor, as everyone around me is compromised. Everyone...blinded. Fools. Greedy idiots."

Raven asked as soon as the expectant silence came between them. "What makes you think I am not one of them?" Her monotone voice was clear, but soft, direct, but not aggressive. It was a proper question, not a challenge.

"Your mind is open around me, as it always has been." He said nothing more, peering at her with those hungry golds which dimmed in their intensity as he took in the mindful young hybrid. She had been loyal to him, even despite the risks and lied to remain by his side. She was an excellent Phantom, and her hidden intent remained as it was meant to be. Tormentous hadn't even caught her - there was nothing to catch. Blood didn't even think the Dark Lord had even noticed Raven stealthing about his empire, learning and facading her way through it all. She was appointed as his Phantom for this exact reason.

Raven had nothing more to say to Blood, giving a subtle nod at his response, and disappearing in her swirl of amethyst and ebony to locate the true Shadow that she had followed the shadow of. She had remained so far behind him that his inken tendrils couldn't possibly have touched her own...or had they? He was the epitome of Incognito, and she had left his name and even his pronouns blank in her research files, as she knew exactly who he was. Or atleast, who he had portrayed himself to be to the rest of watching eyes. Who knew if he knew she had kept her distance, and he kept his own?
It was time to confront the myth, and confirm the legends, to ask the unknown for certainty.

Her final search for Xavius Bain had begun.

Exhale.

Nyria’s black eyes looked up at her father’s. Her fervent, raw power ensued from her, emanating from the girl as she completed her father’s task. Kota had sprung the child and her Chiss on Xavius, which either disproved his theory that she was avoiding what happened the last time he had access to a child she was raising, or it was simply a last resort. Regardless, the Shadow Lord wasted no time. The Chiss and Xavius Bain were far from friendly, their respect for Kota being the reason they remained together. As for the child…

Inhale.

Her eyes shifted focus, despite the black onyx masking their movements. Her hands were up, levitating a rock. A bead of sweat traced down her face, Kota’s face. Her face, but his eyes. Xavius Bain's mark would forever left on the girl, no denying the child was his own. It seemed her eyes may be the end of their similarities, but even still he hadn’t seen a child like this since…

Exhale.

A pronounced thud echoed out as the rock hit the floor. Clearly physically drained, Nyria tooka second to catch her breath. It had often been said that the Shadow Lord was a difficult teacher, from his academy to his list of apprentices. But he had been effective, and all who trained under him had become great in some way. Had made their mark in history. Yet, few had survived…

“Don’t stop now, you’ve almost done it Kry… Nyria.”

Inhale.

Despite it being hard to tell, he knew her eyes were locked on him. She was young, but she was Kota. Powerful, emotional, and annoyingly observant. It was a rare case for Xavius to misspeak, but something about her affected him, the same way that Kota did. Something not even Krynn or Kole, the last children he had access to couldn’t bring out. It’s because she was his, and she was Kota’s. Despite her noticing, the child ignored it. Perhaps there was some Xavius in her after all. While she seemingly loved her father, Xavius could sense something else in the back of her feelings, something he sensed with everyone he trained.

Fear.

She hadn’t felt that with her father, hadn’t seen his icy side yet. An advantage of having minimal contact with Xavius Bain, the Shadow Lord, was she hadn't seen the Soldier, only the father. A distant father, but he was still hers. The emotional intelligence of an advanced droid, and still human in so many ways. But Xavius Bain’s drive meant he would not stop, and Kota had given him access. The driven Shadow took over, even if he was keeping their training as secret as possible.

Nyria lifted the rock into the air once more, and Xavius’s serpent-like movements remained still, to the point that it was as if no one was there. Their location also remained hidden, his Falanassi technique of immersion allowed him conceal their location. It wasn’t an unbreakable illusion, as he needed to keep it up while teaching the girl, but it kept the area concealed enough for their purposes. Despite his personal goals, he was tasked to keep the girl and Tann safe. A good soldier follows orders, but it was not only Kota's daugher, but his as well; If she were as powerful as Xavius suspected, the spawn of Xavius and Kota had potential he couldn’t wait to unlock. Finally, the apprentice he had been looking for all along was his...

Raven had been out for atleast a cycle, pulling as many trails as she could, and whittling them down from thick messes to thinner bands, until at last, 3 bands remained. They hung about her holomap in distinct chorus to one another. One was hotter than the other, and faded from the central sector of whatever cord she floated in within the Unknown Regions. There was no proper mapping of the Unknown Region; there was mainly just the hope that you didn't stray too far from something recognizable. Her compass and 'zipline' back to base was good, and she had it set up on a portable satellite ring in case her ship's navi ever went offline. She also had a temporary chip implant, a tracker back to her other ship that properly stationed in an undisclosed tuckaway in the Outer Rim. A backup plan to the backup plan's back up plan. Getting lost in Unknown Regions was no childsplay.

All of her threads were meticulously placed by hand, and she allowed her search to be only barely noticeable. The barest of bare. For these threads belonged to the most lethal Shadows, as of the moment. And only when she was closest to the thread she most desired to find, did she pursue completely. Kole's thread was left behind, as she had gathered what info she needed from his circumstances how to best approach the situation, and his plight alone was something she would consider at a later time and date. Maybe. The other signature was one that was older than seemingly time itself, and it had become indominable. It was one she knew not even Tormentous nor Blood together could touch without severe consequence. That one had passed a while before she had gotten this close, moving in a different tangent form this median thread. The median thread, in fact, was her target. She had studied how much he had seemed to travel, and somehow, luckily, he's kept a somewhat close-to-home approach. But as her journey seemed to near the end of pursuit, the thread simply vanished.

Raven was not baffled. She wasn't surprised in the slightest. The Miraluka hybrid knew well enough that as a powerful being, those who sought power would often track you and wait for your back to be turned. The most determined would out-wait the impatient and desperate. Raven was calloused in her trade. But her execution was smooth. And so far, she had not failed.
Her Infiltrator felt out an orbit, as did she. Any planet within somewhat of a reach...he had been here. He had to have been here. Anything at all...
He was there.

Her own signature was muted, and she took turns with the muting of her influence with a Ysalmari during rests, as she did not want to alert Xavius yet. But she contemplated this approach, even now. It fell on two sides of a coin, she knew. She did not know which side he fell upon.
He was an apex creature; should she be as minute as she was in comparison to him in her Force ability as she believed, he would have nothing to be wary of. She hadn't had any conversations with either prior lead to understand who he was inside, but legends painted him in various shades. Raven did not follow legends - she followed facts. And some facts had to be learned on her own. Her life was on the line, regardless. Xavius would either gander on her prescence and allow it to approach him, or he would consider her a thread to whatever reason he kept himself hidden for so long, OR he would deem her a pest, and annihilate her. Her tracker, traced to the ship, once sensing her lifelessness, would automatically trigger cords to the Dark Lord, and it would be up to him whether he would track down the murderer of his Phantom. But, Raven surmised, Xavius would surely be gone by then, would he not? He's avoiding something, surely, she tried to conclude. No great power would willingly hide for so long, unless they guarded something, or against something. All she had to go on so far was Kole's apparent anger at the demi-god, and Death's brief touch to his previous locality, before her disappearance. It took eons for her to even did up anything connecting Death and Kota, and even that would have led another timeline. But right now, none of it mattered.

Violet irises skated across the map before she determined her only way to make progress.

Taking a silent step back from the holographic waypoints, she pulled her indigo hood up to hide her face, eclipsing the pale grey of her skin. She would have to take as much opportunity to remain as hidden as possible. The hybrid was already near the planet's pull enough as it was; the ship gently followed the clasp. But Raven needed more energy than she could possibly will herself to have naturally. In retrospect, she would have to lose to gain. This was a risky gamble, but should her gamble prove right, she would have her answers.
She began her chant, open eyes staring, unblinking, and focused on absolutely nothing. Her legs folded beneath her cloak, but height remained as her levitation began. Gloved hands were palm up within her lap, and within this distinct hold, she found solace. Her chant continued, monotone as she increased her mental focus, one sliver at a time, she would use all of the time she had to increase her progress. Her progress to balance, to win and utilize balance between the chaos of existence and uncertainty. She would locate the enigma by using an enigma. A patron. A mother. A secret.

Another line fell from her lips, a carbon copy of the line before.

In silence she continued, and the world before her began to blur. Yet her eyes remained open. Her reflex to blink begged, but her will denied. The slight against her mother would not be tolerated.

She fought past her gift to receive one. Raven's eyes began to lose their brilliant violet, instead dulling slow into a faded amethyst. Soon, lavender would follow.
She continued her pledge to the Force many knew nothing of. The hybrid carved the words with the same tool, the same shape, the same efficiency, but pressure increased. The machine ceased not. And thus her reward...reality continuing to slip from her sight.

Her heartless voice continued, her belief unwavering as her chant continued. Her pull within the sea of unknown, amplified by her miralukan heritage, and crystalline will to own what should not be in the Unknown where Mother called home, she was a conduit of illegalities mortals of this day knew nothing but rumor of.
She bore this knowledge, and kept it on a scale-
A gift, for a gift.
As Servant could Give, Mother would Take.
The Patron knew both.

The line fell from Raven's lips again, her ship remaining in slow rotation to her goal.

"Mother of the Ones and Servant of them All, bless the craft of my call.
Take my gift, the mortal sight, so that I may see what no mortal might."

Her request and release were both being honored, as sliver by sliver the deity allowed her exchange.
Raven only gave more, as the Mother continued to take. Her breath was even, and her heart slowed even further.
Morals did not belong in a place like this. Only understanding. Connection. Even mediums that were unable to rage between one another.

"I seek the balance and commit this Walk within your grace, Abeloth."

Her ability to see physically was washing away, and she felt so much more. Power emanated all around as it had before, but never before had it been revealed so cleanly. It did not push, nor pull. It was simply there, and available for her to take it, and do with it what she pleased, But it was thin, wavering, unable to sustain itself. What she wanted was still hidden behind the few curtains of the Force. Her own power was certainly stronger, yes, but to find someone of such mastery that did not want to be found required so much more. She had so much more to give, to get it.

More chants allowed the mental claws to sneakily peel what they could away undetected, while her form grew lighter, sooner or later, it would become weightless, air, and then...she would be free to be wherever she could see. Until then, her chant remained steady while her existence did not.

Inall reality, Raven was merely sacrificing her sense of sight to bolster her Miralukan ability, amplifying her ability within the Force, and becoming more united with it on a level not many Force wielding beings were able to meet. Her ingrained beliefs only fueled her ability to mentally fool herself further into her chants, and made for a dangerously stealthy level of ability, indeed.

The girl succumbed to her exhaustion, and the levitating rock collapsed as she did. Though from an outsider’s point of view it could seem cruel, the Shadow Lord’s methods were consistent with his own teachings. Her raw power would take a great deal of discipline to wield, and while she showed her capabilities, Xavius’s standard exceeded most. Despite all of this, as they finished the lesson the girl confronted the icy presence of Xavius Bain with an embrace, wrapping her arms around his leg.

The depth of her emotional capabilities eluded Xavius, but it was difficult not to think of Kota in her presence. Her onyx eyes met his own, a look that threatened to shatter the snake like demeanor of the Shadow Lord. Vulnerability was a trait unfamiliar to the designed being, but her obvious ‘love’ for him was something he needed to consider. It threatened the balance of his teachings. It was likely why Kota bounced back and forth into darkness, until leveling back out to the Shadow teachings she had given Xavius as a base for his mastery of the Force.

But he was far from vulnerable now…

The Shdadow lord acknowledged his daughter with a nod, then spun around with swift, silent footsteps. His cloak trailed behind as the hooded figure left his daughter alone. She would likely go off to rest, which was fine for now. Tann was likely aware of Xavius and Nyria’s lessons, but it was a conversation he would avoid for now.

The Mother had shown her, indeed. The mist of Unknown parted, and a great veil of it had been demoralized. Blankly, lifeless grey orbs stared past what mortal eyes couldn't. Raven had seen through the ship, within the Force, and was given the greatest view of all; an unknown rock loomed before her, almost as though it were touchable. To the Miraluka hybrid, it was. She watched the scene with crisp dull greys, drinking in the pair of humanoids before her with a silent vigor. This. This was the man. And his pupil, who's gaze mirrored his own. Her sight snapped between the two until the Father had walked from his Child, long strides that pulled him from the clasp of the youngling. Young Nyria, pale and cold and 'alone', her lips silently cooed. Every second which had passed through the hybrid, and every tick pushed her to want to know more, to be fully informed. Another rock forward, another sailed her back. Once more she rocked forward, and yet again, back. Her existence rocked within her Infiltrator, ripping as she pushed herself in a violent wriggle within it. She pushed, pushed and pushed as she fought to feel that air, the same air Nyria and Xavius breathed. She wanted to feel the rock they stood upon, to be within their presence. She had a mission to accomplish, but not before she had accomplished her own. The tear, almost as a film of plastic stretched, so did the space of reality the Phantom floated within. The flexibility had been rubberesque, but everything had a breaking point. Raven would see it through, as her patron Goddess allowed it.

Combining all of her own perseverance, she shot a crack of energy into the veil, splitting it with a vehemence almost forgotten by time and watered down teachings. She had practiced long and hard for these abilities, and it had rewarded her, the air cold, unnatural, and inviting her forward from within the rip. The blind recon pulled her legs from beneath her, and strode forward, keeping the planes from closing in on her. Silent padded feet felt the cold metallic floor of the ship devolve into a warp of nothin through her padded boots - then hard rock, new sounds, others breathing around her. Her need to prevent the planes form closing around her forced her to release the silence on her aura, and her usually muted influence became apparent, but not abraisively so. It was soft, unassuming, and scholarly. Nothing about her presence revealed her intent, or her capabilites. However her ability to walk through a rift in existence, to open a wormhole for personal size, that alone bespoke legions.

A gracious 'thank you' threw the short miraluka mix forward, as Abeloth left her to figure the rest of her predicament on her own terms. However, her sight did not return. Atleast, not readily. Nothing besides the invisible whisper of the rift closing behind her, and the silence that followed confirmed, she was here among these two, and blindly so. Being the alien she was, she was not unfamiliar with her sight being absent, and she was prepared. Within the Force, she would feel, watch, make decisions, and keep her secrets as they were meant.

Raven stood silent as Xavius made himself further, but surely with him feeling her so near, he would pause? How would he feel about her proximity to his daughter? The image of the little girl being Force capable, a pale child with eyes as deep as the pit of a dead star slid over the Force signature Raven had felt earlier, attaching an image to the now associated member of this case. Xavius however, was permanently imprinted in her head.

There she stood, aware and alert, but not anxious. Many would have plenty to fear, millions, even, if they knew who this creature was. The soul she had tracked down was beyond capable, however she was as well. Perhaps their years would set them apart in strength? She had gone through a lot in her time, despite her youth. However, he possibly lived through so much more, surely. He was no old man in a rocker. He stood here, training new apprentices, and this one, she mused, his possible best, yet.
Despite being blind, she directly stared upon where Xavius was.
And she did not say a word.

The currents of the force sharpened into razor blades with the sudden change. There were no sudden movements as the serpent detected the change, but he did pause his steps. His destination mattered little once the unknown presence was detected. He had been careful, and it was seemingly impossible that someone knew their location. The Shadow Lord was beyond meticulous, a necessary trait when hiding intentions from everyone including his romantic partner. And yet, he could feel the presence look into him. The force sensitive had appeared. It were possible they had masked their presence, but Xavius Bain was constantly on high alert. No, this was something else.

He didn’t need to turn to look at the being, and didn’t need her to speak. His fingers traced the hilt of his blade. Within an instant, the other hand could send a whip directed at her skull without a second breath. If the child was the target, the being would soon meet his blade without any hesitation.

His voice hissed out, speaking into the distance but all senses were locked on the new presence.

“Your intentions.”

His icy words were phrased as a demand, not a question. The voice echoed despite seeming no louder than a whisper, a perfectly clear hiss that tore through the air. While he looked static and calm, the Shadow Lord’s snake-like stillness were in fact quite the opposite. With the force, he felt every inch of the being’s presence. She had broken through his illusion, one that should have hid their presence from any unwanted attention, albeit not entirely perfect. Her next words or actions would dictate the next moment. The Shadow Lord had killed for less...

The electricity spiked in the air as their energies felt each other out. Raven knew well when silence was a threat. She had lived in it for a vast majority of her life. And yet she continued the lifestyle. Someone who knew silence knew there was more than one kind of silence. There were times when an arachnid rested, just as there were times when they were on the hunt. There were times when they felt out situations, as well. This was such a time. The spider before her stood masterful on a web of threads, and she felt them as he tingled the varied strands. The Miraluka hybrid attuned to the vibrations he sent out, the gentle stroke of his glove, gloved fingertips gracing the hilt of a lethal weapon. Knowing well he equiped with more than something so blatant, her mental peripherals skated over his other half, the whip's well worn hilt masterfully hidden in the dark trenches of his make. His corresponding hand was not too far away from it. Her senses became still afterwards, pulling from his body after she had thoroughly and subtly frisked him. Open to investigation, had he not already analyzed her frame, bodywork, stance, even her appearance under her deep indigo hooded cloak, she opened her aura to him a bit, allowing an unguarded opportunity to sense her signature, to familiarize himself with her, should he choose. Her goal, it seems, would take a minute to complete, should she not tip the spider to bite. After a minute, she returned her mental shield to frame external self, concealing her weaponless body back within the Force. A precaution and extra measure of sense, as her sight had yet to return.

The Lord of Shadows spoke, his voice the very same as the only two audioclips she salvaged from wreckage abroad. It was a murmur, but a harsh and apathetic one, almost a mixture between a droid's vocalizer and an elderly organic. In most unfamiliar beings, it would raise the hair on the back of near any neck. It screamed unnatural despite how close it could have been. However, she was fine with this phenomenon. She wasn't too far behind.
She understood difference.

Motions careful, her left hand reached beneathe her ruby gemmed waist belt and unclipped 3 artifacts she had hidden beneath, 3 things he might have picked up, should he have searched her body within the Force. Three holocrons, stuffed to the brim with knowledge she had already made learning use of. But these were special. One of them belonged to a soul many had sought, but none had found. And here it was, with them. The other, one belonging to a well famed grand Jedi who was only 2 months to becoming voted as the Grand Master before he was killed by a Sith Lord, a terrifying specter who now haunted Morriband's Valley of the Dark Lords, seeking the Phantom who had outsmarted him for his Holocron, the last on her belt. The one who she had no prior connection to was strangely shaped, a distorted hexagonal thing with gold and blue, words in verde green in symbols she had to research for over half of a cycle before she could remotely attempt deciphering them. This Holocron was locked up in Arkania's library vault, the very same Holocron Xavius had golaed to retrieve that day he had first come across Slade on the permafrozen Imperial planet. Her right hand rotated in a calm helix, and with a pinch of concentration, she opened a void passage for the holocrons to pass through, and they arrived at the inken man's feet from the tar-like passage that pooled in front of his feet. All three lay shiny and fruitful for the Shadow Lord, and her words sealed her intent.

"Knowledge, for knowledge."

Onyx eyes examined the artifacts, though their uniformity made it difficult for someone to see where they focused. Remaining on high alert, the Shadow reached out into the currents of the force, where the holocron’s screams rippled into his senses. Wheras the safety of his child was priority number one for him, a small hint of something else was enough to keep him from cutting the Sith down. Desire.

Xavius Bain’s quest for power had been halted short with his mission to find Kota. That mission was over, but instead of resuming he had been tasked with accompanying the child and her blue keeper.

“What is it you seek, that you would risk your life for an audience with me?”

The two stood motionless, but the Shadow Lord furiously reached out for hints and clues in the force as to what this being’s true intentions were.

“ And why shouldn’t I simply cut you down to take them?” His voice echoed, and though he made no move to strike, his words were more of a warning than a threat.

The hybrid listened, her mind already flitting between the varied opportunities she could have swayed his hand, his mind, and his actions from thence, forward. She was unbiased, and the warning was returned much more neutral. Yet within the monotone, her own bore a clear message. "Overestimation of strangers is sometimes fatal, Shadow Lord." And blaster roulette was a dangerous game, when you're mortal. She was not opposed to facing against him, to test his skills against her own, but she did not want to risk her plans so easily. She was here to gain knowledge. Not cull or be culled.

"I've studied what I could from what trails you've left behind. There were very few, and some may have skewed," her monotones guaranteed not all of her facts she was proud of. "I am here to straighten them."

The miralukan hybrid listed a rare occurrence to the situation at hand; she was considerate of another. Genuinely. A swift glance to Naria illustrated her question - Would he rather speak with her, alone, or in front of his child? With it, she projected an image to the humanoid, a telepathic portrait of the cursed woman that the Miralukan had gotten the curse of being blessed by. A pale woman, eyes remarkably like that of the Shadow Lord's, fingers of longly drawn tentacles and a mouth conclusive to the former Shadow's most controversial student's projections. She had looked into her current Lord's mind and seen Krynn's illusions, and how uncannily her mouth had rolled wide in a maw of endless, needlesque teeth. Was there a connection between the two? Had Krynn been afflicted as she was, with powers she should not have had? And were they connected somehow to this ... what was the Mother even considered, if not some detriment to the entire existence of the universe?

Raven had been too impatient in one thing in her existence, and it was the maintenance of her own life.