From noble to Sith.

[Joslae]

Time seemed to halt. The words had entered her mind but were processed exceedingly slowly as her form slowly shrunk, becoming a smaller target for anything that might strike at her in the very moment, as if the spoken sentence was an attack aimed directly at her. A sickening nauseous feeling found its way into her body as she stood there like a statue, suspended in a state of pure fear.

Slowly but surely the gears in her head that had frozen up started turning once again, a long, deep sigh escaping her lips. How foolish she had been. He had given her one command, and she couldn’t even obey that order, as simple as it was.
Not a single word came to her mind to react to her servant, not a single response that would allow her to keep her posture up. Tears threatened to break through and inhaling deeply she pushed them back forcibly. A glimmer of a fool's hope shone in the distance. A thought she clung onto. Finally she turned her head, her body following shortly as she forced herself to relax.

“Consider it noted. I will visit my father to find out what he might need of me.”

The words were spoken with confidence she did not feel herself. An illusion she had to keep up for just a short while, till she was out of her subordinate’s sight. Suddenly she felt a harsh cold over her form, one that did not fade as she started to move. It was as if she lost the knowledge on how to work normally. Every step was an effort, knowing what would lay ahead of her.

Avestia knew it'd be better to get it out of the way, deciding to ignore her rumbling stomach. There was a good chance she didn't have to worry about feeling hungry afterwards, if the result was similar to the last time anything along these lines happened. “Typhojem protect me from what lies ahead. Empress give me strength to push through.”

Ascending the rotating staircase she took a momentary pause as she reached the level she considered hers. Where her own room was, and her bed that seemed to be a protective barrier from the outside world. There was the temptation of heading back to bed again, but she pushed through. Even her bed wouldn’t provide sanctuary from this, not over a longer span of time. The initial sanctuary it'd provide was far outmatched by her punishment being delayed, which she knew from previous experience.

Finally she set foot on the highest level of the estate, casting a glance around. The bannered halls were empty, no servant in sight. Avestia could feel her heart pounding in her chest, a drop of sweat running down her forehead. Whatever lied in the near future for the young noble was bound to be less than pleasant, emphasis being on less.
In the back of the estate she found the three head rooms, a mechanized door sliding open with a soft click. On the left there was a meditation and prayer room, a voice in her head chimed in. Her father usually sat there for extended periods of time, praying to the left handed god.
The right of the three rooms was her second home. A place where she truly felt comfortable, even amongst the knowledge of the Sith. It was her palace, her domain. There were no restrictions in the archives for the young noble, which lead to her sending hour upon hour taking in whatever she could. The lightsaber forms were interesting enough in theory, and usage of the Force was something she could only dream of..for now. Knowledge was her strong suit, and she was happy with it being available.

Neither of the two rooms were to be entered now though, as much as she wanted to. The left room seemed inviting enough, meditating on her thoughts and decisions never having seem as tempting before. Self-reflection and introspection never had been her strongest suit. There was an unpleasant hint to looking back on her own decisions and knowing that some who looked down on her considered them wrong. Stars, they were her decisions right, and not theirs? Yet she still couldn’t shake that feeling.
As for the archives, all she wanted to do right now was drown herself in knowledge. Forgetting what happened in the past, forgetting what was about to happen had such a sweet allure to it she almost instinctively walked towards the door on the right. Ignorance wasn’t bliss though, the thought alone causing her to freeze up again.

With her head held high and her form right up she entered the room. Unlike the rest of the estate, this room was in old fashion and intentionally so. As there were no windows in the room it was naturally dark, normally only lit up barely by the oil torch sconces that were placed on the walls. It was the throne room, the room where her father sat when he was to be left alone with his thoughts. His saber practise and training in the force were also held here, the only one to witness it being the odd apprentice that was following a lesson.

This time there was more that lit up the room though. Bright blue sparks seemed to be suspended in the air, waiting on purpose. They remembered her of the stars she could see on her very few trips into space. It was a mesmerising sight, a brilliant blue hue hanging throughout the entirety of the room. While not quite blinding she had to avert her eyes from just the brightness.

She started moving, senses extended to the best of her extent. There was nothing to be sensed though it seemed..either some obstacle blocked her senses or there was something else in play. The design of the room was simplistic enough that she knew where to go though, moving through the darkness that seemed to sparkle. At the centre of the room she halted, her senses suddenly overwhelmed.

It was as if someone had pushed the air out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for air desperately as she fell to one knee. Now she could sense, but there was more than one present in the room. Both presences were familiar to her, their force signatures distinguishable from millions of individuals at any time.

Her father and her brother. It was as if they had appeared from thin air, their presences no longer shrouded by the force itself. Her father’s presence felt like thunder to her, the electricity that hung in the air magnified by a hundredfold. It completely overwhelmed anything she felt from her brother, except the added sensation of him being there. How moronic, she could’ve known. They had always been there for one another’s punishments, as supposed lesson on what would happen.

“Do you have any regrets?” While her father’s voice was soft and had a poisonous edge to it she could hear it very well. Without doubt she could’ve heard it in the same way from any corner of the room, now she thought of it.

“None.” The answer came with a proud hint to it. From young on she had been taught that regretting decisions that turned out to be mistakes was foolish. As long as she’d live on from them they’d make her stronger and cause her to grow.


Silence lingered before a last response came. “Good.” With how satisfied her father sounded there was this feeling of pride that flared up in her. While it was silver lining, she’d take it anytime. A compliment from her father was precious to her, albeit an indirect one like this.

Force started to rapidly gather in the palm of her parent before it formed in a bright blue electricity, the same bright blue of the sparks in the room. The blue gave away the silhouette of the Sith as it flickered over and over. With her head hung low she didn’t even notice those blue sparks converging onto her form. Then with a vicious crackling all the sparks jumped to her form when the lightning held in the palm was released towards her.

Avestia screamed.