Dark Son (Complete Chapter 1)

Underneath a sky of roiling black clouds, an ocean raged. Furious winds whipped the waves into a frenzy and sheets of rain fell—from heaven to earth, a solid cascade of water.

A pillar of rock rose out of the sea, jagged and black like a shard of shattered obsidian. The spire gave the impression of an ancient monument, built by a long-forgotten people—the reason for its existence, buried alongside them.

Not even the Ones who came after, ancient and knowledgeable as they were, knew its history—the planet Mortis was a mystery, even to them.

Their past world now converted into a prison, they took this one as their new home, drawn by its unusual presence in the Force. Tens-of-thousands of years already passed since then, but for immortals, a day was like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day.

Yet, it was unfortunate—though they came here, desiring to leave old conflicts and betrayals in the past, troubles weren’t so easily avoided.

Suddenly, in the stormy sky above the dark tower, a white light parted the clouds, descending out of the heavens like a falling star.

The streak of light’s speed was astonishing, sending ripples of energy through the rain and fog. Yet, it landed light as a feather, finding a narrow, winding staircase on the side of the tower with uncanny accuracy.

The intense light faded, revealing the figure of an otherworldly-beautiful woman. Like a moon goddess, her complexion possessed a soft, white glow—the halo of hair framing her perfect face was resplendent and silver.

Smoothing the skirt of her embroidered dress, she carefully ascended the steps. Somehow, despite the heavy rain and strong winds, not one strand of her hair stirred, nor did a single drop of water land on her clothes.

Arriving in front of a strange door carved into the side of the spire, she waved her hand absentmindedly. As if by itself, it opened, revealing an empty, dark space on the other side.

The woman entered, finding her way through the darkness with familiarity. Though light emanated from her person, it didn’t reach further than an arm’s length, almost as if the darkness was trying to smother it.

It was strange—despite the tower’s narrow outside appearance, its insides seemed enormous, vacuous and empty.

“Ah, a visitor after all this time. I wonder who it could be? Surely not my dear Sister! She’s far too virtuous and noble to associate with a wretch like me…”

Suddenly, a voice sounded from somewhere in the darkness. It was like man’s, but possessing a strange, almost supernatural quality. Any mortal creature, having heard it, would feel their hair stand on end.

However, from the beautiful woman’s placid expression, she clearly wasn’t phased in the least.

“Hello, Brother.”

Offering a simple greeting, her own voice – wonderful as that of an angel – echoed inside the dark chamber. Then, drawing an invisible symbol in the air, she produced a ball of multicolored light, like a glittering gemstone.

It rose out of the palm of her hand, levitating toward a spot above her head. From there, it pulsed a halo of expanding light, revealing the spire-peak’s interior.

The place’s appearance was almost like that of an antechamber, carved entirely out of basalt stone. From a high-domed ceiling, solid featureless walls descended, not a single window to be seen.

The floor was rather strange, given that, well... it didn’t exist. In front of the Sister’s feet was a seemingly bottomless hole, the chamber being completely hollowed out.

Yet, the strangest part were the gleaming, black chains—attached to the roof and walls, they stretched into the emptiness below. Indeed, the tower seemed to be some kind of prison, meant to contain the owner of the eerie, inhuman voice.

“…”

Sighing to herself, the Sister peered toward the bottom of the hole, the unnatural blackness resisting her light.

“I tried appealing to Father on your behalf. So many cycles have passed since he locked you in here… I thought that, even if he didn’t release you, I could at least persuade him to have mercy and reduce your sentence. However…”

The pity and self-blame in her angelic voice would surely have moved any listener to tears, but it likewise had no effect on the Brother. After all, the two of them had long grown used to each other’s unusual qualities.

A dry chuckle sounded from the bottom of the pit, the Brother’s laughter causing the chains to produce an unpleasant rattling noise.

“Your sympathy moves me to tears, Sister. It’s just a shame Father doesn’t feel the same way, otherwise he might have released me.”

Despite being imprisoned for what seemed like an eternity, and with no end in sight, the Brother didn’t sound particularly distraught. Instead, his tone contained a dark sort of amusement.

The Sister pursed her lips, her silvery eyebrows drawing into a frown.

“If only you expressed regret or swore that you would abandon those practices. I'm sorry you've suffered for so long brother and I wish I could free you, but a part of me understands Father's fear..."

Leaving some things unsaid, her voice trailed off, the words spoken in an uneasy tone.

A melodramatic sigh followed, coming from the bottom of the pit.

“Are you still a child, Sister? Why attach so much value to that old fool’s words? It’s time to start thinking for yourself, live your own life.”

“…”

There was a period of silence as the Sister mulled over these words. Then, she opened her mouth hesitatingly, her beautiful features showing an expression of uncertainty.

“Actually Brother, I didn’t come solely for the purpose of informing you about Father’s decision…”

Though she wouldn’t admit it, neither to him or herself, her Brother’s words started influencing her over the years. It was to the extent that she ended up doing something reckless, finding herself in the current predicament.

A curious hum sounded from the bottom of the pit.

“Oh…? I’m somewhat disheartened to hear that. I’d thought your visit was solely out of consideration for me, but now it seems you have ulterior motives.”

Contrary to his words, the Brother’s tone was filled with humor.

“Well, I suppose I’ll forgive you this once. Now, tell me what you want. From the sound of it, my dear Sister seems to have gotten herself involved in some mischief.”

Realizing she was being teased, the Sister’s eyes narrowed, but then she gave a helpless sigh.

“Not long ago, a visitor came to our world. I found him on the Eventide Coast, injured and dying in a pile of wreckage. I tended to his wounds and nursed him back to health, but… I haven’t told Father.”

She retold the brief tale guiltily. Since childhood, she’d been the perfect daughter, never having told so much as a white lie.

Given the nature of planet Mortis, the news of an off-worlder’s arrival couldn’t be considered as anything less than earth-shattering. Yet, not only did the Brother not reply, but the pit remained completely silent to the point of being deafening.

Her anxiety growing, the Sister couldn’t help wonder if coming here was a mistake after all. Given how long they’d known each other, it would be strange if she wasn’t familiar with her Brother’s ways—for him, this type of response didn’t bode well.

“…’off-worlder’? You mean to say, there’s only one?”

An answer eventually came, spoken in a calm tone. However, the Sister could tell it was only a façade—he was certainly shocked by the news.

Nervously fiddling with the hem of her dress, she nodded.

Despite their separation, as well as the darkness of the pit, the Brother seemed aware of her gesture. 

“An off-worlder, and only one… I wonder who it could be.”

The words he whispered sounded more like they were intended for himself instead of her.

Most likely, the Brother had expected something like this to happen from one of his visions, at least that was the Sister's guess.

When they were small, they’d drunk from the Font of Power and bathed in the Pool of Knowledge respectively. For that reason, they often received prophetic visions or dreamed historic scenes from long ago.

“After waking, he gave me his name—Xendor, hailing from a world called Lettow. He … practices forbidden arts. At first, I was suspicious and cautious of him because of this reason, but after many discussions I recognized his mindfulness and nobility.”

She was strangely defensive—that is to say, given their similar… natures, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume her Brother would be well-disposed toward Xendor. However, the Sister knew her sibling didn’t see eye-to-eye with other Bogan practitioners; or rather, he didn’t think of himself as one in the first place.

A moment of silence passed between them as the Brother digested this new information.

“Xendor… I see now. Father is sleeping, I presume—otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to keep this from him. It does make me wonder how long exactly you waited to share his decision with me, and since when you’ve been keeping that pet mortal…”

His tone was contemplative, filling in the blanks his Sister left out.

“…goodness, those little things perish so quickly. By the time that old coot awakens, the poor creature will long since have turned to dust! I would assume it wishes to leave before that happens, and you, ever the sympathetic one, must have agreed to help.”

“…”

Hearing his unspoken accusation, the Sister felt guilt surge in her chest.

“A hundred-and-fifty-three cycles have passed since Father’s verdict, but I didn’t dare come until he was asleep. Though I’m sorry for it, you know he forbade me from visiting you…”

To both, her excuse seemed more for the purpose of convincing herself than him.

A loud scoff sounded from the bottom of the pit.

“He knows you visit me in secret, but turns a blind eye. Never mind that, you better just tell me how long you’ve kept that mortal. If it’s already old and grey then forget it—putting in so much effort for a thing nearing death would just be a waste.”

At least on the surface, the Brother sounded completely disinterested. However, his true intentions were something the Sister knew best: he’d never miss an opportunity to do her a favor, not if it meant receiving one in return.

Though disliking the idea of deepening her debt, she forged onward.

“He has not been here long—two or three cycles at most. Speak truthfully, are you able to return him to his home? If not, then…”

Her words trailed off uncertainly, knowing neither she nor Xandor had a plan B.

Though the Sister knew her Father could resolve the situation, she didn’t want to wake him. In his twilight years, he needed to rest for prolonged periods of time, otherwise his illness would worsen. Besides, he’d wouldn’t approve of her and Xandor…

“You of all people should have no reason to doubt my abilities… Heh, but Sister. while I’m aware of your penchant for collecting strays, I can’t help but feel there’s something not quite right about this situation…”

The Brother’s voice suddenly emerged from the pit, his tone ambiguous.

However, before he could finish his sentence, the Sister interrupted him.

“Don’t pry into my matters. As long as you’re able to, then that’s enough. I will repay you for this favor, as I always do.”

She spoke curtly—somewhat out of character for her, given her natural disposition.

Suddenly, the chains rattled vigorously, a loud burst of laughter emanating from the bottom of the pit.

“Oh my, that is just magnificent! To think you would actually... Why, I haven’t been this entertained since I devoured that fleet of Rakatan vermin. In fact, I’m almost tempted to do you this favor free of charge as thanks for alleviating my boredom. However, the idea of slaving away for a mortal doesn’t sit right with me…”

From his sudden outburst, it was clear the Brother came to some kind of conclusion regarding his Sister’s relationship with her ‘pet’.

“In any case, I won’t be able to do it like this. Even though he has one foot in the grave, Father’s sorceries are still formidable. You must fetch the ‘key’ and undo one of the seals. Even with your abilities, it won’t be easy, but perhaps you and your pet can tackle the ‘adventure’ together.  After all, undergoing hardships together is a good way to strengthen your relationship…”

The Brother hadn’t stopped speaking yet, but the Sister, her face red as a boiling crab from embarrassment, was unwilling to let herself be teased.

Stomping her feet angrily, she stormed out of the tower—a series of mad cackles pursued her past the exit and out into the stormy sky.