The Acolyte of Souls
Everyone thought that Jedi was amazing, handsome, strong. The moment he stepped onto Clan Stjerneklart’s territory, he was a quickly loved familiar face.
The more that he was acquainted with the Stjerneklartians, the more Sith was ostracized. He was just the brother of someone greater than himself.
Jedi was the Golden Boy. Sith was the bad reminder.
Well, he would become something great, too.
“Sith! Hey bro, it’s dinnert-”
As Jedi rose his head to look into Sith’s den. No one was in there, not Sith or Valeria .
“Hey, El?” Jedi began, getting his Guardian, Elivyra’s attention, “did Val say something to you about Sith going out?”
Elivyra shuffled uncomfortably.
“El?”
She fished out a letter.
Elivyra, Sith has told me not to speak of this, but because I fear for his safety, I write it down for you. We are journeying to the Hewn City, and Sith has instructed that we will not come back until we have destroyed all Shade within it. I have told him that this is crazy and unnecessary, but he is adamant. My Dear, please, let his father know, let our child know so that my Charge may be saved. I ask this of you from the very bottom of my heart, please, please, help my Charge.
-Valerian
*****
“My Lord… Are you sure that you would like to go through with this?” Valerian asked, unsure if Sith was even in his right mind.
“Yes, Val. I am.”
Valerian was stiff in his gait as they entered the woods leading up to the Hewn City. Valerian never wanted to go back there as long as he lived, and yet here they were, Valerian and Sith about to breach the territory of the City itself.
Until they heard Jedi’s voice carried out among the pine trees.
"Sith! Valerian!”
Valerian breathed a sigh of relief, but Sith tensed up. Wing beats followed as high in the sky and Jedi and Elivyra flew towards them and landed before them.
“Sith, what are you doing?”
You almost went into the city, Dad’s-”
“Back off, Jedi!”
Sith snapped, lashing his tail angrily. Jedi jumped at the harshness in his voice. Sith sighed.
“Jedi… I - I need to do this, okay. I need to prove to everyone that I’m not just Sith, I’m not just a bad reminder. I’m going to actually do something with myself. So… let-”
There was a rustling in the undergrowth. Both Guardians snapped to attention as a black fog began to roll in.
“We have to leave. Now,” Elivyra said, but the fog started getting into Sith and Jedi’s lungs, making them cough. The Guardians tried to drag them away, but they soon went limp as unconsciousness drifted over them.
And soon it did so with the Guardians as 3 figures moved towards them.
*****
“He awakens… The Shadecatcher awakens, my Lord.”
The voice sounded familiar. Sith blinked away the sleep in his eyes as he woke up within a cave. First he panicked, the Pearlcatcher instinct kicking in and he looked around for his Pearl.
“̴̶̀L̨̀ò̵͘ò̷͘k͟i̡͞͏n̶̸͟g̡̀ f̸o͢͠r̴̸ t͜h̵̡͝iş͡.̸͠..?̵̛"̛̛
An Eldritch voice rasped, holding up Sith’s pearl.
"A͏l̡̀̀th̴o̶̶͢ug̢h́͘ iţ͟ ̀w͡͏̛o̵ùl̷̸d҉̢ b̶̀e̶ f̶u̡͢n̵ ̵̡to͘͘͢ ̸̧̛s̸ee̛̛ ̶t̨͘h͏e ͜͝ĺ͜o͘͞ok͝ ͞o͘͡͝n͜ y̷̷o̕ur̷͘ ̷̕͟f҉̶á̛͜c̛̀e͢ ͠á̕s ͜I͘ s̸h҉a̸̕t̵͞͠t͡e̡r̛͝ ̢i̧t̨͘,̴ ̴͠I͠ ̶͡ņe̶͝e̸͟͝d҉̵͟ ̸yo͘͝u̕͜ ̷͢ćo̶̢h̵e͟ŗ͘e͞n͏̨t͟͢ ̛e͡n̸̛͢o͘u̵g̡h̶̢͡ ͝t͝o ̵̷̀f̢̕ee͢ĺ͢ p̛͏a͘i̷n ͢͠s͏̶͞o͝.̛͝͝.́҉. ̵̶̷He̵͏͜r͢ȩ͟.”
The monster of an Imperial flicked it with his Claw like a marble shooting it at Sith. He grabbed it and held it close to his chest, shaking with relief although that didn’t last long.
Sith looked up at the figures before him. It was the cursed, Shade-Touched duo that his father had supposedly killed, Ar and One. Their bodies were zombified and the flesh beneath their scales blackened. But that was not the most terrible thing before him, no, that honour belonged to the creature before him.
It looked like an Imperial, but that was only in a relative term.
It looked like the Shade itself, many grotesque, white mouths and eyes blinked and writhed amongst their jet black body. The mouths smiled ominously as the monster curled its tail.
“̴́͠W̵̨̛ha̴t̢͝ ́ì͞s ̸̨th́e̷҉ ̡͠m͠a̴͝t͠t̵̴̢er͡,̡͜ ̶͏c̨͏h̢i̸̡l͟d͏͢?̴̛͢"̀͠ It asked in a sickly sweet tone.
"Y͢͜ou ҉̡l̸̀o̢҉o͝k͠͠ ̀͟l̨íke͟͝..̴.̧͜ ̢͏Y̛͠o̷u̢͟͠'̛v͘҉͢è͜ ̧͢͟s͟ee̛͠n͢͜ ̶̕a ͞͝ghos̡͝t̸͟.̨"̷
Sith’s words failed him. He gripped his Pearl so tightly, his claws hurt. The creature laughed cruelly and was joined by Ar and One.
"̵Y͞ou kn͟òw̢, I h͞àd͜ ̕p͡lanned̨ ͡on ҉w͡a͘iti͞n͏g f҉ór͢ yǫu̸r ͏f̢atheŗ to ar̕ŕive so ̛tha̴t ̧yo̶u͠ ̷could ͠átt̷ac̕k ḩi̵m ̡l͜i̕k̵e̶ a ͟w̧i͝ld͡ ͝S͘t͜èe̵lh͡o̷u̸nd͏.͟.. ͠But̡ ͜I ͠t̸h̶įnk t͘h̛at͏ i͞f I ̀m͡ad͟e̡ y̷o̶ur ͝b̶rot͟h̢e͠r҉ ̷a͢nd͜ ͜your͠ ͜G͜u͜ardia̕ns͜ ̵S͢ha͏d̢é-̶T̸ouc͟h҉e͘d̵, ̷tha̧t ̵w̸ou͞l͞d swe͞et͞en͘ ́t̵h͢e deaĺ.͡” “NO!” No, Sith didn’t mean for this to happen. He didn’t mean for any of this to happen. He wanted to be a hero, not the reason for his brother and their Guardians’ death. Dripping darkness formed within the monster’s claws.
“͘͟Br̶̢i҉̵n͏g ̛m͘͢e͢ ͜th̀͢ę̕ ͏I̴m͠p̛̀͟er̕i̴͟a̕l.͜”͏
“Yes, Lord Manus,” One hissed and dragged Jedi over. Sith banged upon his shackles and yelled.
“Jedi! Jedi, wake up!”
Jedi didn’t stir. Manus approached him.
“St-stop!”
Something then passed throughout Sith’s entire body. Something… Powerful.
Then it concentrated into his brambles and the top of his head. Sith screamed as he felt something grow from the top of his head, his clothes caught flame. Feeling the fluctuation of energy, Manus turned to see Sith standing up shakily, adorned in godly clothing, ebony black antlers on top of his head.
“I… Said…”
"STOP!”
And Manus obeyed.
WHAT?! How was this possible?! How could such a whelp command him like this?! But within that thought, Manus knew he was lying. Sith had some sort of energy about him that was otherworldly to command such a Shadeling as he.
And unfortunately for Manus, Sith knew this.
Sith strode over and Ar and One bowed to him.
"Oh, greater master!”
“Command us, Lord!”
“Wake up my brother and our Guardians. Then leave. And never let me see you again.”
They followed his instructions and scurried out of the cave.
“̕͡Co̧m̴̢͜e ̶̧b̵a̴̴c͏̨҉k ́̕͜h͏̢̧ȩ͠r͡҉e̵!̧͞” M͢an̢u̶͠s sn̶̛a͏̵r̡l҉̕͝ęd́͜,̛ ̷́͡"̸̧Y̶͘͠o͢͞u̡͟ ̕b̡̢él̛oǹ̨g ̶̧͘tó͢ ̷͞M̵̴͠E-́"
“MANUS!”
Manus went rigid as he heard Sith’s voice. And to everyone’s surprise, he strode over to Manus. The way he carried himself, his presence made him look as if he was bigger than this Imperial monster would ever look.
“I am Sith Lightbramble,” he began, standing before him, “Son of Isra, the Demigod of Silence, Grandson of Prince Royal Lightradiance, descendant of my Ancestor, Bahamut the Radiant King, Sorienth’s most feared warlord. Leave this place, and if you ever hurt my family again, I will destroy you.”
Manus hissed malevolently.
“̀Th̵͝i̡s̛͟ ̨͡i͏̴͏ş͠ń̷'̡̡t́̀ ́͡ǫv̕͝ęr̴̢,́͏"̛
he snarled as he left.
Sith passed out before anyone else could say anything.
*****
Sith awoke to a realm of light, pure, radiant, golden light.
"Sith,” a gentle, feminine voice rang out.
“Hello?” He asked, looking around.
“Do you know why I have brought you here?”
“…Brought me where? Who are you?”
The voice laughed warmly.
"Because you are my child, one of many.”
Before Sith could say her name, she continued.
“Sith, you have been given a gift. A gift so strong, it could corrupt any dragon without a heart as pure as yours. You cannot only control the Shade within your body, but those outside of your body as well.”
He heard someone else talking far away, a masculine voice.
“Sith, son of Isra, the Demigod of Silence, you are the Acolyte of Souls.”
Sith’s eyes snapped open, and landed upon Isra, whose own eyes widened when he saw his son awaken.
“Sith!” Isra exclaimed, shutting his journal that he was reading out of, “how do you feel?”
“Better…” Sith said, shaking his head.
“Jedi told me everything. You may have some extraordinary godly powers if you are able to control the Shade.”
“About that…” Sith hung his head guiltily.
“Father, I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone into the City, I endangered Jedi’s, Val’s, and Elivyra’s life just trying to prove myself. It was a stupid and dangerous mistake. Can you forgive me?”
Isra stepped back.
“Sith. You should never feel less than anyone, especially not Jedi. Your mother and I love you so much, and equally.”
“But Jedi’s handsome and strong and… And… Not Shade-Touched.”
That last sentence made Isra’s heart break.
“Son, do you think that you are something we try to forget? Although you are Shade-Touched, we know that you and the Shade are separate entities. You are the greater of the two. We… We all love you, Sith. I know I love you so much.”
After a moment, Sith hugged his father.
“I love you too, Father,” he said. Isra was happy to return the gesture.
“And you make me so proud, my son.”
And that was all Sith needed to hear.
He was and would always be enough.