Ziost : Opening the Fold

((Not much description of anything yet. Been a lllloooooonnngggg time. D: ))


Remember…

Life had been a blur for Charrae ever since Belial had left her. She had been cast off to God knows where after than incident… that incident of which she couldn’t even properly recall. But she remembered his name, and remembered his face. Charrae even remembered how she felt about him – but was that love? No. The feeling she had for him then was not associated with love. It was associated with fear, as well as curiosity. And when he left, her curiosity only grew, leaving her determined to find the Sith Lord.

At long last, Charrae had succeeded.

A whisper in a tavern told her that Belial was located now on Ziost, a cold, dark planet. It was just as cold and dark as the heart of a Sith, thus why the Sith owned it. Also why the new Sith Temple was built upon its land. That was Charrae’s destination, because that’s where Belial resided for the time being.

Finally, the Temple was in view. Her slow pace picked up to a sprint, as she was excited to finally see him again. What would he say? Would he remember her? Did he still possess the gift she had given him before he left? Was he even more corrupt? Perhaps he had somehow aged incredibly. Ugh, that’d be disgusting… and disturbing. But somehow these "powers" and "abilities" did that to people. Namely the Sith, or so...Charrae observed.

Since two or more years ago, the girl's image had changed a great deal. Her hair back then was shorter, much shorter than now. It was also a lighter colour. Her flesh wasn't quite so pallid back then, either - but these days it was the equivalent of porcelain. She looked a little on the malnourished side, her hip bones and collar bones easily visable, yet not quite disgustingly protruding from her skin. ((Image: https://2img.net/h/i169.photobucket.com/albums/u203/missmyv/charrae.jpg ... not my drawing.))

Entering the temple was easy. Or was it supposed to be? There weren't any guards around, no one to stop Char anyway. The air was very still, though, making Charrae believe that perhaps no one was really around. Her tongue ran over her cherubic lips quickly as she nervously continued on further into the Sith Temple. Lord Belial had to be here. They said he was. But then again... rumours were rumours. And even if he was here, there could be a chance that he'd automatically kill Charrae. After all, she looked incredibly different and... not to mention... Belial could have delved even deeper into his dementia. Thus, making him a killing-machine anyway.

There were certain people in the Galaxy, with the power to penetrate layer upon layer of hardened permafrost. People with the power to melt in seconds what years took to build up. One of these people was a young girl, whom Belial had kidnapped from her home on Muunilinst, whom Belial wanted to keep as a pet... someone to play out his sick, twisted fantasies upon, whether they be sexual, or just plain sadistic. A concubine, if you will. He wanted to deliver a slap in the face to the Republic, thus he had kidnapped a Senator's daughter on the Corporate Sector world. He grew to love her... more so than he had ever loved anyone else. Thus, he could not bring himself to harm her. He felt this was weakness... a hindrance to his Herculean power in the Dark Side. Thus, he turned to his master, the man who calls himself Palpatine, and spent his "year in hell".

That was three years ago. He had not seen her since.

It wasn't until he heard the automated doors of the Sith Temple open did he awake from his newly began meditation. The long, katana-shaped blade of his basket hilted Sith Sword, snapped to its hand out of its ornate sheath, but... he quickly dropped it immediately afterward. The heavy blade clanged to the floor, seemingly dancing between the handle and the tip of the blade, before finally resting still. This presence... no. It was not possible. This was a trick. Someone was impersonating her... it had to have been his brother, Khorne... the bastard.

Regardless, Belial rose to his feet. His red eyes narrowed on the doorway, ready to dematerialize anything that stepped through the archway leading to the main hall. Khorne's childish antics would not be tolerated, if he dared to go this far. But... his skin underneath the small clasp she had given him stirred. Though he was normally numb and unfeeling, he felt a burning sensation against the metal poking through the cloth of his robe. This... couldn't possibly be her, could it?

The clatter of metal stabbed at Charrae's ears, making her head snap in the direction of the noise. Her emerald eyes widened, her lips parted slightly. Her body stiffened.

So. He was here after all.

The late-teened girl darted stealthily down the opposite hall of which she had been originally travelling through, toward the metallic-clang noise she had heard. There was one doorway, only one, at the end of this corridor, and his shadow was visably stretched across the floor. A small smirk tugged at her lips, her feet carrying her a little bit faster now. But as soon as she arrived at the doorway, Charrae pressed herself to the wall, remaining unseen. She knew he knew she was there, though. So her stealthy antics were at fail... but... was Charrae ready?

A deep inhale and a self-reassuring thought was all it took take peel Charrae off the cold wall and convince her to step over the threshold. That step was incredibly frightening, though. This was because it revealed him - Lord Belial - to her eyes once again. It was him. He looked different, yet... so much the same as three years ago. Three years. Really? That long?

There weren't any words that could be passed through her lips at this time. She simply stared, her brows unintentionally knitted together, as if Char was trying to understand why he had even ever left her before. He had saved her, and then left her. Charrae didn't even know whether or not if she was glad to be in Belial's presense as she suspected she'd be.

"...Lord Belial?"

... Unbelievable. Belial's mouth fell open, his jagged, Nagaian teeth revealed, as he fell to his knees. This wasn't Khorne, he wouldn't be smart enough to look exactly like her at this current time. No, he'd be a carbon copy of her three years ago... Belial could scarcely breathe. How did she find him? How did she make it into the Sith territory undetected? How did she know where to look? All of these questions flooded his mind, so much that it hurt. But, a quick, disciplined spark of the Force eased his thoughts, as he raised his eyes to hers, and got to his feet once more. "C... Charrae..." he whispered hoarsely, his eyes fixated on hers.

Charrae stood there, staring; mouth agape slightly. Her eyes reflected hardly any emotion, if at all, but her body expressed shock, just by how tense she obviously held herself. Belial's expression seemed much more... pained than her own. Much more surprised. And perplexed. But she knew everything he was thinking - it was clear. Usually Charrae found the Sith Lord unreadable, but today, her sudden appearance made him open up like a book.

"Belial."

Her tone was almost harsh, as if she were mad at him. Charrae was mad at him, actually. The slender girl moved toward him slowly, her eyes narrowing as she grew closer.

"Where've you been, heh?"

Charrae hadn't powers in "reading minds" or anything of that sort, but her strict expression would certainly make anyone feel that she was piercing into their thoughts. Oh, how she wished she could. There was many things Char wanted to know about Lord Belial at the moment. Where had he been? Why had he left? Who was he now allied with? This and that, that and this. Her longs, waving and curling tendrils of hair were pushed over her shoulder, before she planted her hands on her hips, awaiting an answer, sort of like an angry mother.

"I..." he began, his eyes lowering. The fact that an untrained girl was making him feel like this was mind numbingly embarrassing. He knew he had wronged her, and she had every right to be upset. The night they kissed was the last he had seen her. He left her without a word, and didn't even bother to tell her the night before... but he had to. His master had willed it. He had traded the love of his life for power... the fact that she was able to find him was beyond his comprehension.

"You have every right to be angry at me. I left you, only so that I may further my connection to..." he didn't bother to finish. No excuse he could ever give could make up for what he did. "How did you find me?"

The embarrassment Charrae was causing him struck her with a pang of guilt, but her attitude refused to show softening. Yes, he was right. Belial had left her for his own selfishness. For power. A bloodlusting killer... that's who Charrae had found herself mixed up with. But in one way or another...

"Yeah, I know. I shouldn't be so angry though, should I?"

Turning her head, Charrae walked behind him and stood facing the wall.

"Betrayal is expected of the Sith."

The girl smirked with a hint of disappointment. Her fingertips tapped against her hipbones as thoughts raced through her mind.Yes. A bloodlusting killer. But in one way or another, Charrae had no problem with that. The girl turned back to him, and circled back to his front, looking at the floor. "Well..." A shrug. "I heard some men talking." Her auburn eyes raised to look at his sickeningly pale face. "It shouldn't matter that much."

Betrayal... heh... yeah, that was true. He did betray her... just like the typical Sith. "I assure you... I will make up for this. I never wanted to hurt you, Charrae..." For once, he did feel remorse for his actions. Sincerely, he felt sorry. He turned to face her, his black hair falling behind his ears. He then reached up to his left breast, and unclipped the sapphire trinket that held his cape in place. His cape fell behind him, as he showed her that he still had it. "I've never removed it from my robe... it was the last piece of you I could still hold in my hand."

His thumb ran over it, as he closed his eyes. The fact that she was here... again... it made him feel strangely weak.

Belial's tone was hurt. Charrae knew she had struck a nerve with the guilt trip she had him practically walking on. At first it made her feel powerful. Yes, this girl, who a Sith Lord could crush in an instant, was actually making him feel as small as a mouse. But the memory of him being so kind to her, and so caring... he must have really...

"...What?"

Her eyes fell upon the pendant that was clutched in his bony hand. The stunning sapphire colour was striking. And it was then that Charrae remembered. She had given Lord Belial that gem as a gift before he left her. These days, he still held on to it. He brought it with him everywhere. And it looked stellar, still... obviously Belial had taken good care of it.

...He must have really cared.

"...Belial, I can't believe you still have that."

A small smile tugged at her pallid pink lips as she crossed her arms, still staring at the pendant. The fact that he still had it was relieving. The fact that she, a virtually worthless girl, had such an impact on him, a Sith Lord, was incredible. Charrae looked at him before smiling crookedly, not really sure what to say now. She felt sorry for being so harsh to him just moments ago.

"I could not bring myself to remove it. I believe it is the reason I did not die within my cryo-chamber." His eyes were still closed, as his pointy thumb ran over the un-tarnished jewel. He opened his eyes, and stared into hers. "A lot has happened since the last time we met. The Sith Order has crumbled, as has the Jedi... and I have personally taken the responsibility of rebuilding it. Yes... I am the new Dark Lord of the Sith."

He took a few steps forward, so that he could look straight into her eyes. His breath would feel cold. "But I have always had a weakness... a stabbing pain in my heart that has never gone away, until now." He raised his other hand, his right, and placed it on her cheek. He did not wait for her to reply. "You, Charrae. My year-long nightmare was about you. I could see the look in your eyes when you awoke, and I was not next to you. That same scene played over and over in my head... it hurt me more than anything the Dark Side has ever done to me. And now... here you are, in the flesh. I feel... complete, for the first time in three years."