Series 1.16 - Never My Salvation
Glory and honor earned in blood and battle. These were the only things that ever mattered; the only things that served a purpose. The spoils of war, wealth and prosperity, meant nothing if not earned by severing the throat of a foe to get them. With every victory came the pride of pleasing the Domination and none were better at it than he was. Or, at least, none used to be better. The one adversary he could never defeat was time. Time had taken away some of his power, some of his speed. He tried to fight back for as long as he could, but no soldier will ever defeat it. And that was perhaps the one thing that he could never fully accept about getting older and the changes that came with it.
I WAS A LEGEND. A HERO AMONG HEROES. EVEN THE ELDERS DARE NOT CROSS ME LEST THEY TREMBLED AT MY FEET. AND NOW...
He may never truly be able to stop it, but he knew that life had given him an opportunity to slow it down. He traveled along the Trail of Desolation from the Other Side only to find himself stuck on this unimportant planet and in charge of undisciplined fodder and a menagarie of forgotten trophies. They had lost faith in his abilities, but he could prove his worth to them once more. He never liked having to answer to them, but that only made things that much more sweet. Who else in the entire Sunder Pilgrimage could say that they have slain two dissenters and a long ignored memento by hand?
NONE! ONLY JAG-IN DERGA CAN CLAIM SUCH BOUNTIES SOON ENOUGH!
It was closer to coming true. He could sense the bastardization in the air; almost taste it on his lips. It sickened him and only drove him to go faster and harder after it. Thousands of lives have ended in his grasp but none as important as these. The Domination, and even Empress Nor-oh Nen herself, could no longer cast him aside as some bygone champion of a war that nobody remembers. They would be forced to admit to the rest that they were wrong about him. They would be forced to promote him back to High Command and concede the error of their ways. Soon enough. He could see them now; a vile shadow and a heretic. One would die now; the other...not long after.
I WAS A LEGEND. A HERO AMONG HEROES. EVEN THE ELDERS DARE NOT CROSS ME LEST THEY TREMBLED AT MY FEET. AND NOW...
He may never truly be able to stop it, but he knew that life had given him an opportunity to slow it down. He traveled along the Trail of Desolation from the Other Side only to find himself stuck on this unimportant planet and in charge of undisciplined fodder and a menagarie of forgotten trophies. They had lost faith in his abilities, but he could prove his worth to them once more. He never liked having to answer to them, but that only made things that much more sweet. Who else in the entire Sunder Pilgrimage could say that they have slain two dissenters and a long ignored memento by hand?
NONE! ONLY JAG-IN DERGA CAN CLAIM SUCH BOUNTIES SOON ENOUGH!
It was closer to coming true. He could sense the bastardization in the air; almost taste it on his lips. It sickened him and only drove him to go faster and harder after it. Thousands of lives have ended in his grasp but none as important as these. The Domination, and even Empress Nor-oh Nen herself, could no longer cast him aside as some bygone champion of a war that nobody remembers. They would be forced to admit to the rest that they were wrong about him. They would be forced to promote him back to High Command and concede the error of their ways. Soon enough. He could see them now; a vile shadow and a heretic. One would die now; the other...not long after.
*****
In all her years serving the Order as both a Controller and the Commandant, Melora had never been in a situation in which she felt unsure of the outcome. She always entirely believed in her abilities as both a leader and a warrior. There wasn't another living being in the entire galaxy that could match her strategic mind or her moxie. Though she may have followed in her father's footsteps, she had trailblazed her own path of greatness and earned the privilege to lead the rest of the Controllers from the front. She had carried the weight and severity of that title at such a young age that it has become second nature to her now. No matter what was asked of her, she would give if it meant bettering the Assemblage and the Order. The NebulaBridge had spread the narrative of her duty throughout the entire galaxy; fame did not escape it's grasp. Every word she spoke, every step she took, was broadcast to the adoring public. Some may think of her as being too cold, but Melora knew the fine dance it took to please both sides of any argument. Her confidence was never flawed.
Or at least never used to be. What is wrong with me?
“Come on, you overgrown Phek!” she yelled out into the darkness of the trees.
“I'm getting real tired of you thinking that you can kill so easy without reason or purpose. That's not how things work in this galaxy!” she proclaimed as she continued to maneuver in her defensive position, searching for any signs of the enemy. She knew that if it was the one from before in the temple, the one that had killed Kel, he'd never be able to stay silent for long out of sheer mass and the thickness of the jungle.
That is when she realized that having to battle a creature that large in such a small area would not likely go very well for her. She needed a way to make distance and use her speed, and having so many trees and vines would make that difficult. A decision was made in that moment to ramp up the level of UDE-1 she was drawing from the atmosphere into her Resonator. She had already been using more than the recommended amount just to stay standing after injuring her back and having to flee. Not to mention having to well up enough of it to blast through the temple wall. She could feel the dark power begin to take hold over her mind, but believed in her ability to not give in completely.
There I go. Having to balance again. But why would anyone want to hold back such an intense bliss as this?
“Argh!” she let out all at once, along with the build up of energy in a ball of expanding power around her. The discharge effectively splintered and uprooted every tree in the area and burned away all the vines and branches halfway up to the canopy. It wasn't prefect, but it would help her situation.
How could I let go so easily...
But before she could rot into the anguish of releasing the power, the hulking figure of the invader from the temple appeared at the edge of the clearing she had just made. His body began to spark in a blinding, angry lightning as he brought his own weapon to the ready before her. She lifted both of her arms in retaliation and it was only then did she notice how much UDE-1 smoke was coming off her body. She had trouble keeping her eyes steady and her hands were darkened and trembling. Yet, she would no longer run away. It was time for her to prove that the Order would not cower to the intruders. Melora would get payback for Kel and the other Controllers who had lost their lives in the early parts of this conflict.
YOU DARE STAND THERE, ABUSING THAT MISBEGOTTEN FILTH?!
“Look, I don't know what you're saying, but if it's something along the lines of...let's settle this. Than yes, I agree, lets!”
In an instant, the dark and the light became one in the middle of the clearing. A blur of shadows and lightning battling for control. The Sunder was powerful and his blows were difficult to deflect, but Melora stayed in the fight. For every heavy handed swing that he cast her direction, she deflected and returned with a quick swipe of her own, taking pieces of his flesh out with them. The Order had gotten away from training new Controllers how to adeptly fight in close quarters using blunt style energy, opting to teach a more long range approach. Melora and the other members of her personal Strike Team were the exception and she preferred getting in close and dictating the flow of a struggle up close. She felt one step ahead of the Sunder, but with every misdirection, one of his wild swings would break through her defenses. He also did not seem to be stopping no matter how many of her own strikes made contact. She began to waver.
This is not good. This thing just won't...
Her thought was interrupted by a forceful kick to the stomach that she did not detect coming, which knocked her back three or four steps. She bent over slightly, both in pain and in an attempt to defend herself from another blow. No one had any idea what the Sunder were doing, why they came here, or what they ultimately wanted. There was one thing that could not be contested; the absolute hatred that they held for the inhabitants of the galaxy that they encroached on. The creature before her had a look locked onto his face of pure and utter contempt for her. As if he was disgusted at her mere existence. Melora noticed something else, as well, in his glowing eyes. She could not tell if it was pleasure or a thrill, but it was hanging in the air between the two of them. So many questions about him and his people flashed in her mind but she knew that none of them would be answered unless she won this fight. And that was looking more and more unlikely with every volley of blazing current he sent at her. She could feel her Resonator begging to evoke more UDE-1 and the pain between her temples sang a similar tune.
Well, it's either this or the end of me. I can't go out like that. It's not fitting for a Rowe.
She sidestepped a colossal attack that caused his weapon to get stuck into the ground; a weapon that seemed as though it was a part of his own arm. Seeing her moment, Melora used his body as a balance point to leap off of into a back flip. She landed in a three point stance and then slid down onto both knees in a praying position and extended both of her arms outwards away from her body with her palms spread apart. A whirlwind of darkness began to encircle her body with the fluidity of familiarity and anticipation. It was if the UDE-1 power she was drawing into herself had a mind and spirit of its own. Common sense and knowledge told her that it was lifeless and simply an element in the universe that could be harnessed and used like so many others, but if that was true, what were all the voices she was hearing now?
Thousands. Millions. Maybe more. All calling out to me from the void and the edges of space. What is it that you're saying? What is it that you want me to know?
Melora was losing her sense of self. The corruption was already beginning to take hold. It was not a feeling that she had been used to, as even though she could handle more of it's temptation than perhaps anyone else, she had never had to let it go this far. But she liked it. And it wanted more of her. An abrupt interruption in the form of a Sunder blade came crashing down nearly on top of her head. Now completely engulfed by the unrestricted use of UDE-1, she rather easily caught the weapon between her own two edges. The look of pleasure or thrill in the eyes of the beast had changed to that of shock, for a moment at least. A wicked and unfamiliar smile appeared on her own face as she managed to overpower the Sunder and rise back up to her feet, taking the creature down to his own knees. He was finally weakened and was no match for her power. The tide had turned entirely in her favor and she knew that she had to end it now.
Or, I could make him pay for what he did. I could rip every limb from his body, drain the blood from his veins, break off this accursed sword and shove it up his...
You have to stop! Let it go!
As she was contemplating the destructive humiliation of her opponent, a vaguely familiar voice broke through the millions of others. Unsure of who was calling out to her, she began to look around to the tops of the trees with a wild eyed gaze, still holding the Sunder down before her.
“Who is that?! What are you saying? Where are you?! Don't you want to come help finish this, it's going to be a bloody mess!” she cried out in a maddened tone entirely unlike her own.
This isn't who you are! You have to push back. This isn't the way! Just hold on, I'm coming to help you but you have to stop this!
She finally recognized the voice. It was her brother. And he was right. It was a sobering moment of sad realization.
What...what am I doing?!
The brief bit of hesitation; of pushing back on the overbearing power of the energy controlling her mind was all the time the Sunder needed to counterattack. She still had control of his blade-like arm but failed to notice as his other hand swung upwards with a large rock he had picked up from off the ground. The contact was directly under her chin and sent her flying backwards into the air and landing with an audible thud onto her already injured back. Her vision began to fade away, but it was still clear enough to see the creature lumber back to his feet and stand over her body with his blade lifted high above his head. She should have been in fear, but could only feel the crushing weight of abandonment ripping her heart and her mind to shreds.
How could I let it go...
And with that final thought, her mind became as dark as the shadows that emanated from her very core. The last thing she saw was a flash of crackling fire swing down towards her head.
Or at least never used to be. What is wrong with me?
“Come on, you overgrown Phek!” she yelled out into the darkness of the trees.
“I'm getting real tired of you thinking that you can kill so easy without reason or purpose. That's not how things work in this galaxy!” she proclaimed as she continued to maneuver in her defensive position, searching for any signs of the enemy. She knew that if it was the one from before in the temple, the one that had killed Kel, he'd never be able to stay silent for long out of sheer mass and the thickness of the jungle.
That is when she realized that having to battle a creature that large in such a small area would not likely go very well for her. She needed a way to make distance and use her speed, and having so many trees and vines would make that difficult. A decision was made in that moment to ramp up the level of UDE-1 she was drawing from the atmosphere into her Resonator. She had already been using more than the recommended amount just to stay standing after injuring her back and having to flee. Not to mention having to well up enough of it to blast through the temple wall. She could feel the dark power begin to take hold over her mind, but believed in her ability to not give in completely.
There I go. Having to balance again. But why would anyone want to hold back such an intense bliss as this?
“Argh!” she let out all at once, along with the build up of energy in a ball of expanding power around her. The discharge effectively splintered and uprooted every tree in the area and burned away all the vines and branches halfway up to the canopy. It wasn't prefect, but it would help her situation.
How could I let go so easily...
But before she could rot into the anguish of releasing the power, the hulking figure of the invader from the temple appeared at the edge of the clearing she had just made. His body began to spark in a blinding, angry lightning as he brought his own weapon to the ready before her. She lifted both of her arms in retaliation and it was only then did she notice how much UDE-1 smoke was coming off her body. She had trouble keeping her eyes steady and her hands were darkened and trembling. Yet, she would no longer run away. It was time for her to prove that the Order would not cower to the intruders. Melora would get payback for Kel and the other Controllers who had lost their lives in the early parts of this conflict.
YOU DARE STAND THERE, ABUSING THAT MISBEGOTTEN FILTH?!
“Look, I don't know what you're saying, but if it's something along the lines of...let's settle this. Than yes, I agree, lets!”
In an instant, the dark and the light became one in the middle of the clearing. A blur of shadows and lightning battling for control. The Sunder was powerful and his blows were difficult to deflect, but Melora stayed in the fight. For every heavy handed swing that he cast her direction, she deflected and returned with a quick swipe of her own, taking pieces of his flesh out with them. The Order had gotten away from training new Controllers how to adeptly fight in close quarters using blunt style energy, opting to teach a more long range approach. Melora and the other members of her personal Strike Team were the exception and she preferred getting in close and dictating the flow of a struggle up close. She felt one step ahead of the Sunder, but with every misdirection, one of his wild swings would break through her defenses. He also did not seem to be stopping no matter how many of her own strikes made contact. She began to waver.
This is not good. This thing just won't...
Her thought was interrupted by a forceful kick to the stomach that she did not detect coming, which knocked her back three or four steps. She bent over slightly, both in pain and in an attempt to defend herself from another blow. No one had any idea what the Sunder were doing, why they came here, or what they ultimately wanted. There was one thing that could not be contested; the absolute hatred that they held for the inhabitants of the galaxy that they encroached on. The creature before her had a look locked onto his face of pure and utter contempt for her. As if he was disgusted at her mere existence. Melora noticed something else, as well, in his glowing eyes. She could not tell if it was pleasure or a thrill, but it was hanging in the air between the two of them. So many questions about him and his people flashed in her mind but she knew that none of them would be answered unless she won this fight. And that was looking more and more unlikely with every volley of blazing current he sent at her. She could feel her Resonator begging to evoke more UDE-1 and the pain between her temples sang a similar tune.
Well, it's either this or the end of me. I can't go out like that. It's not fitting for a Rowe.
She sidestepped a colossal attack that caused his weapon to get stuck into the ground; a weapon that seemed as though it was a part of his own arm. Seeing her moment, Melora used his body as a balance point to leap off of into a back flip. She landed in a three point stance and then slid down onto both knees in a praying position and extended both of her arms outwards away from her body with her palms spread apart. A whirlwind of darkness began to encircle her body with the fluidity of familiarity and anticipation. It was if the UDE-1 power she was drawing into herself had a mind and spirit of its own. Common sense and knowledge told her that it was lifeless and simply an element in the universe that could be harnessed and used like so many others, but if that was true, what were all the voices she was hearing now?
Thousands. Millions. Maybe more. All calling out to me from the void and the edges of space. What is it that you're saying? What is it that you want me to know?
Melora was losing her sense of self. The corruption was already beginning to take hold. It was not a feeling that she had been used to, as even though she could handle more of it's temptation than perhaps anyone else, she had never had to let it go this far. But she liked it. And it wanted more of her. An abrupt interruption in the form of a Sunder blade came crashing down nearly on top of her head. Now completely engulfed by the unrestricted use of UDE-1, she rather easily caught the weapon between her own two edges. The look of pleasure or thrill in the eyes of the beast had changed to that of shock, for a moment at least. A wicked and unfamiliar smile appeared on her own face as she managed to overpower the Sunder and rise back up to her feet, taking the creature down to his own knees. He was finally weakened and was no match for her power. The tide had turned entirely in her favor and she knew that she had to end it now.
Or, I could make him pay for what he did. I could rip every limb from his body, drain the blood from his veins, break off this accursed sword and shove it up his...
You have to stop! Let it go!
As she was contemplating the destructive humiliation of her opponent, a vaguely familiar voice broke through the millions of others. Unsure of who was calling out to her, she began to look around to the tops of the trees with a wild eyed gaze, still holding the Sunder down before her.
“Who is that?! What are you saying? Where are you?! Don't you want to come help finish this, it's going to be a bloody mess!” she cried out in a maddened tone entirely unlike her own.
This isn't who you are! You have to push back. This isn't the way! Just hold on, I'm coming to help you but you have to stop this!
She finally recognized the voice. It was her brother. And he was right. It was a sobering moment of sad realization.
What...what am I doing?!
The brief bit of hesitation; of pushing back on the overbearing power of the energy controlling her mind was all the time the Sunder needed to counterattack. She still had control of his blade-like arm but failed to notice as his other hand swung upwards with a large rock he had picked up from off the ground. The contact was directly under her chin and sent her flying backwards into the air and landing with an audible thud onto her already injured back. Her vision began to fade away, but it was still clear enough to see the creature lumber back to his feet and stand over her body with his blade lifted high above his head. She should have been in fear, but could only feel the crushing weight of abandonment ripping her heart and her mind to shreds.
How could I let it go...
And with that final thought, her mind became as dark as the shadows that emanated from her very core. The last thing she saw was a flash of crackling fire swing down towards her head.
*****
His world was one of agony. Like it always was and forever would be. He had never truly left this place built of woe, no matter what foolish hope that he had. Hope that betrayed him. That caused him to end up back here again. He always knew that he would never escape this place, but the small taste of freedom was enough to fool his heart into believing that maybe he could. It had at least become something that he could revel in; something he could accept. But it was different now. A new pain was felt now: loss. And this pain was far too much for him to handle. It cut much deeper than the torment of his prison before. The blinding truth, brought on by the Bright, was that he could never escape this hell. And that it had more punishments than he could ever imagine.
I used to understand it here. I became part of its purpose. But I can't...I won't. Not again.
He wanted more than anything imaginable to fight back against it. To push way from the overbearing radiance and find his way back into the dark. It was a comfort that interrupted unmeasurable amounts of misery, if even for just a brief time. It was a comfort that made him feel something different for once. He finally had a purpose beyond just a cursed existence of shame. A purpose to help her like she had helped him. It was this consequence that finally brought him some clarity. As his body was being dismantled into fragments, something in his mind changed. He realized that the moment he thought he was free he did nothing but run away; from his past and his future. But she didn't help him escape just to run away. He was freed physically and left his mind and all he had learned from the Bright behind. A man could not exist without his mind and he understood that now.
You were never my salvation but you were never my captor either. I was designed to accept you; to harness your power. But your brand of love never truly made sense to me, until now. The pain you cause only enlightens me and I have to embrace it.
The binds were broken now. This existence was not a prison but rather a palace. The Bright wasn't a tormentor, but a teacher. And it taught him that running was futile; that pain was eternal but not crippling. The darkness that he yearned for at the edges of his eyes faded away in a firestorm of a dying sun in front of him. He was not letting go; he was embracing. And he would never try to let it go again.
In an instant, he was back up on his feet, covered in dirt, blood, and grime from the jungle floor. He could see everything now and glanced down at the hole in his chest. It was filled with the same energy that had nearly ripped him in half to begin with, but now it was rebuilding him. The Bright was piecing him back together bit by bit. His eyes shifted up once more and now this world became clear as well. Without a second thought, he sprang forward with a newfound burst of strength and leaped into the air over the one who helped him. He came crashing down with two extended blades of lightning energy from his arms through both sides of Jag-in Durga's chest. The Sunder's own weapon once again digging into and through Hox's body. The pain was intoxicating as the two of them crumbled to the ground. It had been a very long time since he had killed a Sunder. But he remembered just how good it felt. He was created for this very reason and he remembered at least that much now. He watched as the old warrior struggled for his final breathes before succumbing to his injuries underneath him, his blade extinguishing, leaving a cavity in Hox where it once was.
“Go now, back into the Bright where you belong.” Hox whispered into the dying beast's ear before he too began to slip away and slumped down atop of the corpse. The light that had drained from the Sunder began to connect with Hox as if it had become part of him before too dying out. Now all that was left were three bodies in a dark jungle and complete silence. And a battle still raging in the sky somewhere above them.
I used to understand it here. I became part of its purpose. But I can't...I won't. Not again.
He wanted more than anything imaginable to fight back against it. To push way from the overbearing radiance and find his way back into the dark. It was a comfort that interrupted unmeasurable amounts of misery, if even for just a brief time. It was a comfort that made him feel something different for once. He finally had a purpose beyond just a cursed existence of shame. A purpose to help her like she had helped him. It was this consequence that finally brought him some clarity. As his body was being dismantled into fragments, something in his mind changed. He realized that the moment he thought he was free he did nothing but run away; from his past and his future. But she didn't help him escape just to run away. He was freed physically and left his mind and all he had learned from the Bright behind. A man could not exist without his mind and he understood that now.
You were never my salvation but you were never my captor either. I was designed to accept you; to harness your power. But your brand of love never truly made sense to me, until now. The pain you cause only enlightens me and I have to embrace it.
The binds were broken now. This existence was not a prison but rather a palace. The Bright wasn't a tormentor, but a teacher. And it taught him that running was futile; that pain was eternal but not crippling. The darkness that he yearned for at the edges of his eyes faded away in a firestorm of a dying sun in front of him. He was not letting go; he was embracing. And he would never try to let it go again.
In an instant, he was back up on his feet, covered in dirt, blood, and grime from the jungle floor. He could see everything now and glanced down at the hole in his chest. It was filled with the same energy that had nearly ripped him in half to begin with, but now it was rebuilding him. The Bright was piecing him back together bit by bit. His eyes shifted up once more and now this world became clear as well. Without a second thought, he sprang forward with a newfound burst of strength and leaped into the air over the one who helped him. He came crashing down with two extended blades of lightning energy from his arms through both sides of Jag-in Durga's chest. The Sunder's own weapon once again digging into and through Hox's body. The pain was intoxicating as the two of them crumbled to the ground. It had been a very long time since he had killed a Sunder. But he remembered just how good it felt. He was created for this very reason and he remembered at least that much now. He watched as the old warrior struggled for his final breathes before succumbing to his injuries underneath him, his blade extinguishing, leaving a cavity in Hox where it once was.
“Go now, back into the Bright where you belong.” Hox whispered into the dying beast's ear before he too began to slip away and slumped down atop of the corpse. The light that had drained from the Sunder began to connect with Hox as if it had become part of him before too dying out. Now all that was left were three bodies in a dark jungle and complete silence. And a battle still raging in the sky somewhere above them.