Affectus, Etiamnunc Pacis

[Desmond Nil’vak]

One year before Endor: The early evening Dantooine sky simply refused to succumb to the darkening of night. The humble farmers in the area called it a miracle, though it would not be until some days later when those brave enough to seek the source of the glow would discover what two men already were keenly aware of: The monastery belonging to the Sacred Brotherhood of Ashla was burning to the ground.

The Brotherhood had mostly gone unnoticed throughout its existence, being founded by an elderly Jedi shortly before the Clone Wars. It had served to found a religion based around The Force, venerating the Light (dubbed Ashla) and respecting and fearing the Dark (Bogan). The monks that carried on the teachings that had an utmost feeling of reverence to The Force, having no skill in tapping in to it, and even more so, feeling that they, as simple human beings, had no right to do such at thing. When Order 66 had been carried out, the monastery had gone untouched. No Jedi resided there, and the locals felt the Brotherhood was nothing more than a harmless cult who recruited orphaned boys and kept them from a life of crime. When it came to the politics of the Galaxy, it seemed the Brotherhood could not have been more removed.

It was with peace and grace that the monastery had stood, a place of learning and archaic concepts. Though peace rarely can stand forever, even in such an environment.

One of the members of the Brotherhood, Desmond Nil’vak, was returning from a trip for some supplies from the closest farmer's market, only to find the home that had nurtured him for the last twenty years of his life was engulfed in an inferno.

The shock was uncontrollable and the bag that was slung over his shoulder was dropped to the ground as he ran towards his home and he was forced to come to a stop when he beheld every single member of his Order, all dead from various manners of slaughter, though each had been posed as if in prayer.

To think that anyone would be capable of such a thing was unimaginable, but the who was more shocking than he ever had imagined. For before the fire stood a single living figure, cackling in his madness: Desmond's younger brother, a sibling who had been brought to the monastery along with him when Desmond was only six years of age and the other only three. Their mother had left them to the Brotherhood, a new family, though neither ever forgot the blood that they shared.

Desmond took a sharp intake of air, forcing himself to not cough, though no sooner than he did so than the other man turned away from the flames to look upon him, a grin of triumph plastered upon his features.

"Reginald..." Desmond began, the pain of what he beheld apparent in his voice. "What have you done?"

[Reginald Nil’vak]

"Why must you ask such a bol-headed question? The answer is plainly in front of you. Or have you gone and rubbed sand in your eyes again after seeing that pretty little milkmaid at the market, hmm?"

There was no shortage in cruelty in the way Reginald addressed his brother. But then again, there was no want or need to hold it back either. In fact, Reginald was having a rather hard time figuring out why it was that he had spared Desmond. True, they were actual brothers, and blood ran thick, but Desmond had always been a sap when it came to the teachings of the Brotherhood. He had gone right along with their blind worship of Ashla, their negating the power of Bogan, and that was only the start of their crimes as far as Reginald was concerned.

The true atrocity the Brotherhood had committed had come upon the brothers' learning that they were capable of tapping in to The Force. Reginald had remembered keenly his excitement, how he had felt that they had been chosen, they were special, meant for greater things. Yet the elders of the Brotherhood had attempted to squash those feelings the moment they were discovered. They had been called abominations for even daring to use the sacred Forces. After all, a newer teaching had cropped up that the Jedi had been purged because they too were unworthy to make use of Ashla, to have such audacity as to use such a great thing to do their will. Desmond and Reginald had been seen as no better, they had been punished mercilessly, cleansed of their wicked thoughts, and while Reginald had from that moment begun to question all they had been taught, Desmond had gone on believing every word of it. The fool.

Oh well, no matter.

"Oh stop looking so dramatic, Des. It's over!" He raised his arms in mock glory, if only for a little bit, as he took several confident steps towards his taller sibling. "They have no more control over us. No more of this 'we are unworthy to use the gifts that were bestowed upon us' nonsense. No more mindless chanting, no more mindless prayer, and no more of their obnoxious oaths of silence. We are free, you ungrateful imbecile."

[Desmond Nil’vak]

Reginald always had been one for a dramatics, and it was true that as of late he had seemed troubled, uneasy, far from the calm that all members of the Brotherhood strove for. Desmond's reaching of such a state of mind had been something that he had allowed himself the tiniest amount of pride towards - for any more surely would be needlessly self-congratulating.

The elder of the brothers had recently come to expect to see his sibling lash out in some manner and then to face the consequences of whatever actions it would be. He secretly had begun to hope it would be nothing more serious than when they had both been children and Reginald had decided to talk a walk with Desmond and they had come upon a beehive... which Reginald had thrown a rock at... after he had dumped a rather large container of sticky sugary syrup upon Desmond's head.

The horror of what stood before them both now was utterly unthinkable and even as it stood blazing before him, Desmond was having great difficulty processing that it was truly occurring.

"Free?" It was perhaps the only word out of Reginald's tirade that had been truly comprehended.

"This is not freedom, Reginald. Truly we can only obtain that through Ashla, through living a life that is just and proper. You know this! What you have done is anything but caused anyone to be free. Rather you have imprisoned us both to shame and sorrow."

The pain that Desmond felt was carefully kept in check, he could not allow himself to go down the path he now believed his brother to have departed upon. It was just as they had once been told, fear shall beget anger, which then shall swiftly turn into hatred, and it was your hatred that would eventually lead to the suffering of yourself and others. The final fruition of a life under Bogan had found its way into Reginald's heart and there was sorrow both at its causes and the fact that Desmond knew his brother was now beyond redemption.

Desmond turned from the site fully, unable to bare witness to its cruelty any longer. He would later regret the words that would next leave him. "It is that woman's teachings that have brought you here. I should have informed the Brotherhood of your dealings with that siren the moment they began. She is to blame for this, isn't she?"

[Reginald Nil’vak]

The rather smug appearance Reginald had been holding to suddenly faltered, fracturing into a fleeting look of utmost loathing that was directed at Desmond. For a split second every ounce of rage that had welled up within him that had caused the destruction before them threatened to peak yet again. As if in sensing its creator's change in mood, the fire itself roared as several ornate windows in one of the areas that had yet to fully be consumed by the flames blew out sending shards of glass hurling off to the side.

The moment was fleeting, and Reginald quickly composed himself, even offering a bit of an amused scoff before his lips turned into a sneer. "Oh Des, now you've just gone too far."

With hands clasped behind his back Reginald took several paces towards his brother and once within arm's reach began to circle around him. "But it's alright. I know you're just jealous. After all, she came to me. Not you. Or perhaps she attempted the both of us, but only I was worthy to hear her call through my dreams. It must be so easy to place blame upon another only because you feel inferior. Which, at this point, I am beginning to wonder if you just might not be as such."

Once behind Desmond, Reginald allowed himself to step away from his brother once more, now keeping both the inferno and his sibling to his back.

"I find it admirable however that even now you cannot bring yourself to strike out at me, but then again I suppose I spared your life so it is only right that you do the same for me." He glanced over his shoulder. "We always did watch out for one another, didn't we?"

His gaze was returned to the crest of the hill that lead down towards the village where Desmond had been prior that day. "Though if you truly believe my Mistress to be at fault, surely you can tell her yourself. She should be with us momentarily. Though I do warn you, my dear brother... I may have utmost patience for you but I cannot promise she will have the same desire to leave you unharmed. You can run if you wish... but that would be awful craven of you. Hardly befitting the last remaining member of the Brotherhood."

[Kassandra Distorith]

Death...

Thick and sweet, it slithered through the air, beckoning her forward. Reginald had done her proud - the destruction and loss of innocent life that he wrought was a thing of majestic proportions.

The Mistress purred as she walked, tendrils of sickly crimson energy coursing across her flawless skin. The soft leather of her short dress (http://www.foxyleather.com/members/1349114/uploaded/l8113_copy_lg.jpg) was fitted with sensual precision to each of her curves, framing her lush figure in glittering black. Fingertips trailed across the delicate silver clasps holding it up, toying with them as she made her way towards the inferno.

It shone like a beacon to her senses, calling to her with a whisper of Reginald's voice. Death energy welled up rich and dark the closer she came, dancing across her tongue as she breathed it in and savored the taste of it. There was little better in the 'verse than dying innocents to fuel the pleasure and power of a Master who thrived on such things.

Soon...she purred...soon, she'd reveal herself.

But not yet.

For now, Kassandra stepped down the last of the path and onto the carefully wrought stones leading to the monastery. The fire burned bright, flaring viciously as Reginald lost his normally tightly held control...when she could goad him to it, the results were spectacular. A smile curled her crimson lips as she caught sight of her....

...protegeé? lover? companion? student?

Reginald was all of those things, she mused, her glowing crimson orbs drinking in the sight of him with a decadent purr. It was a pity, the Mistress noted, that she could not have had them both. One would do, however, and admirably so.

"Ask me what, my dove? Have I missed something while I took nourishment from one of the villagers? He proved an inadequate snack...I made rather a mess of him, I'm afraid." she murmured softly, allowing her words to travel on a tendril of death energy. The tip of her tongue trailed across her decidedly sharp-looking teeth, caressing what seemed to be a pair of fangs before they resolved into a flawless smile. The fingers of one hand rose to push the profusion of her sable curls back across her bare shoulder, letting them cascade down her back to her waist.

The Mistress stopped moving as she reached Reginald's side, resting a hand along his warm cheek as a purr emanated from her throat.

[Desmond Nil’vak]

It was out of self preservation that Desmond moved away from the two, for it was true what his brother had spoken, Reginald had not seemed it fitting that his brother was to die with the others of their order, but the harlot that had corrupted him seemed nothing short of a monster in his eyes.

"You." The weight of the accusation was obvious, and just hinted at the anger that was being suppressed under waves of confusion and sorrow.

"You are the one who is to blame for this. Why? Why have you done this? The Brotherhood has done nothing to you, nor has anyone in this village. Your cruelty comes without cause." Somewhere, even amidst the restrained emotions was a genuine curiosity, a yearning to understand all the reasoning that had caused such pain.

[Reginald Nil’vak]

The sound that left Reginald was somewhat of a cross between a scoff and a tsk. It was quickly followed by a dramatic roll of the eyes that didn't seem appreciated by Desmond one bit. The stern look that was given was met coolly.

"Oh please, don't be so naive." Unlike everything else that had been spoken by him, these were practically spat out. Though no sooner than they left him did the slightly mocking tone return. "You act as if she were the one who came here and did this all her own. Be realistic, Des. I probably would have done this all on my own one day regardless of whatever influence you perceive my Mistress to have over me. They all were a terrible bore."

A small, almost genuine smile was offered to Lady Saevitia. She had taught him much since he had first answered her call. The subsequent nights that had followed where he would slip away from the monastery to be under her watchful gaze were nothing short of life changing. But even so, he would not have come to her as such if it wasn't for the fact the need to do so had been implanted in his heart for what had seemed like ages before.

"Yes Desmond, your little brother is a cold-hearted killer. And like it or not, one day you will have to come to terms with that. Perhaps along the way you will learn that you shouldn't be placing blame upon others where it is not rightfully deserved. It is awfully rude, you realize."

[Kassandra Distorith]

Lifting a slender hand, she received the silence she wished for. Now, only the inferno crackled beside them, beginning to warp the stone as she caressed it with her own energy. A bead of crimson trailed down her wrist, glittering like a gem before the tip of her tongue stole out to savor it.

Her purr darkened, thick with pleasure, the perfect counterpoint to the distant, rumbling thunder.

Sleek and seemingly gilt in silver, her fangs emerged slowly, lengthening until they were visible between lush, parted lips.

"Why?"

"Because many years ago, Desmond, there was a Sisterhood, just beyond the mountains to the south. Where the Brothers took in orphan boys, the Sisters took in orphan girls, giving them a home, and raising them to the life of the Order. As harshly as you may think you were dealt with when you strayed from the Teachings and the Path, consider yourself lucky, my dove. I could not quiet my gifts when they awoke, no matter how often the lash fell, no matter how many times the Sisters locked me in a lightless basement room with no food or water, and told me to pray."

The tip of her tongue stole down the length of each fang, hands clasped behind her as she stepped slowly forward. Crimson tinted eyes began to flood with a viscous black energy, while overhead, the storm grew closer.

"I did pray...only it was not Ashla who answered my pleas. It was not Ashla who came to me and taught me that the abilities I was born with were not an abomination, but a gift. A rich, decadent gift of the darkness itself who saw me fit to weild it. While I did not suggest the Brotherhood's destruction to Reginald, I admit to hoping for it when he first answered my call to his dreams. There is such a fire that burns within him, the likes of which you cannot understand since you deny the one that dwells within you." Kassandra stopped mere inches away from him, gazing up at him with fathomless black eyes. Fingertips rose to trail across his chest, resting over his heart as she contemplated tearing the organ from his chest.

[Desmond Nil’vak]

Desmond shuddered away from the woman's touch, cringing as if the slightest contact she had made had caused an anguished pain. The look on his face showed similar, though more in remorse, pity.

"You have my deepest condolences for what they have done to you. But you must understand the Sisterhood believed what they were doing would protect you, my dearest corrupted sister. Bogan has blinded you, though. Blinded you to the fact that your abilities, your intuition with the very life force of the galaxy, was meant perhaps to bring back Light to it all, to be a representative for what could be. You could have shown everyone what it was like to be in control of such a thing. We are mere mortals... we cannot even consider to make use of such a holy entity. The Jedi of ages past learned that lesson and were struck down for their egotistical mindset!"

Another step was taken back, his head shaking softly. "Dear lady, Ashla heard your prayers, your pleas, but I fear sometimes that the answer is just 'no'. It is when you begin to question it's infallible nature that Bogan drifts into your mind... It is not a fire that you have within you, nor is it one that you have stoked within my brother... it is a decay, a rot that is eating you alive and you have now doomed him to the same!"

"Even now it spreads, perhaps tainting me with its blackness. Have you no mercy?" Desmond raised a hand and motioned to Reginald. "He was destined for more than this! I knew it in my core. He was to be the better of us two, and you have torn asunder any chance for that. You have marked him for death..."

[Kassandra Distorith]

"I was three, Desmond. Three years old when they first subjected me to the lash and locked me in a basement chamber with no food, no water, and no sunlight. Tell me...what could I have possibly done that was so terrible that Ashla could not grant me the smallest sign of favor?" Kassandra echoed softly, her tone delicate and chiding as if she were speaking to a very young and rather simple child.

"Mercy? You want me to have mercy when I was raised with contempt and fed at the table of hatred? No...I have no mercy, I'm afraid. What little I was born with was bled out of me with the lash in the Sisterhood's courtyard. It was there on the flagstones soaked with my own blood that the Darkness first answered my call."

Turning on her delicate heel, her pitch-black gaze drank in the sight of Reginald, calm, composed, deliciously handsome as he stood there, waiting.

"Ohhh...he is destined for such greatness as you could never understand. You don't even stand in comparison to him...he's come so far already, with only the first steps of instruction...." Kassandra purred, turning suddenly and moving with preternatural speed to catch Desmond around the throat with one hand.

Her grip was viciously tight, sharp fingernails digging into his tender flesh and drawing forth blood. Laughter bubbled up from her throat as she leaned forward to trail the tip of her tongue through the crimson bounty, her fangs fully extended.

They gleamed as she tilted her head back and chanted softly, ancient words in a seldom-spoken tongue slithering into the air. Lightning arced out of the sky and danced around her before tearing into Desmond and launching him across the courtyard.

[Reginald Nil’vak]

To his brother tossed like one would do to a forgotten rag doll was both heartbreaking and exhilarating in the same moment. There was a twinge of regret that Desmond could not see things his way, had been stubborn to the point where it had come to such an end. Together, Reginald had come to realize fairly early on, they would have been unstoppable. But Desmond was far too keen on neglecting the gifts that Bogan, even Ashla, gave to them.

"Poor thick-minded lout..." The crumpled form of his sibling had to be turned away from to stave off the creeping of remorse.

The question of if Desmond was alive or not did not need to be asked, as brothers they had been in tune with one another since early age and even now with a great rift between them, Reginald knew he would survive this day.

Instead his attention turned back to Saevitia, his Mistress and after waving an arm in a direction away from the burning building, offered it to her. "Shall we? I fear if we linger any longer I will never get the smell of smoke out of my system and I rather not hold the essence of roasting imbecile for the next few weeks."