Dark Legacy

Chapter 1 - Place of Legends

"You could have been a monster." The disembodied voice is harsh, and though it echoes over and over in the tunnel, it still sounds unmistakably female.

"Tell me something I don't already know," Anakin mumbles under his breath, exhaling as he pauses to wipe the sweat from his forehead and check the wound on his side. It's not bleeding anymore, but it still stings horribly if he moves wrong. Shortly after his arrival on Korriban, he'd been attacked by a pack of Sith hounds. One Tuk'ata had managed to get a swipe across his side, and its claws had been long enough to pierce through his armor.

He shudders with revulsion at the sickening threads of the Dark Side curling around him. He uses the Dark Side freely now, but it feels oppressive here. If only it were easier to pass the Sith trials. No one has a map of this ancient Temple, so Anakin has been meandering around, hoping to find the center for the past – Force knows how long it's been.

After killing most of the Sith hounds, he'd successfully retreated into the Temple, leaving the rest to yap outside with displeasure. After entering into the inner sanctum, he'd chanced upon the opening leading to the bowels of the building with no small amount of help from the Force. A token is needed to prove your worth, but to take, one must also give. Dooku's words echo in his mind. The Count wouldn't explain anything more, because apparently, the Temple itself would decide the rest. That sentence was the only guidance he could offer.

"Bound in chains. Beaten. Enslaved," murmurs another voice. And that's the other thing. The deeper Anakin gets into the Temple, the more the Sith spirits harass him. The attacks on his mind is something he needs to learn to resist to pass the test. He knows this, but that doesn't make it any easier. It's only been one week since they defeated Sidious on this very same planet. He hadn't heard the spirits then, but apparently, they'd been watching. They saw the fight. They know his weaknesses.

"Chosen? For what?" A spirit mocks him. It pauses dramatically. "Say chosen for Falling."

Anakin curses silently. They're intentionally trying to annoy him – apparently, they've gotten bored without anyone to needle or harass. He won't give them the pleasure of knowing how much they're unsettling him. Cautiously opening a durasteel door using the Force, Anakin sighs when he sees the room – or pathway – beyond is pitch black. Already, the light streaming in from outside is scarce, but he's been reluctant to use his lightsaber, because it will give away his position. He'd rather sneak up on whatever may lay within.

"It's spooky isn't it," chuckles a spirit, and Anakin feels his lightsaber move. He instinctively grabs the hilt so none of them can run away with it. He hadn't thought it possible initially, but apparently, they can still use the Force.

Sighing, he ignites the lightsaber, holding it up to light his path as he steps through the doorway. It slams shut behind him, and he jumps slightly. Ghostly laughter reverberates through the room, hinting as to its massive size. Whatever this place used to be, the structure is still magnificent, Sithly or not. As he's moving cautiously along the floor, Anakin senses that the Force is moving strangely in here, almost as though it's above a nexus point. Nexus point. Perfect. This is just where he needs to be. Now, how does it find a way to the lowest levels?

"Put away your lightsaber." This voice is deeper than all the others and holds an air of authority to it. Anakin knows that resisting wouldn't end well, so he reluctantly extinguishes the blade, gripping it tightly in his mechanical hand as the cavern is once more bathed in darkness.

There's a heartbeat of silence which is so acute Anakin can feel it. Do they want him to do something? "Tell me what you want," he hisses finally, voice vibrating with a suppressed fury. No, it's fear. They're powerful, and they're persistent. A week ago, Sidious was in his mind. He's not exactly comfortable around Sith spirits who are trying to wear him down mentally.