The Shadow of the Jedi

26. An Invitation

I became aware of a strange phenomenon after my battle with Count Dooku: I felt as though I was inadvertently absorbing his force essence. Therefore, after a great deal of thought, it caused me to review the old holocron of an individual who could potentially offer me the answers. Every living thing ends in the void. The man who, with his sheer power, caused an extinction-level event. Darth Nihilus, The Lord of Hunger.

I gazed at the enigmatic holocron with immense fascination, concentrating on the dark side, which enabled it to unlock. As the chamber falls into darkness, I collapse on the cold and fear that I will perish once more. As I gaze up at the holocron, a spectral rendition of Darth Nihilus emerges, shrouded in despair. Nihilus conveys this in the ancient Sith speech, and his voice is an eerie instill that appears to come from a higher plane.

"Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun. Midwanosh bûzi kai midwan."

Darth Nihilus communicated in a mysterious, multi-layered whisper, resonating with prehistoric power as well. According to Darth Sidious, the words are beyond comprehension to all but the most knowledgeable about Sith mythology, but they translate an importance that goes beyond spoken language. However, my studies as a Jedi of presumed ancient language, including the sith in secret, enabled me to understand every whisper.

"Teach me, ancient master. Show me the true power of the dark side." With all life dying around him, I needed his teaching to prove my might to destroy the Jedi, so I spoke to the spectre as I kneeled before him, asking for his knowledge of the force drain to defeat my enemies.

"Urk vegrij... tuti skotra. Midwan qorit banokî."

(A/N: Good luck translating this; I spent way too long trying to write a single sentence in the Sith language.)

Following the moment he finished his speech, I felt a surge of darkness that strengthened my own power. I additionally experienced unbearable suffering while reabsorbing the knowledge and learning the dark techniques of force drain. At that point, I recognised both the technique's potential and its limitations.

Once the holocron closed, I felt an immense power slowly about to consume me; therefore, I meditated to control the power itself and not allow it to get lost and kill me in the process.

Here in my meditation chamber, surrounded by old Sith holocrons from former Sith lords, I wait for the republic's message and consider my next move. His mind is filled with Nihilus' lessons, pointing me in the direction of a different route. What I see is a dark void, a force that devours not only life but the very fabric of the force itself.

After several hours, or weeks, as it felt to me, I was reminded of an important event that occurred within the exact same period that Darth Nihilus was still conscious of. I was inspired by a thought courtesy of the Darth Traya Period, when she killed three Jedi masters simply by cutting their connections. "It's strong to drain life, but to cut the force itself off would make me unstoppable. A void in the Force... Nihilism in the Force."

I exercised my skills throughout my meditation by going over simulations of various scenarios involving the manipulation of force drain techniques, but my focus was broken when Boc entered my room bearing a message from the Republic.

"Ma...master I bring news *chuckles* news from the republic...and they agree for a peace talk near their...territory." He chuckled as his words were quite distinct, and he smiled as he continued to address the information to me.

"Well done, Boc. Prepare my shuttle; I shall go there. Alone." With all his excitement, he ran out of my chambers, and I heard him screaming outside of the chambers for them to prepare my shuttle for takeoff.