CHAPTER ELEVEN
Toah followed his father from the pool towards a large, magnificent temple that had suddenly materialized north of it. Inside, they walked down a large, white hallway, occupied by the apparitions of several past Jedi that had influenced the galaxy greatly, including Master Yoda, Nomi Sunrider, Jedi Lord Hoth, and Anakin Skywalker.
At the end of the hall stood three beings, led by a bearded man with wrinkled skin, wearing robes as bright as the room's walls. Noticing Toah and Aron, the elder smiled.
"I am glad you are here," he said to them. "I take it that you took him to the Pool of Memories, Aron?"
"Yes, Master Bendu," Aron replied. "However, I did not show him all of the memories. There were some I thought were...best left forgotten."
Bendu nodded. "I understand. Now then..." He stepped down and walked up to Toah. "I believe it is best to tell you what you must do."
"That's an understatement," Toah muttered.
Bendu smiled. "Yes, quite. First of all, let me explain who we are. I am Master Dai Bendu, founder of the Order of Dai Bendu, one of the earliest precursors of the Jedi Order."
He gestured to a tall, dark-haired man on his right. "This is Entui, who led the colonists of Tython that founded the Je'daii Order."
He then indicated a beautiful woman to his left. "And this is Ashla, also known as Cala Brin, one of the four founders of the Jedi Order."
Bendu turned back to Toah. "We are now leaders of this new order in the Netherworld of Praetus, to face off against the Sith gods and their armies."
Toah nodded slowly, still trying to comprehend all of this. 'So, where do I fit in?" he asked. "I'm not supposed to be the one to defeat these Sith gods, am I? Because my master would be a lot better candidate."
Bendu chuckled. "Do not worry. Your destiny takes place not here, but in the realm of the living."
"And my destiny is...?"
The elder's expression darkened. "You are aware of Darth Vorath, are you not?"
Toah frowned. "How can I not? He's responsible for millions of deaths!"
Bendu nodded solemnly. "Yes, I know. Anyway, Vorath has in his possession the staff of Valtheran, which once belonged to the ruler of the Sith gods. After they were banished from Korriban, the staff, along with Valtheran, were thought destroyed. However, it was somehow recovered by a Sith Lord and was passed onto his apprentice's apprentice, who kept it in his compound."
"And then Vorath took it from him," Toah concluded. "So that's what he used on that Emperor on Dromund Kaas."
"Indeed," Entui said. "The staff has the ability to absorb one's spirit and contain it within. If the staff is broken, however..."
He glanced at Bendu, who motioned him to continue. "...then it's wielder would be in a whole world of pain."
Toah considered the elders' words, and looked up towards his father, who seemed to be reading his thoughts with a pensive look.
"So," Toah finally said, "in order to stop Vorath, I have to break his staff."
"Correct," Bendu answered. "It won't be an easy task...but I'm sure you were prepared for that."
A wooden staff appeared in the elderly man's hands, and Bendu raised it up at Toah. "Are you ready to go back?" he asked, to which Toah answered with a nod.
Bendu smiled. "Very well."
A beam of white energy emitted from the staff and struck Toah, sending him tumbling through a tunnel of light.
* * *
"A long time ago..." the spirit of Darth Trayus murmured to Vorath, "on a planet not far from here, I was known as Rakar Val."
The torches in the chamber began to dim as a larger one enlightened a stone carving, showing what appeared to be tribal warriors.
"I was part of a lowly Sith caste," Trayus went on. "Everyone, including my family, looked down upon me, calling me nothing but a worthless slave."
Vorath felt a cold chill enter the chamber as the lights dimmed again.
"After a while, I felt like I was doomed for a fate without fanfare, until..."
The fire's lit up again, revealing the statue of an empowering Sith Lord.
"...until he came. Norak Vor, member of the Sith Council under his father, the then-Dark Lord of the Sith, Vendak Vor. He found me when I was weak and broken in the scorching sands of Korriban. He saw my potential in the Force and took me as an apprentice."
Vorath could make out Trayus' apparition as it glided across the chamber. "To this day, I still respect Lord Vor," the spirit said. "During his brief reign as Dark Lord of the Sith, he sent me to find what he had always dreamed of; a way to live forever."
The ancient Sith chuckled. "I began searching in the tombs of past Sith Lords, before digging deeper and finding the tomb of King Adas. Within his tomb, I found something quite interesting."
Once again, the fire shifted, unveiling the ancient text of the Rakatan language, inscribed on the chamber's walls, much to Vorath's surprise.
"I found a manuscript given to Adas by the Infinite Empire. It contained the ultimate means of immortality...and victory." Trayus paused, most likely to revel in Vorath's surprise. He then continued. "Instead of presenting the script to my master, I decided to travel to the Rakatan homeworld, Lehon, following the directions provided by the manuscript.
"After arriving on Lehon, I found a small clan of Rakata, one of the few remaining from their empire's collapse. I used the Force to tap into their minds, so I could understand their language and translate their text.
"This action seemed to impress them, and thus they heralded me as one of their deities, granting me the name of 'Darth', meaning 'Emperor of Death' in their language."
This time, the torches were suddenly extinguished, leaving the whole room in total darkness.
"Afterwards," Trayus went on, "they led me to an abandoned temple, which contained the armor and staff of Valtheran."
Vorath's eyes widened. "Impossible. Kal-Teraz told me the Sith gods only made contact with Korriban and Dromund Kaas. How did the Rakata...?"
Darth Trayus chuckled. "I think it is likely Valtheran simply transported his belongings to the Unknown Regions for safekeeping, and it was by chance that they ended up on Lehon. Anyway, the Rakata presented me the armor after declaring me to be their ruler. I then decided to test the staff, sensing that it had power of some sort."
"And you used it on the Rakata?" Vorath guessed.
Trayus laughed again. "Yes, I did. Their screams of terror were like a melody to my ears. I then took on the name 'Trayus', after the betrayal I had just committed, and later did so again against my master, becoming Dark Lord of the Sith."
"I see," Vorath muttered. "So tell me, what did the Rakatan script say about immortality?"
The spirit glided again, this time towards Vorath. "The text I found in Adas' tomb explained the key to becoming immortal in one simple phrase."
Only one torch lighted up this time, revealing a rusting, unraveled scroll. On its yellowing paper was written:
"In order to live forever, the entire galaxy must die."
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