Dark Son (Rewrite) (Patreon)

Here's a part of chapter 1—I got this far while re-watching clone wars, probably more time spent on that than was strictly necessary...

Anyway, part of what I want from this is more interaction between the siblings and the dad. Leaving them behind after the first chapter was a mistake, i feel.

Also, I kinda want to try the audio thing again. I attached a file, idk if you guys would like to have the option of listening instead of reading.

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Underneath a sky of roiling black clouds, an ocean raged. Furious winds whipped the waves into a frenzy and sheets of rain fell—from heaven to earth, a solid cascade of water.

A pillar of rock rose out of the sea, jagged and black like a shard of shattered obsidian. The spire gave the impression of an ancient monument, built by a long-forgotten people—the reason for its existence, buried alongside them.

Not even the Ones who came after, ancient and knowledgeable as they were, knew its history—planet Mortis was a mystery, even to them.

Their past world now converted into a prison, they took this one as their new home, drawn by its unusual presence in the Force. Tens-of-thousands of years had already passed since then, but for immortals, a day was like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day.

Yet, it was unfortunate—though they came here, desiring to leave old conflicts and betrayals in the past, troubles weren’t so easily avoided.

Suddenly, in the stormy sky above the dark tower, a white light parted the clouds, descending out of the heavens like a falling star.

The streak of light’s speed was astonishing, sending ripples of energy through the rain and fog. Yet, it landed light as a feather, finding a narrow, winding staircase on the side of the tower with uncanny accuracy.

The intense light faded, revealing the figure of an otherworldly beautiful woman. Like a moon goddess, her complexion glowed soft-white, and the halo of hair framing her perfect face shone resplendent and silver.

Smoothing the skirt of her embroidered dress, she carefully ascended the steps. Somehow, despite the heavy rain and strong winds, not one strand of her hair stirred, nor did a single drop of water land on her clothes.

Arriving in front of a strange door carved into the side of the spire, she waved her hand absentmindedly. As if by itself, it opened, revealing an empty, dark space on the other side.

The woman entered, finding her way through the darkness with familiarity. Though light emanated from her person, it didn’t reach further than an arm’s length, almost as if the darkness was smothering it.

It was strange—despite the tower’s narrow outside appearance, its insides seemed enormous, vacuous and empty.

“Ah, a visitor after all this time. I wonder who it could be? Surely not my dear Sister! Someone like her is far too virtuous and noble to associate with a wretch like me…”

Suddenly, a sarcastic voice sounded from somewhere in the darkness. It was like a man's, but possessing a strange, almost supernatural quality—any listeners would feel their hair stand on end.

However, judging by the beautiful woman’s placid expression, she clearly wasn’t phased in the least.

“Hello, Brother.”

Offering a simple greeting, her own voice – wonderful as that of an angel – echoed inside the dark chamber. Then, drawing an invisible symbol in the air, she produced a ball of multicolored light, like a glittering gemstone.

It rose out of the palm of her hand, levitating toward a spot above her head. From there, it pulsed a halo of expanding light, revealing the spire-peak’s interior.

The place’s appearance was almost like that of an antechamber, carved entirely out of basalt stone. From a high-domed ceiling, solid featureless walls descended, not a single window to be seen.

The floor was rather strange, given that, well... it didn’t exist. In front of the Sister’s feet was a seemingly bottomless hole, the chamber being completely hollowed out.

Yet, the strangest part were the gleaming, black chains—attached to the roof and walls, they stretched into the emptiness below. Indeed, the tower seemed to be some kind of prison, meant to contain the owner of the eerie, inhuman voice.

“…”

Sighing to herself, the Sister peered toward the bottom of the hole, the unnatural blackness resisting her light.

“Today, I tried appealing to Father on your behalf. So many cycles have passed since he locked you in here… I thought that, even if he didn’t release you, I could at least persuade him to have mercy and reduce your sentence. However…”

The pity and self-blame in her angelic voice would surely have moved any listener to tears, but it likewise had no effect on the Brother. After all, the two of them had long grown used to each other’s unusual qualities.

A dry chuckle sounded from the bottom of the pit, the Brother’s laughter causing the chains to produce an unpleasant rattling noise.

“Your sympathy moves me to tears, Sister. It’s just a shame Father doesn’t feel the same way, otherwise he might have released me.”

Despite being imprisoned for what seemed like an eternity, and with no end in sight, the Brother didn’t sound particularly distraught. Instead, his tone contained a dark sort of amusement.

The Sister pursed her lips, her silvery eyebrows drawing into a frown.

“If only you expressed regret or swore that you would abandon those deplorable practices. I'm sorry you've had to suffer for so long brother and I wish I could free you, but a part of me understands Father's fear..."