IC: High Legionary Samael, The Lightbringer; Novice Ash; & Novice Aster
Location: Tanalorr
Setting: Midnight, Four years after Judgement Day Epilogue
Samael knelt aboard the Flame’s Fury. He had been meditating almost all day. That morning he had informed his apprentices of a training exercise they would be performing tonight. Tonight the training grounds would be empty except for them. The two of them had begun to grow complacent in their training. Getting comfortable with where they were and not bothering to continue to attempt to grow. While he was proud to have seen how far they had come in the past four years, Samael knew they had so much more potential that they were wasting. Tonight would be a wake up call. Their orders were to work together to successfully apprehend him before he could make it from his ship, through the training grounds, and into the temple. They were to use everything at their disposal, weapons included, to complete this task.Location: Tanalorr
Setting: Midnight, Four years after Judgement Day Epilogue
As he stood up, he stretched, loosening his joints and muscles, preparing to move with no impairments. Once the ramp lowered, Samael stepped into the brisk cold night air, and took in a deep breath before continuing towards the training grounds.
As he stepped onto the training grounds he saw two shadowy figures, obviously his apprentices. “Stop, don’t come any closer.” Said the shadowy figure to his left. It was a female voice. Aster. “Do not resist.” She tried to say it confidently, but her voice was shaky showing how nervous she really was.
A red lightsaber activated, illuminating the shadowy figure to the right in its crimson glow, proving without a doubt Samael had guessed right on who was who. “Are you seriously clueless? He’s obviously not gonna stop because we asked nicely.” Ash scolded Aster as he charged at Samael, closely followed by his sister who had activated her leafy green blade.
Samael calmly activated his own blades, one a fiery orange, whilst the other shined an emerald green. Orange blade met green, as green blade met red. They clashed once. Twice. Three times, as Samael danced in battle with well practiced movements against them. He was toying with them. They had not paid enough attention as he had already made it past them, closer to his goal of the Temple. He would bring this up later in their breakdown, but he wanted to push them to their limits.
Ash was getting wilder in his movements, more aggressive. Whilst Samael could evidently hold them both off if he wanted to, it was time to test them individually. He spun between them, watching them swing where he was, and their blades clashing against each other. “Would you just get out of my way Disaster?” Ash yelled at his sister.
Samael grinned. What a great idea. Thank you Ash. He thought to himself. And before she could say anything in retort to her brother, Ash watched helplessly as Aster was launched away from them into the temple wall colliding with a thud and a grunt as she landed on the ground, stunned and disoriented. “She’s out of your way now. Still think you have what it takes to do what needs to be done?” Samael mocked.
“You are gonna pay for that!” Ash snarled as he doubled down on his attack against Samael. His movements became even more wild, aggressive, and erratic, but were effortlessly blocked by Samael who seemed to be playfully dancing with his practiced movement and stance.
Samael chuckled as Ash clearly got even more frustrated. “You aren’t using everything at your disposal, and it shows.” Samael mocked. “I even gave you a hint. How bout I give you another?” Samael continued mocking. The next thing Ash knew he was being struck by Sith lightning, launching him backwards in surprise. Unless you were close enough to see and hear the crackling bolts of electricity, you would think it was a continuous torrent of flame being sent at Ash. This was what Aster witnessed as she began to stand up. She screamed in terror as she thought Samael was burning her brother alive.
Samael shifted his focus as he finally noticed Aster was recovering. Before she knew what was going on, stone bars imprisoned her against the temple wall, she could only look on as her brother faced this monster alone, unable to help him. “ASH RUN!” She screamed, her fear getting the better of her.
The momentary distraction that Aster had caused for Samael was enough for Ash to recover, but alas, he would not take his sister’s advice to run. No. Instead he would follow his Master’s lead and let off his own Sith lightning at Samael. But they never connected with their target. Instead Samael seemed to catch the electricity, and then spread it around him as a shield of lightning. And then he was gone, but the buzzing of electricity was still there. Wait it was closer. It was behind him. As Ash turned around, he turned right into the lightning shield that was made from his own Sith lightning, shocking himself in the process. But Samael wasn’t going to let him be launched again. No. He grabbed both of Ash’s arms, kneed him in the stomach to bend him over, and encased his body in stone, leaving his head free.
As Samael stepped back and studied his handiwork, he would notice vines beginning to wrap around him. The activation of a lightsaber informed him Aster still hadn’t given up, as she sliced the stone bars apart that were keeping her from the confrontation. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” She screamed. She was no longer afraid. She was no longer nervous. The only thought on her mind was that she needed to help her brother. This was exactly what Samael wanted. They were actually taking initiative, trying to push further to help each other. This was what he was building their training towards. They needed to work together, if they worked together, the dark and the light, they would be so much stronger. Aster seemed to finally get it, hopefully her brother would learn from this lesson as well.
Aster closed in, but before she got to Samael, the vines constricting him burned away. She attacked trying to push him away from her brother. She had one thought on her mind. I can’t lose him. I won’t let him kill him. I won’t. I won’t. I won’t! He’ll have to kill me first.
Samael playfully deflected her attacks, allowing her to push him back, away from her brother, but towards his goal in the exercise that she seemed to have forgotten. Just as he was about to be pushed back through the door Samael grinned. “Aster.” As he said her name so calmly she froze in confusion. “I’m sorry, but I win.” She was once again launched backwards into her stone encased brother, breaking him free as she was once more stunned on top of him. Samael stepped through the doors into the temple.
Samael snapped his fingers, torches all across the training grounds lit aflame illuminating the area as he walked back to his apprentices, just as calmly as he approached them at the beginning of this exercise. As he got closer Ash launched at Samael, attempting to try and protect his sister. They both seemed to have forgotten this was meant to be a training exercise. Samael quickly sidestepped the protective sibling, grabbed his arm and pinned him to the ground with a knee in the back. Aster came rushing to her brother’s rescue, trying to pull Samael off of him, but was met with his free hand grabbing her arm as well. “ENOUGH!” He commanded.
Samael looked upon them both, bruised and injured. He cared about them. He wanted them to be safe. It hurt him to see they were so hurt, but proud they gave their all against him. He concentrated his kindness and his love for them both into the Force, and willed for it to heal the two of them of their aches and pains.
Once they were no longer in pain the twins seemed to have calmed down enough that Samael could let them both go. They didn’t understand what was going on. He had been their enemy just moments ago, why was he helping them now?
“Now that you are healed up, and calmed down, let’s get down to business.” Samael noticed the two of them stiffen in apprehension. “Relax, both of you. You seem to have forgotten this was a training exercise.” As Samael said it, the realization of what he said dawned on them, the look of embarrassment that crossed their faces would have made anyone normal laugh, but Samael was too kind for that.
“You both have grown complacent, comfortable with where you are in your training, and not pushing yourself to grow further. Aster, your brother was right at the beginning. You shouldn’t have thought that I would stop just because you told me to. The main task of the exercise was to stop me from getting to my destination. During the exercise I was in the role of an enemy, you can’t expect an enemy to roll over just because you asked them to. That being said, Ash if you would have planned with your sister and worked together instead of initially rushing forward to meet me, caution to the wind, you might have put up more of a fight.”
Samael sighed. “That initial clash, I bypassed you both, and could have ended the exercise right there because I was closer to the doors than you were. I kept the exercise going on top of that because I wanted to see how you would do. To think it took me splitting you both apart to actually get you to give me your all. To actually see you overcome your already found potential. It took me convincing you that it was real and there could be very dire consequences for you both to take this exercise seriously. But by that point you both forgot that it was an exercise and that the goal was to keep me from actually getting into the Temple. Aster, you even walked me to the door of your own accord.” At this point they both were looking down, absolutely defeated. “What I need you to learn from this is that, first if you have a mission that you know details ahead of time, you should make a plan together and work together instead of stepping on each other’s toes. Second, at this point in your training, the two of you working together should at least prove some semblance of a challenge to me. You still wouldn’t win, but it should still be a challenge. And third, you should strive to continue to grow stronger, and closer with the Force. The more you connect, the more you can achieve, and your goals are that much closer in reach.”
Samael placed two fingers under Aster’s chin and lifted her head to look him in the eye. “Aster, you told me when you chose to learn from me that you wanted to help others. How can you do that if you don’t even attempt to continue to learn and grow?” Samael then placed his hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Ash, you told me that you would do anything to keep your sister safe. How can you do that if you don’t work with her? If you don’t keep striving to grow stronger?”
Samael then stepped back from the two of them. “Remember this lesson. Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are valuable lessons often learned too late. Be glad that it isn’t too late this time. Learn. Adapt. And overcome. Remember you are stronger together as long as you aren’t working apart. Now go and get some sleep. I expect to see you both training when I next see you.” Samael dismissed them.
Once they walked into the temple, Samael extinguished the torches before walking back to his ship. For once, Samael wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He appreciated God’s wisdom, but tonight Samael had too heavy of a heart. The twins didn’t know, nobody actually knew, except possibly God’s Avatar, but officially today was the anniversary of the day he lost everything, not just the anniversary of the King of the Stars second return from death.
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