Jedi Twilight (Jedi Outcast Series)

Chapter XX

After killing Darth Wroth and Darth Anarcis, Hett and Petro exited the catacombs of the Trayus Academy and made their way back to the Trayus Core where Darth Nihl and the rest of the Lost Sith Tribe waited. Hett and Petro presented the Lightsabers of the rogue Sith to Darth Nihl, causing many of the Sith to mutter among themselves. 

Darth Nihl: You surprise me. I did not expect you to survive Wroth and Anarcis. 

Petro: We are not slaves to our emotions. That is what made us better than them. 

Hett: We have done was we asked. We have killed the rogue Sith who have troubled you. Now we want the knowledge of the Trayus Academy. 

At that point, Darth Nihl looked upon the two fallen Jedi with unblinking eyes. He soon looked upon the Lightsabers of the two rogue Sith and cast them aside. 

Darth Nihl: Very well. You have proven yourself worthy of the knowledge of the Trayus Academy. 

Darth Nihl led Hett and Petro to a pedestal at the center of the Trayus Core which held a Sith Holocron. 

Darth Nihl: What you seek lies within that Holocron. 

With that, Hett and Petro made their way to the pedestal and looked upon the Sith Holocron. Both sat down and used the Force to activated it. As they did, the ghostly form of a woman covered in tattoos stood before them. 

Petro: Who are you?

Spirit: I am XoXaan. I was one of the first of the Sith Lords, one of those who abandoned the Jedi Order to seek a darker path to truth.

Hett: What is your connection to this academy?

XoXaan: I built this academy to train future generations of Sith. A thousand years of Sith Knowledge lay within the walls of the Trayus Academy. For thousands of years, the Trayus Academy has been silent....until now. 

At that point, both Hett and Petro realized that the key to destroying the Sith and avenging the Jedi Order lay within not only the teachings of the Trayus Academy, but within the spirit of XoXaan herself.

XoXaan: I have waited for someone like you...someone who has served the light and found it empty, who has found how lacking the Galaxy is. Someone who has known anger, hate...and despair. My brethren and I invented what it means to be a Sith. Are you willing to open yourself up to that truth?

As the spirit asked the two fallen Jedi that question, they both realized that this was the point of no return. Once they crossed that threshold, there was no going path. But for them, they had crossed that path long ago. The Dark Side had already took hold of them. 

Hett: Give us the power we seek. Give us the power to destroy our enemies. Give us the knowledge of the Dark Side.

XoXaan: Good. The Force is strong with you. The Dark Side is strong with you. You will make a fine acolyte. Through my teachings and the knowledge of the Trayus Academy, you will acquire the power you so crave. The Dark Side is only a pathway to true power. You will ascend from your weaknesses and become stronger than before. To dare to dream of something that has never existed and to make it a reality; to conjure up your deepest fears and darkest hopes; to pursue a vision ruthlessly and without relent; to create the artifacts, ideology and organization of the empires of your mind: this is real black magic, the source of all true power.

In that moment, Hett and Petro had committed themselves fully to the Dark Side. Under the teachings of the spirit XoXaan, Hett and Petro would take on the Sith teachings to enable them to achieve the power they crave to destroy the Sith and avenge the Jedi Order. Hett soon looked to the Force and saw a new path for him. A path that held a new name and title.

Hett: From this point on, I am Darth Krayt....Lord of the Sith...

In that moment, A'Sharad Hett, knight of the Jedi Order was no more. In his place stood Darth Krayt. Darth Krayt then turned to Petro and saw a similar path with it's own name and title. 

Darth Krayt: From this day on, you shall be forever known as.....Darth.....Caedus.

On that day, A'Sharad Hett and Petro were no more. They were no longer knights of the Jedi Order or Guardians of the Republic. Now they were the Sith Lords known as Darth Krayt and Darth Caedus. With the teachings of the Trayus Academy, they would continue their quest for vengeance against the Sith that had laid them so low. They soon renounced the Jedi Code and recited the Sith Code. 

Darth Krayt/Darth Caedus:  Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free.

As they recited the Sith Code, the two newly crowned Sith Lords poured their anger into their Lightsaber Crystals, turning them crimson red. Darth Krayt and Darth Caedus soon embarked on a dark journey of vengeance. They would learn every ounce of knowledge the Trayus Academy would have to offer. They had fully committed themselves to the teachings of the Dark Side. Despite knowing the path they were walking, Darth Krayt and Darth Caedus were willing to walk down this path to it's end whatever it may be.