6 Chapter 6 - End of an Era

The yellow eyes burned with power as the wrinkled old body of the emperor looked over each of his intruders. The air around his form was dark like a poisonous fog, lightning crackled around his form as he rose to his feet from his throne and began to walk down the stairs in front of him.

"And so you return to face me again Revan. And who have you brought before me this time?" The emperor spoke, his voice cold and confident as the air trembled and shook with each word that left his mouth.

"The ones that will end you forever." Mikael answered as he flourished his violet and newly purified white lightsabers. Surik stepped up on his left as she pointed her blue lightsaber towards the sith and Revan stood to his right as he readied his green lightsaber.

"My life spans millennia, legions have risen to test me and each has fallen. You will be no different." The emperor scowled as he drew his crimson lightsaber.

"It's time you retired old man. Permanently." Mikael taunted as the trio charged forward.

The emperor unleashed a storm of lightning in their direction. Revan and Surik split off to the sides as Mikael absorbed the lightning with his sabers before he swung his blades and sent the energy carving its way back up the stairs towards the sith. The sith waved his open hand redirecting the attack up towards the ceiling were it erupted sending rubble falling down towards them. Revan and Surik leaped towards the sith together from opposing sides ready to strike him down only for the old man to block Surik with his lightsaber and stop Revan's lightsaber inches away from his head with his bare hand.

Mikael charged forward as the emperor threw Surik past him. She rolled on the ground for a brief moment before righting herself, her boots dragging across the cold stone floor. Mikael fired a stream of a lightning towards the emperor before he could strike at Revan. The emperor raised his saber to defend against the lightning as with a wave he threw Revan across the room beside Surik. The two attempted to charge forward once more but before they could get close the shadows around them coalesced into four separate copies of the sith emperor forcing them to defend themselves from the sudden attacks that came from the clones.

Mikael attacked the emperor with extreme fervor as the sith parried and countered with powerful blows of his own. The air around them was filled with after images of red, purple and white streaks.

"So you're the one that has been ruining my plans. But all you've done is delay the inevitable. Whether it takes me a day, a year or another millennium, my ascendance cannot be stopped. Your struggle is insignificant and your death will be no different." The emperor growled as their blades were locked between them.

"Oh we'll see about that Vitiate." Mikael shoved the emperor back as he quickly spun around and threw one of his lightsabers. The blade spun through the air as it pierced through one of the shadowy clones before being grasped by Revan as he fought off another from Surik.

Mikael and Vitiate continued their battle as they worked their way up the stairs. Their blades crossing each other's path as lightning arc back and forth.

"You wield impressive power, join me and we could rule this galaxy." Vitiate said as he continued to parried blows. Mikael however noticed that he was retaliating less as time went on.

"Sorry but I'm not interested to men, let alone old wrinkly ones." Mikael remarked as he deflect a saber strike before kicking him in the chest. Vitiate's feet slid along the ground as his lightsaber flew from his grasp. With a roar he reached out his hands he unleashed a torrent of lightning at Mikael. Mikael raised his lightsaber as he absorbed the attack as he grasped and yanked a pillar from the ceiling and sent it piercing down towards the sith forcing him to leaped away.

Dust and rubble kicked up into the air obscuring the view between them. Vitiate looked towards Mikael's previous location trying to peer through the dense cloud of dust before his eyes grew wide as he saw a brief flash of blue light before the dust cloud became filled with beaches of white lightning that quickly pierced in his direction. He quickly raised his hands and blocked the lightning but then as he was beginning to gain the upper head he turned his head in shock as he saw the hilt of a lightsaber spinning through the air in his direction. His left hand moved in its path as the point of purple blade ignited stopping a hairs breadth away from his palm. He began to draw further on the power of the dark side as he held back the attacks until he felt the cold metal of a familiar lightsaber press against his back and with a loud hiss a crimson blade pierced through his torso as he heard a whisper beside his ear.

"Surprise mother fucker."

The emperor fell forward on his knees. As he struggled to turn his head behind him he saw Mikael standing there with a grin on his face and sweat on his brow while holding the sith's very own lightsaber. Mikael tossed the emperors weapon aside as he pulled his weapon back from the ground while Revan and Surik stepped forward through the now clearing dust cloud.

The old sith chuckled as he raised his head to meet Mikael's eyes.

"Well played young one but if you think this is the end, you are wrong. There is no death, there is only the force and I am its master and I will return." Vitiate growled with a confident smile.

"Oh I know, and I'll have a surprise waiting for you when you do." Mikael smiled as he watch the emperor's brow knit before he delivered a final stab to the emperor's chest as the sith roared out into the air and a wave of power washed over the room and out into the world. As his body collapsed onto the ground Mikael quickly blasted it with lightning reducing it to dust before he turned to moved to leave the temple with Revan and Surik.

Within the months to come Mikael waited and listened as the war against the empire continued. He bided his time until one day he heard stories of the destruction of the planet Ziost, the once busy planet had become a barren and frozen wasteland. Mikael knew then that it was time to put an end to this for good and he made his way towards the battlefield.

As the Eternal Empire emerged from the shadows Mikael stepped forward to face them. He forced their forces back time and time again until the twin sons of the Emperor Valkorion stepped forward in an attempt to capture or destroy him on their father's order. They clashed on the chaotic battlefield as Mikael copied a page from the playbook of the sith. He prodded and poked at their emotions, their attachments to each other and their father. He revealed secrets known only to their family as well as those unknown.

"Your empire is a lie, a tool to be used and cast aside by the one you call father. Hah, even he is a lie. The real Valkorion died long ago, the one you know is nothing but a body possessed." Mikael said as he watched their faces twist and morph into different expressions.

"He doesn't even really see you his sons, just slaves, tools to be used until no longer useful. Eventually one of you will become dissatisfied with him and lash out, killing the other in the process." He continued as the twins shouted in denial.

"Search your feelings, you know it to be true." Mikael said his face calm and even but secretly inside there was a part of him that was grinning wildly. He continued to wear them down until eventually he managed to convince them to leave and seek out their own lives. He watched as the brothers walked away into the horizons. After they disappeared Mikael took their shuttle and made his way towards his final confrontation with the emperor.

The shuttle landed on Zakuul and Mikael shrouded his form with the force as he made his way to the Eternal Throne. Moving from shadow to shadow he quickly made his approach without alerting a soul to his presence. He moved his way into the throne room as he revealed himself. Standing from across a long walkway he smiled at the man sitting upon the large ceremonial throne.

"Hello there. Would you prefer I call you Vitiate or Valkorion." Mikael said as he walked slowly across the walkway.

"So they failed then, I supposed I should've expected as much." The gray hair and gray eyed man responded, his voice reverberating through the large empty chamber.

"Ah well don't blame the children, I just convinced them to start their rebellious phase against their deadbeat father. So have you discovered my gift yet?" Mikael asked as he stopped just beneath the stairs of the throne.

"Your gift? Did you expect to accomplish something with a gift?"

"Oh so you haven't noticed it yet. That's a shame I put so much effort into it. Ah well, you will." Mikael responded with a grin.

"What are you doing?" Valkorion asked now growing suspicious.

"Oh nothing to worry your gray hairs about. So how was Ziost?" Mikael asked his grin still present.

"What is the point of these questions?"

"Oh I just thought I'd pass the time a bit before we start with some conversation. That what old people enjoy right?"

"You're delaying."

"What? No of course not."

"Enough!" Valkorion roared in frustration before he collected himself with a deep breath. "Whatever you're doing will make no difference. I have built this empire to surmount all of my previous efforts. It will span eternity. I hold the power shape the galaxy into any image I choose. Now I am willing to share this with you. In all my centuries, you are the only one to have merit my full attention. You leave your mark on the galaxy wherever you act, jus as I do. I will share this empire, my empire with you. If only you will kneel."

"Hmm, enticing but I'll have to pass. See my parents told me never to take treats from creepy old men. Did yours not teach you that little Tenebrae? Oh right, you killed them. Whoops." Mikael responded and watched as the emperors eyes began to glow and maybe it was his imagination but he thought he could see a pulsing vein on the emperor's forehead before he snapped and roared.

"I will not be mocked by a mere insect!" Valkorion

Yelled out as he pushed a hand forward shooting lightning out towards Mikael. But against his expectations the lightning was but a feeble spark that splashed harmlessly against Mikael's breastplate.

"Oh dear, you look to be having performance issues. No worries I hear it's totally normal at your advanced age."

"What, what did you do?"

"Oh right, remember that gift I promised? Yeah see I planted it on the planet Ziost, you know the one you consumed."

"What!?"

"Yeah it was a special little holocron and a certain red tattooed body that was kept in stasis." Mikael responded as he walked up the stars to stand face to face with Valkorion.

"Yep, your first body alongside a special little holocron that was originally meant to sever a spirit's connection to the force upon death. But well although I couldn't duplicate it I did however a small modification to it, instead it now drained the connection of the first spirit to interact with it over time. And you just consumed both of them alongside the planet." Mikael explained as he watched as Valkorion's expression twisted from shock to rage and then to fear.

"Yep there it is, that look of realization is what I wanted. No more body possessions, no more body hopping and most importantly to you probably. No immortality." Mikael added as he pulled closer until their boots was touching.

"No no no no, No!" Valkorion growled as he drew his lightsaber and tried to swing it at Mikael.

Mikael reached up grabbing his hand before he ripped the lightsaber from his grasp before driving it through the emperor's throat. Mikael watched as the life began to fade from his gray eyes and his body slumped back onto his throne.

"Well damn, that was anticlimactic. I was hoping for some Palpatine level hysterics." Mikael complained as he looked at the body before he turned and walked away grumbling before he called into the republic on an anonymous line to report that the Emperor of the newly emerged empire had been killed by an unknown sith and that someone would need to restore order.

{A/N: Long chapter, like twice as long as those already released so far. But hey flashbacks are done. I know I took some liberties with the weapon Mikael used but hey there were examples of Jedi being able to sever someone's connection to the force in KOTOR so who's to say that the old Je'Daii order couldn't create a weapon to do the same. Also you could say the trap the emperor put on his original body should've triggered but Mikael was already aware of it and would take precautions which he did. Anyway now it's back to marvel shenanigans. Lemme know if you want longer chapters like this. The previous ones were around 1k-1.2k give or take. This was 2k without the authors note.

I have a couple of code names for Mikael to use as his secret identity. Phantom, Guardian, Templar, Sentinel, Talon. Lemme know if you have any other ideas. Anyway I'll try to keep a steady schedule of 1 chapter every two or three days. We'll see how that goes and I'll keep you posted on changes. Thanks for the support so far.}