I had to go back to the previous chapter to look at the time check... How did they recover from that beat down in 1 day?!

"I feel a flash of trepidation, not for his wellbeing, but at the thought he might recuperate. Then for a wretched moment, I have the urge to snap his neck so the bleak future that monster showed me cannot come to pass."
Whoa this is really developing. So I'm gonna assume that this will build up and eventually boil over during the Triumph or at some other major conflict after that. I'm interested to discover how this will turn out...
Also later on Noctua says Exon cannot tell anyone outside the Citadel, not even his closest confidants... Well there's the nail in the coffin... Or nail in his murderous intent against Revan...

"... a dark reptilian shape... Golden eyes stare back at me... A Basiliskan, the preferred Mandalorian mount..."
Wait a minute, aren't Basilisks the war droids that the Mandos fly around in? I'm curious if this mention of a Basilisk as an animal is something you decided to retcon though?

"I had not earned the right to wear all the pieces. Perhaps one day."
So for this I assume it's something like The Mandalorian where pieces of the armor are earned as more honor is gained? That's perfectly fine, though you might want to consider why they did that after the Galactic Empire fellthey were still rebuilding and had a shortage of beskar due to the Empire seizing most of the supply. So technically it wouldn't make sense to hold back, especially when the Mandalorians were gaining more power and influence before the Mandalorian Wars. I also seem to recall that in Legends, when Mandalorians were of age, they got a full set of armor, though I could be wrong for this, can't find an official source.
But anyway it's your story so it's ultimately up to you, and I feel that so far you have captured the Mandalorian spirit, I'm probably just nitpicking minor details again lol

"... armor rack bearing a complete set of Mandalorian armor... supple enough for full freedom of movement..."
Hmm I was under the impression that Mandalorian armor wasn't very flexible?

"But then those strange amoebas float by, just like those from the ruined city... Their role seems to be that of the caretaker, sucking up dust and polishing the gleaming ramparts with gentle golden rays."
Magic amoebas!
Also since they were also found in the city I assume that the city used to be maintained by all this but was destroyed when the Spite Queen destroyed the Celestials? And now only the Impossible Citadel is left intact?

So Noctua and Amarinthe have opposing viewpoints on their Mandalorian heritage, with Noctua loyal to her Mandalorian heritage and Amarinthe supporting the Celestials' ideals being strongly against the Mandalorians. I'm wondering how this would turn out, possible fracture point in the Keepers' Circle? Confrontation with Mandalorians (that possibly affects the Mandalorian Wars)? Hmm...

"There are machines beneath our foundations, some of the foulest creations in existence... every day we feed failed initiates to their furnaces."
I audibly said "oh shit" when I read this LOL
The concept of the Soul Engines ties in so well, it really fits the theme of your story about deception... Appearances are not the full picture and what goes on behind the scenes could be much more sinister than initially thought to be. The next part about the Keepers having to sacrifice themselves to the Soul Engine when their time comes reflects how important their obligations are, mad respect for them man

Yesss, they finally meet Helian, and she's really old but that probably won't stop her, seeing as Noctua is still crazy powerful even with her limp. She'll probably be on a completely different level since she's the Conciliator, looking forward to seeing her possibly using her powers?

TL;DR
Great chapter, though minor stuff with the Mando culture. I really enjoyed the introduction of the Soul Engines and the development of Exon's intent. Thanks for another amazing chapter!

War must be swift. It must be concluded in the shortest timeframe possible with the maximum conservation of manpower. - Home before chirstmas huh? Where have I heard that one before lol. Still I guess I can't say I disagree with the sentiment...though real world history might lol.

Admitidly I haven't commanded an army outside of a RTS, so..can't say much else on the subject lol. Anyway I enjoyed this little chapter, always nice to see Revan's thoughts on the subject he'd later become famous/infamous for down the road.

Until next time mate! Looking forwards to seeing what happens next:)

Time Check? Way to bloody long since I last read this story):

Sorry about the long absence! Life decided to go all crazy all of a sudden. Thankfully things seem to have calmed down(at least somewhat) so I should be able to catch up(here's hoping) on what's been released so far:)

Speaking of which I guess I should start with: Chapter 22 – the Nightmare to come, part 5. Man now that one crazy ass adventure! Between the hoards of rampaging demonic zombies, blood curling horrors, mind f-cking monsters and that creepy ass Queen, who just refuses to die(guess that's to be expected though, lol) I was beginning to seriously think that the gang would never make it to the Impossible Citadel in one piece(maybe bits and pieces..which I guess in the end turned out to be just exactly how they did arrive lol). Thankfully though they all made it out alive and we got to see, what in my opinion, had to be the single most bad ass Revan moment we've gotten so far..with maybe a few expeditions lol.

Still if am to be honest, it wasn't the epic fights, or the unchecked carnage, nor even the grand overall mystery this netherworld presented that really stood out for me in this arc, but more the personal journey Revan, Exon and Mysteel took with each other as they battled there way though this land of unimaginable horrors – and how they all grew as a result of the trust and faith they each held for the other in facing off against such insurmountable odds.

And in the end I think its safe to say that yes, they are indeed the group that made the impossible, very much, possible(: Anyway, at the risk of rambling on..I think I'll rap this up here. Until next time mate!

This story is...deep. I’m looking forward for more updates!

Love these little insights into revans mind. The thing i really appreciate about this story is how well written the characters are, particularly revan. The problen with most fanfiction is that your often dealing with characters with established history and most fanfiction authors have trouble translating those personalities into their narratives. I would imagine that revan is both easy and difficult to write about because of who he is. In canon, his past is vague and yet he is established as a unstoppable force. You manage to convey his complexity and sheer awesomeness, while not making him boring or a gary sue. And putting the stories perspective from maliks point of view is an extremely clever way of keeping revan mysterious but accessible. Keep up the good work, and i look forward to the next chapter

Yeah, I'm sure everyone else has the same question as Exon. How tf did Revan get in without being detected? The actual madman XD

How did the Blessed One get his title? Was it given by the Queen after he completed some special task?

Everyone's just calling Revan Carrion Lord... Is it a title/name given to him in this realm, similar to how the Massassi is called the Blessed One?

"The Massassi isn't dead. His mouth still twitches soundlessly and ethereal gas leaks from the neck stump.
"Why are you bringing that... thing with us?"
"Later," he says absently"
This scene reminded me of the TF2 Meet the Medic trailer LUL
Basically the Medic opens the fridge he uses to preserve organs and there's a BLU Spy's head in the fridge which says "kill me"
The Medic whispers, "Later."

"I embrace him and for a moment, I forget my burdens. ...
"Now, kiss!" Mysteel commands."
OMEGALUL
I miss Mysteel so much
Also when can we see Ava and Ciras again? During the Triumph?

"Another fate waited for you amongst the stars."
How is she so sure that Revan's fate would end up in her favour, with destruction and suffering? I think you did mention previously that she's kind of betting on the fate of the galaxy, so it's not exactly certain that it would turn out how she wanted it

"Enough. I tire of ghosts trying to dredge up memories I do not possess."
LUL seems like the Spite Queen is a bit out of her depth here in a realm where time has no meaning
I seem to recall Revan looking for Bastila in one chapter though... So wouldn't he at least recognize Bastila?
Also wouldn't the implications of future outcomes affect Revan? There's a reason why time travel is a really dangerous concept to play around with

It seems that Revan has some past history with the Spite Queen? When she says "Together again at last..." Will more light be shed on what she means? And also, is it the Spite Queen's doing that Revan is dreaming about the girl? (Can't seem to find mention of the girl but I think it's written somewhere)

So the Spite Queen can be wounded by these anathema grenades and shards but it doesn't completely kill her... Is this because all these negative emotions and souls can never be completely eradicated, so she can never really be destroyed (since she's kind of a culmination of negative emotions and depraved souls)?

"Brought the denizens of this realm crashing against our borders."
Why would the Keepers be concerned? I mean the Spite Queen is bound by the old laws and seems to have not found a loophole around this, which I'm sure she definitely would have used seeing as to how important Revan was to some horrible plan of hers
Also if the Queen herself can't stay for long in the dead zone then I'm sure none of the other inhabitants of this realm would be able to either, it's practically suicide to them since they can't even take an anathema grenade

"Noctua, hunched and bestial, draped with Mandalorian tribal totems."
POGGERS DUDE
We meet Noctua again!

"Such a feat has never been achieved by outsiders"
Wait, what do they mean by outsiders... Do they have to be invited or like specially requested to undergo the trials to not be considered as outsiders?
The Keepers also mentioned that they trespassed... So they need to be given some kind of formal invitation?

"the story will revert to more 'normal' settings"
Like Revan being a pain in the ass for Atris and Kreia?

Revan sure did get a beat down worse than when he faced Oriax... But won this time Pog

The whole rescuing Exon thing is so distinctly "Revan-ish"
From the whole "lol who even are you" attitude to the Spite Queen, remembering details like bringing a sacrifice to use the portal, to a "my citadel now" attitude to the Keepers. And perfect timing for it too (when the worst seems to befall them)
Also he only allows himself to rest after the ancient edict of guest right... By passing out on the floor
His plans are so dramatic yet effective at the same time lol

I would say this is one of the chapters that really displays Revan's feats and limits - he took heavy losses through the injuries he sustained and there were still some gaps in his plans - the Spite Queen following them through the dead zone - in which he was quickly able to improvise and use the dead zone to his advantage in severely limiting the Spite Queen's powers. It also does this with a uniquely Revan flair which I haven't really felt yet throughout the story... I can't really quantify it but it adds a lot to the character building of Revan

In this chapter there isn't really more description of the Spite Queen's presence in the Force to make her more terrifying, though I guess the fact that she can take an anathema grenade and a stab with an anathema shard while the rest of them get decimated by it does kind of show her power

Other than that I think it's an amazing chapter, I'll try to figure out what exactly made the whole Revan rescuing Exon thing so brilliant and get back to you about that

"I catch glimpses of things both rapturous and indescribable"
Yeah, like me anticipating the next chapter haha

On a side note, did you watch The Mandalorian (new TV show on Disney)? It's awesome dude! I feel like it's the best thing to happen to SW since the originals :D

Honestly, this is one of the best stories I ever read and with every episode, story keeps getting better... I can hardy wait for new episode.

Btw, my English isn't very good... I can read without any problem but my writing skills is same level as kindergarten students so, therefore I'm sorry if I did some mistakes.

Thanks for this high quality story!

I will probably miss this miasmic realm of twisted flesh and diseased souls. Good eldritch body horror is hard to find, especially the kind like this. But it is merely a stepping stone in tbe stream of story. What shall the next stone hold? I look forward to finding out.

VANDAR IS REVAN'S FATHER?! WAIT WHAT
Or was that like figuratively like they're as close as father and son (BTW did you watch Star Wars HISHE coz my reaction is literally Anakin's when he learns he's gonna be a father LOL)

Dude I knew that small gift was not a gift man, now that he knows the future he's gonna suffer a lot when he sees Revan (or if he even sees Revan) ignorance is bliss especially regarding the future
Also what a way to end off :0
And how is it he can sense Exon there but Vandar can't? Is it because of the bond they formed fighting together as brothers? Or is it because of the Spite Queen who draws strength from emotions like fear anger hate which the revenant also draws from? Or generally just because he's powerful in the Force?

Since it's not actually Revan himself, is the revenant that visited Vandar the clone from Raithe or one that Revan voluntarily created of himself?

We learn a lot more about the Spite Queen, was she a part of the Jedi Order at some point (since one of her softer voices said she embarked on the same path)?

She's also bound by some ancient edicts, who formed these edicts? Someone more powerful than her (the Celestials when she was controlled by them)? Is the Silent King involved?

I don't know if it's just me but it feels like after we've seen so many horrors it kind of desensitizes you and I don't really feel as scared as I initially was reading about this horrible realm when I read about the Spite Queen. I guess it's a different type of terror, more like impending doom kind of fear, since we haven't really seen what she can do. Maybe a bit more description would help? Since the description mainly focuses on her eyes and physical presence. Maybe focus more on the horrible presence she has in the Force since in physical presence it wouldn't have much of an impact since we've already seen monstrosities that are the epitome of corruption in a physical sense.

As always, the description and characterisation of Exon is great, looking forward to the next chapter! Also, I can definitely say now you have mastered the art of short chapters :D

Man this netherworld place just keeps on getting more and more nasty by the minute! And don't even get me started with this Queen person. She sure doesn't seem like someone I'd want to get on the wrong side of, then again, I doubt I'd very much want to get on the bad side of a Jedi padawan..so maybe that isn't saying much lol.

Still from what we've seen of her so far I think its fair to say she's gonna be a real royal pain in the a-s for the people of the galaxy at some point. That is if she isn't satisfied with just staying put in her little kingdom harvesting souls and throwing wacky parties with with her gaggle of long dead Sith Lords until the end of time.

Though apparently not Exar Kun on account of what happened to him at the end of the Great Sith War.

Though come to think about it, isn't it kind of weird in a sense, giving how this place has already shown some weird ability to play f-uckery with the concept of time? You'd think even if Kun was at that very moment in time sitting in his temple examining his terrible life choices on Yavin 4, that some future ghost version of himself would be present..

.or am I overthinking this?.

Anyway..if I where in Exon's shoes(thank the fu-ck I'm not lol) I'd probably have just asked to see what this years winning lottery numbers are or something.

Screw being a Jedi when you can just fly off into the sunset on your very own gold plated starship! But noo..Exon had to go be the noble one, thinking of others before himself..

..sigh.

I find the Jedi's lack of imagination very, very, disturbing):

Still future visions are always awesome and appreciated!:) And boy this one was no expectation to the rule! Especially since it involves a(what I presume to be post KOTOR 1) dark side ending Revan kicking ass and taking names Old Republic trailer style(the first one).

That is of course presuming this is indeed Revan and not some doppelgänger or replacement as Vandar seems to think he is(as I seem to recall the forgotten end sequence possible hinting at something along this line as well, might be wrong though)

Got to feel sorry for Vandar though, having to watch as his star pupil(if the Revenant is indeed him) brings about the end of his beloved order. Then again I guess that's what he gets for for sending the Republic's last hope( in the form of Bastila and her battle meditation) to accompany a mind washed Dark Lord on a scavenger hunt to find the Star Forge and hopping she didn't fall to the lure of the dark side, his charm, or as was the case, get captured and turned by the N0.1 jawless wonder of the universe.

Then again I may be totally wrong here and this scene isn't meant to represent a dark side ending to KOTOR...in which case forget I mentioned anything, lol.

Regardless that's some pretty beefy powers Revan/'possible not Revan' is displaying in this scene, keeping Vandar alive despite him having been dead the moment he set foot in the room. It's a nice change though seeing as you don't tend to show the force all that much. Though that's not to say that's a bad thing. Way to many fan fictions, both from the past and now, tend to use the force a little to much if you ask me. Still its nice seeing Revan shown to be the supper nova of force power he is, or was, in the games pre Tor(to be fair though, he was pretty op in tor in the end)

As for the revelation at the end I'm think a Luke episode 4 'No..that's impossible!” moment is pretty fitting, don't you?:) lol.

And Yes! It did indeed seem as if Exon's lot in life seems to have become reminiscent of a certain annoying golden droid from the movies. But having since falling by the way of the dark side..let me put it to you? Was he truly being punished enough?(insert sinister Palpatine laugh here) lol.

As for the next chapter I understand you are nearly finished with it? If so can I ask, seeing as you mentioned we're about to move out of the nightmare arch, does that mean we'll finally get to see this new ship everyone was going on about in the previous arch's? Cuss I'm not gonna lie when I say I've been itching to see it..ugh read about it..for some time now:). Oh..and before I forget, of course Revan's date with Mysteel cuss that really needs to happen at some point! If for no other reason than the sh-t and giggles, lol.

Okay I think that's enough prattling on for now, so let me end it here by saying thanks for yet another great chapter mate! Really appreciate the effort your putting into writing and sharing these stories online for us all to see.

Until next time!

As always its a pleasure to see another chapter posted. I love the warped reality that you've built and the pace of the plot is perfect. For the love of god, please never abandon this story.

Dude I am so sorry for posting a review so late! FINALLY my exams are over and I can post a review YAY
So now let's get into it!

"Before leaving, I spare one last look at the man who confessed his sins to me.
He is nowhere to be seen."
Wondering if Malak was some kind of hallucination by Exon, a spirit, or was physically there. The jealousy Exon harbors for Revan is slowly developing in really interesting ways, if this development continues, I think it should be significant enough later on to pull off a crucial conflict later on, looking forward to how it will turn out. Also the parallels drawn between Malak and Exon seems to set up a situation where Exon is trapped between 2 choices, to be overcome by his jealousy and betray Revan or to continue following Revan faithfully and this feels particularly satisfying to me LULW, IDK how to describe the feeling but it just foreshadows what is coming in a very unique manner

"The ground we trod upon is moist flesh ... shivers when touched ... made from living bodies ... Maws gusting mephitic gases replaced vents. Wet orifices take the place of doors."
Dude how terrible can this place get? Just when I thought it couldn't get worse it actually got worse monkaW
And people get randomly eaten WTH

"Every step, a new horror" INDEED.

"A mortal ... Why have you brought sin in here, Blessed One?"
This is so ironic, that mortals are somehow more sinful than what is happening in this realm... Or is it just a matter of perspective?

"It. Saw."
So in this realm is looking into the beacon the most serious offense? Since Exon is being sent to the Queen?

"But the Queen had been there in the very beginning, created amid the beautiful decay of the Celestial star-empire ... "
So is the Queen a Celestial? It's mentioned thatdrained] from war, the Celestials could not escape their doom ... the Queen-to-be stalked across their riven planetscapes, dissolving her victims into pure sensation ...which would mean that she is not part of the Celestials? At that point in time was she of equal power to the Celestials (since the Celestials were already drained from war and would thus be significantly weaker) or already more powerful than them?

"The Queen is the malice in our hearts, the rage and jealousy we feel when striking in anger"
I wanted to ask if the Queen is the Spite Queen that the Echoes of Exar Kun mentioned... Or is that question banned LOL

"Again, sorry for the wait."
LOL it's ok man look how long I made you wait for this review. Sorry about that!

Even though it was a short chapter it really helped to put into perspective the depravity of this realm and further develop Exon's jealousy of Revan, sometimes a chapter that's short and sweet works better and it turned out great! :D

Chapter was great. Really enjoying the buildup and the lore is intriguing. Hope to see the next chapter soon!

Yeah! Exon's alive! Well sort of..in a certain point of view lol. Though I can't say I like his odds of remaining alive giving what that guy said about this Queen being a Celestial or at least what devoured/nuked them out of existence(which is no small feat if true). Here's hoping Revan and Mysteel can spring a rescue before this queen decides to feed him to that big worm, or just downright eat him herself(which sounds about right, giving what we've heard about her so far). Then again maybe all she wants is to sit down over a nice cup of tea, have a friendly chat, and debate the finer points of the force with him?..

..Oh, who am I kidding? It's defiantly not gonna end well, is it?. Sigh, poor Exon): Guess he's just cursed that way. Then again I suppose that's what happens when you team up with Revan. You end up getting roped into delving deep into the nether regions of the force's steaming a-s crack, where horrors abound, and there's no end to the inhumane terrors that want to devourer you for fun. But hey! On the bright side at leat its makes things a heck of a lot more interesting than just sitting about in those dusty halls of the Jedi Temple all day, lol.

On a more serious side note: was that Malek at the beginning part? Sure seemed to be, giving what he knew about the events leading up to KOTOR.

As for this Queen she seems pretty god tier. Though the question remains? Is she truly undefeatable? Or is this Craven just hyping her up because he's sh-it scared of her..I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?. Anyway great chapter mate, defiantly can't wait to see what becomes of Exon in the next one!. Again, sorry for the late review. I read this chap pretty much right off the bat after leaving my review for chapter 19, but..then..uh..kinda fell to sleep):

Guess my timing kind of sucks when it comes to these things, huh?.

“I initially wanted to cram a lot more into it so I can get back to writing about the Triumph. But then I realized the story would look really rushed, so I decided to stagger things and give each scene the proper weight it deserves.” - You do you mate and I'll keep reading!:). With that said, gotta admit, can't wait to get to the Triumph, really itching to see what's gonna go down, and of course, what kind of new ship the Republic is planing to reveal.

Oh and I had a look at your deviantart page by the way! Loving the artwork, really awesome, especially all the hot chicks you've got on there lol(; As for me, yeah, big fan of Mass Effect(maybe a little more now thanks to your femshep pic:) still think kotor was better, though that might just be the nostalgia talking, lol.

Until next time mate! Keep up the great work!

I think the word that sums this chapter up perfectly is 'nightmare fuel' lol. And here I was thinking Resident Evil 2 remake was creepy as hell, guess I was wrong:) Anyway sorry about the supper late review mate, life decided to threw a wrench into the works, and well..here I am months late to the party): Looking on the bright side though, I guess that means I get two chapters for the price of one! That's got to count for something, right? Lol.

Well I guess I should stop rambling and just get to it, huh?.

The Keepers Realm – Despite how creepy/mind boggling as fu-ck it got at times, its a pretty fascinating place, in a weird sort of way lol. Not only is it a realm that is both older than the Republic and the Jedi Order, but from the sounds of things, it may even pre-date the Rakatan, which kind of made me think, is this place related to the Celestial in some way? Or is it linked to a even older force?.

Regardless still isn't someplace I'd want to spend a vacation in anyway, that's for sure:). Yet despite how dark it gets you can always count on Mysteel to lighten the mood, can't you? lol Though I have to ask, is her mother alive? Or did she die in the last story(sorry its been ages:(

Its nice to see the Massassi make a appearance, even if their a bunch of half dead, ghoul/zombies who may or may not have killed poor Exon..sigh

..press F for shiny lol

Loved the little see the past/future scene as well, especially the little reference to Return of the Jedi tucked in there(at least I think that's what it was in reference to anyway, may be wrong). And of course the little hint at what Revan will one day become.

All in all I really liked this chapter and once again sorry for being late to the party mate. Oh, and yes, this chapter was..way..way more messed up than I could possible have ever imagined(and some:)

And now I guess I'm off to read chapter 20, can't wait!

Until next time mate.