The Longer It Takes

[Asha]

"She's just beginning to test her powers. The longer it takes to find her, the more dangerous she becomes."​

— Kylo Ren​

The coordinates did not lead to a home, as Asha suspected, or even to a temple nor a ruin of any sort. Instead, Asha found herself in the river lands, standing on the banks of the most beautiful waterfalls on Ifrane—perhaps in the entire galaxy. As a young girl, her mother had brought her many times. But, this time, she was not there to observe their natural beauty or to relax to the soothing sounds of water crashing below. She was here for answers. Answers this place supposedly held. Unfortunately, she hadn't the faintest idea where to begin.

Some part of her suspected that fear was clouding her mind too much to keep her from clearly seeing an answer or solution that was right in front of her face; but she had every reason to be afraid of herself after what happened earlier that day. Her power was growing. With every passing day, she was beginning to understand just how much of it lay at her fingertips. And, as she had seen yesterday, just running from it would not keep it hidden. It was finding a way out without her permission, and, if she did not find a way to reign it it, she was going to really hurt someone. And that was a thought she just could not bear.

"There's nothing here," she said, dismayed. "Just water... and mud. It's beautiful, but—" She gave Leah a half-hearted smile. "—beautiful isn't going to save the galaxy or restore the Jedi, is it?"

Talking to Leah reminded her again of her sin and, finally, she could not continue to avoid it in front of Leah any longer. The older woman had ever only tried to help. The least Asha could do to reward her is let her try... even if only just a little bit. "I am sorry for the way I have treated you." The confession came easier than she thought, and the rest flowed like the waterfalls around them. "I was scared—am scared—by what you represent. What you mean. You saw earlier what this power is capable of—what I am capable of. What if the next time it happens, it's somebody I care about who is hurt... or worse?" She pursed her lips and looked beyond Leah, where Ifrane's sun, Lewe, was setting. "I need help, but... I'm not convinced embracing that power and becoming a Jedi is the help I need."

She realized the admission that Leah would see it for. Even though she had known since the compound, she was now convinced without a shadow of a doubt that Leah's claims were true. She wasn't a Sith. The woman was a Jedi Knight. But, somehow, that realization did not bring the relief Asha thought it might. Only more fear and uncertainty. Ironically, she believed only Leah could abate those fears. Somehow. Someway. And, perhaps, they would find Imani Sage along the way... @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

The waterfalls were a force of nature, fierce but fascinating. Quietly gorgeous from the skies in their ship but thunderously loud up close. The view was spectacular, and almost nothing like she had ever seen. Even as the water crashed into the rocks and river below, it could not dampen the spirit of this place. The Force was strong here, and while not a nexus, it was more like the center of a hundred threads of light all coming together. A hundred adventures, a bundle of hopes and dreams, together in the same spot Leah now stood. There more here than mere spectacle. “No, Asha. You must look beyond the beauty.” She said and pressed her hand to the cold ground.

Before she could reach down into the Force, Leah sensed dark thoughts overhead. Instinctively, her concentration fell apart and crashed back into the younger woman. The guilt and fear from before, back during their venture through the capital city, had built up fast. Already, she wallowed in the shadow it cast, and like the river below, her emotions poured out. No different from before, Leah stood her ground and made every effort not to alarm or alienate the rebel. She was in deep conflict, and had to know that she was neither alone or wrong to feel the way she did. It was natural for all rising Jedi. It had been the same feelings Leah first felt when her mother revealed the truth.

“Asha.” She approached her and took her hands reassuringly. “Don’t apologize. You have done no wrong to me. None.” A small smile was managed. “And it’s okay to be afraid. The Force is a gift, but a dangerous one. The line between light and dark is thin, and I know because I have teetered off the edge on many occasions, over many years of teaching and learning, but look at me.” She locked her eyes, blue as the water, with Asha. “I am no Sith, and from what I see in you, you aren’t either. I know you fear that one day you might fall to become one, but I’m here and I will be guiding you along the whole way. You aren’t alone. Not now, not ever.”

Still holding onto her hand, Leah motioned her down to the rock at their feet. “Here— just reach out. Let it in, and understand that it is not here to hurt or control you. Open yourself to the light.” It sounded simple, but the Jedi Master knew it was more than that, yet she also knew Asha could meet those expectations. Her potential was almost immeasurable. If she could overcome this first obstacle by truly embracing the Force, then she could begin and so could Leah.

@Malon

 

[Asha]

Asha nodded and glanced at the rock reluctantly. She supposed she would trust the older woman and give her a chance. She reached one shaky palm out towards the rock Leah had indicated. Just before she touched it, she inhaled deeply, just as she had the last time she unconsciously touched the Force, and, then, she lowered her hand the rest of the way. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took in the stone's smoothness against her palm. And that's when it hit her.

"NO!"

The voice she heard was her own. But, strangely, it was younger and terrified. Asha's eyes snapped open, but she was no longer on the banks of the waterfalls with Leah. She was... elsewhere. On a rainy world. A rainy, rocky world. And there were voices echoing through the storm all around her. Strong in the Force, you are, a somewhat familiar voice said. Why have you come here? She saw a tiny shadow forming in the rain and, scared of it, began to run.

But the world around her shifted as she ran, and, as a result, she fell and went tumbling from a rainy world into the hallways of a space station. Inside a nearby chamber, she could hear voices. One was the voice from earlier and the other belonged to another familiar voice: the voice from the terminal that Leah had uncovered earlier that day. It had to be Imani Sage. You can’t do this— I can’t do this.

She peaked around the corner—

It's been awhile...

—and saw the device from her dreams in the green gnome's hands. The little green Jedi then handed the cube to what she presumed to be Imani, who looked sorrowful but resolved to whatever fate had been administered to her. Asha was struck at how much this woman looked like her... and her mother.

Asha?

At the sound of her own name, Asha jolted backwards. Even though she still saw the hallway, it was beginning to warp and, for the briefest flash, she saw a tree growing on a hill by many waterfalls. She knew that site. She knew where that was. And, just before she returned to the real world, she heard, These are your first steps...

Asha blinked a few times and realized that she was no longer touching the stone. She was standing a few feet back from the stone (and Leah) looking bewildered. But she had the faintest sense she knew where to go now. Glancing up at Leah, sweat forming on her brow, she said, "I think I know where to go." @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

Suddenly, the air grew tense. The Force around her and Asha spiked, and Leah knew it was her doing. She not only reached deep into the ground, but her presence spread all around them. In mere seconds, the Jedi Master recognized the full potential of the younger woman. A power greater than what she first believed and imagined. Yet there was something else. The pair were not alone. Another presence, two more in fact, appeared. Although she could not see them, she could sense them, and with every fidget of Asha’s fingers and twitch of an eyelid, Leah knew she was experiencing a vision. The Force was telling her where to go, and something more.

Pebbles and specks of gravel began to hover above the ground. As the Jedi leaned in close, but at a respectable distance, and held the palm of her hand to the stone, she could feel tremors. And when she closed her eyes, or with every blink, she could hear voices. Distant, barely audible and less than a whisper. Then, the young woman rose. She walked and turned her head as if she could hear those voices loud and clear. Whatever she was seeing, Asha was connected directly to the Force. A conduit of power like nothing Leah had ever seen. Not long after, when Asha stumbled back and out of the vision, she looked over to her both bewildered and in awe. Then came the answer.

Leah was curious. She wanted to know what Asha witnessed and encountered but she also respected her privacy and space. There was nothing more to gain from the details of the vision either, not when it had already told the young rebel where to go. What was most important was uncovering the Jedi artifact, unlocking what secrets it held and sharing those secrets with the rest of the Order. With how strong the Force was around them, no less on a world of minor influence, it had to be greater than anything she could imagine. More powerful, more valuable, to the Alliance than any other relic she may have found in her many years of travel.

“Then lead the way.” She nodded, willing to follow wherever Asha went.

@Malon

 

[Asha]

And lead she did. Asha led the pair to a large tree that overlooked the waterfalls. The journey was short, but somewhat physically straining, leaving Asha a tad winded when they finally arrived. It was planted perfectly, so that the sunset could glisten off the leaves as it danced across the waters. The site was quite breathtaking.

"This tree," Asha began. She wasn't quite sure how to put what she had seen into words, but she was going to try. "I believe the Jedi we saw in the records earlier planted it. It was in memory of... someone who was important to her, I think."

She approached the tree and ran her hand over its bark. In truth, she was hoping the Force would show her more; but, as it happened, she didn't need the Force to see what came next. She spotted it with her own eyes. The tree was massive and, at its roots, a gap large enough for a person to fit through had formed and led deep into the earth. It was a sort of tree-cave. Even without training, she could sense how strong this place was with the Force. Perhaps that is why the Jedi woman had chosen it to hide her treasure.

"When I touched the stone, I saw a little green alien hand her the relic from our dreams," she continued. "He must have been a Jedi too. She... looked very sad. I can't be certain, but..." She looked up at the tree and ran her hand over its bark gently again. "I think he died, and this place is a memorial to him. We should be respectful if we choose to go inside."

Asha almost mentioned the voices. How, at first they seemed distant—the product of conversations that had long since died. But they had quickly turned and seemed to be addressing her directly. But she decided to save that for another time. It wasn't important at the moment, and she was still trying to figure out their meaning herself. Instead, patting the tree a final time, she looked to Leah and asked, "Shall we see what's inside?" @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

“Someone who was important to her.” She repeated Asha’s words and naturally, her mind reflected back to the tiny Jedi she witnessed in her vision. He had a role to play in this too, perhaps as important as Imani Sage. The tree she planted had already grown into mountain of wood and winding roots, all larger than the woman as they ran deep into the ground. Centuries of peace and isolation were not the only reason why the tree was so massive. As Leah skimmed her fingers against the nearest root, she could feel a powerful energy flowing through it. “The Force. It’s very strong here. More than I first realized. Whatever’s inside, we must be careful.”

She nodded at her later comment, knowing that this tree was more than a place of storage, but a monument. A tomb for a body, she wondered, had never been recovered. Again, her mind flashed back to her husband, his own broken figure still trapped somewhere beneath the rubble on Dantooine, never freed from the rock and stone that holds him down. Leah shuddered. Now was not the time to mull over his loss. As Asha said, the two needed to be careful and respectful in their entry, else they ran the risk of stirring unwelcome foes. “Yes, let’s go.” She answered and tilted her head down, prepared. “But don’t worry, if we do come confront someone or something, I’ll be here. I am Jedi Master, I’m sure I can…” The world suddenly shifted around her. “…manage.”

She was alone. Fog surrounded and clouded her view. One moment, she was confident to see it through and the next, all that confidence disappeared. “Asha?” She said, her name echoing through the mysterious cavern but to no avail or answer. The woman wandered, hand hovering close above her lightsaber as the other grazed along the wood like some form of guidance. Except, there was no guide there. Again, she was alone. Until she noticed a figure sprawled across the ground. Lying in the shadow, Leah had to approach the body to see what or who it was. But what she saw was a face too familiar to forget. “Eli?” She staggered to the left, bewildered, then collapsed at his side.

She could recognize his face from anywhere, but strangely, it was uninjured. No scars, no burns, scratches or wounds. His complexion was clean, hair slick and lips smooth. But his skin was pale, deathly pale, and he made no reaction as she called his name or looked down to him. Leah wanted to be relieved to see him again, but his body, an empty cadaver? It was too much for her: to be reunited but in that way. The Jedi Master, wise and controlled as she thought she was, looked down at his corpse in horror. Her spirit, slowly, began to collapse. It was too much, and every moment beside him would only grow worse.

@Malon

 

[Asha]

Asha was also alone in the mist. Only a few seconds before, Leah was with her, assuring her that all would be okay; but just a few steps into the cave and the mist had already disoriented Asha to the point that the young girl couldn't even see the exit. Scared, she drew her weapon from its sheathe; but, it quickly proved to be just as inefficient for dealing with the task at hand. The snap-hiss of an activating lightsaber caught her off guard and she barely ducked and rolled under a swing from her mysterious assailant.

"Did she tell you about me?" The voice belonged to a young man, but Asha couldn't quite see him yet. His figure was clouded and shadowy within the mist. Only his red lightsaber pierced the veil and was visible. "No... it seems she didn't. But you? I can sense it. You already think of her as a daughter might a mother. That's a mistake. I can tell you first hand that she would have disappointed you."

"Who are you?!" Asha roared. She got to her feet and lunged, sword overhead, at the shadowy figure, who merely sidestepped her as though it was second-nature.

"You lack discipline. Finesse. You a need a teacher." The shadow was mocking and ignored her question entirely. "You fear both the Light and the Dark, but this is good. Your fear makes you powerful. Don't run from it. Embrace it! Don't let her weakness infect you as it did me..."

Lightsaber and vibrosword met, but Asha was utterly outmatched by whoever the shadow was. He was more agile, better trained, and stronger in the Force. She could feel it. Each slash she made, he parried. There was no overcoming that. Not with her rather meager level of skill. Already, she was beginning to sweat. "I ask you again. Who. Are. You?"

The shadow chuckled and began to fade. His lightsaber vanished into the mist along with his shape. But his voice lingered a little longer. "Ask her. Make her tell you the truth... if you dare." The voice faded, now, too leaving Asha with many more questions than answers. Who was he? She needed to know. He was linked to Leah, somehow... She just knew it. So, stumbling through the mist, she attempted to find the Jedi Master in the dark cave all by her lonesome. @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

She was breaking apart. Only moments ago, she was the strong Jedi Master ready to take on the galaxy, but moments ago were now moments forgotten. Her guiding wings came apart, feather by feather, until she was like a fallen angel. A once great Jedi now stricken with fear, regret and remorse. Leah thought herself strong but if she paused to look in the mirror, she would see only a browbeaten widow she always was. Like the old artifacts she unearthed, she was broken and meaningless without a real Jedi to unlock its potential. Without her husband, now lying dead in the dirt. It was too much for her to handle, and a nightmare nothing like she imagined or ever dreamed, because this vision felt real. To her, it was real.

“Wake up, Eli. Please, wake up.” She said, her pleas falling on deaf ears. Even as she caressed a hand on his cheek, hoping it would stir him awake. Even as she intertwined the fingers of her left hand with his own, squeezing it to see if he might squeeze back as he always did. Even as she whispered and begged, she was truly alone. Tears stained her cheeks, because Leah knew it was hopeless, but she tried anyway. “I need you, Eli. Don’t leave me.” She choked on her words. A lump formed in her throat, a weight pressed against her chest. Left speechless, Leah brushed her hand down his cheek, below his chin, and searched desperately for a pulse. There was nothing. And overcome with emotion, she leaned in and kissed his temple.

Leah could not quell her sudden descent into hopelessness. She wanted to stay there. She wanted to remain at his side, dead or not, until she too met the same fate. He was her entire world before, and to see him the way he was, she couldn’t handle it. Truly, she thought she could, but his death was already fresh in her mind. Only a year ago, she was holding his hand, sprawled in their bed back on Al’doleem. He was twirling a finger in her hair, her nose was pressed against his shoulder blade. Although the two had endured much, from the loss of rebel lives to their own children, she could never imagine losing him. But she had. And she hated it. No matter how hard Leah could try, there was no way she could leave him in the past.

Her nervous breakdown worsened. Already, she had lost her fear of death. In truth, she welcomed it. For in that moment, darkness surrounded her, and as she wallowed in her sorrow, it would only grow.

@Malon

 

[Asha]

Asha was officially afraid. She had not seen Leah (or the walls) for several minutes now. Mist completely engulfed her and she was beginning to think that all was lost. They should never have stepped foot in this sacred place. But, just as she was beginning to feel fatigue set in, a cluster of light appeared in front of her and spoke in a voice she found very familiar.

"Strong you are, in the Force," the friendly voice from the lights said. "Finally come, you have, as I always knew that you would." The lights began to dance around Asha. "Follow. Come, yes. Follow the lights!"

Asha was hesitant. The last manifestation that came out of this mist had attacked her. This one felt more friendly and sounded like a voice from her visions. Shakily, she began to slowly follow the lights through the mist. As she walked, more ambient voices floated to her through the mist as though through time and space. She recognized the primary voice to be that of Imani: the woman from her dreams. But, to her surprise, she could also hear Leah's voice. Distant. Were the lights leading her to Leah?

Someone who was important to her.

Goodbye, Wyck...

The voice she knew to be Imani's shifted, though, as she continued to walk. It became older, as if the former Jedi Master was somehow aged and elderly when she spoke them. Who was she speaking them to, she wondered? A child? A grandchild? A friend? Perhaps she spoke them at the very moment she planted the tree that overlooked this cavern. Asha wanted to believe that.

Who was he?

I'm not sure anyone could answer that. He was wise... kind... but when I was young, he seemed happier. I think he knew before all of us what was going to happen...

As the voice finished answering, the lights flickered and vanished. Panicked, Asha cried out, "No, wait!"

She ran after them and, at long last, broke through the fog. But, to her utter amazement, she was still not back in the cave. Instead, she appeared to be standing in space itself. The image of a tree root was suspended in the darkness with her, and sitting on it was the little green gnome from her dreams.

"You..." Asha said in blind amazement. "You're... You must be...! But you're here!"

"Oh! Heh-heh, heh... heh. Or, rather, here you are, yes?" the little gnome laughed. "See me, can you? Hmm... Than, growing your abilities are. This is good." He pointed his little wooden stick at her. "But also very dangerous, yes." Asha felt anxiety grip her chest. He was confirming her fears. It was just as she thought—her powers were dangerous. "Come," he beckoned to her. "Sit. I would speak with you a moment."

Asha protested, "But, Leah—"

"Safe she is," the gnome assured her. "Facing her own trial, yes. When done we are, send you to her, I will."

Reluctantly, Asha nodded and sat cross-legged at the stranger's feet. Though she did not know it yet, this moment would be the catalyst of the rest of her life... @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

“Mom?” A voice, weak but alive, echoed behind her. Immediately the woman turned around, not out of fear but also shock, because she knew that voice. And like her husband, she hadn’t seen or heard in too long. “Nadina?” Her eyes fell upon a young girl, and she knew it was her daughter. Except, she too was deathly pale, but she was not so clean. In her chest was a horrific wound, scarred and too terrible for her to look at again. However, as the mother she was, Leah looked regardless and rushed to her daughter’s aid. She lost her husband, and to see her daughter now, she couldn’t lose her either. Not again. That then would be far too much for her to bear.

But the young girl collapsed into her arms, skin colder than metal. “I’m so tired, Mom. I have to sleep.” Her tiny fingers grasped at the older woman, weaker by the second. Leah pleaded, “No, honey, sweetheart, please stay with me. Stay with Mommy.” Her daughter’s eyes fluttered. “Please Nadina, don’t go. Don’t do this.” As she breathed her last, her body became limp, and again, Leah was overwhelmed. Losing them both over the decade was so much, but to lose them again in only moments? She was lost. “Oh God no. No, no— please.” Her voice cracked. So much death and darkness, the Jedi Master couldn’t take it any longer.

She heard the hiss of a lightsaber. Its cackle, like laughter, resounded throughout the cavern. A red glow was cast behind her and Leah knew it was a Sith. For a moment, she accepted her fate. Let the stranger strike her down and free her from her pain. Let the suffering end. That was, until her fingers draped the wound in her daughter, charred black, and she knew it was their doing. Suddenly, fury filled her like nothing ever before. The dark side did not take over, but it was there, ready to take hold. And overcome in her sadness and rage, she found her lightsaber in her hand and ignited it. Blue, cold and icy, clashed against the red glow— and then against the blade.

Spirit shattered, mind guilt-ridden and completely unbalanced in the Force, Leah lashed out with her blade. Anger fueled her movement, and in an instant she was on her feet ready to shred the Sith apart. But as her lightsaber carved through the air, so did it carve into the empty space of her enemy. Not because they were fast or superior in skill, but because she was too weak. From pain, sorrow. Blinded by her tears, uncertain if they came from her remorse or rage. As she brought down another slash, it also met empty air. The Sith was hardly moving, barely acting against her attacks. Through his mask, laughter resounded. “Pathetic. You are weak, like your husband.”

Leah screamed and charged, but the Sith effortlessly shot his hand forward and sent her flying back into the wall. With a thud and crack, the Jedi Master slid to the floor. The hilt of her lightsaber clattered against the ground. Left without a weapon, no strength, little hope, nobody to fight for. All she had was anguish and hate boiling in her veins. And in any moment, she would find death too.

@Malon

 

[Asha]

"Who are you?"

Asha was still not sure what was happening. This cave... was it even really a cave? It felt more like a doorway into something else—maybe even the Force itself. The gnomelike creature didn't answer in time, for Asha heard Leah's screams echo out from somewhere in the voice of darkness she found herself in. Startled, Leah began to rise, but the gnome with eleven ears raised a three-fingered hand to stop her. "We should help her!" Asha protested.

The gnome shook his head. "Help her, you cannot. Her own test, it is. Think of it as... training."

"Training." The word hung in the air for a moment and Asha cautiously lowered herself back into a sitting position. "You're a Jedi, aren't you? Like her?"

The gnome smiled and nodded. "Yes. A Jedi, I am. Wyck, my name was. In my day, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, I was." The tiny Jedi Master chuckled. "But a long time ago, that was. Five hundred years, I think? Hard to tell. Where I am from, there is no past, present, or future."

Asha's mind was spinning. Was she hallucinating this? Was he really a ghost? How was that even possible? She had never heard the name "Wyck," but "Grand Master" sounded quite important. Leah herself was only just a Jedi Master. Was there a level above even that? And if he was such a powerful Jedi Master, as he said, then how...? She felt the Jedi Master's eyes on her and looked up.

"Feel your thoughts, I can," the ghost of Wyck said. "You wonder how a Jedi as powerful as Wyck could not stop the Sith, hm?" He shook his head and waved to the darkness, allowing an image to appear. It was a moving image, of a legion of Jedi and Sith battling in some faraway time. "Once, many Jedi there were. But fall, one of us did, and from the Hundred-Year Darkness that followed, the Sith were born. The remaining Jedi, consumed by fear, they were. Many more fell. The rest went into hiding."

"Were you afraid?" Asha found herself asking.

Wyck looked at her as though he was looking upon the face of a daughter or an old friend. Perhaps he was remembering someone he once knew. "Yes, afraid I was. As are you." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Hmmm, yes. I sense much fear in you. Fear of being trained as a Jedi, hm?"

She adverted his gaze. Shame had creeped in. "I've seen what this power can do. And I know... that I have so much anger inside of me. Towards the Sith. I cannot let it overtake me."

Wyck hummed and chuckled some more. "Once, I knew a girl who made the opposite choice. Intrigued by the darkness, she was. And gave into anger, she did." Again, screams rang out and both Asha and Wyck inclined their heads in reaction to them. "Coming to end, her test is. Find her, you must. And when you do... find Ahch-to. More answers to your questions will you find there."

Ahch-to? What, or where, was that? Nevertheless, Asha nodded and began to rise; but a final question bubbled up and she looked back towards Wyck's fading spirit. "Is it my destiny to become a Jedi... like Leah?"

Wyck chuckled — his spirit faded — but his voice remained. "Choose your own destiny, you must."

Asha nodded. She still had more questions than answers, but, the shape of the future was beginning to become clearer to her. She took off after her imperiled companion. @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

She was unbalanced. Rage chewed away her experience, fear clouded her vision, terror made her freeze in place. Witnessing the corpse of her husband and reliving the death of her daughter had left a severe toll on the Jedi Master. Even if she escaped the nightmare, it would remain with her from then on. Plaguing her dreams, impairing her judgement. Close her eyes and she would only see the image of her little girl, lips and skin pale, weightless in her arms. There was no escaping the past. Not before, not here, not ever. But Leah could not allow herself to drown in her sorrow. In that moment, hate took her and with an outstretched hand she called her lightsaber into an iron grip.

The Sith stepped back at sensing her newfound power. Anger drove her every move. Her legs were like lead but they snapped up to rise. Her shoulders were weary but slid back in preparation to strike. Her chest heaved and ribs ached, but her heart beat hard against it like an animal in a cage. Gritting her teeth, the Jedi Master raised her lightsaber high, its former blue color now a cold and icy. The mysterious assailant set his blade between them, stunned by her comeback. But every parry he made was followed by another blow from her. A constant storm of attacks that eventually overwhelmed his defenses and left him stumbling back. She struck his thigh, pierced his torso, cut into his arm. Then, with a cry, Leah threw her weight behind her saber and leveled his head from his shoulders.

His body fell limp. Collapsing into the ground, Leah watched the Sith’s head roll to the wall. Relief and a terrible feeling of satisfaction poured into her. Her enemy, the embodiment of the Empire and the murderer of her husband and daughter, was defeated. No— dead. And she was all the better for it. However, as she stood over their remains and examined her work from afar, his mask exploded away. Uneasy, the woman took two steps back, but as the smoke cleared, no matter how far she retreated away, what she saw burned into her mind. It was her son, Eli: her long lost child. Where he had gone or what may have happened to him, she never found out, but to find him beneath the face of a Sith?

Confused, exhausted and overwhelmed with emotion, Leah finally fell to the ground. The hilt of her lightsaber was cold in her hand, and as her fingers released, it stumbled away into the darkness. A darkness that stole her away too. Not malevolent or corrupt, but a darkness she welcomed. Her eyes fluttered to a close and she slipped helplessly into unconsciousness.

@Malon

 

[Asha]

As Leah collapsed, emotionally drained from her duel, a fountain of light erupted in the distance, illuminating the cave and blasting away the mist that had engulfed them. After a moment, it was apparent that a figure was standing in that light—the polar opposite of the dark figure that had worn the face of her son and called itself a Sith. Each step the figure took obliterated more of the darkness and Force swelled as the figure drew closer and closer to the edge of the light's beam.

Dear child, I see your eyes...

...you already know the truth.​

Close your eyes...

...feel it...​

...the Light... it has always been there...

It will guide you.​

The voice floated in from another time and another place. And, as its voice echoed, the figure within the light raised its arms, revealing a lightsaber. A green blade burst from the lightsaber's hilt and the vision held for a moment longer before Asha burst through the pillar of flame, looking frantically for Leah. She didn't seem aware of the vision. She had not seen it for herself. But she had spotted Leah, laying on the ground, and ran to her with sweat clinging to her brow.

"Leah!" she cried. She was genuinely concerned. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She reached the Jedi Master and knelt beside her so that she could help her up. In the same instant, a glimmer of light caught her attention. A short distance behind the fallen Jedi Master, on a stone altar centuries old, a glowing box of some sort was sitting and pulsating with the Force. And it looked like the artifact from their dreams... @Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

But the darkness would not have her. A blinding light, brighter and more brilliant than ever seen before, carved through the shadow. An inspiration to fight, Leah struggled to stay awake. Fluttering, her eyes tried desperately to focus on the source of light. Only a silhouette emerged, and with them, a green lightsaber that would forever fix to her mind. The woman was astonished. A moment later, another figure burst through to reveal none other than Asha. She stooped low, encouraging her to rise after her nightmarish ordeal. The Jedi Master was beyond exhausted. She could hardly stand, but she did anyway. Her destiny, their journey, was not over yet. There was still far to go. Even if the artifact stood upon a mantle meters behind her.

“I—I’m okay.” She managed to finally answer, her hand clasping around the younger woman’s arm as she attempted to rise. Her legs could barely sustain its weight. Slumped, her shoulders ached to unwind. But she was so close. Too close. The relic of her vision and Asha’s dream called out for them both. Centuries of laying in wait within the tree left it unused, but as Leah staggered forward, there was not so much as a speck of dust. And the Force? It hanged throughout the room, but the artifact was burning with it. Every inch closer, her fingers reaching out, she could feel its warmth. “The artifact. No, a holocron.” She whispered. “A fountain of Jedi knowledge.”

Hesitation coursed through her followed by shame. Her earlier temperament and imbalance was not the Jedi way. Why the Force allowed her to pass her trial or even see the relic was a question resounding in her mind. Calm as she now was, Leah did not deserve to take it. Not yet. Not the way she was. Her hand retreated back to her chest. “No, I can’t.” She glanced to Asha, trying to explain but hiding the truth behind a half-truth. “I’m too weak.” The woman looked to the ground, fighting her guilt, and nodded to the holocron. “These are your first steps, Asha. Take it.”

@Malon

 

[Asha]

Theme​

These are your first steps.

Between her own mystical encounter with the Jedi Wyck and this... Asha knew what those words meant, as well as she knew what it meant if she did as Leah bade. And she still wasn't sure she was convinced the path of a Jedi was the right one for her. There was still so much anger and resentment inside of her... But, she also could not deny the magnetic sensation of attraction she felt towards the device. So, she let go, did as Leah bade, and took her first steps.

The walk towards the holocron felt like an eternity. It was almost as though the device grew further away with every step she took. Was it a trick of the cave? Another test? An illusion altogether? Asha wasn't sure, but she continued to step forward confidently until she stood in-front of it. Then, slowly, reverently, she reached down and scooped the tiny box into her hands. As her fingers closed around it, the cold metal box suddenly began to pulsate with warmness. It felt right; and she knew what needed to happen now.

Slowly, almost painfully so, she turned back to face Leah. And then, well, she just kind of stood there for a moment. Many thoughts were whizzing through her mind. This was a life decision, she knew that. Once she made it, she would not be able to turn back from it. But, though she was afraid, one thing was crystal clear: her power was growing, and had been for sometime, and if she did not learn how to control it then everyone around her, including herself, was in danger. So, she closed the gap.

Standing just a few feet in front of Leah, Asha uncurled her arm and held the holocron out towards Leah. But the young woman knew that the gesture was not simply one of giving an object to another. It was an offer. A plea. Her only hope. The desperation in her eyes was apparent. And then she spoke the words that would seal her fate. "Then show me the way." @Deviant

The End​