In a ship miles away, an angry man dusted off the remnants of ice off himself, grumbling and swearing under his breath. He met with the people wearing green camo on this American base, being told that the Dumes escaped almost twenty-four hours ago.

He was furious no one bothered to tell him, let alone wake him up and free him.

The man with mean eyes then spent the next few hours going through some Earth-style datapads they had given to him, scrolling through what info they had collected about the Dumes.

Then, a video popped up.

Las Vegas, Nevada.

The little Dume girl with messy hair and balls of fire circling in her hands, juggling them in mid-air. Her eyes burning with a joyous light as curious people surrounded her, recording the spectacle.

Then, he saw a girl with dark, wavy hair. Her skin the color of glowing gold.

Rachelle.

His old Apprentice.

He couldn't help but to look past the girl with fire in her hands and at the girl with dark hair standing in the crowd. The child he once swore to protect from the Empire - hiding her away from the Inquisitorious that would have turned her into what he once was. A monster. A pawn of the dark side.

It broke his heart when she left him for Luminara - but it was for the best. Luminara would be able to teach her much better than he ever could.

Now, she was near the one person in the universe who could easily destroy it.

It wasn't "Athena's" fault. She didn't choose to be a Dume. She didn't choose to be the child of a former Jedi. She didn't choose to be born on Earth. She didn't choose to be Abeloth's host.

Now, Jalo had to choose.

He had to choose to put a stop to this.

Suddenly, a sharp pain rang in his head so hard, he had to grip his forehead.

It was over in a second, but when it was, Jalo couldn't help but laugh. It was like he could sense everything again - well, not everything. Just the three Jedi, still in Nevada. But, they were everything to him right now.

He turned on his ship and lifted up, now knowing exactly where to fly.

Kanan clung onto the handle above his head and Rae clawed onto the back of the headrests, the tires of the car let out an unholy screech as a car horn blasted from a nearby car. Athena straightened out the vehicle and continued down the highway, heading north now.

"Alright, I still got it," Athena nodded with pride and relief. "Haven't gotten a scratch yet."

"You're gonna get us killed," Kanan stated, still clinging onto the handle. "Who taught you to drive?"

"Foster siblings," Athena shrugged. "Real crackhead type of crap. But, it was fun."

"I thought Hera's flying was nerve-racking," Kanan let out a sigh.

"Please just don't cut off anymore people, that guy is still giving us a rude gesture," Rae glanced back from the back window.

Kanan saw it in the mirror and turned to Athena, "What does that even mean? Is that an Earth thing?'

"Oh the middle finger?" Athena asked. "It means 'f*ck you'."

"What does that mean?" Kanan questioned.

"It Earths equivalent to kriff," Rae explained.

Kanan palmed his face, "I hate this place."

"It hates you too," Athena assured. "Trust me, Earth hates its own - let alone others."

"So, have you come up with a plan yet?" Kanan questioned. "So far, you've been the only one coming up with any."

"No," Athena sighed, drumming her hands along the steering wheel. "I know how to survive Earthling situations, this is beyond my experience. I know the streets, not the stars."

"So far you've managed to get us out of Jalo's custody, tame a mountain lion, con us a ride to Las Vegas, steal some sunglasses, make money off your fire-powers, get us a car, and get us a phone, Athena," Kanan pointed out. "And it's been like 24-hours. Don't doubt yourself so much. Your doubt will cloud your judgment and your fears of failure will prevail."

"Give me time," she grumbled. "Feel free to think of a plan, though."

Athena turned on the radio and sighed, continuing to drum her fingers on the steering wheel. Without cigarettes to calm her nerves, she was forced to resort to other twitches. Tapping her toe in her shoe, drumming her fingers, humming, anything to de-stress her.

It was a mostly quiet drive for the next half-hour. The radio played, Rae was fiddling with the new phone and Kanan stared out the window - admiring the red sand and rock that stretched on for miles.

Rae felt awkward with all of the silence, she barely knew these people.

Then, an idea popped into her head. An ice-breaker.

She put on the front camera and leaned forward. "Hey, let's take a selfie!"

"What's a selfie?" Kanan questioned, looking at the phone in confusion.

With an annoyed face, Athena responded, "It's when you take a photo of yourself or yourself with a group. It's stupid."

"Come on! This ride is getting boring!" Rae said. "And don't you guys wanna remember your trip here on Earth?"

"I'd rather forget it, if you want my honest opinion," Athena sighed.

"Smile!" Rae cheered, holding up the camera. Kanan offered a confused and awkward smile while Athena continued to glare at the road.

Click!

Rae sat back down in her seat and chuckled at the photo. "Aw! Athena, why so grumpy?"

"I am thinking. This is my thinking face."

"I'm gonna take photos of the scenery. Too bad I didn't think of this back in Vegas," Rae said, putting the camera to the window, snapping photos of the beautiful, never ending rocks and shrubs.

"Yay, rocks and shrubs," Athena rolled her eyes. "Honestly -"

Beep beep.

Kanan was wide-eyed as the com on his belt began to beep. He urgently picked it up and answered.

"Hello? This is Specter One, anyone there?"

"You're alive!" Ezra's voice cheered on the com. "Oh, Force, you guys are okay! I knew it!"

"Specter Six!" Kanan's face lit up with joy. Rae was able to snap a pic of this genuinely happy face. "You guys got our Force-signal?"

"Yeah!" Ezra said. "Did you guys escape from that Inquisitor?"

"Yep," Kanan chuckled. "Athena made him into a popsicle."

"Hey, luv," Hera came onto the com. "How are guys holding up?"

"Great," Kanan smiled. "We're in a vehicle right now. Are you guys in orbit?"

"Yeah, we're just above the atmosphere," Hera said. "Where can we pick you up?"

"Hold on, I can look up an isolated place," Rae spoke up.

That was a new voice for Hera. "Wait, was that Athena? She sounds different."

"No, that's another recruit we picked up," Kanan chuckled.

Hera shouted in disappointment and anger, "You took in another Earthling?! I told you-"

"She's a Jedi Padawan from our galaxy," Kanan assured. "She got sucked into a wormhole and has been stuck on this planet for a while. It's always good to have more Jedi on our team, anyhow."

Hera groaned, "You need to stop adopting so many kids."

"Aw, come on, you always end up loving them," Kanan joked.

"Found a place! We can abandon the car and walk for a bit," Rae said, leaning forward to show Kanan the map. "Here are the coordinates."

"Alright," Kanan nodded, reading the coordinates Rae had picked out for Hera. After she confirmed that she had gotten all of them, he spoke again. "We'll be there in about an hour, okay?"

"Got it, dear," Hera confirmed. "How's Athena? You haven't said anything about her."

"I'm ready to kill a man," Athena grumbled.

"A little grumpy, but okay," Kanan assured with a smile.

"That's good. Specter Two out."

"Specter One out," Kanan replied, placing the com on his hip after ending the call.

"Crap!" Rae's eyes were wide. "Athena is internet famous!"

"For what?" Athena questioned. "Please realize I am a wanted man in several counties in Ohio."

"Your fire," Rae showed Athena the YouTube video she stumbled across titled 'Street Magician Kid Juggling Fire'. "It's already got a butt-ton of views."

"So?" Athena shrugged, turning back to the road. "We're leaving this planet within the hour. By the way, I'm gonna need you to give me directions to those coordinates - also, might wanna screenshot that map. We may lose service."

"What if Jalo sees it is what I'm worried about," Rae said. "He'd know we were in Las Vegas."

"We already established that we gave away our Vegas position, thus the reason we're in this car on this highway," the girl remarked.

Rae sighed, leaning back into the backseat. She downloaded the video, just in case.

In a ship in Earth's atmosphere, a man with mean eyes chuckled. How stupid could these people be? Saying their location over an open-ended comlink?

After about ten minutes, Rae told Athena to pull over, they'd walk from then on.

Athena pulled the car off far into the sandy-dirt off the side of the road. Before starting off, they made sure to go through the car's belongings. They found a couple pairs of sunglasses, which Athena and Rae took for eye-protection - Kanan used the ones they stole from CVS. They then took the charger for the phone and the phone itself. Athena took the sunscreen and made sure to apply it to her skin, then advised the other two to do that as well.

After applying sunscreen and grabbing their things, they set off for the desert, following the screenshot of the map.

Heading westward, the sun was slowly creeping down to directly face them. The scorching heat burned their bodies.

Wearing a black t-shirt now, Rae felt like the sun was sticking to her torso just to cook her. Wearing a sweater, Kanan was sweating like never before. Wearing a sleeveless dress that went just past her knees, Athena trudged through the wasteland, feeling like she was dressed for church.

They switched Rae's backpack around, everyone getting a turn to carry the bag; Athena's pants and hoodie along with the money they had collected also weighed down the bag.

"We have to walk for how long?!" Athena had flaming eyes.

"Four miles," Rae said. "We'll be fine. It'll only be an hour walk."

"Please realize my planet's sun causes cancer if you spend too long in it," she gestured to her fair-toned skin. "Especially when you're as white as me!"

"We put that sunblock on for a reason," Kanan said. "You said it helps against this planet's sun. By the way, what is the name of your sun?"

"Just 'Sun'," Athena said. "And our moon is 'Moon'."

Kanan sighed, "Why is your planet like this?"

"Hey, wanna know what 'Earth' means?" Athena joked.

"Let me guess," Kanan said. "Planet?"

"Dirt," Athena laughed. "We named our planet 'Dirt'."

Rae chuckled, "You guys sure are creative about naming."

"What's the name of the empire ruling over your galaxy again?" Athena joked. "Oh yeah! The Empire!"

Kanan laughed, "Alright, alright. I guess you got us there."

"What do you call your system? The Earth system?" Rae questioned.

"The Solar System? Do you mean Solar System?"

They proceeded to spend the next forty-minutes discussing the naming problems of Earth's planetary system. Rae and Kanan almost doubled over after they learned the name of a certain planet in their system.

That wasn't something the Ghost crew had thought to teach her before - planetary names. It was such an interesting contrast between the two galaxies.

As they continued to discuss the names of the Milky Way's planets, Athena couldn't help but to look back at her shadow. She stopped walking, watching as the shadow defied logic, stretching to double the size behind her. Athena turned around to face the shadow, her heart dropping.

It's smile was now a frown.

An angry, terrifying frown.

Then, something that never happened before happened. The shadow detached from her before her eyes. It seemed to be running away from her. Taunting her to go in the opposite direction she was supposed to be heading. The dark mass racing against the sand.

The girl knew it was stupid to follow a shadow, this wasn't Peter Pan. But, it was like she had no choice.

Kanan and Rae were wide-eyed as they watched Athena sprint off in the opposite direction, dropping the bag and her sunglasses in the dirt to pursue the dark figure.

The tormentor of a shadow continued to lead Athena through the desert at top speed. The girl didn't care how much it hurt her legs or her lungs. It was like she was possessed.

Running. Running. Running.

She knew two things - running and fighting - but she only did one.

She ran.

She ran like that dark silhouette was the only thing in the world that mattered.

The shouts of Rae and Kanan faded - their pleas for her to come back vanished.

Then, she locked eyes with the shadow.

Bright red.

At that moment, Athena realized she shouldn't have been running towards the shadow. Rather, the opposite.

It was too late.

The shadow grabbed onto her, digging its claws into her flesh - drawing crimson red blood out of her left arm. She let out a blood-curdling scream, the wounds in her arm burning hotter than the sun. Athena almost fell over into the shadow as it began to drag her towards itself. She stumbled and screamed, doing her best not to fall.

It made her so angry. She was so gullible. She fell for such a stupid trap. It hurt. She hated it. She hated herself more for falling for it.

Just as Rae and Kanan were about to arrive at Athena's side, they froze. A buzz of electricity filled the air. The air pressure around them dropped like a rock. A cool breeze began to circulate around the girl. The sun went dark.

Rae and Kanan shared a terrified expression as they looked up into the sky. Pitch black storm clouds filled with lightning began to form out of thin air - swirling just above the girl in the white dress captured by the dark shadow.

Thunder roared alongside Athena's screams. Lightning sparked and crackled in the dark clouds. Strong winds created a swirl of sand strong enough to sting their skin with every passing grain.

Kanan and Rae could barely stand now, the wind nearly toppled them over. They had to close their eyes to prevent any more stinging sand from entering their eyes - their sunglasses helping very little against the stinging grains of sand.

Athena was oblivious. She saw nothing but black and red now. Little did she know, her eyes glowed a bright white, the same color as the lightning crackling above her head and sparking along her arms.

The red eyes of her shadow suddenly turned terrified. It tried to let go of the girl, but the girl grabbed right back onto the shadow's arm.

Her white eyes met with the red, watching as a bolt of lightning came from the skies above and struck the dark mass. It let out an unholy screech at an even unholier volume as the light engulfed it.

But, even after the shadow dispersed, the storm clouds did not.

She could feel nothing but confusion. Hate, sorrow, fear. The three emotions continued to circulate in her, unsure which one she felt the most. They were all so strong. She heard nothing but the roaring thunder and winds around her. Water began to fall from the black clouds so hard, it stung her skin. The rain was so cold.

A single name kept circulating in her mind.

Abeloth.

The girl let out a scream even more unholy than the shadow with red eyes as she fell to her knees, gripping her scalp.

Then, a light. A white and pastel green light.

She looked up, her breaths still shaky and winds still roaring. A single white owl flapped its wings in front of her. Her emerald green eyes meeting the girl's gaze.

She mumbled, still possessed by an unknown force, as she gazed at the owl.

"...Mom?"

The owl kept a strong gaze with the girl. She wouldn't let that girl fall any further. She was on her knees, but at least she wasn't on her face in the dirt. She could still rise from the ashes around her. It was her destiny, after all.

So, the girl did just that. She did not fall over and die. She stood from the ashes left behind by the shadow and met the emerald green eyes - now standing eye-to-eye with her.

The woman with brown hair and green eyes Athena had seen in her dreams two weeks ago stood in front of her now, cupping the side of her face with a loving touch. Her voice was as smooth as silk.

"I will always love you, Syla. I always have."

The winds began to calm and the sun began to shine on them again. The sand settled back to the ground and the clouds once filled with hateful lightning faded into the blue sky. Her eyes slowly turned back to teal as she watched her mother fade away - a white owl to replace her.

She turned to Kanan and Rae, their eyes wide and breaths heavy. They watched as the owl took off into the sky for just a moment before they came together.

Kanan was the first to reach her, grabbing her shoulders and meeting her eyes. "Are you okay? What just happened?"

"That was crazy!" Rae said. "What was that?"

"Abeloth is very much alive," Athena let out a shaky breath and looked to Kanan.

"Wha- what? What are you talking about?" Kanan questioned.

"She is alive and she is angry," Athena said and looked back to Kanan. "Jalo was right. She was using me."

"Was?" Rae questioned.

Athena shook her head, "Not anymore. Something...inside me is awake. Abeloth can't use me right now. She's angry."

"Does that mean she can't get into our universe now?" Kanan questioned.

Athena shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe. Hopefully."

He patted her shoulder, well let's get a move-on. Hera should be at the rendezvous in a little bit."

She sighed, blinked for a moment, and began to walk with them. Kanan took the bookbag and they continued in the direction the Ghost would land.

They were filled with joy when they set eyes upon a large structure in the distance. A ship.

They picked up their pace, more than ready to be on the Ghost. They were up to a jog as joy filled their bodies. With the sun directly behind the ship, they could only see its silhouette - its shadow against the light.

Just before they got all to close, Kanan stopped Rae and Athena.

"Wait."

"What?" Rae asked. "Don't you wanna get off this planet?"

A voice called out. "I bet you do."

Kanan ignited his lightsaber and put himself in front of the two Padawans, dropping the bag on the ground. "It's a trap!"

"To the contrary," Jalo chuckled. They watched as he approached them - his light freighter behind him now.

Rae grabbed the bag, snatching two cylinders from it. Out came two violet blades. Athena stood in fighting position, her hands engulfed in an orange fire.

"It's been a long time, Apprentice," Jalo approached them. They could now see his eyes again.

"I'm not your Apprentice!" Rae snapped, holding her twin lightsabers a little tighter.

He ignored her and looked to the girl with fiery hands. He had a look of pity on his face. "You're wrong, you know? About Abeloth. That wasn't her back there you just defeated. It was simply a small portion of her soul watching over you. It'll come back a hundred-fold just to consume you."

"What do you know?!" Athena barked, flames getting hotter.

"Abeloth will use you," Jalo spoke, his hands behind his back. "It's a matter of time."

"Well, we're leaving this planet," Kanan barked, still holding his lightsaber up. "This whole Abeloth thing has nothing to do with us."

"It has everything to do with you, idiot," Jalo snapped at Kanan. "You're just too blind to see it. So was your mother until it was too late. You two have a connection to the Force like no other - and it will be your undoing."

"Are you here to fight or are you here to just talk?" Rae snapped.

"I am here to warn you all," Jalo glared at the girl with purple lightsabers. He then looked to Athena. "Your powers will consume you if you do not control them. You can't ever fall, or even lean towards the dark side or Abeloth will consume you in your own hate and emerge from her prison. Then...then she will consume us all."

"Why should we trust a word you're saying?" Kanan barked. "Why are you trying to save the universe?"

"Because I'm one of the idiots that live in it!" Jalo snapped. "Do you not realize if your sister here does not get the proper training, she'll kill everyone?! You, me, Rachelle, even your precious rebel friends, everyone will die!"

"What training do you mean? I'm already training to be a Jedi!" Athena questioned.

"Find whatever remnants of the Ones you can," Jalo met her eyes. They were not so mean anymore. They were worried. "Don't go to the light, you'll be too weak. Don't fall to the dark, we will all die. Find the middle and gain strength and stability."

"How do I do that?!" the flames almost exploded off her hands. Nothing this guy said made sense.

"You will find a way," Jalo assured. "If you don't, you'll kill even those you love the most."

"No I won't!" she screamed in anger. Her flames turned blue and her hair began to float. Electricity crackled around her. Intense heat began to surround the girl. Rae and Kanan even had to take a step away as the girl's flames got hotter than ever before. Athena hated being told she would be a killer. That she was nothing but a murderer. The blue flames engulfed her hair as it floated around her. Angry tears welled up in her eyes, feeling the anger swelling up at an uncontrollable rate.

Jalo's eyes went wide and he took a couple steps back.

The girl was no longer in control. And she knew that.

"Syla! You are falling for her tricks!" he shouted. "These flames of hatred will only consume you until there is nothing left!"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "I am not the darkness! I am not death! I am not the puppet of Abeloth!"

"You may not be darkness, but light doesn't always mean good," Jalo said. "Do the flames of rage equal the healing warmth of light?!"

"Light is light!" she screamed again, the blue flames uncontrollably consuming her hands and hair. "I am light! I- I…" she could barely breathe. The heat was overbearing. Her skin began to burn. Her white dress even began to singe at the edges. Electricity crackled over her skin.

"Continue on this path and your light will bring nothing but darkness," Jalo had a stern look as he met eyes with the girl. "Fire may bring you warmth for now, but it will leave you cold when the fuel has all been but burned."

She stood there now, confused once again.

Nothing made sense.

Light was light...right?

Kanan and Rae stood there, also conflicted on what to do. The girl who was on their side was consumed in her fiery rage as the man who was supposed to be the enemy stood there with a cool head.

"May the Force be with you, Syla," Jalo said. He turned and walked back to his ship. Even after the light freighter took off into the distance, the girl still had blue flames engulfing her hair and hands, electricity sparking along her arms.

Even when Kanan tried to approach her, her flames refused to die. Something deep in her heart wouldn't let the hate die down.

He couldn't even get within two feet of the girl, her flames were so intense. She stood there, frozen with confusion.

Even when the Ghost touched down, sand blowing in their face from the massive ship's landing, she stood there. Dazed.

Find the Ones.

Don't go for the light.

Don't go for the dark.

Find the middle.

The ramp downed and Ahsoka and Ezra were there, waving for them to get on board.

She collapsed.

Her flame died out. Even the flame within her soul.

Everything died.

She didn't see darkness this time when she closed her eyes. She didn't see light either. She saw gray.

Nothing but gray.

Kanan crouched down to his sister, holding the unconscious girl up.

Then, a call. A call from an owl sitting on top of the Ghost now. An owl that morphed into a woman with brown hair and green eyes. She wore robes. She was not smiling this time. The woman looked down to her children, worry on her face.

Ahsoka and Ezra dashed out of the ship towards them.

Kanan passed the girl to Ahsoka, who attempted to repeat the feat she had done back at the fleet - bringing the girl back to life.

But, her body wasn't dead. Just her soul.

Her soul was gone, but her body was still breathing, heart still beating, blood still flowing.

Kanan pointed up to where he saw the woman sitting on the Ghost, but the others only saw a white owl with green eyes.

Then, the owl took off.

Not knowing what to do, they took off in the Ghost - praying that fire in her soul would reignite.

There was nothing but gray now.

Gray smoke.

TO BE CONTINUED...