Chapter 11
My eye opened.
I was surrounded by Emilia and Puck as they eagerly stared at me. I tilted my head up and down as I was greeted by the harsh rays of the sun, I even looked to the left of me seeing the endless green forest that surrounded the estate.
"Isaac…are you okay?"
I stared at Emilia, her bright silver hair glowing. Her strange purple eyes scanning my face trying to read any of my emotions.
Wait…was I always here?
Weren't they opening my gate before…yeah they did and I experienced…the memories began to bombard me again, unclear memories that felt like they happened days ago, but still felt so fresh and recent.
Horrific memories of shame and self-loathing, memories of facing my failures and the dark side. And a memory of throwing my lightsaber away…and once again completely abandoning the force.
But were they real? They must of have all been a dream, or maybe some sort of weird hallucination, that beast…Puck he must have had done something to me while he was observing my gate.
"I'm…I'm fine." I stuttered out as I ran my fingers through my hair
This felt strange, like I had been here before. Like I knew what was going to happen, maybe it was the force that led me down this path.
Maybe it was a premonition of the future?
I have had one such vision, only once when I was a Sith…and that woman came to me. That was the only time I felt something like that through the force, but even then, it wasn't that clear and I knew that it held my future.
But this felt off…before it was the warmth and echo of the force. But now…all that felt was loss and despair in that strange dream.
"I just had a weird dream, could I get some water?" I asked
Emilia quickly shot up and began running into the estate. Puck stayed behind and looked at me, tilting his head very quizzingly like he was wondering about something.
"You got something to say?"
The beast began to rub its shoulder. Trying to avoid the question but I could sense the anxiety coming from him.
"You sure have been through a lot; gates are very personal things and I apologize for putting you through that."
He looked sincere when he said those words, but I could tell that he was also holding something back.
"I'm sorry but I saw a fragment."
"Fragment?" I repeated
He groaned. "For most people gates work normally, they allow us to use magic and identify our preferred magic style. But yours was broken, due to traumatic effects such things could happen. I had never seen such destruction though…and I'm sorry, but I saw something very personal."
A memory…no.
No…no…no…no, was he…he saw…what did he see? He must of saw the sweat beginning to form along my face because he opened his mouth.
"I only saw a little bit. It was a strange place, but I could feel the death all around. And I saw you holding a girl in your arms as the world died all around you, in all my time as a sprit…I have never felt all that death occur in such a place."
Malachor…the final battle of the Mandalorian wars. When the mass shadow generator activated, and the planet was destroying itself.
Desaryna…when I was cradling her in my arms as the planet died around us. I could still smell the volatile gases fill the sky as I struggled for air.
"I could also feel your emotions there, you were content with…"
Puck strained the last part of the sentence, but I knew what he was implying.
"I was okay dying there…dying with Desaryna in that place, I didn't care anymore…cause I lost all that mattered to me, she was the last and only thing that I have ever truly treasured." I spoke calmly
There was a silence, the only thing that could be heard were the birds chirping and the sound of the winds breaking through the leaves and branches of the trees that surrounded the estate.
"Thank you." He spoke randomly
I looked at him, confused of what he was saying.
"If you died there, who would of have saved my Emilia. Without you getting up and living…then who would of have saved Emilia a couple of days ago."
I forced a laugh to break the seriousness of his tone. "She would of have been fine. She would have had you by her side…I could sense how truly powerful you really are, for such a tiny being."
A smirk spread across his face as he mockingly wrapped his arms around himself. "Don't give me all that credit, spirits contracts end around nighttime so I wouldn't have been as strong or aware to help her."
There was silence, as me and the creature…Puck, both stared into the blue sky. Maybe today in my room I could meditate a little bit more, I could use the force now, but I could hardly remember my lightsaber forms and my force abilities.
Due to cutting myself off from the force, and from how violently and suddenly I destroyed the connection…it will take many years for my connection to be healed.
Sure, I have been making progress, but I could hardly remember certain abilities and forms that I mastered during my times in the Mandalorians Wars and the Jedi Civil War.
Maybe when I start using my lightsaber again and begin meditating more consistently, then I will be able to slowly use the force once again.
But it feels so different now, like a distant echo at the end of the cave. Or like drowning in the abyss and seeing a faint light.
"You aren't from our world aren't you." Puck randomly said
My eye opened very quickly as I stared at him. What was I supposed to say, that I was apart of the Jedi order? It would be a lie and that was the same order that stemmed from Revan.
Revan was a known person that came from a different world, would Puck affiliate me and Revan? No, I needed more information before I could discuss my ties with Revan…if anybody ever knew, I would be broken.
"No…I'm not."
But I could sense that Puck could tell that my answer was bullshit.
He hovered in the air, staring into the estate doors where Emilia only a couple minutes ago entered. He approached me as his mouth went to my ear. "For saving Emilia I offer a certain proposition."
My throat tightened. Maybe I should grab my bag and run, maybe tonight I should leave and get out of here as quickly as possible.
I am a deserter…it is what I do. But ether way I should just listen to his proposition, who knows maybe it can help me in the long run.
"Become her knight."
"A knight!" I quickly spouted out as I moved away from him
"Yeah…I could tell how powerful you were when Emilia saved you when we all first met, sure you were damaged, but I could tell that hidden under all that pain held something…truly fascinating"
All that pain...
My left hand rested against the cold metal of my right hand as I ran my fingers over the cool metal of it. "Puck I am not a knight…hell I still am formerly a Padawan, you should find someone better, someone stronger and more capable than me."
I tried to smile and sound more reassuring, but Puck pouted as he easily saw through my lies.
"You are strong though, even when that place was dying, I could feel your strength. Even now I could feel the potential you have; such potential even scares me." He chuckled
We both began chatting about simpler things, about food and life. Mostly him asking me about customs and life in my old world, while I would ask about life here in this strange and new world.
Luginca…was the city, or maybe country that I was staying in? It was confusing but I had a study session later that I had to attend so maybe I could learn more later.
"How many people are like me…you know transported to a different world?" I asked
Puck began to scratch his chin, I thought he already knew the answer already and was just being overdramatic.
"The prophecy stated only five…" he began to say as he began to count onto his paw
I know that I cannot understand the writing in this place, but I could understand basic mathematics…I am not a child.
"The Masked Man…the one which will ally himself with the witch, he will descend onto this world and bring evil, despair, and decay onto this once beautiful land. He will train disciples…and without hesitation, will plunge the world into darkness."
"Revan." I grunted out
Puck looked at me and softly shook his head. "I get how you are not scared of the masked man, but many are…you can make some real serious enemies by just uttering his name in public."
"Revan doesn't scare me." I spat out
But I knew that I was lying, maybe it was just by calling him his name that made me feel a tiny bit braver.
He shook his head and stuck out his second finger
"The Betrayer…the one that has been betrayed by both of her Orders, she wields a strange power that can bend others to her will and will be influential for the war to come."
He stuck out his third finger
"The Lord of Hunger…he will eat the land until he is full, destroying everything in the process as everything in this world is only food for him to consume, until he is empty and the only thing for him to consume is himself…everything exist only for him to feast upon."
"The prophecy said that…in that detail?" I asked
Now I was kind of getting worried. A being that could consume everything, and if he succeeded, he would consume himself.
"Yes, but lay off the questions until this is done, and no more interrupting" he said as His fourth finger shot up
"The False One…an ancient and powerful beast of darkness. Its body is decorated with scars and broken promises. He has been broken for years…but just like his hatred, he is eternal."
He stuck up his fifth finger, his thumb as he smiled.
"The Outcast or to some The Exile…a failure to an order that failed him. He is the one that no matter how many times The Masked One will break him, no matter how diseased his spirit is…he will never give up, and within him lies our salvation."
It took a second for me to realize what Puck said…the outcast. That word, a tidal wave of memories collided with me as I remembered what that thing called me.
"Exile…Outcast" I repeated
Luckily, I did not repeat myself too loud for him to here, but as suddenly he cut the story short. The questions began to circulate through my mind.
The Masked Man was obviously Revan. But the other four…could I be anyone of them, sure the woman called me an exile or outcast, but those things match me to a certain degree.
Sure, they have a very broad spectrum, but they match me to an extent. For example, I was betrayed by both the Jedi and the Sith, so I could very well be The Betrayer, or maybe even The False One…I suffered many scars during the wars and I have that broken promise with my best friend.
But the one that worried me the most was The Lord of Hunger. That thing that will consume and destroy everything that it touches.
It sounded scary, almost world ending. That was maybe around the time I began to understand why people are afraid of uttering Revan's name.
These beings of great power that will wage a massive war that may very well destroy everything. Now I could understand why uttering a name could have such power.
"I know that you confirmed Revan, but do you know anyone else?"
"The Masked One has disappeared for many years, some believe that maybe he died or went to train his so-called disciples somewhere. But we know who the Betrayer is…she is an old but powerful woman that controls a mysterious power."
Another force user…well hell it seems like everybody on that list could control the force, this could possibly lead to another Jedi Civil War. And the people in Lagunica…no, the whole world will feel its effects.
"She is helping out with the royal election this year. She doesn't really like Emilia though so that's not a good thing." Puck said as he shrugged his shoulders
"Why doesn't she?" I asked
He took a deep breath; I could see how his face reddened as he held himself back from ranting about The Betrayer.
"Emilia is kind, like very kind…not naïve. Well kind of naïve, but she means well."
I began to scratch my head as I began to search for something to say.
"That doesn't seem like a bad thing, shouldn't a kingdom have a good king or queen that could show empathy?"
"That's what I said…but the old woman believes in calculating and controlling others. And Emilia isn't built for that…"
He strained the last part of the sentence as we both spotted Emilia holding a tray with a cup of water and an assortment of cookies.
Puck quickly glided towards me, he bumped himself into me causing a slight pain, but it was gone a second later. "Don't tell anyone about what you could be. Emilia needs someone powerful to protect her, even more now that The Betrayer has allied herself with Crusch…so please keep your guard up and don't mention this to anyone."
He quickly flown to Emilia as he perched himself on her shoulder. I was thankful for him giving me such important information, but now the question was what to do now.
Emilia was kind enough to let me stay at the estate, but I did not feel comfortable being a freeloader. Maybe I should take the job as a knight…
I wonder what Puck would have thought if he saw me when I was corrupted...would he still have trusted me to protect her?
No…of course not. If he knew what I had done, then he would of have killed me before I had the chance to run away.
Now I know that I am not alone in this world anymore. Now there are things in play that I cannot control anymore. I am a part of something bigger…something that now I know, I cannot abandon…and just like the force it dictates me.