Chapter 13, Altar of Mortis…
As they flew their ship to exit the planet, Lirlia decided to lay down for a bit, feeling drained suddenly. She was asked about it, and she answered 'I cannot explain it. Is the first time that I feel like this.'
While she laid down, Anakin and Obi-Wan flew the ship, checking everything is ok and functional. Ahsoka scanned the area for an opening for them to exit.
Lirlia turned around in her sleep, having a strange dream.
She was back in her room on Seliana, laying on her bed when she heard someone calling her.
'Lirlia… Lirlia…. Lirlia.' She woke startled, placing her hands on her head. She get out from the bed. In the corner of her eyes, she saw a figure from her personal pool. Looking there, she saw her reflection walking to her. She stood and walked to it.
"Is it true that you can control the Primal Force?" She heard herself speak.
"That was the Father told me." She answered.
"Join me." She saw her reflection change form to the Son's. "Together, we will reshape the Force to our image… my… friend." He spoke.
"I'd never join you. Not when I don't understand much of what the Force wants me to do."
"You put it simple. With my help, I can show you your true potential and what you need to do. Light and Darkness, as if they could exist separately. We can create peace across the galaxy." He said, joining his hands, while Lirlia looked down.
"By joining the Dark? No thank you." She spoke.
Fire surrounds the Son as she walked away. "We will destroy the Sith and Jedi, if that pleases you!" He exclaimed. When he received no answer from her, he transformed into his winged form, screaming and lunging to her.
Lirlia woke up gasping, placing her hands in her head as Ahsoka walked to her.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
"Something like that." She answered sitting on the bed. "How much till we can leave this place?"
"Skyguy and Master Kenobi aren't so sure. But so far, we haven't had any trouble."
"That somehow unsettles me."
The door opened and Anakin exited the cockpit. "Oh! I see that you are awake, Lirlia. You can come to the cockpit if you wish." Suddenly, the ship shook, making the three of them to hold on something.
"If you finish greeting Lirlia after her nap, could you come and help me?" Obi-Wan said in a childish and whiny tone to his former Padawan.
"Coming." Anakin answered when suddenly, Ahsoka's startled and gasping voice was heard over the air. Anakin looked back as the door closed, Lirlia sat there unmoving as they saw the Son grabbing Ahsoka by the neck as she struggles to get out of his hold.
"Leaving so soon? I don't think you'd want to leave her." He spoke. Anakin stood there, not knowing what to do as Lirlia stood fast while the ground-door opened and the Son let himself to fall, turning into his creature form, with Lirlia safely secured on his belly with her clutch claw.
Anakin entered again the cockpit and sat down, pressing buttons as Obi-Wan asked what happened.
"The Son took Ahsoka away, and Lirlia managed to get a hold over his body."
"What the heck are you talking about?!"
"Out of the way! Give me the controls!" Anakin forced his way to the controls, redirecting the ship to pursue the Son.
As Anakin pursues the Son with the ship, Lirlia used her equipment to move around the Son's body. She reached his legs to help Ahsoka get free, when suddenly, the Son jerked his body, making Lirlia to almost loose her balance.
"Let her go!" She screamed. Out the corner of her eye, she saw the ship getting closer. That is, until the Son sped up, flying faster than she could see.
"Enough of this!" Lirlia screamed in frustration.
"Join me, and I'll release her!" The Son spoke.
Acting out of muscular memory, Lirlia's body moved on its own, accommodating itself as her hands unsheathed her gun and planted the mouth of its barrel over the Son's body.
"Hey! What are you- ARG!" The Son screamed as Lirlia's gun fired, injuring his body. But to Lirlia's disappointment, the Son still had a hold over Ahsoka's arms while she fell to the ground.
She tried to avoid getting hit by any rock or branch from trees or hills until she landed flat and hard into the ground on her back, the air from her lungs being forced out and her weapon flying away from her.
She coughed and struggled to breathe, moving in her side and placing a hand over her chest. Few seconds later, she could breathe again.
"*pant* The… dam bastard… coward… took Ahsoka away…" she said breathlessly. "I hit hard the ground… my gun…" she said to herself, looking around. She found her gun near a pool. She stood but fell on her knees. Somehow, the fall made her body to ache more than she's experienced before.
"Why do I feel… so much pain?" She took a healing potion from her pouch, using one for the first time she arrives to this galaxy. She immediately felt the pain fading away and could also feel her muscles and bones healing themselves thanks to the potion. She stood and walked to her gun, sheathing it on her back.
"Now… where are am I?" She said to herself. "The Son captured Ahsoka. Probably to keep us here. I need to find her." She started walking around the place she fell in. Different flora grew over the place she now thinks is a cave. The flora provides dim illumination besides her own Scouflies. She walked inside the cave, being on alert as she suddenly felt danger ahead.
She reached an opening with waterfalls and green fire illuminating the area. She walked to the opening, going into the middle of it, when suddenly, the fire started moving like it was alive, surrounding her. Out of instinct, she took her gun from her back, pointing on different directions. The fire then abruptly stops and returned to normal.
"What…" she heard something from behind. Turning around, she pointed her gun around her, only to see fire, death and destruction. She saw Coruscant in flames and destroyed. People were screaming, blood was everywhere. She saw the Jedi Temple covered in fire. All the time with rocks and meteors falling from the sky. In the distance, she saw a creature with mist covering its body. Its wings appear to be leaking meteors from it, and the mist was covering everything of its body, making difficult to observe it. It has its back to her, but then shifted and the creature was now looking at her. Its eyes pierced through her. It screamed and shot at her a strange flame. She tried to block, but the flame reached her, engulfing her.
She woke up startled, gasping for air at the same opening with the waterfalls and the fire.
"What… was that…" she asked herself as she stood. "…what was that creature?"
She only heard the waterfalls and the fire scorching. She walked towards the edge of the opening, where the water is, knelt and washed her face a few times, trying to understand what she just saw.
"I don't think that I'll understand, even if I try." She said shaking her head. "Better keep looking for Ahsoka. She can't be that far." She remembered that her Scoutflies did catch the smell of almost all the people she is fond to.
"Let's see… can you bring me to Ahsoka?" She asked her little friends, at which they answered by guiding her the way. She came across many caves and pools. Her Scoutflies' light was the only thing that illuminated the road. All the while she felt that she was being watched. It took her a while to finally find the exit of the caves. Upon exiting, she looked around to get to know where she is. She realized that she's bellow a building, a large tower. Her gut told her to climb that tower. She grabbed onto the wall of the tower, starting to climb it.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Obi-Wan got separated after the ship crashed landed. Anakin went looking for Ahsoka while Obi-Wan waited for help. He did get an answer, as the One's Temple appeared in behind him.
Inside, the Father was meditating with Daughter by his side. "You are growing stronger, my Son."
"Am I, Father?"
"Vanity, however, is getting the better of you."
"How so?"
"You have done what is forbidden." The Father stood. Daughter also stood, but he gestured her to return meditating. He started to walk, with the Son behind him. "You've chosen the Dark Side and allow it to feed your anger and desire of power."
"By bringing the Hunter here, you've showed me my potential. You've only yourself to blame!"
"Do not do this Son. Do not become what you should not. Be strong, I implore you… or else I will be forced to contain you."
"You look frail, Father."
"I am not dead yet."
"Well… perhaps I am tired of waiting!" The Son attacked the Father with lighting, sending him flying outside, rolling onto the stairs.
"I… hate you!"
Obi-Wan watched it happen and the Son transforming into his winged form, shrieking and flying away,
"Father!" Daughter says as she run to aid her father as Obi-Wan knelt beside him.
They brought him to a room to rest, the Daughter using her knowledge to heal him. Obi-Wan tried to convince her to help them get Ahsoka back.
"I cannot interfere with the Will of the Force. My father forbids it."
"If your brother escapes, he'll leave havoc across the Galaxy. You and Anakin have the power to stop him."
"What about your Hunter friend?" She asks.
"We got separated, we don't know where she is currently."
"Come with me. I will show you something."
At the same time, Anakin found Ahsoka, but she was acting strange, and soon he realized that she was changed by the Son. Ahsoka attacked him, and Anakin could do nothing more than to protect himself.
The Daughter and Obi-Wan returned after she showed him an Altar with a blade being kept there. They walked inside the Son's domain, finding him sitting. He mocked them, about their Father and that he should die. After he asked why she was there, Obi-Wan stepped to support her.
"She isn't alone, you know."
"You mean that she will get help from your friend, the Chosen One? Or you mean your Hunter friend?" He walked to a window. "I see no Hunter in this room. Oh! And you should go and see your Chosen One friend… he's somehow worried now." As Son said that Obi-Wan realized that Anakin could be in trouble and run to help him, leaving both Force wielders alone.
Lirlia climbed the building, panting as she didn't have much to get something to hold to climb. She stopped a bit to regain her strength when she heard a loud scream behind her. Looking back, she saw the same plane of destruction and fire, with the same unknown and huge creature destroying around with its flames. Then the scenery changed again, with her holding onto the wall of the tower she is climbing. Shaking her head, she resumed climbing until she reached the peak. She stood over the edge to catch her breath, when she heard blades hitting each other. Looking up, she watched as Ahsoka was fighting Anakin and Obi-Wan. She jumped from the edge and run to them.
"What's going on here?" Lirlia asked, taking everyone's attention. Suddenly, she was attacked by Ahsoka, lunging at her with both of her blades. While Lilia's armor resists a lightsaber blade, Lirlia still dodged it out of reflex.
"What's going on!" She said yet again frustrated.
"The Son is controlling Ahsoka! We must free her!" Obi-Wan explained.
"How so?" Lirlia dodged another slash from Ahsoka. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but she was leaving her with no choice.
Anakin went to aid Lirlia. He received Ahsoka's fast attacks while Obi-Wan also provided support. The two Jedi did not want to hurt her. Anakin blocked a slash that was meant for Lirlia before pushing Ahsoka with the Force a few meters away from them. Ahsoka used her blades to stop her momentum by placing them on the ground, leaving two burned marks on the floor.
"Any suggestions?"
"Yes! We set her free!" Obi-Wan then took an object from his pocket, it materialized itself as a dagger.
"What's that?" Anakin asked with Lirlia looking at the dagger. Their attention was caught by Ashoka screaming with a mixture of her and the Son's voice.
"Where did you get that?! Give it to me!" She jumped at them.
Lirlia used her shield to block Ahsoka's attack, but then their focus was shifted to the window as it broke, the Son and Daughter falling from the room over them. The four of them got away from their fall, avoiding the falling shattered glass. The Father landing over the ground away from them.
Son shook his head and stood. "So glad you could arrive to our little party, Father!" He attacked with lighting the Father while he used the Force to protect himself.
"You will stop this!"
"You are too weak for me, old man! You mean nothing to me anymore!"
He continued to attack the Father until he was thrown over a tree. Lirlia run to aid him, using her grapple device to reach the Son's body, but Ahsoka pushed her back with the Force to keep her behind.
"Anakin! Now!" Obi-Wan screamed and threw the dagger to his former padawan, only for Ahsoka to leave Lirlia behind and jumping between them, gabbing it, and standing near the Son.
"Everything has transpired just as I planned." The Son said after he finished his attack on the Father, joining his hands together, pleased.
"You show them the altar?" Father said weakly.
"I am sorry Father. I didn't know how else to stop him." Daughter says as Obi-Wan helped her to her feet.
"Give me the Dagger, child." Son extended his hand to Ahsoka. She looked to Anakin as he said 'Ahsoka, no…' she tightened the grip on the Dagger before giving it to the Son.
"Thank you. Your usefulness has come to an end." He said, pressing his finger over Ahsoka's head, making her to fall to the ground.
"NO!" Anakin screamed, running to her, but was thrown back by the Son.
"The Jedi brought me the dagger! And you've brought yourself, Father… now… you will die!" The Son lifted his arms to kill the Father, as the Daughter screamed 'Father!', running to them and getting between the Father and the Son, receiving the stab on her back. The moment Son stabbed her, thunder was heard from the distance, and Lirlia shook, a sudden feeling of emptiness filling her, but ignored it afterwards.
The Son watched his hands before screaming 'WHY!?', jumping and transforming into his winged form, leaving the place.
Father helped Daughter to kneel, taking off the Dagger from her back and laying her on her back while Anakin, Lirlia and Obi-Wan run to Ahsoka, watching her lifeless face.
"My Daughter… what have I done?" He asked to himself, closing his hands in fists.
"Do not hate him, Father…" she said gasping, placing her hand on his clenched fist, calming him. "…it is his nature…" she said breathlessly.
"No… all is lost… the balance… have been broken…" he looked to Lirlia sitting near him. "I thought that bringing you here… But I destroyed everything!" He caresses Daughter's cheek.
"Can you help her?" Anakin asked.
"There is no light… evil has been freed… and the Dark Side will consume her."
"You must help her!"
"I cannot undo what is done! There is… no hope…"
"Yes, there is! There's always hope!" Anakin screamed desperately.
Father looked down. He felt a hand on his cheek. Looking to his Daughter, he saw her pointing to Ahsoka and nodding. He stood and walked them, gesturing.
Anakin stood and sat cross legged between Daughter and Ahsoka.
"…and let my Daughter's last act…" he pointed to Daughter, Anakin placed a finger over her forehead. "…be to breathe life in your friend…" he gestured to Ahsoka. Upon touching her forehead, Anakin's eyes rolled up as he felt the Force flowing through him, from Daughter to Ahsoka as both bodies were lifted from the ground. Obi-Wan and Lirlia covered their eyes to the blinding light.
Both bodies shone as life flow through Daughter to Ahsoka, with Anakin holding for a few seconds before letting go of them, falling to the ground. Anakin looked to Ahsoka and watched as the normal color returned to her skin. He sighed in relief and was startled when he heard her coughing as she stood. He stood and hugged her.
"Hello, Snips." He pulled from the embrace.
"What's… going on…?" Ahsoka sleepily said.
"Not much. Glad to see you." Anakin helped his padawan standing, with Obi-Wan passing her her lightsabers.
Father knelt to his now lifeless Daughter. "As the balance in this world crumbles, so shall war escalate in your galaxy. As my Son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength. And the fabric between the Primal Force and the Force is weakened." He looked to Lirlia. "You will be affected because of this."
"We will stop your Son." Anakin spoke.
"No. You must go, now. He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave, before he can take it!"
"What about you?" Obi-Wan approached the Father. Lirlia decided to stay silent.
"I shall mourn all that I've done… and all that is yet to be."
The four look at each other before walking away. Lirlia already started to feel unease in general but decided not to worry about it as they walk toward the ship.
'Something's going to happen.' She thought.