A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your amazing patience. I had a very busy COVID year, with work, finishing university, and community organizing. I have also celebrated the anniversary of my relationship a few months ago. We began seeing each other shortly after I published the first chapter of Star Ocean, and it has been amazing. :')

To those who have been waiting patiently for this update many many thanks for sticking with me. Originally this is the final chapter, but it was getting too long so I have decided to split the update in half. I will be posting the true last chapter once I'm done editing and proofreading it. In the meantime, I hope this chapter is definitely worth the wait. Since the update has been almost a year later after my last one, if you need a refresh before delving into the story again, please do so! I know I have been terrible at updating, and I sincerely apologize for that, but this is a story that I really want to tell, so I can safely assure folks it will be done sooner or later. I'm currently writing my undergraduate thesis research paper and it has honestly been sucking my time quite a bit. :P

Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter. Please stay safe, wear your mask, get vaccinated!


PART THREE: BEAUTIFUL WORLD

The lights were blindingly bright. No shadows danced in the nooks and crannies of Cal's room except the ones that Merrin and BD-1 cast. Cal laid silently on his cot, shirtless and under the scrutiny of his companions. The droid has been busy scanning the lightsaber wound on Cal's side, as well as any other possible anomalies in Cal's health. He tried to make any medical calculations with whatever he had in his system. His library was limited since he was merely an exploration droid, but he was determined to learn to save his best friend.

Merrin knelt beside him and was also examining Cal's wound with her magick. A shroud of darkness seemed to emanate from a wound that was once cauterized but now opening up again. His face was scrunching up, the pupils in his eyes moving against his eyelids, and was starting to break into a sweat. She reached out, touched his forehead with her hands and pressed her fingers gently against his temples. She summoned her calming magick towards her friend. He stirred, but the faces in his muscles slowly relaxed. Merrin could sense he was in a deep state of sleep. It was a much-needed rest. He had been restless ever since they arrived in Jedha. That seemed so long ago.

She retracted her hands back to herself, and let herself smile a little, at ease that Cal looked calm. "I can't do much, but I hope that today, you sleep a dreamless sleep."

BD-1 beeped sadly. When he finished scanning, he looked mournfully at Merrin.

"He will be alright," Merrin said, although this was more to herself than to BD-1. "He's strong."

Merrin placed her talisman on Cal's naked chest. There were cuts, burns, and bruises and scars he had accumulated over the years marked on his skin. Merrin studied them for a brief second before placing a hand over the talisman. "My sisters, heed my call..."

The talisman flared a green fire, but it was not hot nor did it burn Cal's skin. A green light shot up like a fountain and encased Cal in a green translucent bubble. A healing spell, but Merrin was unsure if this would be effective, as the power was drawn from the Dark Side of the Force. Regardless, it should protect Cal from the bad dreams and visions, until he would wake up.

Merrin got up and began walking towards the exit. BD-1 jumped on her back as if it was a natural thing for him to do. She was not used to the motion as much as Cal was, so she had almost jumped at the motion. She gave the droid a gentle pat on the head and navigated through their ship until they were in the cockpit. They were currently still in hyperspeed, heading towards the Outer Rim. Where exactly, she had forgotten. She thought of potentially changing the course and taking them somewhere remote where they could hide and lay low for a few weeks. However, the thought of Cal's deteriorating spirit and losing battle against the Dark side needed immediate care. Spiritual care, specifically.

She thought of the Stinger Mantis. Were Cere and Greez somewhere out there, helping the resistance? Have they found other lost Jedi and reunited them? Were they trying to rebuild the Jedi Order? Could she still call out to them, a distress signal that would only be picked up by the Mantis, somewhere, out there?

She sat in her cockpit chair and massaged her head with the tips of her fingers. The swirling light of hyperspeed reflected unto her form. BD-1 jumped from her back and onto the tops of the control panels, chirping reassurances. She reached out to the panel and began writing a distress signal to the Mantis, still memorizing the old ship code, hoping to hope that it would somehow work and that it would be found by their old friends.

She deployed the distress signal into the unknown, like a message in a bottle. "If you can hear this..." Merrin whispered. "Deliver us."

#

The coordinates Cal entered into the ship led them to nowhere. When they dropped from hyper-light speed, they were simply drifting into the emptiness of the space. No planet or station, or any system waited for them. Merrin considered changing course somewhere into the Mid-Rim. Knowing Cal, he had probably thrust his fate into the will of the Force to take them there, so Merrin continued in sublight speed, until from a distance she saw a sun, and eventually a remote swamp planet that revolved around it.

Merrin checked the maps to confirm the name of the planet. It did not appear in any of the records they had. This was probably an uncharted or undiscovered planet-but probably for a reason. A perfect place to lay low from the Empire, or any other trouble that could follow them.

Merrin began scanning the planet for potential landing zones. There were no starports for them to hail or request permission. Once she found a suitable place for them to land, she descended into the planet. Without another partner to be her second pair of eyes, she felt the weight of the ship solely through her hands. Outside, she was greeted with the sight of beautiful green trees and vast lakes. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the ship was heading towards it, chasing it.

Once Merrin was near the tree line, the ship rumbled, as it began hitting twigs and smaller trees. She deployed the landing gear, and as they touched the ground, she and BD-1 jumped as the ship lurched upwards. She powered it down and leaned back to relax. The landing in her designated clear zone was bumpy. She wondered if their rough landing had awoken Cal at the back of her ship.

BD-1 congratulated her for her landing. She let a small smile creep through her face for a moment before she dropped the warmth away and headed towards the back. She peaked into Cal's room again, to see that he was still asleep, the green shield still surrounding him. BD-1 trailed behind her and told her through binary that he could stay here and watch over Cal while she inspect outside.

"That would be appreciated," Merrin said. She drew away from Cal's room and back to the main hallway. She looked into their metal locker and grabbed a small blaster. She holstered it to her side and opened the door of the ship. Merrin stepped out carefully and inspected the forest line. They seemed to have landed in an abandoned campsite, as an old campfire to her far left. There is a small road up ahead, which looked largely unused for a long time. The wind around her was very cold.

She inched into the fireplace and inspected the wood. It was cold, and there were no footprints or signs of life around the immediate area. This camp had long been abandoned and no living thing, whether sentient or non-sentient, had found it again. There are settlements in this world, but what kind of industry or agriculture, she would have to find out in the coming days.

The sun had already set, and there was grey-orange twilight. It would not be safe for Merrin to venture further into the planet when it becomes nightfall. She moved towards the ship. Before entering it, she lifted her arms in front of her and closed her eyes. Summoning her magick, she willed the trees and the greenery around them to embrace the ship, to mould themselves as if they were all one. This was not a perfect camouflage, but this should keep them hidden overnight at least.

#

Cal had not woken up from his slumber. Her talisman continued to do her magic to protect him, although it would soon be wearing down. Merrin prepared a meal for both of them. She would eat hers now, and pack the other portion later for when Cal wakes up.

She was beginning her nightly rituals when she heard loud repeated banging on the side of the ship. BD-1, who had been diligently guarding Cal's side, perked up and whirled his eyes curiously.

Merrin untangled her legs from the floor and into the front door of the Coven Defiance. It sounded like knocking. A muffled voice came through the hull of the ship. "Hello? Anybody there?"

She grabbed a small blaster from their cabinet and moved to the side of the door. Once she was ready, she let the door only open a little bit, enough for her to see that there were lamps outdoor, and a travelling cart powered by a repulsorlift. It was manned by a barely functional driving droid. In that cart, Merrin could barely make a figure of a small girl sitting.

In front of her were three young men in traveller's clothes. One held a torch. "Hello stranger," said the person in the middle. "Are you from around these parts?"

Merrin did not say a word and kept strong eyes steeled towards these people.

The person who she thought was the leader spoke again. "We are travellers looking for a haven from Imperial expansion. Our home planet was taken, and we are the lucky ones who were able to escape in time before they could kettle us in. We have discovered this planet, untouched by the Empire, and are hoping to be one of the first settlers here. If you have settled then we would like for you to help us. If you are just like us, then you should come with us."

Merrin kept her peace.

The other two travellers shuffled uncomfortably. "This is a bad idea. Let's go, Anto. I don't think she's going to help us." He murmured on the side. "I don't think we should trust her anyway."

They shuffled away and began walking back to the cart. The little girl was staring straight towards Merrin, half of her face concealed. The light from their lamps faded away from Merrin's face, casting a dark shadow upon the ship again.

"Wait-" Merrin began.

The man named Anto stopped and looked back to the ship. The other two men had already loaded themselves to the cart, preparing to leave.

Merrin's words were slow. "Will you...take us to safety?"

"We have a rendezvous point that we think would make a good place for a settlement."

"We will come with you," she finally said. "If you can trust me."

Anto nodded to her. "We'll wait for you then."

She retreated into the ship and gathered everything that she needed, which was mostly her Jedi companion, who was still in a deep sleep. She took her talisman back, and the green protective shield was gone. Cal did not steer in his slumber.

Merrin carried Cal on her back. BD-1 trailed behind her as they both left the ship. The trees that were hiding the Coven Defiance hugged the ship tighter and tighter until it was a contorted form of branches and barks.

The men's eyes widened as she approached the small caravan, staring at the man she was holding. She gently placed the sleeping Cal on the cart. She had wrapped around him his dark blue cloak she bought for him two years ago from a marketplace in a planet somewhere far away, out there in space, when they were still getting to know each other when they had the Mantis with them when they were flying and wandering, looking for meaning.

What choice was there for Merrin to do? All this time, Cal and Merrin had only each other and kept themselves separate from the whole picture, they relied on each other only and would take a stranger's query or request if there is only something for them in the end. The only Jedi Cal had met after leaving the Mantis was likely captured by the empire or killed. And the nightsister that Merrin met after the massacre of her clan was out for their gain - simply following the will of the Dark Forces.

Merrin had begun straying away from the path of the Dark Side and felt herself and her powers weakening. Cal was in her arms, but he was so far away.

The cart began to move unto the night. The two unnamed travellers were stirring the cart and the droid into their destination. Anto was holding a huge rifle on one arm, and the small girl wrapped around his other free arm. The young was one was looking at Merrin very intently. "This is my daughter, Omera."

Omera hid her face in her father's arm. He smiled widely and brought her closure to her arms. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Rest if you need, if anything outside this group moves into the night, I can deal with it." He gestured toward the rifle he was holding.

Merrin didn't go to sleep. She closed her eyes and remained as vigilant as Anto. In her vigilance, she channelled the life force of this planet and took in the darkness. There was nothing to fear here, for the Darkness was at her side. It is not evil nor it is good, but simply something that existed as part of the universe, as part of the balance.

She and Cal were part of the balance, and they play a role in this. Merrin knew all would be revealed soon enough.

#

The sun of the planet began to rise. The floating cart continued to chug along, the drivers humming a far away tune together. Cal began stirring himself from his sleep. His green eyes, cloudy and faded, shone brightly as rays of sunlight hit his face. He felt the heat of it, just from the way he flinched and covered his face.

BD-1 beeped happily and began jumping down beside him. He grinned almost stupidly at the sound of his droid best friend, it was so endearing. He tried reaching out with his hand, and BD-1 promptly placed himself near where Cal could place his hand on top of the droid's small head.

"Merrin?" He muttered, calling out for her friend. His body was weak, barely able to move.

"I am here," she whispered back. She managed a weak smile, although he could never see it. Cal realized that his head was lying on her lap. He started to remember what had happened before he went to sleep, and the dread of his situation came back. How long was he asleep for?

"Where are we?" He said.

"A planet named Sorgan."

"Are we safe?"

"For now." Merrin looked at Anto, who was walking ahead of the cart, scouting further from them. Omera was sleeping soundly across them. "For now until trouble finds us again."

The tips of Merrin's hair tickled Cal's face. He moved his hand up to brush it away and touch her face, but his friend grabbed his hand and lowered it back down. She held it tight and didn't let go right away.

They emerged unto a large clearing, with the forest line across miles away from them. Anto lowered his rifle and took a deep breath. "This is it!" He shouted back to the cart. "Seems like we're the first people here."

"Should we unload and set camp?" One of the people in the cart shouted back.

"Not until we see the rest," Anto shouted back.

So they waited. The sun was bearing down on them as it slowly rose from the horizon. Merrin had wrapped herself in her cloak. Cal's forehead was shining with sweat drops.

Finally, from the other side of the clearing, the sway of the trees and the rustling of disturbed wildlife gave signs that something was emerging. Anto moved forward and readied his blaster, peering into the scope of his weapon for incoming danger.

It was more humans in their droid-stirred carts, with small creatures-agricultural stock, Merrin assumed-trailing behind them. Anto lowered his rifle and waved at them.

Soon enough a caravan and began setting up camp. Merrin took a look around and it was estimated that there may be a little more than 100 people, most likely a small village that ran away. She didn't actively take part in the settling, it was not her place to do, but whenever someone approached her about help and fulfilling certain tasks, she would do it. If it would help them gain a place in this community, then it needed to be done.

Cal walked limply along with the hustle and bustle of this small village. BD-1 hung on his back, quietly whirling and beeping in binary, fussing about his health, reminding him about his current condition. With the help of the Force, Cal could navigate the busyness of this emerging settlement, even without his eyesight. However, the Force felt more like a walking aid, and he relied on it so heavily. Whenever he tried to lift something, he would feel himself bump into a crate of produce, or rub shoulders with a begrudging stranger. Eventually, he chose to sit down and observe with his sense of smell and hearing. He was better this way not to be a burden.

On sundown, tents were up, firesides were lit, children were running around chasing tag. Adults tried to find friends and connections, the people they had lost contact during the escape of their old settlement. Families reunited with a hug. The people of the village have settled down for a meal after a restless day of travel and work. Anto made a rousing speech at dinner time about their accomplishment, the Empire, and their home. "For those who will not be able to join us," he said in a gentler tone, still audible in the unbreakable silence, "may the Force be with them."

The camp fell into a respectful silence.

Once the festivities began picking up, celebrating life, Anto had shown Merrin her and Cal's tent. "Thank you for helping us. You're welcome to stay with us, as long as you are willing to help in the village. We have your lodgings set up, so your friend could rest. He's in there already."

Merrin bowed her thanks silently. Anto returned to the rest of the village. Merrin entered their tent. There were two fur and leather sleeping bags and small lamp light in between. Cal had been sleeping in the bag at her right. BD-1 sat beside him, but perked up to Merrin, and rushed to her side. He jumped into her arms and made a series of beeps. "Where have you been all this time?" Merrin said to the droid teasingly. "Looking after Cal? He is a Jedi Knight, no?"

With jokes and jabs exchanged in binary and Basic, Merrin settled down on the vacant space besides Cal. She listened intently to the sounds of cheers and bustle outside of their tent. It was once loud at the peak of the night, but it was slowly quieting, as families began herding their spouses and children to their tents. The riotous roars of the younger survivors and travellers of the village picked up into the night wind.

"These people are very nice and friendly," Cal muttered. Clothes rustled underneath his sleeping bag. "Have they told us from which system they came from? Their homeworld?"

"No."

"So they trust us, but they don't want us to overstay their welcome."

They continued listening to the mixture of laughs and cries outside of their tent. If they listened very closely, through the Force, they could sense whispers of secret between friends, budding lovers, or even low-voiced threats to enemies.

"You're right," Merrin said. "But I do not want to leave unless you are feeling better."

"I don't know if I'll even get better. I've been thinking about what the Zeffo have been trying to tell me, but I think it's a test of strength. They won't tell me anything unless I overcome the Dark side."

Cal looked in the direction of his friend. His green eyes gleamed with the lamplight. He lightly touched his eyelids. "I think I failed that, Merrin, and look what happened."

He shook his head. "It's not like I can't see completely. The Force guides me where I need to go, what to do, and will always be with me." He reached his hands up to the ceiling as if grasping for something. "But it's a crutch, not a friend." He placed his other hand on his chest, balled it into a fist. "I'm afraid that each night, in my meditations, he comes back to taunt me, he comes back to remind me of what I could become if I keep failing to find the answer. Each night becomes more and more uncertain and dangerous. I have to keep fighting, but I can't seem to win. Every night counts now for me, Merrin."

Merrin reached into her pockets and held her talisman. The surface of the item has worn down, smoothed, and shined through age since she held on to it for most of her life. Cal and Merrin regarded the talisman together. It meant two different things to them. To Merrin, it was to shield him from the visions and the haunting ghosts by fighting it with the Dark side. To Cal, it was what brought him closer to the edge.

"Sleep with this. Just for the night. I think it would help you from the visions." She handed him her talisman, as carefully as she had always been when it came to handing things to her friend.

Cal smiled very weakly. He clutched the stone close to his chest. "Okay."

#

They didn't know how long they were going to plan to stay in this refugee camp, but they stayed for a month. Merrin would go out with the villagers to help establish camp, run errands, build huts by hand and tool, or even make days-long trips with a small group to reach another far-away camp that would help them establish a better form of livelihood. Merrin was briefly part of a project to create artificial ponds and small lakes to seed krills. Anton would sometimes bring his daughter Omera, who would play with the kids in the other camp when they make trades with the other friendly villages on the planet.

These chores and errands often remind Merrin of her sisterhood back in Dathomir, where they would tend to the village, help her sisters, and reach other covens for trade or rituals.

Cal would walk around the village a wooden staff used to feel around inclines, stair steps, and small objects in his way. His droid companion would still perch himself, scanning the surroundings and analyzing flora and fauna data into his database. He would often describe the scenery to Cal. Through the Force, Cal could sense the life and presence of the trees, the flowers, and the people. BD-1 would describe to him the colours, shapes, and potential textures of these organic and non-organic objects. If he could, Cal would place his hands on these objects and try to feel its touch; the graininess of a leaf, the hardness, or the softness of the water. Despite the Force's guidance, he would still stumble, bump into someone or something, and once he tripped over a hole that a native creature had dug down as its home.

At night, both Cal and Merrin would meditate together in their tent before bed. Cal had his meditation circle at the far corner of the tent, and Merrin would sit on top of her blanket, her hands on her talisman. After their rituals, they would talk about their day. In the first week, the nights have a sense of awkwardness that would rift between them. But as routine set in, and they began to feel warmer to each other, to the friends they were before leaving the Mantis together, to the time when they were both survivors, not Jedi against Nightsister.

One night, Merrin was coming back with a travelling party after a week of foraging, hunting, staking, and mapping the farther areas of the planet. She was a skilled and formidable warrior, a Nightsister born and raised in Dathomir by one of the most feared Darkside users in the galaxy, but daily hunts have made her muscles rather sore. Was she falling behind her exercises or was she being pushed to the limit?

She found respite in one of the campfires near the edge of the village. She almost collapsed on one of the crates, fashioned almost like seats and couches. They were draped with strong fibre linen, so it was almost rough to touch and wear, but made in a way that would like a homey nook.

A child was lugging a rather large instrument with him. Merrin identified it as a 7-stringed hallisket, an instrument she has seen Cere Junda used once, during their travels in the Mantis. The child plopped down at her campfire circle and began tuning it rather clumsily. The tunes he made were rather rough and amateurish, but they had a rather unique charm. The other villagers around the campfire didn't seem to mind, although this particular circle had fewer people compare to other surrounding campfires.

BD-1 had found Merrin before Cal did. He greeted her with delightful beeps, and she let him settle on her lap. Cal wandered carefully into the campfire circle. His eyes were still glazed, but the twinkling fire reflected on his eyes.

"Hey, buddy," he said to the kid, bending down to his level. When he talked to other people, he had that blank stare, and never looked at them in the eye. Instead, he would tilt his ear closer to the source of a person's voice, so he could hear them properly, to indicate that he was listening. "That's a very nice hallisket you got there."

The kid grumbled. "I'm not a good player. There's just something wrong with the way I play and I can't figure out what's going on, or what I'm doing bad."

"Ah, well, I don't think you're that bad. Maybe it's just not tuned right."

"Maybe. I don't really know."

"Can I take a look at it?" Cal reached out his hand. The kid gave it to him, and Cal brought it close to himself. He put down his cane, and fiddled with the strings, tried tuning it blindly. But Merrin sensed that he was also using his psychometry to feel into the history of the instrument. He let his powers guide him to the proper tuning principles of the hallisket.

Once he was done, he gave it a light pat. "I think it's fixed now. Can I play a song for a bit?" The kid enthusiastically nodded, just happy his instrument was fixed. Cal smiled closed his eyes, concentrating on something inside him. And then, he let it flow through the first notes of the hallisket. Carefully, a slow but sombre tune came out. It told a tale of a faraway land, of a forbidden spell, of a magick that would move mountains.

It was quiet around this camp, as Cal played the song in the past. Some of the chatter around them came to a halt as the song played. The kid began weeping quietly. Merrin didn't take that as him being sad that his instrument was being played better by a stranger. Whatever this song was, it had a huge relevance for him, and Cal was playing this for him.

Merrin listened quietly. She let the music soothe her aching muscles. She let it take her back to the fond memories of her childhood friend, Ilyana. She thought of the things that could have been between them, if not for the events that happened. She thought about her clan, her home, her family. And she thought about the Stinger Mantis, the things she had learned from Greez and Cere, and the signal she had sent into the unknown. She thought of the many moments with Cal in this journey, all the laughter they shared, the fighting and disagreements that happened, the misunderstandings in their communication sometimes. In the end, they would always come back together, a little stronger and a little closer together.

When Cal was done with the song, he gave it back to the kid, who tried wiping his tears away quickly. "Thanks, mister. That...that was beautiful."

"Thank you for letting me play with it." He smiled and began walking towards the general direction where Merrin and BD-1 were. The song had untangled the tension between her and her friend. Cal's smile grew wider as he approached her more closely. For the first time in a long while, Merrin smiled as well, even though it was smaller than his, it spoke volumes.

Everything might turn out alright.

#

Merrin woke up one morning with an overwhelming sense of dread. Someone powerful in the Force has arrived on this planet. She jumped out of her cot and looked up her tent as if she was gazing up to the skies to see what force had just entered from outer space.

Cal sensed it too. He shot out of his sleeping bag and looked in the direction of Merrin's bed. "Someone terrible is coming. But who?"

Merrin's face flinched. She began getting up and packing what little stuff she had. "I think it's time we leave."

"Is it someone we know?"

"Get up." Merrin pulled Cal up by his arm. Cal didn't protest as he shifted himself up and wobbled in his feet. He also didn't have much in his name, only the clothes he would sometimes change in and his friend, BD-1. Much like her, Cal had begun shedding his earthly possessions.

He let Merrin pick up his stuff from around the tent. She reached out to his unclipped lightsaber that rested beside his pillow and clipped them at the side of her belt without much thought. Once the tent has been cleaned, they set out.

The village was barely awake, and the dawn was dewy and gray. Anto was at the edge of the camp training his daughter Omera on how to shoot a blaster rifle. The gun was too large for her to carry and balance carefully, but Omera's determination to learn how to do emanated from her expression. They barely noticed Cal and Merrin sneaking out of the camp.

"Hey!" Anto called out. He shouldered his other spare rifle and jogged to them, closing the distance between him and them. For a brief second, Merrin thought about not turning back to receive him and kept going into the forest. But Cal slowed down and waited for their host to join them. "Where are you guys going? Hunting?"

"I'm sorry for the short notice, Anto." Merrin began saying. Her words were terse, even a little sharp. "Cal and I have been talking about our place in the camp. I am afraid we have overstayed our welcome here in the village. We are outsiders. We do not want any more harm to befall the survivors of your village."

Anto flexed the shoulder, thinking quietly. "Well, I knew from the very beginning that you guys were not ordinary travellers or nomads. But you have helped rebuild our village and we still welcome you with open arms. If there is anything that is needed, you will always be welcomed back. Is he gonna be okay?"

Cal managed a smile, and BD-1, perched on his shoulders, nodded at Anto affirmatively.

Merrin bowed lightly, took Cal's hand and began to walk into the forest. With her dark magick, she cloaked themselves into invisibility, unseen and unfelt. She delved into the Force to let her guide their way back into the ship. She has calculated that on foot it might take three days to travel back to their ship if they camped, two days if they kept going. She would have asked Anto to give them a cart to make travel faster, but they would only further deplete the camp's scarce supplies. They need it more than nomad Force users do.

They were on the road for what seemed to be an hour when something-or someone-was emerging from the north side of the trees. No, it was not just one tree or two or three trees, but the entire forest rumbled.

Emerging from the dark were rugged bandits of different alien races and classes: bounty hunters, mercenaries, criminals, and runaways heading towards Cal and Merrin. Their clubs and guns raised, their voices ringing high. Who were these people, who hired them to seem to escape their minds, but there was an inkling in Merrin's thoughts...

A Force of Darkness seemed to past Merrin, like cold wind chilling her bones. It was a ghost, a thick shadow of a vengeful void. A familiar presence, a fleeting meeting of kinship, and a minor but dispiriting betrayal.

Jerserra.

Merrin braced for the impact of the mob, but the hunters moved past them. The invisibility spell she had enchanted for them seems to have worked and they were not spotted at all. The mob seemed to be skirting around them. They were shrouded in shadow. The Dark Forces on this planet seemed to work in Merrin's favour for now.

The stampede of the mercenary mob began to fade away from behind them. All of them were still, sweat breaking from their foreheads.

"Merrin," Cal gulped beside her. "The camp... We have to go back."

Merrin gritted her teeth. They left the camp because they did not want anything to befall these refugees. But it appeared it was too late. Even when these mercenaries-even if Jerserra-weren't after Cal and Merrin, it seemed it was their duty to protect these villagers.

Cal was right, they needed to go back.

"I will go." Merrin shouldered her shawl and cape, made a sharp turn and began walking back towards the direction of the camp.

"You're not going alone. I'm coming with you."

"Go back to the ship, Cal. You and the droid will be safe there. I believe all of this has happened because of me."

"Because of you? What have you done?"

Merrin was not in a mood to answer questions. If there was just more time, if the threads of fate were not so tightly wounded around the things she had done in the past, so intricately connected to the future, so close to each other, then maybe she would have told Cal about anything and everything.

Cal walked closer to her, a determined look on his face. "Merrin, is there something you're not telling me?"

In a fit of desperation to disconnect from her closest friend, Merrin summoned her magick and pushed Cal with the wind. He was not swept from his feet and blasted into the darkness of the trees, but he has been pushed back a few feet away, staggered, and landed on his back. BD-1 clung tightly on his shoulders, screeching.

Merrin turned her back towards him. He groaned and reached out to her, to the direction of where he'd think she'd be. The lightsaber wound on his side was burning harder than it was before. "Don't go."

But before he said the words, Merrin had engulfed herself in her green magick and disappeared.

#

The mercenaries were all over the village, thrashing, stealing their crops and goods, and setting homes on fire. They forcefully rounded up the villagers from their homes and into a single file. The village muscles and warriors have attempted to fight back with staffs, swords, and outdated blast rifles, but they were outnumbered and outgunned against the modern technology of these well-paid hooligans.

A quarren acting as the second-in-command marched down the line of surrenderees, looking into these faces. The shadow-the leader of this pack-hovered somewhere in this place, but everyone felt this dreadful presence. The shadow was hunting for someone, yearning for someone to quench its ache.

The villagers went down on their knees, hands behind their heads. The children were sobbing loudly, crying for their parents. One unruly Duros barked at a child's face, "Quit crying, you brat!" It only made the kid scream louder for mercy.

Omera was fortunately close to her father, Anto. She wept quietly, but she was lucky to have her father by her side, even though he was bruised and bleeding from his puffy, purple eyes. It just agonized her to see all this suffering all over again, suffering in her family. Everything just kept happening and it was too much for a child like her.

"She's not here," The quarren second commander said to the shadow. "She's not with them."

The shadow rippled. "She is near," the shadow reverbed. "If she is not, then she will be here. We will turn this planet inside out if she has not left yet."

Merin hid with the trees, just at the edge of the clearing. It broke her heart to see the wretchedness. She helped build this place, had become acquainted with the hunters, villagers, bards, and the children. She nurtured the crops and the krill ponds. And now it was all razed by a scorned sister.

It was all taking her back to her home in Dathomir, her village raging in war as an army of droids descended upon them. Mother Talzin lead all the capable nightsisters into the frontlines. And when the fighting had ended, she emerged alone and distraught, a young girl lost and alone.

She should have not abandoned this village in the first place. It was a mistake to think only about her interests. She should have stayed and fought, it would have given Anto and the others a better fighting chance. Now she was going to rectify that.

Merrin willed for the dead trees nearest to the clearing of the village to move. Their branches ran with green misty veins and began snatching mercenaries within their reach, snatching the men who were straying the path during their roundup and patrol. She was methodical, strategic, trying to minimize the knowledge that she was there. Once they have been dealt with, Merrin began creeping closer and closer to the village, herself wrapped in her own shadow. She willed the flames that roared in some parts of the village to rage, enclosing on some of the smaller groups of mercenaries unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At this point, the bandits have sensed her presence. But Merrin was a shadow player, too. The Dark Side was with her, and she was going to use it for what was right. She got more confrontational, going up to close with the mercenaries. She slowly freed some of the villagers, and they began to free themselves. The fire began surrounding them, but Merrin was in control. She gave them the means to escape from this place. As Merrin led the villagers out to the forest for safety, she caught Anto and Omera's eyes. Their eyes spoke of indebt gratitude, but also disappointment and betrayal. Merrin knew she was doing the right thing, but it stung that she was doing it too late.

Finally, the shadow had shed itself, and a figure emerged from it. She wore earthly and worn travel vestments. Her long blonde hair was tied into a tight braid, and a smooth steel mask rests fittingly on her face. It had no defining features, not even eyepieces so she could see, or filters so she could breathe. Nothing about her mask would reveal anything. Her identity was hidden, but Merrin knew she could see, and she knew the face behind that cold steel.

"The Dark Side is strong in this planet, but you are not in Dathomir," Jerserra said. Her voice was modulated. There was more reverb, and when she spoke, she commanded power. "Your training was never finished. The Clan Mother didn't take for you as the favourite anyway."

"What do you want from me?" Merrin hissed. They begin walking around each other in circles, slowly.

"I am here to help you, sister. I want to help rid of your weaknesses, to get rid of those pesky attachments. Become more powerful than you ever before. Let me help you finish your training. We are the last of our kind. We need to help each other."

"You have been doing nothing but destroy the things that I've built. This planet and its villagers have done nothing to you."

"Don't you see? They don't benefit you at all," Jerserra spat. "I know the secrets of power. I have built my life around this network of spies and thugs. I have eyes and ears in the whole galaxy. I have wanted the objects of power for myself, mine and mine alone, but for once I want to share it."

"I don't want any of it."

"I am here, begging for your hand. And you keep rejecting me. Who has your heart and soul that you have been blinded to something that makes so much sense?"

Merrin didn't say anything. She showed her rejection to Jerserra by readying her fighting stance, magick at her fingertips.

Jerserra moved with lightning speed, brandishing a weapon from her belt. Merrin moved back and placed both of her hands in front of her. She cast a shield around her and together formed another blinding yellow clash. This time, both parties were stronger, more prepared, and rooted to the ground, their stance not wavering, locked in a bind. Once the dust had settled, Merrin studied her opponent. Jerserra wielded a double-bladed red lightsaber, with a circular handle that would allow it to spin. It had Aurebesh writing on the steel.

"An Inquisitor's Blade."

"Beautiful isn't it? My master's blade."

"You are an inquisitor."

"I was supposed to." Jerserra disengaged from Merrin and moved several feet back. "She found me in Dathomir many years ago and trained me to be her apprentice. But I hunger for power more than she did. So I killed her, took her weapon, and explored the galaxy myself. She gave me a way of freedom, she gave me purpose and meaning."

She held the double-bladed lightsaber in one hand and summoned her magick in the other, hand curled into a stiff claw. "Let me show you how strong I've become. Let me show you what you can be!"

Merrin gulped. Sweat trickled down the sides of her forehead. She didn't like the odds of this fight. She remembered Cal's lightsaber clipped to her side. It weighed on her heavily.

Jerserra threw bursts of green electric spheres towards Merrin. The latter dodged and summoned her own but before she could lob them, her enemy was advancing fast, the red blade about to slice down on her. The air around her was suppressing, suffocating.

Merrin unclipped Cal's lightsaber and activated its single blade to defend herself. Another electric clash between fighters. The blades hummed and cackled loudly near Merrin's face.

"Oh, I see." Jerserra looked up and down at the new trick Merrin pulled. She seemed to relish the words. So sweet and so taunting. "I see it now. It all makes sense. A Jedi."

Merrin grunted and pushed Jerserra away. They locked themselves into a deadly dance, lightsaber upon lightsaber, magick upon magick. After a while, Merrin was getting used to the weight of the lightsaber. She knew how to wield knives, dual weapons, and vibroblades, so she was semi-confident to wield the sabers. But she knew she was no match, and eventually-unless the tides of the battle of change-she would be defeated. She was a powerful witch, but Jerserra had years of experience from her galactic travels to seek power and strength, and it spoke through the strategy and the beauty of her fighting. It eclipsed Merrin's own.

They found themselves in a blade lock, once more, pushing against each other's lightsabers. Jerserra looked at Merrin intensely, before breaking eye contact and looking over the latter's shoulders. Merrin stole a short glance behind her and she froze.

Cal was hobbling towards the destroyed village, clutching his lightsaber wound on his side. He was at the edge, far away from them.

Jerserra broke her bind with Merrin and disarmed her lightsaber up in the air. She managed to slice undefended Merrin's palms with the Inquisitor's Blade.

Merrin hissed a scream from her lips. She collapsed on her knees, clutching her hands gingerly. Cal's lightsaber landed farther than she would have liked. Jerserra towered over her, triumphant, lightsaber blade buzzing too close to Merrin's hairs.

From afar, Cal reached out with his hand, willed for the Force and pulled Merrin away from Jerserra's ultimate blow. He dragged his friend several feet to safety, closer to him, but still so far away. She laid just between him and the enemy. Cal did not have his lightsaber with him, nor did he have anything to fight or defend himself against the threat. He has nothing in battle, save for his trust in the Force.

"Well now," Jerserra taunted. "Here is your Jedi Prince coming to the rescue. How pathetic. You'd give up power and revenge for him? You are a poor excuse for a sister."

Cal reached out to call his lightsaber back to his side, but Jerserra also had the same idea. In the large space between them, not too far away from Merrin, they struggle for the weapon through the Force. It meditated in the air, vibrating in this tug of war struggle, and Merrin could hear the crack of the steel, and the Kyber crystals suffering within.

Cal was putting all of his power into retrieving his weapon, a weapon with many parts of himself, the people around him, and the things he had picked up pieces to define him. He felt the agony of his weapon singing in the Force. He couldn't win, not in this state, not unless he had to tap more power into the Dark Side...

Cal wavered. At last, Jerserra won the lightsaber, the handle flying towards her hand. She rushed to grab it, and when it was with her she ignited it, now wielding two blades. "I will rid this weakness from you, sister!"

"Cal! No!" Merrin shouted, her voice breaking. She moved so quickly she fazed into a green shadow and have reappeared close to Cal, hand outstretched with her talisman in defence. It glowed violently, sending green pulsing wavelengths across the field.

A clash of colourful light exploded around them, a sonic boom rang his ears before Cal's vision went bright, searing green, and then melting into black.

#

Cal was small. He was small and he was overwhelmed in the embrace of a loved one, someone robed in black and white. Sounds of clashing, battle cries, and commands. Screeches of the undead, which made Cal's small spine curl and shiver.

An older nightsister pushed him away gently and looked at him deeply. "Take this." She handed him a rather large and jagged rock-or no, maybe this was a crystal? "It will make you stronger."

"I don't want this." His voice was not his own. White hair dangled in his eyes. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "This is yours. You keep it. I will make my own."

"This has been passed down to us for generations. It is our power and legacy. Please, take this, and live for the generations to come. Make us proud. Now go." The nightsister placed a red face cover over her mouth and nose and readied her energy bow. She was going to war. "Survive! Run and don't look back!"

Cal stumbled backwards. His view moved the focus from the older nightsister-my mother? my older sister?-and into a growing, dark battlefield. A large army of droids was marching towards them, and an armoured warrior with many arms led from the back-he seemed to be wielding blades that could cut down through anything, including the sisters of her clan.

He finally turned and ran. He ran as far as he could. He didn't know where to go, but his legs knew where to take him. He did not run into the inner sanctum of the village but past it. He delved into the darkness of Dathomir, through the cold air and venomous, vicious creatures that lurked there. He was still sobbing, but there were no more tears to shed.

From here, he was no longer running away from the war, he was running away from something-someone else. He felt a familiar assailant chasing behind, a man with dark-clad armour and a red lightsaber sailed through the forests and the trees that Cal crossed. Ginger hair whipped through the harsh wind, and golden eyes glinted sharply on Cal's back it almost burned. "You cannot hide from me! Not even in her memories!"

From a distance, Cal saw a decrepit and abandoned temple, guarded with stone statues as tall as mountains. Safety didn't matter for him, as long as it would keep him away from the fighting, from the Dark Inquisitor, to survive for his sisters. He called his green magick to open the large, looming doors for him, and it closed just in time for the Inquisitor not to follow him for now. But Cal continued to run through the temple until a crack on the floor caught his foot, and he stumbled forward, hitting his head on the hard rock.

He curled up and bit his lips to fight himself from screaming. He quickly unlodged his foot from the crack and inspected his head. There was a little bit of bleeding on the side. Nothing that magick cannot fix.

The air around him was colder, thinner, and emptier than the throes of Dathomir. Something didn't feel right about this place. Cal looked up and froze in place. The walls of this temple were lined with creatures trying to climb its pillars-petrified by ash and hate. Something terrible has happened here, and the millennia of history and suffering was catching upon him.

With the realization that he was not supposed to be here, the temple started to morph around him. His vision went red and the petrified figures trying to climb the walls began to move, the magma still boiling in their skin as they try to seek safety. Safety from what? He screamed in horror as he was plagued with the red, horrifying visions of the Sage Kujet, the brutal dark ruler of the Zeffos. Floating on his large hands was a large black hole-no, it was a planet shrouded in oppressing darkness, no sun for it to orbit, no light in the darkness. The vision of the planet was very brief, as it transformed into a dark vibrating blade. It came down upon Cal, slicing him in half, the final judgement the spirit of Kujet had determined for him for his next life.

#

He woke up in his seat in their ship, wrapped around a thick, warm blanket. His face felt numb. He shuffled to free his arm from the blanket and reached to touch his face. There were some bandages and bacta patches on his cheeks, the sides of his forehead, and across his nose. Outside of the ship, they were sailing through hyperspeed. The cabin was shaking a little, groaning quietly at the stress of the travel. It seemed like their favour with Tabbers a long time might be coming to a close.

Merrin sat beside him, piloting the ship. Her hair was dishevelled, and her hands are tight around the controls, her knuckles paler than her skin. There were prominent dark rings in her eyes. BD-1 walked across the dashboard, pushing a few buttons here and there whenever he could reach it, and supporting Merrin in checking the status of the ship.

When he began steering to consciousness, Merrin's head turned quickly in his direction. Her usual stoic demeanour had melted away, with glassy eyes that made her world a little murky. The strands of her white hair stuck wetly on her forehead and the sides of her cheeks. He could not see her face and her distress, but he felt the turmoil in her soul. She looked like she wanted to lunge towards him, from the way her body was tensing in anticipation. "I'm so glad you're okay." Her voice shook. So much weight carried in her words.

"W...what happened?"

She smiled rather awkwardly and warily. "We managed to escape from the planet." She looked away. "Escaped...from her."

He reached his free hand out toward her. She did not look down questioningly or even pondered upon her next course of action, but instead, she stretched out her hand and held his without any hesitation. Her hands had been treated and wrapped in bandages, Cal could feel from his hold.

"I..." Whatever Merrin wanted to say, it was hanging in the air heavily. "I'm...sorry." Her grip on Cal's hand was getting tighter. "I have kept things from you, and look what I've done. "We look for safety but instead I have destroyed a village, so many families have been hurt, and I've put you in danger. I have promised to be truthful to you since we began this journey together. But I have not, haven't I? It is all my fault."

She began talking about the Nighsister, Jerserra, who has attacked the village and had attacked both him and Merrin. She had told him about her first meeting with the same nightsister in Jedha, their similarities, their differences, their clashing beliefs, and the eternal bond forged that would have resulted in a lifelong chase across the galaxy if they kept this dance going. For this to end, someone needed to win in this struggle. One of them would have to die to the other's hand and the cycle would stop.

She told him everything, or what seemed like everything relating to their circumstances. Merrin's grip weakened around Cal's hand as she finished, but he would try to reinforce his hold. He wanted to pull her close to him. There was so much pain as she let it all out, and laid herself bare emotionally. He wanted to give her comfort and reassurance, as he had done in the past. And honestly, what was stopping Cal from doing this really?

After she was done keeping her friend up to speed, Merrin brought her hand back to herself and turned back to piloting the ship. Her body was no longer tense, but the wall between them was back. There was more she was hiding, and she didn't want to tell. No, this couldn't keep happening, they needed to stop this. "The ship needs repairs," her voice was commanding and sultry again. "We will need to find a planet to lay low for a while. It's just a matter of where we need to land..."

"When I was asleep, I... I finally had a vision..." Cal said. He still felt the burning marks of Kujet's judgement in his mind. "From the Zeffo. I think we need to go to this planet to finally get answers."

"Do you know where it is?"

Cal looked into himself. "I do."

Merrin pushed a few controls in the dashboard and reactivated Cal's side of the pilot controls. "Lead the way."

#

In the kitchenette of the ship, Cal's lightsaber laid on the countertop, not destroyed nor split into two like he was anticipating it would happen during the fight. With his hands, he tried to assess the damage. It still looked worse for wear. The cracks were severe enough that one could peek the kyber crystals in them shining. But the crystals themselves were alright. Cal felt them breathe calmly inside, like sleeping babies tired after a long cry.

He sighed. "Just a normal day in the office." Using the Force, he let the lightsaber levitate in the air, and began slowly disassembling it, the pieces floating, rearranging and repurposing parts of it. It took him back to when he was a youngling just leaving Ilum with a group of other padawans. On the ship back to Coruscant, he had to do the same exercise of building his first lightsaber, with Master Yoda guiding him.

"I sensed you using it against the Nightsister," Cal said, looking at the blades. "You know, I think the lightsaber suit you a lot." He playfully smiled. "You should keep it for now."

Cal passed the lightsaber to Merrin and held it, this time a little gingerly than she usually would. "Cal, this is yours. You should keep it, as you need it more than I do."

As she said the words, Cal remembered the vision of a little Dathomirian girl being given a talisman by a loved one and the accidental discovery of the Kujet temple.

"When I had the vision of the Zeffo," Cal began. "I...I also saw some of your memories, when your village was attacked."

Merrin was tensing again, he felt it. "What did you see?"

"I know you didn't want me seeing your memories without your consent," Cal added. "But when you saved me when your magick exploded, I started seeing things again, only for a bit." He held himself close, letting the intense emotions of the memories go through him again. "You carried all your sisters' wishes and hopes with you, you needed to survive this war. I felt your fear, your loneliness, your despair...you were so young, just as I was when I lost my Master."

"Yes," whispered Merrin slowly. She looked away briefly. "For the longest time, I thought I was last one. I returned to the village to bury my sisters and give them their rights. I left and never looked back. I have studied our magick and history intensely and tried to communicate with my fallen sisters everything I needed to learn. I knew I needed to keep carrying on, as our kind cannot die out. But I have met Jerserra and everything was more complicated. There is so much I do not know, and yet I feel like I cannot get the answers I seek. "

She fell into silence. Cal picked up again. "You were the key to unlocking a puzzle piece I needed. I just wished that we've learned about it in different circumstances."

He held his lightsaber wound. It was hurting, but he felt numb to it. Merrin still clutched his lightsaber, but she held it at her side more firmly.

"The lightsaber is almost fixed," Cal said, continuing with his tangent about his weapon. "I think the finishing touch should be adding a little bit of you in it."

She looked at him weirdly, but he couldn't see it, only sensed her apprehension.

Cal gulped. "My lightsaber has been made with all the pieces of the people that changed me. It was my master's blade, and it was Cere's blade, along with anything I've picked up along the way. I want you to be part of that process."

Merrin considered for a bit. She placed the lightsaber back down the counter, and she removed her necklace from herself. She wounded the straps of the jewelry very tightly around the upper handle of the saber until the centrepiece was hugging the metal. "For luck," she said as she put her finishing touches. Once she was content, she stepped away, her eyes downcast. "Are you still afraid of the Dark side?" Merrin murmured.

"I am." Cal pondered. "But I realize the answer has been in front of me this entire time. I was so blinded by the Jedi code that I did not see you. Only now, without my eyesight, that I could see more clearly. Now I know that as long as I have you with me, I can get through this. We can get through this."

"And if something happens between us? To me? What if I cannot go where I can't follow you?"

He was silent for a little bit. Cal could feel Merrin shifting physically and emotionally, but he did not know how to comfort her. If only he could see her face. He needed to see not the turmoil on her face, but her heart. The confidence and self-assurance within her were wavering.

She was shaking her head. "I saw myself, Cal." Her words began catching in her throat. Her eyes were blurry. "I would not hide anything from you that needed to be said to you, but I wanted to hide from you. I saw myself in that woman's eyes, the person who I could have become, and I was afraid. That's why I could not tell you before until it was too late until she had come bearing down. It was mistake upon mistake, and I had to bear the consequences."

For the first time in a long while, she smiled widely, full of relief. It was a smile that Cal could never see, not at this moment. "I was lost, Cal. But with you by my side, the universe was mine to discover, and I felt like I could do anything. I feel the most powerful when I am with you," she said, as tears continued rolling her eyes. "I thought I could protect you by myself and my power alone. You are my strength and my weakness. I can't lose you."

It gave Cal so much pain and joy to realize that he not only loved her, he was in love with her after denying it for so long. He was so far down his heart that it was foolish of him to think he could still redeem himself as a Jedi Knight, to completely detach himself from any of his emotions. He was holding on to a person that was no longer him, as he navigated through the galaxy and redefined himself. He was not Jedi, nor was he Sith or Gray. He was just Cal Kestis, servant of the Light. And he was no longer afraid.

Merrin stepped towards Cal, closing the gap between them. She kissed him, gently but with little force that communicated all the feelings that needed between said, all the things that she had held back, she poured it all in that one moment. Cal's heart fluttered, and his cheeks flushed red. He was overwhelmed with the love he didn't deserve (or learning to deserve). He felt her cheeks against his own, they were still damp from the tears.

When they broke away, Merrin placed her forehead against his. Her soft breath tingled his face. "I'm sorry. I want this."

She was so close to him. Cal wanted one more kiss, wanted more than that, anything to reciprocate her feelings. He wanted to be with her, to be one with her, his emotions opening up like floodgates in his heart.

"No more secrets," Cal whispered.

"No secrets," Merrin said quietly. "There's nothing to hide anymore."

They kissed again, this time with more pressure, their lips moving against each other, catching each other's breath. Cal felt all the burdens fall out of his shoulders, and his mind and body felt lighter. They fumbled their way to someone's room-they don't know whose room, but they found somewhere soft to tumble together.

It wasn't so graceful or smooth, but it didn't matter. Cal laid on his back, and Merrin crawled on top of him, straddling his hips with her thighs, careful not to brush over his wound. He felt flustered all over, and his body was so tense. He wanted this but he didn't know what to do, what was the next step in this even though he knew where this was going and he wanted this but he was still inexperienced -

"It's okay," she said softly, and it snapped him back from his thoughts. "I have you."

Cal let out a deep sigh that he had been holding in his chest. He let his hands feel against her clothed body, anxious to explore beyond this point. He learned more about Merrin by memorizing the shape of her body, her sides, her breasts, her lips. Merrin kissed him deeply, running her hands through his hair, her body pinning him down. Her weight against him made him feel so secure and grounded. Yes, he wanted this more than his heart could sing it.

Merrin took off his shirt and traced her fingers across his chest. It sent tingles down Cal's spine and it made him catch his breath. He began returning the favour by slowly removing her robes, albeit more clumsily than she was. From there, each article of clothing shed was each burden away from their souls. They felt lighter and lighter until they could let themselves go, in their gentle nakedness, in this fragile moment's embrace.

"You're so beautiful," Cal whispered so quietly, close to her lips as he caressed her face with both of his hands, his rough hands against her soft skin.

It was only the two of them in this old steel ship, in this cold dark room, warm sweating bodies experiencing bliss, rocking, grinding, thrusting, nothing in here except their only company. Their cheeks were red in heat, eyelids fluttering by each touch and gasp, their breaths in a unique rhythm. They felt their hearts getting bigger, brimming with love and passion they have been holding back for so long, longer than they should have been keeping it. Everything they wanted to say, all was said here, wordless but with more intensity. It was expressed through kisses along the skin, moans of delight, lustful stares, tongues on someplace very sensitive and pleasurable, and through the fullness Merrin felt inside her body.

They moulded and melted into each other, and the rhythm of the moment sped up until it came into a climax and a crescendo, and the moment finally came to a rest. The walls between them no longer existed, and it would be no point to bring it back up. They were one with each other, there were no more secrets, no more hiding, no more shame and guilt, no more lies. What mattered was this moment of oneness.

There was once a Jedi Knight and a Nightsister who felt lost in the universe.

Now, there was only Cal and Merrin.