Summary: Years and centuries have passed. Ezra finds Kozmotis again.
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Man, I should really be patient, but I can't help it! I really obsessed with THIS! XD
And this takes place Post-Rebels. What happened to Thrawn? No clue. In all honesty… XD
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NEITHER RISE OF THE GUARDIANS NOR STAR WARS REBELS. But I think I own the ship Blackberry/Blackbridger
X
"Are you sure that you're alright, Ezra?" Sabine asked as she and Zeb followed their youngest space brother into the ship.
It had only been a few days since Malachor. Kanan was blinded, and Ahsoka was gone. Rex took care of Kanan while Hera mourned for the loss of her girlfriend.
Ezra, in the other hand, was traumatized by what he had seen. He had run to his room and never left his room, nor had he spoken to anyone. He had only gone out to eat once every day or every week.
Sabine and Zeb had been observing their little brother from afar. They had been worried, and after discussing what to do, they had attempted to talk to him.
Unfortunately, things never went as planned.
"I'm… I'm fine," Ezra's voice shook as he headed to his room. "I… I just need some peace and quiet,"
"Kid, please," Zeb stepped forward, a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Talk to us,"
"I… I don't want to," Ezra took back his shoulder and slammed the door with a lock.
The darkness of his room surrounded him as he made his way to his bunk. He went up and held himself.
The feeling of darkness felt so… so familiar. Darkness… guilt… pain… it was overwhelming him again.
'This is ALL YOUR FAULT!'
'You failed your Master!'
'It was you who got Ahsoka killed!'
'You're a failure!'
'You don't deserve to live!'
The voices in his head screamed over and over again. He hissed at the heaviness of each accusation, hugging himself tightly as he began to cry.
Rex kept reassuring him that neither Kanan nor Hera blame him for what happened, but Ezra doubted it.
Kanan wasn't training him. He was in his room, with Rex always trying to cheer him up.
Hera was ignoring him. She threw herself into more and more Rebellion Missions, taking in Ahsoka's work and duties and barely being their for the crew altogether.
Ezra could barely blame them. He knew he had messed up badly when he trusted Maul. He knew it was going to be a bad idea, but he still took the risk.
Look where that ended him up.
With shaky hands, he slowly took out the knife he swiped from the kitchen then he reached for the mirror. He took a look at himself in the midst of the darkness as he raised the knife to his hair…
X
Hyperspace felt strong and heavy as a now 18-year old Ezra held his arm out. His concentration on the Force and his connection to the Purrgils was strong and firm as he commanded them to take the Chimera away from Lothal and away from Imperial Space.
This was it. His last sacrifice. The end of his story. Kanan had done his sacrifice and finished his story already. Now, it was his turn.
"This is madness, Bridger!" Thrawn snarled from the front, struggling as his whole body entangled by the lead Purrgil's tentacles. "You are going to get us all killed!"
'That was the plan.' Ezra grinned, his eyes still closed, but his mind clearly imagining the frustrated expression on the Chiss's face. 'The end of the Empire's rule on Lothal. The end of my legacy. The Liberation of Lothal by my hand… as I've always wanted…'
['Young one.'] the lead Purrgil spoke through his mind, cutting off his own thoughts. ['Can you hear me?']
Ezra opened his eyes, which had turned full sapphire blue. He felt Thrawn's surprise but ignored it as he raised his head.
'Yes, I can.' He replied in his mind. 'I can hear you loud and clear.'
['I sense your pain, young one.'] the Purrgil said. ['The pain you sensed. The darkness you felt. Ones you have seen and felt fueling in darkness.']
Ezra swallowed as he diverted his attention to concentrate. No, he couldn't think of… that. It had been… almost 3 years since… THAT had happened. He couldn't… He shouldn't…
['Hiding away the pain that you felt will worsen your control.'] the Purrgil answered. ['You have made peace with your master's suffering. You have made peace with your sins and mistakes. You, however, have not made peace with the darkness that consumed those you have cared about. The one whom you cared for the most. You saw their destruction for a reason, young one. You were bonded for a reason.']
'NO!' Ezra gritted his teeth, his grip on the force tightening to focus harder. 'Stop it, please. I HAVE made peace with… that.'
['That is what you choose to believe, but deep in your heart, you know in your heart that is not true. You push your feelings aside, which is not a good idea. It will hurt you more than it should…']
'What is your point in this?!' Ezra hissed, shutting his eyes.
['I will take you to a place that will help you to be in peace for all time.']
With that, the connection broke, and the Purrgils launched the Chimera into another part of hyperspace like a slingshot.
X
The feeling of familiarity reached him deep in his lair. He stood up from where he sat, golden-silver eyes looking around to find what he felt.
"Something is coming…" he spoke lowly before making his way to exit his lair.
The Fearlings seem to disapprove his decision and blocked his path. They let out whispers and hisses.
'DO NOT LEAVE.'
'It is of no importance!'
'Cut yourself from it!'
'It is a trick from Lunar! It could only be!'
'A trick of the Guardians!'
'Leaving will weaken you!'
"Hush." He snapped at them. "I am Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. I choose what to listen."
The Fearlings snarled and reached out towards him.
'NO! Do not disobey us!'
'We know what is best for you!
'This will weaken you! You will perish!'
'LISTEN TO US, YOU FOOL!'
But Pitch merely waved them off, walking past them with his Nightmares following behind them.
The feeling of familiarity was strong. He didn't know why it was strong or why he was tempted to go to it. It was as if it was calling him, opening him up to something gone long ago.
He exited through the broken bed and slid into the forest. He followed the sense of familiarity through the trees until he was in an empty field. As he took a step forward, he felt the moon shining on him, prompting him to turn to it with a growl.
"If this is some game, Lunar, then I am not entertained." he angrily said.
His Nightmares soon neighed in alert, and he turned to find them looking up at another part of the sky. He followed their gaze, and his eyes widened to find something approaching at top speed.
'A ship…' he narrowed his eyes as the flames of the thing coming to the planet got closer and closer. 'An alien ship…'
He held his Nightmares back and took a step back himself, his eyes never leaving the sky as the ship descended little by little…
X
The feeling of numbness and deafness occupied him as soon as the Chimera crash-landed. He couldn't hear anything but ringing. He couldn't feel his body at all.
He felt… paralyzed. Blinded. Dead.
And in all honesty, he wanted to be dead, join Kanan and those friends whom they lost during the battles. The crash was painful, and he knew that he would probably have tons of broken bones from being open to the windows smashed from earlier.
But of course, the Force has other plans.
'Ezra…'
He heard voices whisper his name, distant yet so clear as he slowly gained the strength to open his eyes. He was met with the ruins of the Chimera, and no Thrawn in sight.
"Wh-Where… argh," he groaned as the numbness of his body was replaced with sharp, hissing pain.
The blaster shot on his shoulder had begun to ache, prompting his free hand to clasp on it to ease the pain. Slowly, and carefully, he attempted to stand. His legs were shaky, as was his whole body, but he was able to get up before losing his balance.
Thankfully, he managed to lean against a wall to keep himself up. He took in a deep breath, but he felt like his breath was hitching as he struggled to walk.
He was bleeding, he knew he was. He had scratches, bruises and wide cuts all over his body. His clothes were torn and probably burnt, but he didn't bother to care.
Instead, he limped out of the ship, which had cooled down from the flames from the planet's atmosphere. He didn't stop as he made his way out, but as he neared the exit, he noticed someone standing near the ship.
'A local…?' He narrowed his eyes to get a better look.
The closer he got, however, the more he could see the being's golden eyes and talk figure. Familiar golden eyes…
'Wait…' he stopped for a moment and forced his head up to have a better eye contact with the familiar-looking being.
The creature took a step forward, his pale grey skin and black robe showing in the moonlight. His golden-silver eyes stared down and narrowed at the boy.
"Who are you…?" He spoke in a voice that Ezra knew well.
A little too well.
"K-Kozmotis…?" the name hiccuped out of his mouth before his legs gave away, and he was knocked into unconsciousness.