Oxygen was wearing thin, his lungs begging for air. Kyle's head began to feel lighter and though he tried to focus, his vision blurred. His Jedi training did not prepare him for this kind of strenuous punishment. His bands covered in sweat, the jagged edges of the mountain cutting his palms leading to blood trickling down his wrist. Kyle soon lost his grip and fell to his almost certain demise. One moment he felt he was falling at a brilliant speed, the wind crashing against his ears. A second later, it is as if gravity ceased to exist. His body frozen in mid-air, his eyes darting around to see what has transpired. He was in the arms of Daughter. Her golden shine blinding his eyes. No words were said, for he was at a loss for them.
"Thank you." He said.
"You're a friend of the Jedi?" Daughter asks.
"I am a Jedi." Kyle retorts.
The Daughter's face turns mortified witnessing the state of her father, propped up against the wall. "What happened?" She breathes, cradling his head.
"The Son attacked him." Depa explains. "It's best he doesn't speak. He'll need to conserve his strength."
Despite the explicit orders to not speak, Father disregarded them to warn them of his son's plot. "Daughter, he knows. You must stop him!" He coughs, collapsing into unconsciousness.
"Father..." Daughter cups his cheek, feeling his life force draining from him. "There is an alter, I have to get there before my brother." She tells the Jedi.
"What's there?" Ahsoka inquires.
"The only object that can kill the Son. With my father alive, we are impenetrable from your worlds weapons. Father is ailing, but holding on. We should go."
"Take Ahsoka and my Padawan with you. I'll remain here to protect the Father." Depa said. The Daughter turns to face the wide eyed teens, skeptical as to how much they'll be able to help.
"My brother will try to tempt you. Don't listen to him. Come. We don't have much time."
"Master, I can stay and help you." Kyle offers.
"No. You need to make sure the Daughter retrieves... whatever it is she's after." Depa told them. "Remember, the Force will be with you. Do not abandon it." Her eyes went towards Kyle, more worried about his fragility than Ahsoka's. Tano grew up in the Jedi Order, surrounded by their influence. Kyle was a novice.
(Scene break)
Wherever he walked, he heard his name called. First by his mother. Then by Obi-Wan. Then Ahsoka. Then Padmé. Holding on to his head, silently begging for the voices to stop. His only refuge was his ship.
"Trouble?" Son called to him from the outside, Anakin saw him through the front window.
"Try anything and you're done." He aims the Twilight's ion cannons at the Son.
"For a Jedi, you're quick to violence." He points out. "All I want to talk."
"I am in no mood for more of your family's games."
"I'm not playing any games, Skywalker. That's my father's department. I'm the straight arrow of the family."
"Somehow I doubt that." Anakin replies. "You're Sith."
"You speak of that word, as if I know what it means. I don't know Sith or Jedi. I am the darkness."
"What's the difference?"
"I can show you." He promises. "Your clan, they've pulled the wool over your eyes. Your heart betrays you. I can feel the anguish inside you. Unable to bring an end to enteral suffering. Together we can bring about change."
Anakin remained silent. The Son knew he peaked the Jedi's curiosity. "My Father wants you to take his place as a prisoner in his own device. He wants to take you away from your loved ones so he can perpetuate this myth of light and dark coexisting. When in reality, neither can survive while the other flourishes. In the real world, nothing gets done without getting your hands dirty."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Forget everyone else. Me and you can destroy the Sith and bring the rotting Jedi Order down and like a phoenix rises from the ashes, a new universal order."
"I'll never abandon my friends." Anakin retorts. "Now leave."
"If only I could show you the suffering you're sure to inflict. Perhaps you'll be better off dead than alive. My son, have you ever wondered if you're the disease or the cure?"
"I said leave!" Anakin didn't want to let the Son inside his head. He had enough voices pulling him in all sorts of directions as it is.
(Scene break)
The Daughter lead the two Jedi to a cave, she stopped at its entrance and turned to them. "I can take you no further. When you reach the alter, it will give you what you need." She instructs.
"Why can't you go inside?" Ahsoka was puzzled.
"I promised my father I would never enter the alter. I also promised I wouldn't show it to any off worlders. I've already broken one promise today."
"What will you do?" Kyle asks.
"I will guard my father, awaiting your return." She answers.
"We won't keep you waiting." He promises.
Ahsoka and Kyle descended deeper and deeper into the cave, until everything was covered in darkness. Ahsoka used her shoto blade as a source of light. "You build a new lightsaber?" Kyle never noticed the second weapon attached to her belt before.
"It's a shoto. I'm hoping to become a duelist, this is a good start and is less of a risk of injury. You should build one."
"I'm a lefty. My right hand is borderline useless." He replies. "Master Billapa said it be beneficial for me to become a duelist. We've been working on it for a couple months."
"I'm a natural righty. I've been developing my off-hand game for nearly a year." She tells him. Kyle thought for a moment, glancing at his right hand. Maybe he should step out of his comfort zone and try his luck as a duelist. It's something Billapa's harped on since he took him as a student.
"Lightsaber combat was never my strongest suit." He confesses.
"When you and me spar you've done well."
"That's because I had time to scout you, as I did with all my opponents." He explains.
"Scout?"
"Yeah. Look at tape. Study the various lightsaber forms, their strengths and weaknesses. The film I've watched of you before our match in the Jedi Apprentice Tournament kept me up nights. You have no idea how badly I wanted to win."
She smirks. "When this is over, I'll give you a rematch."
"You've said that for over a year now." He jokingly retorts.
Beyond their heads lurks the Son. His eyes transfixed on the dagger in the distance, but his focus was on the girl. The dagger is only a step in his plan to get off this rock. Even if he kills Father he'll have reduced himself to a husk. Skywalker is a body he can takeover and harness his power. "The chosen one first, then I kill him." He thought to himself. Referring to his father as "him."
They came to the alter, the dagger placed elegantly on its stand staring at them. "You think this'll kill the Son?" Kyle asks. "Can this be wielded by mortals?"
"So many questions, so little time. You are a quizzical one. I will say." The Son drops down, the two ignite their weapons and ready themselves for battle. "I've waited centuries to lay eyes on this dagger." He says softly. "Now, give it."
"No way." Kyle replies. "This isn't going anywhere, but your chest!"
The Son chuckles. "I'm frightened. Tell me, is attachment frowned upon in your clan?"
"What?" Ahsoka was taken aback. "yes."
"And why?"
"The Jedi say it'll lead you to the dark side." She answers.
"Ahsoka, the Sith say attachment will lead to the light." Kyle points out the contradiction. The Son was amused.
"No matter how long I've been gone, the universe stays the same. Hypocrites. All of them. Father was right. But I never understood how he could sit idle and watch everything burn."
"I have a feeling you'd like to take part in some of that burning." Ahsoka quips.
"Don't judge a book for its cover, young one. I come as a form of peace."
"Peace? You kill your father and call that 'peace.'" Ahsoka took qualm with that statement.
"Father was taking too long to die!" Son bellows from the pits of his stomach. "He's pathetic and needed to go. I did everyone here a favor. Give me the dagger, let me finish what I started and you can all leave."
"You think we're stupid?" Ahsoka scoffs.
"Very well." He tosses them aside casually and goes to grab the dagger. An orange flame surrounds his pale hand, he shrieks like a wild animal and drops the dagger. When his yelps ceased, he composed himself. "Father is smarter than I give him credit for."
"Looks like your plans hit a bit of snag, bud." Kyle taunts.
"A snag. Only a snag." He thinks. "If I cannot hold the dagger, then one of you will. After all, my sister brought you here knowing she couldn't hold it. Of course! It all makes sense."
"There's nothing the dark side can offer that'll tempt us." Kyle confidently says.
"You really don't think I can't pray on your insecurities. I've known everything about you since you've entered my planet's atmosphere." He looks at Kyle. "You're in love with someone you know doesn't feel the same." He looks at Ahsoka. "You're worries your master isn't proud. Why should he be? You're a spoiled, know-nothing brat."
Ahsoka gnashes her teeth. She wants to slice the Son open and gut him for saying this. "You're nothing to him. Or to anyone for that matter." Her emotions got the best of her and Ahsoka pounced at the Son, she tries to hack at him and he casually dodged her attacks until he grabbed her wrist. "You need a new approach." He bites her hand and drops her.
Kyle tries to help, but the Son is too much for him. Thinking fast, he leaps at the dagger, brandishing the weapon. "Get back!" He goes to check on Ahsoka.
"She's dead. You couldn't save her. How tragic. The person you cared for the most, gone because of you." The Son played the poor boy like a fiddle. Kyle believed him when he said he killed Ahsoka, and went after him for retribution. Luckily for him, the dagger wasn't something the Son could come in contact with.
"You'll regret ever being born!" He promises the Son. Holding the dagger to his throat.
"I already do!" He retorts half-heartedly. But then, Kyle froze. His body turned ridged, a dark green blade stuck out from his chest. Ahsoka was on the other side, her blue eyes turned a dark yellow. He fell to the ground, turning over like a turtle on his back to see it was her who had betrayed him.
"Ahs—" He couldn't speak, the blood was making its way up out of his mouth. "Why?"
"Do not bother trying to reason with my pet. I have shown her the error of her ways and she will lead me to Skywalker. Now, contact him."
"Master." She sounds so innocent, like typical Ahsoka. "The Son, he's captured me. I don't want to die Master, come save me!" She pleaded. "I'm at the courtyard. Hurry!" Anakin tried to say something, but the com-link was taken by the Son and smashed.
"This is where we leave you." The Son turns around. "Come my child."
"Ahsoka... *cough* don't do this!" He begs her, clutching to his chest to stop the blood flow. "Please!" For a brief moment, Kyle swore he saw her eyes return to their blue color, only to return to yellow. She was about to finish him off when the Son stopped her.
"We don't have time for you to waste on your friend. Come!" He ordered. Kyle watched his best friend walk off, leaving him to certain doom.