Disclaimer: I own nothing except the story itself and my OC's. Credit goes to Angelblue1852 for Kaori Galium.
A/N: Here's chapter 2 of Uncertain futures. The title was inspired by the song "Whispers in the Dark" by Skillet. And a portion of this chapter was inspired by an animation on Youtube called "Echo: Undertale." For those who know what I'm talking about, you'll see where this comes into play.
Also, Starwarshobbitfics, I planted another little easter egg in the dialogue for you. Let me know when you catch it.
Anyways, I guess that's all I have to say for now. Enjoy.
The caves of Ilum were even more vast than he had expected. Of course, he reminded himself, he wasn't here to go sightseeing. He was here to find his Kyber crystal and head back. What was really going through his mind was what sort of test awaited him.
He sense that his crystal was nearby. Using his link to the Force, he shut out everything else, focusing solely on the signature from the crystal. He stepped forward, as if sleepwalking, in the direction of the signature.
What he didn't expect was to be knocked down by another youngling. He snapped up, scowling at the boy who had bumped into him. "Try paying more attention to your surroundings, Skywalker." Nazo snapped.
"Hey, I tried telling you to watch out. I slipped and I couldn't stop." Anakin replied. "So you're one to talk."
Nazo sighed in resignation. "I was focused on finding my crystal, in case you forgot. Perhaps you should be more careful where you step." He turned, trying to reconnect with the Force and resume his search.
"Well, I guess I can give up on trying to make a friend with you, Nazo." Anakin replied. Nazo stopped, turning around.
"Care to repeat that, Skywalker?" He asked.
Anakin shrugged. "I just thought that, you and I got off on the wrong foot. And I was hoping that we could make up and be friends, you know? I just thought we could get along."
Brushing himself off, Nazo frowned. "Well, if this is how you try to make friends, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment."
"I just don't want us to fight like we hate each other." Anakin sighed.
"Then I suggest that you avoid interacting with me anymore than necessary." Nazo replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a crystal to find." With that, he turned in the direction of the crystal, leaving Anakin to his own.
"Of all the naïve, immature lackluster ideas," Nazo grumbled to himself, as he navigated the caverns. He and Skywalker as friends? Not likely. He had been tempted to try and explain to the younger boy why the idea was so ridiculous, but decided against it. He felt that Anakin would have just ignored him anyway. But why had he reacted as he did when he tried to shake Anakin's hand? And why were the others not bothered by this?
He chose to put off finding the answers to these questions when a flickering light caught his eye. A crystal, suspended in between two large ice shards, glimmering in the light. He surveyed the ground surrounding the crystalline structures, checking to see if it would cave in on him. Once he was certain that it was safe, he approached the center of the chamber and claimed the green crystal from its resting place.
As he slipped it into the pocket of his robes, the glimmer of light in the spot where the crystal had been, started to intensify. The area around him grew darker, and darker, until he had to cover his eyes with his arm.
When he lowered his arm, he saw that he was in some sort of void. Ice crystals of varying sizes floated around him. He looked around, wondering where he was. Was this his test?
"Hello, Youngling." Came a strange voice. He looked for the speaker, but saw no one. Suddenly, a light appeared in front of him, shining in his eyes. He turned away, to shield his vision, and saw that the shadow he was casting on the ice crystal behind him was transforming.
"Who...Who are you?" Nazo said, uncertain. Then, with a deep breath, he demanded, "Show yourself!"
The shadow almost smiled, as it peeled itself from the crystal, and flew straight through him. He turned to face it, and saw that it had shape-shifted. Now, it resembled a humanoid, with red dots as eyes and a semi-amorphous outline, as if millions of tiny creatures were swarming together to take on the shape of a human. Gray teeth filled its mouth, which was pulled back in a creepy grin.
The creature extended a hand, and the crystal within Nazo's pocket flew forth. The creature turned it over, as it levitated above his hand. Nazo snatched it away, still unsure about what he was dealing with. The creature's smile didn't fade, though. "Personally, I feel that green doesn't appear to be your color." His other hand reached within himself, as if pulling something out of his own pocket, and when he brought it out, he was holding a crystal in his hand. A red crystal.
Nazo's eyes widened. "That's a Sith crystal." He said.
"True," replied the creature. "Those who call themselves Sith do use crystals that are red in color. However, red crystals do occasionally grow on their own. This one is no different. After all, the crystal is not inherently good or evil. What matters is the intention behind its use."
The youngling stared at the creature. "Even though the blade generated by this crystal would indeed be red, that does not make it evil. Nor does it make the wielder evil. What determines whether there is good or evil is the wielder's intentions and motives. How does he plan to use the blade he has crafted. To defend and protect, or to destroy and conquer? Is he motivated by justice, or hatred? All these and more factor into whether the crystal is being used for good or for evil.
"True, history suggests that red blades are associated with the Dark Side, but why not break that stereotype?" He offered the crystal to Nazo, but the boy just swatted it away. He turned to run, but realized that something had grabbed his leg, and was pulling him into the void.
When he opened his eyes, the figure was flying around him. "Why do you care about how others perceive you?" It asked him. "Why do you seek the approval of those you have spoken against?"
"You're not making any sense." Nazo argued.
The creature's ever-present smile remained unchanged. "Is that so? Then you are denying these claims?"
One of the floating crystals rushed to the creature's hands, morphing into a white screen. As Nazo watched, it replayed his reaction to shaking Anakin's hand. Then the image switched to his speech about how the Jedi Council was deliberately concealing information about Qui-Gon Jinn's death, and how Dooku left the order as a result.
As the crystal faded away, the creature stared down at Nazo. "Do you still deny what you have said."
"N-No." Nazo admitted.
"You are right, you know." The creature said. "Concerning the boy. His actions, his decisions, will have monumental consequences."
"You mean, you can see the future?" Nazo asked.
"Hmm...I can see many futures." The figure replied. "The future is not predetermined. I see multiple futures, determined by differences in the choices that are made, and of the events that do or do not occur as a result."
"And what do you see concerning Skywalker."
The figure's smile finally began to fade. "For reasons outside my control," He explained, in an annoyed sounding voice, "I cannot give you all the details. However, know this: Skywalker will eventually be met with a choice. Two options, and each will determine the fate of the entire Galaxy."
"And if he chooses wrong?" Nazo asked.
"Define 'Wrong' in this context." The figure said.
Nazo, though taken back, attempted to answer. However, the figure cut him off. "I see several different outcomes to this. Many of these outcomes involve him making a choice that could potentially spell doom for your Jedi order. I assume that is what you meant by 'Wrong'."
Nazo thought this over. The fate of the Order, and the Galaxy as a whole, rested on the shoulders of one boy.
"Then again, why do you seem to care. You have labeled the Jedi as hypocrites, after all. So why worry so much?"
"Because," Nazo said after a minute. "It's the only life I know. I can't have my fate be decided by the choices of someone like him. What is my fate, should he make the wrong choice?"
"Looking at the most likely outcome," replied the figure, "I can only say that you meet a fate I assume you would not desire."
Nazo didn't realize he was clenching his fists at first. "Of course," the shadow continued, "If something were to happen, rendering him unable to make that key decision; if, for example, he were dead, I see this tragic fate to be avoided." Nazo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Granted, many outcomes suggest that the Jedi would still fall, but looking at every outcome resulting from the absence of Anakin Skywalker, I would say that the vast majority of them result in the salvation of the Jedi Order."
Nazo shook his head. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying," replied the shadow, "I can help you. I can show you talents in the Force that will allow you power, even more than that of the Chosen One."
"But that would mean allowing myself to be consumed by the Dark Side." Nazo pointed out.
"That's the best part," replied the shadow. "I can teach you to gain control over the Dark Side, without allowing it to control you. Just look at the Jedi you know as Mace Windu. He has already demonstrated the possibility of using the Dark Side, without being consumed by it."
Nazo felt that he needed a moment to think about what was happening. "Come with me, my boy." The figure said, ushering Nazo away. The boy didn't react at first, but came to his senses, and pushed himself away from the dark figure.
"No." He said. The dark figure turned around.
"I will not follow you," Nazo growled. "You say that I'll be able to control the Dark Side, but that's exactly what every other Jedi who fell to the Dark Side believed. And they were still consumed by the power they wanted to control. On top of that, everything they valued fell apart because of their choice. I will not follow that path."
The shadowy figure merely sighed. "I tried, I suppose." He said, looking down at his hands. "I suppose if that is your choice..." He suddenly snapped his gaze up at Nazo, now fully solid and radiating power. "...THEN I WILL MAKE YOU JOIN ME BY FORCE!" He summoned a cloud of darkness, and hurled it at Nazo.
The boy held out his hands, shielding himself. The darkness that trickled around him, threatening to weaken his resolve felt like nothing Nazo had ever witnessed. This somehow didn't seem like the type of Dark Side power associated with the Sith. This wasn't just fear, anger, or hatred. This was the Dark Side in its purest and most powerful form.
Nazo gritted his teeth, straining under the pressure. The figure smiled. "So you understand that you cannot overcome the Dark Side. Just give in. It will eb over much faster."
The young boy growled. Then he struggled to speak. "I...said...no. Now leave. Me. Alone."
The strain increased, and he felt that his will was starting to break. "I...said...leave...me...ALONE!" With a loud yell, he poured all his remaining strength into pushing the darkness out. The cloud of Dark energy struck the figure, and all was enveloped in blinding light.
Nazo jolted, realizing he'd falling asleep. Was it all just a dream? He checked his pocket. The green crystal was still there. He sighed in relief. Then he felt something in his other pocket. He fished it out, and shuddered.
As he emerged from the caves, he was unsettled that everyone else seemed to have been waiting a while, and the caves had almost frozen shut again.
"Youngling Malfoy, worried we were." Master Yoda said.
"Well, I'm here now, Master Yoda, and I have my crystal." Nazo replied, holding up the green crystal for everyone to see.
"Good, good." Yoda responded. "Return, we can, to the ship. Time, to begin building your lightsabers, it is."
As the others all ran to out of the caves, Nazo held back. "Master?"
Yoda turned to face the young one. "Hmm...Troubled, by something, that seen in the caves, you have, are you?"
Nazo took a deep breath. "I found something other than my Kyber Crystal down there."
"Something else, you say." Yoda replied, more as a statement than a question. "And troubles you, it does, hmm?"
Nazo sighed. "I found..." His hand was in his pocket, though Yoda saw nothing wrong with that. To him, Nazo was merely trying to ease his feelings through movement. "My courage." He said with confidence.
Yoda nodded, giving a satisfied smile. "Ah, yes. Courage. A valuable tool, it is. Serve you well, it will."
"I see," Nazo said, sounding relieved. "Thank you, Master." As they made their way out of the caves, Nazo's relief gave way to concern.
Later, as the ship flew through hyperspace, the younglings were testing out their lightsabers.
"Nice design, luv." Kaori said to Anakin.
"Thanks," He replied. "Yours is good too."
"What about mine?" Interjected Nadhar. "Mine is waterproof."
"Of course it is, Nadhar." Barriss argued. "I wouldn't expect much less from you."
"Sounds kinda fishy to me, though." Kaori joked. Nadhar deactivated his lightsaber and elbowed Kaori.
"What about you, Nazo." Anakin spoke up. "Let's see yours."
Nazo, who was lost in thought, didn't reply right away. When he realized he ws being spoken too, he said, "Hm? Oh, er, forgive me. I've been thinking, Anakin. Maybe you're right. We should work towards a more positive connection." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think I just need to rest. Come get me when we reach Coruscant."
As he headed off to sleep, the others all exchanged glances. Nadhar shrugged. "Guess he must have seen something really serious down in those caves."
"Not like it's our business wha' he saw." Kaori argued. "But you're right, luv. It does feel like somthin's eatin' at him."
In the solitude of his cabin, Nazo risked pulling out the small item in his pocket. Whoever that had been, they did raise a valid point: This crystal wasn't necessarily evil just because it was red. But then why would he be so determined to drag Nazo to the Dark Side?
He felt that he should have said something. He should have told Yoda what happened. But he didn't. As unsure as he was about that, he felt it in his heart that this was his struggle, and his alone to face. Tightening his hand back into a fist around the crystal, he slipped it back into his pocket, and went to sleep.
A/N: So, what do you think? Are things starting to click into place? I put off writing this chapter for so long because I didn't know how to feel about what it would mean. The content of this chapter makes things about my other stories start to make sense, but there are more things to cover. Obviously, this story might fall flat compared to Altered Destinies and Fates Rewritten because of how sporadic the events of this story are. This also means that Uncertain Futures is going to be much shorter than either of my other stories relating to this canon.
Props to whoever can PM me with the correct guess to the identity of the individual Nazo encountered (Just don't expect me to confirm or deny it. It's one thing I hope to save for later in the story).
On top of that, there is a major time jump between this chapter and the next one. It jumps to the episode "Cloak of Darkness" in the clone wars, and Nazo's story progresses.
Until then, please RRF&F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.