CHAPTER I – THE SCARS

Blood spilled across the warm slabs of stone that made up the floor of the habitation. The young child's throat had been cut by a vibro blade. Spirits cried out in agony as blaster fire destroyed several nearby habitations. Farokwili Olmo, a powerful healer, glared at the large figure holding the child upside down, fighting back tears as her spirit twisted and exploded in anger.

The large figure began to cut across the child's face, slicing his eye and laughing cruelly. Its lion-like snout curling upwards, revealing blackened and chipped fangs. A large round indentation filled with molten liquid swirled and flowed in the center of the room, warming the stone floors and walls. As the large amounts of blood reached the edge of the indentation chamber, it hissed, popped and quivered as if alive.

The hulking figure looked over at the molten liquid and let out a menacing snort. It began walking towards the heat chamber and held the child over it, drops of blood causing the liquid to jump and swirl more intensely. The other lion-like creature in the room tightened its grip on Farokwili and pulled her hair back forcefully so she would not be able to put her head down. As the hulking creature dropped the child over the liquid, Faro shouted something in her native tongue. The molten liquid gathered and shot out of the indented chamber. The child fell down onto warm stone.

The molten liquid took the form of a large 6 legged cat. It snarled as it tore out the heart of the hulking creature, its molten skin disintegrating flesh and bone with no trace of ash. The large creature' screams were cut short by the molten cat devouring his face. A large skull hit the stone floor as the cat darted toward the other lion-like creature holding Faro captive. The creature had barely begun to stand when the molten cat tore out his heart as well, its immense speed and liquid flesh causing the large creature's body to burst into pieces. The cat turned and looked into Faro's eyes. She nodded toward it in a gesture of sincere appreciation.

The cat ran out the open door of the habitation into the night. Faro immediately ran towards the child, scooping him up quickly and pulling a mixture of ash and herbs from the large hidden pouch in her skirt. She moistened the mixture with her saliva and rubbed it along the gaping wound across the child's throat. Faro used the Force to lift a thick cloth and wrapped it around the child's neck. She was so focused on her task, that she had not noticed the loud commotion outside.

She stood up and put the child in a satchel across her chest, pausing to pick up the sizeable skull of the lion-like creature that had fallen to the floor. Faro and the child ran into the night, their presence obscured by the carefully placed shadows cast by the reflection of the molten cat's skin as it darted around a small star cruiser and decimated the large lion-esque raiders.

Faro took one last look at the molten cat's graceful carnage and said a prayer "thank you Fawi, last of our tribe's molten gods. I will devote my life to repaying you". Faro ran into the darkness of the jungle as another star cruiser appeared overhead and obliterated the entire section of the beach including Fawi, the molten god.

Kei-Ron stood on the edge of a ravine as he ran his hand over his throat, feeling the texture of the large scar across it. The memories and visions of the beach that night fading as he fell into the Force to regain his stamina. He gathered his strength and used the Force to leap across the ravine, using the immense effort to distract him from the thoughts of Mina, now inhabited by the spirit of Hara and the plan he had unknowingly helped set into motion.

As Kei neared a deep river, he felt the presence of the two masters very near and he stopped to see if he could spot them. A huge, sharp-toothed fish burst out of the water and beached itself, spitting wet precious stones all over the river bank. In fact, the whole riverbank was made up of dulled precious stones. The large fish opened its mouth wide, but Kei did not feel threatened. More water splashed as Master Rey Skywalker emerged from its gaping jaws.

Kei tried his best not to look surprised. He felt Ahsoka's energy, but she did not emerge from the fish. Rey turned and placed a calm hand on the snout of the fish, thanking it and helping it back into the river. As if reading Kei's mind, she held out a strand of beads which glowed white. "Ahsoka told me to give this to you. It carries a bit of her energy in it and will allow you to communicate with her. She's still on Harlu. I agreed to come back here for you all" Rey exclaimed.

Kei looked puzzled. Rey's demeanor became more rigid and she cut off his thoughts by speaking. "Where's Mina? It's been over a week since we left you here." Kei looked away from her and said nothing. He knew she was searching his feelings and he felt trapped. He looked into Rey's eyes and said "We were separated during the trial. I was hoping she would be here where I sensed your presence".

Rey looked deep into his soul and spoke through his mind, her presence in the Force now immense and terrifying. "Show me what really happened". Through Kei's thoughts, Rey saw and felt everything that had transpired since her and Mina arrived on Harlu many weeks ago. She saw that they had entered the dark space on the southeast side of the planet near the mountain. It's shadow realm following different rules of time than the rest of the world, which accounted for their extended time here. She saw how the setting matched Mina's recurring visions and Hara's presence; the green flames. Rey saw Mina strike Hara down, unknowingly aiding in a dark ritual, yet fulfilling a section of her destiny that had not been foreseen by anyone.

Rey finally reached Kei's feelings of regret and remorse as well as his foolish plan that Hara must have been well aware of. This all had been part of the shadow in the intertwined destinies related to Kei and Mina that she and Ahsoka had sensed. They had been misguided on what it would lead to, however. They had no idea that Kei was being trained by Hara in her own perversion of the ways of his ancestors or that Mina had been destined to be a part of it. Rey paused on the knowledge of Hara's mother.

"Kei-Ron, thank you for allowing me to see into your memories. I feel your remorse and conflict and know you care for Mina deeply. I will help you right the wrong you've unknowingly aided in. We need to take care of something else first, though. As she spoke, Rey began to shed her loose grey robes, placing her boots, wraps and pants in a neat pile near a section of rocks.

Rey stood tall and stretched her arms upward as she closed her eyes and twisted her waist, her bare form unapologetic and striking. She floated upward into the air and sat in a meditation pose. Kei began speaking in frustration into Rey's mind. "What about Mina? Aren't we going to face Hara? We should engage her now before her spirit fully melds with Mina's body!"

Rey spoke to him without turning or opening her eyes. "That won't happen. I've been preparing Mina for this for a very long time. I didn't quite realize it before, but thanks to what I've learned from your memories, I was right to do so. Search your feelings…Hara intended for you to engage me and be destroyed. Because of the ritual you aided in, you're now connected with her. If I were to destroy you, I would take in your spirit and it would allow her to be able to meld with my body when I destroyed her, which is what she wants."

Kei was still as puzzled as ever and he was ready for action ready for action. His mind was buzzing with noise. Rey spoke again, "Our new plan is to wait for her here. Please, join me in meditation". Kei walked slowly towards where Rey sat floating in the air. As he got closer, she said "you must be as I am…disrobe". Kei paused and did as she commanded, removing his waist robes and light fitted armor (which had been designed by Ahsoka). He looked up at Rey floating in the air and noticed the large scar that ran diagonally across her back. He had never floated in the air in meditation before, but was able to do it as soon as he reached out and felt Rey's immense presence in the Force.

Kei's busy thoughts calmed and began touching the intense amounts of life on Krenolie. It's brazen consumption of the Force no longer grating, but soothing. Rey interrupted his train of thought, "I've heard a story that says 'scars are maps to alternate destinies'". Kei paused, but his spirit touched Rey's as if they were holding hands. He felt truly calm for the first time in weeks. "How will we get Hara to come look for us?"

Rey opened her eyes and turned to look at Kei, her eyes glowing golden. Kei let the light pierce his spirit. Rey summoned Kei's lightsabers and used the Force to dismantle them. Metal pieces and two Kyber crystals fell into the river, the metal fragments floating out of sight as the two green crystals sunk to the deep bottom of the clear river, gleaming in the morning sunlight.

Kei almost dropped back down to the ground, but stopped himself. Rey spoke before his frustration took hold, "Before we face Hara in any capacity, you have to break your connection with her. The only way to do that is to purify your Kyber. Quiet your mind and remember the song of your ancestors…the true version that you learned to play alongside Mina."

Kei's spirit waned as he summoned the flute from his things on the riverbank. Merely touching it brought back painful memories of his foolishness and his connection with Mina…and Hara. His hatred and lust for her now equal and ragged. He centered himself back into the sense of peace he felt alongside Rey and poured every bit of his energy into the song, his remorse fueling the blazing fire within him. As he played, life all over Krenolie began to blossom and the voices of his ancestors rose in powerful harmony causing more life to bloom as all of the planet's elements began to sing. As the song ended, Kei reached out and his Kyber rose from the water and hovered above his hand. He kept his eyes closed and let his spirit flow into the elemental Force.

Pieces of wood and bone along with a few of his original metal pieces rose out of the flowing river. He used them to construct two new saber hilts. The crystals burst with green light, but the energy was different than the green of the flames in Hara's realm, this time they sung with the same clear intensity Kei felt in his spirit, the center of each crystal emitting a golden glow. The materials wrapped tightly and neatly around the Kyber.

Rey quickly shot an abundance of Force shockwaves (which she learned from peering into Kei's thoughts) at a nearby boulder, sending rock shards flying toward him at lightning speed. He ignited his sabers and blocked the sharp rocks in one smooth movement. Kei now stood strong on the riverbank, his brown skin covered in water droplets and sweat.

Rey floated back down to the ground smoothly just as a flock of large fiery bird-like creatures flew overhead, the wind of their flight cutting sharp paths into the ground as they passed. Kei opened his eyes to find Rey walking toward the bottom of a nearby rock wall, her robes still in a pile near the riverbank. She looked back over her shoulder, a serious look on her face as she summoned her robe and lightsaber, ignoring the rest of her belongings. Rey spoke into Kei's mind, "Kei-Ron, get ready".

As she spoke, Kei felt an immense energy burst through the trees at the top of the rock wall. The energy did not completely belong to Hara, but it included it. He felt Mina's spirit amongst the frustrated mess of energies. Hara (in Mina's body) jumped down from the top of the rock wall in a flash and charged her spirit as she landed. The rock wall cracked as she did so.

Now that Kei's connection with Hara had been broken, he realized that her spirit was indeed made up of many other souls. They cried out in frustration and pain as if being crushed by Hara's energy. He had never felt this presence before, yet something about it felt very familiar. A feeling he associated with the night he was almost killed as a child. She had cloaked it and formed a connection with his spirit ever since he found Hara's holocron with his aunt's medicine. What was Farokwili's connection to Hara? Could it be…

Kei summoned his pants, boots and waist robes and kept his composure. If Hara's spirit could not fully meld with Mina's body, it meant that Mina's true spirit wouldn't be destroyed. Kei made quick mental and emotional connections and realized what Rey was planning. He watched as Rey walked ahead toward Hara, her steps calm, fluid and confident. She held her lightsaber, but did not ignite it.