Author Note: Yo! 30 Favorites and 40 followers! Thank you all so much! Here is chapter 34 and I hope you guys enjoy it. Please remember to follow, favorite, and review because it greatly helps with my motivation. Have a wonderful and awesome day!

Chapter 34

Ben and Katara pushed through the opening. Their eyes widened as they made their way through the large space. This was the area in which they were all meant to meet up after securing the former king of Omashu. Yet, they had failed.

Benjamin had failed, too late in realizing that the fire nation wasn't foolish enough to send one convoy. He figured that he would have gotten lucky, that the power of the force would have allowed him to detect the king, but it proved fruitless.

Ben and Katara pushed through the gates of the cleared-out junk yard only to be replaced with a grizzly sight. Men, woman, and even children of the city were in the yard. Large tents uplifted like building blocks, medical tents stained with droplets of blood as they desperately went to work, and finally…

"Sokka…"

Katara's voice dangerously whispered, her tears beckoning on the corners of her eyes as she began to approach. Each step, almost like she was balancing on a frozen lake back in her homeland. She approached, her knees nearly collapsing on the other as she stared at the body on the medical cot.

Her brother, Sokka. His eyes half closed as the right side of his body was covered in bandages. His left arm, and left leg burnt badly. Even faint burn marks on the side of his face were etched, a sinister counterpart to Zuko.

Her eyes watered as she steepened into her water bending, her hands fidgeting as she began to grab the water handed by her water bending master, the special vial she had curled along the base of her chest. Ben was seeing stars, his heart in his throat as he could only watch.

A second later. Jet, Ty Lee, and Aang approached looking worse for wear. Their eyes each hollowed as they stared at the limp body of their damaged friend. Ben grimaced at the sight; this was all becoming too much. This was meant to be a weeklong trip for Aang to get the basis of earth bending down so they would be off to the next element.

This was practically insane! They've gotten themselves wrapped up in something far greater than themselves out here, it was far too much and now Sokka struggled for dear life.

"Guys, what the hell happened?" Ben turned, asking his friends the questions.

Jet himself strained, mildly stretching his arm as Ben started to pinpoint the burn marks on his friends. "The plan, it was going smoothly at first. Ty Lee subdued the driver and Aang dealt with the others with his air bending." Jet stole a gaze at Sokka, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "I dealt with a dark jedi, fuck man, what was I thinking…"

Aang's hand rested on Jet's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. We didn't know that it was rigged…"

"Rigged?" Ben repeated.

The avatar turning to his Jedi friend. "Yes, after Jet defeated the dark jedi we opened the door of the cell. There was nothing in there, not a single sign of Bumi. That was when it happened…" His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. "Jet, he threw up a force barrier around all of us. Sokka, he didn't make it in time, his body got stuck between the flames and the barrier…"

Aang turned away, tears beckoning as he began to walk over towards his friend. His eyes on the table as the rest could only watch. They could only watch, they could only watch as their friend struggled, as he fought with this pain as his sister desperately tried to preserve him…

Always watching, always being too late to save the ones he loved. He glossed down to his hand, raising his left arm as he watched the fingers clench, his breath hoarse and deep as his eyes darkened. His mother, his master, his order…and now his friend?

This was on him for being too foolish enough to believe that his enemy was idiotic, the blame was on him. And as he stared at Sokka, as he stared at his friend who gave him solace, who he was ready to die for if the need arises.

Anger and regret, they made far powerful alliances and rippled with strength through the force. And as Ben's fear and guilt quickly changed to far more malignant and uncontrollable emotions. "Enough of this…"

His voice rippled through the crowd, his stern commanding voice following as he began to walk to the center of the camp. This was it, the moment of truth. He would have his revenge and find Bumi. He would do what had to be done and finish this here and today…

Aang would have his earth bending master, and he would kill any that got in that path. "Earthbenders!" A powerful scream within the force, his might barreled with power as even those that were to sick or to frail felt the weight of power emerge from the young watchman. "Your king was stolen from you; the fire nation has your city and you fools are far too demoralized to take back up your arms!"

The demoralized troops, bitter of their defeat and losing there one and only prospect of rescuing there king stared at the Jedi, a faint fire began to bloom in their chest. Their hearts reignited, but not with ambition and righteous revenge. But of anger, and the hate that was aimed to the fire nation.

Waves of dark side energy rippled from Ben, infecting those that traveled alongside him. Jet slowly lifting his gaze towards his master, his hair whipping in the wind as he felt the taint of the dark side slowly infest his surroundings. "It feels…cold." Ty Lee slowly murmured, silently wrapping the cloak tighter along her body.

"The fire nation has prayed on you for nearly a hundred years; it is time to strike back even harder! You all have your weapons and bending, we won't lose!" Ben drew upon the force, drawing his lightsaber into his right hand as the brilliant dark blue beam erupted from the hilt. Drawing the allure of the spectators. "I am Benjamin, a Jedi Watchman of The New Jedi Order. I will lead you in battle and you shall have your king back!"

The crowd rose from their seats, eyes fixating on the Jedi as team avatar could only watch. This…it didn't feel right. Aang watched ahead, feeling this strange aura that overtook the crowd, they were primal, sinking their teeth in hatred as they raised and cheered.

Jet slowly wrapped his arm on Katara, drawing her closer as his hand drew upon his blade. He wasn't worried about Ben. No, wait that was wrong…he was extremely worried about Ben, but he knew that he would never hurt them, but the mania of this crowd was something else.

Ty Lee huddled to their side. Her eyes narrowing as she grimaced in pain, this aura. This hate and anger that had been building up for years and years. That was when she truly began to understand, as she stared at those people…

The hate they held in their eyes, the loves ones they all lost that created a powerful echo in the force. The fire nation, were they the bad guys? With those thoughts, Ty Lee's heart stuttered. Tears slowly falling from her eyes as Ben continued to rile up the revolutionaries.

"You can hurt them in the way they have hurt you, hurt your families!" His blade raised, almost like a beacon as the residual dark side energy frothed off of him, the revolutionaries in hysteria as they drank greedily from it like a flask of liquor. "We'll put an end to this, here and now!"

His voice in a boom, a cheer following as the revitalized soldiers grabbed their weapons. Following forward as they thrown them upward, hysteria clearly funneling through the ranks as Ben followed through with a sick smile, his teeth soaking up the setting sun.

He was about to follow, to move forward and attack the fire nation ship and hope that Bumi was on there. Hell, at this point the way he was feeling, it didn't matter if that old fool was on that ship, he wanted to taste fire nation blood.

He turned away, unignintg his blade as the earth kingdom revolutionaries were beginning to charge. Powered from the dark side of the force, unknown to Ben the whole spree of things, he simply smirked as he felt power well up in his veins, his heart beating along his chest, a reminder that he was alive and present in that moment.

'It feels, amazing! This hate, this anger, this rage…I have so much of it, but with the power I can use with this emotion. I can surely free this world!'

His golden orbs began to contort, sulfuric red lines began to stretch into an orange glare. The dark side of the force was strong here, and it was his home, it was his truth. His memories of the war, his memories of his abuse, his failures. They gave him strength, and he would use said strength to free this world. Because in the end…

Light Side…Dark Side, merely tools.

Words written thousands of years ago, words in which Ben deluded himself over. So, he began to walk to join them, unknown to what was going on with team avatar at that present moment. Katara saw it all, felt the darkness that was wrapping around Ben like a sinister cloak.

"Aang, go with him…"

The avatar snapping his neck back towards her. Katara swiping the tears from her face. Jet staring at her as well, mildly shifting his arm uncomfortably. "Jet, find a healer, that arm can get bad if you don't treat it properly."

"But Katara, I…"

"Enough, Aang." Katara spoke a bit too harshly, causing the young airbender to slowly clench up. "You felt it too, Benjamin. I don't know how or why but he's on a very dangerous path right now. You can feel it too, can't you?"

Katara gazed at her brother, at the burnt skin as she tried even harder to heal him. "Knowing Ben, he's probably all in his own head blaming himself for this. He needs a friend to keep him tethered to the light because it's all he's got…"

Ty Lee raised her hand, aiming at Ben as she watched him slowly disappear, they all felt it. That same boy, the one they found on the island had been growing stronger ever since he had joined them. But they could tell that something great has changed deep within him.

So, Aang followed. The young airbender grabbing his staff as he followed the young man that pledged himself to him, and to the world.

The Mandalorians taught him battle, the Sith taught him of strength in one's passion, and the Fire Nation reawakened him in a spray of blood. Costing him an arm. Maybe that was why he was revitalized, maybe that was why he felt so strong right now.

Because to Ben, the dark side was truth…it was power, a power in which he claimed. He walked shoulder to shoulder with the earth bendors, Aang lagging behind as he felt it in waves of deep cold icicles bear down on them.

Ben followed in front, the crowd of earthbenders waiting for his mark to charge. A heavy wooden fence surrounded the dock, rich watchtowers filtered with orange lights that drowned out the darkness. Yet, it was the ship, that was their objective.

If they were going to lead the old king out of the city, then that would be the best place to do it. Above water on a metal ship. Ben grimaced as he threw his head forward, at the waves of fire nation soldiers and most likely a few other dark jedi were mingled within the mix or onboard.

"Benji, is everything okay. Sokka, he's going to pull through…"

"It was all my fault, Aang." Ben exclaimed; his eyes half shut as he held his hand to his head. "I should've known that the fire nation would've gotten the Sith involved, Sokka's injury was on me."

"Ben, seriously. No one here was to blame for this, you aren't omnipotent, even the great monks of the air temple didn't know the answer to everything."

Aang's words rung within Ben's head, but they found no meaning. To him, it was all his fault, and he wouldn't leave it up to chance. Raising his hand as the earth benders tensed up, his legion at the ready. Just like during the wars…

"Now!" He screamed; his ignited blade raised in the air as the crowd stormed the gates. Ben's force powers augmenting him forward as both Aang and Ben launched themselves over the fence. Mid jump, Ben threw his lightsaber around, cleaving the wood in two as the two fire nation sentries were bisected in half from the wild blade.

Drawing back his weapon in hand. The unsuspecting fire nation gate guardsman was all at his mercy. Ben gripping the blade in hand, spinning forward as he let out a mighty slash, separating the sentry in two.

Aang turned around fiddling with the gate to let the approaching earth enders storm the checkpoint. Yet, Ben didn't care enough. Seeing the horde of fire nation soldiers as his lips slowly twisted into a small smirk.

The hum of plasma drew him closer. The force, it was all that was great in this universe…and his power rung true. A mighty war cry erupted from Ben, gripping the blade with both hands as he felt the power of the darkness ring within him.

His golden eyes funneling into a blur as he thrown himself into the crowd. The fire nation soldiers at his mercy, as the dancing flames went dangerously close. He spun, pivoted, leaped away as his blue blade struck through the waves of soldiers.

Backflipping over a fire nation soldier as the purple streams of force lightning rippled in his left hand, attaching and consuming a trio of approaching soldiers.

"Pathetic, do you honestly believe your pitiful bending skills can conquer the true might of the dark side of the force." Ben gibed, a spear man thrusting his blade towards Ben's head, the jedi watchman breaking the weapon in half, right before he impaled him viciously through the chest.

A wave of dark beam plasma met it's mark along the chest of the fire nation soldiers. Each blow hitting its target as the dark beam pulsated with the power of the dark side, Ben giving himself into those darker emotions as he felt himself warp and contort, because it was the truth…because it was strength!

"I'll kill you all!"

His words rung, giving himself into his anger…not into his despair and into his failure. As he cleaved through the waves of soldiers, he was reignited by it all. Of his face, of their last conversation…of what they all had lost. 'I refuse, I won't let any of them get hurt!'

"Benjamin that's enough!"

Aang's voice rippled in his ears. The young airbender grabbing him by his arms as he still viciously tried to rip himself from his grasp. "Look around you, it's finished!"

Carcass, limbs, smoldering remains. The earthbenders starting to pick up on where he left off…his eyes in a haze as the orange gleam down casted on this. Yet, he didn't know how to feel. Between thirty to forty soldiers, all cut down by his dark blue beam.

Before, he was afraid of killing…now he had done it so easily, even losing himself to the maddening thunder of warfare. Yet, he knew there wasn't much time. Both Aang and Ben made their way through the small bridge that separated both land from ship.

Ben barreling with force energy as he launched his right hand forward, the door ripping in two as both avatar and Jedi barreled through it. With the call of the force ushering their movements, they would hopefully find this mad king.

Sokka groaned his pain, his mouth unclenching like a machine as his fingers dug into the base of the cot. "Sokka, it's okay. Just stay still and relax." His sister hummed into his ear. Yet, he could hardly hear it. Her words going in his head but wouldn't nestle anywhere.

The pain was far too intense, his eyes snapping open as he could hardly see. His fingers raised towards the sky as his eyes locked along the gleam of the white moon. Tears began to beckon as his left hand trailed along the sky. "Yue…"

The girl he failed in protecting, the one he loved. His heart stuttering as all they could do was watch. Yet, Jet and Ty Lee could both feel it…Sokka was dying. Katara leaped onto his chest, her eyes dragging along his body.

Her mother…and now her brother? She failed, now what was she going to tell dad. Sokka gurgled, his breath growing shorter and even more rasped, his eyes starting to narrow as both Jet and Ty Lee could feel it.

Tears going down both girls cheeks…but to Jet, he was dealing with his own war. He remembered that day in the northern water tribe, what he did. How he used his ability of shatter points to heal his master from the brink of death, taking his will of the dark side and bringing him back.

Now…

But his master's words brought him back. Telling him how risky it was, how he felt afterwards. Almost like he took his death and the brink of the dark side all into him. Yet, Sokka laid here dying and he was not going to get better. Even with the meager water from the spirit oasis…something needed to be done.

He was like his master; he could control the dark side of the force…at least he thought he could. Jet approached; his eyes closed as he began to see through those red lines. His left-hand locking along Sokka's eyes and temple, while the other hovered over the base of his chest.

His heartbeat along his ribs, he had to find control…he had to resist the urge of the dark side while staring into the face of all that power and negative emotions. So, he did just that. His hands brightening with powerful sparks of emerald force lightning that wrapped around both boys.

Sokka started to silently stir, the burn marks starting to scar instantly as Jet radiated with uncontrolled power, gnashing his teeth together as he struggled for control. The power was amazing, something he had never felt before.

Yet, his head went to Katara…to his teacher and friend. He had a job to do, and a Jedi needed to hold onto the light because it was all we had in the end. Jet threw himself off of Sokka, the boys' eyes starting to slowly open as the burn marks had scarred and some of it was cleanly removed, giving the appearance of fresh unaltered skin.

"Katara…"

Her brother slowly moaned as he was quickly embraced. "Thank you, Jet." She spoke, but he was already far away. His back hunched as his right hand was plastered across his face, his body sluggishly making their way towards the back of the camp.

When he was far away enough, far away enough that the only thing he could hear was his hoarse breathing he was able to see himself in a faint puddle caused from the prior rain. His darkened eyes, and the allure of the orange eyes of the true Sith.

Ben and Aang had split up, deciding that it would be better to flank the ship in two. Both sides being competent enough to deal with any foes that crossed their paths. Ben broke through the hall, his blade in his offhand as the plasma etched through the narrow halls.

He followed that hum, that calling that drew onto him. His eyes narrowed as he busted through a door, his eyes training along an opening. His eyes training around as he felt a surge of power fill his core. His head thumping as he felt the call of the force. What he saw was in the center of the room…

This was the storage area. Large rows of provisions, weapons, and storage expelled in domino like rows. The large room drawing him forward as he leaped off the balcony, descending forward as he felt the call of something.

It was urging him forward, drawing him towards something. It took a minute or two to find the call of the force, until he stumbled upon it. Bathed in rich azure light as he streamed along the large black rock. Jagged and coarse, his hand went over the smooth cold stone. It mirrored something like obsidian, yet it pulsated with vibrant force energy, swarming and contorting as it infected it's surroundings.

"Addictive, is it not. The lignan…"

Turning around he saw a figure had quickly latched his hands along the banister. He was a large man, strangely around the same height as him. Dark black robes clung to his muscular frame, fire nation armor implanted along the chest and the other outer frontal parts.

Ben could detect the swift change of the force; the air here had grown hungrier as both dark side warriors faced the other. "A marauder…" Ben hissed out, throwing himself into the shien form. He couldn't mess around with this one, he seemed dangerous.

Drawing upon the force, the long-handled hilt broke into two crimson blades. Throwing himself into the fray as both warriors ensnared the other. Ben threw a massive cleave, a dark blue wave coursing like a wave as the marauder swung his blade. Deflecting the other assault.

The stream of both blue and red caught the deep glare. Ben pivoting his feet, dodging a faint blow to his face as he somersaulted over the twin blade, back flipping as he let out a blast of force energy. The marauder reinforced his barrier as it proved unshaken. Ben landing back on his feet, gripping the blade with both hands.

Dodging another blow, deflecting a twin blade that was thrusted too dangerously to his lower chest. They saber locked by the others chest. Breaking from the lock as both warriors leaped from across the room, cracking blue lightning spilled from the marauder's fingers.

Ben raised his blade. Catching the torrent as it welled up with energy, the recoil hitting him like a fierce snowstorm, but he rode the current. His eyes fixating with a dangerous gleam, launching himself forward with a force augmented leap.

Spinning around as he landed behind the warrior, slashing along both blades as Ben dodged for the final time. His lightsaber in his single hand as his left hand gripped the other arm of the marauder. Ben's servos screeching as the fingers tightened along the man's wrist.

His eyes widening as the blade clattered to the floor as it was instantly unignited. His maniacal scream funneling through the storage area as Ben just stared, as the man fell to his knees his eyes in a haze as he just scattered. "Pathetic…"

Ramming his blade into the man's chest, ripping it out as the fallen corpse crumbled and clung to the brink of the metal floor.

The hum of his blade, that brilliant blue hum trickled along his ears as he cocked his head back. A powerful dark side artifict, turning around as he looked left and right. His lightsaber blade cleanly pricked a piece of the strange dark side ore.

Lifting a chunk of it to his gaze as he observed the weapon along the light. "Crafted well…either turned into a synthetic or by the process of Sith Alchemy, this would make a mighty crystal for a lightsaber blade."

He murmured the words as he pocketed the crystal. Unignting his weapon as he reattached it back to his belt, he had his revenge for what they did to Sokka. Now he also had something to boot as well, a mighty artifact of the dark side of the force.

He began to walk through the metal halls. After finding Bumi and Aang, he would sink this ship, destroying the ore because it was only his. Only he could control the power of the dark side, and he would kill those that harmed him…or his power.

The dark side, like a noose was quickly wrapping around his throat. His thoughts slowly becoming even more warped due to power and ambition. Yet, he deluded himself, believing that he was in the middle…failing to understand the lessons of the great masters.