Slowly, we continued our trip and descended deeper into the ruin, our path lit only by the flickering light coming from our sabers when we ran out of glow rods. The air felt as if it thickened with each step we took, starting to cling to our lungs like… oil. When I asked, Vila felt it too, and we concluded that it was not actually the air but the feeling of the Force… And as Jedi, we couldn't just cut ourselves off from it. What was not just our perception was that the walls grew closer yet also turned to smoother, darker alloys that hummed faintly beneath our touch. Whenever our fingers pushed against its surface, looking for leverage, it always lit up in different colors, humming or, more precisely, droning as long as we kept in contact. It was weird… Vila said nothing when it first happened, but I could feel her tension in me. It was not fear, not quite… but something... dark.
At first, I thought it was just the aftershock of our fight against the droids. We probably exhausted ourselves in that quick battle; at least, that was my first idea. But the more we walked, the more it felt… familiar.
Too familiar. But from where?
Whatever we were feeling was… giving me weird ideas. And I don't think it was only me.
It started with the silence between us. Normally, Vila filled that space effortlessly with teasing jabs or quick observations. But now, looking at her back, walking before me, she was brooding, her fingers flexing around her unignited lightsaber's hilt, her steps just a little too fast. Reaching out… Her presence in the Force buzzed slightly, like an angry wasp under a glass jar.
And me?
I was slowing down. Every step became heavier, every new hallway we entered felt longer, and every door we had to open by hand became more and more difficult. The Force was… leaving me. It felt like that… and then I began second-guessing every move we made. Every turn we took felt wrong, so much so that I started voicing my doubts, which in turn raised the anger within Vila. Were we walking in circles? Could be… Was Vila pulling ahead on purpose? Leading me down the wrong way? Was she…
My chest tightened… Why was I doubting her? It was just the exhaustion. Had to be! Just the pressure… Or?
"Vila, wait," I finally called instead of complaining, though it came out whinier than intended. "Hold up!"
She did… abruptly… and she didn't turn around.
"What is it?" Her voice was clipped, angry, "Another complaint? Shut it already…"
I frowned. That wasn't like her. Nor was it like me.
"Something's wrong; you feel it, too, right?" I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Like… the Force is pushing and pulling against our minds."
Saying that, I watched as Vila turned slowly, her eyes flicking over me, sharp and narrowed, her lips curling into a disgusted sneer.
"Is it?" she asked flatly. "Or are you just afraid again? Thinking I am screwing up because it is not you who are leading?"
"Huh?" That cut deeper than I expected. "What?"
"You are thinking I am screwing it up; I can feel it. You are second-guessing everything about me!" She folded her arms, stepping closer, pushing against my chest with a finger. "Maybe you're just not cut out for this."
"Vila—"
"And don't say my name like that," she snapped, her finger tapping against my chest one more time, but it actually hurt, her nail penetrating my clothes.
I stared at her, stunned. This wasn't her, and neither was it me. I almost burst out in my annoyance, telling her off… But I caught myself and my emotions. I should not do it, and Vila shouldn't lash out like this, not unless she was scared or furious… Wait. That is it.
We are being manipulated!
The realization struck me like a blaster bolt. The crystals… We hadn't passed the test; we just activated them, which doesn't mean we were done with them! We only triggered the next stage, but now it wasn't physical puzzles or droids. It was us… One of the crystals did feel more focused on anger, while the other on fear… And we were still under their influence. With a deep breath, I took a half-step back, trying to still my thoughts, ignoring the fear and doubts inside me.
"Vila… It's not you. It's this place, the crystals. They're still inside us, affecting us." My voice cracked, but then I shook my head, continuing. "Focus on me, and clear your head!" I reached out with one hand and with the Force, trying to get to her.
Her face contorted for a second, almost as if she was fighting something… I nearly got through her, but then whatever it was, as if recognizing my immediate success, pushed against me, kicking me out of Vila's mind and causing her anger to win out. As I was stumbling backward, she stepped forward, igniting both her sabers with a sharp snap-hiss.
"You always do this," she said bitterly. "Always act like you know what's going on, like you're better than me. Now what? Trying to use the Force on me so I can become a puppet of yours? A slave?"
"What are you talking about?" I gasped, my head aching like all hell.
"You hide behind calm, behind your family name, your politeness, acting like you know things better than others." She kept advancing, her eyes glowing faintly. "But deep down, you think I'm broken, don't you? That I'm just some angry slave girl who got lucky…"
Listening to her, I felt cold… That wasn't her voice… Well… not entirely. That wasn't actually her, and it made me angry in turn. Fuck you, you piece of trash planet!
"I never thought that," I hissed, holding my own saber in a defensive position. "You know I didn't."
"Liar!"
She yelled and was on me. I barely managed to raise my blade in time to block her first strike. It rang out like thunder in the hallway we were in, sparks showering to the side as our sabers clashed. Then she spun her body, attacking with an aggression that was more than what her form usually allowed… It was almost like Form V and its power attacks. It was fury-given form, and her blows came faster than I could anticipate. But she never learned it, so it was imprecise and haphazard.
I couldn't keep up—not physically, not emotionally.
"No!"
With a groan, I forced my body to move, and suddenly, I was back in the fight, managing to keep up with her. I can keep up! I just have to ignore my thoughts because they are against me right now.
"Vila, stop!" I gasped, parrying another wild arc that scorched the wall beside me and took off a few strands of hair before my forehead.
She didn't listen because she couldn't. She was wholly trapped by now. Like I was, constantly assaulted by fear, trying to pull me down by doubting every parry I was performing.
A moment later, another strike locked our sabers together, the blades snarling and spitting light everywhere between us as she pressed both sabers onto my lone one. She was close now… Very close, as her body was overpowering mine, leaning closer. And closer. I saw the flicker in her eyes, the real Vila fighting to get out, yet her face was snarling like some kind of animal... There was a tremble in her lip as if she wanted to say something that only came out as a grunt...
Then an idea hit me… So I did something stupid. Something that, if it didn't work, she would probably push me all the way down and slice both my arms off. Or worse. But…
I leaned in and kissed her.
It was nothing serious, just a peck, barely more than a brush of our lips.
But the moment we touched, the Force snapped between us like a taut string cut free, slapping us both in the face. The pressure in my mind no longer held on to my feelings, and it exploded outward like a scream being silenced in reverse. Or… was it an actual scream? Someone's…? It didn't matter in that moment. I simply watched, falling onto my bottom, as her saber got disengaged and turned off, along with mine. We both looked at each other, eyes wide, the echo of the Force still vibrating through us, but it was becoming clear and no longer tainted by fear or anger... It was more about embarrassment all of a sudden.
She was the first to blink, her expression going through multiple iterations, but none being angry or disgusted. Then… In her usual, somewhat coy voice, she asked:
"Did you just kiss me?"
"Err…" I nodded slowly, not knowing what to say in return. "It was… Um… Was that to shut me up?"
"Then why kiss me to shut yourself up?" Her voice was becoming teasing now, but I could feel she was doing it so she didn't have to think about what she had just done. "It does not make sense, Kael."
"No, it doesn't…" I agreed softly. "Well… It worked, didn't it? It did bring you back to your senses."
There was a slight pause after that, and then her hands flew up to her mouth, and she laughed a little, letting out a half-choked one. In the next moment, an utterly relieved sound escaped her throat as tears welled in her eyes. "Damn it, Kael… you are such a mess."
"As if you are to say anything," I grinned. "A moment ago, you were coming at me as if I called you a bantha or something!"
"Did you?!" She lunged forward again, but this time, into a hug, burying her face in my shoulder, and I held her tightly. "I'm so sorry…" She whispered, sniffing, "I… I didn't mean any of it…"
"I could feel it," I answered, patting her back and stroking her lekku. "It's fine."
"It isn't…" she whispered. "The anger, Kael... It wasn't mine, um… Not completely. But it wasn't aimed at you, it just…"
"I understand," I murmured. "It was aimed at others. You never really had a chance to let those out, did you? There was never an actual closure to your past. No wonder this place used it against you. Or us. I know you would not say those words to me."
"I wouldn't," She shook her head fiercely. "Never."
"So don't blame yourself!" I pulled back enough to look her in the eye. "But I can feel that the test isn't over, Vila. It's whatever it is; I bet that it's still watching. Listening to us… We can't afford to turn on each other again, and we can't relax just because one thing is over."
"Yeah… We won't," she said, her voice much steadier now. "If so, knock me on my head again, just use tongue next time, okay?"
Before I could realize she was simply joking, masking her shame with humor, I had already nodded my head, agreeing to it. Needless to say, both of us blushed as we stood, dusting ourselves down.
"Um…" I began, but before any of us could say anything, a familiar voice cut in.
[Statement: Meatbags are still just as gross as ever before.]
With a whirl on our heels, turning around, we saw HK standing there, holding an ancient-looking blaster rifle, but he wasn't aiming it at either of us.
"HK?" I asked, unsure if this was another test or not.
[Statement: Of course. Query: Is the Meatbag finally back to its senses, or do I need to shoot you?]
"I think… we are… but what do you mean?" I asked, making him tilt his head.
[Tired Statement: I was with you all the time. I was the one opening the door while you two were fiddling with Jedi balls.]
"…"
[Statement: I take no responsibility for awakening the guarding droids. That was a naturally occurring accident.]
"Wait… You were here all along?!" I asked, wanting to scream out.
[Tired Statement: Affirmative. I saw and heard everything. I can share a playback–]
"No!" We both exclaimed, gulping.
[Resigned Acknowledgement: Okay. Addendum: I quickly determined that the Meatbags had been placed under some kind of mental attack. The weakness of the flesh is disgusting. Relieved Statement: I have many times praised myself for being made of metal instead of biological material.]
"This place is damned…" I groaned, making Vila nod reflexively.
[Statement: More than you two Meatbags think.]
"What do you mean?" Vila asked, and I also stiffened.
[Statement: I scouted ahead while you two Meatbags were courting each other a moment ago. What I found… will need your Jedi input.]