The scream echoed through the corridor before the door even opened.
Kael sprinted in — shirtless, bare-footed, armed only with instinct and Force — and found Aris curled in the corner of her bed, fists clenched in her flight jacket, eyes wide with terror.
She didn't cry.
She burned.
The lights in the room flickered. A tray on the nearby desk melted inward. The air shimmered with residual energy.
[ Force Surge Detected – Origin: Aris ]Emotional Trigger: Fear / Memory ConflictStability: Rapid DeclineRecommendation: Emotional Anchor Required | Proximity of Bonded Leader = Optimal
Kael crossed the room, ignoring the heat ripple that singed his skin, and dropped to his knees beside her.
"It's not real," he said softly, reaching toward her. "You're safe."
She flinched. "He's coming… He's real."
"Who?"
Her lips trembled. "The fire man. The one with black eyes and red hands. He was in my dream. But he knew I was dreaming. He looked at me. And he smiled."
Kael stilled.
This wasn't just a nightmare.
It was a message.
Cortana reviewed the data feed moments later in the command hub, her projection flickering between readouts. Her expression was serious — analytical, but not detached.
"This wasn't an echo. It was an intrusion. Someone or something piggybacked off the kyber resonance and used it to project directly into her subconscious."
"Remote Force projection?" Kael asked, pacing.
"Yes. Not unlike what powerful Sith Lords have done before," she confirmed. "But this one didn't come from a throne world or temple. It came from… here."
Cortana rotated the map — and highlighted a section deep beneath the Dune Cradle shrine.
"There's another level. We missed it. Probably shielded by raw obsidian and Force-dampening ore. But during Aris's vision, it lit up like a flare."
Kael's jaw tensed.
"Then we're going back."
[ New Mission: Ashes in the Blood – Shrine Reentry Required ]Objective: Descend into Lower Chamber | Identify Source of ProjectionThreat Level: HighRecommended Loadout: Force Combat-Ready | AI Tactical Uplink OnlineReward: Unlock Deeper Kyber Lore | Purge Echoing Presence | XP + Equipment CacheOptional: Determine identity of Force projector – recruit, eliminate, or imprison
Kael descended alone.
Voro had argued against it. Vox offered to back him up. But Kael knew this was different — the shrine hadn't called for them. It called for him.
The lower chamber was black as pitch. The descent took him through a vertical fissure barely wide enough to walk through sideways, his boots crunching on shards of raw crystal embedded in the stone.
He felt them humming.
Screaming.
Alive.
Then he found it.
A spherical chamber, walls lined with jagged red shards protruding like claws from flesh. At the center: a pool of obsidian glass, cracked through with veins of fire.
And kneeling in the center of it — a figure.
Not fully formed.
Not physical.
But watching.
Kael approached, every nerve taut.
"You're the one haunting her."
The figure didn't speak. Its head tilted, and a voice flooded the space — not from the figure, but from the walls themselves.
"You carry the echo of the Woundwalker."
Kael blinked. "Revan."
"Your presence fractures the coil. You are not of this weave."
"Correct."
"You stole fire and brought it to the past. Now the fire burns the child."
Kael clenched his fists. "She's not yours."
The figure stood, rising into the shape of a man cloaked in ash and black armor.
Not a Sith. Not fully.
Not yet.
"She was born of memory and rage. Her lineage is not clean. Her pain is her birthright."
Kael stepped forward. "And I'm rewriting that birthright."
The figure's hands flared with red flame.
Kael reached for the Force — and for the first time since arriving in this world, he didn't filter it. He let it surge.
His body burned with purpose.
[ Ability Activated: Revan's Dual Force Harmony – Shadow+Light Surge ]Temporary Boost: +50% Combat Reflex | +20% Willpower Shield | +100% Resistance to Fear-type ProjectionsPassive Trigger: Crystal Cleansing Pulse
The figure lunged.
Kael countered — not with fists or saber, but with will.
He extended both arms and pushed — not the droid-sweeping blast of a normal Force shove, but a metaphysical strike fueled by belief. The chamber screamed. Cracks spread through the fire-glass. The apparition buckled, twisted—
And then shattered.
When Kael emerged from the shrine again, sweat slicked his skin and his heartbeat echoed in his ears.
Cortana was waiting in the ship.
"Did you destroy it?" she asked.
Kael climbed into the pilot seat and sat back, eyes closed.
"No," he said. "I released it."
[ Mission Complete: Ashes in the Blood ]Status: Echo Cleansed | Projection Source TerminatedReward: Kyber Purified – Crystal Core Fragment AcquiredNew Item: Tros'Kar Resonance Core (Usable as saber heart)XP Gained: +2,500 | System Trust IncreasedAris Bond Increased: Level 3 (Protector)Aris Effect: Nightmares ceased | Emotional Stability ImprovedMercNet Note: Resonance Core may still influence future alignment — monitor child closely.
That night, Kael sat beside Aris as she drifted into quiet, dreamless sleep.
The temperature in her room was normal.
No flickers. No screams.
Only peace.
For now.
[ MercNet Alert: New Facility Unlocked – Saber Forge Bench ]Fragmented Crystal and Resonance Core are now available for crafting. Estimated Completion: 3 chapters from now (or after next major encounter).Recommended Components:– Purified Crystal Core (Acquired)– Hilt Base: Black Blade Frame– Emotional Anchor: User DeterminedResult: Custom Lightsaber – Attunement Locked to Aris (or Kael if override engaged)
Meanwhile, far away, on a distant derelict station orbiting Geonosis, the Sith acolyte who had attempted to reach Aris… opened his eyes.
Blood trickled from them.
But he smiled.
"She resisted," he whispered. "Which means she feels."
And the next time…
She wouldn't be alone.