-From the perspective of Nizzal-

  We walked towards the source of the smoke in a heavy silence. A sense of desperation looming over our heads. As the distaween us and oal shortehe smoke has widened, now c most of the sky above us.

  With a growing sense of worry, we g each other, searg for a different expnation, ohat could have expihe sudden fire on the surface of a desert p.

  I watched the backs of Ligo and Bamadal, who were the ones leading our advahey hastily climbed up to the top of the st sand dune separating us from the ship’s location. I heard a sharp intake of breath as they y their eyes upon the sight.

  I eled a little-bit of forto my legs, and soon after them, mao stumble to the top of the dune. My retively small body was once again causing me an unnecessary amount of disfort, not eveioning that most of us were already tired from the earlier travel.

  Still, I straightened myself, trying to not roll dowher side with the same momentum. My eyes finally focused on the raw destru that read out in front of us.

  An enormous crater filled with the burning remains of a now pletely unreizable space ship was the only thi behind. Its parts scorched and spread across the ndscape thrown around by the powerful explosion as if they weighed nothing.

  I go my side, at Ligo and Bamadal. Both of their expressions were dark. I did not he help of the force to realize that they were eheir fists were f fists, eyes filled with blind rage and a thirst for revenge.

  A dangerous bination, as they were yet to find a target to trate that hatred. I decided not to say a word. Their hands now were grasping their bster guns with a deathly iion as they began to march down the duo reach the ruins of their ship.

  I heard as the rest of our team was about to arrive as well. They were still blessed with the hope of an unlikely miracle, hoping in the slightest possibility that the ship was still fine.

  I did not wish to take that hope from them, not before it was absolutely necessary.

  With that, I started to walk down to the bottom of the dune, following the two men in front of me.

  My ears still caught the shocked and desperate whispers sounding behihe already formed knot in my throat was tightening with the knowledge of helplessness.

  A foreboding thought was h over me for a while now, a thought which I had no realistiswer to.

  How are we going to survive here with these numbers?

  I slowly skidded down to the bottom of the hill, kig up a rge portion of the sand in the process that was now threatening to fly into my eyes and mouth. I blinked frequently. My eyes itched with the irritation, a few dry coughs leaving my chest trying to get rid of the sand crystals stu my orifices. It was a futile endeavor.

  While distracted by the momentary disforts of my predit, I felt a rge hand stretched in front of my chest of which I actally bumped into.

  I stumbled back a bit, blinking with frustration, looking up at Ligo, who the arm beloo with a questioning gre. Ohat was easily mollified as I saw the sharp and cautious expression stu his face.

  The earlier anger was o be seen. In its pce, however, there was something different. A growing sense of terror barely hidden uhe emotionless expression, only betrayed by the trembling pupils staring forward towards the burning wreckage.

  I gulped, uanding the situation with a solemn expression. We were not alone.

  I ighe still remaining itess in my eyes and followed his gaze, trying to search for the cause of such a rea. Even when I already had a good enough guess…

  Soon enough, my eyes found the form of a single dark clothed silhouette standing in front of the destroyed ship. The moment my eyes stuck to it, a malevolent wave of dark side energy began to ma out of thin air. Dark, poisonous clouds were unleashed in our dire with the power of any real storm, coupled with the occasional sparks of electricity running through its malevolent mass.

  My eyes widened as I withe raw, turbulent, dark side energies pushing towards us like an avanche. Bringing along everything in its path, be that sand, smoke or small pieces of the wreckage. All of it happened with such power and suddehat I had not enough time to prepare against its initial assault.

  I stumbled back, along with the others, as its full force bsted against our bodies, ripping into our clothes and skin with a surprising ferocity.

  Gritting my teeth uhe waves of densed malice, its power no doubt reinforced by the effects of the pself. It didn’t take long since I could feel the unnatural ess creeping into my bones, a sure sign of the effects of life drain mixed into the storm. The cold, overp mental pressure pressing on our minds was nothing to scoff at, either.

  Seeing all of this happening, my brai into overdrive. It was needless to say, but things were not looking good for us, and the Sith was not holding baymore either… Now it was either us or him.

  I reached for my lightsaber with my right, while simultaneously raising my left arm to form a shield against the storm.

  I felt the presence of the rest of our team hastily arriving from our backs and soo a small, trembling hand grab onto my right upper arm for suppainst the blowing winds. I could feel the fusion and fear radiating from the presence of Ahsoka as she held onto my arm, but there was also ce and a heartfelt desire to defy this darkness.

  O time, I checked everyone’s presehey felt like flickering little white dots amids the all-ing darkness.

  Still, they were grasping their ons and sabers, ready for the worst.

  Putting such thoughts aside.

  I closed my eyes and focused solely on my task at hand. With a strengthened resolve of my friends and panions, I raised my left hand higher, palm open, towards the epiter of the storm. Uhe assault of stant dark side oppression, I needed all my tration to form a light side shield powerful enough to brace this storm. I had to pull on my reserves and even borrow Ahsoka’s power, which she was readily for my spell.

  With an incredible effort, the shield finally maed, engulfing tag team defying the sea of darkness which was ing the world beyond the force shield's fickle yers.

  The attack, however, didn’t seem to abate, and I could feel my breathing being rapider with the agonizingly slow passage of time. Perspiration was running down my cheeks and forehead. I could feel the people’s worried gny skin. The tension end fear radiating from them as they helplessly stared at the bck corroding powers g against the shield, which served as the sole barrier between them and the dev darkness.

  I had been keeping up the barrier for more than five minutes now, and I could feel the icy grasp of emptiness and terror crawling up my legs. I khat I could not support this barrier for much longer. Not on this phere was no light side to harness from my surroundings here, and the dark side could not be used to defend the others. It was only good for destru…

  I realized that probably that was the reason they brough here Ahsoka, why they allowed me to reuh her. The others being here were likely the result of an act…

  To my surprise, the storm of malevolent energies pressing against the force shield gradually began to weaken until their power pletely dispersed. Its powerful assault, however, left behind a thick s of sand floating in the surrounding air, obstrug our vision.

  I reized the tactic. It was simir to what he used ihe cave, only then he was hiding in the shadows. Now he po do that with the help of this sand veil...

  I let go of my shield, letting it disperse into nothingness. Immediately feeling the immense relief as the pressure on my mi up. Without wasting time, I furrowed my brows, closing my eyes in another instance of tration as I made a grabbing motion in front of my face with my left hand, followed by one simir to pulling aside a heavy curtain.

  With that, a gust of wind shed out in a circle around us, effectively blowing away most of the accumuted sand.

  A dark cloaked figure appeared about twenty meters from us, seemingly surprised by the disappearance of the sand.

  Before it could rea any meaningful way, a series of bster shots were sent towards him, Ligo shouting the order.

  -Kill that bastard!

  Bsts of red psma rained down around the dark clothed figure. To my surprise, instead of the double-bded saber stuff, this time, two single-handed red lightsabers burst ience. As the man whirled around, with incredible speed either dodging or redireg some shots while still managing to shorten the distaween us.

  I observed his erratients, with an ominous suspi settling over me… Something wasn’t right. He's movements were too different, his speed ridiculous, especially on sand… as if he was sliding over the sand, his legs not even toug the surface.

  While our attention was focused on the enemy in front of us, I heard a shout of agony ing from an ued angle, from behind us, which was followed by a dull thud and other alerting shouts.

  Both me and Ahsoka whirled around looking at the shog sight.

  Qaghr, the aqualish man, was lying on the ground, its body cut into two at its midse. A blood freezing expression frozen on his still screaming face.

  I looked away in disgust, and my eyes soon found the ao what was happening. Standing behind us, with a double-bded saber stuff, was a different cloaked figure.

  One of his bdes locked with Barriss's saber just before it would deliver a fatal strike at the back of Suye’s unprotected neck. Poor woman filed in shock as she dropped on her ba terror, no doubt already feeling the heat emitted from the burning psma bdes near her neck.

  She was currently sliding backwards on her bottom and muttering to herself…

  -No, no, no, no, no, no… please no!

  Barriss’s and Maul’s saber locks were abruptly broken as Malle twirled around and shot a bster shot at the zabrak’s face. He was forced to diseo block the attack.

  I wao go ahem, but before I could move in their dire, I felt an invisible frab onto my right ankle and with a powerful pull before I k; I found myself on my back, sliding towards the other mysterious enemy.

  I saw the bastard agilely move between the psma shots, moving into a position to attack me, and since I was still pulled across the sand field while ying on my back, I didn’t quite feel like waiting for that to happen.

  I raised one of my hands while taking a few bites of fresh send, whily served as fertile ground for my growing anger and frustration. I sent a bright blue streak of lightning right at the bastard.

  As the fucker sensed my impending attack, it immediately let go of my ankle, fog on its defense instead. I gnced back towards the others, only to realize that the distaween us was a ler than I inally anticipated. I quickly took in the chaotic battle with a hammeri and a growing sense of worry. Seeing that all my friends and the rest of the expeditiorying to fight off the other Sith. I o finish this as quickly as possible.

  I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of dry sand, my momentum finally dispersing enough, to allow me to stop my slide.

  I didn’t have time to feel relieved; I reminded myself, while f my legs under my body.

  My eyes turowards the dark clothed bastard, who had mao defend against my attack without much effort.

  I could hear ahe chaotic battle enfolding behind me, but I could not allow myself to get distracted again when fag su oppo. The others o survive on their own, at least for now.

  I tried to feel the preseny enemy, trying to learn who this person might be. Only to realize that he was c its force preseh a rarely witnessed mastery.

  Because of the thick dark clothes flowing around his figure, c its entire body in loose garb, hiding the wearer’s general body shape fr eyes, that was the only information I could get.

  I decided to throw a question at him…

  -Who are you!?

  I shouted with a bit more desperation leaking into my voice than I would have liked to. The sounds of g sabers and panicked shouts behind me were having a rger effey mind than I inally thought.

  I heard a strange chuckle ing from the bastard. An ominous crag voice that I couldn’t quite pce.

  I wao shout at the fucker once more, but my iions were abruptly cut off by an ining bst of furious energy.

  My eyes widened in panic. He was attempting to drain my life essence again… through the densed reddish energy sent bsted at me. I could feel that its power was immense! If that hits me… I was not sure that I could survive in my current state. Such violent energy could only be absorbed by light side based powers, but such powers were restricted on this cursed p!

  My force reserves were still under an average jedi’s power. My actual power came from the ability to harness and use the tent forergies present in my surroundings. But here, the only thing I could harness was a sea of dark side energy.

  Damn, sihings came to this… I had no other choice.

  I turned off my saber and willed a shield ience while simultaneously rolling to my side in a desperate attempt to dodge.

  I felt the destructive energies csh against my shield; I felt as the attack ate through my meager defenses. I cried out as the searing violent power burned my right side, as it turned out that I couldn’t quite avoid it entirely.

  I bit down on my lower lips, drawing blood in the process, trying to blink away the desperate tears leaking into my eyes.

  In a state of panic, my mind reached out for all the tent energies still remaining in my viity to draw power from them, and in a focused effort coupled by agonizing levels of pain I mao fight off the destructive powers that had invaded my body.

  It still hurts like a bitch, though.

  I crawled to my feet, my eyes stained with fresh tears, bloodied lips, and an ugly expression on my pale face.

  I looked at the bastard, deg that no, I did not care about who this fucker was. For me, he was as good as dead.

  With a quick fliy wrist, I put my lightsaber bato my belt and focused my mind to harness as much dark side energy from the p as my body could handle.

  My oppo seemed to feel the ge imosphere, as it finally stopped its occasional chuckle.

  I felt as my eyes began to burn with a deep golden color as I tio pull in more and more power. I focused on the bastard and flicked out my right wrist in his dire. The motion was followed by a powerful burst of energy.

  As, my oppo has mao spin out of its way, using his strange, erratients. He was moving with small, precisely trolled bursts of force, I realized.

  He even mao send a simir lightning based attack at me, but I anticipated it, and as a rea, I grabbed hold of a huge amount of sand in front of me. Lifting it up just in time to serve as a shield, eling the lightning into the ground, dispersing it harmlessly.

  A smug smile appeared on my face as I watched the dispersing lightni some of the sand into molten gss.

  As, my smile was quickly eradicated, as I felt a powerful burst of raw forergy hammering into my sand shield, pletely destroying it and throwing the partially melted hot sand towards me, effectively engulfing my whole body in it.

  I would have screamed from the pain caused by the molten gss directly tag my skin. Only if I wasn’t forced to keep my mouth shut, dreading the possibility of getting some of that gss i.

  In a mad dash, I burst through the deadly cloud. Immediately finding myself ih of a red saber heading towards my neck. Fuck-fuck-fuck! The bastard was waiting for that exaent!

  pletely relying on my instincts, I leao the side, barely missing the bde as it passed by my face with an inch, while igniting my saber to block the other one ing from the opposite dire in an upward cutting motion.

  Sparks burst from the tact of our sabers. I jumped up, pulling up both my legs, readying myself to send a powerful kito the chest of this crag bastard utilizing both my legs. While simultaneously propelling myself away from him. Trying to disengage before his other bde could e around. My feet, enhanced with the power of the force, crashed into him mercilessly, releasing a small burst of energy to propel myself backwards just in time to get out of the reach of the blood red bde ing after me in a horizontal strike.

  Now, with a more fortable distaween us, I couldn’t help but smile as I listeo the pained guttural growl made by the man.

  With a mid air somersault I mao nd on my feet, sliding backwards on the red yers of sand propelled by the accumuted momentum. Already preparing myself for another exge of deadly blows.

  Just before I could straighten myself properly, I felt a force warning that urged me to duck down, and I did so.

  Fttening myself against the sand, I heard the familiar sound of a thrown lightsaber passing over my head, the slightly whistling sound as it burned out the ozone from the air.

  I rolled to the side and pushed myself to my feet once again. Sending out a long stream of lightning towards the Sith, ohat was shoved to the side with the precise use of his other saber, which was still held in its hand.

  I cursed silently.

  I was beyond enraged by now, however, allowing myself to be led by my emotions would have been a certain way to die against such a skillful oppo. Still, there was an amount of dark side energies you could el without starting to experience side effects that teo promise yeneral judgment and abilities to see reason.

  The more you relied on its power, the more emotional you became. In most circumstances, I could e those effects by drawing on the light side, but such things were being less and less realisti our current predit.

  He pulled back the throwo his outstretched arm, slowly turning back towards me. A pair of golden eyes filled with nothing but hatred were staring at me from the shadow of his hood. He coughed, an effey earlier kio doubt. His inteare focused on me, promising nothing but death. Suddenly, he turned off his sabers, putting them ihose baggy clothes.

  Not waiting for whatever the hell he nning, I sent aream of lightning towards his face, which he absorbed with an outstretched palm. I was having a bad feeling about this.

  Just as I thought that, a powerful warning of danger assaulted me through the force. I moved to the side then again, but the sensation of danger didn’t disappear. My eyes widened as I looked around rapidly, trying to figure out what his deal was. Then I noticed something.

  The surrounding air was starting to boil. I could see lines made from fiery streaks of air esg upward as the air molecules buzzed arouhe heat tinued spiking upwards dangerously; I felt my throat getting drier by the seds as cold sweat flooded my body, dreng my clothes more than it already was.

  Then… I saw buzzing sparks ing to life around me, finally realizing what was happening!

  He was using pyrokinesis! Fug pyrokinesis, of all things!

  A burst of fme, ohat would put the mandaloriahrowers to shame, came ience, heading straight for me.

  I did the only logical thing I could while fag such a ridiculous attack. I used the force to enhance my speed and jolted in the opposite dire. Unfortunately, the bastard wasn’t intending to let me escape. As new fme tongues appeared in my way, eventually managing to surround me in a cavalcade of flowing fmes.

  I looked at the firestorm, about to engulf me in its ter with a strained, hesitant smile.

  -Fuck my life… well, I guess I try out that at st… not that I ever wao…

  I closed my eyes, turning inwards as I focused all my attention on the immediate surrounding of my body. To the yers just above my skin with a few timeters, I desperately eled the remains of my power, which were already going beyond anything I had ever done or tried to do in this child's body.

  I felt that I was being faint uhe immense pressure, but I didly have a choice here… had I?

  I gritted my teeth and used my cryokinesis in an attempt to draw the heat from my immediate surroundings. This teique was ly created to do anything as fshy as this. Still, it better work out!

  I thought as the fmes pletely engulfed me in their ter. I eled my power into the teique, feeling the growi around me… I ched my jaw, the burni leaking through my teique… my skin blistering as my robes caught on fire uhe storm of hellfire.

  I felt a growing sense of hopeless panigulf me, as I stood in the ter of the storm with desperately closed eyes and holding back my breath, waiting for the storm to pass, my strength draining away rapidly, as the heat tio rise even against all my efforts.

  Suddenly, the fmes dispersed, leaving behind a scorched molten ground filled with burning hot air. Taking the opportunity, I moved towards the side of the affected area, not letting up my cryokinesis until I stepped away from the scorched ground.

  Only then did I dare open my eyes and take in a rge breath of air…

  I took a few weak steps, while grasping for air simir to a drowning man. Desperately trying to will my body to fight on… but it seemed to have a different idea as I promptly colpsed on my knees. I felt like g as the pain jolted through my body. My skin was blistered at pces peeling off…

  My clothes were almost entirely scorched, its material bed beynition where it had not burned off pletely. My lips were dried out like paper, eyes pulsing with pain, as a prig dry feeling seemed to permaly settle ihem.

  I thought with a sarcastic grin that my eyebrows were probably history now… it itiful attempt at trying to keep my fear under some measure of trol.

  Who the hell did I mao piss off this much? I definitely felt like g… as I was kneeling there feeling pletely drained, barely capable of sitting upright on my own…

  I g the others, realizing that the sounds of battle had disappeared for a while. As I looked over, I witnessed a terrifying sight… dead bodies littered the ground, spread out in a half circle. Among the bodies, a lonely bck figure stood like a reaper h over a battlefield.

  My eyes flickered in disbelief as I looked at the bodies tremblingly. First, I saw was Bamadal, his right hand cut off, still attached to the thrown aside on, with a grotesque hole burned into the middle of his chest.

  Then I saw Ligo beheaded, his lifeless body thrown to the side followed by the broken forms of Malle and Suye ying on top of each other, run through by the same bde.... dead.

  Then… then my eyes caught the form of Barriss ying on her back, unmoving lifeless eyes staring at the sky with aernally peaceful expression frozen in her features. A few steps from her was Kalifa, face down in the sand, head bent in the wrong dire, a broken neck...

  I gnced over the field with a dry sob breaking out of my throat… and I was disgusted with myself, realising that I felt a sense of relief… All because I didn’t see Ahsoka and Lily among the bodies… They must have run away… thinking that I was killed by the firestood for them!

  -What… what have you done?!

  I shouted, my body trembling as much from the rage as the pain and grief I was feeling.

  -What have you done? You animals, beasts! Who the hell are you to begin with!?

  I felt a burst of lightning run through my body, my mind filled with white hot pain as I fell on the ground vulsing, as terrifying screams broke loose from my throat.

  I heard another chuckle as an amused voice spoke out between the waves of agonizing pain.

  -Look at you… wriggling on the ground like a worm… how could that be?

  Another burst of lightning followed by another series of raw screams… I couldn’t even reize my voiymore in those screams…

  -Ah-h-h-h… Does that hurt you, Grandmaster? I believed that something so insignifit as this much wouldn’t bother someone like you, who was supposed to stand above the rules of the universe? Ahh, but now as I look at you I ’t help but wonder, how could such a perfect being fall so far… and so quickly… C-c-c…

  Another burst of lightning shook my body as I shouted at the animal.

  -ARGH!!! YOU BASTARDS!!! WHO ARE YOU?!

  -Oh? Don’t ynize me, oh-mighty Grandmaster of the Gray… Another one of those bunch of pathetiaway fools soaking in their misery and self-denial hiding from the harshness of the world… Ah… if I ever saw something more miserable…

  He paused while enjoying my suffering soaking in it.

  -Did you seriously think I didn’t know of your pathetic existence? I merely tolerated you as a necessary annoyance. Your kind are indeed quite slippery... ahh… elusive, even…

  The surrounding air seemed to drop a few degrees as he spoke… while I tried to catch my breath between the brief pauses betweeorture. My eyes had already turned hazy uhe waves of agonizing pain… I was lying on my side in a fetal position, barely able to listen to its words…

  -It certainly surprised me that you dared meddling in my affairs so openly, and in the process somehow managing to ruin my carefully crafted pn… You have caused me quite the amount of annoyance, even managing to turn my future apprentice against me… But look at where all that meddling brought you, you wretched little bitch…

  Another burst of intense lightning was unleashed upohis one is even strohan the earlier one, burning me from the i, as waves upon waves of pain were running through my flesh.

  Somewhere along the line, I started sobbing uhe cruel torture… and the lightniually stopped.

  -Oh-h-h… I assure you there is o cry… my dear little worm… I uand that you feel sorry for ruining my pns, but I assure you, what you did is little more than a momentary invenience. I will eventually rectify it…

  Before he could unleash another burst of lightning upon my broken body. I heard a pair of ining steps. I opened my blurry eyes, looking at the dark clothed figures.

  I watched as Maul walked forward with a fident gait, looking at me with an almost pitiful expression. There was something strangely familiar in that gaze, but I couldn’t quite pce it…

  What surprised me were the words spoken by him.

  -It is quite enough, Lord Sidious… Based on what you showed me, I decided to deem your capabilities acceptable. I might even say that you exceeded my expectations.

  The man in the loose dark garbs almost purred with satisfa. He showed a light bow, then catg himself i, to my great shod fusion, lowered himself on one knee in front of the form of Maul.

  Even through the haze of immense pain. This sight made me fused… but, then again… there was that strange lingering familiarity surrounding Maul… ohat I couldn’t quite pce yet.

  The old bastard crooked out in a joyful voice.

  -You ftter me, my Lord… is it dohen?

  Maul looked at me, then back to the form of the kneeling Sidious… Sidious? Was this… was I fighting against the Sith Lord that was trying to destroy the Jedi… but how could that be? Why would he orchestrate such a trap only to kill me in the middle of a gactic war? This doesn’t make sense, and why does he ko Maul of all things… wasn’t Maul his apprehat he tossed aside?

  -Yes, you have proved yourself strohan your petitors managing to rise above every one of them. I accept you as my apprentice. You may keep your Darth name, however, I see no reason in ging it…

  The crooked man bowed with gleeful acceptance.

  -I thank you for yenerosity… master…

  Maul seemed to nod, saying a single short sentence.

  -You, my rise… Lord Sidious.

  I looked at them from the ground… in plete fusion… Muttering with the st bits of my seeping away strength.

  -Who… who are you…?

  Sidious s me, it seemed that he almost fot about me.

  -It seems she has still some life in that wretched little body of hers… should I get rid of it?… Master…

  -You may not. I wish to speak with her, after so much time, I think she deserves some answers.

  He allowed a gleeful smile to appear on his face before he tinued.

  -It wouldn’t have beeirely ho of me if I stated that I wasn’t looking forward to her rea either.

  Sidious stayed silent for a while, sparing me a gnce filled with utter rage and disgust.

  -I see, master… then I will wait.

  He said eventually, and I felt a cold shudder that shook my body in the wake of his words.

  My eyes locked to Maul’s golden red eyes, shaking with the pain and still present vulsions running through my body. Then… something ged… I saw the air move around his body… no… it was an illusion of sorts. Falling apart… I watched in shod horror as the yers of colors that created Maul’s iic face dispersed slowly, revealing a unique deep blue skin color and a pair of familiar red eyes that seemed to stare into the very depths of my soul.

  My mouth opened in shod terror as I tried to speak the words…

  -A-A-Aomi? It… it ’t be…

  A atronizing smile appeared on the woman’s features… the person who was standing by my side for the lo amount of time… the one I would never even dare doubt in… What was going on!? Was it another spell of that bastard?

  -Ah-ah-ah, I see that you finally reized little old me?

  I felt another yer of tears appearing in my eyes… as I asked.

  -…Why?

  She seemed thoughtful for a few seds. Then leaned her face to the side and said in a pyful tone.

  -By the way… I am not really Aomi old friend, that was only this body’s some point.

  -…hat? What do you mean… by that?

  She chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.

  -Foolish to the bitter end I see… But, what you do… that strange innoce was what I always found so endearing in your memory lihe ability to triumph, even against all the odds.

  -Who the fuck are you… I don’t know you… bastard…

  She clicked her tongue in frustration. Grabbing onto my , as she forced me to look into her eyes…

  -e now, little Nizzy… stop pying the ignorant. Look me in the eye and tell me who I am! I am certain you do it.

  I tried to turn away with little success, seeing the familiarly glinting eyes… the ones I somehow always found so simir to Bas… I panicked… realization dawning on me…

  I closed my eyes and wriggled, trying to escape from her icy grasp.

  She smiled and chuckled seeing my tortured expression.

  -Aha! See? You could do it after all.

  I sobbed as I said in plete despair,

  -No… it ’t be… it ’t be, I won’t accept it…

  She let go of my face grudgingly. Croug dowo me with a light smile pying across her face.

  -I assure you, it . Sigh… You see, old friend, I never was quite as good or quite as selfless as you… It was amusing to see the creation of your little cult… I even e at times, could have pyed the mommy and daddy act with you for a few more turies, unfortunately does eyes of yours made it quite impossible.

  She snickered.

  -When you eventually mao get the hang of those, you would realize that my memory line was ly what it seemed. To be entirely ho with you… The very fact that you actually believed that the reason why not a single spirit maed from my memory line was because they willingly accepted death was already ridiculously lucky…

  I groarying to wake up from this nightmare. It couldn’t be anything else than a ridiculously realistiightmare after all…

  -What are yling about? It won’t ge anything… Are you still trying to dey? Nizzy, dear… It seems I have to spell it out for you.

  -Yes… I am Basti, Basti Shan.

  She smiled.

  -As you have probably already figured it out, instead of giving my memories to a less talented fool, like you guys enjoyed doing. I have used the inal ritual and stolen all the twenty-four other person’s bodies in my memory lihe entire process was surprisingly easy; sihey were willing… You know, believing that it would happeher way around, some not even realizing what was going on till the bitter end.

  She smirked, satisfied with her feat.

  -But seriously… I don’t think I would have mao overtake so many bodies… not without them literally pleading for me to do so.

  I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood in the process. My body was shaking more from the brutal sense of betrayal than the pain my body suffered.

  -How… how could you do this… you betrayed everything we worked for…

  She scoffed at that.

  -Not quite… maybe what you worked for sweety… I was merely enjoying myself. Still, it is quite sad that I will have to go back to the old ways… But you don’t seem to be willing to let bygones be bygones based on that expression of yours. Ha!

  She sighed again, waving her hand desdingly.

  -I was hoping that you would find a way of immortality… doing most of the hard work in my pce. It’s unfortuhat doing that doesn’t seem to be an option, anyway.

  With that, she stood up, sparing me o ghen proceeded to ignore me.

  -Master, a sandstorm is ining.

  Asked Sidious.

  -I feel it.

  She answered.

  -Should I hunt dowher two that ran away?

  Basti thought about that for a while. Then said eventually.

  -Hmm… No… let the sandstorm take care of them.

  There was a moment of fusion.

  -But master, didn’t you say that there rophecy sidering that other child… the oh those strange appendages?

  She chuckled…

  -Ah… now I see what you mean… ha-h-h… I almost fot about that one. How careless of me… It was just something I made up with the use of a random prophecy that was simir enough to serve my purpose. They make thousands of those in every year, most of them never seem to pass. I only wanted her to go back to the temple for your trap t to life there. This way we bme her disappearan the Jedi. I am actually surprised there was someone simir enough to match the description of this prophecy…

  She turned silent for a while, then scoffed and waved it off.

  -Whatever, I have done what I came here for. Let’s leave!

  -What about her?

  -She is beyond help, and even if by some sort of miracle she would stay alive… The sandstorm will take care of the rest, not eveioning that there is no other ship aside from our own here, and that is not for loher. Now I suggest you, my nereo remain silent. I have eained your whims more than enough, sidering my elevated mood, but do not think that to be the norm.

  With that said, they walked away.

  Leaving me aloh the empty sense of betrayal and the immense pain jolting through every part of my body.

  I didn’t know how long I y there, staring at the darkening sky with a lifeless expression.

  Was that what Barriss saw before she died?

  Came the thought to my mind… She probably believed that I would save her somehow i sed. H, pirl, was… it turned out that I couldn’t even save myself… how could I dream of saving others?

  I sense of frustratio away at my heart… I tried to move, but it was for naught. Poor Kalifa… I let her die… just the same… I saved her once, only to allow her to be killed ter…

  Tears began to flow out of my eyes suddenly… tears of deep regret… I sobbed silently as the sky tio darken above me. The sandstorm was getting closer… at least it will end soon.

  I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

  Then I heard the voices speaking to me. Remindihat I was not alohat I was ruly alone.

  You have done well.

  Your purpose has been fulfilled, just as we foreseen it.

  I am proud that I had the honor of teag su incredible apprentice as you were.

  -M-master? My purpose… what do you mean? Stop… stop praising me…

  I cried even more…

  -I… I destroyed your memory line… you will die because of me… why are you praisihen?

  You did not do such a thing.

  You did not.

  -I don’t… I don’t uand.

  We have foreseen that a traitor is among the highest echelons of the order.

  But we were uo find out who it was.

  Your purpose was to reveal the traitor.

  And you did, just as we expected.

  -But… what are you talking about… what good will that do if I die here, and you die along with me?

  That will not e to pass.

  Indeed, it won’t.

  -hat?

  Destroying her is a burden that belongs to someone else.

  With the voices done speaking, I heard the sound of hurried steps running towards me. My tired eyes were opening as I saw the g, desperate face of Ahsoka looming over me. With a very injured Lily following behind her.

  -Nizzy, Nizzy! You hear me, oh god! C-calm down, everything will be fine, Lily will heal yht?! Right!?

  I saw Lily walk up to us as she looked at me, toug my arm tentatively, only to shake her head slowly.

  -No… that… no!

  I felt that my battered lips began to form a nostalgic half smile.

  I looked Ahsoka in the eye, seeing the flickering force field around her prese was telling me everything I o know. The force approved of her to be the apostle.

  I spoke.

  -Soka…

  -Yes?

  She asked, surprisingly gently, and I tinued.

  -Do you trust me?

  -Of course, I do!

  -The go.

  Dear readers,

  Thank you for reading The Way of the Gray. There will be a plete reediting of the story, to find those elusive errors that I have missed over the time. After that is done, we will tinue our adveh a his time inal series here on ScribbleHub and possibly over Archive of our own.

  Thank you for stig around.

  With the si gratitude,

  Yokem.