Dreams, Inner Demons; Awakening. Vol. 6

The forest pressed close around them, alive with the sound of branches shifting under the weight of the wind. Moonlight struggled to pierce the canopy, breaking through in silvery fragments that flashed across Aiden Porte's face as he guided the small group along the narrow trail. His hand was steady on his lightsaber, but a thin cut ran across his forehead, fresh, still bleeding sluggishly down his temple. He didn't seem to notice. His focus was fixed entirely on what lay behind them.

Every few steps, he turned, eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. The shadows there moved differently than they should have, too slow, too deliberate, as if something unseen prowled just beyond the edge of light. The Dark Council's hunters were close. He could feel them like cold breath against the back of his neck.

"Keep moving," he urged quietly. "We're almost there."

Ahead, through the veil of trees, the faint silhouette of his shuttle appeared on a small rise, its ramp extended, landing lights faintly glowing through the mist. Relief flickered across his face for an instant before the Force around him rippled again, uneasy, like water disturbed by something vast beneath the surface. Lira stumbled over a root, and Aiden caught her arm before she could fall. The girl's small hand clung to his, trembling. Her golden-brown hair was tangled, streaked with leaves, and her eyes, wide and glassy with exhaustion, searched his face for reassurance. He tried to smile, but it faltered.

Behind them, the husband and wife, Talen and Mirra Veil, a kind couple who had risked everything to shelter Lira since her rescue, moved quickly, fear etched across their faces. Talen held a blaster rifle in his hands. Mirra kept a protective arm around Lira's shoulders. When they broke into the clearing, Aiden stopped at the base of the shuttle's ramp. His breathing came heavy from exertion, but his voice was firm.

"Get on board," he ordered. "All of you. Head to Naboo. Go to my homestead, tell Arhiia Voronwe tell her I sent you."

Talen hesitated. "You're not coming?"

"I'll follow," Aiden said, though the grimness in his tone betrayed him. His gaze turned back toward the tree line where darkness seemed to shift and gather, like storm clouds taking form. "Now go."

Lira's small fingers tightened around his cloak. "No!" she cried, shaking her head fiercely. "We aren't leaving without you!"

Aiden knelt, bringing himself to her height. The faint blue of the shuttle lights reflected in his eyes, softening the grimness for a moment. "Lira," he said quietly, brushing a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "You have to go now. You know why they're here. You know what they want. I won't let them take you."

She shook her head again, sobbing. "But..."

"Lira." His voice broke, the plea raw and desperate. "Go now."

Her cry came out strangled as Talen and Mirra stepped forward. Mirra's face was wet with tears as she knelt beside the girl. "Sweetheart, come with us. Please." Together they gently pried Lira's arms from around Aiden, her small fingers clutching at his sleeve until the very last moment. Aiden gave the couple a solid, wordless nod, the kind that carried a command and a farewell all in one. "Go," he said again, this time softly.

Talen led Mirra and the still-crying Lira up the ramp. The hatch began to close, the sound sharp in the still night. Lira's hand pressed against the viewport, palm open, reaching toward him even as the engines began to hum. Aiden stood alone as the shuttle rose through the fog, its lights vanishing into the canopy above. The roar of its departure faded into silence.

Then the forest changed.

The night air grew heavy, thick, and cold. Even the insects went silent. The trees seemed to lean inward, their outlines twisting unnaturally in the dim light. A slow whisper began to echo through the clearing, soft, guttural, layered, as though dozens of voices were murmuring at once from unseen mouths. He exhaled slowly and reached up to wipe the blood from his brow. The cut stung faintly under his touch, grounding him, anchoring him in the moment between fear and resolve.

"Come on, then," he murmured into the dark.

The whispering stopped. For an instant, Ukatis held its breath. Then Aiden ignited his lightsaber.

The blue blade flared to life with a brilliant hiss, casting a glow across his face, the forest floor, the mist curling around his boots. Shadows leapt back from the light—but not far enough. They lingered at the edges, writhing. With his free hand, Aiden drew a second hilt from his belt, the one that had belonged to his father. It was older, worn, the metal cold to the touch. He thumbed the ignition.

A second blue blade burst forth, the two sabers humming in harmony, their light pushing back the gloom for a precious few meters.

The voices returned, clearer now.

You cannot stop what is written.

The girl's light belongs to us.

You will fall as your father did.

Aiden's jaw tightened. He took a steady step forward, blades angled low, eyes scanning the black treeline where the whispers came from. The Force pressed around him, thick, suffocating, but his resolve burned brighter still.

The shuttle was gone. The forest was deathly still. And Jedi Knight Aiden Porte stood alone, twin sabers blazing, ready to face the darkness that had finally come.