Private A Crystal-Clear Beginning

[Vex Drakkon]

Once the ship closed the distance to planet Ilum, Vex could feel the raw energy of the force radiating below, which caused him to snap out of the deep meditation the Jedi Master was in. He couldn’t help but to smile, knowing that Meri Vale was one step closer to earning their very first Kyber crystal, and on the verge of constructing a lightsaber, as well. "This is truly where the fun begins." He muttered quietly under their breath, before standing, and making their way to the room in which Meri was located. Vex gave her time to meditate as well to prepare their mind for what was to come on Ilum.

As the ship entered Ilum’s atmosphere with tremendous speed, the metal quickly began to heat up as the spacecraft continued to roar through the open skies of the frozen planet and Vex finally made their way into the spare room where Meri was. Once the door slid open and Meri was seen, the Jedi Master spoke in a soft, yet calm tone of voice. "It’s time, young one." He paused, as the ship began to hit some turbulence on its way to finding the perfect spot to land. "You will only need to bring something to keep you warm. The rest of your belongings should stay on board for now." He finished speaking, hoping that the young girl was prepared for what the planet had in store for her.

The ship finally settled down on the icy planet, hydraulics compressing in place to help soften the landing, while the electronics within scanned the entire area to ensure their safety. Vex headed towards the rear of the ship with Meri right beside him, and the force flowing strongly through both of them. It wasn’t just Ilum giving off the force so intensely, but it was also Vex and Meri who seemed to embrace it, allowing that feeling to guide them on this journey that so many Jedi before them both endured. It was a tradition that Vex Drakkon always wanted to pass down to someone strong with the force. Meri Vale would be his first.

It only took them a minute to get to the rear of the ship, watching the ramp slowly descend down to the planet's surface. Just as the ramp opened up, a large gust of freezing wind began to pelt them both simultaneously, creating chills upon the skin instantly, and causing their breathing to become shorter. "Are you ready? This won’t take very long." He admitted, while pushing forward to walk down the ramp with the purpose of helping Meri become something she couldn’t even dream of. This was the very beginning of something new and Vex was honored to even be a part of it.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri had spent much of the journey reading, though "reading" had gradually become an increasingly generous description of what she was doing. More often than not, she found herself staring at the same page while her thoughts wandered back to the temple beneath Naboo, the hidden chamber, and the small wooden box resting securely beside her seat. Every answer seemed to generate three new questions, a frustrating ratio that was quickly becoming all too familiar. When Master Drakkon appeared and informed her it was time, she closed the book carefully and rose, retrieving her heavy winter coat and the box before following him toward the rear of the ship.

The mention of bringing only what was necessary caused her to pause, her eyes moving from the wooden box to Vex, back to the box, and then back to Vex again.

"Does this count as a belonging?" she asked, lifting it slightly with an entirely serious expression. "Because I feel as though leaving behind the mysterious Force-related artifact immediately before arriving on a planet that is apparently important to mysterious Force-related artifacts may prove strategically unsound."

The logic seemed difficult to argue with, and whatever answer Vex provided, Meri eventually found herself following him toward the rear ramp as the ship settled onto the frozen world below. The moment the hatch began to open, the temperature dropped so abruptly that she instinctively drew her coat tighter around herself just before the wind struck.

It was unlike anything she had experienced before. The cold did not merely touch her skin, but seemed to reach straight through her layers of clothing to settle directly into her bones, causing her first breath to catch in her throat and transform instantly into mist before vanishing into the howling air. For a moment, she simply stood at the top of the ramp, looking out at a world that was entirely white. It was not merely snow-covered, but a blurring expanse of sky, ice, wind, and immense distance that felt almost unreal.

Yet beneath the biting cold and the endless horizon, she felt something else moving.

The Force lingered here differently than it had beneath the temple on Naboo. Where the ancient chamber had felt quiet, hidden, and patient, Ilum felt significantly older and larger, behaving less like a kept secret and more like an inescapable presence. Meri found herself staring out across the frozen expanse for several long seconds before finally looking toward Vex.

The uncertainty and the questions remained, but for perhaps the first time since their discovery on Naboo, anticipation had begun to outweigh her confusion.

"No, I am not entirely sure I am ready," she admitted honestly, a faint smile touching the corner of her mouth. "But that has not stopped anything else from happening so far. What exactly is on Ilum?"

With that, she stepped down onto the snow beside him and looked out across the frozen world.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

With the cold wind pelting against the Master Jedi’s face, he looked over his shoulder at Meri and noticed the wooden box tucked away within the long robe she held so closely against their body. Vex didn’t say a word. Instead, the Jedi nodded once, then moved forward on the icy planet, and ventured forth to find the exact cave that Vex once traveled through when he was a mere boy. "You may not know this, but you have been preparing for this moment a long time. You will understand fully when we are done here." He stated in a calm tone that echoed behind him so that Meri could hear every word.

As Meri and Vex continued on through the dense snow, Vex could feel the light side of the force radiating across most of the planet, yet there was something clouded in the back of his mind. It didn’t cause any hesitation in their movement, but the Jedi Master was well aware that something was calling to him. He shook it off for the moment, turning to look beside him to see Meri trekking along with him. "This planet is well known by the Jedi for their Kyber Crystals. It is one of the main pieces that is required to create a lightsaber. Deep within the caves of this place is where the crystals remain. Soon, it will be up to the force to determine which crystal fits you best." He responded to the young girl's question, while continuing to venture forth on the cold planet.

After a dreadful long hour of hiking through the snow, Vex found the trench that would lead them to the mysterious cave. "It’s just ahead, kid." He pointed out the cave’s entrance up ahead. It was blurred by the constant downpour of snow, but it was certainly visible if Meri were to squint. Vex Drakkon knew this was just the first test of many to come and had very high hopes for Meri’s progress, even if it was more advanced than he imagined at first. It wasn’t a problem at all. In fact, Vex was so pleased with what he already saw from Meri, that he knew that the future training sessions would be short just because of how much potential the young child had.

Once they finally made it to the entrance of the cave, the design itself looked almost like an open mouth trying to eat whatever walks inside. "This is it, Meri, the very beginning of something much bigger than you could ever imagine." He paused, placing his left hand upon the child’s shoulder gently. With a slight sigh, Vex looked down at her and smiled warmly before speaking again. "This is something you have to do on your own. Fear not, I will be waiting right here for when you return." He spoke calmly, trying to break any tension that Meri was feeling from what Vex said to her. This was no joke, no test, just the force guiding those who trusted in it.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

The cold reached places Meri had not realized could become cold.

She had done everything Master Drakkon suggested before they left the ship, wrapping herself in every layer she had brought, yet Ilum seemed determined to ignore such preparations. Each gust of wind found another opening in her clothing, stealing warmth until she found herself clutching the small wooden box beneath her robes almost as much for comfort as protection. Her scarf hid most of her face, but it did very little to stop the sharp air from stinging her cheeks. Even so, she kept pace behind Vex, placing each step carefully in the snow while listening to every word he spoke.

The mention of kyber crystals drew her attention away from the cold for a while. She looked toward the cave barely visible through the blowing snow, then down at the box tucked safely against her chest. "So...the lightsaber hilt wasn't really the end of the journey," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. "It was only the beginning." Somehow that seemed appropriate. Every answer she found lately only seemed to uncover another question waiting behind it.

When Vex rested a hand upon her shoulder and told her she would continue alone, she blinked in surprise. "Alone?" The word escaped before she could stop it. She looked past him toward the dark entrance, the cave seeming even larger now that she knew she would enter it without him. For just a moment, uncertainty tugged at her. This was different from exploring old ruins. There had usually been someone nearby before, even if they allowed her to solve the mysteries herself. This felt...personal, in a way she did not yet understand.

She stood quietly for another moment, drawing a slow breath that immediately turned to mist in the freezing air. Then she remembered the chamber beneath the temple, the hidden passage she had entered with Vex, who had guided her every step of the way. She remembered how he had been there, steady and certain, even when she had not understood what they were searching for, trusting that there was a reason they had found that place together. This was different, but perhaps not as different as it first appeared.

Her fingers tightened gently around the wooden box before she looked back up at Vex and gave a small, determined nod. "All right," she said. "I...think I can do that." It was not complete confidence. It was simply enough. Pulling her robe a little tighter against the relentless cold, Meri turned toward the waiting cave and stepped forward into the darkness, trusting that whatever awaited her inside had been waiting a very long time indeed.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Master Drakkon looked down at the young girl with a faint smile appearing through the hood that draped over the Master Jedi’s head. "Yes, alone. I was about your age when I ventured through this very cavern for the first time. Just like my Master before me, I will continue the tradition. One that truly starts the journey of a Jedi. Remember, be patient. What you are looking for will come to you, young one." He added just before Meri turned to the entrance of the cave. She was ready, even if the young girl did not feel that way. Vex had the utmost faith in Meri Vale and wanted nothing more than a better life she had before they even met.

As the young girl stepped into the darkness of the cave, Vex pulled the brown robe tighter against his body, before sitting down on the icy surface of the planet to settle into a meditation of sorts, while remaining focused on Meri through the force. Both arms rested on each knee, eyes closed, snow pattering against the hood of his robe, and mind clear of everything except for Meri. She entered the cave bravely, footwear pressing against the soft snowy ground, wind singing as it pressed through the face of the cave, while whistling through the large ice pillars that protruded from the ground. The darkness wasn’t the most alluring thing, but in the distance, there was a light that seemed to shine down through the middle of the cave.

When Meri would advance into the darkness of the cavern, she would feel a slight change in the air pressure around her, almost as if everything weighed twice as much as it used to. This was the force. The dark side, to be exact. It would weigh down on those who passed by places that were tainted with the darkness, attempting to lure its victim in to only lead them down a path the Jedi would frown upon highly. How she would react to this was all on herself, while the light would grow closer with each passing step. But with each step the young girl made, the darkness continued its attempt to seep into their mind.

While Meri would face certain demons in this very cave, she would also face a time of pure joy, all in a test to see what Kyber Crystal would attract the young female. But for now, Meri was alone and on a mission with very little guidance along the way. Would she turn around and call it quits, or would Meri face the demons head on and become a Jedi just like Master Drakkon? Only time would reveal that answer and it was merely the beginning of the training that Vex had planned out for her.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

The first few steps were the hardest.

Not because the ground was uneven or the cold had somehow become worse inside the cave, but because every instinct told Meri to look back. Master Drakkon remained where she had left him, little more than a silhouette beyond the blowing snow, patient and unmoving. Knowing he was there helped more than she cared to admit.

She drew a slow breath before turning her attention fully to the cavern ahead.

The silence settled around her almost immediately. It was different from the silence of abandoned temples or forgotten cities. Those places always carried echoes of the people who had once lived there, little clues waiting to be uncovered if someone paid enough attention. This place felt...older. The towering pillars of ice caught the pale light filtering down from somewhere far above, scattering it into shimmering blues and whites that danced across the frozen walls. The cave seemed less constructed than discovered, as though nature itself had spent thousands of years shaping a cathedral from ice alone.

"All right," she murmured quietly to herself, the sound disappearing into the vast chamber. "One step at a time."

She found herself slipping into familiar habits almost immediately. Her gray eyes traced the walls, noting the layers trapped within the ice, the subtle changes in texture beneath her boots, the direction the air flowed through the cavern. Somewhere ahead, a shaft of gentle light spilled into the darkness, giving her a destination even if she did not yet know its purpose. She instinctively searched for patterns, for signs left by previous travelers, for anything that would explain why this place had mattered to generations of Jedi.

Then she stopped, the memory of Master Drakkon's instruction settling over her like the cold itself. Be patient, not to search, not to solve, but simply to wait.

The realization made her smile faintly at herself. She had been inside the cave for less than five minutes and was already trying to turn it into an archaeological survey. Slowly, she lowered her gaze, letting the questions settle without chasing them for answers. It felt strangely uncomfortable, like leaving a book half-read or walking away from a puzzle before placing the final piece.

She took another step toward the distant light. Almost immediately, the air changed.

It was subtle at first, no more than the sensation that her pack had somehow become heavier. Another step, and the pressure deepened, settling across her shoulders and chest until each breath demanded just a little more effort than the last. The warmth she had carried in from outside seemed to fade beneath an invisible weight pressing gently against her from every direction.

Meri paused, her breath catching as she became acutely aware that, despite the stillness around her. The silent ice, the distant glimmer of light something intangible had shifted, as though an unseen presence had slipped into the cave alongside her; she could not name it or understand its nature, only that it pressed gently against her senses in a way she had never experienced before.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

The cold wind and snow swept down through the trench where Vex Drakkon was meditating peacefully, all the while Meri Vale was in search of a Kyber Crystal to complete their lightsaber hilt. She had yet to learn how to build it, so when this was over and done with, Vex would make sure to teach the young girl every step needed to successfully assemble the hilt. The training afterwards would be extensive, physically exhausting, and mentally draining, but the Jedi Master had faith that Meri would become a great Jedi when the time came. As for now, his focus was on the meditation just outside the cave in which the young girl was currently located.

The cave itself was revealing its true nature with every step that Meri took within. The force swayed back and forth, from darkness and light, almost as if it was showing the girl exactly what it was capable of. The shift of intense pressure and fear, then the weight lifted and a calmness set in. The peace only lasted a few minutes, then the light ahead of Meri began to flash several times before a dark shadow stood in the light. It was a hooded figure in all black, concealing every inch of their body, even their face for the sake of keeping their identity hidden. Within that shadow in the distance, a voice began to ring out, echoing throughout the entire cave. “Meri..Come, Meri..” The voice was alluring, almost impossible to ignore for the time being.

Meanwhile, Vex Drakkon could sense everything that was going on within the cave, keeping his mind focused on Meri and their actions. She was being careful, which was a great thing, especially in a situation like this. There was no need to react in a physical manner or fear anything that was going on, but it seemed as if the girl was reluctant to move forward quickly. Instead, Meri walked slowly, taking in everything that she could see physically, along with the intense feelings that surrounded her every so often. Vex Drakkon remained seated in the snow peacefully, with a warm smile forming as he continued to sense the situation within the cave.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri remained where she was, waiting until the invisible weight eased once more before taking another cautious step. It became a pattern almost immediately. When the pressure settled over her shoulders and chest, she stopped. When it lifted, she continued. She could not explain why, only that moving through the heavier moments felt instinctively wrong, as though she were walking into a current far stronger than she was.

The rhythm gave her something familiar to hold onto. As she advanced, her eyes wandered across the cavern walls, searching for anything her training might recognize. She looked for tool marks, carved passages, supporting arches, or signs that the cave had once been altered by intelligent hands. There were none. No weathered inscriptions. No collapsed masonry. No evidence that generations of Jedi had shaped this place beyond their footsteps. It was simply ice and stone, ancient enough to seem untouched by anything except time itself.

"You're not helping very much," she murmured quietly to the cave, almost apologetically. "Usually places leave clues."

The light ahead flickered.

Meri stopped.

A shadow now stood where there had only been pale blue illumination moments before. It did not move. It simply waited, wrapped completely in darkness, every feature concealed beneath the folds of a hood.

Then came the voice.

"Meri... Come, Meri..."

Her stomach tightened.

The sound was gentle, almost welcoming, yet it stirred something she could not explain. A cold sensation slipped down her spine, leaving her strangely reluctant to obey. It reminded her of stories told around campfires, of moments where every instinct insisted that something was wrong despite appearances to the contrary. It felt, she thought uneasily, as if someone were walking over her grave.

"...Who are you?" she called into the cavern.

Only her own voice returned, reflected by the ice.

She remained where she was, watching the hooded figure instead of rushing toward it. Every curious part of her wanted answers. Every cautious part of her warned against accepting an invitation from something she did not understand.

For the first time since entering the cave, Meri realized that archaeology offered her no guidance at all.

This was something entirely different.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

The caves were unrelenting at times, terrifying even. But Vex had faith that whatever was within the cave with Meri Vale, she would prevail with exactly what she came for. Nothing came easy and the Jedi knew this, which is why they constantly preached patience to the younger group. It was one of the main pillars that helped form the Jedi, along with a guiding light that would help along their paths. And not every Jedi walked the same path as one another. There were several classes to determine which path was more fitting for each individual. The Sentinels, the Guardians, and the Consulars.

Meri continued along within the cavern, wondering what all of this could possibly mean. But the force always worked in ways that others who were sensitive to such, would eventually react to its very presence. That’s exactly what the young girl did. She stopped instinctively at the sound of the foreign voice that rang out through the ice structure that surrounded her. “Come to me, Meri, there’s something I need to show you.” The voice whispered through the ears of the girl, attempting to lure Meri deeper into the cave. Whoever or whatever it was, it wasn’t going to stop until the child would come closer.

The darkness that began to settle around the young girl would now be noticeable, the feeling of being alone, cold, and scared would slowly sink in. “Please, Meri, it’s me..” The voice was still a whisper, but the tone was different, almost as if the voice changed instantly to someone who was once close to the young girl. Whoever it was, they wanted to reveal something to Meri, but was this going to end well, or would Mer find herself in some sort of endless cycle of darkness? Her actions would decide that. For now, the voice was a mere echo, trying to escape to the mouth of the cave.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri stopped again.

There was something wrong with the voice. Not simply the way it seemed to come from everywhere at once, slipping between the pillars of ice without giving her any clear direction to look, but the fact that there should not have been a voice at all. Vex was outside. She had entered the cavern alone. Unless there was another entrance she had somehow missed, there was no reasonable way for anyone to be deeper inside calling her name. Her mind seized upon that fact immediately, holding onto the logic of it as something solid while the darkness seemed to gather more heavily around her. "Who's there?" she called, turning slowly as she searched the cavern around her, but the question came out quieter than she intended.

Then the voice changed.

Meri's breath caught. Something about it reached into her memory before she could consciously understand why, familiar enough to make something ache deep inside her chest. For one fleeting instant, she almost knew it. A voice from somewhere impossibly far away, belonging to another life filled with familiar halls and people she had once believed would always be there. But that couldn't be right. Those voices belonged to the dead. The people she had lost could not possibly be here, hidden somewhere beneath the ice of a world they had never known. Knowing that should have made the voice easier to dismiss. Instead, it made her desperately curious to understand why it sounded familiar at all. "Who are you?" she asked again, softer now. Her eyes searched the darkness without finding anyone to attach the words to. "How do you know my name?"

She did not immediately obey its invitation. Meri remained where she was, listening, trying to determine whether the sound had an actual source or whether it was somehow being carried strangely through the cavern. Her gaze moved across the ice, searching for anything she could understand. Another passage. Footprints. Carvings. Tool marks. Some piece of architecture that might suggest these caves had once been occupied or explain how someone could be speaking to her now. She found nothing she recognized, nothing she could catalog and fit neatly into something she already knew. For perhaps the first time since entering the cavern, there was simply no evidence for her to follow.

Eventually, she took another cautious step deeper. Not because the voice had told her to come, she insisted silently, but because forward was the reason she had entered the cave in the first place. She continued carefully, slowing whenever that oppressive weight gathered around her and moving again when it loosened enough to let her breathe more easily. Yet the voice remained fixed in her thoughts, especially that impossible familiarity she could not quite place. Fear told her that perhaps she did not want to know. Curiosity, as usual, refused to leave the question unanswered. "You said you need to show me something," she called cautiously into the unseen depths ahead. A small pause followed before she asked the simplest question she could. "What?"

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

As Meri continued to call out to the voice that seemed to know her, the voice stopped for a short time, only to be replaced by a feeling of fear, as if something was watching from within the shadows of every corner of the cave. This place was surrounded with the force, so it wouldn’t be odd if someone or something was waiting for their prey to step foot within the territory it owned. Regardless, the mission remained the same. Get in, retrieve the Kyber Crystal, and get out.

But the noise didn’t return, the cave grew silent for the moment. The only thing that was heard within, was the sound of each step Meri Vale would take deeper into the cave system. That was until the hooded figure was noticeable in the distance once more. “You’ve come so far, Meri, don’t stop now.” The voice rang out again. This time, the voice felt more at home than normal, pushing aside the fear that may have resided moments ago. The force was showing Meri something, whether it was their past or future, it was luring her in with each word that came from the hooded figure.

The snow outside the cave continued to pelt down on the Jedi Master, covering their shoulders and hood with at least an inch of snow. He was in a deep meditation, connecting himself to the force around the area to find inner peace. With a long road ahead of Meri, Vex knew this was the perfect time to work on himself, while also keeping their senses on what was going on in the cave. Sometimes things get out of control so much that even a Jedi Master can have trouble finding the solution with ease.

Within the cave of Ilum, Meri Vale found herself experiencing the force at firsthand. It may have felt scary at first but Vex knew that the young girl was capable of succeeding when it mattered most. But the cave was not done with Meri, it wanted more from the girl. “Come, let me show you what has begun.” the voice called out to Meri, attempting to lure the young girl closer to it. If she were to go forward, Meri would experience a vision purely formed by the force, one that would show her a different path, a different option to what she knows now..

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

The silence settled over the cave with a weight that made Meri stop where she stood. Her own breathing suddenly seemed far too loud, each careful inhale swallowed by the darkness stretching beyond the reach of the faint blue glow surrounding her. The feeling of being watched had not disappeared with the voice. If anything, it had deepened. She turned slowly, searching the shadows behind her and along the uneven walls for some hint that she was not alone. There was nothing. No movement. No footsteps. Only ancient stone and the strange certainty that unseen eyes were following her every step. "Vex?" she called instinctively, though she already knew the cave was far too deep for him to hear. Her voice faded almost immediately, leaving only silence in its wake.

It would have been so much easier to turn around. Every instinct she possessed insisted that she should. This place felt wrong, as though the cave itself was waiting for her to make a mistake. Yet retreat would accomplish nothing. Somewhere ahead lay the kyber crystal she had come to Ilum to find, and no amount of fear changed that simple truth. She adjusted her grip on the small box containing her lightsaber hilt, the familiar weight grounding her if only a little. Taking a slow breath, she steadied herself, reminding herself why she had come. She had known this journey would test her. She simply hadn't expected the test to begin before she'd even found the crystal.

The voice returned, softer than before, yet somehow closer. You've come so far, Meri, don't stop now. Her heart skipped as her eyes lifted toward the distant hooded figure. It felt familiar in a way she couldn't explain, not because she recognized it, but because the fear that had gripped her moments before seemed to loosen ever so slightly in its presence. That frightened her almost as much as the voice itself. "Who are you?" she asked again, unable to keep the uncertainty from her voice. "How do you know my name?" The figure offered no answer she could understand, only another quiet invitation. Come, let me show you what has begun.

Meri stood motionless for another long moment, her fingers tightening around the box in her hands. Everything about the situation defied reason. Following mysterious voices deeper into ancient Force caves was exactly the sort of decision every story warned against. But standing still had become its own choice, and one that brought her no closer to the purpose that had led her here. She lowered her eyes briefly, gathered what courage she could find, and released a slow breath. "I don't understand any of this," she admitted quietly. "...but I didn't come all this way just to let fear send me home." Lifting her gaze once more, she took a cautious step forward, then another, following the hooded figure deeper into the heart of the cave.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

As Vex Drakkon continued to meditate outside the mouth of the cave in the middle of it pouring snow, he felt the slightest tremor in the force once Meri called out his name within the cave itself. With his eyes still closed, the Jedi Master cocked his head the slightest bit, thinking of why he was feeling such a thing when the man was nowhere near her. It was a sudden, yet small disturbance, one that Vex Drakkon could feel immediately. But when he reached out even further with the force, the Jedi Master could feel that Meri Vale was safe for the time being.

Meanwhile, inside the ice caves of Ilum, Meri was instinctively responding to the voice that echoed within the cavern. The hooded figure in the distance looked towards the young girl, but the face was hidden from the shadow of the hood. “Come, let me show you what you did..” The voice rang out once more, followed by a pale hand waving to the young girl to come forward. The force was strong and it continued to lure Meri Vale deeper into the cavern she stood within. It was attempting to show her something, something that might make her think differently about things.

When Meri stepped forward and began to close the distance between herself and the hooded figure, the pale hand stopped waving, then it turned and pointed to something that was hidden from the young girl's view because of the cave wall blocking whatever it was that the hooded figure was pointing to. Whatever it was, the force was projecting this hooded figure to help guide Meri deeper. What she would find within was nothing more than the truth, or what some would call fear. This was one of the biggest tests that Meri would face inside the cave, but it was definitely not the last.

Once Meri Vale was only a few meters away from the hooded figure, the darkness began to shroud over the young girl once again. This time, the cold that she felt normally increased nearly tenfold, causing chills to form over their body, while feeling a sense of something else lurking in the shadows, watching their every move, and waiting for the right moment to pounce on their prey. Was this something that lived within the cave, or was it another projection the force was creating to instill fear in those it locked on to? Meri would soon find out..

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri stopped when the words reached her. What you did. They had followed her deeper into the cavern, and no matter how often she reminded herself that none of this made sense, the figure remained ahead of her. The pale hand pointed beyond the wall, toward something she could not yet see, and curiosity warred with every sensible instinct telling her not to follow. She tightened both hands around the box containing the unfinished pieces of her lightsaber hilt. That was why she was here. Somewhere within these caves was the crystal Master Drakkon had told her would come to her, though she still wasn't entirely sure what that meant. She had expected to search for it. She hadn't expected the cave to seemingly search through her in return.

"What did I do?" Meri asked, her voice quieter than she intended. The question echoed away from her through the ice, leaving her listening for an answer that did not immediately come. Her eyes moved from the hooded figure to where it pointed, trying to see around the obstruction without approaching any faster than necessary. Whatever waited beyond it was apparently what she was meant to see. She didn't like that thought at all, but turning around would mean abandoning the very reason she had entered the cavern. Master Drakkon had told her to be patient, that what she was looking for would come to her. Meri drew an unsteady breath and took another cautious step forward.

Then the cold changed. Meri knew what Ilum felt like by now, knew the bite of frozen air against her face and the ache that gradually worked its way through layers of clothing, but this was different. The sudden chill seemed to sink straight through everything at once, raising bumps along her skin and sending a violent shiver through her body. She stopped again, eyes darting toward the darker reaches of the cavern. The feeling of being watched returned with it, stronger than before. Her imagination immediately began filling every shadow with things that might be crouching just beyond sight, and she had to resist the urge to turn around merely to make certain nothing had followed her. Instead, she held the hilt box closer against herself and forced her attention back toward the path ahead. "It's the cave," she whispered, trying to convince herself as much as anything else. "It has to be."

Whatever the figure wanted to show her, whatever the strange voice meant by what she had done, Meri couldn't allow herself to forget why she was here. The crystal was still somewhere ahead, and if this was part of finding it, then frightened or not, she had to continue. She edged toward the corner indicated by the pale hand, each step reluctant but deliberate, keeping her eyes moving between the figure, the darkness surrounding her, and the portion of the cavern slowly coming into view. Fear tightened her stomach and made every shadow seem deeper than it was, yet beneath it remained the stubborn curiosity that had gotten her into more than one place she probably shouldn't have been. She wanted to know what waited beyond that wall. More importantly, she needed to know whether somewhere within all of this fear was the thing she had actually come to Ilum to find.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

The caves of Ilum called to the young girl, luring her deeper within to reveal something so deep, yet so dark, that it would likely change the way Meri would see things. It was extreme, to say the least, but it was to ensure the younglings brought in were capable of fending for themselves in dark times. Not only did it test the children mentally, but the intense cold that came with the environment was enough to drain them physically as well. Vex knew Meri was ready, which is why the Jedi Master allowed the young girl to enter the caves alone. If she wasn’t ready, this trip would have never happened in the first place.

Meri’s voice echoed within the cavern, but nothing seemed to change in the moment. The hooded figure still stood in the open, pointing to something that was not visible to Meri yet. “My child, you are responsible for all of this. Everything you have done up to this point in your life has brought upon something darker than your puny mind could comprehend.” The voice within the hood sounded nearly like Meri’s mother, almost as if it were trying to duplicate the voice from within the memories that stuck in the back of the young girl’s mind. It was taunting Meri. The force was prying deeper into the girl’s mind, trying to find anything that could exploit a weakness.

There was another shift in the air, the dark side of the force began to spew out in the exact location Meri was, attempting to cause confusion and fear to spread throughout their mind. “You won’t find what you’re looking for. You will fail, like you have failed us!” The voice grew deeper, louder, and creepier than before. There was no doubt that whatever was tempting Meri Vale within the caves was after something that she possessed. Was this a creature of sorts, or was the force really this strong on Ilum? Only time would reveal such a complicated answer. For now, the hooded figure remained in the same position, but it finally put their hand down at their side and turned their head slowly towards the direction where Meri was coming from.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

The voice struck something inside Meri that the cold and the darkness had not. She stopped so abruptly that the box containing her unfinished lightsaber hilt pressed tightly against her chest, her fingers curling around its edges. She knew that voice. Or at least, she knew what it was trying to sound like. For one terrible moment the cavern seemed to disappear around her, replaced by memories she had spent years trying to understand without ever truly being able to put them in order. Her mother's voice belonged to those memories. It belonged to a time before everything had burned, before Tiravel had become something she studied in reports instead of somewhere she could go home to. Hearing it here felt wrong. Not frightening in the same way the shadows had been, but wrong in a way that made her stomach twist.

"What is my fault?" The question came out before Meri could think better of answering whatever this was. Confusion sharpened her voice more than fear did now, and she stared toward the hooded figure as though somehow she might force an explanation from something that refused to show its face. "I was ten, Mama." Her voice faltered on the last word. She knew this wasn't her mother. She knew that, but knowing didn't stop the word from hurting. "How can all of it be my fault?" There were too many things all of this could mean, and that only made the accusation more confusing. Her family? Tiravel? Everything that had happened afterward? She had spent years trying to understand those things, but never once had she imagined that she had caused them.

Then the darkness pressed against her again, and Meri's expression tightened. She could feel it now in a way she couldn't explain, something beneath the cold and beneath the voice that made every instinct tell her this was not where she was supposed to turn. She had come here searching for something entirely different. Master Drakkon had told her to be patient, that the crystal would come to her, and whatever was speaking through the cavern felt nothing like what she imagined he had meant. Meri swallowed and held the box tighter, forcing herself to remain where she was rather than retreat. "No." It wasn't loud or especially brave, but it was certain enough. "I have failed nothing...yet."

Her eyes remained fixed on the hooded figure even as she became aware of every shadow around it, every patch of darkness that seemed deeper than it should have been. Trepidation remained, prickling along her skin and warning her that taking another step might show her something she desperately did not want to see. Still, beneath it was the same stubborn curiosity that had always driven Meri toward unanswered questions. If the cave was trying to show her something, then she wanted to know what. If it was lying to her, she wanted to understand why. And somewhere beyond the accusations and impossible imitation of her mother's voice, her crystal was still waiting. Meri drew a slow breath and started forward again, cautiously closing the remaining distance while refusing to take her eyes from the figure. "Show me what you're talking about."

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

It seemed as if something began to bother the young girl, because she stopped dead in their tracks right after hearing the familiar voice call out to her. Yes, it was Meri’s mother reaching out to her, trying to show the young girl something that was caused all because of her. “You did this, Meri, you caused my..” The voice stopped, as if it were cut off suddenly out of nowhere. The darkness that surrounded the young girl stayed present, but the voice vanished for the time being. The dark side of the force was teasing Meri, trying to pull out emotions because of something that may not be true.

Regardless of the darkness that settled around the young girl, Meri remained focused and spoke. Her voice echoed throughout the cave, travelling in every direction around her. It fell on deaf ears, yet the young girl was not looking for help, she was looking for answers to things that happened in their past. Whatever it was, the force knew it triggered Meri, so it would continue to tempt them with the darkness. “You have failed me!” The voice suddenly yelled out in response to Meri’s confident statement.

The hooded figure continued to stare down the young girl, not moving from their current spot the entire time. It was not hiding anything from the young girl. Instead, it was protecting something that Meri was looking for the whole time. Maybe if she were to face this darkness and succeed, Meri might obtain the very thing she came into the cave for, or she might find herself against something even darker than the figure in the distance. Regardless, Meri had some decisions to make before going ahead, if that is what she would ultimately choose to do.

As Meri stepped forward, it was easy to see that the young girl made their decision to push forward, but the figure continued to stand still, like a statue in the park. “You won’t like what you see, I promise.” The voice called out once more, trying to stall Meri from moving forward anymore. With how confident and intelligent Meri is, she would likely keep their pace and try to see exactly what the figure was talking about. It didn’t matter, because Meri already built up enough confidence to know this was not her mother, it was the force trying to portray the young girl’s mother.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

The unfinished accusation made Meri stop again, but only for a moment. You caused my... The words hung there without an ending, and she waited for one that never came. Her mother had been dead for five years. Meri knew that. Whatever was speaking to her had her mother's voice, but having someone's voice didn't make you that person. If anything, the abrupt silence only made Meri trust it less. When the accusation came again, louder this time, Meri flinched at its suddenness but didn't retreat. "You keep saying that."

Her voice was quieter than the one echoing through the cave, but there was growing frustration beneath it now. Meri had asked what she had done. She had asked how something that happened when she was ten could possibly make everything her fault. Instead of answering, the voice had simply told her again that she had failed. That wasn't proof. It wasn't even an explanation. Meri took another cautious step toward the hooded figure. "My mother has been dead for five years." Saying it hurt in the familiar way it always did, but it was also something solid she could hold onto. A fact. Something she knew when nearly everything else around her was uncertain. "So if you're going to use her voice, you're going to have to do better than telling me everything is my fault and expecting me to believe you."

The warning that she wouldn't like what she saw gave Meri another reason to hesitate, but not one to turn around. She probably wouldn't like it. The cave had already made that abundantly clear. Yet the figure had remained in exactly the same place while trying repeatedly to convince her not to approach. Meri's eyes narrowed slightly beneath her hood as she studied it. Maybe Master Drakkon would have understood what was happening here. Meri didn't. She barely understood what she was supposed to be feeling through the Force in the first place. She did understand questions, though, and whatever stood ahead of her didn't seem to want her finding the answer to this one.

Her fingers tightened around the box containing the unfinished pieces of her lightsaber before she continued forward. She was still cautious, watching the figure for any movement, but she no longer stopped merely because the voice told her to. "Maybe I won't like it," Meri admitted as she kept moving. "But I came here looking for something, and I'm not leaving because a voice that sounds like my mother tells me I should."

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Ilum was unforgiving at times, causing tremors through the force on occasions in the past. Vex knew this place was strong with the force, and he also knew just how much potential Meri Vale had. If that potential were to be unlocked and used for the good of the galaxy, then she might help turn the tide of the current state of the Jedi in general. This is something that just didn’t happen overnight. No, it was gained through years of training and never giving up, even when things felt like falling apart. It was about building character, strength, and knowledge, which Vex was more than eager to help with.

As the cave itself felt like it was shrinking because of how shrouded the darkness had become within, the hooded figure never seemed to escape Meri’s sight. She knew this was some sort of trick. But would she be able to escape the darkness that seemed to surround her, or would Meri overcome this feeling and get exactly what she came for? Their decisions in the next few minutes would reveal that answer. As for now, the hooded figure smirked sadistically, yet Meri couldn’t see from the shadow that hovered over their face from the hood. “You are not leaving at all, my child. Once you come closer, I will show you why.” The voice stated coldly yet kept their focus on Meri in the distance the entire time.

Seeing that Meri was not scared to continue forward, that smirk from under the hood quickly became a grin, one that nearly stretched ear-to-ear. The hand waved the young child over, attempting to lure them in closer to show them something that seemed significant to Meri. “You have come so far, let me show you, Meri Vale..” The voice called out, echoing throughout the entire cave, stretching as far as the mouth where Vex could hear. He didn’t respond because the Master Jedi knew this was where things would get harder, yet he had a feeling Meri would succeed in the end.

The darkness knew that using Meri’s mother’s voice failed, so it reached out with the force until it knew what may possibly work. “Meri, listen to her. You have to pass this test.” It was no longer their mother’s voice. Instead, it was replaced with Master Vex Drakkon’s voice, commanding her to listen to the hooded figure. This was a grueling trick the dark side like to play on their prey, but only the strong would make it out of the cave and Vex knew that Meri had the strength to face this without succumbing to the darkness.

Meri Vale​

​

​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri kept going. She had already decided that much, and another warning from something wearing her mother's voice wasn't enough to change her mind. Five years had passed since her mother died. Whatever this was, whatever the cave was trying to show her, it wasn't going to convince Meri otherwise simply by sounding like someone she had loved. So she continued toward the hooded figure, the box containing the pieces of her unfinished lightsaber held carefully against her as the distance between them steadily narrowed.

What did make her slow was the figure itself. It had been warning her about what waited ahead, telling her she wouldn't like what she saw and that she wouldn't be leaving, yet now it beckoned her closer. Meri's brow furrowed as she watched the movement of its hand. As she drew nearer, the shadows beneath the hood no longer concealed everything. She couldn't make out every feature clearly, but she could see enough of the expression there to recognize the grin spreading across its face. It looked pleased that she had continued, and that didn't fit. If Meri was doing what it wanted, why had it spent so much time trying to convince her to stop?

The darkness surrounding it only deepened that uncertainty. Meri could feel it more distinctly now, something heavy and cold pressing at the edges of senses she was still learning how to use. She slowed further, trying to understand what the Force was telling her without really knowing how to separate one sensation from another. Was the darkness coming from the figure, or had she simply walked deeply enough into the cave to notice what had been around her all along? Was the figure even a person standing there, or was the Force making her see one? Every answer Meri considered seemed to produce another question, and questions usually made her want to look closer rather than turn away.

Her attention settled on the hooded figure as she tentatively reached outward through the Force, trying to read whatever stood before her rather than simply accepting what her eyes and ears were being given. It strangely reminded her of studying a ruin when the physical evidence contradicted the accepted explanation. Something didn't fit here. The warnings didn't fit the beckoning hand, the accusations didn't fit the refusal to explain them, and most of all, the darkness she felt didn't fit with anything Master Drakkon had told her about finding her crystal. "Then show me," Meri said as her steps finally stopped and she concentrated on the figure. "You've been telling me what I did since I got here. Show me what you're talking about."

Then Master Drakkon's voice told her to listen, and Meri jerked away from the figure as though something had physically reached for her. One boot slipped against the frozen stone before she caught herself, and whatever fragile concentration she'd managed through the Force disappeared completely. For several seconds she simply stared, confusion replacing the determination that had carried her forward. Her first thought was that it couldn't be Vex, but doubt followed so quickly that she couldn't hold onto the certainty.

Her mother's voice had been different. Her mother was dead, and Meri knew the cave couldn't change that no matter how perfectly it imitated her. Vex was alive. He was somewhere outside these caves waiting for her, and Meri knew just enough about the Force to know that distance didn't always mean what she thought it did. Could he speak to her from there? Probably. Maybe. She didn't actually know, and suddenly she was painfully aware of how little she understood about any of this. You have to pass this test. What test? Vex had told her to be patient. He had told her the crystal would come to her, but had he known this would happen? Maybe this was part of finding it. Maybe he really was telling her to keep going. Except the figure had looked pleased when she'd approached, the darkness around it felt wrong, and now Meri couldn't decide whether listening to Vex's voice meant trusting her Master or doing exactly what whatever stood in front of her wanted.

"Wait." Meri took another step backward, shaking her head slightly as though that might somehow separate her own thoughts from everything the cave was putting there. "No, I don't understand. You told me the crystal would come to me. You didn't tell me I had to listen to..." She gestured uncertainly toward the hooded figure and stopped because she wasn't even sure who she was arguing with anymore. Her grip tightened around the box as she looked back the way she'd come. For the first time since deciding to challenge the figure, Meri didn't know whether she should move forward or backward, or whether the voice had come from Vex, the figure, the cave, or the Force itself.

"Master Drakkon?" she called into the darkness, louder this time, but Meri stayed where she was, unwilling to take another step toward the waiting figure until she knew. "Was that actually you?"

Vex Drakkon