Private Marks that Maps Forgot

[Meri Vale]

Meri stepped through the doorway with a heightened sense of caution, her shoulders flinching slightly as the sudden rush of air swept past her. Even though she had solved the initial puzzle, a lingering uncertainty remained in the way she moved, as if she half-expected the very architecture of the room to shift and change again if she weren't careful with her footing. When Vex offered his praise, she hesitated, her hands shifting awkwardly at her sides as she lowered her gaze to avoid meeting his eyes.

"I…I just guessed," she admitted softly, her voice carrying a note of quiet honesty rather than pride. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

She blinked in surprise when he offered her the torch, reaching out to take it with both hands as if the weight of the responsibility was as heavy as the light itself. The flame wavered as she adjusted her grip, her fingers tightening around the handle while she stepped forward to let the light stretch across the seemingly empty expanse. Her shoulders remained tensed, however, because her experience with such places had taught her that rooms appearing empty usually held secrets that simply hadn't been found yet.

Moving deeper into the chamber with deliberate care, she lowered the torch and caught the faint glint of something on the floor: a series of small, engraved squares. She crouched low to the ground, her brow furrowing in concentration as she brought the light closer to study the patterns. Her free hand hovered just inches above the stone, tracing the shapes in the air without actually making contact as she whispered her observations.

"There is something here…they aren't just decorations," she murmured, her voice sounding uncertain as she angled the torch to better catch the edges of a specific triangle engraving. Her head tilted to the side as she tried to piece the logic together, wondering aloud if they were facing yet another puzzle. She glanced back over her shoulder at Vex for a fleeting second, seeking a silent confirmation that she was on the right track, before turning her full attention back to the markings to begin the slow work of figuring them out.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Master Vex Drakkon grinned from ear to ear as Meri took on the responsibility of the torch and the leader of this escapade. He wasn’t just handing the young girl a torch to light the way; he was handing her the key to this entire puzzle. The engravings on the wall were not there for show, but to be used in a way to help light the way for step two to begin. With that same grin still stretched across the Jedi master’s face, he continued to stand back and let Meri conjure up a plan for how they would solve the puzzle.

When Meri Vale grabbed the torch to take the lead, Vex could sense their determination to understand and solve what they were facing at the moment. "Every room within these ruins has taught you a lesson in some sort of manner. But this room, it will teach you something that you may have a hard time believing." He whispered lightly, allowing the young girl to concentrate on everything they were looking at. This was a moment of pure intelligence because Meri was more than likely dissecting everything their eyes have seen, but this lesson wanted to teach something that was linked to the last. Patience.

Vex watched from a short distance away, until he slowly stepped forward to get a better look at each square that was angled together to look like a triangle formation. "This one is deeper than just mental focus, young one. Close your eyes, imagine you are alone in this very room, listen to what the room has already told you.." He paused, waiting for Meri to respond, or do as they were told. Regardless, this was Vex attempting to allow Meri to understand more of the Force.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri remained crouched low near the ancient engravings, her torchlight flickering and casting long, distorted shadows across the three squares as she studied their weathered surfaces with a scholar's precision. Up close, it became increasingly evident that the symbols were not identical at all; one was cut significantly deeper into the stone, while another appeared more worn along its leading edge, suggesting that these were not merely decorative flourishes but had been shaped with a very specific, functional intention by those who built this place.

When Vex suggested that she close her eyes to better perceive the temple's secrets, she hesitated for a long, uncertain beat. Her every instinct as an observer screamed that she needed to look more closely rather than less, as problems were meant to be measured and compared with her eyes, and removing her primary sense felt fundamentally wrong, as if she were discarding her only map in the dark.

"But I need to see it," she said quietly, her voice carrying a note of genuine hesitation rather than any real defiance against his guidance.

Still, despite her internal resistance, she didn't dismiss him. She carefully adjusted the torch so it would remain upright against the cold, damp stone, providing just enough ambient light to keep the shapes visible should she feel the need to check them again. Then, pulling her hands back slightly and offering one last moment of hesitation, she finally relented and allowed her eyes to drift shut.

At first, the darkness provided no immediate revelation, and she found herself focusing only on the oppressive weight of the earth above them—that heavy, ancient silence she had been trying to ignore while she worked. She almost spoke up to tell him it wasn't working, her eyelids fluttering as she prepared to abandon the exercise, but the world began to shift the moment she truly stopped trying to "solve" the temple with her mind.

The silence, she realized, was not empty.

There was a deep, tectonic resonance vibrating through the soles of her boots. Not a mechanical hum, but a low-frequency thrumming that felt like the temple was breathing under the weight of the soil. The longer she remained in that stillness, the more the vibration began to separate into distinct, staggered pulses, sounding less like a single heart and more like three separate mechanisms or chambers settling into the earth at slightly different intervals.

Her brow furrowed in deep concentration as she focused her entire being on that physical map of sound and pressure.

"…it isn't all the same," she murmured, the realization barely a breath in the gloom.

Her hands lifted unconsciously from her lap, fingers hovering in the air in front of her as if she were tracing the architecture from memory rather than sight.

"There are three distinct parts to the resonance…but they don't actually occur at once."

She paused, mentally working through the problem with the same careful logic she would apply to a structural flaw in a collapsing archive.

"It's like a sequence," she added more slowly, her voice gaining a sliver of confidence as the pattern took root. "One part of the stone settles first, then another follows, and then finally the last one responds."

The logic of the temple finally began to reveal itself, making far more sense than her visual analysis had provided moments before. Her eyes snapped open and returned immediately to the engravings, but this time she wasn't just looking at their physical placement; she was looking at how their subtle depths and wear-patterns might relate to that shifting, heavy sequence of the earth.

Her hand hovered tentatively over the first square before shifting toward another, her fingers trembling slightly in the torchlight as she tried to correlate the timing she had felt with the physical symbols carved into the floor.

"I don't think these are meant to be pressed together," she said softly, her gaze locked on the stone. "I think…the temple only opens if we follow the order of the weight."

She glanced back at Vex briefly, her expression still clouded with her characteristic uncertainty, but she was no longer the completely lost girl who had first knelt before the pillar.

"I just don't know which of these is supposed to be the first one yet."

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Vex listened carefully to every word that Meri was saying. It was apparent that she was easily putting things together and finding ways to keep pushing forward. These were traits that some of the most skilled Jedi obtained, which was a reason why Vex felt the need to convince Meri that training to become a Jedi is the thing that will allow all the pieces to fall together in the end. For now, he remained focused on how she managed to identify the engravings and what they could possibly mean. "Pushing them is impossible, correct. These were meant for something else." He replied, watching the flame flicker through the poorly lit room.

As Meri continued on, processing everything she had seen and felt, Vex folded each arm across his chest, watching with patience to see if the young girl had what it took to figure this puzzle out entirely. "I will give you a hint." He paused for a short moment, staring directly at each square and how they were placed. "What is the opposite of push?" He asked calmly, while looking downward at Meri with a warm smile as usual. It wasn’t like she would have needed the hint, but it was a great moment to form more of a bond with her.

The room was nearly silent. The only thing making noise besides Vex and Meri was the sound of the flame flickering to life with every ounce of oxygen that surrounded them. With a step back, Vex was now back to observing the situation, hoping that Meri Vale was able to figure out how to finally solve the puzzle. There was no doubt in their mind that she would succeed, so it was only natural for him to sit back and let the young child baste in the glory of successfully achieving something so many others could not.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri remained crouched low near the ancient engravings, her eyes darting restlessly between the three stone squares as she tried to dismantle the puzzle with the same cold logic she applied to architectural schematics. When she had tested them before, they had felt like an extension of the mountain itself—solid, immovable, and utterly devoid of the seams or edges that would suggest a mechanical trigger. There was simply nothing to push.

She frowned, her features tightening as she replayed Vex's hint in her mind, turning the words over like a jagged stone in her palm.

"The opposite of push would be…pull," she murmured, the syllables feeling heavy and strange in the stale air of the temple. She added a small, hesitant pause, her voice barely a thread.

On paper, the logic was sound; it was the kind of binary solution that should have yielded a result, yet as she flexed her fingers in preparation, a different sensation began to bleed into her awareness. It wasn't a sound, not exactly, but a low-frequency thrumming that seemed to vibrate through the soles of her boots and settle in the hollow of her chest.

She reached forward, her fingertips brushing along the cold, grit-dusted surface of the first square, searching for any microscopic indentation she might have overlooked. There was still nothing for her physical hands to find, but as she pressed her fingers against the stone and hooked them in a desperate attempt to mimic a physical pull, the air around her seemed to grow preternaturally still.

The stone didn't budge. Not even a fraction of a millimeter, and it stayed stubbornly flush with the rest of the ancient wall despite her increasing effort.

Meri stopped, her breath hitching as her hand lowered slowly, the weight of the silence in the chamber suddenly feeling more oppressive than the rock above. She shook her head once, a small and uncertain motion that betrayed the growing knot of distress in her stomach.

"I can't…" she whispered, her voice cracking as she stared at her trembling hands. "There is quite literally nothing for me to grab onto."

Her gaze drifted back over the other two squares, but as she looked, the edges of her vision seemed to pulse in time with that subterranean resonance. It was as if the temple weren't made of static rock, but of something fluid that she could almost…reach into. Her fingers hovered in the air once more, trembling not from the cold, but from a burgeoning, terrifying sensation that the "pull" Vex spoke of wasn't meant for her muscles at all.

"Maybe…it is not a physical pull," she said quietly, the realization feeling like a cold drench of water. She wasn't talking to him anymore, but trying to make sense of the way the air seemed to tug at her spirit, as if the stone were waiting for her to reach out with a hand she hadn't yet admitted she possessed.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Meri’s answer was quick and precise as Vex had thought. With a nod of his head, the Jedi Master pointed to the stone that the young girl already knew was different. "Correct, young one. You and I both could try pulling these out with our hands all day and night, but these stones wouldn’t budge under a physical touch." He replied, running his fingertips across the edges of the stone that was meant to be pulled out by the Force itself. A lesson that Meri Vale would soon learn to accept. The Force and how to use it, but only under certain circumstances.

Master Drakkon bent down low to be at eye-level with Meri, which caused him to press his knee against the cold flooring. "Look at the stone, touch it even, but I want you to try something for me, okay?" He asked in a curious tone, knowing with the courage that this child possessed, she wouldn’t think twice about accepting the challenge. But before Meri could respond, Vex wanted to explain everything to her, especially with what she was about to face. "Focus on whatever stone you want, then I want you to close your eyes for just a moment, push all thoughts from your mind to clear it out, and don’t forget to pace your breathing." His voice echoed throughout the ruins, but his focus stayed on Meri.

The only way Vex would be able to get Meri to actually believe anything about the Force is if he was to teach her something she could see with her own eyes. This was the perfect time for a lesson that would certainly change Meri’s life. "When you feel that your mind is cleared of all thoughts, I want you to open your eyes and finally put every ounce of focus you have on the stone you wish to move. Some have imagined an invisible lasso of sorts, others a blanket wrapping around the object and slowly pulling it free. There is nothing wrong if you can’t get it at first, that is what I am here for." He added, preparing the young girl for a lesson on how to manipulate the Force at your very will.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri didn't answer immediately. She remained crouched in front of the stone, her fingertips resting lightly against its cold surface as she listened to him explain. The longer he spoke, the more her expression shifted into that familiar look of quiet concentration, the same one she wore when a structural blueprint didn't quite align, yet she wasn't ready to dismiss the builder's intent. Pull it… without touching it. Her brow furrowed, her mind racing to reconcile that command with any physical rule she already understood.

"That doesn't follow any physical rule," she said softly. It wasn't an argument, merely a statement of the problem as she saw it, a logical inconsistency she couldn't ignore.

Still, she didn't refuse. She drew her hand back slowly and settled it in her lap, grounding herself before the attempt. If there was a method to this, she reasoned, then it had to be consistent somehow; it had to behave in a way she could eventually recognize, even if the "how" remained hidden for now. "…Okay," she added after a moment, her voice dropping to a mere breath.

Closing her eyes, she tried to follow his instructions rather than dismiss them outright. Clearing her mind didn't come naturally to her; her thoughts were a constant, churning stream, but she could, with effort, let them settle like dust in still air until the noise wasn't quite so loud. As her breathing slowed into a steady rhythm, the room seemed to become more noticeable. It wasn't a visual shift, but rather the same way she could sometimes sense the hidden geometry of a ruin without looking at it directly. The hum she'd noticed before was still there, but now it felt layered, overlapping currents of energy moving through the silent space.

"…It's still there," she murmured, her uncertainty pulling at the corners of her mouth. "The same… pattern."

She didn't like that she couldn't point to it or explain the physics of the sensation. Opening her eyes, she fixed her gaze on the stone. She didn't move toward it or try to touch it; instead, she focused on it the way she would a structural flaw, holding it in her absolute attention and trying to imagine the mechanics of its movement. The idea he had given her, of something invisible wrapping around the weight and pulling, felt artificial, like pretending a hidden pulley system existed where she knew there was only empty air.

"This feels like guessing," she said quietly, though she didn't stop. Her gaze remained fixed on the stone, stubborn in that quiet, determined way she had when a problem refused to make sense.

For a fleeting second, there was a faint shift in her awareness, a moment of alignment just out of sight. It wasn't a visible movement she could measure, but a subtle change in the room's pressure that made her lean forward without realizing it. Then, as quickly as it had come, the connection snapped. Her focus broke, and she blinked, frowning at the unmoving stone.

"…I don't trust that," she admitted softly, her voice tinged with a scholar's skepticism. "I can't see what's doing it." Yet, despite her doubt, she didn't pull away. She stayed there, watching the stone with a wary intensity, waiting for it to prove itself in a way she could finally believe.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Master Vex Drakkon stood behind Meri Vale as the young girl continued to examine the stone with amazement. He knew that she was capable of figuring this final puzzle out, but it was up to her to put forth the effort that would allow Meri to use the force and succeed in the end. But it was obvious that there was a barrier of trust that was stopping her from performing such feats. It was the fact that she could not see the force itself, so Vex stood back and watched as the girl attempted to pull each of the square stones out, but she failed because of their lack of faith in what they cannot see.

When Meri failed to pull each stone towards her, Vex placed a single hand on their shoulder to ease any tension that was built up from the frustration. "Maybe a short demonstration will help change your mind?" He asked, kneeling down and pulling their lightsaber hilt free from the utility belt it was attached to, then placing it on the ground so that Meri could see. "The force is something you can’t see, but it is there, young one, and I will prove it to you one step at a time." He added with a more excited voice than before. He wanted nothing more than to see Meri pass this final test and possibly become a Jedi just like him and so many others.

The Jedi Master simply reached outward with their right hand so that Meri could see everything he was doing. Within a split second of Vex gathering the Force within and using it to manipulate the object in front of them both, Vex pulled the hilt to his hand in nearly the blink of an eye. "I know, it looks easier than it is, but you have what it takes to control the force. Like I said earlier, just clear your mind, and imagine yourself reaching out and pulling the stone outwards. And by the way, nobody ever really gets it on the first try." He admitted to the young girl, hoping that she would be able to pull through and solve the puzzle.

Vex finally stood up once more and continued to hold the lightsaber hilt in their right hand, while keeping an eye on Meri Vale the whole time. Maybe now she would believe that there is more to what the Jedi Master was saying but Vex wasn’t going to step away regardless of failure or success because he knew what kind of potential Meri had within, and he wanted to help her develop that potential into something so much more than just your basic archaeologist. "Now, try again, I have faith in you." He spoke, trying to instill some confidence in the young girl to help with the matter at hand.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri was aware of the touch on her shoulder the moment it landed, not with a flinch, but with a sharp, localized recognition that pulled her focus away from the stone. Her attention had been locked so completely on the ancient surface that the sudden contact felt like a tether dragging her back to the physical room.

Then he produced the hilt.

Her gaze followed it as he set it on the ground, her expression tightening with a quiet, analytical skepticism. She watched him with the intensity of someone expecting a trick, her eyes flicking toward his sleeves, his belt, and the floor around them to find the hidden mechanism she was certain had to exist. When he reached out, however, the hilt didn't move with the gradual drag of a magnet or the visible strain of a wire; it simply answered him, returning to his hand as if the space between them had never existed.

The sight broke the steady rhythm of her breathing. She tracked the motion until the hilt was firmly back in his grasp, searching for a logical explanation that refused to materialize. That absence of a "how" was exactly what unsettled her. Her brow furrowed, her attention lingering on his hand for a moment longer before she eventually forced her focus back toward the stone.

"I saw it move," she said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of someone confirming an impossible fact to herself. "But I still didn't see what moved it."

There was no dismissal in her tone, only a deep, growing unease. She drew in a slow, stabilizing breath and shifted her weight back toward the engravings, determined to find a pattern. If this were a real phenomenon, it would have to follow a rule or consistent logic. Something she could eventually learn, even if it remained invisible to her for now. Her hand hovered near the stone, though she stopped just short of making physical contact this time.

"If it works," she murmured, the thought directed more to herself than to him, "then it isn't random."

Closing her eyes was a deliberate choice this time. While the uncertainty remained, she pushed the analytical noise of her thoughts to the background, quieting her mind enough for the subtler sensations to rise to the surface. The hum returned almost instantly—a layered, heavy presence that wasn't exactly a sound, but felt undeniably there. Her breathing slowed into a controlled, rhythmic pace, even as she struggled to trust the strange intuition guiding her.

"It's still there," she whispered.

When she opened her eyes, her focus settled on a single square. The one that had felt the most prominent from the start. Her expression tightened as she pulled her concentration inward, refusing to reach out or touch the surface. Instead, she gripped the image of the stone in her mind the same way she would a complex problem she refused to let go of. She imagined a connection extending from herself to the wall, a mental pull that felt awkward and entirely unstable, like guessing at a path in total darkness.

Without her realizing it, her fingers curled tightly at her side. Then, the silence was broken by a faint, distinct scrape.

Meri's eyes widened, and her focus snapped, her body leaning forward on instinct as she inspected the square. The stone hadn't come free entirely, but it was no longer perfectly flush with the rest of the wall. She stared at the sliver of movement, suspicion and curiosity colliding within her.

"That shouldn't have worked," she whispered, sounding more unsettled by the success than impressed by it.

She didn't relax or offer a smile; if anything, the wariness in her expression deepened as the implications of what she'd done began to sink in. But despite the fear, she didn't pull away.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Master Drakkon shrugged off the short interaction after she watched him bring the lightsaber hilt back to his palm with the help of the force, even if she didn’t see what physically moved it, the young girl knew that something was able to move it. That was all the evidence she needed, before Meri began dissecting the correct way to use the Force without even knowing it. The moment Vex heard the stone slide back just a few inches, that warm smile reappeared because he knew that Meri was able to tap into the Force. The next step, figuring out how to keep that same focus to control it even more. "Very good, young one. Even though you moved one of the square stones just inches, that means you can do it until you hear it click in place." Vex spoke quietly, nearly whispering to allow Meri to keep that same focus on what needed to be done.

When Vex saw Meri still holding the torch in one hand, he reached forward and gently pulled it away, letting the young girl use everything they had to ensure succession of the task at hand. With the torch back in the Jedi Masters hand, he was now responsible for keeping the area lit enough so that Meri could concentrate on the right stones to pull out, and when to pull them. "Remember, clear your mind, block out all emotions, then focus. You got this, young one." He added, instilling some confidence back into the young girl for their next attempt.

Before Meri would try their second attempt at the puzzle, Master Drakkon took a step back to allow some room for the child to focus on what needed to be done. For the remainder of the time Meri was going to try and solve the puzzle, Vex would stand back and not say a single word, allowing her to find a way to succeed without any more help. The faith he had in her was something that made him make this decision, because Meri seemed to be very skilled when it came to ancient ruins and what those ruins possess. That is why Vex would let Meri go on with what she did best.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri did not look at Vex as he spoke, not out of defiance, but because she had already felt how fragile her focus was and how easily it unraveled the moment she allowed the outside world to bleed back in. His words reached her, settling at the very edge of her awareness, but she did not turn toward him; she couldn't afford to lose the thin thread of connection she had finally managed to find. Her attention remained anchored to the stone and the slight, jagged imperfection where it no longer sat flush with the wall. That small shift had changed something within her. Not into a sudden surge of confidence, but into a quiet, stubborn proof that was all she needed to keep going.

When the torch was gently taken from her hand, her fingers curled instinctively as if they still expected the weight and grounding presence of the physical object, but the loss of it actually made things easier. The absence of the torch stripped away her final distraction, leaving her with nothing to divide her attention and no choice but to rely on that strange, layered hum she could no longer deny. Her breathing slowed into a deliberate, measured rhythm as the walls, the light, and even Vex's presence softened at the edges until the entire world narrowed down to the pattern before her.

"…not random," she murmured, her eyes opening to settle on the stone she had already disturbed. This time she didn't rush or lean forward as if physical proximity would help; instead, she held the stone in her mind the way she would a complex puzzle, refusing to let go until she found the internal leverage she needed. Beneath that focus, she reached out with that same uncertain instinct. It was a feeling that still felt like guessing in the dark, and waited for the world to answer.

For a long moment, the stone remained indifferent, and she felt frustration begin to gather like a storm at the edges of her concentration. She caught it before it could fracture her progress, drawing in a slow breath to force the tension down until only the quiet remained. She tried again, and this time a faint, uncertain scrape echoed through the chamber as the stone shifted another fraction outward. The movement was enough to make her breath catch, which immediately broke the connection and caused the stone to settle back into its stubborn stillness.

Meri didn't pull back, but a flicker of irritation slipped through her mask of composure. "…again," she whispered, forcing herself to reset and let the tension drain from her jaw and shoulders. She didn't chase the movement this time; she simply waited until the hum returned to its place beneath the surface of her awareness. When she reached out again with careful intention rather than desperate effort, the stone moved another inch with a louder, rougher scrape that carried the undeniable weight of reality.

Emboldened, she shifted her attention to another square that felt similar in the pattern, though her first few attempts met with nothing but silence. Her fingers curled at her side as the urge to force the result rose within her, but she closed her eyes to reset, stripping her mind back down to that quiet baseline. When she opened them, she didn't push; she listened. The response was immediate. A sharp, rough scrape as the second stone broke its seal and shifted.

The process remained inconsistent and grueling, with every hard-won success followed by a stubborn failure that forced her to start her concentration from scratch. One stone would slide with reluctant cooperation, while the next resisted until she surrendered her ego and tried again with more deliberate patience. Yet, she stayed with it, no longer seeking confirmation or looking back at Vex, as she began to realize that this power was not something she could ever hope to overpower, but rather something she had to learn to follow.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

There was no need for Master Vex Drakkon to interfere again, as he was just standing back with both arms crossed against their chest, watching Meri Vale dig deep to finish the last puzzle. Was there a reward for her hard work, or was this one of those tests that only brought out the best in one’s self? Time would give away that answer. For now, there was one last puzzle left until Meri was able to walk away from the ruins with a sense of victory. Not only that, but the ability to bend the force at their very will. Even if it was a small amount, Meri would be able to develop that into so much more in the future.

Failure was common during this final test, but it also brought out the best in most students, allowing the Masters of the Jedi Order to observe and choose which students would fit their style of training best. As for Vex Drakkon, his style was more hands-on, and he made sure each student he came across would learn each of the lightsaber stances, along with combat stances. It was a great way to ensure protection in any type of situation, while maintaining focus on everything around them. It was something that he hoped to introduce to Meri very soon, because as a Jedi it is very important to protect the innocent, and defend yourself and others at all costs.

As Meri began to focus on the stone in front of her, the force burst forward and wrapped itself around the stone, pulling it out from the wall until it clicked in place. It was slow, yet steady enough to force it where the stone belonged. Vex smiled warmly once more, having a moment where he felt proud that Meri was able to finally dig deep enough to know there was something within herself that was different than most. "Very good, young one." He whispered in such a low tone that it was nearly silent and certainly not loud enough to break the focus of Meri Vale, because she was not finished with the task at hand. There were still two more stones that needed to be pulled free from the wall.

With failure came experience, which is something that the young girl needed at their age and training. Not because this puzzle asked that from them, but because the lifestyle of a Jedi was all about failure and learning how to rebound from that. But this time, Meri didn’t plan on failing, and she didn’t. The second stone stretched free from the wall and clicked in place. Two down, one to go. There was no need for the Master Jedi to shower Meri with confidence, because it seemed that the young girl had everything under control. All he could do for the time being, is to sit back and let Meri continue to solve the puzzle. He didn’t want to break their focus or cause any doubts, so Vex placed both hands at the spine of his back and watched on from right beside the young girl.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri did not look toward him, nor did she give any outward sign that she was aware of anything beyond the wall in front of her. Her entire focus remained fixed on the pattern, the weight of the task narrowing her world down to the cold, ancient stone. The first two blocks had already shifted into place, and that alone had changed the way she approached the final one. It was no longer an abstract attempt or a question of whether something would respond at all; there was a tangible pattern now, one she could feel in the same way she recognized the structural alignment of architecture or the rhythmic logic of a language.

It was enough.

The hum lingered beneath everything, quieter than before but significantly clearer, no longer buried beneath the static of her own uncertainty. It did not press against her, nor did it move on its own accord. It simply existed, waiting in a way that did not demand action but allowed for it.

Meri's gaze settled on the final stone, her attention narrowing as she studied it with the same deliberate care she had given the others. She did not rush, refusing to assume that repeating what had worked before would guarantee the same result now. That had already proven unreliable. Instead, she observed the spacing, the alignment, and the way the stone fit within the whole rather than standing apart from it.

Her breathing slowed until each inhale and exhale was a measured, background rhythm that eventually faded from her awareness altogether. The tension in her hands eased, her fingers no longer curling unconsciously as if she had finally understood that whatever this was did not require physical effort to answer. For a long moment, she simply held there, letting everything settle into place without forcing the moment.

Then, without naming the sensation or attempting to define it, she reached.

It wasn't a movement of muscle or a product of strain, but an extension of quiet intention. She allowed that unseen presence to meet her rather than trying to impose her will upon it. At first, the stone remained fixed and unmoving, but Meri did not react to the silence. She did not push harder or allow frustration to take hold. Instead, she refined her focus, letting go of the expectation that the world should move simply because she willed it.

The hum shifted, subtle and profound.

This time, when she held that alignment just a fraction longer, something answered. The stone gave way with a faint, grinding scrape. The sound of ancient resistance yielded to motion as it began to slide free from the wall. The movement was uneven at first, as if testing the consistency of her focus, but it continued in a slow, deliberate line.

Meri did not break her concentration. She held it steady, neither tightening nor forcing, but maintaining that narrow point of contact as the stone moved inch by inch until the resistance vanished entirely. A soft, definitive click echoed through the quiet. The pattern was complete.

For a moment, she remained exactly where she was, her attention anchored to the space as the presence she had reached for gradually receded. It didn't disappear, but settled back into a quiet state that no longer demanded her full awareness. Only then did her breath shift, a small, controlled release of the tension that had defined her for the last hour. She looked at the completed stones not with pride, but with the quiet confirmation of someone who had finally found the right key to a difficult lock.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Each stone slab slowly pulled back into place until the clicking noise initiated the notice to allow Meri to continue on to the next one. Once the very last slab slid into place, each stone clicked once more, then receded back into the wall, and the triangle between the stone slabs pushed outward, revealing something stuffed inside the stone, as if it were presenting them with a gift of some sort. Vex Drakkon reached inside, pulling out a small, wooden box that had the word ‘Hilt’ engraved on the very top. "This is for you, but do not open it yet." He insisted, while handing over the box to Meri Vale happily.

The slab was yet to be empty because there was one more item within. Master Drakkon reached inside once more, then pulled out a small box-like device that was blue and silver in color. He smiled warmly, while examining the holocron in his hand, before showing Meri the main reason why Vex was there in general. "And this, this is for us. It’s what us jedi call a Holocron. This device can hold many secrets, or valuable information that was meant to be sealed away forever. As for this particular one, it will give you information on what is inside that box you are holding, and how to assemble it correctly. But before you do that, there is one item missing from the box. The Kyber Crystal." He spoke in a firm tone, hoping that Meri would understand fully.

Even if Meri wasn’t very understanding of what was exactly going on, Vex knelt down so that he was eye-level with the young girl before speaking. "I know that everything here is not the easiest to comprehend, but with the right guidance, you can and will understand everything over time." Vex paused for a moment, placing their free hand on Meri’s shoulder before speaking once more. "What do ya say, kid, interested in becoming a Jedi, a guiding light to those in need?" He asked, looking Meri Vale right in the eyes with hopes of gaining a Padawan learner.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri remained still as the final slab settled into place, her attention fixed on the wall as each measured click echoed through the chamber. When the triangular section slowly pushed outward from the stone to reveal the hidden compartment within, she instinctively drew back half a step before catching herself. The movement was subtle, more reflex than fear, and it was quickly replaced by the sharpened focus that always surfaced when something concealed finally chose to reveal itself.

Her gaze moved immediately across the mechanism rather than the prize it held, noting the precision of the release, the sequencing of the stones, and the careful balance between the puzzle and its reward. Whoever had built this had intended for completion to mean something, a fact that mattered to her almost as much as the contents of the vault.

When Vex reached inside and withdrew the small wooden box, her eyes followed it with quiet intensity. She accepted it with both hands when he offered it, handling the object with the same reverence she gave to ancient texts or fragile artifacts. Her thumbs brushed lightly over the grain of the wood.

Curiosity rose in her immediately, yet she made no move to open it. Restraint came naturally to her, especially where knowledge was concerned; if there was a sequence to be followed here, she would much rather understand it than rush ahead blindly.

However, the second object captured her attention even more completely.

As Vex lifted the blue and silver device from the compartment, something in her expression sharpened with recognition of its craft. Though she had never seen its like before, it was immediately obvious that this was an object of profound design and purpose rather than mere decoration. Her eyes traced its edges and symmetry, sensing the importance it held even before he began to explain its nature.

She listened carefully as he spoke of holocrons, of sealed knowledge, and of instructions hidden within. That part of the explanation she understood instinctively; information preserved inside a durable vessel, accessible only to those who knew the key to reach it, made far more sense to her than much of what she had encountered within the ruins.

Then the language shifted. Kyber crystal. Jedi. Guiding light.

Those words landed with more weight than context, and she felt herself falling a step behind the conversation. By the time he knelt to meet her at eye level, she was still struggling to assemble a coherent meaning from the fragments of his words. When his hand came to rest on her shoulder, she flinched slightly before forcing herself to remain still. It was not a rejection of the gesture, but an instinct born from being touched unexpectedly while her mind was already crowded with shifting thoughts.

Her eyes dropped to the wooden box in her hands, then lifted to the holocron, and finally returned to his gaze with a quiet, grounding seriousness.

"I don't know what most of that means," she said honestly, her voice soft but steady. Her fingers tightened slightly around the box, anchoring herself through its weight and solid shape. "I know what helping people means. I know what guidance is, and I know what light is supposed to be. But I do not know what being a Jedi actually is."

There was no challenge in her statement, only a refusal to pretend at an understanding where none yet existed. Her gaze drifted briefly toward the completed puzzle and the ancient chamber around them before returning to him with a final, searching thought.

"You said I could understand over time. If that is true, then can I learn first… before I am forced to decide what I am becoming?"

She held his gaze, her posture uncertain yet composed, while the unopened box remained cradled in her hands, as if it, too, deserved a measure of patience before being fully understood.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Master Vex Drakkon could sense the hesitation in Meri Vale’s response, but it only made the man continue to smile, because he knew all too well what it was like to feel forced into something they knew little about. Fortunately for Meri, Vex was not one to force anything upon someone, even if it were a life-or-death situation. "I would never force you to do something you don’t want to, young one. This lifestyle is one that requires constant learning, and I am more than patient for that kind of answer." He responded to Meri’s request, allowing her to learn more about the Jedi and what it means to be one.

The Master Jedi finally stood up fully, while keeping their focus on Meri for a moment. "Interested in learning more about what we found? It may have some clues to something else we can chase after." He asked happily. Vex looked at the exit of the room before looking back to Meri with that same warm smile. There was still so much to learn and a lot of time to do so but Vex knew it was time to escape these ruins and examine the things they found within the stone slabs. It wasn’t any sort of treasure. Instead, it was knowledge that was meant to be passed on to the young Jedi.

With the ruins now fully discovered, and the items they found in their possession, Vex began to exit the room to make his way out with Meri Vale at his side. "Come, young one, I have a ship we can use to get a better look at everything, along with me answering any questions you will have." He stated in a firm tone, while moving forward to finally make their exit from the ruins. Vex knew it was a long walk back, but he was proud of Meri because of their accomplishments of solving each puzzle to ensure they both continued forward to the end.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri listened carefully, cradling the wooden box in both hands as though it were something fragile enough to shatter if handled without absolute precision. His reassurance seemed to settle into her more slowly than his earlier words had, not because she doubted his sincerity, but because patience was a luxury she had rarely expected from adults who usually demanded immediate answers or unquestioning obedience.

As the weight of his words truly landed, the persistent tension in her shoulders began to ease by small, measurable degrees.

"That is… good," she said quietly, though she almost immediately looked dissatisfied with how inadequate the words sounded in the face of such a rare gesture. After a brief, thoughtful pause, she tried again with a touch more of her characteristic honesty, adding, "Thank you for not deciding for me."

Her fingers brushed lightly across the intricate engravings on the lid before her attention lifted toward the holocron in his hand, her curiosity returning almost immediately and with far more intensity now that she no longer felt pressed toward a choice she didn't fully understand. When he asked if she was interested in learning more, the answer was far easier for her to find than the complex decisions of the Force.

Her eyes brightened with a genuine light that she didn't even bother to hide this time.

"Yes."

The confirmation came so quickly that she blinked in the aftermath, appearing genuinely surprised that she had let the word slip before she could properly measure it against her usual caution. A faint flush of color touched her cheeks at the sudden outburst, but the momentum of her interest was too great to stop now.

"I want to know what it does, and how it stores information, and why it was hidden in stone instead of metal, and what a Kyber Crystal is, and why the box says hilt if there is no hilt in my hand yet, and…"

She cut herself off abruptly, her lips pressing into a thin line as she realized just how much had spilled out in a single breath. After a moment of regaining her composure, she added with a sheepish air, "…I have several questions."

While a trace of embarrassment lingered in her expression, it was quickly overtaken by a renewed sense of wonder when he mentioned the prospect of a ship. Her gaze shifted toward the dark passage leading out of the chamber and then back to him, her mind already moving toward the next mystery.

"I have never been on many ships," she admitted, rising from her place to follow him with a new sense of purpose. "Only transport ones, and they usually smell like oil and tired people."

She hurried a half-step to keep pace with his longer strides, clutching the ancient box protectively against her chest as they walked.

"Does yours have books?" she asked, the question delivered with an earnestness that made it sound almost solemn. A moment later, she added with the practical, gravity-defying seriousness that only a child could give to the basic necessities of life, "And food? Good food?"

For all the complex puzzles she had solved and the strange, ancient power she had brushed against, there was still something unmistakably young in the way she walked beside him now. A girl full of unvented questions and cautious trust, holding onto the flickering hope that whatever waited for them in the stars might finally be interesting rather than frightening.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

Master Vex Drakkon had zero interest in forcing someone to do things they would know little about, so he put it upon himself to make sure Meri would understand everything it means to be a Jedi, before she was asked that question again. Did this bother Vex? Not at all. In fact, he felt it was more of a blessing because he was able to teach Meri along the way, whether she would know it or not. Being a Jedi could very well be exhausting at times, but it would be worth it in the end, knowing that you were able to create peace in chaotic situations, when others would break and fall towards a path of destruction and lies.

Vex continued out the doorway that would lead them both to the exit of the ruins, but he looked over his shoulder at the young girl and continued to smile warmly, while walking through the maze-like ruins at a slow pace. "Of course. I mean, it is your life, so I would never plan that out for you. That is a choice of your own." He replied in a calm tone, just happy to have experienced such an event with someone who shared the same gift as him. Vex knew Meri was special, and he wanted nothing more than to show her just how special she could be with the right training.

But what caught Vex’s attention the most, was the fact Meri’s response to his question was quick and calculated, as if she was ready to learn, ready to take another step towards becoming a Jedi. He didn’t respond right away, instead, the Jedi Master let Meri continue on about everything they wanted to know about what they found just moments ago. "Very well. And you will get every question answered. First, let us get out of here, then we can get some food in our stomachs. And yes, the food is rather good, even if it’s rations most of the time." He admitted to the young girl.

Even if Meri was curious about the force and the Jedi, he knew that she would find their answer sooner than later, but he also knew that being curious could lead down a path he never experienced. This was a thin line that Vex would have to follow in order to ensure Meri obtains the correct information without feeding that curiosity too much. Meri’s interest in books was a good way for Vex to begin. "Wow, such an old term. I actually have a couple books, but there is a huge stash of data-tapes and storybooks on board." He responded, before finally looking ahead at the path in front of him.

"Come, young one, we have a long journey ahead of us." He admitted, taking another step forward to finally leave the room behind for good. It didn’t take the duo long to find the exit of the ruins that was closest to his ship. As the final door opened that led outside, the Naboo wind rushed in immediately with a whirl of sand as well that instantly caused Vex to turn his face but also protect Meri from any of the incoming sand that could potentially sting, or blind the poor child. "You good, kid?" He asked calmly, as the wind and sand finally slowed down.

Meri Vale​

 

[Meri Vale]

Meri followed him through the maze-like corridors of the ruins, the small wooden box held carefully against her chest, her fingers occasionally tightening around it as though she still hadn't fully decided whether the object inside felt more exciting or intimidating. The temple behind them had already begun to settle back into silence now that the puzzles were solved, but her thoughts remained tangled within it, lingering on shifting stones, hidden chambers, and the strange sensation of the Force answering her for the first time in a way she could no longer dismiss as coincidence.

Even while walking, questions continued arranging themselves endlessly in her mind.

Not just about the Jedi, but about everything surrounding them. The holocron. Kyber crystals. Why did ancient builders conceal knowledge in mechanisms instead of simple archives? Whether all Jedi temples behaved like living labyrinths or if this one was uniquely strange. Every answer seemed to raise three additional questions.

Still, despite the constant movement of thought beneath the surface, she felt unexpectedly calm following him through the ruins. Vex's steady patience made the uncertainty easier to tolerate. He didn't push her toward conclusions before she was ready to reach them herself, and Meri found that mattered more than she entirely understood yet.

When he mentioned books and data-tapes, her attention sharpened immediately.

"Actual books?" she asked, the curiosity entering her voice so quickly that it almost interrupted him before she caught herself. "Not just archived files?"

The thought alone seemed to brighten something subtle in her expression. Digital archives were efficient, but physical texts carried structure differently. Marginalia. Wear patterns. Ink pressure. The history of who had handled them before. To Meri, books felt less like storage and more like preserved continuity.

"I would like to see them," she added quietly, though the certainty behind the statement made it sound less like politeness and more like inevitability.

As they finally approached the outer doorway, the growing sound of wind outside pulled her attention forward. The ruins had muffled the world so thoroughly that the sudden rush of open air felt almost startling by comparison. The moment the final door opened, the gust hit hard enough to whip loose strands of dark hair across her face while sharp grains of sand stung exposed skin.

Meri flinched instinctively at the force of it, one arm rising halfway in delayed protection before Vex shifted between her and the worst of the blowing sand. She turned her face slightly into the shelter his movement provided, blinking rapidly as the wind howled through the entrance around them.

For a brief moment, she looked genuinely young again. Not the composed scholar dissecting ancient systems, but a fifteen-year-old caught off guard by the sudden violence of the environment. When the gust finally weakened, she lowered her arm slowly and brushed lingering sand from the sleeve of her tunic before looking back up at him.

"I am alright," she said, though her voice carried the faint residual surprise of someone who had not expected the outside world to attack quite so aggressively.

Then, after a moment, her eyes drifted outward toward the sands beyond the ruins and the path leading toward his ship. The open landscape felt impossibly large after the enclosed corridors behind them.

"Does every Jedi journey begin with almost being trapped in ancient architecture?" she asked thoughtfully. "Or was that specific to this temple?"

The question was delivered with complete sincerity, though there was the faintest trace of dry humor buried beneath it now, subtle but unmistakably present.

Vex Drakkon

 

[Vex Drakkon]

As the wind finally came to a halt, the sand followed and settled around them both. Meri’s response was enough to comfort the Jedi Master, so he quickly turned to face the exit once more. This time, Vex felt more comfortable about moving forward, so that was exactly what the man did, in hopes that Meri would follow right behind him. "Heh, you can never know what to expect in these old, rundown places, but don’t forget the ship isn’t far from here, so try to keep up, kid." He responded, while continuing the same pace as before. With the ship not far, Vex wanted to make sure they both made it back without having to deal with any more distractions.

The ship was now in the distance, and Vex did not want Meri trailing behind, so he slowed his pace to match theirs. As they got closer they would notice the ramp was already released, and ready for them to board the ship. "Get ready, kid, the books are nearly in your grasp, just a short walk ahead." He teased with that same smile present when he looked down to see Meri’s reaction. Vex didn’t forget to answer Meri’s question earlier about the books. He waited until the time was just right to reveal the answer to the young girl, because he knew that when he mentioned physical forms of books, Meri’s eyes lit up with curiosity immediately.

Just when Meri and Vex stepped up the ramp to board the ship, the ramp itself began to rise, and the door in front of them both slid open right away. "Let me show you the collection, then I can get us some food, and finally settle in before I answer every question." He stated happily, while waiting for Meri to enter the ship in front of him. Vex planned on giving the tour as they both continued through, pointing out everything that Meri may need to know for future references.

The ship wasn’t anything fancy, and it surely wasn’t big. It held two people comfortably, while only able to hold a small amount of cargo. It was designed much like a jedi starfighter, but differently to ensure the empire wouldn’t suspect them of being Jedi. Vex went through a lot to design the ship with the help of some friends, and the vehicle has yet to be stopped by any imperial patrols.

Vex stopped at the first door on their right and continued to smile before speaking. "This is where you can sleep if you ever seem to be tired. The room behind you is where I sleep." He spoke in a firm tone, before moving forward to the final set of rooms with the spacecraft. "This here is the cargo room. Anything of value, I would suggest putting them in here. As for the room behind you, that is where the collection is. One of the books I created myself. It is a guide of every lightsaber form, and how to master them. The other is part one of the Aionomica. A mere copy that someone had written themselves, I believe. But there are several data-tapes laying around as well. Go get comfortable, I will bring us some food in shortly." He spoke calmly, before slowly walking away to get the supplies to make them something to eat.

Meri Vale​