Private Through Fire and Frost

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The air on Ilum was crisp, sharp with the chill of endless snow, but within the ancient Jedi Temple, there was warmth. Not just from the glow of old braziers or the hum of hidden geothermal vents, but from something deeper — something sacred. The Force thrummed through these walls, quiet yet ever-present, whispering through the stone like a gentle current.

Valery sat near the edge of a raised platform, cross-legged, her fiery gaze watching the snowfall beyond the great windows. She had been here many times before, both in the past and since her awakening, guiding young Jedi through their trials, watching them step into the caves and return forever changed. Today was Everest's turn.

But first, they needed to talk.

She could feel it —lingering in the Force, pressing at the edges of Everest's aura like a storm not yet spent. Woostri had taken its toll. The loss, the weight of choices, the scars that weren't just physical. Everest had come through it, but Valery knew the battle hadn't truly ended for her.

Turning slightly, Valery offered her Padawan a small, knowing smile, but her expression was gentle. "Before we go any further, I want to hear from you," she said, her voice even, steady. "You've been carrying something since Woostri. I can feel it." She let the words settle between them, her presence open, unwavering. Whatever Everest needed to say — whatever she was struggling to hold back — this was the time. Before she entered the caves, before she faced the challenges within, she needed clarity.

And Valery would be there to help her find it.

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

The galaxy seemed... darker. Shades of grey had accentuated in corners that once were vibrant with colour. The sparkle of youth that tinged Everest's silver eyes had been suddenly lost, torn savagely from her on Woostri, and replaced with something darker, harder, and more tragic. She couldn't deny this, even to herself, but the very fact made her heart ache all the time.

She had taken life; that one thing she cherished above all else. The knowledge that she had gone against her own principles made her hurt so badly at all times. Yet, she knew that if she didn't strike when she did, as that soldier came for Tigris... She didn't want to think about the alternative outcome. But she couldn't help but feel for all those needless lives lost, all the pain and suffering brought on so many people. Yet behind all of that was a newfound fear of herself.

Something happened on Woostri, when everything became too much for her. She couldn't really understand exactly what happened, but something cracked at the centre of her being, and something ugly spilled out. It scared her, more than anything else, and this was perhaps the crux of all the feeling that had plagued her since.

Of course, Master Noble could see it. She could always see it, and knew how to draw it out of her in a way that was never aggressive or intrusive. All she had to do was mention it with that devoted warmth and space she held so effortlessly for her, and that built up shell she had so diligently tried to maintain melted in an instant. Sitting beside her Master in meditation, Eve's nails dug into her legs as Valery finally brought it up. The silent tension that had built inside of her over the days they had spent travelling together finally came to its surface. She didn't meet her eyes.

"Master, I—" She exhaled hard through her mouth and grit her teeth, willing herself not to cry. She was always crying. She just couldn't do it anymore.

What was she to say? So many feelings whirled around her, framed by the very real and overwhelming sense of shame that clawed at her heart. She wanted — needed — to say so much, but she didn't know where to begin. Taking a life had killed something in her that could never be recovered, and had stunned a part of her into profound, painful silence. Then there was whatever happened outside the data centre... She conjured something. A portion of that terrible storm had been consumed and controlled... by her. She let all of these thoughts and feelings flow silently through the Force to her Master, knowing that her words alone couldn't suffice.

"I... I'm... scared... of what's inside me."

Tears came after all.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery felt it all before Everest even spoke. The pain, the fear, the weight of Woostri pressing down on her Padawan like an unbearable storm. It churned inside her, clawing for control, drowning her in shame she had no right to carry alone. And yet, Everest held it. Tried to contain it. Until now.

The moment she spoke— I'm scared of what's inside me— Valery's heart ached.

Tears fell.

Valery moved without hesitation.

She reached out, her hands steady, grounding, and rested one gently over Everest's, stilling the way her nails dug into her legs. The other lifted, brushing a few strands of silver-streaked hair from the younger woman's face.

"I'm here," she murmured, her voice soft but unwavering. "And I want you to tell me everything."

She let the words settle, let them wrap around Everest like a shield, a promise that no matter what she said, no matter what she had felt or done, Valery would not turn away. "Whatever you're holding inside, whatever is weighing you down... you don't have to carry it alone." Her fiery gaze met Everest's, open, steady. "Tell me, Eve. Let me help you."

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

.

An air of calm reached her as Valery placed a hand on her own. It was enough to allow her mind to finally make sense of her feelings again, as if she could suddenly step away from the cloud that rested so ruthlessly over her. It was just enough to give her the clarity she needed to speak.

She exhaled slowly, her days-tense muscles finally starting to soften. Delicate eyelids rested over her silver eyes as she strove to control her breathing. It came easier than expected. Her Master's immediate presence and attention gave her a much needed calm.

"I... don't know where to begin..." she said finally under her breath, before clearing her throat.

And then it all started to flow.

"I... Life... It's... so precious to me, Master..." Thoughts flashed of her home, the animals she spent her childhood loving and learning from. "Th-the fact that I..." A fresh batch of tears escaped her, but she couldn't voice the deed, couldn't quite admit it out loud. "But... I know that if I didn't..." The thought of losing Tigris then stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't finish. Instead, she tried to move on.

"Something... happened to me there... I... felt things I'd never felt before, didn't think I could feel..." She suddenly shivered and shook, as if she felt the flash of something horrid placing a talon on her shoulder which her body immediately tried to reject. "I could see myself... I was screaming... but it was like I was... trapped... inside of myself. I couldn't do anything." She had to stop again, her breathing suddenly erratic. The memory was too painful, and she bit her lip to try stop herself from tearing up more than she already was.

Why... Why must I always do this.

Her self-chastisement rung against the inside of her skull. She forced herself to keep speaking.

"That storm... I—" Her thoughts were flooded with the images of that terrible nightmare. Crimson lightning tearing through an endless black sky. "I... took control of it... or some of it... I could feel it inside me. I could feel myself inside of it... It was like, I became something... different..." She started to shake involuntarily as the horror of truth dawned on her. "And the worst thing is..." She finally looked up to Valery again, showing a world of fear within those silver eyes. Her mouth was parted from the shock of the realisation. "I... enjoyed it..."

Any pretence that she was keeping it together completely fell apart at that moment, as her lip began to quiver.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery didn't hesitate.

The moment Everest's voice broke, the moment that last bit of control snapped, Valery shifted, moving closer. She wrapped a steady arm around the younger woman's shoulders, pulling her in — not forcefully, but with quiet reassurance. A warmth to shelter her from the storm inside.

"I've got you," she murmured, her voice soft but firm, a quiet anchor against the rising tide of fear.

Everest was trembling. Shaking beneath the weight of it a ll— Woostri, the storm, the power that had coursed through her veins like wildfire. And the worst thing is… I enjoyed it…

That was the moment it truly unraveled. The moment Everest admitted the thing she had buried the deepest. The thing that terrified her the most. Valery tightened her hold, her free hand gently rubbing slow, soothing circles along Everest's upper arm. "Eve," she said softly, her fiery gaze steady, unyielding. "Look at me."

When those silver eyes finally lifted—uncertain, raw, afraid—Valery held them. "You're not a monster," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You're not broken. You're not falling. You are person."

She let the words settle, let them sink in past the fear, past the guilt, past whatever Everest had convinced herself she was becoming.

"Power isn't inherently good or bad. It just is. It's what we do with it that defines us. And you have always chosen to protect. You saved lives that day and you'll save many more." A pause, her gaze searching, warm but firm. "You didn't lose yourself. Not really. If you had… you wouldn't be sitting here, terrified of what you felt. Terrified of what it means to feel temptations."

She gave a small squeeze.

Valery exhaled slowly, her voice dipping into something even softer. "The Dark Side has an insidious way of reaching out to us, but you've recognized it, and that will allow you to resist it."

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve didn't weep in the ways she used to, once upon a time. Something had been ripped so terribly from her heart, it was as if she lost a part of her faculty that allowed her to let herself truly let go anymore. But she did whimper, and she did sob, silently, as Valery spoke with the wisdom and insight she so desperately needed to hear. She always knew the exact right thing to say.

Master Noble so expertly managed to frame the moment in such a way that Eve could wade through her muddy understanding of things, cutting through the dark cloud that was resting above her. It did make sense to her, somewhere beneath all of that shame that plagued her, and she wiped at her damp nose when the silence hung between them, broken only by the occasional sniffle.

She let herself breathe, taking in several slow breaths, letting her muscles relax a little. Her trembling hands finally stilled, nails no longer digging into her legs, as she closed her eyes to search for her centre. After a moment, she opened them again, but she looked nowhere in particular.

"Y-You're right... You're always right. Thank you..." She trailed off, lost in thought. Another moment of silence between them, and the memories of Woostri came to her again. In that darkened chasm within which her broken self become lost, memories and faces flooded her. It was a dizzying half-remembered dream. But only two voices could reach through to her and pull her back in the moments she needed it the most.

"I could hear your voice then... I'm sorry... I'm— I'm sorry you had to reach out to me, like that... I should've been stronger."

Eve had no idea what her Master had to go through that day. She had no idea of her own battles, her own struggles, that she was forced to contend with. Yet something in her could tell that she, too, hadn't left Woostri unscathed. Then there was Azzie, too, which she knew was affecting them both...

Eve felt the sudden desperate need to return the kindness and support, in her own quiet, humble way. She met her eyes again finally.

"Are you... okay?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's smile softened, as she looked at her Padawan. She didn't need Everest to thank her. She didn't need to hear that she was always right — because she wasn't. She just wanted Eve to know the truth. To see herself the way Valery saw her. But when Everest's voice trembled again, when she admitted what she had heard on Woostri — Valery's voice, reaching for her, pulling her back—something in the Jedi Master's chest ached.

Valery's arms were still around her, steady and grounding. She gave her Padawan a small squeeze, shaking her head slightly. "You are strong," she murmured, voice gentle but firm. "That's why I reached out to you. Because I care about you, Eve. I always will." She let those words settle before Everest finally looked up at her again. And when she spoke next, Valery wasn't prepared for it.

For a second, Valery didn't answer.

She had spent the last few hours, maybe longer, focused entirely on Everest. On helping her steady herself. But now, here was Eve — hurt, shaken, and exhausted — looking at her with concern. Valery exhaled slowly, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I fought an old friend," she admitted, her voice quieter now.

Her gaze flickered downward, the memories of that fight stirring in her mind — old wounds forced open, the bitter sting of the past colliding with the present. It had been personal, in ways she had long hoped never to experience again.

"But… I had Kahlil with me." She lifted her eyes again, meeting Everest's silver gaze. There was pain there, yes, but there was also something steady. Kahlil had been her anchor, just as she had been Everest's. Just as Everest had needed her, she had needed him.

Valery offered her Padawan a small, tired smile. "I'm okay, Eve." A pause. "But I think we both had a long and difficult day."

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

She could hear the tiredness in Valery's voice, the way something hadn't quite settled in her heart. Eve had become so accustom to pain and struggle in such a short space of time, she was already starting to recognise it in others. Having to fight an old friend... The thought made Eve's heart ache. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like, and just by looking at her she could see how her expression had darkened, her eyes showing something deeper and more remorseful; something more complex than she could fully comprehend, but recognised nonetheless.

At least her husband was there for her, thought Eve, but she could feel that pain tugging at her, as if her own consciousness had automatically tapped into that sensitivity brewing within her Master. Her eyes started to well again, but this time not for her own pain, but for Valery's.

Without any thought, this time Eve's arms wrapped clumsily around her Master, trapping her arms within her own, and she squeezed her like a teddy bear. Her tearful eyes pressed against the fabric of her jumpsuit arm, and she didn't let go for the longest time. A quiet whisper came from her, muffled through the fabric.

"I'm here for you too..."

It was a simple, perhaps childish, declaration, but it held conviction. It was raw. It was honest. It was Eve.

She didn't want to let go. She just wanted Valery to be okay. But eventually, her surprisingly strong grip eased, and she moved back, bashfully looking nowhere in particular.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

For a moment, Valery was caught completely off guard. One second, she was sitting there, exhausted but steady. The next, she was completely trapped — her arms pinned awkwardly to her sides as Everest practically launched herself forward, squeezing her in an embrace so tight that Valery could do little more than blink in surprise.

Then, the words came. The quiet sincerity of it struck something deep. Valery's expression softened, the tired weight in her chest lifting just a little. The girl was clumsy about it, but that just made it all the more genuine. Raw. Honest. Eve.

For a long moment, Valery just let it happen, her lips curving into a warm smile. Then, as Everest finally loosened her grip and pulled back — clearly a little embarrassed — Valery placed her hands gently on the girl's shoulders. "I really appreciate you, Eve," she said, her voice steady but filled with warmth.

Then, after a pause, Valery gave her shoulders a small, reassuring squeeze.

"If you feel ready," she continued, her fiery gaze searching Everest's silver eyes, "It's time for you to get your first crystal." A small but knowing smile tugged at her lips.

"The heart of your lightsaber."

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

A part of Eve recognised that whatever Valery had to go through, she had no way of relating to it, but she wanted her Master to at least know she was there in whatever capacity her small heart was capable of offering. Valery's words warmed her, causing a soft pink blush to reach her cheeks, and she took in a sharp inhale to pull in the feelings that threatened to make her eyes well any further. But her hand on her shoulder offered much needed grounding.

One day, she promised herself, she would be able to return all of her Master's kindness and strength.

The mood shifted when Valery continued, pulling her focus very suddenly and sharply into the immediate moment, reminding her why they were on Ilum in the first place. A lightsaber crystal. The thought of it caused all manner of sensations to come to her; a cocktail of apprehension, anticipation and everything in between.

There was so much to be said about the colour of a lightsaber's crystal. It was a reflection of a Jedi's true inner nature; an expression of their soul. Eve had heard about the crystal trials, but had been prevented from learning any specifics of the ordeal. She assumed that was for her own benefit, but it didn't make her feel any less anxious about the whole thing. What kind of crystal would she get? Would it be blue? Green? What would those colours mean for her path? Would she even manage to get one at all? What if she failed, what then? Did she have to leave the Order if that happened?

She forcefully reminded herself of the steps she should take whenever such anxiety started to set in, and took a deep, measured breath through her nose, closing her eyes and reaching for her centre again. Behind all of that bubbling panic, all of that scar tissue and buried pain, a single flame burned steady and bright; pure, unyielding, warming. Taking several minutes in silence, she allowed the sensation of its heat to spread through her, out across her whole body, down her spine, through her arms and legs, outward into her fingertips and toes. Then she took another breath.

Silver eyes delicately fluttered open, this time no longer reflecting apprehension or upset as it had done before, but a gentle, peaceful pondering. The thought of the trial hung over her, and yet she had been able to meet the feeling head-on, and merely considered it without the judgement of her ego. She exhaled slowly through her mouth, and she looked to her Master again finally, the smouldering of two brilliant stars reflected in her silver eyes.

"Okay," she started slowly, eyes not leaving Valery. "I'm ready, Master."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery watched as Everest took that deep, measured breath — watched as the anxiety melted away, replaced by something steadier, something truer. It was moments like these that mattered most. Not the battles, not the wars, but the quiet victories. The ones where a Jedi learned to trust themselves.

Her lips curved into a warm, approving smile. "Good," she murmured. "Then let's go."

With that, Valery turned, leading Everest toward the entrance of the caves.

---

The wind howled around them, biting and relentless, sweeping snow across the ancient path that led to the entrance of the Ilum Crystal Caves. A sheer wall of ice blocked their way — thick, solid, untouched by time. The natural forces of the planet had sealed it shut long ago.

Everest would feel the weight of it. The way the Force seemed to hum around the entrance, waiting.

Valery stepped forward and raised a hand.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then — click. A deep, reverberating shift echoed from within the ice. Further up, a series of old, weathered mirrors embedded into the surrounding rock began to adjust, moving into place. A single beam of golden sunlight pierced through the storm, catching the first mirror, then bouncing to the next, then the next — until finally, it reached a focusing crystal mounted above the entrance.

The ice groaned, cracking from the center outward. The light intensified, melting the barrier away. Steam curled into the cold air, and within moments, the entrance to the caves yawned open before them.

Valery turned her head slightly, smirking. "This is your journey now, Everest."

---

As Everest stepped inside, the temperature immediately shifted. The biting cold of Ilum's surface gave way to something else — something deep and ancient, pressing against her senses like a gentle but undeniable presence. The Crystal Caves were alive.

The walls glittered with veins of kyber, casting a soft, shifting glow throughout the cavern. Blues, greens, purples — some pulsing gently, others steady like stars frozen in time. It was breathtaking, almost overwhelming. The Force swirled thickly in the air, weaving through the crystals like a song, a rhythm of something old and powerful.

And yet... Nothing called to her. The crystals around her shone beautifully, but they were silent. Still. As if they were waiting for something more. The deeper she stepped into the cave, the more apparent it became — her crystal wasn't here. Not yet. Something deeper in the caves stirred. A pull. Faint, but unmistakable.

Something was waiting for her.

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

A lump found its way to her throat suddenly, as the entrance to the strange, mysterious caves made itself known, beckoning her to come inside. The feeling emanating from the place was intoxicating. It pushed against her senses in a way nothing else had before. She couldn't ignore the heavy hum of the Force's chorus that rested between every atom, and yet nothing seemed to reach out directly to her senses. Nothing spoke her own name in the way she had expected.

She ventured deeper into the cave. The kyber veins thrummed with such strange, compelling beauty. Pale, slender fingers yearned to touch, but something inside her told her she should not, and instead they traced along the air just inches from them in curious apprehension, as if trying to gauge any kind of response from them directly made for her.

But there was nothing.

Onward she stepped, deeper still, her own awareness expanding and melding with that of the cave. She let her mind weave through the very stone, as the outer corners of all she knew to be herself began to slowly melt within the wake of the hulking, eternal organism that was the very Force itself, in all of its unyielding glory.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The deeper Everest stepped into the cave, the more the world around her seemed to shift.

The air grew heavier — not in weight, but in presence. The Force hummed thickly within these walls, its currents twisting and turning through the veins of kyber embedded deep in the rock. The soft glow of the crystals flickered in a quiet rhythm, casting shadows that stretched and danced as if they, too, were alive. Every step forward brought a subtle change in the atmosphere, as though the cave itself was watching. Waiting.

And yet, for all the beauty surrounding her, there was silence. The crystals did not call to her. They shimmered in brilliant blues and radiant greens, pulsing with the energy of the Force, but none of them felt right. None of them reached for her. None of them whispered her name in that quiet, undeniable way a kyber crystal did when it had found its Jedi.

Then, something changed.

A cold pulse rippled through the cavern, faint but distinct — like a drop of ink bleeding into still water. The kyber veins dimmed for half a second, as if the very energy of the cave recoiled from something unseen. Then, silence once more.

But not quite — A whisper drifted through the chamber. It was not loud and it wasn't forceful. It was barely more than a breath, threading through the Force like an echo lost to time.

Help.

The word barely had form, dissolving into the vastness of the cave almost as soon as it was heard. It was neither a command nor a plea — just a call, distant and weak, but insistent, and Everest would feel it. The pull was subtle, buried beneath layers of quiet hesitation, but it was there. It tugged at the edge of her senses, reaching from somewhere deeper in the cavern. It did not demand her attention, yet it was impossible to ignore.

The choice was hers.

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve's breath curled in the cold air, dissolving into the silence that stretched endlessly around her. The deeper she stepped into the cave, the more the shadows seemed to shift, not in shape, but in presence. The kyber veins pulsed faintly within the walls, casting a dim glow, but their light felt distant now, as if something had drawn the warmth from the space around her.

Help.

She could feel the rising of her heartbeat as the whisper reached her perception, as an undeniable instinct kicked in suddenly in response.

The whisper lingered in her mind, though it had been barely more than a breath. It wasn't a plea. It wasn't desperate. It was just... waiting. Her fingers flexed at her sides. The Force around her felt strange; not hostile, not welcoming, but curious. Watching. Testing. She pressed forward, compelled to seek the whisper's source.

The cavern sloped downward, leading her deeper into the unknown. The walls grew narrower, pressing the air tighter around her. Ice shimmered in jagged patches along the stone, and a thin mist curled at her feet, moving almost unnaturally as if stirred by something unseen. Another step. The temperature dipped further, a biting chill sinking into her bones, and Eve was unsure if it was all an outer sensation or more an inner one. Nevertheless, the pull — the subtle, almost hesitant tug at the edge of her senses — remained.

And she followed.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The deeper Everest ventured, the more the cave seemed to respond. The mist thickened, curling around her ankles like unseen fingers, the frost on the walls deepening in color, shifting in the dim light of the kyber veins. Every breath came with a chill now, each step pressing her further into the unknown.

And then, the whisper sharpened.

"Everest."

Not just a whisper. A voice. Familiar in a way that made the air in her lungs freeze. It wasn't just any voice — it was her Master.

The call carried no urgency, no desperation — only a quiet insistence. A beckoning. It drifted through the cavern like a thread of silk, weaving into the very fabric of the Force, guiding her forward. She could feel it, like the warmth of a hand once placed on her shoulder, the echo of a presence that had shaped her path in ways she was still coming to understand.

But something else tugged at her.

The cave itself shifted — not in shape, not in structure, but in feeling. The energy within the walls pulsed in the opposite direction, toward the kyber veins that shimmered faintly through the ice. There, in the distance, a presence stirred — not a voice, not a call, but something deep and wordless. Something waiting.

The two pulls stretched at her from opposite ends, one leading her deeper into shadow, to the voice of the one who had taught her. The other, toward the light, to the destiny that had called her here in the first place.

She stood at the crossroads.

Which path would she choose?

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

"M-Master...?" Her shaky voice was barely a breath, disappearing into the endless cold in an instant. The cavern swallowed the sound whole, leaving behind that familiar silence that pressed against her ears, heavy and unnatural. Her breathing hitched, chest rising and falling in uneven rhythm as she instinctively turned behind her, opposite to the voice's direction, back toward where she had come from.

Back toward where Master Noble ought to be.

She was somewhere. Eve could still feel her presence, far distant but steady, a flickering light in the vastness of the Force. But it was separate from this voice, the one that had called to her.

And yet, her foot moved anyway. One step forward. Then another. The action was automatic, an instinct burned into her; to help, no matter the cost. If her Master was in trouble, if she was calling out to her for any reason, she would go.

But then... she stopped.

A sharp, splitting crack echoed beneath her as her boot settled still against the ice. The sound shot through the cavern like a warning, reverberating against the frozen walls before dissolving back into silence. The mist of her shaky breath curled in the frigid air, spiralling outward like a hesitant ghost.

Something wasn't right.

The voice — Master Noble's voice — had called her name. But now that she was standing still, feeling the weight of the moment settle around her, she realised something was wrong.

A shiver crawled up her spine, one that had nothing to do with the cold, as she allowed her hesitance to consider the situation properly. The last words she was certain Master Noble had imparted to her rattled through her mind.

"This is your journey now, Everest."

Her journey, for her to take alone. She didn't know what she was to expect coming into this, but surely Master Noble wouldn't intervene in such a way, and it surely was impossible for her to simply teleport somewhere inside these caves...

So who's voice was that?

The silence persisted with its answer to her doubts, pressing onto her mind. She felt dizzy. This place was making her feel... nauseous. She took in another sharp, intentional breath...

...and stepped away from the voice, towards that other, strange, wordless pull that tugged at the other side of her senses.

She trembled uncontrollably, doubt gnawing at the far reaches of her consciousness.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The moment Everest stepped away, the mist thickened again, as if the cave itself was reluctant to let her go. The cold deepened — not just a physical chill, but something that sank into her bones, into her mind. It was subtle at first, a distant, nagging whisper that slithered along the edges of her thoughts. Then, the voice returned.

"Everest."

It was still her Master's voice. Still steady, still patient. But there was something beneath it now. A hint of something… off. Disappointment. She pressed forward, toward the other pull, her heart hammering in her chest.

Then...

Snap-hiss.

A lightsaber ignited behind her. She could feel it — the weight of danger, pressing against her back, thick and suffocating. Then, before she could even turn — A scream. Sharp, raw, and full of pain.

Valery's pain.

Around her, the mist deepened, a wall of cold, swirling vapor blocking her vision. She could see nothing. Just shadows shifting, twisting, moving through the fog like figures in the dark. Then, a tremor. A ripple through the Force, sudden and violent, sending a wave of nausea crashing through her body. It wasn't just pain anymore — it was death. A life vanishing. The kind of severance that left an emptiness in its wake, hollow and final.

And then the voice — no longer a whisper. No longer soft.

"Why aren't you helping?"

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

The universe collapsed in on itself.

Cold swallowed her whole, wrapping around her like a vice, sinking beneath her skin, into her lungs, into her bones. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. The walls of mist closed in, thick and suffocating, pressing against her from all sides like a living thing.

The scream ripped through the cave, through the Force, through her very being. Her Master's pain; raw, agonised, shattering everything she knew and was. Eve staggered back, her boots sliding against the frozen ground as she struggled to maintain balance. Her breath hitched, sharp and uneven. Her vision blurred. Her fingers trembled where they hung useless at her sides.

"N-no... N-n-n-n..."

She spun toward the sound, toward the twisting, writhing shadows, toward the deepening black nothingness where Valery should have been.

"I-I-I... I'm... I'm here..." her voice barely formed, shivering in growing fear, a desperate whisper lost in the mist. But there was nothing. Just the void. Just the emptiness. Just the feeling of loss, of something precious being ripped away, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.

The same silence that had haunted her time and time again.

Trembling, her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her palms as her legs buckled beneath her, until she fell to her knees. Visions of the past melted into her awareness.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry..." The words fell from her lips before she could stop them. "I-I-I should... I sh-sh-should have... I... should have..."

The voice cut through her.

"Why aren't you helping?"

Her stomach lurched, her pulse roaring louder than the silence, louder than the cold, louder the universe itself.

"I-I don't... I can't..." Her voice fractured, cracking under the weight of it, as the face of Valery blended into the face of Private Michael Tanners. The man she was responsible for killing. The man she had given false hope to, and was not there to save from his grisly fate. "I-I-I wasn't... P-please..."

The breath hitched in her throat. She hadn't been strong enough on Woostri. Hadn't been strong enough on Jedha. Hadn't been strong enough when it mattered, when people needed her. Her father's face came to her, and all the times she saw her mother weeping when she thought Eve wasn't around. She could see every time she herself did not have the courage to hug her mother when she needed it the most.

"I-I-I was... I was... a ch-child... I d-didn't know w-what to..."

The silence didn't care. The darkness didn't care. She had failed them all. Her father. Her mother.

And now her Master.

The thought shattered something inside her. A sobbing breath tore through her, her shoulders trembling as her hands grasped at nothing.

"P-please... Please, I don't want this... P-please don't leave me..."

The mist tightened. The shadows deepened. The pressure in the air thickened, crushing her beneath the weight of her own failure. She was drowning. Drowning in her own inadequacy. Her breath came in ragged, shallow bursts, her vision tunnelling. The cave felt too small, too big, too empty all at once. The fear consumed her whole.

And then...

Nothing.

A beat.

A pause.

Something didn't make sense.

Valery wasn't here.

The thought drifted through her like a distant echo, barely breaking through the chaos. The brush of a feather, the end of a breath. But it was enough. Eve gasped, her mind clawing at the frayed edges of reality, trying — struggling — to pull something solid from the spiralling abyss.

Valery wasn't here. She was still outside, waiting.

Eve had stepped into the cave alone. Yes, she had to take this journey alone. Valery wasn't in the cave. Valery wasn't in the cave. Valery wasn't in the cave. Her mind suddenly gained clarity amidst the dark, her memories subsiding behind the purity of light that grew from within her centre.

That voice — Valery's voice — was wrong. Eve shook her head desperately, squeezing her tearful eyes shut, forcing air into her lungs, gripping onto that one fragile thread of truth.

"N-no..."

The mist coiled tighter, the voice whispering again, insistent, digging in savagely like claws.

"Why aren't you helping?"

Her breath hitched, her body still shaking, but her hands stopped trembling.

"Th-this... This... isn't... real..."

The words felt impossible, felt like swallowing glass, but she forced them out in spite of it all. Her mind screamed against it. The fear tried to drag her under again, tried to tell her this was real, that she had failed, that she always would. But she gritted her teeth, shaking her head harder now, more certain, as the awareness of her inner light began to shine forth, shedding truth on her being.

"This... isn't... real..."

Her voice croaked, but it was nevertheless steadier. Slowly, she got to her feet, blinking away the frost that threatened the moisture on her eyelashes. Shaken, breath catching in the air, she pressed forward, not toward the scream, not toward the voice, but where she knew in her heart she must go, and she continued to recite to herself, almost like a mantra...

"This... isn't... real..."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

As Everest forced her way forward, pushing against the lingering grip of fear, the mist that had clung to her like a shroud began to thin. The voices — whispers of doubt and failure — grew quieter, fading into the background like echoes lost in the wind. The overwhelming cold that had seeped into her bones, freezing her from the inside out, began to lift. In its place, something new stirred — subtle at first, like the distant touch of sunlight against skin after a long winter. A strange, soothing warmth, not the kind of heat from a fire, but something deeper, something familiar.

She pressed forward.

With each step, the dark fog dissipated further, revealing glimpses of something beyond the tunnel. Then, ahead of her, the cave walls pulsed with hues of deep violet, sapphire blue, and shimmering emerald — colors dancing along the crystalline formations that lined the chamber beyond. The air was no longer heavy with despair but alive with something else entirely.

Something pure.

She stepped into the new chamber, and the moment she did, the world shifted again. There, at the heart of the cave, surrounded by the soft glow of kyber crystals, stood a figure.

Valery.

Or at least... something like her.

It wasn't really her, Everest would know that. But it looked like her. It felt like her. The figure stood bathed in radiant light, a warm smile gracing her features, her fiery gaze as kind and steady as ever. There was no pain here, no shadows or screams. Just presence. Her lips did not move, but Everest could feel the words in her heart.

You are stronger than you believe.

The spirit of Valery stretched out a hand toward her, palm open, fingers extended in invitation. From the center of her hand, light bloomed — bright, white, alive. It pulsed in time with Everest's own heartbeat, as if waiting.

Waiting for her.

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve stared at the figure before her.

The warmth of the chamber should have been comforting, but instead, it unsettled her somewhat. It was too kind, too gentle. She had braced herself for another illusion of pain, another trick of the cave that would force her to break before she could move forward. But this wasn't pain.

This was light.

The mist was gone. The whispers had faded into nothing. And standing there, bathed in the soft glow of kyber, was her Master. Not really her. But the presence was unmistakable. The image of Valery Noble was steady, radiant. She wasn't suffering, wasn't in pain. She stood in perfect stillness. Unshaken. Whole.

You are stronger than you believe.

The words pressed against Eve's heart, curling into the spaces where doubt had settled. She felt them in her ribs, in her pulse, in the very air she breathed. She wanted to believe them. Her fingers twitched at her sides, but she didn't move. She couldn't.

What if she was wrong?

What if this was the moment she reached out and nothing happened? What if the cave simply rejected her? What if it suddenly took back its warmth and reminded her that she was still that same girl from Woostri after all; shaking, breaking, watching helplessly as the people she loved were taken from her? Her chest tightened. She wanted to turn away. To step back. To run.

But then...

She thought of Tigris, her rock, standing beside her through it all. The one who gave her such strength, had taught her the meaning of love, who's very being was becoming rapidly fused with her own.

She thought of Azzie, her sister, the fierce fire that had infected her own heart with a passion she never knew she had in her; though presently lost, would be brought back.

She thought of Colette, her other sister, damaged, recovering, but still here, still an empowering force, still a grounding power always there as the sobering strength she loved her for.

She thought of Valery, real and alive, a constant, a burning fire, a guiding hand, a loving strength. She was still there, ever the one pulling her through, and still waiting for her, beyond this cave.

And then she thought of herself. The girl who had survived Jedha, had survived Woostri, had survived all of it. The girl who had made mistakes, who had doubted, who had screamed for help in the dark... but still stood here now. Maybe she wasn't unshaken. Maybe she would never be whole, or wouldn't be the same again...

But maybe she was already enough.

Tears fell from her uncontrollably, her body trembling, and her breath hitched as she finally spoke back to the apparition. Her voice croaked, but it spoke with an earnest confident that shone from her heart.

"I... I know... I know... I'm... I'm enough..."

As she said it, it was as if a coil that had been tightly wound around her heart suddenly loosened. A pain she had become so used to she barely registered anymore finally lifted, and she wept from the shear force of its relief. She finally moved, and slowly, hesitantly, she raised her hand toward the light. Her fingertips trembled as they neared the shining warmth, the glow reflecting against tears along her face.

She inhaled.

Then, with a quiet, unsteady breath, she reached forward...

...and touched the light.

Valery Noble​