𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 - 𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐬

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄 ⸺ 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 & 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨.

𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹'𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬 ────────────
if you guys really wanna cry, feel free to listen to "burying the dead" from the clone wars series during your reading :)

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1153 local hours. Year 7963 (14 BBY)
Nightmare Ruins, Dathomir.

⚡︎ ⁺.  ◍ 。

     𝓐S SOON AS she landed a foot in the temple, Væmas was overwhelmed by a wave of negative feelings, fear, pain, suffering, panic, so intense that she stumbled on her feet, thousands of voices crying out loud in her head. She raised a hand on her forehead, wincing.

Next to her, Cal gasped, a sign that he had sensed the same thing.

"Terrible things...have happened here..." She murmured, her eyes scanning around the large and dark interior. Two column rows led to a giant door, to which Væmas felt strangely drawn. Glancing to Cal, they both made their way up the few stairs and, after only exchanging a look, put simultaneously their hand on the door.

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1405 local hours, Year 7958 (19 BBY).
Cato Nemoidia, Core.

Væmas was falling. The wind was roaring around her as she was unable to form a single thought, apart from the one that she was certainly going to die. She felt like it had been hours, and somehow managed to flip around to have herself facing down. A dark mass came into view, and grew bigger and bigger by the minute.

She thought that it was it, she was going to crash on this giant rock and join the Force. She could already hear her bones crack, the darkness coming into view, calling out to her. As she was only a few meters away, a sudden scream, with the voice of her master, seemed to wake her up brutally.

"PADAWAN!"

Her eyes opened wide and, by pure instinct, she outstretched her hands with a scream and unleashed the biggest Force surge she had ever produced. She hit the rock violently. A loud crack sounded in her left shoulder, followed by the sharpest pain. Stars danced in Væmas' vision as she rolled on herself several times, before her body halted to a stop.

She stayed like this, on her back, looking at the sky, for what seemed forever. Her young mind was yet unable to process what just happened. There was only searing, indescribable pain. Again, it was her master's voice who got her on her feet.

"Get up, Væmas. Your fight is not over yet."

Her shoulder protested violently when she got up, bringing fresh tears to roll on her cheeks. She dig her teeth into her bottom lip, soon tasting metal on her tongue. She prodded gently at her left shoulder before narrowing the source of the pain came to her clavicule. It was likely broken — and the realization brought back a wave of panic, clawing at her stomach until she had to cover to hand with  her mouth to quiet her violent sobs. Væmas allowed herself exactly one minute to cry, then forced a deep breath in. Over the thousands of questions and thoughts crossing over her mind, one came brighter than the others, repeatedly, her training instinctively taking over:

"I need to get out of here. Escape now. Questions later."

She removed her belt and her overcoat. Cutting it with her lightsaber seemed too risky — even with the heavy fog above her, she couldn't risk the light being spotted. She ended up tearing a piece with her teeth to form a make shaft bandage for her arm, strapping it across her chest. The pain was so bad she had to sit down on the rock to tie the bandage. A flash of lucidity came to her as she searched in the pouches of her belt. Yes. The pain killer Ryke, the battalion's medic, had given her for her headaches was still there. Væmas swallowed it dry, then forced herself up with one hand.