What you believe in

Two sisters

As'tra Par:

«She's my sister. She would never hurt me.» were the only thoughts going through As'tra's head as she faced her older sister. Arwen summoned the blade of her lightsaber, blood red, shining like a wildfire. As'tra stifled a cry of surprise. Had she truly bled her beautiful yellow kyber crystal? Perhaps that was when As'tra realized that the sister she had grown up fighting and training with, was truly gone. The metallic floor of the ship glowed red as Arwen stepped forth, threateningly, but slowly, as though she hesitated to strike her sister. She spoke, As'tra could see her lips moving but didn't care to hear what she had to say. There was only her, her sister, the red blade she wielded, and her own familiar lightsaber, she could feel the comforting weight of it in her palm, inert, the blade still sheathed. She tightened her grip on the handle, to keep from shaking. She would have done anything to protect her from the dark side of the Force, or to be anywhere but here, facing off with the person she loved most in the entire galaxy.

-"Arwen..." she kept her voice steady, battling with tears and grief.

Her Master's voice echoed through her thoughts. «Attatchment leads to fear, fear leads to the dark side...»

-"Arwen doesn't exist anymore. I destroyed her. There's only me now, Lord Zash." She spoke, her voice devoid of it's usual affection.

With that, she threw herself at As'tra,her expression blank, devoid of all but hatred. As'tra blocked every attack, she knew Arwen's fighting style like she knew her own— by heart. They had spent their lives fighting by each other's side, with the other's life in their hands, in perfect sync always. They had spent their lives fighting the darkness, this couldn't be how it ended! There had to be a mistake but Arwen's gaze was strange, she didn't know it. Arwen's lightsaber came crashing down from above, blue and red clashed, and sparks flew. As'tra had managed to block the attack, but couldn't get out of it, and Arwen was stronger than she remembered. She couldn't hold it for long, her sister was just physically stronger. Soon, she'd be at Lord Zash's mercy... The light of the sith's saber faltered slightly, and for a moment, something changed in her expression, a familiar light, just like the days off they spent together on the cliffs by the temple, just the two of them. Did she mourn the childhood that they could've had, growing up on their birth planet Balmorra, like all the other kids? And just like that, the light faded again, replaced by the same blank hatred. As'tra lost her grip on her lightsaber, and watched it fly in an arc as it's blade disappeared, straight into Arwen's hand. She caught it with ease, like she used to in battle when As'tra threw it to her if she needed it. It was different this time. She smiled, a horrible, victorious smile, and at that moment, As'tra accepted her fate. She may have failed the person that she loved most, but at the very least, she had tried to fix it.

-"I'm so sorry Arwen. I should've seen the darkness growing around you, but instead I failed you. We were supposed to be there for eachother and I just failed."

-"I'll show you how a Jedi should die. By their own lightsaber, their own light." Arwen snarled, ignoring her.

She held As'tra's lightsaber in the air using the force, and pointed it to her chest, a murderous light in her once familiar blue eyes. Her expression went from triumphant, to confusion, then disbelief and frustration.

-"I don't understand—" Lord Zash started, staring at the lightsaber.

Her own gaze landed on her lightsaber, the one she had built by her sister's side at the Jedi Forge on Tython all those years ago. She traced its every shape with her eye, the metallic handle, carved beautifully by her own hand, tediously, over months, the roller she nudged to summon the blade, then the tiny metallic compartment her crystal lay in. She felt her heart pinch.

-"That crystal won't be wielded against its wielder. It chose it's partner, it will forever remain loyal to her." Druu's achingly familiar voice rang out from behind Arwen.

She could see her over Arwen's shoulder, past her fiery red hair, standing in the open doorway to the commands room. Arwen spun around to face her. Not missing a beat, As'tra called her weapon to her, tearing it from her sibling's grip, ducking out of reach and summoning the blade. She could feel the crystal's power flowing through her, carried by the Force. «The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the jedi, the jedi is the crystal of the force, the force is the blade of the heart. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi, all are one.» the code looped in her mind, over and over again, just a whisper, growing louder and louder. She  attacked as Arwen's back was turned and taking her by surprise. She wielded it in perfect sync with her blade, it's power, the Force, calm, collected, in control. Druu joined the frey and in no time, Arwen was overpowered. Now As'tra held her by her fiery blue blade's tip. Her once Master didn't interfere, as though she understood that this was As'tra's fight. Arwen refused to meet her gaze. No matter: They had won. Then Arwen smiled again, cruelly.

-"You can't kill me, can you? You're still too attached."

As'tra didn't speak. She knew she could never kill her sister. That didn't matter, she was in the Jedi Order's hands now, but if they harmed a single hair on her head...