The Force Betrayed: Cal Kestis x OC

16.

The darkness seeping out of the tomb pulled at the pair, tempting them to go further into the structure. The wanderer they had encountered seemed off and, quite frankly, crazy, but Sakana couldn't forget his warning. The darkness was borderline overwhelming from where she was standing, and she wasn't even at the final door.

"You okay?" Cal asked her, suddenly snapping her out of her daze.

"I'm fine, it's just...exhausting," she said, rubbing her bicep to comfort herself. "I've never felt anything so..." she trailed off.

"Consuming?" he filled in, looking at her curiously. She nodded at his response and silence fell between them, each trying to understand their feelings on their own.

"Yeah," Sakana said as she looked back up at Cal. "But we'll go together."

"Together," he sighed, giving her the slightest smile of encouragement as they progressed further into the tomb.

They came upon the tomb's main entrance: a tall, slim, stone door that had no handle. It resembled smaller doors they had passed during their first trip to Dathomir, though this one looked much more ancient.

Cal took one last glance at Sakana before he stepped forward and placed his hand on the door, preparing himself for the dangers that might lay ahead. She watched his face carefully as she tried to read his expressions, his stoic frown still present on his lips.

As his hand made contact with the door, a horrifying chill went down Sakana's spine. Her eyes widened as fear came washing over her body, the wind leaving her lungs as her heart refused to beat. Cal's eyes had been closed for far too long without any movement or words from his lips, and the door hadn't moved an inch.

"Cal," she said, closing the space between them. "Cal!"

The darkness was becoming colder by the second and Cal wasn't waking up. Sakana did the only thing she thought might help and tried to shake his arm, attempting to snap him out of it. Instead, her body physically felt like it was being sucked towards the door, and before she could let go, she was transported to to Cal's vision. 

Everything was white at first, a completely blinding alabaster flash that faded into a young image of Cal, though Sakana wasn't sure how young. She noticed that he was in his Jedi robes and still had his padawan braid, and a sinking feeling fell over her shoulders as she followed him out of his quarters. She was free to look around but she moved with Cal, and when she looked down at herself, she wasn't physically there. 

She watched as he turned the corner and was met with two clones standing in the hallway, their blaster rifles in hand.

"I heard we might be leaving Bracca," one of the clones spoke, making Cal's eyes light up.

"I don't want to get my hopes up until I speak with Master Tapal," Cal replied, though the excitement was clear in his high-pitched voice.

Cal hadn't exactly been quiet about his past, but he hadn't really gone into detail either. She knew that the tomb wouldn't show him just any vision, it had to be important. Something about it felt eerily familiar, and with the darkness of the tomb bleeding into her limbs, she couldn't exhale the heaviness from her chest.

"Shouldn't you be heading off to training?" said the other clone. A look of surprise crossed Cal's face as if he had learned something new, or perhaps realized he was keeping his master waiting.

"Right," Cal said, turning to go down another hallway. Another clone was guarding the door, holding the same stance as the other two.

"Heading to training?" the clone asked, his helmet dipping down to look at Cal.