Control The Uncontrollable // The Acolyte

96. Peace in Certainty

Your eyes drifted into the mouth of the cave, where shadows swallowed the last of the fading light. You had walked this path once before, uncertain of what awaited you. It was different now. The air felt heavier, like the cave itself remembered you—and waited. You knew the Force would test you again before you reached the temple, but that wasn't the true challenge.

Not Plagueis.

No—he would die tonight.

It was what came after that unsettled you. The aftermath. The unraveling. A web of uncertain futures, tangled and shifting, full of threads you could follow—many you didn't want to. Few you hoped for. But you knew better than to follow desire. That was never where the Force led.

You glanced at Bell—so sure, so brave in the face of something he didn't yet understand. A knight now, grown into the man you once only glimpsed in the edges of his potential. Then your gaze shifted to Master Sol. The one who had taught you everything. The closest thing you'd ever had to what others might call a father.

You offered them both a small, weary smile.

The Order often tried to separate itself from the emotional tides of life, distancing its members from love, fear, and loss. But in truth, it was not above the living force—it was part of it. A circle. A pulse. And these two... they were the brightest echoes of that truth in your life.

You stepped forward and kissed each of them gently on the forehead. You felt their quiet confusion at your touch—affection wasn't your usual weapon.

"Know that no matter what happens in the darkness," you said softly, your eyes on them both, "you are the brightest parts of my life."

Then you turned, stepping toward the mouth of the cave, where the blackness stretched endlessly forward. Behind you, you heard the twin hums of lightsabers igniting—bright, unmissable sounds slicing through the quiet.

You turned back, raising your wrist slowly to stop them. "Turn them off," you said calmly. "Let the darkness take you. You are the light."

They hesitated, but obeyed.

You stepped into the dark alone, your eyes falling shut as you surrendered to it, welcoming the stillness that bloomed behind your ribs.

"I do not fear the darkness," you whispered, smiling faintly. "I embrace it."

Just like last time, the creatures began to stir.

You heard them first—clicking claws, soft hisses, slithering movements hidden in the pitch. You couldn't see them, but you didn't need to. The Force was thick with their presence, undeniable and ancient. You smiled, tilting your head as you turned toward the noise. You could feel them moving—around you, above you. Watching.

Then... silence.

And from the silence, a voice.

"Don't tell me you're scared," you whispered into the black.

A breath.

Then a shift.

"You're the one who's scared," the voice responded, distorted, filtered—but unmistakable. It slithered through the cavern like smoke, echoing through the stone.