Stockholm on Starkiller | ON HOLD

21: The Gauntlet.

They approached the massive doors to the tomb, the blazing sun replaced with a deafening aura of darkness. The shade did little to cool Avatra's sweat soaked body, the feeling that seeped into her skin did, however, distract her from the insane heat. 

"How do we open it?" She asked, glancing over at Kylo who slowly approached the door. He was tentative, careful with his movements, as though there were traps set about every step. 

"With the Force...Only one with the power can open it." He breathed out, not sparing her a glance, his full attention brought to the tomb before him. 

She turned her eyes to the tomb, looking over the enormous doors. There were intricate symbols carved into the stone, each in a separate circle that expanded in three separate disks. It looked like a puzzle. 

They didn't seem like much to Avatra, just random scratches and such. But Kylo knew exactly what it was; 

"This is the ancient Sith language. These are their markings.." He answered her, before following the lettering. "It reads the Sith Code." Kylo pondered a moment, before reaching a hand out toward the door. A moment of silence passed, before the the inner circle began to twist, following the movements of Kylo's wrist. He repeated the process for the other two, placing the lettering in the correct order. They were rewarded with an echoing thunk as the inner circle receded slightly, and the doors slowly opened.

"What did it say?" Avatra asked, watching in awe as the doors slowly opened before them, before turning her eyes to Kylo.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength, through strength, I gain power. " He began, walking past Avatra and through the passageway. She followed closely, the mechanical tone of his vocoder echoing through the narrow tomb. "Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains will be broken. The Force shall set me free." 

"Through passion?" She whispered, as though she was scared someone would hear them. Kylo nodded his head, 

"Yes. Emotions such as anger and hatred are filled with passion. It fuels the Dark side." He commented. Avatra knit her brows. 

"I always thought of passion as love."  

Kylo didn't respond, but she could feel the tension grow thick in the air. 

They continued through the tomb in silence. They further they traveled through the narrow passageway, the harder it was for Avatra to focus. She could feel the darkness surround her, crawl over her skin and tempt her. It had such an effect on her, it was almost hard to breathe. Her emerald eyes were glued to Kylo's back, pushing herself further as he kept on. 

She was determined to prove herself. 

"We're getting close. Are you alright?" Kylo broke the silence, but didn't falter in his step. Her heart seemed to skip in her chest. Was he genuinely concerned about her? 

"I'm fine." She replied, trying to cover the exhaustion in her voice. "Do you follow the Sith Code?" 

"To a degree. There are valuable traits to the Sith Code." It was a simple response, and she could tell he didn't want to discuss it further. Was it because she mentioned love? The thought raced her mind quickly, but she was quick to bring her attention forward. 

She could see bright light ahead of them, where the narrow passage came to an end and opened up into a huge cavern. She gaped as she followed Kylo into the open area, her eyes quickly scanning the area;

It was enormous, the ceiling of the cave was covered in stalactites that hung dangerously above them. There were cracks between them, letting little steaks of sunlight into the dark cavern. In the center of the tomb was a pyramid structure with an open archway leading inside. On either side stood statues of a man. It portrayed a Sith, with odd tendrils on either side of his mouth, and an enormous scar across the left eye. She presumed it to be Crassus.