reborn § cal kestis

18 - Epilogue

Alone, atop a prominent peak of one of the only nearby mountains of Sielu, Sadira meditated. With her legs crossed, eyes shut and lips parted, she levitated in the air. Her breathing was steady as she felt the force surround her, flowing through her blood and prickling her skin.

This was one of the only places she could meditate in. Surrounded by nature and sitting above the clouds—not to mention a lack of people—allowed her to let herself go, and free herself within the force.

Of course, she was never alone for too long. Just as the force was about to completely envelop her, she heard footsteps. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she strained to listen for who it might be. As soon as she realised who it was, a large hand placed itself on her shoulder. Not expecting this, she screamed and snapped her eyes open. Her connection with the force broke as she fell to the ground.

She looked up and saw Cal, laughing. "You idiot," she scolded, gingerly rubbing her legs and back. "That's the second time you've scared me this week. I'm gonna have legs full of bruises by the end of it."

Cal shrugged then sat down beside her. Their legs dangled off the edge of the cliff, swaying in the soft breeze. "Maybe you should be more alert."

She nudged him. "Maybe you should shut up."

Cal laughed at her reaction, then shuffled next to her so that their shoulders were touching. Clearing his throat, he passed her a small, pink flower. She took it gratefully. "It's a lotus. It made me think of you."

"Did Aari let you have it? She's gonna have your head if she finds out."

"No, she said it's fine."

Nodding, Sadira nudged Cal again. "You big softie."

Cal smirked and leaned back. "Your softie."

"Yeah, okay. Doesn't mean I can't find this cheesy though." Seeing the flash of hurt in Cal's eyes, Sadira immediately regretted her words. She intertwined her fingers with his and smiled. "I'm kidding. Thank you."

The two stared out at the scenery. There wasn't much of a view, really, only the steadily thinning layer of fog and a few mountains in the distance. Nevertheless, it was a calming sight.

"How have you been getting on?" Cal asked.

"With the force?" Cal nodded and Sadira sighed. "Pretty good. Although if anything breaks my concentration I lose the connection pretty fast."

"It's like that for all Padawans."

"Sure, but I'm not a Padawan, remember? I decided that I only wanted to learn meditation to control myself, not to actually use the force."

Cal sat up, so they were side by side again. He held her gaze. "I know, and I get it. Cere's the same, mostly."

"You and D'ri can be our token Jedis. I'm fine with just being a scoundrel," Sadira joked.

"And you're a great scoundrel, at that," Cal added. After a short span of silence, he turned to look behind them. There was a field of flowers that the rebels had planted on the grassy areas of the cliff. It was a spectacular view—plants of all shapes, sizes and colours thrived together. A few trees were growing here and there, but those were mostly planted on the ground. Overall, the introduction of so much nature meant that Sielu's atmosphere was becoming more habitable.

Sadira turned to gaze upon the greenery with him. "I never thought they'd do it," she admitted. "Especially not after we fought the Empire. All of it was destroyed, and now here we are."

Cal faced her. "Sometimes things are meant to die, just so that change can happen."

"You're right," she agreed.

At the thought, she stared down at the flower in her lap. Cal seemed to have the same thought, "like you, Dee. Everything seemed to come crashing down for you, but you picked yourself back up."

Sadira scoffed. "Barely. I almost fell back into that trap."

"But you didn't," he countered.

"Yeah, I guess." She untangled their fingers and, instead, wrapped her arms around his own and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Cal exhaled, then balanced his head atop hers. "I know."

She chuckled and punched his arm lightly. "Idiot."

"Hey!" When the two were finished laughing, Cal continued. "Everyone experiences change in their life. I'm just glad that I could be there to help you with yours."

"I'm glad you were there too. You and the Mantis crew, the rebels, D'ri-" She paused to blink the tears out of her eyes. "-and Aiyana. All of you. Really."

"This isn't the end, Sadira," Cal said. "There's more challenges and change to come. It never stops."

"But that's the beauty of life, right?"

"Right."

They sat in silence, watching the sun rotate around Sieulu. Sadira repeated their conversation in her head, and with every repetition, she believed it more and felt increasingly positive about the future. She had realised a lot of things in her journey, but one stayed at the forefront of her mind.

It was the simple idea of growth. Life comes with difficulty. Life comes with progression. Life comes with death. To Sadira, she would gladly die a thousand deaths just so she could experience life over and over again. The pain, the hardship, everything. She knew with confidence and content that every time she died—physically, mentally or spiritually—she would be a new person.

She would be reborn.

THE END