Two individuals stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a sick and twisted forest, gazing towards the ruins shadowed in darkness just beyond the forest border. The two were a curious pair, one was short where the other was tall, one was cheerful where the other was serious, and one wore green where the other wore blue. They were a contrast of characters, but it did not affect their treatment of the other. A comfortable silence was held between them, indicating long companionship and intimate knowledge of the other.
“Do you remember the fables of times long past?” spoke the short and cheerful one, turning his head to regard his taller companion, head tilted upwards like a child looking up to a parent.
“Places like this, those stories are almost too kind,” was the response received, keen eyes roving over the shapes in the distance.
Silent agreement passed between the two. The surface on which they stood was the planet Ziost, dark and tainted, unfit for life, but held multitudes of dangerous creatures in the dark depths of its wilderness. The two could feel the taint of the planet, crawling over their skin due to their sensitivity to the Force, far more attuned to such things than ordinary mortals.
Sage Masters, the few individuals who dedicated their lives in study of the Force itself, its nature, and its effect on the living. They were old and wise, had met many dangers that they had bested, both alone and together. Now they were undertaking the most important of tasks, and the most difficult. To cleanse a place of Dark Side taint was difficult and draining for those involved, but these two were sworn to serve the Light and chase shadows away from every corner of the galaxy.
The forest ahead was thick with no clear course to follow, treacherous for all who dared wander, but despite this the two found a rocky trail to lead them into the heart of it. It was one of many obstacles to their ultimate goal and it would be defeated like all the rest.
Branches of dead trees curled their bony fingers into the fabric of the two Masters cloaks, silently discouraging them from their planned course of action. The two ignored the silent warning, shrugging the appendages off, sharp snaps accompanying as the flimsy limbs broke. Fallen leaves crunched underneath their boots as they made their way along the obscure track created by nameless creatures. The wind howled above them, foreboding.
The path led them onwards, out of the forest and amongst ruined walls, the empty remnants of the city that had rested on the border of the forest eons before. Beyond the ruined city a fortress rose up from the ground, resting on a plateau and looming above them. Like the city, it was also in ruins, but its dark spires held firm, empowered by the dark presence that still dwelled in its walls. It was their final warning, the point of no return.
“It makes one wonder what sort of culture lived on Ziost before it became corrupted,” the shorter murmured, with far more interest in history than his companion. They did not meet each other’s gaze, staring ahead.
“It is no worry of ours,” he replied, a hand gesturing towards the looming citadel beyond the city. Their route was clear, they had to merely step along the provided passageway.
As they walked, they noticed that there was little trace of former inhabitants, merely the empty shells of abandoned buildings, mournfully drooping as their walls crumbled. This was not the place it used to be. The road beneath their feet led them towards their intended goal, cracked and ruined, worn.
The pathway came to a sudden stop by the foreboding gate of the citadel, an area awash in shadow, portcullis looming above them, angled to the side thanks to erosion of the supports. The two cut through, their step firm and sure as they left the broken cobbles and stepped over the cracked flagstones of an ancient courtyard. Weeds and dying foliage grew out of cracks, crawling up the wall in a futile attempt to reach the sky. Ahead there stood three grand archways, two of equal size flanking a larger one, leading into a black void. The ancient outdated architecture elicited begrudging respect from both Masters, admiration of a glorious period long past, but now had been tainted.
“We must be cautious, the dark side is treacherous,” the shorter muttered, knowledge of the traps and tricks that awaited them held intimately in his mind. They had been encountered many times before in similar buildings, darkness was uniform.
“We will prevail, brother. The Force will guide us,” the taller returned, staring ever impassively at the scene before them, the three massive archways’ black mass seemingly draining all light from the area. Leeching off hope, fear, and anger.
“The Force will guide us home,” the other finished, a bright untarnished grin flitting over his face as he turned to his companion.
The serious and severe man cracked a tentative smile at the sight of his partner’s unabashed joy in light of their knowledge of the Force. He settled a hand on the others shoulder, squeezed it lightly, and they stepped through the largest archway together. Facing their destiny as the Force dictated.
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