Chapter Text
Hot ash spewed into the air, lightly dusting the forsaken landscape beyond the temple doors, and thin layers of dirt and soot covered the obsidian tiled and earthen floor of the inner chamber. Gathering up all the discarded shin guards, broken helms, and empty boots, he shuffled and lumbered about, completely unaware of what awaited him in the corridor beyond. “I am the Guardian,” he mindlessly muttered to himself, as was his usual way of going about his duties. Shrouded in darkness, the hooded figure moved stiltedly yet steadily.
He had always been here, or so … it seemed, buried deep beneath the volcanic Gahenn Plains.
Many had once come to the Sith Temple built over the remains of Corvax Fortress... beneath what was now Fortress Vader. Sith Cultists came to see the Sith Caves and to make pilgrimages to the World of Fire, the locus, and Vader’s Pathway into Time. They came to bleed crystals to seek immortality and artifacts.
Then the many had stopped coming.
Buried with the bones of Sith lords and Jedi warriors alike, were the empty shells of inquisitors’ armor. Gone now were their lost, hushed histories - but he remained.
His lonely existence had become one purely of repetition and isolation. It suited him. He was forever chained to this place since the great disgrace, and he always would be. There was nothing that could ever set him free of this tomb… or from himself.
The war had ended years ago. How many years, he couldn’t even recall. And Snoke… His Master was long gone. He was no more.
Leader Snoke and his accursed force lightning was the punishment for wanting more... fighting for more. That punishment was his torture and was invariably his undoing. Pain--a great rippling, burning, searing pain! Unconscionable agony wracking through his whole body, forcing him to his knees and crushing him down unmercifully to writhe uncontrollably on the throne room floor of the Supremacy.
He shook his head repeatedly, forcing his mind back from those horrifying memories. His punishment, torture, and wounding had ended, and he must move on and tend to his duties - relegated now to live a life of the lowly Temple Guardian. Once the man known to be the most feared Dark Force user in the Galaxy, the infamous warlord, the dutiful worthy apprentice, son of darkness, heir apparent to Lord Vader, the future Supreme Leader...
Madness. All Nonsense. It’s all just nonsense. He was the Temple Guardian, now.
****
She was drawn here and could not truly explain why. Of course, there was her curiosity regarding the possible existence of the two Sith holocrons purportedly once owned by Darth Vader, and there was also the newfound information contained in the Jedi texts that had piqued her interest. There was another reason, though.
Though it was a very unsettling feeling that pulled her to this horrid yet fabled place, she couldn’t explain it, but she also couldn’t resist.
Once Rey entered the coordinates into the Navicomp, she knew that she would have to rely on her instincts and her instincts alone to survive.
Near the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim territories, Rey dropped out of hyperspace.
“Here it is: Mustafar. Hmmm… There’s no moon and...only the one sun. Breathable atmosphere. Why am I about to land on this hellscape?” She mused to herself as she went over the planet’s data file, and repeating to herself what she had heard many times with defiance. “Legend has it that this was where Jedi went to die.”
After landing, she repelled directly into the largest chamber. She ignited her saber as she descended, casting an amber glow all along the cavernous walls and over the dust covered floor.
Landing on her feet and dropping her bags, she returned her saber to her shoulder. She began to take in her surroundings and marveled at the temple’s antiquity. There was much power and history in the hallowed place.
Rey immediately sensed that she was not alone. There was indeed a lifeform present, she knew it. The young Jedi stood stone-still and shut her eyes. She purposefully and carefully connected to the Force, adeptly searching out the force signature she’d first felt only moments ago. Her suspicions were confirmed-- someone else was in the temple.
Some disturbed stones and fragments of loose shale suddenly crumbled down from the ridge of a rock face along the far wall of the temple’s war room, startling her.
“Hello? Who’s there?” Rey bit into her lip as she stepped lightly and lowered her saber to her side, but never igniting it. Squinting, she noticed a very mysterious cloaked life form looming large in the distance, and she called out once more. “Who’s there?”
The way he moved was cumbersome, heavy, and leaden.
Ever watchful and vigilant, Rey dared to draw a little nearer.
“I am the Guardian. Take what you will.” He turned away and staggered toward the stone archway.
She finally ignited her saber and shone it in the direction of the creature.
“You seem injured. Are you hurt?” She asked, calling out to his retreating back.
His voice boomed, “Take what you will and… go!”
Once again he pivoted, dashing away and disappearing through another alcove. For all his bulk, she noted he was impressively agile.
“But… but wait. Wait, please...wait!” Rey trotted gingerly behind him in an attempt to catch him.
He was clearly more familiar with his surroundings and she struggled to keep up. Rey could tell the temple held no secrets from him. He had turned away quickly and scurried through what looked to be a solid wall. His movements were staggered, hobbled, and hampered in some way. Even so, they were quick and sure.
Rey felt there was something familiar about him, for all that he was little more than a hulking form in the distance. Sight unseen, she continued to call out to him with an instinctive urgency.
“Are you Sith?” Rey asked, hoping to get him to stop and speak with her. She sensed there was nothing to fear from him, even if he was a Sith.
His voice bellowed out from up above her now and her eyes flickered from shadow to shadow, trying to perceive him. “No, not Sith. Never Sith.”
It was an odd response from someone inhabiting a Sith Temple. Stranger still, he sounded...angry at her query. Resentful.
“Are you all alone here?” Her eyes searched behind every column and crevice. Rey wanted to track his steps but not have him feel hunted. For some reason, she felt kindly disposed toward him.
He continued to conceal himself, his hooded head pressed flush against the stone wall.
“I am the Guardian.”
Caught by that unique tonal quality again, Rey thought it was his booming voice she recognized; there was just something about it that plucked at her memory.
“Please let me help you. You seem wounded… “
“No. Take what you will and go!” He turned his back to her once more and started to dodder off.
“But I can help you.” Rey extended her right hand to him. She tried to use the force to stop him and hold him in place, he broke free easily and quickly fled.
Shocked by his easy escape, Rey sucked in a breath.
“He’s a Force-user.” She uttered low and breathy.
Obsessed now with finding and engaging with this Temple Guardian, Rey refused to be thwarted. She stubbornly resigned herself to stay. As she returned to her bags and settled down on the temple floor, she methodically unpacked her supplies to make camp.
After finishing her rations and sipping some water, Rey yawned and stretched to relieve cramped muscles from her long journey. She sat cross-legged and started to study the temple, her eyes scanning and then settling on the many enormous columns, pillars, and the elaborately carved stone structures. Before much time had passed, though she found herself gradually dozing off.
****
Nearby, in a very low dug trench submerged in an old, neglected fire pit, he peered out over the rim at his uninvited guest... and was mesmerized by her.
His mind faltered as it grabbed at shards, many little broken pieces -- the Forest on Takodana and the interrogation room on Starkiller. Yes. Yes.
He scurried along the wall, climbed up and drew closer. Excitement rose within him as certainty filled his mind.
“It’s her. Her!”
He watched her sleep, careful not to make a sound. Peering through each of the well-worn holes in the crag behind the oldest of the ancient altars, he silently took in each exquisite detail of her face. Riveted now, he was unable to turn his eyes away. He couldn’t. His heart was pounding. His heart was afire with hurt, pain, and the unexpected pleasure of reminiscence.
It’s Her!
His heart ached and he hung his head, heavy with the newfound knowledge. He whispered to himself as the weight of it had hunched his shoulders.
“You called me a monster, once. You were right. I was one then...and I am one now.”
His entire body now shuddered with the intense fear of discovery. Deep down, the Guardian desperately wanted her to stay, but at the same time, he became so distressed at the notion of being found out.
She can’t learn the truth...
****
When Rey awoke, she surveyed her surroundings. She immediately noticed a very old, battered brown satchel that was unfamiliar among her possessions. She opened it to find dozens of dried salted Spark Roaches piled high inside. It must have been left during the night.
“Well, thank you, whoever you are!” She rose to her feet and spun around in a complete circle, yelling out into the enormous temple.
After all, Spark Roaches were known for being a great source of protein and were high in nutritional value. It was meant to be a gift. Who was this loathsome beast, this pitiful creature of darkness? Rey thought to herself.
“Thank you, Guardian!” Her voice echoed loudly through the vaulted chamber.
As though her call had summoned him, she felt his presence once again. Rey knew he was close. She felt his eyes on her.
Instantly, a rustling could be heard from deep within a cavern to the left of the chamber. She searched for and eventually spied him. This time, Rey saw him much more clearly.
“Oh no! You’ve been burned... burned badly,” she whispered breathily as she carefully studied what she could barely make out of his partially hidden face-- scarred, badly mangled, stretched skin from what appeared to be severe burns.
“Please, please allow me to help you.” Rey reached out to lock him into a force hold.
“No, no…” He seemed to struggle with himself, as though he couldn't accept the loving care and genuine concern that poured from Rey's lips.
Feeling regret for trapping him in her grasp as he struggled, Rey released him from her force grip. Taking another tentative step to close the distance between them, she held out her hands, palms-up to prove she was no longer a threat.
“I’m so sorry. That was unnecessary and so inexcusable.” She continued to approach him, drawing nearer. “I. Am. Sorry.”
Still frozen in place, though now by choice, he only mumbled to himself, still attempting to avoid her curious stares. She only just caught a bit of it.
“...In the shadows, there is power.”
“What does that mean?” Rey studied him more closely and realized he was trembling.
He was much larger than she’d originally thought and his massive shoulders proved to be hunched as though he were hiding his size. He pressed himself firmly into the wall like he was attempting to make himself smaller.
“Please! Just hold still, please,” she begged him.
Finally, he quieted and stilled. He softly whispered once more, “In the shadows, there is power.”
Rey tilted her head as she slowly pulled back the hood of his robes. First, it was his eyes that truly captured her. Rey gasped at the very sight of them-- deep dark, rich brown, and amber orbs that pierced and seemed quite soulful. They veritably reached out to her, pleading.
There was the familiarity again, for only a second. She felt a knowing, an acknowledgement. Then she was drawn to his hideously deformed face, which was half hidden beneath a shock of long, black hair, matted and unkempt. The mere sight of his visage frightened her, so she gasped.
Rey felt as if she was suffocating, struggling hard for air.
Seeing her reaction, he quickly pulled his hood back over his face as he scrambled into the corner, cowering. She couldn’t help noticing the very same burns on his wrists and hands when he grasped the hood of his cloak.
Curious, Rey inquired, “May I ask...what your true name was, Guardian?”
“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head vigorously. “It No Longer Matters!”
“My name is Rey. What happened to you? Who hurt you?”
Inching closer, she wished to make a deeper connection and to endear herself to him. Perhaps then, he would feel easy in her presence.
He froze, totally and completely.
“Rey…” He trembled as he softly blew out her name with a waft of a whisper. The sound left his lips like lyrics from a song long remembered.
And there it is again---that voice. That all too familiar voice.
“Yes, I’m Rey.” She arched an inquiring eyebrow. “Who hurt you?”
He side-eyed her in return as he brought his wrist up abruptly, hiding his mouth.
“My Master... my master hurt me.”
With pity in her eyes, she pressed him further, “But… why?”
His mouth appeared to be unscarred, unscathed, and his lips were a very warm pink, soft and plush. They showed nothing of what must have been a harsh life here on Mustafar.
“I have some medical supplies back at my camp.” She spoke simply, offering him the softest, kindest smile in hopes of garnering his trust. Rey knew there were bacta patches at the very least.
“I am going to retrieve them, all right? Wait here for me, please.”
When Rey returned to her small makeshift encampment, she immediately sensed another lifeform in the temple. Casting a quick glance over her things, she noticed that her supplies were missing.
Someone else was clearly there. That realization was then followed by a sudden chill, and Rey knew with sobering certainty that they were also extremely close.
****