A steady beat of measured vapor clouds formed and disappeared beyond the cracked lips of the aged Wayseeker. This simple process of condensation had gone on for hours now, every puff briefly blotting out the night sky that had just been completely engulfed in the galaxy’s stars. Jedi Master Curn Elgarus’ perfectly balanced repetition of breaths was not an easy feat. It had taken years of meditation within the Jedi temple chambers to master this focused and prolonged form of concentration. It was paying off tonight. Or, at least, he hoped it would.
When his starfighter scanned the surface of this new world, its systems had detected no lifeforms. Master Elgarus thought nothing of it as many worlds he had visited during this galaxy-spanning quest shared that trait. He had proceeded to the coordinates obtained on his previous journey and confirmed with his astromech R1-Q7 on an appropriate landing area. His starfighter burned up on atmospheric entry and he had safely landed behind where he sat now.
Floated rather.
Elgarus’ legs were folded together, his open palms rested on his thighs, and his behind hung in the air a meter off the ground, his body levitating higher with every hour that passed. His eyes remained shut and twitched here and there with every large current and small ripple within the Force. A frozen lake stretched out in front of him, its surface hardening with every droppage of degree as night dragged on.
Master Elgarus felt a part of the Force. Throughout the night, his senses had confirmed his starfighter’s scans of the world before entry. No mountains. No forests. No lifeforms. Somehow, only breathable oxygen and vast lakes separating landmasses across the globe. All frozen.
With no life it seemed impossible to connect oneself so deeply in the Force but Master Elgarus had done it. Now he just needed to keep searching for something that clearly didn’t want to be found. The Jedi dug deeper, stretched every fiber within his body and fully gave himself over to the Force. For a second he thought he’d gone too far, wondering if it was even possible to transform from the Living Force into the Cosmic Force, which would kill him instantly. This dark thought quickly passed when, for the first time in hours, he felt a surge in the Force like no other before.
No lifeforms, Elgarus jokingly said to himself. The Force surge reached a crescendo and the Jedi’s eyes shot open. What once was a simple horizon beyond the frozen lake in front of him, aggressively rose a serpent the size of a bulk freighter, tearing through the thick sheet of ice beneath it.
How could I not sense it, Elgarus thought. He understood the reason for the ship’s failed scan was that the creature lived so deep within the planet it remained hidden. But Elgarus believed to have connected with all of the world through the Force hours ago. The serpent must have been strong in the Force, using its power to shield itself from the Force entirely. Elgarus’ training, patience, and sheer will broke through that barrier, causing this Force surge when the two energies collided, and had awoken a danger he had not foreseen. It was also not what he was looking for. Though he had to be close.
Massive shards of ice reigned down upon the Jedi as the monster produced an ear-deafening scream. It’s three pale eyes that blinked vertically locked onto its target. Elgarus dodged the debris that fell upon him and ignited his bright green lightsaber that illuminated the dark beast before him. Elgarus moved swiftly, as if his body had not been locked in the same position for half a rotation, slashing through plates of the frozen lake that threatened his life.
The serpent wriggled to its left, crashing through more of the lake which sent cracks across its surface. Splashes of cold water continued to disrupt Elgarus’ vision but failed to deteriorate his focus. The continuous green blur of his saber remained the only light in this chaos of darkness.
The head of the serpent was more than half the size of the Jedi starfighter it charged into when it attempted its first lunge at the Jedi. Elgarus flipped into the air to his right, his boots teetering on the edge of the frozen lake that had begun to fully shatter.
The starfighter erupted in flames, the serpent's teeth carving into R1-Q7’s dome with one chomp. The astromech wailed before sputtering and sparking as it fell down the serpent’s gullet. R1’s killer’s thick scaly head emerged from the shipwreck undamaged by the flames.
Elgarus pushed the consequences of the destruction of his starfighter and astromech aside as he lunged himself onto a large remaining piece of ice that lay atop the water to the creature’s left. The Jedi prepared for another attack, locking his two eyes with the serpent’s blinking three. It shifted again, and shot its head forward into the piece the Jedi had been standing on. It shattered into oblivion seconds after Elgarus used the Force to lift his body upwards and over the creature’s head. His body slammed into the monster’s spine made of slippery scales. The attempt to jab the tip of his saber into one of the serpent’s scales backfired and he continued to tumble. Elgarus quickly reached out with his free left hand and grabbed one of the scales before he crashed into the water, his boots barely dipping into the cold depths beneath him.
The serpent flailed in every direction to shake the Jedi that had clung to its back. Elgarus let the Force guide him and synced his movements with the serpent’s flailing attempts.
Another screech from the serpent deafened the area around them, the strength of the sound waves obliterating any leftover piece of ice in their vicinity.
While the serpent’s movements became easy to decipher, Elgarus deactivated his lightsaber, hooked it to his belt and began to climb. Among the flecks of ice and puddles of water scattered across the serpent’s back, Elgarus spotted open patches of flesh between each large scale. The flailing movements of the creature became less and less aggressive, almost as if it had become exhausted from the ordeal. The Jedi continued.
Both hands reached the nape of the serpent’s neck which swiveled back and forth, the beast seemingly trying to see what the Jedi was up to.
Fortunately for Elgarus, the scaling layout of the top of the serpent’s head mirrored its spine.
There.
Jedi Master Curn Elgarus reached into the Force, this time to dull the creature’s movements. It took only moments to succeed and the creature bellowed in response to its new subjugation. He could only hold it for seconds but that was all the Jedi Master needed.
With the force of both hands, Elgarus pushed off of the creature’s head and propelled himself far into the air above it. He closed his eyes and somersaulted through the cold winds as he allowed gravity to plunge himself toward his goal. Before impact, he opened his eyes, called his hilt to his right hand mid air and ignited the saber. The blade aimed downward into an unguarded patch of flesh atop the serpent’s head and pierced through the top of the serpent’s mouth, the tip of the green light nearly touching its forked tongue.
Elgarus immediately let go of his saber that remained lodged into the serpent’s flesh and used the Force to guide his descent into the water below. His Force connection to the serpent now severed, the beast was free to ferociously shake its head side to side as it screamed into the night.
The Jedi entered the water in a perfect dive, emerged moments later, and quickly swam to shore.
Elgarus removed his damp and heavy robe as he watched the serpent slowly descend back into the water, its screams becoming shorter and quieter. He sensed the serpent join the Cosmic Force and showed no emotion.
Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Rejoice for those who transform into the Force.
Master Yoda’s mantra eased Master Elgarus’ guilt of disturbing the serpent’s peace more so than his ignorance that it even existed. A lesson learned, at least.
The serpent’s sacrifice served a larger purpose and Elgarus owed it to the serpent to see that purpose through.
He called his lightsaber from the serpent’s mouth before its lifeless head gently submerged back into the water. He clipped the hilt to his belt, walked a few steps to his left to the same position he held earlier, closed his eyes, and reached for the Force once again.
It must have been only minutes that passed until the Jedi connected with the secrets hidden beneath the serpent's Force barrier. Elgarus could feel the lifeforce of smaller sea creatures scurrying about under the lake. The ebbs and flows of the Force guided him from every living being to what seemed to be yet another version of a barrier that stopped his path. However, this was a physical one. A structure buried at the bottom of the lake, twice the size than the serpent that used to dwell above it. This was it. Everything clicked for Elgarus as he formed the conclusion to the obstacle he had faced. The sea creature was not protecting itself with its own Force energies but served as a guardian. A guardian of the structure that Elgarus surmised to be the long awaited ending to his quest.
Jedi Master Curn Elgarus had forfeited most of his duties as a Jedi by taking an oath as a Jedi wayseeker. Jedi wayseekers were few and far between, a unique role that dismissed the individual Jedi from any council matters or requests. They were alone, preferring to be singularly guided by the Force.
Master Elgarus’ appreciation for the history of the galaxy quickly turned to obsession when he discovered the possible existence of a key to everything. Countless hours spent in the temple archives studying and researching answers to his never ending questions. It became the reason he made the difficult decision to become a wayseeker.
This quest had consumed years of his life and the shock of finally discovering the answer to all of his questions nearly awoke him from his deep meditation.
Elgarus pushed onward, ignored any distractions that fluttered about his mind relating to this momentous discovery, and called on the Force to begin to lift the structure out of the lake.
His connection was nearly broken again because of the strain of the task but he pressed on.
Elgarus’ eyes remained closed, his body floating higher as the structure plunged upward, its dome breaking through the surface of the water. When he opened his eyes, he found that his arms and hands had been involuntarily outstretched before him.
The structure’s base continued to expand as the entirety of it revealed itself to the Jedi before coming to an abrupt stop, water droplets dripping off of its dome. Elgarus' arms went limp when the need to hold on was no longer and he fell to the ground with a large thud.
The elongated triangular shape of the building blocked out the horizon. The small patch of clouds blocking the moon in the starry night sky shifted, allowing the only light to catch the symbol engraved in the stone base of the structure.
An Old Republic Jedi symbol.
Elgarus let out a smirk as he lay on his side, taking in the sight that he dreamed of for years. He found it.
The Jedi Temple he had been searching for was lost no more.
The aches and pains coursed through the elder Jedi. His hands cupped his graying beard as he pushed himself off the ground. His head of hair was still wet and cold due to the plunge into the lake. He glanced at the damp robe that lay beside him piled like a coiled serpent. The image sent another chill through his body. He picked the robe up and walked to the fiery destruction that used to be his starfighter. Elgarus held out the robe before the fire and held out his hands as well. But the Jedi’s patience wore thin. He threw on his robe, still damp and barely less drier from the brief heat of the fire, and double checked that his saber hilt remained at his side.
Master Elgarus turned swiftly, his robe billowing behind him, water droplets flinging into the fire which made faint sizzles in the quiet night. The Jedi strode forward and onto the cracked and decaying stone walkway that had also emerged at the front base of the temple. The moonlight continued to shine on the old Jedi logo which detailed wings of a phoenix that mirrored each other inside a perfect circle. The wings came together at the bottom of the circle and formed a vertical one-sided tower that was topped off with a star.
The ancient logo was the only engraving on the structure, only the indent of a door frame visible beneath it. There was no hidden contraption or technological way of entering the temple. Elgarus knew this without the need to search for one. He lifted his right hand slightly upward and the slab of concrete that acted as the entrance creakily rose above him. Dust particles and water droplets filled the air before him as he walked through the dark entrance, letting go of the Force which shut the stone slab behind him, leaving him alone in the pitch black.
PSHZZ.
The green blade of light thrummed to life and illuminated a narrow corridor that led to a shallow incline. Its interior was dry, despite it being submerged under a lake for Force knew how many generations, Master Elgarus’ wet robes providing it the only humidity it felt since. The shallow incline revealed itself to be a set of stone stairs to which the Jedi followed without haste, his lightsaber continuing to hum in the eerie silence.
There were less than fifteen steps taken when the bottom of the Jedi’s weathered boots touched down on the ground of an open and circular chamber that seemed to stretch the entirety of the temple’s diamater. But even with the green light when Elgarus looked up, he could not see the top of the temple’s dome as darkness stretched out beyond the hue.
Vapor clouds protruding from the Jedi’s mouth became more frequent as the anticipation of being so close to the end of a nearly decade-long quest drew near. Aiming his saber toward the wall to illuminate the chamber, Elgarus glided his aging fingers across the stone’s surface speckled with dust. About half way along the diameter of the chamber and with a full palm now searching the surface of the wall for anything of importance, Elgarus stopped. His hand had come across a slight indent etched into the stone. With a wipe of his hand that flew a cloud of dust into the green light, Elgarus’ eyes widened with curiosity and excitement. There were faint trims of gold coloring on the wall revealed by the sway of his hand. The Jedi inched his lightsaber closer, revealing more of what looked like a painting etched into the stone.
Elgarus backed away, turned off his saber and closed his eyes. And in one fell motion, he reached out with both hands using the Force to remove the layers of dust covering whatever was etched in the stone before him. He could smell the dust as the particles reached his nose causing him to let out a few mild coughs.
With the reactivation of the switch on the hilt of his lightsaber, Master Elgarus held back the tears as he gazed at the very clue which started him on this path.
There they were in front of him. This was it. A painting that could have signified the very creation of the Force itself.
Three beings illuminated by gold circles etched around and in between the figures began to glow in the dark, the green light of Master Elgarus’ saber becoming useless.
A woman adorned with an elegant white gown, red lips, and long flowing lime green hair stood on the left side of the stone-engraved mural. Her left arm lazily sat below her stomach, the back of her hand with her pinky separated from the rest of her fingers faced Elgarus, highlighted by a concentric circle encrusted in gold. A green and white convor, an owl-like creature which Elgarus surmised because of his extensive research into these mythical beings, sat perched on the woman’s right shoulder. Many layers of circles, the outermost outlined in gold, served as the woman’s backdrop. This layout was repeated behind the heads of the other two figures that stood to her left.
The tallest figure of the three was an old man with a long white beard, which threatened the validity of Elgarus’ own, that stood in the center of the piece. Dark gray robes covered the old man from his neck to the bottom of his feet, a vertically lengthy gray hat atop his head finishing the look. The man’s eyes were closed and his left hand had its fingers firmly tightened in a flat palm faced outward, the joint of his elbow forming a ninety degree angle. A gold circle surrounded his hand, mirroring the one around the woman’s.
A final figure stood to the left of the elderly wizard. His height matched that of the woman’s, his pasty white face contrasted with the blood red patches that surrounded his yellow eyes. Two identical red tattoos arched down across the dome of his bald head, ending in sharp tips. The pale one’s neck was covered in a red cloth, his body draped in a black and red robe. This man’s black gloved left hand was balled into a fist, another circle outlined in gleaming gold surrounding it.
All Curn Elgarus could do was laugh, acting as if he had reverted to a youngling in his moment of triumph. He found them. Or, at least, traces of them. A path forward.
The Daughter.
The Father.
The Son.
In that order, stood before him proof of the mythical beings that he had searched the galaxy for. What he believed to be the creators and protectors of the Force itself.
Gods.
Master Elgarus’ child-like joy suddenly became unrelenting determined focus. Clearly, he was in the right direction but there were additional secrets to this ancient temple, and as he looked closely there was more to the mural itself.
Many spirals of circles behind the Force Gods stretched out far beyond them. Golden lines fanned out from the center of the mural in all directions. However, these lines were separated by the circles, blocking their straight paths causing them to be unaligned with one another.
“It’s a star map,” Elgarus whispered, a faint echo travelling across the chamber. “And it needs to be aligned.”
Paying attention to the smaller circles surrounding each hand of the Gods, Elgarus formed a baseless theory. After all this time, he thought he deserved some luck.
The Jedi deactivated his lightsaber, placed the hilt back on his belt, and approached the mural. His bare left hand made contact with the cool stone in the same spot as the Daughter’s hand. He separated his pinky from the rest of his fingers, mirroring her own, and the mural came to life!
The bright golden trim of each etched circle and line glowed brighter than before, the Daughter’s head shifting to her left with her arm moving to her side, her hand stretching out to the Father.
The Father of the mural began to move as well, turning his face toward the left, stretching out a hand to point at the fist of the Son. Then the image of the Son awoke with a slight vertical nod of his pale head, his left hand opening his fist to form a finger pointing down.
Elgarus followed every movement of the mural carefully with his eyes, following the Son’s pointer finger, and discovered a new image that had been there the whole time. Wrapped around the legs of every Force God rested a large serpent, its head barely visible due to the dust layer that remained on the bottom of the wall.
It was the same species he had fought and killed moments before. The protector of this temple. Elgarus ignored the guilt that attempted to creep its way into his heart. Instead he focused on following the image of the serpent, as it unravelled itself and started to glide behind the dust covered stone to the left of the Gods. The mural began to pulse as the serpent coiled itself into a large circle: it continued to slither in place as if it was presenting a doorway through the stone.
This was it.
Elgarus knew this path led to somewhere but he still wasn’t sure what it would lead to.
The key to everything.
This message was hand written on forgotten scrolls in countless languages he had found buried on many worlds. It was the spark that ignited his curiosity which turned into obsession. In the next few seconds he’d truly learn if that obsession was worth the time and effort put into the quest that had consumed him. That had given him a worthy purpose, rather than being just another keeper of the peace in the most peaceful time the galaxy had seen in centuries.
Stop stalling, Elgarus said to himself. It was clear the moving serpent wanted the Jedi to enter whatever it was presenting to him. Almost as if acknowledging the mural’s wishes, Master Elgarus stepped forward, reached his hand into the center of the stone circled by the serpent, and failed to hide his surprise when his hand disappeared behind it.
It was a portal. To where? To what? And if his research held any merit, to when?
Elgarus discarded the questions that flooded his mind, took one final cold breath, trusted the Force, and leapt into the intangible patch of stone.
The Jedi Master fell on a hard surface, his chin nearly smacking the ground upon impact. He raised his head to find an infinite void full of bright stars. Archways stretched out in every direction, all of them, including the one he lay on, outlined by a glowing cyan hue. Freckles of light were sprinkled along the edges of the walkway that protected him from the void below; they glittered as bright as the stars around him.
The temple was gone. The cold air was gone. The aged smells of the chamber were gone. All that was left was the Force. And voices. Many, many voices.
Elgarus lifted himself off the transparent walkway of light and immediately turned around. The portal he had jumped through remained, but instead of stone, it was a perfectly spherical exit outlined by the same cyan light that hugged the edges of the walkways. An image of a small serpent hung in space directly above the portal.
For a brief moment, the Jedi considered jumping back, uncertain this new environment that made the back of his neck hairs rise would be safe to exist in.
No. What a pathetic thought to conjure. A Jedi never showed fear. A pure one should never even feel it. He was here now. Whatever this place was, he was going to find out.
Concentrating on the voices that echoed through the void also assisted in grabbing his attention away from the thought of leaving. Elgarus stepped forward down his pathway of light which forked ahead, creating other pathways to choose from. Portals of different shapes and sizes littered the edges of the walkways with unique symbols above them. He let the Force guide him down one path of light and listened to what he assumed were the voices of the Gods of the Force.
We are the spark that will ignite the fire that will burn the First Order down.
Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force.
The first Galactic Empire!
But the Jedi like you might call me…Sith.
Rebellions are built on hope.
We are all the Republic!
Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.
You were my brother, Anakin!
It’s an energy field created by all living things.
Kneel, Curn Elgarus. By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, rise Jedi Knight.
The Jedi was overwhelmed with the voice that echoed from the nearest portal he had walked by. The voice of his old Jedi Master, surprisingly knighting him after a successful mission in the Outer Rim. How was this possible? A voice from his past. The mention of a first Galactic Empire? A First Order? What was this place? These could not be the voices of the Gods.
The realization hit the Jedi like a Force push he didn’t see coming. He knew the eras of the history of the galaxy like the back of his hand. These were voices from the past. Voices from the present. Voices from the future.
There were mentions of time possibly connecting to the Gods of the Force. But nothing like this. An entire plane of existence where no time nor space mattered. In this moment, the Jedi Master existed simultaneously in the past, present, and future. Every event that had happened in the galaxy and every one that would happen were all occurring at the same time. An access point to it all?
The key to everything.
At that thought, Elgarus heard screams and could smell the burning of a building. He ran, following the scent of the smoke, and abruptly stopped in front of a triangular portal that revealed itself willingly.
Coruscant’s Jedi temple was in a blaze of fire, smoke rocketing from it into the night skylanes of the city world.
“NO!” the Jedi screamed into the void as the portal view shifted to one of the temple’s landing pads. He watched in horror as a Jedi padawan fought his way through a storm of troopers in white armor, blue stripes running down their helmets. Elgarus ignited his lightsaber and jumped.
He fell and fell farther down into the void. The portal was not an access point. Not a gateway. Just a measure of torture.
The temple had burned before but not like this. He knew this had not yet occurred. He knew this was the future. A future that baited him into saving it. The Gods had lied to him.
There was no power to be found here. No guidance. All of the events around him would happen because they had already. Elgarus understood this when he slammed into another pathway of light, somehow undamaged from the seemingly infinite fall, the hilt of his saber deactivating on impact and tumbling into oblivion.
The smell of the smoke disappeared, the screams of the children of the Force snuffed out. There was no knowledge to be found here. Only pain. Only a sense of nothingness. He did not matter to the galaxy. The Gods had played him. Made him look like a fool. They determined everything. Every choice, every violent action, every word spoken was decided by the Force itself, not simply guided by it. In Master Elgarus’ tortured soul, every person that had ever lived and would live was stripped of agency in that moment. Nobody had any say. Nothing mattered. The Gods he so desperately clung to proved to not only be real but in control of everything.
The key to everything.
The Jedi scoffed and surged with anger, an emotion so deeply buried within his being for years. Stripped from his family that couldn’t provide for him at too young an age to serve the galaxy as a protector of the Force. It was all a lie. A brutal, soul crushing, tortuous lie. A purpose fulfilled indeed? He had no purpose at all. No living being did.
The Jedi looked up to find the portal he had originally entered suddenly reappear before him. His eyes glistened, his rage turning into sadness. The portal back to his time would open for him. He knew that. The Gods wanted that. They would only allow that. A cog in the machine. A slave to the Force. What a beautiful lie.
Once a Jedi Master nearly devoid of emotion, Curn Elgarus put his withered hands into his face and wept. He wept for the past, the present, and the future that had all been written in stone. He had seen it with his own eyes. Could still hear the voices across the galaxy bending time and space, screaming for help or cheering with joy. None of it mattered. It never did.
The end of the quest.
He wept and wept at the heart of everything.