Cora knelt to the floor, fingers sweeping over a curved shard of glass.
The Sith had been bold to attack the Temple of Kyber. It served as a precursor to their invasion of Coruscant, and though the Jedi had repelled them in the end, the Alliance's sense of security had been shattered. It was a calculated blow, the kind that could win wars if leveraged correctly.
Jedha was a holy world. Still, threads of Darkness lingered in the hall where she'd
engaged Darth Malum of House Marr . In the tiny glass fragments she saw echoes of their battle, of the great heat that filled the room, of the clash between Light and Dark.
Cora carefully swept aside the debris and settled onto the floor, one leg crossed over the other. An ornate, obsidian saber hilt was retrieved from her belt and placed in front of her.
Then, her eyes fell closed in meditation.
"Ah. You've returned."
The voice of Crenical von Ascania unfolded in her mind. A Lord of the Sith who'd died long ago, his name and identity seemingly lost to time, inhabited the ancient weapon. Each time she attempted to purge his spirit, he fought back against the Light.
Three times she'd failed now.
"Quiet."
The bled kyber spoke to her, the tenor of his voice as much grave as it was mocking;
"You're struggling. Your path only has one end."
"An end where I am rid of you."
"If you truly wanted me gone, you would've allowed the Sith wiseman to consume me."
Cora shifted uncomfortably, lips pulling into a frown. She recalled the discovery of the saber by Darth Nwul, and the spirit within when she’d reacted poorly-
"I didn't know what I wanted then. I know now."
"Blood of my blood, why do you wish to be rid of your own family?"
"I do not know you. A drop of shared blood between us means little."
"Your commitment to being misguided is disappointing."
The memory of Nwul on Ukatis faded, flowing into a recollection of the last time she'd been in the great hall of this temple. A more recent memory, fresh and sharp in her mind's eye.
"Two Sith dwell in your lineage.
And how many Jedi?"
And how many Jedi?"
Cora grimaced.
"Get your…self out of my mind. He was disoriented. Who knew what he meant."
"If you were truly capable, you would not have let me in."
