Breathing New Air

[Aiwaz Khath]

Cool moonlight leaked through thin curtains, familiar black silhouettes swaying in the soft blue light that filled a quiet room. Outside, a calm breeze whispered a song of Autumn with the leaves and branches, and the occasional nocturnal bird could be heard wailing in hushed shrieks. Upon the bed that stood central in the room lay a young man who wrestled with sleeplessness. Lately, nightmares had plagued his consciousness, and obtaining sleep had become a problem. What was most frustration is the man could not even decipher the dreams that attacked him, for they were nothing but chaos without direction or definition.

Auron lay still, silent, waiting for sleep to return to him, but it did not. His thoughts, instead, followed down pathways of anxious contemplation. They returned to thoughts of Korriban; to the living dead that sought to sever and consume his flesh; to the storm of fire. Amidst this, thoughts of his father persisted. He sighed inwardly and turned over to his right side, resting his head on his arm as he delved into his own anxieties. At this point, words ceased to have relevance. He merely felt raw feeling. But the experience was exhausting, and it showed, but as he delved deeper into his thoughts, his eyes began to droop to a soft close.

A loud bang woke him, the source of which unknown. His eyes flickered around to find the room he had fallen asleep in, but it was not in sight. Instead, he saw damp stone walls layered with soil and moss, a cold draught whipping through its sides, seeking to cut through him. He said nothing, but pulled his clothes a little closer to himself to maintain some heat. He saw light further down one direction of the cave's seemingly endless length, shimmering along the damp rocks where nothing but blackness lay still and stoney from the other. Auron stepped towards the illumination that seemed to grow greater with each pace, for curiosity commanded his movement. The air was dense, heavy, musty.

The light grew in an almost organic fashion, spilling and expanding slowly around him as if a lifeform, and the further he stepped the more it sought to do so. It felt warm; hot, even, but there was a strange comfort to it as well, and eventually the light consumed him entirely and he seemed to stand alone in blinding whiteness. His eyes squinted, struggling to find definition of anything around him, but as he gradually began to open them again, the pure white was slowly replaced with blue sky, calm clouds, a golden sun, and... crops. He stood within what seemed to be a meadow. His eyes focusing a little more, Auron looked down and could make out tall stems of grain that stretched up towards him. He moved his hand to meet them, twirling a stem in his fingers a while, but was interrupted as the aged voice of an unfamiliar male came from before him.
"Hello, Auron. Welcome."

 

[Aiwaz Khath]

As the words came, they seemed to echo in a place beyond where he stood. They shimmered in an unconceivable manner through his very soul. He turned his head and before him stood a figure of light. It resembled an old man that resonated with an odd familiarity about him. His long, white hair, partly tied in a knot above his head, matched the length of his equally impressive beard that was styled sharply down. His face was stern, yet there was a sense of warmness about him, and clothes were robes that he did not recognise. Much of his appearance said that he was a Jedi, but there was much more to him that left an open wound of curiosity.
"Who are you?" Auron mustered to the silver man. All around him, light swayed to the rhythm of the cosmic backdrop. He already felt he knew the answer to his question, but he had to make sure. The old man smiled slightly, and his words echoed back towards him.
"I believe you already know who I am, Auron," he spoke in tones that were gentle, but that contained a secret ferocity behind them. Auron nodded slowly.
"Yes. I do. You are Sun Jeong." He struggled to entirely believe it, but the nature of the visions were causing him to react sluggishly, drowsily, though he felt far from tired. He watched the figure carefully, and the ghost mirrored his actions in return. "Why is this happening?" The man said nothing for a while, pacing carefully around the open space they both seemed to occupy, until finally he spoke up once more, his heavy voice pushing through the boundaries of life and death.
"Auron, why do you think this is happening?" When Auron did not answer, the old man continued. "For generations, your family has tapped into deepest aether of the Force in order to seek guidance, strength, power and healing. Many great people have come into the world bearing the name Song. You know this. But they all stem from one line. What do you know of me, Auron?"
"I know that you were Je'daii, one of the ancient precursors to the Jedi."
"Yes," said Sun Jeong, nodding slowly. "And what about those Je'daii?"
"They practiced all aspects of the Force, and were considered true masters of it. They could command the elements and great beasts."
"Yes," the man repeated. "Many of your Jedi ancestors had acquired these abilities as well. You, yourself, have the power to speak with animals, yes?" Auron nodded. "It is an ancient tradition that you are not following out of pure coincidence." Auron thought on this a moment. What did he mean? Did Auron have a destiny? The man continued. "Do you know how many of your Jedi forebears learned to have these abilities as well? They were shown how to acquire them by me. For millennia, I have guided my descendants to become greater practitioners of the Force, and to grow with it."
"But... The Je'daii studied both sides of the Force. How can one do the same and still be Jedi?" The old man laughed a little.
"You need not think about such divisions, however you are far from the first to do so. Rest assured, it is possible to integrate such teachings into the life of a Jedi. In fact, it is necessary to do so." A long silence fell. Auron dwelled on this a while.
"So... You are here to teach me?"
"Auron, you have a pain deep within yourself. You need to transform that pain into something strong. You must transcend it. You know this." Solemnly, Auron nodded.
"Can you show me how, Master Sun?"
"I can. But you must take the first steps. Go to Tython. It is the oldest known forebear for our people, for our family. It is your birthright, Auron. Go there and see what you must, feel what you must. Then, I shall teach you what I know, what many of the great Songs have learned."
"What will I find there?"
"What you must," repeated the apparition. What did it mean? He hesitated a moment, but nodded slowly.
"I will go."
"Good. Rest easy, Auron Song. You are taking new steps into a much huger galaxy."

Auron sat up with a start. He was breathing heavily, sweat clutched to his skin, but he felt no fear. He felt no anxiety. His room was quiet and calm. Outside, the midnight wind played against leaves and branches, as silver moonlight trickled in. Into the silent dark, a single whisper of a single word left Auron's mouth.
"Tython."