Private The Last Starweaver

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

Braze stepped lightly through the dew-sprinkled underbrush, his eyes scanning the lush, green forest floor for the telltale signs of edible treasures. The morning mist still clung to the air, wrapping the woods in a soft, ethereal blanket that muffled the usual chatter of distant creatures. His hands, adept from years of training, moved with quiet precision, carefully parting leaves and peering under fallen logs.

Every so often, his fingers would close around the stem of a mushroom—today, he was after the velvet-capped amanitas, known for their rich, earthy flavor when cooked just right. Braze collected each find with a gentle touch, placing them into the woven basket slung over his arm, the contents slowly growing into a colorful collage of the forest's bounty.

Apart from mushrooms, he foraged for wild herbs and berries, their names whispered to him in memories of lessons from his mentors. Each plant, each berry brought a sense of peace, a connection to the world around him that was far removed from the thrum of lightsaber battles or the weight of galactic struggles.

 

[Onrai]

Braze

“I’ve heard much about you.”

A soft whisper on the wind met the padawan’s ears. For a moment it would seem there was nothing more than the figment of an overactive imagination that had perhaps yet choked upon Braze. Yet the feeling of something there - something different from that of the Force, but also that of the Dark Side - was ever-growing and present. The faintest wisp of a woman began to form, ethereal in nature, and green in flesh, hair, and attire. She looked at Braze as she ever further manifested, a soft smile on her face.

“You’re the one seeking to know more about the history of prominent figures in the galaxy, I take it? I am Via, and perhaps I can aid you.” Braze would likely know the importance of the name in question, and the appearance did match up.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

​

Braze paused, his jade green eyes widening as he surveyed the scene, then narrowed as he focused on a figure before him—a woman, perhaps? She had a strange and shadowy aura that made him cautious, prompting a skeptical arch of his brow.

"About me? That's surprising. I'm not exactly someone of significance," he commented with a light chuckle, his gaze still locked on the mysterious figure as he gathered another cluster of mushrooms for his collection. "I'm currently working on research papers about notable historical figures, so there's that," he added, trying to keep the conversation light despite his wariness. "You seem to know who I am, but I must admit, I don't have the pleasure of knowing you."

 

[Onrai]

Braze

“An old, very old being. Worshipped as a god by plenty of people under different names. The Seoularians call me Onrai. The Pius Dea used to simply call me the Goddess - such a silly name. The Trandoshans call me the Scorekeeper and think that I give them jagganath points for every kill they make - not that it actually makes a difference. And there are others who worship me with darker identities, such as the Lady with the Locust Heart.” She said, choosing to leave a few such connected aliases to the wayside.

“You want to study history, but a few thousand years ago is nothing compared to that which is truly ancient. Would you like to know about things far more esoteric and unknown than the myriad of clashes between the Republic and Sith Empire, repeated in a cycle ad infinitum like a work constantly swallowing its tail? Perhaps of the time of Xim, of the Kashi Mer Dynasty, or perhaps of the Zhell and Taung?”

History being ancient was somewhat of a relative term after all.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

​

Braze listened, his eyes slowly glazing over as he tried to keep pace with the deluge of grandiose words and peculiar titles. He recognized maybe one or two names from the holo-docs he'd watched for class, but beyond that, it felt like deciphering a Sith encryption without a key.

"Would any of that actually help me in my day-to-day life or help me further my preferred chosen path?" Braze asked, his tone a mix of genuine curiosity and a healthy dose of youthful skepticism. "Because unless there's a 'Dealing with Ancient, Cryptic Entities 101' class at the Jedi Academy, I might need a bit more to go on here."

He adjusted the mushrooms in his collection bag, a playful spark in his jade eyes. "Also, why would knowing about things like the Kashi Mer Dynasty or the Taung matter now, in 900 ABY? It's not like I'm going to bump into them on a field trip to Coruscant's lower levels. What's the relevance of all this ancient history when we're busy dodging blaster fire and negotiating with Hutt Cartels?"

Braze paused, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Unless you're telling me that understanding the ancient Taung war strategies will help me beat my master in lightsaber training, or that the secrets of the Zhell could improve my Force techniques against the dark side, I'm a bit lost on the practical applications here. Maybe throw in a hint or two about how these tales from a thousand years ago could give me a leg up against the First Order histrionic bibliophiles, and then you'll have my full attention!"

 

[Onrai]

Braze

"That depends on your chosen path." Via said, sitting down on the forest floor next to him. "You're a young mortal. Infinite possibilities stand before you, certainly more than my earliest followers. Such is the benefit of a developing galaxy." She said. In response to his reference to a theoretical class on dealing with ancient entities, she couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You never know what you might find in the lower levels of Coruscant - there are plenty of forgotten treasures down there." Of course that was a misadvanture for another time, she was sure.

"When you understand why things are the way they are, you understand how to deal with them." She said. "The story of light and dark goes back aeons before the first ancestors of the Je'daii were brought to Tython by the Tho Yor. Back to the time of the Celestials, before the first great Cosmic Wars of good and evil. In short, I offer you knowledge of the true evils of the galaxy so that, one day, when a Sith is foolish enough to seek to release them, you will know what you are facing and can hopefully stop them. If you accept, then you need to listen closely, as these creatures are unlike anything the Jedi have ever faced before. Even the most vile and reprehensible of the Sith, such as Vitiate and Nihilus, were but pale fragments of those beings. Akala's malevolence pales in comparison."

That was her intended long-term goal, after all.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

​

"Well, what are you gaining out of this? Do you have a scout's honor to do a good deed for the day?" Braze asked curiously. "I've been working on several different history papers to do just that—learn about why people do what they do so I know how to better counteract them." He trailed off, looking at her. "And to what end should I trust you—a being that may very well be a figment of my imagination, a vision brought on from absorbing too much of the wrong kind of mushroom juice through my porous skin? You materialized out of nothing... that's a little strange to me. You're still a stranger to me, and in my experience, strangers often try to do bad things. When something sounds too good to be true, it often is. So what's the catch?"

 

[Onrai]

"One more person who knows the truth of things." She said, giving a mock look of crossness in response to the questioning of whether or not she was even real. Via couldn't help but laugh in response the padawan's suggestion she was either a vision from intoxication or merely an imaginary being. "If I didn't really exist, could I do this?" She quickly raised a hand and booped Braze's nose with her index finger, before giving him a smug smirk.

"The 'catch' as you put it is having to live with the knowledge of what I tell you. The knowledge that all mortals are but guppies in the great ocean of the universe, creatures that beings unknowable to them wish to do terrible, perfidious things to. There are those who, even exposed to a fragment of this knowledge, have lost their sanity, unable to deal with the truth of what they've heard."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

Braze yelped as he moved to cover his nose and stepped back. "None of that sounds very fun. Ignorance is bliss, right? I kind of like my sanity and what I'm attached to. Even if there were these great evils, they don't seem to have any real hobbies if all they want to do is destroy things and mess everything up. Sounds like there's a reason no one sees them around," he stated simply. "I'm rather fond of my sanity, so I think I will have to decline your... gracious offer."

"Nothing I could do would probably stop anything like that, but I believe in the power of belief. If I don't think about them or believe in them, then they just don't exist," he nodded confidently.

 

[Onrai]

"Their schemes have been going on for aeons - and in a sense, the Sith stem from them, though what we now call the Sith are divorced so drastically from their original vision. They have their hands in many things - their shadowed servants do much of their dirty work. One is yet loose in the galaxy even now." She thought for a bit about her prior encounter with Adeline Noctua and the pernicious creature bound to her. Was doing nothing about it truly the best course of action, at least for now? She was unsure, but it was something else to ponder.

"You doubt yourself, Braze. Sometimes the tiny fever wasp can bring death in places the krayt dragon could never dream of going. And they exist whether you believe in them or not - as I do."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

"Yeah, but if I disbelieve strongly enough that they exist, they'll cease to exist. It's definitely a thing—to simply will something out of existence. If you acknowledge that they have no power over you, then it works out," Braze explained simply.

"Belief is one of the strongest powers that exist, but it's not very well known how to use it. It's something the light siders utilize, I believe, on a smaller scale... Belief can shape things using the Force in tandem with it. With thought and will, we simply bring things into existence. How else do you think gods gain such power? It's belief... why would so-called gods need worshipers and followers if they are so powerful? It's simple: their worshipers believe them to be powerful, therefore they are. Without followers, they are weak; after all, what is a god without followers? Not a god. If we can manifest and will things into existence with the Force, then it stands to logical reason that we can also will things out of existence. This is why names—and true names—hold power.

By mentioning such great and powerful evils, you only give them power. Let them rot and be forgotten if they are so vile, and believe them to be so insignificant that they are but figments, destined to fade away like summer rain."

 

[Onrai]

"That's not how the galaxy works." She said, sighing and giving the unknowing Padawan a pat on the head. "These beings have power over all things. They are the very manifestation of evil, and so long as it exists in the galaxy - which it will until the end - no amount of apathy or disbelief can yet eliminate them, though they yet remain bound and waiting for the opportunity to yet be freed. While belief can yet have an impact - the prayers made to myself, and even the manifestation of the Three, spectres of greater gods that the feral tribes of the Maw yet pay tribute to come to mind - so too can belief not impact the galaxy. The galaxy once thought as you did, and it was through such blissful ignorance that unfathomable numbers of mortals were dead, worlds were flensed of their lives and resources, and star systems were turned to naught but ash. Need I speak to you of the words of Sithlan himself, the Lord of Worlds and God of a Thousand Forms?"

Her intonation grew darker, voice now infinitely more malignant, even as her appearance did not change - these were words spoken to the one she had once devoured after his and his siblings' destruction of the facsimilic tulpas the Ancient Ones had used to lure them into a profane alliance.

"Three thrones lay open. All nine must be filled to prepare the way for the Father of Shadows and Lord of all Darkness who is beyond time and space, gnawing at the center of eternity. Together, let us eradicate all light in the universe and remake the worlds in our image!"

As she finished, she coughed, pained through speaking the words of the Ancient Ones. It was not something she particularly enjoyed saying.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

He fussed with his snowy white locks, tousling them as if to set them right. He didn't seem to be perturbed by the spooky voice. "Dark things feed on dark emotions like fear. Worrying about them escaping probably only fuels them further," Braze offered simply.

"True strength shouldn't depend on the fears or worship of others. If belief shapes the galaxy, why not believe in the possibility of a future without these dark forces? I refuse to accept that evil is as eternal as you say. We make our own destiny, and I believe we can create one where light outshines the darkness. If these beings are bound and waiting, isn't there a way to ensure they never break free? It sounds like accepting their power is inevitable, but I've learned that there's always a choice. To defy destiny by flipping that coin enough times until it lands on its edge—the third choice that none really see, yet it is so obvious. It's the neutral choice. You talk about belief as though it's a double-edged sword—both a source of power and a potential downfall. Maybe the real power lies not just in belief itself, but in what we choose to believe in.

Good, bad, and neutral options always exist," he continued simply. "And if nothing's happened... then why mess around with something that's not broken?"

 

[Onrai]

"Then you would be wrong." She said plainly. "Evil is eternal, and so shall it be until the end of days. When that is, only the Maker knows. But if you are so certain and right in your philosophy, then I will give you the opportunity to prove it." With what almost seemed like a sleight of hand, Onrai held a vial within which was contained a small amount of a greyish liquid, which itself moved of its own volition inside the sealed container.

"Belief is the determinant. This is a sliver of Mnggal-Mnggal, one of the Old Ones and a creature of innumerable perfidies. Worlds have been turned into lifeless husks with just a single drop reaching their surface." She said, looking at the apprentice. "Make it go away. Your disbelief will remove it from this world, if what you say is correct." She held onto the vial, holding it so that it was clear whatever Braze's disbelief would yet do.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

​

"Yeah, but this isn't really fair because you believe in it," Braze pointed out. "Life wouldn't exist without balance—good and bad, day and night, fire and water, earth and sky... Opposites are integral to how the universe naturally functions. But whatever creepy parasite thing you have there seems to just exist outside the normalcy of the universe. It seems to be more of an anomaly than anything natural," Braze stated, taking a cautious step away from her and eyeing her warily.

"And if you're keeping it in a vial, it seems you've already found an answer to one of the problems you're presenting. So why mess with it?" He asked, his voice tinged with skepticism. "If Mnggal-Mnggal is as dangerous as you say, isn't it better contained like this? Also, your challenge assumes that belief or disbelief by one person can influence something profoundly anchored in countless others' fears and beliefs. It's not just about what I believe or don't believe; it's about a collective consciousness. You're testing me with a rigged game—one where the rules are set by those who have already decided what they expect to happen."

Braze folded his arms, his gaze still fixed on the vial. "Your test is flawed because it ignores the complexity of belief. It's not a light switch; belief shapes realities based on collective perceptions, histories, and fears. It's woven deeply into the fabric of entire cultures, not just dismissed by the skepticism of one person. If we are to understand truly how to confront such anomalies, shouldn't we be studying how to dismantle the beliefs that empower them on a larger scale, rather than focusing on the disbelief of one individual?"

 

[Onrai]

"Anomaly? I'm not too sure I would call it that." She said. "This was no answer, only a sign of power over the cancer god. Mekal is everywhere, his essence polluting and tainting a thousand worlds. I destroyed his presence on Mugg Fallow, yet that changes nothing. He is wounded, in pride if nothing else, but he still remains elsewhere. I'm surprised you know nothing of him and his danger, given it is likely he had a part in the Gulag plague that nearly destroyed all life in the galaxy and reduced the greatest of galactic powers back to rubble and ashes. Perhaps you are too young to know this, fortunate child born in an era of rebuilding."

She looked at the vial once more before palming it, such disappearing once more in her grasp. "But presume you are right and the application of belief and disbelief to things only applies to the collective whole. If the galaxy believed that basic precepts did not work as they do - rain, gravity, the structure of the atom - would that change the galaxy? Even when Akala sought to reign, the maddened pastiche of an empire she formed still followed basic universal laws."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

"I'm 14. " He stated simply. "I haven't lived through what you have, but I believe we can still fight against forces like Mekal. It's true that belief alone might not change the physical laws of the universe, but it can unite us against a common enemy. Your victory on Mugg Fallow proves that. Together, we can decide to stand against great darkness—and that's how we'll win, even against something as big as Mekal." Braze stated simply.

"But those who can use the force bend reality in one way or another. Use of the force and belief are very heavily tied to one another. That much is certain. "

 

[Onrai]

"I would have to disagree on the uniting." She said. "The masters of the Jedi proactively sought to stop those who were attempting to purge Mnggal-Mnggal from Mugg Fallow. They defended the pangalactic abomination over the people of the galaxy, simply because they didn't like who it was that was doing the purging. Good intentions matter far less than good deeds, and there is no dichotomy between light and dark - just good and evil."

In response to her final point, Via did nod. "That's a valid statement."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Onrai

"If the ones trying to purge Mnggal-Mnggal from Mugg Fallow had malicious intentions like enslavement or mass destruction, or if they sought to use the situation for their own gain, it's understandable why the Jedi would not wish to work with them," Braze reasoned. "It's complex when the 'right thing' is done for the wrong reasons."

He sliced a few more mushrooms, inspecting them before placing them carefully into his basket. "Debating who is responsible for the galaxy's divisions could go on forever," he continued, redirecting the conversation to the present concern. "Is the threat of Mnggal-Mnggal imminent? Do you believe it's growing or spreading as we speak?"

 

[Onrai]

"Remember, intentions do not matter, only deeds. The purgation of Mnggal-Mnggal from Mugg Fallow was an objectively good act, regardless as to why one would have attempted to do it." She said. "The issue with the Sith of course being that they care, for the most part, about personal satisfaction over what is actually beneficial. Unfortunate, but not surprising considering their origins and what the ancient Sith species went through, so swiftly seduced by the words of the servants of the Father of Shadows."

Via looked on as Braze got another mushroom. "It is always imminent. Some worlds have already been rendered lifeless courtesy of the divine carcinogen, and the occasional Sith experiment to try and garner so-called 'immortal life.' Preventing mortification of whatever flesh you have left after you've already been suborned to the will of Mekal isn't a good thing, but few people seem to want to perform the so-called Ritual of Darth Drear nowadays."

Braze