The war on the streets of Dalven had finally fallen silent, but only because there was nothing left to burn. Ash drifted from the sky like snow, settling into the cracks of shattered homes and broken lives.
Two brothers huddled beneath the remains of a crumbling wall. The older one, Zen, kept his arm wrapped protectively around the younger. Neither spoke. The only sound was the boy's uneven breaths, shallow and trembling.
Their parents were gone. Taken in the final wave of bombardments.
Zen stared at the smoke-choked sky, his eyes hollow but alert. Somewhere deep inside, he knew. He had always known. The Force whispered to him even here, even now.
Then.. he felt it. A presence.
A shuttle pierced the clouds above, its polished silver hull glinting faintly as it descended. Dust swirled as it landed in the square. The ramp hissed open, and two robed figures emerged, cloaked in quiet authority.
One was a tall man with kind, weathered eyes: Master Kaeden. The other, a severe woman with sharp features and a gaze like ice: Master Cilara.
Kaeden's eyes found Zen instantly. He stepped forward and spoke with calm certainty.
"You," he said. "The Force is strong in you. The Order has sent us to bring you to the Temple."
Zen's heart surged. This was the dream he had carried since childhood, before the war, before the loss. To become a Jedi. To bring peace to the galaxy.
But as he rose to his feet, a small hand tugged at his sleeve.
Nox.
His younger brother's tear-filled eyes stared up at him, silently pleading.
Zen turned to the Masters. "Please," he said, voice cracking. "Take him too. He's strong. Stronger than me, sometimes. We can't be apart."
Kaeden's smile faded. He crouched beside Nox, studying him with quiet sorrow.
"There is darkness in him," he murmured. "I can feel it. We cannot risk what he might become."
Zen dropped to his knees, clutching Nox's shoulders.
"Please," he begged. "I'll guide him. I'll watch him. He just needs someone to believe in him."
Cilara stepped forward, her voice cold and final.
"You have a choice, boy. But not both. The Order does not take those whose hearts are clouded by anger. Refuse, and we leave you both here."
Zen froze. His breath caught. This was everything he had ever wanted, a chance to serve the Light. To stop wars like this. But it would cost him the one person he loved most.
His grip on Nox tightened.
"I..." he whispered, tears streaking his cheeks. "...I'll come."
Kaeden placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You're making the right choice. The galaxy needs you."
Zen turned to Nox one last time.
"I'll come back for you. I promise. Stay strong."
Then he stepped onto the ramp, and the shuttle rose into the sky.
Below, standing in the ashes of their home, Nox watched the engines blaze through the clouds. His small fists trembled at his sides. No tears came.
Only silence.
And as the ship vanished into the smoke, something colder than grief took root in his heart.
Vengeance.