ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴇsᴛ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ
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Savage and I walked in silence through the swamp, cutting through branches and trunks blocking our path with the lethal precision of our lightsabers. The thick mist made it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead, and the smell of dampness and decay mixed with the tension between us.

I tried to focus on the Force, searching for any trace of Obi-Wan. However, all I felt was the darkness of the swamp and Savage’s unsettling presence beside me. Master Kenobi and I hadn’t spent enough time together to forge a strong bond through the Force, making it harder to locate him.

Frustrated, I let out a sigh. My mind was still clouded by the anger and confusion from what had happened earlier with Savage. Although I had accepted his offer, I didn’t trust him at all.

As I cut through a thick branch in front of me, I decided to break the silence hanging between us.

"Why do you want to kill Kenobi?" I asked hostilely, not even looking at him.

The Zabrak shot me a cold glance, his lips forming a tense line before responding harshly:

"That’s none of your business."

His answer was a direct blow to my patience, and anger began to boil inside me. Without thinking twice, I turned toward him and extended my hand.

The Force flowed through me like a dark torrent, tightening around his throat with an invisible grip. Savage’s eyes widened in surprise as he struggled to breathe, unable to stop the attack. I stepped closer, savoring the power I had over him.

"You don’t get to talk to me like that," I warned, my voice laced with a coldness I didn’t recognize in myself. But I loved it.

Despite being choked, Savage looked at me with disdain, barely managing to utter words:

"The Sith… is me… not you."

That drew a cynical smile from me. I tightened my grip, enjoying the control I had over him before abruptly releasing him, throwing him to the ground with a dull thud. The Zabrak fell with a grunt of pain, but his gaze remained defiant.

"Even a tin can droid would look more Sith than you," I spat disdainfully, looking down at him as if he were an insect on the ground.

Suddenly, the crack of a nearby branch stopped him from responding. I tensed instantly, my senses on high alert. I quickly scanned the surroundings, trying to discern if something or someone was stalking us.

"Did you hear that?" I asked in a low but firm voice, glancing at Savage, who was still recovering.

"Of course I heard it," he replied with a dry cough, getting to his feet as his golden eyes swept the area cautiously.

I pressed my lips together, focusing on the Force. There was something strange, a disturbance I couldn’t ignore. I felt its presence, though faint, blending with the environment. It could be an animal, maybe one of the swamp’s predators. Irritated, I turned to Savage.

"We can’t stop for every noise. We need to find Kenobi as soon as possible."

The words had barely left my mouth when another sound broke the air. More branches snapping, but this time closer. My entire body tensed, and my fingers tightened around my saber. Then a voice echoed from above, with a slightly mocking tone.

"Were you calling me?"

Savage and I turned in unison. There, perched high in a tree, was Obi-Wan Kenobi, his figure upright and cautious. Before I could react, I saw him leap from the branch, landing with impressive agility.

He stood before us, his face calm but alert, greeting us with an irritating calmness.

"Hello there."

Savage looked at him with pure hatred, his eyes narrowing, and hissed his name through clenched teeth. "Kenobi…"

Obi-Wan tilted his head slightly, a curious expression on his face.

"Do we know each other?"

I growled, interrupting their exchange, and stepped forward, raising my lightsaber and taking an attack stance. Fury burned in my chest as I stared him down, my jaw tight.

"Where’s Anakin?" I demanded furiously, letting my voice convey the desperation and fear I was trying to suppress.

Obi-Wan frowned for a moment, visibly confused.

"Anakin?" he repeated slowly. "I thought he’d already found a way to go with you instead of looking for the pend…"

Kenobi stopped his words abruptly. His eyes hardened as he noticed something about me. He looked down, and for a moment, the silence was almost palpable. His gaze fixed on my neck, on the dark, cursed Sith relic hanging from me like a venomous snake. His expression, usually calm, filled with warning, and his posture shifted, as if he now understood the danger I represented.

"Helene..." His tone became serious as he took a step forward. "Take that off. Now."

Savage smiled, visibly enjoying the tense expression on Obi-Wan’s face and relishing it.

"Why, Kenobi? Doesn’t it suit her?"

I rolled my eyes, more annoyed by the situation than by Savage’s comment. This wasn’t the time for his cheap sarcasm, much less to entertain his games. I fixed my gaze on Obi-Wan, making an effort to control the fury bubbling under my skin.

"I’ll only say this once more," I said, turning my attention back to the Jedi. "Where’s Anakin?"

Obi-Wan glanced briefly at Savage before looking back at me, his eyes trying to decipher the situation. With a quick, fluid motion, he ignited his lightsaber, the familiar glow illuminating the mist around him. Savage, as if he had been waiting for that moment, activated his own double-bladed red saber, its ends crackling as they met the air.

The contrast between the two couldn’t have been more evident— light and darkness, balance and chaos.

"What is all this about?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously, his posture defensive and his eyes moving between us.

Savage let out a cynical laugh, one that resonated with years of pent-up hatred.

"This is something I’ve been waiting for a long time, Jedi," he replied, his eyes burning with the promise of violence.

Obi-Wan frowned, clearly more confused than before. His gaze hardened as he observed Savage more closely, trying to piece things together. When he didn’t get a clear answer, Savage raised an eyebrow, enjoying the game.

"Do you really not know who I am?" he sneered with a cruel smile before adding, "My name is Savage Opress."

Obi-Wan looked at him expectantly, showing no recognition. The silence between us grew heavy, and my patience, already thin, ran out. I rolled my eyes and turned to Savage.

"See? No one knows you."

The Zabrak growled, visibly irritated by my comment. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, lowered his saber slightly, directing his attention to the scarlet blades of Savage’s weapon. His expression grew more serious as he looked back at me, and a shadow of uncertainty crossed his eyes.

"Now you’ve allied yourself with a Sith?" he asked, his tone bordering on reproach.

I deliberately ignored his question. This wasn’t the time to discuss alliances or moralities. All of this, this whole damn situation, was because of one thing, and I wasn’t the one to blame.

"None of this would be happening if you didn’t want to kill Anakin," I snapped, my voice filled with resentment.

Obi-Wan took a step back, stunned. Disbelief painted his face, slightly disconcerting me.

"Kill Anakin?" he repeated, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. "I would never try to kill Anakin. What the hell made you think that?”

For a moment, the Dark Side enveloping me wavered. I felt a knot in my stomach, a small doubt that began to twist inside me. I tightened my grip on my lightsaber even more, feeling the uncertainty creeping into my mind. Savage, beside me, shot me a cold, stern look.

"Don’t listen to him," he ordered, his voice raspy, but I barely registered it.

My jaw tightened, but this time I ignored him. Something inside me needed answers, needed to understand what I had seen. I clenched my teeth and responded to Obi-Wan, my voice filled with desperation and rage.

"I saw him under the cliff..." I said slowly, as if verbalizing it could make more sense of the images in my head. "Suffering in the river, crying tears of blood... All because of you!"

Obi-Wan froze, his gaze softening for a moment, and I saw his features reflect a mix of sorrow and confusion.

"Helene," he began, trying to calm me, "what you saw isn’t real. You know I wouldn’t let something like that happen to him."

But the power of the pendant vibrated more intensely, and the hatred continued to bubble inside me. The image of Anakin, suffering in that river, wouldn’t leave me. The promise of revenge, of justice, was too powerful to let go of easily. Yet, something in Obi-Wan’s eyes made me hesitate, even if only for a second.

Kenobi looked at me with an expression I hadn’t seen before, a mix of sadness and concern that contrasted with the firmness in his stance. His gaze shifted to the Sith pendant hanging from my neck, glowing with a dark energy that seemed to envelop me completely. Gently, he lowered his saber slightly and spoke, his voice softer than I had anticipated:

"Helene," he began, his voice almost pleading, "you need to take that off. The Dark Side is consuming you, playing tricks on your mind. Don’t let it control you."

I looked at him, resisting the urge to touch the pendant. Something inside me knew he was right, but the power I felt was intoxicating, like an unstoppable current flowing through me. I wasn’t willing to let it go so easily.

"No," I replied firmly. "You don’t know what you’re talking about. This is what I need. I’m stronger than ever."

Before I could continue, Savage let out a low growl, baring his teeth like a predator marking territory over its prey.

"The Dark Side is the only thing that can save her from the filth that is the Jedi," he spat, his voice a mix of venom and disdain. He took a step forward. "They’re nothing but manipulators. They don’t care about anyone but themselves and their precious ‘balance.’ Always pretending to be saviors, but they’re the ones responsible for destroying everything they touch."

Savage began to speak with more force, his words filled with hatred and resentment toward the Jedi, as if each word were a whip directed straight at Obi-Wan. As he spoke, Obi-Wan seemed to tense, watching him with growing understanding in his eyes.

"Now I get it..." Obi-Wan murmured, his voice barely audible over the noise of the swamp. "You’re one of the Nightbrothers, aren’t you?"

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. I had no idea there were male prostitutes here too.

Savage smirked cynically, his lips curling slowly, almost enjoying the revelation.

"I’m more than that, Kenobi," he said, his voice dripping with malice.

He paused, letting the silence stretch between us, and then, with a theatrical gesture, tilted his head to the side, an ironic smile on his lips.

"Tell me, Jedi Master," he asked, his tone laced with venom, "do you remember a certain Sith you killed eight years ago?" He paused, letting the question hang in the air. "The one you cut in half."

Obi-Wan blinked, his expression tense. In his eyes, I saw the moment he understood what Savage was implying. His gaze became static, his breath caught for a moment, and then, filled with disbelief, he murmured:

"Maul…"

Surprise took hold of me as well. Although I had been a child back then, I vaguely remembered the stories about Darth Maul, the Sith who had killed Master Qui-Gon Jinn. I also knew that he had met his punishment at the hands of Obi-Wan, who had cut him in half during the Battle of Naboo.

I felt the connection between Savage and Maul begin to click into place, as if all the pieces of the puzzle were finally taking shape. My mind flashed back to the image of Maul, and I understood more clearly where Savage’s anger came from. This was personal. This was revenge.

"That’s right, Kenobi," Savage whispered, his eyes burning with the fire of resentment. "Darth Maul, my brother."

Obi-Wan didn’t look away, but his expression darkened. And I, caught between the two of them, felt the pull of the Dark Side around me, growing more and more excited.

He looked at Savage with an expression that wasn’t quite disdain, but more like pity, as if he regretted the path the Zabrak had chosen to follow.

"I see what’s happening," he said with calculated calm. "You’re not entirely a Sith, but you’re very close to becoming one."

Savage’s face tensed, his muscles tightening with contained fury. I couldn’t help but let out a mocking whistle, interrupting the intensity of the moment.

"Should I leave you two to talk privately?" I asked, with my eyes shifting from one to the other.

Obi-Wan completely ignored me, keeping his attention on Savage.

"Return to your village, Savage," the Jedi urged him. "Revenge is unnecessary. Maul’s death was justified, and you know it. He chose that path."

Was it really like that? Did all Sith have a choice? Or were they pressured into choosing it by something?

Obi-Wan’s words seemed to ignite something deeper in Savage. The Zabrak growled through clenched teeth, gripping his saber so tightly that his knuckles turned white. As for me, I stopped paying attention to the conversation because suddenly a shiver ran down my spine. I felt as if the Dark Side were whispering to me, warning me of something I couldn’t quite grasp.

And then I heard it again.

"Helene!"

Anakin’s heart-wrenching scream, calling for help.

My heart skipped a beat, the sound freezing my blood, and a wave of desperation shook me to my core. I spun on my heels, frantically searching for the source of the scream, Anakin’s name spilling from my lips almost without thinking.

"Anakin!" I shouted, my eyes darting back and forth, looking for any sign, any hint that he was nearby.

The only thing that brought me back to reality was the sound of lightsabers clashing as Savage and Obi-Wan’s blades met in the air, sending flashes of energy that illuminated the swamp. Part of me knew I should take advantage of the fight to eliminate them both. I had the perfect opportunity: they were distracted, focused on each other, and the power of the pendant made me feel invincible. I could kill them, and no one would stop me.

But another part... another desperate part of me urged me to find Anakin. His scream filled me with anguish, and the Dark Side pulled me in contradictory directions. I shouted his name again, completely ignoring the battle unfolding behind me. All that mattered was finding him. I had to find him.

Savage and Obi-Wan exchanged blows with terrifying speed and precision, their movements creating a deadly dance of red and blue flashes. Fury boiled inside me, my hands trembling as I gripped my saber.

"Anakin!" I shouted again, feeling the desperation devouring me from within.

"Helene!" Obi-Wan’s voice broke through my frenzy, and I stopped for a second, long enough for his words to penetrate my mind. "Take off the pendant!"

I froze, confused. Was that the only way to see Anakin again? Of course, he was the Chosen One, the one destined to destroy the Sith. But if he saw me like this, if he saw me with this Dark Side power flowing through me... would he kill me? Could I kill him if I had to? Doubts flooded me, and my eyes began to fill with tears of pure frustration. Savage, still in the middle of his fight with Obi-Wan, growled at me through clenched teeth.

"Don’t listen to him!" the Zabrak roared, his voice filled with hatred as he struck Obi-Wan with all his might. "Only the Dark Side is your salvation!"

My fury exploded. I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t keep doubting. With a cry of rage, I lunged at them, intent on ending both of them once and for all. However, before I could attack, Savage moved his double-bladed saber with incredible speed, and the other blade stabbed into my side. A sharp pain pierced through me. Warm blood began to stain my tunic, but my rage, fueled by the darkness, kept me on my feet.

The fight became frantic. Savage and Obi-Wan continued to battle with fierce intensity. Savage was focused on destroying Obi-Wan, paying no attention to anything else. My wound burned, but I couldn’t afford to fall. I threw myself into the fight, attacking mercilessly, driven by the desire to end them both.

Obi-Wan, despite being surrounded by enemies, moved with astonishing agility. His acrobatics were flawless, jumping and spinning to dodge Savage’s strikes, countering each attack with precision. He seemed to be one step ahead of us, as if he could anticipate our every move.

Savage, on the other hand, attacked with brutality, completely focused on his goal. Despite having wounded me, he paid me no attention. He only wanted to destroy Obi-Wan.

Savage’s red saber spun in fierce circles, seeking any opportunity to bring down the Jedi. But Kenobi wasn’t intimidated. He jumped, spun, and blocked each attack with surgical precision. His control over the Force was evident, and for a moment, I remembered why so many considered Obi-Wan Kenobi one of the best.

I moved between them, unsteady but dangerous, trying to take advantage of any opening to attack. The pain in my side burned, but my rage overpowered it. Every time I got close to Obi-Wan, he managed to dodge me, staying on guard while Savage attacked him.

The air vibrated with the intensity of the duel. The sounds of sabers cutting through the air, the impact of energy clashes, everything blended into a deadly dance. But in the midst of the chaos, it was Obi-Wan who found the weak point.

With incredible precision, Obi-Wan launched a quick strike at Savage, deflecting one of the Zabrak’s blades and then spinning around in a fluid motion. The blue blade of his saber sliced through Savage’s arm, severing it from his body in one swift move.

Savage’s scream echoed through the swamp, his fury turning to agony as his arm fell to the ground. I stopped, stunned, panting from the effort and pain, watching as Obi-Wan had managed to stop me and wound Savage at the same time.

Savage fell to his knees, his face contorted with rage and pain, while Obi-Wan stepped back, keeping his saber ignited, always vigilant, ready for whatever came next.

Kenobi, breathing lightly but maintaining his composure, surveyed the chaos that had just unfolded. The battle had ended as quickly as it had begun. He looked at Savage, who was still writhing in pain from his mutilated arm, and then turned an intense gaze toward me.

"I did the right thing," he spoke, but his voice was calm, almost with a touch of compassion and without a trace of hatred.

Those words, those simple words, ignited my anger. I felt the Dark Side respond immediately, amplifying my rage. Without thinking twice, I lunged at him, my lightsaber aimed directly at his chest, ready to pierce him, to end him in a single move.

But Obi-Wan saw me coming. Just as I was about to reach him, he raised a hand. With a quick gesture of the Force, he pushed me back with overwhelming strength. I flew to the side, crashing into a large, rickety structure in the swamp. The impact was brutal, and in the process, something huge and heavy began to collapse on top of me.

I saw the rocks fall in slow motion, massive chunks of stone breaking away from the elevated terrain, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to avoid being crushed. The pain from my wound and the blinding fury kept me trapped, unable to react.

But just as the rocks were about to hit me, everything stopped. The stones floated in the air, as if an invisible hand had caught them at the last second.

Someone had intervened.

My breath caught in an instant as I turned my head and saw Anakin, just three meters away from me.

He was in perfect condition, as if the agony I had witnessed had never existed. His hand extended toward the debris was the only sign of his intervention, and the rocks were thrown away with impressive force. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I watched the heavy objects crash to the ground with a thunderous noise, far from where I lay.

"Anakin…"

He stepped forward, and his imposing presence eclipsed everything around me. While I was paralyzed, I saw Obi-Wan, his lightsaber ignited, keeping Savage trapped. The fury in Savage’s eyes was terrifying, and his gaze pressed on me, as if he expected me to intervene, to join him in taking down the Jedi.

But I was also a Jedi, wasn’t I?

I dismissed that thought and slowly got up, unsure of what to do. My mind was a whirlwind.

It was then that Anakin stood in front of me, his eyes like two blue abysses that seemed to pierce through me, and the fixed gaze he directed at me was a mix of disappointment and reproach.

"I told you to call me when you were in danger," he began, sinking my heart. "Not when you were the danger…" His eyes fell on the Sith pendant hanging from my neck, and I felt a shiver run through me.

His words struck me like a whip. The truth in his words was inescapable. I had let myself be consumed by hatred and darkness, and now, I stood before him, unable to clearly distinguish what was right. Guilt and despair mingled within me, while the Dark Side continued to tempt my judgment.

Anakin seemed to relax his posture and stepped closer, narrowing the small space between us. His next action surprised me even more when he raised his left hand, and the tips of his fingers slowly traced a path along my skin, starting from my slightly exposed abdomen.

He continued his advance, making me feel the ghostly touch that slowly moved up toward my collarbone. My breath caught in my throat as I stood still, watching his face.

He tugged slightly at the neckline of my shirt, and a soft gasp escaped my lips when his fingers found the relic, pressing the cold metal against my skin. Before I could have anticipated it, Anakin yanked the pendant from my neck with a sharp motion, the action causing me to stumble toward him. I immediately felt his arms wrap around me firmly, yet with gentleness.

Then I felt horrible, as if I had been a vessel for the Dark Side, a puppet in its hands. Every action I had taken, every decision I had made under the influence of that relic, weighed heavily on me. The distorted visions, the hatred I had felt—it all seemed to collapse on me.

I remembered Yoda’s words, his warnings about how the relic was capable of creating illusions and altering reality. The image of Anakin in agony returned to me, making me shudder. I had let myself be deceived, I had let myself be manipulated…

Tears began to stream from my eyes, sliding down my cheeks as I remained in Anakin’s arms. I felt a despair so deep that I couldn’t help but sob heavily. The weight of what I had done, of what I had seen and felt, was unbearable.

Anakin, with a tenderness and understanding that not even the purest angel could offer, gently stroked my hair. For the first time, his voice became a light in the darkness:

"It’s not your fault," he whispered, and his words felt like a soft blanket wrapping around me. I immediately knew he was using the Force to calm me. "I’m sure it’s not your fault."

But I had fallen into Savage’s trap, hadn’t I? I deserved it. I deserved it for being so stupid and letting myself be swayed. I clenched the fabric of his clothes tighter and hid my face in his chest, as if I could somehow find refuge in him.

At that moment, something in the Force shifted, and I heard Obi-Wan’s footsteps approaching with a pained and hurried Savage in tow. I lifted my head to look suspiciously at Anakin.

"What… What’s happening?" I asked, sensing a deep anger in his presence, bordering on animosity.

Anakin seemed to try to recompose his expression as he looked at Savage, his hands tightening firmly on my hips, but he couldn’t fully return his features to normal. He didn’t have the usual gift of masking emotions. Not when he was around me, at least.

"I hate to interrupt, but it’s time to leave," Obi-Wan spoke, causing an embarrassed blush to spread across my face. I tried to pull away slightly, only for Anakin to tighten his grip on my waist. "We need to get off this planet and return to Coruscant as soon as poss—"

But before he could finish, all of our communicators began to ring. The sudden interruption made my heart skip a beat. I immediately remembered my master, still lost somewhere in the swamp, unaware of everything that had happened.

When I turned on the communicator, an unfamiliar, slithering voice emerged from the speakers:

"We have your pretty Jedi companion aboard one of our ships," it hissed, laden with a threatening tone. "If you want her alive, come and get her, and hand over the pendant."

And the message cut off.

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and I stared at each other in stunned silence at what had just happened in the span of four seconds. Anakin blinked, looking at my communicator, and his voice sounded hesitant as he spoke. "What… What the hell was that?"

None of us responded.

But then, we heard a laugh: a cynical, dry laugh coming from the lowered face of Savage Opress. His arm—or what was left of it—was still bleeding, dripping down the rest of his body. Savage raised his gaze and didn’t smile, but a playful, sadistic grin twisted his features.

"Well," he began, twistedly amused, "...you didn’t think you were the only ones interested in the relic, did you?"

And it hit me.

The Separatists had Shaak Ti.