jaigvision.

          REX REMAINED FROSTY. Whether it was a bad idea or not, that didn’t change either of their minds. The desire to discover the history of the temple still palpable within both men. To find out what truly made the Jedi abandon such a SACRED abode without considering to bring it up to the High Council, that was if there were any survivors left to tell its tale. It was one of many questions that had been left unanswered for too long, now, it needed to be answered before they left to REGROUP with the battalion.

          His heart pulsed at a superhuman pace. For what reason? That was truly unknown. No contact had been made, no harm had come to either man, however, that didn’t little to change the Captain’s beliefs. He couldn’t help but feel PESSIMISTIC about the situation. Every slight noise, every slight movement he thought he saw from within the depths of the shadows, it unnerved the clone more so as they continued to walk further into the unknown. However, on closer INSPECTION without fail, it always tended to be both his eyes, and his ears playing an evil mind game with him. One he was unsure whether he had a chance of winning.

         REX TRUSTEDhis commander just like any good clone would. He respected his decision, he truly did, never questioning him. Whether his mind screamed out for them to leave, his UNDYING trust kept him glued to Skywalker’s side.

          Whether the trust was owed to the Jedi or not, that was never the answer. Rex had CONFIDENCE in all the Jedi. They looked after both he and his brothers. They treated them like people even when they didn’t need to. The least he could do was show that respect back to them. His Commander would always remain the PRIORITY over others, but anything the Jedi said, the clone was no doubt putting in the back of his mind for safe keeping. Away from the control rooms and the battlegrounds, Rex spent that time with his brothers, though it was difficult to CONCENTRATE with so much conflicting his broken mind, a little time away from the fighting was greatly appreciated, even if he didn’t see it that way at first.

          ‘ You don’t have to tell me twice. ’ Ignoring his sudden ABRASIVE outburst. Rex understood that he wasn’t the only one being affected the chilling presence suffocating them. His eyes lingered behind his blackened visor, keeping the two light beams solely on the stairs ahead. It was UNCOMFORTING not knowing your enemy, especially when you could sense something was amiss. ‘ Yes, sir. ’ Unclipping a single blaster from his holster and following up the stairs closely behind General.

               EACH STEP RESONATES with a heavy echo, the kind of sound that climbs && scales, fading eerily into the musty timbers above. Anakin keeps his pace steady, feet falling with the metronomic certainty of a clock counting down. The handrail, a stark black stone slope colonized even in this violent desolation by lichen, moss, && adventurous nocturnal flowers; their petals white && thin, almost skeletal in design. All evidence of neglect && abandonment, though Anakin can make little sense of the subsisting flora. It appears only wilderness can flourish in this kind of darkness. 

               The staircase seems never ending; a crepuscular spiral that flares && retreats in the twin circles of Rex’s headlight. Anakin slants his gaze back to where they came, squinting through the nondescript shine of architecture && layered blackness that stares back at him. Time runs in frantic circles through the gap of the moment, warping itself between the dislocated realities of where they’d been && where they’re going. Both of which remain undefined at they continue to climb. 

               Anakin hears a sound like a champagne flute being crushed to sand: an inhuman approximation of the clearing of a throat. He slices a hand through the air, halting Rex && himself several steps below a flat plain he assumes to be the top of the staircase. The sound repeats itself, this time more human in nature, with a familiar edge of exasperation he rushes towards without warning. ❝ Obi-Wan?! ❞ He knows better of course. Obi-Wan is miles from here, leading an assault against the Separatist base, not hiding in the shadows of an abandoned temple. But still he takes flight, hopeful && haunted, boots hitting the stone like an afterthought of wings.

               The holocron wants them separated, vulnerable to its pull && sway. Where Anakin hears ringing reflections of his former master’s voice, Rex would hear a jarring, surprised bark of laughter echoing out from the opposite direction. A laugh unique to his long-dead brother, ARC-5555— Fives. These memories of their friends gleaned from the nervous roil of their thoughts to be turned against them in the heavy dark. 

               Anakin hears Obi-Wan call his name, && doubles his pace in return, steps beating out a torn rhythm. He finds himself at the end of another great hall, each searing inhale breaking upon a ragged exhalation. Fitful dizziness lashes through him, && Anakin throws out a hand for the nearest wall’s support. What— ?

               Comprehension slithers through him, along with a flush of rage that hollows out his insides. It wasn’t real. None of it was real. His chest goes tight with the realization, clenching laboring breaths around the fusty air. Oh no.