Felucia.


    It''s breathtaking. The colors of the world below are vibrant, more vivid than anything I''ve ever seen. Shades of blue, green, and purple swirl together, with massive fungal formations rising like towers from the surface. From up here, it looks alive in a way that no world I''ve ever seen does, pulsing with color and motion. It''s like a dream, but there''s something wild and untamed about it too—a sense of danger hidden beneath the beauty.


    Llamiryl and Nikko stare in awe as well, their faces mirroring my own wonder. I can see the amazement in Nikko''s wide eyes, the small gasp she lets out as we draw closer. Even Llamiryl, usually so composed, seems taken aback by the sight.


    "That''s... Felucia?" Nikko whispers, her voice barely audible, but filled with awe.


    Llamiryl nods slowly. "It''s unlike anything I''ve seen before... so alive."


    The ship glides through the clouds, and as we draw closer, the details of the surface become sharper. Massive, bulbous plants tower over the landscape, their strange colors and shapes unlike anything that should exist in the natural world. It''s both beautiful and terrifying—a land that seems to be alive in ways I can''t fully understand. The sight of it fills me with a strange mix of awe and dread.


    The silence in the cabin is broken by the sound of the master''s footsteps. He rises from his seat, and instinctively, all of us turn to face him. His movements are deliberate as he walks toward a panel near the control room. With a quiet hiss, the panel slides aside, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside, I can see a satchel, a staff, a sheathed sword hanging from the wall, and a belt holding something I don''t recognize.


    "Here is everything you will need to survive, Ryu," the master says, his voice steady as he gestures toward the items. "These tools will keep you alive in Felucia''s wilds. Use them wisely."


    Ryu stands, his movements slow and methodical as he approaches the panel. He takes the belt first, strapping it around his waist, his gaze landing on the object attached to it—the strange, metallic device that looks like a weapon. He pulls it from the holster, examining it closely before raising an eyebrow and turning to his master.


    "A blaster?" he asks, his voice calm but curious. "Isn''t that beneath us, Master?"


    His master''s expression doesn''t change, but his tone is firm. "When it comes to survival on Felucia, nothing is beneath you. Everything has value here. You are not ready to wield a lightsaber, not yet. This will serve you better."


    Ryu nods, though I can see the hesitation in his movements as he places the blaster back in the holster. The master continues, pulling the satchel down and handing it to him. "You''ll also find a communicator and two planet rotations'' worth of provisions. Everything else you must acquire on your own. Trust your training, Ryu. It will keep you alive."


    I glance at Nikko, her small face pale with worry. She''s watching her father, her eyes fixed on him as he dons the satchel and slings the sheathed sword across his back. The sight of him preparing for this—whatever it is—fills me with a sense of unease. How long will he be here? Alone, on a world like this?


    Ryu equips the staff last, gripping it tightly before nodding to his master. The silence between them returns, thick and uncomfortable, but the master says nothing more. No words of encouragement, no farewells. Just silence. It makes my stomach twist with anger. How could he be so... cold?


    The ship begins to descend, and I step toward the window, watching as the vibrant, alien landscape of Felucia draws closer. The massive fungal towers sway in the wind, their colors shifting in the light. Strange, bulbous plants with thick vines stretch out across the ground, and in the distance, I can see creatures moving—large, hulking shapes that vanish into the dense vegetation.


    The closer we get, the more I realize how dangerous this place is. The vibrant colors and strange plants that looked so beautiful from space now seem more sinister, their sharp edges and strange shapes filling me with a sense of unease. This place is alive in ways I can''t understand, and it terrifies me.


    I glance at Ryu, who''s standing near the exit. He''s ready, but I can see the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers grip the staff a little too tightly. He''s nervous. And I don''t blame him.


    With a jolt, the ship lands—harder than I expected. The ground seems to sway beneath us, the vibrant jungle stretching out in all directions.


    The metal platform at the back of the ship lowers slowly, and I feel my heart race as the warm, humid air of Felucia floods the cabin. It smells strange, like damp earth mixed with something sweet but sour. Outside, the jungle is alive with movement, the massive plants towering over us like silent sentinels. The air hums with the sounds of alien creatures, their calls echoing through the dense vegetation.


    Ryu steps forward, his movements steady but deliberate. He doesn''t look back as he steps off the ship, his figure dwarfed by the massive plants around him. The master, standing at the edge of the ramp, watches him go, saying nothing. His silence gnaws at me. How can he send Ryu out like this, without so much as a word?


    Nikko clings to my side, her small voice trembling. "Why... why isn''t he saying anything?"


    I shake my head, my heart heavy. "I don''t know."


    Llamiryl''s eyes narrow as she watches the master, her expression unreadable. "This isn''t right," she murmurs, though her voice carries the weight of resignation.


    ?????


    We step off the ship as well, our feet sinking slightly into the soft, mossy ground beneath us. The vibrant jungle looms around us, its strange shapes and colors both beautiful and terrifying. The ship behind us begins to hum once more, and as I turn to watch, it lifts off the ground, leaving Ryu standing alone on this wild, untamed world.


    The craft rises higher and higher, vanishing into the sky above. And then, we are alone. The sound of the jungle surrounds us, and the reality of what lies ahead sinks in.


    I look at Ryu, standing there with his back to us, facing the vast, dangerous jungle. My heart aches for him. He''s strong, but this... this is something else. And I can''t help but worry for what''s to come.


    We start walking, the dense, alien landscape of Felucia stretching out in every direction. Ryu moves ahead, his steps deliberate, but something feels off. The towering fungal plants sway softly in the breeze, their colors vivid against the strange, humid air that clings to my skin. The jungle feels alive—pulsing with energy I can''t quite understand.


    I glance at Llamiryl, who scans the environment, her eyes narrowed. She''s sensing something—something beyond the wild beauty of this world.


    "Why are we still here?" I ask quietly, my voice breaking the uneasy silence.


    Llamiryl doesn''t answer right away, her gaze still fixed on the landscape. The large, vibrant growths cast strange shadows, and the air feels heavy, almost thick with tension. Finally, she speaks, her voice low and thoughtful.


    "I can sense it... the dark being''s presence. It''s still here, close, but I can''t pinpoint exactly where," she says, her eyes shifting as she studies the towering plants and dense undergrowth. "The darkness lingers in this world, but it''s like it''s hiding... waiting."


    I shiver at her words, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. This place feels wrong, like the very air is watching us, waiting for something to happen.


    Suddenly, Ryu stops.


    No, not stops—freezes. His body goes rigid, his movements halted mid-step. I blink, confused, and take a step forward. "Ryu?" I call out softly.


    There''s no response. He doesn''t even turn around. I glance back at Nikko and Llamiryl, and we all move closer to him, but the sight of him—frozen in motion—sends a chill through me.


    The jungle around us has gone unnervingly quiet. Too quiet. The only sound I can hear is my own breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of my chest seeming deafening in the oppressive silence.


    And then, I hear a voice.


    "Why are you here?"


    I freeze. That voice... it''s familiar. Ryu''s voice. But not the Ryu who stands frozen in front of me—the Ryu I know, the one who brought me into his world, who fought beside me. I whirl around, my heart racing, and there he is.


    Standing behind us, dressed in the same clothes he wore the last time I saw him—his hood down, his face obscured in shadow, just like before. The sight of him—this version of him—fills me with a sudden rush of emotion. Relief. Joy. He''s here. The real him.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Nikko gasps softly, her eyes widening with recognition. Without hesitation, she rushes toward him, her small arms wrapping around his waist as she buries her face in his robes.


    "Papa!" she cries, clinging to him.


    He hugs her back, his hand resting gently on her head, but his gaze—that shadowed gaze—remain fixed on Llamiryl and me. His gaze is intense, filled with something I can''t quite place. Concern? Fear?


    Slowly, he releases Nikko and steps forward, his movements deliberate. His gaze shift between Llamiryl and me as he speaks, his voice firm but laced with tension. "Why are you here?"


    There''s a hard edge to his tone, but I can hear the concern behind it, the fear lurking just beneath the surface.


    "Why?" I echo, my voice rising slightly, my frustration building. "To save you, Ryu! The Shadowfell... it''s inside your mind. It''s taking over your mind."


    He turns away, his shoulders tense, his voice lowering as he speaks again. "You shouldn''t be here. It''s not safe."


    He gestures to his younger self, still frozen in time, standing in the jungle ahead of us. "This," he says, his voice strained, "is a part of my life I tried to bury. You have no right to see this."


    His voice sharpens, his frustration turning toward Llamiryl. "Especially you," he snaps, his hand lifting to point at her. "I don''t know who you are."


    His breathing is heavy now, his hand shaking as he holds it out toward Llamiryl. The anger in his voice, the tension in his stance... he''s scared. I can see it. He''s afraid—afraid of what we''re seeing, of what this place is showing us. And it''s breaking him.


    "Papa?" Nikko''s voice is soft as she steps forward again, placing her small hands on Ryu''s trembling arm. "We want to help you."


    He turns to her, his eyes softening as he lowers his arm. "You need to get out of my head," he says quietly, gently pulling his arm away from her grasp. "It''s not safe for you. For any of you. The Shadowfell... it will find you."


    "No, Ryu," I say, my voice firm, my frustration finally breaking through. I take a step toward him, shaking my head. "I don''t know what this is—this fear, this stubbornness—but I''ve had enough."


    He looks at me, his eyes shadowed, his expression pained.


    I approach him slowly, my heart pounding as I reach out, taking his hand in mine. He flinches at first, but I don''t let go.


    "We will save you, Ryu," I say softly, my voice filled with the concern I can no longer hide. "Please... let us help you."


    His gaze drifts away from mine, his hand tense in my grasp. I can see the conflict from his body language—the fear, the anger, the pain—but beneath it all, I know the man I care about is still there, trapped in this nightmare.


    "We won''t leave you," I whisper, my hand tightening around his. "Not now. Not ever."


    Suddenly, the familiar, oppressive weight presses against my mind, and I know—it''s the Shadowfell. The cold, malevolent presence claws its way into my thoughts, making the air around me feel thick and heavy. My head throbs, the pressure building as the voice of the Shadowfell seeps into the air like poison, wrapping itself around all of us.


    "Fruitless... oh, how your efforts shimmer with futility," the voice hisses, low and mocking. "You chase what cannot be caught. A mind shattered, a soul bound... and yet you persist. What arrogance... what desperation. Do you think you can free him? He will not slip through my grasp again."


    Its words twist, mocking us with cruel, poetic precision. I feel my heart race, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The dark presence weaves through my thoughts, making it hard to focus, to think clearly. My mind is reeling, the weight of its voice crushing me from within. I glance at Nikko—her wide, terrified eyes lock onto mine, her little hands trembling as she clutches at her father''s robes. Llamiryl''s face is grim, her fists clenched at her sides, but I can see the strain in her expression.


    "You fight for him," the Shadowfell continues, its voice dripping with contempt. "But you cannot save what is already mine. His mind belongs to me. His soul... belongs to me. He will fall, as he always has."


    I try to speak, to push back against the suffocating presence, but my throat feels dry, the words choking in my mouth. My heart pounds painfully in my chest, the fear gnawing at the edges of my resolve. The air around us grows colder, thicker, and then—


    The ground beneath Ryu begins to shift. A black puddle forms beneath his feet, the inky liquid spreading in unnatural silence. My eyes widen in horror as I watch his boots sink into the dark substance, slowly at first, then quicker as the black mass swallows him. Dark, shadow-like tendrils, writhing with sinister intent, rise from the puddle, coiling around Ryu''s legs, then his body. Wisps of darkness trail from them, swirling in the air like smoke.


    "Ryu!" I scream, but the sound feels distant, muffled by the heavy presence of the Shadowfell. I lunge forward, but before I can even reach him, the tendrils tighten their grip, and in one swift, horrifying motion, they pull him downward—into the dark abyss.


    He vanishes.


    The puddle closes in on itself with a soft hiss, disappearing as quickly as it came, leaving nothing behind. My outstretched hand falls to my side, trembling as I stand there, stunned. The ground where he stood is empty, the silence deafening. I can barely breathe, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it''s going to burst.


    Nikko cries out, her voice breaking with fear. "Papa!" She rushes to the spot where he was, her small hands pawing at the empty ground, her breath coming in panicked gasps. "Papa, no! Where did he go?!"


    I want to answer her, to comfort her, but I can''t. My mind is spinning, my thoughts scattered. The memory around us—the one of Ryu''s younger self—begins to stir. The stillness breaks, and I hear the soft rustling of movement. I turn just in time to see the younger Ryu start moving again, picking up right where he left off, as if nothing had happened.


    But something has happened. The air trembles violently, the ground shaking beneath my feet. The jungle around us quakes, the vibrant plants swaying wildly in the unseen wind. The world itself feels like it''s breaking apart.


    Llamiryl is already moving, her hands raised as she concentrates. "We need to leave. Now."


    She doesn''t wait for a response. With a sharp gesture, she summons another door—this one appearing as suddenly as the last. The metallic frame slides into existence with a hiss, the blinding light behind it spilling into the shaking world.


    "Hurry!" Llamiryl shouts, her voice barely audible over the trembling ground.


    Without hesitation, I grab Nikko, pulling her away from the empty spot where her father disappeared. She''s sobbing, her hands clutching desperately at my robes, but there''s no time to stop—no time to process the fear.


    We rush toward the door, the ground trembling beneath our feet, the memory around us collapsing in on itself. The vibrant colors of Felucia blur, the figures of the younger Ryu and the jungle warping as if the world is tearing apart.


    We step through the door just as the world seems to shatter behind us.


    And then, in an instant, we''re back.


    ?????


    The endless hallway stretches out before us once more, the familiar void of shadowy nothingness surrounding us. The trembling stops, the oppressive weight of the memory gone, but my heart is still racing. My hand grips Nikko tightly as she buries her face in my robes, her sobs quiet but heart-wrenching.


    I glance at Llamiryl, whose face is pale, her expression tight with concentration.


    "He''s... he''s gone," I whisper, my voice shaky.


    The weight of everything crashes down on me, and I feel myself break. The Shadowfell''s words, the mocking, the cruelty—it echoes over and over in my mind, like a relentless storm. I can''t breathe, my chest tight, my hands shaking. Ryu is gone. We''ve failed. We were too late, and now... now he''s lost to that darkness forever.


    I collapse to my knees, tears blurring my vision. The endless hallway stretches before me, empty and cold, but all I can see is the image of Ryu being dragged into that dark abyss. The realization gnaws at me, tearing me apart from the inside. My voice trembles as I whisper, "We''ve... we''ve lost him. Ryu... he''s gone."


    Nikko''s small hands cling to my arm, her voice shaky but filled with a desperation to be strong. "No, Talia... it''s okay. We''ll find him, we''ll save him, I know we will."


    But her words, though heartfelt, feel distant. The guilt presses down harder, like a weight I can''t escape. I should have done more. I should have been stronger. How could I let this happen?


    I bury my face in my hands, sobs wracking my body. "He''s gone... the Shadowfell... we couldn''t stop it."


    "Talia." Llamiryl''s voice cuts through the haze of despair, firm and steady. I glance up at her, barely able to see through the tears, but her face is calm, resolute.


    "You''re wrong," she says softly, kneeling beside me. "Ryu isn''t lost."


    I shake my head, my voice breaking. "How can you say that? We saw him... he''s gone. He''s lost to the Shadowfell, and we couldn''t—"


    "Listen to me," Llamiryl says firmly, her hand resting on my arm. "He is not lost to the Shadowfell''s consumption. Not yet."


    Her words strike me, but I can''t believe them. How could she be so sure? I look at her, my voice shaky. "How can you be so sure?"


    She meets my gaze, her expression unwavering. "Because if he was truly gone, if the Shadowfell had consumed him fully, we wouldn''t still be here. This hallway, these memories—they''d be gone. We would have been ejected from his mind, cast out. But we''re still here, Talia. He''s still here."


    Her words sink in slowly, cutting through the suffocating fog of despair. "He''s still fighting," she continues, her voice calm but filled with a quiet strength. "Ryu is not gone. The Shadowfell hasn''t won."


    I glance at her, my heart aching, but there''s a flicker of hope in her words. "But... if he''s still fighting, why can''t we reach him? Why... why was he taken?"


    Llamiryl''s expression darkens, her eyes thoughtful. "The Shadowfell is holding him prisoner. It''s keeping him locked in his own mind, using his memories against him. It''s feeding on his guilt, his fear, growing stronger with every moment."


    My heart twists at the thought. Ryu... trapped, alone in his own mind, being consumed by his darkest thoughts.


    "There has to be something," Llamiryl says, her tone growing more determined. "Some source of his guilt that''s keeping him from fighting back. We need to find it. The Shadowfell is leading us somewhere, and we need to follow it through these memories, until we find what''s binding him. Once we do, we can help him break free."


    Her words resonate, but the doubt still lingers. "How... how do we stop it? How do we save him if... if he doesn''t want us to?"


    Llamiryl''s gaze softens, and she squeezes my arm gently. "We don''t give up. We keep going, no matter how hard it gets. You''re stronger than this, Talia. You have to believe that. Ryu is still in there, and we''ll bring him back."


    I close my eyes, her words slowly sinking in. She''s right. I can''t give up. I won''t give up. Ryu needs us—he needs me. Slowly, I take a deep breath, feeling the weight begin to lift, even if just a little.


    I nod, though my voice is still shaky. "You''re right... we have to keep going. For him."


    Llamiryl gives me a small, encouraging smile. "That''s right. We''ll find him, and we''ll bring him back."


    Nikko, still clinging to my side, wipes at her eyes, her voice small but filled with determination. "We''ll save Papa... we have to."


    With Llamiryl''s help, I push myself to my feet, my legs still trembling but steadier now. The fear is still there, the doubt still gnawing at the edges of my mind, but I won''t let it consume me. Not like the Shadowfell wants.


    Llamiryl takes a step back, raising her hand. With a wave, another door materializes before us, the blinding light spilling out into the endless hallway.


    "Let''s go," Llamiryl says quietly, her voice filled with purpose.


    I take Nikko''s hand, gripping it tightly as we step toward the door. My heart still aches, my mind still spinning, but I won''t let this be the end. We''ll keep going. We''ll find Ryu. We''ll bring him back.


    And we''ll stop the Shadowfell.