“Irek, I thought you’d have left with your mother by now.” Aasha couldn’t help but sense the fear coming off the child, his whole body seemed to shake as he stepped from behind the pillar’s shadow. The curls of his black hair were only slightly disheveled, but flattened as he pushed his head into her embrace. Aasha wrapped her arms around him and his trembling changed to sobs.

Aasha kneeled down and held his face with her hands.

“This isn’t goodbye, Gingerbell,” despite all she’d been through, it took everything not to show the pain she felt. “I promise.”

Irek’s watery green eyes took in everything, the tears coming out making space for the trust in that promise. Reaching into his cloak, Aasha’s eyes narrowed on the familiar lightsaber in his possession.

“How--” Aasha caught herself as Irek held the gift out to her. She cupped her hands as it deconstructed itself; every piece hanging in the air, dismantled to its basic state of metal, cogs, and a crystal.

The purple aura of Mara Jade’s kyber crystal gave off a faint glow as it gently fell into Aasha’s palm. Irek cupped his hands over hers, and closed his eyes. She could feel the intense concentration, the battle of wills between his mind and the crystal. Light versus darkness.

Between the space of their hands, Aasha could see the violet light fade away, the veins of Irek’s hands illuminated by a deep red.

She caught the young boy in her arms as he fell over from exhaustion. His breath was faint, his trembling and fear having been drained away. And just as his eyes closed, Aasha held the newly changed crystal up for Irek to see, the scarlet hue reflecting off his tired, amber eyes.