Waves like the Ocean, Red like the Sea

Chapter 6 - Land of the Undead

"There will come a ruler

Whose brow is laid in thorn

Smeared with oil like David's boy,

oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord

oh lei-oh lai-oh lei-oh Lord...

He will tear your city down

oh lei-oh lai"

- Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos

I woke up with a gasp, pain shooting up and down my body before finally decreasing to a slight sting. I looked around, trying to ground myself. The last thing I remembered was being shot on Kaller, looking up at the blue sky. This place was much different. It was dark, except for the strings of light that passed over, around, and even through the various plants. The ground was covered in a soft red moss, and was sprinkled with little flowers that had a blue glow. I was laying in a clearing around a group of tall trees. They were dense, and their foliage was so thick that I couldn't see anything past the leaves or trunks. As I pushed on the ground to lift myself up, the strings of light and flowers seemed to glow brighter, and an soft imprinted glow lingered for a second where I was just a few moments before. The force felt peaceful here, so much unlike the mourning chaos it had just been.

"Hello?", I called out, looking around for any signs of life. It was quiet, save for the sounds of soft bird chirps from much higher in the trees. I jumped as something touched my shoulder turning to face the glowing form of Master Billaba. 

"Hello, my dear".

Tears welled in my eyes as I reached out to her. I gasped in surprise as my hand slid seamlessly through her arm. I looked up at her face again, realizing the situation.

"I'm at the Garden Beyond?".

"We're on the outskirts of the Afterlife, yes", Master Billaba answered. "The real garden is past trees".

I paused for a moment, looking over my own body. I wasn't glowing like the other jedi in front of me, and looked mostly the same as I had before, minus the injuries and dirt.

"Am I dead? Are we dead?", I asked anxiously.

"A jedi is never dead, Laiany. Remember the code: 'There is no death, there is the Force'. We are simply within the force now. Well, I least I am. You have flirted with 'death', my dear, but you still have much more living to complete after we are done".

"Oh", I stated, dumbfounded. My attention was suddenly caught as a string of light brightened, flooding the clearing in light, before disappearing. Depa sighed sadly.

"They just keep coming, the souls, I mean", she clarifies. "There are so many, Laiany, so many. The order has destroyed hundreds of us". She stops suddenly, looking at me with urgency. "Is Caleb safe?".

"Yes, I sent him off on a ship to Lothal. He'll be alright, Master.", I assured her.

She let out a breath of relief. "Thank you".

I turned my head away, tears of guilt spilling onto my cheeks. "I'm sorry, Depa. I couldn't save you. I knew it was coming. The force gave me a vision, but I, I wasn't prepared. I should have been more prepared! I could have done something, I should have done something, anything, sooner. Maybe if I was ready..."

"Stop", Billaba scolded. I quieted up, lowering my head in shame. "My dear,", she said with compassion, lifting my head with her finger, looking me in the eyes, "you have nothing to be sorry for. There was nothing any of us could have done to prevent this tragedy. It was written in the force long ago, as old as the battle between the sith and the jedi". She paused a second before continuing. "You have done more than enough. You saved Caleb, you saved yourself. The only thing you need to do to repay our sacrifice is to keep living".