Chapter 15: Echoes of the Duel

Theed's great palace stood in uneasy silence.

Smoke drifted lazily through shattered windows. The hum of disabled battle droids echoed no more. What had once been a battleground now felt more like a tomb.

The Queen had reclaimed her throne.

But not without loss.

The Fallen Master

Kira stood beside a marble column, his arms crossed tight. His vibrosword hung at his back, untouched. A fine coat of dust streaked his shirt, and a single cut still bled slowly down his temple.

Across the hangar, Qui-Gon Jinn's body was being carried out by two silent Temple healers. Draped in a Jedi cloak, his face was calm — but the fire that had once burned in his presence was gone.

Completely gone.

Kira's lips were a firm line. He didn't say a word. He didn't know how.

Hikaru sat on a step, elbows on his knees, staring into the ground with an unreadable expression. His usually relaxed, slightly smug air was gone. All that was left was the boy underneath — the one who had watched one of the galaxy's best fall before his eyes.

"I thought… Jedi were supposed to win," Hikaru muttered.

Kira blinked. "Not when the script says otherwise," he said grimly.

The words stung.

They knew this would happen. They had watched The Phantom Menace a dozen times, quoted it, laughed at its awkward dialogue, argued over who was stronger.

But nothing — nothing — had prepared them for the real thing.

Kira had watched Qui-Gon teach him. Spar with him. Encourage him in the temple workshop. And then…

Gone. Just like that.

He clenched his jaw. His system's HUD flickered in the corner of his eye, quiet for now. Even the System knew better than to speak.

Obi-Wan's Rise

Obi-Wan stood by the Queen now, face still pale, but composed in the way only Jedi could manage. But his eyes… they were different. Tired. Older.

He had burned Maul.

He had avenged his master.

But it hadn't changed the cost.

"I'll train the boy," he said simply to Master Windu, who had just arrived via a secure Republic transport.

The Council member gave only a small nod. "We'll discuss it fully on Coruscant."

Padmé, in her royal robes, stepped forward next. "And Naboo will remember your order's sacrifice," she said quietly.

Her eyes flickered to Kira and Hikaru, lingering. "All of your order's."

Kira met her gaze, but said nothing. The urge to speak — to warn her of everything still to come — burned in his chest like fire. But he couldn't. They couldn't.

That was the rule.

And they both knew breaking it would only twist the future worse than it already was.

Nightfall Over Theed

Later, at a private balcony overlooking the capital city, Kira and Hikaru leaned against the railing. They hadn't said much since the duel. There wasn't a lot to say.

Kira finally broke the silence. "It's real now, isn't it?"

Hikaru turned slightly. "Yeah."

"We're not just… watching anymore."

"Nope."

The wind stirred their clothes. The stars above Naboo sparkled faintly. Somewhere far below, children laughed — unaware of the Sith, of clones being bred, of wars yet to come.

Kira turned to his friend. "How's your… thing? Y'know. That Force-tingle you keep pretending isn't there."

Hikaru didn't answer immediately.

"I felt him die," he finally said, voice quiet. "I felt Qui-Gon. Not the lightsaber. Not the physical part. I felt his soul… vanish."

Kira nodded slowly. "System pinged. Told me 'Jedi loss registered. Timeline divergence pending.'"

"Timeline divergence?"

Kira shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe it's just flavor text. Maybe we already changed something."

They stood in silence a while longer.

A Private Farewell

The Jedi funeral pyre was solemn.

Flames danced high as Qui-Gon's body burned, returning to the Force. Obi-Wan stood still, hands folded, his lightsaber hanging heavy at his belt.

Anakin watched in silence, confused, grieving. The boy didn't cry. But he also didn't understand.

Kira and Hikaru stood farther back in the shadows. They said nothing. But Kira's hand hovered near his sword, fingers clenched.

That man had believed in him. Had trained him like a Jedi would.

He didn't feel ready to lose someone like that. Not in this world.

Not yet.

The End of One Path

As the ceremony ended and people filed away, Master Windu approached the two boys.

"You were with him in his final days," the Korun Jedi said, eyes serious.

Kira nodded. "He was… a good man."

"He was more than that," Windu said. "He was a Jedi who trusted the Force more than he trusted us."

There was weight in that statement. A warning, almost.

"He also said," Windu continued, turning to Hikaru, "that you two were strange — but not dangerous. That you both carried fire and shadow. But not evil."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Sounds dramatic."

Windu almost smiled. Almost.

"Careful how you walk forward," he said. "The galaxy is shifting. And I suspect you two will be caught in the middle of it, whether you want to be or not."

He turned, cloak sweeping behind him.

Kira looked at Hikaru.

"So… we're officially in the game now."

Hikaru's face was pale, but he smirked. "Guess we better start leveling up."

End of Chapter 15.