Chapter 8

The night air in the Jedi Temple was still, broken only by the soft breathing of sleeping younglings. In the Bear Clan's dormitory, all was peaceful - save for one small bed where Kaedan Dorn tossed and turned, his face contorted in anguish.

In his mind's eye, Kaedan stood in the grand halls of the Jedi Temple, but they were no longer the serene corridors he had come to know. Smoke filled the air, acrid and choking. The sounds of blaster fire and screams echoed from every direction. Through the haze, he could see figures in white armor - clone troopers - marching relentlessly forward, cutting down Jedi left and right.

Kaedan's heart raced as he recognized the scene unfolding before him. Order 66. The fall of the Jedi. But this was no mere memory of a film he had once watched. This felt real, immediate, as if he were truly there. "No!"

"I'm not ready yet..." He ran through the chaos, desperately trying to find a way to stop what he knew was coming. But no matter which way he turned, he was met with more destruction, more death. Younglings, knights, masters - all falling to the relentless assault.

And then, through the smoke and confusion, a figure emerged. Tall, imposing, cloaked in darkness. Kaedan's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the silhouette - Anakin Skywalker, but not as he knew him now. This was Darth Vader, the Sith Lord who would bring the Jedi Order to its knees.

Vader's eyes, burning with a sickly yellow flame, fixed on Kaedan. There was recognition there, and something else - a deep, aching betrayal.

"YOU!," Vader's voice boomed, filled with rage and pain. "You knew. You could have prevented this, Kaedan. I trusted you. Y-you were like a brother to me!"

Kaedan tried to speak, to explain, but no words would come. He watched in horror as Vader ignited his lightsaber, its blood-red blade casting an eerie glow across the smoke-filled hall.

"You were the one person I thought I could trust with everything, even before Obi-Wan" Vader continued, advancing slowly. "And you let this happen. You let them die!"

With a roar of anguish, Vader lunged forward, his lightsaber arcing towards Kaedan's head-

Kaedan jolted awake with a gasp, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst from his chest. Cold sweat drenched his sleep clothes, and he could taste the acrid smoke of his dream at the back of his throat.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Kaedan realized he wasn't alone. Master Yoda stood at the foot of his bed, his large eyes filled with concern. Why was he here?

"Troubled, you are, young Kaedan," the ancient Jedi Master said softly. "Visions, have you had?"

Kaedan nodded, still struggling to catch his breath. He wanted desperately to tell Master Yoda everything - about Order 66, about Anakin's fall, about the destruction that was to come. But as he opened his mouth to speak, he felt a strange resistance, as if the Force itself was holding him back.

"I... I saw darkness, Master Yoda," Kaedan managed to say. "Death and destruction. The Jedi..."

Yoda's ears drooped slightly, his expression grave, cutting Kaedan off. "Troubling, these visions are. But remember, you must, that always in motion, the future is. Clouded, it can be, by fear and uncertainty."

Kaedan nodded, feeling a mix of frustration and relief. He couldn't tell Yoda everything, but perhaps this was enough to plant a seed of caution.

"Come," Yoda said, gesturing for Kaedan to follow him. "Meditate, we will. Find peace in the Force, you must."

As they made their way through the quiet corridors of the Temple, Kaedan's mind raced. The dream had felt so real, so vivid. And the look in Vader's eyes - that mixture of rage and betrayal - haunted him.

They entered one of the smaller meditation chambers, its walls lined with softly glowing crystals that pulsed in rhythm with the Force. Yoda settled onto a cushion, motioning for Kaedan to do the same.

"Close your eyes, young one," Yoda instructed. "Breathe deeply. Let go of your fear, your anxiety. Into the Force, release them."

Kaedan did as he was told, focusing on his breathing. Slowly, he felt the tension begin to leave his body. The Force flowed around him, through him, a comforting presence that helped to push back the lingering tendrils of his nightmare.

As he sank deeper into meditation, Kaedan found himself once again in the smoke-filled halls of the Temple. But this time, instead of panic, he felt a strange sense of calm. He watched the scenes of destruction unfold, but now he could see beyond them - to the hope that lay on the other side.

He saw... himself wielding a purple and green lightsaber and standing tall against the Empire. He saw the Jedi, returning to their once-thought-lost roots. He saw, a Chiss woman. She stood by his side, fighting alongside him with an undeniable passion.

When Kaedan finally opened his eyes, he found Master Yoda watching him intently.

"Clearer, your mind is now," Yoda observed. "But questions, you still have."

Kaedan nodded. "Master Yoda, is it possible to change the future we see in visions?"

Yoda hummed thoughtfully. "Possible, it is. But careful, we must be. Attempt to prevent one future, we might, only to bring that outcome. Perhaps even about another, equally dark."

"Then what should I do?" Kaedan asked, feeling the weight of his knowledge pressing down on him once again.

"Trust in the Force, you must," Yoda said, his voice gentle but firm. "Guide you, it will. But remember, young Kaedan - a Jedi's strength flows from the Force, but beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression - the dark side are they."

Kaedan disagreed with that last characterization, but simply nodded,

As they made their way back to the dormitory, Kaedan felt a wave of stress that was previously missing begin to once again disappear. The nightmare had shaken him, but it had also reinforced the importance of what needed to be done. He couldn't change everything, couldn't prevent every tragedy. But perhaps, with careful action, he could make a difference. For the greater good.

Back in his bed, as the first light of dawn began to creep through the windows, Kaedan lay there in thought, He would do everything in his power to prevent the future he had seen. Not through fear or aggression, but through compassion, understanding, and trust in the Force.

As sleep finally claimed him once more, Kaedan's last thoughts were of Anakin - not the twisted, angry Vader of his nightmare, but the young, passionate Jedi he was now. There was still time. There was still hope. And Kaedan was determined to nurture that hope, no matter the cost.

But for now, in the quiet predawn hours, Kaedan slept peacefully, the Force flowing around him like a protective cocoon, preparing him for the trials that lay ahead.