A ripple of energy tore through the Force, announcing their arrival.
Zen and Tif emerged from the shadows of the temple's rear corridor, blades igniting in synchronized hiss.
Nox, sensing them, froze mid-strike for the briefest heartbeat. Recognition flared in his eyes, and a wry, breathless grin cut through the crimson haze of battle.
"You came… brother. I didn't think you would."
Zen stepped forward, the Force flowing around him like a tide.
"Of course I would come. I am your older brother, Nox."
His voice carried calm authority and unwavering certainty.
The brief exchange, though simple, lent Nox a surge of strength, a reminder of the bond that had always tethered them across darkness and distance.
Tif moved at Zen's side, her focus locked on coordinating with Zen and Nox.
"We hold him together. Watch each other."
A short command that carried volumes of trust.
Their first coordinated strike was seamless. Zen feinted low, drawing Vrakus' attention, while Tif leapt high, her blade carving an arc aimed at the Sith Master's flank. Nox struck in perfect rhythm, driving a barrage of crimson light that pushed Vrakus backward.
For a fleeting moment, the three of them moved as one, a choreographed dance of offense, defense, and the raw Force energy that bound them.
But Vrakus was no ordinary opponent.
He twisted, countered, and struck with the effortless brutality of a master who had known a thousand duels. A swing of his saber sent a wave of dark Force energy slamming into the trio, throwing them off balance. Zen and Tif rolled in unison, recovering, while Nox planted himself firmly, his rage sharpening every counter.
Zen's voice cut across the chaos, steady and commanding:
"Tif, cover the flank! Nox, push him toward me!"
With instinctive understanding, Tif shifted her stance, deflecting a force-laced strike aimed at Nox, while he charged into the opening Zen had created. Together, the brothers met Vrakus' attack head-on, their blades moving in tandem, red against red, precision honed not from long training together but from the bond of blood and the clarity of shared purpose.
Vrakus laughed, a low, terrifying sound that reverberated through the chamber.
"So, the children think they can challenge me together? How quaint."
He twisted midair, a shadow striking at all three, and the temple groaned under the force of his blows. Even in their unity, even with Zen and Tif anticipating and compensating for each other's movements, he remained unyielding, a storm incarnate of dark mastery.
After multiple failed coordinated strikes, the trio stumbled back, Vrakus' dark laughter echoing through the chamber.
Zen's chest heaved as he watched Nox and Tif fend off another relentless assault. In one lightning-fast realization, the path became clear.
There was only one way, a fully powered light-side strike, a technique so dangerous it could consume the life force of any Jedi who wielded it, no matter their strength.
Zen's mind flashed with memories: every training session, every shared victory and failure, every bond that tethered him to Tif and Nox. He turned, and in one glance at them, a smile broke across his face, fierce, loving, resolute.
They understood without words.
This was the moment of choice. And Zen's heart had already chosen.
"Zen… what are you" Tif began, but she faltered as recognition hit.
Nox's eyes widened.
"Brother…"
The surge of Force energy from Zen was unstoppable. Even as they reached out, they could not restrain him. The Force pulled and pushed with agonizing intensity, wrenching at their bodies, screaming through their veins. Their cries echoed, mingled with the hum of the sabers and the stone groan of the temple.
Zen's hands extended forward, drawing both Nox and Tif into a zone where the energy of his next strike would be contained, safe from harming them. He inhaled, centered, and unleashed the technique:
Luminaris.
The chamber became a storm of brilliant light. Every shadow screamed as the radiant energy collided with Vrakus, the shockwave ripping through stone and echoing across the temple. Even as the brilliance consumed him, Zen's gaze remained locked on Nox and Tif, a final message, a promise, a love too deep for words.
Zen's body glowed with radiant energy, the Luminaris strike thrumming through every fiber of his being. One hand stretched forward, binding Vrakus in an unbreakable hold, while the other poured every ounce of his life into the technique. The temple trembled, stones cracking and ancient Sith inscriptions quivering under the weight of pure light.
Vrakus, caught in the searing radiance, hissed through gritted teeth, his voice carrying both awe and disbelief.
"What… power… is this? A young Jedi Master… like you… I never imagined… even with the hatred your brother Nox bears toward you… after all the worlds he has destroyed, the blood he shed… and yet you protect him… sacrificing yourself… such selflessness…"
Zen did not falter. Every heartbeat, every breath, every pulse of the Force carried the weight of his decision. He could feel Vrakus' dark presence resisting, writhing, but it was bound. No escape. No cunning trick. No shadow to hide behind.
Zen's gaze swept across the chamber one last time, lingering on Nox and Tif, a smile soft but fierce, saying all that words never could.
Vrakus' struggle ended when the brilliance of Luminaris struck true. The energy engulfed him, waves of purifying light colliding with his darkness. His life force screamed in resistance, but Zen held, channeling every drop of his essence into the strike.
Finally, as his strength waned, Vrakus' lips parted in a gurgled, almost incredulous whisper:
"At last… I… lost… to a Jedi… the same way my master… Darth Vendrik… did…"
The cackle that followed was weak, hollow, and fading, the last of his life energy spent. The dark Emperor crumpled, his power extinguished, and the shadows of the ancient Sith temple seemed to sigh in release.
Nox and Tif ran forward, desperation burning in their eyes.
Nox reached Zen first, seeing him lying on the floor, his body drained of almost all life energy.
"I… I can save you!" Tif cried, kneeling beside him, hands glowing with healing energy.
Zen lifted a trembling hand, placing it gently on hers.
"Please, Tif… don't do this. It will only weaken you… it won't keep me alive. Nothing… can stop me… from becoming one with the Force now."
Tif's tears streaked her face as she held him in her lap, her hands trembling with fear and sorrow. Her voice broke as she tried to steady herself.
"You are a true Jedi… a true brother… a true master."
Zen smiled faintly, his strength fading.
"Thanks… for making my life… beautiful, Tif… Take care… of my brother Nox. There… is still good… in him."
Nox collapsed beside Zen, his knees hitting stone with a hollow thud. The fury was gone. The pride, the power, none of it mattered.
He gripped Zen's hand with trembling fingers, his voice breaking into sobs.
"Don't go… please, don't go. You were always there. You were always the one who kept me safe. I didn't understand, I didn't see it. I was stupid, I was angry, but you… you never stopped loving me."
Tears streamed down his face, unchecked, raw. He wasn't a Sith now. He wasn't a warrior. He was just a younger brother, crying for the only person who had ever truly protected him.
His forehead pressed against Zen's chest, tears soaking into the fabric.
"I'm not ready. I'm not strong without you. I don't want to be alone again…"
Zen's hand, weak but steady, brushed through Nox's hair, like he had when they were children.
He saw the tears, and his voice came soft, almost a whisper.
"Don't cry… my little brother. You're not alone, little brother. You never were."
And with that, Zen's essence became one with the Force.
Tif pressed his body to her chest, holding him tightly, her tears falling freely as she whispered words of love and sorrow. Nox sank to his knees at his brother's legs, resting his forehead against them, a silent plea for forgiveness for all the wrongs he had done.
Sobs shook him as he sought to honor the brother who had given everything to protect him, while Tif continued to cradle Zen, her grief and love mingling in the quiet, red-streaked shadows of the ancient temple.
The temple seemed to exhale, the oppressive darkness lifted.
But the cost was written in the stillness of three hearts: one lost, two left to carry the weight, and a bond forged in sacrifice that would never be broken.