We stood before the doors, studying the carved figures. My eyes traced the lines of the murals—each figure wielding a lightsaber, both embodying the power of the Force, but in different ways. One wore robes of pure white, their stance poised and resolute. The other was more fluid, cloaked in shades of grey as if caught between light and shadow. It struck me that neither image reflected the rigid teachings of the Jedi Order I once knew. Instead, they seemed to speak of something more balanced, more nuanced.

  “The Empire’s troopers couldn’t have opened this,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “They don’t have the connection to the Force needed to interact with it.”

  I placed my hand on the gray door, focusing my will and letting the Force flow through me. A mechanical click echoed through the stone. My heart leaped with hope, but the door remained shut. Frowning, I tried the same with the white door, but a sudden, invisible force shoved my hand back, nearly knocking me off balance.

  “The heck?” I muttered under my breath, frustration creeping into my voice.

  Teya had been watching closely, her brow furrowed in concentration. “What is it?”

  I shook my head, still puzzled. “The grey door responds to my will through the Force, but the white one pushes back. It’s like it’s rejecting me.”

  “Maybe... the white door represents the light side of the Force, and the grey represents those who aren’t bound to a side—unaligned Force users,” Teya suggested.

  I considered her theory, nodding slowly. “As good a guess as any. Let’s give it a try.”

  She placed her hand on the white door, her expression determined. For a moment, the air seemed to hum with energy, and another click echoed through the chamber. We both pushed against the doors, but they still wouldn’t budge. I could feel the weight of something unseen holding them in place.

  “What are we missing?” I muttered in frustration, pulling my hand back.

  Teya’s eyes lit up with sudden realization. “Wait! The Temple of the Kyber isn’t just about the Jedi. It’s always been a place for all Force users—except those aligned with the dark side.”

  I turned to her, catching onto her thought. “You think the lock was designed to respond to both sides working together so neither group could betray the other?”

  She nodded, excitement creeping into her voice. “Yeah, let’s try it together. One hand on each door.”

  I took a deep breath, letting go of my doubts. “Alright, here goes.”

  We placed our hands on the doors again, Teya on the white and I on the grey, focusing our wills simultaneously. The air crackled around us, and a deep "clonk" reverberated through the stone. With a low groan, the ancient doors swung open, revealing a sight that left us both breathless.

  Inside, the walls were lined with millions of lightsaber-sized Kyber crystals, glowing softly in a myriad of colors. They bathed the chamber in a radiant, prismatic light, filling the space with a hum that resonated deep within my bones. The room was perfectly square, each corner precise and deliberate, proving that this was no natural cave. This was a place of purpose, built by those who understood the Force in ways I could only imagine.

  “By the Force…” Teya breathed, her voice barely more than a whisper.

  I reached out to touch one of the crystals, but the moment my fingers brushed the air near it, a sharp "zzzt" crackled through the chamber. A translucent barrier, like a thin layer of mist, rippled across the walls, stinging my skin and forcing me back.

  “Ouch!” I hissed, cradling my hand. “What good do they do us if we can’t even touch them?”

  Teya frowned, stepping closer to the barrier. “There’s gotta be a way. Why would they make this place accessible if no one could claim the crystals?”

  “Maybe we’re wasting our time,” I grumbled. “And once those troopers report back, the Inquisition will come looking for us. We’ll have to leave Jedha before they trap us here.”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  But Teya wasn’t listening. She moved closer to a section of the wall where a crystal gleamed with an unusual, deep color—almost black in the dim light. As she reached out, the barrier shimmered and parted, allowing her hand to slip through. Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she grasped the crystal.

  “I can’t believe it… it let me through,” she whispered, holding up the dark crystal.

  I watched, a pang of jealousy mingling with a strange sense of pride. “That’s great, Teya. You should see if it works with your saber.”

  She nodded, her hands trembling slightly as she carefully inserted the crystal into the socket of her incomplete lightsaber. There was a moment of silence, then—

  Hummm! The blade ignited with a vibrant, deep purple glow, flooding the chamber with its light. Teya stared at the blade, her face illuminated in the glow, her eyes filled with wonder.

  “Amazing... I’ve only ever heard of Master Mace Windu having a purple lightsaber before,” I said, my voice hushed with awe.

  Teya’s lips curled into a shaky smile. “It’s strange, but... I feel like this crystal was always meant for me. Like it’s a part of me.”

  The glow of her saber filled the chamber, casting shadows that danced across the walls. But even as she reveled in her discovery, I couldn’t shake the hollow feeling inside me. I glanced around the room, searching for a similar crystal meant for me, but the barrier remained impenetrable wherever I looked.

  “There might not be one here for me, Teya,” I admitted quietly. “And that’s okay. I’ve made my peace with it.”

  Teya turned to me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “No, it’s not okay! We wouldn’t have made it here without you, Roan. You deserve this just as much as I do.”

  I shook my head, frustration bubbling over. “Maybe we’re wasting our time, Teya. And now, after those troopers report back, the Inquisition will come looking for us. We’ll have to leave Jedha before they corner us.”

  She didn’t answer right away, her gaze fixed on the rows of crystals. When I turned to look at her, I saw tears glistening in her eyes. “This place was supposed to be our chance, Roan. It’s not fair.”

  I softened, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. “Life isn’t fair, Teya. It never has been. I’ve made peace with that. My connection to the Force is... weak. Maybe there isn’t a crystal here for me, and that’s okay.”

  She shook her head, wiping at her eyes. “No, it’s not. We wouldn’t have made it here without you.”

  I didn’t know how to answer, so I turned away, taking one last, thorough look around the room. The barrier remained solid, unyielding, no matter where I looked.

  “If there is a crystal for me, I guess it’s not here,” I sighed.

  “Wait!” Teya’s voice rang out, her finger pointing toward something on the far wall. “What is that?”

  I followed her gaze to a round object about the size of my fist, embedded in the center of the wall opposite the entrance. It wasn’t glowing like the crystals around it, just a dull, unremarkable gray.

  “A rock?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

  “No, look!” Teya hurried over, placing her hand near the rock. As soon as she did, the barrier flared to life, crackling with energy and forcing her back with a sharp jolt. “Ouch!” she yelped, rubbing her hand.

  Curiosity sparked in me as I reached out and placed my hand over the rock. To my surprise, the barrier around it shimmered and then parted, dissolving like mist under my touch. The air grew still, almost reverent.

  “Strange…” I murmured, lifting the rock from its resting place. It felt oddly light in my hand, smooth and cool. Giving it a gentle shake, I heard a faint, liquid-slushing sound from inside.

  Teya peered at it curiously. “What is it?”

  “Sounds like it’s full of water,” I replied, turning the stone over in my hands. But no matter how I examined it, I couldn’t sense anything through the Force. It was as if the rock was... blank. Yet there was a strange, almost familiar sensation when I touched it, like an itch at the back of my mind.

  “Maybe it’s a geode. Could there be a crystal inside that would work for a lightsaber?” Teya asked, her voice tinged with hope.

  “If that’s the case, I should be able to sense it,” I said, frowning. “But I can’t feel anything except that weird... hum.”

  Teya shrugged, offering me a small smile. “Well, it’s yours, whatever it is.”

  I tucked the strange rock into my pack, trying not to let my frustration show. “It’s time to go before more Imperials arrive and trap us down here.”

  As we gathered our things and turned to leave, Teya stopped me, her expression resolute. “Wait, let’s close the doors. We can’t let the Empire get their hands on this place. They couldn’t open it before, and maybe they won’t be able to again.”

  I nodded, seeing the wisdom in her words. Together, we focused, willing the doors to close. They swung shut with a low groan, sealing the room behind us. But as we stepped back, the doors shimmered and vanished, leaving behind nothing but a plain, unremarkable cave wall.

  Teya’s eyes widened, her face pale with shock. “What just happened?”

  I reached out, pressing my hand against the smooth stone where the doors had been, but it was solid as if the doors had never existed. There was no trace of their presence. “Either it’s gone, or it turned invisible to us somehow. But either way, we need to leave now. Some mysteries are better left unsolved.”

  Grabbing her arm, I led her back down the tunnel, the weight of the strange rock heavy in my pack and a nagging feeling settling in the back of my mind. Whatever we had discovered felt like a new beginning—one that I wasn’t sure I was ready for.