Allure

The Sins: Part Two

After about two miles of walking and thirty minutes of strategizing, you finally had a plan. It wasn't a great plan, but it'd have to make due. Over the course of the hike, you learned that the Sins had only recently emerged on the black market as a trade group of sorts. Little was known about them, and even less was known about who was behind it. 

Jade had been apart of a group tracking the whereabouts of the group as well as their habits. They had been stealing younglings from their villages and forcing them into the mines. She still doesn't know what they're looking for yet. But whatever it is, they haven't found it.

Hearing Jade talk so much about them really made you wonder how you had never heard of them before. The First Order sheltered you your entire life. It was clear they didn't want anyone knowing what was really going on. But why didn't Kylo tell you?

You didn't have time to think about him; you had a mission ahead of you. One that you weren't gonna fail. You couldn't.

"We're approaching the mines," she stated, eyes straight ahead. A few moments later, the greenery faded and nothing but rock and dirt lie ahead. The Sins had multiple semi-permanent tents set up around what you presumed to be the entrance of the mines. 

The transport from earlier was parked outside one of the nearby tents. You could sense the children were inside.

"They're in there," you whispered to Jade. She nodded as you both crept closer to get a better vantage point. By the looks of it, there were only two guards outside of the tent and two more outside the mine entrance. 

"It seems almost too quiet. Something doesn't feel right," Jade warned. She was right. If the Sins were as informidable as she said, then there should be a lot more guards here.

"There's no time to second guess ourselves; we need to save those children." She gave you a hesitant look but eventually agreed.

You began sneaking your way towards the back of the guarded tent while Jade took the side. You knew you had to get to those guards before Jade did. She couldn't see what you were about to do next. 

You snuck up behind the guards and touched each of them lightly while clearing your mind. Each one fell to the ground unconscious just seconds before Jade came from the other side.

"What happened?" she asked confused and slightly impressed.

"I told you I had it under control," you quickly responded, eager to complete the mission. You entered the tent first and Jade soon after. You almost couldn't believe your eyes. There had to be almost fifty younglings in there. You couldn't help a wave of anger pass over you. It didn't last long since you now had a new problem at hand: how were you gonna sneak fifty children out of here?

"Hello, my name's Jade and this is my friend, [Y/N], and we're here to take you home," Jade soothed using a slightly higher pitched voice. All at once the younglings started erupting in cheer.

"Shhhh. Shhhh. We have to be very sneaky though, so I need all of you to be very quiet. Okay?" They all nodded as you started filing them into a single file line. Jade would lead them in the front and you would protect them from the back, just like you agreed upon. 

You were about halfway through guiding the children out of the tent when you heard the strangest sound. It was a low humming sort of noise that was accompanied by an alluring feeling. You tried to push it down, but it kept getting stronger and stronger.

The last of the younglings were out of the tent, but you struggled to follow them. At first you tried, but then your feet started taking you elsewhere. You noticed out of the corner of your eye that the guards you'd knocked out were no longer there. Straight ahead towards the mines, the guards were gone too. But you didn't care. That humming, that feeling. It was irresistible.

You heard Jade start to yell your name, risking her secrecy for you. But it was no matter, the humming began drowning out every other sound.

You found yourself entering the mines, descending deep down to the depths of hell. Through the winding halls and closer and closer to the sound until you hit a wall. A dead end. You could've sworn the sound was coming from here. You found an axe on the ground leftover from the workers and picked it up.

You began chipping away at the rock formation, swinging over and over again. Your arms ached, but it didn't matter. Nothing else did. You were almost passed out from exhaustion when you saw it: a light. A purple sort of light that seemed to radiate perfectly off of your skin. You swung a few more times before the walls revealed a crystal unlike anything you'd seen. You reached for it and held it in your hands, returning your mind to reality.

You dropped the axe and quickly began thinking up a plan for your exit. Rounding the first corridor, you saw a shadow with a familiar figure. You froze, paralyzed with fear. It couldn't be. As the man rounded the corner, you saw his face.

"Ashema?"