Aeris was grateful that Dren took her hand without question, telling her that he trusted her and allowing her to help him move forward at the same speed she was moving. Once they were out of the cave she involuntarily collapsed to her knees. She was afraid that she would hit the ground rather hard, as she had no strength to prevent her fall, but she was surprised to find a pair of arms around her, holding her and preventing her from falling further. She let herself sink into his arms, partially because he was warm and she found it comforting despite herself, and partially because she had no strength to resist.<br/><br/>Her vision blurred as waves of exhaustion crashed over her, reminding her just how little strength she had left. She almost felt like she was drifting away, but his soft words and the warmth of his arms gave her something to focus on, to keep her from letting go and giving in to the exhaustion. She looked up at him, her eyes fighting to focus on him as he looked down at her before looking to the caves. Her eyes didn't follow his to the cave, even when the loud<span style="font-style: italic">BOOM!</span>came from the caves. She looked that way then the scream echoed from within the caves. It was a scream unlikely any other she'd ever heard. Almost like a million voices screaming all at once, until they all melded together into a crack almost like thunder. And then there was silence.<br/><br/>She looked to Dren when the silence fell, realizing that they were holding hands. She wasn't sure if he had taken her hand or the other way around. Either way, truth be told, she didn't want to let go. Regardless, she released it grudgingly when he slowly released hers. He placed his hand on her shoulder and asked about the Sith they had left behind. He asked many questions, all valid. She wasn't sure she was the best one to answer them, but perhaps he didn't expect her to. She would tell him what she knew, but it wasn't honestly that much. "His name is Darth Devorer. He lived hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, from what I can tell. He was known for his ability to leach the Force from those around him, as well as from the world around him, although the latter is less effective. It was said that he couldn't die, because even if he died, he would return and devour his enemies." she explained, her voice somewhat weak as she spoke.<br/><br/>"Evidently he found a way to channel his power to consume the Force, allowing him to focus that energy into a sort of intensive healing process. If he had the opportunity to use that ability, he could be saved from death's door, restored in a matter of hours. To my knowledge, his ability to actually revive, to come back from the dead, was never tested. Evidently it takes a great deal of Force power to actually revive him. Feeding off of the environment likely wouldn't be enough to actually revive him. When we showed up, using the Force like we did, he fed on that, as well as our life force. We gave him the power he needed." she explained with the same weak voice. "We released a monster. A terrible monster who will not willingly give up his newfound life." she sighed lightly. "That's about the extent of what I know."<br/><br/>She wondered if the others were still alive. If they were, did they know the horrors that had been unleashed? Did they know the enemy they would soon face? She, too, wondered what the wisest course of action was. It was hard to know without figuring out what exactly was going on. They would need to do some kind of reconnaissance soon. She would use the Force to try to search for the others, but right now she didn't think she had it in her to do that. She was just about spent, mentally and physically.<br/><br/>She looked at him when he knelt down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, wondering if she'd ever get used to that touch. She hesitated to answer his question when he asked if she was okay to move for a bit, or if she needed to stay. She didn't honestly know if she had the strength to move right now. She felt exhausted. Still, she thought that they should move. He wanted to check out the temple, rightfully so, and she didn't want to stay here alone. She would just have to try. "I don't know, honestly. But I'll try to move. I doubt I'll last long, though." she answered, deciding to be honest rather than trying to act tough.<br/><br/>She didn't think she'd ever felt this drained. Her muscles screamed and every movement she made as she tried to get up was intentional. She forced herself to stand, ignoring how weak and strained her muscles felt. She would need to take some time to rest, sooner rather than later, but she would at least try to make it work for now. For him.