Dren Orkan followed the group, lingering just a pace behind. He was weary of the surroundings, always looking back, lest something come for them. Be it a beast, or a person. He wasn’t sure which he was worried about more. He took note of the valley, always fluctuating between too much space to cover properly, or so little they had to walk in single file. They adjusted their formation for each situation, with hardly a spoken word. The Shadows were often recluse, and didn’t care for pointless chatting. Dren realized he fit in more and more with them.<br/><br/>The walls glistened with a moisture that sat in the air. The fog was of strange color of pink, but Dren couldn’t tell if it was because of the red sun, or because of what the mist was made of. He had time to let his mind wander. Perhaps the mist had a mind of it’s own. It seemed to move in unpredictable ways, despite the wind being absent.<br/><br/>Despite being detached from the force, he could still feel the Dark Side in this place. He could feel it, like a drip of frigid water rolling down his back. He touched his neck, but it was dry. He turned his head to look behind, but there was nothing. Only the mist, and it seemed to form a figure--or perhaps it was just his mind. The mist dissipated softly. He turned back, and saw his Jedi comrades were gone.<br/><br/>He quickened his steps to make it into the narrowing valley, but he didn’t see them. “Master Lotheal?” He called out, not too loudly. The chill ran down his back again. He turned back, and saw the mist forming a mass with tendrils. Parts of it were transparent, while others, as thick as if it were organic. It launched itself towards Dren with a screech. Dren took out his lightsaber, and lit one end, holding the green blade in front of him as if a shield. The mist picked up speed. Realizing a lightsaber would have little effect on mist, he threw his hand out, and pushed it with the force. The mist exploded, and shot out in every direction, except at Dren. It disappeared.<br/><br/>“Jedi Orkan?” a familiar Bothan voice said. He turned back, and in front were all of his Jedi comrades, no more than a few paces ahead. They had stopped and were staring back at Dren, silently. Renth, the Bothan, lowered his hood and face mask to look curiously at Dren. “Is everything alright?”<br/><br/>Dren turned off his lightsaber. “Didn’t you see that?” Dren asked.<br/><br/>“See what?” Jedi Master Lotheal asked.<br/><br/>“The mist--it attacked me,” Dren told her. He could feel the group studying him, looking at each other curiously. Clearly they saw nothing. Dren had his doubts and asked, “or am I going crazy?”<br/><br/>A young dark skinned human female named Teli, who seemed too young to be a Jedi Knight, spoke. “Perhaps this place has deeper roots in the dark side than we we first thought. It may be playing tricks with our minds. Everyone should be weary.”<br/><br/>“Agreed,” said Master Lotheal. The rest nodded. At the very least, Dren was glad they weren’t thinking him crazy. Still, he wasn’t sure what he saw, and why he was the only one. It didn’t sit well with him. He attached his lightsaber back to his belt, and draped the robe over it. He had a feeling this planet held secrets that went deep to millions of years ago. The force was strong in a place like this, more so than other planets--Dren could feel it. Realizing he had broken his force concealment, he closed his eyes and focused, hiding his signature again.<br/><br/>They continued on their way as the day went on. There was always a chill in the air, mixed with the occasional warm wisp of humid moisture. It had been several hours when they finally came upon the statue. It was curious, because it seemed to have fallen. It was upside down and at an angle. The legs were cracked, and it was covered in moss and vines. If one didn’t know what to look for, one might think it was just a rock. Jedi Knight Renth removed the moss from the head, careful to reveal the features. It was a cloaked figure, his face wrinkled with age.<br/><br/>“I don’t recognize who this is, but he wears what may be a sith cloak,” Renth told them. “We need to find where this came from. I have a feeling we won’t find answers down in the valley.” The Jedi looked up at the cliff. They all knew the answer.<br/><br/>“Then we shall climb,” Jedi Master Lotheal told them.