How interesting... I licked my lips again. So the Lorm I fought initially was just an illusion? No... I felt danger emanating from him... Which means he was quite real.
"You said," the man said, tilting his head slightly, "that you would defeat me as many times as it takes. And that would count as passing the trials. You trained for this. You lived for this, exhausting yourself with training, battles, learning. But is all this enough to see the truth? Or do you think you see the truth just because you've become strong?"
"Stop it, Master. If you're fighting an illusion, then all I have to do is kill illusions until they all run out," I took a stance from which I preferred to attack in Jar'Kai. The saber in my left hand was just above my head, mimicking the Soresu position. The saber in my right hand was in front of me, mimicking the Ataru position.
"Your stance speaks of your preferences," the test object said thoughtfully. "With your left hand, you'll prefer to block attacks, and with your right, to strike. Considering you're right-handed, it's a logical option to focus on your right hand. Becoming ambidextrous is a logical outcome for Jar'Kai adepts. But a true master can use both hands equally, without special preferences. Didn't Ezar tell you this?"
What? Why do his words seem so strange to me? Ezar? Master Jonnal Ezar?
"Are you analyzing your opponent out loud, trying to teach him something?"
"We are all in the Trial, and I was once your Master," he brought his saber over his head, taking a Djem So stance. "You remember what I usually do from this stance, don't you? It's time to show you what a real Jedi Knight is..."
And yet, a certain surrealism was striking. No. Lorm fought as usual. He usually tried to confuse with feints that could really work even against enemies of his level. After all, switching instantly from Djem So to Makashi and back, and then even using Niman, was normal for him. And at the same time. If this is my master, he perfectly understands that against me, his student, all his tricks work little. Blocking his blow with my left saber, which he directed at my shoulders, I immediately tried to stab him in the face with my right saber. Lorm ducked and made a classic sweep, and as I jumped and tried to attack him in mid-air, he caught my blow on his saber, deflecting both my sabers, throwing me back with a hard block, and, jumping up, struck at my head with his leg. A high kick, using momentum and a Force spin? Now this is uncharacteristic for him. He usually used telekinesis, after which several fireballs of pyrokinesis would fly at my head.
But this high kick, in the version he used against me, I would have used myself. Taking the blow on my bracers, I gritted my teeth. The blow was accented, imbued with the Force from beginning to end. Let the Trial be an illusion, maybe I'm even meditating... But it hurts, damn it, really. Flying back about two meters, I immediately rushed into attack... But... Something strange was happening. Even Jedi with foresight, like me, are not capable of reacting so precisely. Lorm was like a supercomputer. He calculated every one of my blows and reacted perfectly. Gradually, I accelerated, changing the direction of my attacks. The green blades disappeared, there were only flashes of green light that wove a picture of the fight with the cyan lightsaber. I attacked, couldn't break through his defense, and retreated, simultaneously blocking and dodging Lorm's blows. The worst part was that he hit perfectly. He defended perfectly against every one of my attacks, every lunge, and attacked perfectly. He was like a master of Ataru, a master of Soresu, a master of Jar'Kai, who could see every tiny flaw in my fencing, my fighting, and strike exactly there. As quickly and harshly as possible.
"You're confident in your abilities, aren't you? You know a lot, you don't expect a trick?!" I suddenly lunged to the side, trying to get behind him, but Lorm cut me off, blocking the maneuver and striking again with his saber. Missing the blow above me, I prepared to end this by striking his torso with a double blow. But the master interrupted my attack again, and again in the most effective way, simply delivering a high kick with his left foot right to my head, which he easily reached. I was thrown back by a powerful blow, seasoned with the Force to the very brim.
"Damn it," I spat angrily. "This damn illusion can even simulate blood."
"Are you even listening to me?" Lorm Decer asked, aiming his saber at me in a Makashi style.
"What's the point?"
"There's always a point, my wayward apprentice," the man smirked. "Because you haven't finished your formation yet. Your formation into that new Light you so proudly contemplate. You haven't yet faced... those very fears that you thought had receded, 'changing' you."
"You are my fear," I said calmly. "Look what you've become. Just a means for my Trial."
"Ah, I remember. Obstacles on the path become the path. But this is far from everything, it's not the end, not even the beginning," the Zabrak said. "Because what did you do after my death, apprentice? You just ran from fear, and most importantly, you masked your bitterness by 'knowing how to do it right.' But you didn't see the truth looking at you clearly," he nodded behind me.
"There is no truly right path," I turned sharply. A gentle voice, proper facial features, and black hair... Everything about her figure was so familiar. Features, hair... Only her clothes were different. "And there never was. You thought that everything was so simple. Let's sacrifice this and that, and there will be happiness. But are you ready not just to sacrifice something, but to accept all those... consequences of your sacrifices?"
"I don't understand anything," I shook my head. "You're clearly an illusion. Just like the Master. But if my trial was a fight with the Master, how did you end up here?"
Mila Karnur just smiled mysteriously.
"Self-confidence, the knowledge that only your path is truly right, and others are wrong, stemming from knowledge gained from a source that was previously inaccessible to anyone," Lorm's voice came from the side. Damn... If the Masters hear this... "Don't worry, they don't hear. For them, your Trial hasn't even begun. Or has it?"
"Come on, answer, Light. Are you willing to let many Sentients die just to bring your ideals to life? How cynical... Quite in the spirit of an unhappy, world-hating nobody you were back then. But have you grown into anything more than that... " at this point my gaze caught her belt... Wait... How is this possible?
I didn't let her finish, springing forward. A moment, and I was in front of Mila Karnur, another moment, and I almost took her head off. But then a scarlet blade, like blood, flashed and blocked my attack. I stepped back, not taking my eyes off Mila. Her pupils... had turned golden... A sure sign of the Dark Side of the Force. A fall.
"How rude to attack an unarmed lady," she said with a smile.
"You are not unarmed. And you are not Mila," I replied. "Who are you? Another illusion?"
"I am only what you see," the girl answered concisely...
Two Masters watched the trial of the promising Padawan. Master Jan Dooku did not hide his interest in Light. The boy was talented, incredibly talented. Not for nothing did his old teacher, Grand Master Yoda, notice him. He was wise beyond his years. Perhaps naive... He was. In principle, he would have made a good Defender or Guardian, with effort. A Consular... Light initially didn't make much contact with his group.
"What do you think, Jan?" Jonnal Ezar simply asked him. Head of the Jedi Temple Shadows and another Master of the Council. The man evoked a distinct dislike in Dooku. Jonnal made a name for himself by killing gifted individuals of all kinds. Zeison Sha, Matukai, Potentium. Many fell... Many, to whom Dooku had no particular objections. Jonnal Ezar... another fanatic and champion of the Great Light. He would kill anyone who didn't meet his internal criteria, or if someone couldn't be "re-educated," in his understanding. The Shadows under him had become a kind of punitive instrument. Only recently had they started cutting down almost everyone. Not only Dark Gifted, but sometimes they attacked Grey Jedi, whom the Council treated with the principle of "they exist, and so what, as long as they don't try to conquer the galaxy." And now Jan definitely felt Ezar's interest in Light. The boy had exceptional data and excellent abilities. If only his personality were a little more balanced. If he were a little more attentive and quick-witted, I would have taken him as my Padawan. It would have been better to train him than Qui-Gon.
"He can become a great Jedi... However," he glanced at the floor of the hall. "He immediately fell unconscious. If he doesn't get out of it," Dooku looked closely at Light's body, or rather at the dark figure standing next to him, "then the Trials will be considered a failure."
"Who came up with this?" Jonnal asked the aristocrat. "To conduct the Trials together, summoning the Mistress of Illusions. She was quite a creature," the man cracked his neck. "Darth Phobos. A Lady Sith, another madwoman from their Order, for whose destruction both Sith and Jedi united. Nonsense."
"The Trial was devised by the Grand Master himself," Dooku replied haughtily. "It's not for you to condemn it. And yes. If he succeeds, it will be a strong claim. Master Yoda knows what he's doing," indeed. His former teacher's care for this boy was noticeable to everyone familiar with the inner workings of the Temple. Jan Dooku - an aristocrat, diplomat, and politician, plus a Jedi. If only he had understood everything at once. "Did you read the reports of his psychological tests? You wanted to take him into the Shadows, as I heard? Until the death of his first Master, Lorm Decer, he was a slightly insecure, persistent, and resourceful young man. But death broke him. The death of loved ones always changes Sentients. But it affected him. He remained as withdrawn as he was. However, in the latest tests, self-confidence, pride, and arrogance were detected. I heard that the Shadows under you are ascetics, Master."
"I can re-educate him..."
"No," Dooku shook his head. "Not anymore. He has clearly defined his Jedi Path. I saw it in his eyes. The death of loved ones has made him a fighter," Dooku wrapped himself in his cloak. "He is willing to listen. Willing to ask, to reconsider his views. But you won't re-educate him. He can only be guided... Darth Phobos... She plunged him into an illusion and is now playing with him in his mind. But he can destroy the illusion, defeat it, condemn it to defeat. Demonstrate his growth... And then the trial will be complete. Both trials... A new Jedi Knight will be born. And it will be interesting to watch his successes. You, of course, will try to push him into the Shadow Corps. To 'control' his potential. Don't lie to me with your 'he has Shadow talents.' He radiates in the Force like the center of Coruscant on New Year's Eve."
"What a brilliant retort, Dooku," Jonnal Ezar laughed behind his mask. "But that's if he overcomes his 'fears.' Understands how he was shaken and clearly sees his path. Only then will he realize the truth and pass the Trials. Only a person stable in personality can understand Phobos's illusion. And what if not? What about that future? I will complete his training in case of failure, taking him from Kuro. And I will make him my new successor."
"More precisely, a new fanatic," Dooku corrected him with disgust. "I cannot interfere with the Trials, but I hope he succeeds. May the Force be with him."
"Be careful. Your views are already on the edge," the Head of Shadows' voice became icy calm.
"You can summon me for interrogation at any moment. But keep in mind. Grand Master will come with me. He will judge us."
"Tsk," Master Jonnal snorted. "That can wait, Dooku. But know this: I am watching you. The slightest hint and..."
Jan ignored him, returning his gaze to the Hall of Trials. Well... The trial is indeed fitting for the boy. They cannot allow a Jedi of his abilities to walk around with such personality problems. The Hall of Trials could be observed from a special room next to it. This way, the Masters could interrupt the Trials at any moment, as well as evaluate the one undergoing the Trials. And yes... Whatever sympathies they had for the trial participant, they could only watch.
What the hell is going on here? Life has certainly not prepared me for this. I spun like a top, showering blows in both directions, deflecting the attacks of Lorm Decer, wielding a cyan blade, and Mila Karnur, who wielded scarlet. And if Lorm Decer attacked as I was used to, with the caveat that he incorporated my usual movements, then Mila completely copied my Ataru style. They were pushing me... Unfortunately, it must be stated that my Trials may not end in success.
"Have we truly sown seeds of doubt in your mind, Light," Mila said, throwing me back with telekinesis.
Performing a somersault, I landed on my feet, immediately moving aside, narrowly avoiding "sai tok" - a move he used against Mol Kenobi on Naboo, namely, a waist cut. Damn... Now is not the time for contemplation. Should I analyze now? They are in my way... Which means I have to remove them from my path. Without a doubt... What difference does it make what's right and what's wrong? If you've decided to go, then go. I counter-attacked Lorm, Mila attacked me from behind... Damn... Spinning with the Force even more than before, I began to use the Rising Vortex. The blades flickered around me like flashes of lightning.
Mila... She wasn't a Jedi or a Sith at all. Where did this weapon come from? She was too weak a Gifted. But she shows decent Ataru skills... And Lorm... Well, there's nothing surprising here. I just hope he doesn't use Force lightning... Suddenly Lorm jumped back, directing his left hand at me... Stop... It can't be. A crackling sound was heard. Green Force lightning flew from the Master's hand at me. I threw Mila aside and took the lightning on my crossed sabers, imbuing them with the Force. The lightning strike was deflected.
"The basis of everything is accepting the consequences of your actions," Lorm said. "Are you willing to bring something to the Galaxy? Yes, I agree," the man nodded. "But are you willing to know the price of your actions? Because nothing is perfect. And no matter how much you think that 'something is better than what you saw before' - everything has its consequences..."
"Ready," I threw out irritably. "I am ready to accept the consequences of my actions! Whatever they may be. Isn't that what you taught me, Master?"
"I taught you a lot," the man smiled. "And I also taught you confidence. But in your abilities, not in your infallibility."
"What makes you think," Mila said, "that just because you 'know how it was in the written history,' it's inherently the right version? Isn't it the 'best version' only in your opinion?"
I winced... Do I really think that all the sacrifices I intend to make in the name of my views will serve to build something truly excellent, without flaws? Flaws... They exist everywhere, so...
"Realizing that you are not infallible is difficult, but possible. The most important thing is to be able to accept the consequences of your actions."
Consequences... These two are literally reflections of my fears. They died because of me. And now I have to fight them in the Trial... Their current state is a consequence of my actions. I alone am to blame for what happened to them. Which means I am the one who must answer.
"Now I see," I said. "All I need is to accept what I've done. No one is infallible. The path... And the consequences of walking it are inseparable. I can only believe in the correctness... And accept the consequences of my faith and my path..."
"Yes? You believe?" Mila asked, approaching me.
"Correct. You are the consequences that have formed due to my stupidity and weakness. Naivety. I pity you. All I need is to accept you and move on..."
Mila raised her saber and struck precisely at my neck... A moment, and the blade passed through me.
"It truly hurts me to see you like this. But it truly hurts to realize that I am guilty of this. But what can I do? I have gone through this segment. Now I just have to learn from it. Lesson one - no view is infallible. No matter what. And if I succeed, the Order, the Republic will be built. But even they will not be perfect. You can endlessly strive for the ideal, but never reach it. It was this thought that scared me... I must go, no matter what, bring my views to life... But I must not fear the consequences, both good... and like you... And lesson two," I said, deactivating my sabers. "You are just illusions. Now I understand that this is not just another one of my psychological exercises. But also that you are products of MY mind. Lorm Decer never saw the ambidextrous form of my fencing. He started using my moves, although we looked at the fight completely differently. A real master always tried to break through the opponent's defense. When I remembered this, he acted like that. And when I didn't, you acted like me. Like I would act in a fight with myself. And you, Mila Karnur," I looked at her with a heavy sigh, "never wielded a lightsaber at all. But you started using Ataru... And with my specific features... All this is nothing more than an illusion. I was trapped with my fears, which I had to fight endlessly... Such is reality... And now - I really want to wake up... Wake up and make that creature who thought of this pay dearly!"
The world began to crumble... Thank you for the lessons... For the umpteenth time. "Confidence in your abilities, but not in your infallibility"... Well. It's time to test it. Consciousness, real consciousness, returned instantly. I woke up on the cold floor of the Hall of Trials. Immediately jumping to my feet, I jumped away from the spot where I lay a moment ago and activated my lightsabers.
"Bastard! How did you manage that?!" A beautiful, tall Twi'lek woman with a greenish skin tone and partially open clothing stood before me. Her body was toned and alluring, almost perfect. Six horns, three on each side, were noticeable on the sides of her face. Her eyes burned with a golden color...
"I know you," I said, pointing the lightsaber in my right hand at the woman. "You are Darth Phobos. You existed before the Fourth Sundering." So that's what it was. This wasn't a Body Trial. It was a Body and Acuity Trial, but reversed! No one forbids combining Trials. They did it here. With Darth Phobos's help, they threw me into an illusion of my regrets. The point was for me to re-evaluate myself through self-analysis and realize it was an illusion. This was an Acuity Trial. And the Body Trial was to kill this bitch. "You shouldn't have shown me your illusion, Phobos."
"Interesting why?" the Twi'lek licked her lips, activating her dual-bladed lightsaber. "Did you see terrible memories?"
"No. I realized something for myself. And now I know I'm stronger than you."
"You talk too much!" She attacked me. Quite fast. However... I deflected the first attack, the second, the third... She changed her attack angles, but it didn't help her. One of the obvious drawbacks of a dual-bladed lightsaber is that while one blade is facing you, the other is definitely turned away and cannot harm you. This means she just has one sword, only with special attacks. A double strike... The attack was aimed simultaneously at the head and legs of Lady Sith, but she positioned her saber in such a way that she blocked the attack.
Then I was thrown back, quite hard. I dropped the saber from my left hand. Devil, she's quite good with telekinesis. In mid-flight, I grabbed the saber from my left hand with telekinesis and hurled it at her. She deflected the attack, and I, performing a somersault, landed on both feet, immediately rushing into attack... Spinning the saber in my right hand, like a figure-eight, I delivered a flurry of blows. She deflected them and counterattacked, but I leaped over her, pulling my second saber to me. She pointed her right hand at me, holding the saber in her left. Telekinesis again? No... It's the Force lightning! Crossing my sabers, I took the lightning strike, deflecting it aside a few moments later. To the right? I see... She can create illusions right during combat. Several copies of Darth Phobos surrounded me... But these are just illusions, she can't do anything to me... No. She's a master of illusions. If you take the blows, thinking they are just illusions, there's a chance my mind won't cope and I'll be mentally harmed, which means... It's time to cosplay any Rinnegan user from Naruto – an area-of-effect telekinetic strike around me.
A wave of telekinesis spread in all directions, knocking back and making the illusions disappear. What? And there's no real body... Where is she? I turned my head, surveying the surroundings... Calm down, Light. Calm down. Focus. You know your abilities. Don't arrogantly consider yourself right and strongest in everything. But don't doubt yourself either. Suddenly, I felt a strange noise... From below? Was she hiding underground? Of course. She herself is just an image summoned by the Temple's artifact. This means she can break the laws of physics much more than an ordinary Jedi or Sith. She jumped out from under the floor and tried to impale me, but I dodged, letting the blow pass in front of me. Her next attack – she changed direction, and the blade that was pointing down tried to cut me in half. I tilted my body, raising my left leg and hitting her precisely on the hand holding the hilt, thereby deflecting her attack. The woman jumped back...
"Quite agile," she spat.
"I'm full of surprises," I shook my head. Her reflexes are top-notch. Catching her won't be easy. Although... When was it ever easy... But that's not the most important thing. Now I feel like this is a real fight. Not like the one I had in my mind, when feelings for my mentor and Mila didn't let me let go and feel that intoxicating sensation, the pleasure of a real battle. I started to like them, the battles themselves. The main thing, of course, is not to get carried away. But a pinch of it won't hurt, right? "But it seems it's time to finish," I would have liked to fight her a little longer. But alas, I can't delay. Good things come in moderation.
"I will destroy you, Jedi!" she roared, attacking with the fury of a krayt dragon.
We clashed again. She changed directions, angles of attack, tried to throw me back with telekinesis, and even struck with Force lightning a couple of times. But all to no avail. I wasn't just enjoying the battle. I was reading her, seeing the attacks a few moments before they were used, dodging at the last moment, counterattacking. Phobos's face contorted with rage. I suspect... If a real Lady Sith were here, not the version they loaded into me, there would be nothing left of me long ago. But we are on a Trial... Which means she was weakened so that I could theoretically pass. If only I knew by how much... Nevertheless, I still couldn't stop her. I couldn't, until I noticed a gap in the switching of her blades when she turned her body. There it is... Leaning forward, I cut the hilt of her saber in half with the blade from my left hand. Meanwhile, the right was raised to her shoulder. And since the attack was a double strike, she didn't have time to stop the finishing blow. But they might complain that I finished off an unarmed opponent... Although... She's a Lady Sith, with the skills of a Sith Sorcerer. She's perfectly capable of using the Force, ideally, she would have smeared me with the Force. So, how is she unarmed? Jedi are deceitful about many warriors: "weapons." In her case, the Force can also be her weapon.
"This is the end," I said calmly, cutting the dual-bladed saber across her shoulder.
"Brilliant," after what seemed like moments, Ian Dooku's voice was heard. I watched as the girl's body disappeared. "You showed an excellent result, Light Flaingstar."
"Yes," Jonnal Ezar's voice was heard. "Excellent. As envoys of the Jedi Council's Will, we have witnessed you pass the Trials of Body and Acuity. I see you understood that we combined them."
I deactivated my lightsabers.
"That was wise, Masters," I admitted. "Such a Trial not only gave me the opportunity to show what I'm worth but also taught me something."
"It is gratifying to hear, Light Flaingstar," Dooku said, approaching closer. Jonnal followed his example.
"You have passed the Trials," a familiar voice was heard from behind the Masters. "You will become a Jedi Knight, by the will of the Council and by right of passing the Trial. Kneel, Light Flaingstar."
I noticed that besides Yoda, Even Piell and An'ya Kuro entered the room. Evan looked serious and gloomy, as I always saw him. Kuro, on the other hand, was smiling broadly. Happy that the burden was lifted? Or not... How could I think that? She... Happy that she helped raise her friend's Padawan... In any case, I knelt. The Masters activated their lightsabers. Yoda and Jonnal Ezar stood to my right, raising their sabers. Jonnal activated only one of his two. Even Piell and Dooku stood to my left. An'ya Kuro approached me, kneeling.
"By the Will of the Council," Kuro's purple blade almost touched both my shoulders, "rise, Jedi Knight," with one movement, she cut off my braid, which I had been growing from my hair. It fell at my feet. I then rose, looking at my mentor.
"Where you will go – you must decide," Yoda said. "Or you know where you should head."
I sighed heavily. I had decided which Jedi path to take when I defeated Shillage.
"Great Master," I addressed him. "I would like to join the Shadows," a sigh was heard from Dooku's side.
"The Shadows?" Master Jonnal asked me. "You hide well in the Force. And what do you plan to do in my corps, Knight?"
Everyone looked at me with curiosity.
"I intend to head to the Outer Rim, Master. There are still many dangers and ancient artifacts of the Sith and not only them in the galaxy. The meaning of the Shadows, for me, is in finding them and protecting Sentients from them."
"And not only that," Piell grumbled.
"So be it, Knight Light Flaingstar. I will accept you. But remember – being a Shadow means constant forward movement. We are the true shadow of the Order, helping it from the shadows," Jonnal Ezar said importantly. "And since you intend to head to the Outer Rim, we have a couple of tasks here that are quite within your capabilities."
"I am ready," I said calmly. Or I believe I am ready... It doesn't matter. I must walk the path, whatever it may be... It's not certain that it's the right path, not certain that it's ideal. But I must go. Go without retreating.