Darkness in One's Heart

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Didn't have a lightsaber? Well, alright, he could deal with that. Even though he would have been more excited and pleased if the Acolyte had already made his lightsaber. Sigh. There was a plan in the man's head and he couldn't wait to reveal it. Yet it had to wait, at least until the end of their meeting.

"Then I have the first task for you. Between the time you leave this temple and come back again, I would like you to find your own lightsaber crystal. Do that in your own or find a friend, but if you dare come back without a lightsaber or don't come back at all, I shall consider that as a failure."

And failure wouldn't be tolerated, he would have wanted to add. Just like his failures wouldn't be tolerated by her. The Acolyte had to be successful in order to make his master successful. Is that how the real master-apprentice relationship was supposed to work? He didn't know, but at that moment, he could feel like that's the way it should have been.

"But first, I want you to show me what you can do with the Force."

He looked at a very narrow yet high table besides the wall in the distance and raised his arm to wrap Force around the object. He would then pull the object towards them and as soon as it would be close enough to the Acolyte, she would set it on the ground.

"What can you do with this candle?"

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth was both excited and a little scared at the same time. His first task. He knew it would only be the first of many tasks he would be completing in the future, but it was good to know that his first one would be one that would really make him more powerful. But he also knew he couldn't fail. Failure was the sign of weakness, and he couldn't do that, for again failure could mean death. Success and failure, the two things that defined his home world, where a warrior would die if he failed, but would continue living if he was successful.

But of course, now was the part Zeth was eager for. Using the force. He had never had a day of training from anyone else in how to use the force, but he taught himself some things. His father had told him if he wanted to become a great warrior someday, then he needed to learn how to use the force. If Zeth could, he could have become the greatest warrior on their home world. But now, Zeth was going to put what he had learned to become something greater than any warrior on his home world would become.

So, Zeth concentrated on the candle. He had actually practiced with candles a few times, along with many other household items, since he could only practice using the force at home. He then lifted the candle with the force, and while he was holding it up, he moved it so that it sat right on his head so he couldn't see it anymore. Then, he used the force to “pinch” the flame, causing it to go out. He then proceeded to move the candle back to its original place and waited for what his master had to say.

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"On par," Ydros said simply after having seen what the boy could do with the Force, hinting to the fact that the Acolyte was good enough in the Force skills considering his age and training progress. While some new apprentices didn't have any knowledge of the Force, he preferred those who could use some powers. And Zeth was definitely one of these, which he kind of liked. Perhaps the student would even be successful?

He then turned his eyes away from the boy and took a few moments to think. Think about the future of the Acolyte, think about the future of his own. Maybe she would finally realise what he was worth?

"Tell me, Acolyte Var, is there anything you would like to know?" the man finally decided to ask. He would answer any question the student had that wasn't too stupid.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth was honestly surprised. He hadn't expected his master to be so kind as to ask him if he wanted to know anything. Not that he didn't think his master was cruel or anything, but just asking if he had any questions? It was something that Zeth didn't know how to respond to honestly. No one ever asked him that, since he was always expected to teach himself.

He thought for a minute, and considered, is there anything I want to know? He couldn't really think of anything. He could ask about what his training will be like, but he would find out anyway so that seemed a stupid question to ask. He could ask questions about his master, but that would probably just be like asking a brick wall to speak.

He then thought about his upcoming task. The lightsaber crystals. He really didn't know anything about them, since that kind of information wasn't allowed on his home world. “Master, I would like to know something, mainly about my upcoming task. Where can I find lightsaber crystals? And are there any differences between them? I am not very knowledgeable about them.”

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Lightsaber crystals. Even though Ydros had expected something completely different to come his way, he was actually kind of happy that the boy hadn't asked anything about his life or anything person. He wouldn't have given him any information of that, but it would have still been quite uncomfortable. For both of them. Personal life was not important to their relationship, so there was no need for either of them to spread that useless information. As Ydros had been taught, personal life was for those you trust and love.

"I could give you the information I have, but that would not do great for you and your learning progress. So instead, I am offering you a chance to prove your skills and go to the temple's library. There are several documents about lightsaber crystals, their pros and cons and where to find them. Take a look around them and see what you'd like. But I would suggest that for a beginner, crystals found from Ilum's crystal caves are the best and easiest to manage," the man spoke, then nodded. He hadn't focused too much on lightsabers, that's why he never publicly used one.

"I expect you to return to me in a week; you should have enough time to do some research and get your lightsaber crystal."

He took a glance at the boy. Huh, maybe he would even succeed at getting his own crystal and after that, a lightsaber. After all, all he'd done so far had proven to be successful.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

“Yes master, I will learn what I can and find a lightsaber crystal. I will not fail.” Zeth knew that he could not fail. Especially with something as easy and worthwhile as getting a lightsaber crystal. He now knew where he could research the subject, and where he could look up other things if needed. So, with that, Zeth said “Now Master, I will return in a week. I will not disappoint.” And with that, Zeth turned around and left his Master's temple. Knowing that he would succeed, because right now, he had started down a path. The path, of the Sith.

[member="Ydros"]