Find The Light

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil had been in the Jedi temple for some time now, spending most of his days learning under Master DragonsFlame, though the process seemed to be slow going for the young Knight. He was a powerful Force User, but his strength laid within a perversion of the Force he simply refused to use after he left the Sith. What he was left with was an old understanding of the Force through his Sith teaching and the difficulty of trying to surrender himself to the Force and use the Light as the Jedi did.

And, there was the ever looming threat that he'd be taken over by his father and cease to exist. The fear of that seemed to make it all the more difficult for him to train.

It was why he had searched out [member="Veiere Arenais"] . At one point, when he was still an acolyte in his Father's army, Kahlil had tried to kill the Master and his Padawan, who also doubled as his daughter. And while he and Lori had become fast friends when they met after his defection from the Sith, he was unsure how the aged Master would view him.

More importantly, how he'd view his friendship with his daughter.

The young man stood outside the door to Veiere's chambers, hesitantly knocking on the door. If things went right, the fear of his father would at least be dealt with.

 

[WolfMortum]

One would think Veiere's life to have quietened down since his leave of the political stage, taking on a new humbled position of teaching within the Silver Rest on Kashyyyk. Somehow though, [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] hadn't been the first to appear on the doorstep of his personal quarters within the Silver Jedi Temple, as [member="Cedric Grayson"] of all people, had only recently departed from there. This time however, it couldn't be helped that Veiere would regard Kahlil with great suspicion as he opened the door to look upon the young man whom carried the name of the family responsible for the slaughter of his own people, not to mention their latest run-in together.

"I'm going to assume that you haven't just strolled into this Temple, free of admittance" Veiere greeted the man, hiding his suspicion none; Had this one posed a thread, no doubt every Jedi Master within the vacinity would be on his ass faster than you could say 'I found funk in the Force on great Friday'. Or something of that nature, in any case.

The Jedi Master stood there in the doorway baring every bit the apparel of his likeness. The strength of the Force flowed around him, and Kahlil would no doubt recognize the presence as the same one he had previously sought to tempt. Unlike with Cedric, Veiere did not move to offer this one access to his quarters, not evidence of the Master's personal life. Instead, he simply waited to know why it was that he was receiving a visit from a man whom had previously attempted to take his and [member="Loreena Arenais"]' life.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

That was the reaction Kahlil had expected, but it still cut him to his core. The tall man might as well of been a child before [member="Veiere Arenais"] , his gaze faltering to the ground between them. "I came here to be a Jedi of my own free will." He mumbled out an answer to the Jedi Master before bowing a rather deep bow. There wasn't much the ex-Sith could think of doing. "I've lived a life of cruelty and ruin under my father's name, and I want to try and make amends. But.. I need your help. So please."

Kahlil stayed bent over in the deep bow, his eyes on the ground. He honestly expected to be rejected, but [member="Eenia Vahn"] had convinced him it would be worth at least trying.

 

[WolfMortum]

A simple bow showed respect for Jedi etiquette, yet what [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] was offering him came off in a way that suggested he stood beneath Veiere in some form of hierarchy. Perhaps in rank among the Jedi, and in control of the Force perhaps, yet on personal standing, Veiere didn't like to be so judgmental. Nor did he like others being so degrading of themselves, no matter who they were. "Straighten up lad, you're going to put your back out..." Veiere responded, stepping forward and pulling the door to his quarters closed behind him. If what Kahlil had asked of him was genuine, then his quarters weren't to be required.

"The blood upon your families name goes well beyond what you alone, might be responsible for" Veiere spoke, though likely only a reminder for Kahlil whom had first hand experience where as Veiere's perspective had only been shaped from the other side of war against the Sith Emperor; "If you mean what you claim, you'd do well to renounce his name".

It was difficult to size up the younger man upon study alone; Time and Kahlil's subsequent decisions, actions, would prove his true intentions. The Jedi had always encouraged forgiveness and second chances however, and Veiere himself had been offered such a thing where he thought himself lost of the Path. If this was what the former Acolyte truly wished for, then he would not be denied.

"What exactly have you come to me for?".

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I want to. But it's not that easy." Kahlil muttered his response to renouncing his father's name. If it was that easy, the young Knight would have done so by now. He straightened himself back to a standing position, though still didn't meet [member="Veiere Arenais"] 's gaze. How could he after all he had done against the Jedi master's family? After what his family had done to Commenor?

"When we fought you used the light in such a way that it burned away the dark. I.. My father.." He bit at his lip, glancing through the halls. Master DragonsFlame made it clear that he couldn't tell anyone but the Masters of the order. "The Sith have always tried to prolong their life. In this, Carnifex put part of his soul in me. I.. At any point he could take my body for his own. And I'd cease to exist." The young Knight finally met the Master's gaze. There was.. Fear in the young mans eyes. "I've finally made friends. People I care about. I don't want to loose them."

 

[WolfMortum]

It wasn't at all difficult to understand the request now, let alone the risk that [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] held towards the Silver Jedi Order if his Father was allowed to inhabit and possess the youth's body. Carnifex could do so freely? To take the boy's identity and find himself within the heart of the Order...-Veiere's gaze grew stern as his teeth pressed against each other, his jaw tensing as his mind rushed over the possibilities. In Veiere's eyes, this wasn't about doing Kahlil a favor, so much as it was about protecting their own, and the ability that he was asking about, Force Light was Veiere's one and only real specialty.

"Come" Veiere instructed as he soon set out on the move for the training wing of the Silver Rest, though he had more questions along the way; "How many others are aware of this?" He asked, first and foremost wondering how far the lad had gone in order to try to solve the problem before coming to meet with Veiere. It made a lot more sense now, regardless of their history, he must have been desperate to come seeking Veiere's help because the guilt and remorse in his eyes had been well out on display for the Master to recognize.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Much to his surprise [member="Veiere Arenais"] seemed willing to help. Yet, Kahlil could tell by the look on the Master's face it wasn't a want. It was a necessity. The young man also gritted his teeth, worry shooting through him. "Just the Masters, and some friends before I came here trying to find a cure for it." He didn't give names. The air had gone so tense that Kahlil wasn't sure if he could actually trust the Jedi.

Memories of what he had been told all his life about the Jedi came to mind. That they could remove someone from the Force, sever their connection and would with reckless abandon if someone didn't agree with their strict way of life. The Sith propaganda had done it's job of making him hateful of the Jedi Order, but he had learned otherwise. And wanted to believe that it was wrong, that he could trust Veiere.

"What do you plan to do?"

 

[WolfMortum]

"We are going to try to coax this darkness out through meditation..." Veiere answered him. Meditation seemed such a simple exercise on the outside, even to non-force practitioners, yet the Jedi and the Sith had one thing in common, the ability to delve so much deeper into their trace and communicate with all things in, around and within themselves, touching upon their very spiritual essence, with enough practice. "You have seen first hand what happened when the Dark side meets the Light of the Force..." He of course referred to their encounter some short time back; "All I ask is that you keep this between us..." He added, a rather curious request given his position and rank within the Silver Jedi. The fact was that Veiere was still new to Kashyyyk, and performing an exercise of this magnitude would cost him a great deal of strength in his intent to help [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] release himself of his inner-demons.

Lately, Veiere had been feeling his age more than ever. Perhaps it was the effect of losing his place in politics, or his inability to pry his wife free from the custody of Purgatory and [member="Lucinda Larr"]. Whatever the case, the Jedi there on Kashyyyk didn't regard Veiere with any sense of authority or importance, he was simply there to teach and try to encourage the students, as well as anyone else that would come to him, to live a good life under the Force and the mantra of the Jedi Doctrine: The Jedi Code.

It wouldn't be long before the pair of them would arrive at the entrance to the meditation chambers of the Silver Rest.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Of course." Kahlil muttered his agreement to [member="Veiere Arenais"] 's wishes, though they surprised him. If they were successful in removing his father from him the other Masters would have to be told. But, it wasn't the young Zambrano's place to question the aged Jedi. Kahlil was lucky enough Veiere hadn't had him thrown into a cell upon telling him. It would have been the easiest way to deal with the problem after all.

Once they reached the meditation room Kahlil let his eyes travel from the back of Veiere to the room, clearly nervous. He was truly afraid.

 

[WolfMortum]

"Please" Veiere gestured for [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] to enter the room ahead of him, giving further instruction, "Take a seat upon one of the cushions, comfort yourself...-I'm not certain how long this may require us to meditate". Upon Kahlil having entered the room, Veiere turned to the locking mechanism beside the entrance and entered his registry into it, activating the magna-lock for his personal assurance.

The Jedi Master would soon find his seat opposite Kahlil, the room not large enough to give the younger man any semblance of distance or segregation between the two. "I will go ahead and presume you don't need any advice where meditation is concerned, correct?" He asked though it seemed unnecessary given the man's abilities that Veiere had already witnessed in their small history together.

"What I'm going to suggest may concern you some, but for this...-influence of your father's that he's placed within you, you are going to need to draw on some very intense feelings such as anger, or otherwise any other that might summon the strength of the Dark-Side of the Force from within..." Veiere studied the man sternly, curious to gauge his reaction whilst talking. This wasn't exactly a common practice by most Jedi standards, though most Jedi standards that Veiere had once dedicated himself to, were well outdated by now.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil did as he was told, sitting down on one of the cushions to get comfortable. Not that he was. The young man was nervous. More obviously, he was scared. Scared of what could happen. Scared of what [member="Veiere Arenais"] might try and do. Scared that his father might come into the field and stop what ever they might start. He nodded his head to the Master's question. "The Sith do it far differently, but I learned how to touch upon the light from a good friend after I left." He mumbled.

A cold sweat formed once he heard what Veiere had in mind. Panic set in the young man's eyes as he glanced up to finally meet the master's gaze. "That.. No. I can't. I can't do that again."

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere inhaled slowly, looking [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] over as the younger man showed his fear over the process; "This is your decision, and I will not force it upon you..." Veiere spoke to him calmly, "There are always risks when dealing with the Dark Side, especially when it has possessed another, such as yourself. That said, the practice of Force Light will not physically harm you, it only affects the darkness itself and will simply feel warm as though the sun shining down upon you..." Veiere had specialized in the ability for a great deal of time now, and knew his strengths well enough to be able to balance the projection between a cleansing light or a purifying wall of white fire. Though the latter was not something that he had often had to practice for obvious reasons.

"If you do not feel comfortable with this approach, I can otherwise refer you to the Order of the Sacred Lotus" Veiere informed him, options were always a good thing; "They specialize in this sort of healing, whether spiritual or physical, their focus is on humanitarian aid, much like my own, yet there's a strong medical focus there as well".

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You're asking me to use the Dark again. I turned my back on that because of what it did to me. It was killing me." Kahlil shook his head furiously. He couldn't let that poison back into his body, not again. It would truly ruin him to. Still, [member="Veiere Arenais"] offered an alternative, another trip across the galaxy to another group of Jedi. He had been hoping the Silvers would have the answer, but not if it needed him to do what Veiere asked.

"I'll figure something else out. Whether it's with the Silvers or not. I.. Sorry. For wasting your time." The young mans gaze dropped as he glanced back to the floor. He shouldn't of come to the Master.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere frowned, letting his gaze shift passed [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] momentarily, the locking mechanism on the door to the Meditation Chambers clicking audibly as it deactivated and they hissed, parting by the center and retracting to either side of the wall; "Do not allow yourself to be ruled by your fear. I wouldn't suggest something if I did not believe that it could be effective".

With his left hand, he soon gestured to the door they had come through, showing Kahlil that he could leave if that was his wish. Veiere wouldn't stop him, the young man had a right to choose, as did everyone in the Galaxy and that was something Veiere would respect, despite the risks surrounding his condition. He had been told that there were other Master's in the Silver Rest that had been informed after-all; Master's that were in a position of authority, more so than Veiere was.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"The Dark is fear, Master." Kahlil mumbled. He didn't know what to do. [member="Veiere Arenais"] was trying to help, but the ex-Sith couldn't bring himself to do what was needed. How could he? His whole life had been spent in the dark, fearing it, fearing those around him. Fighting every day to survive and avoid the ire of his betters. "But.. I understand." It was he who raised his hand, waving it to re-lock the room as he settled into a far more comfortable position.

If Veiere thought it would work, who was he to deny it?

"Tell me what I have to do."

 

[WolfMortum]

"And it's the Dark, that you're here to over-come" Veiere replied with a wary smile, hoping to offer [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] a little encouragement; "I've agreed to help you, given my word. I'll do all that I can to keep it" he elaborated on his behalf. Veiere believed himself to be a man of integrity, though not without mistakes, he at-least did all that he could to maintain as best a standing and class of character as he knew how to be.

"Meditate, as you would under the practices of the Empire...-I want you to coax this poison of your father's out into the open, so that it can be cleansed by the light and you be rid of his hold" he suggested to the younger man, knowing that Kahlil feared and likely hated the idea. Veiere even considered the fact that a number of his fellow Master's would frown on him having made such a suggestion, as it wasn't the Jedi way to encourage one to delve head first into the Dark-Side of the Force. Veiere however had faced Kahlil's father in person and knew his presence, knew how it felt to be under the Emperor's control. It wasn't a position Veiere would want for anyone to experience.

"Do you think you can do this?".

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil took a shaky breath as he listened to [member="Veiere Arenais"] . What he was asking was still so difficult for the young man who had turned his back on the Dark. "I can." He whispered as he closed his eyes. How many times had he casually meditated on the Dark just under a year ago? How easy it came to him, bent to his will. But now it was so foreign, so false. He touched upon the fear within him, knowing from his years of experience that it would allow him to drag the Dark out.

And it did. The rush of fear that washed over him made his skin crawl and his senses darken. Like an old friend he Dark embraced him, digging it's fingers into his form as if to never let him go again. His power in the dark, even after all this time of never being used, was so much stronger then when Veiere and Kahlil had first met. So much more twisted. It felt oddly good, like when a recovered heroine addict injected themselves again. It was.. Hard to keep his sense of self. His want to be free.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere studied [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] carefully, watching as the young man drifted into his meditation until his eyes could only see so much and the Jedi Master himself closed his eyes to stretch his reach out through the force in order to cautiously monitor Kahlil's progress. The request wasn't an easy one for the young man, and there posed risks for Veiere and he both, yet Veiere's responsibility now was to ensure that Kahlil didn't lose himself amidst the darkness.

"You are not alone" Veiere spoke softly, trying to reassure Kahlil, "I will not leave you shrouded in fear; but for this to work, you need to go further...". The presence of his father couldn't yet be felt, only Kahlil and the darkness that he had summoned forth. It was a familiar feeling, one that Veiere Arenais had felt himself. It was difficult not to feel his own guilt and fear arise from the practice, yet his priority remained on the younger man who had come to him for help.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil barely even heard [member="Veiere Arenais"] as he spoke. The Dark had consumed so much of him already, pulling the young man to the abyss, and he welcomed it. His fear subsided to a placated enjoyment. Oh how he missed the power this gave him. The power slowly became visible, darkness coalescing around him in a rather familiar way. A small mote of darkness formed between he and Veiere, his favored spell.

He was fully within the dark now.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere's hands met by the fingertips across his lap, the Jedi Master seated with his legs crossed under him, his brow heavy as he focused on [member="Kahlil Zambrano"]. The Force was stronger now when fueled by the mans emotions and self inhibitions; he may have felt relaxed and welcome once more but the Force had a way of clouding one's judgement from their sense of reason and logic. Still...This was Kahlil's doing and there seemed no sign yet of Kaine Zambrano's presence manifesting within him or anywhere around them as of yet.

"You need to lure out your fathers corruption, so that I can remove it..." Veiere spoke while gradually summoning the strength of the Force from within himself and slowly drawing this power to his arms, the practice to be released from his hands when the time had come, yet knowing Kahlil's father, Veiere would require a great deal of strength to eradicate his presence from his Son's physical being.

He didn't need his eyes to be open, to understand what was happening within the room they shared, and the door had been locked and sealed for good reason. Should anything go wrong, Veiere would be forced to contain the incident, but no student would come to harm in the process and that included Kahlil as well. Veiere's control of the Force was finely tuned and though he could have drawn out his strength in the Force much faster, he had taken the caution not to distract the younger one from his task. The Lightside of the Force in the room, the much quieter presence and difficult to pick up on by comparison of Kahlil's unrestrained channeling of power.