Hallowed Be Thy Name

[Lief]

The Silent Temple​

Teth​

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHRNSeuvzlM​

The Temple lay virtually silent as a few quiet figures walked through the main halls. From her vantage point, she distinguished them as a dark haired female, and a small blonde boy who clutched at the offered hand with anticipation, excitement. Judging by the very slight slithered of light seeping through the windows, she guessed it was just after dawn. At times it was hard to tell.

A few whispered words were spoken between the pair, though they went unheard by the watcher in the walls and soon enough they were out of shot entirely.

Asha drew back, progressing further through the strand she had pinpointed. Her vision swam for a moment, before luscious greenery sprawled all around her. Beyond it, on all sides, sat walls that felt out of place, and she could hear the distant rush of water... Fountains, perhaps?

Again they came into view, woman and child; the younger held a lightsaber in hand, the older seemed to be explaining something. Then they both laughed, and she caught wind of just a few words. Glowsticks and Space Magic? Curious. The boy seemed a little younger in this shot, though truthfully it was hard to tell. As ever she was too far away from them to deduce much.

How long had she been lost within the flow of time? Tracing back along the lines spun by her namesake, witnessing the youthfulness of her Father and his brother-in-arms... The little blonde haired boy was not someone she recognized by sight, but she knew his name regardless. Jericho had mentioned him fondly on a few occasions, in fact during her brief stint with the Silver Jedi she had heard his name over and over again.

Yes, I know you Grandmaster...

A small exhale of breath had her finally pull back. For a moment she felt discomfort, as though her consciousness was cramming itself back into her body. And then she opened her eyes. As ever the beauty of Teth welcomed her, the soft whispers of the crystals graced her hearing, and the serenity which lingered through the Silent Temple seemed to wrap her in its warm embrace.

By her side sat the cubed holocron of Master Asha Seren. The woman had toed the line, Jedi Master to the greater Galaxy, and Je'daii Temple Master in private. She had overseen Akar Kesh, the very foundation she sat within now was based off such. And it was she that Asha had been named for. How could she ever hope to live up to such a name? For weeks now she had been slowly crawling back through the life of the Master, from her death to the birth of her children, to the finding of Thurion on Pelagon, and her origins as a Je'daii long before the Republic found her.

But it was to the boy that she continually found herself straying. She longed to find out more, of the woman, of the boy, she understood the man he was but not how he had become it. Perhaps it was wrong of her to garner snapshots of the lives of another, but she felt dutybound to do so. For his sake, not her own. He deserved to know.

Rising from where she had sat, from dawn until dusk, Asha stretched her aching limbs and made for the hangar bay. She had put it off for too long now. With the woman's holocron pocketed, and her usual backpack over her shoulder, she boarded The Prophet and set the coordinates for a world of ice and snow...

Midvinter.

[member='Thurion Heavenshield']​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

​

Fridheim, Midvinter​

​

A short walk from the settlement of Fridheim into the nearby woods there exists a grove, and there resides an ancient denizen of the forest: an eik - as old as the world itself and with bark as white as freshly-fallen snow, its thick canopy of blood-red leaves keeps the ground beneath it ever green and lush. It is here that the aging Jedi finds his peace when it is lost to him, or merely seeks a moment of introspection and meditation. On Coruscant it had been his and Kära's little hideout in the gardens, on Voss he'd spend hours out in a secluded copse. But this place had them all beat.

A small pond sits at the foot of the tree, only stirring to the occasional fallen leaf or frog leaping in for a swim. Finding a seat upon one of the great roots reaching deep into the earth, Thurion sat reflecting upon... anything, really. His life, his family and loved ones, his duties as Jedi, his people... Matters big and small needed resolving that only a clear head may find a solution for. While the once-small settlement was becoming something far greater in scope than anyone could've imagined, it did not come without its own challenges and headaches. It had never been his intention to run an entire city, yet that is how things looked to be developing towards.

Yet during this particular session he could not help but be drawn to the past. His past. Old faces he'd once surrounded himself with that no longer were around, and could barely remember the names of. There was one person he could never find it in his heart to ever forget, however. The woman who had saved his life, raised and nurtured him and turning him into the man and Jedi he is today. She who had adopted him as her own son.

"Asha," his lips curved upwards into a soft smile, yet his brows furrowed when trying to decipher why her face had appeared before him so vividly all of a sudden. Was she reaching out from beyond the veil in an attempt to tell him something? Was there some impending danger she is trying to warn him about? Thurion decided to delve deeper into the unknowns of the Force, drawing out more memories of her only to come across one particular moment. It was not one he'd experienced for himself, yet suddenly he found himself watching as Asha faced off against the demonic Kaine Zambrano, and ultimately he was forced to witness how he killed her.

A pained cry escaped his lips as he snapped awake from his intense vision of a past he never wished to revisit, with beads of sweat trailing down his forehead. He leaned back against the trunk of the eik, panting from exhaustion. "Master," he exhaled, still trying in vain to connect the dots. With his mind still struggling to settle Thurion picked up the nearest stone to toss it into the quiet pond in a sudden burst of frustration. Seconds came and went until he'd composed himself and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Dammit, Asha..."

[member="Asha Hex"]​

 

[Lief]

The Settlement of Fridheim​

Midvinter​

​

Not all things were certain going forward, but the past was something which rarely eluded her. As she had sat within the throws of Hyperspace, Asha wormed her way along a strand separate to the one she had been toiling over these past weeks. She did not seek to go far, just enough that she had a better indication of where it was she was headed. The Force came to her more freely now that Aellin's Collar had been removed, though at times she still felt it there like an unyielding specter. Each day she grew stronger in the art she had been learning since youth, and these days she did not doubt the truth behind what she saw.

Walking the threads of the future was dangerous, something she had done just a few times and even then solely to leave just an impression of herself in the vain hopes of being noticed. Jericho had been the object of her thoughts back then, when all she had was time to kill aboard the Graveyard. No, the future would be useful but only once she learned to better control her power... There were too many variables. Where the past had but one strand, the future held countless infinite possibilities. It was easy to get lost, or to fall into the Force itself for all eternity.

She shuddered at the thought.

So it was that her journey and the guiding hand within her mind brought her to Midvinter. While the Capital might have been her first priority, she had been made aware of another settlement that was more likely to yield what she required. Impressions of the former Grandmaster were strong there, she would have been a fool to ignore them.

The snow was cold, and while she had wrapped up warm the air seemed to set into her skin, chilling her to the core; She did not try to stop it, she did not wield some heat-producing piece of tech, or delve into the art of Tapas. Instead she kept going forward, allowing her natural movements to heat her body as she pulled her cloak a little closer.

Through the growing town she ventured, no longer using what she had seen but instead what she felt to guide her. She was an outsider here, a child in the presence of towering giants, and many of the natives turned their curious gaze down to her. Asha simply walked on, her feet moving of their own accord until she was away from the settlement entirely and instead found herself lost amidst a sea of trees.

Trust your instinct, child... We have not led you astray so far.

Her steps began to slow as a body of water revealed itself before her. Several blood red leaves were rocking upon its surface, as though tempted by the slight breeze which wormed its way through the forest. She followed the natural shape of the water, until her eyes set upon a tree so white it almost blended into its surroundings. More of the leaves dotted the sky around it, and a presence pulsated from its base.

It was there that she saw him, all the way across the water as she was. For a moment she observed as he threw something into the pond, forcing it into motion where previously it had been still. A brief bout of anger, before the tranquility of the forest seemed to lace itself back around him. She tilted her head to one side, curiosity piquing her interest.

Inhaling a small breath, the girl closed her eyes and allowed her warm, calming presence to wash over the water. It eased the ripples which had been forged, and soon spread up the feet of the man adjacent and into his aching limbs. All the while the girl simply stood tall in her certainty. No longer did she distrust the Force, no longer did she doubt herself or the purpose it had for her.

Her presence would feel familiar to him, the same serenity that he had felt from the one who had plucked him from death so many years ago... Reborn.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

He stood up and took a deep breath, eyes closed as he once more attempted to find inner peace. The wind caught in his golden locks, giving life to the Living Force residing in all flora and fauna on every world everywhere. Yet it was not enough to calm his troubled mind, brought on by the disturbing visions of the past he had managed to fool himself he'd put aside. He slumped back down to sit on the large roots of the ancient tree, hands resting on his knees in defeat.

Then suddenly, his heart raced at the very familiar presence, only to feel how his entire being was soothed as if being cradled to rest. He looked up, expecting to find the woman who had raised him. There, a figure coming towards him! "Asha," he called out in vain, knowing it could not be her. When her face was revealed he shook his head in defeat. "Sorry, I... I thought you were someone else."

The girl seemed underdressed for the harsh climate, and her outward appearance was not familiar to him. Yet she reminded him of someone. "I take it you are new to this world, stranger? Please," he stepped around the pond with fur cloak in hand. "This will keep the worst of the cold at bay."

His eyes looked over her face with a small tilt of his head. He couldn't put his finger on it. "My name is... Thurion."

[member="Asha Hex"]​

 

[Lief]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMLpX7hC6mI​

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Say my name, so I will know you're back you're here again for a while...​

​

He roused to her forlorn touch, as though startled by what he felt.

Asha did not move more than an inch, just enough to tilt her head ever so slightly to the left, as he called out across the pond toward her. He spoke her name, her name, unknowingly. While she knew it was not the young Hex he was addressing, she could not help but feel pulled by the word all the same. She dug her feet into place to refrain from walking to meet him, and simply turned her body toward him when he reached her side of the water.

"This world is indeed unfamiliar to me, Mister Heavenshield", she began, though he had not given her the name of his family. The touch of his cloak around her shoulders was welcome, though it was in truth quickly forgotten by the image which arose from the brief contact. Fire rose within her eyes, brimstone threatened to choke her lungs, and her knees knocked together under the unexpected strain. Inhaling slowly, she suppressed the memories of another and calmed her mind.

"Thank you, the warmth is welcome."

Her gaze moved to the water for but a moment, before lifting to meet his own, straining under the pressure; he was far taller than any she had come into contact with before. Not at all how she recalled him from the strands of time. He has grown since your predecessor last saw him... Still it was almost intimidating, if not for the soothing presence he seemed to perpetually hold.

"My name is indeed Asha" she informed him, with a very slight nod of her head to allow it to sink in. Then she extended one hand out, in offering, before speaking once again. "I believe I have something to show you, Master Jedi..."

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

He would've recoiled at the mention of his name had he been a man of lesser reputation, for he figured the name 'Heavenshield' was likely known in many parts of the galaxy by now. That someone would come to Midvinter to seek him out was not an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately; as much as he and Coci may try and retire from the greater galaxy, they will never be rid of it nor their Jedi duty to it. Instead, Thurion simply greeted the young woman with a humble nod, seeing how he was already known to her.

Before he could inquire about her name, she gave it willingly. His breath caught in his throat as he stared her down, stood in place as if carved from stone. "It's... a beautiful name," he managed to utter despite his seemingly bewitched state. Not even two minutes of interaction and she had already floored him with her sense of familiarity and the way she spoke. "I can sense... a presence I have not sensed for decades," he spoke just before she held out her hand.

It was not simple curiosity which drove Thurion to take her hand, but rather an unyielding need. A need to know for certain what his heart had already put together, but remained contested by his mind. He looked her in the eye as their hands met, the world around him becoming dreamlike.

[member="Asha Hex"]​

 

[Lief]

For a moment she could not tell if she had caused anger in the man before her; his expression appeared as though carved from stone, unreadable, after her name was provided. It felt like an absolute eternity before he snapped out of it, if one could call it such as he still seemed just as faraway. But no, it was not anger just uncertainty, confusion, surprise, he had looked upon her initially as if he had seen another, a shadow of the past. My namesake? Perhaps. He had called out Asha after all, and that was the only other one she knew. He knew.

Yes, it was Seren he spoke of. His next few words were indicative of such. She did not entirely understand what he meant by feeling the presence, did he sense his old Master here now? Was that why he had been so surprised and quick to rise upon feeling Asha's calming touch? The girl seemed just as confused as he for a moment, before she banished such from her expression and nodded.

Nothing more was said as her hand closed around his, the grasp was light enough that he could pull away if necessary... Not that he looked as though he'd have trouble doing such anyway. Her eyes closed, and her mind opened up to the infinite possibilities it usually presented. Strands of time no longer visible to just Asha, but also to the man before her. Stay close she told him, Or the Force will pull you in to its grasp.

And then the void vanished in a sudden radiant light which near blindsided them. It began to dwindle, until a sprawling scene was painted before them. A desert world came into view; to one side a durasteel walled City blocked out the horizon, and to the other a series of sandstone mountains pierced the sky above. Between them, in no-mans-land, two children ran in hasty retreat. Neither would be recognizable to the onlookers, both were female, and they seemed to be related. One was obviously older, and held the other by the hand. In the end practically dragging the smaller toward the shadow of the mountains.

Again the scene shifted, this time they stood within a series of caves; there seemed to be odd signs of habitation, a couple of bedrolls set upon the ground, trinkets upon the ground and any other surface, and the same two children sat whispering to one another. No words could really be made out, not until the youngest squeaked a surprise "Sha!" and pointed toward a dim opening. The older girl turned to look, as two men emerged. She put herself between them and the younger girl, and while she tried to stand tall she was so tiny it was almost laughable.

Then everything turned to chaos. More strangers stormed the cave, clad in dark robes and wielding bloodthirsty sabers. One of the original men was taken by surprise, while the other engaged the attackers; the older girl was quick to the side of the fallen man, now noticeably wearing the robes of the Jedi Order, and balked soft orders to the younger child to help.

Another jump forward, this time the older girl was alone and her misery was palpable. Both of the Jedi were with her, and while the one who had fallen was consoling her the other seemed impatient to move on. No longer were they in the sprawling caves, nor even the desert world, but instead a lush temple full of water and hanging plants. "It's been a week" the other Jedi said, "It's time she began her training, Levi, she's mourned long enough."

As the scene changed, a shift came over the air; it felt colder, and the markings which could be seen around the room itself were not Jedi in heritage, nor Sith. "I am the revealing fire of light" the man said, and the young girl responded with "I am the mystery of darkness", winning her a large grin from the impatient Jedi, his lips moved though nothing was said, and slowly but surely the picture vanished entirely as Asha pulled them back into the void. They stood amidst stars, the very Universe itself around them, and she turned her gaze toward Thurion. She seemed just as confused by what they had been shown as he, though with her attuned state an understanding washed over her also.

"It seems you share humble beginnings," she whispered, mulling over the things she had revealed, "your lives almost mirror one another."

I did not know she began as a Je'daii, I thought she found the path later...

Asha was tired, she had never delved so deep all at once and her head stung, yet she did not pull back entirely. She calmed her breathing, and turned from him to stare back along the strand they had walked upon. She felt... Different. She could not shake what she had just seen, as usually she might, and something within her very core seemed pressed to stir.

"Nix" she whispered, with a very small shudder, as a memory engulfed the both of them all at once and without cause. The smaller child from earlier was before them, at the feet of a woman, unmoving... The older looked on in rage, held back by the injured man as the other leaped into combat.

This time Asha pulled back intentionally, from the scene, from the void, until Midvinter was back around them both and not even the chill of the air itself could soothe her burning cheeks. Somewhere along the way tears had begun to fall, and her body shook with a rage that was both foreign and known to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... That wasn't meant to be shown..."

There had been more, but Asha could not help but feel as though she had overstepped her mark. She pulled back, removing her hand from Thurion's, and took several feet away. There were questions she could not answer locked within her mind. Why had she brought Thurion into this mess?

Was that what you wanted to show him? Her beginnings? Why does he need to see that? Why does he need to see any of it?

She did not know the answer. Sometimes, it felt as though the Force truly hated her.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The things he saw as their hands connected... Some of it was little more than a jumbled mess of visions, while others were clear as day. He saw her - he saw Asha! What looked like stages of her life, but it made little sense when taken so out of context. Still, the sensation was both exhilirating and terrifying all at once, and when they were brought back to the present Thurion had to catch his breath same as she. It all happened so fast, he would need time to process everything he'd just seen glimpses of. But it was his Asha, he was sure of it. Was she trying to tell him something by sending this girl bearing her name to show him these visions?

"It's alright," he assured her, watching as she stepped away from him. She looked exhausted. "Asha... come here, child," he then asked of her upon sitting down by the pond at the foot of the tree.

"You have a remarkable gift, to be able to journey so far into another person's past as if reliving it yourself. Even the most experienced masters would not dare to even make the attempt, much less succeed at doing so." He looked down at the pond and the red leaves riding the gentle stirrings. "I suppose many would rather not relive their pasts. Old wounds, you know?"

A gust of wind swept over the area where they sat, and Thurion breathed in deeply so that the fresh air filled his lungs. "I see her every time I close my eyes," he spoke with failing composure. "I loved that woman like a child loves his mother. She was always there for me when there were no-one else. And then she was gone, and I was alone again." His eyes opened, filled with tears just barely held back. "I'm older now than she ever got to be!"

[member="Asha Hex"]​

 

[Lief]

She looked to him almost warily for a moment, cautious, but he seemed sincere. Now that their hands were parted she felt as though she could breathe again, and think for herself, so she closed her eyes and allowed the Force to wash over her, to soothe her aching mind, and ease the fatigue she was feeling. Only when she felt the swirling of light and dark in harmony within her, true balance achieved, did she look to him.

Two steps closed most of the gap between them.

"Sometimes I have no choice in the matter, Master," she explained, with a small exhale that betrayed her existing exhaustion. She knelt within the snow, and allowed the cool sting of the icy water seeping through her knees to rejuvenate her. "Though I admit to practicing it as often as I might. It is dangerous, but not as dangerous as looking to the future. There there are endless strands, and nothing save the void between them."

Her time on the Graveyard had solidified her prophetic abilities, her flow walking, so many hours, days, years... Spent in meditation. Lost in her mind, as she awaited instruction from the beast who kept her chained. He was correct, most would not wish to see their past, nor that of any others.

"We can learn much from the past, Master Heavenshield. From the actions and mistakes of others, from their triumphs..."

She looked to him, feeling a sudden shift in his mood, and he began to speak of his Master, the woman they had both just seen in youthful spirit. "I know how it is to lose the guidance of one you rely on so young" she confessed. While she had reconnected with Jericho more recently, those years without him, and the terrible way they initially came back together, left her scarred. She doubted every word he said to her at times, expecting him to see her as some monster, as he had addressed her like on Bakura.

"She is proud of all you have accomplished, though" she said with eerie certainty, "I feel that much." A swelling of pride within her chest that could not be quenched. She felt like a vessel, as though the Master was within her. But that was ludicrous, right? "Her teachings, and her person, live on through those she knew; through yourself, and my Father, and all the others she aided in the Galaxy. You are stronger for it."

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The girl's words were comforting, but also served to reinforce his longing for his mother and mentor. It had been some time since last he paid his respects to her, what with having his own family to care for. Not to mention first the office of Grandmaster and now doing whatever he can to be of service to his people.

A sniffle escaped him. "Your father... Jericho? I knew him growing up, we trained under Master Asha together. Later in life we fought many battles together. I am glad he got to become a father as well," he now smiled, tears gone for the time being. "I have three children, myself. Nina, Théo and Thirdas. They are as precious to me as the air I breathe, the beating of my heart."

Thurion looked upon the young woman's face, noting the features passed down from her father. "Who, may I ask, is your mother? Must be a special lady if she managed to grab Jericho's attention." That man seemed to only ever have eyes for brooding and perfecting his swordmanship, he thought with a smile. While the two had never sparred, even during their time together on Teth, he was certain he would stand no chance against the very dedicated man in a one-on-one duel. One of the finest fencers he'd ever seen.

[member="Asha Hex"]​

 

[Lief]

"She saw you both as sons" she said with a small smile, "He spoke about you a lot, but... He didn't really talk about her. All I know is that he named me for her. I know having all of this brought up must be painful, and for that I apologize. There is so much more that I could tell you... No, so much I could show you, but I don't want to overstep myself."

At the mention of his own children her smile grew. It was good to see that Jedi had learned how to balance their duties, she knew many who despised the fact that they were now permitted to marry, to have children, but in Asha's mind new life, and the bonds of love, could never be a bad thing.

"I don't know who my mother was. Some doctor, from what I hear, but Father doesn't speak much of her either. He raised me alone."

She bristled with pride at that thought, longed for those days before Aellin when they had been a carefree team, moving across the Galaxy. Her heart hurt, heavy with the weight of such a loss.

"Listen to your children, Master. Don't presume to know what it is they're going through, or why it is they might be absent. Don't cause unnecessary rifts, it is... demoralizing to have a parent judge without question."

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Listening to her speak, Thurion couldn't help but pick up on some of the mannerisms Asha displayed. The way she spoke and how her hands moved in subtle gestures. She reminded him more of her every minute.

"My mother - my biological mother - was a doctor too," he spoke a bit hesitant, always feeling awkward mentioning the woman who gave birth to him and his brother, yet whom he had never once called 'mother'. No, his true mother was the woman who had raised him to become a Jedi, and the man he was today. "Though she was a Jedi too, before she met the man who was to become my father." He sighed, looking ahead into nothing. "Suppose I take after her in more ways than one..."

His gaze dropped to his feet where he sat leaning against the tree, and he pulled his legs up to wrap his arms around. "I am not your master, Asha. No need to refer to me as such, it's just 'Thurion' to you." It's all he ever wanted to be, just Thurion. But great deeds breed lavish titles, as was the way of the world. All worlds, it seemed.

When she made mention of his children, Thurion's gaze found hers. "I will, Asha. I swear it." He reached out to her, taking her by the hand for a gentle squeeze, and for a brief moment his mind flashed back to his tiny hand holding his mentor's as they wandered the gardens of Coruscant together. A smile found its way to his lips, even as his eyes began to water once more. But they were happy tears this time around.

"Glowsticks and space-magic..." he whispered.

[member="Asha Hex"]​