Chapter 1 - The prophecy

 

Chapter 1

The prophecy

Coruscant - 25 years to the battle

«The Force is in everything that surrounds us.» The young Jedi Master observed his little Padawan, walking slowly among them. «For many, it will always be just a low whisper, vague and far away voices, but for those who's got a keen hearing, it can become a weapon, a shield and your salvation. The Force will be able to guide you through your worst moments and be your light guide.» He stopped right in the center of the room and turned to the children. «Tell me, what do you see?»

The Force twirled around the little Padawan, in some was stronger, in others more elusive, but the Jedi Master had no doubt at all: one day, they would all become excellent Jedi. He loved his fieldwork, but he had to admit to feel way more comfortable training the Padawan. He just reached the rank of Jedi Master and he wanted to prove his skills and abilities to the council.

The Force spiraled around him, warning him about his Master arrival. As any Jedi, he too was entrusted to an older and more skillful Master, in order to learn the way of the Jedi. The doors of the training room opened and Master Kai-Dar Vantos made his entrance. He stood in the background, observing his ex-Padawan, now Master, interacting with his little Padawan. On one of the fingers of his left hand, he was wearing one of the most powerful existing Jedi relics: the Ring of the Eternal Force. The green Kyber Crystal was owned by a most powerful Jedi Master, Allura Valen, who imbued the Crystal with the pure core of the Force, boosting its powers. After Valen's death, her trusted Padawan created a ring from the Crystal. The owner of this powerful relic saw their powers amplified beyond any possible limits. There was just one rule to respect: the ring acknowledged one master at a time. Vantos inherited the ring from his Jedi Master, who fall in battle against an unknown Sith.

Sith…

The only real threat to peace in the Galaxy and the only true enemies of the Jedi. The young Jedi Master still hadn't the pleasure to meet one and fight them. He knew Sith existed thanks to the Galaxy History classes, but they were rare creatures and most of the time they spent all their life on their original planets. While Jedi fought for peace and used the light side of the Force, Sith embraced its darker and most evil side. Some legends spoke of Sith capable of bring the dead back to life, using the Force to bend the laws of nature and time at their own will; other legends talked about Sith as the only way, for the Galaxy, to maintain the balance between good and evil; there were also those who believed that Sith might not be necessarily bad, in fact clashes between Jedi and Sith were rare, to say the least, not impossible though. Master Jedi Kyrelia Sundara was one of the few fallen in battle against a Sith, whose trail was then lost. There were rumors saying that the Sith, who killed Kyrelia, was actually her own son, but the only one who could confirm it was long dead and no one would want to go and ask directly to the Sith.

The Jedi Master heaved a sigh, sensing the Force vibrating concerned around Kai. «Very well! We're done for today. Tray to meditate more. In order to take full advantage of the Force's power, you need to work on your senses.»

The Padawan stood up and ran to the door, greeting Master Kai-Dar Vantos, who, instead, approached him. «You're doing an excellent job, Eriaar, as I expected from my best Padawan.»

«What's wrong?»

Kai laughed. «Always straight to the point. The council called for a general assembly.»

Another rare thing was a general assembly. The council often held meetings to discuss politics or in order to meet the Republic's diplomatic envoys. Only well seasoned Jedi Masters had a place in the council, certainly not a seventeen years old Jedi Master. Although Eriaar had proven himself worthy of the council's trust in many missions, it was impossible for him to aspire to join the Jedi Council at such a young age. Anyway, during a general assembly, every Jedi Master, from the youngest to the oldest, was called to attend the meeting, no one excluded. Something pretty serious must have happened.

Eriaar slowly nodded and the two of them immersed themself in the Jedi Temple's hallways, which, at that hour of the day, were far away from being quiet: there were children running around, laughing at their own game, others were studying and some older Padawan were even trying to meditate in that chaos. Kai and Eriaar joined a Jedi group, heading to the council hall. Eriaar focused on the soft conversation of the Jedi around him, trying to capture any useful information, but, as it turned out, no one had any idea behind the council's needing for a general assembly.

Eriaar looked at the sky, where spaceships were approaching the Jedi Temple. They had indeed called every last Jedi Master, even the ones busy with a mission came back in a hurry. He could feel the concern of everybody around him reverberating in the Force. Maybe, the only calm one, in that battalion of Jedi on the march, was his Master. Kai-Dar Vantos was a particularly powerful Jedi. Whereas he wasn't part of the council, Kai was one of its most esteemed member. It had been an honor to be his Padawan. His gaze was drawn by the light of his ring, which Kai was wearing on the left hand's thumb. Kai was already powerful on his own, but the Jedi relic he was wearing boosted his powers at a frightening level. It was a real blessing, that the ring was owned by the Jedi and not by Sith. The idea alone had him shivering in fear.

Kai shifted his gaze to his student, feeling watched, and gave him a reassuring smile: maybe the situation wasn't as dire as everyone was dreading. But, in this case, why calling for a general assembly? They could have had the information spread in a calmer and more discreet way. At that precise moment, Eriaar remembered a statement made by Kai, during his training: you see, Eriaar, sometimes Jedi are unnecessarily overdramatic, if one day, for whatever reason that may be, our services wouldn't be needed anymore, I think we could make a name for ourself as actors. At that time, he found Kai's words arrogant, but right now he was starting to understand his Master's feelings. From Kai's calm and relaxed behavior, everyone could guess that the situation wasn't as dire as the Jedi's scaremongering made it appear.

The doors to the council hall swung wide open and Jedi swarmed inside with order and in silence. Eriaar followed Kai and sat in the bench right behind his Master's seat. Despite the hall being full of hundreds of Jedi, the room was silent and the air heavy with worry and anxiety. The pressure was building fast, making it difficult for the young Jedi to even breathe. Eriaar focused on his Master, in order to find some peace of mind. Now that he was thinking about it, Kai-Dar Vantos never lost his temper: he was a placid and kind spirit. He was known as a white Jedi, one that would never be swayed by the dark side of the Force. Kai had a new padawan and Eriaar knew that he was pretty proud of him. A Master like him could never stay without a student for a long period of time. Only the best recruit of the Jedi Temple and the entire Galaxy could dream to be trained by him. Eriaar was lucky enough to have picked his interest, during one of his missions. Without Kai, Eriaar would probably be one of those evil Sith. It was, after all, the end that his brothers and sisters had met.

He shook his head, warding off his past and the future which he was able to escape. Kai was one of the few to know his origins. Eriaar's mother was part of the Sister of the Night Clan. Normally, only women were born Force sensitive, while men were relegated to a defensive role, but, who knows why, he was an exception. From an early age, he proved capable of using the Force, being particularly perceptive and in rare cases he even managed to foresee the nearest future. All of his brothers decided to marginalize him, believing him to be cursed, even his own mother barely addressed a word to him: the Sister of the Night Clan believed that only women were worthy to learn the magical arts. 

Nothing good was in store for him: he would have been exiled or right away killed for his powers. But, one night, with a tremendous thunderstorm raging outside, he dreamt about a man's arrival. He would have introduced himself as a Jedi and asked for the Sister of the Night's hospitality, just long enough to repair his ship, then he would have left. When the next day, a man actually showed up, Eriaar escaped from the room he was confined to and asked the stranger to save him. The Jedi kept his silence for a long time, before gently smiling at him and giving him a wrench, telling him to help with the ship's reparations. That was how the Padawan met his Master and from that moment on Kai-Dar Vantos became his entire and only family. He would have been eternally grateful to Kai for saving him, but, sometimes, his calmness was very exasperating.

His attention was then drawn to the rest of the council members, who waited patiently for every Jedi Master to arrive, before making their entrance. The oldest and most esteemed between all of them was Master Valen Korr, who was still undefeated on the battlefield and could always be found on the front lines; right after him, followed the petite and wise Master Lirien Vos, who was a skilled healer, specialized in diplomatic missions; then, there was Master Thal Marun, whose knowledge on the dark side of the Force were quite creepy, despite this he identified himself as a white Jedi; Master Serenn Dala was pretty similar to Eriaar: a skilled diplomatic, she way preferred life on Coruscant, training new Padawan, rather than to stride across the battlefield; the elder Master Kol Venn was an old, smug, arrogant, philosopher... Eriaar never really got along with him and it was clear that the sentiment was mutual, given the cold look he shot him; Master Shael Corin refined the skill to foresee the future, Eriaar too had done some lessons with him, but he was very far from his levels... Right now, compared to all the other council members, he was the paler one; Master Elera Zin greeted him with a gentle nod of her head: she was a very small Jedi, she was purplish-skinned and had big green eyes, she didn't have ears and had to use an ancient Jedi's sign language to communicate... She was the most beloved Master among the young recruits and Eriaar, who hurried to respond in kindness to the greeting, was no exception; Master Kelan Dross was skilled in disguising himself, which made him a very exceptional spy. His missions were often a secret and very dangerous, which probably caused his omnipresent bad mood. Eriaar never saw him smiling! Master Talira Voss was the one tasked with Padawan's military training, she was Master Valen Korr's student, and she was one of the few who could actually be able to withstand a frontal fight with Korr; Master Kaedan Torm was a quiet and lonely Jedi, who preferred the company of his plants and animals rather than a human one; Master Nima Tol'var was a survival expert and her missions usually consisted in saving humans life from particularly hostile planets. There were rumors saying that she never, not even once, found herself in a life or death situation, thanks to her skills; closing the council was his Master, Kai-Dar Vantos: especially skilled in keeping calm at all times, Kai was a thoughtful and diplomatic Jedi, who way preferred to dialogue rather than fighting... This didn't mean that he was incapable of fighting, though. Kai also was trained by Master Talira Voss and he was no joke of a fighter. The twelve Jedi Council members were among the best soldiers and diplomats of the entire Galaxy and seeing them all together was an honor and a concern at the same time.

Master Valen stood up with a sigh. «Thanks for responding promptly to the call.»

«Not necessary, for someone.» Interjected Kai, Valen shooting daggers at him. «As Master Shehol would say: let's go straight to the point, before we all turn into Force Ghosts. Master Shael received a prophecy from the Force.»

Master Shael pushed an HoloCube at the center of the table: the moment it turned on, a parchment appeared, big enough for everyone to see the words written on it. Shael's writing was normally barely readable, while this words were clear and precise... Shael had it transcribed by Master Kol!

From the lineage of the Guardians of Light, a pure child shall be born. Daughter of Naitsirk Jenson and Robin Serijala, the Force will flow strongly within her from her very first breath. Raised with Jedi wisdom and discipline, at six years old, she will be torn from the embrace of the Temple and taken into darkness by the Sith, with the intent of corrupting her heart and extinguishing the hope of the light.

But the Force has chosen her. Within the womb of shadow, her heart will remain intact. When the Masters of darkness descend upon her with deception and malice, it will be the child who leads the way. With the purity of her spirit and the strength of her heritage, she will overcome those who sought to break her. She will not only extinguish the fire of the Sith but will shatter the chain of their power, restoring balance where darkness has reigned for ages.

Her name will not be forgotten, for the destiny of the Force flows through her blood, and her triumph will bring eternal light back to the Galaxy.

Naitsirk Jenson and Robin Serijala?

He shot Kai a questioning look: he didn't know her, but he was sure he had heard about Naitsirk Jenson before...

Eriaar tapped his Master on the shoulder. «Isn't Naitsirk your Padawan?» Kai simply nodded, calm as always, while Eriaar's mind was roaring with worrying questions. «And?»

«And, what?»

«Are you kidding me?!» He lowered his voice, hearing Master Kol clearing his throat and shooting daggers at them. «Your Padawan's name pops up in a prophecy and all you do is sitting there doing nothing?»

«And what can I do about it?» Kai chuckled softly, seeing the exasperation on Eriaar's face, and turned to him, placing a hand on his head. «There are things forbidden even to us Jedi and modifying the future is one of them. This is the Force's will, my boy, and we cannot alter its path. What we can do is to give this two Padawan a way to face the challenges that the Force will send their way.»

Eriaar raised his arms at the sky: it was totally useless to get in an argument with Kai. He leaned back and looked around: he wasn't the only one who linked the Padawan's name to Kai. Other Jedi were also shooting looks at his Master, who, of course, ignored everyone as always. Nothing could scratch the mask of calmness, which Kai-Dar Vantos built on himself through many years of missions. Anyway, it was a first, for Eriaar at least, seeing the Jedi so agitated. Just the fact that the Force entrusted one of them with a prophecy was a miracle itself. This has not happened for thousands of years! Maybe, the only one, other than Master Shael Corin, to have received a prophecy was the Original Jedi, the one who founded the Jedi Order.

Master Valen turned to Kai. «Master Kai-Dar, if I'm not wrong, Naitsirk Jenson is your Padawan and you requested for Robin Serijala to be entrusted to Master Eriaar Shehol.»

«You did what?!»

That was news to him! He never wanted a Padawan, let alone one whose name popped up in a prophecy! He liked teaching, but he had no intention of taking any students. Some of his missions were dangerous... Too dangerous to even think about taking along a child, who wasn't properly trained. He was not sure he could handle his Padawan's death.

«Having a Padawan entrusted to you is a great honor, Master Shehol.» Kol scolded him with his usual arrogant tone. «If you think of yourself as not capable of training a Padawan, maybe we should rethink your nomination as a Jedi Master. You're still way too young, I never...»

«I never agreed on your nomination, yes, yes, we all know this.» Kai stopped Kol, before smiling at him. «Your animosity toward my student is uncalled for, Master Kol. I can ensure, not only to the Jedi Council, but to all the present Jedi Masters, that Master Eriaar Shehol not only is an exceptional Jedi, but that he will transform Robin Serijala, and any other Padawan that we will entrust him with, in an excellent Jedi warrior, able to stand their ground against any challenge on their path.»

Eriaar slid as low as possible on the bench, trying to hide himself from Jedi's curious looks. Why did Kai always have to do things his way, without even warning him of something of this importance? He could have told him while they were heading to the council hall! Instead, Eriaar now faced that fantastic situation! Pushing the fact that he didn't want a Padawan, would have meant fueling Kol's animosity toward him and, probably, getting his Master rank snatched away, but he certainly couldn't stay silent! He agreed with Kai, when he said that Eriaar was capable of training the Padawan, making her a true killing and war machine, but he wasn't as sure to be ready to take such a responsibility on his shoulders.

Master Elera draw the attention on herself, clapping her hands once, beginning her speech in the sign language. «I agree with Master Kai-Dar. I also followed Master Eriaar's growth and I'm certain he'll do an excellent job.»

Eriaar answered her in the same way. «Master Elera, as much as I'm grateful for your kind words, I don't think I'm the best person for this job.»

«Maybe because you're too young to be a Master.» Repeated Kol, who was actually able to make Kai shooting daggers at him. «What? It's the truth! He's only seventeen years old!»

«Young doesn't mean incapable!» Interjected Master Kaedan. «If I'm not wrong, you weren't much older than him the first time you sat on that chair, Master Kol.»

At that point, Master Thal spoke up. «This discussion is useless, the Jedi Council already decided on this matter. The reason why we called here all this Jedi Masters is another one... There are talks of Masters of darkness in the prophecy, it speaks of Sith and not just one, but, clearly, a group of them.»

Valen raised his hand and the room fell silent, all the attention drawn to him. «I'm afraid we'll have to hasten our Sith hunt. The prophecy speaks of a child... Lowering the pressure weighing on her shoulders, eradicating any threat ahead of time, wouldn't be such a bad thing to do, would it?»

Without thinking too much on it, Eriaar asked aloud the question, which had been bothering him for a while. «But... If we did it, wouldn't be like changing the intended Force's path? We could do more harm than expected.»

Kol made to open his mouth, but, luckily, it was Master Serenn who answered him. «There is who agrees with you, Master Eriaar, but in a democratic council, as is this one, the majority wins. Seven of us agreed to hunt Sith around the Galaxy, whereas five of us, and your Master, I'd like to add, is one of them, would have preferred to let the Force do its course. I hope you'll understand.»

Eriaar closed his mouth shut and lowered his head: he shouldn't have spoke up in the first place. During a general assembly, the only ones who could voice doubts and ask questions were Jedi, who were also members of the council, while all the other present were there solely to hear the news and comply with the council's decisions, nothing more. Eriaar saw Kai slightly turning his head toward him, giving him a reassuring smile: Kai never once raised his voice at Eriaar, not even when he deserved it.

He hunched his shoulders and bit his lip, letting the council's members finish outlining the plan of action. New outposts would have been built. Spying and exploration missions would have to become a priority for Jedi. They would have to forsake all the diplomatic missions for a while, even at the cost of irritating the Republic. Until proven otherwise, the Jedi Order, being a monastic order, was not obligated to adhere to the duties imposed by the Republic; they were not its subjects. The risk of getting on the nerves of more than one Senator existed, but the priority, at that moment, was finding and killing Sith. At those words, Eriaar saw his Master take a long and deep breath, shaking his head. The other four, who didn't agree with this course of action, must have been Masters Kol, Nima, Kaedan and Shael.

What a surprise! Warriors are itching for a fight...

He was slightly stupefied that Masters Lirien, Serenn and Elera agreed with the soldiers' plan. They were all more diplomats than fighters. Especially Elera, Eriaar couldn't really picture her standing her ground against a Sith. From what he knew, Master Kyrelia Sundara, the one who trained Kai, her death caused by a lethal blow, inflicted by a Sith, was a proper war machine. How many possibilities existed for a Jedi like Elera to beat a Sith in a fight, when even a warrior Jedi had fallen in battle?

Questions over questions spiraled in his mind and a bad feeling brushed his heart, making him shiver. He barely heard Master Valen closing the meeting. He rose up with the other Jedi, but, for some unknown reasons, his eyes never strayed from Kai.

What's this? I feel something, but I can't identify the sensation...

It was nothing good, anyway. Eriaar feared that this purge mission would soon transform itself in a witch hunt. And why wasn't he able to turn his eyes away from Kai, who, in the meantime, approached Valen to speak with him. Eriaar's heart increased its pace, but before he could define this weird feeling, he found himself in the hallway, the council room's doors closed in his face. Some Jedi Masters tried to talk to him, but Eriaar excused himself in a weak voice and left.

The Force wants to tell me something about Kai, I'm sure of it!

Eriaar felt the need to meditate, he absolutely needed to understand what the Force wanted from his Master. He would have hidden himself in the Garden of the Force, an area forbidden to the Padawan, where the Jedi Masters could go and meditate, surrounded by nature and silence.

«Master Eriaar?» A little voice at his back startled him, his hand reaching for his lightsaber, but, turned around, he stood face to face with an adorable child. «Are you Master Eriaar Shehol?»

She had long red hairs tied in a ponytail, two dark, deep and confident eyes, but, most importantly, the Force swirled energetically around her. «Who's looking for me?»

The child smiled and bowed. «My name is Robin Serijala, I'm the Padawan entrusted to you, Master.» She raised her head and clapped her hands, happy. «When do we start, Master?»

Eriaar raised an eyebrow, then slowly sighed: the Force wanted him there, with her, that was clear enough to him. If this was the path that the Force foresaw for him, then the only thing he could do was follow it and put his trust in the Force: he would do his job and made an esteemed warrior, known in all the Galaxy, out of this sweet little child. The future of the Galaxy was literally in his hands, after all!