Path To Despair

[Noire]

Galtea. Outer Rim Territories.

Caden Ansgar stood on a veranda overlooking the city of the Laku'na. It was extremely early and the sun had only just returned to deliver light to the people of Galtea. But Caden was already wide awake having never really slept since he'd gotten here. His feet were evenly spaced, he held his hands behind his back, his head was lifted, and his eyes were closed. He was in a state of deep concentration. The Force encompassed him wholly and he found tranquility in its' presence that couldn't be found elsewhere. The night before had been...irksome and vexatious to say the least. It had taken every ounce of Caden's resolve and every fiber of Caden's being to not allow his temper to control his actions following him being knocked on his back along with the other four Padawans. But now he was calm. At the moment, he didn't care where the Jedi Master was nor Nakoma; although he still held her in a high regard and still viewed her in a positive light. It was just that he didn't care too much for "superior" company. He opened his eyes to watch the Laku'na go about their daily routines.

They were a peaceful and simplistic people; something Caden admired. Envied even. His life had always been...complicated. And it had become even more convoluted once he joined the Jedi Order. Or at least that's what it felt like to Caden. He abandoned his stance and posture in favor of just leaning against the railing. He sighed. Something inside of him missed his old life. Before the Jedi Order. Before he even knew what the Force was. Before he could wield a lightsaber. Right now Caden couldn't recall what that had been like. He missed his mother. She was such a kind and gentle woman. Vastly different from his stern and strict father. He decided to dismiss his nostalgia and instead return to observing the people below. He spotted Kai's living quarters. The Padawan appeared to be up and about as well. Caden hadn't gotten the chance to fight alongside him the night before but he'd seen him in action.

He was Nakoma's first and true Padawan if Caden remembered correctly. He wondered if Kai had heard from Nakoma following Fang's outburst. He was curious. And that's what led him to suddenly vault over the guard rail and fall thirty feet in a controlled manner. He cushioned his fall with the Force and completed it with a somersault. He stood and dusted off his robes and groaned as he felt the sharp pain of yesterday's injury shoot up his back. He shrugged it off as he slowly made his way over to Kai's tent and stopped once he was by the entrance.

"We haven't officially met. But seeing as how we both got knocked on our backsides and both agreed yesterday on the hypocritical and overly critical nature of the Jedi...I think that should change. I'm Caden." He said.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Kai had just risen from his own rest. He wore loose fitting pants and that was about it. His usually somewhat well kept hair was shooting off in all directions and he still had the air of sleep about him. For some reason he had overslept. Usually he rose with the sun, but today he followed the light in the sky. In fact, he had just brough Rhoda out of standby when he felt someone approaching, surprisingly one of the padawans from what he could tell. It couldnt be Nakoma as he had grown somewhat attuned to her presence and the Jedi Master that was with them would have probably masked his presence from him or it would be somewhat stronger than the one outside. This was confirmed when a voice spoke, revealing the person to be indeed one of the padawans, Caden. With a sigh, he opened the entrance to his tent and gazed at the male with his purple gaze, replying in a somewhat friendly tone, though he was putting it on.

"Overly critical huh? Im Kai. Just give me a sec..."

The padawan closed the entrance and quickly hunted down his sleeveless training robes, putting them on alongside his belt and finally pulling on his boots. Then came his hair. It refused to respond to attempts to tame it with his hands so he did something he doubted other Jedi would do and willed the force to put it in its place, with some difficulty. Once he was ready, he picked up his sabers and hung them on his belt before exiting the tent, leaving Rhoda to sigh and begin making some kind of breakfast. Kai took a few steps past the other padawan before dropping into a cross legged position facing the male. He had grown very much used to the position, considering he'd once hated it. With his purple hues set on the other male, he spoke up once more, this time his tone at the monotone he usually spoke with.

"So, you're here to do what exactly? Find some common ground with me so that we might become friends or something? Or are we simply going to exchange words on the state of whats left of the order?"

 

[Noire]

"So, you're here to do what exactly? Find some common ground with me so that we might become friends or something? Or are we simply going to exchange words on the state of whats left of the order?" Kai said. Caden chose to sit on top of a rather large rock as the other Padawan assumed a cross legged position outside of his tent; no doubt influenced by Nakoma's meditation style. Caden shook his head briefly before looking over his shoulder to watch a few of the Laku'na people mill about. There was something about them as a people that intrigued him to no end. He turned back to Kai.

"I have no interest in debating or discussing the state of the Order. There's enough of that to go around already. But, on the other hand, there remains words to be said about Fangs' outburst yesterday. It was cheap. And uncalled for. Like your hair trick on Nakoma for instance." Caden said. He hadn't meant for it to come across as an insult but it might have sounded as such; given the nature of the comment in general.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"Oh come on. THAT was funny. His middle aged temper tantrum however was somewhat embarrassing."

Kai let a small smile cross his face. He had found the hair trick to be rather funny and worth it considering the moment of agitation it had garnered from his master. He never considered it to be a valuable technique to be used in battle. Still, it was somewhat cheap, he could see that but he wasnt going to admit it to his fellow. The other boy had been compared to himself in some ways by others, not just in attitude but also their way of going about fighting in battle. He would have to actually see this for himself as he hadnt really taken too much notice of the others during their time together unless absolutely possible and even then it was minimal at best. They just didnt really interest him. But it was never smart to fully let others be a mystery you. After all, you never knew when an ally could come to call themselves your enemy.

He eyed the other male, taking in his posture, facial expressions and general appearance for a few moments. Physically, he wasnt exactly alike to himself at least. His attitude however.... well it was understadable why the two had been compared to one another. When he next spoke, his tone had returned to the monotone, however, there was a hint of friendliness in it. Whether it was genuine or not would be a mystery to the other male. There was also a clear tone of inquiry in it.

"So, obviously you didnt come here only to complain about a master. He was overly aggresive and showy yesterday yes, but just because we agree on something doesnt mean you would make the journey to me, that could have simply waited until the next time we were called together. What do you want Caden?"

 

[Noire]

Caden nodded in agreement as he levitated a small rock. Kai had made some fair points. Not that it mattered anymore. While Kai had been busy talking Caden had overheard a few Laku'na villagers discussing a prophecy. Wasn't Nakoma apart of some prophecy? Caden thought. They mentioned something about a few sacred caves and Caden was sold. His curiosity once more caused him to explode into motion. He jumped to his feet and looked out beyond the edge of the Hidden Village.

"Well, I was slightly curious about what happened to Nakoma after the spar. But now," Caden said as a slight smile began to grow on his face.
"I'm more interested in these sacred caves I'm hearing about. Follow my lead," Caden said. He leaped from the rock, over Kai's head, and landed softly behind him. He dusted off his robes and began to walk towards the edge of the village without a look back to see if Kai was even following him in the first place.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

The other male started speaking of some sacred caves, something Kai had not even heard about. Not that he had been listening. He tended to leave the villagers to their own devices and they responded in kind. It was not that he disrespected or feared them, it was simply he was not particularly looking for social interaction, yet it had found him anyway. And now they were going on some kind of adventure. Horraay. Standing up, the padawan entered the tent and found rhoda creating some kind of meal that smelled.... interesting.

"Caden is leading me to some caves he seems rather excited about. Breakfast wont be entirely necessary anymore my friend."

"Well, you can have it when you return. It would be a waste of food for you to not indulge. After all, you sentients require sustenance and the history books will not say Kai Trivasste died of undernourishment."

Kai chuckled at the droid before mumbling something about her being overly protective before turning on his heel and jogging to catch up with Caden. It didnt take too long and he hung several steps behind the padawan, following him to wherever they were going but not going out of his way to be in a conversive position with the other male.

 

[Noire]

An Hour Later...

​

Caden walked. And walked. And then walked still. He hated to admit it but the fact of the matter was they were lost. Utterly and completely. At least we got a walk out of it, Caden thought. He chuckled to himself quietly. He was still lost when something deep within him caused his feet to stop moving. It was a feeling that he was unfamiliar with and he didn't like it much. He ceased moving and remained completely still and silent. He threw out his hand so that Kai too could stop and focus. He could sense the cave now. The Force, or the Great Wind as Nakoma would have him call it, beckoned to him from somewhere very, very near. It was confounding and fascinating all at once.

"This way." He said. "Where the trail gets narrower." He shouted as he began to jog towards the beckoning cave. No sooner than Caden ran off did he find himself standing at the mouth of a large rock formation; the cave they had been looking for. Or at least one of them, Caden thought as he noted there were a few others at least in the general vicinity. Without another word he began to walk forward and into the darkness. The further he ventured inside the cave the more his eyes began to adjust to the darkness. Despite this, the hilt of his secondary lightsaber filled his hand and a vibrant blue energy flared; illuminating the cavern walls around him. The familiar hum of the blade put Caden at ease. His shoulders, once tense, were now relaxed.

"Caden..." A voice whispered. But Caden heard it loud and clear. He once more stopped abruptly. He looked around; bewildered.
"Mom?" He responded. He took off into the cave without another thought. He felt her presence strongly within the cave. Was she lost? Was she hurt? He had to duck several times to avoid stalactites and tread slowly through the more narrow passages but he knew he was close once he began to approach a clearing. He jumped down onto a cavern floor after following another passage and looked around frantically expecting to see his mother. Instead, he was face to face with his father. There stood Korto Ansgar; towering over Caden and looking much more aged since the last time he'd seen him. His arms were folded and his glare made Caden feel like a child again.

"How did you get in here? Where's mom?" Caden asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

"You've forgotten your place, son." Korto said; completely ignoring Caden's inquiry. He circled his son and shook his head disapprovingly as he did so.

"You've been with the Jedi for three years now. Have you not? I allowed you to leave with the Jedi cowards under the presumption you'd return a formidable warrior. You...you were supposed to be strong. You were supposed to become powerful. Yet, you are still weak. The same weak child I found on Nar Shaddaa all those years ago. Perhaps weaker than any Jedi I've ever seen. You never fail to disappoint me, son. I regret even giving you the Ansgar name." Korto said with pure disgust in his voice. Caden wanted to say something but his voice was caught in his throat. He closed his eyes as a red haze began to gather inside of his head. His anger began to spill over and he balled his hands into a tightly clenched fist. This wasn't anything new to Caden. His father often scolded him or made him aware of his disappointment. But he knew his father was right. He had left home to become strong but yet he was still weak. But as the Force began to envelop him his fists softened and his shoulders relaxed. His mind became clear and realized he didn't care what his father thought of him. Korto wasn't a Jedi. Caden was.

"The Ansgar name means nothing to me. You, Father, mean nothing to me. You're not real." Caden said. He wasn't scared of his father as he had been when he was younger. He would no longer allow him to control him. He spoke with conviction and held his head high.

"I am your father. And you will learn your place!" Korto shouted. He threw his arms into the air and Caden was knocked off his feet and sent flying into the wall.
"You are no Jedi. You are nothing! And I have no use for a weakling." Caden winced as he stood. He glanced at his before before re-activating his lightsaber so he could see in the darkness. He grinned.

"You aren't real. You're just a figment of my imagination, Father." Caden slashed through the apparition and it vanished in a flare of black smoke. He hadn't destroyed it with anger, though. He had stuck with a clear mind and calm hand. He sighed. The Force was the most baffling and perplexing thing Caden had ever came into contact with. But he was eternally grateful for it. He felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He no longer felt as if he had to live up to his father's expectations. He had overcame Korto Ansgar's shadow.

"Kai?" Caden called out. I wonder where he ended up, Caden thought as he began to walk back the way he'd came in search of the other Padawan. They had gotten separated when Caden had ran off in search of his mother. Now, Caden would have to find him.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Kai followed the boy for what seemed like far too long and soon became unsure why he was following the boy who seemed to him like he was far too invested in something that seemed more and more like a myth. And then they finally came to stumble upon one of the caves and the first thing Caden did was run off in another direction after mentioning his mother. Activating his purple saber to use as a light, he illuminated the area around him in its glow, but despite it being silent in the cave, he couldnt hear Caden. He also couldnt feel his presence at all which immediately made him uneasy. Slowly, he ventured further into the cave, taking it step by step and trying to stay as calm as possible. Clearly there was something going on here, some kind of interference for force sensitives or maybe a darker presence.

When the hand was placed on his shoulder, he spun swiftly, purple orbs widening as his saber slipped from is grip and he stood in shock, the blade hissing as it deactivated and left him in darkness. But she was still there, he could feel her. His mother. Deep down he knew this was some kind of vision but he didnt care. He didnt know how this was happening but as her hand reached out to take his face, he could feel the warmth of her hand and the love in her smile. And then suddenly his vision was blinded and she was gone. Reaching for his fallen saber, he activated it once more jumping backwards and entering his battle ready stance, eyes narrowed at the figure that stood before him. A black cloak hid most of the persons body and face from him except for the persons mouth which held a smirk. Then the figure spoke in an irritatingly familiar voice but he couldnt place it.

"Arent you a Jedi? My presence shouldnt be surprising to you."

The males tone was mocking and as Kai looked at him, his eyes widened once more as suddenly he was barraged by the dark aura that the other figure suddenly emanated and he took a step back, fear in his eyes which only turned the other persons smirk into a wolfish grin. It was almost sickening, the amount of darkness that came from the cloaked figure and it was clear that if this turned to a confrontation he was screwed. However, as he retreated the other male came forward, matching him step for step. The distance between them did not change but Kai felt restricted in the cave. He needed to get out in the open or find Caden. The two of them could probably work together to escape. However, suddenly the cloaked figure waved his hand and his saber shorted out leaving him once more in darkness. As he cursed and tried to reactivate his saber when he felt someone breath on his neck and froze up as the voice once more spoke, this time like a whisper in his ear.

"Alone in the dark again huh? I would have thought you'd be used to it by now but you're trembling."

"Shut up!"

He activated his second orange blade, swinging it one handed as he spun, aiming to decapitate the man but he had already moved to the where the light of his saber ended and of course he was chuckling darkly which only served to infuriate the padawan more. He dashed towards the male but the figure simply sidestepped him, tripping him and sending him crashing into a wall. His shoulder cried out in pain and he dropped both his weapons with a surprised gasp only to hear the males sick laughter once more. Growling he picked himself up, clipping one weapon to his belt while holding his purple one in his left hand, his right unusable for the moment. He found himself getting more and more agitated by the males laughter and mocking tone. Then the male turned his back and he followed him, running after the shadow at top speed, following not just the figure but also his comments such as...

"Perhaps you should find your little friend. Looks like you need some help. Too bad mummys not here to coddle you."

 

[Noire]

Caden called out Kai's name once more - louder this time - and heard nothing but his own echo. He groaned. He regretted running off so hastily. I'm never going to find him now, Caden thought. He had chosen not to have his lightsaber ignited as a personal test of his own abilities. He would let the Force guide him until he found the other padawan or an exit. He thought back to the intense experience he'd just had and it still shook him. He knew the voices and the apparitions were merely some sort of manifestation of his fears and inner turmoil but he couldn't help thinking about his mother still. He hadn't seen her in a long time and he missed her. While he knew his father wouldn't be, his mother would surely be proud of all that Caden had accomplished. He had liberated entire cities, freed oppressed peoples, brought countless criminals to light, and trained with the best Jedi the Order had to offer. All in the span of three long years. As he bent over to walk through a passage with a low ceiling the pain that shot up his back reminded him the manifestation had been very real. He crept along another narrow passage way and stopped when he heard sound. It sounded like a lightsaber igniting. Nakoma's going to kill us, he thought.

"Shut up!" He heard Kai shout. His voice echoed off the walls. Caden quickly followed the sound. He ducked under some more stalactites and came across another small clearing. He came to a stop. He was lost. Again. The sound of the already disembodied voice was long gone. He calmed himself and stood still as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He still couldn't sense Kai's presence but now that he focused he could hear the hum a lightsaber. He was near. Caden looked up and focused on the path where the sound was going from. He set off in that direction; running as best he could to find Kai. And then he ran straight into him. Caden twisted awkwardly in an attempt to avoid the Padawan's ignited lightsaber and lost his balance. He fell onto his back and disappeared into the darkness beyond the light that Kai's purple lightsaber emitted.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

The figure was infuriating. His taunts we causing the padawan to suffer from more and more frustration. The guy was just evading him effortlessly which was causing him to try and strike out in more forceful ways. Which of course werent working. The guy had a kind of supernatural grace about him, never once stumbling and always seeming to be one step ahead of him. Like he knew exactly how he was thinking and when to get out of the way. He hadnt even brought out a weapon! Like he was so sure the padawan couldnt touch him and remained completely comfortable. As the rounded a corner he found the male rushing at him and he dodged out of necessity, the male fading into the darkness behind him, the sound of him knocking against something coming into his ears.

Spinning on his heel, Kai seen that the figure had fallen on his back and was looking up at him, the eyes of a sith visible to him for the first time. Patient and yet holding immense danger in the yellow glow they seemed to emit from under the hood. Normally his blood would have run cold at this sight but he was full of annoyance at this man at this point. With his one good hand he pointed it towards the throat of the male who merely laughed, his sickening tone once more piercing the padawans unwilling ears.

"You think thats going to bring me down boy? You're pathetic, even by the standards of your simple little order."

"I said shut up!!!!"

Kai cried out in anguish and brought his saber down towards the males torso with a bit too much effort, his teeth gritted in anger. Unbeknownst to him, his mind clouded completely from the reality by the caves dark aura, he was raising his weapon against one of his fellow padawans, not a prone and infuriating sith lord.

 

[Noire]

"Ouch," Caden said as he groaned and rubbed his forehead. He could feel the onset of a major headache. But things could be worse. At least I wasn't sliced in half. He looked up to see Kai turn around quickly and he was alarmed at Kai's enraged expression. Had something happened?

"I said shut up!" Kai screamed. In a blur of movement he brought his lightsaber down hard - directly towards Caden. Caden reacted instinctively and rolled over and out of the way. He sprang to his feet and threw out his hands attempting to stop Kai.

"Hey! It's me! It's me!" He dove out of the way at what may have been the beginning of another attack and slowly backed away from the other Padawan.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"Too slow little padawan."

The male was laughing again, laughing at his attempts to gut the bastard. His movements were so... easy. He had rolled out of the way of his strike at the last minute then dodged his next attack with so much ease it would look like Kai was going out of his way NOT to hit the cloaked figure. A sudden pain reentered his shoulder and he gasped, unable to end to it as his only usable hand was occupied grasping his weapon. In fact, it seemed like it was dislocated but there was no way for him to check that at this point, especially not while he was gritting his teeth once more as the cloaked figure continued his laughter until he stopped suddenly and raised his hands towards him stepping back into the shadows once more, his words reaching the boys ears and making Kai growl once more.

"Lets play a game boy. Simple rules. TRY to hit me. I know its going to be hard for someone of your obviously... lacking skills, but if you manage I may even draw my lightsaber. Though, dont get your hopes up."

With a cry, he dashed forward and swung his blade high, aiming to separate the mans head from his shoulders with a surprising ferocity.

 

[Noire]

The other padawan seemed to be in pain, Caden could gather that much. Kai gasped and gritted his teeth; growing only angrier. He growled and suddenly dashed forward and swung his blade high. Caden's pleas had fell on deaf ears it seemed and Caden was once more forced to react quickly in order to not get sliced in half. He ducked under the blade and stumbled to the right; grunting in pain as he did so. He had escaped most of the blade by the narrowest of margins but it had still slightly stuck his shoulder. He winced from the searing pain. The brunt of the lightsaber had instead struck the cavern wall that had been behind Caden and caused parts of it to crumble and give way. Caden dodged that as best as he could too; even using the Force to blast away some larger rocks that had fallen a bit too close to him. He backed against a wall and threw his hands up in the air once more; the pain from his shoulder showed in his expression.

"Kai, I'm not trying to fight you!" He shouted. "Come into your senses!"

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Rocks had come loose, one knocking the padawan on the side of the head and causing him to stumble to the left slightly, a small stream of blood trickling down his forhead. His vision was blurred and for a moment he thought he seen someone else where the hooded figure stood, leaning casually up against a wall in front of him with a smirk visible on his face. But as his vision cleared, he realised it must have just been a mistake because the hooded figure was still leaning casually against the wall, several rocks being blasted away from him without even raising a finger. With a wince at another rock striking his already injured shoulder, Kai spoke up, his tone still angered but it was confused.

"Who are you!? What do you want!?"

The figure stood silently for a moment, regarding him with an errie calm that sent shivers right on down his spine, a glimpse of the mans sith eyes shouwing just under his hood. The eyes of a predator, calm and in complete control of the situation. This predator was playing with its food, softening it up before the kill, which at this point, Kai didnt think would take much effort. The figure hadnt even raised a finger yet and he was already severely weakened. When the males voice filled the room once more, Kais eyes widened in shock.

"Think of me as the future. Im what you will undoubtedly become with the way you're going. As for what I want? Well, theres got to be some mystery behind the 'Cloaked Figure' right?"

"LIAR!"

Kai sprang forward once more, aiming a slice at the males head with his blade. This time it lacked the precision the former strikes had had. This one was wild and unfocused but fueled by rage.

 

[Noire]

"LIAR!"

Caden was utterly confused. He couldn't make sense of any of it. But his confusion wouldn't stop him from defending himself. He yanked his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it quickly; ignoring the pain in his shoulder. The green blade hummed to life and Caden gripped the handle with one hand while placing the other against the cavern wall to steady himself. Kai darted forward swinging wildly but Caden could tell there was pure rage behind each attack. And that worried him. He didn't know if he could properly repel Kai's attacks in his weakened state. But he had no other choice. Kai's blade came at him quickly; aiming at his head. Caden's blade met Kai's almost as fast and he had to turn away to shield his eyes from the shower of sparks that came from the two blades locking. He pushed off the wall and drove Kai's blade as much as he could to give him enough space to move away from his dead-end position against the wall.

His eyes darted around the small cross section looking for the path that would lead out of the cave. Through gritted teeth he gripped onto his weapon with both hands and swung at Kai in a downward strike; aimed at his knees. But Caden didn't put much force behind it because he didn't want to actually wound Kai. But he needed to escape nevertheless and distracting Kai with attacks of his own was necessary to doing so.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

As the sparks crashed when blades locked, Kais eyes widened somewhat at the crimson blade that effortlessly pushed his own attack away, the male laughing at him with such glee that Kai was almost inclined to join his almost insane cackle. Beneath the hood, the males eyes were visible for a split second, the Sith eyes showing a combination of anger, amusement, pain and disdain, and as his eyes fell once back into the darkness of the males hood, Kai felt his blood run cold. This man was lost in the darkside. Probably a Sith. And here he was feeding his power by growing angry at the male. But as the male swung his blade as the boys knees and he felt the barest contact as he moved out of the way, his reason was lost once more and cried out before moving to the attack once more.

This time he mustered what strength he could to send the force hurtling towards the man in an explosive Force push, not pausing as he then darted in and swung with savage precision towards the mans hips, in an aim to sever the mans legs from his body. But even as the man found himself on the defensive, his tone was still amused, not showing the slightest amount of difficulty he likely wasnt experiencing.

"You're pathetic. One word, a mere strike of the blade and you fly off the handle. Its a wonder the Jedi still put up with you. Then again, you wont have to worry about them for much longer boy."

 

[Noire]

Caden had already been on the move. He had been dodging Kai's deadly blade as best he could, given his wound, or exchanging blows when necessary. But with each strike and each breath he grew continuously weaker. He came to a stop once he saw small rays of light further ahead. He breathed a sigh of a relief. The light he saw represented more than just "a way out" to him. It meant he'd been able to defend himself much more effectively as well as call for help. He had no idea how to "subdue" Kai without injuring him and that wasn't something he wanted to do. He was quickly drawn out of his thoughts as he heard the padawan approaching behind him. He quickly spun around and raised his blade to Kai as he slowly backed away from him. He inched closer and closer to the exit.

"Snap out of it Kai," He urged. "I don't want to have to-" Caden was blown backward without warning. He landed on the ground roughly, having been knocked back several feet, and skidded several more before coming to a stop. He groaned. His face was covered in dirt and his lightsaber was no longer in his hand. His vision was blurry but he could still sense the movement and the immense danger coming his way. Kai swung fiercely and his blade sliced at Caden's legs; finding its' target. Caden yelled out in pain as he gripped the area around the burned flesh on his right leg. He clenched his fists tighter as his anger began to boil over. He thrusts his hands forward in a concentrated blast of Force power of his own; pouring all of his energy into it. He quickly called his lightsaber to his hand as he began to crawl toward the light. He called out to Nakoma through the Force as he went, unsure if she would even be able to hear him, but knowing all the same she was his only hope. Kai was hell bent on murdering Caden and now he stood no chance. Any second now Kai would be coming for his head again. And Caden wouldn't be so lucky this time around.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

The satisfaction Kai felt as his blade made contact with the figure was short lived when he found himself flying through the air, an aggressive and powerful blast sending him flying backwards into the cave wall, losing hold of his weapon as the air was knocked from his lungs. His back exploded into pain alongside his shoulder and he could feel the blood matting the hair on the back of his head from making contact with the rocky formation. His vision blurred as he slumped to the floor with his back against the wall and he could barely make out the figure crawling away from him.

Whether it was pure determination, anger or pain blinded fury, Kai amassed his concentration for one final attempt, raising his still uninjured arm towards the ceiling above the crawling figure. With a cry, he send a powerful blast at the caverns roof, causing several rather sizable chunks to fall towards the crawling male, one particularly sizable one falling for the other males head, surely with enough size to completely crush his skull. However, as his arm dropped and he felt his strength truly fade and the pain set in once more, Kais eyes widened as the cloaked figure appeared in front of him, somewhat transparent this time. But he did not focus on the words whispered into his ear as the figure faded with a terrifying laughter. Not he just focussed on his fellow student crawling away from him with a head about to be crushed by a rock.

"Caden!"

 

[Wolf]

Nakoma had been nearby, having already sensed some disturbance in her beloved forest home upon Galtea. It did not take her long to sense the Force signatures of two of her students, one of which even cried out to her through the Great Wind which carried the message to her mind. Quickly, the woman entered a cave and noticed Caden Ansgar and Kai Trivasste in some kind of confrontation. She realized that it had been Caden's cry for help that she had heard mentally. Seconds after entering the cavern, the Laku'na's eyes moved to a cascade of boulders that Kai had unleashed upon Caden and, if she not intervene immediately, the Padawan would surely be crushed to death.

The woman's amber eyes disappeared beneath black lashes and suddenly her hands shot out in front of her, a powerful wave of Force energy emitted from her palm's. They energy caught the boulders in the same way that a net would catch fish. Her eyes opened and there they sat, suspended in the air just inches from Caden's head. With a quick shoving motion from her arms, Nakoma sent the boulders several meters away from the students.

"ENOUGH!"

The Knight powerfully projected the word into the Padawan's minds. She barely heard Kai call out to Caden as she took a few steps toward the boy and lifted her hand toward him, unleashing a powerful Force blast that lifted the student and pinned him against the wall. Nakoma dropped her hand and Kai remained pinned to the wall. It would feel like a concrete blanket had settled over him from neck to toe as the Force kept the Padawan in place. Kneeling, the Laku'na place a hand upon Caden's shoulder. She offered him her other hand to lift him to his feet.

"That is enough, Kai. Do you hear me?!" The telepathic speech resonated through the Force and echoed in the minds of her Padawans. Shaking her head, the Knight's eyes narrowed as she looked between the students. What it was they had been thinking, she had no idea. She did not even know how they had found the cave that the three of them were now standing in.

What she did know, was that she would certainly receive a creative explanation for such a confrontation that nearly ended in the death of Caden. "Do either of you care to explain?" Nakoma leaned against the cool surface of the cave wall behind her, still suspending Kai several feet above the ground in a Force hold against the stone. Certainly, there would be consequences for this incident once the woman knew exactly what had happened between the Padawans.

 

[Noire]

Caden breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Nakoma suddenly appeared. The boulders, that only moments before had been threatening to crush him, were tossed aside with no effort. She had come for him. He was saved. As he came to his senses he almost shouted a warning before he realized that Kai was now pinned against the wall. He was no longer a threat, it seemed. Caden winced as Nakoma placed a hand upon his shoulder and used her other hand to help him to his feet. His legs shook with strain for a bit before he was able to balance himself. He leaned against Nakoma momentarily for support.

"Thank you." He whispered. Any doubts he had, had about Gwenelda before were swept away. She had wholly earned his eternal respect and loyalty. And Caden was more than grateful and appreciative of her. He groaned as the pain of his injuries grew in intensity. He gritted his teeth as he reached down to grab his lightsaber that was lying across from him.

"Do either of you care to explain?" Nakoma asked. She now leaned against the cavern wall and was still holding Kai in the air against the cavern wall. Caden himself leaned against the wall for support as well. He slid down to the floor and rested his head against the stone.

"I'm not sure...what happened Master," Caden said. His breathing was becoming shallow and his thoughts unfocused. "I...experienced a hallucination of some kind when we were separated. I think Kai was...too. But I think his was much, much stronger than my own. He wouldn't...he couldn't snap out of it. I don't think he was intentionally trying to kill me. But...," Caden paused to catch his breath, "he was damn near successful."