Trials and Tribulations

[Leah Reach]

With the wave of her hand, the door into the meditation chambers opened. The room was small. Far smaller than even the audience chamber they were meant to attend to. How Horus could possibly train inside was questionable, but it was not the time for questions. It was time for answers. Motioning the young man inside, she followed through and closed the doors. Only a thin streak of light from the surface illuminated the room. But the crystalline walls shimmered and glowed, ensuring they were not shrouded in darkness. Still, shadows clung to the corners, and a strange mist began to grow around them. The Force weighed heavy all around them. More than Horus may have ever felt.

“Your trial begins.” She said, hands behind her back, heels slipping away. “Trust in the Force.” Was the last thing Leah said before she stepped into the shadows, lost from view. Horus would be shocked by what emerged soon after.

A Sith clad in dark robes and armor surfaced. An engraved chest plate, a crimson mask, a pitch black cowl. They were everything the Sith Empire embodied. The greatest nightmare of any rebel or Jedi, Leah included. But the Jedi Master was no longer with Horus. Instead it was only he and his mysterious enemy. Even then, the small chambers had all but disappeared. The mist evaporated, revealing that the young man was now outside. No, somewhere else. A snowy forest. Withered trees, white branches, a biting cold. Nothing Horus might have expected.

The Force, darker than he could have ever imagined, wrapped as tight around the Sith as much as their regalia. Their presence was almost suffocating. Even as mist and fog continued to cloud his vision, Horus would be forced to confront his newfound foe. Especially as they ignited their red blade and flourished. “Why, hello there.” Their voice was distorted, full of malevolence and disgust. Indeed, his trial began.

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

-Music-​

The meditation chamber was almost as peaceful as his own mind, the state of ego-death had never left him. He was at peace, for the moment, and so when the door began to creak closed he barely registered the change. The thin light in the room made no difference to him, he could fight blind if necessary, using only his senses. He believed he was ready for the onslaught of whatever tests they seemed to put him through. Eldrin Reach announced the trial had begun, and when he looked around to find her he felt nothing but a shadow. A cold, clammy fear that enshrouded the area soon began to leak into the chamber, he could feel it. That was impossible. He knew the feeling of a Sith nearby, he had faced two in recent history. But this was different, more potent. He took one step forward, leading with his right foot, and in a single motion drew the vibrosword from his back, his amber eyes peering in all directions, his senses spreading to encompass the room.

"What devilry is this..."

And suddenly, he was in a forest drenched in snow and frost. The temple was nowhere to be seen on all sides. Horus looked around, wheeling on his feet, trying to orient himself. For a moment, he considered calling out to the Master, but thought better of it. His hair began to stand on end and a chill crossed slowly down his spine as the Force coalesced into something behind him, a darkening presence. More powerful than any Sith he had faced thus far. The hiss and crackle of the lightsaber activating behind him bathed the trees in a crimson glow. He turned slowly, deliberately, and once again settled into a defensive form he had used so often. The Sith spoke, it's voice poison and malice incarnate. Horus had been waiting for this moment, the occasion he might truly face a foe with skills equal to his own. Win or lose, he would do what he must. Flourishing his own blade, he pointed it directly as the sith in a high guard.

"I do not fear you, Sith. You should not have come to this place!"

​

​

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

“You do not fear me?” His enemy laughed, coarse and rough, like chalk scraping against pavement. “How wrong you are. I am your greatest fear. Your worst nightmare.” They taunted the young man and circled around him. His blade cracked and hissed, thirsty for blood. If Horus looked closely, he could see into the Sith’s hilt, cracked open to reveal a piece of a fractured kyber crystal. Every step they made seemed like a step to attack. The Sith wanted to draw out the duel, heighten the tension, watch Horus squirm against their every word. Even as the young man raised his guard, his enemy would only open their arms, mocking him in every regard.

When their arms fell back to their side, twirling the crimson blade one last time, the stranger’s head snapped back to Horus, stiff and unnatural. “But so be it.” The Sith brought the blade forward, bathing his mask in a sick, red glow. “You will die braver than most.” They answered him coldly, voice was devoid of emotion, mask hiding whatever twisted features that laid beneath. Tendrils of the Dark Side gathered around him, swirling through the air, leaving a rank smell and bitter taste in the wake of its arrival. A total darkness, held back by the single beacon of Light that was Horus Tempest. Not long after, the Sith charged. A sinister jab aimed to puncture his heart.

In the distance, as nothing more than the shadow of a tree, Leah watched. She was not part of the vision, neither was she in control. All the Jedi Master had done was pool together the overwhelming presence of the Force, throughout the shrine, into that single point. Enough to spark something in Horus. A vision of his past, or future, or both. Not merely a trial of the Order, but of the Force. The only thing Leah could do was observe as the background. Much like gazing through a looking glass, or submerging her face into shallow water to see the bottom. She could hear voices, see flashes of images, but nothing more. As powerful as she was, the trial was for the young Padawan and for him alone.

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

"So you may believe. You are twisted with delusions of grandeur. Nightmare? More of an inconvenience, really."

Horus laughed at the taunts, smiling in reply. Was this truly how a Sith attempted to goad their foes? Pitiful attempts, as nothing the entity said, was truly frightening in any way. Just like the others, this one played at being superior to his opponents by nature of the Dark Side alone. Its overconfidence would most certainly spell its downfall. Horus had no such overconfidence, the only assurance he possessed was the blade in his hand. The tension that mounted in the room was as thick as butter and could be cut with a knife. Gently bending his knees, Horus waited for the opportune moment. These creatures had slain his Father, where responsible for the corruption of his sister. If the Sith anticipated the Vahla holding quarter, they anticipated incorrectly. He and the Light were closer together than they had ever been, and he would show mercy if the situation called for it.

But so be it...

Before the Sith even had time to complete his sentence, Horus was upon him. As a swordsman, he knew the rules of engagement. Even as the Darkness swirled around this abomination of the Dark Side, the Light wind of the Force emanated through him, as though candlelight in the vastness of the void. The jab that came to his direction was suddenly cut short and off-guard, as the Sith would not have expected the Vahla to strike first. His second vibrosword was drawn with his left hand as he approached, intercepting the jab that would have been an impale, knocking it aside with a deft blow. His right hand rotated in for a jab of his own. With his saber locked to one side, the Sith would be hard pressed to push his weapon aside and block the incoming attack. Additionally, the corkscrew he put in his wrist would cause the impact to be far worse than just an ordinary underhanded stab.

He could not see or feel Eldrin Reach's presence among the frost and trees. Part of him wondered what she thought of him now, what she would think of him afterward. Part of his mind was still piecing together that this was nothing more than an illusion meant to test him. But his senses told him to fight and defend himself, whatever the cost, and it was to them he listened for the moment. A false wind swept the forest of nightmares as the duel continued, the Vahla holding his own against his Sith opponent.

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

The Sith was rudely interrupted as the hopeful Jedi leapt to attack. They expected the young man to idle around, listen, turn into a motionless shield for their blade to beat against. Instead, they were surprised by his initiative. And so was Leah. She could see the flash of images like a blur but there was no doubt about it. Horus was there to fight, and he was truly unafraid. For the Jedi Master, in her mind, he had passed his test. His trial to become a Padawan and a faithful member of the Order was complete. But the Force had other plans. She could not pull him out of the vision for his bravery, nor out of her own strength. What was happening needed to happen. The best Leah could do was watch and wonder what might happen next.

On the other hand, the Sith did not wait. They watched their sinister jab be slapped away with the appearance of another blade. Horus was full of surprises, but so was his enemy. As their lightsaber was pushed aside, cracking and hissing at losing sight of its next victim, the Sith raised their left hand to catch the second blade. Not with their fingers but the Force. The jab would screech to a halt, forced to stop a foot away from their chest. Inches above the palm of their hand. Horus’ enemy was more powerful than he knew, but not impossible. While strong in the Dark Side, there was always a chance for light to break through. A chance for Horus to rid himself of the inconvenience.

“The Force is strong in you. Your potential is wasted with the Jedi.” The Sith spat before pushing forward, effectively breaking the lock and sending the young man several steps back. His enemy flourished his lightsaber, laughter accompanied by its fiery cackle. Knowing Horus may rebound and attack, the Sith decided to take action swiftly and immediately. Raising his blade high, he would bring it down to split his head open and vertically bisect the young man. The attack was brutal, and with their full weight thrown behind it, no simple parry could save him. Even if he tried to dodge, the lightsaber would only follow, desperate to draw blood.

Leah watched this with curious intent. The Sith was sloppy. There were a dozen openings the Jedi Master might have taken against him and expected Horus to handle his opponent with ease. But why? The Force had to have something in store. The vision it showed was not to test his skill with a sword. No, the whole point of the gathering was to test his connection, faith and conviction. There was more to this duel than what she was seeing now.

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

-Music-​

The Vahla were a race founded on survival by any means necessary. By all accounts, this young Vahla was an exception to the lot, striving to push back the darkness instead of ignoring it. The assessment was correct. The Jedi Hopeful, who at this point considered himself a member of the Order, would fight this beast of a being with every fiber of his being. Horus groaned with renewed vigor as his blade was caught mere inches from the apparition's hand. He attempted to push the blade past, and perhaps even managed to move it millimeter by millimeter before a second shove sent him stepping backward. Growling, shaking his head and adjusting his stance, Horus prepared for the counterstroke while responding in kind. His right hand was leading, his left slightly pulled in and squared off against his enemy's blade. He was ready for any more kriffery the Sith could throw at him.

"Your strength is an illusion. The Darkness inside betrays you, Sith, unbalances you."

Waiting for a moment, he needed wait no longer, as the enemy raised his blade to the sky following a flourish and cackle. The blade careened through the air with the full weight and torque of the Sith's entire body, and Horus knew no simple block would prevent the weapon from reaching its target. However, Horus knew this type of combat, preferring to use finesse over strength, and here he would prove it. Instead of trying to flat parry the blow, he sidestepped to the right, using that corresponding hand to riposte and once again go in for a stab to the opponent's side. Simultaneously, his left sword stood ready and prepared, letting the swing pass and snagging the back of the descending plasma. The weight and his own force would guide the saber into the ground, as the Sith had used the majority of his strength to the swing and had committed to the attack. At this point, Horus expected trickery and feinted his riposte into a slash across the opponent's wrist, the one that held his lightsaber.

"There is another way... stand down. Surrender and no harm will come to you."

Part of Horus had realized this was nothing but an illusion, and so any sense of danger had fled him. Even so, he was not afraid. And as this was a Force Illusion, he had no concept of whether it could actually cause harm or not. Therefore, he treated the Sith as an actual opponent and slipped into a more advanced form of sword combat. He could have potentially interrupted during conversation again or impaled the Sith while he was raising his hands in preparation to drop the weapon. But under these circumstances, the Sith would be reacting to a stab, and would not expect the feint. If he caught the slash with the Force once more, Horus had a second technique up his sleeve he would easily pull upon. The Light was far stronger than the Dark, always, especially in this instance.

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

Mercy. The longer Leah watched the duel, the greater her faith grew in the young man. Horus Tempest proved not only to be a skilled swordsman but a devoted Jedi full of hope, spirit and compassion. Righteous and just but merciful and forgiving. Was this the work of Master Luy? Leah was surprised. She had expected his teachings to be lackluster and slack. Instead, one of his students proved to understand the tenants of the Order better than any other pupil. She was wrong to doubt the other Jedi Master. Wrong to think Horus could become a Padawan. At witnessing him, she instead believed he could be so much more.

Like Master Reach, the Sith had not expected such skill out of the Jedi hopeful. His vicious strike against the young man was narrowly avoided, and before they could react against another jab, it turned out to be nothing more than a feint. The thrust turned into a slash. Cold metal carved into his wrist, drawing blood. Drops of red mottled the white snow. The cackling lightsaber fell fully soon after, its flat edge screaming into the frost before deactivating. Night enveloped the pair. Suddenly, Leah was lost. She could no longer see Horus, or the clearing, or the vision. Deep in meditation, all she could see was complete darkness and hear distant whispers. Voices but faint.

The Sith clawed at their wrist. They staggered away, barely holding their footing. Shoulders slouched, arm tucked in, eyes straining under the mask. “Please…” Their scratchy voice begged. They made another several steps back, defenseless and at his mercy. Or so he believed. As the Sith brought their head low, a sign of submission, their neck snapped up. Both hands were suddenly extended, fingers outstretched. Unleashing a terrifying burst of Force Lightning, the forest was cast in its violent, violet glow. The Dark Sider was not so quick to give in. In truth, he never would. Not until he saw the rising Jedi fall. As the lightning coursed through the air, the Sith would only cry out.

“You know nothing of the Dark Side!”

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

-Music-​

It seemed the Sith where not all they appeared to be. This one was slow, leaving one too many openings for the Vahla to exploit. His drag was successful, sending the saber to the ground as his feint caught the opponent's wrist and gashed it open. As the wound bled and leaked onto the ground with vigor, Horus winced for the man's pain. Illusion or not, it was an instinct he had yet to get over, and at once he almost regretted his decision to use such trickery. Almost. He knew had the situation been reversed, he would not have been shown such mercy. Stepping forward, he collected the lightsaber from the ground as the Sith recoiled. He took a step back, and then another, all the while his head hung low from defeat. The young Vahla shook his head as he looked down at the Sith weapon, considering discarding it but held it tight for the time being. Just because it appeared that he had won didn't mean anything, another could just as easily be lurking in the shadows.

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff!"

His enemy's head hung low, Horus dropped his guard. He would not execute a defenseless warrior, no matter what allegiance they held to. His swords were placed into the snowy ground, clipping the saber to his side, he extended his hand to help the Sith back to his feet using the one remaining good wrist. When suddenly his neck snapped upwards and his hands darted forward, causing Horus' amber eyes to widen as a result. Too late did her realize that in showing mercy, he had opened himself up for an attack as the lighting burnt through the air and crashed into him full force, sending him to his knees in agony.

"Raa.... aghhhhh!"

This pain... I can't move! The Lightning must be locking up my joints...

He did not yet have the knowledge or strength in the Force to deflect or redirect the lightning in any manner that would be appropriate. His scream echoed throughout the false forest, carried by the wind back to his own ears as he now lay in the snow, writhing in pain. His thoughts turned to his family, his twin borther, his younger sister. His fallen father and mother. If this was to be his end, as the Force willed, during nothing more than a trial - he would die with dignity and honor. He had fought with all the skills at his disposal, and though they had not been enough, Horus knew he had done his best. He convulsed in silence, his body locking up due to the lightning that coursed through it. His eyes flickered with power once more, before they began to fade slightly, his consciousness waning. He just managed to extend his right hand, barely grabbing the hilt of the saber, before realizing it was pointless. If the Lightning continued, he would black out before long.

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

Leah heard a heated cry and felt the sharp jab of the Dark Side pierce her thoughts. Although she could see nothing of the forest or the vision, fear coursed through her. The Jedi Master was first confident in Horus’ abilities to defeat the illusion he was faced against. Now? She was uncertain. Something was happening. Not as she hoped or expected. Pulled out of her meditative state, she opened her eyes to see Horus sprawled on the floor of the chambers. His eyes were sealed shut, his teeth grit and his body shuddered and trembled. The Force had reached its peak. Specks of dust paused mid-air, parting away as Leah kneeled beside the young man. He emanated the raw power of the Force, but he was in trouble. In pain.

Her worried gaze darted over him from head to toe, stunned and uncertain what was happening. The Dark Side was spiking all around her. She could not believe the young man had fallen ill to it, but the Force was in flux. Whatever it was trying to show Horus, or do to him, it was affecting everything around him. Suddenly, Leah feared she had made a grave mistake. She wanted to test his connection, but in doing so, cast him into a vision he could not a escape. A trial worse than she anticipated. What the Jedi Master once believed was in her control was now in the hands of the Jedi Padawan, and the Force as it pressed against him. Unsure of what to do, she laced a hand with his own.

“Horus? Please, Horus. Stay with me.” She whispered, trying to wake him even if she knew it was impossible. Leah could not pull him from the vision. Her thoughts clicked together. She may not be able to wake him physically, but she realized there was a chance to help him otherwise: through the Force. Closing her eyes, the Jedi fueled the Padawan with her own strength and energy. He needed her help and she would provide. However, there was no telling if her attempt to intervene could succeed or even leave a genuine effect. Leah may not have known, but she hoped. She prayed.

In the vision, the Sith persisted. Lightning cracked and screamed. It was only a matter of time before the young Jedi at their feet gave in, and ultimately, died. But the Sith wanted to relish in the moment. They wanted the last word. Fingers retreating back, the dark presence loomed above Horus, their mask hiding a terrible grin. “So pathetic. If only you would turn to the Dark Side, you would know true freedom. Just like your sister.” The Sith raised their hands one last time, prepared to finish him off.

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

-Music-​

As lightning streamed through his body, the young Vahla could do nothing but convulse in pain, waiting with hopeful thoughts for the moment the pain would end. It did, finally, and for the moment the Sith was content with standing aside and mocking him, but he could barely make out the words in his exhausted state. Perhaps it was simply his imagination, but he could have sworn to hear Eldrin Reach whispering nearby, and began to stir in an effort to look for her. He found nothing but the dark forest, the Sith warrior who had him on the ropes, and his weapons which lay nearby. His thought flitted back through time, towards his family, towards the twin that may be left alone after such a tragic turn of events. He thought of his sister as the Sith spoke of her, twisted to the power of the Darkness and unable to see the light as anything more than weakness. At that moment, all pride or honor swept from his mind and he was left with pure survival instincts.

This... is not my end. I REFUSE! I will not fall!

He felt the slightest tingling of a hand being pressed onto his shoulder and was filled with a renewed vigor to finish the fight. In truth, he was simply using the Force as a practitioner might, allowing it to guide him... but in his mind, he truly believed he had gained power where power always had been. For the first time in his life, the Light Side guided his actions completely, his eyes closing for a moment as his concentration surrounded the Sith's lightsaber, which now sat at his hip. Darting upwards, his eyes opening and reflecting amber crackling energy from within, he drew the saber as the lightning came crashing forth once more, angling it so that the weapon would reflect the deadly bolts back across the helm of the Sith who attacked him.

"Taste defeat at the hands or your own twisted machinations, monster!"

The Sith would be hard pressed to simply block his own lightning, but even if he did the lightsaber was close enough to carve through the Sith in a single motion. If it did anything, ANYTHING but stand down and surrender, Horus would not hesitate. He would not repeat the mistake he made earlier, remembering a lesson taught to him not by a Jedi but by his late Father. A Sith, no matter how injured, no matter how innocent in appearance, was a living weapon much like a Jedi. With the Force at their command, even the most fatal of wounds may not stop them in their efforts to end you. He had been too merciful in his first attempts, giving the enemy clear leeway to attack where his guard should have been. Continuing to push back and angle the blade, he made sure it was almost at his opponent's neck by the time the lightning faded. The Saber was harder to hold that his sword, and he could feel the kyber within - illusion or not - fight him in his movements. But still, he stood firm.

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

“Trust in Force, trust in the Force.” She whispered beside Horus Tempest. Fingers laced with his, a hand pressed to his forehead, the Jedi Master tried her best to maintain his strength. She knew he was still fighting the dark illusion he came to face. His gritting teeth, twitching hand. But Leah knew the Force. She knew it would not induce the young man into a vision if only to kill him then and there. The shrine was neither brimming with dark side energies, so whatever Horus faced, it was not the product of purely the Dark Side. The Force wanted to show him something. What it was, she could not tell. She only hoped Horus could muster the spirit and mettle needed to persevere. As any Jedi should.

The Sith unleashed the next wave of lightning. Terrible and cruel, they aimed to turn the young man into a heap of ash and embers. Before they could see it through, the Sith was caught by surprise. Shocked, in mind and body, their own attack was rebounded. Lightning sank into their armor, skin and coursed through their blood. As a final strike, as the attack aimed to kill, the Sith was immediately forced to their knees. Drained, exhausted, defeated. Horus prevailed. With the burning lightsaber in his hand, pressed toward the illusion’s throat, he won. But the vision was not over yet. What the Force wanted to show him was not the taste of victory. No, something else was afoot.

Gasping for air, the Sith spat. “You cannot defeat me. You cannot escape the Dark Side. It will always be there, breathing down your neck. I will always be there.” The threat was dark and ominous. Before the aspiring Jedi could even ask further or coax a surrender, the Sith would leap toward Horus. A hidden knife glinted in their hand. Aimed to pierce his throat, the young man would be hard pressed to escape the attack from such a close proximity. Not without using the blade in his hand. Not without striking down his enemy. Because, truly, the Sith was relentless. Nobody and nothing could free him from the grip of the Dark Side save for death. It was time to go home.

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

"Darkness is but an illusion created by the voids in between the Light. You will not be there. You too are but an illusion, and you will pass as all things do."

Horus was unshaken in his resolve, unwavering in his convictions that killing was wrong, but much to his surprise, the Sith lunged forward regardless, attempting to stab him with a knife. Apparently, the apparition had forgotten where Horus had placed the blade of its lightsaber - against the throat - and before the Vahla could even bother moving to defend himself managed to slice its own neck. It drove forward and onto the blade, being sliced clean away, and the knife would never hit it's mark even as the Vahla recoiled out of instinct alone. His blade pushed forward, until the head was clean off the body, and would topple to the ground with a thud. A sickening, revolting feeling emanated from his gut as a response to the bloodletting, and he dropped the blade to the ground, which hissed shut even before it reached its owner's body. That had not been right, but perhaps it had been necessary.

"Ashla forgive me. May your soul find it's way to the halls of your fathers, Sith."

He rose completely, shaking off the snow from his lower garments and turning to walk away. The creature had been fanatical in it's beliefs, which concerned Horus. Was this what all Sith became? Was there no hope for his sister? Surely, there was hope for him, as he would not succumb to the Darkness, not now, not ever. He did not fear the Darkness, he did not revile the Darkness, he recognized it within him and sought to live with it. Nothing is without an opposite, nothing is without emotion, nothing is without sin. The Dark Side had no sway over him, however, for he was a Jedi, now and always. Whether this was considered a success or not, he had given himself to the Light completely and stood naked in spirit before it's judgment. Was this his test, to slay a dark sider? And what a test it had been, and so it was finished. Horus would not forget this day anytime soon, and though it had been but an illusion, the lightning had still damaged him to the point of developing a limp.

"It is done. Release me, return me to my former place."

He spoke to nobody in particular, perhaps even to the Force itself. Even he did not truly know.

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

The head fell from the Sith’s shoulders. Their helmet, their mask and cowl, rolled across the snowy ground. Around the young man, flakes of snow came to a pause. Grains of white stopped mid-air. The Force was in flux. As the head of the Sith came to a halt, the mask unexpectedly burst. Smoke billowed out. As it vanished into the cold air, Horus would see the face of his enemy: himself. Under the mask, for the whole brief duel, the Jedi Padawan was fighting himself.

At least, his own dark apparition. Again, the words of the Sith would echo in his head: your greatest fear, your worst nightmare. On the ground and even inactive, the lightsaber hissed, a thousand voices of the Dark Side crying out for him. Demanding he join them. To join his poor sister. To take on the blade once more and wreck havoc against his enemies, even the Empire. The Dark Side promised to give him everything, and much more.

But before an answer could be given, the vision dissipated. Mist engulfed his surroundings. The trees turned to dust and the snow melted away. In the blink of an eye, Horus would be transported back to the meditation chambers, conscious and awake and on the floor. Above him, Leah would watch, relieved to see him return. A beacon of Light, she tried to rouse him back up. “Welcome back.” She smiled softly. Whatever he saw, she had little clue. Neither would she push on the subject. That would be left to him and him alone, unless he was willing to reveal his mysterious encounter to the unknowing woman.

Either way, Leah was more than content. He proved to be a fitting Jedi by the first minute of his trial. His connection with the Force was likewise indisputable. She could sense it even now. His strength and potential was proven. Master Luy was lucky to have such an apprentice, and Horus was lucky to have such a master. As she pulled him back to his full height, genuinely concerned and mildly curious, she questioned, “Are you all right?”

@TheMorrigan

 

[Horus Tempest]

Horus shook off the exhaustion and waited ever so patiently for the illusion to end, but when the Sith fell, something unexpected occurred. A billow of smoke went up, and upon searching for the source, ever wary, Horus discovered it was his mask. And within, something he could never expect. It looked exactly like him, scar on the cheek and all. Was this some sort of twisted revelation, what he would have become if he had turned with his sister, or perhaps a vision of what he would become had he fallen in recent times. Suddenly, voices screamed in his mind to give in, to know the 'immense' power of the Dark Side and join his sister in absolution. But Horus did not obey, he didn't even want to listen, and as he prepared to scream out in response the vision became nothing at all. His eyes were wide and open once again, and he was in the chamber he had set to begin the trial. Above him, unlinking hands was Eldrin Reach. She looked slightly concerned, but the smile she offered was enough to say she had not lost faith.

"It's good to be back..."

He began to rise, being pulled upwards by the Jedi Master. He could immediately feel that his wounds were not superficial, that had been actual lightning that struck him. His left leg was locked up, and when he stretched to relieve it he felt a dull pain in the very back of his ankle. It wasn't permanent, even he could tell, but he would have developed a short limp for the time being. He looked over to Eldrin Reach, then downwards slightly as she posed her question. For the first time in years, he was genuinely tempted to smoke again, the stress of the trial could not be understated. The revelation at the end likewise shook him to his core, though he now knew he could face a Sith, something he had yet to confirm. He knew he would have to before long, and now the young Vahla stood ready to so so at any point in time. A smile crossed his lips even before he replied.

"Yes. I'm alright. Just shaken, I did not expect that to be so vivid. Now I know. I have been delivered a warning... I must not fall. I must not fail."

@Deviant

 

[Leah Reach]

“And you won’t. I will always be here to help— from one Jedi to another.” She offered a bright, comforting smile. Leah was every bit proud of the young man. Even if he was not her own student, even if he belonged to Master Luy, she was happy to know there were others truly looking to grow not only in the Force but as members of the restored Jedi Order. She could sense great potential in Horus, not merely in his connection but his determination. Raw strength could only be controlled through sheer will. For the young man settled beside her? She was, without a doubt, certain he could do it. If he was able to endure a vision powerful enough to expel even the Jedi Master, he was more than a Padawan, but a Jedi Knight. Shining.

One arm weaved under his, Leah lead him outside the meditation chambers. The Force ebbed and flowed around them, sinking back into the walls, a sign that his trials were over. However, a voice, so faint she could have easily ignored it, whispered behind her shoulder. “You cannot escape the Dark Side.” A shudder climbed her back. The Jedi Master glanced back to find the source of the noise but saw nothing. Only the empty room, now dark. Whether it was talking to Horus or to her, she couldn’t say for certain. She wouldn’t dwell on it. With wary eyes, she turned away and left the room. The door slid to a close. While the trial was behind them, what Horus experienced would stay with him from then on.

Leah led him farther from the chambers. “Come on,” she said, beckoning him on. “I’m sure your Master is waiting.”

End Thread.​