Control The Uncontrollable // The Acolyte

8. Jedi Council

"You have been writing more, have you?" Wise Master Yoda shimmed.

You nodded. It was difficult feeling comfortable in these crowds. Answering any questions to 12 Jedi Masters was one thing, the harder challenge was the fact that you wanted to please all of them - which was an impossible task. Couple meters behind you stood Master Sol. It was clear by the look of it, that he had been speaking to them first. You struggled to understand why you stood here, as it was not normal procedure for someone at your level to be speaking to the full council. Not only just a full council, you had extra people in the audience, spotting master Vernestra Rhow in the corner from them too.

"Read for me, will you?" Yoda asked.

Suddenly you were just like a child, a padawan, looking back at Master Sol for his approval. He gave you a nod to continue. Sol had always applauded your writing, saying it was like the force wrote through you. Too mature for your age. It was not the first time reading in front of Master Yoda and some of the other masters either, but it was the first time reading in front of a full council. You swallowed low as you picked up a book from your bag, going to one of your last pages.

"Peace is a clear mind. Peace is a pure body. Peace is the way of the Jedi, or so we are taught. Still I question what true peace is. Peace is stability, but is a clear mind sustainable to keep? If peace is light, then why does it disappear so easily? If the light isn't stable, could the darkness be? The darkness is always there, it never leaves," You read from the book slowly, before you closed it and looked up at the masters. You sensed the silence in the room. You placed the book back in your bag.

"Do you embrace the darkness?" Master Stellan Gios suddenly questioned.

You pressed your lips. You understood what his question implied, and you were not going to feed into it.

"I do not," You answered, truthfully.

"Then why display such kindness to cruelty?" He asked.

You smiled weakly, lifted your hand out, symbolizing that you were asking for permission to step forward, which Master Yoda granted you.

"Master, what do you see when you close your eyes?" You asked, lifting your hand, covering your eyes to display the emotion. You watched as all the masters thought to themselves over your rhetorical question.

"You see darkness, but you may see more, depending on you. Depending upon what power you give the darkness. It's what creates dreams... Nightmares... The darkness will be what you feed it." You explained, slowly walking over to Master Gios, standing right in front of him.

"If you believe darkness to be cruelty, then yes of course it will be cruel to you," You stated, before you walked over to the middle of the floor standing in front of Master Yoda.

A calmness sank over you, as your eyes rested on Grand Master Yoda's. Since you were little, he had been asking for your writing, and you shared it with him, without fear. It was first when you had become a teenager you had started to understand that perhaps the stories you shared with him were controversial. They were not very Jedi of you, but Master Yoda didn't silence you, nor did Sol the few times you shared it with him. Master Yoda believed that it was more than one way of being a Jedi, and you agreed. It was after what made you become knighted.

"But if you do not fear the darkness, it won't fear or consume you," You said.

A smile appeared on Yoda's face as he welcomed you to stand back with your former Master Sol. You walked towards him, holding your hands to the front. You could sense he was pleased with you sharing your thoughts. You shielded yourself a lot, and Sol's only true window into your life was often through your writing. You gave him a little smile, as the council began to argue in front of themselves. They then invited the two of you to stand in front of them.

"You invited a stranger to Coruscant we heard?" Master Xo Lahru.

"We believe he is essential to identify the Dathormantions," You answered calmly.

They looked at each other, before Yoda stood up.

"You shall protect this on your journey, you shall" Yoda said.

Yoda opened up his hand, and inside were the relic. You looked up at your former Master in confusion. He should be tasked to guard this as your superior, but your master simply smiled at you. He must have sensed it was a higher purpose of you receiving this task. Yoda began to move the relic through the air with the force, waiting for you to open your hands to receive it. You swallowed low as you opened both your hands, as Yoda placed it in your care.

The relic looked like half a hexagon. It was decorated in golden frames from corner to corner, with it's glass being darker than the darkest colors of your dreams. It felt good, holding this in your hand. It felt right. You laid a hand over it, feeling the warmth. Yes, you were supposed to have this relic. You and your former Master bowed for the council as you were allowed to leave. You and your master walked together to your chambers, standing outside the door.

"You look calmer," He commented.

"I am," You answered looking down at the relic in your hand. You opened the door.

"Hide it, and hide it well," He warned you.

With a glimt in your eye you gave him a little nod as you closed the door.

You would hide it in the darkest place you knew.