Control The Uncontrollable // The Acolyte

92. Paths

The moment felt absurd.

The room hummed with quiet disbelief, the air thick with something unspoken yet palpable. Qimir stood at the center of it all, his grip still firm on the hilt of his saber. His eyes never left the glowing light, before he carefully let it dim. The crowd didn't leave, they whispered, asked questions Qimir had no way of answering. He wasn't alone anymore. He wasn't an outcast, a shadow in the periphery. For the first time, the galaxy looked at him not with fear, but with something else entirely. Something he had never dared to crave.

Acceptance.

Jedi, Council members, and other guests who must had snuck in for the special occasion , those who had once condemned him now regarded him with open curiosity, some with reverence. Others—cautious hope. And still, in all the noise, in all the shifting of tides, you remained where you stood, a deliberate step away from it all.

Beside you stood Master Sol, with a proud smile down at you, like a proud father watching over his daughter.

In the back, slowly walking out, was Master Elzar Mann.

Qimir let the moment settle, feeling the weight of their gazes, the uncertainty, the admiration, the judgment. He let them see him—truly see him—for what he was. Not a Sith. Not a Jedi. But a man who had been given a new chance. 

He inhaled sharply, grounding himself in that truth.

It was Grand Master Gios who finally cut through the reverence. With a calm yet commanding presence, he stepped forward, raising a hand. The murmurs died instantly.

"This moment," he said, voice steady, eyes moving over the gathered Jedi, "belongs to him. But the path forward is his to choose."

A pointed silence followed, then a single nod from the Grand Master. A signal. A dismissal. Slowly, the crowd began to move, hesitance lingering in their steps. They stole final glances before retreating, filing out in an uneven stream of hushed discussion and quiet wonder. Qimir exhaled out in relief that the attention was off him, or almost everyones attention were off him.

You remained.

As the doors sealed shut, the quiet between you and Qimir became a thing of its own. Heavy. Familiar. And utterly unbreakable. You walked over to him. He exhaled, tilting his head slightly, listening to the sound of your steps. And then, slowly, he turned to face you.

"You knew," he murmured.

You arched a brow, crossing your arms. "The force knew"

The corner of his lips twitched. "Always such a good student."

You scoffed. "And you're too dramatic."

He let out a breath that might have been a laugh, but it faltered midway. His gaze dipped slightly, as if searching for something in the floor, before meeting your eyes again.

"I meant what I said," he admitted, quieter now. "About you. About...everything."