Darkness At Dawn • Kylo Ren [1]

Ⅺ

"A lot can happen in two months. Love, hate, life, death...anything."

∫

"I come from the planet Shili." The young Togruta padawan spoke. "I have studied the ways of the force since Master Skywalker took me from my home planet and brought me here. I've been taught that attachments can blind us but every now and then I will send a hologram to my parents. I am sixteen, the youngest in my class to make it to our first trial."

Elara, who sat cross-legged beside the padawan replied with a full heart. "We teach you to not have attachments because it can put the people you love and yourself in danger. We are peacekeepers, in ways we encourage you to love but having strong attachments can be dangerous."

A deep breath escaped the new padawan's lips. "It's very difficult to try and forget your parents."

"Cybele." Elara reached out to her. "We do not want you to forget your parents."

"I know Master Jane, that's why I have this self-hatred for myself because I know that that's not what Master Skywalker wants but it is what I think." Cybele responded softly.

"One of the many steps to becoming a Jedi Knight is acceptance in things we cannot control, like our thoughts. It was smart of you to come to me so we could reflect on your feelings." Elara told her padawan.

Cybele Tenebris sighed in relief. "So I haven't been having dark thoughts?"

"No young one, just questions that have brought great confusion over you." Elara stood up. "Meditate on the words I have spoken and then tomorrow, when we take up training once more we can talk."

"Thank you Master." Cybele excused herself from Elara's headquarters and went to find her fellow acquaintances.

As Elara watched her padawan run down the corridor and disappear behind a corner, she tiredly slumped against her wall. It wasn't unusual for Cybele to come to her with questions but Elara loved answering them. She felt wise and useful. Since all of Luke's oldest padawan's received padawan's of their own to train, it came clear to her how little she would see her friends. Her own false assumptions made her think she would barely see Ben but he was always right beside her, training his own mishap padawan.

"You look tired." Ben knocked on her door, his dark hair pulled back into a bun.

She looked up at him lazily. "Master Skywalker dealt with eight of us and I can't even keep up with one...I feel old."

"You're only twenty-five brown eyes." He stepped in, sliding down the wall to sit beside her. "And a little over dramatic."

"Shut up Solo." She groaned. "How's training going with you?"

Ben shrugged. "Kentaro is a bit of a dumbass."

Elara couldn't help the snort that escaped her mouth. "What did he do this time?"

"He's just super cocky."

"Sounds like you have a twin." Elara teased.

Ben rolled his eyes, a sudden still and pained look on his face. "I've got to go..." The sudden coldness in his tone caused Elara to cringe.

Elara turned her head to face his. "I thought we were going to go watch the sundown on the roof?"

"Another time." He promised.

"Ben this is the seventh time since we got our padawan's two months ago." Elara glared at him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." He guaranteed, kissing her forehead. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She closed her eyes when his lips made contact with her forehead. "Can you at least tell me where you are going?"

"Uh-," He stuttered. "Kentaro wants to learn how to ride a speeder." And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The worst part was that she didn't believe him.

∫

To keep herself calm, Elara slipped into the back of a lesson Luke was teaching to the new recruits of younglings. All of them were highly uncoordinated and clumsy which brought soft glee to her emotions. Luke spent countless hours teaching them balance and patience, only to be rewarded by a few selected whom could push past their childish instinct and focus on what was ahead. A young Quarren showed the most promise as he lifted up his leg and balanced himself with the energy of the force. Luke noticed this as well, smiling proudly at his student.

A small Bimm came up to Elara and tugged at her robe. "Did you come to watch us Master Jane?"

"That I have." She walked over to Luke.

"Have you come to complain about your new padawan learner?" Luke questioned, using a careful tone.

The younglings all giggled, creating a perfect harmony.

"I'm not your nephew." Elara replied, smiling along with the younglings. "But his presence seems to be lacking."

"With his padawan or with you?" Luke didn't want to embarrass her but he had to ask.

Elara bit her lip. "Perhaps it is just my paranoia speaking but he disappears whenever he pleases."

"Master Solo is an adult." Luke said, blinded by his own stubbornness. "Don't let your feelings get in the way of him training a padawan learner."

Elara's face went red but she nodded. "Thank you for your time Master. Goodbye younglings."

"Goodbye Master Jane."

Perhaps it was just her paranoia but Elara still felt something was deeply wrong with Ben. She didn't think it was the death of Juno O'maramoon that sparked his sudden absences out of nowhere, everyone had recovered smoothly from that tragic incident, including Lennox Hart. He was always looking into her mind but she could never access his, especially now. Ben couldn't be that obsessed with training someone he didn't like very much.

"Elara!" Vega's sweet voice called out from behind her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks and turn around.

"When did you get back?" Elara immediately embraced her friend.

Vega, Dez and their padawan's, Pai Kino and Luca Fitz had been sent to the outer rim territories two weeks ago, returning just now. Elara's excitement bubbled down when she saw Ben's padawan chatting up a storm with Pai and Luca. A wave of darkness hit her like a strong ocean wave and she clenched her fists, digging her nails into her skin.

"It was great! Dez almost got eaten alive by a-" Vega paused. "What is it?"

"Kentaro Chi-Ling." Elara summoned, causing the young boy to look up in terror.

"Yes?" He gulped.

"When was the last time you saw Master Solo?" She demanded.

"About three hours ago." He responded, unsure why Elara was yelling at him.

"I see." She nodded, turning her face away from her friends and their padawan's. "Sorry for my aggression."

"Elara what happened?" Dez's face was serious, concerned, every emotion he shouldn't display in front of his padawan's.

"He lied."