Hiding

The Test Part 3

"Ezra, wake up!" The voice jerks Ezra awake and he looks up, his view now one of the insides of the temple. 

"Who's there?" He calls out groggily, rubbing the back of his head. Getting no reply, Ezra sits up, groaning. When he's finally able to think straight again, the fog in his head clearing, he smiles. "That's right! I'm still in the temple. Those were illusions!" Then, he rolls his eyes. "Of course they were illusions, you idiot." Sighing, Ezra stands up. "Were they?" He questions himself, thinking about the illusions given to him. "No, I'm in the temple. So is Kanan. Nobody else could have gotten in." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.  "They were just illusions." Suddenly, one of the stones starts to lift behind him, revealing another hallway. Ezra freezes. 

"Those may have been illusions, boy. But I assure you, I am not." Ezra starts to back away. The Inquisitor smiles, slowly walking towards Ezra. "Your master is dead, lying rotten in a forgotten tunnel. And you're the reason he's dead." Ezra shakes, mumbling.

"No, no, no, I... I didn't kill him."

"You did. Along with the rest of your crew." The Inquisitor spits out, still advancing on the boy. "You will never be but a weapon to the Empire and a killer to the rest of the galaxy." 

"No," Ezra shakes his head. "You're lying."

"A servant to death."

"No."

"Or even, one day, death himself." 

"NO!" Suddenly, the Inquisitor starts to claw at this throat as he beings to be lifted into the air. "I will never be used as a weapon again!" Ezra's eyes begin to become yellow once more. "You will not use me! I'm," The realization comes over Ezra as he freezes. "I'm not a killer." He drops his hand and he watches as the Inquisitor gasps for air, eyes fearfully looking up at the boy. "Not anymore." The Inquisitor stands up, grabbing his lightsaber from his back.

"You should have killed me, boy!" As he ignites it, Ezra sighs and closes his eyes and whispers,

"Not anymore." The Inquisitor runs at him, blades spinning. One final yell before...

silence. 

Ezra opens his eyes and the Inquisitor was no longer in the temple. Ezra chuckles tiredly as he leans against a pillar behind him and slides down it. "It really was just illusions." He closes his eyes and drops his head. "Just illusions..." 

"Yes, just illusions they were. The darkness in you I sense, but also the light, young one." 

Ezra jerks his head up, looking for the voice. Many years of studying Jedi Holocrons in secret come back to him; he recognizes the voice. "Master Yoda?"

"Know of me, you do?" 

"I do. From the Holocrons. Some of your teachings were in there."

"Ready to continue, are you, youngling?" Ezra nods.

"Yes."

"Then follow."  Ezra looks up and watches as many dots of light float away from him. He stands, captivated by the dots of light, and follows them. He jumps a little as one of the temple's door quickly slams behind him but pays no attention to it. As he is led through another hallway of the temple, he comes across another room with three hallways leading away from where he came. "Know which way to go, do you?" Ezra thinks for a second before responding. 

"I don't. Last time I just did a riddle. I was never told how to-" Before he could finish, Yoda interrupts him. 

"Tell you, someone will, hmmm? How to survive? To live?" Ezra looks over at the light, stunned.

"N-no, of course not!" He stumbles, trying to find an answer. 

"Find a way, you can. No longer a puppet, you are. No longer controlled, you are. No longer a sith, you are" Suddenly, it clicks in his head. As Ezra closes his eyes, he lifts his hand and concentrates on the area around him. As if a string was attached to his hand, he feels it pulling him forward. To the central tunnel. Opening his eyes and lowering his hand, Ezra starts to walk forwards. As he exits the hallway, the only light coming from the dots, he enters a large room with a circle inside another circle marked into the middle of the floor. He follows the lights until he is standing in the middle of the circles. As they start to emit blue light, the room darkens. Ezra drops to the ground on his knees and sits as if he was meditating. He bows his head and closes his eyes. 

"Much anger I sense in you, but much light too."

"I don't know what to do. If I can't trust myself anymore, how is the Ghost crew supposed to? How is anybody supposed to?" Ezra shakes his head, opening his eyes as he looks down at his hands. "I don't know how to not be his puppet anymore." 

"Long time, it was?" Ezra sighs. 

"Too long."

"Scared, you are?" 

"Yes."

"Of who?"

"Me."

"Why?"

"Because I was a weapon!" Ezra bursts, watching as his hands shake. "I was used to kill! I was taught nothing but what I know today! I-"

"Not true, that is. See past the lies, you have. Killed without guilt, you haven't. Too much pressure on yourself, you have. Must let go of the past, you must."

"No, I-"

"Stop it, you must. Lying, I was not. True, my words are. Believe in you, I do."  Suddenly, the room becomes a light shade of purple. Ezra looks up and watches in surprise as a purple saber crystal floats towards him. He opens his hands and the saber crystal is lightly placed in them. "Believe in you, he does. Give them hope, you do."  Ezra looks around and the room had turned normal again. 

The lights were gone. 

The only light in the room was the soft light coming from the crystal. Ezra stands as if he's on automatic and forward. The door opens and Ezra closes his hand around the crystal. Looking up, his eyes lock with Kanan's and smiles. He opens his hand and holds the crystal between two of his fingers. 

"I guess I have a saber to build."

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