(Chapters will get longer... much longer. Stay tuned)
Teen Years and Early Adulthood: Jedi Apprentice
When I woke up again, I was staring up at a bright light and had no memory of anything prior to that moment. There were small visions, like flashes of lightning in the dark sky... but none of them seemed to mean anything. There was a battle, but I didn't know why they were fighting or whose side I was on. There was a man shouting at me but I didn't know who he was. Hundreds of images flashed before my eyes as I tried to focus on the light above me. Finally, a man came into view. I didn't recognize him. He smiled warmly at me and said that he was glad to see I was awake again. He told me that I was in a Jedi medical bay and that I had taken quite a spill during a training exercise a little while ago. When I told him I didn't remember any training exercise, he told me it was very likely for me to have memory loss with the fall that I took. He then asked if I remembered who he was. Obviously, I said I didn't. He told me he was Jedi Master Ju-Kai Cutera. He then asked if I knew who I was... I told him I only knew that my name was Ryu. He told me I was Ryu Tannaris, his apprentice. At the time, I believed him. I had lost the memory of my parents and of my time as a Sith practitioner. So I took up the role as a Jedi Apprentice, whole-heartedly believing that I was a Jedi. I had a new family and the Tannaris's were always good to me. Rynarim and Lynori were both powerful Jedi and very influential in the fight against the Sith forces. It would make sense for the two to have a child as powerful as I was. And thus, the force had given me a second life through the destruction of the first.
My time as a Jedi was extremely fruitful. My training went quickly. All it took was for me to pick up a saber once again to remember all the saber skills I had learned with the Sith. My muscles flowed through the movements out of sheer instinct. But what Ju-Kai focused more on was my abilities with the force, something that I had never truly been taught. He seemed very intent on getting me to control my emotions, more so than other Masters were with their apprentices. It struck me as odd then but now I understand. He wanted to be sure I had no ties to the darkside, not even my emotions would be turning me against them.
I advanced to Knighthood quickly, earlier than many of the other Jedi that had been apprenticing with me. I was the prodigal Jedi and I truly believe that the Tannaris's were proud of me. I was the closest thing they had to a son and as such, they were overwhelmed with pride. Soon, Ju-Kai and I were being put out on the frontlines of the war with the Sith. That was where I found glory. I was an unstoppable force blazing through the ranks of the Sith Warriors. Whatever fame I had when I advanced to Knighthood at an early age was doubled as I became one of the most celebrated warriors in the effort against the Sith. Some commented that I rivaled even the masters on the council. Of course, as a Jedi trained to be humble, I didn't allow myself to believe such statements, but the attention felt great.
Soon, my master and I became the dynamic duo of the Jedi army. When we were sent into battle, soldiers fled and even supposed "Sith Lords" seemed to lose their nerve at the sight of the Master and Apprentice pair charging into battle. Many times, we were sent in as the only attack force. For instance, my master and I were sent into battle on Kato Nemoidia to take down a den of Sith soldiers. Granted, most of the soldiers were not force sensitive. They were simply followers of the Sith who had taken up arms against the Jedi. But there were several Sith Lords among them. Ju-Kai and I were sent in alone. We only had basic communication with the council and a holographic projector of the headquarters that the Sith followers were taking refuge in. Both Ju-Kai and I had found ourselves in tight spots during that raid, but one always came to bail the other out; a fact that we never allowed each other to forget. But we had come out alive and stronger than ever. Plus, the reputation boost that such a feat gave us wasn't bad either.
Despite my dedication to destroy the Sith, there were many Jedi that feared me. Looking back, perhaps they knew who I was and recognized me. Perhaps they knew that I had been a Sith Youngling. But there were other reasons for them to fear me. I was what one might call a dark Jedi. I had been trained to control my emotions, but the Sith in me always brought out that emotion when I needed it. As such, my fighting style was much more ruthless than other Jedi. When I fought, I had no problem taking a leg and then finishing off the opponent. I would take off a hand as a distraction then end the fight through decapitation. Or I would use grappling moves to subdue an opponent before ending the fight, a technique that I use even to this day. This was not the Jedi way. The Jedi would fight one on one in fair, honorable combat and when the opponent was effectively incapacitated, the fight would be over. Despite this, no one ever said anything to me. Not only were my results flawless, but everyone was too afraid that I'd kill whoever criticized me. As a result, I was given the nickname "Gray Jedi."
My time in the Jedi lasted for a long time. It wasn't until about my 25th birthday that the force once again threw my life a curveball.