Behind The Mask

Well, I have a bit of a hassle with this and my Fire Emblem story, but now I write one chapter at a time for them. Unfortunately, since these will be long stories, this may take a while.

Chapter Three: A Duel And Names

The following two months within the Order were both painful and wonderful, a nirvana for the boy.

In the mornings, he was training, along with the others, with Master Zhar in the ways of the Force. This was wonderful, as the master learned that the boy was a natural. He was right alongside Selena in levitating, and was one of the brightest in the class.

Master Dorak taught history, and the boy loved that too. However, ever since his first class, Dorak seemed cautious, treating him as a delicate glass flower. It was infuriating.

After that, it would be two hours of free time, so the students could pursue activities at their leisure. However, the duelling grounds were off-limits, at least until Master Tsorak returned from a mission in the Core.

The boy quickly formed a bond, a very strong one, with Selena. She and he would spend the time together, talking about studies, futures, past. Selena, it turned out, was born on a jungle planet, although he had no idea which. She told him of her father, bravely fighting off waves of cannoks with one hand, or her mother, wrestling a drexl to save the baby girl.

As well, he had started to gain reputation with the other students. He was whispered of, talked about, and soon all the ones who disliked stopped doing so in a very active way. Except for one.

The tall boy with tattoos was called Alek, but his last name was unheard. Alek seemed to hate the boy vigorously, tripping him, mocking him, gripping his fists whenever the boy came near.

However, life was good.

On the anniversary of his two month coming to the Academy, Vandar himself visited the boy's quarters. The boy answered quickly, all dressed up, very dashing, he thought to himself.

"Master Vandar! An honour!" The boy said, stopping just short of a little salute.

Vandar waved his hand. 'I merely wished to congratulate you. Two months in the Academy, and I hear nothing but praise."

The boy smiled. "Really, it's nothing."

"However, there was something else I wished to tell you." Vandar said, walking into the boy's room.

"In one day, Master Kavar will come to the Academy to start up the Duelling Grounds. However, when I told him of you, he was interested, yes, very interested." Vandar said.

"He wishes for you to meet him first, and he will begin to meld you into a great swordsman. He believes you have unlimited potential."

The boy's head began spinning. Another Jedi Master interested in him? It was beginning to get very irritating.

However, he kept his head, and nodded. "It is an honour to train with this Master. Thank you."

It seems that Kavar was known well. No sooner than when they all sat down for Master Zhar's talks did rumours begin to travel of the swashbuckling Kavar and his achievements. The only one who refrained from this was Selena, who, as custom, was sitting at the back.

The boy moved to Selena, again a custom, and he immediately opened his mouth to speak.

She instead lifted a finger. The boy was puzzled, but he let her speak. She breathed heavily.

"I have something to say…" However, Master Zhar had begun to speak. Selena bit her lip, then made a wait and see gesture.

Zhar drew himself up. "As a Jedi, there are risks. And one of the greatest of risks is the chance that someone may enter your mind. In this day and age, the off chances that it will happen are slim. Still, you must be vigilant."

Zhar began to pace between the rows. "Partner up!"
The boy turned to Selena, a grin on his face, but Zhar spoke up. "Sorry, boy. Selena, you may go where you like in the Academy."

Selena nodded, and amidst the boy's confusion he saw a flicker of mourn on her features. But she left too soon to tell.

Zhar smiled. "Now, you will partner up with… Alek!" A pit in the boy's stomach grew cold as Zhar led him to the tattooed boy.

Soon, they sat down across from each other. Alek stared daggers into the boy, while he merely glared.

Zhar raised a hand. "The partner with the name alphabetically first will be the first to attempt to enter the other's mind."

Alek smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry, you have no name. That means I go first." He had a hard voice.

Zhar continued, this time with a voice like steel. "I will be monitoring the mind as well. If I see any messing within the greatest of sanctuaries, you will be sent to the farms of this planet to forever farm the barq."

Alek glazed his eyes over. The boy tensed himself for the attack…

"Go." Zhar said.

Suddenly, the boy was barraged with flickering thoughts, feeling not his own. He erected a barricade, but suddenly he was overthrown faster than you could say "Jedi." He feared he might just fly away from life, into the ether…

"ENOUGH!" Zhar roared. Alek retreated back to his mind, while the boy was reeling from the shock. Now, he realized that he was standing on his head while his legs were crossed. Alek laughed raucously while the others giggled.

With great huffing the boy sat down again, while Zhar paced over like a wolf.

Alek suddenly stopped laughing as Zhar eyeballed him. "I told you no messing about. I will…"

Alek lifted up his hands in protest. "I barely did anything! It was a pushover getting to his mind!"

The boy lifted his mouth open. "Hey! I put up a strong resistance!"
"Liar! It was too easy!"

"Watch where you're stepping, you might just slip!"

"I might just…"

"STOP!" Zhar yelled in fury. They both stopped. "Both of you, to the side!"

Later that night, the boy flung himself to his bed. It was a bad day. Zhar made him and Alek stay in confined rooms to spend the rest of the day, and that killed chances to spend a day with Selena.

Alek was now an open target, and the boy's anger would soon blossom into sweet revenge.

The boy turned over on the mattress.

Suddenly, there came a knocking on the door. Blearily, he sat up, and walked to the door. He banged his hand on the wall, and the metal slid up.

It was Alek.

The boy gaped, then immediately raised a hand for the close. However, a hand was raised instead for him to stop.

"You have one minute." The boy said, already fingering the close button.

"Listen," Alek drawled, "I don't like you, and you don't like me. In my culture, we solve that with a duel. The Duel of Blades."

They both stole into the duelling grounds, as thieves in a temple.

The now stood face to face in a duelling pit, each with a blade.

Alek explained the rules. "The one who can knock the blade away first wins. Any Force usage is immediately disqualified."

The boy nodded, and then examined his blade. It was sharp, but a bit dull. He smiled. "Prepare to be humiliated?"

Alek retorted back, "I will murder you!" He then swung unexpectedly, lashing out with the blade.

The boy saw it in slow motion, and he sidestepped it. As the blade flew to his left, he brought his sword down hard on Alek's. Alek fell over, his blade pulling him into sand.

Alek spit out the grains and stared at the boy. The boy smiled. "What, tired already? Want a lolly?"

Alek roared and leaped up, throwing his sword up in an uppercut. It was met with a clang, and the blades were locked, and the faces were brought close. Alek was scrunched up in effort, but the boy's was laughing. "Is this a joke?" The boy grinned, rolling away from the lock.

Alek ran forward, slashing in whatever way, but he couldn't hit the infuriating boy.

The boy stepped away, bringing his hand up to his face in a come on gesture.

Alek screamed, bringing his sword down in mighty strokes. They were all blocked casually by the boy.

Alek was incredibly frustrated, but the boy still was utterly calm. To him, everything except his tongue and blade were in slow-motion, and he saw all in instants.

Every blow from Alek, parried. Every slash from the boy, barely missed.

Finally, growing tired from this, smacked his blade against Alek's wrist sharply. Alek cried out in pain as he dropped the sword.

Alek only realized too late what he had done.

Clapping was heard, and both turned around. Leaned against the far wall was a man in brown robes, with a young face.

Alek instantly bowed. "Master Kavar!" He exclaimed bowing nice and low.

Kavar smiled. "Impressive display, boys."

The boy smiled, and then noticed who was with Kavar. Selena was standing beside him, nervously staring into his face.

Kavar stood up, and then he walked to the boy. "You know, that reminds me of a story I head about duelling. There was once a general that fought enemies one to one, and he treated every duel as a joke. For that, his name was derived from a god of trickery. He was known as the Revanchist."

The boy murmured that. "Revanchist?"

Kavar laughed. "Like the name? Actually, since you have no name, I might as well call you that!" He laughed merrily.

The boy lit up his features. "I look forward to your teachings."

Kavar stopped smiling. "Actually, you might need to wait longer. I was called away for an urgent mission. Besides, I must drop my Padawan at the Academy on Coruscant to take advanced studies."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Who is your Padawan?"

Selena suddenly spoke up. "Actually, I was going to tell you that… I am Kavar's Padawan. I am going to leave the Academy… forever."

Sorry if you found error, I just have two big stories and a book to work on, so I'm working a chapter a time. So, yeah, my writing has been off today.