Padmé heard a knock on her door. Her face torn white at the realization that whoever it was outside her door would discover the little arrangement she had done to her communication devise. She shook her head and immediately fixed her comm link back to how it was before she had changed the connection in order of being able to communicate with Anakin. Once sure that her comm. link was back to how it originally was, she stood in the middle of her room.

"Come in", Padmé said trying to hide the fear in her voice. The door to her room opened revealing Sadicous. His eyes were even colder, as if he knew that something was going on in there. Somehow Padmé kept her cool and tilted her head a little. "How can I help you?", she asked.

Sadicous never answered. He raised his hand and blue light bolts emerged from his fingers. Their target: Padmé. The powerful shocks surged through her, forcing her to drop on her knees. Wave after wave of pain traveled through her body, making her squirm in agony. She tried to cry out to find a little relief but her vocal cords wouldn't work, so her mouth just hang open as a way of expressing her pain.

Padmé started to feel as light as a feather, she felt as if part of her was leaving her body. The dizziness increased to a point where she didn't know if she was awake or unconscious. Her stomach turned over and over again until there was nothing left to do but throw up.

Sadicous ended Padmé's agony and fixed his robes. "Welcome to the order". Padmé couldn't take the pain and dizziness around her anymore and passed out.

*

Something soft was brushing her face. With a lot of effort and courage, Padmé opened her eyes and saw somebody kneeling next to her. It was Cruelius, the same young man that had received her when she arrived to the sect. The fact that he was part of the cruel sect and still he would help her surprised Padmé. Maybe there was still some hope left for the young man.

Padmé and Cruelius locked gazes and stared at each other for a while. When seeing she couldn't utter a word, Cruelius gave her a ghost of a smile and continued cleaning her face.

"It's part of the initiation process… torture", he explained. "you are stronger than we all thought, most of us had some telltale marks, like my scar. You are intact", he said, a glimpse of awe in his voice.

Padmé was thankful for her strength, she didn't want anything to remind her of the mission. She opened her dry mouth and blinked a couple of times. "Th… thank you", she whispered. Cruelius reached for the inside of his cloak and grabbed a bottle he had there. He opened the cap and brought the bottle to Padmé's mouth. She drank thirstily of the refreshing water until there was nothing left.

"Let me help you to your bed, you need some rest", he said standing on one knee. Cruelius reached for Padmé's hand and helped her up. Unable to stay on her feet by her own, she placed her arm around Cruelius shoulders. Slowly they made their way to Padmé's bed, where Cruelius left her and covered her with a blanket.

"Why are you being so nice to me?", she asked confused. Not that she mind he was helping her, but she was curious to know the intentions behind Cruelius' actions. He cleared his throat and fixed his robes, obviously nervous.

"I… I was just walking by your door and saw it open. When I looked inside you were lying on the floor unconscious", he replied.

"You haven't answered my question", Padmé said smiling, not wanting to sound too hard. Cruelius smiled and lowered his head, slightly shaking it.

"Well… when I first joined the sect nobody helped when they tortured me, and I felt lonely. Life in the sect is very hard and sometimes you need someone you can rely on. Nobody has ever wanted to form a bond between someone else, apparently because it weakens you. But I don't believe that. We are all human here, and we aren't strong enough to survive on our own".

Padmé was, to say the least, shocked with his words. She could tell that underneath the cold man that had greeted her was a good person.

"What's your name? I know it's not Cruelius…", she asked. The young man looked away, apparently embarrassed. "It's okay, you can trust me". Her words crushed the wall around his heart and he finally found the courage to look at her.

"My name is Skyu", he confessed, barely above a whisper. //Skyus. Sky. Skywalker//. Padmé shut down her thought and smiled sadly at Skyus.

"That's a beautiful name", she commented. The young man smiled at her and Padmé grabbed his hand. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of me". Skyus lightly squeezed her hand.

"You are welcome".

*

Some time later…

After a month of being with the sect, Padmé began to feel different. Every day she had to fight against her own will to let go and embrace darkness, like she once had done. It got worst with each hour that passed. She had to find something to hold on to avoid the inevitable fall that she would suffer if she wasn't strong enough to stand. Maybe instead of something to hold on she needed someone.

Seth.