I scarcely moved out of the way of the silver beam of light that came lunging down to slit me down the middle. I barely had time to activate my lightsaber before having to leap away again. When I blocked another blow the vigor of the swing forced me back a few steps. I had never seen someone fight so intensely, with such little effort. Every time I tried to lock his blade down, he'd counter me and knock me away. I'm going to die. The thought filled my mind, distracting me.
"Yes." Oneida said as he continued his assault. "Your fear makes you vulnerable. You will die here. You will die."
The word struck me the same time Oneida's lightsaber forced mine out of my hand and halfway across the room. I stood there, gasping from fatigue. I called upon the Force to help me but couldn't focus. I was overwhelmed. I was defeated.
"It is time to die, Jedi." Oneida smiled and walked over to me. I looked at him. Not yet. I touched to Force only slightly this time and it poured into me like a waterfall into a cup. I had an idea. As Oneida stood over me, he raised his blade for the final blow. While he prepared himself it scanned his body with Force sight to find his weakest point. Just as I thought, it was his left leg.
"Nothing to say before the end?"
"Actually yes. Enjoy you're trip." I thrust my hand out and beckoned Grays sash to rap itself around Oneida. Oneida's only reaction was a cocked eyebrow. I grabbed the sash by the knot and pulled. Oneida yelped as he fell back, flinging his light saber into the air. I caught it and pointed it at the falling Sith.
"Do it. Kill me you fool because if you don't I will-" I untied the sash from his leg and rapped it around his mouth.
"Quiet you." I looked over to my tied up friends. The morning light was shinning on them now and they looked like a couple of kids that fell asleep while playing space pirates. I tossed Oneida's light saber over to them and it cut the robes in one graceful slash. They woke up as soon as the ropes fell from them.
"It's about time. We had to wait all night for you." Gray stood and grabbed his sash from Oneida. James was pulling on his outer robes.
"That was a nice nap though."
"What? Wait, Oneida said tha-"
"If you'd have taken any longer, I would have broken the ropes my self." Gray checked his utility belt and looked at me. "Ready for the next trial?"
"Hold on! What is going on?"
"I believe I should answer that." Oneida said as he stood. I summoned my lightsaber from the other side of the room and prepared to take him down. He dusted himself off and looked at me from behind his tattered blindfold and laughed. "Calm down Rish. I am no more a sith lord then Master Arn or Ters."
"Huh?"
"It was another trial dunce." Gray said.
"Master Oneida was your Trial of Courage." James added. I looked at them all and deactivated my saber. Master Oneida's lightsaber hilt and cane came floating to him and combined to form his cane. "Shall we move on?"
Trial of Skill
We exited the council chamber and walked out of the academy. Master Oneida led the three of us into the forest. We walked until the trees blocked most of the sunlight. It was mid afternoon by the time we stopped. "Now my young friends, each of you must choose a path. Each path will lead to a mirror that is pressed into the biggest tree in the forest. There you will see your worth. Any questions?" Master Oneida smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I-" "Good, now lets get started." Master Oneida bowed to us and vanished. "Ok I'm concerned." James said. "Why? All we have to do is look in a mirror." I said. "That Mirror shows you what is on the inside. This is where most Padawan fail. This is the test of a Jedi's ability to see what they are, they truly are." James and I stared at Gray. "Ok, thanks for that. I'll see you guys at the big tree of glass and silver." James began to walk down a trail. "James, wait." Gray started after him but before he could get close enough, James disappeared into a wall of vines. Gray looked at me and scowled. "What? It's not my fault." "Shut up, I'm not angry at you. Something isn't sitting right." "Yeah, well while you try to figure that out I'm going to just-" Gray turned away from me and started to walk down another path. Just as with James, Gray vanished behind a wall of vines.I looked around my surroundings and a chill went up my spin. Since when was the forest so…Dark? I looked to the path that was still available and began to it. As I walked past the threshold, the vines above the path fell in to cover the pathway.
There was no sun breaking through the tree tops in this section of the forest. I reach for my lightsaber to light the path no… a familiar voice whispered. Use only the Force. I let my hand fall down to my side and started down the path.
I walked for a good half hour without any trouble besides a few killer plants that tried to eat my ankles. A Condor-dragon watched me as I past. I acknowledged it through the Force and it nodded to me promising not to try and attack me. A light a few meters away caught my attention. A figure stood in the middle of the light, only the silhouette visible. I continued on the path until I was few away from the figure. It was a female, a little shorter then me. Her hair was flung haphazardly over her shoulders.
"Talra?"
The girl stepped forward to revile herself and it was indeed my sister. She smiled.
"Hi Rish! Nice to see you. I will be you trial of Skill for today. I hope you enjoy your beating."
"My Trial of skill! I thought this was the trial of the spirit?"
Talra chuckled and pulled her lightsaber from her belt. "It will be when you better me in a duel."
"Well this should be easy." I said, unlatching my saber. As I brought it out of my robes, it hit something heavy in my pocket. I reached in and pulled a second lightsaber and a piece of paper.
Dear Rish,
A gift to my new apprentice. Master Skywalker told me how much you wanted to double wield. Consider this your test. Enjoy the lightsaber.
Oneida
"You wish" Talra smirked.
