The Spirit

204 ABY

K'yan Makarr had always seen the universe without eyes. His species, the Miraluka, had evolved to rely on other means to perceive the world around them. They peered beyond the mere physical realm and sensed their environment through the Force, through the energies that bound all life together. Though he didn't have organs that were receptive to light, he still perceived his environment as clearly as most other humanoid beings.

The young Jedi found himself in a field at midday, overlooking a small farming village. Curiously, he didn't remember his mission, nor how he had arrived here.

He looked down to find that his lightsaber was missing.

Quickly surveying his surroundings to make sure he wasn't being followed or watched, he set aside his alarm and confusion and checked himself for signs of injuries or bruises, finding nothing. He hadn't been attacked or mugged.

Unable to answer his questions logically, he decided to walk towards the village and collect info from the inhabitants…

Suddenly, the sky darkened. He looked up to see mist forming in the air, thickening into thunderous clouds that flashed with lightning. As K'yan watched, dumbfounded, the storm took the shape of a giant humanoid, a living, walking hurricane. It felt...wrong in the Force.

The storm giant began to advance. K'yan did not hesitate, running into the village. He had to help these people however he could.

Around him, villagers began to flee from their homes as a heavy gale heralded the approaching storm giant, all manner of objects - large and small, light and heavy - were turned into leaves in the wind as the giant ripped their village apart...

Suddenly, K'yan felt a strange absence. The world suddenly felt much more clouded and uncertain. Fear filled his mind as he realized that he couldn't feel the Force. He was, for all intents and purposes, blind.

He knew he couldn't give up, knowing that he would have to find some other way to make sense of the world around him.

Around him, he heard people screaming, objects smashing into each other in the wind…

The wind! That was it!

K'yan felt the outer gusts of the living storm against his skin, bellowing his robes. He took a few tentative steps in several directions, until he felt the wind pushing against his face and chest, trying to force him back.

Uncertain if he was clever or insane, he marched forward, fighting against the gale as he stepped closer and closer to the storm giant at its heart.

"Stop!" K'yan commanded, standing his ground, "Leave these people alone!"

The giant's laughter bellowed through the ground and sent tremors through K'yan's bones.

"Flee, tiny Jedi," the living storm spoke with a deep, vibrant voice, "And I shall spare your life."

"No," K'yan replied, "I refuse to let you go any further."

"You are blind, and weaponless," the giant responded, "You will die either way."

"I will save these people from you," K'yan declared, "Whatever it takes."

Even though every instinct in K'yan's body told him to flee, he stood his ground, fully intent on holding the giant back, even if he could only buy the villagers a few seconds.

So he refused to budge as the wind howled and the storm enveloped him.

K'yan found himself in a dark cavern. All was silent, save for the occasional drip of groundwater. The Force had returned to him, and he perceived a strange, wild energy emanating from the cave.

His confusion gave way to clarity as he remembered where he was…

"This trial is designed to reveal your innermost self," his Master, a wise woman named Yanas Illa, had explained, "What you find inside will test your spirit, your core.'

In this cavern, the Force was a dark hole wreathed in shadow. It was as if a mist clouded K'yan's senses, blinding his perceptions.

K'yan nodded. He took a deep breath.

'It's natural to be afraid, K'yan,' Illa assured him, 'But you must take that fear, and triumph over it.'

She extended her hand as she said, 'Give me your lightsaber.'

K'yan was on the verge of protesting, but contemplating what this lesson demanded of him was enough to silence his tongue. He took the lightsaber hanging on his belt – a training weapon, based on the basic sentinel hilt template – and handed it to his master.

"May the Force be with you, K'yan," Illa wished him luck.

"Thank you, Master," K'yan replied, bowing in respect.

He left her at the entrance and gently made his way down the cavernous corridor, stepping into the mist and letting it engulf him…

Once K'yan's memory returned, he perceived a new object in the Force, growing from the cavern wall. He made his way to it and recognized it for what it was.

A lightsaber crystal.

Knowing that it had manifested to him for a reason, K'yan reached out and gently removed the crystal from the wall. It felt warm in his hand.

He smiled, knowing what he would do next.

His suspicions were confirmed when he returned to the cavern's entrance and found Master Yanas waiting for him, saying, "Your trials are finished, K'yan. Only one last step remains."

K'yan made his way to the workshop and spent the next few hours selecting and retrieving whatever parts were most desirable to him, such as a crossguard beam. It was almost evening when he finished.

Once he had gathered everything he needed, Master Yanas led him to a special meditation chamber with two doors.

"One leads back into the Temple," she explained, "The other awaits you when you are finished."

Laying the parts and the crystal around him, K'yan closed his eyes and began.

Around the meditating K'yan, parts meshed and melded together in the air, forming the tool of a peacekeeper. For quite some time, he meditated, clearing his mind of all distractions and letting the Force flow through his body as he delicately assembled the lightsaber before him. A lightsaber was an intricate weapon, and any distractions or misalignments would likely lead to disaster. It required intense patience and focus, but the results were worth it.

When he was finished, K'yan opened his eyes. The young man smiled as he beheld his new creation floating in the air. With gratitude, he placed his hand around it. The hilt felt durable and sturdy, a perfect weapon for him. He ignited the lightsaber for the first time, silently basking in its soothing hum. It felt like an extension of himself.

"It's beautiful," Illa's voice caused him to turn his head. He found his mentor waiting in the doorway to the meditation chamber.

"I am proud of you," she declared, "You will be a great Jedi Knight, K'yan."
"Thank you," K'yan replied, deactivating his weapon and placing it upon his belt, "But I would be nothing without your teachings, Master."

He bowed in respect to his mentor, a gesture she repeated.
"At last, your training is complete," Illa declared, gesturing to the door as she finished, "Now, the other door awaits."

The Jedi Temple on Atarashi'ie had been carved out of a mountain. Originally built by an ancient race called the Kwa who had long since been lost to the ages, the ancient structure had found a new life as the home of the Jedi Order. Unlike the palace on Coruscant, this temple had a vibrant, naturalistic energy that permeated its architecture: the corridors were practically caves, hewn from stone and tunneling into the mountain, intersecting with natural caverns and the cliffs that dotted the side of the waterfalls. While modern necessities such as power, ventilation, and lighting had been installed, the Temple felt like a natural extension of the vibrant world upon which it was located.

K'yan made his way down the cavernous hallway to find a grove encircled by a flowing creek fed by melting icewater that flowed down the creek and gently fell down the mountainside.

The grove was illuminated by the stars and the glow of twelve lightsabers, each one wielded by a Master of the Council: a beacon that burned bright in the Force. K'yan recognized great masters such as Lowbacca, Zhann Uniah, and the council's newest member, Tau Skywalker. They all lined the edge of the chamber, facing the young soon-to-be-knight.

K'yan's expression was serene, his excitement concealed by a calm demeanor as he faced the Grand Master of the Order himself, K'Kruhk.

"Come forward," K'Kruhk instructed.

K'yan obliged, kneeling before the ancient master. K'Kruhk lowered the blade of his saber so it was just a hair shy of touching the young Jedi's shoulders.

"K'yan Makarr," the Grand Master declared, "By the right of the council, by the will of the Force, I dub you...a Jedi Knight."

"Rise," he instructed. As K'yan followed his instructions, the Jedi Masters around him raised their sabers to the sky. K'yan knew that they were beckoning him to join them.

In the center of the circle, he took his new weapon and ignited its blade, joining the chorus.

Tau Skywalker spoke the final words of the ceremony,

"Welcome to the Jedi Knights, K'yan Makarr."