Chapter two: Explanations and deliveries
"Focus fire left!"
Watch out for those supers!"
"What are you doing?!"
"...Trust...in the Force..."
"She couldn't have gone far."
"There she is. Blast her!"
Luz woke up in a cold, sweaty gasp. She looked around in a panic to see if she was under attack, only to see a dusty room with the walls covered in more strange junk. She sat on a sleeping bag with King down by her feet. Memories of yesterday's events came back that made Luz want to curl up and cry.
"So it was real..."
After learning the fate of Jedi and the Republic, Luz was a mess of emotions and uncertainty that she was unable to deal with. The thought of the Jedi being wiped out was never something a fourteen-year-old Padawan would consider. How could she with the lifestyle she's lived? She was thankful Eda was kind enough to allow the Padawan to stay at her home till she figured out what to do next. King was happy that now that they had a mighty warrior living with them. The kindness they showed improved her spirits, but her mind still held conflict to the unforeseen aftermath of the Clone Wars and the Jedi.
All the sacrifices they made to the Galaxy were now history, gone like the dust in the solar winds of time.
The only thing Luz was unsure of was what was next for her? The Padawan needed to stay out of sight till the time for this "New Hope" that Master Kenobi mentioned.
"Well, sitting here brooding isn't going to help me. It's a brand new day, and I need to go out and face it as I've done before any battle I've been in!" Luz stood and walked over to the window and opened it up. "Good morning, world. How are you today?!"
"Good morning, little girl, and I'm feeling good," said a random giant, multi-eye sea monster before it down into the ocean.
"Yikes..." Luz shutters before she closes the window.
Luz decided a shower was in Order and went to the bathroom she used yesterday. She opens the door and avoids the flying owls that had somehow were trapped inside. Walking in, she almost walked straight into Hooty, nearly giving her a heart attack and almost punching the house demon.
"Morning, Luz!"
"Hooty...please don't do that. I nearly hurt you."
"Okay, see you later," Hooty said nonchalantly and detracted his head out the window.
Luz sighed and began to do some proper hygiene. After getting cleaned up, she left feeling better and refreshed before entering the kitchen. Looking around, it was just your typical kitchen like you would find in the Outer Rim. Opening the cupboards showed all kinds of weird stuff. Luz sorted out a few things that looked edible, like some brown-spotted eggs and a jug of green substance that smelled a little sweet and had a tart taste. Finding a pan and working the stove, she cooked up some scrambled yellowish-green yokes and poured her a glass of that sweet smelly liquid. By then, King walked in.
"That smell's good," King said before he hops in one of the chairs.
"Want a plate?" Luz offered.
"Yes! Your King demands it!" The demon responded.
Luz rolled her eyes playfully and began to cook another portion of eggs.
It wasn't long before Eda come down in a plum sweater, a long, violet nightgown, and yellow bunny slippers. She wordlessly walked over to the fridge and pulled out a yellow carton with red fruit with a red droplet of blood on it. Eda poured herself a mug full and downs half of it in one go. Now more awake, she was able to smell Luz's cooking.
"Morning Eda," Luz says to the Witch.
Eda grunted. "...What's cooking?"
"Eggs, want some too?"
"Sure..."Eda groaned as she rubbed her head.
It didn't take the Jedi long before she made three plates of scrambled eggs for herself and her two new friends. The three ate in silence, but there was a slight tension in the air, with only King being the only one not noticing as he ate the scrambled eggs with hardy intent. Eda being the one to break the silence.
"So...Kid. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" She asked.
"Huh?"
Luz looked a bit surprised. Eda continues with a nod. "Yeah, you helped us out yesterday, and we hardly know much about you?"
"Yeah!" King joined in and sprayed food from his mouth as he talked. "You had those Prison Guards down at your feet within moments! How did you become such a mighty warrior?" King looked at the Jedi in awe.
"I've also heard you say a few terms I'm unfamiliar with, such as 'Jedi,' and this 'Force.'" Eda quoted with her fingers. "Along with what the guy said from that cube of yours."
Luz set her fork down and thought about yesterday's events. It was a swing set of a battle of emotions from the news she was given. "Well, my story is a long one. What do you want to know?"
"How about you start with what is a Jedi? I've been to the Human realm plenty of times, and I've never heard or seen anything a human do like what you did yesterday."
Luz tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you keep referring to where I come from a single world? There are hundreds of thousands of worlds out there with hundreds of different aliens populating them!"
This though Eda and King for a loop.
"Eda, I'm confused."
"So am I, King."
Eda stuck her hand in her hair and pulled out the strange key that summoned the door that sent her to the Isles. "Something's wrong here." She said worriedly as she closely examines the old door key. King hoped on the table and walked over to Eda and examined the key.
"What's wrong with it?" King asked.
"The eye is the problem. Look inside its irises." Eda held up the key to show them. The brown key with a large, yellow, slit eye. Only this time, the yellow eye had a blue outer hue to it that slowly flashed every few seconds.
"What happened to it?"
"I don't know, but it can't be good."
Luz looked at the old key. "This is what you've been using to go to another world, right?"
"Yep, been using it for years. Never has it done this before." Eda rubbed her chin in thought. Then she snapped her fingers as if she figures it out. "I got it! Didn't think it could do that."
King and Luz tried to pay attention with not a clue of what the Witch was talking about. "Care to share with the rest of us?" King said with the Jedi nodding.
"The portal can lead us to other realms!" Eda said excitedly, which was meet with the deadpan looks of the others. "I meant other than the one I've been getting my junk from."
Luz took the magic key and examined it closely. It looked like some old rustic key from a visual perspective, but feeling it through the Force was something else.
"This thing feels wired. It's like the Force is being funneled and coming out in waves like someone is sipping into a straw. This unheard of!"
"What is that anyway? This Force you keep saying?" King asked.
"This kind of goes with Eda's question about the Jedi, "she said before handing the key back to said, Witch. "The Jedi are an Order of people like me who train all their lives to guard the peace and justice of the Galaxy, where we are supposed to be Peacekeepers. The best way my Master described the Force to me is that it's the life essence of everything around us. From trees to rocks to animals and sentient beings like us. It's with the Force that gives the Jedi their power." Luz demonstrates by raising her hand and used the Force to pull a salt shaker from across the table to her outreached hand, getting surprised looks from the two.
"That's what you did to me yesterday!" King pointed at her hand.
"Yep!" She confirmed.
"And super jump very high?"
"Mmmm." Luz nodded.
"Cool."
"And I'm guessing that glowing light sword of yours is yall's guys' weapons then?" Eda said.
"Lightsaber," Luz corrected, "and yes. They are the traditional weapons of the Jedi. Have been for thousands of years."
"Can I have one?" King asked innocently.
The Padawan smiled at the demon's innocent question. "Sorry, King. I'm not giving you a Lightsaber. They're dangerous, and if not used properly, you could seriously hurt yourself. Besides, the ones I have in my possession would be too big for you to use." 'Yeah, he would need one designed for younglings or Master Yoda's size if I did hand him one.'
"Awe..."
"Probably for the best. Don't want you cutting up the house or Hooty." Eda said before focusing back on Luz. "So you were some people's protector. How did you end up dirty and beaten when we found yea?"
"...War happened," Luz responded solemnly.
"War? You were in a war?!" King said with hints of excitement.
"No way?" Eda said as she looked skeptical.
Luz sighed before looking at the two. "This is going to take a minute, so bear with me."
The Padawan divulged the contents of the Clone Wars and how it started. With how the government being split in two between the Republic and the Separatists. The numerous battles were raging from across the planets on land, sea, air, and space. The Republic's use with cloned soldiers while the Separatists made wide use of automated battle droids. Then explaining the Jedi's role in the war, Jedi Masters and Knights became military generals, and Padawans like herself became Commander's of Corps, Legions, and fleets of warships. They were fighting battle after battle, winning some and losing others. Then after years of harsh fighting, her soldiers turned on Luz and her fellow Jedi and were subsequently hunted by the very troops she led.
While Luz told her origins, the Owl House residents stayed quiet for the whole explanation with looks with various expressions. Eda looked skeptical but had just enough interest in her eyes to pay attention. King, on the other hand, looked entirely entranced by the Jedi's story. His look of awe was not too dissimilar from kids looking at heroes in awe.
When Luz finished her story, King then jumped on the table and pointed his finger at the Jedi. "Commander Luz, join my army, and I shall promote vengeance upon the injustice that's been befallen on your fellow Jedi!"
Luz stared for a few moments before getting up and hugging the minor fox demon. "Thanks, King. I'll think about the offer, but I'm tired of war now. I'm wary of battle and need to recover from the horrors I've seen. Maybe one day, when you get all big and strong, we can fight together. We can even train together to better ourselves for that day. How would you like that?"
Luz swore she could see sparkles in the little demon's eyes. "YES! With our powers combine, all will tremble before us!" King declared.
"Your right Eda, he is cute when he's hungry for power," she commented, making Eda laugh.
"So, what's your game plan now?" Eda asked before she sipped her apple blood.
The Jedi put King down before answering. "As I said, I'm tired of fighting. I may have to fight again, but not from my choosing. This 'Empire' that's replaced the Republic is all for the deaths of Jedi, regardless of rank or age. Best I stay hidden from now on. It'd also be a good idea if I stay here in the Boling Isles for the foreseeable future. The Republic doesn't know of this place, and I doubt the Empire will find it either."
"And do what for a living kid? I doubt that Jedi gig you had will pass here." Eda pointed out.
That was a good point. If Eda didn't know about the Jedi, then more than likely neither than the people. Thus the local government would classify her as a vigilante, putting even more heat on her.
"I'm not sure...being a Jedi is all I've known. Lightsaber combat and Force techniques will be a hard sell for people looking for hire help. What high-tech skills I have will be useless considering how primitive the technology is in this place."
She at Eda and King. "I mean, I'm already bumming off you guys. That alone makes me feel like a burden." Luz sadly sighed.
Eda waved her handoff. "Aw, don't sweat the small stuff, kid. You're still young with a bunch of life left in you. But if you really want to pull your weight around here, come with me." Eda got up from her seat and motions the girl to follow. Luz was curious and followed close behind.
"You see, I run a few businesses. On weekends, I offer rare human treasures that Owlbert drags over from your side of the realm." Eda stopped in front of a fireplace and picks up a toy sword, clicking the button on its side. "I shall smite my enemies!" The sword said as the blade glowed a bit. "For ages 6-11."
"But weekdays, I sell only the finest homemade elixirs and potions." The Owl Lady explained as she led them out the house.
Picking one up, the label read "Hair Growth."
"Seems simple enough," Luz commented. "I'll do it."
"Great!" Eda said happily.
They then walk up to the upstairs balcony, where they see a town in the distance. "Today, you'll deliver packages and sell potions to that town over there, Bonesborough." Eda points at a town that looks like it's surrounded by the Titan's ribcage. "You'll have to be careful. I have rivals everywhere who'd love to take my business down and you along with it. But with your background, I'm sure they'll be little trouble for you."
Luz shrugs at the warning. "No different than the undercity of Coruscant, I'll bet."
They walk to the front door with the sack of goods over Luz's shoulder. "Alright, just a few more things. Never trust a man who wears sandals, always measure twice and cut once, and be sure to be back before sunset or face doom!" Eda said with a cheery smile and tone before shutting the door.
"Have a nice trip!" Hooty added with a normal tone.
"Alright..." Luz turns around and begins walking towards her new job. Only five steps in did she realize something. "I have no idea where I'm going..."
"Good thing I'm coming with."
Luz looks to her right and sees King walk up next to her. "Eda said you need a local guide, so let's get this over with," he grumbles.
Luz padded him softly on his boned head. "It's not that bad, King."
The Padawan and Demon roamed through the forest and entered the town. As they walked around, Luz couldn't help but openly stare at the town's inhabitants. There were so many creatures here that it was hard to believe that the Force was responsible for creating such diversity on one planet.
"The Jedi lore keepers and Jedi researchers of the Order would have a field day in figuring out this place," Luz said to herself. King jumped on Luz's shoulders.
"Who are they?" The little demon asked.
Luz smiled at King's curiosity. "Well, in a short summary, Jedi lore keepers are those responsible for preserving the past of the Jedi archive. While Jedi Researchers are responsible for solving mystery's and updating the archive."
King looked at Luz with a confused face. "Jedi have librarians? I thought you all were some awesome warriors!"
"Not all of us, King. The Jedi have a wide range of branches one can pursue once they reach knighthood. Some take to the rolls of weapons masters while others follow more peaceful paths," she explained.
"Sounds boring." King's comment seemed to improve Luz's mood.
"Maybe, but not everything can be solved with fighting."
The two went on with their day making deliveries and advertising Eda's potion-making business. They made a few sales to some creatures while avoiding others trying to eat them. Luz nearly drew her lightsaber on one person that was getting a little close in her personal space. Things could have been worse for them as they continue the day. When the two weren't selling Eda's elixirs, Luz answered any questions King had about her life. Most were about the Clone Wars but also the Jedi themselves. Currently, the two were sitting on a sidewalk while King listens to Luz as she tried to explain what the Jedi investigators.
"Investigators often work with law enforcement to solve crimes. Using the Force to see things others couldn't, usually by finding certain evidence to solve the puzzle. Those more in tune with their surroundings could sense what the people around them are feeling. Giving them an edge over others," Luz explains. King scratched his head in confusion.
"This Force sound just as complicated as Magic."
"I'll take your word on that. But yeah, it can be at times," Luz agreed. "I'm still learning on my path of understanding where I'm at with the Force."
King looked at her weirdly. "What does that even mean?"
"Means I haven't found my place. What I'm meant to do. With the war over and the Jedi Order in ruin. What is left for me?" Luz looked down with a sad expression.
Her response made King look at Luz in a new light. 'She is all alone. If I didn't have Eda, I'd be all alone too.'
"You have us."
Luz's head snapped towards the little demon with a surprised look. "King?"
"You have us, Luz. Your one of us. Eda, Hooty, me, and you. You can stay with us. Learn about the Boling Isles and the creatures here. Heck, you can go train more Jedi or learn to be a Witch. Just remember that you have us there with you."
Luz's jaw had unhinged itself. As a Jedi, she was raised to not form attachments that such things would lead her down a dark path. Like many before Luz, she had bonded with her Master but then was killed during the first battle of Geonosis. She had connected with the clones under her command through the fires of war, only to have it severed. Looking at this little guy, who looks up at her with the same hero she once had so long ago...maybe, a third times the charm.
Before King knew what happened, he was engulfed in another hug. "Thank you, King...I would like that a lot."
They separated a minute later they separated and continued their delivery job. Dodging more creatures that mistook them for a meal selling more potions with questionable purposes. After a few more, the duo neared the last delivery stop.
"Well, this has been an eventful day," Luz commented as they walk. "We drop this off, and then we can head back."
"Sounds like a plan I can get behind," King agreed.
The duo made their way down an alleyway before they got to a tarp at the end of it.
"Let's get this over with and-" Luz said before pulling the tarp back and stopped in surprise at the large castle with golden banners illuminated by sunlight. "Whoa!"
"Okay, I did not expect this," Luz said as they walked to the large door and saw a doorbell on the side. "Wow, a normal doorbell by my standards."
Luz rang the bell, hearing it ring like a standard doorbell chime. King was instantly uneased with the place.
"Big houses always belong to big whackjobs. Let's kick the package inside and get outta here."
Luz stayed silent as the door opens up. A malevolent chill passed over her that was felt through the Force, making the Padawan narrow her eyes in suspension. "King, stay out here. I'll be back." She said before advancing into the castle.
King was about to follow, but the big doors closed shut on him. "Luz?!"
Walking down the hallway leading to an open library with all the walls covered with books shelves. "Hello? Anyone here? I've got a special package from the owl lady!" The first step Luz took in the library invoked a response in her surroundings with the lamps lighting up. A portrait of the castle owner was displayed on the wall above a large staircase. An old man with a great big gray beard with a purple pointed hat and robes.
"Reminds me of a wizard," Moments later, the wizard made himself known and walked from the top of the steps, looking down at Luz with a grandfatherly smile.
'That's not creepy.' The Padawan thought to herself. The smile the old man gave her was not putting her at ease.
"Hello, young lady," the wizard said as he walked down.
"Evening, sir," Luz greeted back. Softly setting the bag of potions on the floor and meeting the old man.
"I was in my Oscillarium, reading the stars. And who might you be, with eyes full of curiosity?" The man asked Luz.
"I'm Luz..." she said slowly.
"Young child, dareth I say, I sense something unique about you. Please, won't you join me for tea?" He made a magic circle, and pair of chairs and a table full of food appear.
Luz put up her mental guards as the strange man said set her on edge. She could feel that something wasn't right with this guy in the Force. Since being in this world, the Force around her felt different. This castle itself seemed to be lightly flooded with its fingerprints. What's put her more on edge was that the old man felt as hollow as a droid.
"Sorry, sir. I don't take food or drink if I don't know where it's from. I often eat from my garden at home and make my own brews," Luz lied smoothly. But decided to join the 'man' in the chair opposite of him.
The old man hummed as he stroke his beard. "I understand."
Luz notices a cart of potions in the corner of her eye. "Do you sell potions also, Mr. Wizard?"
"Please, call me Adegast. Ma'am, yes, I run a small business." He confirmed.
This set a red flag in Luz. "If you are a potions maker, why are you ordering from your competitor's stock."
Her question made Adegast twitch, and not in a good way. The man had a look as if he was coming up with a resort. "And to my understanding, that Eda delivered the packages herself."
"I'm a new hire, but you didn't answer my question? So I'll ask another, what is it you want from Eda the Owl lady?" Luz pressed.
The old man Adegast stared silently at her before he sated chucking. "It seems you are not as nieve as I thought. Very well." Blue fog appeared behind him and started to encroach on Luz.
The Padawan used the Force to jump away and grabbed her lightsaber from her belt but hadn't ignited it. "So was your plan to catch the Owl Lady when she would do her runs?"
"That's right, my dear," the wizard said. He rose from his seat...and floated into the air. "I had hoped that Owl Lady would come by so that I may deal with her myself."
The blue fog spread in circles the Jedi into the surrounding. Now, revealing tattered scrolls littering the floor, shelves broken, paintings ripped, and chunks of debris block the stairs. The fog recedes behind the wizard, revealing a sizeable squid-like creature with black eyes and yellow irises. It had a tentacle in Agegast's back like he was being controlled just like a puppet.
Luz had to take a step back to reposition herself. She was expecting to fight Agegast. Instead, she got a tentacle monster.
"What are you?"
The squid's mouth parted in a toothy smile. "I am Agegast! For you see, Eda has been stealing customers from my potions business for years! She must be destroyed!" The castle's foundation shook under Luz's feet before several cracks formed and spread apart, revealing more tentacles, each holding a person or creature. All with loopy eyes and big smiles.
"Puppets?" Luz guessed. The tentacle-controlled puppets surrounded the Jedi. Looking at the puppets, there were several little creatures such as fairies, a raggedy cat, and a shirtless warrior with an eyepatch. "Whelp, this is a different level of weirdness."
Luz kept her thumb over her lightsaber. "Well, I'm obviously not Eda, so why don't we part ways so this won't get ugly."
The squid laughed. "Part ways?" Agegast mocked. "You find me stupid? I let you go, and you'll report this to the Owl lady! No, I have a use for you." The puppets drew around the Padawan as if they mean to subdue her. "I'll capture you here and use you to lure the Owl Lady to me!"
"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Luz ignited her lightsaber and swings it at the wizard puppet, turning it to dust. "Fake as you can be."
"Ahh!" He screamed in pain. He grits his teeth and looks at the Jedi in anger. "You'll pay for that!"
Three cat puppets approach Luz head-on. Luz readied for them with a triple slice of furry with her lightsaber. Leaving them nothing but dust. Adegast screams again in more pain and anger.
Numerous fairies try to blind-side Luz. Only for her to Force jump up and backflip over them and landing between the Puppet Masters "Strings." She raised her saber and went down on them with several chops. The squid screams more.
A war cry drew Luz to the shirtless warrior puppet charging at her with his sword held high over its head, ready to strike her down. When he did, the Jedi took a single to the side and let the blade impact the ground. Luz puts her foot down on the blade's flat side and pins the sword before she thrusts her lightsaber into the puppet's stomach.
"Aww! My meat grinding abbs!" The warrior says before turning to dust.
"Armature." Luz reached and picked up the warrior puppet's sword before tossing it at another cat-person puppet and impaled it.
The squid screams again, this time only Rage. "Enough of this!" Adegast roared. Another tentacle appeared. This one making Luz pause her next move.
"Stand down, or the dog gets it!" He said as he had one last cat puppet he used to hold King hostage.
"I AM NOT A DOG!" King screamed in protest.
"Silence!" Adegast said as he wrapped his tentacle to close King's mouth. "Now, hands where I can see them, now!"
Luz grunted but complied and raised them, her lightsaber still in hand. "Alright, just don't hurt him."
"Drop that strange weapon, girl! Or I'll squeeze this runt into potion paste!" King struggled under Adegast strength.
Luz ran her thoughts on what to do. An old lesson her late Master taught her came to mind. About an ancient saber technique that was frequently used in the old Republic area. She was even given an example of such a move by Maser Yoda during the Gathering. She had only read about it and shown examples of it but had yet to put it to combat or practice. With her friend's life on the line, she would need to trust in herself.
"King!" The demon opened his eyes to look at her. "Do you trust me?"
The little demon couldn't say anything, but his eyes did seem to widen when she said that. He then narrowed them and gave a firm nod.
"Thank you, King." Luz smiled as she let her lightsaber dropped...or it should.
The weapon hovered in mid-air above her hand.
"What-AKKK!" Adegast cried out.
Using the Force-based telekinesis, Luz simply allows her lightsaber to hover in place. Then lunching it to be impale in the giant squid's head, making him scream in pain as he dropped King on instinct. His screams of pain changed a few times as Adegast shrinks to the size of a small ball. Luz and King walk up to him and look down.
"So this your true form?" Luz recovers her lightsaber and picks up the tiny squid, and sees him shake in fear. "Not so tough now, are you, huh? King, are you okay?"
The bone-masked demon looked up at the human. Thou Luz couldn't see it. He was smiling happily. "I'm fine, Luz. Thanks for saving me. What you did was awesome."
"And reckless," Luz added. "If any of my past teachers saw that, they would be reprimanding me on how I risk your life while pulling that stupid stunt."
King waved her off. "Luz, I'm fine. If you're old teachers, can't see the results, then who needs them. So what do we about him?" King pointed at the tiny squid demon.
She ignored the disrespect King showed to those who taught her, for he was young and ignorant to his words. But she would have words with him if that attitude continued and shifted focused on her new captive. Luz tapped her chin while in thought. "Well, we can't really turn him over to the local authorities and have them press charges. I think the Warden is still mad at us for causing that prison riot. Letting him go would just spell trouble and give him a second chance to come after us again...Let's go home and see what Eda thinks? She was the original target for this creep."
Some things can shock a Jedi just as much as they shock any regular person. Like finding out your two best friends are getting married or how your Master surprises you with a lesson on how to fly your first Starfighter.
For Luz, it was Eda eating Adegast whole.
"Well, that's the last time I take an outside referral." Eda sees Luz's shocked face. "Oh, you wanted some?"
"Why?!" The Padawan expressed in complete discuss.
"Meh, I was hunger."
The Owl Lady's answer did not evoke any positive response.
"...I think I'm done for today," Luz said before turning around to return to her room.
"Kid? You okay, kid?"
The Jedi stopped and sighed. "This place is so strange, Eda. Dangerous too. I was hoping I could kick back a bit after the fighting. Now it seems ugly will rear its head no matter what I do. Guess this place is no different than anywhere else."
Eda frowned at the young Jedi's depressed attitude. From her story, the kid was still new to how things worked around the Isles. So far, the kid has been repeatedly exposed to the darker aspects of this world. Then there is her age...
"Hmm. Come with me, Luz. I got something to show you." Eda said before grabbing her staff and holds out a blindfold.
Luz looked at the Witch for a few moments before compiling.
They all boarded her staff and flew away from the owl House, Luz having her eyes covered upon Eda's request for the surprise. After a couple minutes of flying, Eda stopped her flying staff and hovered in place.
"Okay, you can look," Eda said to the human.
Luz took the blindfold off and was taken by the sight before her.
"Whoa..."
"I give you the bones of the Isles!" Eda said with a wave of her hand.
The view before her was breathing and unique to anything she's seen before. The Isles were just one giant skeleton of the Titan was once was. The sheer size of it was ridiculous to think it was once alive so long ago. Many questions flew through the young Jedi's mind on how such a thing could get that big. Another was what killed it in the first place? Now with the passage of time, where one life ends, though it breeds new life. Such is the way of the Force.
"Up close, the Isles can be slimy‐‐" Eda explains.
"And very stinky," King pointed out.
"And gross. But if you look at it from a different perspective..."
The three of them look to the sky above the Titan's skull, where stars are beginning to appear through the twilight. A shooting star crosses over the sky.
"It can be a bountiful place."
They sat there hovering for a minute before Luz turns to Eda. "Thank you." She said with a genuine smile.
"Your welcome, kid, with all that you've told us. I figure something we could try to cheer you up. See that not everything could be bad as they seem, but there's something else," Eda said as she put a hand on Luz's shoulder, a concerned look on her face. "Luz, how old are you?"
"I'm fourteen. Why?" Luz asked.
"Because you said your war lasted for nearly four years, and you were personally involved in it for two. A kid your age shouldn't have been anywhere near the battles you described or be pushed to lead armies." Luz looked a little shaken by the sad look in Eda's eyes and the raw emotion that came with it. "You should be in a home. Growing up without the worry of tomorrow being your last. The most dangerous thing you'd have to worry about is what homework assignment you would get after school. The Jedi never gave you that chance, did they?"
"...No, they didn't..."
Luz could not shy away from the Witch's words. As a young member of the Order, she was no different than any other youngling growing up in the Temple. Frequently asked questions growing up were what would life be if the Jedi hadn't brought them into the Order. Luz knew many of her fellow Jedi say they were orphans found within the Republic, but more than a few had families. A well-known fact that Count Dooku being a former Jedi Master came from a noble family. Luz knew her family had given her to the Jedi, but she doesn't remember them other than a blurry image of women with the same skin and hair color as her.
"The Master's don't know it, but I'd often snuck out of the Jedi Temple," Luz confess. "Got real good at sneaking around and was small enough to fit through most vent ducks. Thought through my absence, I was often disciplined for missing one or more meditation sessions. Which resulted in making me a social outcast by the other younglings. Some Masters thought I would be trouble, and some planned to send me off-world to one of the service corps. If it wasn't for one Knight, my Master, that might have happened."
"But he is one with the Force, like so many others..."
While Luz talked, Eda felt anger and genuine anger for the first time in a long while. This kid that has seen so much pain wasn't given a choice of what she could be from a young age. What's worse, she saw so much of the kid within her...
"And your still here. With a second chance that many of your fellow Jedi don't get. So let's change that," Eda said, much to Luz's confusion.
Eda put both hands on her shoulders. "Luz, I'll be your new teacher."
"What?!" The shock was real.
"I thought real hard on this, so bear with me. From what you said, the Jedi didn't give you a normal life. So while you are living with me here in the Boiling Isles, I'll be your teacher in teaching you how this world works."
Tears began to form in Luz's eyes. "You do that for me?" Eda just nodded. Then was surprised when Luz gave the Witch a hug. "Thank you, Master Eda."
"Just Eda, Kid." Eda laughed and patted Luz's head. "Heck, with what I've seen so far with that Force thing, I may be able to teach you magic! Think about it, the first human in the Boling Isles to perform magic."
Luz gave a small laugh. She felt happy.
Near the head of the Titan's skull, a large siege-proof castle stood tall around a moat of stone spikes. Within the Castles thrown room sat the most powerful individual of the Boling Isles. It was a figure wrapped in white with a brown hood with gold trim. Long smooth gold mask with two long upward-facing horns. The figure's facial features were hidden under the mask, leaving two glowing blue eyes.
Emperor Belos.
Across from him was Warden Wrath, bending the knee to the Emporer as he recounted the events of last night's prison riot. Emperor Belos wasn't too concerned over the damage caused to the Conformatorium, but what interests him is the one responsible for them. The abilities displayed were rather interesting and familiar but needed to confirm one more thing.
"Interesting...Warden, tell me. Did she possess any strange weapons or items?" Questioned the Emperor.
"She did, my lord. A strange cylinder produced a yellow blade of light that seemed to cut anything it touched. Even my men's magic resistant weapons proved useless against," the Warden conformed.
The silence that followed unnerved the Warden. Though it did not last as Emperor raised his hand.
"You well to report this to me, Wrath. Return to your post and continue your ditties.," he ordered.
"What of the Owl Lady and the human?" Warden Wrath asked.
"The Owl Lady will be captured in due time. As for the human...leave her be. She is of minor threat to me, but if she continues to be an obstacle, then she can join the Owl Lady in her punishment."
"Your will be done, my Emperor," Wrath said before exiting the chamber.
Belos sat in silence for a minute before he gave a silent chuckle. "A Jedi on the Boiling Isles? Well, now...things will be a lot more intriguing around the Titan."
Things are going to interesting for Luz in the future.
As for her explanation on the Jedi. I tried to do its from a 14 year Padawan's point of view. Young kids raised by the Jedi aren't like how many of in todays world are raised. The best comparison to Jedi growing up in the Temple would be a Shaolin life style with the Samurai code of Bushido. For crying out loud, the Jedi force the Younglings to meditate five times a day to get them into the habit of doing so on their own.
The Jedi had a lot of restrictions that they could do with few exceptions being looked down upon. So Luz being the way she is compared to the show makes a bit more sense.
An outsider who didn't know about the Jedi like Eda learning that Luz, 14 year old fighting in a war and probably been involved in planetary battles would be met with a negative response. Eda with her curse effecting her life at a young age, would see a kinder spirit with Luz on not having a normal life like she did. Emerging her motherly instincts earlier then in the show.
What do you guys think? Would you argue against this or agree with it. Plz review and comment on what you think or PM if you want to discuss this further. Or find me on Discord, Account. : Jumper206 #4693