The Council Chamber was a circular room, its high ceiling adorned with intricate carvings that told the history of the Jedi Order. The Masters sat in a circle, their faces now a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
They watched as Revan, the man who had appeared out of nowhere, stepped into the center of the room.
Revan began by meeting each councilor's gaze, his eyes reflecting the depth of his knowledge and the weight of his purpose. The councilors shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, but none could look away.
After a long moment, Revan spoke.
"First, the Force will give you an indisputable proof that everything I say today is the truth" he began.
His voice was calm, but there was an underlying intensity that demanded their attention.
« You will feel a clarity you have never experienced before. You will feel rejuvenated, as if your life expectancy has doubled. In fact, it has been. Search your feelings and you will know it to be true. "
As he spoke, a wave of energy swept through the room. The councilors gasped as they felt a surge of vitality, a sense of deep clarity and awareness of everything within the temple and around.
Yoda especially, the oldest and wisest among them, felt a renewed vigor coursing through his veins. All aches and visible sign of age where visibly disappearing. He felt like a young knight again. Yaddle, Dooku, and Sifo-Dyas also looked visibly younger, their faces glowing with newfound energy.
The younger masters in the council felt more than saw drastic changes on their appearances.
It was as Revan announced. They had been granted an additional lifetime by the will of the force. Most of them will be nearing the end of their life otherwise and, the force needed them to guide and secure the changes Revan will implement.
Yoda and Yaddle, being the strongest and thanks to the surge of power, even caught a glimpse of two nexuses of darkness for a few moments.
Despite this undeniable proof, some councilors remained skeptical. Mace Windu, Oppo Rancisis, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Sifo-Dyas especially were the most wary of Revan's claims.
But the Force had a way of making its will known. Throughout the day, it would figuratively smack them down, forcing them to confront the truth.
Revan continued, his voice echoing in the silent chamber.
"The Jedi Order will be purged in 25 standard years if it continues on its current path. The Chosen One, sent by the Force, will be found by the Jedi but will be mistreated by his fellow brothers and sisters. He will turn to an outside friend, a Sith Master in disguise, who will corrupt him from a young age and turn him against you. »
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. The councilors stared at him, their faces pale as the force ring true with every word.
"The Jedi will even encourage such mentoring as the Sith will be a figure of authority within the republic. Everyone except two will be purged in a single night. Not one of you will recognize the Sith until too late even after being warned by the chosen one, and also despite seeing him almost daily. "
The room was silent as the councilors absorbed the gravity of his words. Revan continued:
"You have enslaved yourselves to the republic and forgotten about the rest of the galaxy. And in consequence, in your hour of need, the galaxy will cheer with the Sith when you are slaughtered, unknowingly putting a slave collar onto its own neck with your demise. "
His words were like a punch to the gut, leaving the councilors breathless. The Force emphasized his speech with feelings and images, showing them a future where the Jedi Order was destroyed, where the Chosen One was turned against them, where the galaxy was plunged into darkness.
"Balance will be restored temporarily 23 years after the purge, when the Chosen One manage out of love to return to the light. But it will be too little too late. The evil seed will never truly go away and will even come back at some point in the distant future, demanding the sacrifice of countless brave young souls. The Chosen One's family will pay the brunt of this sacrifice and the galaxy will never truly recover. All this because you Jedi stopped following the will of the Force and followed instead your fabricated code and the will of the republic. "
The councilors were left reeling, their minds filled with images of their own failures.
Windu saw himself treating the Chosen One harshly from the beginning with no reason.
Dooku saw himself falling to the dark side, cutting off the Chosen One's arm on Geonosis.
Yoda, despite his newfound vitality, felt a deep sense of failure.
The chamber was filled with a heavy silence as the councilors grappled with the reality of their failures.
Even Oppo Rancisis, the most stubborn and arrogant among them, was left speechless. His eyes were misty, his face a picture of regret.
But Revan was not done.
"All of this is what should have happened if the Force hadn't sent me back and the Jedi stayed on the same path" he said, his voice filled with determination.
"But I am here, and nothing is lost. Things can and will change if you want them to. It won't be easy, and it will challenge everything you thought was true. But we can do it.
We can prepare for the war against the Sith.
We can fight against the evil that has grown in the universe, slavers empires being the first, corruption being the second but not last. I cannot do it alone and we will need to prepare in order to nurture the Chosen One of this era and help him bring balance to the galaxy.
To do that each Jedi should achieve balance within. The Chosen One comes with power that you cannot imagine. But to express this power, he will need to be nurtured by Jedi who have already achieved balance so he can reach his full potential.
Rejecting him, mistreating him or his loved ones will be your doom. That's what you did in that alternate future with disastrous consequences. Not only did you misunderstand the prophecy of the chosen one but, you also don't know what balance is.
FIRST, HE IS THE CHOSEN ONE OF THE FORCE, NOT OF THE JEDI.
SECOND, BALANCE MEANS RECONCILING BOTH SIDE OF THE FORCE…YES, I ALSO MEAN THE DARK SIDE. "
At that, several councilors where ready to object but the force, again, force them to confront the truth.
After a few minutes, Revan having regain their attention, delivers his final warning:
"The goal of the chosen one is to bring balance to the force. You are the children of the force but so are the Sith. Balance can be achieved the easy way or the hard way. If balance means destroying both the jedi and the Sith also known as the hard way, the chosen one will do so…In fact, that's what he did in the alternate future with much unnecessary suffering for him, his loved ones, and the galaxy. "
The weight of those final words is almost too much for some councilors who started to loose completely their already shaken composure.
The force then send them all a comforting wave that help them settle.
After a few moments, certain councilors remembered the mention of loved ones and wanted to complain but were figuratively smacked down, AGAIN, by the Force.
Revan then ruefully smiled and said:
" Stubborn indeed! Let's start with your rule of attachment."
(To be continued in Chapter 3...)