Chapter 22

Ben's form shot straight up, sweat bearing down his body as he felt the distinctive chill of the fresh morning air waft along him. His back huddled rigid over the bed, and he grudgingly shifted his body, grimacing through clenched teeth at the welts and bruises lining his body.

Something strange caught his attention along his right leg. Slightly pushing the blanket off, he saw the glint of metal as he lightly moved his leg from the cover—his eyes drawn toward the metal leg brace. He sighed, memories of the injuries from his last battle with the dark Jedi and that Sith Lord flooding back.

Squinting, his palm went to his face, and his eyes drew forward as he began to remember the weight of what had just happened. The block stopping his force abilities was lifted due to remembering his mother's face, yet it was no match against a true Sith Lord. He could handle the dark Jedi, even using a bit of Jar Kai to wield one of their lightsabers, but it wasn't enough.

Taking the time to gloss around his surroundings, he kicked himself off the cot, seeing the sunlight peer from the ice igloo he resided in. His feet tickled along the carpet of a deceased animal as he put weight on his legs. He nearly barreled over, quickly stabilizing himself with the other leg.

Surveying the room, he noticed two rectangular coffee tables—one holding metal braces and what appeared to be other medicines and tonics, while the other held his equipment, robes, or whatever was left of them, and his lightsaber.

Quickly putting on the repaired robes, he grabbed his lightsaber, flipping it over to ensure it was in proper order. Before leaving, he ignited the blade, seeing the purple beam glow as he did a couple of practice swings. Satisfied, he turned it off, reconnecting it to his belt as he began to walk out of the tent.

Pushing past the flaps, his eyes traced along the strange place—a city constructed of ice.

"Benjamin... he's up!"

He turned towards the familiar voice, steamrolled by Aang as the young airbender's arms latched along his neck. "Benji, you're awake!"

Katara and the rest of Team Avatar followed shortly afterward, including Jet. "How long was I out?" he finally spoke as he separated from Aang.

Sokka spoke first. "A week and a half. You really succumbed to some bad injuries, but the Water Tribe has some of the best healers out there."

Ben nodded, absorbing the information as his eyes trained toward his metal leg brace. Instinctively flexing his arm, he was sure he had broken it, but it felt more ached and strained. Still, he didn't feel comfortable using it.

In the frigid embrace of the Water Tribe's icy city, Benjamin felt the bite of every wound, each ache a reminder of the recent battle. Jedi techniques to block out pain whispered at the edges of his consciousness, skills he'd need to revisit or rediscover.

"Come on, guys," Katara urged, her voice a guide through the frozen streets. "The chieftain will want to meet Benjamin."

But Jet's closed hand on Benjamin's shoulder halted their progress. "Hey, guys, go on without me. Jet and I need to talk, and we'll catch up with you."

With nods and departing footsteps, the others left, and Ben turned his attention to Jet. "What is it, Jet?" he inquired.

A heavy breath escaped Jet, arms wrapped tightly around himself as his gaze lowered to his shoes. The apology that followed struck Benjamin as unusual from someone who seldom uttered such words. Jet, typically steadfast in his ideals, seemed to unravel a bit.

"Listen, Benjamin. I'm sorry for everything. I didn't grasp the true scope of it all before..."

Benjamin listened, appreciating the sincerity in Jet's words. "It's alright, really," he reassured. "There are things I can handle as a Jedi that others can't. No dishonor in that."

Jet's eyes narrowed, and he pulled free from Benjamin's touch, locking eyes with him. Thumb to his chest, he declared, "Well, there is to me. I was weak and lost my home—twice to the Fire Nation. I'm sick of being weak and helpless!"

He turned away, staring into the waters of the Water Tribe, shadows playing across their faces. Jet struggled internally but found the strength to continue.

"I don't want to lose anyone again. I want the power to help others and protect the ones I care for. Benjamin, I wish to learn the ways of the Force, the ways of the Jedi Order, and become a true Knight."

Benjamin sensed the anger burning within Jet, a flame directed at the Fire Nation. Anger that could grant him power and strength but also lead him down the path of the dark side. "Is this truly what you want, Jet?" Benjamin questioned. "Being a Jedi isn't a casual pursuit; once you walk this path, there's no turning back."

The tension in the air lingered, yet Jet remained resolute. Benjamin sighed, leaning against the hut's wall. "Alright then..."

In the frigid heart of the Water Tribe, Ben nodded, his gaze shifting to Jet. "Alright, before we welcome you to the Force, there's something you need to do. You're on the path of the Jedi now, and you've got to act the part."

"Sure thing, anything," Jet affirmed.

"How much money you got on you?" Ben asked, an odd glint in his eyes.

Jet looked puzzled, scratching his head. "Uh, a couple of bronze coins. The rest of our stuff is still on Appa."

"Good. Your first mission as a Jedi is to buy three gemstones. It doesn't matter what kind, just get a good feeling from them, and bring them back to me," Ben directed, pushing off the wall.

"Wait, any gemstone? What's this for?" Jet questioned.

"For your lightsaber!" Ben shouted back, already striding away. Those words lingered in the icy air as Benjamin made his way to meet up with his friends, ready to confer with the chieftain and catch up on events.

As Benjamin walked, thoughts swirled, and his boots crunched along the frozen landscape. His newest apprentice, Jet, a former freedom fighter leader, was tasked with a peculiar mission – finding gemstones for his lightsaber. Benjamin, though the one who gave the order, didn't entirely embrace the idea.

Building a lightsaber had varied methods. Benjamin himself had discovered a natural crystal on Dantooine, creating a brilliant cyan blade. Yet, there were other ways – uncorrupting a focusing crystal or crafting a synthetic one. And then there was Jet's path – to feel a connection to a crystal in the market, a trace of force energy guiding his choice.

However, Benjamin's discomfort ran deeper. Jet and Haru already wielded lightsabers, weapons designed for killing and destruction. While Haru inherited his from his grandmother, Jet was crafting his own. Both boys were thrust onto the path of becoming the new knights, future masters in the era to come.

Benjamin grappled with his reservations about the Jedi Order. He believed in the significance of a lightsaber, a powerful emblem of a Jedi, earned through years of effort to find or create the crystal. Yet, circumstances pressed him to expedite the process for Jet and Haru. There was no time for a temple or for Benjamin to meticulously teach them the Jedi traditions. They needed weapons to survive, even if it meant bypassing the customary rites.

Ben stood before the icy fortress, climbing the stairs with a contemplative air. A subtle sigh escaped his lips as he grasped the gravity of the impending events. Passing through the makeshift fabric door, Benjamin found team avatar engaged in conversation with two elderly men.

"Benjamin..." Katara waved him over, and the chieftain and the master offered bows as Ben awkwardly extended his hand for a handshake, only to let it drop.

"Master… Jedi," the chieftain spoke. "It is an honor to meet with you."

Benjamin nodded in acknowledgment. "Likewise. I've been out for a couple of days, so could you give me the quick rundown of things?"

As they settled down, Benjamin absorbed the condensed version of the events that unfolded during his slumber. Surviving the duel with the dark Jedi and the subsequent defeat by the Sith Lord, Ben, driven by sheer will, traversed the water caverns in a near-sleep state to reunite with his comrades. Broken bones and a severe head injury marked his condition, but his friends wasted no time in transporting him to the water tribe for recovery. They crafted a brace for his injured leg, repaired his robes, and employed unique waterbending techniques to hasten his healing.

"Okay, then," Benjamin spoke after the recap. "Now, what are we planning to do here?"

Addressing Aang and the team, he received a raised voice from Aang. "Master Pakku came to the city to help train me. So, we're going to spend some time here and train to become a waterbending master."

Benjamin nodded, sensing a rare alignment of circumstances. The Fire Nation was distant, they had eluded the Sith, and Aang now had a stable source for waterbending instruction.

"Alright, so I guess this is it," Ben said, shaking hands with the chieftain and master as team avatar turned away. As they descended the steps, Benjamin waved goodbye.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Katara questioned.

Ben shook his head. "Nah, I'm going to meditate for a little while... need to center myself for a bit."

They looked at him, sensing there was more left unsaid. They waved him off, leaving him alone for some introspection and perhaps a smoke or two. Yet, a more urgent matter lingered – Ulic's parting words, urging him to meditate and uncover the reason for Meetra's abandonment once again.

Benjamin navigated the town, retracing the familiar path that led him back to the modest hut where the day began. He settled his legs, wrapping them up as he closed his eyes, diving into the profound depths of the Force. The ambient sounds slowly faded, leaving him in a serene cocoon of silence.

Inhaling deeply, Benjamin connected with the northern water tribe's oceanic current, a force that flowed freely, untamed, sustained by its own volition. Fixating on this essence, he sought to extend his reach beyond the immediate surroundings until...

A warm breeze brushed against his face, and as he gingerly opened his eyes, golden hues encountered dirt and green grass at his fingertips. Pushing himself up, he glimpsed her – not the ethereal cyan specter, but his master, Meetra Surik. Her brown hair flowed at neck length, warm blue eyes, a heavy brown robe with a beige underlay, and a lightsaber affixed to her belt.

"Master Surik," Benjamin uttered the words.

Both could perceive the change. Benjamin, now a matured Jedi, had embraced the path once more. Realizing the validity of her counsel, he forsook the sidelines, abandoning self-pity to gather strength against the harshness of the world.

Yet, Meetra sensed it – the potent dark side within Benjamin, intensified by the hands of his father and the lingering war trauma. Even after embracing Jedihood, the dark side clung to him, growing more formidable. She knew he had teetered on that slippery slope numerous times.

"Isn't it beautiful here?" she asked Benjamin, walking beside him as her gaze extended beyond. Turning to see what captured her attention, Benjamin beheld it.

"Dantooine. The Jedi Enclave."

Legends whispered of a Jedi master constructing the enclave over four millennia ago. Cracks adorned the stone walls, distinctive fin-like structures encircling the main buildings. Grey metal walkways, the twin suns casting hues over the ocean and roaring rapids.

Their robes fluttered in the wind as they observed the sunset – master and apprentice, one last time. In his childhood innocence, Benjamin had been sent to Dantooine after being discovered as Force-sensitive. The Jedi believed he could become a true Jedi Knight, only to realize he couldn't harness the light's abilities.

"Why now, Master Surik? What is the meaning of this?" Benjamin questioned, the echoes of the Mandalorian Wars still haunting him after all these years.

"Benjamin," she called out, turning toward him. "Do you honestly believe I had abandoned you?"

Benjamin remained silent, his eyes still fixed on the remnants of the Dantooine sunset, choosing not to respond to the question.

"Foolish boy," she continued, "your feelings and the dark side within you created a block on our connection. Your pain and guilt created a powerful echo in the Force, preventing us from contacting each other until you reached a place that would allow such things."

Still, Benjamin said nothing. Then, the scene began to morph. His eyes traced a new landscape, and he almost lurched backward. "What the fuck..." he muttered as the newly devised scene unfolded before him. Trees uprooted, grass burnt, the enclave destroyed. Blaster holes, missile barrages echoing through those ancient places.

"Sometimes, things just change," she pointed with her hand. "We don't understand why, but they just do. That is what Dantooine looks like now. After you left, Malak leveled the place to the ground. Funny, isn't it? All we ever wanted was to get away from here, to travel the stars and become true Jedi Knights. Yet right now, all I feel is regret and disappointment."

"It was so safe here... learning the Force, being with friends. There were bad times, but we made it through together," she sighed. "I fought because we believed in it. Afterwards, I left for the unknown regions, I needed to find myself. Afterward, I did what you did... reconnected with the Force and battled against the Sith. I didn't have the time to pity myself or to regret the past. All I could do was move on with my life. I followed my destiny and the will of the Force."

Finally, Benjamin turned towards her. Once brother and sister, once apprentice and master, now grappling with the uncertainties of their relationship.

"...if I had not followed Revan to war, I would've been here, most likely dying due to the orbital bombardment. But the Force had other plans, and my destiny led me down another path."

"Meetra, what is this about? I've become a Jedi again... I am following the Avatar and trying to become the Jedi you think I can be," he grunted, frustrated that he couldn't get it right. Now, just like the Jedi from before, Meetra was never satisfied, always demanding more without being a proper teacher. "You keep on talking about destiny and the Force, but I don't see it that way. Maybe the Force isn't what you think it is."

Meetra turned towards him, her eyes narrowing, revealing the coldness that leaked from them – the same coldness the Mandalorians saw and respected on the battlefield. "I don't know your destiny, Benjamin. I can only guide you on your journey. Our destinies separated when you followed Revan, and I fled to the Outer Rim."

She squinted, anger frothing as her finger pointed toward Ben's chest. "Yet, I do know this. You lack control of your emotions. Your pride, anger, fear, pain, and guilt. It has caused you to lash out against the world and your enemies. You live in a constant state of revenge and killing. You don't even talk to your friends about your problems. They can only watch through pursed lips, praying that you will speak to them about your issues."

Benjamin sneered, pushing her hand away.

"Look at what you did to all those dark Jedi, to the Fire Nation soldiers... to that old man who was just living his life."

"Don't give me that. I did what I had to do... Jedi passivity, I only face my enemies once," Ben maintained.

Meetra snarled at him. "I get that, I understand that a Jedi must take a life at times to preserve life. But you have taken things too far. You enjoy killing, the moment you tasted blood, like a wild animal you have lost control. Your allure and curiosity of the dark side has led you to making darker connections that weren't there before... and that old man."

"He was a Mandalorian... he got what he fucking deserved."

She shook her head, disappointment coming from her glare. "He got what he deserved? You tortured him in his own home, butchered him like an animal. You fried that Fire Nation soldier with your lightning because you gave in to your anger. Face it, Benjamin. You lost control. Your rage and hatred took over. That... this is not the Jedi way."

She threw her robe back, the tabard falling to the ground as Benjamin circled away from her. Taking his gaze off the ruins, he took a heavy breath. "Anyone that sides against me and my friends gets what's coming to them. Whether they be Fire Nation, Mandalorian, or Sith. They get what they deserved," he insulted.

"Well, that's a very Sith way of looking at it," she spoke, turning towards Benjamin, her narrowed eyes peering into the velvet of his soul. "Benjamin, you are not the only Jedi in the galaxy to have lost someone they loved. Whether it be your mother, your comrades, or your innocence to the war. This is about the choices you're making. It is time to finally move on with your life!"

Benjamin gnashed his teeth together; he thought she understood. But he was wrong. She was like the Jedi. He forgot how she once was, that voice, that irritating voice in his head that thwarted and pestered him. "Stop... talking!" he screamed, his lightsaber sparking to life. "No one... will tell me how to feel, you or the rest of the Jedi!"

Meetra's blue blade ignited from her hilt, drawing it towards her with the Force as both blue and purple compacted with the other. Ben pivoted forward, slashing at her midsection as she deflected. The boy followed over with a mighty overhead slash. She clutched her blade tighter; the impact of the swing nearly sent her flying.

Benjamin advanced; Meetra wasn't thinking straight. Even in this place, between the Force and the world, she was at a disadvantage. When she thought of doing this before, she expected a Benjamin like the one that he once was, a young boy with talent.

Now he was a boy of nearly sixteen years, a watchman of the Jedi order due to circumstance and necessity. Even then, she was hardly able to hold off the barrage of attacks he was throwing at her. His mastery of the Shien form, through countless hours and those times in which life and death were separated by the thinnest of threads, has cultivated a powerful warrior of the Force.

Both blades locked together. Meetra parted her lips. "You're striking with your anger, your hate, your aggressive feelings. Like a Sith..."

"Damn you, Surik!" He screamed in her face, breaking through the blade lock as he force pushed her away. "I hate the Sith!"

She followed through with a blur of martial might, her lightsaber in a flurry of strikes as Benjamin tightened up his defense. His own blade followed in a blur as he rushed to evade and defend. Meetra's voice in his ear as she appeared from around him, "Even hating the Sith just fuels the dark side within you, Benjamin."

"Light side… dark side, they're merely tools!"

Meetra stopped moving. The only sound for a second was the hum of their lightsabers as she stared at her apprentice perplexed with widened eyes. "Is that… what you've been telling yourself all this time?" Benjamin didn't answer, merely gripping the blade with both hands as Meetra scowled in his direction. "You fool, that's the lie, the justification that others before you have chosen. You're fooling yourself if you honestly believe the will of the Force can be twisted like that."

He stopped speaking, hair clouding his eyes as his master thought she finally got through to him. "Benji…" She spoke softly, her raised left hand to greet him. That was when she felt it, malice and anger warping together like a powerful storm.

Benjamin's neck cracked back into place. The sulfuric orange of the Sith overtaking his once golden eyes as he raised his left palm, already cracking with the purple volts of Force lightning. "Jedi lies!" He yelled.

The volts traveled towards Meetra, spanning into many arcs, fixated on her midsection as she acted fast. The volts traveled in rapid pace as she threw herself into the Force. The ground in front of her broke, ripping into the soil as she made an impromptu shield out of dirt and stone.

The lightning impacted as she lifted her blade and reinforced her barrier to hold off the barrage. When it was over, or rather the brunt of it was completed, she lashed out, tossing the boulder with a Force-augmented push. Benjamin, with a blur of dark side energy, ripped it in two from the middle.

That was when Meetra could see it, that was when she began to understand. She saw the way the volts rode along Benjamin's body, how they curled along his blade as the dark side emanated from him. Benjamin leaped forward, seeing only red as his master force pushed him away. The false Jedi collided into the dirt as he force pulled his lightsaber back into his hands.

"There are consequences for everything we do. You must choose who and what you are going to be; if you continue to drift, you will go to the dark side."

Ben leaped towards her once again. Their blades locked into a saber lock by the chest as Ben snarled like a rabid animal, fury and anger warping his heart as Meetra stood strong and composed, like a true Jedi. "The dark side feeds on anger and, in turn, feeds your anger."

Benjamin cleaved, the purple beam going towards Meetra's head as she could only raise her blade to stop the blow. Yet, it was far too strong. Benjamin knocked her off her feet as she was thrown to the ground. Her blue blade unignited as it vanished back into its hilt.

"You already know this, Ben. The dark side of the Force has become far too easy for you to call on. The final consequence of what you're doing is that you will fall." Meetra reached for her lightsaber, Benjamin throwing himself back into his stance as Meetra gazed back at her blade, drawing it back with the force and holding it with both hands.

She took a heavy breath, this time not engaging but rather attaching it back to her belt. "Ben, I will not fight you…"

Benjamin sneered, separating his left hand from his blade as the purple beam hovered over the dirt along his tightened grip. "Way I am feeling, Master," he spoke sarcastically, danger radiating in his voice at the jab. "…that's a real bad idea."

Meetra didn't hesitate; she didn't bask in fear or worry. This was now all up to Benjamin. He wasn't a child anymore; he had to make this decision for himself.

"Then take your lightsaber and strike me down with all your anger and hate. Complete your journey to the dark side…" She raised her right hand, pointing at the ruins of the enclave. The framing started to slowly shift and shape, contorting into the Fire Nation academy he had seen in that vision from before. "…and then go join the Sith and the Fire Nation. You're almost one of them now."

Benjamin hovered over her for a second, eyeing her as he felt everything slowly start to dawn on him…closing his eyes and emptying with a heavy breath. He felt everything slowly start to seep out. Opening his eyes, they were back to normal.

He unignited his blade and returned it back to his belt. Meetra softly grinned that he chose to stick to the light and that her gamble worked. "I'm not sure who I am anymore, Meetra. I am just confused, more than ever."

She walked over, resting both hands on Benjamin's shoulder as she watched him. "You're stuck where you once were. Alone and afraid, scared of making connections, but giving in to your hate and anger…because you believe within yourself that they hold truth in them."

She threw her other hand over towards Benjamin as the scene began to change. Water benders, earth benders, fire benders. Their bodies were arranged on top of a mountain. Volts of brilliant violet light erupting from it like the center of a storm.

"If you keep on continuing down this path…this shall be your future. Even when you think you have lost everything, there is always more to lose, is this what you want?"

It was him…

Wearing deep, heavy robes that sunk into his body, his unnatural grey skin, and black veins that shot through him like a syringe. His maniacal laughter clouding the air as the purple volts fried everything in sight. His lightsaber hilt, now bearing a true crimson blade, ejected from the hilt. Wearing faint red tattoos over his face like the prior Sith he had slain. Yet, it was the corpses that were arranged along his feet. The corpses of friends and comrades. "No…I don't want this."

"Then good…decide what to do now, then."

With those final words, the world that was created began to break into fragments like blocks of sand. Benjamin felt everything once again grow heavier as he was brought back to his senses.

Ben stared down at his lap for a second, right hand combing through his locks of hair as he still tried to make sense of what had happened prior. He and his master spoke once again, yet it wasn't the type of reunion he was hoping for. Rather, it was quite depressing.

He needed to pull himself together. The truth hung in the air, a palpable reminder that the dark side had become an all too accessible companion. Those haunting realizations echoed through the dense forests after his first duel with the dark Jedi in Jet's Forest. He took out his Holocron, a vessel containing the echoes of the Sith Lord Exar Kun, and for a moment, he considered confronting the ominous artifact. 'I'll deal with this later...' The thought lingered in his mind, only to be interrupted by Jet's abrupt entrance.

"Yo..." Jet panted, rushing into the room with palpable urgency. Benjamin rose from his knees to meet him.

"I got them, Ben." Jet's clenched hands revealed the jewels, and Benjamin scrutinized them with a seasoned eye.

They weren't extraordinary— a faint red ruby, a deep green jade, and a freezing light blue crystal. They weren't the most conventional choices for lightsaber construction, but time was a luxury they couldn't afford. Benjamin raised the third crystal to catch the sun's gleam, feeling the force resonating within. "Jet, what crystal is this?" he asked.

"I don't really know. The locals said it's pretty rare, forms only in deep ice caves. But I got this weird feeling when I was holding it."

"A permafrost crystal..." Benjamin nodded, recognition in his eyes. "It forms in unique northern or ice regions on selective worlds. They give lightsaber blades a unique cold glare." He tossed the jewels back to Jet. "This will make an excellent focus for a lightsaber crystal."

The decision made, both boys left the room, Ben leading the way as Jet trailed behind. "Where are we going now?" Jet inquired.

"Isn't it obvious..." Benjamin said, spotting Appa grazing in the distance. The two walked side by side. "It's time, Jet, for you to build your lightsaber."