It was time for her meditation and she needed it. Having spent the night talking about her former master and their trips into various ruins, ranging from Jedi and their complex puzzles, to Sith and their nefarious traps. There was one ruin in particular that seemed to come to forefront of her mind as she took the steps to enter into meditation.
“Areda, this temple is going to require more focus and patience than the usual.” Said a tall Echani woman, deep yellow and orange reflecting of pale skin and white hair. She held herself with poise and her voice was soft but firm.
She stood there with a small Togruta, barely past her youngling age who was staring up at her master wordlessly as if she was waiting for an explanation. But no explanation came from the Echani, forcing Areda to speak, “Why, Master?”
There was no response, but a motion from her Master’s hand as she gestured in front of them. There were two doors in front of them, both opening up into the same hallway. The odd thing about this, is that given the dimensions of the room they opened up too, it was clear there wasn’t a double entrance. Areda studies the two door ways thoughtfully for a moment and then back to her master, “One is fake.”
“Yes, Padawan. I think this will be a good test for you. Reach out with your mind and figure out what door is real. Your senses will betray you here if you’re not careful.” Her master gestured at the doors once more and than pat Areda on the head before moving behind her to let her Padawan work.
She looked at the doors for a moment longer, she could feel cool air from each side, and smell the must that all old ruins seem to be saturated with, shadows reflecting from the light of their torches. However the shadows on the left looked off, distorted, and so the Togruta chose that door and strode through it confidently- thwack. She let out a small yelp and rubs her forehead as she had walked into something quite solid.
Embarrassed, she then heads through the next door but only- thwack. Another sharp jolt of pain as she walks into something solid. The Padawan looked to her Master, her blue eyes large and full of water that made them sparkle like sapphires. Her master for her part, was laughing mirthfully at the sight of her Padawan, grinning at her, “I told you Padawan, your senses would betray you. Use the force, trust your instincts, they will guide you.”
Areda rubbed at her eyes as she wipes the tears out of them and shuts them, reaching out with the force and listening intently with her heightened hearing. The sound of drips striking the ground like explosive pin-drops light up each room, but oddly that light flowed out from the middle of both the entrances like a current of air. The young Padawan follows the “current”, eyes still shut, and steps through the centre of the two openings- no thwack this time.
Opening her eyes she peers around the new room- though she is suddenly assaulted by an overwhelming heat. The red glow of liquid magma illuminates the room, causing three sets of two by two platforms to cast shadows all along the area, “Well done Padawan.” Her masters voice rang out as she followed the Togruta into the new space.
There was then a sharp whistle, causing Areda glare over at her master as she held her hands to her montral, and just gave her a questioning look, “Now now, mind your thoughts. Your test isn’t done.” she gestures ahead to the platforms and lava, “As you might have guessed, we’re dealing with illusions created by the force. Which of these is real and which is fake is the test.”
The Padawan looks at the lava for a long moment and then to her master questioningly, “Use your words.”
“Even the lava?” She asks in a meek tone, looking ahead at it scared.
“Possible, Areda. It is said that sometimes an illusion can seem so real that it may as well be. I imagine if you give into your fear, your mind will make it real. Then again, it could be.”
“This isn’t safe, Master…” she said in a pleading tone, looking up at her.
“My dear Padawan, I am here, it is safe. Trust in yourself, and in the force to guide you… I am sure you have had plenty of time to study tutaminis for a quick swim.” She then urges the Padawan on, “You mustn’t let your fear hinder you.”
The small Togruta walked over to the first set of pillars and puts both hands to them, one passing straight through. She then quickly climbed up onto it, clearly struggling due to her size but making it up after a few moments, “You wont be able to do that for the others Areda.”
The Padawan puffs her cheeks and looks ahead of her at the next set of pillars thoughtfully. She then reaches down and untied one of her sandals, lifting it and throwing it at one of the pillars and consequently watches as it flew through the pillar and burned up before striking the lava. This caused her to look over at her Master in a panic, “I guess we know the lava is real, Areda. Clever thinking though, you’ll only be able to do that once more.”
Areda could feel her stomach tighten into a knot, and so she took in a deep breathe and slowly exhaled, “There is no emotion, there is peace…” she murmured to herself before she suddenly burst into a short dash and leapt through the air towards the other pillar- her master reaching out with her hand and giving the inexperienced Padawan just a bit more height to her jump.
“Good, not much wasted movement and your leap was solid. Remember, feel the force flow through you as you move and it will help you reach new heights.”
“Yes Master.” she shot back as she climbed to her feet, before taking off her other sandal and chucking it at one of the next pillars. It collided with its target and then fell towards the lava, burning before making contact. She sat there for a moment, prompting a question, “Something wrong, Padawan?”
“No, master.” She said once more before adjusting her angel and bursting forward and jumping- towards the platform that she hadn’t thrown her sandal at. Once again she is assisted by her master in the leap, and she- lands and stumbles on what should have been the fake. This evoked a startled yelp from the young girl, as she looked back at her master who was impressed.
“How did you figure that out, Areda?”
“It didn’t sound right, something was off…so I followed my instincts.” she looked ahead and then frowned. She was still way to far away from the ledge, but the third set of pillars had disappeared.
“What’s wrong?”
“The third set of pillars is missing.”
“No they aren’t, I can see them from here.”
Areda looked back to her master and then back ahead… Actually, had there been a set here? Or did she think she had only seen a set. She crossed her arms under her chest as she thought, her eyes shut and focusing on feeling though the force. That’s when the pillar before her began to wobble and shake, causing her to nearly lose her balance. Her eyes flew open in a panic and she held her arms out for balance, she had no time to think now.
Her instincts told her to jump, and so she took a step and jumped. The air then left her lungs as she collided with a pillar that had been much closer than the others. She scrambled to cling to it and pulled free her lightsaber, activating its green blade and slamming it into the top of the pillar before she could slide down it further. Quickly she scrambled up, her lightsaber deactivating and laying next to the melted hole she just created.
“Are you alright, Padawan?”
“Yes master…just…need…to…catch my breathe.”
There was a mirthful laugh, “You’re doing well Areda. Just one more jump.”
She eventually climbed to her feet with a shaky breath, looking around and examining the ledge ahead of her and the gap, “I think I understand… It can’t directly make something invisible. That is why we could see it from the bottom, but not when I got up to it.”
“That seems to be the case.” Her master confirmed.
The Padawan took in one more breath and shut her eyes, then took a step back before dashing forward and jumping at the last moment. She let the force guide her steps and leap, soaring a lot higher than she could typically manage, a rare moment for the still learning Padawan. She landed with hardly a thud, the gap bad been much shorter than she had perceived, but the force had given her just the boost she needed to not fall on her face or into the lava.
“Well done Padawan.” Her master said in a mirthful tone, and soon was up on the ledge with Areda.
“Thank you, Master.” she said back equally mirthful, before looking around the top and coming across an artifact as well as a bunch of inscriptions.
“It seems that this is nether a Jedi nor sith temple…The people here had a natural affinity with the force and creating illusions. This temple was used as a starting point for understanding how they work, the artifact well capable of enhancing their illusions.” her master claimed as she read the instructions.
“Could I learn?” She asked her master, looking at the artifact curiously.
“Do you wish too? It is a handy skill, only limited by your imagination.”
The young padawan nodded to her master, who then beckoned Areda to sit next to her, “Make a picture of something in your mind, something you are familiar with. Feel it, hear it, smell it, connect all five of your senses to it. Then-”
Some time later, they both jump down the set of pillars and go to leave. However, Areda stops and turns to the lava and then looks to her master. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and then walked over to the lava and- into it, “I forgot my sandals.” she said as she trudged through the lava, not burning, catching on fire or giving signs of pain.
“Areda no-…oh.” her master burst out into more laughter, “So it was fake, what gave it away?”
“When I plunged my lightsaber into the pillar…The air became hotter, and when my barefeet made contact they didn’t feel like I was walking on something hot.” she then bent down and collected her sandals before walking back to her master to leave.
“Oh my dear Padawan…Next time, use a stick just in case? Always test before, you know-”
“It is always best to follow safety standards on a dig, you never know what could go wrong or is more than it seems.” she recited before her master could.
“Good girl, let’s go get food.”
When she came out of her meditation, she blinked in a daze. She hadn’t ever experienced a memory so vividly during a meditation before, and one that was so long ago that she had forgotten about completely. But she couldn’t help but smile and took her padawan’s knot, looking at the crystal- huh? The shattered kyber crystal belonging to her master was gone, in it’s place… was a butterfly, sitting on the edge of the braid. Vivid shades of blue and green, gently fluttering its wings… like the one she would envision when practicing so long ago- and now that she knew it, it became see through and revealed the crystal that it overlapped.
“I miss you, Master…” She sighed out and pet the fake butterfly, even knowing it wasn’t real, “We sure learned some things in the weirdest way… Maybe I should practice this again…” she nodded to herself, closing her eyes to picture that same butterfly, but a whole swarm of them-