9: On the Verge of Breaking

It wasn't easy for Damian to plan it all out for this specific event, but he had managed to pull through easily enough for someone with enhanced senses and processes outside of the Force and technological augmentation. From what he understood, the only thing he really had to do at this point in time was devise a way for the queen and company to get to Tattooine-thereby meeting young Anakin Skywalker-without arousing suspicion from either Force order.

Arch and Damian stayed up many nights during the past two months to make a nearly-foolproof plan to not only sidestep Palpatine's plans but to also hijack any future progression he might have during the Clone Wars. One such part of his long-term plans was to analyze all of the secret orders that Sheev was planning on instilling into the future clones and making sufficient plans around them.

Both of them understood that the only risk involved with them was to create a friendly relation with the Jedi Order which may put Damian in the crosshairs of the Sith if not handled correctly. It was a risk they had to take even if they had a massive amount of preparation.

As for what the plan was, it was simple enough to execute. All Damian had to do was use his cultivation to hide his Force connection and strengthen the perception that he was a normal-if strong-warrior who was proficient in lightsaber combat.

Granted that even Arch thought this had a very high chance of not succeeding in its simplicity, but Damian believed that the best type of lie was a skewed version of the truth. After all, he wasn't someone originally from the Galaxy and was a remnant soul. He wasn't able to stay dead for long if his plans fell short of expectations and Damian already set his respawn point to the Voidship's medical bay.

"The blockade has already begun, master, but what will you do once the troops begin occupying the city?" Arch inquired as he kept an eye on all transmissions going to and from Naboo.

"I'll give the droids no quarter and attempt to cut them all down before the Jedi arrive," Damian responded as he started assuming the lotus position and begun cultivating-attempting to break through into the second stage of Mortal Refinement.

Otherwise known as the Middle Stage.

Most people live their lives as a Mortal in the Early stages, but for cultivators who wish to break past their limitations, they can naturally go through the Mortal Refinement realm into the Core Formation and higher realms of power to obtain great strength that defies natural law. Aside from Damian himself who is not originally from this Galaxy, no one has heard of cultivation or its great abilities which can roughly equate to a Force User during the higher stages.

This gives Damian an unfair advantage over everyone else in the Galaxy or in the other worlds he'll eventually explore in the future. Unbeknownst to even Damian, the kind of Qi gathering technique he has currently doesn't just help to refine his physical body.

It also helps to mend and reinforce his remnant soul directly utilizing Qi.

One unknown effect of cultivation on a remnant soul is that once it is completely mended, the soul would be far more stronger than even a divine soul or a soul left to wander the Void for trillions of years. It would take thousands of reincarnations to whittle down the reinforced soul back down to a normal soul, but that would be the cost to have near-perfect soul defenses.

Even at his current strength as an Early Mortal Refiner, Damian has the ability to outpace a Padawan though not a full Jedi Knight yet. The only way he could outpace a Jedi Grandmaster like Yoda in terms of strength and prowess is to reach the early stages of Core Formation.

After reaching Core Formation, Damian will need tougher challenges in order to ascend higher in cultivation and level gain. Fortunately, the Galaxy will provide enough challenges in the current era before Damian needs to depart for the time being.

[A/N: Yes, I do plan on having Damian visit different worlds/franchises in this fanfiction even though it was originally a SW fanfic. Don't hate on me for this since I'm trying to provide an engaging story ;-;]

It was not long now for Damian to reach the middle stage of Mortal Refinement since he was in his Voidship high above Naboo and cloaked from all forms of detection in the Galaxy, but while he was attempting to break through, Arch kept an eye on the Trade Federation's communications-especially those concerning Naboo to the Galactic Republic. In fact, Arch had already learned of how disgustingly pathetic their firewalls were in preventing hackers which made him understand they were only more skilled in other aspects.

The AI [Cyber Monarch] was disgruntled at best and hoped that once that Damian's System gave him another quest that didn't involve this pathetic Galaxy's current technological progress, he could show his new master the grand vastness of the Void between the universes. There was a profound majesty Arch realized hidden within the dark emptyness which filled the space between the universes that he hoped Damian found to be equally majestic as he felt, but that would have to wait.

After all, there was a job to do in this current time and place.

Meanwhile, Damian felt himself cracking like his entire physical body was akin to glass being broken by a bluntness of a hammer. Blood vessels, bones, organs, and muscles were being heavily tempered by the primordial Qi within Damian's spiritual dantian-integrating small fragments of said Qi into his very being and strengthening his core.

He was on the verge of breaking through into the middle stages of Mortal Refinement when something happened during this process. It was a dark hunger which erupted from deep within Damian's soul that threatened to devour the nourishing primordial Qi-slowly spreading through his meridians into the rest of his body.

The only and unique type of deep irrational hunger which carried the distinct sense of defiance.

Both sides of the Force which Damian was connected to quivered in primal fear despite not being sentient themselves outside of their own natures, but that quivering disturbance was enough to send a simple warning to all Force Users within the Galaxy.

Something that defied death was waking up.