Chapter 56 – Third trial *Mirror*

LYN POV

It was only a few days since I left, but I was already back on Ossus. When I landed, I saw another ship landing near after disabling the cloaking device and saw HK-47 and his copies coming down.

My master really prepared for the worst case, to say my failure. I was happy he was worried for me but I was a bit disgruntled as well as he was doubting my abilities.

"You're back. Let's go to the cave to undergo your last trial."

My master was waiting for me as I got off the ship. After a small trip, we arrived to the entrance to the lightsaber crystals cave.

"Your next trial is similar to the trial of spirit practiced by Jedis. The goal is to self-examine your fears, your worst enemy, and find enlightenment. I'll keep watch over you from a distance, but I'll step in if something goes wrong."

"What could go wrong?"

"Most of the time, the student undertaking this test don't like what they discover about themselves and can become a traumatic experiment. This is why this trial is always overseen by a master."

We walked through the cavern filled with bright blue and green crystals. The deeper we walked through, the more powerful the force became. My master stopped after some time and looked at me a last time.

"I won't go any further; you have to proceed alone. This test is also called 'facing the mirror', you will confront your fear, so stay calm."

With a last glance at him, I proceeded deeper into the cave. As the force grew stronger and stronger, I could feel a bad feeling permeating the place and soon the mist covering the floor elevated from the ground and took shape.

What appeared before me was myself, a classic in this type of trial, apparently. One of the reasons why it was nicknamed 'Facing the mirror'.

The same bright white skin tone, the same black tattoos, but not the same aura surrounded my body double. This me was darker, with dark veins coursing her body and her eyes were of a bright yellow, one of the possible signs of the corruption by the dark side.

"I really look stupid like that."

"You're stupid anyway, and weak, and afraid. Just a poor little girl searching for power because she doesn't want to becomes anyone's toy. In your stupidity, you trusted the first man giving you the opportunity to become stronger and became his toy. What an irony."

Her way of speaking was strange and was doing big gestures while walking back and forth. It was as if she was crazy or mentally unstable.

"He teaches me to become stronger. To make me better."

"What an idiot! You are just a pawn to his eyes! Just a soldier he will use for his own interest! In the end, your future is me! Taken into his path of violence and ruthlessness, you will lose everything you have left."

She was howling at me with fury while looking at me with her crazy yellow eyes.

I was shaken by her words, as this thought came to my mind at the beginning, when I encountered him. I knew it was strange for him to take me as a student. I realized the strangeness even more when he talked about his fears.

If he was doubting himself so much, then why would he take me as his apprentice?

When he talked about the dark side and the corrupting effects it can have on someone like the Jedi he talked of, I realized he may become exactly like him the future.

So, this was it, my fear was to become corrupted just as my master was fearing it himself.

"I believe in him."

"You must have realized by now he is using you. Why do you choose to continue to follow him? You should better kill him while he isn't doubting you."

"It may have been the case at first. I'm not blind, I saw his distant and calculating gaze but we became closer. He changed, he fears for me, he fears to hurt me and I care for him. I won't betray him."

My corrupted-self sighed deeply before taking the lightsaber at her belt in hand and pressed the activation button, making appears a red blade.

"If you can't understand, then I will destroy you."

I readied my lightsaber and engaged the fight. We both were using the same form, not really surprising as we are the same.

Our fighting forms were the same, but hers was far more aggressive. I was on the defensive while receiving her every blow, one after another.

The fight was at a stalemate until she launched a force lightning at me. I was totally taken aback and was unable to parry the lightning with my blade like during the training and was sent colliding against a wall.

It damn hurt, even if I took a few during my training while sparring with my master, it still hurts like hell.

"Listen to me, you want power and the dark side can give it to you. No one will be your equal anymore. Become like me and forget your master."

While she was walking toward me nonchalantly, I raised up from the ground and used a force push to destabilize her to give me time and charge at her with my blade before she could raise up her defense and stabbed her in the heart.

With a puff of smoke, my corrupted double disappeared and the dark ambience of the cave disappeared and went back to normal.

I walked back toward the entrance of the cave and joined with Layan on the way. He gave me an approbatory smile before walking beside me toward the entrance of the cave.

"Take a good rest, such a test is mentally taxing. We'll talk in a few hours after a small test."

"You told me it would be the last trial?!"

"It's not a trial, it's a small test to see what will be your reaction in front of a complicated decision. As you know, I have a complicated decision to make, and I have to be sure that you'll be able to do the same."

Several hours of relaxation awaited me, I communicated with Xiann and Aola using the holo-communicator of the manor. I talked with them about my trials while they talked about their discoveries. They were on Naboo to create a new medicine using one of the native plants.

Xiann had her home on Naboo but was rarely there as she was roaming the galaxy most of the time. Aola who became her assistant was learning fast and took a liking to the job, and it was making Xiann's travels more enjoyable.

"Lyn, come your surprise is here."

I was stopped in my tracks by Layan's voice coming through my com-link. I found him in the exhibition hall where were exposed old armors, weapons, antics and even a few statues he made carve by droids.

He was looking to the armor he took a liking to, the knight of Zakuul's armor, just beside it was a statue of Satele Shan made using other statues and holograms as references.

What I focused my attention on was the two HK-61 droids pointing their gun at a weequay man kneeling on the floor.

"I think you know him, so introductions will be skipped. You can do whatever you want of him, the choice is yours."

I knew him perfectly. He was the one who made of me a slave, the one who killed my parents, the one who destroyed my peaceful life. The captain of the pirate crew that enslaved me and killed my family.

Confronted with the sight of this scumbag, my mind was in chaos. Divided between the flashbacks of my family appearing in my head and searching what my master wanted to do in offering me the life of the man who destroyed mine.

I looked at my master, which was looking at me with expectations surely because of my future choice.

"Please. Have mercy. I'll repent."

The weequay started to beg for mercy while looking at me. Master and the droids were standing stoically and observed the scene.

Master said that I could do what I want of him, but I was hesitating between acting out of vengeance or simply enacting justice.

"You can kill him swiftly, he won't suffer, or torture him for days. You could also sell him as a slave, it would be a good retribution or simply or bring him to the police."

Seeing my hesitation, my master started to enumerate my options for the man.

I know it was a test, but I was unable to find the good answer as my master would surely kill him with one slash of his lightsaber but he was also regretting his darkness.

I took my lightsaber and slashed at the man. My master smile became sad when he saw me raising my blade, but he became joyous when he saw my actions and heard my answer.

"I'll bring him to justice, he will live in prison for the rest of his life."

I didn't kill him, but I amputated one of his arms. He was wriggling in pain on the floor, and it made me smile to see that bastard suffer.

"You're better than me, that's good. Now is time for you to learn the truth about me."