Chapter 71: 72. Chapter

The force moves around a single anchor.

Painting created by the detailed descriptions of Grandmaster Nizzal, the anchor used as the base was the force presence of Grey Jedi Apostle Aomi second line of memories, 25. representative, memory line originator: Bastila Shan. This memoriy line strictly belonged to the most traditional ones, meaning that not a single person of the 25 representative choose to preserve their psyche as a force presence after their bodies perished. Each and everyone of them unanimously submerged and scattered their mind in the all powerful force. 

A peaceful choice, showing bravery and absolute acceptance of the cycle of life. 

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In the midst of the darkest forest area around Unity, in a shadowy part where the darkside concentrates a stoop-shouldered form of a thirteen-year-old gray skinned twi'lek girl could be seen. Her two leks, the right one much longer than the left, were lifelessly hanging by the side over her shoulders. She was sitting on the leaf-litter that was thickly covering the forest ground while her legs and knees were pulled up in front of her chest as she hugged her own legs having nothing else to seek comfort from. 

The small body of the teenager was unmoving, covered in perspiration, as the dull gray whirlpool like eyes dazedly looked forward seemingly lost between the shadowy trees forming a natural labyrinth, which surrounded her on all sides. She was the new Grandmaster of the Order, Nizzal the Gray.

She had descended to the depths of consciousness and climbed out of it once again. It was not the first time she did so... but every single time, the hole got deeper, with every memory, with every life, the invisible weight placed on the shoulders became heavier. The days were like a drop of water adding onto the ocean, each life adding to the water was like a new river finding its way into that ocean, until it eventually dries up and a new one appears somewhere else to take its predecessor's place. 

The forest was silent around her, as if it sensed the gloom of the small girl, almost fearful of disturbing her thoughtful silence. 

The girl blinked, as her head turned around and looked with a heavy and tired gaze into a certain direction. 

Her lips moved hesitantly, forming a few tentative words. 

-You can come out; I can see you... 

She stated, but there was no movement in the shadows of the large trees. 

-Your force presence screams like a banshee, you cannot hide from my eyes, not anymore. 

There were a series of mild complaints coming from the bushes, it was followed by a short pause, then a blue skinned woman walked out from behind a thick three trunk. 

A familiar female voice appeared among the trees. 

-Ahh... happy now? You just had to ruin my fun... 

The twi'lek suspicious expression changed to a slightly surprised one as she immediately recognized the force presence of this newly arrived intruder. 

She reflexively hugged her knees even closer while leaning her head to the side a bit confused. 

-Aomi? What are you doing here?

Aomi scratched her head while walking closer, then she looked at the much smaller girl with a fickle amount of irritation. 

-You!

The twi'lek blinked surprised by the loud authoritative voice. 

-Me? 

She asked surprised, while looking at the blazing form of the woman's force presence standing right in front of her. 

-You are coming with me. 

Stated the chiss woman, and with a quick movement she grabbed onto the hand of the stubbornly opposing twi'lek and pulled her up to her feet in a single movement.

Nizzal has spent the last few days in seclusion, as she was trying to figure out how to control the eye technique, she received from the force blessing that happened through the ritual, and she failed miserably... She did every possible technique, or ritual, or scrying but those didn't provide any result or answer. That made her even more confused and if she was completely honest with herself, she was extremely annoyed right now.

Force blessings have happened throughout the history of the order, but they were extremely rare. The blessings always gave a unique ability deemed to be useful for the user by the force itself. Now it seemed that it had happened to her, and it was a first in all those memories she received from her predecessors. A completely new experience to record in her personal archive. The only problem was that she had no idea how to control it. It was activating and deactivating on its own, and she had no clue how to activate it by herself or deactivate it... It was annoying... 

She even brought her case in front of the Immortal Council of Grandmasters, and what did they tell her? That it was a blessing of the force, but they couldn't determine how it worked, or what it was supposed to do. They advised her to go on a secluded meditation to determine those exact things.

All right I thought, but now I was doing that for three days straight and didn't get any closer to controlling them. I guess I didn't even mention what they do yet... Well, it's quite simple, yet very useful at the same time. When my eyes decide to turn into this gray cloudy mess, which I could only see thanks to Ahsoka taking a picture of it, my eyesight basically turns black. Yeah, like literally as if someone pulled over a curtain. 

Then a few seconds later, I began to see small dots of light over the black canvas, I have determined that those dots are large gatherings of midichlorians. Yes, I can see the force, moving through the air, I can also see it inside people, and items too. When I look at Aomi, I see a blazing storm of energy almost blinding my entire vision and my head hurts from it, I am also becoming nauseous from her overpowering presence... Ugh...  

-Please... just leave me be! 

I pleaded, as I already knew what her intention was. 

-No can do, you will not sleep in the forest once again, you have to hold yourself onto certain standards. The Grandmaster can't sleep in the forest just like that, especially not alone! 

I felt a wave of nausea rushing over me... with a sense of panic I decided to throw away my dignity and begged her to let me be. 

-Please! Just one more day... I will figure it out, I swear... or at least wait until it turns off by itself... I can't go back to the city; I will throw up... again... 

-Sigh... just close your eyes, that will solve that problem...

I felt a pull on my arm, and I panicked even more. My cheek flushed pink as the thought of being carried back in her arms to the temple appeared in my mind. 

-No, no stop! Wait! I-I know! The Immortal Council of Grandmasters allowed me to be in...

-Seclusion, yes, I know... but they didn't mean you to run out into the forest and live like a barbarian! There are meditation chambers inside the temple, or just use the garden...

The thought of those places filled with the force to the brim almost brought me to my knees, as I tried to protest with all my might. 

-No, no, no, no, NO! You don't understand, I have already been there... and I thought I will die... seriously...

Aomi stopped for a second looking at the form of her new Grandmaster trying to escape from her grasp, while completely overreacting the entire situation. She looked like an average child that was being forcefully brought to the dentist. She couldn't help, but sigh... At least they were in a forest... she thought: If this situation would happen in the city, I would have to knock her out, otherwise she would completely humiliate their order. The average citizen already thinks of the apostles as a bunch of lunatics, with unbelievable powers... The real problem is that I can't even blame them for such accusations, they are mostly spot on after all.

A cruel thought came to Aomi's mind at that moment, she smirked and told her Grandmaster. 

-If that is the truth... then why don't you simply run away?

The form of the stubbornly struggling twi'lek froze. Aomi continued, as she saw the anticipated reaction.

-You can simply send me away with a force push and run. Why don't you try it?

-You... you know why! Don't tempt me, I will just knock myself out again if I use a powerful force technique in this state... You don't get it, it's not funny! The more force presence I see in my vicinity, the more my head will hurt. Going back to the damn city is basically torture! And no, closing my eyes doesn't solve the problem... it only dulls my senses somewhat, but I can still see your presence even from behind a wall! My eyelids don't count half as much as a wall... 

-Yes, well... Pain can be a great motivator; it will help you figure out your deal faster... 

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-NO! I can't figure out anything if I faint you fool!

-Now-now, young lady... is this how a Grandmaster is supposed to act? Should I wash your mouth with some soap, hmm? 

-I order you by my right of the Living Grandmaster, to leave me be!

-Overruled, your cherished Immortal Council of Grandmasters sent me to bring you back in the first place, do you think I have no other things to do? So, stop acting like a spoiled kid and follow me obediently, play time is over. 

-Argh... fine, curse you guys!

I was really excited at first... to get a completely new ability, but after a few days of continuous failures to use it for anything except creating splitting pain in my head, my excitement began to evaporate leaving nothing, but an extreme sense of frustration behind. At this moment I was just about to blow up in sheer frustration, but I don't even care anymore... 

-I would be better off without this damned eye technique... 

I heard the marching steps in front of me come to a sudden halt hearing my annoyed complains. The fallen leafs rustled under the feet of Aomi as she turned around likely to ridicule me further. She didn't like me, as I was now, the fact that I was a girl and in the body of a young teenager seemed to irritate her to no end... That was probably the reason she sent me out to look for Tuk'ata back in the cave, and probably also why she shared some awkward information so willingly with my new friends.

To top it off, I know from master Joseph's memories that she wanted to be the next Grandmaster but failed to fulfill the trials. Probably that was why she found some sort of sadistic pleasure in seeing me so helpless. 

-You look like a mess, kid... And from your expression I can see that you are thinking something bad about me.

Stated Aomi's voice... I had already closed my eyes to dull her burning force presence somewhat, but it was a futile battle. I could still see her clearly standing right inf front of me. There were the sounds of rustling leafs, I saw her move, then I felt two lean yet well-toned arms grab onto me, as she lifted me up from the ground in a princess carry. I felt as if all the blood in my body rushed into my face, turning it beat red in mere seconds. I was held like that while stubbornly closing my eyes, while she patted my back comfortingly. I could imagine the stupid smirk on her face, now that she's got to treat me like a child not even of my apparent age. 

Even so, I couldn't hold it against her... I felt just too miserable to protest. However awkward and wrong it felt to be held like that. The memories belonging to Revan were literally screaming in shame, while my current self... however awkward it felt, was kind of comforted.

Aomi voice spoke out to me, in a kinder tone... this time she wasn't mocking me... 

-You know, even if you are supposed to be a Grandmaster and all... the core of your current personality is still that of a genuine child. I sometimes, maybe... forget that part... sorry, I guess. Those memories you carry on, will only help you mature, and they already did. However, it takes time until their roots reach down to your core... The change progresses over decades, but you... you probably already know that. 

I gulped, while my legs lightly dangled in the air with every step Aomi took. I was immensely confused, what... what was going on? Is she... is that motherly care directed at me? For a moment everything felt right, as if a longing was filled inside me, the fear of losing this sense of safety also appeared, but I disregarded it quickly. I remember the time when Revan and Bastila lived together... they had a family, they were the only ones belonging to it for a long time, but then they had a few children. So many years have passed by since then, so many generations, now all dead. 

I felt another sense of loss, this one was much deeper, a blade carving through my inside piercing the places most vulnerable to damage. My chest tightened and it was hard to breathe... Memories of faces belonging to people I didn't really know, yet still knew more than anything, and now they were lost in the wheel of time... Why does it hurt so much, the sense of loss, was so real... the weight of the memories... were so heavy at times like this... That was why, I rarely submerged myself deeply in those sort of memories... It was too painful to bear... To know of so many things, that are no more part of this world, is just cruel, not everyone can become a force ghost... most just disappears in the force. And even among those, who can, many choose to not do so.

I finally couldn't help but lean on the shoulder of Aomi burrowing my face into the curve of her neck, sensing the flowery perfume Bastila always used... Was it a subconscious choice... or mere coincidence that she used the same perfume? My action had no doubt surprised her, as she went rigid for a moment, then she hugged me closer with both arms. 

-Now, there-there... no reason to feel ashamed for trying to rely on an old friend's help? We will figure out what's the deal with your eyes too, okay? 

-.. I know...

-Good then, what about telling me what you have figured until now? 

-...You already know, what I knew... 

-I see, so you didn't figure out anything new about activating or deactivating it? Is there anything else?

-Well... no...

-That's interesting, hmm...

-Wah? There is nothing interesting about it! I have tried a lot of rituals, meditation and even asked the council if they knew how to do it... 

-Yeah... but did you actually try to use it as a part of your body... I don't know like imagining looking in front of yourself, and how you want to see it?... Well, it was just a sudden thought, but you probably already tried it.

-Ah, ehh... no... I didn't really think of it as a part of my body, just yet... so I uhmm... didn't think of that... I will try it out... Ehh?

-What is it?

-Uhm... Aomi...

-Did it work?

-NO!

-Eh, figures... No need to shout into my ears though...

-Uhum... it couldn't be that easy... after all... 

-Whatever, you have a lot of time to figure it out, but now we walk back to the temple. 

There was a hidden, meaning in her words, that prodded a certain fear in the twi'lek. She opened her mouth and asked.

-You meant, that we will warp back, right? 

-No, I meant that I would carry you back to the temple, like this through the entire city. 

The twi'lek's body went rigid as her expression paled all of the sudden, then a few seconds later her face turned red once more. 

-No... you can't... 

-Heh, I didn't know that twi'leks could change their colors just like that... 

-Shut up...

The cursed chiss smirked loudly hearing that, but she stayed silent. 

At this time, Nizzy buried her face in her palms, but the embarrassment was visible on the slowly reddening leks. She couldn't see much of anything beyond the people's presences. The ground and the rocks, aside from the temple, and a few places rich in the force like this forest they were about to leave didn't contain enough midichlorian to provide a three-dimensional functional vision. In a sense, while her eye technique was activated, she was blind, and only saw presences considerably strong with the force. This was probably the first time; she was really happy that her body didn't contain that much midichlorians.

She wasn't suffering from seeing her own presence until she didn't used any powerful techniques... In which case the force would rush to her like a large magnet drawing fine iron sand from every direction towards her in the middle. She did it once, back in the temple, the pain in her head was so extreme she literally forgot what happened afterward. Aomi told her later with a stupid smirk on her face, that one second, she was standing, then, without any sign she fell over like a dead tree trunk with a foaming mouth. 

Obviously, that wasn't enough to deter her from figuring out how her eyes worked. And she was able to use simple force powers, like telekinetically raising a cup, or small rocks, seeing the force acting like a rope made out of small particles between her body, the rock and the ground was an eye-opening experience. It was really exciting to see it, in small dozes... If she could control this technique with her will, it will prove extremely useful. Nobody with a moderately powerful force presence will be able to hide from these eyes.

Unfortunately, that time did not come yet. 

 

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