Clan of Three

Part Thirty-Four

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"Grandpa, what is this place?", a young Rael whispered to Obi-wan Kenobi. "This, my dear, is a Jedi Temple. Here you will find what you need to construct your lightsaber.", He explained with a faint smile as he watched the girl take in the vast structure. "How will we find what we need here? It looks abandoned.", Rael said as avoided a thick cobweb. "Most temples were destroyed after Order 66. But there are still a few well hidden, like this one, that the Empire and its inquisitors have yet to find. It will have what you need.", He told her as he approached dark entrances.

"If you say so... Where do we start?", The girl asked with a shrug of her shoulders as she came to stand by her grandfather. "This is something you must do on your own Rael. It will be your first true step in your training.", Obi-wan said as he checked their ship's radar on his vambrace. There was no sign of danger being reported by the Nubian starship's system. "By myself? But I don't even know what I'm looking for!", Rael exclaimed annoyedly and placed her hands on her hips. Obi-wan cut his eyes at her as he said, "You will know when you find it, Rael. Now, you need to calm your mind."

Rael let out a huff but did her best to push away her annoyance and feel her surroundings through the Force. "You will go through one of these three entrances. Whichever one you feel a pull towards. Inside, you will face obstacles and trials. In order to earn the final piece to your saber, you must overcome them." Obi-wan explained as he sat down in front of the openings in a meditative position. "Is.. is there anything alive in there?", The girl breathed out as she looked between the three doorways. "No. Only you. But that does not mean it is going to be easy. Remember what I have taught you. I will be here waiting for you.", Obi-wan told her and closed his eyes.

The girl took a deep breath as she felt a pull towards the door to her right. "Here goes nothing...", Rael muttered as she stepped inside. As soon as she had passed the threshold, a grinding sound of stone on stone made her eyes widen. "Grandpa!", She shouted worriedly as a stone door was slowly sliding down to block the doorway. "Do not worry, Rael. Once you have found what your are looking for, your way out will be clear. You can do this." Obi-wan called to her with a warm smile as just as the door slammed shut.

Rael's heart was pounding fiercely against her chest as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. 'I'm trapped. I'm alone... I'm all alone!', her mind panicked as her head jerked around, looking for another way out. Rael's hand frantically searched the wall for a lever or a latch that might open the door again, but found nothing. "Grandpa!", She cried out desperately, but the only response she received was her own voice echoing in cave around her. Her breathing quickened as she felt fear building up in her.

And in that moment, she felt it. A coldness dancing over her skin and wrapping around her mind. For the second time in her life, Rael came into contact with the Dark side of the Force...

~~~~~

Din looked between Ashoka and Rael as both women faced each other with their eyes closed. The older Jedi seemed to be completely relaxed as she held her head high. But, Rael's brow was beginning to glisten with sweat and she wore a pained look on her face. "Rae-", Din began to say as he reached out to her, but he was stopped by Ashoka's voice. "Do not interfere. We must make a connection.", The woman said as her eyes remained closed. Din said nothing as he lowered his hand and looked back at Rael. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to just sit back and watch when she was clearly in pain...

~~~~~

"Please. I am not asking for you to stay here permanently.", Obi-wan pleaded to a cloaked figure outside their home carved into a sandstone cliff. Rael crept forward, hugging the wall to stay hidden. "I will not be responsible for training his son. And you should not be training her either!", The person hissed back. "You know it is far more dangerous to leave younglings untrained!", Obi-wan retorted. "You do not need to be training anyone else!", the woman exclaimed, her voice rising.