Location: Tython – Inner Sanctuary of the Hollow Temple
Date: 24 BBY
The Hollow Temple sat deep beneath the surface of Tython—its walls carved from obsidian and crystal, where the Force flowed thick and heavy like mist.
It was a place older than the Jedi Order itself.
Cain stood beside Anakin and Seris as Master Fay led them down the torch-lit corridor. No weapons. No armor. Only robes and bare feet touching the cool stone. Ahead, three circles of white sand shimmered in the middle of the chamber, glowing faintly.
Master Fay turned to them, Plo Koon behind her, silent as ever.
"You will enter the Trial of Courage," she said softly. "Not through combat or speech—but through surrender. The Force will speak, and you must listen. It will show you what you fear most—and ask if you will still stand tall, even then."
Plo Koon nodded once. "We cannot help you in there. Only the truth you carry will guide you."
The three friends looked at each other.
Cain stepped forward. "We're ready."
They each stepped into a circle.
And the moment they did…
The world vanished.
Cain stood alone.
The sky above him was red with fire. Smoke coiled like serpents through the wreckage of Tython.
He ran.
Bodies littered the ground—Seris, Anakin, Barriss, Derren—every Jedi he'd known, gone. Lightsabers shattered. Mandalorian armor torn open. Holocrons burning.
In the center of it all stood a figure in black.
Anakin Skywalker.
Face scarred, golden eyes burning, saber crimson and cruel.
"You couldn't stop it," Vader-Anakin said.
Cain took a breath. "This isn't real."
"No," the voice echoed, "but it could be."
An explosion split the earth. Cain dropped to his knees.
"You thought you could fix everything," Vader-Anakin said. "You thought you were smarter than the Force."
"I thought I had time," Cain whispered.
"You don't."
Cain stood, even as the wind howled. "Then I'll find time. Make it. Steal it if I have to."
A shimmer of golden light burst from Cain's chest.
"I'd rather die trying to change the future… than live in fear of it."
The vision began to crack.
And Cain held steady.
Anakin stood in a glowing white field.
Ahead of him… stood his mother.
Behind her… stood the Jedi Council. Cold. Silent. Unmoving.
She cried out, chained to a post, bruised and broken.
"I'm still a slave, Ani…"
Anakin tried to move—but his legs felt like stone.
Yoda spoke without blinking. "Attachment leads to darkness."
Mace's voice followed. "You must let her go."
"I CAN'T!" Anakin roared.
The chains tightened.
A red saber hummed to life in his hand.
He looked down—he'd activated it without even noticing.
"I won't lose her…"
He turned. Looked at the Jedi.
Then at his mother.
She looked at him, smiling. "Ani… be strong. Be good."
And then she faded.
Anakin collapsed to his knees.
But the saber in his hand turned white.
He stood again, voice shaking.
"I will love. But I won't become a monster for it."
Seris stood in an empty temple.
She walked through halls filled with praise. Her name echoed—Seris the Brilliant. Seris the Unmatched. Seris the Perfect Jedi.
Everywhere she looked, others bowed. Admired. Obeyed.
But then she turned a corner—and found Cain, Barriss, and Galia lying dead. Unmarked. Ignored.
No one mourned them. No one remembered.
Only her.
She fell to her knees. "No…"
A voice whispered in her ear.
"You were better than them."
She clenched her fists. "No."
"They held you back."
"No!"
The halls began to dissolve. Mirrors cracked. Statues fell.
Seris stood, her voice shaking.
"I don't want to be the best. I want to be the best version of myself. And I won't step on others to get there."
The vision faded.
And Seris stood tall—shoulders squared.
The Hollow Temple was silent.
Then, Cain's eyes opened.
Then Anakin's.
And finally, Seris's.
All three stood, glowing faintly in the Force, breathing slow, deep, and steady.
Fay and Plo stood waiting, their expressions calm—but proud.
Fay spoke first.
"You passed. Not because you won. But because you stood your ground… even when the ground disappeared."
Plo placed a hand on each of their shoulders in turn.
"You are no longer defined by fear. You walk forward as yourselves, not shadows."
Cain looked to his friends.
And for the first time in his soul, he felt it:
They were ready.
Codex Entry 031 – The Path Through Fire
Courage isn't charging into battle.
It's standing tall when the world begs you to fall.
And still whispering… I am not done yet.